Return to Me

 “Even now, return to me with your whole heart for I am gracious and merciful.” Joel 2:12-13

During Lent, the Lord reminds us to have a contrite and humble spirit. Even if our sins make us scarlet from infidelity to God, it is never too late to turn to Him. In Catherine Marshall’s book, “Beyond Ourselves”, she enumerates reasons why sin is so deadly. 

“Our sins come between us and God and make it difficult to feel His presence. They are like mud and dirt thrown up on the window pane, shutting out the sunlight.

“Even small sins narrow down the channel by which life and vitality flow to us, thus choking off creativity. But often we don’t understand the connection between our lack of productivity and sin.

“Our wrongdoings cut us off from other human beings. God reaches down to hold my hand. With my other hand I touch the lives of fellow human beings. Only as both connections are made can power flow. And sin will break the connection every time. Isn’t that why Jesus warned us that if we want forgiveness for ourselves, we’d better forgive others?” 

This Lent, let us turn back to Him who is the fount of all joy. “For Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon Thee.” (Psalm 86:5)

Every Good and Perfect Gift

 “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17

The whole Bible is God revealing Himself to us. It is the invisible God made visible. Ultimate love observable. 

When God created man in His image, He made them the perfect environment, with everything they needed and could ever want. But alas, He also gave them the gift of choice, the gift of free will. “You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. From that tree you shall not eat; the moment you eat of it you are surely doomed to die." 

Put a kid in Disneyland. It's huge. So many exciting things to do. Almost an infinite number of delights to experience. Then you say, "You can do anything, eat anything, have anything, just don't touch THIS!" All of a sudden, his desire just zooms into experiencing the forbidden! Our rebel hearts are just like that kid's! God has given us so many blessings and gifts. Do we focus on these gifts, or do we focus on what we do not have and yearn for? 

I read in The Anawim Way that the first garden we are given to cultivate and care for is our own soul. We have choices to make every single day, whether to nurture our spiritual life, or make it a desert. The Cross is the new "tree of life in the middle of the garden". 

Thank You Father that although You banished man from Paradise, You made a way for us to experience fellowship with You again through Jesus. Your love breaks through our rebelliousness, our willfulness, our sinfulness. Help us to see the garden You have placed us in through Your loving eyes. 

Consider it All Joy

 “Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials...” James 1:2

Joy? Trials? The two words do not go well together at all! Joy is what we have in our heart when all is going well, no one is sick, no one is depressed, no one is undergoing financial difficulties, no one is having a hard time teaching a child with dyslexia, no one is crying because a father deserted the family... In other words, joy would be impossible in the midst of this world full of troubles! And yes, Jesus did warn we will have troubles (John 16:33) It’s inevitable! 

So why does James write, “Count it pure unadulterated joy when you are enveloped in trials of any sort. Be assured and understand that the trial brings out endurance, steadfastness, patience and perseverance. Let endurance and steadfastness have its perfect result, that you may be perfect, mature and complete, lacking in nothing.”

In the first place, my definition of joy was incorrect. Joy in the absence of suffering is not what James was talking about. I don’t think God put us on this earth to enjoy ourselves, to satiate ourselves with pleasure. We have to see ourselves as athletes running the race to the finish line. God is our coach and He puts us through our paces so that we will be victorious in the end. 

I like the story of a little boy with a basket following his dad in a supermarket. The dad picks stuff off the shelf and puts it in the basket. As the contents of the basket grows, an old lady asks the little boy, “Isn’t your basket heavy?”, and the boy answers, “My dad knows exactly how much I can carry.”

Trust. Confidence. We can only have joy beyond understanding if we know our Father loves us, has a plan for us, and knows exactly what we can carry!

The Smallest Letter of the Law

  "Until heaven and earth pass away not the smallest letter of the law, not the smallest part of the letter, shall be done away with until it all comes true." Matthew 5:18

Seems like I need to be a lawyer or a Greek scholar to be able to understand Jesus' words!

Hebrews 10:1 reads: "The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming--not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship."

Romans 7:6-7, "But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter. What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet."

2 Corinthians 3:6, "Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life."

Sometimes it can seem like the words of Saint Paul contradict Jesus' words! But Jesus is the fulfillment of the law. The good thief who was crucified alongside Christ also reviled Christ at the beginning along with the crowd. "But one of the thieves repented and rebuked the other. 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' And he said to him, 'Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise'" (Luke 23 39:43).

I may not understand everything in the Bible. But one thing I understand is, I need to repent. I need to stand beside Jesus and defend Him. And I need to say, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom!"

Roe No More

 “My people heard not my voice, and Israel obeyed me not; So I gave them up to the hardness of their hearts; they walked according to their counsels.” Psalm 81:12-13

Here is the lament of a God who desires only our good. He is like a parent who points the right way for his child to go, but the child adamantly chooses another path. One of the greatest gifts God has given us is free will. We have the choice to listen to Him, and obey Him, or to do the opposite. 

One woman who chose a path against God was Norma McCorvey, who is more well known for her pseudonym “Jane Roe” in the infamous Roe v. Wade lawsuit that reached the U.S. Supreme Court. She challenged the Texas laws that criminalized abortion. In the 1980s, she involved herself in the abortion movement and later worked at abortion clinics. In 1995, an evangelical pro-life group, Operation Rescue, opened an office in the same building as the abortion clinic and Norma began to have conversations with the active pro-lifers. Eventually she developed friendships with them and started having serious doubts about the morality of abortion. 

It was about this time that she started going to Church and rejected her work with the abortion groups. In 1997, she started her own ministry, “Roe No More”, and in 1998, she converted to Catholicism. She continued to speak out against abortion, and worked to overturn Roe vs. Wade. This is attested to by Fr. Frank Pavone who was Norma’s spiritual guide for 22 years and spoke with her on the day she died in 2017. 

No matter how far from the right path we stray, God is always willing to take us back into His loving arms.

God is the Same Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

 

“Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.” Mark 7:28-29

The Gospel reading for today is about the Syro-Phoenician woman who was pleading with Jesus to heal her daughter. I have always been troubled by this story because it seemed as if Jesus was insulting the woman by calling her a dog!!! It turns out that in the original, the word Jesus used was the word for "puppy". Regardless, Mark 7:24-30 shows a side of Jesus where he wanted to test this woman's resolve and her humility! When the woman showed her faith, Jesus healed her daughter. 

Last night, a friend of ours celebrated her birthday and she shared how God healed her of her thyroid condition. She was having difficulty eating and talking because of cysts, lesions and a lump in her throat. She had to mash all her food, and position her head properly when sleeping. But because of the Christmas season, her medicine and protocols got postponed and postponed. Meanwhile we were all praying and praying. 

In January, when she had her scan, doctors discovered all her cysts, lesions and the lump was gone. She had to have six scans because her doctors couldn’t believe it. Truly, God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He is a God who heals and answers our prayers. Thank You Lord! 

What Defiles a Man?

 

“What comes out of a man, that is what defiles him.” Mark 7:20

And here is what Jesus further said: “From within the man, from his thought life, from his heart, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.” 

Yes I must confess that sometimes my thought life disgusts me, when I think too much about myself, or when I am judgmental and self-righteous. Our thoughts can be like mad dogs, if we don’t reign them in at the start with a forceful tug, they will run away and it’s hard to catch them! 

Instead of complaining, Lord, may praise and gratitude come out of my mouth. May I have contentment in my heart, never envy or any malice towards others. Instead of pride, arrogance or a sense of entitlement, may humility and a desire for the best for others reign in my being. In all circumstances may I have an undisturbed joy, not anxiety or worry. 

May I not be blind to my faults and failures, so I can regularly align with Your will and purpose for my life, amen. 

God Dwells Among Men

  "Can it indeed be that God dwells among men on earth?" 1 Kings 8:27

This was King Solomon's question. “If the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain you, how much less this temple which I have built!" he continued in awe.  

Are we in awe when we pray to God?  Are we amazed that God came down to our level to be with us, the Emmanuel? Do we marvel that the creator of Super novas, the majestic mountains, mighty dinosaurs, allows us to visit Him in churches built by man?  And not only that, He wants, desires, longs, that we invite Him into the temple of our own feeble hearts.  He actually prefers to dwell in our hearts rather than the grand Cologne Cathedral, the historic Notre Dame in Paris, the awesome Sagrada Familia, no matter how beautiful they are. 

In little more than a week it will be Ash Wednesday, 

and we can moan and groan about this Lenten journey of fasting and abstinence, or we can welcome it as a pilgrimage to walk more closely with the God who loves us so inconceivably. 

One of my favorite songs is "More than Wonderful", 

best sang by Sandi Patty and Larnelle Harris. 

It goes, "I stand amazed when I think that the King of glory

Should come to dwell within the heart of man

I marvel just to know He really loves me

When I think of who He is, and who I am.

For He's more wonderful than my mind can conceive, 

He's more wonderful than my heart can believe; 

He goes beyond my highest hopes and fondest dreams; 

He's everything that my soul ever longed for, 

Everything He promised and so much more; 

More than amazing, More than marvelous, 

More than miraculous could ever be; 

He's more than wonderful; That's what Jesus is to me!"

Bring Him with You

 

"Whatever villages or town He entered, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged Him that they might touch only the tassel of His cloak, and as many as touched it were healed." Mark 6:56

In Numbers 15:37-41 the Lord commanded Moses that His people should put tassels, fringes or TZITZIT on the corners of their shawls. This was to be a reminder of all the commands of God, that they might obey it. The Hebrew word "Halacha" for Law, literally means "walk". Following God's law meant that they were walking in righteousness. 

When the Jews prayed, they would cover their heads with the tallit, or the prayer shawl. It was white to symbolize the heavens, with blue stripes to represent the Ruach Ha Kodesh, the Holy Spirit of God. Going under the shawl for them was akin to being in their prayer closet, or "praying in secret" as in Matthew 6:6. 

I was thinking it would be nice to carry around with me a reminder to walk in righteousness. Perhaps a bracelet, a necklace, even a hanky with a tassel? 

Sometimes I wear a Mezuzah. It's a way to bring the Word of God with me wherever I go! In a Jewish home, they put it on the doorpost. Inside the glass vial is the “Shema" from Deuteronomy 6, and it begins with, “Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is One."

Of course it is best we do not need to carry around anything to remind us that we are God’s people and we should walk in His ways. It is much better that God’s Spirit finds a home in our hearts as the Father promised in Ezekiel 36:26-27. “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”

A City Set on a Hill

 “A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14

It is sad and pitiful that even as we boast of being Asia’s only Christian nation, not many people would say, “Come let us go to the Philippines, that the Filipinos may instruct us in their ways, and walk in their paths.” (Isaiah 2:3) We are a Christian majority in our country, with more than 79-85% Roman Catholic, 2.8-5 % Evangelicals, and 10-11% belonging to various Protestant denominations. Unfortunately, one cannot say we are a good example to other nations as we elect extremely corrupt leaders. Based on the results of past elections, we do not value honesty, integrity, accountability, and people who work hard to serve the poor. 

As Christians, Jesus admonishes us to be a light shining in the darkness, a city set on a hill, doing good works (Matthew 5:14-16). We should be the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13) Why salt? It is used for preserving food, and enhancing the taste of dishes. In ancient times, when there were no refrigerators, one of the ways the people preserved their food was to salt it. Bacteria and other microorganisms cannot survive a salt concentration of more than 10%, so meat was cured by rubbing a mixture of salt into pork, then storing it. The meat was then protected from decay and putrefaction. 

As Christians, even if the environment all around us shows a breakdown of values, we should bring salt and light into our little corner of the world. We are clearly called to be not of the world even if we live in it. We should try to influence, and improve the neighborhoods we live in, the communities we are part of, the offices we work in, and especially the families we are born into. 

What if we could bring the love of Christ into everything we do? We could be salt shakers and be a constant reminder of God’s faithfulness. We may not be conscious of it but we possess that which is necessary to preserve life because we possess the good news! The gospel! There are many people around us who are in desperate need of hearing the truth. The truth that there is a God who loves each one of us, who cares, and wants to walk with us. Each of us, we have only one life. Let us make it matter. 

“Do not worry if all the candles in the world flicker and die. We have the spark that starts the fire.” (Rumi)

“How far that little candle throws his beams, So shines a good deed in a weary world.”(William Shakespeare) 

“All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.” (Francis of Assisi) 

What Should I Ask For?

 "What should I ask for?" Mark 6:24

Although Salome is not named in the Bible, she is identified by the 1st century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus in his work “Antiquities of the Jews”.

After she dances for King Herod and his guests, he was so pleased he promised to give her ANYTHING she asked for, “even to half my kingdom”. Although quite young, as the Greek term korasion suggests, she must have been sultry and seductive in her movement. I can't imagine a jaded man like Herod being captivated by a cutesy, childish dance. 

"What should I ask for?" The child asks her mother, echoing children throughout the ages, in need of guidance and wisdom. And instead of wise counsel, what did she get? Herodias instructs her to ask for John the Baptist's head! This vengeful woman, instead of being grateful to John the Baptist for reminding her of what is good, harbored a grudge against the prophet.

Salome hurries back to Herod and demanded, "I want the head of John the Baptist, RIGHT NOW, ON A TRAY!" She did her mother better! This just shows that when we teach a wrong thing, it escalates. That's the nature of sin. Perhaps that's why it says in Exodus 20:5: "I, the Lord your God, visit the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation..."

If we want the best for our children, we should dig up any seeds or roots of sin in our lives, so that it will not grow into a shrub or tree in the lives of our children!

What Do You Want?

 “What do you want? Ask and I will give it to you!” 1 Kings 3:5

Imagine if God, the giver of every good thing, asked us this! What would we ask? Many will ask for riches, power, fame, beauty, healing, etc. Will we ever think of asking God for a wise and understanding mind to distinguish right from wrong? Will we ever plead for an understanding heart full of love for God’s people?

God was well pleased with Solomon, King David’s son, who wanted wisdom so he could govern God’s people well. “I will give you what you asked for,” God answered him, “I will also give you what you did not ask for- riches and honor... and if you follow and obey my commands, I will give you long life.” 

Many people are blessed with riches, power, fame and beauty. If they do not follow and obey God’s ways, they often find that life is meaningless. Oscar Wilde once said, “I can resist anything except temptation.” He lived up to his name and lived wildly and flamboyantly in fashionable circles. Wilde believed pleasure and beauty would replace utilitarian ethics. After living a profligate life with both women and men, he spent a brutal two years in prison. 

In prison, Wilde read the Bible, and in one of his letters, he wrote, “I wanted to eat of the fruit of all the trees in the garden of the world... And so, indeed, I went out, and so I lived. My only mistake was that I confined myself so exclusively to the trees of what seemed to me the sun-lit side of the garden, and shunned the other side for its shadow and its gloom.” 

After he was released from prison, he wrote to the Jesuits, asking for a 6-month Catholic retreat. Sadly, Wilde was denied this request and he wept. Before he died of meningitis, he pleaded with his companion to get a Catholic priest to say the last rites for him. 

What a sad life for a promising and talented young man! If only he used his gifts to give His creator glory! The pursuit of pleasure is a modern day addiction too. Sugar consumption, mobile phone use, lack of sleep, pornography, drug use are all up, and so is depression and suicide. Most of the time, the more pleasure we seek, the more unhappy we become, and the more addicted. Lord, may we not be caught up in the pursuit of the pleasures of this world. May we turn to You in prayer and ask for a life lived according to Your laws. Psalm 127:1 says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.” 

Take Courage and Be a Man

 “Take courage and be a man.” 1 Kings 2:2

A Polish man in the UK who had an otherwise exemplary character, got caught soliciting a woman to have sex with his 14-year old son. The woman turned out to be a police officer. The judge on the case, Jonathan Teare, told the father, “You have a duty of care to your son and that is to look after his moral welfare, not as you might think to break him in to the ways of sex through a prostitute.” 

Unfortunately, many fathers think that is how to bring up a son!  King David was different. When he was on his deathbed, he made sure to instruct his son Solomon, “I am going the way of all flesh. Take courage and be a man. Keep the mandate of the Lord, Your God, following His ways and observing His statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees... that you may succeed in whatever you do, wherever you turn...” (1 Kings 2:2-3)

The best legacy we can leave our sons and daughters is teaching them to love God and neighbor, to follow God’s ways and not the world’s.

A Light to the World

 “He was amazed at their lack of faith.” Mark 6:6

When Jesus visited Nazareth, where He grew up, He faced rejection. He was not able to perform any miracles, apart from curing a few sick people. He was amazed at their lack of faith! 

Contrast this with the story in Matthew chapter 8, when He said, "Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.” A centurion had come to Him asking for help for his servant who was paralyzed. When Jesus said He would go to his home, the centurion replied, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.”

Sometimes, like the people of Nazareth, Jesus becomes too familiar. We grew up reciting the prayers, learning the bible stories in school, going to mass every Sunday. We did not really develop a relationship with Him when what Jesus most of all wants is a close relationship with us. He wants to journey with us every day, through good times and bad times. Let us not take Him for granted, like the people in His hometown. 

I was listening to Chaim Malespin, a Special Forces IDF soldier with over 750 days of service since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. Like most Jews, believing in Jesus was a foreign concept, like believing that Hercules is the son of Zeus. But one day he got to thinking what if? What if Yeshua is the Messiah of Israel, he HAS to know! He has to get the revelation himself and he asked Yeshua to show Himself. He started to pray and after one night of praying, he didn’t hear an audible voice. But he FELT Jesus say, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.“ That blew his mind! 

Then he had this conversation with Jesus and he was saying he didn’t want to be a boring pew sitter. And Jesus said, “I want you to be an adventurer. I want you to fight giants. I want you to fight Goliath. I want you to defend my land. I want to take you to

the ends of the earth and back to be a light. A light to the world.” 

He got so excited! And true enough, today Chaim spends his days rallying the nations. He gives talks in Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, America, Canada, etc. He founded the “Faithful Galileans”, a nonprofit organization established to empower Christians, facilitate prayer, worship, and the teaching of Scriptures, all for the glory of God! 

Lord, may we be as excited to follow You wherever You may lead!