Friday, December 11, 2009

love = purpose?

What is the purpose and end of God's love? What does he say to the woman caught in adultery?

" When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, 'Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?' She said, 'No one, Lord.' And Jesus said to her, 'Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.' " [John 8:10-11]

Sadly in today's culture we emphasis the great message of forgiveness - "neither do I condemn you" - but forget the command to "go and sin no more." Both are equally important in understanding God's love toward us. God does not throw around His love carelessly, but purposely pours it out on His own children for their salvation and sanctification.


What does God desire from us as believers? I would say Colossians 3 gives us a good practical answer to that question. Done.

*Jaiqu

Friday, November 13, 2009

broken = dish?

One of my favorite quotes comes from a secular professor at Cal Poly.

"Christianity is for the broken-hearted" - Dr. Harlin

Of all he said, that alone is most true. For God breaks and mends. And what God has broken, He will mend in His time. Done.

*Jaiqu

Saturday, October 24, 2009

soooo = long

It has been quite long since i posted on this blog. To all of you who have lost sleep wondering what insanity I have been up to; and what stories I have been withholding from these grand pages of the internet...I am now engaged to my wonderful wife-to-be, Chelsea Heath.

Yes, you read that right...I am engaged.

This seems to be a great surprise to many people. Perhaps because I used to be adamantly pro-single; perhaps just because I am a Software Engineering [who are not famed for their social skills].

So yes, I am terribly in love...and quite a sweet malady it is.

Chelsea and I have started a blog on our whole wedding planning process called "Married by March." I don't know how much more I will be posting on this blog, but if you care to keep up with me you can subscribe to our blog.

So long. Done.

*Jaiqu

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

be = sure

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Matthew 7:13-14

God has, throughout all of human history, reserved for Himself a remnant. At the flood, He did not save the whole, but the remnant. At the calling of Abram, He did not save the whole, but the remnant. At the rescue of Lot, He did not save the whole, but the remnant. At the establishment of Joseph, He did not save the whole, but the remnant. At the anointing of David, He did not save the whole, but the remnant. At the exile of Israel and Judah, He did not save the whole, but the remnant. At the calling of His Church, He did not save the whole, but the remnant. And now, in this day, is God suddenly given to change? No! For the scriptures declare that He does not change [Malachi 3:6]. Then how is it that some are given over to the deception that all will be saved? For God, by His sovereign mercy, has not condemned all to their just punishment, but has saved some.

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' " Matthew 7:21-23

And if not all are saved, who are you to boast of your faith? Instead, boast - in faith - of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Indeed, how can we boast unless we know and are known by our Redeemer? Therefore, as Peter commends the brethren to "be even more diligent to make your call and election sure" let us, who are called, seek to know the fruit of our calling, that we may be confident in the work of Christ.

"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose." Philippians 2:12-13

If then we are called to fear and trembling; of what do we fear? But as Solomon taught his son "the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge." And do we fear without reason, as one cowering before an empty shadow at night? But what does Jesus Himself say; "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Therefore there is a judgement and not all will be judged faithful. Know your salvation, that in that day you may enter as a son and an heir, and not as an enemy; unknown to God.

"Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." 2 Corinthians 5:9-10

How can we receive a blessing, and not the rightful curse of death, unless we bear good fruit? But good fruit only comes through the indwelling of the Spirit and the work of the Son. For no one, apart from faith, can do anything good deserving of blessing. How much more then are we incapable of earning our own salvation! But the fruit of salvation is good works. What comes first? The root or the fruit? It is the root which is established first and only after that grow the branches which then produce fruit. Therefore if we are not rooted in Christ we are unable to bear fruit. And if we do not produce good fruit then the work of Christ has had effect in us.

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned." John 15:5-6

We know this then; that God has saved a remnant, that we are called to examine our salvation to know if we are part of that remnant, that we are to do so in reverent fear of the just Judge and that we are to know true salvation by the fruit it produces.

Done.

*Jaiqu

Saturday, April 18, 2009

single = no

I am sorry that I have not posted in so long.  As many of you, if not all of you, know...I am no longer single.  Chelsea and I have been dating for almost three weeks now [wow have I really not posted in that long?].  She has been a constant encouragement and blessing to me the last three weeks, even the last three months.  The greatest thing is that she shares the same passion for Jesus Christ and for the Word of God.  How extraordinarily rare it is today to find even one godly woman who desires to know the scriptures!  How much more fruitful the church would be if we all desired to know and live out the truth of the Bible.  I desire to live my life in such a way that others would desire more to know the Word of God and furthermore to submit to it.  Just like in Malachi 3:10, what if we tried God in this, to submit to the entirety of His Word, to see if He does not sanctify and bless us who are His children for doing so.  That is my challenge to you today.  Done.

*Jaiqu

Sunday, March 29, 2009

post = new

I'm working on a new post.  It's an open letter to my home church and her sister churches.  I actually wrote it a while back and just recently found it again.  Since I wrote it with scripture in mind, I am now typing it up as a blog post and linking in a verse to each phrase; as appropriate.  Since there will be so many links [twenty-two so far and I'm only a third of the way done] I'm going to be using link titles [like this: Nifflas Games], that way you can know which verse I'm referencing before you click the link.  I encourage people to read the verses in multiple versions, though I personally prefer the NIV and NKJV.  Hopefully I will finish the letter later today, though no guarentees.

In other news; spring break was awesome.  I went to Disneyland [happiest place on Earth...I still reserve judgment on that assertion], raced go-karts at Boomers [very fun], hiked Bishop's peak, went to the drive-in movie theater [we saw Monsters vs Aliens and Race to Witch Mountain...the first was funny, the second was alright] and spent a day in Monterey at the aquarium.  Overall a great week.  Plus I caught up on sleep and got to enjoy much good fellowship [and BBQs!].  Praise God.  Done.

*Jaiqu

Monday, March 23, 2009

Ebenezer = help

Before Ebenezer was a character in the play 'A Christmas Carol', before 'hum-bug' or the muppets, Ebenezer was the name of a rock.  Ebenezer literally translates 'Stone of Help.'  It's found in 1 Samuel 7.

"Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, 'Thus far the LORD has helped us.' " - 1 Samuel 7:12

This is the same passage refered to in that famous hymn 'Come Thou Fount' when it sings "Here I raise my Ebenezer / Here by Thy great help I’ve come."

So here I raise my Ebenezer.  YHWH has helped me thus far.  He has carried me through this quarter and has each day provided for my daily needs.

Praise God.  Done.

*Jaiqu