Nothing is Impossible with God

“He wrote that commandment for you because of your stubbornness."  Mark 10:5

Some Pharisees came to test Jesus about divorce, whether it was permissible. Jesus told them that Moses wrote that commandment because of man's stubbornness. In my other Bible it says, "hardness of heart". Then Jesus went on to say that no man should separate what God has joined, they are no longer two but one flesh. 

I attended a workshop several years ago, in a place where President Duterte is favored and loved. It was a great workshop, and the people I met were wonderful and God- fearing. Only one thing marred my peace and I had to ponder and pray about it. There were some Bible-believing and obeying brothers and sisters there who believed, like the President, that we should have the death penalty instituted and the senators fighting against the measure were in the wrong. 

I would have thought that when one believes in God and reads His word and obeys it, one would also believe that nothing is impossible with God and even the hardest criminal could turn his life around and make a valuable contribution to our society. Why would anyone deprive him of that chance? There are innumerable stories of hardened criminals who repented and turned their life around after an encounter with God. 

I personally have talked to many inmates in QC Jail, some of them have confessed to murder. But they have since repented, they attend Bible Studies and sing praise songs. Moreover, our justice system is flawed. One man was sentenced to life imprisonment for a crime he didn't commit. After God's intervention, he is now a driver for my sister's family. He knows the Bible better than most people I know!  

Will God permit the death penalty, or easy dissolution of marriages, instituted in our country? Only because of our hard hearts and stubbornness! 

Lord, may we see Your heart of compassion and mercy reign in our country. May we see Your face in not only the poor, but in the real pitiable, those who commit sin and make big mistakes because they do not know You. 

Our Choices Make Us

“Wisdom breathes life into her children…those who seek her will be embraced by the Lord.” Sirach 4:11-12

In 1 Kings 3:3-15 we learn that one night God came to young Solomon in a dream and told him to ask for whatever he wanted. Solomon, in humility, out of all the things he could choose, asked for the wisdom to govern God's people because he knew he couldn't do it alone. Our choices make us, make our future, make our families, make our character. In this world, there is no lack of examples of men who have chosen the gold and the power of this world instead of the treasures of heaven. That is what we can call short-sighted thinking. 

Solomon chose wisdom, and God gave him everything in addition to wisdom. In Sirach 4:13, we can read, “He who holds her (wisdom) fast, inherits glory; wherever he dwells, the Lord bestows blessings.” Wisdom is the key that opens every door, but oddly enough, wisdom is not something we pray for every day! 

We need to start listening for God’s guidance every day, so that if we listen to Him for little things, we will hear Him clearly for the big things. Will I change my job? Will I move my family to the US? Will I marry him? How can I solve my problem? What should I do? To receive God’s wisdom for the hard things, we need to go to him every day when we do not have a decision to make, a hard choice, a dilemma, a crisis. We need to train ourselves to listen to His still, small voice. I think hearing from God is the most important thing in our life!

Servant of All

"If anyone wishes to rank first, he must remain the last one of all, and the servant of all." Mark 9:35

I am 68 years old already and I still have not learned this very important lesson. To be a servant, one must have the heart of a servant. And no one better exemplifies that than Mother Teresa who spent her life giving love to the least of God's people.

David Kessler tells one of the nicest stories about how Mother Teresa helped him with his book, "The Needs of the Dying". When he visited India in 1996, he had the opportunity to meet with her when she was told he worked with Elisabeth Kübler Ross, a pioneer in near death studies, and was himself writing a book. He described her as having "kind brown eyes, intensely wrinkled skin, and the warmest of smiles." She treated him like an old friend, and told him that soon she would be dying as well. He said that she talked about God as if He was her dearest, oldest friend, and that she was so looking forward to being with Him. 

Before he left, Mother Teresa asked for his business card and she gave him hers:

The fruit of silence is prayer,

The fruit of prayer is faith,

The fruit of faith is love,

The fruit of love is service,

The fruit of service is peace.

When he finished his book, he sent it to her, and she wrote the most wonderful praise for the book. When he told a friend that he felt he didn't deserve Mother Teresa's good words, his friend said: "So you don’t feel you deserve it. Then here is what you have to do. Spend every day of your life earning that praise.” And that is what David Kessler tries to do. 

If Mother Teresa was able to provoke this man to a life of service, so should we try to spend every day of our life pleasing our Father. 

Lord, may I live my life such that when I meet You face to face, You shall say, "Well done, good and faithful servant." Teach me to be a servant like You, Lord. 

Help My Unbelief

“I do believe, help my unbelief!” Mark 9:24

The father in today’s gospel was very worried. His son was probably stricken with epilepsy for he foamed in the mouth, ground his teeth, and had seizures. The father pleaded with Jesus, “If You can do anything, have compassion and help us!"

Jesus answered, " 'If you can!’ EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE TO ONE WHO HAS FAITH."

Then the father cried out, “I DO believe. Help my unbelief!"

In Mark 11:24 Jesus taught, "Have faith that whatever you ask for in prayer is already granted you, and you will find that it will be."

It is sometimes hard to understand  these words.

All I know is that FAITH is a gift.

"Every perfect gift is from above." James 1: 17

And if we ask God for something, and it is not granted yet, we can pray like the father, “I DO believe, help my unbelief!"

Overflowing

I’ve started painting for Art in the Park and this is how far I’ve gone. 

“Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.” Luke 6:38

Everyone loves a good secret and this is the juiciest secret of all time. The measure of our generosity to God and to others will be the same measure God will use for us. Although it is not good to give expecting something in return, I believe it is good to test God in this. 

It says in Malachi 3:10, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”

I personally know a man, who because of some difficulty with finances, wanted to go abroad to see if he would fare better there. His wife, who did not want to live in another country, suggested he tithe. "Try it! Test the Lord!" she said. He did, and prior to the pandemic, he had a very successful practice. He received over and above what he needed. For myself, I have found that whatever I give to the Lord or to others, comes back to me a hundredfold. Whether it be my time, my talents, my money or my resources. God has been extraordinarily generous with me.

God's economy, the way He does things is so diametrically different from the way the world operates.

Consider the opposite. Don’t give. Keep everything for yourself. Hoard. Don’t help others with what you have. Money, talents, influence, time, use it all for yourself. I am picturing a miser who works hard to enrich himself, not thinking of his coworkers, the man outside his gate, a friend who is sick in the hospital. 

He will be exactly like the Dead Sea or the Salt Sea or the Devil’s Sea as it is sometimes called. The Jordan river empties into it but there is no outlet. Because it is landlocked, the water evaporates and leaves behind massive amounts of salt, making it so dense that people can float on top of it. No plants, algae or animals survive in this brackish water but at the very bottom there are microbial fungi and bacteria. This is what we become if we just receive all the blessings God gives us, and do not share. 

Oh, if only we could remember the secret of generosity every minute, every second of our day! Especially during this time when there is need all around us! 

Good Shepherd

“Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side; With your rod and your staff that give me courage.” Psalm 23:4

Psalm 23, “The Lord is my Shepherd”, is a favorite of many, but we do not like to think of walking in dark valleys even with the Lord at our side. It is inevitable however. Everyone has to go through trials and challenges and yes, dark valleys, in our journey. 

I read Omy Romero’s book, “The Boat is Sinking”, a few years ago. I found it so relevant for these uncertain times. Lots of people are dealing with depression and anxiety. Even children are grappling with insecurities and mental health issues. Then how about our political landscape, our leaders seem bent on stealing more and more of our nation’s wealth! It’s easy to lose hope for our beautiful country! 

What Omy has learned from his personal experiences, from what his clients had to go through, and his study of the Bible is that “seemingly insurmountable odds and challenges turn out to be catalysts that can take us from the pits of our life to its pinnacles.” He shows us that rock bottom should not be met with dread but with hope. 

Omy shares that the best thing that happened to him was losing his job the same year his wife Rosanne was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. He hit rock bottom and they had no savings. But instead on focusing on what he did not have, he started asking questions like where did he want to be in ten years time. He realized he had the freedom to be open to possibilities and he made the most of that. Omy became an entrepreneur and his business steadily grew. 

The same thing happened when my dad lost his job. He was able to help my mom with the little business she started. Plus he was also able to spend more time with us which made us happy. 

God is able to walk with us through the hard places and help us if we do not lose hope and give in to despair. Yes, He is our good shepherd. 

Link to the book: https://theboatissinking.com/

Raindrops

“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and that of the Gospel will save it.” Mark 8:34-35

This is the very Bible passage that made me stop reading my Bible in High School. I could not for the life of me understand why Jesus required us to deny ourselves and take up our cross. I was always praying that God treat me gently. I did not like any trials and I would constantly pray God protect me from them. 

My friend wrote this on his Facebook wall: 

May this be your prayer today: "I'd rather go through tough times with God than good times without Him." He alone matters.

Then someone commented, “Not so tough naman sana.”

The thing is God’s highest desire is to bring us home to heaven. He will do anything, even to allowing that His Son be crucified so we can be with Him one day. But obviously we can’t enter heaven with greedy, selfish hearts. He has to do something about that. And that is where the cross comes in. It’s all for our highest good. God wants us to be molded and transformed to be citizens of heaven with good character, people of honor. After all, we’re going to be Royalty, sons and daughters of the King of Kings! That’s why He uses other people, like husbands, wives, office mates, relatives, etc. to “sandpaper” us. That’s why He allows circumstances like sickness, quarrels, the bad economy, etc. to prune us. 

And that is why one of my favorite songs is “Blessings” from Laura Story (https://youtu.be/ICnct8THNag): 

We pray for blessings

We pray for peace

Comfort for family, protection while we sleep

We pray for healing, for prosperity

We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

And all the while, You hear each spoken need

Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops?

What if Your healing comes through tears?

What if a thousand sleepless nights

Are what it takes to know You're near?

And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?

We pray for wisdom

Your voice to hear

And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near

We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love

As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

And all the while, You hear each desperate plea

And long that we'd have faith to believe

When friends betray us

And when darkness seems to win

We know that pain reminds this heart

That this is not, this is not our home

It's not our home

'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops?

What if Your healing comes through tears?

And what if the thousand sleepless nights

Are what it takes to know You're near?

What if my greatest disappointments

Or the aching of this life

Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy

And what if trials of this life

The rain, the storms, the hardest nights

Are Your mercies in disguise?

Who Do You Say That I Am?

I usually spend February busy making canvases for Art in the Park (March 17 this year) but I’m still painting to fundraise for a dear friend’s hospital bills. I’ll be adding this one as soon as I finish it. 

Ampi Teotico has been  fighting for her life in the ICU since January 20, battling severe viral pneumonia complicated by Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). 

To view the current Art for Ampi catalog, click here:  https://artforampi.my.canva.site

Join us in supporting a meaningful cause through art.

Explore a collection of unique artworks, find a piece that speaks to you, and be part of Ampi’s journey toward healing. 100% of the proceeds will go towards Ampi’s medical expenses. 

Every purchase, share, and donation makes a difference. 

“But who do you say that I am?” Mark 8:29

Do we really know who Jesus is? Where do we get our idea about Jesus, His character, what He values, what He did and what He said? Do we get it from the source of truth, the Bible? Or do we make up our own God by our experiences, and what others say, or read in other materials? It is easy to get misled because there is a great deceiver that looks for all the ways and means to beguile us and hoodwink us. The only trustworthy starting point is to read from the Bible what Jesus says about Himself. 

I read about a man named Daniel. Before he attended a church in Southern California, he lived in Uganda, when Idi Amin was President from 1971-1979. At that time, he was caught and tortured brutally for being a Christian. For several days at a time, a guard would hang him from his feet and whip him. One night as the guard was leaving, Daniel said, "Have a nice evening."

The guard turned back to him, and asked incredulously, "How can you say that to me? After what I have been doing to you?" Daniel then told him about Jesus, about the blood shed on the cross for him, about freedom, about how he had been forgiven and loved. A few days after that, the guard helped him escape, brought Daniel to his house, fed him and let him share about Jesus to his family. 

Jesus won't have to ask Daniel, "Who do you say that I am?" Jesus already knows the answer by the life Daniel lived and continues to live. How about us?

Lord, may I be faithful to Your calling. May I live in such a way as to show You that I know You, love You and obey You. May others who know me, know as well that I am Your servant. 

How Shall I Make a Return to the Lord?

My brother-in-law asked if I could make a golf-themed artwork and I managed to make one in three days. He auctioned it today to raise money for our friend’s hospital bills. I called it Golf Paradise. 

“How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me?” Psalm 116:12

Nobody loves us as much as God does. He loved us first, and He loves us best, and He will love us forever. Indeed our whole life is a testament to God's unfailing goodness and love. He surrounded us with people to love, support and encourage us to be the best we can be. He put us in a place where we can use our gifts and talents. He answers our prayers and speaks to us when we need His help, and even when we feel we don't. He forgives us seventy times seven and assures us that nothing shall ever separate us from His love. 

In 1 Corinthians 3:9, St. Paul writes: "We are God's garden, His field..." Can we picture God as our gardener, making sure we are blooming and fragrant? He watches out for little pests that can make some of the plants wither, or even destroy the root systems. He also prunes and cuts away dead leaves.

We don’t even realize that we carry around something dead with us every day. It's smelly and ugly, but we can't shake it off. It's our sin nature. It's the one that wants its  own way. It's selfish, it's cranky, it's indulgent. But it's dead, because in baptism, Jesus pruned it away! We are dead to sin, but alive in Christ (Romans 6, Col. 2:13). Yes, God never gives up on us. Each one of us is His own unique masterpiece and He is constantly working on us. How do we repay Him for His goodness and faithfulness?

The psalmist in Psalm 116 asks this same question and answers it well: “I will lift up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord.” (v.13)

 

We can and we certainly should “toast” the graciousness of the Lord, and proclaim His faithfulness. It is the custom of the Jews to drink a cup of blessing and thanksgiving during festivals as a special expression of thanksgiving. “Blessed be the Lord, the maker of the world, who has created the fruit of the vine!” they exclaim exuberantly. When we “call upon the name of the Lord”, we proclaim what the Lord has done. Isn’t this evangelization, preaching the good news? We who have experienced God’s many gifts should also announce or preach the gospel in every way we can, to repay Him.

 

If we continue reading Psalm 116, we will see another way to offer the Lord our thanks. “I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.” (v.14) We can keep our promises as His people to live the way of life He has taught us.

 

Lord, may we always be grateful to You, knowing we owe You everything. Everything we have is Yours. May we live our life fully committed to You and to the way of life You have called us to.