God’s ways are perfect . . . and to Fear Him is Wisdom!

The message last Sunday, November  28, 2010 was about Fearing God! The theme was stated,  “Make it Simple Saints!  Fear God . . . Do what He tells you!”  So refreshing to know that we have a God of order who takes care of every detail of our life. The fear of God is defined as “an awesome respect or reverence growing out of the greatness and power of God. To revere God as we ought, it is critical that we understand His nature.”

 Fear can be a friend and at the same time a foe. It is a friend when referred to the fear of God. Somehow, it is a foe when it becomes an agent that develops within us to become afraid of someone. The book of Ecclesiastes 7:18-20;29 tells us: ¹⁸ It's best to stay in touch with both sides of an issue. A person who fears God deals responsibly with all of reality, not just a piece of it.  ¹⁹ Wisdom puts more strength in one wise person than ten strong men give to a city. ²⁰ There's not one totally good person on earth, not one who is truly pure and sinless. Verse 29 says: “Yet I did spot one ray of light in this murk: God made men and women true and upright; we're the ones who've made a mess of things.“

  Our friends can be our official crook! Why? It’s because we’re all imperfect. Our imperfections cause a relationship to become complicated. Not only can it ruin relationships but it can also harm our emotions   deeper because of hurts, pains, and actions. That’s the reason why we should be a God-fearing individuals for us to be able to know more of God and to be more educated with spiritual values. Through the truth we learn, we can grow more to be like Him and we may be able to discover secrets to live a life according to God’s ways and purpose.

“Our enthusiasm for fear is the by product of an understanding of Who God is, because an understanding of the Character and Attributes of God motivates Respect and Reverence.”   In Ecclesiastes 12:13 says: “The last and final word is this: Fear God. Do what he tells you.” 

The Christendom is God’s concern. We don’t fear God and be apprehensive to come to Him and let the guilt feeling haunts us for life. God’s fear leads us to  salvation,  it is connected with obeying, leads us to find wisdom, keeps us from sin, and gets us through hard times. The book of Proverbs 1: 33 tells us that “First pay attention to me, and then relax.  Now you can take it easy—you're in good hands." 

 Indeed, we’re in good hands. No matter what happens, God will never leave us nor will He ever forsake us . . . He is faithful and His mercy endures forever! The book of Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”

To fear someone because he or she is your head is not  at all the kind of fear we are to manifest to God. The presence of somebody that creates tension and fear does not contribute to the well – being of a person. This is the kind of an attitude that will make the relationship messed up. And one day, this someone will just discover that he or she is alone and that people around started to evade because everyone seems to be feeling uncomfortable with the presence of this someone. I personally believe that the more a person is educated, the more he should be meek and approachable. It’s not our position that matters but it’s our disposition in life that excels and shows the best person in us.

 The fear of the Lord Prolongs life (Proverbs 10:27). In the book of Psalm 112:1, 7 “. . . Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments! . . . He is not afraid of evil tidings; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord”

Superbly Performed . . .

My heart was bubbling with excitement and deep inside I was sincerely  praying in the spirit for strength and favor. I know God never fails . . . yes, He had never failed me. He is always there at the 11^th hour of my need. His favor and grace keep me moving onward and keep my faith growing further.

 I was communing with the Lord the night of November 25, 2010 when suddenly I felt God’s presence touching my innermost being, giving me an assurance of something I’ve been praying few days ago. It was so great a feeling that even alone, I was smiling and thanking God on everything He has been doing in  my life and my family.

My daughter BJ wasn’t around then because she slept at her coach’s house at MSU campus (Mindanao State University), in Tambler. It was her third night sleeping there. She had been practicing for her oratorical competition on the 26^th of November, 2010. I didn’t know she was that prepared because previous days, we only saw each other when she got up in the morning before going to school and after she arrived home from school.

Neither my son nor  I see her delivering her piece, no, not at all. So, I was thinking that BJ couldn’t make it. I only did pacify myself by saying, “well, just for exposure”. Yes, just to expose her to oratorical competition such as this one. Though I wished for her to win the said competition, but the way I saw her and the situation, it seemed, she just couldn’t make it. She’s so relaxed and just took things normally.

The event came, that was November 26, 2010. I can’t express the feeling inside of me. I felt very tense and of course excited to see BJ performing her oratorical piece. I haven’t seen her performed such though. She was No. 4 among the seven competitors from different schools in General Santos City.

When she was called to be the next to orate, my heart palpitated, as if I was gasping for breath. BJ got the microphone from the stand. In fact, she was the only one who did that among the seven contestants. I was stunned as everyone around was. She was so relaxed and so full of confidence. From the start of her piece until the last words uttered,  I was kind of a spellbound by what I see in BJ.  And I was elated at the moment. she was my daughter, BJ and I'm proud of her.

Wow, she did it well. I was touched by her performance that I wasn’t able to detect my tears started rolling down my face as some among the audience were also teary eyed. Everyone inside the room was applauding.  It was superbly performed. 

BJ's classmates were around to support her.  She called them "dudettes"... Kat, Lyka, xelina, tin, clarisse, vanessa, leila, kirsten, bai, & belina.Two male friends also came; Kringkring & Cloyd. Their principal also came along with one of her teachers, Mrs. Elsie Decenilla.

I was a proud mom at that moment. It was just hard to contain the feeling at that very moment. She was my daughter,  and I was really so proud of her. Even before the second runner up and the first runner were announced, I know in my heart that my daughter, BJ would be the Champion . . .and I was right. BJ ended up as the "Champion"of the first  "Voice of the Youth National Oratorical Competition".

To God be the Glory for this victory! Indeed, God is faithful! 

Corrie Ten Boom Remembered

Aviad Cohen: Watch "The Hiding Place"

The hiding place trailer

The Challenge . . .

The story of Corrie Ten Boom became a lifetime inspiration to many people as it did in my life. Her experiences  inside the concentration camp became a powerful weapon to people who seemed helpless by what they’ve been through in life.  Corrie Ten Boom’s determination to show off God’s amazing power, to manifest His enduring loving kindness,  to share His unconditional love, and to manifest His unfathomable greatness made her so passionate  to go on and move on and have God’s grace to uphold her on every detail of her life. 

One day, inside the concentration camp, Corrie felt elated and was so happy when told that she was free to go. She felt very much encouraged to see the free world again. As she stood before the gate, she thought that as soon as the gate opens, she’s free. Her thought runs fast and remembers her time inside the concentration camp. She was able to bring the gospel to many women. A great number died with the name of Jesus on their lips. The Lord had used her sister, Betsie and herself to show them the way.

And here she was standing before the gate. Her sister had died about two weeks earlier. While she stood there waiting, somebody came to her and said: “Corrie, I must tell you something. Today, Mrs. De Boer and Mrs. De Goede both died.” Corrie was smiling with heartfelt thanksgiving after she received the news. God wasn’t late for these two women. They were able to know the Lord and accepted Him as their personal Lord and Savior just in time before they died.

 

Corrie looked at the cruel concentration camp for the last time, and said: “Thank you, Lord, that you brought me here, even if only for these two women who were saved for eternity.” God used Betsie and Corrie to that end. If it were only for these two women, it was worth all Corrie’s sufferings, and even Betsie’s death.”

What an amazing story! What an amazing experience! What an amazing God! And what an awesome God He was! Was it worth Corrie’s suffering? Or was it worth Betsie’s death? Indeed, it is worth living and dying if we are being used to save others for eternity. You and I can be used, whoever we are.

Corrie was faced with the question: Why am I brought inside the concentration camp? The same question is being faced by everyone on  each field of endeavor: Why am I here? If  you are a Christian, the plan for your life is quite simple and clear. We have been commissioned to share – the challenge reads like this: “You are the salt of the earth . . .  You are the light of the world . . . Go and make disciples” (Matthew 5:13-14, 28:19).

How can we become a Christian? The Bible challenges us to believe in our heart and confess with our mouth. The promise was expressed by Jesus Christ in John 3:16 when he said that God so loved this world that He sent His only Son as a sacrifice to take away the sins of the world, including yours.

It is part of God’s plan that this world would have people to be an ongoing witness. People who reflect the person and presence of the Lord Jesus Christ to others. He wants to live through each of us in such a way that others are also challenged to live for Him and change the world. 

The making of the difference starts from us. Perhaps our commission will be to take this message of the gospel to our friend if he or she is not a believer, to live it for our friend, to pray for our friend, to sacrifice for our friend, to love our friend and lead him or her into the kingdom of heaven.

Why are you here? Why am I here? And why are we here? No less than to become part of the family of God and to share the good news that it is possible for others to also become part of God’s family. A lasting family relationship that leads to life’s eternity!

We are forgiven . . .

I read about a story of a seminary professor who’s fond of introducing his class on the New Testament with a story from his own life. As a young man he told a lie to his father and hurt him deeply. For years the matter went unresolved, but the guilt and remorse kept gnawing away at him until, finally, he wrote his father a letter.

As the oldest son, he went to their house and was going through their things. Up in the attic he found a box containing little treasures his parents had kept through the years from their marriage and from his childhood. As he looked through the box, his eyes welled up with tears because he felt so close to his parents and the things that had been most important to them.

Then he found the letter that he had written, asking for forgiveness. He opened it and began to read, and with tears running down his cheeks, he turned it over. And there, in his father’s handwriting, was one word: “Forgiven!” And it was underlined.

In a split second he realized that his father had really let go of the issue that had rolled up between them. He had written “forgiven” on the letter, then put it aside in the box of treasures because it was over. There was no unfinished business.

It was an enormous knack for that son to ascertain that his father had bowed out all traces of the hurt and the resentment and the bitterness!  What a free and better life to live. 

It is an implausible gift when we are able to forgive and let go – to forgive and forget. This is exactly the way in which God, our Heavenly Father, deals with us. When we are forgiven by God, it is as if we had never done that which caused our alienation from Him.

         If we are to evaluate ourselves, where are we in regard to forgiveness? Do we need to forgive another, or are we in need of forgiveness ourselves? God will help in both conditions. And good news . . . 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Our God is a God of forgiveness! Indeed, God forgives!

Matthew 6:14-15

¹⁴ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you,

your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

¹⁵ But if you do not forgive others their sins,

 your Father will not forgive your sins.

Apart from God, Everything is a Hollow World of Emptiness!

We may have what we want in life. We may get the things we wish to get. We may acquire resources because we have the capacity, we may live a life of abundance because we have the means . . . but no matter the luxury, and no matter the abundance, if your life is not in tune with God, everything is a hollow world of emptiness. Apart from God we are nothing! The first thing first is God. He is our Alpha and He is our Omega! Everything is possible with Him.

          A life of abundance is God’s plan for us. He wants us to be the image of His Grace, the representative of His favor, the source of His truth, an instrument of his blessings, and more so, the agent of His Kingdom whom He trusted and blesses. There can never be anything that could ever replace God’s position in every arena of life.

          He created man, and He engineered man. God is the perfect image of a Loving, Merciful, Forgiving, and ever Gracious Master of all times. He is our total source. Man’s resources and every wealth acquired are not his own . . . because man is just a steward that he should not boast. God gives but God also gets if we are not worth of a steward.

          God has His own way of giving as well as His own way of getting back. We can never question God’s ways. He knows our coming in and our going out. We are assured that God holds us in His hands. His eyes are going to and fro guarding us in every way we go. Even in the midst of sorrow, He is with us. Even in our self-made chasms, God’s presence is there. He takes care of everything in us and for us. Indeed, He is a God who cares!

Psalm 23

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me

to lie down in green  pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his

name's sake.4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort

me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine

enemies: thou anointest  my head with oil; my cup runneth

over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow

 me all the days of my life: and I will dwell

in the house of the Lord for ever. “

Gracious . . .

Words sometimes do not tell exactly the right feelings nor do it tell exactly the right attitude. Merely knowing a person by words is not a guarantee. It is more on the action that exactly tells the kind of person you are with even if you have been going together a long way already.

Although looking at the outward countenance of a person does not merely justify our knowing the person deeper because it is the inner being of a person who is the real one. Yet, for some reason, we can tell some real characteristic of that person based from the words and actions manifested.

It is only God who knows everything because He is our all-knowing God. He knows our coming in and our going out. He knows even our thoughts, our struggles, our desires and every single thing within and without is not hidden from Him. He is not only the all-knowing God but also the all-seeing God, our Omnipotent God. The Almighty one whose name is matchless!

 

We are all favored to have known a God who searches the inner heart and convicts us even to the marrow of our bones. It is God’s Love that makes everything possible for us. Everyday, we survive because of His unconditional love and His amazing grace! He supplies our being with not less than everything needed for us to go on, move on, and live a life to the fullest!

We are actually nothing apart from God. Whatever, whenever, and however, we have no single capacity to boast anything that we have and what we are and who we are. Everything is God’s. Our talents, our resources and wealth, our beauty, and our everything are borrowed. We are just stewards, so we don’t boast. God blesses everyone to be a blessing to everyone who’re in need and that no one can boast.

Indeed, we are to be thankful if that’s our role here on earth. It only means, God is blessing us in a way that we could also be a blessing. It is not wise to help and then boast. It is not even wise to help and then count. It is not even wise to help and then look back. 

Our actions and our reactions tell exactly the kind of heart we have and the kind of a person we are . . . We are to thank God for everything and acknowledge from the heart that HE is our total source. Apart from HIM we are nothing! Everyting is God’s and nothing is ours. To God be the GLORY forever and ever! Amen!

Philippians 3:7-9, But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge

of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things,

and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him,

not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that

which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness

which is of God by faith:

Worthy Is The Lamb

Hillsong United - You Are Faithful - With Subtitles/Lyrics

He Knows my name (Tommy Walker) with Lyrics

Praise and Worship Songs with Lyrics -I Give you my Heart

It's a Beautiful Day!

It’s a beautiful Sunday . . . and I am missing the Sunday fellowship today. I am just home with my son AJ. We had  been coughing since yesterday.  I find it so distracting especially last night, because I wasn’t able to sleep well. Every time AJ coughs as well as I do, we both have to sit down and perform, “inhale and exhale”   a little bit. It seems we’re both gasping for breathe. I have to drink water again and again, and I have to let my son drink water too to have both of us pacified. 

 

We’re taking up our medication since yesterday. Just needed rest I guess, from all the stresses the past days . . . plus the unpredictable weather. It’s scourging  hot in the morning and before we know it, rain pours down in the afternoon.  My son and I had been taking up vitamin C, but yet; I got runny nose, I had headache and now I am coughing. 

Nevertheless,  the whole thing  is good! I am feeling great in spite of the cough and everything. I was sitting down this morning in front of the television set  while watching the Touch Ministry of Dr. Charles Stanley’s Sunday message in Atlanta, Georgia. Though I haven’t started the program, but what struck me was when he said, “Nothing a person does can touch another person’s life not unless it is done by prayer and completely a product of a real love embedded through God’s amazing grace!” Those words awakened me completely, and I thank the Lord so much!

  

It really takes God’s grace to love a person who’s unlovable. And it takes God’s love & conviction to swallow one’s pride. It feels great being with God because even with imperfections and many failures committed, He never pinpoints, He never condemns, and He is just there, waiting for us to come to Him with all humility and sincerity.

God is awesome.  His ways are so heartwarming! We may marvel at what happens. But no matter how painful God’s ways are just to settle things in its proper perspective, yet, the joy inside is bubbling. There is comfort and buoyant feeling. 

Indeed, God is a God of order! Everything happens for a purpose and nothing happens by chance. To Him be glory forever!