So I have been really getting to bed early these last couple of days, and actually have been very tired. For some reason, I have been having a hard time falling asleep. I have done everything possible to try to get some zzzz's, but alas, nothing will work.
This morning as I was getting up 15 minutes before I had to leave for work, I laid in my bed and had a thought that struck square between the eyes...Satan wants me to stay awake so that I will not have enough time to get into the word in the morning. So I now know that Satan can work from both ends...not just in the moment but also in planning ahead.
Tonight I will get into the word as well.
AP
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Friday, January 2, 2009
Christmas Time
Usually during the Christmas season I feel very empty. The holiday comes to a close and I then have to start the hum drum of everyday life. I dreaded the end. This year was different.
Was it because I got what I wanted for Christmas? Nope, my new Taylor acoustic guitar was not under the tree. Is it because I went to a hot country for the holidays? Nope, I am as white as the paper in my printer...there is no tan. Is it because I did something good for someone this holiday? Well, my attitude is not dependent on doing good deeds, so nope.
Lately I have not been afraid to share my faith to others. The past month has been an incredible shift in my thinking. Leading people to Christ is the most important thing you can do in your lifetime...nothing else is more important to the human race.
I have been listening to Todd Friel on Sirius 161 for the past couple of months on a regular basis. He presents the gospel so clear that, even if you are an unbeliever, you have no choice but to think about your life. The one thing that people do not want to hear is that they are sinners and that every sin they commit is like a rotting carcass...in other words dirty and filthy. Doing good things and being a "good" person is not going to cut it because he is a very just God. We have to realize that we need a saviour and acknowledge that he needs to save us. This means dying to oursleves and repenting, or turning away, from our sins.
But you may say, " Well, I haven't really committed any bad sins...hmmm, you are so wrong. Take a look at the ten commandments. These were given to act as a mirror. Have you lied? Even just once? Then you have broken the law and should be condemmed to Hell. Have you lusted after someone of the opposite sex? Jesus says if you do this you have committed adultery in your heart. Another one broken. Have you stolen? Another one broken. Have you ever gotten angry at someone? Jesus says this is committing murder in your heart. Another one broken.
I could go on, but if you have broken any of God's Laws, you should go straight to Hell when you die. "But this is so bad...my life is over!!", you may say. But the sick person needs to know that they have a disease before they can hear that they can be healed. The good news is this:
God sent his son Jesus and he was put up on a cross. He paid the fine for all of us so that all sin- past, present and future- would be cleared. It is up to us accept him and turn away from our sin and give him control of our lives. This is the good news of the Gospel...nothing else. Once we do this, we are assured eternal life with the God of the universe.
The Christmas season was the start of salvation. If there is no birth, there is no Easter. If there is no Easter, there is no savior. No savior, we all are lost.
I know it may be a bit late for this, but if you are still celebrating Christmas, think about what you are celebrating and take this very seriously. Give hin the glory...
Was it because I got what I wanted for Christmas? Nope, my new Taylor acoustic guitar was not under the tree. Is it because I went to a hot country for the holidays? Nope, I am as white as the paper in my printer...there is no tan. Is it because I did something good for someone this holiday? Well, my attitude is not dependent on doing good deeds, so nope.
Lately I have not been afraid to share my faith to others. The past month has been an incredible shift in my thinking. Leading people to Christ is the most important thing you can do in your lifetime...nothing else is more important to the human race.
I have been listening to Todd Friel on Sirius 161 for the past couple of months on a regular basis. He presents the gospel so clear that, even if you are an unbeliever, you have no choice but to think about your life. The one thing that people do not want to hear is that they are sinners and that every sin they commit is like a rotting carcass...in other words dirty and filthy. Doing good things and being a "good" person is not going to cut it because he is a very just God. We have to realize that we need a saviour and acknowledge that he needs to save us. This means dying to oursleves and repenting, or turning away, from our sins.
But you may say, " Well, I haven't really committed any bad sins...hmmm, you are so wrong. Take a look at the ten commandments. These were given to act as a mirror. Have you lied? Even just once? Then you have broken the law and should be condemmed to Hell. Have you lusted after someone of the opposite sex? Jesus says if you do this you have committed adultery in your heart. Another one broken. Have you stolen? Another one broken. Have you ever gotten angry at someone? Jesus says this is committing murder in your heart. Another one broken.
I could go on, but if you have broken any of God's Laws, you should go straight to Hell when you die. "But this is so bad...my life is over!!", you may say. But the sick person needs to know that they have a disease before they can hear that they can be healed. The good news is this:
God sent his son Jesus and he was put up on a cross. He paid the fine for all of us so that all sin- past, present and future- would be cleared. It is up to us accept him and turn away from our sin and give him control of our lives. This is the good news of the Gospel...nothing else. Once we do this, we are assured eternal life with the God of the universe.
The Christmas season was the start of salvation. If there is no birth, there is no Easter. If there is no Easter, there is no savior. No savior, we all are lost.
I know it may be a bit late for this, but if you are still celebrating Christmas, think about what you are celebrating and take this very seriously. Give hin the glory...
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
The Sound of Music
So tonight I finnished the second of four concerts this week. This week every year is just crazy every single year, especially this year since one of our vital staff members is on the mend and unable to be there.
I am always nervous when concert time comes around. Not because I think I am going to look bad, but because I want my students to perform to the best of their abilities.
Tonight went really well...I have a lot of grade 7 students who are ready to take it to the next level, and a good group of grade 8/9 students that can take the reigns if needed.
I love my kids.
I am always nervous when concert time comes around. Not because I think I am going to look bad, but because I want my students to perform to the best of their abilities.
Tonight went really well...I have a lot of grade 7 students who are ready to take it to the next level, and a good group of grade 8/9 students that can take the reigns if needed.
I love my kids.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
I Make Mistakes.
The other day I made a huge mistake. I did not realize it was so huge until I heard through the "grapevine" that these people were upset with me for what I had done. At first I was angry that people were talking behind my back. This was a very silly thing to do, since this only makes the situation worse in my mind and take the focus off of the real problem...ME!!
I think all of us have tried to justify a situation we have been in or try to deflect the blame we get on to someone else during a certain point in our lives. What does that do? Well, it could do a number of things. But admitting that we are wrong and confessing to the person that we wronged right away will not only make you fell better, but put the other person at ease as well.
When I was about 13 years old, I broke my best friend's arm. I kicked him with a baseball cleat and snapped his forearm for no apparently good reason at all. I really do not remember what happened after that, but I know there was a lot of resentment for a while. I felt awful about it, and even now I don't know if I ever asked for his forgiveness. Dean, if you are reading this, I am so sorry...I was so wrong in my actions. Please forgive me if you haven't already.
So what did I do with the recent problem? Well, nothing yet. I plan on talking with the people involved and admitting my wrong. This is much harder to do than it sounds, but in order fo me to go on in this life I need to have the humility of Christ and always put others first.
I think all of us have tried to justify a situation we have been in or try to deflect the blame we get on to someone else during a certain point in our lives. What does that do? Well, it could do a number of things. But admitting that we are wrong and confessing to the person that we wronged right away will not only make you fell better, but put the other person at ease as well.
When I was about 13 years old, I broke my best friend's arm. I kicked him with a baseball cleat and snapped his forearm for no apparently good reason at all. I really do not remember what happened after that, but I know there was a lot of resentment for a while. I felt awful about it, and even now I don't know if I ever asked for his forgiveness. Dean, if you are reading this, I am so sorry...I was so wrong in my actions. Please forgive me if you haven't already.
So what did I do with the recent problem? Well, nothing yet. I plan on talking with the people involved and admitting my wrong. This is much harder to do than it sounds, but in order fo me to go on in this life I need to have the humility of Christ and always put others first.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Half Truth?
Yesterday, I was plagued with the doubt...yes, THE Doubt.I have gone through some catastrophic change in my personal relationship with Christ. I have not been reading my Bible lately, and I know there is no excuse for that...and I know that this is the root of the doubt.I have to be careful about what or who I listen to as well if I do not read the word. The Devil will try to get his foothold into the depths of my mind as long as that is happening.
So the other day someone told me that I was not saved. This really surprised me, since he is a very knowledgeable christian man. He also has a lot of zeal, and some of it I believe to be misdirected. Just as I thought I was getting away from those kind of people, God puts then in front of me to challenge my faith.
After growing up in a religion that tells you that you never know if you will be saved until the day that Christ comes back, my ears really perked up when I heard these words...'"You are not saved." I really thought about it and the verse that always comes back to mind is John 3:16-
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Now I don't know about you, but to me this seems very clear. If you believe in Christ (which if you believe in something you accept it to be true) you will have eternal life...or SAVED!!
I need to do more reading, but I do know that I have the assurance that Christ is my savior and I do believe in Him...I do not want to do anything against his will. If I do, I will repent and try to never do it again. But he will accept me back if I have accepted him.
So do I have the doubt anymore? No, I do not.
So the other day someone told me that I was not saved. This really surprised me, since he is a very knowledgeable christian man. He also has a lot of zeal, and some of it I believe to be misdirected. Just as I thought I was getting away from those kind of people, God puts then in front of me to challenge my faith.
After growing up in a religion that tells you that you never know if you will be saved until the day that Christ comes back, my ears really perked up when I heard these words...'"You are not saved." I really thought about it and the verse that always comes back to mind is John 3:16-
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Now I don't know about you, but to me this seems very clear. If you believe in Christ (which if you believe in something you accept it to be true) you will have eternal life...or SAVED!!
I need to do more reading, but I do know that I have the assurance that Christ is my savior and I do believe in Him...I do not want to do anything against his will. If I do, I will repent and try to never do it again. But he will accept me back if I have accepted him.
So do I have the doubt anymore? No, I do not.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Are you oblivious?
I have said some really dumb things in the 31+ years that I have been alive. I have hurt a lot of people with the stuff that came out of my mouth. No, I did not have super acidic saliva, but a tongue that could pierce the soul. I was mainly a sarcastic person, and that mixed in with selfishness and self-righteousness was a cocktail for brutal behavior.
At the time, I was very oblivious to all of my behavior. Now I look back and realize that I was a really bad kid! Things that I thought were everyone else’s fault have come full circle in my brain and I now realize what I did.
Well, that is kinds the same with our relationship with Christ. Before we knew him, we were oblivious to the sin that was in our lives, and we even would think that is there was nothing wrong with the things that we were doing. We need to see ourselves for who we really are…sinners.
I used to believe that if you kept the Ten Commandments to the exact letter then that was your ticket through the pearly gates. That was not what the tablets were intended for. The Law of Moses makes me realize today how much of a sinner I really am. It acts like a mirror, showing me how sinful I really am.
But wait, there is hope after all. That is where the sacrifice of Christ comes in. No matter how sinful we are, we can accept Jesus and all of our sins will be gone…yes, GONE!! This acceptance of him will transform our lives. If you don’t believe me, try it for yourself.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
I Live my life through Him
I have found the anthem that sums up why I believe in Christ. It is an amazing praise piece by Steve Fee called, "All Because of Jesus.” Here are the words for you:
Giver of every breath I breathe
Author of all eternity
Giver of every perfect thing
To You be the glory
Maker of heaven and of earth
No one can comprehend your worth
King over all the universe
To You be the glory
I'm alive
Because I'm alive in You
And it's all because of Jesus I'm alive
And it's all because the blood of Jesus Christ
That covers me and raised this dead man's life
It's all because of Jesus
Every sunrise sings Your praise
The universe cries out your praise
I'm singing freedom all my days
Now that I'm alive
And it's all because of Jesus I'm alive
And it's all because the blood of Jesus Christ
That covers me and raised this dead man's life
It's all because of Jesus
I think when it comes down to the nitty gritty, the meat and potatoes, the real heart the issue...ok, enough clichés. It comes down to giving up everything, and I mean everything, to Christ. The least that we can do is give everything up and let him take care of it. I accept him, give him all the glory and honor, and live my life through Him.
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