Complaints and Faith

Habakkuk’s complaint is a little similar to my own experiences – experiences that are full of “why me, why not them,” “Am I too stupid,” or “Is God really mindful of me?” type of questions/situations.

“How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? (Habakkuk 1:2 NIV)”

But in the same book, God answered, and I pray that I will be reminded of this especially when in tough times:

“For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. (Habakkuk 2:3 NIV)”

“See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness — For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. (Habakkuk 2:4, 14 NIV)”

At the end of the day, God is moving, working, and helping. He “is in His holy temple (Hbk 2:20a)”, watching, guiding. Therefore, what must done is, “let all the earth be silent before Him (Hbk 2:20b)”

New Year and A Stone Memorial

“So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.” (Joshua 4:4-7 NIV)”

At the first days of 2nd Semester AY 2013-2014, I remembered writing breakthroughs that I experienced during 1st Semester on this white stone. I searched for the stone and I found that the words written are already erased, so here I am writing the verse of my year and the resolve that God wants me to have on the same stone. Really really excited for another year of changed self and mindsets. :))

“Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” (Exodus 33:15-18 NIV)”

My Dog is a Christian (by the world’s standards)

If I would take the world’s definition of a Christian, then my dog is a good Christian! He doesn’t drink, doesn’t do drugs, doesn’t lie, and is a servant obedient to his master.

But the Word says that a Christian is a person whose life is surrendered to Christ, someone who is in awe of the gospel. His life isn’t centered by rules, but centered in the fact that he lives by the grace of God and accepts this fact wholeheartedly. His passion is not just to be saved from the dangers of hell, but to have a relationship with his Master.

Powered by Grace, filled with God’s love. A sinner saved by the Messiah’s blood.

Jesus, the Rejected God

“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” (Isaiah 53:3 NIV)

A setting full of irony. The Person that the Jewish people so ever desired that prophecies about Him almost filled the Old Testament. Yet, upon His arrival, He was questioned. The Messiah, Jesus Christ, was rejected.

You cannot blame the Jews. The King, whose arrival was expected to be extravagant, one-of-a-kind, and extraordinary, was born in a stable. Stinking with piss, dung and animal scent, truly the stable is a place not fit for a king. He is a king born in poverty.

The rejection continued to stick in His adulthood days. As He started His ministry, people questioned His beliefs. Religious people back then placed Him in 24/7 surveillance to try to find a grave loophole that can be used against Him. Even His family doubted His teachings. Maybe they viewed the King as a psychopath. Or a foolish man trying to annoy the Pharisees. People pointed out His work background, a carpenter. “This can’t be the Messiah.”

He was rejected because of His background.
He was rejected because of His beliefs.
He was rejected because of His lifestyle.

He was rejected because He is different, He is too revolutionary.

He knows suffering. He knows solitude. He knows rejection. He knows your suffering.

And thus, He is not just the God of the righteous. He is also the God of the lost, of the rejected, of the poor, of the outcast, of the marginalized. He is God of everyone, despite the background, beliefs, and lifestyle.

He suffered from rejection, up to the point wherein people He is crucified due to disgust and anger people feel towards Him. He gladly accepted the greatest rejection, being separated from God. He gladly accepted receiving the pain, knowing that every thrust of the nail brings freedom.

He did that for you. He did that so you can be freed from all sin, from all rejection, from all depression.

He did that because He loves you.

And He wants you to be saved. Now.

Christmas: The Ordinary Day that Became Extraordinary

“Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known. (Deuteronomy 11:26-28 NKJV)”

Thanks be to God for always giving us a chance. That Jesus made a way for us to get blessings instead of curses.

For we are originally in a curse. It is our default. By His justice, we are all bound to destruction.

Yet we are saved by His mercy. We are saved by His love. We are saved by His promise.

We are saved by the Man-God. And His birth day is fast approaching. Let us commit this season to lessen ourselves and making Him more in our lives.

Let Christmas, the birthing of the Messiah, be a daily and a fresh encounter to all of us! Merry Christmas!

#MaagangBati #ChristmasIsEveryDay

O Come Let Us Adore Him!

Those who can confess their lowly state and sinful nature, those who make and see themselves impure in the face of the Pure, are those who can truly magnify God and uplift the glory of the Son, Jesus Christ.

“And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, (Luke 1:46, 47 NIV)”

Let us seek His presence more. Make everyday a momentum to make Him shine more.

Make Me Yours, Only Yours

All I want is to be hungry and be filled, overflowing with Your presence.

I keep failing but You keep pursuing. I keep walking away but You always restore me back. I keep doubting Your strength but You always fill me up with fresh load of trust whenever I surrender.

I am Yours. Make me Yours. Only Yours.

God Take Charge

My heart may be at the crossroads right now but in these moments, I just want to say out loud to the whole world that my heart belongs to the One who saved it, the One who cares for it and the One who will protect it. God take charge!

Pray to thank God

When is the last time you just prayed a prayer of gratitude for God and everything He has done in your life?

C’mon, let us thank Him for everything. Don’t let your prayers be filled with requests. :))

God Loves the Sinner, Hates Sin, and Sent His Son Jesus

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:9 NKJV)”

Yes, God loves the sinner, and He hates the sin, but there is something amiss on the statement.

He also judges the sinner, but He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross; and to rise from the dead, in order for salvation to come to this cursed world.

So in conclusion, the statement: “God loves the sinner, and hates sin” is incomplete. It should go as this: “God loves the sinner, hates sin for He is holy and sin separates the sinner from God. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, both Man and God, to be the substitute to the death the sinner deserve, and for the sinner to receive a gift he did not deserve, that is, a relationship with God and salvation. The sinner can be restored to God upon realization of His works, and repentance for his sins.”