“As It Is”

What we believe about the afterlife changes everything, forever. 

Take about 10 seconds and get really honest with the question below. 

Do I see heaven more as a promise of 

escape from a broken world or as God’s 

will entering my world with restoration?

~~~

The preceding section was a quote from a devotional I was reading this morning called, “One Minute After You Die” from the YouVersion Bible app. I will be honest, I have never ever thought of heaven as God coming to restore us here on earth. Heaven, as I had grown to learn, is an amazing place to look forward to...  after death. It had only ever been, in my mind, for a later time - a far and distant day of hope and rejoicing.

But in the devotional, the writer introduces the concept of heaven as God restoring us here on earth, right now. This means heaven can come into the reality of our every day lives. In Revelation 21 it speaks about the creation of the New Heaven and the New Earth, and in verse 5 God says from His throne, “Behold, I am making all things new”. Now, I always thought that this meant a complete and total reset in the timeline of eternity. However, the devotional had a line that changed my mind. It continued to say "He didn't say he was making all-new things." All-new things... How incredibly hope-filled, is that!

God is in the business of making all things new, not all-new things! It is encouraging to know God has never and will never give up on His creation - us. He is so willing to renew and restore us because of His great love. Jesus reconciled our relationship with God through the power of His blood on the cross. When we believe in Christ we are brought into this restoration and we are made new! 

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. 

The old has passed away; behold the new has come." 

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

So today I learnt; heaven is mush closer than I had originally thought. Heaven is God reaching out towards us to restore and transform our lives to make us new, and "it is God's dwelling being made available to us both immediately and eternally by Jesus who is our living hope". When we hope in Jesus we can say, "your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven", and we can know heaven is here.



Blessings~

Streetlights

As I was driving home from church on Wednesday night, all the streetlights suddenly went off while passing through a particular area. I was fascinated at how abruptly dark it had become. Trust me, it was dark.

At church we had just finished studying Philippians 2:12-18, and in this passage of scripture verse 15 states that we are to "shine as lights in the world". Having witnessed all the streetlights go out, it made me ponder the idea that we, as Christians, need to stay 'shining bright'. Collectively, we can make a big impact on the world around us. We, in a sense, can light the way to the source of our brightness, Jesus Christ, himself. 

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.” ‭‭

- Philippians‬ ‭2:14-16‬ ‭ESV‬‬ (emphasis mine)

So I am grateful for streetlights; there is a huge difference when all the streetlights go out at the same time. It was as though every streetlight had given up on lighting the way, and it made it harder to see where I was going. It resembled the way we, as Christians, are being silenced in opinion, and not having a strong impact on our communities with the decisions we are hearing about on the news everyday. Therefore, we must stay connected to the source and keep shining bright so others will see the way to Father God through Christ Jesus.

Trust

I think this is the main motto of what it means to be a Christian is... To believe that Jesus is the son of God, to accept him as our Saviour because of the work he has done on the cross (the forgiveness of sin, an atoning sacrifice which we could never bring to God ourselves), and to confess our sin and turn form them... I may have messed up the ABC order some of are used to... But I think more often than not, in the early stages of our Christian walk, we were hardly told about going forward in life by trusting Him in all things. 

But trust can be hard! Because our human nature wants to be in control. Even though we’ve been granted self-control through the Holy Spirit, we literally need to rely on God to be in control of the rest. To trust in Him and have faith, always.

 ~~~

“So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4:19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:5-6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭26:3‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭15:13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

~~~

Be blessed, trust in the Lord.

Judging

We all have a story... More often than we'd like to admit, we judge people based on our preconceived ideas, and in the true sense of the word, this is a form of prejudice. Pre-judging.

Prej-u-dice: a preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience; biased.

We think that we know exactly why a person may have responded to a situation in a certain way, or why they simply act as they do... but we never really take the time to consider what they may or may not have gone through. Or maybe it's the opposite, maybe the person is not acting or being as YOU think they should be, and even so, we never get to know their story.

We get stuck in the moment, in the 'now'... and we fail to consider the steps and progress, the years of fighting for the right thing, that it took for the other person to get to where they are today. Sometimes we will even come to conclusions about a person by what they wear. Never truly getting to know a person by what's in their heart.

But thankfully God is totally the opposite of us humans (who can often be unmerciful, and quite judgmental). He said to the prophet Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7 ESV),

So while we may be caught up in thinking certain things about others, we need to realize we have a heart condition of our own that needs checking. This is why we are told to examine and test ourselves to prove if our faith is genuine (see 2 Corinthians 13:5 ESV). King David himself asked God to "search me... and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts; see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way" (Psalm 139:23-24 AMP).

Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things 

and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? 

Romans 2:3 ESV

Why do you pass judgment on your brother? 

Or you, why do you despise your brother? 

For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 

for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, 

every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” 

So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. 

Romans 14:10-12 ESV

Let us not allow ourselves to take a seat in which God never intended us to have. Jesus is the true judge, and we are His children. We're all a work-in-progress, we will not be able to change by our own means and efforts, it is only through the help of the Holy Spirit can we truly be transformed.
We certainly need to help each other be the best we can be, by praying for each other and sharing the Word of God to one another.

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.” – Matthew 7:1-5 ESV

We must remember, we are all totally loved by God. So let's love one another.

Beloved, 

if God so loved us, 

we also ought to love one another. 

1 John 4:11 ESV

Surrender

The past week I have been receiving some insight on the topic of prayer and surrender. When I say surrender, I don't mean giving up in the things that matter, but rather, giving up control in the areas which God nudges us to lay down at His feet and pass over to His hands (and just as a heads up, to you and myself, this honestly includes every area of our lives).

This past Sunday (March 11) in church we were singing about God breaking every chain, and the previous Wednesday (March 7) we sang and declared for God to move mountains, and push back walls that hinder us... and this was great. It is great, because God is able and can literally do anything! But in the depth of my heart, I know that if I don't surrender my thinking, my will and my ways to God's Word, God's will and God's ways... I will be stuck.

And I will stay stuck if I don't surrender. Chains won't fall off if I'm still holding on to them in my hands; bad habits, bad relationships, bad thought patterns... until I let go from the deepest part of me and truly surrender, trusting God has full control, only then will I be freed in Him. Freed to live out and proclaim His Word, to do His will, and live joyfully in His ways.

~~~

I was reading a devotional by Dr. Charles Stanley called "Life Principles To Live By", and on day 17 the entry is entitled 'Standing Tall and Strong Through Prayer' and Dr. Stanley refers to Daniel.

Here's a quick snapshot of some of Daniel's experience:

Daniel lived in a time and place where he and the Israelites were under the authority of a pagan society. The Babylonians had stripped Daniel and the other captives of their identity as best they could, they were instructed in the ways of the Babylonians and were forced to worship their god (which they didn't)... but Daniel lived a life of surrender to the God of the Israelites, and he was devoted to prayer.

Now, there were some administrators and satraps who attempted to find grounds in which they could charge against Daniel from conducting government affairs, but they could find nothing. These people in politics realized the only way to entrap Daniel was to create a law that "has something to do with the law of his God" (Daniel 6:5).  So they convinced King Darius to pass a law where no one could pray to any god (or God), except to King Darius, over the course of the following thirty days. King Darius agreed to it, and the law was passed.

Daniel's prayer life was consistent. And the law did not stop him from getting down on his knees to pray three times a day to his God... This makes me ponder; thirty days isn't a very long time, so why didn't Daniel just put prayer on the back burner, and live in a way to save his life, you know? But ultimately... because of Daniels devotion to God, he was caught praying and was arrested. The administrators and satraps then threw him into a lions den...

Being thrown into a lions den does not seem favourable at all! (If you don't know how the story ends I encourage you to check out more of the story in the book of Daniel chapter 6. But I won't leave you hanging...) Daniel was in the lions den for one whole night, the King was tremendously saddened that this happened to Daniel, and he was one of King Darius' trusted officials (see Daniel 6:3).

This is what stuck out to me from the devotional:

Always remember God is bigger than any problem you face. The distance between your success and failure (or your victory and defeat) is the distance between your knees and the floor as you kneel before the Savior in surrendered prayer. You’re never taller or stronger than when you’re on your knees in prayer! God knows the way before you, and He can guide you through any difficulty if you will only trust Him.

So, the next day the King came rushing to the lions den to see if Daniel survived the night. To his amazement, Daniel responded to King Darius' cry, "O king, live forever! My God send his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me..." (Daniel 6:21-22). The King was thrilled! Because Daniel trusted in his God he was spared (Daniel 6:23)... and the other guys, well... you should definitely check out Daniel 6.

~~~

Quotes

'One does not surrender a life in an instant;

that which is lifelong can only be surrendered in a lifetime.'

- Jim Elliot

Sometimes God asks us to let go of something and we don’t want to.

Don’t be a stubborn sheep.

Let go and remember even though it’ll be hard for you to lay down right now,

it’ll get harder and harder as time progresses..

and it will steal from you what God wants you to have.

- Joyce Meyer, quote

This one is heavy, especially for me... Our surrender to God should not be for our own personal gain, "we have become so self-centered that we go to God only for something from Him, and not for God Himself. It's like saying, "No, Lord, I don't want you; I want myself. But I do want you to clean me and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I want to be on display in Your showcase so I can say, 'This is what God has done for me.' " Gaining heaven, being delivered from sin, and being made useful to God are things that should never even be a consideration in real surrender. Genuine total surrender is a personal sovereign preference for Jesus Christ Himself." 

- Oswald Chambers, Total Surrender, March 12 revised

~~~

Scriptures

“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”

‭‭James‬ ‭1:19-25‬ ‭ESV‬‬ (emphasis mine)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. 

The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

Submit yourselves therefore to God. 

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:7 KJV

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, 

and your plans will succeed.

Proverbs 16:3 NIV 1984

Thoughts: We are to surrender, "put away", all filthiness and rampant wickedness... when we DO what we've been instructed from the Word of God, and persevere in the perfect law, we will be blessed in what we're doing. So as we surrender the old man (our sinful nature) by submitting to God, our plans will succeed in Him.

The Blessed Hope: How to Grieve Part 2

On February 15, 2018 around 7:07 pm, my beloved Nonna Iolanda took her last breathe and entered into eternal glory to be with her sweet Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Of course we will miss her here while the rest of us remain on earth. But we have such a hope that we will be seeing her again when it’s our turn to answer the call.

We rejoice in knowing her as an amazing woman while she walked this earth. She had many battles to face, which is why she was such a strong fighter. I will share the eulogy I was honoured to bring forward at her funeral in just a moment.

The title of this blog allows me to share what I have been experiencing during this time of "loss". I have had my moments to reflect and grieve, but I have felt God's continual peace in the process.
I know that I will be seeing my grandmother again, because she had accepted Jesus into her heart and lived a life that brought glory to Him, and so have I.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭1:3-9‬ ‭ESV

“For the grace of God has appeared,

bringing salvation for all people,

training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions,

and to live self-controlled,

upright, and godly lives in the present age,

waiting for our blessed hope,

the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

who gave himself for us

to redeem us from all lawlessness

and to purify for himself a people for his own possession

 who are zealous for good works.”

‭‭Titus‬ ‭2:11-14‬ ‭ESV

~~~

This is the eulogy I shared with the family and friends who attended the funeral service.

I felt that it would be appropriate to share here as a snapshot of who my grandma was...

mind you, this is an incredibly short synopsis, she truly was an incredible woman.

~~~

Where do we begin in attempting to summarize the precious eight-seven years of this incredible woman, in which we are gathering to honour today, Iolanda Bruno.

<addressed the family, which I will not name here for privacy purposes>

Nonna was strong, she may have been short but she was a fighter. She knew how to preserve, but she also knew how to love. And she loved hard; she welcomed every person she met with a warm heart and smile.

She loved the Lord her God with all her heart, she was a great example of faith and was constantly in prayer for her family. Over the last few years I, personally, had the privilege to spend a few minutes with her every morning in prayer before I went to work. She would always tell me that she thanked God for me, and that I was a person of great faith, but in reality, it was her faith that encouraged me to grow in my own.

Her hands were always busy, doing something to add value to each of our lives; whether it be through meal prep, laundry, cleaning, mending clothes, and even hearts. I’m thankful for those hands and the example they have been to me, and to us, as a family. We are definitely all hard workers because of her example.

Nonna was a peacemaker; she hated arguing and always desired to see her loved ones at peace with each other at all times. She was gentle and tender-hearted. She led a quiet life and minded her own business. But she was more than willing to be present and hear you out, doing her best to help in any way possible and would offer advice as best she could.

She had such a sense of humour, and has definitely passed on the joy and laughter to us. Nonna literally had her own dialect; she would constantly be making up words that she didn’t even know the meaning of, or how to explain it. 

She always wanted to ensure that you had eaten. I believe that she thought if you had been fed, you would be happy, and in turn, so would she. She was also an amazing cook.

She wanted to make sure you were comfortable and comforted. I heard a memory from one of her nephews, Paul, of when he was 4 or 5 years old, and he’s given me permission to share it here. He had slept over at my Nonno’s and Nonna’s house, his aunt’s house, and woke up in the middle of the night crying and wanting a balloon... and he recounts that they got balloons and blew up like 10 or more of them for him. He said it plainly, “Zia Iolanda was a very giving Zia and the love she would show to anyone that she would meet was always over the top.”

In conclusion, one thing I can say for sure... she was ready. As hard as it is for some of us to say goodbye, she was ready to go home and be with the Lord. Because there would be days my dad would come from work and ask how she was doing, and she would simply reply, “I’ma still-a here.” And my mom informed me she told all the doctors, at every appointment she went to, that she was ready to go.

And today we are here to celebrate the life of this beautiful woman, Iolanda Bruno. She will always be in our hearts, and her example of faith will continue on in ours. We are her legacy, and I am excited to share more of her story with you on one-on-one basis.

So... Nonna, you are so loved, and you will be missed but not forgotten. You have arrived to your final designation, heaven, to abide in the eternal glory of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Looking forward to seeing you again one day.
‬‬

Personal Study of Hebrews 11 - Part 5

Sorry for my delay, life has presented some scenarios that have taken priority over writing this study quickly. But, let us continue on this journey through Hebrews 11. This post is a breakdown verses 27 to 29. Each verse will be stated from the ESV, followed by connecting scripture references, word studies or other personal thoughts. I continue to hope you find this resource useful, insightful and perhaps even encouraging. Because faith, as I’ve heard it said, is the currency of heaven.

Faith: 

complete trust 

or confidence 

in someone 

or something.

 ~~~

Hebrews 11: Part 5 – Verses 27-29

²⁷ By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. 

I noticed, back in verse 23 of Hebrews, Moses’ parents were not afraid of the king’s edict, and now, as Moses has grown up, he also isn’t afraid of the king’s anger. Could it be, his parents told him the story of what had happened when he was born and how God had taken them through that situation? It would be a tremendous story of great faith to hear, indeed, and we still have access to it in Exodus 1!

Now... Yes. The verse says that Moses was not afraid of the anger of the king, but that doesn’t mean that Moses did not run for his life! After Moses killed the Egyptian who was mistreating a Hebrew, Pharaoh heard about it, and sought to kill Moses, “but Moses fled from Pharaoh” (see Exodus 2:15). Nowhere does the text in Exodus mention Moses had fear, although he fled, I believe that was out of the common sense in trying to save his life.

The phrase “seeing him who is invisible” could relate to Moses’ encounter with God at the burning bush. To read more check out Exodus 3.

²⁸ By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.

What is Passover? This is a brief summary of what I uncovered in Exodus 12:

In the first month of the year, on tenth day every man was to take a lamb, according to his household. This lamb was to be without blemish, a male, and it was to be kept until the fourteenth day. Then every lamb for every household was to be killed at twilight (talk about massacre of little lambs)... Then the man would take the blood and sprinkle the blood on the two door posts of the house, as well as on the lintel (the top beam of the doorway). The flesh of the lamb would be roasted; every part of it, and in its entirety it was to be eaten in haste before morning. If anything was left over, it was to be burned. Israel was to be dressed as though they would be ready for anything; with shoes on their feet, belt fastened around their cloaks and their staff in their hand (see verse 11).

At midnight, the Lord was to pass over the land of Egypt and he would strike down all the firstborns. This was an execution of judgment.

Why the blood? The blood was a sign, on the houses where they lived... that a sacrifice was made, and the Lord would pass over the homes with the blood on the doorposts. Thus, allowing the household to be saved from the Destroyer of the firstborn. But everyone without the blood on their doorposts would result in having the firstborns killed at midnight.

As it says in Exodus 12:12-13:  “For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgements: I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.”

This event, the Passover, was to be remembered by the people of Israel every year as “the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover” because it was when the Lord “passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses” (Exodus 12:27)

There is also a Feast of Unleavened Bread, which I will not being going into depth in this study, more can be about it in Exodus 12:14-20.

²⁹ By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. 

So you might be wondering, what is the Red Sea, how was it crossed over on dry land and why did it need to be crossed?

Well that would require us to look back a bit... the people of Israel were in slavery in the land of Egypt. And God called Moses to deliver people OUT of Egypt. God would provide signs and wonders that would be presented to Pharaoh (and affect all of Egypt) but God would harden Pharaoh’s heart and he would not let the people of Israel go (Exodus 7:3-5).

These signs would include “the ten plagues”:

·         Water turned to blood (Exodus 7:14-24)

·         Frogs (Exodus 7:25-8:15)

·         Gnats (Exodus 8:16-19)

·         Flies (Exodus 8:20-32)

·         Livestock (Exodus 9:1-7)

·         Boils (Exodus 9:8-12)

·         Hail (Exodus 9:13-35)

·         Locusts (Exodus 10:1-20)

·         Darkness (Exodus 10:21-29), and

·         Firstborn (Exodus 11:1-10)

In the previous verse of Hebrews 11, we learnt about the Passover, which relates to the plague of the firstborn. After all the firstborn males in Egypt died, Pharaoh finally let Moses and the people of Israel leave the land of Egypt. Pharaoh said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested” (Exodus 12:32).

So off they went. But God purposely took the Israelites a longer way because if they had faced war they would have turned back towards Egypt (Exodus 13:17). God never wants us to enter freedom to think a few days later that things were better in bondage. So He’ll take us a longer way to keep us on track, and show us His provision and power.

After a short time Pharaoh and his officials “changed their minds” and they pursued the people of Israel to attempt to bring them back into slavery in Egypt. So Pharaoh sent out “six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt” to capture Israel (Exodus 14:5-7). God purposely hardened Pharaoh’s heart, so that he would pursue Israel, “and I [the Lord] will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.” (Exodus 14:4)

The people of Israel saw the Egyptians pursuing them from afar and began to panic.  

*Enter the need for the Red Sea*

The Red Sea was a body of water that divides... modern day Egypt/Sudan and Saudi Arabia. Based on a quick Google search, Wikipedia states that the Red Sea is approximately 2250 km long, at its widest point 355 km, and can be as deep as 3,040 m. This isn’t a puddle-sized body of water. And according to this article by Jack Zavadaguest, “Crossing the Red Sea – Bible Story Summary: The Red Sea Crossing Showed God’s Miraculous Power”, the Israelites were also surrounded by mountains when they say Egypt pursuing them.

So Israel is freaked out, totally terrified, they cry out to the Lord and say to Moses that they would rather be slaves to Egypt than die in the wilderness. Moses response: “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again” (Exodus 14:13). I’m just taking that in for a second... What amazing faith, to declare such victory in a moment where the battle is closing in, and speedily. Moses continues his victory speech in verse 14, “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

Be silent? Shouldn’t they be sharpening their weapons? Or better yet, running towards the surrounding mountains? Because there would be no way they could swim across the length of the Red Sea in one stretch, even if it was attempted at the narrow parts!

God’s response to Moses in Exodus 14:15-18a is so direct; he gave them both instructions on what to do, how He would make it happen, and a glimpse of what the results would be... He said, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord..."

The “how”, to how God intervened and saved the Israelites while destroying all of the Egyptian army can be read in Exodus 14:19-31. But to sum this up, as it says in Hebrews 11:29, Israel walked on the dry ground of the Red Sea, while Egypt was swallowed up and drowned by the waters. “Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses” (Exodus 14:30-31). 

~~~

More to come!

How to Grieve

To be honest, this post may be titled incorrectly, because everyone experiences the grieving process differently. There might be some sort of process out there that explains the general transitions through the process of grieving, whether it's five steps or seven, it isn't an easy process.

And for me, I think I am grieving before my loved one has even departed. I may have mentioned at some point last year my beloved Nonna, she hasn't been doing so well, and has been in and out of the hospital for various reasons over the past two years. But let me say it loud, she is a fighter. Honestly, one of the strongest little ladies I've ever met.

The reason why I feel I am grieving before her death is that she's lost her ability to speak and is unresponsive to us. However, this morning, when I said hello she did seem to moan as a response to my greeting. Anyway, the point is, I feel that I've already lost such a beautiful and amazing lady, although her heart is still beating and she has breath in her lungs. How I would love to hear her voice in a cohesive sentence again.

I believe I'm writing this post to process my own thoughts, but at the same time I hope to be of encouragement to you, or simply anyone who is going through a similar situation. Because one day, you will. But there is hope, depending on where you've placed it. I know for a fact that my grandmother has accepted Jesus into her heart as her Saviour (Romans 10:9) and she has chosen life, and therefore will have life eternal (Deut 30:19 & John 3:16). And since I, myself, have accepted Jesus into my heart and life... this means, I, too, will be with Him and Nonna one day.. That is, when she passes away.

When we depart from our mortal bodies here on earth - being that we've accepted the work Christ has done on the cross and in our lives - we will be in the presence of the Lord. It says in 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 ESV: "So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away [absent] from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord." What a beautiful hope and image for us.

There is so much more which I am still processing in my mind and heart... If I am to get through this, I must keep my hope on Christ. I have received advice to release Nonna, to tell her that I love her, how great of a grandma she's been, to thank her for her example of faith and great love, and to let her know that I'll be okay when she goes to be with the Lord. Because death is a physical thing in our bodies, and if there is an opportunity for closure I should take it. 

I have also received encouragement, through prayer and gentle words. Been given the reminder to allow God's peace to rule in our hearts, and God is our source of comfort but we are still to comfort each other. My goal is not to disconnect, to make sure I keep in the Word of God and in the company of loved ones.

More to come, God bless.

Mission Connect Podcast; Episode 36 Notes

Here is another set of notes from Passion to Reach's Misson Connect Podcasts. This one is entitled Money with a Mission, where Finu and Emily interview Mike Crofts on finances. For more podcasts, check them out here.

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MCP 36: Money with a Mission

Matthew 6:21 – “for where your treasure is, there your heart will also be.”

Mike @ 3m25s:

Mike was 14 years old when he went to see “Heaven’s Gates, Hell’s Flames” at a local church, he went with his friends. It literally scared the hell out of him, because everyone that was going to hell portrayed the life he was currently living. He decided that it was time to change, so at the altar call he gave himself to Christ. But he mentioned that the play got him there, but it was the relationships he built (i.e. the youth pastor’s relationship with him, and having his friend at the church) that kept him there.

How did Mike’s life change after this decision? He found that he didn’t struggle with anxiety and depression anymore because he made a choice that committing his life to Christ. He felt lighter, like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. His schoolmates would ask him, “why are you always smiling?”, and he often had to defend/share what he now believed.

Finu @ 7m40s:

Pastor Finu mentions for us to never despise a young person, who chooses to come to the altar. They may look a little distracted, or you may think they are not sure about what they’re doing or if they fully understand, but this doesn’t meant God is not moving in their lives. There is a supernatural work the Holy Spirit is doing, that we can’t really explain. There’s a heart change, a life change, a desire for something better... to live life at a higher level.

Mike @ 9m39s:

To someone who is working with young people, while doing their best to influence their life, Mike’s advice is: Don’t give up. They’re listening to you, you’re planting a seed... even if you don’t think they are listening to you, they are.

“You’re planting a seed and it takes time for a seed to grow and for the harvest to come. You plant the seed but you have to continue to water it. Don’t give up. Continue doing what you’re doing. You are influencing a generation that needs to be influenced in the right way.” - Mike

Emily @ 10m45s:

How did you begin to discover what to do next in your life?

Mike @11m10s:

Mike had two passions in high school: skateboarding and music. It took him upwards of six years after high school to get into the music industry.

He believes it was God who had him on a journey; he refers to it as a valley. He started to challenge the things he was taught in the church; critical thinking was developed in his early twenties. Both his theology and character were changing while he was in this season. He mentions that when he was out on the road this development was critical; he says, “Just because you’re on a Christian band, doesn’t mean everyone’s a Christian.” A lot of the time, he felt as though he was ministering to the people behind the scenes, rather than the ones in the audience.

Finu @ 13m50s:

What was the journey between being a musician to becoming a financial coach? It almost doesn’t seem to fit but...

Mike @ 14m10s:

Mike got married to his wife... They had believed that you can use debt to build wealth... and it didn’t work. Then one day Mike just decided they were going to live debt free. In two and a half years they paid off all their debt. They studied what the bible had to say about finances. He wasn’t taught it in church, outside of tithing, and as he studied he learnt that the Bible has more to say about finances than it does about faith or heaven and hell.

God has a lot to say about money, and Mike started to put some of this into practice and it worked for him. Then when people saw it working for Mike, they asked him to help them. At first it wasn’t a job for him, he was just giving people advice. It soon became a passion for him; helping other people to get out of debt, without having to sell products or insurances. So he developed a curriculum for students and adults, he did talks at churches too, on money. He has a course called “The Five Essentials of Personal Finance” which has been very successful.

Finu @ 17m02s:

The bible says a lot about finances, and we don’t seem to talk a lot about it. What is more limiting to a person than not having their finances in order? What do you [Mike] see when you think of money on a mission? God gives us the power to create wealth, and be a steward of wealth. How does that actually play out in a practical sense?

Mike @ 18m37s:

Here are some stats:

• 7 out of 10 Canadians are living paycheque to paycheque.
• The average Canadian owes about $35,000 in consumer debt.
• Canadians are spending $1.69 for every $1 they earn.
• The number one reason for divorce in North America is for money-related problems.

And none of these stats exclude the church.

Mike sees the power of a generous giver. There is a stat that shows only 6% of the Evangelical Christians actually give to support the church.

Debt limits our opportunities. We have an obligation to pay it back, and it limits us from what we can do. Luke 16 says if you can manage the little God gives you; God will give you more to manage. Mike believes money is a test. We need to be givers.

Finu @ 22m10s:

This is a huge topic. When it comes to generosity and funding the kingdom and the gospel... this includes starting businesses, and being a job creator. You can give if you’re in debt yourself.

Finu recalls the biblical characters of Solomon, and Joseph, and Daniel, and they were all so smart and had Godly wisdom.

You need resources to fulfill God’s mission for your life. If you’re in debt and you make bad choices, you’re going to limit yourself. And things may be delayed because you have to clear up the debt you’ve created.

Finu asks Mike to give some general principles to managing your money to have more available to give and to invest into the kingdom.

Mike @ 23m53s:

There is a clear path for our finances. Proverbs 21:5

1. Good plans are required for finances. Managing your money every month, have a monthly cash flow plan or budget.
2. Debt is dumb. Proverbs tells us a lot about this.
3. Put money away for an emergency.
4. Take care of your own family first. (See 1 Tim 5:8) (i.e. investing for long term goals, insurance)
5. Giving is huge. There is a return with giving. (Keep giving even if there is a cut in income.)

Emily @ 27m26s:

Everything is at our fingertips; credit cards are available as soon as we turn 18.

We need to build, we need to plan. Trusting God in every area, and this is no exception. Seeing where God provides in moments when it’s unexpected.

Mike @ 28m44s:

Christians tend to let their debt have control of their life rather than God having control over their life. This is why Mike has become a financial coach and teacher.

Finu @ 29m14s:

When we take care of our lives: health, relationships, finance, etc... There will be no restrain to live out your mission.

~~~

More on Mike's ministry: mikecroftsdaily.com

Mission Connect Podcast; Episode 24 Notes

I've been given the opportunity to volunteer with an organization, called Passion to Reach, which I have close connections to. At this time I will not go into detail about the ministry outreach, but I would like to share some notes I took on one of their podcasts. Which are available online here.

These are my notes from Episode 24, entitled The Father’s Love.

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Connecting to God’s mission for your life; we are encouraged to use our experience as a testimony. Where some of us may see our past experiences as a painful detour, and sometimes it will try to take us away from God. But God will use what we’ve gone through to lead us to the mission He has for us. He will connect our mission to some aspect of our past experience because that’s where the passion comes from.

There are two types of people: there are people who overcome or there are people who get stuck in the pain and never move on from re-living the event. But “in all things God works for the good of those who love Him…” (See Romans 8:28).

Tabish shares his testimony. His father was Muslim, and his mother was Catholic. Dad was abusive, he would come home to beat him and his mother; Tabish shares a few memories of the darkness that was over his life. He defined his life based on the way his father treated him, he felt worthless and unvalued; and he believe that since his father felt this way, everyone else around him felt the same way. He said it was overwhelming, “even though I was living I felt imprisoned”, this was all his life was. He felt that there was no value to his life; he couldn’t offer anything to the world because he was not valued, and ultimately he felt like an outcast.

But in this pain experience, his mom held on to her faith, and she shared little bits and pieces with Tabish about Jesus when she could. One weekend, when his dad was out of town, Tabish’s mom took him to church, and at one point the pastor was speaking of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Tabish had not heard of the Holy Spirit before, so he was home he sought God. He saw the heavens open and a dove descent down out of the heavens, and what appeared to be a ball of light came from the doves belly and hit his face. In that moment he thought he was blind, but he knew he wasn’t because there was an incredible brightness. He felt loved and a sense of belonging.

Tabish’s perspective had been shifted, from how his father on earth had no value for him, to knowing that the God, the Father of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, loved him and valued him. And in knowing this, Tabish see that he can now add value to others in the world.

“The greatest enemy and friend that we have is our mind… because our mind is kind of interesting. It’s so unique, because while our mind is a battleground, it's also a weapon that we fight with. Even though you can be impression in your own thoughts, your thoughts are the keys to your freedom.” - Tabish

The people around us affect our thoughts. Sometimes we may feel neglected or worthless; these are just lies from the enemy that we think upon. Knowing who we are in Christ is all the difference. What do you believe about who you are in Christ?

Tabish’s new understandings of his value and worth have changed how he is impacting the world. He found this value and worth through reading and knowing the Word of God (the Bible). “Every word [we receive] is a seed” and we have to because with the seeds we allow to take root. Tabish brought the example of when we were born we come into the word with an empty mind, and as we grow up we develop thoughts that are placed in our minds. Whether it be related to how we are treated by others or how we feel about it or what is spoken over us. So the Word of God has changed his thoughts to be full of truth, and we are encouraged to renew ourselves in the Word daily.

Tabish had learned the power of influence. He states that he cannot be like how his father was towards him, but instead he needs to be like how God the Father is to him, when it comes to having an impact in the world. “To love other as I love myself, telling the world that God loves them, and that they belong.”

Tabish has been attending Canada Christian College to equip himself to evangelize. He serves on the media ministry at his church. He has also surrounded himself with positive influences

to water the seed in his own life; discipleship in Tabish’s life has been crucial for the development of his ministry.

Take away thoughts: 

God finds value in you, and He loves you. 

Know who you are in Christ 

in order to live out the mission for your life; 

your past experiences 

will help you find the passion 

that will drive this mission.

Personal Study of Hebrews 11 - Part 4

Let us continue on this journey through Hebrews 11. This post is a breakdown verses 20 to 26. Each verse will be stated from the ESV, followed by connecting scripture references, word studies or other personal thoughts. I continue to hope you find this resource useful, insightful and perhaps even encouraging. Because faith, as I’ve heard it said, is the currency of heaven.

Faith: 

complete trust 

or confidence 

in someone 

or something.

 ~~~

Hebrews 11: Part 4 – Verses 20-26

²⁰ By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. 

Who is Isaac? He was the son of Abraham and Sarah. In relation to the verse, Isaac was nearing the end of his life, and he was to bless his children before he died; and the eldest to receive the better blessing. In Isaac’s family, Esau, although he was a twin, was born first, and in order to receive the blessing his father wanted to give him, Esau would have to “hunt some wild game” and preparing tasty food for Isaac to eat (see Genesis 27:2-4).

We see in Genesis 27, Jacob, with the help of his mother (Isaac’s wife), deceived his father into thinking that he was his brother Esau. Isaac, nearing his death, was pretty much blind and relied on his other senses to identify with his surroundings. Ultimately, although Isaac heard Jacob’s voice, his hands, nose and mouth, told him that Esau had completed the task Isaac had sent him to do, and Isaac blessed Jacob in Esau’s place (see Genesis 27:27-29).

When Esau got back from hunting and prepping the wild game for his father, there was much confusion, Isaac said: “Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came and I blessed him – and indeed he will be blessed!” (Genesis 27:33 NIV). Much weeping from Esau followed, but nothing could reverse what Isaac had blessed Jacob with. In faith, Isaac did was he needed to do as a father by blessing his son. As I read on, as devastating as this story is, Esau received a blessing as well, not nearly as wonderful as his bothers (see Genesis 27:39-40).

²¹ By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff.

Who is Jacob? We were introduced to Jacob in the last verse, and his story spans from Genesis 25 to 50. Jacob’s story is merged in with his son’s Joseph, along with many other biblical characters. There are many aspects of it, which I will not be studying and discussing at this time.

Who are Joseph’s sons? Manasseh and Ephriam. “Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph. Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore them to him. Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s house.” The name of the second he called Ephriam, “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” (Genesis 41:50-52).

Joseph presented his sons to his father, Jacob (Jacob’s new name was Israel): “And Joseph took them both, Ephriam in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near him. And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephriam, who was younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn)” (Genesis 48:13-14).

I find it so shocking that Jacob, who had deceived his own father took his older brothers blessing, is now blessing his grandchildren, and Jacob crossed his hands so the younger would have the blessing of the firstborn child. Jacob’s eyes were dim (Genesis 48:10), but I honestly believe Jacob may had a soft spot for the younger son of Joseph (being the younger child,himself). Only God truly knows Jacob’s motive.

(To be honest, I couldn’t find the specific verse were Jacob is bowing in worship over the head of his staff. If anyone finds it, please let me know, and I will update this post! Thanks.)

²² By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.

Genesis 50:25 –“Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.”

Exodus 13:19 – “Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.”

Joshua 24:32 – “As for the bones of Joseph, which the people of Israel brought up from Egypt, they buried them at Shechem, in the piece of land that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money. It became an inheritance of the descendants of Joseph.”

²³ By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king's edict. 

First of all, at the time Moses was born, there was a king over Egypt (Pharaoh) whom wanted all Hebrew baby boys to be killed by being thrown into the river (see Exodus 1:22) because the Hebrews lived in the land of Egypt and they were multiplying rapidly and Pharaoh feared they would become too mighty for Egypt (Exodus 1:9). However, the Israelites multiplication was a promise from the Lord to Abraham back in Genesis 22:17 (also see Hebrews 11:12).

Now in Exodus 1:15-17, we meet the midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, and we see their faith in their reverent fear of God. They did not do as the king of Egypt It is shown that when we fear the Lord He will deal well with us (see Exodus 1:20-21).

Who were Moses’ parents? Moses’ parents are Levi and his mother, who was also a Levite, was not named in the bible. In Exodus 2:1-3 we see his mother conceive and give birth to Moses. She sees that he is a beautiful child and hides him for three months. Ninety days of hiding a little crying baby must have been hard because of the threat hanging over every new-born male life! But this section of scripture shows us the faith of Moses’ parents, because after having hid Moses, and being no longer able to hide him, Moses’ mom put him in a basket and “placed it among the reeds by the river bank” (verse 3).

Moses’ sister, Miriam, also showed great faith. She followed the basket down the river (Exodus 2:4) and was prompt in letting Pharaoh’s daughter know she knew a Hebrew woman who could nurse the child (Exodus 2:7)!

The faith of Moses’ parents was almost immediately rewarded when Pharaoh’s daughter agreed to let Miriam take the child to this Hebrew woman to nurse him (see Exodus 2:8-9). And, incredibly, Moses’ mother was given wages! She was paid to raise her own son! Only God could work that out.

²⁴ By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 

The following scripture shows that Moses identified with the Hebrews as his own people (and, technically, he was one of them):

Exodus 2:11-12 NIV – “One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.”

²⁵ choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 

Instead of being recognized as an Egyptian, Moses identified with being a Hebrew, which he was. As an Egyptian, he would have had access to anything he wanted; the best food, the best entertainment, the best education, the best living quarters, the best girls... Moses was raised to be a prince of Egypt, since Pharaoh’s daughter found him and took him in as her own (Exodus 2:10).

But Egypt did not fear God; they did not serve God; they had no regard for the living God. I truly believe, that even though Moses was raised to be the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, his own parents taught Moses about the fear of the Lord. And this faith is evident, since Moses wrote the Torah (or Pentateuch; the first five books of the Bible; Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy).

Quote: “Jesus, the Bridegroom suffered for His Bride, the new Israel, just as Moses suffered for God’s Bride, the holy nation of old Israel.” ... Now “because of Moses’ faith, his suffering to fulfil God’ plan for Israel was joined to the suffered of the Redeemer-Messiah, the One who would bring the ‘reward’ Moses had his eyes fixed upon, eternal salvation.”

Source: http://www.agapebiblestudy.com/Exodus/Exodus_Lesson_2.htm

Romans 5:3-5 – Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because Gods love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

2 Corinthians 4:17 – “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison”

²⁶ He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.

To be honest, I was completely stubbed on what “the reproach of Christ” meant. So I looked into it... I listened to this sermon: https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/let-us-go-with-jesus-bearing-reproach

So, what is the reproach of Christ? The word reproach is an expression of disapproval, or disappointment. When I think about the reproach of Christ, I think about joining in with Christ’s sufferings, to experience the opposite of comfort, to not be accepted by the standards of the world. 

For example, where the world expresses the approval of having multiple partners throughout the course of someone’s life prior to marriage, there may be an expression of disapproval when someone has “saved themselves” for the one they are hoping to marry. The world says take a test drive, it’ll be fun, where the standard of Christ is to live pure and holy, and doing so will only hurt your own soul. (Sorry if that example was a little deeper than expected.)

John Piper made a few points I would like to share... to paraphrase:

Moses had given up all the access to every single thing anyone could have ever wanted, to join in with the people of Israel (God’s chosen) in looking forward to the promises of God (“looking to the reward” aka a heavenly home).  We are called to do the same. “The radical call of Jesus to join him on the Calvary road... to bear his reproach with him - can always be caricatured and ridiculed and made to look foolish... [but] it frees you to go on in the way of an empty, shallow, comfort-seeking routine that some people call life.” There is no joy in the world, but there is joy in Christ. John Piper also said “there’s a massive vacuum in the soul” and if we think we can fill it with these temporary fixes, we are wrong.  

The reproach of Christ isn’t something we do all on our own: Jesus is with us in this. We are to hold on to the hope of a greater reward than what this world has to offer, looking to the reward of a heavenly home with Christ (see Hebrews 11:10, 14-16). In 1 Peter 5:10 it says: “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”

The Apostle Paul summed it up so perfectly in his letter to the Philippians when he said, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). 

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More to come!