The Call

Today, I was in the office with Victor. We have both been involved in our different ministries, he at C4C, myself in RCCF. One thing we both could relate on... we were saddened by our late entry into service. He started to get more involved in C4C in his 2nd year. For myself, I wasn't really involved until the end of 2nd year and beginning of 3rd year.

Graduation is coming around the corner for both of us, I hardly consider us old or anything... yet I guess our one bit of parting wisdom would be:

Take the initiative in your spiritual life. God is calling you and will meet you more than halfway.

Cheers,
Richard

Nic at Nite

First of all i would like to apologize for not posting for a really long time

secondly,

this devo is taken from "Our Daily Bread"

Reading - John 3:1-21

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."

In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"

Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.

"You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

According to the apostle John, Nicodemus “came to Jesus by night” (John 3:2). Was this Pharisee skulking under cover of darkness, embarrassed or ashamed that he, as one of the ruling class, was curious about Jesus?

Some have suggested that it was just cooler at night. Others have said that evening was a better time to ask Jesus questions because it was quieter and there were fewer distractions.

We really don’t know the reason Nicodemus went to Jesus at night, but John seemed determined to make a point of that specific fact. Every time he mentioned Nicodemus, he identified him by saying something like: “You know who I’m talking about—the guy who came to Jesus by night” (see 7:50; 19:39).

Nicodemus, no doubt, was quite moral and lived according to Mosaic Law. People probably thought he was a pretty good person. Yet none of that mattered. He was in the dark about who Jesus really was, and he wanted to know the truth. So he was drawn from the darkness into the presence of “the light of the world” (John 8:12).

Jesus calls us “out of darkness” too (1 Peter 2:9) and promises that whoever believes in Him will not stay in the dark (John 12:46). — Cindy Hess Kasper

Our search for truth is hindered by
The darkness of the night,
Until the Bright and Morning Star
Reveals His brilliant light. —Sper

Faith in Christ is not a leap into the dark; it’s a step into the Light.

An Answer

"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever."
1 John 2:15-17

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander."
1 Peter 3:15-16

We live in an age where the world constantly tries to shape our desires. Buy this new computer, buy a car, get a girlfriend, make tons of money, and so forth. Fame, prestige, money, and women are toted around as successful. You all have that image in your head..."I want to be successful." Look beyond these worldly things, and see that a man that does the will of God lives forever!
These worldly desires go against what God teaches us. You will constantly be in battle in regards to this. This brings me to my next point.

From 1 Peter 3:15-16, we are always to be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks us about our faith (in a manner that is respectful). But, can many of us give answers? To believers and unbelievers? It is very easy to say I am for God 100%. But, how many of us mean it? Let us honestly re-arrange our priorities so we love God. Let us pray that we have the diligence to prepare for the time when we will give answers in regards to our faith.

Cheers my brothers,
Richard

No Escape

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence (Psalm 139:7, New International Version).

Scripture: Psalm 139:7-12
Song: "Where the Spirit of the Lord Is"

In the middle of the night, my friend's sister, distraught because of her difficult marriage, drove several hours from her home in southern California to Yosemite National Park. She then hiked to the top of Half Dome, the park's famous glacier-carved, half-sphere rock formation. The final ascent up the curved back of the granite mountain is challenging in daylight but filled with risk after dark. When she reached the peak, she hiked back down, got in her car and drove home.

Pondering the dramatic story, I wondered what she was felling and thinking. Was she hoping she'd fall off the giant rock? Was she running away from her problems-then somehow found enough strength to go back and face them? Was she angry? Was she crying?

All of us would like to escape at times. The psalmist has good and bad news for us: we can't run away from God. While I don't know whether the frustrated wife found peace in her marriage, I do know that even the night sky at the top of Half Dome was not dark enough to hide her from God's presence and love.

Prayer: Dear Lord, like Adam and Even in the garden, we run away to hide our shame, our sin, our pain. Forgive me, and help me come out of hiding to acknowledge Your abiding presence. Through Christ I pray. Amen.

- taken from 365 Devotions by Standard (Pocket Edition)

No Exceptions to Holiness

"And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the Lord met him and sought to kill him." -Exodus 4:24


Moses had just received one of the greatest commissions in history. He was to be God's instrument to deliver the nation of Israel and to guide it to the Promised Land. He was to lead them to become a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:6). Yet Moses had not obeyed all of God's commands himself, for he had never had his son circumcised. This was a long-standing command from God that Moses had ignored. God's response was to prepare to kill Moses. Here was one of history's greatest men about to be put to death before ever performing the task God had set before him. Moses could not expect to blatantly ignore a command of God and still be used mightily in His divine work. Had not Moses quickly responded in obedience, he would surely have lost his life.

Moses learned that God makes no exceptions for holiness. When God sets forth a requirement of His people, He most certainly demands it of the leaders. God wanted to make Moses' life a highway of holiness through which He could bring redemption to millions of people. God had to make some significant adjustments in the life of Moses before He would use him to lead His people.

Are you trying to serve God and yet ignore something He has told you to do? Are you living your life as if God does not notice your disobedience? Do you apply God's standards to yourself as rigorously as you apply them to others?


jacky's note:
on the eve of elections and nominations handed in, this rings so true. I pray that ALL of us really examine our lives, and find whether we are following God 100% and not ignoring any of his teachings. Whether its keeping sexual immoraility in check, relations with brothers and sisters, the fruits of the Spirit, anything, are you holding true to God's expectations of you? If there are things in our life not in sync with God, I pray that we take steps in syncing our lives to God's holiness.

This is Thursday's Post

"For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."

- 1 Thes 5:9-11


Ok. Pretend the day is still Thursday. Just really, really late.

By now everyone would have noticed my absence here for the past few weeks.

Allow me to share.

I just got back from a long church meeting and an extremely long dinner with an amazingly good conversation w/ a bro from church.

However, it's now 2 am.

I have no idea where all my time has gone in the past 2 weeks. Possibly loitering, possibly doing school projects / ccf / church / resumes / cover letters / more church planning / more ccf planning / and now just plain escaping.

But you know what I miss the most? Being with God. Listening to God. Communing with God.

And it's not that I don't have time. It's just that I don't have time ALONE with GOD. I'm constantly surrounding by ppl talking to me about CCF and church and what's to come in the next year and on and on and on.

Which is alright in moderation. But lately with all that's on my plate... it's heavy man. It's heavy.

I feel stretched.

To a point where I can't give 100% to CCF like I used to in first semester. Everything else, especially my church, is draining the life outta me. I'm gettin burnt out. And it's not fair for you guys.

Though, on a brighter note, my dinner was good.

Let me explain, via haiku.

Hot pot, so divine
Captivate me once again
Yes, infinite beef

................................

So while this may not have been the devo you guys were looking forward to, I'm just asking you guys for a little prayer support.

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

- 2 Peter 1:5-8

So help a brother out. Pray that I will not be ineffective and unproductive in this state. And that I can get back on the horse and finish off strong like I wanted to.

Peace outside homies.

Keep it real.

Agents of Grace

Jesus’ most memorable story, The Prodigal Son, ends with a banquet scene, featuring as its hero a good-for-nothing who has soiled the family reputation. Those judged undesirable by everyone else—like the prodigal son—are infinitely desirable to God. When one of them turns to God, a party breaks out (Luke 15:22-24).

In the Old Testament, levitical laws guarded against contagion. Among the things that would contaminate a person were contact with certain animals, carcasses, or the sick. But Jesus reversed the process. Rather than becoming contaminated by what was unclean, He made the unclean whole.

I sense in Jesus a fulfillment, not an abolition, of the Old Testament laws. God had hallowed creation by separating the sacred from the profane, the clean from the unclean. Jesus did not cancel out this hallowing principle; rather He changed its source.

Because of God’s great grace, we can be agents of His holiness, for He now dwells within us. We can seek, as Jesus did, for ways to be a source of holiness. The sick and the maimed are not hot spots of contamination but potential reservoirs of God’s mercy. We are called to extend that mercy, to be conveyers of grace, not avoiders of contagion. Like Jesus, we can help make the “unclean” clean. — Philip Yancey

For Further Study

According to Philippians 2:14, how should we “do all things”? What is the result for us, and what does that mean for our world? (v.15).

No one is beyond the reach of God’s grace.

Taken from Our Daily Bread

A people of Worth

24"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
~Matthew 7:21-29

What kind of people are we? Are we a one dimensional people, who can only act without knowing, or knowing without acting? Does this sum us up as people, is this what God's people are like? ....
How do we respond to God? Do we wait on him and try to be intune with the Lord, or do we do our own thing, going by trial and error?
How do we live for God? IS he really the centre of our being...and if not, how come? What power therefore is there in being a Christian? ....
Who is God? How is he relevant?
Who is robbing you of your power? Is fear removing you from the glory of God?

As the eve of elections is near, many of you are nominated for positions. I come asking the question: Does your life reflect the power given to you being a child of God, or do you squander it, because of fear or worldly things.
I am asking each of you at this moment: are you able to serve? If not, will you prepare for what's ahead? ...I'm not trying to discourage any of you to lead next year, infact, i think it's a great thing. Rather, how many of you have hearts ready for what God is waiting to do? That i'm unsure about, and that is what i'm asking you to test tonight.

~Allan

Men's Small Group

I've danced around the issue for far too long, and I feel that it is time to address it.

We've had a strong contingent of guys showing up to men's small group last term. This term, not so much. I will take the blame for not setting the times for men's small group at times that are not "convenient". The thing is that I chose times where I felt that people would be around and willing to do small groups, but I guess I assumed wrong.

SO this is a wake up call for me and hopefully for you guys. I am using this blog as a chance to get each and everyone of you to discuss and post times where it would be best for you. I asked for your schedules earlier in the year, and I only received like 2 schedules.

We set out to read Ecclesiastes, I know that I myself have not read through it. We also have a prayer journal, who knows about it? I challenge you all, as well as myself, to step up and re-establish male small group and build each other up. I see potential in everyone and I feel we need a close knit group of guys to step up and push each other forward. Like I said during last week's program, if we can push each other's cars, how much more fruitful and more awesome it is to push each other in their walks with God?

If you have been showing up regularly (I know there are some of us that do) I want to take this time to thank you for your awesomeness in showing up, and my apology for not being there as much as I had hoped to lead SG (due to some infuriating circumstances). One thing I want to also get straight is that this post is not a "pointing fingers" post, its just that I want to find a time where we can fit everyone.

Knowing God

"And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." -John 17:3

Knowing God through experience is radically different than knowing about God from a theology textbook. According to the Bible, you cannot say you know God unless you have experienced Him (Phil.3:8,10). Biblical knowledge always involves experience. You may become discouraged because the truths you read about in the Bible are much richer than the reality of your own experience.

If you have not experienced God's power at work in and through your life, do not settle for a secondhand knowledge of God's power, rejoicing in what He has done in others. Jesus' prayer was that you would come to know God and His presence in your life and experience. Don't discount eh power of God as described in Scripture simply because you have not experienced it. Bring your experience up to the standard of Scripture; never reduce Scripture to the level of your experience. Don't settle for a head knowledge of God's love. Jesus prayed that you would experience the depth and width and height of His love and that you would enjoy God's full and unending love in the day-to-day experiences of your life.

If you sense there are biblical truths that you are not experiencing, keep that truth before you and ask God to bring it into your everyday experience. Ask God if there are any adjustments you need to make in order to receive His promise. Don't give up on the promises of God; stay with them until you are fully experiencing them.

Could This Be True Of Me?

"But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself." Acts 20:24

It is easier to serve God without a vision, easier to work for God without a call, because then you are not bothered by what God requires; common sense is your guide, veneered over with Christian sentiment. You will be more prosperous and successful, more leisure-hearted, if you never realize the call of God. But if once you receive a commission from Jesus Christ, the memory of what God wants will always come like a goad; you will no longer be able to work for Him on the common-sense basis.

What do I really count dear? If I have not been gripped by Jesus Christ, I will count service dear, time given to God dear, my life dear unto myself. Paul says he counted his life dear only in order that he might fulfil the ministry he had received; he refused to use his energy for any other thing. Acts 20:24 states Paul's almost sublime annoyance at being asked to consider himself; he was absolutely indifferent to any consideration other than that of fulfilling the ministry he had received. Practical work may be a competitor against abandonment to God, because practical work is based on this argument - Remember how 'useful you are here, or - Think how much value you would be in that particular type of work." That attitude does not put Jesus Christ as the Guide as to where we should go, but our judgment as to where we are of most use. Never consider whether you are of use; but ever consider that you are not your own but His.

- Taken from My Utmost for His Highest

Songbird in the Dark

Just before the sunrise, we often hear songbirds welcoming the dawn. Despite the darkness, we know that the radiant light of the sun will soon appear.

Fanny Crosby has been called “The Songbird in the Dark.” Though blinded in infancy, she wrote hymns that inspirationally envision our future reunion with Christ. Early in her life, Fanny had a dream in which she saw the panorama of a glorious heaven, and many of her songs reflect that theme. By the time of her death, she had penned at least 8,000 hymns. Songs such as “Tell Me the Story of Jesus” and “To God Be the Glory” are still popular today.

When Zacharias praised God in anticipation of the Messiah, he also looked forward to a spiritual sunrise. Citing Malachi 4:2, he proclaimed: “The Dayspring [sunrise] from on high has visited us; to give light to those who sit in darkness” (Luke 1:78-79). That Messiah came to earth, died for our sins, rose again, ascended, and promised to return for us.

Do you feel surrounded by dark and confusing circumstances? You can still lift your praise to God for the bright future you will share with His Son. The words of Fanny Crosby’s beloved hymn “Blessed Assurance” encourage us as we anticipate this glorious reunion with Christ. — Dennis Fisher

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood. —Crosby

For the Christian, the dark sorrows of earth will one day be changed into the bright songs of heaven.

Taken from Our Daily Bread