Posts

What a tragedy

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  We will all die except for a certain generation that will undergo Rapture . It is a matter of who dies first.  For many that is tragic. For believers, it is a promotion to glory. It means passing through the gates of time towards an eternity with Jesus.  Yes those left behind will grieve. But never as without hope. Believers have the hope of grand reunion one day when all the dead in Christ will rise first, the living ones translated and both raptured to be with Christ forever.  The real tragedy is dying without believing in Jesus. That will result to an eternity without Him. That is an eternity in the Lake of Fire.  Jesus became a Man for one main purpose - to remove sin as a barrier between God and men. His Incarnation accomplished many purposes - fulfillment of prophecies, revelation of God to men, inauguration of the new covenant, etc- but His death at the Cross as propitiation for our sins is one of the primary, if not the primary purpose. He died so sin...

Sayang na mga oras

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  I am middle age. At this point in my life, I have made so many mistakes that I regret wasting a huge portion of my life on nonsense.  Naaalala ko yung dami ng perang inubos ko sa arcade noong highschooler ako. Ngayong pamilyado na ako at kada sentimo ay mahalaga, nanghihinayang ako sa perang nilustay ko kalalaro ng video games .  Naaalala ko ang daming beses na- scam ako. Kung hindi ako nagmamadaling magkapera, naiwasan no sanang magbayad ng loans for years. Imagine umutang ka sa bangko, pinaiskam mo lang tapos magbabayad ka pa rin sa bangko.  Naaalala ko ang panahong naging fornicator ako. Sinira ko ang aking reputasyon bilang Cristiano , binigyan ko ng sama ng loob at kahihiyan ang aking pamilya at pamilya ni misis, and that mistake and sin ensure that we'll be below poverty line for many years. Even though God forgives our sins when we confessed them, hindi na maibabalik ang mga panahong naubos out of fellowship. The only thing to do is confess the sins, isol...

Meekness and lowliness aren't for weak

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  Meekness and lowliness are dirty words in our culture. People associated them with weakness. But the Bible never associated them weakness. Just the opposite, meekness is power under control and lowliness is the path to greatness. We must learn that to be the greatest you must be the least.  The picture that comes to my mind when it comes to meekness and lowliness are the old kung fu movies . In the movies there are always bullies who are loud. They are strong and champions in their art. In their pride they think they can unbeatable. Then there is always this old man (or a young protagonist) who looks weak and unassuming. While the bullies are loud in their boastfulness, this old man tries to be unassuming as possible and even leave the area. The bullies thought this is weakness and tried to hurt the old man much to their regret. That lowly and meek old man happens to be some secret super martial arts expert.  Not all of us know martial arts. I am not. You probably a...

Positional vs experiential forgiveness

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  I believe the Bible teaches 4 types of forgiveness.  First there is forgiveness at the Cross when Jesus died for the forgiveness of sins of the whole world. He is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world. At the Cross, He removed sin as a barrier between God and man. Sin is no longer the reason why man cannot be with God. Instead the issue is have you believed in Jesus. If you do, you have access directly to God.  Then there is forgiveness at the point of faith just like Peter preach in Acts 10 . When we believe in Christ, all of our sins are forgiven. All the benefits of the Cross were credited in our account. We start the spiritual life with zero sins. This enables God to fellowship with us and to credit righteousness in our account. This happens only once. Once justified, justified forever.  Then there is familial forgiveness when believers confess their sins to God the Father. This happens as often as we recognize personal sins in our life and confess ...

His mercy is new every morning

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  Lamentations 3:22-23 [22]The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. [23]They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. I hope you have thanked God this morning. Every morning that we wake up is God's grace in action.  Every morning is a demonstration of God's loving kindness and mercy. No matter your failures yesterday, if you wake up today, God is giving you a chance to redo. You didn't used up all of God's loving kindness and mercy yesterday. They are renewed every morning. There is more from where it came from.  Every morning is our chance to enjoy the love of our families. I thanked God that he wakes me up every morning to enjoy the rest of the day with my loved ones. Tomorrow is not promised so seize the moment. Date your wife, bond with your children, do things together. When we wake up, we are given the chance to record life and enjoy them later. We called them memories.  Every morning is a chance to overcome an...

Perfect timing

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  In boxing, as well as in life, perfect timing is everything. Perfect timing wins wars, lands a project and earns prizes. And if you have been a Christian for awhile now, I am sure you have many experiences of how God came through at a perfect timing.  The problem is we have our own timing. James wrote of certain people who made plans apart from God: James 4:13 [13]Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit."  James condemns this kind of man. He reminds him that you don't even know how long you will live or if you will even be alive tomorrow. This is just boasting, pride, on our part. This is our way of playing God.  Instead James admonished, James 4:15 [15]Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that." Our job is to know God's will and align our plans and desires along that will. That includes time orientation.  Some...

Pain gives us depth

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  We don't want pain. But if we are honest, it is under pressure testing of pain and failures that we discover the stuff we are made of. We achieved growth when we come to the end of ourselves and we learned to trust God for all things.  Yes it is painful. But it can also be edifying. Pain is the best pedagogue . Without realizing and accepting our own limitations and embracing God's power and grace, we won't grow to become the person God wanted us to be.  Athletes can practice their combinations and bag work all day. But without sparring and actual competition, there's no way to know what he can actually do. The same things happens in our life. We won't learn grace if we never actually step into the arena called life, experienced getting licked and depending on God's grace to remain standing. If the only thing we know is prosperity and success, we'll become complacent and weak. More importantly we will never know God's resurrection power .  It is only t...

God will vindicate us in justice

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  By this time, naranasan na siguro nating lahat na maging biktima ng inhustisya , ang maging bahagi ng agenda ng ibang tao.  Ang ating natural response ay gumanti. Ang natural nating response ay ipagtanggol ang ating mga sarili at habulin at papanagutin ang gumawa ng mali.  Ang pamahalaan ay itinatag upang ipagtanggol ang matuwid at gantihan ang masama ngunit madalas ang pamahalaan ay inutil sa ganitong mga sitwasyon.  Dahil dito madalas na nilalagay natin sa ating mga kamay ang batas.  Stop! Binabaon lamang natin ang ating mga sarili sa mas malaking problema.  Kailangan nating magtiwalang hindi tayo pababayaan ng Diyos . Ang Diyos na hustisya ay sisiguruhing makakamit natin ito sa huli. Ang pananahimik ng Diyos ay hindi inhustisya, ito ay awa, upang magkaroon ang lahat ng pagkakataong makabalik sa Kaniya.  Dumating si Jesus upang tubusin ang sanlibutan sa pamamagitan ng Kaniyang dugong nabubo sa krus. Ang sinumang sumampalataya sa Kaniya ay hindi ma...

Attitude is important

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  We are prone to major on what is external. When we measure success, we measure education, money and position. When we describe suffering, we focus on adverse circumstances or failed undertaking. But one thing we usually forget is God is in full control and a Christian with good attitude will be able to do well in both prosperity and adversity.  In the words of Paul , I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me.  This is not a promise that simply by believing in Christ, you can become an NBA player or that you will pass the exam without studying.  It is a promise that through Christ you can survive (and thrive) in both prosperity ("full") and adversity ("empty").  When we are prosperous, do we have the humility to enjoy it without taking credit from God? Can we enjoy prosperity without falling into the thinking, "I am a self -made man ?" When we are in adversity, can we accept it with joy and say with Paul, "Therefore I am well content ...

Function comes from position

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  Be holy for He is holy.  That is the goal for every Christians. We wanted to reflect the Father's holiness .  But when it comes to execution, Christians don't agree. Many focused on behaviour management. I guess because it is easier to see and Christians can be so performative. Many Christians think that holiness equals the number of Bible studies you attend, the prayer meetings you joined or the length of your prayers. I beg to disagree. Many unbelievers do this, and most are even more faithful than Christians because they think this is how they are saved.  In the words of a very wise theologian, long dead: Anything that an unbeliever can do is not the spiritual life .  The spiritual life requires a supernatural execution and that is why we need the Holy Spirit . Without the Holy Spirit, we can't live the spiritual life.  At point of salvation , the Holy Spirit puts us in Christ , and we share His eternal life , His holiness and His sonship, among many o...