A Sinner Like Them

Greetings everyone,

A new school year has begun and students are being awakened from the harsh reality that summer is at its end. It’s hard to believe I’m entering into my final year of university. This year I’ve taken a crazy student approach and signed up for six courses. I decided I wanted to see what Maritime Christian College has to offer and stumbled upon their Romans course. Although I’m putting myself through extra stress and staying up late to finish my readings, it has been the best choice I’ve ever made. Every day God is opening my eyes to new truth.

Last night I was reading Romans 1. It talked about the Gentiles and how they traded God’s truth for their sinful desires. I thought “Isn’t that like society?” If we take a look around we can see the depravity of man by looking at any magazine, novel or movie. People are doing what they want and as long as they’re not hurting anyone it’s okay. I was frustrated because it seems like they’re not receiving any consequences from it.

Romans 1:17 says “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them because God has made it plain to them.”

I said “Yeah! Finally the sinful generation is going to get what they deserve!”

Paul mentioned sexual immorality, homosexuality and promiscuity. I never did any of those things so I thought pretty highly of myself. God’s angry wrath wasn’t going to be poured out over me.

But then I came across a verse that made me stop in my proud tirade.

“They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent and arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil, they disobey their parents…”

It felt like I had been stabbed in the chest. I had just been insolent, arrogant and boastful all at the same time. I knew deep down they were sins just like murder and sexual immorality. I’ve disobeyed my parents, been jealous of someone else and not only listened to gossip, but spread it.

I was a sinner like them.

My eyes wandered to the next verse. “Although they knew God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”

I was hit by the weight of my hypocrisy. Here I was judging others for their sin when I was included in that list. Not only that, but I’ve read the Bible and I’m without excuse because I know what I’m not supposed to do. I stopped my reading and I poured out my guilt to God, exposing my proud heart.

There’s nothing like the refreshing water of God’s forgiveness that washed over me that night. It was almost as comforting as when I first gave my heart to Christ. I’m thankful that God made a way to rescue us from ourselves and all the burning desires within us. Anyone who is feeling condemned can receive the same forgiveness just by asking God for it. He sent his perfect Son to take our place and receive the punishment for our wrongdoing.

But one thing I realized was that repentance isn’t enough. I have to give my selfish pride to God every day or it will continue to consume me.

That was only the first chapter of Romans. I can’t wait to see what I’ll learn from the rest of it!

Keep walking in faith,

Sarah

Jesus’s Walk to Calvary

Hello everyone,

Today marks the saddest day for Christians as we mourn the death of our Saviour. Although today was a beautiful sunny day in Prince Edward Island, I wish it would have been dark and overcast to match the feeling in my heart.

There’s a passage I was reading in John that really drove home the message of why Jesus had to die. The night he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, I noticed that Jesus was praying for his disciples and future believers more than he prayed for himself. Even though he was about to die, he prayed for you and me. Let that sink in for a moment….Jesus was praying for you in his darkest hour! (John 17:20-26)

From the moment the Lord said “Let there be light,” Jesus already knew man would sin and disobey His Father. God already had a plan for salvation in place to save us all. It was Jesus’s love for us that pushed him to lay down his Heavenly crown and become human. He knew that if he didn’t take our place then we would all be doomed to hell for eternity and separated from God forever.

Jesus endured the torture and mocking because the entire time, he was thinking about us and our desperate need for salvation. 

After he had been whipped, Jesus had to carry his own cross up the road to the hill of Calvary. At this point he was weak from blood loss and blinding pain from the scourging. Lots of people didn’t even survive the whipping, but Jesus still had work to accomplish. He walked with the heavy cross on his shoulder and the crown of thorns jabbing into his head. Every step was agonizing for the Son of God and the crowd jeered at him as he hobbled through the streets.

But as he made his way to Calvary, he had one thing on his mind…you. His love for the world was so strong that nothing could extinguish it, not even death. As he breathed his last breath and released his spirit, he cried “It is finished!” The plan of salvation was opened up and he had made a way for us to be reconciled with our God. And it was all because he loved you.

So when you are complaining about your walk through life, remember the difficult walk Christ took so you could have eternal life. None of it would have been possible if he hadn’t taken that trip up to Calgary’s hill. If he had the strength to finish his walk, then he will give you the strength to finish yours and he will be with you every step of the way. The Bible says “I have told you this so you might have peace in me. Here on Earth you will have many trials and sorrows but take heart for I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Keep walking in faith,

Sarah

The Triumphal Entry: Jesus’s Walk Through Jerusalem

Hello everyone,

I want to talk about a very important walk that Jesus took and I hope it enlightens some things about your own walk with God. Christians celebrate it as Palm Sunday, which is a reminder of Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The passage is found in Luke 19:28-40.

Picture this: the crowded streets of Jerusalem. The sounds of shouting is coming from merchants from the marketplace and the loud chatter of people passing by. It’s Passover and the city is bursting with the hustle and bustle of the preparations for the celebration. Throngs of people come from far and wide for the festivities and every inn in the whole city is full to capacity.

As you walk through the streets, you hear the sound of cheering ringing through the air above the racket of the marketplace. There’s a man riding through the city on a donkey and people line the streets in front of him. They lay their cloaks on the ground in front of the procession and there are others waving tree branches in the air as he passes by.

They are shouting “Hosanna! Hosanna! Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!”

The man on the donkey is no average Joe, it’s Jesus- the King of Heaven.

Jesus knew this adoration would not last. Their shouts of praise and “hosannas” would soon turn to mocking jeers and cries of “Crucify him!” But Jesus also knew there was more than just praise when they said “hosanna” because it also means “save us.” He looked upon their faces as he passed by and he saw desperate people in need of a Saviour. He knew what he was about to face when he set foot in Jerusalem, but he kept riding anyway.

It wasn’t long before the Pharisees heard the racket and interrupted the procession. They were afraid the people were about to revolt and they didn’t want a riot right before Passover so they told Jesus to control his followers. Jesus’s response was this: “If they keep quiet, the stones along the roads would cry out.”

I often wonder, why aren’t Christians today not making a racket? Is it because we are afraid of being different or do we fear that someone will try to shut us up? We shouldn’t be ashamed to praise our Lord as loud as we please. If we don’t start making a joyful noise to our God then Jesus will cause the rocks to sing His praises.

This Palm Sunday don’t let the world shut you up as you praise God.

Hosanna to the Lord! Our God saves!,

Sarah

Overcoming Roadblocks

Hey everybody,

Well I am a woman of my word, so here is my post on how to overcome roadblocks in your walk with God.

The Devil will throw roadblocks in your path on a daily basis because you are a child of God, so you are automatically not a friend of his. He will do anything he can to make you miserable.

He knows your weaknesses better than you do and he knows exactly how to exploit them. He will tempt you into falling out of step with God.

So…how do you get around Satan’s roadblocks?

The first thing you should do is to become familiar with your weaknesses. Take a good hard look at your life and figure out your flaws that way you know the areas where the Devil is attacking you.

In my case, my pride is my downfall. I get my ego too inflated and sometimes fail to give God the credit for the things He did. I build myself up and let others build me up. I also talk too much and my tongue often gets the best of me.

Different people have all kinds of weaknesses. For some it’s gossip, criticism, jealousy, or lust. For others it could be gluttony, hatred, or struggling with addictions.

The second thing you should do is avoid situations where your weakness could be exploited.

If your weakness is jealousy, stay away from people who make you jealous and spend time appreciating what you have. For those who indulge in food, don’t visit all-you-can-eat buffets. If you are lustfu,l abstain from pornography or sensual movies and magazines. If you are critical, find ways of encouraging people and building them up.

In my situation I should be humble and when people give me compliments I should give God the glory or focus on the strong points of someone else.

If you are not in a place where you are vulnerable, then there is a lesser chance that the Devil can attack you. He will most likely tempt you while you are in states of vulnerability like if you’re tired, lonely, or stressed. Jesus, the perfect Son of God was tempted while he was all by himself in the wilderness.

The third step in overcoming temptation is to use Scripture.

This is something Jesus himself did when he was tempted. When he was hungry and Satan told him to use his power to turn rocks to bread he said: “The Scriptures say ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'” (Matthew 4:4).

Two more times Jesus used God’s Word to rebuke the Devil and when he did, Satan went running.

You too can send the Devil running.

James 4:7 says “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil and he will flee from you.”

The Devil knows the Scriptures better than you do and he will use every chance he gets to twist it into a lie. That is why it is so important for you to spend time in God’s Word reading it and memorizing it so you can use it as a weapon against the Devil’s lies.

In Ephesians 6 when Paul is describing the armor of God he saves the most important piece for last and that is the Sword of the Spirit also known as the Word of God. It is the weapon you can use against the Devil.

I urge you to spend time each day to spend time reading the Bible so you can be ready to defend yourself against Satan’s lies.

Another way to overcome temptation is to pray about it. God wants to hear about your struggles and He will help you.

I’m sure you might be thinking. “‘God won’t understand what I’m going through. He’s a perfect holy God and I am just a sinful human.” 

Well the truth is: He does understand what experiences you are going through because He was human. Jesus was as human as you and me. He was tempted and he overcame it. He knows the struggles of this world so He can help you.

1 Corinthians 10:13 is proof of that. “The temptations in your life are not different than what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out.”

There is good news in that verse. God will make a way out! So if you feel like you are trapped in a bottomless pit by the Devil, remember there is a way out.

So if you are facing temptation, ask God and He will show you the way out and He won’t allow the temptation to be more than you can stand.

My final piece of advice about overcoming temptation is to talk to other believers about it. I know they might not know exactly what you’re going through, but they can listen to you and maybe give you some advice. They could also pray for you and pray with you. You don’t have to go through temptation alone. God created the church so we can encourage others and lean upon them.

I am also here if you want someone to pray for you or if you want some advice. I may not have all the answers, but I can do my best to help you find some. You can contact me at sseeley@hollandcollege.com.

Until then, keep walking in faith,

Sarah Seeley

 

 

The Greatest Gift of All

Hey everyone,

I am sorry I haven’t been able to post yesterday. But today I really want to talk about the second week of advent: Love

When you give a gift to someone is there love in your heart?

Usually if you give a gift to someone close to you, you can’t wait for them to open it. Gifts are often a symbol or a token of your love.

Well Jesus is God’s gift to the world. Since the creation of the world God had a plan to send his Son.

As soon as Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, God knew the Earth was in trouble and He wanted to save it. The only way to redeem humanity was for someone to die in our place.

The question is: Who would go?

God’s only son Jesus looked at his father and said, “I’ll go. Send me.”

It must have taken every ounce of love in His heart to say, “Alright son. You can go.”

The Bible says in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”

So Jesus stood up from his throne where he was the ruler of the universe. He dismissed all the angels who followed his every order. He took off his crown, laid down his scepter, and removed his royal robe.

He gave up all of Heaven’s riches and power to rescue us.

And he knew exactly what he was going to face even before he stepped off the throne. He knew he was going to be forsaken by man and even his own Heavenly Father. He knew every excruciating detail of his death and all the pain and suffering that would go with it.

But he went anyway.

Romans 5:8 says “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

Jesus humbled himself and stripped himself of all majesty when he came to Earth.

John 1:14 says “So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.”

The King of Heaven became a helpless little baby. The Lord of Lords who ruled creation had to rely on his mother and have his diaper changed. He became the lowest of the low for us because he loved us.

1 John 3:16 says “We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.”

Let’s take that verse to heart. Because Jesus gave it all for us, we shouldn’t just sit there and appreciate his love. We should do the same as Christ by giving up ourselves for other people. It could be as easy as running an errand for a senior or shovelling someone’s driveway. The most valuable thing we can give to someone is our time and attention.

This Christmas as we give gifts to other people, let’s pause and reflect on the greatest gift of love that was ever given: Jesus Christ. But don’t just keep that wonderful gift to yourself. Give it away!

If you want to learn more about God’s love I suggest you read the Christmas story in Matthew, Mark, or Luke. You could also read 1 John which is a book that specifically talks about God’s love.

Keep walking in faith my friends,

Sarah

Walking on the Water

Today I am talking about walking on water. It sounds pretty impossible don’t you think?

Walking on water is one of Jesus’s most famous miracles. This feat continues to stun people today.

If you want to read about this miracle it is found in Matthew 14:23-23, Mark 6:45-52, and John 6:1-21.

Walking on water is associated with the impossible. While God may not be calling us to physically walk on water, He may ask us to do some things that we would consider impossible. 

I am going to compare a walk with God with walking on the water. There are many similarities.

Picture this.

It is three o’clock in the morning and you are sitting with the other disciples in a boat on the Sea of Galilee. Suddenly pouring rain begins to fall from the sky and high wind begins to swirl around you. The monstrous waves pound against the boat and you feel like a toy ship being tossed around threatening to tip over at any moment.

How would you be feeling at the moment?

I don’t know about you, but I would be panicking  thinking that I was going to drown and expecting to die. That is exactly what the disciples were thinking.

Sometimes life can feel like a sinking ship and the fear can overwhelm you. 

But listen to what Jesus has to say, “Don’t be afraid. Take courage. I am here,” (Matthew 14:27).

Whatever storm you are going through, Jesus will be there with you. I know sometimes we may be shocked to see Him there sometimes. The disciples were just as afraid of Jesus as they were of the storm. They thought he was a ghost.

Jesus’s presence is a comfort because he is in control of life’s storms. He even calmed a storm in the New Testament and He has the power to calm your storms.

Put yourselves in Peter’s shoes for a moment. You want to find out if the figure on the water is actually the Lord so you ask him to call you out upon the water. What faith he must have had. 

Sometimes God is calling us to step out on the water. He may ask us to do some impossible things, but it’s because He wants to test our faith and strengthen it.

So when you hear Jesus calling out, what do you do?

You step out of the boat.

Peter stepped out of the boat and planted his feet upon the water. The only way he was able to accomplish this was because he had faith that Jesus had the power to keep him from sinking. We too have to have the faith that Jesus will keep us afloat in the midst of life’s storms.

It’s not easy. There is a lot that can discourage us. Peter had the rain beating down him and the waves crashing around his feet.That would be enough to make anyone lose heart. 

We can keep afloat by trusting in God and keeping our eyes on Him, not our problems.

Peter took his eyes off Jesus and looked down at the waves. The moment he did that, he began to sink. Just like the moment we take our eyes off Christ, we start sinking beneath our problems.

If you feel like you’re drowning in the waters of your situation what should you do?

When Peter was drowning (literally) he called out to Jesus, “Save me Lord!” (Matthew 14:30).

The best way to stop from drowning is to call out to God to save you. He will hear your cries of help and He will lift you up and put you on track. Jesus lifted Peter up and stopped him from going under.

So if God is calling out for you to walk on the water, step out of the boat, trust and have faith He will keep you afloat, keep your eyes on Him rather than your problems, and don’t be afraid to call out to Him for help.

Don’t worry God’s got you so take your first step!

Keep on walking,

Sarah