What level are we in our spiritual life? What is our condition as a Christian, and are we ready to go to the next step? Are we ready to give our lives for Jesus? Are we ready, that if someone hits us on our left cheek, we give also our right cheek? Are we ready to put away jealousy, envy, anger, bitterness, impatience, irritability, hatefulness and vanity? Are we ready to be humble? If our answer is “yes” to all these questions, we are ready to go to the next level. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 it says: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
In our society we try to be good citizens, whether we are at home, at school or at work. In Canada during graduation ceremonies in elementary school, high school or university, the students have to wear a special robe and hat. Everybody who has graduated remembers that moment. I’m sure all of you here that have already graduated remember that memorable moment, which often includes a picture, to remember that special day. Perhaps you remember when they handed you your certificate or diploma, signifying that that you have finished university, high school or elementary school, and that you are ready to go to the next level. Those are very remarkable moments in our every day life. But as Christians, what is the next level? What are we going to receive once we are ready for the next level? Aren’t you anxious to know how your spiritual life is?
When we get baptized, the most important step in our Christian life is to recognize Jesus as our Saviour and believe in His second coming. We give up many things that we liked and enjoyed. Often we think that we are making a big sacrifice. Sometimes we don’t understand that we have to surrender our heart, our soul and our thoughts. We thought that as long as we are good Christians, everything was o.k. How wrong we are when we excuse ourselves for our defects of character that we still have, like resentment, impatience, irritation and jealousy. Do we truly know that God can cleanse us from all our heart’s sins? Yes, but we have to believe. In 1 John 1: 8, 9 it says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
In the Bible we find different people that were almost ready to go to the next level, but because of some character trait they weren’t able to do so. Their goal, for a moment, seemed very close but suddenly was far away and they couldn’t reach that level. I we look at the first King of Israel, King Saul, chosen by God, the Bible tells us that the spirit of the Lord came upon him and he prophesied. In the book Patriarchs and Prophets, page 610, it says, “As Saul united with the prophets in their worship, a great change was wrought in him by the Holy Spirit. The light of divine purity and holiness shone in upon the darkness of the natural heart. He saw himself as he was before God. He saw the beauty of the holiness.” How sad was the end of this king. On page 631 it says, “He who had been so highly favored of God, should transgress the commandment of heaven and lead Israel into sin.” Stubbornness, jealousy, anger, envy and hatred grew in the heart of the King of Israel. He was ready to go the next level, but he couldn’t. On page 683, we are told he was rejected by God and abandoned to destruction: “Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord.”
If we still have some character traits that are holding us back from going to the next level or to just keep going at the current level, it is time to get rid of them. In Proverbs 28:13 it says, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.”
We all want to wear the gown that Jesus is preparing for us. If we want to be sure that our names are written in the Book of Life, we need to get ready to prepare ourselves as if it was the last day of our life. Be a cheerful Christian. Rejoice when troubles are coming. Be ready when the devil comes and tempts you. Study the word of God and be an A+ student. Sometimes that level seems very far away and looks very hard to reach, but if we invite Jesus to be with us, to seek Him, to know Him, and if we trust Him and obey Him daily and at every moment, we can get to the next level.
When I came to Canada I didn’t speak any English I started with the Link programs, then after a few months I went to ESL. I studied English as a second language until I was almost eight months pregnant with Elaine. Time flew. Almost two years later I returned to school. One of the teachers made me take a test to see which level of English I was at now. They put me into levels 5 and 6. The classes started, but everything seemed very slow, and I felt I could learn faster. One day as I was going to my class I noticed another English class. It looked like they were participating more and the teacher impressed me with the way she was talking to the students. I asked my current teacher what level of English that class was. She said it was Grade 11 and 12 High School for adults. Without thinking I said, “I want to go to that level. I want to go to that class.” The teacher reminded me that I am in level 5 and 6 of ESL English.
It was almost the end of July and the class was almost finished. I really wanted to go and ask if I was ready to take the High School classes, but I felt discouraged after what the teacher told me. A few days before the classes finished I saw the secretary from the High School, so I went and asked her. She told me that I had to talk with the Principal. The Principal asked me what level of study I had done in Mexico. I told him that I was a secretary. He determined that I needed four credits in order to finish High School. The courses I would have to do were Grade 11 and 12 English, and Grade 11 and 12 Computer Studies. For English you have to read a lot and at the end you have to write an essay. He looked at me and said, “I think you can do it.” On September 1999, I started Grade 11 High School. It went very well. The teacher was very good and the way she explained things was easy to understand. I finished grade 11 and passed on to grade 12. I remember when the grade 12 class finished, the teacher encouraged me to keep reading and writing.
Now I was ready to go to the next class–the next level. Grade 11 Computer Studies was not very easy. The more I tried to concentrate, the harder it seemed. But I kept going; and when we were going to have our final test I found myself full of doubts. I had a very difficult moment with the teacher the day before the test. Because of that I decided to go home for the day. I told her that I would come back the next day for the test. The next day she wanted revenge. She made me sit in her chair and use her computer. I felt very confused, knowing that everybody was looking at me; however, I tried my best.
The next day when we came back for our marks, I really wanted to cry because of my mark. One of the ladies that I knew since I started High School kept asking what my final mark was. I said I failed–I got 52. She said, “No you didn’t. I got 50. We both passed. We can go to Grade 12 in Computers.” I couldn’t believe it. No way could I go to the next level with a 52. Even though I was not very happy with this mark, I decided I would do the last level, Grade 12 in Computers. Suddenly the teacher came and wanted to talk with me. She said “You were able to pass my class, but you can do it better if you stayed and took level 11 again, and gain a higher mark.” I told her that I was going to think about it and I decided I didn’t trust her. When I was in the new Grade 12 class, on the second day, my grade 11 teacher came to our class. I couldn’t believe it. She started talking to my new teacher, all the time looking at me. When she left, my new teacher called me. She made selecting me sound random, but she said, “I want you to sit here in my chair and use my computer and explain to me all that we have learned yesterday up until now.” The classes were very intensive. In one day we learned a lot of things. To remember both days was very difficult, but because I knew the other teacher was behind this I tried my best.
When I finished, the teacher told me to go back to my chair. She said “I wanted to be sure that you are in the right level.” I really wanted to argue and ask, “why me?” I knew that half of the class marks were between 50-60% and wondered why they treated only me like that. I never understood.
I finished High school. I passed the levels. While one teacher told me I couldn’t make it, the other told me that if I kept going, one day I could write books. Then another wanted me to go back and made me feel very unhappy, because she was unhappy too.
In our Christian life we find that some levels are harder than others. Sometimes we find that someone wants us to go back to the level that we started from. Sometimes we hear ugly things about ourselves that are really hard to understand, especially if it comes from another Christian, and because of that we look back; but remember, the world doesn’t need more sinners. Jesus Christ needs sinners and He is calling us to repentance. We must be determined, no matter what level we are at, to go to the next level. When we think of heaven and that one day we are going to meet Jesus our Saviour, we have to reach for the best mark, which is 100% or A+. Maybe we think that with 52% we can pass. Dear brothers and sisters, examine yourselves; make sure that the level you are in is the one that will take you to the next step — the right one that will take you directly to heaven. And if you know that someone wants to do something for the Lord, please don’t underestimate them, encourage them and help them.
Finally I would like to read something that I wrote during this time in High School:
“I came to this country for a better life and I love it. I like my homeland. Sometimes I have the feeling that I need to go back. I don’t want to be rejected because I’m not as white as snow and I don’t have the sky in my eyes or the sun in my hair. But I do have the night and soon I will have some silver stars. Canada has many children and like a mother, sometimes it can be angry; how different things could be if we all were as one. I wish that in the world we could all be the same, without colour or language to separate us; but we are all different and often we want to fight because of our differences.
“One day while I was walking through this land which I thought was the Promised Land, I saw pain, suffering, sickness, poverty, violence, hatred, and crime, and realized that this was not the Promised Land. It was not the one that I was looking for; how easy it was to get confused. My Heavenly Father, through these years, taught that there is another land, a land where we will never grow old, a land where there is no pain or tears, a land where you and I can go and live in eternal joy.”
Lucy Flores