Lord God, thank you for the gift of family

The heavenly King came to earth as a little child born to a humble family -- and that event changed the world's ultimate destiny, all because the heavenly Family connected with an earthly family.

Everything of God's creation is all about family. The family is the cradle of God's love for His creation. What amazing power there is that flows through families that it could transform [even the most self-absorbed] women into becoming loving and protective mothers and wives, and transform [even the most carefree] men into becoming loving and providing fathers and husbands. It is in the family where the characteristic qualities of God's kingdom are nurtured, for it is where family members experience and learn the God-kind of love first hand.

The evil one very well knows that society's foundation is dependent upon the strength of the family. How the families of the countries go, so shall the nations of the world go. Therefore at all cost, the family must be protected against the evils that are destroying it.

       

Is existence a perpetual struggle? Is life a war?

A young father once imparted a principle to his little son: "Son, remember this. You don't have to fight to be a man."

Many years after, the now adult son confides to his aging father: "Dad, you were indeed right. One doesn't have to fight to be a man. And as I grew up into adulthood, life also taught me that sometimes you've got to fight when you're a man."

Is it possible to deal with violence without using violence itself?

Creatures all as we are with self-preservation as primary instinct and with a strong tendency for insatiable superiority complex, in the perennial struggle for [whatever form of] domination among all races and peoples of the globe with their different ideologies (beliefs, doctrines, philosophies, and the various forms of "isms"), it makes no difference whether an individual's ideology is extreme or moderate or whether it is theistic or atheistic. Inevitably, people's capacity for tolerance to ideological differences will eventually reach its limit and then conflicts start to build up, and ultimately violence sparks. Violence begets violence, and when this happens, people get caught up in the vicious cycle of violence for violence -- consuming everybody in the process.

It is ironic that resorting to violence (even the so-called justifiable righteous violence) which is supposedly intended as solution against violence could only offer more violence as its guarantee.

Isn't it disappointing and frustrating that resorting to violence only destroys the beast's body but not its soul? You can't bomb an ideology out of existence. Bombs may kill adherents of a certain ideology but bombs are unable to eliminate the ideology itself. Will whiping out all adherents of an ideology off the face of the earth kill that ideology?

What will kill a beast's soul? Who can kill it?
           

Who says you are not rich?

Had it occured to you that, because you are not well off materialy or physically, you perhaps had thought of God as an underachiever? Or perhaps because of so much poverty and sufferings you see that you concluded God does not exist? You might have wondered that if God is almighty, why can't he simply end poverty and suffering in the world? If he really exist, why can't he just bless all people with equal riches, everlasting life, joy & happiness?

Perhaps our lack of full knowledge about God (which perhaps maybe the cause of our negative attitude towards Him) can be likened to the boy's dissapointment with his father in this short-story video. The boy asked his father, "Why are we not rich?" The boy didn't know everything about his father. All the boy thought of about his father is that he is poor and struggling to make ends meet. But the full-of-wisdom answer of the father opened the boy's eyes to the truth about true riches.

Do you know everything about your parent(s)? Do you know everything about God (who is your ultimate parent, your real Father)? Do you know everything He does? Can you fathom His wisdom?

Despite poverty and suffering, God as ever is always truely almighty. Who says you are not rich?! We all are richly blessed by God! He has blessed every person equally with life, intellect and individual capacities -- including our free will and the capacity of our hearts to love and to give. He equipped the world with everything to supply for our every need. Now it is up to us to live according to His way of love that leads to life of all everlasting good things, or go our own way that leads to poverty and suffering.

Most people think that being rich is having plenty of material wealth or great possessions. But according to the scriptures, being truly rich is not about how much you have. Rather, it is about how much you give from the abundance of your heart. Learning to give -- out of love -- of one's own self for others is life's ultimate goal; for to live is to love God and our neighbors. Giving is the true measure of love and it doesn't neccissitate having abundant material possessions but abundance of the heart. In God's kingdom, love is the commerce and giving is its currency. So when we show love to God and to our neighbors through our giving of ourselves (our time, our wealth & possessions, our talents & abilities, our life) for others, we are "actually" laying up treasusers of love in heaven.

[Matthew 6:19-21] Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

You are a gift from God. I am a gift from God. We all are rich gifts from God. Our life is God's gift to us and the world. How we live it is our gift back to God. Gifts are not made for storing but for giving. A gift not given away is meaningless and defeats its purpose. Therefore, through love, as gifts let us give our lives in service to God and to one another.

[Matthew 16:24-25] Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it."

      

In omnibus amare et servire Domino

 

In everything, love and serve the Lord.
            

His Sacred Heart & His Holy Blood

If even the mere fragrance of His pure heart is able to quicken the waning lights of tired and wary souls, His most precious holy blood that flows like spring from His sacred heart is more than able to bring life to all things dead.

           

Ears, please hear! Eyes, please see! Hearts, harden not!

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On December 24, 2011, the following message was delivered to the nations of the world:

Message - December 24, 2011

That particular message has now come to pass.
           

Where are God's people in all of these?!

“My ultimate goal is that no Filipino should give up a child out of economic hardships. Who knows that might have been my story too?”
--Grace Poe, Senator of the Philippines

Rephrasing Senator Grace Poe's word into a general statement:
"No mother should give up her child out of hardships."

            

It rained for a while

Popularity, more particularly in the realm of politics, is like rainfall. When it rains, it pours. But it is only for a moment and it only lasts till its last drop. But what really will sustain good leadership is the time-tested quality of character of a prospected leader. And it is the amount of relevant quality experience that makes possible for a new leadership to be able to hit the ground running.

            

Deliver me, O Lord

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, deliver me from;

the desire of being esteemed,
the desire of being loved,
the desire of being extolled,
the desire of being honored,
the desire of being praised,
the desire of being preferred to others,
the desire of being consulted,
the desire of being approved,

the fear of being humiliated,
the fear of being despised,
the fear of suffering rebukes,
the fear of being calumniated,
the fear of being forgotten,
the fear of being ridiculed,
the fear of being wronged,
the fear of being suspected...

"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Matt. 111:29)
       

For Him, break your alabaster jar

[Mark 14:3-6] While Jesus was at Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster jar of ointment of pure nard— very costly. She broke the jar, and poured it over his head. But there were some who were indignant among themselves, saying, “Why has this ointment been wasted? For this might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and given to the poor.” They grumbled against her. But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for me."

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Don't hold on to your fragrance that is so precious to you. Break your alabaster jar and pour out all that is in it on the Lord's feet. Don't hold back anything. Give your all to Him. Surrender your ways to Him and embrace the path He has appointed for you.

      

Your dream in God's way

In my younger days, I dreamed of having power to lord over people. But as I grow older, wisdom taught me to fear the Lord, so I chose to live a life of servanthood under His lordship. And He taught me that the way to truly lord over people is to serve them in love.

[Mark 10:42-45] Jesus said to them, “You know that they who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be servant of all. For the Son of Man also came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

           

One day at a time

Every sunset is a great time for us to thank and appreciate all the good opportunities the day has offered us. Do what should and can be done one day at a time, and at every sunset you will see your goal's horizon getting nearer.

           

Find a purpose to serve

"At the end of the day, what you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals." ― Zig Ziglar

“Find a purpose to serve, not a lifestyle to live.” ― Criss Jami

"Don't regard yourself as yet having taken hold, but do one thing. Forget the things which are behind, and stretch forward to the things which are before, press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14)
           

Because He is good

The Holy Spirit is praying for you. (Romans 8:26)
God uses everything for your good. (Romans 8:28)
God wants you to succeed. ((Romans 8:31)
God will give you what you need. (Romans 8:32)

Because God is good.
      

Praying for a sign?

Praying for a sign? Wait for it with anticipation!
       

Dare To Believe

It's feelin' like the time's run out
But the hour glass just flipped itself over again
The sun is slowly sinking down
But on the other side a new day awaits to begin

If you dare to believe in life
You might realise that there's no time for talkin'
Or just wait around while the innocent die

Chorus:
No more, we're gonna lose everything
If we believe all the lies
I may fall but I swear that I'll help you believe

No more, this one's runnin' on empty
And there's no reason why
You may fall but I know that you'll help me believe

Verse:
We been in the dark for way too long
But when we turn around we see light shine through the haze
So forget about who was wrong
'Cause I've never been more ready to turn this page

If you swear you believe in life
Embrace forgiveness 'cause it's all that I'm askin'
Or keep holdin' out while the innocent die

Chorus:
No more, we're gonna lose everything
If we believe all the lies
I may fall but I swear that I'll help you believe

No more, this one's runnin' on empty
And there's no reason why
You may fall but I know that you'll help me believe

No more, we're gonna lose everything
If we believe all the lies
I may fall but I swear that I'll help you believe

No more, this one's runnin' on empty
And there's no reason why
You may fall but I know that you'll help me believe

No more, we're gonna lose everything
If we believe all the lies
You may fall but I swear that I'll help you believe
You may fall but I swear that I'll help you believe
I may fall but I swear that I'll help you believe
            

May the Lord blind and break us

 

May the Lord blind us to things that make us spiritualy blind; and may He break our hearts for what breaks His.
        

Miracle called life

Life, as a great work of miracle, always has its own unique creative way of making things wonderful.

           

Son's workmanship is the Father's workmanship

Last week when I brought my dear old guitar to a small shop for a major repair, remarkably the master craftsman immediately recognized the guitar's workmanship without a doubt. It was his father who made this guitar thirty years ago while he was yet probably an errand boy at that time in his father's big shop. I'm so glad and thankful my precious guitar got restored like brand new with the same quality of craftsmanship just as it was crafted three decades ago.

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Do not be exceedingly worried, but pray rather and entrust everything that needed repair in your life into the hands of the master craftsman Jesus Christ; for His workmanship is the Father's workmanship.

      

Be not cunning; be wise and patient

Watch out for wolves in sheep's clothing; be not one yourselves. You are sent out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be not cunning as the ancient serpent but be wise and patient as Noah; for he waited seven days before sending the dove out again. If you do as Noah did, then when the dove shall return even if in the evening, there shall be in its beak a freshly plucked olive leaf!

           

Yearn for pure milk

“What milk does to the body, the word of God does for the spirit: The Word of God makes faith grow.” --Pope Francis

[1 Peter 2:2] Yearn like newborn infants for pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up to salvation.

           

A Greater Light is Rising

The trials and hardships of the previous year may have caused many to went through long dark nights with only their own weak flames as their guiding lights, but a new day has come that ushers in the coming of a greater light that will help people strengthen firmly their faith and renews their hopes as they go to face the challenges of this yet another year.

Pray for people to abide by the greater light so that they may no longer stray away from the right path so that they may have a faith-strengthened year filled with renewed hopes and revitalized outlook for a better future ahead despite challenges.