Chances

When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?" Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village. Luke 9:55-56

I knew something was not right. As I sat down at the dinner table to inquire about my daughters' day at school, Praise was disgusted as well as her mother. She forgot she'll have a Math quiz this day that she did not get a remarkable score. Given her parents are both academicians, she failed at our expectations. We expect her to be at her best. We expect her to be prepared every time. We expect her to bring out those As. As my parents told us and as we always say to them, education is our legacy for them. It must have ruined my day or night. It must have planted anger in my heart towards her ways. But I know better. As I asked for her quiz paper, I turned and hugged her, "I love you and nothing's change..." She deserves another crack. She has my heart for all the chances. As a father, I know at some point she will fail us again tomorrow or next week or next month, and I'll be there to assure her "I love you and nothing's change..." and to give her another chance and another and another.

Jesus does this to us. He gives us chances. He gives us opportunities to make it right. The Sons of Thunder knew the opposite. They wanted to call down fire from heaven to consume the inhospitable men and women of this Samaritan village where they are stopping over before going to Jerusalem. They might have the point, Jesus sent an advanced party ahead of them in this route (v. 52). Something was not right. They should have been welcomed but were not. Calling down fire from the sky is rationale. But Jesus knows better. He rebuked the brothers and went to another place. However, Jesus did not rebuke the village which has a bank-vault-like-closed door for them. They failed him yet he is giving them chances. He is giving them another crack. He gave them chances.

We may fail him again and again and again. And Jesus will be there to wrap his arms around us and will give us another chance and another and another.

Not Easy

He said, "The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised." Luke 9:22

Shocked.

I am wondering if this was the reaction of the disciples with Jesus' declaration of what will happen next. After Peter's heavenly wisdom where he professed Jesus is the Messiah of God, Jesus enumerates his journey. Suffer greatly. To be rejected by church leaders. Be killed. He'll be raised up. The twelve must have thought if Jesus is the Savior then what's next might be a walk in the park. If he is the Messiah, life would be a piece of cake. It would be an uncontested lay-up. No hurdles along the way. Smooth sailing in the lake. Winds and waves will wear out. No storms in the coast. Life is like a Sunday morning, easy.

We know it's not.

When you decide that you are a follower of God, when you declare you are a servant of God, when you claim you are a man or woman after God, what's next will not be easy. You may have to face rejection of peers or even family. You might have to contend with suffering. You will get in the path of being harassed. Might not be to the extent of death yet it may drain you physically. We know it won't be easy. Wind and waves come as we sail. Torrents will whirlwind in our day to day lives. It won't be a summer day each day. I am not saying it will be all difficult hard fought life. Yet, this is one reality of declaring your heart and life are for God and of God. And yes, we know that at the end of this confronted journey, Jesus was raised up and so we will be. His grace will bring us to that conclusion.

We will be challenged. It won't be easy.

Line of Sight

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

Herod was trying to see Jesus. But he was looking for something else.

I was looking to serve. When we came to the US, I got acquainted with another prayer group. I was a trained charismatic catholic with full of experience for the past ten or more years. We came to their meetings and evangelization activities. After some time, I got to serve with them. However, I saw some different approaches that they were doing. It was not wrong yet I saw it was not the right way of doing things. Supposedly, they had the same spirituality as I am yet they handle and look at matters in a dissimilar perspective. As I got deep into their life, I had more negative feelings towards the group, the people, and their strategies to service.

I did not see Jesus for I was looking at something else.

I was looking to see Jesus. Recently, we went to this retreat where the approach to spirituality was entirely different. They were not charismatic, they were part of the Focolare movement. The speakers did not present talks or experiences with such pounding declamation and the usual craft of words. The sharers would speak about their not so exciting ordinary lives in their workplaces, homes and schools. They even spoke before us sitting and even read their scripts and magazine articles. Some old videos were also shown where their founder, an old woman by then, preached softly. It was entirely different. It was entirely inspiring and touching. It was entirely refreshing. I entirely saw Jesus.

If you are trying to see Jesus, have your heart and eyes on the right line of sight. And you will surely see him.

Remembrance

There is no remembrance of the men of old; nor of those to come will there be any remembrance among those who come after them. Ecclesiastes 1:11

Each night, as I tuck my daughters to sleep, I usually tell them stories of my childhood. I share with the two cute girls how I walked with a back pack full of thick books everyday going to school. I once shared with them how I was serving as an altar boy during school days and afterward I had to walk from the church to school for about a good distance that would cost a public transport fare which was further more than my day's allowance. I tell them about how I fell from a truck when I was trying to catch up with my friends which fortunately no car was following in the highway. I tell them how I was disciplined by my parents. I discuss sort of stories about me and my siblings.  I tell them how I won quiz bees. I tell them how I lost sporting games. I share to them our family's trials and victories. After one story, each night, they fall to sleep.

Ecclesiastes reminds us to be reminded. The book is urging us to remember the lives of the men of old. The verse is calling us recall the defeats and triumphs of the men and women before us. It's only right to remember, it gives us strength in the midst of weakness - "God gave them grace, He will give us the same grace."  It's refreshing to review the times of men of old, it brings us hope when darkness engulfed us- "They pass through tough times and we will do so." It convicts us the conviction to be faithful in living the way of Christ- "Their faithfulness bore us, our faithfulness will have fruits." It gives us the passion to bounce back- "They fell and they stood up, we can rebound." We remember the legacy of men of old. We recollect the loyalty of men before us.

No wonder, we use the word remembrance or remember during the Eucharistic celebration. For there is power, there is strength and there is hope in looking back to God's unwavering faithfulness through all generations.

Let there be remembrance of the men of old. Each night, I bet you will sleep.

Routes

Therefore, whether it be I or they, so we preach and so you believed. 1 Cor. 15:11

If you program a GPS to take the highway and toll booths, it will direct you to those passages for you the reach your destination. You can also enable your GPS not to take you through those routes and bring you to small streets, like wise it will bring you to your destination. Maybe different travel time, maybe different travel scenarios and maybe you will pass by different routes, however, you will reach the same destination. Different routes, same destination.

We specify certain routes in our Christian walk. Remember going to a mass expecting Fr. X to be the celebrant. When the Eucharistic ceremony begins and the priest walks in and its not Fr. X, you will be disappointed. Excited going to the community gathering and was looking forward to hear Bro. Y to preach after the worship. As you sat down and the speaker was called and its not Bro. Y, you get a bit sad. You look at this website where this church posts their preaching, you scan on the videos and pick only the ones where this Pastor/Book Author is the preacher. You will bypass other videos thinking you will be more inspired only with the said person.

Paul wrote to the people of Corinth, "whether it be I or they, so we preach and so you believed." He was telling about routes to Christ. For Paul, it does not matter who will preach the Word. It may be Peter who will preach at the outpouring of the Spirit. John may come to proclaim the revelation of God. James takes the pulpit to bring us to action in faith. Give Andrew your one hour as he details how Jesus calls His disciples. Thomas takes the mic and pounds his, "My Lord and My God!". Or Paul declares how he saw the gift of salvation as he was found blind along Damascus. It does not matter who the messenger is. What matters is that we believed the Word of God. What is important is that we put our faith in Jesus after hearing the message.

So, next time you travel a route, enjoy. For your destination is the same.

Father

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. John 3:16
 
Last May, I had to bring my daughter Praise to the emergency room due to her red spots all over her body. She was vomiting and has multiple stints for vowel withdrawals for the past two days. I and her sister had to bring her at 2am in the morning for medical attention. She was given dextrose. The nurse and the doctor injected medicines into her. We were put in an emergency room for 4 hours. Look, this is not even at the border of life to death. But as a father, I was deep worried for my child. As a father, I have this feeling I don't want my child to be harmed or be stricken by illness. My day is not the same day when my child is sick. What more if my child dies?

Devastated. Crushed. Distraught. These words described my father when my brother died. As if, the whole world has fallen on his shoulders without ample preparation. As if, his heart has stopped pumping blood, as if his breath has stopped from pulling air. His son, who made him proud - a national board examination topnotch, is now dead. A son, who can't make a mistake in following his orders, now lies bloody from fatal shooting. His son, who almost all of his life had his father's favor, has eyes shut forever. The son, whom I remember gave him no headache or heartache, is about to travel and never to be seen. What do you expect from the father when his son dies?

Did God feel this way when He gave His only Son? Sometimes, we think because He is God, this is nothing for Him. It is not.

Was the Father's day the same on that day His Son was breathless on the cross? The sun He created eclipsed on that day.

Was He devastated, crushed, distraught? I believe He is. We won't call Him Father if He was not.

In Genesis, we read we were created in the Father's image and likeness. We look like the Father. We have the innate nature of the Father. He feels what we feel towards our children's death or injury. His breath stopped the moment His Son's gasp halted. His world dropped the moment His Son's head dropped. His tears dripped as His Son's blood dripped. The Son who has His favor and love died and Jesus' death was to express the Father's love for His people.

My father has four other sons and he felt that way. Well, Jesus is the one and only Son and God is a Father.

Source

…and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him… Hebrews 5:9

For a non-electrical person, you see the the wall convenience outlet as the source of electricity. Yeah, that's the small colored white or off-white plastic patched on your wall. You get power from it. You power your devices from it. For an electric person, that rectangular thingy is just a convenience outlet. It's a channel not the source. Behind your electric outlet are strands of copper wire with maybe length of some hundred miles. At the end of those wires is a generator, which generates electric power. That's the source. It's the spring of electric everything. It's the fount of why you have lighting and you can work your appliances. Most of the time we don't acknowledge it as the source since we only see the outlet for convenience. 

Ha! Convenience.

Some people may say I don't need Jesus as I don't do harm to my neighbor. Some people may say I follow all laws and regulations, I am good. You keep your obligations to your family, work and country, you're a model citizen. You do social work. You feed the hungry. You help at the senior's housing. You educate street kids. You volunteer at the orphans' asylum. This is what we call - good without God. Isn't this convenience?

The writer to the Hebrews cleared this long time ago. Jesus is the source of salvation. He is the generator of salvation. Jesus is the spring of our deliverance. He alone is. Our obedience is a channel. Our goodness is an outlet. Our good works are wires.

Be glad salvation doesn't depend on us. For Jesus is the source of eternal salvation.

God Loves Me

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. John 3:16
 
What does it mean?

I don't need to perform to gain His love.
I can't do anything that will decrease or increase His constant love for me.
His love is not dependent on somebody's love for me.
He loves me despite I fail to love Him.
I can categorically fail to love someone, yet He will not fail to love me any single second.
His love is a gift, He gives it freely, I receive it freely.
I can make a big time mistake at work or at home, His love for me isn't affected by that.
His love is not dependent the way I love myself.
I will experience hardships and difficulties and these things don't measure His love for me.
Someday somehow I will feel unloved, yet this loving God still loves me.
I will fail in attaining my dreams, it doesn't mean His love has failed me.
I will fall into sin again and again, again and again He will assure me of His love.
There will be hunger and strife in the world, it does not mean lack of His love.
Seasons will change, my situations will change, His love will not.
An important person whom I admire snubs me, I cannot equate this as fading of God's love.
I don't keep my prayer time and scripture time, I still keep His love.
Where I am in life doesn't mean where I am in His love.
I can go on vacation, His love doesn't.
I love with limitations, He knows no such when it comes to love- He gave His only Son.

He loves me. Period.

Sons More Than Servants

"I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers."...He said to his father in reply, 'Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. Luke 15:19, 29

What we see is different in what He sees.

Two sons in the eyes of their Father. Two servants in the eyes of the sons.

The younger son coming back from being prodigal sees himself not worthy to be a son. He looks downs on himself and maybe his father may accept him as one of his servants. Why not? He sinned against the father. Yet, the father sees the prodigal son as his son more than his servant.

The older son coming back from serving at the field sees himself as the father's servant. He debates the celebration at their house about him being a loyal and an obedient servant of the father. Why not? He served the father. Yet, the father sees the steady servant as his son more than his servant.

Familiar, isn't it?

When we come back from nowhere to the Father, we see ourselves as His servants. That's good. That's right. Yet, our Master sees us as His sons. He looks at us, even if we are declaring ourselves to be His slaves, as His sons and daughters. This gives us more than being to serve Him. It gives us security, our relationship with Him is not based on our service but on His being a Father to us. It gives us equality, you maybe a power preacher, a lowly chair arranger or a person who works at the church background, when we face Him we are all His children. It gives us the spirit of brotherhood, since we are His sons and we serve the Father, we are called to love and support one another.

When you look, don't look with your eyes. He sees us as His sons more than His servants.

Levels

And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground. A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases… Luke 6:17-18a

The verses above signify three levels of followers of Jesus.

The first level of following Him may be illustrated by the members of the large number of people. Maybe these are the people who want something from Him yet do not want what He wants for them. People who come to Him during time of their needs. They come when they are sick. They come to Him when they are hungry.  They follow Him for their benefits. They look for Him when they needed someone to look after them. And when they are satisfied, they stop following. 

The next level, unnamed disciples who may have followed Jesus closely but not close enough to be named. They were described as part of a great crowd of disciples. Luke has not identified them maybe for lack of space in the manuscript or maybe you may not remember their names since they are part of a great crowd. A person who works with you but you don't know he is a Christian- he considers himself as a silent operator. A friend who says as long she is fulfilling all church obligations and is not doing any harm to anybody then she is OK. They take the safe route when opposition to the faith sets in the discussion.

Third, the twelve disciples, these men followed Him closely and were named in the preceding verses. So, what is the big fuss about Luke's enumeration of their name? They were exposed as Disciples of Christ. Men who stood where Jesus stood (v. 17). These followers spent their day and nights with Him. They ate with Him. They walk with Him. They rested with Him or on Him. They were witnesses in everything He did. As Jesus exposed Himself to be the Savior, they exposed themselves as His followers. 

Our direction is to ascend to the levels.  May we not remain being part of the people for the rest of our lives. May we desire to be named and be exposed in following Him. May we follow Him close enough, enough to be like Him. May we step from one level to another.

Relationships Matter

Even if you should have countless guides to Christ, yet you do not have many fathers, for I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 1 Corinthians 4:15

You read his books a lot and you are inspired by Max Lucado. You read tidbits of John Maxwell's principles on leadership and you are guided by him. You hear this preacher over the web and his talk gives you enlightenment. Their songs reverberate in your earpieces, gosh, Hillsong's music brings something in you. Subscribed to weekly insights of a preacher/businessman and your inbox becomes his pulpit enough to give you realizations.

Out there, we have countless guides to Christ. They point us to Jesus. They direct us to His cross. They assure us of His love. They inspire us. They put the fire in us. They prompt us to do good. And we should be to one another.

Further, Paul encourages us to be in relationships with one another. He became a father to the Corinthians. He could have limited himself as a guide for them. He could have told them, "I am your mentor." But he did not. He emphasized relationships. Here, Paul tells us that the members of the church or a community love one another. He gave the direction of being with one another. He presented that we are a family. Father to one another. Mother to one another. Brothers and sisters. Forbearing one another. Forgiving one another. Serving one another.

For Paul and for us, relationships matter.

Building a Building

For we are God's co-workers; you are God's field, God's building. 1 Corinthians 3:9

"It's facing the wrong side!" This was the informal statement of John, our friend and tourist guide in Michigan, as we traverse Traverse City. He was pointing at one hotel building that was built with its back facing the beautiful scenery of the combined green and blue of the peninsula. John told me the contractors of this building did not know they were erecting the vertical structure with its front 180 degrees from the awesome sight of nature until they have almost finished the building. He concluded that, of course, lawsuits were filed because of this terrible mistake.

How could they not notice they were building a building facing the wrong side?

How could we not notice we are building a building facing the wrong side?

When we are serving as God's workers, we face the wrong side when we depend on our skills not on His grace. When we are sowing and plowing in God's field, we turn our backs from Him when we choose the law above love. When we join our hands to build God's church or community, we shun His beauty when we act as agents of division rather than of unity. When we keep our eyes on our limitation and not on God's abundance, we build at the wrong side. When we value man's words than God's words, we erect erroneously.

May we not make the same mistake. Remember, we are His co-workers not the employer. We are co-hosts; we are not the main host. We are stewards, we are not the owner. Follow His design. Implement His plan. Build by focusing on God. Build by loving one another. Build by accepting our differences and delve on our similarities. Build by being confident of His providence and promises.

May we build God's building facing God.

The Son Does Not Set

At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases brought them to him. He laid his hands on each of them and cured them. Luke 4:40

We describe it as breathtaking. We look at it with awe. We gaze with our eyes openly wide. Seconds of watching this won't be enough, give yourself some minutes. You direct your eyeballs at this site. This is the site where the light meets the darkness. This is the time when the blooming is face to face with the depreciating. As the sun bids the day goodbye, the Son does not. As the sun takes the way to rest, the Son still rides the clouds.

People who are sick with various ailments are being brought by their friends to Jesus. At sunset, at the end of the day, Jesus does not end their day. He gives them a new day, a new beginning. He generously laid His hands on them. All were touched. All were healed. All have seen the Son at sunset.

You have a friend who is at his sunset, bring your buddy to the Son. A sibling, who lives in the shadows, let him see the Son in you. A co-worker who keeps on fixing her heart on the negative, walk with her towards the Son. A relative who has given up on her health condition, pray that the Son may heal her. A brother or sister in Christ who slid back, be persistent in interceding for him or her, the Son rises for the lost.

He meets us personally. Jesus attends to us one by one. He gives time to each one. His heart is open whatever the hour of the day. His love is on-line 24/7. His healing is always available.

At the end of the day, it's not the end. The Son does not set.

Deserted

At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place. Luke 4:42a

You've been there. I've been there. We all at one time or several times spent life at that place. You look around you yet found no one. Maybe the waves of the life sent you to this island. Or a wrecked life dropped you to this place. Maybe the choices you made pushed you to this place. Or circumstances beyond your control brought you to this place. The flight of your dreams had failure and had to land in this place. You wanted to talk but no one will hear. You wanted to shout yet only the air will receive the decibels.

Almost no life. Abandoned. Alone and lonely. Your address is this place…

• Your spouse gone somewhere…
• Your friends betrayed you…
• Your siblings won't talk to you…
• Office mates ignore you…
• Brothers and sisters in church and community left you out…
• You're a leader of this group and it's lonely at the top…
• You're a member of this movement and nobody understands your struggles…
• No family and friends in actual and in virtual…

Someone will come. Surely He will. He knows where you are. He will arrive at the crack of the dawn. He will be there at first light. He will come for you are on the top of His list any day. Before He starts on anything else, He will come. Before He raises His voice with authority to preach His salvation, He will come. Before His hands touch the sick, He will come. Before His command will drive out evil spirits, He will come. Before a miracle, before the water becomes wine, before He walks on the water, before multiplying food for the multitude, He will come. He will drop everything to come to you.

Yes, before everything else, Jesus will come to you. To your deserted place. To you. The deserted.