no logical reason

"Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men. At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures, We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit." - Titus 3:1-5 (NIV)


Even in our righteous state and moral stability, we have no right to slander anyone. Everyone is a product of God's mercy and grace...who are we to not grant others the same love we have experienced from God? We are granted with equal privilege and opportunity to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and grow in the same mental attitude that is in Him.

Do not think that your elevated status in this earthly life will affect the spiritual spectrum of your existence. My friend, it is the other way around...as your soul prospers in the spiritual realm, then your earthly life will experience much prosperity through contentment. Contentment is your prosperity. The realization that the Lord is your Shepherd and you will never lack anything will be the start of contentment.

God has been and will always be good toward us. He cannot deny Himself by not blessing us. His impersonal love is never passive...always active. We have been blessed in every aspect with things from above...blessings with an eternal value. We are the ultimate recipient of God's grace.

So don't be an ass...yes...you read that right! Do not think that you have the right to everything and anything in this world...because in reality, every breath you take in is from God. Technically, your right has been revoked from the time you breathe in air that is not yours. But because of GRACE and MERCY, you are here...you are still living...that's God! Operating infinitely in grace even if you find NO LOGICAL REASON

call my name

When you feel like you're alone in your sadness

it seems like no one else in this whole world cares

and you want to get away from the madness

you just call My name and I'll be there

you just call My name and I'll be there 

where to?

I'm torn between the constant nagging of my mentality and the passive aggressive leading of my conscience. They both have weighty and considerably persuasive points that tears my volition straight down the middle.

My mentality says go...leave...you are better off somewhere than here. Starting a family, building a career, and even finding a ministry does not revolve around your current situation. You have potential, you have skills - technically and socially, you have enough know how to survive the outside, corporate world. Go...you know you want to.

My heart on the other hand says...it is up to you...do what you think is best for you. Just remember that this earthly life does not guarantee a permanent state of security. It does not matter if you are here or elsewhere...your state of contentment is an inner state of mind. Just make sure that when you do leave...you know why. Your potential, people skills and technical know-how are nothing compared to the mercy and grace God is willing to bestow on you once you recognize that we have to assume a position of humility. Do what you need to do...before you can do what you want.

can you see my dilemma? I think my melancholic side is getting the best of me...hope this won't last!

Lord...where to?

leveling up

It's the graduation season...almost everyone is preparing to end a chapter in their lives and face a new set of struggles. People who stayed with the course and never gave up will receive honors and fulfillment for a job well done.

I congratulate the young people of Faith Baptist Church South Metro who has successfully finished their requirements for graduation. You have done a good job...I am extremely proud of you guys! Never forget to thank God for unselfishly flooding your lives with grace and mercy. He Who began a good work in you has proven Himself faithful in fulfilling it. All honor and praise should be given to God.

Now that you have reached this moment in life where God's grace is abundant...you have to show grace in return. To the people who have been by your side. Your parents who have been (and will continue) to support you financially, emotionally and spiritually...take time to thank them (sincerely thank them...face to face). Your siblings, extended family and friends...remember to show gratitude. Even the people who has discouraged you and never believed in you...or has been unfair to you through out your journey...show grace and impersonal unconditional love...somehow, they have pushed you to a level of maturity.

Graduating from a course of study is not the end...it's the beginning of a new journey where you can experience more of God. Leveling up in life is a result of leveling up in your spiritual life. So...prioritize your spiritual life and expect to level up anytime soon!

the beginning

I believe that the Christian experience should be proclaimed and demonstrated with everything we come in contact with. The effectivity of our testimony lies in the direction of our lifestyle. The Christian Way of Life is not meant to be complicated, it was designed by God with the simpliest kind of policy...GRACE...and the most unmeritorious response...FAITH!

I know God called me for missions...but now I understand that my mission is not to go out...but to stay in and then branch out. Please pray for me as I embark on an unknown kind of ministry path where God is faithfully laying down the foundation. It is something new for me, but by God's grace, if He wills it then I know it will be succesful.

This ministry will not exist as a money making organization. Fund raisings will take a minimal part of the whole purpose of the ministry. Funds that are gathered in excess of the operational expense of the will be used for an outreach ministry. Love gifts for volunteers will be provided. The ministry will operate solely by Faith.

We Christians exist in this world not to make money...we are here to be salt and light. We are here to reflect the likeness of the Diety who created us. Don't let money provide your motivation in life. Absolute truth is more valuable than any monetary incentive avaiable. Be careful with the lust of money...it's where evil thoughts ferment.

mercy as a problem solving tool

Here's the outline of my lesson in Mercy last night...in case you missed it!

REVIEW

• Mercy is not getting what we deserve, while grace is getting what we don't deserve.
• Mercy is withheld punishment, but not the dissatisfaction of justice. (Exodus 34:6-7; Zech 7:9)
• Mercy is vast but limited (Rom 9:15)
• Mercy that is enforced by God is an opportunity for the people to respond to Him positively: Unbeliever-Repentance; Believer-Recovery (Romans 2:4)
• God's omnipotence will be understood at the end of mercy. (Rom 2:5; Luke 1:50)

THE HEART (KARDIA) OF A CHRISTIAN

• You are what you think, not what you do (Prov 23:7)
• The heart that the Bible is always pertaining to means the part of us where we think, understand and store up standards in life (Rom 2:15)
• Jesus Christ did not die for the regeneration and improvement of our physical bodies, but the clearing of our conscience (Heb 9:14)
• Christianity is a lifestyle of thinking that will eventually lead to our good or poor decisions. (Rom 12:2; Phil 4:8)
• The proper mental attitude of a believer should be patterned with the thinking of Jesus which can be acquired through Bible Doctrine (Phil 2:5; 1 Cor 2:16)

THE MENTAL ATTITUDE OF MERCY

• Before we can actually perform merciful acts, it should first be established in our hearts.
• Mercy is more than just emotional sympathy...it's the realization of God's love towards us (motivational virtue) that burdens us to show compassion (functional virtue) (John 15:9-12; 1 John 4:19)
• Before we can function in God's love, we must first accept the love God has freely given us through the Word of God (1 Cor 2:9; 1 Tim 1:5)
• Impersonal love is the best practice of Mercy for the believer (AGAPE)

1 CORINTHIANS 13 - THE AGAPE LIFESTYLE

¹ If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. ²If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. ^3-7If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

   Love never gives up.
   Love cares more for others than for self.
   Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
   Love doesn't strut,
   Doesn't have a swelled head,
   Doesn't force itself on others,
   Isn't always "me first,"
   Doesn't fly off the handle,
   Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
   Doesn't revel when others grovel,
   Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
   Puts up with anything,
   Trusts God always,
   Always looks for the best,
   Never looks back,
   But keeps going to the end.

^8-10Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.

¹¹When I was an infant at my mother's breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.

¹²We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!

¹³But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

a sweet departure

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.- Psalm 116:15

We will definitely mourn at the moment of their departure...when they exhale their earthly life and find themselves face to face with Christ. We will absolutely miss the good times we had with them, the time when we were praising the same God who appointed their homecoming. We will almost feel helpless for a moment, acknowledging the fact that we have no power over the tenure of our existence...and then coming to a realization that the sovereign God of this universe has decided to exercise mercy and still keep us alive even after all our disobedience towards Him. We will then understand, that our griefs will not last long since we know that their condition at this very moment is exponentially better than what they had here on earth.

God has His perfect way of calling back His saints...it may seem unfair to the people left behind, but then who can question the sovereignty of the omniscient Deity who has created us? Remember the fallen saints...keep good memories of their existence...don't worry about them...because they're definitely enjoying themselves on the biggest after party ever...hosted by the Father Himself!

balancing life

a well maintained and balance life is totally dependent on the strength of our norms and standards. The stability of our integrity will play a big role in the direction of our earthly life. Do not think for a moment that your spiritual life has no bearing in the revelation of your destiny...because how you handle your life now will affect your future in a very significant way!

Your work-life, church-life, love-life, family-life, and whatever aspect of life you have all boils down to how well you treat your SPIRITUAL LIFE! The vertical aspect of your life ties everything in the horizontal plane. Matthew 6:33 even said that if you seek God first, if you prioritize your relationship with God, everything will fall into its proper place. Your willingness to submit and practice humility towards Bible Doctrine will give you the ability to work out your hectic schedule.

So if you want a healthy, balanced, well maintained life...Delight yourself in God! One day, you'll be surprised on how balanced God has kept you in all your years of existence.

getting down to the meat of doctrine

1 Peter 2:2

Spiritual milk...untainted and pure...is good for the soul. Basic doctrine has its perks when you are new to this relationship with God. The Omniscient God has encapsulated His essence, character and thinking into bite-sized doctrine for our daily consumption. As new born babes NEED milk, spiritually new born babes also NEED spiritual milk. But as we grow, and develop spiritual molars and incisors...our doctrinal appetite tend to lean towards something heavy. Milk becomes kid stuff. It's still part of our diet...but is not considered as the main course.

That's how we Christians should view our spiritual diet...take in some meat for kingdom sake! The spiritual life should be progressive...every moment of our existence should be dedicated in learning and applying Biblical Truths! You'll die a miserable life on earth if you forsake your Spiritual Health! 3 John 1:2 states that our health and prosperity in life depends on how we take care of our soul. Physical strength does not sustain Spiritual health...it's the other way around!

So...since it's a Sunday Morning (If you read this minutes after I post it)...FEED YOUR SOUL! How can you wear the armor of God and be in full combat alertness if you can't even lift your spiritual limbs! Hey...hey...hey...stop wasting time and GET DOWN TO THE MEAT OF DOCTRINE!

at the end of mercy

Where mercy ends, justice begins...

A cruel life lesson fit for a stubborn person like me. The longer we forsake and take God's mercy for granted, the more painful discipline we have to endure. Galatians 6:7 even states that we should stop trying to fool God...don't be so detached from reality...we will eventually reap what we have sown. Don't mistake God's mercy as a sign of weakness or a loop hole where He turns his back on our bad choices and ignores us till we come into repentance. He is well aware of our stupidity...He accepts the fact that we are weak and frail...prone to sin...ungrateful and unappreciative...yet He is still willing to hold back the consequences of our sins for a moment...so that we can make the realization of repentance. For me, that is a show of great strength.

Imagine God, holding a big rock on top of us...preventing something that would hurt us big time...holding it long enough for us to realize that we need to move aside! But instead of moving aside...we start pinching God's hand...poking it with our disobedience and arrogance...then God decides to just let it go! We get hurt...then complain! Can you see the wickedness of man? Our lack of discernment comes from allowing the Old Sin Nature to control us!

I tell you...we will never survive this earthly life without mercy. Never attempt to see what is at the end of Mercy!

MERCY

A lot of us have been underestimating mercy...some mistake mercy as a sign of weakness. Christians always see grace...but never did take the time to see the other side of it which is mercy. Ephesians 2:3-5 states that we were once objects of wrath (before we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior) and still bends, from time to time, to the desires of our old sin nature. But because God is rich (abundantly overflowing) in mercy, He provided a way of recovery (1 John 1:9). If you think about it, Mercy is not getting what we deserve...Grace on the other hand is getting what we don't deserve!

Think of a criminal, being found by a Supreme Judge as guilty, is suddenly given his freedom...now that's mercy...but then think of the same criminal after being freed is given 10 Billion Pesos...now that's grace! But if you think about a convicted criminal being set free...it violates an attribute of God...JUSTICE! So, is grace and mercy opposed to God's justice??? Nope...not at all...but, Justice needs to be satisfied in order for grace and mercy to function. That's where Jesus Christ comes in.

In reality...everyone has fallen short of God's glory (Rom 3:23) and has no innate capacity to satisfy God's Justice...Because of that inability, we are therefore sentenced to death...spiritual separation from God...but still we are offered a gift of eternal life (Rom 6:23). Can you see the intent of mercy to preserve us? We are already sentenced to forever be separated from God because of our fallen nature...but still God provided a way of escape...But how can God provide this gift when His Perfect Justice demands Perfect Righteousness??? Who has the sufficient amount to pay for the gift??? 2 Corinthians 5:21 answers that question directly...it is Jesus...He who has no sin...perfect in righteousness, became sin for us so that when God sees that we have accepted and believed Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9; Acts 16:31) His perfect justice is satisfied...not because of us, but because of Jesus in us! That's how a sinner like us can roam free and still be alive...because someone else took the punishment for us!

Going back to Ephesians, we see that It is because of God's rich mercy that we, as Christians, even though we make stupid decisions, are still protected...at some point! But if sin becomes a lifestyle...Then God's mercy will become God's wrath...or what we call as Divine Discipline (In reality...God has no emotion, saying that God is angry connotes the Biblical concept of Divine Discipline...ANTHROPOPATHISM...attributing an emotion to God for better understanding...but that's another topic)

In closing...I want you to think of the many times you got well from a very serious illness, escaped a near death experience, was short of being humiliated, not going bankrupt and still waking up everyday! Those situation has God's mercy written all over...be honored because God has thought of showing mercy to you for the Nth time!