Silent Preacher

The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky proclaims its builder's craft. One day to the next conveys that message; one night to the next imparts that knowledge. There is no word or sound; no voice is heard; Yet their report goes forth through all the earth, their message, to the ends of the world. Psalms 19:2-4

The skies are consistently silent. The skies show up to tell God’s glory. From day to night we are covered with the tremendous message of God’s magnificence. The design of the skies reveals His being God. It provides us the message of God’s consistent love for His people. Day in and day out the skies peeks into our eyes and hearts. No need for pulpit. No need for pouncing of words and works. No need for rhymes. No need for analogies to drive home a point. No need for powerful verbal oration. No need for gifted speaker. The skies reach all points of the earth. The muted preaching of who God is brought to all peoples and all nations.

How I wish we are like that!

No words. No sound. No voice. Yet may our lives resound God’s glory. By the way we live our lives we proclaim God’s excellent plan for his people. With the way we build our families, we exalt God’s name above all names. With the way we relate with our spouses, with the way we take care of our children, we give Him powerful worship. With the way we approach our work, may He be enthroned in our dedication and focus. With the way we involved ourselves in community, may His light shine. That God’s message of hope and love reach the corners of our daily routines.

May the grace of the skies be given among us for we need to be silent preachers.

From Seeds to Sheaves

Those who go forth weeping, carrying sacks of seed, Will return with cries of joy, carrying their bundled sheaves. Psalm 126:6

I was discussing with a brother how our brothers and sisters from Angeles City in Pampanga are making an impact wherever God has planted them. If they are in United Arab Emirates (UAE), they serve zealously in Ang Lingkod ng Panginoon (Lingkod) whether in Abu Dhabi or Dubai. If they work in Singapore, you will be inspired the way they continue to love Jesus through Lingkod-Singapore. And if they have stayed in Angeles City, the brothers and sisters bring God’s light through various communities. They serve in Christ’s Youth in Action (CYA) in Pampanga universities and colleges, Lingkod-Angeles or Lingkod-City of San Fernando and establishing a covenant community called “Bale ning Guinu” (House of God).

Remembering back and looking forward , I’ve realized this is the case of from seeds to sheaves. God has blessed and is continuously blessing our hearts to hunger for Him and spread His word wherever we found ourselves. God’s faithful nourishment in our life with Him is unfolding the harvest from seed to sheaves. By His strength, loving God and loving one another and living in a way of life He has called for us, the sacks of seed planted have now harvest of sheaves. And His harvest comes in bundles. Bundled in Angeles City. Bundled in City of San Fernando. Bundled in UAE. Bundled in Singapore.

God is not finished yet. God is bundling His harvest somewhere else.

We eagerly pray and wait for more seeds to become sheaves.

Deal Patiently

He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring, for he himself is beset by weakness. Hebrews 5:2

My seven year old daughter Bless was crying in front of me as she tells me she is scared. She remembers ghost stories she heard from a friend and when it came for her bedtime, she was startled. She tells me that when she closed her eyes, she sees the characters in the stories. She even requested that I stay with her throughout the night. At first I was telling her this is so non-sense. I was telling her that ghosts are not real and even if they are, our God is more powerful over these spirits. But I had this moment to take myself aback. She has a situation here. In her own world, she is scared. In her reality, she needed a father. This is her weakness by this instance. At this time, words will not comfort her. My understanding and patience will.

I myself have weaknesses. The men and women who have pastored me are not perfect. It takes one to understand one. It takes one to deal patiently with one. It takes one to accept one. If my leaders have been judgmental of my ignorance or errors, then I am not writing this. I would have gone astray, if they pinned me down when my face is facing the ground. I have grown because they were patient with me in the event of my immaturity. I have soared because they accepted my defects. They loved me in spite of my imperfections. They understood. They stayed beside me.

Members have weaknesses. Leaders have weaknesses, too.
Parishioners have weaknesses. Pastors have weaknesses, too.

We deal patiently with one another.

Smart Like Bart

On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, son of David, have pity on me." Mark 10:47

He was blind but can hear and can speak. And Bartimaeus capitalized on those capabilities to be close to Jesus. He did not allow his blindness take away his other senses. He did not see. He heard. He cried out. He got close to Jesus. Bart made use of his available capabilities rather than focus on his incapability.

God gives each of us gifts. He blesses us with skills. He provides capabilities for us to be close to Him. Or to make others be close to Him. But often times, we find ourselves focusing on what we do not have rather than utilizing what we have. When this happens, we cripple ourselves even if we can walk. We are paralyzed even if we can run.

Do not let your own “blindness” stop you from hearing Jesus is near.
Do not allow you own “blindness” stop you from crying out for help to Jesus.
Do not allow you own “blindness” stop you from doing what you can do to be close to Jesus.
You have more than what you think you don’t have.

Be smart like Bart.

Decision to be On Fire

I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! Luke 12:49

When was the last time you were on fire for God?

Let me guess…..

* When you attended your Life in the Spirit Seminar
* When you participated in that life changing retreat
* When you were inspired by a gifted speaker's message
* In one prayer meeting when you just felt like raising your heart and hands to God
* During one of your support group meetings
* In your own time alone with God

Do you still remember that moment?

Reality is how hard to keep that fire burning in our lives. We tend to depend more on our feelings - if our feelings are not high then we seem to extinguish the fire. When life problems and difficulties arise in our situations that fire gets covered. When God turns a deaf ear to our petitions that fire produces white smoke. If the community you are involved with does not support you, the fire gets watered. Keeping the fire blazing and burning is anchored not in our feelings or circumstances but in our deliberate decision to love God and be faithful to Christ.

Jesus has come to set fire in this world. And He was wishing that fire to already ablaze. Maybe, He is pertaining to our situation. He has given us that fire yet it is not ablaze. He has come to bring us light yet that light is not translucent.

Jesus' decision is to set our hearts on fire for God.
To keep that fire blazing and burning in us - it's our decision.

The Day God took an Exam

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him... Luke 10:25

Jesus was tested on this day. By a scholar. By an expert of the law. He was testing if Jesus knew the law. This scholar was there to ask questions if Jesus knew what is loving God all about. He gave an exam to Jesus if He knew who is our neighbor. His questions were not innocent, his questions were with malice. He was not looking for answers to his questions, he was taking advantage of Jesus.

Often times we are like that. We think highly of ourselves and we put God to test. We test Him if He will do our supplications. We give Him conditions. Conditions that if He fulfill this or that, He gets something from us. We take advantage of God. We catch ourselves saying;

If You heal me....I will serve You.
If You give this job....I will be loyal.
If You solve this problem....I will commit to You.
If You provide for us....I will be faithful.

Can't we be His servants despite our bodies suffer?
Can't we show Him loyalty despite our work is not our dream job?
Can't we commit our love to Him despite life is a cycle of problems?
Can't we be faithful despite our hands are not full?

Don't put Him to test. Don't give Him questions. For God is the answer.

Holding on to Jesus

....one's life does not consist of possessions.... Luke 12:14

They had it all. Big house. Vehicles. Latest appliances. Signature shirts. Booming business inside Clark Air Base. The oldest kid in the family was a friend of mine. I used to go to their place and I was always in awe of what and how much they possessed. Soon, Pinatubo erupted and it washed Clark Air Base, making it like a deserted desert. As soon as the Americans fled so their possessions went. For the coming months and years, this family had difficulty making ends meet. The father turned into drunkard because of life's frustrations. My friend was addicted to drugs and alcohol and did not finish college due to early marriage.

Jesus preached - one's life does not consist of possessions. Is this the reason why a house, built through the years, can just be swiped away by flood in a matter of hours. Is this the reason why a luxury car, earned through working hard counting years, will just be turned upside down by a flood in a matter of seconds? Is this the reason why any man-made infrastructure can not withstand any natural force at any given day?

Honestly, I do not know. Possessions in life are not evil. Making possessions in life as your top agenda is.

Friends, look at possessions as passers by. They come and go. You can have them now but tomorrow they may not be yours. They have your name now but tomorrow they belong to someone. You can't hold on to your possessions. All these things are temporal.

Jesus stays. He does not come and go. If we have Him in our hearts today, we will still have Him in our hearts tomorrow and any day after. You can hold on to Jesus. He is eternal.

Jesus holds on to us. May we hold on to Jesus. Amen.

Notice of God

Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. Luke 12:6

My mother has her eyes on me. She notices everything and anything in me. She always keeps in step with me. She notices the way I carry myself. She talks about the way I talk. She comments the way I do house chores. She has an eye for everything I do or not do. She tells me this way and not that way. I have always thought she has a video recording good to know what I am doing even when she is not present. Bottom line is she notices me, every moment my life, because she cares for me and she loves me.

God has His eyes on us, too. Jesus said even birds of the air do not escape from the notice of God. He does not look at us to count our rights or wrongs but He gazes on us to take care of us and He can't keep His eyes off on us because He loves us. He keeps in step with us when we are fast paced or even when we take things for some time. He empowers us with His presence so we can do whatever we can do or called not to do. His guidance keeps us to be on the right path towards His kingdom. Bottom line is God notices us, every moment in our lives, because He cares for us and He loves us.

Deep inside us, we want to be noticed. We want to have handshakes with politicians. We want signatures of sports or movie personalities on our things. We want to have dinner with someone whom we idolize. In our workplaces, we want our work to get noticed.

And yet we have a God who takes notice of us since He loves us and He takes care of us. He is not the president of the most powerful nation. He is not the richest or most talented artist. He is our God. The God who is the maker of heaven and earth. The God of the universe.

You are not a shadow to Him. God notices you.

The Just Rejoices and the Upright Exults

Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you just; exult, all you upright of heart. Psalm 32:11

Most of the time, we might feel this way. We get sad when we see others' lives that are not following Jesus and yet they prosper in life. They live with unfair treatment of people to enrich themselves but get away with it. They take advantage of people's weakness to strengthen themselves and takes the limelight of any given day. Or they simply do not believe in God and yet they still have every needed ingredient in life. It seems they live a happy and easy life.

And when we look into the life of a disciple of Christ, he has problems with his finances since he does not covet anything that is not of his. He lives paycheck to paycheck since he has only one job to free oneself to have time do God's service. He has sometimes issues with health however he depend of God's healing touch. He has problems with raising kids since he is teaching them to live out as Christians in counter of the present culture. His job is on the edge of going out of the door due to the recession. He has fewer connections to enable him to turn things around but holds on to God alone as his stronghold. It seems followers of Jesus live a challenged and difficult life.

The psalmist exhorts us, when you are doing what is just, to rejoice and be glad in the LORD! When we are doing what is right in His sight, we must exult with joy! If the fruits of following Christ give us hardships in life, let us not overlook the fact that He has given us grace to be faithful and loyal to Him alone. Following Jesus is much more important than what you can have or what you cannot have in life. Be glad in the LORD, you are just and upright! We are not citizens of this world we live in, we are all immigrants here. At some point in time, we will all come back to our true home - Heaven, which is God's presence. And in that place, following Him matters most. And in His presence, praising Him matters most.

Be just. Be upright. Keep on following Jesus.

Be glad. Rejoice. Exult. In the LORD.

Grab Each Opportunity

While still more people gathered in the crowd, he said to them….. Luke 11:29

Jesus saw the opportunity. He saw the need to preach while there are more people in the crowd. It's not about the number of people; Jesus saw the time element for His message - NOW. He made sure to bring across His point. He saw an opening and He went into it. He did not think for a second to delay. He did not speak His message tomorrow or next week or next month. He did it when He acknowledged the opportunity to do what needs to be done.

This is what Jesus does to us. He grabs every opportunity to bring us closer to Him. He grabs every classroom to teach us His ways. He grabs every pulpit to preach to us. In every joy or sorrow, Jesus seizes the moment for us to be enlightened in His light. In every success or failure, Jesus grips the event for us to know and love Him. Look around where you are right now, Jesus will make something around you to bless you so you may know Him.

And so it boomerangs to us.

Have we taken each opportunity to bring God's word to others? Have we taken each opportunity to serve and share in God's work?

Look inside your home. Grab each time or any event you can tell stories to your kids or siblings about Jesus. Do household chores as if you are serving God.

Look inside your workplace. Work as if you are working for the Lord. Take initiative. Talk about God to your office mates.

Look outside you. A friend may need a shoulder to lean on. A neighbor may need your support.

Do not delay. The key word is "while". While you can do it for Jesus, do it. While you can say it about Jesus, say it. While you can sing about His glory, sing it.

Are you ready to grab each opportunity for Jesus?

One Thing

"You are lacking in one thing....." Mark 10:21

He came to Jesus. And when this rich young man came, he has his religion as far he knows it. He was the guy who followed the commandments to the dot. Maybe he thought, by observing these from his youth would make him complete. This young man knew he has all to what it takes to be a follower of God. And how mistaken is he! Jesus gives him his completion - You lack one thing.

Jesus would always tell us those words when we come to His presence - You lack one thing. If you do not hear Him tell you these words, maybe you have retired from the race.

There is always room for another level of holiness. There is another struggle to overcome. There is another sin to defeat. There is another challenge to climb.

Another...

* person to bring to God
* resource to give up
* difficult person to accept
* weakness to expose
* healing to witness
* community to love

We are not perfect. We can never be perfect. But we can be complete. By following Jesus through having that one thing we lack.

His Name

The seventy (-two) returned rejoicing, and said, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name." Luke 10:17

Have you had this experience?

Maybe your father or uncle would tell you that if you want to enter a facility or a party, you just drop his name to the guard at the gate and voila!, they allow you to come in. Or maybe you have a friend who has a connection to this resort and when you called this resort and told them that you know her, your friend, then suddenly they give you some discounts or superb service. Or another instance is when you try to make a conversation with someone in authority or power and you try to slip in your father's name, who they might know, the exchange of words becomes interesting.

Well, this is the same experience the first missionaries had. They shouted Jesus' name. They spoke His name. They uttered His powerful healing name. And by His name, things happened. And through His name, things changed. And because of His name, people changed. Demons fled. Illness flew. Hunger satisfied. Faces glowed. Eyes saw. Ears heard. Mouth spoke.

Can this happen today? Can this happen to you? One word, three letters - YES!

His name has the power during that time and during our time. His name is above every difficulty. His name is powerful over any sickness. His name is mighty than your recession. His name is stronger than any bondage of sin. Call out His name in your struggles.

No other name can make things happen. No other name can make people change. No other name but the name of Jesus.

The Son Rises

But Herod said, "John I beheaded. Who then is this about whom I hear such things?" And he kept trying to see him. Luke 9:9

I thought we will not see the sun again. It was the time Mount Pinatubo showed its wrath. It was an afternoon that you would rather call an eclipse. Sand drops from the sky. The usual hot day is covered with the sun trying to survive the darkening skies. I sat down on our window looking at people shoveling sand on their rooftops. People walking in the streets had mud all over their being. Electric power and telecommunications were all disabled. There was no light aside from the lit of the candles. We had to evacuate from our wooden house to our relative's home for safety. And on that night, still clear in my mind, I was wondering - will the sun rise in the morning? I was engulfed by the darkness around me that I began to doubt the sun will show up after all what happened. I fell asleep thinking about this and woke up with the sun rays beaming on my face. Yes constantly, the sun rises.

Herod was perplexed. Herod just struck out John, yet Jesus steps up to the plate. He knows he just put John to a stop, yet Jesus is all ready to get it on. Johns' life and death was a foreword to the saving work of Christ. No, He is not absent, Herod just not know Him yet. The Son shows up. The Son rises.

So very true in our lives. When it seems we are covered in black and blue. When it seems our vision blurs into the dust. When it seems we are not on the top of the situation. When it seems our lifestyle keeps muddying our hearts. When it seems our capabilities are disabled. When it seems we see just a glimpse of a small portion of radiance in our difficulties. When it seems we tend to evacuate from our place of shelter. Jesus bursts into the picture. His presence explodes before our eyes. His grace floods our souls. He heats up the cold heart. No, He is not absent in our darkness, we just don't acknowledge Him. Yet constantly, the Son rises.

Sad

"….. How could I not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins….." Nehemiah 2:3

One poor nation. One devastating typhoon.

Flooded metropolis. Streets are rivers of raging waters. Numerous deaths. Numerous missing. Hundreds of houses swiped. Properties destroyed. Crapped up crops. Land vehicles sucked. Mud on the map. Fingers pointing. Relief tug-o-war. Aid corrupted. Hospitals need cure. Rescuers need rescuing.

Ruined the already ruined. The weak becomes weaker. The hopeless dreams no more.

I watch from afar yet the pain is near. I listen from miles away yet the cries scream.

I find solace in God. I look for help in God. I search refuge in God.

I am sad.