Marry someone who is...

For all the singles out there, you may list down your standards you're looking for in a lifetime partner all you want but please take note that this will be a vital part of your life. You will spend the rest of your life with that person, maybe 60-80 percent of your life, so you got to be very careful and really pray hard for this.

For all the women, put Proverbs 31:10-31  in your hearts. Bind it. We can call ourselves new generation women and be virtuous still. Time has passed and women's role in the society has changed too. But if you'd read Proverbs 31:10-31, you'll notice that these words of God is timeless too and will always be applicable whatever timeline we are in.

For all the men, I wish you find your Proverbs 31 Woman, but before that ask yourself if you are worthy to have her? If not please work on yourself and may the first verses of Proverbs 31, which is 1-9 be your guide too to becoming a better person (ladies, please read it too so you'll know when a man is a walking red flag).

 Prov 31:10-31:

"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar. She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple. Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land. She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates."

Reminder this Holy Week

I hate to break it to you, but you're not automatically saved by the blood of Jesus.

Yes, Jesus died for our sins but unless you believed the fact that He indeed died for you to save you and have a genuine personal relationship with Him, you will not truly be saved. And that is not according to me but the Bible -- His Word.

John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Luk 13:23-27: "Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity."

In Pilipino: Luc. 13:23-27: "At may isang nagsabi sa kaniya, Panginoon, kakaunti baga ang mangaliligtas? At sinabi niya sa kanila, Magpilit kayong magsipasok sa pintuang makipot: sapagka't sinasabi ko sa inyo na marami ang mangagsisikap na pumasok, at hindi mangyayari. Kung makatindig na ang puno ng sangbahayan, at mailapat na ang pinto, at magpasimula kayong mangagsitayo sa labas, at mangagsituktok sa pintuan, na mangagsasabi, Panginoon, buksan mo kami; at siya'y sasagot at sasabihin sa inyo, Hindi ko kayo nangakikilala kung kayo'y taga saan; Kung magkagayo'y pasisimulan ninyong sabihin, Nagsikain kami at nagsiinom sa harap mo, at nagturo ka sa aming mga lansangan; At sasabihin niya, Sinasabi ko sa inyo na hindi ko kayo nangakikilala kung kayo'y taga saan; magsilayo kayo sa akin, kayong lahat na manggagawa ng kalikuan."

Rom 10:9: "That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved."

I don't know how will you spend the rest of your Holy Week but I do hope you get to use these free days getting to know more about why we have this week. 

I pray that we all get to experience peace and serenity, above all the Salvation that God offers (if you haven't yet), this Holy Week. And may we never missed the point that genuine peace and serenity that our soul longs for can only be found with the one and only source -- Jesus.

John 14:27: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

2Ths 3:16: "Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all."

And only by accepting you are saved by the blood of Jesus, you can savor that genuine peace and serenity. 

May we never missed the whole point of the Holy Week. Have a blessed one.

2023

Before the year starts, God kept reminding me of this Word as if telling me to take a hold of this for the coming year. 

Romans 12:2: "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

With this present time, where there is so much going on the world, how do I know what is good, acceptable, and perfect will of God? Perhaps, this Word answers that. 

I believe that God is speaking and impressing His Word to us individually if we only know how to listen, observe, and be perfectly still with Him. But before these, a relationship with Him. So, I wonder, what is God's Word for you, this year? Have a wonderful season of new beginnings! 

For the anxious

If you are being bothered with anxiety, here are some of the verses I've encountered and chased away the dark clouds surrounding my mind.

Hope these help you as well as it did to me. Truly, God is a promise keeper and a refuge in times of needs. Truly he gives peace to the anxious mind and will never abandon you whenever you need help. Just keep on trusting Him and you will see. 

These are translated in Filipino version, feel free to search for a King James Version for English translation. 

Awit 89:2: "Sapagka't aking sinabi, Kaawaan ay matatayo magpakailan man: Ang pagtatapat mo'y iyong itatatag sa mga kalangitlangitan."

Awit 89:34: "Ang tipan ko'y hindi ko sisirain, Ni akin mang babaguhin ang bagay na lumabas sa aking mga labi."

Awit 92:5: "Kay dakila ng iyong mga gawa, Oh Panginoon! Ang iyong mga pagiisip ay totoong malalim."

Awit 91:1-16: "Siyang tumatahan sa lihim na dako ng Kataastaasan. Ay mananatili sa lilim ng Makapangyarihan sa lahat. Aking sasabihin tungkol sa Panginoon, Siya'y aking kanlungan at aking katibayan, Ang Dios ko na siyang aking tinitiwalaan. Sapagka't kaniyang ililigtas ka sa silo ng paninilo, At sa mapamuksang salot. Kaniyang tatakpan ka ng kaniyang mga bagwis, At sa ilalim ng kaniyang mga pakpak ay manganganlong ka: Ang kaniyang katotohanan ay kalasag at baluti. Ikaw ay hindi matatakot sa kakilabutan sa gabi, Ni sa pana man na humihilagpos kung araw; Dahil sa salot na dumarating sa kadiliman, Ni dahil sa paggiba man na sumisira sa katanghaliang tapat. Isang libo ay mabubuwal sa iyong siping, At sangpung libo sa iyong kanan; Nguni't hindi lalapit sa iyo. Iyong mamamasdan lamang ng iyong mga mata, At iyong makikita ang ganti sa masama. Sapagka't ikaw, Oh Panginoon, ay aking kanlungan! Iyong ginawa ang Kataastaasan na iyong tahanan; Walang kasamaang mangyayari sa iyo, Ni anomang salot ay lalapit sa iyong tolda. Sapagka't siya'y magbibilin sa kaniyang mga anghel tungkol sa iyo, Upang ingatan ka sa lahat ng iyong mga lakad. Kanilang dadalhin ka sa kanilang mga kamay, Baka matisod ka ng iyong paa sa isang bato. Iyong yayapakan ang leon at ang ulupong: Ang batang leon at ang ahas ay yuyurakan mo ng iyong mga paa. Sapagka't kaniyang inilagak ang kaniyang pagibig sa akin, kaya't iniligtas ko siya: Aking ilalagay siya sa mataas, sapagka't kaniyang naalaman ang pangalan ko. 

Few verses before these talks about God being silent, but Him being silent does not disprove Him being faithful to His promises and words. 

Have a great day! Shalom. 

2022

 What's yours? 😊

Lies Vs Truth

Last few days, I've been attacked by my own anxious mind (as always). Lies tried to linger in my mind. This lie kept popping up whenever I'm appreciating the goodness of God in my life. But few days ago, that lie has been so strong I cannot longer fight it with truth. It wants me to doubt, and I am slowly losing my confidence with the truth I have.

It says to me, "What if your God is not the real God? What if it's not God who kept saving you? What if you're not talking to the real God? What if He's not the One who kept sending your rescue? Because you don't deserve it all. Why would God bless and keep on saving someone who always fall short of His expectation?" 

But you know what, even in those silent battles, God hears. God sees. And here, right now, God gave me Isaiah 43:10 as an answer...

"10 You [are] My witnesses, says the LORD, and My servant whom I have chosen; that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I [am] He. Before Me no God was formed, nor shall there be after Me." (Isaiah 43:10).

Bible Verse Photo Blog (Second Entry)

(Since I've been challenged by a friend to post inspirational Bible Verse with photo for 14 Days, I decided to indulge deep into God's Word I'd be sharing and post it here. Here is my 2nd entry.) 

"Mula sa wakas ng lupa ay tatawag ako sa iyo, pagka nanglupaypay ang aking puso: patnubayan mo ako sa malaking bato na lalong mataas kay sa akin." 

Awit 61:2

"From the end of the earth I cry to You when my heart is faint; Lead me to the Rock higher than I." 

Psalm 61:2

THE ROCK HIGHER THAN I

Some say that the Bible should be interpreted metaphorically and figuratively. I don't want to cause an argument here, but I believed, that God's Word is also literal. 

Psalm 61:2 can be interpreted both ways, depending on one's situation.  The picture above could be the literal scenario. As you can see, there's a climber (yes, there's a person in the picture, find it 😅), exhausted and maybe faint-hearted, praying to God for a shelter; a refuge for the exhausted body; something that would bring refreshment for the body and maybe for the soul too. And then, he found one. 

And that's where we see it metaporically and figuratively. That God is our shelter and refuge; the Rock that is higher than us. The One whom we long for when we're weary and tired. Tiredness that neither sleep nor rest cannot mend. Only Him - the Rock that is higher than us; whom our soul long for. 

And if ever you're in that sotuation, remember that Rock where you can always run to. Call unto Him, our God, who is ready to wrap you up in His arm to regain the strength of your soul and to keep you going. His comfort will surround you, just call unto Him and allow Him. He loves you so. 

See you again on my next entry. Shalom and God bless! 

What I learnt This Year

Before this year ends, I wanted to share online what God has patiently taught me, not because I wanted the world to know some stuff about my life but because somewhere out there, some people or even just one person might stumble across this blog and find exaxtly what he/she needed. I don't believe in co-incidence anymore, so if you're reading this, believe me, God has led you here. 

This blogsite talks about my walk with God. No it's not a religious site, this is a slice of life kind of blog like how we do it in other social media platforms, sharing parts of our daily activity. That is exactly what I share here, only I give further deep details. 

I always believe in the saying that everything happens for a reason. If it rains, oh there must be a reason (there's a season); when my phone got stolen, oh there must be a reason (and there's a lesson); when my name was not listed on the Nursing Course and instead was on BMC (Bachelor in Mass Communication), there is a reason (could it be destiny/fate). Every big situation that has happened in my life has a reason. But a random co-applicant in a company is just random; a girl who just stole a taxi ride is random; a long line on the counter is just random. And the list goes on. Yep, for me everything happens for a reason but minor things which have less impact in my life just randomly happens, or so I thought. The saying "everything happens for a reason" taught me that "everything" literally is "everything". Probably, God was laughing on how I claimed to believe in that saying but not entirely applying it. So He showed me. Proving everyday that He has a plan in my life, even before I was born.

This thing also happens in our walk with God. Claiming we believe in His miracle but look for explainable reason when a miracle happened. Miracles can sometimes be explainable, but the explainable reason behind it is still an orchestration of God.

So, I made a list on what this generation's faith has become (You are free to appeal/correct me if you find me wrong):

1. We, Christians, believe that Jesus heals, we have read Bible scenarios where Jesus healed, but in doubt that a person with terminal illness will be healed even after praying for the healing. We say in our prayers "if it's Your will" because we really seek God's will. Do we? Or behind that phrase lies the unsureness that God can heal that person? Do we utter "if it's Your will" in our prayers so that when that person didn't receive healing we have a scape goat like "oh it's not God's will." Can we go back to the Bible scenarios where Jesus heals and count how many of each scenario has "if it's Your will" in it. When someone asks for a healing from God, I'm sorry, but i don't think it isn't God's will to heal that person. As long as that person wants to be healed, IT IS GOD'S WILL TO HEAL AND GIVE LIFE! We just need to have faith.

2. We say that God is the same God yesterday, today and forever. But doubting that a super typhoon could be stopped where in fact God has divided a sea in the old testament and Jesus commanded the roaring sea and wind to be at ease in the new testament. How did that happen? Moses obeyed; Jesus made the nature obey but he also said to his disciples "you of little faith". Obedience and faith come together. You cannot say you have faith yet not making a step when God says take a step. I don't think that Moses just obeyed, he obeyed because God says so, and that is faith (not even sure if he's aware of it because many times he just keeps on doing the instruction of God but I see that as faith). Again, we just need to have faith.

3. We are so afraid to offend people because God is compassionate (that is true) and we must emphasize on His love rather than the truth that He too burnt Soddom and Gommorrah; that Jesus called many people hypocrite and got angry, shouting, throwing things/merchandises here and there at the court of God (read the Bible for more of this instances). We are emphasizing big time on His love forgetting that He too is Holy and Just. I am not saying that it is wrong to preach about His love, many people need to hear about it, but we are not to tolerate one's sinful living and call it love. You rebuke whom you love. They too must know that God's love is so big that He keeps on reminding a way out of that sinful living through Jesus (John 3:16) because He knows that if you don't destruction awaits you. The good news is, God is forgiving and there is salvation in Jesus when you repent your sin and accept Him in your heart as personal God and Savior of your life. We can always come to Him in repentance. And when you realize that there is so much love in Him it will make you want to love Him too. And that's the beginning of change. Because you cannot say you love someone and doesn't want to be a better version of yourself, in fact He will be the One to give you that strenght. And then that's when genuine relationship and faith in God begins.

I am not being blunt here because I'm perfect and I don't sin and I have a humongous faith in God. I still fail as a Christian, many times. And taking a leap of faith is not easy as it seems. You'll need strength and courage from God. Jesus told his disciples "you of little faith" maybe for 2 reasons: 1) He asks for us to take a hold of our faith. 2) It is not easy. But, remember Matthew 14:25-31, where Peter was walking on water too and he got bothered by the waves he started sinking, he called on the Lord, and Jesus came to his aide telling him "you of little faith, wherefore did thou doubt?" That indicates that you will never be alone in your walk in faith with Him.

God bless us! 

In Sharing the Gospel

Acts 16:6-7: "And coming through the Phrygian and the Galatian region; and by the Holy Spirit being forbidden to speak the Word in Asia; having come to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia. But the Spirit did not allow them."

We have read many verses about sharing the Gospel and how the Apostles preached about Jesus. Surely, it encourages us to do the same as Christians. It is part of being a Christian.

But the verses above also indicate that there will be times that the Holy Spirit won't allow you to. Maybe because this is not the right time or whatever the reason is, it is for the best. Just let the Spirit of God guide you. It's not always a "go" or maybe it's a "go" but not now. Shalom.

Pray Like Solomon

1 King 3:11-13

Solomom chose and asked God to grant him a wise and understanding heart because he knew leading people will not be an easy task. He needs discernment between good and evil and this should come from the Lord. (You may read 1 King 5-8 to verify this.)

Also, we must take note that he didn't ask for it for the benefit of himself but of the others... for the people he is leading. He didn't ask for it to become famous or that people will look up to him as someone great. He just wanted to lead the people with fair judgment that comes from the Lord.

These verses do not only show us the quality of a good leader but also God subtly emphasized that when we asked or pray for something it should not be because of selfish ambitions. So, may we all check our hearts for the things we are praying and asking God for. What is your purpose for praying it to God?

Have a great Sunday! Shalom!

Never go back to your Egypt

Deuteronomy 17:14-17

14 "When you come to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, 'I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,'

15 you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother.
16 But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the Lord has said to you, 'You shall not return that way again.'
17 Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself.

----------------------------

The verses above were about the instructions of God to His people in choosing a leader or a king to govern them. He have set the standard and the qualifications. He also indicated some guidelines for the king. But what really caught my attention upon reading the words above was verse 16 and its last line: "You shall not return that way again.", And yes, it is talking about Egypt.

If you are familiar with the Bible and History, you already know that Israelites used to be slaves in Egypt. And God saved them and led them out of that place because He had made a covenant with Abraham. If you haven't heard about that, well, I suggest that you read the Bible (start from Genesis onward) because I won't be discussing about that, specifically in this post.

You can say that in this verse, God is literally reminding His people to never return to Egypt. But as I was meditating His Words, God made me realize something. Egypt also represents our previous life; our bondage; or maybe situation that God has already saved us from. And God is telling you, I mean telling me (because it was me who was reading His Words), to never return to my Egypt. And when He said "You shall not return that way again" He didn't mean your arrival again at Egypt, He is telling you that the moment you recognized that you  are heading your 'way' back at Egypt, you have to stop and turn your back. Because you are walking away to His promised land. You are walking away to His perfect plan for you! And you would never want that! I would never want that.

So whatever your Egypt is, please do not come back. Don't even try to place your feet on that way that will lead you back. Remember that God already took you and saved you out from that Egypt. Do not return.

I repeat, do not return to your Egypt.

With Cause

22 Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it.

23 And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings: and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord God.

-Ezekiel 14:22-23

These verses remind me that if we are allowing God to lead our lives, He surely is directing our lives, and He knows what He's doing very well.

These verses gives me strength to hold on unto God no matter what is happening. He does not do things without a cause and that is more than enough for me to keep holding on unto Him. And besides He holds me so dear too.

Thank you Lord for the cause You are doing in my life.

What is Happening To the World?

Ecclesiastes 7:29

This only have I found: God created mankind upright, but they have gone in search of many schemes."

What is happening to the world?

What we considered wrong for a very long time now became right in the eyes of many people. It just made me feel so bad that the world actually twisted the truth and then smothered it with fairness, love and sympathy. And who would not feel bad if the world is projecting that LGBTs were discriminated, unwanted, and deprived of many things? Of course that is totally inhumane and whoever would do that is heartless. But that doesn't mean we have to tolerate them; that doesn't mean that we have to set aside the truth. What we should do is to stand upon the truth, that if they're saying they believe that God created them that way and He loves them, then why go against what God intended them to be? If God created you as a man, then why change your sexuality?

I'm sorry I have to say this out while the world is rejoicing with the victory of LGBT after legalizing same-sex marriage in USA. I'm not writing this to condemn this group, I'm doing this because it's my duty to stand upon the truth. And I have to stand upon the truth.  It's the only way I can do to make the world see that  we were getting worse and we are becoming so blind as time goes by. I am writing this, because I hope someone from the LGBT community would have a grasp of these words and somehow think about the real meaning of LOVE --- the love that was first demonstrated by God, by Jesus. It's true that Jesus loves you no matter who you are and He wants a relationship with you. He wants you to know Him more and guess what? He knows you so well. And surely He created you man or woman for a reason. He did not make a mistake when He put that gender on your body. So ask Him why.

Someone said that there are three factors why people choose to go against the right thing:

1.Herd Instinct - A mentality characterized by a lack of individual decision-making or thoughtfulness, causing people to think and act in the same way as the majority of those around them. This is where wrong doings get accepted because everybody does it.

2. Emotional Stability - People decide to do something wrong and see it as something right because of what they feel.

3. Being Extremist - People decide to do something wrong and see it right because they strongly believe in their principle and their principle alone. (E.g. Hitler)

And I want you to know that these things I write here were not based on my opinion, it's based on God's word, God's truth; the manual of life -- The Bible. Because if I write based on my opinion, I would say, "Let them be. They deserve to be happy and let them have freedom to choose who they would want to love. They deserve an equal opportunity.", but no, we should always go back to the truth.

I don't want to appear a villain in this celebration, but I'd rather speak the truth than shut my mouth and simply watch these things pass by. I think of the future generation, and I'm afraid of who will they become: a generation who are so far from God.. So far from the heart of God. And what kind of world will that be? Now I believe that we are indeed in the last days. These things which are currently happening, were actually mentioned in the Bible, and the Lord Jesus, I guess, is at hand. I guess, He is coming back anytime soon.

And I'm sorry if this hurts, because really, truth hurts. But please don't get me wrong, I don't hate LGBT, that's why I'm telling them the truth.

Reference:

Matthew 19:4

"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,'

Mark 10:6

"But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female.'

Ephesians 4:24

and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Colossians 3:10

and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

Genesis 5:1

This is the written account of Adam's family line. When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God.

Genesis 9:6

"Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind.

Deuteronomy 4:32

Ask now about the former days, long before your time, from the day God created human beings on the earth; ask from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything so great as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard of?

To Overcome Evil with Good

Romans 12:20-21

“Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire in his head.”

“Be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good.”

To Overcome Evil with Good

I’ve known these verses long before I became committed unto God, but only now did it become so personal to me.

As a human, or rather as being me, I have this tendency to pay evil with evil; to pay pain with pain; to pay anger with anger; to pay shout with a shout. And it does feel good at that very moment but after the commotion, even I have won the fight, I became shattered deep inside. And the truth is, I’m the real loser.

To overcome evil with good is not an easy thing to do, well, at least for me, if not for you. But that won’t make me give up. Besides, in this world, you will need to go through something difficult in order to have a better version of yourself.  And I’m a work in progress. ;) I’m a God’s work still in progress, to be exact. And that is what kept me going – the hope that comes from God. It gives me strength to go on.

Overcoming evil with good is not our fight alone, God carries us with this fight. And what’s good about this is that He’s a victorious God. He have won the battle long ago. So be still and expect victory. We are God’s work still in progress. ;)

Prison Break

Acts 12:5: "Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church."

In this verse, Peter was literally held in prison, and of course he needs a firm support from his family. And a constant prayer to God was the most powerful thing they could offer.

But I believe, this verse does not only talk about literal prison, it also talks about situations -- something that isn't tangible and no hammer could break. But there is nothing impossible with the mighty hand of God. No walls, no bars, and no prison in our life that He cannot break. He can set us free, even if we are not willing to be set free. But still, we have to decide and choose freedom.

And if you know someone who is held captive by their own prison -- maybe vices, maybe addiction, maybe despair or bitterness, or whatever situation they are going through; this verse is a reminder that they need a constant prayer. They may not tell it, but really they need your prayer. It's the most powerful weapon we could use to help them gain their freedom. They need your support, they need God to set them free. Pray for them. :)

The Power of Giving

Speaker: Ptr. Jun Valenzuela
John 6:1-21

> God deserves your best.

> Give to God your best and let Him do the rest.

> The one who gives more are the one who will receive more.

> We need to constantly evaluate ourselves if we are still walking on the right path with God.

> Walking with God does not mean we are on a smooth sailing. Storm will come, but definitely, we are never going to be alone. He will call the storm to stop and calm the raging waves of the ocean. We are safe.

> God does not want a large amount of followers, He only wants the genuine hearts that is truly following Him. And so it has the same principle when it comes to giving unto Him.

> Number does not matter, our heart does.

Ang Dulot ng Kasalanan

Speaker: Kuya John

fbcracine.com

- Isang bagay na nagpapahirap sa 

atin ay kasalanan.

- Ang isang taong may malaking kapangyarihan ay may malaking posibilidad na magkamali.

- Ang tao ay prone sa kasalanan yan ang bunga ng pagkakasala nila Eva at Adam.

gone-fishing.org

- Pero ang kasalanan natin ay binayaran na ng Panginoong Hesus.

- At kung ikaw ay tunay ng Kriastyano, dapat proud ka at isinasabuhay, at dapat hindi mo ginagawa ang bagay na ayaw ng Diyos -- ang kasalanan.

- Ang kabanalan ko ay hindi base sa sarili ko kundi kay Kristo na nasa akin.

What is a holy place?

A holy place is somewhere God's presence is acknowledge. God is omnipresent, but in order for a place to be considered holy, God's presence must be acknowledged.

The grace of God

I once heard this phrase, 'Christians who keep on sinning are those who really know the depth of God's grace.' and I would very much agree to that, but it doesn't mean I wont oppose -- oppose to those Christians who really know the depth of God's grace.

Yes it is so true that our God is a gracious God; if His grace is an ocean we're all sinking -- that's how big His grace is, well actually it's immeasurable. But hey, that doesn't give us Christians the unlimited passes to go on sinning.

Just because God has this wide open arms that welcome you after asking forgiveness and repentance, you'd grab every opportunity to go with what your flesh desires. That is maybe a logical action but it is so heartbreaking, not only to other Christians around you but mostly to the gracious God above you.

Remember that God has this big grace for us because He has a great big love for us. And imagine how much pain we cost Him every time we choose to sin. Imagine how heartbreaking it is for Him. And if someone is really a Christian that someone would never have the gut to keep on hurting the God who gave him/her a real salvation. A real Christian would gradually or maybe instantly turn his back from sinning; a 180° turn from sin.

I know it's not right to judge. Whatever it is, it's always between that person and God. But just so you know a real lover would never hurt his lover even if he knows that he will always be forgiven, if so, then maybe he is a fake lover.

We always have the choice: to sin or not to sin; to represent the world or to represent Christ in you.

The bible does not only contain the message of the grace of God, It also states that "If anyone is in Christ he is a new creature, old things are passed away, behold all things become new." Also It states that, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.", and on and on the Bible states more.

The perfect landing.

John 6:21: "Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going."

This verse made me realize one thing or maybe reminded me one great thing: that whenever you are with Jesus, you will surely get to your destination, to the right destination.

Our world often gets deceiving and there 's a possibility we fall into its deception, but God made it clear even in the old times and even in our previous journey that the moment we let Him handle the situation is the moment we start to go in the right direction. So let us receive Jesus not just in our lives but in every moment of every situation in our lives. And that's the only thing you can do in order for you to land where you should land.