Harvest!

 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, 

because He has anointed me 

to bring glad tidings to the poor. 

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives 

and recovery of sight to the blind, 

to let the oppressed go free,

 and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord." 

Luke 4:18-19

When I read this passage, 

I can't help remembering that Jesus also said, 

"Anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. 

He will do even greater works than these 

because I go to the Father." (John 4:12).
Because Jesus went to the Father, 

He was able to send us the Holy Spirit (John 14:16). 

I do believe that if we were as dedicated, 

 single-minded, and focused as the apostles, 

we would see the miracles, people risen from the dead, etc. 

that we think are "greater works." 

BUT is it not amazing that the multitude 

Jesus healed did not gather at His cross? 

Is it not puzzling that those who saw His miracles 

did not try to protect Him?

 Tom Schreiner says, "A careful study of the word "greater" (meizon) 

in John's gospel shows that the word greater 

 consistently refers to something that is greater in quality 

rather than something that is greater in number."
Jesus is after a change, a transformation of lives.

In John 20:29, Jesus said to doubting Thomas, 

“... because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed. 

Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed.” 

With the Holy Spirit, we can do "greater works" than Jesus. 

We are able to reach more people now with the 

Internet, with TV, with radio. 

We can help the blind see with the gift of education, 

when we help with tutoring or donate to World Vision. 

We can help set people free from poverty and oppression 

if we try to find ways for people to have livelihood. 

We can proclaim liberty to inmates when we go and visit. 

So many ways we can help! 

And when we are able to help, 

we will be able to feed them the Good News 

and help bring in the harvest.

"The Harvest" on Sept. 6-7 at SMX is a 2-day conference 

on evangelization conducted by the Pathways Ministry 

of Ligaya ng Panginoon and the 

Institute for Pastoral Development 

that seeks to enable aspiring leaders 

and builders of God's kingdom with skills and tools 

to become effective evangelizers. 

See The Harvest.

"Be transformed by the renewal of your mind..." 

Romans 12:2

It's very important to examine 

our thoughts, the way we think. 

Proverbs 23:7 says, "For as a man thinks in his heart, 

so he becomes." and Matthew 12:33, 

"A tree is known by its fruit."

I forgot who said that more people 

struggle with their minds than their finances. 

Our mind is a battlefield. 

Our old enemy likes to put in 

thoughts of discouragement, 

hopelessness, failure, unforgiveness, etc. 

In other words, garbage! 

If we train ourselves to think positive, 

our actions will bear good fruit. 

 I remember what Jing, 

my sister's deceased first husband told me. 

"Our thoughts are like mad dogs. 

We have to reign them in immediately 

or it will take you places you do not want to go."

If our mind is our battlefield, 

our powerful weapons are the Word of God, praise and prayer. 

John 8:31-32 says, "If you abide in my Word...

you will know the truth and the truth will set you free." 

If we keep meditating on God's Word, 

we will know how God thinks, 

and we can align our thinking with His. 

With God there is always hope, love and peace. 

And that is what we want, isn't it?

 "See, I have 5 more!" Matthew 25:20

The Parable of the Talents is so rich, 

much can be gleaned from it. 

The Master is God and He gives each of us 

talents, gifts and blessings, 

'according to our capabilities'. 

It is apparent from the story that 

Jesus is telling us that these talents 

and gifts are not ours, but are God's. 

He will take an accounting about what 

we have done with everything He has entrusted to us. 

We are supposed to be diligent 

to increase and improve on what He has given, 

not for ourselves, but for God's benefit. 

When we are able to do this, 

He says, "Come share my joy!"

I can't say my mom had much to start with.... 

She didn’t have money, 

she didn’t have a grand ambition, 

she didn’t have a brilliant marketing strategy, 

she didn’t have a business degree, 

and she was shy and timid. 

What she did have was common sense, 

a good intuition and she enjoyed 

making things with her hands. 

She was very thrifty, industrious, 

and she had faith in herself and 

most importantly, faith in God.

She prayed for a business. 

 That was her capital. 

And so in spite of all that she didn’t have 

and the little that she did, 

she was able to build a business 

that has been around for 47 years.

 Today we have 15 stores, 

a building along Roces Avenue, 

and a factory in Bulacan. 

We have many livelihood projects, 

and have been able to help our suppliers 

and employees put their children through school, 

pay for their medical expenses, etc. 

I am pretty sure that when mommy met the Master, 

and He asked for an accounting, 

He said to her approvingly, 

"Well done, good and faithful servant. 

 Come, share Your Master's joy!"

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