UNWELCOMED SURPRISES

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion.

-Isaiah 30:18

The world is full of surprises – some of which are not welcomed. A position opens up in your company, and you express an interest in it. But when your boss interviews you, he says management has decided to no longer fill that position, but to eliminate your job as well!

Your phone rings one evening after you have retired. “Who could be calling at this hour?” you wonder. It is a friend telling of a death in the family.

How do you handle unwelcomed surprises? Psychologists call it “Coping.” Others say with resignation, “That’s life!” When unexpected surprises come our way, we fight them and become bitter, or we reach out for the grace of God and become better because of what we have endured.

What is this gift called “grace?” It is God’s help that enables you to cope with unwelcomed surprises of life.

Long ago, the Apostle Paul faced many unwanted surprises, yet he welcomed them. In responding to what he called “A thorn in the flesh” Paul said, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:8-10).

When unwelcomed surprises confront you, learn about God’s grace and you will also find strength to cope. It’s worth discovering.

GROWING OLD GRACIOUSLY

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom

-Psalm 90:12

“Dear Dr.Sala, would you have any suggestions to help people who have reached their 80s and feel very useless at times? I am 82, in a wheelchair and have little energy.”

One: Come to grips with the fact that you are here by the will of God. God makes no mistakes, “In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will.” –Ephesians 1:11

Two: Realize that your true value as a person is dependent on your character and not your productivity. As we age, we tend to think that we are worth little unless we are producing. The Bible tells us that you are valuable not because of what you do, but because of what you are. Paintings and fine books become more valuable with age, and so it is with people.

Three: Accept your lessening strength with grace. “I greet each day as a gift,” says Beatrice Cole, at age 90. She says that the last decade, from age 80 to 90, has been the best gift of her life although she has been alone most of the time.

Four: Force yourself to get out and mix with people. “After I lost Ethel,” says Frank Emery, “I forced myself to get out, to travel, to play golf, to be with people. It was the only way I could beat the loneliness.”

Five: Refuse to accept defeat at your own hand. Loneliness never leaves us where it finds us. We either greet it as a friend or as an enemy. As a friend, loneliness can cause us to reach out and make new friendships and enrich our lives.

WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS

“Keep your lives free from the love of money because God has said, Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

-Hebrews 13:5

Long ago, Jesus said, “Do not store up yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).

It seems to me that our generation has its value system upside down. We aren’t willing to wait for anything tomorrow; it must be ours today. So much of our time is spent in the pursuit of “things” that we have lost sight of what really counts. It often takes a tragedy to understand this.

When a friend and I were finishing on the end of a pier, we noticed smoke coming out of a nearby house. We raced for the humble little cottage but it was too late. Flames were coming out the doors and had turned into a raging inferno. We learned that an oil furnace had exploded, and the house had almost instantly been enveloped in fire.

Outside stood the young father and mother and a little girl of about seven. The mother was crying and the dad was wringing his hands as in anguish he cried, “My God, all is lost.” The little girl reached up and took her daddy’s hand saying, “All’s not lost, Daddy, you got Mommy and Me!”

Houses can be rebuilt, but relationships endure long after the taste of material success has turned to ashes. What’s gone wrong that causes us to place greater value on things than people; that considers gold and glitter more important than love and friendship?

Jesus said, “Lay up treasures in heaven for where your treasure is your heart will be also.” The treasures that really count can’t be measured in gold and silver. Think about it.

THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Words will never pass away.”

-Matthew 24:35

It has finally happened: the long-awaited Dead Sea scrolls are now available for scholarly translation. We will soon learn why Israeli officials have withheld releasing the translation of these very important documents.

The whole controversy centers around some 800 different fragments or scrolls which were written between the year 200 B.C. and A.D. 67. The scrolls which had been meticulously copied by members of the Qumran Community (an ascetic, monastic group) had been hidden in caves. In their wildest nightmare, monks never thought that for almost 2000 years the scrolls would remain hidden until they were discovered in the twentieth century. Dr.William F. Albright, an authority on biblical antiquities, called the Isaiah scroll, “The most important discovery ever made in Old Testament manuscripts.”

Of the 800 documents of the collection, about 127 are biblical texts including portions of every Old Testament writings, there have been no known New Testament fragments found on public record.

Why are the scrolls important? If the text of the Bible had been corrupted or altered, comparing these very old copies of scripture with modern ones would indicate that quickly. Are they different? The answer is no! Analyzing the most important one, the Isaiah scroll, scholars conclude there are no doctrinal differences at all, only minor differences in spelling and the syntax of sentences. That is extremely significant.

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED

“People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have Him touch them.”

-Luke 18:15

When writer Elisabeth Elliot visited Dohnavur Fellowship in South India to do research for a book on the life of Amy Carmichael, she met Pungaja, a remarkable woman working with the mentally incompetent. Pungaja herself was handicapped by the loss of one eye.

When asked how she had become involve in such a work, Pungaja explained that one day, tremendously burdened by life, she went to Amy Carmichael who was affectionately called Amma by nationals of India. “When she hugged me,” she said, “All of my burdens went away!” The Indian men and women who followed Amy Carmichael’s footsteps in serving others have been witnessed to her life.

Have you ever considered the impact of a loving touch? There were times when Jesus healed sickness with a command. But there were other occasions when He reached out and touched someone. He touched the leper who went through life crying, “Unclean, unclean!” He touched the blind man by the gate of Jericho and He still touches those who are neglected by society today.

People respond to the loving touch. A family counselor says that most unwanted teenage pregnancies could be prevented if a father only hugged his teenage daughter everyday.

“Is any sick among you?” wrote James to the infant church almost 2000 years ago, “Let him call for the elders of the Church; and let them pray over him, anointing him in the name of the Lord” (James 5:14). There is healing in the touch of love and faith.

GOOD NEWS

“For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit”

-Hebrews 4:12

Crucial debate in the Russian parliament came to a halt as legislators, policemen, cooks, secretaries, and bureaucrats rushed into the main hall. Had a fire alarm sounded? Was another coup in progress? No, the Moscow Bible Society was giving away Bibles, New Testaments and a special edition of a Children’s Bible – an unprecedented event in the 70-year communist government. Some 6,000 volumes were given away, and as the supply dwindlend, “clamor gave way to near chaos,” an official reported.

In the same month that Bibles were being distributed in Russia, individuals inside China were being arrested for receiving them. Chinese officials learned of a pipeline of Bibles being carried from HongKong to individuals inside China. Local authorities informed believers that Bibles were being brought in, and asked them to meet a certain train. Local believers came but they were met by the arresting officers.

A very limited numbers of Bibles are available for purchase in China today through government-approved sources. These demand to know details about the buyer, information which many people are reluctant to disclose, with the arrests and imprisonment of the Cultural Revolution still fresh in their minds.

The Bible continues to be the world’s best-loved and most widely distributed book. Books of the Bible have been printed in 1,646 languages and dialects, according to the United Bible Society. Complete Bibles have been published in 318 languages as of the end of 1990.

FRIENDSHIP – TELL THEM NOW

“A friend loves at all times.”

-Proverbs 17:17

Have you ever had the feeling that you ought to pick up the phone and call someone, or drop by for a visit, but then someone interrupted you, or your phone rang?

Charles Hanson Towne knew something of this when he wrote the following poem:

Around the corner I have a friend,

In this city that has no end;

Yet day’s go by, and weeks rush on,

And before I know it a year has gone,

And I never see my old friend’s face,

For life is a swift and terrible race.

He knows I like him just as well

As in the days when I rang his bell

And rang mine.

We were younger then

And now we are busy, tired men:

Tired with playing a foolish game,

Tired with trying to make a name,

“Tomorrow,” I say, “I will call on Jim,”

Just to show that I am thinking of him.

But tomorrow comes – and tomorrow goes,

And the distance between us grows and grows

Around the corner, but miles away..

“Here’s a telegram, Jim died today.”

And that’s what we get, and deserve in the end:

Around the corner, a lost friend.

Your life will be a great deal more cheerful if you take advantage of the opportunity to say, “Thank You,” or “I Love You,” or “I Appreciate what you have done.” Never make the mistake of thinking that he knows, or she knows. Tell him. Tell her.

FORGIVE THEM

“The Lord forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.”

-Psalm 103:3

Sigmund Freud, the Austrian psychiatrist, said, “One must forgive one’s enemies, but not before they have been hanged.” I thought of those words as I spoke with a dignified, cultured woman in her 70’s. She had grown up with loyalty instilled in her, but someone betrayed her, and that person became an enemy until death.

But late in life, she had been forced to reexamine this.  Jesus Christ had become real to her. He said, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:14, 15). This last part got to her. She said, “If God won’t forgive me unless I forgive my enemies, I guess I had better learn how to do it.”

What does forgiveness do?

First: It breaks down the door of the prison where you have been both prisoner and jailer. Bitterness has imprisoned you, and your isolation from someone who was once your friend has nailed shut the door. Life is far too short to be lived with anger and hatred.

Second: Forgiveness restores and heals broken relationships. “I’d so much like my brother to come to my wedding,” a man told his counselor. “Well, why don’t you invite him.” There was a long pause as the man said, “Something happened and we just drifted apart.” Drifting apart is the result of an unforgiving spirit. To forgive reverses that trend and brings you back towards each other.

Third: Forgiveness also add years to your life and health to your soul. Make a study of those who have lived over 80 years and you will find people who are at peace with themselves and have learned to forgive their enemies.

COMPASSION

“The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.”

-James 5:11

When C.Leslie Miller was chatting with an elderly surgeon friend, he asked, “Doctor, do you ever worry about the time when your fingers will lose their skills?” The doctor paused and then replied, “No, but I do confess that at times I worry that the day may come when my heart will no longer feel the suffering of my patients.” What he was describing was “Compassion.” Another man put it, “Better that your heart has no words than your words have no heart.” The Greek word for compassion literally means to “Suffer with someone.” It means you feel what they feel – you hurt where they hurt.

Many of our problems could be solved if we learn to hurt where others hurt. Jesus did this. When He was criticized for eating with tax-gatherers and sinners, Jesus replied, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  But go and learn what this means..” (Matthew 9:12, 13.)

How can your heart feel again? First – ask God to break up the hardness of your heart. We have become desensitized by our video-saturated world. We think of tenderness as weakness rather than strength. We need to learn that it’s okay to cry, feel, and respond to our emotions. Read 2 Timothy 3, and note how Paul’s words are a description of so many today.

Second, take a genuine interest in others. The heart has an amazing capacity to love, provided it is not suffocating with self-love.

Finally – reach out and touch somebody who is hurting. You won’t have to go very far for the world is full of hurting people. When you reach out, you will discover that healing comes for your needs as well.

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.”

-Psalm 37:7

Animal lovers recognize that only the dog who trusts his master will lie on his back while you scratch his chest because in that position, it is totally vulnerable. So it is with us – nothing makes us more helpless than being in the position of having played out our options. There is nothing more we can do except trust God.

About 3,000 years ago, God addressed this issue as He said, “Be still and know that I Am God” (Psalm 46:10). The word translated “Be still” also means “Relax, let go, stop pushing.” Is anything so contrary to our nature? But there are times and situations which are beyond our scope and power to fix, and it is then that God says, “Be still and know that I Am God.”

In her book “The Edges of His Ways”, Amy Carmichael wrote, “There is no command in the whole Bible so difficult to obey and so penetrating in power, as the command to be still.” Amy Carmichael was never a woman to sit idly by and do nothing when she saw difficulty. Working in India among the outcasts, Amy began to notice with horror that thousands of little girls were temple prostitutes. Rising to do battle with this evil, she spent her life rescuing them and establishing training schools for them. Yet Amy learned through difficulty and physical pain, that there are times when we only do nothing but wait upon the Lord.

God not only tells us to be still, but adds a second command, “Know that I Am God!” Meditation or being quiet may have some therapeutic value. Taking time from a busy schedule never hurts anyone, but just slowing down isn’t enough. Understanding that God is God gives meaning to what otherwise would be a hopeless situation.

NESTOR SARMIENTO

You are a man who drive and let the wind rustle through your skin. You are a man who make people around you feel alive. You are a type of person that brings good energy wherever you go, and the type of person people want to be around. I hope you will continue to live louder, shine brighter from this moment on.

#NestorYang

#NeYa

NESTOR SARMIENTO

Deserve natin na paggising ng umaga ay maramdaman nating espesyal tayo sa isang tao. Deserve din natin na pagkatapos ng nakakapagod na araw ay maramdaman nating hindi tayo nag-iisa.

We deserve to fall in love. We deserve to wake up one day and know we are with the right person and we will never doubt that.

#NestorYang

#NeYa

cabreraflorina.blogspot.com

Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.

A negative mind will never give you a positive life.

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