RECHARGE

Acts 17:28

For in Him we live and move and have our being…

My son approached me and told me to replace the battery of his toy because it is already discharged. I asked him why he thinks that the battery needs to be replaced. “It’s because the toy is not moving anymore” was his response. He knew then that the battery is the source of power so the toy would move. He knew then that once that toy stops moving, the battery has to be replaced. For him, everything moves and dies because of the battery.

We do not have batteries, and yet we move. We do not have batteries, and yet when we get tired, we exclaim “I need to recharge”. So, we go for a vacation, go to the beach or a spa, or just take that well-deserved rest by sleeping the whole day.

However, not only do our body gets weary, but our spirit as well. When we have problems or difficulties in life, we feel disappointed and frustrated. When we feel that the world is against us, we feel depressed. Our spirit also need to recharge! Start by putting yourself inside the charging bed – put yourself in the presence of the Lord, all in silence. Then, plug yourself in – talk to Him in prayers. Ask Him to come to you. Lastly, feel the charge and the current coming in – feel His loving presence, ask Him to clear your mind and relieve yourself of the burden you are carrying. As soon as the light turns green, your spirit is fully charged, ready to face again everything that comes in your way.

He created us in His own image. He recharged us with His own Spirit so we may move and live our life in total obedience to His Word. Let Him enter your life, let Him enter your heart. Make Him in-charge. Recharge now!

Almighty Father, recharge our soul, recharge our spirit. You sent your Spirit so we may live and move and have our being. Give us strength and a clear mind so we may understand more Your will. Be in-charge of our lives as we totally give them up to You.

“We are often reluctant and unfaithful, to a point of denial
Still, You remain faithful in Your promise to us all.”

Heaven and earth are full of your glory.

STEADFAST LOVE

Psalms 138:2

Because of your kindness and your truth, you have made great above all things your name and your promise.

How do you define kindness? What is the kindest thing that you have ever done? Helping someone to carry his baggage. Smiling at every person you meet. Cooking dinner for your wife and kids. Donating one month salary to an orphanage. What, then, is the kindest thing that someone has done for you lately? Opened the door for you. Returned your wallet, that you lost. Donated a body organ so you may live.

Kindness in scripture is more often equated with love. The word for kindness in Hebrew and Greek is interchangeable with mercy, goodness, loyalty, faithfulness, but most of all steadfast love. Kindness is the visible action of love directed toward others. God is praised for being kind – for showing his steadfast love in so many ways. Through the help of the Holy Spirit, let us cultivate true kindness – the love directed toward others for their sake and not just our own:

1. Start by listening to others. For kindness to really blossom among us we need to listen carefully to one another. Just giving our time and attention to others for their sake is kindness.

2. Intentionally cultivate connections with others. Kindness is not a virtue that can be developed in isolation. Kindness is all about the quality of our relationships with one another. Connect with others and share with them the kindness of God.

3. Imitate God’s loving kindness. This is what David did. This is what Paul urges us to do (Eph. 4:31-32) Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of malicious behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

(from “Cultivating Kindness”)

Almighty Father, through your loving kindness, illuminate our minds today with the light of faith. Through Your Son’s rising from the dead you opened up mankind’s road to eternity: as we do our work today, give us the hope of eternal life. Through your risen Son you sent the Holy Spirit into the world: ignite the fire of spiritual and steadfast love in our hearts.

“Be the living expression of God’s kindness.” – Mother Teresa

OPEN DOOR

Acts 16:15

"If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home…"

In my childhood days, I still remember going to the house of an uncle (my father’s eldest brother) especially during Christmas. We will eat dinner, sing and dance. The kid with the best talent will be given a prize so we will really show the stuff we are made of. Every year, we would always look forward to that day when families would share a moment of their life with each other, all for the glory of Jesus Christ’s birthday.

When our own children were growing up, we also adopted an open door policy. Our nephews and nieces could freely go to the house anytime and even sleep-over the night during weekends. Nowadays, their friends and cousins come in and out of our house with great regularity. An open door policy offers a bonding opportunity between parents and children and also provides opportunity for faith sharing. It is a great experience that should be practiced by everyone.

Many Biblical homes maintained an open door policy. The ministry of Jesus was enhanced by an open door policy. Jesus found himself frequently welcomed in the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Jesus even accepted the hospitality offered in the home of a tax collector. Jesus even invited himself to the house of Zaccheus. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”

As believer of the Lord, He is asking us for a visit into our home and even stay there. Are we going to deny that request? Come, invite Him to our home, invite Him to our hearts and let Him stay there. He is our Saviour, He is our Lord, He will not fail us as promised.

Lord Jesus, we welcome You into our home. Please come and stay with us, forever. We open our hearts to You and let Your Spirit dwells in our hearts as we await for Your second coming. Oh Lord, we trust in You. Give us the strength and humility so we may invite others in welcoming You into their hearts. You are our Lord and our God, come and stay!

Sing to the LORD a new song of praise in the assembly of the faithful.

THE GREAT ADVOCATE

John 14:16-18

“He will give you another Advocate to be with you always - the Spirit of truth… it remains with you, and will be in you.”

The Holy Trinity is composed of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. One God, three Persons. For many of us, this is a difficult concept to grasp. The Bible declares that there is only one living God, yet we learn from scripture that He comprises three separate personages. One way to partially visualize this concept is to examine the nature of water (H2O). Water is a single compound that can exist in three states – liquid, ice and vapor. An egg is another picture. It is comprised of the white, the yoke and the shell, yet it is still one egg. Of course, by no means do these examples paint a complete picture of our God, but they are illustrative of the fact that His three “persons” in no way invalidate His oneness.

Moreover, we always studied and talked about God and Jesus Christ and yet spend less regarding the Holy Spirit. In Romans 15:30, we see the Holy Spirit has emotion, as represented by the capacity to love – “I urge you, [brothers] by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in the struggle by your prayers to God on my behalf.”

In John 14:26, we learn that the Holy Spirit is our Counselor and teacher – “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name – He will teach you everything and remind you of all that [I] told you.”

In 1Corinthians 3:16, we see that the Holy Spirit lives inside us – “Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”

While each “personage” in the Trinity is distinct in function, each shares together in the same deity and each reflects the divine attributes of the one living God. Receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the great advocate.

Come Holy Spirit, and fill the hearts of your faithful, and kindle in them the fire of Your Divine Love. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created, and You shall renew the face of the earth. Oh God, Who by the light of the Holy Spirit instructed the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Spirit we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in His consolation. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen+

Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

ST. STEPHEN

John 15:18

“If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.”

In the Acts of the Apostles, the name of St. Stephen occurs for the first time on the occasion of the appointment of the first deacons. On the day of his death, the enemies of the Church of Jesus were furious to see how successful Stephen's preaching was. At last, they laid a plot for him. They could not answer his wise argument, so they got men to lie about him, saying that he had spoken sinfully against God. St. Stephen faced that great assembly of enemies without fear. In fact, the Holy Bible says that his face looked like the face of an angel.

The praying martyr was thrown down; and while the witnesses were thrusting upon him "a stone as much as two men could carry", he was heard to utter this supreme prayer: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit". Little did all the people present, casting stones upon him, realize that the blood they shed was the first seed of a harvest that was to cover the world. And ironically, the leader of that mob was no other than Paul, called Saul at that time, and was the main persecutor of the Hellenist Christians.

Yes, hatred exists everywhere. It has always existed and it always will until the second coming of Messiah. That's the just the sad truth of the matter. It's a fact of life. However, hatred need not rule our lives nor must we react the same when it comes our way.

That is why we have the Holy Spirit, to help us through these trials and tribulations. We must remember Who we are, Who’s we are with, and What we have. We have the Spirit of God Himself living and breathing in us. There is no harm in asking for more blessings, but sometimes we forget about the suffering. We must remember that Christ suffered unto death.

We are built to last. God will never put more on us than we can bear. Release the anger in your heart and love those who hate you. Always remember, Christ’s suffering on our behalf is infinitely far greater than our suffering on His behalf will be.

Almighty Father, receive my spirit and do not hold this sin against those who hates me. We love you because You loved us first.

Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

SPIRITUAL WARFARE

1 Peter 5:8

Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for (someone) to devour.

I watched it in the Animal Planet. After locating the prey, the lion moves slowly toward it, its body close to the ground. A lion normally must surprise its victims by stalking. When it is about 50 feet away, it rushes forward, grabs the rump, side, or head of the animal, and pulls it to the ground. Then it usually seizes the prey's throat in its mouth and strangles it. After killing an animal, the lion often drags it to a shady spot. All members of the pride eat together, with much growling and snarling.

But vicious and voracious as they are, lions have to kill to live and to share with his lioness and cubs. And lions kill only when hungry. Their prey can usually sense if lions are out to kill and, if not, it will just ignore the lion.

The devil is compared to the lions, prowling and stalking their prey looking for “someone to devour”. But the similarity stops there. The devil hunts its prey, not to eat and live, but to kill and forever separate its prey from its Master. The devil is Satan… the prey is us… and the Master is Jesus.

We should take the devil very seriously. We are to be watchful, vigilant. We must not be lulled into complacency about satanic opposition and temptations. All through the scriptures, Satan is described as our adversary. He is an ENEMY, who despises humanity in general, and the followers of Jesus Christ, in particular. But the good news is that Satan is already defeated! The decisive battle which brought his doom was won at the cross through our Lord. Be firm in our faith and let Jesus protects us. We can claim the fact that we are beloved of Jesus Christ. Jesus cares about us. He knows us intimately. We are protected by the Good Shepherd who protects His sheep from angry, hungry lions.

Almighty Father, I love you, I praise You, and I worship you. I thank you for sending your Son Jesus Who won victory the devil, over sin and over death for my salvation. I thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit Who empowers me, guides me, and leads me into fullness of life. I thank You for Your Love. I thank You, Holy Spirit for empowering me to be aggressive against satan and evil spirits. I thank you, Jesus, for setting me free.

Amen+

Resist the devil, be steadfast in faith!

GENTILE BEGINNING

Acts 15:7

God made His choice among you that through my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe.

GENTILES. A word of Latin origin. In the English versions of both Testaments it collectively designates the nations distinct from the Jewish people. Since the spread of Christianity, the word Gentiles designates, in theological parlance, those who are neither Jews nor Christians.

Salvation is for everyone. It is not only for the Jews but for the Gentiles, at that time, as well. We know that God had set the priority. He had determined to call one nation, Israel, and raise them as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Through them, he would call all people on earth back to Him. Therefore, it is wrong to say that God has favorites.

There is a priority in God. But there is no favoritism in God. Romans 2:9-11 says, “There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil; first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile, for God does not show favoritism.” God is not the God of Jews only. He is the God of Gentiles, too. Yes, of everyone, since there is only one God.

We must therefore, yearn and learn to be the children of God and continually live under God’s blessing and God’s protection. The Lord God accepts anyone who believes in Him, His Son the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we must live in this world as God’s children by acknowledging and fulfilling the purpose for which God made us and has called us through his Son Jesus Christ. Jesus had come to restore God’s children and renew their holy mission and purpose in God. Let us live as God’s children, and participate in the world salvation work of God. For His love is for everyone who believes and heed His words.

Almighty Father, You want us to give thanks for all things, to fear nothing except losing You and to lay all our cares on You, knowing that You care for us. Protect us from faithless fears and worldly anxieties, and grant that no clouds in this mortal life may hide from us the light of Your immortal love shown to us in Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen +

Trust in Him, for without trust, there is nothing!

UMBILICAL CORD

John 15:5

“I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in Me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without Me you can do nothing.”

For nine months, in our mother’s womb, we are connected to her through the umbilical cord. The umbilical vein supplies the fetus with oxygenated, nutrient-rich blood from the placenta. It is our direct connection to life. Sometimes, it may connect improperly to the placenta or become knotted or compressed. Cord abnormalities can lead to problems during pregnancy or even death.

And when we are born, this physical connection is cut-off. But this doesn’t mean that we are separated now from our mothers. Rather, this means the start of our emotional connection with her – as she nourishes us, care for us and love us – away from the womb, but nearer to her heart. We may have been physically detached but we are emotionally attached to her from that day of our birth until the time we separate again.

We are connected in Jesus the same way. We may not be attached to Him via an umbilical cord, but emotionally, we are. We are dependent on Jesus for life, of course, but we are also dependent on Jesus for our lives to matter. If we remain attached to Jesus Christ, our lives will bear much fruit.

And without Him, we can do nothing! This is a very powerful statement. Everyday, we go about our lives without much conscious thought about Jesus. We go to work, we eat, we sleep. And through all those activities, God is with us, but we sometimes fail to thank Him for everything. Connect with Him and remain in Him for our own life and health. Let us live in a way that would make a difference to us and to others, remain connected to him in a meaningful way. He is the vine, the umbilical cord of our life. May we bear good fruits as we live our lives in total obedience to His will.

Almighty Father, we remain in You forever. Grant us a long and fruitful life. We pray that it be a life of goodness and peace, a life of blessing and sustenance and bodily vigor, a life free from sin and shame and reproach, a life of abundance and honor, a life in which the love of God and of our fellow men will ever be with us, a life in which all the desires of our hearts shall be fulfilled for our good.

Remain in Me, as I remain in You.

ELUSIVE PEACE

John 14:27

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.”

In our modern times, the word “peace” is an overused or even, an overabused word. Well, it is not bad to talk about peace always since everyone yearns for it. We have seen Gandhi and the Dalai Lama espousing peace in their own territories, choosing death and living in exile in order to, one day, achieve peace. But we also have the warmongers of the first world countries, sending fears down our spines to justify wars. For they believe that war is a solution in achieving peace.

Lately, there has been really a lot of talk of and about “peace”. But I doubt people have even taken the time to define what they think “peace” is. After all, if you look up “peace” you are likely to find at least five, if not twenty-five different definitions of the word—everything from “agreements to end hostility” to “silence.” Attaining world peace, as some beauty pageant contestants would aspire for, has been a challenge before and still a challenge today.

For it should always start from each one of us. We cannot expect peace if we cannot give peace. Jesus has given us this peace – peace of mind, peace at heart, inner peace. Jesus Christ is our peace, and in his death and resurrection, he gives God's peace to our world. Because we have been gifted with God's peace in the risen Christ, we are called to our own peace and to the making of peace in our world. As disciples and as children of God it is our task to seek for ways in which to make the forgiveness, justice and mercy, and love of God visible in a world where violence and enmity are too often the norm. Make peace the norm, then share that with others.

Almighty Father, God of Peace, forgive us our indifference and stamp out the prejudices that lead to hatred. Fill us with the reconciling spirit of your presence. Help us bring about mutual affection and understanding between us. Grant us Your peace, forgiveness and blessings through the same Christ, our Lord.

Amen +

“One sky, one beginning, one future, one destiny.
One broken heart, one earth, one mother. One God.”

“First keep the peace within yourself, then you can also bring peace to others.” – Thomas Kempis (writer, 1380-1471)

GIVE FOR LOVE

John 14:23

"Whoever loves Me will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him.”

In my high school days, I still remember that before we go to summer vacation, some of our classmates will ask me to fill up a “slumbook”. It is a pre-formatted notebook where you are asked to put information about yourself. One portion of the slumbook is where you are asked “What is Love?” I still remember that my response would always be “The more you give, the more you love”, in reference to that famous song of A Flock of Seagulls, “The More You Live, The More You Love”.

I am not really the one to say if I have lived my life following that quotation. Only God can decide and tell me. However, I did try and still trying to live a life of giving and unselfishness. God has shown us this by even giving His only Son so that His Life, Death and Resurrection could provide us with our salvation and eternal life with Him. This is the greatest act of love that the Lord is also expecting from us – to live our life for others so they may also feel the love of God in their lives through us.

Jesus is the Word who becomes flesh. The Word became flesh so that we might know God's love: “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.” The Word became flesh to be our model of holiness. The Word became flesh to make us “partakers of the divine nature”.

Believe in the Word and keep Him. The more we give, the more we love. Are we willing to give our life so others may live? Start by hearing His words and living a life devoted to Him. Invite Him to dwell in our hearts so we may live a life of holiness and be a model to others.

O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, Who, by the will of the Father, with the cooperation of the Holy Spirit, have by Your death given life to the world, deliver me by Your Most Sacred Body and Blood from all sins and from every evil. Make me always cling to Your commandments, and never permit me to be separated from You. Who with the same God the Father and the Holy Spirit, live and reign, God, world without end.

Amen +

Not to us, O Lord, but to Your Name give the glory.

HIS WORKS, OUR LIFE

John 14: 12

“…whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these…”

I have been watching American Idol and its Philippine counterpart – Pinoy Idol. It is really great watching talented individuals giving all their best. However, before these great winners became what they are now, they underwent grueling interviews, auditions, hours of practice, ridicules, excitement, joy and frustrations. Most would say that they are great fans of their idols. You can even see them imitating well-known singers and performers. They imitate them because they believe they are the greatest. They imitate them because they believe in what they do. They imitate them because they want to be them – or even better.

Jesus is our greatest idol. And we are His greatest fans. And we believe in Him not only because we read about Him. We idolize Him not just because we heard about Him. We are His greatest fans because we believe in everything that He stands for – love and peace!

As His greatest fans, it is only proper that we show this love to everyone. We should spend hours of reading His Words, accept being ridiculed, be excited in teaching others, share our joys and happiness and give back to Him our frustrations and disappointments, totally believing and trusting Him that everything will be alright.

We have not seen Jesus in person, and yet we put our faith in Him. It is by God’s grace that we have been given insight to ‘see’ spiritual things that our practical eyes can never see. That grace is given through our faith. And He calls us to give that “sight” to others so they may also receive His promise of love, peace and salvation. We can even be better, and He knows that and He believes we can. We are His chosen people. And by knowing that we should live our lives like His shall be our greatest source of joy and faith.

Almighty Father, I believe that You can do all things and I trust that in all things there is meaning and purpose. In You, I believe all things are possible. Everything will be alright, or even better, as I perform all the things You want me to do. I ask for the wisdom to serve you in all things I believe in You and I pray that my loved one will soon feel Your Grace.

Jesus Christ - A Way to walk, a Truth to proclaim, a Life to share.

WHATEVER YOU ASK

John 14: 13-14

And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.

Do you ask? Why do you ask? When do you ask? What was the last thing you asked? Was it given to you? What are you asking for now? Do you think it will be given to you? Have you even asked in the first place.

We pray to ask for things or help we need. We often need or want things or help which may seem impossible to obtain. But knowing that God is always listening to us when we pray according to His will, we can be confident that we have a Mighty Helper to provide for what we need. This knowledge gives us total assurance of an ever present help in time of need.

WHY DO WE PRAY:

1. We pray because we love God. We spend time with God in prayer and communion because we love him. We desire to be with Him and to fellowship with Him in proportion to our love for Him.

2. We pray because we depend on God. God is our source. He is our life. Through prayer we receive the comfort, the strength and all the other resources that we need in .

3. We need to pray in order to resist temptation. "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation (Mt. 26:41)”. Through lack of prayer, we are weak, others are weaker and Satan gains the advantage in our lives.

4. We need to pray because it is necessary for men to invite God to act in salvation. God gave the earth to Adam and His descendants. By inviting God into our lives and into our hearts, multitudes can be saved that would otherwise be lost.

+ Let us pray

Almighty Father, Your promise give us hope. You renew your promises in our hearts as we await the goal of our faith, even the saving of our souls eternally with You. Father, when we contemplate these things, we know that no praise is too extravagant. With hearts filled with awe and rejoicing, we thank You for this life which is given to us.

Amen +

“To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

NO MORE TROUBLE

John 14: 1,3

Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me… I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.

It was a very stressful week. We waited for the results, and it all disappointed us. We have not done our best and we have to pay for it. In effect, we have to do it faster, we have to do it right and we have to do it NOW! There are a lot of things that worry us and fill us with stress. Life, indeed, is filled with many disappointments.

Though our minds are often fairly quickly convinced that the problem is manageable, our emotions generally continue to be troubled for some time after. Though we cannot escape troubles in this world, we should do our best to make our hearts as still as the depths of the sea. Because of our troubled hearts, we cannot enjoy the blessings that we receive, our health is affected, and our ability to work effectively is affected too. Christians with troubled hearts cannot experience the joy of the Lord, are poor testimonies, and poor workers for Him.

We need to take God at His word. As Christians, God takes residence inside us and begins to reveal to us his plan for our lives. God has given us the user's manual of life. All we need is to read it, practice it and live our lives through it. If you're discontent, worried, anxious, bewildered, perplexed, confused, agitated, or otherwise in need of comfort, the reason is that you don't trust Him like you should. If you really trust Christ, what do you have to worry about?

"Let not your heart be troubled". If there is a single central message in Jesus' words, it is that the basis of comfort is simple, trusting faith.

Almighty Father, I praise Your name and I shout out with joy for Your presence in my life. We are not helpless, we are certainly not weak, for we are Your children. Turn our hearts toward worship, praise, and thanksgiving. To You be all the honor and glory!

“Troubled, disappointed, worried, confused hearts?
In You alone, in Your love, we always have a brand new start.”

He is the Way, the Truth and the Life!

YOUR HEART TODAY

John 13:20

Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.

We are all blessed! We are all loved! Can you feel Jesus in your heart today? Your lips may be smiling, but your heart may not be. You are happy, but your heart may not be. Seek Him, go to Him, stay with Him – receive Him fully in your life. And be His heart today – for your family, for your friends, for others. Receive Him as Your Savior, today!

Let me share with you another beautiful song.

Where there is fear I can allay;

Where there is pain I can heal

Where there are wounds I can bind;

And hunger I can fill

Lord, grant me courage;

Lord, grant me strength

Grant me compassion

That I may be Your heart today

Where there is hate I can confront;

Where there are yokes I can release

Where there are captives I can free;

And anger I can appease

When comes the day I dread; To see our broken world

Compel me from my cell grown cold; That Your people I may behold

Where there is fear I can allay;

Where there is pain I can heal

Where there are wounds I can bind;

And hunger I can fill

And when I've done all that I could

Yet there are hearts I cannot move

Lord, give me hope

That I may be Your heart today

Almighty Father, today I make a decision to receive Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of my life. I turn from my sin and ask You to forgive me. Thank You for loving me so much that You gave Your Son, Jesus Christ, for me so that I now have redemption through His blood and can be called your child. Today, I give You my life and be Your heart today for others. I will serve You all the days of my life and willingly yield myself to You. Fill me now with Your Holy Spirit so I can be Your witness on this earth and live a life pleasing unto You. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen +

For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

A MARRIED LIFE

John 12:47

“And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I do not condemn him… I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world”.

Today is our wedding anniversary. It has been 14 years already when I married the most wonderful woman on earth. Our marriage started like many other marriages. We experienced a romantic courtship and thoroughly enjoyed being together. We laughed, played, and prayed together. At times, we experience disagreements that will at times force us to realize that the person you married seems to have disappeared. And 14 years after, we still have problems. We still disagree. There are even times when we don't like each other.

However, having problems doesn't mean we have a problematic marriage. I may sometime does not follow what she wants and vice versa. However, this is not enough reason for her to condemn me forever and go out of our marriage. Through the years, we have faced problems and challenges and see them not only as obstacles to our survival but, in God's hands, as opportunities for increased satisfaction.

May the Lord continue to bless our marriage. And now we are wiser about our frailties and limitations. We are now more aware of our complete dependence upon God. Each one of us may have committed mistakes in the past but we now know that it should not be enough reason to condemn the other. Jesus did not condemn us for our sins. Having come face to face with our own sinfulness, we are more sensitive and compassionate towards the weaknesses of one another. Most of all, we are grateful for God's unconditional love, and the chance to begin anew.

Almighty Father, I thank you today for the marriage that you have blessed me with, and the gift that you gave me in my wife, Tonet. I thank you for the 2 wonderful children – Mark and Shiela, you have blessed us with. I know that without the Holy Spirit in our lives, nothing we could have said and did would have made a difference. I pray for all the marriages, that they would be strengthened daily, and blessed as well. I pray all this in Jesus Holy Name.

Amen +

“You don't marry someone you can live with, you marry the person whom you cannot live without.”

OUR NAME, OUR PRIDE

Acts 11:26

…and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.

You will often see the same names used over and over again in families. While certain names are popular in some families or in different times in history, the repetition could represent a pattern. In my case, my real name is Roberto, Jr. – a junior, since my father had the same name, or more accurately, I was named after my father. In a Filipino family, the surname is important. No one should act in such a way that you blemish the surname of your family. Or else, you risk being disowned. Your family’s surname should be a source of honor and pride.

Today, the followers of Jesus are called Christians. Actually, it started way back in Antioch, which is now a part of Turkey. And being a Christian should be a source of joy and honor for us. However, being a Christian must involve living a life dedicated and committed to Jesus. It is not just a tag or a name. It means total obedience to the living Lord. We need to PERSEVERE in our faith, knowing that one day we will receive our reward. This perseverance also includes encouraging fellow-Christians to live that life of commitment.

We are Christians. And the world shall recognize us as the true disciples of Jesus -- not just by what we say or what we believe or what we do or even the soundness of our theology, but by our love. Something has fundamentally changed within us. Being Christians is not a walk in the park. Our Lord has shown us that being Christians means living our life for others. And as Christians, we should keep the Lord in our hearts forever. For without “CHRIST”, what is left is “IAN” or I Am Nothing!

Almighty Father, You renew Your promises in our hearts as we await the goal of our faith, even the saving of our souls eternally with you. Father, when we contemplate these things, we know that no praise is too extravagant. With hearts filled with awe and rejoicing, we thank You for his life which is given to us.

“We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
They will know we are Christians by our love”.

All you nations, praise the Lord.

FOLLOW HIS VOICE

John 10:11

“I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

In present times, maybe as in old, a dog is called man’s best friend. I still remember my dog, Tootsie, who would wag his tail when she hears my voice. Moreover, she would bark once she hears uncommon sounds or voice. She knows how and when to protect herself and of course, us.

A sheep is no different from a dog. The sheep follows his master’s voice, “because they recognize his voice. But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers”. And as such, we all are sheeps and Jesus is our good shepherd. Like a good shepherd, he “lays down his life for the sheep”. He came to protect us by giving his life for us. He did this so that we might enjoy life to its fullest and have the hope of living forever.

When we got lost, He would simply call us to return back to the sheepfold. Some of us may not hear Him the first time. But He would constantly call us, knowing that one day, we would heed that call. And to hear that call, use not our ears, but our hearts. He knocks at our hearts, so we may feel His love and know Him more. None of us is good enough to merit God's favor; only Jesus Christ is. We, then, had better make our way to Him! And this is precisely what He invites us to do – “That one who believingly abandons himself to me and to my care, I will take him and keep him forever”.

Jesus' claim to be the "Good Shepherd" is a well-supported one. He proved it very well. He died for His sheeps so we may be saved. And for those of us who are trusting in Him for salvation, He continues to prove it every day with satisfying tokens of His love.

Almighty Father, give me new strength from the courage of Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. He is our Good Shepherd. Let me hear the sound of His voice, lead my steps in the path He has shown, that I may receive His help and enjoy the light of Your presence forever.

“Your goodness fails me never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing Your praise
Within Your house forever.”

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

ENTER NOW

John 10:9

“I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture”.

I read somewhere in the internet the characteristics of a common Filipino house. Some of them I mention below:

1. You own a Karaoke system.
2. You own a piano that no one ever plays.
3. Your house has too many "burloloys" (decorations/ trimmings).
4. You have two or three pairs of "tsinelas" (slippers) on your doorstep
5. Your house has an ornate wrought iron gate in front of it.

Really true. Especially the last one. I still remember the day when my father “invested” on putting up wooden fence with wooden gate around our house frontage. They decided to put it there to keep away strangers from just knocking on the front door. With the fence, they would just call-out from the outside. It was a protection, so no one can just barge in to the house. It was a protection, so whoever inside the house is will be safe.

Similarly, Jesus is offering Himself to be the gate where everyone can enter so we can find and experience green pasture. Jesus is the gate and only through Him will we enter Heaven. Jesus is the gate who gives those who pass in and out through it enough identity to feel secure and yet enough freedom to remain open to others, as God is open to others. Just like a shepherd who calls on his flock to finally enter the fenced sheepfold so they may be safe from harm, Jesus is also calling us to enter Him. Christ our good shepherd tells us where we should direct our steps. We just need to listen for his voice. And the best way to hear his soft yet firm voice is by being faithful to our conscience, the divine voice within us.

Enter through Him. The Lord awaits us as He prepares a greener pasture.

Almighty Father, we heard Your call and we follow Your voice for we totally trust You. Thank You for the gift of salvation as we enter Heaven through Your Son, Jesus Christ.

“Your tender voice we hear, as we come and follow You;
We know You prepared a better place for us, out of love so true.”

The Lord is my shepherd… He refreshes my soul.

TO HIM SHALL WE GO

John 6:68-69

Master, to whom shall we go? We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.

Something happened and we need money. We looked at our savings and it is not enough. You asked, “to whom shall I go?” You need to start a new business but lots of permits and licenses are needed to be approved. You asked, “to whom shall I go?” You have problems stacking-up over you and you do not know anymore what to do. You asked, “to whom shall I go?”

The question, "To whom shall we go?" suggests that we do need someone to whom we may go – most of the time, for help or to ask for favor. In the gospel today, many of Jesus’ disciples “returned to their former way of life and no longer walked with him”. They thought joining Jesus is fun. They thought joining Jesus would mean having food on the table always. Most of the multitudes did not see in Jesus what they wanted, what they desired. They only saw what they could get out of following Him.

Jesus did not come to this earth to make it a better place to live, to offer fun and recreation to mankind. He did not die upon that cruel cross in order for man to have a good time. He died to save us. Where else will we find one such as HIM? Here is one who can lift us above the things of the world. Here is one who can lift us through bad surroundings, through failures, through difficulties, through trials. Standing alone we may not be able to succeed, but with Jesus by our side, we can.

“To whom shall we go?” You, and I need, someone to whom we must go. Someone who is dependable and trustworthy. Someone who can meet our every need. Jesus is the answer. He offers what no one else can offer. He can give you hope. He can bestow upon you spiritual blessings. He can give you freedom from sins. He can bring you home to the Heavenly Father when our days on this earth are finished.

“To whom shall we go?” The only one is Christ.

Almighty Father, only You can satisfy our needs. Only to you shall we go. For your Spirit gives life; the words You have spoken heals us. We accept Your invitation of being in Your love forever.

How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good He has done for me?

SPIRITUAL HUNGER

John 6:58

“This is the bread that came down from heaven… whoever eats this bread will live forever.”

In the past few days, the gospel dwelt on John 6 and focused on Spiritual Hunger. In our lives, we experienced grief, depression, anger and fear. Our spirit becomes weak, we become agitated, falling into temptations and losing confidence in ourselves and to God.

Our bodies are more than just a physical-being, we are created with a mind, a body, and a spirit. Each one of these elements completes and balance us. If one of these is out of balance, we feel lost and hopeless. We become malnourished. In effect, our entire body becomes weak and vulnerable to making less accurate decisions. So, just as we need food to nourish our bodies, we also need mental food for our minds and spiritual food for our spirits. Jesus is the bread of life that nourishes us and keeps us from hunger and thirst. Without Him we will always be hungry and looking for something to feed on.

Jesus cares about our hunger. Jesus never gives up on us. As soon as He sees us falling away from Him - searching for nourishment in other ways - He pulls us on until we realize that He is what we really needed in the first place. Go to Jesus, talk to Him, sing to Him, read His Words.

As you begin to focus on Him you become at peace and know that you are not alone and that Jesus is right there with you and will take care of all your needs. Jesus is the bread of life that becomes the spiritual food we need to nourish our spirits, which then gives us the mental nourishment we need for our bodies, minds and souls.

Almighty Father, only You gives and sustains life. We are helpless before both physical and spiritual death. You have given us the grace of life through Jesus' giving of His life for us and to us. You have given us power over physical death through his resurrection. This is beyond our understanding; yet we believe. Our belief is renewed and strengthened today. While sharing this life together, we drink the cup together with deepest gratitude and reverent praise.

Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.