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By David M. Kowalke, Jr. |@hongkongkowalke | TRINICY.org  “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 3:12-14 Time is like a good friend, or like a bad cold. You are conscious of it wherever you go. We refer to it in almost everything we talk about. We live in it and we will die in it. In some ways, it is like Love. You can’t see it, but you can see its effect. You can’t smell it, but many smells transport you to another place by it. You can’t taste it, but it can rob you of hunger. You can’t hear it, but its beckoning is loud. You can’t touch it, but its effect on your life is undeniable! It is undeniable that I am no Albert Einstein or Stephen Hawking, and that this is not a scientific treatise on the nature of time. However, as this year rolls inexorably into the next, I would like to suggest that, as I read this profound passage from Paul’s letter to the believers in Philippi, that there are at least these three observations to make about how we Christians deal with our place in time. First, there is a forgetting. Aren’t we told over and over again in the Scriptures to remember things, such as the goodness and faithfulness of God and the destructive results of lives bound in sin? While we struggle to remember, it is also important to forget. We ought to forget the victories of the past and not rest on them by ignoring the need for us to trust God for today. If we have seen Him ‘part the Red Sea’ in a particular area of our life, we need to continue to act by faith now for the ‘desert experience’ that we are dealing with. Also, we are to forget the sin that we have yielded to because we are told that in Christ, God remembers that sin no more. “Guilt” is when we acknowledge that we have offended the character of God. “Shame” is what Christ became in our place on the cross! Shame has no place in the believer’s life. What is the answer to forgetting the past? Learn from the Past, but don’t live in it! Secondly, there is a straining. We are in a race for our lives! We are to reach forward today for the future that is tomorrow. There is a popular view today that we are to live in the moment, in the now. That is true, but not if the now is all that there is. What is the answer to straining forward? Live in the Now, but don’t live for it! Thirdly, there is a future prize. Our goal is secure. The finish line is near. That is what makes our lives today of ultimate and infinite value. Without an assurance in knowing of the existence of a personal God who loves us, and who has entered into our experience at Bethlehem, to the Cross, through the empty Tomb, there is no ‘now’ worth living. How do we deal with the future? Strain for the Future, because we are designed for it! In consideration of Time and our place in it, here are some questions we might ask: What in the past should I release that holds me back? What lessons have I learned from the past? What in the present ought I be doing that I have wrongly avoided? What can I do today that will move me forward? What in the future do I fear, and how should I deal with it? What in the future has God graciously prepared for me? prayerWould you pray with me? Lord, who was, and is, and is to come, help me to lean on your grace and mercy to learn from yesterday, as I live today for the joy-filled tomorrow that, by your love, you have secured for me. I come in the strong name of Jesus, Amen. WANT TO SUBMIT A DEVOTIONAL?If you are interested in writing devotionals for TRINICY, please email us at [email protected]. We would love to hear from faithful servants of the Kingdom who have the desire and talent to communicate the word of God in a way that is relevant to our conservative Christian students, scholars, staff, and supporters!
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By Logan Washburn | TRINICY.org
FOUNDATIONAL QUESTIONS TRINICY-RELATED QUESTIONS TRINICY: Out of all God’s attributes, which one amazes you most? Why? LOGAN: God's sovereignty and His power, along with His mercy are some of the most amazing attributes about the Lord in my opinion. TRINICY: Who led you to Christ? Who are you leading or hope to lead to Christ? LOGAN: I was led to Christ by my youth group leader. I hope to point all who I come in contact with towards Him. TRINICY: What primary gift(s) has God given you? How are you using them for the kingdom? LOGAN: God has given me the gifts of networking, writing, debating, and organizing. I am using these in my political involvement to try and influence the culture of my community for Christ. TRINICY: Which person from the Bible do you resonate with the most? Why? LOGAN: I most resonate with David. Though pursued by His enemies, and though he often felt alone, God was faithful to David and saw Him through. TRINICY: What social issue do you care most about? Why? LOGAN: I most care about the issue of abortion. Thousands of innocent lives are being taken every day, sacrificed on the altar of convenience. It's our duty as Christians and as Americans to defend the innocent. TRINICY-RELATED QUESTIONS TRINICY: What does being a Christian mean to you? Why Are you a Christian? LOGAN: I'm a Christian because of the grace of God. Being a Christian means that I follow Christ, and strive to live according to His word. TRINICY: What does being a Conservative mean to you? Why Are you a Conservative? LOGAN: Conservatism means standing for what's right; namely, a limited government, a just government, and a morally upright government. I'm a Conservative because the facts and moral law most line up with conservative viewpoints. TRINICY: What has your experience been like as a Conservative Christian on and/or off campus? LOGAN: My freshman year of high school, I was at a public school. It was very difficult to be a conservative Christian in such a secular, leftist environment. Now, I attend a Christian school and want to help those who are still in the public school system. TRINICY: What were your first thoughts when you heard about TRINICY? LOGAN: I was excited when I first heard about TRINICY. A group to connect conservative Christians on college and high school campuses is much needed. TRINICY: What advice or resource would you offer to fellow conservative Christians today? LOGAN: I would recommend that conservative Christians continue to stand for truth in love, which can be difficult at times, but it is the right thing to do. Standing for truth needs to have the motivation of love behind it. Truth without love is legalism, and a love without truth has no purpose. Standing for truth means acting as a pillar that upholds principles that are true, and not allowing yourself to be influenced by the popular culture, as culture changes but the truth doesn't. One needs to do this in love, which is an active effort to help others through the preservation of that which is good, true, and beautiful. On my campus, this means explaining my views while listening and taking into consideration the views of others, as people who disagree with you are just that: people. This has the effect of creating a reputation for myself of being someone who always has an opinion, but is still a reasonable and kind person. People may treat you differently for it, but standing for truth in love is a vital aspect of our culture and civilized society as a whole. OTHER QUESTIONS TRINICY: What is an interesting/unusual fact most people don’t know about you? LOGAN: Most people don't know that I'm from Denver originally. TRINICY: What passion or dream keeps you up at night or wakes you up in the morning? LOGAN: My aspiration is to help people come to Christ, and to influence public policy in a positive way. TRINICY: If Jesus were physically here now, what would you want to ask Him or talk about? LOGAN: If Jesus were here today, I would want to ask Him about the ultimate truth when it comes to creation. TRINICY: What are the three greatest life lessons you’ve learned thus far? LOGAN: 1. Hard work pays off; 2. Strength rejoices in the challenge; 3. Christ's forgiveness is unmatched and unconditional. TRINICY: What legacy do you want to leave as a Christian? LOGAN: As a Christian, I want to leave behind an example so that people will see my life, and not think of me, but of what God has done. WE WOULD LOVE TO FEATURE MORE CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIANS ON TRINICY.If you know of other conservative Christians on or off campus we could feature, please email us at [email protected].
By Shokyuileng Hungyo | TRINICY.org  “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'” - John 8:12 The last thing two section forest officers expected to find at a check post in the state of Kerala in India was a baby - a one-and-a-half-year-old baby. The baby, with bruises on her face, had crawled her way into the check post in an area frequented by wild animals. She had fallen off a moving jeep at a sharp curve from her sleeping mother’s lap. “She crawled towards the ticket counter probably on seeing the light there,” noted one of the wildlife wardens. God has put in us an instinct to move towards light. Hold a candle near a child or place a luminous object somewhere near and the first thing that child will do is to draw towards that light, and possibly even try to touch it. The first thing we see in the creation account of Genesis is God calling light into existence, “let there be light.” The importance of light is that, with it, life is possible. We see again the guiding hands of light to the path of life in 2 Corinthians 4:6, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ.” At that time when a dispute arose as to who Jesus really was, Jesus spoke up for himself and said, “I am the light of the world,” indicating that He exposes what has been hidden and in him is life - eternal life. And appropriately C.S. Lewis penned, “by it (light) I see everything else.” There is a radar within each individual that seeks a beacon to guide us to the truth. St. Augustine, after a long pursuit of inner peace, wrote in his confession, “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in You.” We long for that light to shine upon us; we search for that light; we are unsettled, restless, and anxious until we find that light for whom humans are truly designed. Like the baby who crawled towards a distant light one evening in Kerala, there is much need for us to draw towards the Light which gives life. But Oh! - this light is different: it not only shines but also searches for that which is in the dark and brings it to light. For a Christian, the uncertainty of life and the gravity of sin has no power over us because Jesus said that “whoever follows me will never walk in darkness.” The uncertainty of life is eclipsed by the purpose and certainty we find in God and the gravity of sin is done away with the grace displayed in the person of Christ Jesus. “Put your hands into the hand of God” reads Minnie Louise Haskins’ poem "The Gate of the Year”: “And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: ‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’ And he replied: ‘Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.’” Jesus ended his line with an assurance that whoever follows him “will have the light of life.” What, then, do we do? Trust him and follow the path of light! After all, it is the only way to life. PRAYERFather, help me see Your light. Strengthen me to reach out for Your hand in every area of my life that is currently shrouded in darkness. Guide me in the path You have set before me and let me live a life that is truly a light to others around me. Amen. WANT TO SUBMIT A DEVOTIONAL?If you are interested in writing devotionals for TRINICY, please email us at [email protected]. We would love to hear from faithful servants of the Kingdom who have the desire and talent to communicate the word of God in a way that is relevant to our conservative Christian students, scholars, staff, and supporters!
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