He Still Speaks

“But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey-a beast without speech-who spoke with a man’s voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.” 2 Peter 2:16

When we came to the US as a family, we constantly have communicated to our relatives and friends using every possible technology. We utilized old traditions of sending mail via post office to send our greetings of birthdays and holidays. We availed of an international long distance call offer that allows us to make a telephone call everyday to the Philippines. We chatted with our siblings and friends over the internet. We exchanged emails with more people to stay in touch. Sometimes we spoke with them about serious matters and minute things. We make sure to communicate and continue to be connected to express our love and concern for our families and friends back home.

God utilizes everything to communicate to His people. He used a donkey to speak His message to straighten up prophet Balaam. In our present day where we have lots of distractions that prevent us from hearing God’s message to us personally, He still conveys His message to us. I have experienced and am experiencing the Lord speaking to me thru a chess game, my work, my family, a preacher on TV, an event with my daughter(s), a conversation with a friend, a headline in the newspaper, several movie scenes, a family mishap, etc. I can go on and on and cite that God is alive and still speaks to us. We must be conscious about His working presence in our lives and must have open hearts and minds to receive His loving message to us. Have you been hearing God in your life today? Allow Him to speak with you in any possible way. Open your hearts and minds to our God who wants to communicate His love and concern for you.

The Hairgiver

“Even all the hairs of your head are counted.” Matthew 10:30

One of my difficulties in working and living abroad is about my hair. No barber in the area where I live seems to get the type of haircut I really want it to look like. I’ve tried both men and women barbers but still I am not satisfied when I walk out of the shop. Even as I sit before, during and after my haircut, I have this feeling of discomfort. I greatly missed my barber in the Philippines. He knows where to cut and not. He knows the curves of my head and straights of my hair. He knows the right cut of my hair so it may stand or lay on my head. And when I sit before my barber, I am at peace and in comfort for I know I will be satisfied when I walk out of his shop.

I am filled with thanksgiving to know that Jesus knows me inside and out. He said that the number of my hairs on our head are counted. He keeps an eye on us because He loves us, and not about guarding us and accounts all our iniquities. He knows our hurts and joys. He knows our worries and strengths. He knows our life’s curves and straights. He knows when we sit , when we stand and when we lay our heads for rest. This is very comforting, having a God who knows our needs and concerns, a God who looks after us personally. He is a God up close and personal and not a distant one. And when we need pruning, He knows where to cut and nourishes our areas of growth. When we sit before our personal God in prayer, we are at peace and comforted in our struggles, I know we will always be satisfied for we have a God who will not walk out on us.

Without Cost

“Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.” Matthew 10:8

I stood up and spoke about Jesus for one hour. It is still very vivid in my mind. This is the time when my leader asked me to do a gospel presentation in-front of college freshmen in a classroom. I could not believe I preached about the saving grace of the Lord Jesus as I have not studied these things nor was not trained to do so. That’s when I realized, I have received God’s gifts, without cost, so I can serve Him and His people without cost. Through the years, God bestowed more noteworthy Christian service to me; building and organizing communities, pastoral care of individuals, training brothers and sisters for His kingdom. I was doing spectacular things for the Lord, just like what the disciples were commanded to do in Matthew 10:8.

No time and money has significant cost for me not to serve God. What is taking costly for me is my pride. I am a new member attending a charismatic community in the USA, often times I am called to lead a short prayer, tasked to clean the place of fellowship or initiate to arrange things before and after the meetings. I know I can do a lot of things for the Lord and I won’t expect something from it, but sometimes my pride takes charge in me that I discriminate the minute services assigned to me, which I believe are part of God’s great work. I realized that I have received from the Lord without cost, and no matter how my self-importance exalts me; I must serve and give my all to God without counting the cost even at the expense of my human pride.

Growing Cold

“And because of the increase of evildoing, the love of many will grow cold.” - Matthew 24:12

After a day’s work, I found my vehicle all covered with ice. It has been raining ice sleet throughout the day. I have to spend some thirty minutes to take out the ice from the glass windows which I will be using to drive my way home. It’s really tough to take out the ice from the windows since the ice has been stuck into the windows for several hours and I have been dripping with rain as I brushed out the thickened ice from the windows.

As Christians, we were warned by Jesus of growing cold in our walk with Him. I picture our hearts being covered with ice and our fervor for God and His kingdom turning grim because of our iniquities. Most of the time, we found ourselves engulfed in habitual sins that can totally cover our hearts with coldness and turns off the fire in us. By our own, our sins are stuck in our beings and cannot be peeled off. By the grace of the death of Jesus on the cross, the thick sins which are turning our hearts cold are taken off. Jesus gives us the warmth needed to be on fire in our love for God. It does not mean we will not sin again, but by the power of the cross we are forgiven and every sin which covers our love for Him is taken out. As Christians, our call is not to grow cold but rather to grow old in walking with Him.

Staying Awake

"Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning." Mark 13:35

When I was working for an electric power transmission company, there were many times that I have to work from night until morning regarding device testing and commissioning. Our team leader would always encourage us to eat a lot of food to supplement our bodies due to lack of sleep and rest. In between jobs, we would take bread, maybe grab a small meal or drink some hot coco or coffee for us to get by throughout the night and finish the work at the deadline given to us. Sometimes, I would really feel getting to sleep but my body is nourished by my food intake that I stay awake until the assigned work is complete.

Jesus talks about the same thing when He preached that we should be watchful and be alert. He is pointing to being staying awake for the coming of the Lord is not known but surely the Lord is coming. To stay at watch or to stay awake as Christians, calls us to nourish our spiritual bodies with "spiritual food" - Prayer, Reading the Word of God, and fellowship and service with brothers and sisters. Living here on earth gives us a lot of distractions that can prevent us from staying awake and from being alert to living out our Christian ideals from day to day. Keeping our daily "spiritual food" will keep our eyes fixed on the Lord Jesus Christ. Taking our "spiritual food" day by day will make us watchful and awake until the Lord Jesus completes His work in our lives.

Sheep without a Shepherd

"At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd." Matthew 9:36

One of my fears is getting lost. I want to make sure I am in the right direction going to the place I want to be. Even when using my Global Positioning System (GPS) navigator, I tend to have this fear of losing direction. But when I missed a turn, a ramp or a road, the navigator quickly recalculates to put me back on the right path.

Jesus was saddened as he saw the flock of people like sheep without a shepherd. He saw them as people who are scattered and abandoned. He viewed them as people without direction. He gazed upon them as people who are lost. He watched them as people trying to find their way but cannot locate the right path. As a Shepherd, Jesus offers to lead the way for us, His people, to be on track towards the place meant for us - Heaven.

The sheep's fear is to be away from the shepherd since the sheep's sense of direction alone is the shepherd. Our lives will be surely in dire straits without the leading of our Shepherd who is Jesus. He alone is the light for our path. As our Shepherd, He gives assurance in our walk on this earth that He will never ever abandon us that He will guide us towards the place where we are destined to be. Even when we walk away from the flock, our Shepherd quickly makes sure that the lost sheep is found and diverted to the right direction.

Lord Jesus, our Shepherd, give us the grace to fix our eyes on you that we may not be lost and that we may not be like sheep without a shepherd. We thank you for your love and mercy as your heart is moved with pity and love when You look upon Your lost sheep. Father, when we are lost, bring us back to the right path and direction. By your love, allow us to hold on to Your word and presence that we may steadfast in following you as our Shepherd. And by your grace, empower us to bring other sheep to Your flock that we may join You in the place You and Your Father have prepared for us to dwell in eternity. In Jesus' Name, Amen.