Life is but a vapor

"Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes." James 4:14

Today could've been my last day on this earth. Frankly, I would've died happy after having spent half a day praising God, being edified by His Word, having communion with Him and my brethren in the faith; after having finally gotten my devotional/prayer life back in order, but I think of what I would've left behind:
- My family, that have yet to know God
- My Monday School children, still struggling to learn those Big Truths of the Bible and whom are not yet saved
Moreover, had they died, where would they have gone?
Thankfully, it was not God's will to call us to His presence today, which means there is still a work that needs to be done in us and through us. And He has given them an opportunity to not wait another second and humble themselves before their makers.
Tomorrow could be your last day, your last opportunity to consider the cost of rebelling against God.

"Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity
and passing over transgression
for the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not retain his anger forever,
because he delights in steadfast love."
Micah 7:18

The Lord our God is one whom delights in showing Mercy and Grace, and that was what He showed all four of us this evening in sparing our lives. Even though we have sinned greatly against him, Romans 3:23, "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8. Christ died and bled for us, he bore our sins on the cross and received the punishment we deserve, so please do not wait another second, repent of your sins and trust in Him who delights in showing mercy, who went to the cross so that by Grace we would be saved.

Eyes Opened

I know I've abandoned this blog, I've just been mentally and spiritually tired struggling over a few things. But reading John 1 today reminded me of two things:
1. Why I love the OT so much, yes even Numbers and Leviticus I just finished reading Leviticus for the third time.
2. How back in the olden days singing at church (RCC) a song that said "Cordero de Dios que quitas el pecado del mundo, ten piedad, ten piedad!" (Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy, hace mercy!) I never really knew what that phrase meant but I did like singing that song.
So as I read that verse "The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’" I remembered the first time I read that verse after having read the first five books of the OT and realizing that Christ was the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, that lamb I had read so much about in leviticus and what its purpose was, that lamb offered by God himself to take away MY sin! Wow! How mindblowing! humbling! convicting!
Isn't our Lord great!? Amazing love indeed.
And today as I re-read that verse I'm still awestruck at God's amazing love and grace that he would die to save sinners and sinners like me.
So take this moment to read John 1 and rejoice at God's grace, at his justice, at his love.

Is This All That There is To Life?

I was reading at CJ Mahaney's blog today about the whole Michael Phelps ordeal, Mahaney was wondering what Phelps was searching for in the bong pipe he was caught with, "What emptiness in his soul was he trying to satisfy?" Then recalls another sports champion, Tom Brady who came to a profound realization:

"Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there’s something greater out there for me? I mean, maybe a lot of people would say, “Hey man, this is what is.” I reached my goal, my dream, my life. I think, “God, it’s got to be more than this.” I mean this isn’t, this can’t be, what it’s all cracked up to be."

It really caught my attention because these very question were ones I myself wondered about that year I was saved. I remember so well sitting with my friend Jenny at the University talking as usual about who knows what, and I wondered out of the blue: "This can't be it, is this what life is all about? we're born, we go to school grow up graduate, go to college/university, get a job, get married have children and raise them to do the same thing we did and then grow old and die? that's it!? that can't be it" I saw no point to it all, my friend Jenny said "yes thats it!" I told her slightly devastated "That can't be it!", she replied "Then my friend you are missing something". I too like CJ was "a sinner (of greater degree), held captive by sin, pursuing the fleeting pleasures of this world. And sadly, in my case, pursuing sin with passion." But found no point to it all, I began to fear death like I had never feared it before, I would wake up in panic thinking about the "nothingness" the blackness after death.
CJ ends his post with a quote by Augustine:

"It was Augustine who said that the soul is restless until it finds its rest in God. So true. Only God can satisfy the soul. Only the gospel of Jesus Christ provides forgiveness of sin, and therefore it is here in this gospel that we find rest for our restless souls."

Excerpt, read the rest here:

"The photograph of Phelps reminds me of myself prior to conversion, a competitive swimmer (of slightly lesser skill), a sinner (of greater degree), held captive by sin, pursuing the fleeting pleasures of this world. And sadly, in my case, pursuing sin with passion.

So what was Phelps searching for in that bong pipe?

Once again we are reminded that athletic gifting, championship trophies, gold medals, and million dollar endorsement deals cannot satisfy the soul.

Last year, in the wake of his third Super Bowl championship, disillusioned Patriots quarterback Tom Brady admitted on 60 Minutes,

Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there’s something greater out there for me? I mean, maybe a lot of people would say, “Hey man, this is what is.” I reached my goal, my dream, my life. I think, “God, it’s got to be more than this.” I mean this isn’t, this can’t be, what it’s all cracked up to be.

I commend Brady for his honesty.

And no doubt some Pittsburg Steelers players are beginning to have similar thoughts.

But in Phelps’s case, if you listen to the media (with the exception of my man Michael Wilbon of the Washington Post) you hear a common chorus of excuses like “Give Phelps a break, nothing he did was anything worse than happens in an average weekend at a typical college campus.”

But we are not talking about a typical American college student. Phelps is a rich superstar.

This is what I find so striking: A man whose chest has been covered with gold medals, has achieved international fame, showered with awards, and blessed with an incomprehensible amount of money, still feels compelled to press his face to a bong."

Abortion: The Endless Argument

"the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries
and keeps wrath for his enemies.
The Lord is slow to anger and great in power,
and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty."
Nahum 1:3

How easily can a simple conversation about children, pregnancies and amniocentesis at the table, can lead to a heated argument over what the judicial system considers is a human being, and when life starts (A man's opinion based on other men's opinions that have been stated as "facts" over a standard created by, yes you guessed right! man). I will state my opinion, which in this postmodern world is just as valid as anyone else's but in the real world doesn't really matter because what matters is Truth (and no, Truth is not relative):
1. Getting an amnio to know if your baby has any type of syndrome just so you can have the option to abort it, as if that life has somehow become worthless, because of the disability he or she may carry, is not just an insult to those who live with a disability, but it is WRONG, and sick.
2. I will say this but praying the Lord will continue to humble me in regards to this issue, people who do that do not deserve to have children, but they are under God's common grace and so who am I to say anything, I too was once a wretched vile trangressor of God's law and I have been showered by God's inmerited favor.
3. The truth is God considers the unborn human already.
4. The truth is God's law states that we are not to murder anyone (born or unborn)
5. The truth is He will by no means clear the guilty.
6. The tuth is we all deserve God's righteous punishment for our sins.
7. The tuth is God is merciful and delights in showing mercy (Micah 7:18) because He is merciful He sent His Son Jesus Christ to the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, He died and resurrected beating death and the power of Sin.
8. The truth is if you humble yourself and repent of your sins and put your trust in Christ, the Lord will save you.
9. Do not wait another day!

Commemorating the Reformation

In my church every year all throughout the month of October we commemorate the protestant Reformation which began after Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses to the door of the church at Wittenburg.

"October 31, one week from today, will mark the 491st anniversary of the day that Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the church at Wittenburg. In so doing he struck a match, beginning a fire that quickly spread throughout Europe and throughout the world. Having become increasingly disillusioned with the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church, and in particular the sale of indulgences, Luther wrote his Theses to try to begin the process of reform. While he was unable to bring reform to the church, he did trigger the Protestant Reformation by rediscovering the Gospel—the good news of salvation by grace through faith. The Reformation had profound influence in politics, art, literature and theology—while it was at its heart a Christian movement, it impacted all areas of society. That seemingly insignificant act is, in reality, one of the defining points of history."1

For the past 4 weeks different pastors from both my church and the IBSJ (Biblical Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, Iglesia Biblica del Señor Jesucristo) have preached on the Five Solas of the reformation: Solo Christo (1 Timothy 2:5-6; Colossians 1:13-18), Sola Gratia (Ephesians 1:3-8), Sola Fide (Galatians 3:6-11), Sola Scritura (Psalm 119:18; Psalm 138:2; 2 Timothy 3:14-17), Soli Deo Gloria (1 Corinthians 10:31; 1 Peter 4:11; Revelation 1:6; 2 Peter 3:1; Ephesians 3:21; Revelation 7:12; Romans 11:36). The celebration culminates this week with various activities that will be going on: this Wednesday there will be a play depicting what occurred over 400 years ago, on Friday the youth group for professionals will continue a debate on the reformation they began the first Friday of this month, Saturday the youth group for University students will have a sort of debate on the reformation and finally on Sunday our senior Pastor Miguel Nuñez will end the Five Solas series with the last sola: Soli Deo Gloria.
It has been quite an eventful month and a delight to be reminded of what our fellow brothers and sisters in the faith went through and how far they went to contend for the faith, Christ truly was their all in all and they like Paul took a stand and counted everything as a loss for Christ. To them truly death was gain and life Christ, my hope and prayer is that we may live a life worthy of the gospel as they did in our day to day, in the little things (like obedience to mom and dad) as well as in the big ones whatever those may be.

"Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ."

Grace Gems: Not one of us would ever be saved!

As always an amazing Grace Gem and definitely something to meditate on, in light of a post I read today here's some Grace:

Not one of us would ever be saved!

(J. R. Miller, "The Hidden Life" 1895)

"He always lives to intercede for them." Hebrews 7:25

Some speak as if all Christ's work in saving us, had
been done on the cross nineteen hundred years ago,
in His giving up of Himself to die for us. But His
actual work in saving us--is continued with us--
in teaching us life's lessons,
giving us grace to overcome in temptation,
lifting us up when we have fallen,
going after us and bringing us back when
we have wandered away, and
keeping us from the world's deadly evils.

Were it not for this patient, never-failing, watchful
love of Christ--not one of us would ever be saved!

"I give them eternal life, and they will never perish
--ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand!"
John 10:28

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This is why not only is the Gospel important the day of our salvation but it is still relevant today and everyday, we must preach it to ourselves everyday, so that we may not forget of that ongoing work of Jesus Christ in us, the price he paid for us, the trials and tribulations he went through and promised we would also go through, the promise of His Holy Spirit and the gift of a new life in Him. That is why one should never be tired of such a precious Gospel!