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Jesus is part of who and what I am, it is not an add-on

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  Yes I take my Christianity seriously. This is who I am. It is not just an add-on to what is otherwise busy life.  My identity is not on what I achieve, how high my intellect is or how much money I make. My identity is Christ.  So forgive me if I take the Jesus thing seriously. He took the matter of dying at the Cross seriously and from my point of view the least I can do is to take the new life He gave me seriously also.  Just because I keep on posting about the Bible it doesn't mean I have everything figured out. On the contrary I don't. And that is why I keep sharing Him who accepts me, warts and all.  I am not ashamed of Him. How can I? Hebrews 12:2 [2]fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. He despised the shame to author and perfect the faith. Why will I be embarrassed about Him? I don't care what others thin...

Don’t be busybody

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  Maraming tao ang napakaraming oras sa kanilang mga kamay. Dahil dito may oras sila upang mag-criticize ng ibang tao. Pero kung gagamitin natin nang maayos ang ating oras upang umunlad, mababawasan ang ating oras upang makialam sa buhay ng iba. Instead of tearing others down, build yourself up and build others as well. Instead of stalking others to find their weaknesses you can exploit, you focus on becoming a better person. Use your time properly to build your intellect. Read books, listen to lectures and watch documentaries. Your service to God depends on how well you think. Use your time to build your body. Eat well, exercise and sleep well. Who know when you will need strength to help others? More importantly we can serve God only in this body so make sure it will last for as long as it can. Use your time to build your spirit. Read the Bible, pray and serve. Your growth depends on how consistent you are in pursuing Christ. Develop your circle. Look for friends who will push ...

Pursue one another

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  There was a time when she was the most beautiful woman in the world. Then you marry her. She loses her appeal. You’re willing to trade her for another. Sadly, this is the story of many marriages. The men pursue their women intently, then just leave them. Why? I don’t know. Maybe we’ve forgotten that it is one thing to pursue our wives, it is a different thing to keep on pursuing them after marriage. Date your wife. Buy her flowers. Surprise her with gifts. Whisper sweet words to her ears. Prepare her breakfast.  If you invest something in your relationship everyday, you will harvest a meaningful and vibrant relationship later. I know we're always busy- there's work, there are kids and many other commitments. But if you're too busy to pay attention to your wife, you have the wrong priorities. Your wife must be the topmost in all your human relationships.  Your kids are observing and learning human dynamics from you. If they see you extra sweet and caring, they'll be...

Be G. W. A. P. O. (God’s Word above people’s opinions)

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  There are so many performative people around. They wear a mask. They are actors who act before a crowd. They dress a certain way, talk a certain way and behave a certain way before people, very different when they’re alone. Why? Because they cared so much about what people think. They put so much weight on people’s opinions rather than what God says. The reason why we study the Word of God is to learn how God thinks . We learn His thinking regarding different topics and issues and inform the decisions we make. If we give in to the opinions of the world, we’ll be disrespecting our Father in Heaven. We’re saying that God’s wisdom isn’t sufficient for life’s problems. We’re saying that the creatures have better way of solving problems than God. If we’re willing to trust, God’s Word have the solutions to all the ills of this world. We just need to be patient and diligent. Be a true G. W. A. P. O. , someone who prioritize God’s Word above people’s opinions. It is not that human ...

Fellowship forgiveness

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  1 Juan 1:9 Kung ipinahahayag natin ang ating mga kasalanan, ay tapat at banal siya na tayo'y patatawarin sa ating mga kasalanan, at tayo'y lilinisin sa lahat ng kalikuan. Ang Mateo 6:14-15 ay madalas gamitin bilang kundisyon ng buhay na walang hanggan. Ngunit nalilimutan nating ang panalangin ay orihinal na binigay sa mga dati ng mananampalataya. Ang mga alagad ay humihingi ng tulong kung paano manalangin hindi kung paano magkaroon ng buhay na walang hanggan. Nang manampalataya tayo kay Jesus , binigyan Niya tayo ng buhay na walang hanggang at kapatawaran ng ating mga kasalanan. Ang buhay na iyan ay hindi maiwawala kailan man. Ngunit habang tayo ay nabubuhay sa lupang ito, tayo ay nagkakasala. Ang kasalanang ito ay sumisira sa ating pakikisama sa Diyos at maibabalik lamang ito kung tayo ay magkukumpisal ng ating mga kasalanan. Ngunit kung tayo ay may galit o selos ating kapatid, nangangahulugang ito ng nagpapatuloy na kawalan ng pakikisama. Ang tanging paraan upang mahin...

Eternal life is a gift

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  This is clearly my most favorite topic. If there is one topic I repeatedly blog on it’s eternal life by grace through faith . Eternal life is a gift of God. It is offered by God through faith in Christ . If a person believes in Jesus, he receives eternal life right at that moment. You cannot work for it. You don’t get eternal life by joining a religion. You don’t receive it after a lifetime of faithfulness or doing good work. Jesus paid the penalty of sins at the Cross so sins will not be an obstacle for man to reach Hid. Instead, the question is, does he believe in Jesus? Does he accept God’s free gift by believing in Jesus for it apart from any works? If he did, he receives eternal life that cannot be lost. If anyone thinks eternal life can be lost, it is because one way or another he believes it partly depends on him. He actually believes he can work for eternal life. If eternal life is a gift and not something to work for, you can’t lose it by works either. God promised...

Kailangan ko bang umanib sa isang relihiyon upang maligtas?

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  Ang maikling sagot ay hindi. Kailan man ay hindi kundisyon sa pagkakaroon ng buhay na walang hanggang ang pag-anib sa anumang relihiyon. Narito ang mga pasahe ng Kasulatang nagtuturo paano magkaroon ng buhay na walang hanggan : Juan 3:15 Upang ang sinomang sumampalataya ay magkaroon sa kaniya ng buhay na walang hanggan. Juan 3:16 Sapagka't gayon na lamang ang pagsinta ng Dios sa sanglibutan, na ibinigay niya ang kaniyang bugtong na Anak , upang ang sinomang sa kaniya'y sumampalataya ay huwag mapahamak, kundi magkaroon ng buhay na walang hanggan. Juan 3:17 Sapagka't hindi sinugo ng Dios ang Anak sa sanglibutan upang hatulan ang sanglibutan; kundi upang ang sanglibutan ay maligtas sa pamamagitan niya. 18 Ang sumasampalataya sa kaniya ay hindi hinahatulan; ang hindi sumasampalataya ay hinatulan na, sapagka't hindi siya sumampalataya sa pangalan ng bugtong na Anak ng Dios. Juan 3:36 Ang sumasampalataya sa Anak ay may buhay na walang hanggan; nguni't ang hindi tumata...

Beggars telling other beggars

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  I don't know why but I find it off-putting when I hear Christians na linis na linis sa kanilang sarili. Yung tipong kapag nakakita ng isang nagkasala, sa halip na tulungang makabangon ay lalo pang inaapakan at binabaon gamit ang kaniyang Biblia . Don't get me wrong. We need to confront sins and we need the Bible to show them why they are sins. But one thing I learned as an adviser is kapag naliligaw ng landas ang isang estudyante, hindi mo siya maibabalik by berating him. Instead use kindness to win him back.  Marami na akong estudyanteng nakausap at pinuntahan sa bahay (o bahay ng kanilang nobyo/nobya) and judging them with a judgmental attitude never works. Instead show them why they are wrong, give them options on how to correct their ways and encourage them to return to school (or to their homes).  The same thing is true with believers. You won't win fellow believers back to Christ by berating them with Bible verses . On a deep level, alam nila iyan. Ni hindi mo ka...

Live for others

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  If there is one thing modern living teaches us, this is it: You can't live for yourself without self-destructing.  We need other people. We need to love others, we need to allow ourselves to be objects of others' love.  I know it sounds vulnerable. You're giving other people access to your life. But if you live for yourself, you will find soon enough that that is the shortest way to limit your growth and development. We are like rough stones whose rough edges are polished by our interactions with others.  When we believe in Jesus , we are placed in the Body of Christ to edify one another. We are not made a single new creation. We are part of a new creation made up of newly created individuals.  When we learn that there is more to life than what you want or need, when we learn to live for God and for others, blessings come. Sharing ourselves means investing in others' growth and there is satisfaction in having a role in the growth of others. We also show that...

The Centerpiece of our lives

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  Who are you if you are stripped of all that you possessed or loved?  For Job , this is not hypothetical. It is his reality. One day, he is the richest and most respected man in the East, the next day he is stripped of properties, and children and soon enough even of health. I wish I can say with Job, "Naked I come, naked I will go. Praise be the name of the Lord." Given my fiery temperament, I will probably curse but in time, I hope I will surrender to His will.  I don't think I have reach the maturity of Job to be able to say all is well. I hope I can and I will when the time comes. One thing I know: for Job, Yahweh is the Centerpiece of his life. Even when he asked for an audience with the Lord, he did so knowing fully well that God is the center and circumference of our life. That makes what he undergoes a puzzle to his friends. Their only conclusion is he sinned, something God Himself deny.  What Job missed is understanding the behind the scenes. Readers knew ...