For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. – John 3:16

October 29, 2011

The Acceptance Of God’s Will

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This is what the LORD says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.” – Isaiah 48:17

Most of the time, I am governed by my own choices—my free will.

I make my own plans.

I structure my day just the way I want it to be.

Then suddenly, an unforeseen incident changes my routine…

And believe it or not, it would easily get me frustrated.

Irritated.

Even if they were only minor changes.

And yes, this made me realize something…

If I can’t handle the slight modification in my routine…

How much more one major life shift that could possibly happen unexpectedly.

Control…

I suppose that’s the main reason why we religiously create lists of to-do activities and keep a daily planner.

A strategy deemed necessary in order to take charge of the future.

But…

Are the events that would take place tomorrow really in our hands?

And can we actually predict what would happen in the future?

Or even a few hours or five minutes later?

I suppose not…

Because we are only humans and only God is able to do that.

We can only do so much—plans, preparations—to design our lives the way we want them to be.

But only God has eyes for the future…

And only He can control everything.

So if things don’t go according to plan (or even if they do), it is best to surrender to God’s will and no one else’s, not even our own.

Have you submitted yourself to God’s Holy plan for your life? I’d love to hear…

Take care and God bless! :-)

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. – Proverbs 3:5-6littleirene



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October 26, 2011

A God Worthy Of Praise

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The LORD is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him. – Exodus 15:2

On my previous post, one blogger was kind enough to share in a comment what their pastor shared to them—"Why does a Holy GOD allow us sinners to experience anything good at all?"

Thought-provoking, isn’t it?

Being a sinner made me wonder what made me deserve so much love from God.

Because God knows I faltered so many times when it comes to avoiding sin and temptations.

Now I am asking myself, “Why does God love me so much even if I don’t love Him just as much?”

I think the answer is simple…

And the answer is simply because He is GOD.

An Almighty God.

An All-powerful God.

An ever-living God.

And He is without limit.

And so is His love for me.

For you.

For every sinner on earth.

That’s why He sent His Son, Jesus, to save us from our sins.

Amazing, unconditional love.

Love beyond compare.

Love from a Great God.

We should never fail to recognize such Greatness.

Instead, proclaim it to the rest of the world.

GOD IS A GREAT GOD!

Such God so worthy of praise.

So worthy of honor.

So praising Him should be part of our every day life.

PRAISE THE LORD!

PRAISE GOD ALMIGHTY!

He is your praise, and He is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things which your eyes have seen. – Deuteronomy 10:21


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October 24, 2011

When Trusting God Is The Only Answer

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You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. – Isaiah 26:3-4

Have you ever wondered why there is suffering?

Why wars are happening in several corners of the world?

Why a number of nations experience extreme poverty?

Why injustice is severely rampant on many corners of this planet?

Why you have to end up failing after working so hard to succeed?

Why you have to be broken-hearted many times in a row?

Why?

It is just so hard to understand.

And what makes them even more confusing is the fact that we think that God allows them to happen.

So we tend to question God, “Why?”

And when our sufferings are becoming excruciatingly painful to bear, we ask God, “Why me?”

Questions that are searching for answers.

Questions that want God’s explanation for allowing such circumstances.

Questions that are filled with so much doubt about God’s love for us.

Sometimes, our doubts are the reason why we create a gap between us and God.

We distance ourselves from Him because we think that He refuses to provide the answers we are longing for.

But these doubts that are lurking somewhere inside our hearts are actually the reasons for us to cling to God more.

Because this is God’s way of asking us in return, “Do you trust Me?”

Friends, do we trust God?

Do we trust Him enough to be willing to give up on trying to find the answers to everything, especially to the things that we find so hard to understand?

Because there really is no answer to everything.

And when you find no answers at all, the only answer is faith.

Trust God.

Keep the faith.

They are always the best answers.

Take care and God bless! :-)

And those who know Your name put their trust in You, for You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You. – Psalm 9:10

 

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October 22, 2011

Remembering To Be Grateful

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You are my God, and I will give thanks to You; You are my God; I will extol You. Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever! – Psalm 118:28-29

I am easily tempted to compare myself to other people.

I would tend to look at the things they have.

And then I would desire to have them.

But when it seems impossible to possess them, I end up feeling sorry for myself.

Then I would feel that I am less than them as a person.

Such are the effects on me of being ungrateful.

It didn’t make me happy.

I had a feeling of inferiority.

I was never satisfied with what I have.

Worse, I fail to recognize and appreciate the blessings that God has given me.

But if only I looked more closely…

I would realize that God’s blessings are everywhere.

I would realize that I am truly rich…

Because God made me rich.

And the important lesson for me to learn…

God only gives me what He thinks I need at the moment.

That’s what He does to other people, as well.

We don’t have the same needs.

But God loves all of us equally.

We should, instead, thank Him for that love.

Let us show Him gratitude for the things He has given us and let Him know that we truly appreciate them.

It will not only give us happiness and a feeling of contentment, but it will also draw us closer to God.

Take care and God bless! :-)

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. – James 1:17



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October 19, 2011

God Wants Us To Communicate With Him

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Evening and morning, and at noon, I will pray and cry aloud; and He shall hear my voice. – Psalm 55:17

I’ve had so many times in my life when either:

1) I was hesitant to talk to God; and/or
2) I didn’t want to tell Him about my heart’s desires.

I was hesitant to talk to God because, being God, He knew everything—what I was thinking and how I’m feeling. So I though to myself, Why do I still have to tell Him? He knows already! Praying seemed to make no sense at all.

I didn’t want to tell God about my heart’s desires because I was shy—I felt like I was asking for too much. So I thought that I don’t deserve to ask for more.

And so, I ceased praying.

Little did I know that those false beliefs led me to become indifferent towards God. They became the barriers in order for me to actually desire to communicate with Him.

Yes, it is true that God knows everything. But He still wants us to tell Him what we’re thinking, how we’re feeling, what we’re going through, and what our hearts’ desires are.

You must be familiar with the so-called mother’s instinct. That certain intuition that mothers have that something is bothering her child. That intuition which tells her that something is not right. Even if we refuse to let her know about it (My mom has this all the time). And although she may have the slightest idea of what we’re going through, at the back of her mind, she is wishing that we would let her know what’s going on. It is because of her love for her child—she wants to be a part of her child’s life and do her part as a mom.

The same is true with God. And although His is not just merely intuition, He wants us to voice them out to Him—what we’re thinking, how we’re feeling, what we’re going through, and what our hearts’ desires are. He wants us to communicate with Him, let Him into our lives, and make Him our Father. He is patiently waiting for us to come to Him… always.

And because God is God and is without limitations, He will never get tired of listening to us. And He is always available anywhere, anytime, any day.

Talk to God today and let Him embrace you with His unconditional love.

Take care and God bless! :-)

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. – Matthew 7:7-8

October 18, 2011

Quality Time To Be With God

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I want to go to Heaven when I die.

But the desire to go to Heaven would mean wanting to have a good relationship with God.

It would involve making God an important part of my life.

You and I have people we consider to be important in our lives—family, husband/wife, kids, boyfriend/girlfriend, best friend, etc.

How are we able to show them that they are important to us?

The only way we are able to prove their significance in our lives is by devoting some of our time to be with them.

It may involve eating out, hanging out at the mall, engaging in similar hobbies and interests, or just sitting down and chatting.

Whatever the activity may be, spending quality time with them should be a priority, lest our relationship won’t grow.

Therefore, if we consider God an important part of our life, we should also allot a portion of our day to be with Him.

To feel His presence.

To tell Him about the desires of our heart.

To thank Him for all the blessings He has given us.

And to praise Him for His greatness.

Spend quality time with God to let Him know He matters.

Take care and God bless everyone! :-)

October 17, 2011

Guided By The Written Word

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All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. -- 2 Timothy 3:16-17

No one else is credible enough to tell us how to go to Heaven but God. Heaven is His home and only He can give us directions on how to get there.

The only way for us to understand God’s roadmap to His Heavenly home is to listen intently to what He has to say. Allow Him to speak to us through His words. Pay attention to His message that is intended for us, His children.

And God’s words have never been made more concrete than by the Holy Bible. It is our Guidebook to Heaven and nothing else. In this Sacred book can be found all the answers written by visionaries—answers that were dictated by God Himself. All we need to do is to flip it open, digest God’s words printed in between the pages, internalize God’s message and remember them by heart.

I admit that I sometimes fall short of this Christian duty. However, in order to grow in faith and to travel the right path, I should make it a habit to read the Bible everyday and let God be my guide.

Take care and God bless everyone! :-)

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. – Psalm 119:105

October 16, 2011

What Are The Little Ways To Heaven?

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I was asked this simple yet profound question by one of my readers from my inspirational blog. Truth be told, I was stunned upon reading this question. I thought to myself, Who am I to answer such? I honestly don’t think I am credible enough to elaborate on this topic because of the following reasons:

1) I am not a Theologian. I do not have a major in Theology or took studies related to religion.
2) I’ve never been to Heaven and I’ve never spoken to God face to face to provide the answers to this question.

And then I was reminded about the Ten Commandments, and how they were summarized into two important commandments:

1) Love God above all things.
2) Love your neighbor as yourself.

This eventually got me thinking—there are a lot of ways to show our love for God and there are also so many ways to love our fellow men. So many different ways. And little ways. So many little ways.

Ergo, I concluded that dedicating one entire post discussing the little ways to heaven won’t be enough.

Hence, this blog is born.

I am completely aware that I am not the perfect person to be writing about this. But I found that this endeavor would help me grow in and learn more about my faith. And whatever it is that I will learn along the way, I wish to share with people who have the same goal as mine.

So today, I invite you to partake in this journey. Let’s grow in faith together and become better people in the eyes of God.

Thank you for joining me on the birth of this Christian blog. May God bless you always! :-)