8. 04.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what makes a person “good”. Throughout my life, I’ve struggled, just as everyone does, with being a good person. I wonder, what effect do what are generally considered bad actions have on a person in the whole? Lately, my response has been, it depends mostly on how those actions change the direction of the person’s life.
C.S. Lewis states, in his book, The Great Divorce, “There is but one good; that is God. Everything else is good when it looks to Him and bad when it turns from Him.”
There was a time when I looked directly at God and made a promise to dedicate my life to His work. Over the last 13 years, I have had periods of my life where I turned my back to God, and the result was darkness. More recently, I have faced God and have experienced no less trouble, but more peace and hope than ever before.
To be good, I think, is to head in the direction that would make us into more holy people, more like the people God would have us be if it weren’t for our sinful nature. Salvation is a promise made by God, our only responsibility is to point our lives in the direction of the holiness offered freely to us.
30. 01.
13 years ago, I made a commitment to God, and although I stumbled and struggled with my faith along the way, I always knew that one day I would go to Bible College for Christian Ministry. Lynn and I have decided that this Fall is the time for me to do this.
Over the next couple weeks, we will be making a decision to move to one of two communities, depending on which school I choose. Our first choice is Prairie Bible College in Three Hills, Alberta. This is our first choice for many reasons, most of which have to do with family life within the community. Our second choice is Providence, which is closer to home, but not as good for family life.
Please pray for us as we make this decision, and all of the steps that need to happen from now until August: application and acceptance, scholarships, bursaries and students loans, selling our house and arranging housing at the school campus, and our kids as they will have to adjust to a different living arrangement.
We appreciate your prayers and support!
6. 09.
The confession of evil works is the first beginning of good works
- Augustine of Hippo
This is the first of the four corporate disciplines that I will be going through. These are disciplines that relate to the corporate life of a Christian, in fellowship with the Body of Christ.
The biggest problem with confession is that it makes Christians look “bad”. As believers, we like to make ourselves look holy so that others get the impression that we have it all together and that Christianity means a better and holier life. While I agree that Christianity should result in a holy life, I don’t agree that we should withhold confession in order to maintain a good reputation. God could care less about our reputation with others if we neglect our responsibilities as believers to live holy lives.
Another problem we come up against is that of embarrassment. We tend to think we are the only ones not living up to the high standards of Christ, and that we will be looked at as a failure if we confess we have done wrong. What results is a secret and hypocritical life which leads to deeper and more damaging sin.
I admit, I haven’t always confessed what I have done wrong right away. I am no better at it than the rest of us. I have no excuses and no reasons, other than the two mentioned above. What I have done, however, is made a commitment to a mentor that I will confess my sins to him. By doing that, I have someone holding me accountable, someone who cares about me, and who has gone through many years of practicing the christian disciplines.
I encourage you to find a mentor you can trust. Not multiple people, just one, who you can confess everything to. This could be a parent, counsillor, teacher, elder or pastor. My only recommendation is that you find someone who has dedicated their life to practicing christian discipline. My warning is that you don’t choose someone the same age as, or younger than you. The reason is that this can often turn into an accountability relationship, where you are holding them accountable. You may wonder why that is a problem. Here is why: the blind can’t lead the blind. If this person is experiencing the same struggle as you, they would be fine accountability partners, but not a good mentor. Accountability partners walk and struggle together, whereas a mentor leads the mentoree in their walk with God.
William Knelsen