Resolved 2008

Just one week ago, Resolved 2008 came to an end with booming praise led by the Resolved Worship Team also known as Enfield. Throughout this week the song Finally Home was stuck in my head from the car to the bed. I’ve never sang,thought, and talked about heaven more in my life than this past week. Resolved was truly a blessing time, where I learned so many piercing truths yet all the more appreciated and satisfied in God.

Some memories I want to jot down in this blog is this:

CJ Mahaney – adoption & “we can sing because He screamed”

John MacArthur – Coincidentally Lazarus was raised from the dead wasn’t he?

John Piper – Hell is insufficient and nothing short of an echo of the glory of God.            Glorious Healthy Pizza

Steve Lawson, Randy Alcorn, and Rick Holland were all great speakers also bringing different, but unique perspectives on Heaven. I especially remember Steve Lawson saying that Jesus will not let a single sin go unseen.

I really hope to go next year again and learn on Sin. But most of all I hope every year I go I will be all the more sanctified continuously, not just during the conference, but throughout the entire year.

Application. Application. Application

I see that application will bring most glory to God. So I will pursue holiness in that sense because God is holy.

-Alex Yi

Young, Restless, Reformed

I thought this was a pretty cool quote about the cooperation of our modern day evangelicals.

A man may be evidently of God’s chosen family, and yet though elected, may not believe in the doctrine of election. I hold there are many savingly called, who do not believe in effectual calling, and that there are a great many who persevere to the end, who do not believe the doctrine of final perseverance. We do hope that that the hearts of many are a great deal better than their heads. We do not set their fallacies down to any willful opposition to the truth as it is in Jesus, but simply to an error in their judgments, which we pray God to correct. We hope that if they think us mistaken too, they will reciprocate the same Christian courtesy; and when we meet around the cross, we hope that we shall ever feel that we are one in Christ Jesus.

-Charles Spurgeon

I must say, it’s pretty difficult to discern what issues to “compromise” and what issues one has to completely stand up for. But I’m glad that however large the issues are in our modern days, it’s pretty cool to know that as one of Christian character and in the body of the universal church of Christ there will be gentleness and honor and most importantly love toward our fellow men and parts of this universal church.

That in the end, “when we meet around the cross, we hope that we shall ever feel that we are on in Christ Jesus.”

Summer Plans!

I typed Lazy on Google and this is what I found.

Mannn. I remember those good old days when I can be lazy (ironically) reading comics like Calvin and Hobbes. I remember chilling on the coach watching cartoons like Doug, Recess, Hey Arnold! That was the best.

Summer is approaching very quickly and I noticed the older I got from those “good old days” the more active I became during the summer. My high school summers were filled with SAT tutoring sessions and Wrestling Camps. My last two summers going into college and during college I was “busy” hanging out with friends. Well I guess I had my count of lazy summers and active summers (But overall I probably had a lot more lazy summers).

I recall these summers because I remember the times that when I was more active, like the summer I went to Eternal Warrior (wrestling camp) I remember how much I hated the strenuous activities, but at the same time loving those memories for being able to persevere physical hardship and as a reward becoming a better wrestler. That camp made me more disciplined. Probably more than ever in my life.

Still I recall being lazy my high school life. In all honesty, I don’t recall trying hard in high school or even doing much other than wrestling. I mean I’m not trying to say I was smart, if anything I wasn’t “smart” probably in the setting I was in. I remember cheating my way throughout high school, trying to achieve the bare minimum in order to get into a decent college that my parents would be pleased in. I guess I achieved that at least. The ability to achieve the bare minimum. I really wasn’t a disciplined guy. Even wrestling I know I could have tried much harder and disciplined myself more in my diet. if was able to do so maybe I wouldn’t have lost those matches I’ve lost or maybe I would have been able to make weight. Either way my lack of discipline led me to a lot of disappointments in my own life.

To that end, I realized that is just a small picture drawn on the grand canvas of my life. One thing for sure is that I’m not trying to belittle my life, be emo, or anything. I am completely aware and thankful of all the blessing in my life such as my family, music, wrestling, college, and Berean. Yet, my disappointment, my feeling of failure, comes from my lack of discipline to maintain these gifts and blessings at the extent that God wants me to in order to bring glory upon himself.

I have committed myself to serving God. I’m not exactly sure, but undoubtedly I know I did some point during college. In order to truly serve I know that I have to discipline myself. That I have to completely wipe away my habits of my past and present. Such things like waking up late and sleeping late, not studying for classes ahead of time,and being late to events. I guess that’s only my time management part. I have to start taking care of my body more in order to be able to discipline not only my mind, but also my body that all i am is given to God and that he may be glorified by such a discipline, in the purpose of godliness. Read my bible consistently, in addition to other christian contemporary readings. This discipline must be done in order to constantly invigorate my soul and ultimately cultivate a deeper relationship with God.

In the end all the things I want to fix is (I am confident that it is) to know God more and give him honor and reverence. I cannot fully offering anything up to him, I know, if I am suppressing myself ultimately being of selfish, self-absorbed, self-centered and a self-assured character. Disciplining myself for the purpose of godliness can only lead me closer to losing myself and rather giving my body as a living sacrifice (as said in Romans 12) to the Holy God. In that giving myself to him would be worshiping him. And that is my mission: My Life made to worship Him. As short and sweet and plain that may sound. I know I can’t take it lightly and I hope I never will.

This summer will be interesting. I am about to bring death to my most adored idols. My love for sleep. My love to be late. My love for reading as little as I want yet being able to fool even myself with a holy-esque attitude. My love for the sin of sloth (laziness). I told myself this before many times in the past. But I know one thing is utterly different. Different enough where I am confident that God’s will be sought all the more. Is that, this time I have those willing to keep me accountable. *LightBulb* Oh I just recalled. Accountability is what usually got me through. And when I relied upon myself I feel… Miserably. I remember now that my teammates at Eternal Warrior pushed me beyond my edge in order to achieve a deeper discipline. I recall my CCM small group leader leading me to a desire of deeper understanding of the gospel. I recall my church small group leader and pastor leading me to desire to truly please God, by not settling with even the smallest sins. Never being comfortable. I’m glad their will be people accountable for me once again this time around. Because my past showed that whenever God used those around me to drive me in order for proliferation. I was driven. But what does the past mean anyway.

Whatever I am about to take up this summer. I am glad it is coming. I want to can’t wait till I meet it face to face. Because if it’s God’s will after this summer, I will have eradicated many of my stumbling blocks, but best of all I will be more disciplined than I ever was, ultimately not for me, but so that I may be a better tool for the kingdom of God.

That in the end I my life in it’s full quality was an endeavor that is pleasing to God.

-Alex