Glorious Inheritance !

"May He enlighten your innermost vision, the eyes of your heart, that you may know the great hope of His calling, the wealth of glorious heritage to be distributed among the members of the church, and the immeasurable greatness of His power in us who believe." Ephesians 1:18-19

 

What if we have this amazing inheritance, a huge mansion and a prosperous vineyard in Reims, and other big business concerns running by itself prosperously, but we didn't know about it? We would be like that old man in New York's Central Park, found dead on a park bench. When someone searched his pockets to find some clue of his identity, they also found thousands of dollars worth of stale checks in his name. He probably didn't know how to encash it. 

 

We do have an inheritance, a glorious inheritance! Saint Paul's prayer is that we who believe would be able to see it, even now, here on earth. Faith, in Hebrews 11:1, is defined as the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Lord, open my eyes that I may see, the wonderful gifts You have for me!!! 

Fear Nothing!

"Fear nothing, then. You are worth more than a flock of sparrows." Luke 12:7

 

Is it possible? That we can live without fear and anxiety? That we don't have to worry about the future, our children, extrajudicial killings or global warming?!! I have to confess that I do have to deal with fears and anxieties and that's why I pray. Fears and anxieties prod me to seek out the God I know who can deal with ALL THINGS. We have an enemy who wants us to live thinking about evil forebodings that could happen. He wants to keep us trapped and paralyzed. Instead of thinking of the bad things that can happen, what should we do? 

We should expect good things to happen in our life. We should expect miracles. After all, we have God walking with us every day, every second. He said "I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous!" Dt. 31:6 He also said He answers prayer. In Romans 12:12, we are advised by Saint Paul to rejoice in hope, be patient and persevering in trials, and to be devoted to prayer. 

Lord, may I not always focus on problems, but instead focus my eyes on You. May I be violent in casting away worry and anxiety and purposely expect You to bring goodness and love into my life every single day. 

WOYWW: The Fruit of the Spirit

I have been quite delinquent 

with my planner.

Here I am adding stuff to 

blank pages.

It's fun but quite time consuming!

I haven't even finished

with September yet! 
 

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patient endurance, kindness, generosity, faith, self-control and chastity." Galatians 5:22

 

Sometimes I am not a nice person. I can be irritable on the phone especially with someone selling me something in this very perky voice as if I have all the time in the world to listen. I can flare up with my sister or my niece or an employee at work. Self-control, that's what I need. And love, a lot of it. Self-control and love are like bookends for the fruits of the Spirit. Without both, we can't be patient and kind and generous and peaceful... 

 

God gives us these fruit in seed form. They need to grow in us and we need to be connected to Him in order for it to grow. God puts us in situations every day so that He can develop our character into the character of Jesus. It's going to take a long time before I become really patient and loving and joyful all the time without fail, but guess what? God is our gardener and He is very patient! He will prune us and take care of us and love us into the image of His Son. I won't give up on me because I know God won't! He is committed to finish what He started in me! 

Children of Abraham

"Realize it is those who have faith who are children of Abraham." Letter of Saint Paul to the Galatians 3:7

 

Imagine going to heaven and meeting Father Abraham! He must be a gigantic figure of a man! God rewarded him for his extraordinary, unwavering belief in His power and His promises. At first God asked Abraham to leave all that was familiar to go on a journey, an adventure with Him to a place Abraham knew nothing about. Uncharted territory. Much like most of our future. Are we, like Abraham, willing to risk all we have to go on an adventure with God? I am sure, like Abraham, the rewards will be out of this world!

Then God asked Abraham to sacrifice  his only son. What was in Abraham's mind, I wonder? What goes through our mind when God asks difficult things of us? Abraham did not know that God Himself would sacrifice His only begotten , beloved Son in the future. God never asks us to do things He isn't willing to do and more.  The amazing thing is without knowing that, Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac. 

Lord, may I have a living, working faith like my father Abraham! May I, like him, have an unwavering belief and trust in You and Your Word! 

Ask and You shall Receive...

"Ask and you shall receive..." Luke 11:9

There have been many things I have asked from God that I received answers to. Sometimes the answer came right away, other times it took longer. And sometimes the answer was no. It is very much like what happens with our children. Sometimes we give them what they ask for. Other times we make them wait until the right time. Then there are times we put our foot down and say, "No way!" In the same way we want the absolute best for our children, God wants the best for us wholeheartedly and without question. 

Sometimes we pray about little things, like wanting to find something that's lost. A lot of times we pray about more important life changing heart breaking situations like a child who is into drugs, a marriage that needs restoration, financial debt, etc. We have to come before God knowing that nothing is bigger than Him. We should not leave our lives to chance. We should hem our marriage, our children, our work, our communities, our country, in prayer. 

I'm no expert but like everything in life, if we want to be good and effective in something, we have to practice, practice, practice. Lord, may my heart be right before You. Show me how to pray, how to share the burdens of my soul, and how to be grateful and recognize whatever way You choose to answer my prayers. 

WOYWW: Only You!

"Lord, teach us to pray..." Luke 11:1

Jews are supposed to pray three times a day and they have a special prayer book called a Siddur which contains the set orders of daily prayers. Readings from the Torah, the  writings of Moses and the Nevi'im, writings of the Prophets, form part of their prayer book. So I think it is natural to conclude that the disciples had a reasonable idea of how to pray to God. But they saw something in how Jesus prayed that made them long to pray the way He did. 

They watched Jesus pray many times. They saw how close He was to the Father, and they wanted that for themselves. WE should want that for ourselves! We should always want to grow in our relationship with our Father. Brother Lawrence wrote in "The Practice of the Presence of God" that he was united with God during the day as he went about his work of cleaning the floor and washing the dishes. There are many ways to practice the presence of God in the course of our day. We just have to 'mind' He is there, and not just there during our morning or evening prayers. 

 

Lord, teach us to pray. Teach us to grow closer to You. Teach us not to forget You when we are busy. Teach us to carve some time out of our day to be with You, and only You. 

 
 
 

Only One Thing

"One thing only is required..." Luke 10:42

 

Growing up, having guests in our home was a big thing and stressed my mother out.  In contrast, my husband is quite comfortable to have guests visit even when we had no food. I remember when we were newly married, my husband brought someone home to share a meal with us. I was aghast because there was little to serve. What I remember was serving potato bread and little else. Luigi was confident enough to know our guest came for the company and not the meal. 

In the amusing story of Martha and Mary, we see how different the sisters were from each other. Martha was the one stressed out, preparing the meal for Jesus and His disciples. I can certainly relate to her! Obviously Jesus and the disciples were hungry and tired after walking all day, and were in need of sustenance. Mary, obviously the younger sister, sat at Jesus' feet, enrapt at what Jesus was saying. Perhaps Martha had been giving subtle signals to Mary to help her which Mary ignored, and then finally, she turns to Jesus. "Lord, doesn't it seem unfair to You that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me!" 

Uh oh! She lets her frustration and resentment show but she does not get the response she expects. Jesus gently rebukes her and I can see His kind eyes as He says, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and upset about many things; only one thing is required. Mary has chosen the better portion and she shall not be deprived of it." 

Lord, may I always choose the better portion. May I not be distracted from the many things and concerns of this world. May I get to know You and Your heart, and sit at Your feet like Mary, eager to learn what You want to teach me!

WOYWW: Trusting God

 

"God is wise in heart and mighty in strength; who has withstood Him and remained unscathed?" Job 9:4

Philippine President Duterte recently challenged the existence of God by asking, "When a one year old baby is taken from a mother's arms, brought under a jeep, to be raped and killed, where is God?" 

He is not the only one to ask why a good God allows rape, war, cancer, divorce, drought, fire, etc. Many a Christian have become atheist because of tackling this age old question of where God is in the midst of suffering. God is good. God is just. And He has also chosen to give man free will to choose to follow His ways or to go against it. Isn't it astounding that the Almighty God allows the President, or anyone at all, to question His existence, to challenge Him, or to shake a fist at Him?

 

But for those who choose to trust Him, He reserves the greatest treasures. Joy Tan-Chi Mendoza, in her book, "When a Good God Allows Rape" takes us with her on her difficult journey of healing and restoration. When she was merely 15 years old, armed men broke into their home while her parents were in a Bible Study. She and her younger siblings were tied up, while the men ransacked their home. The men also took turns raping Joy and her friends. 

"I came to God in desperation. My only option was to trust Him. My family and I made a faith-decision to believe there was a purpose and a reason for allowing something so horrifying," Joy shared. 20 years have passed and she has inspired and helped many through their own pains and sufferings. She is now married to Edric Mendoza, a wonderful man who serves the Lord generously, and they have 5 children she homeschools. 

Lord, when we go through difficult times, may we always trust in You and know You walk with us. May we not waver in our faith, knowing You always have a reason and a purpose for what happens to us. 

Anger plus D equals Danger!

"Lord, should we order down fire from heaven to burn them up?" Luke 9:54

 

Jesus had two disciples 

by the name of James and John. They were brothers and Jesus had a special nickname for them, "Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder" (Mark 3:17). They were aptly named for they had some thunder-like qualities like here in the 9th chapter of Luke, when they were angry at the Samaritans and wanted to destroy them with fire for a rebuff they had shown to Jesus. 

What was Jesus' reaction? He reprimanded them for their anger, their impetuosity. 

There are times when I feel so entitled that I get angry at perceived slights. One time I was even brought to the Barangay by our employee because I got so indignant. Another time a supplier said, "You weren't a Christian then, were you?" referring to the first time he came to see me! 

Just add the letter D to anger and it becomes danger. There's a well known story of a woman who said to Billy Sunday, a famous preacher, "There's nothing wrong if I lose my temper. I blow up and it's all over!" Mr. Sunday retorted, "So does a shotgun and look at the damage it leaves behind!" 

Lord, when I am angry, may I go to You first. May I tell you all my frustrations like David in the Psalms, so You can help me forgive whoever needs forgiving, even if it is myself. 

WOYWW: Nothing!

Starting out with Matthias Schoenaerts.

Did not know who he was before,

then I spent the past 4 days in bed 

with a bad cough and

came across this period piece,

"A Little Chaos".

It stars him and Kate Winslet

and is about a little part of the garden

of Versailles.

 

"He made Himself nothing..." Philippians2:7

 

How can we wrap our minds about this? That Jesus, omnipotent, mighty, eternal God of heaven and earth and all the universes that be, made Himself nothing? Why? How? When we, who are nothing but mud, cling to our entitlements, fight for all the rights we think we should have, and grasp for any power we can claim. Will we ever understand? 

 

Isn't God's way like that novel of Lewis Carroll, "Through the Looking Glass", where everything was upside down and when you moved forward, you went backwards. Jesus taught that to be great, we had to be last, we had to serve. It is in giving that we receive, and the more we give, the more we will have. But not money, or riches or fame, which are completely worthless as heaven's currency. To understand God's economy, we have to throw away what we know of how the world's finances are run! And if we want to be of any consequence in heaven, we have to follow the path of Jesus. Emptying ourselves of pride, selfishness, self-aggrandizement, and arrogance. 

Lord, help us to embrace Your Word, no matter how hard. Help us to be humble in serving, and more generous, especially with people who cannot repay us. 

The Greatest of Gifts

"Strive eagerly for the greatest of spiritual gifts." 1 Cor. 12:31

In another version, we read, be zealous for the better charisms. Each of us has received several gifts. Never let it be said that our generous Father was stingy when He handed out His spiritual and natural and creative gifts. We need to recognize them, use them, try them out, continue to exercise, grow and develop them like a muscle. 

I love looking at calligraphy, but I have neither the diligence nor the patience to master it. I know I can, if I really wanted to, but I choose to go after other gifts with the limited time I have. But it is not the same with our spiritual gifts. If we are not able to develop even one of the spiritual gifts God gives us, it is a loss for the Church. It is like a treasure that has not been found. 

Lord, may I not be ignorant of my spiritual gifts. May I give it back to You for the building of your people and Your church. May You open my eyes so I may help others find the treasure they possess. 

How Shall I Make a Return to the Lord?

"How shall I make a return to the Lord, for all the good He has done for me?" Psalm 116:3

Indeed my whole life is a testament to God's unfailing goodness and love. He surrounded me with people to love and support me, and encourage me to be the best I can be. He put me in a place where I can use my gifts and talents. He answers my prayers and speaks to me when I need His help, and even when I feel I don't. He forgives me seventy times seven and assures me that nothing shall ever separate me from His love. 

How do I repay all the good He has done? By being faithful to Him, by being sincere in my desire to follow Him, by returning again and again to the fount of living water, so I can be washed clean. Lord, I may never deserve Your love, but may I always try to be Your daughter in every way, to follow Your teachings, to care for those You care for. 

 

Compelled by God!

"I am compelled by God to do it." 1 Cor. 9:16

Here Saint Paul is talking about preaching the Gospel. "I am under compulsion and have no choice." Many people have overriding cravings or impulses for all sorts of things. Saint Paul whose first compulsion was to catch Christians and persecute them for their faith was "caught" by God until He completely reversed and gave all for Christ. How about us? Are we compelled by God to love and serve others? Do we have a missionary zeal to reach out to those who are lost and hurting? 

Lord, may I be caught by You, and may You never let me go! May I know what You want me to do with my life, my gifts, my resources, and may I be compelled to follow You! 

 

WOYWW: Blessed are They who Mourn

Step one- trace a picture on to the 

Bible page with carbon paper and a 

Ballpens that does not work. 

Here is the traced image. 

After painting, I outline with a dark brown pencil. 

"Blessed are you who mourn, you shall laugh." Luke 6:21

I read about this lady named Hu Xinglian. She is a professional mourner, a "kusangren", who is hired to ensure that a Chinese funeral is noisy with cries and wailing. She even comes with her own sound system, six members of her band and multi colored spotlights. After all the impassioned sobbing, there is a lot of festivities. I do not think this is what Jesus had in mind when He pronounced, "Blessed are they who mourn..."

I think if we can see deep into the heart of God, there is a lot of grief. Grief over the many sins and failures of man. And so, if we want to connect with our Father, we should grieve and mourn for that which He grieves and mourns over. Our personal sins. The sins of our leaders. The wars in our country and in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa, etc. The number of lives lost to abortion, cancer, drug addiction, broken marriages. But after all these, God promises comfort, consolation, yes even joy. In Revelation 21:4, the promise is, "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." 

Yes Lord, even as we grieve for these "former things", we look forward to the day that there will be no more pain. Thank You for Your promises, and the truth we can depend on. 

Previous Posts

For my growing collection of prompts, 

inspirations, creative pursuits,

courageous artists and their art, join me here!

or on Facebook and Instagram

Joining the lovely Julia Dunnit for a 

peek at desks and projects!

I find a lot of inspiration

visiting my friends here:

Mondays @ Soul Survival
Small Wonders, Testimony Tuesday,  Titus 2 Tuesdays, 
Count Your Blessings, Word Art Wednesday, Wildly Original

What's It Wednesdays, Unite, 

 Rubie Tuesday Link Up, Be Inspired

 A Little R and R,  No Rules Weekend Blog Party
Cheerleaders of our Faith, Reflect
Art is Beauty

Wow Us Wednesdays, Sitting Among Friends

The Weekly Creative, Three Word Wednesday
Great Blog Train Bloghop, Cheerleaders of Faith
Women with Intention Wednesdays

Thoughtful Thursday,  Hearts4Home Thursdays, Thought Provoking Thursday

Thriving Thursdays with Serving Joyfully

Thursday Favorites, Desire to Inspire Legacy Leaver Thursday
Beloved Brews Thursdays

Creative Things, Bloom! Soul Survival, Inspiration Gallery
Family Fun Friday, Hearts for Home Thursday

Dance with Jesus Friday

Blessings!

Patsy  

Being Cheated

"Why not put up with injustice, and let yourselves be cheated?" 1 Corinthians 6:7

I can just imagine receiving this advice from a lawyer! "What? Just allow myself to be cheated?!!! What kind of lawyer are you?" But this is what Saint Paul advised, and he had been a zealous Pharisee prior to his conversion. Pharisees were known for their strict observance to traditional and written law. 

A long time ago, my mom was purchasing a property in Roces Avenue, but the owner, who happened to be a judge, changed his mind and preferred to sell it to a friend of his. My mom brought the case to court and won. The judge then appealed the case to a higher court. About this time, we joined the renewal and learned that we should not sue, so my mom dropped the case. God worked everything to our advantage because we were able to buy a better property which is where our building in Roces Ave. now stands. 

In Deuteronomy 32:35, God says, "Vengeance is mine. I will repay." Lord, even if we are cheated, or a victim of injustice, may we have the strength to trust that You will ultimately take care of us. Amen! 

New Wine in Old Wine Skins

"No one puts new wine into old wine skins..." Luke 5:37

 

Today it's hard to imagine carrying around goat skin sewn around the edges or the bladder of an animal so that we have something to drink on our journey. But back in Jesus' time, people put wine in these lightly tanned leather pouches. Old wine skins would be hard, brittle and not pliable. New bubbly, fermenting wine would burst these old wine skins. 

 

Like all Jesus' parables, He meant many things. How about the new wine being the gift of the Holy Spirit to us? If our hearts are like the old wine skins, hard, inflexible, judgmental, the Holy Spirit can't live in us! Father, thank You for the gift of Your Spirit. How amazing is Your desire that we be one with You! How exciting is the new life You invite us to! 

Put Out into the Deep

"Put out into the deep..." Luke 5:4

My youngest sister Tina got married a couple of Saturday's ago to Patrick, an American living in Tokyo. For Tina, who has lived a protected life, surrounded by family and a Christian community, it was certainly a decision to put out into the deep waters of the unknown.

When Jesus got into Simon's boat, at the edge of Lake Gennesaret, Simon did not know Him at all. Simon and the other fishermen were washing their nets. That meant they had done with fishing and were going home for a nice meal and some rest. But Jesus got into the boat, and started preaching. After He finished speaking, Jesus said to Simon, "Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch." If I was Peter, I might have said, "What?!!! After I have cleaned and washed my net?!! No way!" Then I would have missed the greatest adventure of my life! 

When Jesus gets into our boat, in the ordinary everyday circumstances of our life, we need to be prepared to change course. Lord, may I always be sensitive to what You want me to do or to become. May I not resist Your call to put out into the deep! 

WOYWW: We are God's Garden!

I woke up at 3 am.

My eyes just pop up, wide open

at 3 or 4 am. 

So I get up and start to draw

and paint on my Bible. 

"We are God's garden." 1 Corinthians 3:9

This is one of my absolute favorite verses even though I've never taken to gardening. My father took an interest in it when I was young, and he transformed the empty lot beside our house into a beautiful flower garden with brick walkways and meandering paths. We even had a little gazebo and miniature house. There was a lot of pruning and trimming, watering, mulching, and studying which seeds to plant where and when to do it. One had to control weeds, remove the old stalks and leaves and watch out for bugs, fungus and bacteria.

We are very much like plants. God is our gardener and He prunes us and trims us even if He knows it's painful,  sometimes very painful. But like a good gardener, He picks the right time to remove the damaged stalks and rotting foliage that keep us from receiving more of His blessings and to promote new growth. He chose the soil on which we are planted and knows how much water or shade we need. 

Like plants it is very necessary that we get nutrients, and that's why we need to pray and read the Bible. Plants also need supports like a trellis or an A-frame or stakes. We need community around, brothers and sisters to support us and help us to bloom. And weeds! Let's go to Jesus so He can pull out the weeds that distract us, crowding out what's really important in our life! 

Lord, help me to bloom and grow in Your light. Thank You for being my gardener and for taking care of me and my needs! 

Previous Posts

For my growing collection of prompts, 

inspirations, creative pursuits,

courageous artists and their art, join me here!

or on Facebook and Instagram

Joining the lovely Julia Dunnit for a 

peek at desks and projects!

I find a lot of inspiration

visiting my friends here:

Mondays @ Soul Survival
Small Wonders, Testimony Tuesday,  Titus 2 Tuesdays, 
Count Your Blessings, Word Art Wednesday, Wildly Original

What's It Wednesdays, Unite, 

 Rubie Tuesday Link Up, Be Inspired

 A Little R and R,  No Rules Weekend Blog Party
Cheerleaders of our Faith, Reflect
Art is Beauty

Wow Us Wednesdays, Sitting Among Friends

The Weekly Creative, Three Word Wednesday
Great Blog Train Bloghop, Cheerleaders of Faith
Women with Intention Wednesdays

Thoughtful Thursday,  Hearts4Home Thursdays, Thought Provoking Thursday

Thriving Thursdays with Serving Joyfully

Thursday Favorites, Desire to Inspire Legacy Leaver Thursday
Beloved Brews Thursdays

Creative Things, Bloom! Soul Survival, Inspiration Gallery
Family Fun Friday, Hearts for Home Thursday

Dance with Jesus Friday

Blessings!

Patsy