Yesterday, I was driving along a street where I found an elderly lady was trying to cross. She was not sure whether she could go, so she looked at me and tried to ask me in cute gestures. The light was green for her, and I was stopped at a red light, so I gestured back that it was okay. She said thank you with more cute body language. Seeing her, I had the desire that, when I was old, I would be cute like her. I would like to be an elderly Christian whom people will love, and in whom people will find peace and love in return.

At the coming Keswick Convention, the theme will be "What kind of Christian are you?" I want to be a loving Christian.

In Jeremiah, we can find God described as a pottery maker, who tries to make good pots. But, we see that whenever there is an error in His work, He breaks it; first, He created good ones in the form of our Ancestors, Adam and Eve, but they couldn't remain good, and we inherited their flaws. But, the Pottery Maker tries to make us better and better. Even though this sometimes means that we feel hurt and injured, He does this so that we can become closer and closer to Jesus Christ, Himself!

Ga.4:19. I believe that most Christians search for a way to become purified, and without knowing much theory, we keep asking God to purify us. In doing this, we know that the Holy Spirit of God is coming down on us. In welcoming the Holy Spirit, we do receive this purification that we seek, but it is a spiritual purification.

Most of the letters written by Paul were to Christians in the days that they were written. When we read these old letters, we again discover how Christians were filled with the Holy Spirit and then purified. We call this fulfillment - the fulfillment of the Holy Spirit - "The Second Blessing."

We easily say that we have been saved, but I think that salvation has a deeper significance. The first meaning of salvation is that of justification: we used to be guilty in God's sight, but through the cross, we have been made innocent. The second is sanctification: though we claim that we are Christians, we are just human beings, who tend to commit sins; the work of the Holy Spirit cleans us over and over again. The third and last meaning of salvation is glorification. We haven't received this one yet.

With Christ, we will be taken up into Heaven. You know, I've been thinking about this, and these three steps are exactly contrary to our physical lives. We get into this world as newborn babies, and then crawl, stand up and start walking. We grow up into adults, and get old, and then finally, we die -- Without God, that's it! But, the Christian life, as it is represented in the word "salvation", is totally different. We get born again, and contrary to getting old, we get renewed (sanctified) over and over again. Then, we get to the point where we join God in eternity. How blessed it is!

Here is my testimony from the younger days: When I was still going to a bible college, I met an American missionary, named Reverend Friend. I once asked him what the most difficult thing in his long missionary life had been. He reflected on this a moment, and replied calmly that it was himself! We often think it is the people around us that must be changed, but always it is us. Though I was a student of a bible college, I was still selfish and always controlled by my fleshly desires. One time, I was furious at all the work I was expected to do for the church. I didn't get any time off in the week like others did, and I couldn't control myself any more! I was in misery, but while I was praying, I received this verse, from 1 Th.5:17 maybe, "Rejoice all the time. Pray continually. Be thankful for everything!" [1 Th.5:16-18] To overcome ego, we must accept the help of the Holy Spirit.

Translated by Junko Okamoto - Edited for the Net by Shido
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