PRAYER FOR COVID19 PANDEMIC

Lord, we come before Your throne of mercy.

In these trying times, when circumstances seem uncertain, we cling to the only One who is certain: YOU.

We cling to Your promises: that no weapon formed against us shall prevail (Isaiah 54:17). That eventhough we walk through the darkest valley, You are with us (Psalm 23:4). That You are our stronghold in times of trouble (Psalm 9:9). And that Your mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23).

We cling to Your Person: That You are mighty and powerful, faithful and loving. That You are our Healer, our Protector, our Shelter. That You are Peace, Hope, Joy. That You are GOD.

We claim these, not just for ourselves, but for the world. For every person stricken by COVID-19. For the weak, the elderly, and the vulnerable. For those with no access to food, shelter, and medical supplies. For every troubled and anxious heart. For those who have lost a loved one. For every health worker and medical frontliner. For the experts finding a cure. For every world leader and government official.

We know that this pandemic would end. Still, as we wait for that day to come, we pray that You strengthen our faith in You and deepen our love and compassion for each other.

This we pray, in the Name that is above every name, Jesus. Amen.

DEAR LORD

Lord, I love You with all of my heart, with all of my soul, with all of my mind, and with all of my strength. I belong to You and You belong to me. My life is all Yours.

Love,

Yang.

DEAR GOD

Have I told You lately that I love You? Cause I do.

Everyday You show me Your love in so many ways.

You are so good to me.

I want You to know once again that I gave You my life.

I love You.

You are my everything.

With all my love,

Me

NestorYang

“Nabalian ata ako ng buto. Nahulog kasi ako sa iyo.”

“I forgot your name, can I call you Mine?”

“Jacket ka ba? Kasi gusto kitang kayakap habang malamig ang gabi.”

“Leggings ka ba? Kasi ikaw ang Leggings nasa isip ko eh (nese yo ne eng lehet)”

“Aanhin niyo pa ang bahay niyo kung nakatira ka na sa puso ko?”

“Baby, you make me feel beautiful, love, protected and taken care of. You make me a better person and I don’t ever want to live my life without you by my side. Thank you for being mine. I love you most”

Yang: Pumikit ka

Nestor: Nakapikit na

Yang: Madilim di ba?

Nestor: Oo

Yang: Ganyan kadilim ang mundo ko kapag iiwan mo ko

Yang: Nakadilat ka?

Nestor: Oo

Yang: Maliwanag di ba?

Nestor: Oo

Yang: Ganyan naman kaliwanag ang mundo ko ng dumating ka sa buhay ko

“Licensed Driver ka ba? Kasi you’re driving me crazy.”

“Gusto kong magpa-picture sa iyo para naman ma-develop tayo.”

“Nasaan na iyong shades ko Mahal? Nasisilaw kasi ako sa kaguwapuhan mo?”

“Mahal, jeep ka ba? Para kasi ako sa iyo.”

“Hindi ako del monte pineapple juice pero I am good for your heart.”

“Araw ka ba? Kasi tuwing ngumingiti ka ay lumiliwanag ang mundo ko.”

“Crayola ka ba? Kasi binigyan mo ng kulay ang mundo ko.”

“Sa iyo na Philhealth ko, sayo na rin SSS ko, basta sakin ang Pag-Ibig mo.”

“Sabi nila may anting-anting ako pero di nila alam na Diyos ang dahilan ko.”

“Mahal, Philippines ka ba? Kasit it’s more fun kapag kasama kita.”

“Mahal, Ice Tea ka ba? Kasi kapag kasama kita, bottomless ang saya.”

“Mahal, anong ipinagkaiba namin ni Rizal? Si Rizal sa likod tinamaan, ako sa iyo tinamaan.”

“Mahal, anong ipinagkaiba niyo ni Rizal? Siya nasa Piso, ikaw nasa Puso ko.”

“Lockdown ka ba? Kasi kahit mag-Lockdown, sa iyo lang ako naka-Lockdown.”

“Ang ganda ng umaga because of you. Ang ganda ng panaginip ko because of you. Sabi nila maybe because nami-Miss kita.”

“Ang hirap talaga mabuhay araw-araw kapag kulang katulad ng bahay na walang ilaw, ng kanin na walang ulam, ng cellphone na walang load at mahirap mabuhay pag ikaw ay wala sa buhay ko.”

“Ang  pag-ibig ko sa iyo ay parang paghinga. Bakit ko titigilan kung alam kong hindi ko kaya.”

“Importante ba ang salitang I love you? Para sa akin mas importante ka. Paano ko masasabi ang I love you kung wala ka?”

“Sa tamang panahon, may isang taong magpapatunay sa iyo kung bakit ka para sa kanya at kung hindi ka para sa iba.”

“May stiff neck ata ako, ikaw lang kasi tinitingala ko.”

“Kung magiging bansa ka gusto ko Italy ka para ma-italy kita sa puso ko.”

“L-ove you

O-nly you

Very-very much

E-veryday more and more”

“Love is not a feeling. It is a choice. Love is not something you do when it feels easy. It is something that is only proven and strengthened by the fires that refine it.”

“The distance that we are experiencing is temporary. But the love we share is permanent.”

“Whatever happens, I’ll promise to make you happy.”

“ILYSM. IMYSM.”

“LDR-LockDownRelationship”

“I Love you sa umaga. I Love you sa tanghali. I Love you sa gabi. Ganyan kita kamahal. Ayieeh.”

“Hindi na ako gagamit ng google kasi ng nakilala kita, the search is over.”

“To my favorite person, I miss you a lot, be safe everyday, I love you.”

“Alam mo ba kung gaano kita kamahal? Konti na lang, lagpas ulap na.”

“Nung makita kita, na-lowbat ako. Na-lowbat first sight.”

“Ang pera ay ginawa para gastusin. Ang pagkain ay ginawa para kainin. At ang puso mo ay ginawa para sa akin.”

I LOVE YOU EVERYDAY LIKE MILO EVERYDAY. MAHAL NA MAHAL KITA MAHAL KO. MALAYO KA MAN SA AKIN IKAW LANG ANG MAMAHALIN KO.

“One day someone will walk into your life and get it right where everyone else got it wrong. One day you won’t have to wait for a call or a textback. One day you won’t be the only one giving your all. One day you’ll finally meet someone who wants to help you grow in life. One day you’ll finally meet someone who isn’t afraid to give love another chance. One day you’ll finally meet someone you can trust with everything. One day you’ll have your bestfriend, your biggest supporter and our teammate all wrapped up into one person.”

NEYA

IVE BEEN THROUGH A LOT OF PAIN

And in those heartbreaking moments, in those nights I stayed up late, crying alone, You showed up. You met me in my mess. In my brokenness, Your love embraced all that I am making me feel whole and enough, secured and loved. If losing everything means to know You more, let it be. If pain is what it takes to experience that steadfast and unfailing love, let it be. In my life, nothing’s more important than You, oh God.

ILYSM Lord God,

cabreraflorina.blogspot.com

ios.florinac@gmail.com

SURVIVING ECONOMIC COLLAPSE

“Pay all your debts except the debt of love for others – never finish paying that!”

-Romans 13:8

Is the world headed for economic collapse by the year 2000? In his book, “The coming economic earthquake,” Larry Burkett, a popular Christian financial counselor, believes it may be well so. Is there anything that you can do personally to make your financial position stronger in the future?

1.FIND OUT HOW MUCH YOU OWE AND WHAT YOU ARE PAYING IN INTEREST ON YOUR OUTSTANDING OBLIGATIONS. Don’t be like the friend who didn’t bother to even open his bills as they came.

2.GET HELP NOW. For years I have encouraged churches to set up a stewardship department made up of successful businessmen who can give of their time in helping families and young couples handle their finances.

3.GET OUT OF DEBT. Debt is your inability to pay what you owe when it is due. The primary exception to this is your home, which in all probability will increase in value over a period of time. So before you buy anything better, find out what the conditions are. If there is anything you don’t understand, get someone who will advise you.

4.START PAYING CASH FOR WHAT YOU BUY. Larry Burkett offers recipe for getting out of credit card debt. “Preheat your oven to 425 degrees, grease a cookie pan, toss your credit cards on it, and bake ten minutes or until done.”

5.WORK TOGETHER AS A COUPLE AND FAMILY. When you marry, you make a commitment to each other, and money is a part of it.

6.AKCNOWLEDGE THAT WHEN YOU HAVE BELONGS TO THE LORD BY INCLUDING GOD IN YOUR BUDGET AND GIVING. Failure here probably began your downhill slide to trouble. Go deeper into investigating what God says about money and our lives.

BORROWING FROM THE FUTURE

“The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the leader.”

-Proverbs 22:7

Whether it is the government, the Church, or the family, there is a fault common to all three. We’re borrowing from the future to pay yesterday’s bills. World economic advisors content that in the past ten years the average family has spent 102 percent of its income.

We have two choices: (1) bring spending into line with income, or, (2) increase the cash flow. Borrowing money isn’t the solution. Like an alcoholic stupor, it only sedates the conscience and postpones the moment of truth. A lot of people and institutions hope to outlive their problem, but few actually do. Scripture says, “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the leader” (Proverbs 22:7). Our economic problems today are the result of three fatal attitudes:

1.Borrowing more money is the solution to my problem.

-An economic professor who filed for bankruptcy was interviewed on TV by a reporter, who asked how he could get into trouble financially when he knew better. His reply, “It was my credit cards. I kept thinking I would catch up with them but they caught up with me.”

2.I’ve got to have it now.

-Indulgence is like a dynamite needs. Learn to sift your wants from your needs. Realize that God’s promise of provision extends only to your needs, not your wishes or wants.

3.Ignorance.

Interviews of several thousand people in deep financial trouble revealed that most of them neither knew how much they owed nor how much interest they were paying on their debt. When Paul wrote, “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another” (Romans 13:8), he meant exactly what he said. It’s still good economics today.

SATAN’S POWER

“Jesus I know and Paul I know about, but who are you?”

-Acts 19:15

Séances, Oujia boards, tea leaf reading, and witches have been with us for centuries. The Bible has a lot to say about the unseen or the spirit world. The writers of Scripture uniformly warned against “Tampering” or being involved in them.

Men who have made a study of demonic power such as Professor Kurt Korch, Dr.Merril F.Unger, and Mark Bubeck warn Christians against playing games with the supernatural or satiating their curiosity. Recently games such as Dungeons and Dragons have come under fire with their bizarre cast-list of demons, dragons, witches, zombies, and other supernatural creatures who cast spells and exercise spiritual power. “But it’s just a game,” say some. The Bible, however, places spirits and the supernatural in the world of spiritual reality, never consigning them to a “make-believe” unreal world of fantasy.  James the half-brother of Jesus, wrote that we are to “resist the devil” and he added that as we do so, “he (satan) will flee from you,” (James 4:7). Resisting is a great deal different from toying with something as a curiosity or a pastime.

Many think of satan as someone who might appear at a party dressed in a red suit with horns, a forked tail, and carrying a pitchfork. However, I am convinced that if satan should appear today, he would have a dynamic personality and would be handsome and forceful. He would have a charisma that would overwhelm many people. Rather than take my word, it would be far better to take your Bible and do a biographical study of what this book says about the devil and the unseen world. It may well surprise you.

THE SPIRIT WORLD

“Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith.”

-1 Peter 5:8,9

There is a church of satan in Canada the Satanist church leaders have honored, reports the conservative Africa Island Mission. Its members had prayed to satan for the elimination from the Christian Ministry of a select list of the city’s leading evangelical leaders through immorality or marriage and family breakdown. AIM reports that within a year, five of the finest men on their list were forced to leave the ministry.

Dr.William McRae, president of the Ontario Bible College and Theological Seminary doesn’t think it’s been coincidental. He said, “Never in my life have I sensed the reality of our spiritual warfare as during these last two years. The enemy has brought out his most destructive weapons and leveled them directly at marriage and families.”

The world’s oldest authority on satanic power, the Bible, never scoffs at demonic power. Peter, the man who witnessed demons going out of a man into a herd of swine during the ministry of Jesus, later wrote, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

When satan first attacked the human race, he attacked the family and tried to destroy the relationship of a husband and wife. When Paul wrote that classic passage in Ephesians 6, he encouraged families to be strong in the Lord in the power of his might. He said, “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11).

The Greek word which is translated, “wiles” is “methodia.” It means, “Methodical Assault.” May I encourage you to do two things? (1) take a good look at the relationship in your family, and then (2) read the passage in Ephesians 6, and ask yourself if you need to beef up your protection.

YOU DO COUNT

“He that winneth souls is wise.”

-Proverbs 11:30

So you think you don’t count for much? Let me tell you about an interesting chain of events which all trace back to a rather ordinary sort of a person named Edward Kimball.

Let’s begin with a more familiar name, Billy Graham, who has spoken to more people about Jesus Christ than any man alive. As a young man, Graham was converted under the ministry of an Evangelist whose name was Mordecai Ham. Mordecai Ham, however, was converted through the preaching of a baseball player turned Evangelist, Billy Sunday. Sunday had already made a name for himself in the sports world when he heard a scholarly evangelist-pastor by the name of J.Wilbur Chapman who in turn had been converted through the ministry of Dwight L. Moody. And how was Moody converted?

Edward Kimball taught a Sunday School class for young men at the local Congregational Church. In this class was a young, fun-loving shoe clerk named Dwight Lyman Moody. Kimball felt a responsibility for Moody and began to pray earnestly for his conversion. One day, Kimball decided to go to the shoe store where young Moody worked. He wanted to talk to him about the Lord. But on the way, Kimball began having second thoughts.

He says, “I found Moody in the back part of the building, wrapping shoes. I went up to him at once, and putting my hand on his shoulder and simply told him of Christ’s love for him and the love Christ wanted in return. That was all there was. He gave himself and his life to Christ.”

There was a spiritual line of great men from Dwight L. Moody to Billy Graham, because a Sunday School Teacher overcame his reluctance and led one of his students to faith in Jesus Christ.

MEDITATING ON THE WORD

“Blessed is the man whose delight is in the Law of the Lord and on His law he meditates day and night.”

-Psalm 1:1,2

On one occasion, Jesus told a story about the ways different people respond to the Word of God. Jesus said there are times when satan snatches the Word from our minds. Much of the time we can’t remember what we’ve read because we are focused on our schedules, what was left undone yesterday, and what we hope to accomplish today.

The end result: More stress and less ability to stay focused. How do you fight back? You can read out loud. You can take paper and pencil and outline what you have read. You can use a notebook or journal and write down your thoughts. There is another way, however, that can bring great rewards. It is Biblical meditation which requires discipline, and allows you to stay focused on God, allowing what you read to sink into your mind. Donald Gray Barnhouse clarified it: “In Prayer we are talking to the Lord, in Meditation we are thinking about Him.”

Meditation, in the context of Scripture, means to ponder what you have read, to think about it, to ask yourself, “Is this an example which I need to follow?” “Is there an application to my life?” “Is there something here which demands that I look at it more completely?” This may mean taking a look at the cross-references in your Bible.

George Mueller believed in Biblical meditation. This led him to embark on a life of prayer, whereby instead of promotion or noisy fund-raising, he prayed and God supplied not only his needs, but the needs of thousands of orphans Mueller help raised.

Take the challenge of meditating on God’s Word. It will be one of the most profitable things you ever do.

CAN YOU SPARE JUST FIVE

“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul… The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”

-Psalm 19:7

So do you have decided to take five minutes a day and focus on God. Here are five guidelines to help you.

ONE: MAKE A COMMITMENT TO TAKE FIVE MINUTES A DAY AND SPEND WITH THE LORD. Majority of us believe that being in the presence of God is important, but not important enough to make the commitment to include a daily time in His presence in our schedules. But remember, the longest journey in the world begins with the first step.

TWO: BE DEFINITE, BUT FLEXIBLE, IN YOUR PLAN TO SCHEDULE FIVE MINUTES A DAY. When is the best time for this? Look at your schedule and determine when you can take five minutes a day and make it a habit.

THREE: HAVE A PLAN. Three ingredients should fit into your plan. First, God’s Word, the Bible. Here we find strength and through these pages, He speaks to us. Next, you need moments of reflection or meditation as you ask yourself. Third, you need a few moments to talk to God in prayer.

FOUR: STAY FOCUSED. How do you stay focused? Possibly by reading out loud. Possibly by journaling, or writing down your thoughts, by making the conscious decision to put your mind where your body is and worship God.

FIVE: DISCIPLINE YOURSELF, AND IF NECESSARY CUT SOMETHING ELSE OUT OF YOUR OVERBURDENED SCHEDULE. The fact is we have time for what we really want to do. Nobody can honestly say: “I don’t have at least five minutes a day to nurture my soul and refresh my mind.”

What are the rewards? You’ll discover an amazing sense of clarity in your thinking. You’ll begin to see your life in a different perspective. In the presence of the Almighty, you will discover that your problems aren’t so big after all.

YOU CANT GET THERE FROM HERE

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadows of the Almighty.”
-Psalm 91:1

At 35, Richard Baxter was expected to die before his next birthday. After a total collapse, which was probably tuberculosis and an assortment of complications, Baxter was confined to his bed. That’s when he began to do some serious thinking about his future.

Baxter began to spend 30 minutes a day in meditation on heaven’s joy as part of his preparation for leaving this world. He also began to catalog his thoughts, which eventually found their way into a best selling book, “Saint’s Everlasting Rest.” Baxter wrote, “If thou wouldst have light and heat, why art thou no more in the sunshine?”

If you want light and heat, you’d better find time to be in the sunshine. Baxter has suggested you need 30 minutes a day but few can squeeze 30 minutes from an overburdened schedule nowadays.

One day at the height of his very successful ministry, Dwight L. Moody was in his study working on a message. His young son “Todd”, entered the study and sat down on the floor. He had been there for just a few moments when Moody somewhat gruffly asked, “What is it you want, Son?” Surely the lad wouldn’t have entered his study unless he needed something. Moody’s son replied, “I just wanted to be where you are.”

But suppose you could just take five minutes a day – and spend those five minutes focusing on God, thinking of His nature and character, refusing to let your mind dwell on your schedule or your problems. How much sunshine do you think might fill your life? Meditating on God for just five minutes without letting my mind wander to other things doesn’t come easy. It requires discipline.

IN ME DWELLS NO GOOD THING

“For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.”

-1 Peter 3:18

When Mike Wallace of “60 minutes” ran a story on the notorious Nazi war criminal, Adolph Eichmann, he asked the questions, “How is it possible for a man to act as Eichmann acted?” “Was he a monster? Was he normal?”

The startling answer to these questions came from an interview Mike Wallace had with Yehiel Dinur, one of the men interred by Eichmann. Dinur was a Jew who lived to testify against Eichmann at the Nuremberg War trial. A film clip from Eichmann’s 1961 trial showed Dinur walking into the courtroom and seeing Eichmann for the first time after 18 years. Dinur began to sob uncontrollably, then fained, collapsing in a heap on the floor. Dinur explained that all at once he realized Eichmann was an ordinary man. “I was afraid about myself,” said Dinur. “I saw that I am capable of doing this. I am exactly like him.” Wallace concluded the story, suggesting that there is something of Eichmann “in all of us.”

Long ago, Paul said that we find the dregs of sin which characterize the worst of us in the best of people. Paul wrote of his own struggle with his old nature saying, “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing” (Romans 7:18-19).

God alone can change the heart of man when the real problem lies. Peter, one of the three comprising the inner circle of Jesus’ trusted advisors, wrote, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Peter 3:18).

USING TIME WISELY

“Be careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”

-Ephesians 5:15-16

Time does not come to us in hours, days of minutes. It is dribbled out to us by God, one second at a time. Years ago, the Apostle Paul provided guidelines for living when he said that we are to walk “not as unwise” but we are to make the “most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16). If we are to translate Paul’s words into our lives, we are going to have to do several things.

1.UNDERLINE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PRESENT. Do you start your work on time, or are you a charter member of the “dawdler’s club?” You become a member of the club by starting a job and then getting sidetracked. Here is good motto to practice: Do it now! Don’t put it off!

2.UTILIZE WAITING TIME. A University of Wisconsin analayst shows that the average person spends three years of his lifetime just “waiting.” A Gallup poll sampled 100 persons at random. All of them expected to do some waiting in the next few hours, but only one out of eight had any plan for utilizing that time.

3.EVALUATE THE DEMANDS THAT ARE MADE ON YOUR TIME. There is not enough time to do everything you wish, so you have to determine what really is important. Make a priority list. This means that you are going to have to learn to say “No.” What is really important in your life? Is it more money or a better job? Is it having time for that favorite recreation every week?

When Christ was here, He had something to say about time and its proper use. He said, “Seek first His kingdom” (Matthew 6:33). He meant that man must take time for worship and prayer – he must take time to learn how to live.

THE QUEST FOR PERFECTION

“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you.”

-1 Corinthians 3:16

If I could only be as beautiful as the girls I see on TV!” I wish I were as  handsome as so and so! Seldom does anyone ever look in the mirror and not utter a few signs. But have we gone overboard in the quest for the perfect body, the perfect face, the perfect exterior, at the cost of disregarding integrity, moral wholeness, inner strength, and beauty?

This is not to suggest that you ignore the importance of your body as being the handicraft of the Almighty? The gift of life comes with specific instructions that you are not to abuse body and destroy what God has wrought, whether it is through obesity, drugs or overwork.

Paul wrote the Corinthians, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple” (1 Corinthians 3:16,17). He likens the human body to the temples where pagan gods were worshipped, but he says that God indwells the human body, giving men and women a motive for moral purity and healthy living.

What is troubling is the mentality which says you are no longer important or worthwhile when aging puts wrinkles on your forehead and writes lines on your face. It pushes aside the youth with glasses and teeth that need attention in favor of the beautiful child with fewer pimples.

Such superficiality thrust upon us by the media creates feelings of inferiority. It forces upon us a value system which runs contrary to God’s intent and purposes. We need to reject this superficiality and strive to be all that God wants you to be: a person of inner beauty and integrity. This is what true beauty is all about.

PERFECT – THE ENEMY OF GOD

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a freshness in all you do and think.”

-Romans 12:2

“Perfect is the enemy of good” explained Dr.John James of the University of Virginia’s School of Medicine, a brilliant children’s surgeon who pioneered a radical approached to helping babies whose heads would otherwise be deformed. The result of his surgical brilliance meant my little grandson’s head didn’t separate as they normally do before birth.

Another doctor suggested the possibility of further surgery, but Dr.James opted against it saying, “Perfect is the enemy of the good.” He explained that while surgery was necessary the first time, further surgery, in the quest for perfection, carries with it greater risks than benefits.

Being committed to the cause of excellence is one thing, but being addicted to perfection is something else. Has our generation been so hyped by the media and the glitz of the perfect figure, the perfect face, the perfect body that we have lost sight of the importance of being genuine and authentic?

Who says you need perfection? The madness which demands perfection is neither godly nor realistic. The flaws of aging and the imperfections of our humanity are part of life. They need to be accepted, not fought off our camouflaged. Long ago, Paul advised, “Don’t let the world force you into it’s mold,” and that goes a long way in addressing the issues confronting us today (Romans 12:2)

STEPS TO CONTENTMENT

“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

What was the secret of Paul’s contentment? Did he know something which we need to learn? Or has he succumbed to the fatalism of life?

One: Paul believed in the essential goodness of God, our Heavenly Father. Do you accept that God is good and that His design for us includes fulfillment and happiness? Paul Little, the head of the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, wrote that the bottom line of theology is the goodness of God. I came to see that he was right.  If there were no God, no heaven or hell, no right or wrong, I would still advocate the same Biblical principle of living, because these are the only keys to real happiness and fulfillment.

Two: The Apostle Paul believed that what happens is of concern to our Heavenly Father. Read what Jesus said in Matthew 6 about a sparrow falling to the ground and the very hairs of your head being numbered.

Three: Paul accepted the circumstances of life, events, and things which he could not change, as an indication of the will of God for his life. Paul repeatedly made this point as he wrote to friends scattered throughout Asia Minor. His imprisonment was not the result of bad luck; it was the purpose of God, to give him the opportunity to go before kings and rulers. Read Romans 8:28 and Ephesians 1:11.

Four: Paul believed that God had a personal will for his life, and yielding his own will to the will of God, he found contentment in difficult times.

Contentment is the inner attitude of the soul that realizes God cares and is in control of the circumstances. Trusting Him produces what so many of us lack – contentment.

CONTENTMENT

“I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.”

-Philippians 4:12

How content are you on a scale of 1 to 10? Most of us would rate ourselves between 5 and 7, but there are those who can honestly rate themselves 10. Such someone was a world traveler who wrote, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” (Philippians 4:12).

His name, Paul the apostle of Jesus Christ. He qualified his statement, including times when he was well fed and times when he was hungry; times when he was well off financially and times when money was scarce. Paul was in Rome under house arrest when he wrote those sweeping statements.

What brings contentment and happiness? That question was posed to a group of people who were asked to rate certain factors. What most sought after were: (1) marital happiness (a good marriage and a loving partner), (2) adequate finances – enough money to pay the bills without stress and do what they want without fear of straining the budget, (3) health and self-steem, (4) fulfillment in work or calling, and (5) a good environment, which may include where they live and the weather.

Yet these five things were denied to the man who said he had learned the secret of happiness. Paul obviously had learned something which has escaped most of us today. He had learned what Jesus taught: “Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15).

Contentment, Paul believed, is not dependent on circumstances, but on the inner attitude of the heart which places value on things money cannot buy.

WHEN YOU HAVE BEEN DISAPPOINTED

“And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.”

-Romans 5:5

Have you ever had a situation when someone let you down? You were certain that he would be the last in the world to let you down. But you were mistaken.

When you are disappointed, there are several paths you could take. The first is the one that most take – the path of anger and revenge. He hurt you, so you will even the score by hurting him. Yet when it is all said and done, your hurt is assuaged a little by seeing somebody else gets it.

The second path is withdrawal. You are not interested in taking off his head, but you just cannot stand in his presence.  Therefore, you withdraw and run, or stick your head in the sand of disappointment. Lilian Dickson, an outstanding woman whose story appeared in the Reader’s Digest, wrote of such a disappointment. “There was heartache as trust was betrayed in one instance… In my heart rages the old familiar battle. My schoolteacher experience says, ‘Off with their heads!’ and be done with it. My mission experience says, ‘When people fall, do not leave them. Help them up and try to get them on the right path again.

Lilian Dickson’s remarks point to the third path – restoration. Do not rejoice when a giant falls. For when he comes down, many weaker, smaller people will be hurt. We are all human in our weaknesses.

When someone you admired proves to be a disappointment, do not step on him nor rejoice in his fall. It takes no great strength of character to see the wrongs of others, but it takes the greatness of grace to forgive and to restore.

NISI DOMINUS FRUSTRA

“Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.”

-Psalm 127:1

In Alvin Toffler’s book, Future Shock, a young woman is sent to the supermarket and returns a half-hour later, thoroughly perplexed. “The supermarket must have been torn down,” she says, “I couldn’t find it.

Not only have the demolition merchants of the twentieth century been tearing down old buildings and disposing of old technology; the tumblers of the social revolution have been carting off family after family to the scrap heap.

The city of Edinburgh has a very old Latin motto which reads, Nisi Dominus, Frustra. It means, “Unless the Lord… in vain.” The English word frustration comes from the same word, “frustra”. We could well put it, “Unless the Lord… frustration.” That is where a lot of families are today.

That old motto was coined from the words of Psalm 127:1 which says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches the city, frustration of a society guard in vain.” It simply pictures the frustration of a society in which God has been pushed away.

There is no way that we can stop progress. But we contend that we have to bring back some of the old ways. The Prophet Jeremiah said, “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest in your souls” (Jeremiah 6:16).

What made some of those old days great? Was it family cohesiveness of the security and warmth of a simple meal with all of the family present? Was it the joy and laughter of children who did not have much but did not want much either? Was it the warmth of a home where Daddy loved Mother, and Mother loved him, too? We learn too late that the new and glamorous is not necessarily better.

STRESS III

Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.

-Psalm 55:22

Does a believer in Jesus Christ have spiritual resources which should help him cope with stress? Yes, there are way in which believers can handle stress which set them apart from the neat check lists found in magazine articles dealing with stress. These guidelines are scriptural principles to help you.

ONE: GET GOD’S PERSPECTIVE. It may be necessary to back off from the stressful situation, and put God and whatever stresses you in perspective. We often so close to the forest we can’t see the trees.

TWO: FOCUS ON YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM. Acknowledge that He is your Heavenly Father, and that He has a direct will for your life and your concerns. Do you really believe that nothing can happen to you apart from the knowledge and will of your Heavenly Father? What’s the source of your stress in relationship to God? What should you do about it?

THREE: STOB BEARING YOUR LOAD AND GOD’S, TOO. worry says, in effect, “God, You’re not big enough to handle this Yourself so I’m going to have to kill myself figuring out what I’m going to do.” make a note of 1 Peter 5:7, and Psalm 55:22 in relationship to stress.

FOUR: APPLY THE PRINCIPLES OF SCRIPTURE IN ALLEVIATING STRESS. You’re at stressful job. How do you fight back: gorge on potato chips and junk food? Get away from the refrigerator and get some exercise. Galatians 6:9 says, “We will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Too tired to exercise, exercise anyway with moderation. Get your body in shape.

FIVE: UNDERSTAND YOUR LOAD LIMIT. It’s okay to say “No!”. God never intended us to carry load that produce stress, anxiety and burnout, which is the terminal form of stress.

STRESS II

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

-Matthew 11:28

Dr.Jack Morris, a Christian Psychotherapist, defines stress as “A state of physical and emotional arousal caused by demands, pressures, and the wear and care of life.” He believes that it primarily comes from five sources, which he describes as (1) Change, (2) Conflicts, (3) Criticism, (4) Concern, (5) Compression, putting too much into life. Our greatest need today is not eliminating stress, it is being able to cope with it. When we are under stress, generally we are either powerless to change the circumstances, or wouldn’t change them if we could.

There is a common myth that Christians who really trust the Lord should not suffer the consequences of stress. This is about as unrealistic as saying that Christians should never have colds or flu. But the way in which a Christian views stress, and how he relates to it has a great deal to do with how he copes with it.

Have you ever considered that Paul was often stressed? On his second missionary journey, he wanted to go east into Bythinia, but the door was closed. Was not that stress? In Acts 27 and 28, Paul was shipwrecked, and the soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners including him to prevent their escape. Yet Paul says, “We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted but not abandoned, struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8,9). Paul faced stress, but he didn’t collapse; he coped.

STRESS I

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I Am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
-Matthew 11:29

When was the last time you took an aspirin? When was the last time you took an hour just for yourself? Chances are, you could recall having taken a pain reliever in the past week but couldn’t remember when you took a quiet walk on the beach. Your tension-headache though, didn’t mean you had a brain tumor. It signaled stress as your nervous system screamed: “I’m overloaded; I just can’t handle this!”

Dr.Hans Seyle has been conducting research on stress since 1936. He has written more than 33 books and over 1600 articles on stress. He doesn’t really believe that people are under more stress today than in previous generations, but he would say that we’re not handling it as well.

Not all stress is bad. But too much stress causes a bridge to collapse, and the violin string to break, and a drumhead to burst.

A young woman climbing the corporate ladder heard me say on my program: “When you repress your emotions, your stomach keeps score.” She wrote, “It was your voice, followed in a brief minute by you praying for strength for those struggling with this problem. To which I replied, ‘Praise the Lord’ and cried. Yesterday I was told by my physician that it is possible I have an ulcer. This sets hard with me as in my opinion, ulcers and Christians should not go together. I equate this with a lack of dependence on God.”

Should you feel as she does, ponder this for a minute. Consider an ordinary table. You stand up on the table, and it holds your weight. Then another person joins you on the table. It wobbles but holds you. A third joins the two of you, and now the legs are wobbling. When that table crashes, was it because the table was not spiritual? Spirituality isn’t the issue. But stress beyond the load limit is.

FOCUS ON GOD

For my thoughts are not your thought, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

-Isaiah 55:8

For the past decades, poets, and professors have focused on “cures and successes.” You’ve probably seen the book titles such as: How to Win Over Worry, How to Think and Grow Rich, How to Conquer your fears, how to do this and that.

Nobody would deny the reality of those needs. However, our focus has been on the problems or the needs we perceive in our lives, when it should be on the Person of the Almighty. We have been so persistent in asking Him to eliminate our problems that we have failed to ask, “Could it be that my problem is the result of ignoring the guidelines which is a Sovereign, loving God laid down long ago? We’ve failed to consider the fact that when our focus is right, the entire picture comes into proper perspective.

The late A.W. Tozer had his thinking straight. A self-educated man, A.Tozer was a prophet to his generation. He was convinced that our failure to know and understand God results in our having a very distorted idea about how He works in our lives. In his book, “The knowledge of the Holy,” Tozer wrote, “Left to ourselves we tend immediately to reduce God to manageable terms. We want to get Him where we can use Him, or at least know where He is when we need Him. We want a God we can in some measure control.”

What should we do when we are hurting? We’ve got to begin thinking of the problems in terms of God, rather than to put life into perspective. Understanding that He is changeless and infinite, while our problems are temporal and changing, helps us place proper value on what matters in ife.

THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST

Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He is risen! Remember how He told you, while He was still with you in Galilee.

-Luke 24:5,6

Did Jesus Christ really rise from the dead? This issue pitted two scholars against each other in a historic debate. The protagonist was Dr.Gaby Habermas, a renowned Christian Scholar whose special area of study has been the resurrection. The antagonist was Dr.Anthony Flew, one of the most influential philosophical atheists of our day.

Antony Flew began with a negative statement, saying that a resurrection couldn’t have happened, because it violates natural laws. His second presumption was that “the possibilities of error are enormous especially when the depositions are first recorded long after the alleged events.”

Habermas based his position upon twelve known facts, eleven of which are accepted by all critical scholars today regardless of their faith.

In refuting Antony Flew’s allegation that a considerable distance separated the written account from the alleged event, Habermas demonstrated that the account in 1 Corinthias 15 was an eyewitness account which became the first creed of the early Church.

In reading the transcript of the debate, I was surprised at the lack of precise information which flew demonstrated, saying things as “well it says somewhere that” or “I can’t remember where this is but somewhere the Bible says, “Gary Habermas won the debate.

THE CROSS

Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

-1 Corinthians 15:3,4

Nothing is so central to Christianity as the crucifixion of Christ. All the Gospel writers – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – describe the crucifixion with great detail. The rest of the New Testament books interpret the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the very foundation and fabric of Christianity.

Two specialists, Drs. William Edwards and Floyd Hosmer, at the Mayo Clinic became seriously interested in the medical aspects of the crucifixion of Jesus. Their research was printed by the Journal of the American Medical Association. These specialists examined the account, concluding that death by crucifixion was the result of a combination of physical causes. “The actual cause of death by crucifixion,” says the article,” was multifactorial and varied somewhat with each case. But the most prominent causes probably were hypovolemic shock and exhaustion asphyxia.”

“The important feature,” says researchers,” may not be how Jesus died but rather whether he died. Clearly, the weight of historical and medical evidence indicates that Jesus was dead before the wound to His side was inflicted.”

The issue is a matter of historical accuracy. Did Jesus Christ die at the hands of Roman soldiers outside the city of Jerusalem on that day of infamy, or was the whole story a concocted nightmare of some ignorant, disappointed fishermen? The New Testament states the fact so clearly: “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3, 4)

THE PLACE CALLED THE SKULL

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

Luke 9:23

When Don Schnake, the owner of a Christian bookstore, learned that John Stott, a gifted evangelist, preacher, scholar and Christian statesman, had authored a book entitled, “The Cross of Christ,” he ordered a large supply. But the new book didn’t sell. Don finally cut the price by 50 percent. “I had to finally pack them up and send them back to the publisher.” Don said.

It seems people aren’t rejecting John Stott as much as they are rejecting an issue with which they don’t want to be confronted. Gilded with 14-karat gold and studded with diamonds or rubies, crossed have a ready market. But drape them with self-denial and self-abnegation and their popularity begins to dissipate.

Luke records Jesus’ conversation with the disciples: “Then He said to them: If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). Jesus talked about this subject more than once because the word Luke use indicates repetition.

“The reason the world has not yet felt the full impact of the Gospel,” says Dennis Kenlaw, president of Asbury College, “Is because we, as Christ’s disciples, are willing to sacrifice anything but ourselves. Through His grace, we must take our hands off our lives and say, ‘Spend me as You will.”

The impact of the Cross is not that we must physically suffer for our sins. Jesus did that! But rather that we might push the self aside and let Christ live within our lives. The Lenten season isn’t enough. But rising each day and saying, “Lord, Jesus, I want You to be first in my life today. Take complete control and be Lord of all my life,” is.

AT ONE MENT

“But your iniquities have separated you from your God.”

-Isaiah 59:2

John Muir went to Alaska in 1879. While exploring glaciers, he met native Indians who had embraced Christianity before the gold rush. In his book Travels in Alaska, Muir explains how one tribe, the Stickeens, were able to understand the doctrine of atonement.

The Stickeen tribe and the Sitkas had been at war with each other. After fighting all summer in a desultory, squabbling way none of the women dared venture to the salmon streams or berry-fields to procure their winter food. Then one of the Sticken chiefs went into an open space between their fortified camps, and shouted that he wished to speak to the leader of Sitkas.

The Stickeen chief said that it was foolish for both tribes to continue warring. But the Sitka chief replied, “You say let us stop fighting. You have killed ten more of my tribe than we have killed of yours. Give us ten men to balance our blood-account; not til then, will we make peace and go home.”

“You know that I am worth ten common men and more. Take me and make peace,” replied the noble chief. He stepped forward and boldly stood before his enemy. He fell to the ground as bullets found their mark. Peace was established that chief literally gave himself a sacrifice for his people.”

When missionaries explained that Christ stepped forward and said, “I will pay the price of mankind’s separation from the Father. I will bear the burden of guilt and sin, “the Indians quickly understood. They replied, “Yes, your words are good. The Son of God, the Chief of chiefs, the Maker of all the world, must be worth more than all mankind put together.”

EITHER OR

“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”

-Psalm 119:105

An unfortunate divorce has taken place in the minds of a lot of people in recent years – the divorce of science and the Bible. Some, put their faith in science and fail to discover the God of the Bible. On the other hand, some hold to the teachings of the Bible and denounce science as perverting the truth.

If there is one God – then the God of the Bible must be the same God that the scientist encounters in his laboratory. God reveals His works in science and in His Word, the Bible. If you have made this business of science and the Bible a matter of ‘either/or,’ you have missed the entire point of each.

Is it possible that science has plumbed the depths of knowledge? Albert Einstein said that existent knowledge is like a grain of sand on the seashore, while the vast ocean of knowledge yet remains unexplored. If you could look out through the world’s most powerful telescope, could you explore all there is of space? You could fathom how many galaxies there are – but could God exist further, beyond your sight? If you admit that theoretically, God could exist beyond the most powerful telescope, you might be willing to accept the theoretical existence of God.

Then ask yourself, what governs the galaxies away out there? Who puts those laws into operation? Perhaps, you might like to look down the barrel of the most powerful microscope, then ask yourself, “Have I seen everything that exists?” When you realize you have not, then ask, “Could God exist in substance that my microscope will not magnify? Maybe you have been looking for God like a thief looks for a policeman. You have been hoping that there is none.