Cautiously Carefree

Consider this part 2 in the series of paradoxes in the Christian faith. The last one was Swimming in Time, where we refuse to delay in completing what God has for us to do, yet always wait for His timing on all matters. This one has to do with worrying.

In the Bible we are commanted to "not be anxious about anything" but instead "present our requests to God" (Phil. 4:6) and trust him for all our cares. Jesus also reasons with us, asking "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" (Matt. 6:27). Clearly stressing about how everything will turn out is not a good habit for a Christian to get into. We need to trust God for his faithful deliverance. He will take care of us: "...for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked" (Psalm 97:10).

However, God in no way intends for us to be naive in our actions. Jesus didn't live His life carelessly, doing whatever trusting it would all work out. He was practical in his decisions, and we should be too. He acted on what He knew to be true. When people came to Him and believed in Him, He did not simply accept them and "trust" that God would work everything out in their lives. The Bible says He actually would not entrust Himself to them because He knew what was in their hearts. He knew they weren't really committed to Him and so did not commit Himself to them (John 2:24-25).

Another thing to note is the Christ took action, deliberate and convicted action. When He saw the way Israel was treating the temple, He didn't sit back and say, 'Oh well, God will work it out for good. It'll all be ok.' He did quite the opposite! He wove together a whip and started making a difference - He took action on an issue He observed. The same goes for us. When Christ tells us not to worry about where we will get our food or clothes, that in no way means we sit at home playing videogames trusting that an angel will drop off our daily bread at the door whenever we need it. We work. Diligently. Heartily as for the Lord.

There is a balance that become necessary when living the Christian life. We wait, not procrastinate. We work, not worry. There is a middle ground that needs to be acheived if perfection is to be attained. We most definitely need to trust God to be our Provider and Sustainer (Carefree) but let us remain reasonable, knowing that God works through practical means (Cautiously). He favors the hard working. He loves the diligent. Yet let us always remember that all things are possible only through Christ who strengthens us.

Mr. Stanford

That's what Bobby Blakey called me the first time he IMed me after finding out I would be going to Stanford in the fall. It was not an easy decision for me, but I am totally confident that this is the plan God has for me. I'll miss my friends, but God will always be by my side.

Throughout this college process, my parents would incessantly inquire as to which colleges I was leaning towards and why. Well, which one I'm leaning towards is pretty obvious now. In fact, you could say I've fallen on it, if you want to keep the metaphor consistent. This summation attempts to explain why in a few words.

Why did I choose this college?

Some things I wanted to be true about my college

- Have fun

- Southern California, to be with friends etc.

- Honor God with decision

Reason I had for not wanting to go to this college

- I was afraid of working all the time

- I was afraid of compromising my Christianity

I had always been told to choose what college was right for me, as opposed to choosing a college simply for the big name, or reputation. Well, I don’t really like when people tell me to do what’s right for me. I know myself, and I know the truth. What I want is evil. “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12). I’m not interested in dying anytime soon. The only way I can know I’m making the right choice is if I can be confident that God wants me to be there. That is what it means to honor God with my decision, and it might even mean I have to give up the most important thing to me that I’m looking for in a college.

That means all doors are open and I need to evaluate each school objectively, not closing the door on a school simply because it has a big name. So schools like MIT, Caltech, Stanford, Berkeley, and LA were all in the running, even though their prestige actually gave me a lower view of them because I assumed they were stuck up and full of themselves. But that’s my judgmental side coming through. See? Evil.

I was actually coming home from Sunday Night Bible Study, got talking with a few people there who went to UC Berkeley, and realized then what college I needed to go to. Actually I thought about a parable that seemed very applicable. It is the parable of the men who received certain sums of money according to their abilities. The ones who used what they were given were blessed. The one who was afraid of using what he was given was cast into “outer darkness,” where there is “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Now, this is speaking of the kingdom of heaven, so the story being applied to college is a bit out of context; however, I have learned that there are biblical principles reflected through stories that can be applied elsewhere. For example, the Lord loves a diligent worker: “The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich” (Proverbs 13:4).

A fear of working hard was therefore out of the question, no college on the list accepts anyone they think cannot handle the workload, and I have been preparing for college level for quite some time now with all the AP classes and such. I decided that I needed to go to the place where I could use all my abilities for the glory of God. This doesn’t mean I would have to go to a Christian school. We are commanded to be in the world, yet not of the world. When Christ prayed for us he did “not pray that [God] should take [us] out of the world, but that [He] should keep [us] from the evil one” (John 17:15). We are also encouraged by John, who tells us that “whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith ” (1 John 5:4). That characterizes me. I have been born of God in a second birth, and I put my faith and hope in Christ for my salvation, regeneration and daily renewal. Now I must continue in that habit/discipline each morning and prepare myself for a rocky future. I can trust that God “will never leave [me] nor forsake [me]” (Hebrews 13:5). I may feel alone, or challenged academically, socially, spiritually, or physically, but I know that it is in God’s strength that I carry out the will of God, not needing to be fearful of failure.

O God in heaven
Please hear my cry
O how I need Your help now

I’ll be expectant
Waiting by faith
For Your answer come down

We don’t pray to a god who can’t save
We pray to the God who will hear

So I will call upon You
And watch for what You will do
You’re the help of Your people

You reach down from on high
And put joy in my life
So I praise You as faithful...

Swimming in Time

A few weeks ago I went to lunch at Taco Bell with a good friend of mine before school had to start (it was SAT's and seniors didnt have to be there until 1pm). Some of you may know us as Kevan. We were just finishing up our lunch and I asked what time it was. It turned out to be only 12:30, to which she exclaimed, we're swimming in time! That immediately made me want to write a blog about time, which I told her I would, and this is me letting my yes be yes (Matthew 5:37).

Swimming in Time. That was an interesting phrase to hear, and in one sense it is true; yet in another sense it is deadly. For the Christian, life is long and short. I am only talking about physical life, not eternal life, which is... well... eternal. We both have all the time in the world and no time at all. Don't let this confuse you too much; I'll explain what I mean.

We have all the time in the world

There isn't any need to rush through our lives. No hurry to grow up. No need to experience all of life in a day. We are not impatient, afraid of "wasting" time, so long as we are in God's will. "I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope." (Psalm 130:5). The Lord's timing is the perfect timing, and as long as he has decided now is not the time for a girlfriend, I will not seek a girlfriend; that now is not quite the time to leave my parents, I do not seek to leave my parents; etc. These things come in their own time, and I do not become discontent or impatient in waiting for them.

We have no time at all

So we better get moving. The message of the Bible has a sense of urgency attached to it. For example, Paul says that today is the day of salvation: "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Cor 6:2). Not tomorrow. We don't wait until we're old and about to die to accept God's good news to humanity. We accept it now, and we know God today, and we enjoy His blessing, and we do nothing until we put our faith in the Word of God. "Man who is born of woman Is few of days and full of trouble" (Job 14:1). We don't have much time to start living life before we've realized we missed it. We need not live it all at once, but if we don't start living now, we might not live at all. Let's give our lives to God, that He may pay us back abundantly and overflowing the life that He promised us.

We have plenty of time - no need to rush things. We don't have much time left - let us put off laziness and start worshiping the Lord with passion.

Mexico

I havent been on this site for a long time, and I truly have a lot to say, and have been thinking about a lot, but have preferred to simply discuss it with people - in person. That has been a blessing unlike any other, and I highly recommend it. There isnt anything like close personal relationships with fellow Christians, so for whoever doesn't know what that is like, well, get to know what its like.

Anyways, I also enjoy jotting down my thoughts every once in a while, and i figure once in a month and a half is quite long enough to wait. This one is about something i noticed about the past 4 years ive been going to Mexico with King's. We just go once a year and it is a life-changing experience if you let it be. Then again you can also come back and forget about it in a month like most people do.

When I first went to Mexico I came back thinking: "Wow, these people are so poor. They have nothing compared to me, how can I be complaining about what I don't get to have." This is a legitimate perspective, and was very eye-opening and helpful to keep a mindset of contentment with my "well-0ff" situation in the great Estados Unidos (an understatement, i now understand).

But since then I've noticed a slight change. Actually it was a pretty large change. Now I'm the poor one. I'm the one who has been found lacking. Houses decay. Computers go out of date. The love of Christ and treasures in heaven cant ever be lost or stolen or destroyed. Matthew 6 is clear on that. That is what some of those people have, and they have more than me. I met this guy Charly last year who has a heart-wrenching testimony. Now he is a hardcore Christian and this year we met back up and he was witnessing to the mother at my site this year. That was really awesome. He's going to have a lot of treasure in heaven. Then no one will "feel sorry for him" because he's not "as well off as we are." Now instead of being challenged to just be content , he encouraged me to be a better Christ figure to those around me, and I wish I could thank him now for that.

Thats all for now, thanks for reading.

The True Gospel of Christ

"But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed." - Galatians 1:8

That's harsh. With a promise like that, it becomes severely important that we get our facts straight. Recently I had the chance to talk to a Mormon about his beliefs. He opened up with "Yes I'm LDS. We're Christian." I have a serious problem with that, and so does the Bible. Basically what this experience confirmed to me is that it is vitally important to know what you believe and be able to prove it from Scripture. If you dont know, you could be tricked into believing someone who is cursed! This recently happened to a friend of mine and it breaks my heart. It seems like a lot of "Christians" don't know exactly what they believe or exactly where to draw the line between God's truth and false doctrine. My goal in this blog is to draw that line. Clearly.

"Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ." Colossians 2:8

1) There is only one God. There never has been another; there never will be another. He exists in three persons, the Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit. He is not three gods that fill some sort of office. He does not have a goddess wife. He is not an exalted man. We cannot ever become gods. We are not his spirit children that preexisted with Him in heaven. God is not a person. He is three persons. One God, three persons. This is called the Trinity and this is what Scripture teaches.

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one." Deut 6:4
"Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me." Isaiah 43:10
"Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God." Psalm 90:2
"The Spirit of God descending... a voice came from Heaven... my beloved Son" Matthew 3:16-17

2) Jesus Christ is God. He is the only way to have a relationship with God. Anyone who says otherwise is, to put it bluntly, lying or deceived and has a false religion. Do not believe them! Jesus Christ is not a god. He is God. He is not a created being. He is not literally begotten of the Father. He is not our spirit brother. He is not the Devil's spirit brother. He is God in flesh. He has two natures, human and divine (for you theology geeks who like big words - yes that'd be me - it's called the hypostatic union). He was born of a virgin, conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. He actually physically historically lived on earth and literally died on the cross, and was literally buried in the ground and physically resurrected the third day he had been dead.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1
"...the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14
"For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." Colossians 2:9
"...Christ died for our sins...He was buried...He rose again on the third day...He was seen...He was seen...He was seen...He was seen..." 1 Cor 15:3-7
"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." John 14:6

3) We are saved by grace through faith. Works do not earn salvation. You do not need to be baptized to be saved. The faith through which we are saved produces works. The lame man got up and carried his bed home, the blind man opened his eyes and saw, the fruit of the Spirit pourds out of anyone indwelt by Him. The Holy Spirit comes into you when you become a Christian. He will not leave you. Salvation is assured and cannot be lost. We do not need to do works to stay a Christian or keep the Holy Spirit in us.

"For I am persuaded that [nothing] shall be able to separate us from the love of Christ." Romans 8:37-39
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Eph 2:8-9
"...your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God" 1 Cor 6:19
"not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit," Titus 3:5
"Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." James 2:17

These are three central doctrines to Christianity that most cults and false religions get wrong. So if you ever run into someone that says they are Christian but doesn't believe these things, you can be sure that they are involved in a very dangerous religion, and basically serving demons. We need to witness the true gospel to these people in love, and prayer is always a good idea. After all, without the help of God, where would we ourselves be?