Reunited

The Lord is really really awesome and His ways are out of this world!

There is no way we could out-give Him nor turn-away from His voice most especially when we set our hearts to obeying & following His ways.

We planted some measly moments of our lives to minister & fellowship with brethren at Millmerran, teach them how to make a couple of bread & cookie recipes, and in return, we get a wonderful blessing back!

To the lovely couple to whom we sold our mixer a long time ago and who in turn gave it back to us just recently, bless your hearts! Thank you for your generosity & we praise the Lord for you! We speak more blessings overflowing unto your lovely family!

MyDear now sings to our beloved mixer "Red":
 ♪♫ reunited and it feels so good ♪♫

Jubilee

Here’s something you might not know: the word jubilee comes from the Hebrew word yobel, which means “ram’s horn trumpet.” If you’ve ever celebrated the Jewish New Year, it’s possible you've heard a ram’s horn trumpet played to mark the jubilee. In Judaism, the Jubilee Year is a year of freedom from enslavement which is celebrated every fifty years. But that horn gets played every year. What’s a jubilee without a ram’s horn trumpet?

A jubilee is the celebration of the anniversary of a special event, or it’s the anniversary itself. Which basically means it’s a birthday party.
 

The Jubilee is the year at the end of seven cycles of shmita (Sabbatical years), and according to Biblical regulations had a special impact on the ownership and management of land in the Land of Israel; there is some debate whether it was the 49th year (the last year of seven sabbatical cycles, referred to as the Sabbath's Sabbath), or whether it was the following (50th) year. Jubilee deals largely with land, property, and property rights. According to Leviticus, slaves and prisoners would be freed, debts would be forgiven, and the mercies of God would be particularly manifest. Leviticus 25:8-13

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[1 John 2:15-17 NIV]
15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

"What Are You Willing To Let Keep You Out Of Heaven?"
by David Padfield

The Lust of the Flesh
Most of the time the word "lust" is used in a negative sense in New Testament passages like these: "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts" (Rom. 13:14). "I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16). "For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error" (2 Pet. 2:18).

The "lust of the flesh" then is an evil desire for the things of the flesh. The first thing that usually comes to mind is adultery and fornication. "Adultery" is usually used in the Bible to describe all illicit sexual relations between one or more married individuals. "Fornication" is a rather broad term used to describe any illicit sexual conduct, including pre-marital sex or even homosexuality. Adultery and fornication are both "works of the flesh" (Gal. 5:19), and as such will keep those guilty out of heaven.

God designed marriage to keep people from sexual sins (1 Cor. 7:1-5). The marital bed is holy. The Hebrew writer tells us that "Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge" (Heb. 13:4). This marital union is so sacred that God has only allowed one reason for a person to divorce their spouse and marry another, i.e., sexual immorality. Jesus plainly said, "whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery" (Matt. 19:9).

The Lust of the Eyes
The "lust of the eyes" speaks of eyes that are delighted with riches and rich possessions; this is the lust of covetousness.

Those men whom Moses appointed as "rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens" were to be "able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness" (Exo. 18:21).

The Ten Commandments included a warning against covetousness. "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's" (Exo. 20:17).

The writer of Proverbs tells us "he who hates covetousness will prolong his days" (Prov. 28:16).

Jesus admonishes us to "take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses" (Luke 12:15). Paul instructs us to "put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry" (Col. 3:5). The parable of the rich fool shows how dangerous a covetous attitude can be (Luke 12:16-20).

The Pride of Life
The "pride of life" is a vain craving for honor and applause, or the stubborn mind-set that will not allow one to repent of and confess their sins. King Saul is just one of many Bible characters who allowed pride to destroy them (1 Sam. 15:1-23).

Think of the story our Lord told about the Pharisee and the publican (Luke 18:9-14). The Pharisee despised others and should have thought of the words of Solomon in Proverbs 8:13, "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate." The Pharisee prayed as one who needed no forgiveness, and got none. The tax collector prayed as one who needed God's forgiveness, and he received it.

Pride oftentimes keeps Christians from truly repenting of their sins, especially when their sin is public in nature. Sometimes Christians refuse to repent of their sins because they are not aware of them--they do not think they are guilty. But let's be honest about the matter, most of the time an impenitent heart does not come from ignorance, but from foolish pride--they know they are guilty but they won't fess up. They will not acknowledge their sin and then repent of it, and irrational pride is so often at the heart of the matter--they cannot stand before the ones whom they sinned against and say, "I have sinned."

The book of Proverbs speaks at great length about selfish pride and destruction it brings. It reminds us that "when pride comes, then comes shame" (Prov. 11:2), and "by pride comes nothing but strife" (Prov. 13:10), and warns us that "pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Prov. 16:18).

Conclusion
Those who fill their lives with "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" need to be advised and warned, for "the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:16-17).

Many years ago Matthew Henry wrote: "The things of the world quickly fade and die away; desire itself will ere long fail and cease, but holy affection is not like the lust that passes away. The love of God shall never fail. Many vain efforts have been made to evade the force of this passage by limitations, distinctions, or exceptions. Many have tried to show how far we may be carnally-minded, and love the world; but the plain meaning of these verses cannot easily be mistaken. Unless this victory over the world is begun in the heart, a man has no root in himself, but will fall away, or at most remain an unfruitful professor. Yet these vanities are so alluring to the corruption in our hearts, that without constant watching and prayer, we cannot escape the world, or obtain victory over the god and prince of it."

There is only one sin that God will not forgive--that's the sin you will not repent of!

Fantastic Four

This week has been quite an adventure.  I can't even begin to describe the amount of energy I've put in, the number of thoughts my mind have contemplated on and the array of human emotions I felt in its brief duration--all things, circumstances and events marvelously orchestrated by our awesome Lord.

And in all that, I am reminded from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 and Psalm 46:10 of four vital ways to keeping a healthy Christian spirit: rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances and be still & know that God is God.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances;

for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 46:10 (NIV)
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” 

Rejoice always.  It is said that happiness and joy are two different things as happiness is a fleeting feeling dependent primarily on "good circumstances or happenings" while joy "transcends the realm of the supernatural" and can be a by-product of suffering or affliction.  On the spiritual level, joy may refer to the extreme happiness with which the believer contemplates salvation and the bliss of the afterlife or belief in future grace.   Spiritual joys also elevate the secular happiness of believers as secular successes, triumphs or victories may be regarded as unexpected benefits from God.  God's kingdom is described as "righteousness, peace and joy" (Rom 14:17) and the certainty of salvation due to our fellowship with Jesus Christ and the knowledge of His Word is a cause of continuous joy.

Pray continually.  There is a great sense of dependence on God when we pray.  And to pray continually would mean that we are communing with, longing for, depending and leaning on God all the time.  Unfortunately, that is not true for the human nature, or at least I can say it isn't that true for me all the time.  I have carnal, sinful and stubborn inclinations that only a continual communion with God and meditation on His Word can bring forth repentance and change.  And in the words of Ptr. John Piper, "Nobody is inclined to the Word, or sees spiritual wonders in the Word, or is satisfied with the Word, who does not pray and pray and pray the way the psalmists did. So I plead with you to pray without ceasing. And as an aid to that wonderful spontaneity of day and night praying and meditation, build disciplined times of prayer and meditation into your life. Maybe once or twice or three times or seven times a day (as the psalmist in Psalm 119:164, "Seven times a day I praise You, because of Your righteous ordinances.").

Give thanks in all circumstances.  To give thanks in positive circumstances is a no-brainer but to be thankful in the horrifying or depressing of circumstances will be a challenge to many.  Jesus showed us a great example to give thanks in the face of horror at the Lord's Supper (Luke 22:19).  The Greek word for “thanks” in this verse is eucharisteo and author Ann Voskamp best unpacked this word with this, "The root word of eucharisteo is charis, meaning “grace.” Jesus took the bread and saw it as grace and gave thanks. He took the bread and knew it to be gift and gave thanks. Eucharisteo, thanksgiving, envelopes the Greek word for grace, charis. But it also holds its derivative, the Greek word chara, meaning “joy.” Charis. Grace. Eucharisteo. Thanksgiving. Chara. Joy. (Eucharisteo Conversation)"  Jesus’s thanks was not based on his present circumstances. He was about to endure the worst possible horror. He felt thankful to the Father for the grace and glory that was coming because of the cross and this gave him joy. Eucharisteo. 

Be still, and know that I am God.  The Hebrew word "chashah" means to be silent, inactive, or still.  Nothing else comes close to mind than every time I experience palpitations due to my heart condition.  My heart would race between 140bpm to 210bpm.  I would need to keep still, lie down or sit comfortably whilst waiting for medical help.  These episodes are quite exhausting because it's like having a full body workout without moving a finger.  These are the times when I am ever in touch with my mortality and realize that I have no control over my life, let alone my body.  There is nothing else to do than to submit and surrender my will to God's sovereign and perfect will.  And in my journey of faith, I have seen and tasted the goodness of the Lord (Psalm 34:8) for which He proves time and time again that though I keep failing Him, He is worthy of all trust, honor, worship and praise.

So on our waking moments, let us make that conscious decision to fill our hearts with gratitude and thankfulness to the Lord and surrender that day to His lordship as well as ask for the Holy Spirit's empowerment to live each day to the fullest according to God's plan for us and I'm pretty sure it will be manageable and fruitful whatever our circumstances.

Jesus Paid It All

 [1 Peter 1:18-19 NIV] "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect."

♪♫ Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow

Oh praise the One
Who paid my debt
And raises life up
From the dead ♪♫

-"Jesus Paid It All" by Newsboys
music link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hs05AtP2wd8

Lead Me To The Cross

♪♫ Savior I come
Quiet my soul
Remember
Redemption's hill
Where Your blood was spilled
For my ransom
Everything I once held dear
I count it all as lost

Lead me to the cross
Where Your love poured out
Bring me to my knees
Lord, I lay me down
Rid me of myself
I belong to You
Lead me, lead me to the cross ♪♫


-"Lead Me to the Cross" by Francesca Battistelli
music link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hlh6_5znn7U&index=2&list=RDJbCfyZHSQbE

Resurrection Sunday

A blessed Easter everyone!

We enjoyed our very early morning drive to QCCC Mapleton to rendezvous with the brethren at the Easter retreat.  It was so refreshing to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and see a colorful tapestry of natural scenery.

The Easter message delivered by Ptr. Michael highlighted this year's retreat theme "Living for Christ. Living in Christ. Living with Christ."  The initial verse was in Matthew 16:13-14 which asks the most fundamental question of our faith, "Who do you say the Son of Man is?"

I have heard of Him and know about Him since I can remember. I was raised in a home that believes and reveres in Him, calls on and prays to Him.  But as I was growing older in age and stature, I came to a lot of realization about my non-existent relationship with the Son of Man and just how much revelation came about from John 8:47 (NIV) "Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

There came a time when I hit rock bottom and felt that I was drowning in a cocktail of destructive emotions--anger, bitterness and helplessness.  I was thrown a lifeline when I flung my hands in surrender. Oh how much truth there is in John 6:37 (NIV) "All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away."
 
It has been said that to totally surrender to God is the sweetest of all; but I say to really believe that God will be there to catch my fall is far more sweeter.  There is now a whole new meaning of Hebrews 11:6 (NIV) to me, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."
 
I was SAVED.  My mind was blown away by just how much The Son of Man loves me, desires to hold-hands with my soul and have a wonderful relationship with me.  Just look at how fitting 1 John 1:1 (NIV) is which says, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life."
 
So who is the Son of Man to ME?

He is the Messiah, the Christ, MY Savior, the Son of the living God.
He is the lover of my soul and the strength of my heart.
He is my everlasting hope and peace.
He is my well of joy and place of refuge.
He is my song and rock of my salvation.
He is my great healer, provider and help.
He is my shield and deliverer.
He is my all in all.

I Lost It Today

As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I knew it—I knew I lost it.  I let anger, frustration and impatience get the best of me and my mouth delivered an uncomely reply hurling towards my hubby Luis.  I wasn’t in control anymore—I have lost control over my cool and consequently, over my tongue.

You see, my usually sweet Caleiya didn’t quite get up on the right side of bed this morning but after a fair amount of coaxing and a couple of distractions, we managed to get to church.  She is then most happy to see her friends and everyone else at church.  Fast forward, an instance occurs when she asks me for something I couldn’t possibly provide her simply because there wasn’t any.  I gave her other options and alternatives and talked to her calmly.  You may say, that should have been the end of it, but that’s easy for you to say as that doesn’t end there for my child as she will insist on it till kingdom come.  So unreasonable you may say, but I have come to realize that these things aren’t unreasonable for her tiny mind.  And in her tiny mind, she asks, “Why can’t I have what I want or asking for?”  Most of the time, not even a “reasonable” amount of explaining or reasoning with her works.  So in her own frustration, she begins to vent it out in a tantrum—lots of tears and loud cries.

I feel a tiny crack within me.

When I am at my wits end with my children, my dear hubby comes to the rescue.  The turn-over was the tricky part as when he was getting info on the tantrum situation, my manner of speech towards him was sour.  His voice was loud but my reply was even louder with a side of harsh.

This was the moment I lost it.

As it turns out, I wasn’t all well within myself when I got out of bed this morning.  I may seem to have come to church so put together but I was so fragile within. 

And just when I thought everything is once again well under control, like adding insult to injury, Caleiya throws an even bigger tantrum after Caiden scribbled something on her artwork.  It’s time to go home—quickly!  So off we went to the parking lot and into the car.  I gave out a big sigh after we’re all strapped into our seats and looked at my hubby and asked, “Are we okay? Are you and I okay?” To which he replied, “Yeah we’re fine, dear.”  I was surprised at his answer as I most definitely wasn’t ok with him thinking he wasn’t ok with me at the turn-over of the first tantrum situation.

We sat in the car for a few minutes and talked awhile.  Apparently, he didn’t make much of a big deal about the way I replied to him as he just wanted to know the situation asap so he could remedy it.  It then hit me and it hit me hard as I realized that all this while, I was churning offense within me that made me even more vulnerable.  My battle isn’t with my hubby nor with my children, my battle is within myself.   The heart of the matter is the condition of my heart.

Caleiya then blurted out, “Let’s give Caiden away! I don’t want a baby brother anymore!”  I looked at Luis and we both laughed.  Something in my heart shifted instantly.  Now, all is well with my soul.

Does it matter if my hubby spoke to me in a loud voice?  Does it matter if my child was having a terrible tantrum?  Honestly, the things that other people do or say most of the time is out of my control but I have complete control over my own thoughts, emotions, speech and actions—that’s what matters most.

I misconstrued the urgency of my hubby’s voice to anger.  Would replying to him calmly have changed the situation? I don’t think so because he would still have come to the rescue and would have taken Caleiya out of my hands to find a solution to the tantrum situation (which he obviously did).  If I replied to him calmly then I would have calmed my own nerves and kept my cool—it was for my sake.

[Proverbs 15:1]  “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

As children will have their best and worst moments, we adults can only hope to not only guide and nurture them to always be at their best but to also love and understand them when they are at their worst.  Anyways, we as adults are supposed to be the ones far more capable of such depth and width in understanding and patience towards the young ones.  After all, they are just children—for now.

I thank those who offered a hand and not another parenting tip or advise…

I thank those who gave out encouraging words and not sighs of exasperation…

I thank those who expressed a nod of acknowledgment and not indifference or apathy…

I thank those who uttered a prayer or two and not criticism or a piece of their mind…

I thank you all who looked on with concern and not with judgment towards my child or towards us as parents…

We really could use a lot more love and a lot less negativity in this already challenging journey of life.  May God bless us all the more with grace, compassion and understanding!