PRICELESS

Matthew 10:8 - "Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons.  Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give."

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When I do consulting jobs, my first question is “what is your budget” for this project.  When someone tries to employ me, the first thing that comes into my mind is “that the pay should be better than what I get now”.

The Lord could have done the same during His public ministry.  Asking for money in exchange for some miracles.

Imagine this:

          Healing leprosy… 100 dinari

          Making you see again… 200 dinari

          Making a dead alive… 1,000 dinari

          Multiplication of loaves… 50 dinari

But this was not the case.

This is not what He taught to His disciples. 

Rather, Jesus gives his apostles a lesson about what is priceless –

SERVING: Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.

So the challenge is to give away what you’ve received.  Don’t worry about what it is, or how much you have, or how it stacks up against what anyone else has received. 

Just give it away! 

It is really hard to do, for we are all attached to these material things.  But in giving, we will gain heaven – that is everything!  That is, PRICELESS!

+ Let us pray:  Almighty Father, in Your infinite riches, You have given me everything I have.  Show me today how and where to give it away.  I believe that even as I do, You will fill me with more and more.  Amen +

ON THE ROCKS

Matthew 7:24 - “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.”

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Family…

Ah yes, we always think about them, we always care about them, we always see to it that we keep them forever.

But are we making sure that we are built a solid foundation in our family life so that it will not collapse?  Are we making sure that our spouses and kids would act and live as what God wants, so our marriage will not go to waste?

Are we making sure that our home is built on rock?

Building a house on sand means placing our hopes and certainties in unstable and unpredictable things that cannot stand the winds and scorns of time.  All it takes to bring everything crashing down is just a little more work, a little time out to enjoy myself… and that “little” would start to get bigger and bigger…

This has got to stop.  

From now on, let us take the time to appreciate everything that God have already done and given us.  And let us start with our own family.

Continue to build your house on rock.  And let us start with thanksgiving and praise.  For giving our family to us, let us thank Him fully.

+ Let us pray:  Almighty Father, we should always believe and put our faith in You, Oh God.  We have been demanding a lot from You lately, of things that we may not need.  And instead of waiting, we show doubt and more disappointment for our faith is rooted on sand.  Teach us to build our faith on solid ground and act on Your Words faithfully and obediently.  Amen +

OF LOAVES AND FISHES

Matthew 15:37 - "They all ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets full".
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It was the end of the day, and people are hungry. 

It was getting dark, with children crying and people looking for something to eat. Worse, the disciples doesn’t even know what to do. 

And Jesus, being a good host, “was moved with compassion for them”. “You give them something to eat”, He said. 

And something to eat, they found – but only five loaves of bread and two fish. 

Jesus did not panicked – in fact, He never panics! 

He blessed the bread and the fish, and was able to feed the five-thousand. And there were even leftovers! He produced so much for so many, and so much more.

Jesus does not only solve our problems, He does it with more abundance than we could ask for or even imagine. Therefore, we must release our resources to Him in trust. And it must be accompanied by our learning to trust Him by doing what He asks, even if we have no idea where He is going with it.

In this season of Christmas, we would again be blessed with so much material things and gifts. 

But let us not forget the true gift of the season – the blessing of having the Gospel of salvation. We are stewards of what the Lord has given us and we have a responsibility to share with others the same thing that He has shared with us. 

And we'll be there to pick up the left-over pieces and marvel the weight of his abundance.

“How many loaves do you have? Go, see and share.”

+ Let us pray:  Almighty Father, feed us with Your words and love. You will provide for us, forever. Here are my small resources. I offer them to you unconditionally. Our job is to have faith that You will; to trust in You; and to pray without ceasing so we may live in Your love. Amen +

OUR FATHER

Luke 10:21 - "Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, 'I give You praise Father, Lord of heaven and earth...'
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Like father, like son. 

As a son, our father is our role model.  He is the one we go to for wisdom, understanding, and knowledge.  He guides our first steps, and teaches us how to live throughout our lives. 

While my father is not perfect, in my eyes and in the eyes of his children, he is perfect.  He was the one who put God first in our minds and our hearts, and showed love to others by the way he chose to serve others and his family.

Christ bore the both the image of the earthly and the image of the heavenly.  

Seeing the imagery of the father and son relationship is very important. God desires a personal relationship with us. Though at times our trails and temptations may result in much suffering, there is light at the end of the tunnel.  We go to Him through thick and thin.

Therefore, the next time that you feel like you have let your father down, or failed to live up to his expectations for you, just remember that Jesus Christ, the perfectly obedient son, has given his righteousness to us, and has brought perfect satisfaction to our father as we are identified in Jesus Christ.

Live in Him, live with Him.  We cannot do anything unless it’s His will.  

And we cannot will anything, unless He allows us to do it.

+Let us pray:  Almighty Father, we thank You for our earthly fathers, those to whom You have entrusted the responsibility to provide loving protection and guidance of their families.  May Your Holy Spirit constantly inspire them with justice and mercy, wisdom and strength, fidelity and self-giving love.  Amen +