The Chase of Love...

In the Bible times, God instructed Joshua to build cities of refuge. These cities of refuge were for those people who accidentally murdered someone; sometimes those who did not do it on purpose would flee to these cities as well.

If you were to accidentally kill someone, you could flee to these cities of refuge, then the elders in the city would have a trial to determine if you were guilty or not. Then if you were not guilty and had accidentally did it you were to stay in the city until the high priest died.

The reason the person had to flee to the city was because the avenger of blood was upon their heels, back in those days if someone killed a relative of yours you had the right to go after that person and kill them! So if you were the one who accidentally killed someone, then you would run and flee to that city so that you would be safe until the trial.

One of the commands was to keep the highways clean and straight and up to date and to put signs on the way. That way the person who is fleeing does not have to fall on the way and they know for certain they were on the right path. They could just run and not have to worry about anything in their way.

So, how does this apply to us today?

Well...you see we are murderers, we have killed God's Son by our sins. That is why we must flee to the city of refuge God has prepared for us. To flee to Calvary for forgiveness of our sins.

But there is the avenger of blood that is after us, the nearest relation to Jesus the Man that we killed with our sins! The person that is the closest relative to Jesus is God Himself! God loves us so much, that He has prepared for us a city of refuge, which we can flee to! And to make sure that we get there He Himself is chasing us to the city so that we can be safe inside!

There is still yet something else, in Revelation the apostle John talks about the city of God coming down to earth. And all who are found without this city are consumed by fire. And it says also in another place in the Bible that God is a consuming fire.

So if God is the revenger of blood, and He is the one chasing us to the city so that we may be safe, then those who are without the city will be those who have refused to flee to the city. So those people who are found outside of the city of refuge must be consumed by God, who is the revenger of blood...

Remember how, back in the Bible days that the people who accidentally killed someone had to stay in the city until the high priest died, right? Well our city is no different, we too have a High Priest, one who has already died for our sins, so that means, once we are in that city of refuge, we are never or should never leave it, because our High Priest will never die.

The city of refuge that John talked about is our city of refuge which we must flee to. That we may not be found outside of the city and consumed. We must flee to Jesus and He will forgive our sins and take us in to the city of refuge. God would have everyone one there, but the choice is for each person to make, and He won't force anyone, but He will try and get us into that city where it is safe.

So my question is to you, will you join me in the city of refuge?

Influence...The Challenge

Influence is something that every person has on planet earth. Everyone you see or hear (the telephone) is under your influence! Everyone...that means going to the store or if your out walking, or whatever you may be doing, you can make a difference with the people you meet up with.

You don't have to be famous, or known, or anything, you can just smile at someone to change a life. That is why we must be careful how we act in public, because whether you know it or not someone somewhere is watching.

And not only can you influence, but those around you are influencing you! That means that we must be careful of who we hang around as well.

We as young people or youth, can make a difference. We like to be known as different, and we can do that in a good way. The way we dress, the way we speak, and our mannerism all influence others. They can tell that we are not like those around us. And then they could be more willing to enter the truth.

We as young people want to make a difference and we can do that. We can do it by being different from the world, to practice what we preach, and to live a life of selflessness. We can be different by so many things, and people will notice, and will appreciate.

This is why we must influence for good, there are so many people out there that think that we can not have any say so. But our influence is like a throwing a pebble into a lake, it has a ripple affect and soon it will reach the shores. But the question is, are you willing to let go of your pebble and be an influence to others, for good?

By one word we can change a person's heart, by a smile a person's life, by the way we act we can be noticed as unique! We can be different, but the question is are we willing to take a chance of a life time? Are we willing to stand against unnumbered foes, and unnumbered temptations? Are you willing, are we willing to be that different?

I want to be different, I want to have a good influence, I want to be that pebble, and I want to take a chance! Don't you?

So the last question I have for you is, will you join me in being a different kind of influence?

First the Blade, Then the Ear

I was reading in Ellen White this parable, and I wanted to share it with you, I hope that you will be blessed by it...


The parable of the sower excited much questioning. Some of the hearers gathered from it that Christ was not to establish an earthly kingdom, and many were curious and perplexed. Seeing their perplexity, Christ used other illustrations, still seeking to turn their thoughts from the hope of a worldly kingdom to the work of God’s grace in the soul.

“And He said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; and should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.”

The husbandman who “putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come,” can be no other than Christ. It is He who at the last great day will reap the harvest of the earth. But the sower of the seed represents those who labor in Christ’s stead. The seed is said to “spring and grow up, he knoweth not how,” and this is not true of the Son of God. Christ does not sleep over His charge, but watches it day and night. He is not ignorant of how the seed grows.

The parable of the seed reveals that God is at work in nature. The seed has in itself a germinating principle, a principle that God Himself has implanted; yet if left to itself the seed would have no power to spring up. Man has his part to act in promoting the growth of the grain. He must prepare and enrich the soil and cast in the seed. He must till the fields. But there is a point beyond which he can accomplish nothing. No strength or wisdom of man can bring forth from the seed the living plant. Let man put forth his efforts to the utmost limit, he must still depend upon One who has connected the sowing and the reaping by wonderful links of His own omnipotent power.

There is life in the seed, there is power in the soil; but unless an infinite power is exercised day and night, the seed will yield no returns. The showers of rain must be sent to give moisture to the thirsty fields, the sun must impart heat, electricity must be conveyed to the buried seed. The life which the Creator has implanted, He alone can call forth. Every seed grows, every plant develops, by the power of God.

“As the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth.” Isaiah 61:11. As in the natural, so in the spiritual sowing; the teacher of truth must seek to prepare the soil of the heart; he must sow the seed; but the power that alone can produce life is from God. There is a point beyond which human effort is in vain. While we are to preach the word, we can not impart the power that will quicken the soul, and cause righteousness and praise to spring forth. In the preaching of the word there must be the working of an agency beyond any human power. Only through the divine Spirit will the word be living and powerful to renew the soul unto eternal life. This is what Christ tried to impress upon His disciples. He taught that it was nothing they possessed in themselves which would give success to their labors, but that it is the miracle-working power of God which gives efficiency to His own word.

The work of the sower is a work of faith. The mystery of the germination and growth of the seed he cannot understand. But he has confidence in the agencies by which God causes vegetation to flourish. In casting his seed into the ground, he is apparently throwing away the precious grain that might furnish bread for his family. But he is only giving up a present good for a larger return. He casts the seed away, expecting to gather it manyfold in an abundant harvest. So Christ’s servants are to labor, expecting a harvest from the seed they sow.

The good seed may for a time lie unnoticed in a cold, selfish, worldly heart, giving no evidence that it has taken root; but afterward, as the Spirit of God breathes on the soul, the hidden seed springs up, and at last bears fruit to the glory of God. In our lifework we know not which shall prosper, this or that. This is not a question for us to settle. We are to do our work, and leave the results with God. “In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand.” Ecclesiastes 11:6. God’s great covenant declares that “while the earth remaineth, seed-time and harvest ... shall not cease.” Genesis 8:22. In the confidence of this promise the husbandman tills and sows. Not less confidently are we in the spiritual sowing to labor, trusting His assurance, “So shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth; it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11. “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” Psalm 126:6.

The germination of the seed represents the beginning of spiritual life, and the development of the plant is a beautiful figure of Christian growth. As in nature, so in grace; there can be no life without growth. The plant must either grow or die. As its growth is silent and imperceptible, but continuous, so is the development of the Christian life. At every stage of development our life may be perfect; yet if God’s purpose for us is fulfilled, there will be continual advancement. Sanctification is the work of a lifetime. As our opportunities multiply, our experience will enlarge, and our knowledge increase. We shall become strong to bear responsibility, and our maturity will be in proportion to our privileges.

The plant grows by receiving that which God has provided to sustain its life. It sends down its roots into the earth. It drinks in the sunshine, the dew, and the rain. It receives the life-giving properties from the air. So the Christian is to grow by co-operating with the divine agencies. Feeling our helplessness, we are to improve all the opportunities granted us to gain a fuller experience. As the plant takes root in the soil, so we are to take deep root in Christ. As the plant receives the sunshine, the dew, and the rain, we are to open our hearts to the Holy Spirit. The work is to be done “not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6. If we keep our minds stayed upon Christ, He will come unto us “as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.” Hosea 6:3. As the Sun of Righteousness, He will arise upon us “with healing in His wings.” Malachi 4:2. We shall “grow as the lily.” We shall “revive as the corn, and grow as the vine.” Hosea 14:5, 7. By constantly relying upon Christ as our personal Saviour, we shall grow up into Him in all things who is our head.

The wheat develops “first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.” The object of the husbandman in the sowing of the seed and the culture of the growing plant is the production of grain. He desires bread for the hungry, and seed for future harvests. So the divine Husbandman looks for a harvest as the reward of His labor and sacrifice. Christ is seeking to reproduce Himself in the hearts of men; and He does this through those who believe in Him. The object of the Christian life is fruit bearing—the reproduction of Christ’s character in the believer, that it may be reproduced in others.

The plant does not germinate, grow, or bring forth fruit for itself, but to “give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater.” Isaiah 55:10. So no man is to live unto himself. The Christian is in the world as a representative of Christ, for the salvation of other souls.

There can be no growth or fruitfulness in the life that is centered in self. If you have accepted Christ as a personal Saviour, you are to forget yourself, and try to help others. Talk of the love of Christ, tell of His goodness. Do every duty that presents itself. Carry the burden of souls upon your heart, and by every means in your power seek to save the lost. As you receive the Spirit of Christ—the Spirit of unselfish love and labor for others—you will grow and bring forth fruit. The graces of the Spirit will ripen in your character. Your faith will increase, your convictions deepen, your love be made perfect. More and more you will reflect the likeness of Christ in all that is pure, noble, and lovely.

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.” Galatians 5:22, 23. This fruit can never perish, but will produce after its kind a harvest unto eternal life.

“When the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.” Christ is waiting with longing desire for the manifestation of Himself in His church. When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own.

It is the privilege of every Christian not only to look for but to hasten the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, (2 Peter 3:12, margin). Were all who profess His name bearing fruit to His glory, how quickly the whole world would be sown with the seed of the gospel. Quickly the last great harvest would be ripened, and Christ would come to gather the precious grain.

Filtered Through...

We have a filter in our house that keeps the dust from getting in. Every month my dad has to bring it up and put it in the tub to clean it out. I also have a filter in the vacuum that I have to clean every so often. These filters are important, they keep the dirt or dust or both from coming into our house and getting it dirty. But there is a more important filter than that.

We all have access to one of the greatest filters of all ages, but we don't always use the filter. Instead we do things our way and in our own time. Those are times we keep on falling and getting dust and dirt in our minds, hearts, and lives.

This filter is Jesus, we must filter everything through Him. And most of the time we don't bring our troubles to Him, and we let the dust and dirt get in between us and Him. The only way that we can keep it clean is to keep on using it!

I will be the first one to admit, that I am not good at doing this. I so often just want to do things my way, and forget about my filter. But if you go to Jesus, He will help you clean that filter out. This filter has to be cleaned daily, every minute, and every second. 

We should go about the day asking what Jesus would have us do. We should filter our thoughts through Him and our actions and words that we speak to others. If we filter everything through Him we won't have as many stumbles, and we will grow day by day to be more like Him.

Trust me this is not easy, and we will forget and stumble and have to start again, but we must remember that He will see us through. I am still trying to work at it myself! Nobody is perfect, we all make mistakes and we all stumble, but it's getting back up that counts!

It's not about having a relationship with Jesus, although that is important, it's about being connected with Him!

I want to filter everything through Jesus, don't you? Won't you join me?

Addictions...

There is lots of addictions in the world, they come in different types, some are more obvious than others. But others are not so obvious, ones that we may view every day. I am going to name a few of them. The big addiction in the world today is the entertainment center.

This is a network of many addictions, music, movies, games, etc. This network I myself was once trapped inside. I wanted to give it up, but it was so enjoyable; I enjoyed doing it or watching it or listening to it. That is part of the reason why I believe it is called an addiction.

Whatever may take all of your time, and you just have to watch, listen, or do over again, otherwise it drives you crazy, I believe is an addiction. When you spend all your hours thinking on it and wondering about it, that is why it is an addiction. Satan has many addiction's in the world today. And he watches us to see which ones we will like.

Sometimes he purposely sends us a temptation, to see if we will fall, and then all heaven watches with interest to see if we will do whatever it may be. Addictions can even become an idol...when we think about doing whatever it may be during our worship, or during family worship, or during prayer, or even at church.

But, you may ask, if I do have an addiction, how do I get rid of it? Good question, let me answer that now.

Step #1: Prayer, this is what helped me tremendously to get over my addiction. When you feel tempted especially, that is when you need to pray.

Step #2: Study the Word aka the Bible; in other words, walk away from temptation, no more like run away. But if you can't go away from it then you will have to pray extra hard.

Step #3: Go out in nature: Nature is a wonderful way in which God can communicate with us, we can also get away from our problems through nature, where it is quite and peaceful.

Step #4: Find something productive to do: use your time wisely, and do something useful, either to help around the house or make something special, or play/sing some hymns.

There are many kinds of addictions and sometimes when we give up one addiction, Satan will try to lead us into another one, which is why we must watch and pray. And we must remember the four steps. Satan also has four steps in which he leads us into sin.

Step #1: Life of Ease: so make sure that you are doing something productive and not just sitting around reading, listening, watching, or doing foolish things.

Step #2: Familiarity: Satan introduces very subtly something sinful to the mind that seems all right at first.

Step #3: Kept Before the People: Satan keeps the temptation before the mind; even though they may not participate at first.

Step #4: The tender conscience eventually becomes hardened: the sin looses its sinfulness and does not seem so bad.

So we must counter act these four steps with the other four steps that I gave you above. For we can do nothing in and of ourselves, but with God all things are possible!

I want to get rid of any addictions I may have, don't you?