WOYWW: Connecting to the Commander

Starting with my new planner, available at our shop, papemelroti.

Inside it’s got some questions to think about. 

“Everyone is asking for you.” Mark 1:37

Jesus was very tired after a busy day. He and His companions, Simon, Andrew, James and John had gone to the synagogue as it was a Sabbath. Jesus taught with such authority that many were caught with amazement. Then at the same synagogue an evil spirit confronted Him and He exorcised the spirit. After the service, He left and visited Simon and Andrew’s home, and healed the mother-in-law of Simon. At sunset, because word had reached many people about Him, a horde of sick and demon-possessed people were at the door. Many gathered to watch as he healed them all. 

Did Jesus rest after this? He woke long before daybreak the next day and went out alone to the wilderness and prayed. If Jesus had to pray, found it necessary to connect to the Father, shouldn’t we prioritize taking the time to do so? Sometimes we say we have so much to do, there just isn’t enough time, so much calls for our attention. 

Simon and the others went off to find Him. When they did, they said, “Everyone is looking for you!” Sound familiar? So many people are asking us to meet with them, so many asking us to do this or do that, attend this, attend that, plan this, plan that. My planner is so full of activities and a TO DO list, and the year has hardly started! 

What did Jesus do? Did He rush off with His disciples to heal those waiting at the door again? That’s a good thing to do, isn’t it? But He said, “We must go to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too, because that is why I came.” He was very clear about His “battle plan”. And it’s all because He went to His commander. 

Life is a constant battle. There are so many good things to do. How do we choose what would make the biggest difference, the biggest impact? Lord, may we go to You, for wisdom, for strength, for our instructions.

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

 Unite,  Rubie Tuesday Link Up, Be Inspired

 A Little R and R,  No Rules Weekend Blog Party
Cheerleaders of our Faith, Reflect
Wow Us Wednesdays, Sitting Among Friends

The Weekly Creative, Three Word Wednesday
Word Filled Wednesdays
Great Blog Train Bloghop, Cheerleaders of Faith
Women with Intention Wednesdays
Christian Blogger Link Up, Word Filled 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
Hearts for Home Thursday

Dance with Jesus Friday

Blessings!

Patsy  

Troubles and Heartaches

“I am very sad. I was only pouring out my troubles to the Lord.” 

1 Samuel 1:15

Hannah was very sad, in anguish even. She was one of the two wives of Elkanah. The other wife, Peninnah had children and she would cruelly taunt Hannah because Hannah had none. We all have troubles, don’t we? And sometimes they get magnified because of cruelty from others. There are so many depressing stories about how high school kids are driven to suicide because of other kids targeting them on social media. They are driven to taking their lives because they believe it’s the only way out of their terrible situation. 

Hannah had a husband who loved her. He said, “Why be so sad just because you have no children? You have me- isn’t that better than having 10 sons?” But Hannah did not think so and she went to the Tabernacle and prayed hard, so hard that the priest thought she was drunk! 

Eli the priest wanted to throw her out! “How long will you make a drunken show of yourself!” I can be like that sometimes, so unsympathetic and judgmental!  Poor Hannah had to tell Eli that she was only so desperate that she had to pour out her troubles to the Lord. If we are like Hannah, with so many challenges, we should focus on the Lord for He will surely hear and answer. We should also count our blessings, as her husband said, he loved her very much. When our hearts are filled with gratitude, there will be less space for our troubles. 

As I read this story of Hannah, I am reminded too that we should always always see others with compassion and empathy. We don’t always know what’s going on in our neighbors’, our classmates’, officemates’ lives. We should always, always practice kindness and try to do what we can to ease one another’s burdens. 

Seek the Lord

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways, says the Lord.” 

Isaiah 55:8

Where do we get the idea that we can understand God? Know God? Explain God? Our brains are just too puny and simple to contain the God who created the complexities of the universe. And yet little by little, brilliant minds like Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, and all those Nobel prize winning physicists and astronomers, have been able to discover and describe how God has put His system together revealing His amazing design. 

In the same way, there are some things He reveals to us in His Word about how He wants us to relate to Him and to our brothers and sisters, His children. “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.” Deuteronomy 29:29

“Seek the LORD while He may be found.” (Isaiah 55:6a) Indeed if we can seek Him, we can find Him. And if He could be known in the Old Testament, it should be easier for us to get to know Him today, because Jesus came and walked the earth, and spoke our language. Jesus tells Philip in John 14:9, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” 

Lord, may we see You and hear You and experience You the way You want us to. May we not be the ones to put barriers up to prevent You from reaching us, even to the depths of our heart. May we not hide from you in our guilt and shame and unworthiness. 

Where is Jesus?

 "Where is the new born King of the Jews?" Matthew 2:2

If we seek Him, we will find Him. This is what God promised in Jeremiah 29:13: “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” And so the Magi from the East set off to find Him. Mystery surrounds these men from the East. In an ancient Syriac manuscript found in the Vatican, “Revelations of the Magi”, they are described as monk-like mystics, descendants of Seth, “guardians of an age-old prophecy that a star of indescribable brightness would someday appear heralding the birth of God in human form”. They set off from far away determined to find God and they found Him. They probably did not expect to find Him in miserable circumstances, but they offered Him their treasures. Traditionally, we think there were three of them because of the three gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, but in Eastern Christian churches, they believe there were actually 12 Wise Men. 

Are we like the Magi, these Wise Men, in that we are determined to seek God, even through deserts and the wilderness of our lives? Contrast their hearts with the heart of King Herod who asked the Wise men, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so I may also go and pay him homage.” God knew Herod was not seeking Jesus to pay Him homage but to destroy Him. 

We may think we can never be like Herod, but every time we put ourselves before God, our ways before God’s ways, we try to destroy God’s throne because we want to sit on it. Lord, may I seek You with everything in me, so when someone asks, “Where is King Jesus?”, I can say, “He is in my heart!”

Getting to Know You

“I saw you under the fig tree.” 

John 1:48

This is what Jesus said of Nathanael. 

'Sitting under a fig tree" is a rabbinical idiom used frequently by the Jews in Jesus' time. 

It meant that Nathanael would meditate on the Torah. Jesus was pointing out the good that Nathanael did. 

A lot of people have the impression that God is a stern taskmaster who is out to catch us sinning. But we can get to know God’s character by getting to know Jesus. After all, He said, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9)

In the Gospels we meet a God who is multifaceted and not one dimensional. Getting to know Jesus is not a a DIY project but a lifetime of discovery and adventure with the King of Kings Himself. When we embark on this journey, we are not alone. We not only get to know Him, but we get to know ourselves as God sees us. 

Nathanael believed and followed Jesus, and because of this, Jesus promised: “Greater things than these, you will see.” (John 1:50) Lord, we want to experience everything You have for us. We don’t want to miss out! Bring me on the journey with You! 

Come and See

“What are you looking for?” John 1:38

I like to pretend I am part of a Bible story. In the 1st chapter of John, I am one of the crowd listening to John the Baptist. John is a strange character indeed, living in the wilderness, eating locusts and wild honey. He has stringy hair, and clothes woven of camel hair. But eccentric or not, I was convinced he was a man of God. Even before he was born, there were amazing stories about his parents, Zechariah the priest and Elizabeth. When John was born, wonder fell upon the whole neighborhood and the news spread far and wide about how the elderly Elizabeth bore a healthy son and he was to be named John. 

And so here I was among the jostling crowd eager to hear what John was saying. He was pointing to someone, another man. “Behold the Lamb of God! He is the One I was talking about!” And so I left John and followed the One he pointed out. His name was Jesus. 

When Jesus saw us following Him, He asked, “What are you looking for?” Of course, there was so much I wanted to say, to ask, but all I could answer was, “Where are you staying?” because I wanted to find Him again. “Come and see,” Jesus said. That was the start of an exciting adventure. 

All Jesus asks of us is to come follow Him, and see. 

God’s Beloved

“See what love the Father has bestowed on us in letting us be called children of God!” 1 John 3:1

How different people’s lives would be if we knew, really knew, that we are beloved of God. 

Luigi always says, “Expressing love increases love”, and I am truly blessed because my husband practices what he preaches. He is faithful and I know that when he tells me something, I can believe him. There is no doubt in my mind, no insecurity. If he promises me something, I can count on it. He cares for the people I care about and the things I care about. When my mom was very sick in the hospital, he would take a turn to stay overnight to take care of her. Now he goes out of his way to find a meal my dad will enjoy. He has a heart of service and is always willing to sacrifice for me and Josh when we need something. He knew I needed help in my work, and even if it is a thankless job, he continues to help me. 

God is like that and so much much more. He cares about the people and things we care about. Our Father shows His love every day and in so many ways. He keeps His promises. He sacrificed His Son for us. God’s love is steadfast and unchanging and we can depend on Him. Whatever love we experience from others takes its root in Him. May we be secure in God’s love for us so we may be conduits of His love and blessing to others. 

St. Basil the Great

“Who are you?” John 1:22

This was the question asked of John the Baptist when he was witnessing of the coming of the light, Jesus Christ. John knew exactly who he was, even if some would make of him the Messiah. The same question can be asked of us, “Who are you?” 

Do we know that we too are supposed to be a voice crying out in this desert of a world, “Make straight the way of the Lord”? Or are most of our pursuits out to make things comfortable for us and our families? 

Today is the Feast Day of Saint Basil the Great. I like reading about saints, ordinary people like you and me who did the extraordinary by God’s grace. Saint Basil  came from a very well off, noble family in what is now Turkey. He abandoned his legal and teaching career to become a monk together with another amazing saint, Gregory of Nazianzus. He founded a monastic settlement on his family’s estate. His widowed mother, sister and several other women joined Basil and his other like-minded disciples in prayer and charitable works. When Basil became Bishop of Caesarea in 370, he organized soup kitchens and gave away his fortune to the poor. 

He established a huge community called the Basiliad outside Caesarea, which included a poorhouse, a hospice, and the first hospital in history where lepers were treated. Saint Basil was also an effective rhetorician and theologian, who fought heresies against the Church and Jesus Christ. In his homilies, Basil encouraged the wealthy to be more generous so others may live in dignity. 

May 2018 bring out the best in ourselves. Like John the Baptist and Saint Basil, we have much to contribute to God’s work. We can use the gifts God has given us to make this world a better place to live in not just for our families, but for others who have no voice, no livelihood, no dignity. 

Blessing for the New Year!

“The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let His face shine upon you and be gracious to you!” 

Numbers 6:24-25

This is called the Aaronic blessing, the oldest known Biblical text that has been found in amulets buried in graves dating from the First Temple period. In Old Testament times, only adult males descended from Aaron, Moses’ brother were allowed to perform this priestly blessing. As Christians, we are all

priests by virtue of baptism (1 Peter 2:5), and we can give this benediction to each other! We can also claim this blessing for ourselves and our loved ones on this first day of the new year 2018. We can speak it over ourselves and claim it. There is great power in God’s spoken Word! 

Isaiah 55:10-11  reads, “... so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

If we go to the original Hebrew,

the blessing would read differently. Let us take back and claim what is ours in Christ, God’s promises. 

“Yahweh will present gifts to you and guard you with a hedge of protection! Yahweh will illuminate the wholeness of His being toward you bringing order and He will beautify you. Yahweh will look upon you and He will set in place all you need to be whole and complete.”

Amen! 

Song of Simeon

“You have fulfilled Your Word...” 

Luke 2:29

Simeon, in the 2nd chapter of Luke, awaited the promised Messiah and found Him in the temple one day when Jesus and Mary brought the child Jesus to present Him to the Lord. “You have fulfilled Your Word!” Simeon exulted, “You may let Your servant go in peace!” 

Can we say to God today, at the closing of the year, “You have fulfilled Your promises to me. You may let me go in peace”? In the first place, do we know what God’s promises are? We can take Abraham as our example as he has been called our father in the faith. “All the families of the earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:3).

Do we know why God chose Abraham out of all the people in the world at that time? There are so many names listed in Genesis 11. What if God spoke to some others but they did not believe and obey? After all, it would have been a big sacrifice for anyone to leave their hometown.  Archaeological excavations in 1922 showed that in Ur, the house of a middle-class family would have 10-20 rooms, with the entire lower floor reserved for the servants. When God said, “Go away from your own country to a place I will show you,” Abraham obeyed. He is the ideal of everyone who overcomes the fear of the unknown, who wishes to go forward putting his trust in God. But Abraham did not leave empty handed. God promised him blessing upon blessing. 

As we leave 2017, we can say we are entering a whole new world. We have no idea what this new year will hold for us. But as always, we can depend on God and His many promises to us. Like Simeon and Abraham, God journeys with us. Let us hold Him to His promises. If we believe and obey Him, there is blessing upon blessing in store for us!

Passing Away

“This world is passing away, along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God, you will live forever.” 

1 John 2:17

The holidays are a special time, a most wonderful time of the year, when we get together with family, reconnect with old friends, and celebrate. It’s a time when we can forget our diet for a while, prepare our favorite food, go out and spend more than we usually do. We can plan trips abroad, fun activities and get a little crazy. 

But these are holy days too. After all, the reason for the Christmas season is to celebrate the greatest gift of all, the gift of God’s love and His invitation to live forever with Him. It says clearly in 1 John 2:17, if we do His will, we will live forever! 

Sometimes I wonder about some people who act as if they will live forever here on earth. They cheat, lie and commit all manners of extortion to amass wealth and power. They live like they are entitled to commit any sin without consequences. They do not realize that with each lie, each act against God, their spirit is laid to waste. 

We should take the time to come before our God who wants the very best for us, and see if there is anything we are doing that desolates our spirit, the part of us that will live forever. Let us make 2018 the very best year yet! 

Saving Deed

“My eyes have seen your saving deed...” Luke 2:30

There are very few stories about the time when Jesus was a baby, and even less of Him as a child growing up. One of them includes an old man named Simeon, whose name in Hebrew means “to hear”. Although Simeon had no calendar, he was waiting for his appointment with destiny. It had been revealed by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he had seen the awaited Messiah. 

And so Simeon went to the temple that day and was rewarded. Joseph and Mary brought the baby Jesus to the temple to present Him. They offered a pair of pigeons as a sacrifice, and unknowingly, the beloved lamb of God. 

We too like Simeon, should have our ears attuned to the Lord’s coming. The Lord reveals Himself in many ways, and He will show His face to those who seek Him. After all, did Jesus not say, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me”?

If Jesus stands at the door and knocks, it means He is waiting, waiting for us to open the door and let Him in. He is not going to barge in, demanding that we listen to Him. It is up to us, if we open our hearts, our minds, our spirits, to hear just as Simeon heard, the call of the Master. Jesus is actually very “romantic”. He wants to woo us. He is not the caveman type, with a club, and a desire to dominate. He is kind, He is gentle, and He gives us the choice to listen to Him or not. 

If we open the door, we will marvel like Simeon, at what God will do in our lives. 

Searching for the Child

“Herod is going to search for the child to destroy Him.” Matthew 2:13

Many forces today are “searching for the child to destroy him”. The family is being attacked left and right, sometimes blatantly, but most of the time, it is very subtle. What happens when children are brought up by strangers because the parents are too busy, or they are working far away? What happens when children go to school and they are not allowed to pray or to be taught about God and His love? What happens when lawmakers work to make it easy to dissolve marriages because of their own failed marriages? What happens when because of poverty and criminal syndicates, because of the proliferation of pornography, women and children are sold into prostitution or kidnapped to be sex slaves?

“According to some estimates, approximately 80% of trafficking involves sexual exploitation, and 19% involves labor exploitation. There are approximately 20 to 30 million slaves in the world today....According to the U.S. State Department, 600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders every year, of which 80% are female and half are children.” (dosomething.org)

Just last month, 9 children from ages 2 to 9 years old, were rescued by the Intl. Justice Mission and local authorities in a remote island in Cebu. It was a relative who was offering the young children for online exploitation!  

Throughout history the forces of evil march on to destroy God’s plan. Human sacrifice, abortion, sex trafficking, divorce, atheism, apathy, etc. What can we do, apart from pray? There are many things we can do, like writing our Congressmen, or supporting education for poor children, or finding ways to provide livelihood. What we should not do as a Christian is be indifferent and think we cannot do anything anyway, so why start?

WOYWW: Telling Stories

Last night, I made some collages to decorate banks and a tumbler. I like doing  collages cause it’s quick and easy as long as you find images you like! 

“We are telling you about what we ourselves have actually seen and heard...” 1 John 1:3

I enjoy it when my 91-year old dad is in a story telling mood. He usually talks about the war. One of his stories is about their family getting kicked out of their nice mission house in San Marcelino by the Japanese in May 1943. It was a blessing because if they didn’t leave, they would all be dead. The Japanese shelled the whole area, raped young girls, and the older women would offer themselves in place of the young ones. The first American plane daddy saw was on September 20. He was walking along Rizal Avenue, and it was a Corsair, and it was flying very low. 

John, whose Feast Day we celebrate today, is one of the Twelve Apostles Jesus chose to accompany Him. John outlived all the other Apostles, and is the only one who did not die a martyr’s death. In his letters, John stresses that he writes about what he has actually seen and heard. He walked with Jesus, talked to Him, listened to His teaching and His stories, witnessed His miracles. Like my dad, John speaks from first hand experience. Just as my dad is so eager to recount his experiences, so too John wanted others to know what happened while Jesus walked the earth. He was fully persuaded that Jesus was God in human form. All the Apostles were, so much so they were willing to die for that truth. 

For me, my dad’s memories are precious. How much more precious and valuable are the writings of St. John, St. James, and St. Peter, who were witnesses of Jesus’ life on earth? Lord, may we learn what we can from Your chosen friends. Help us to find life, light and truth in their words! 

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

 Unite,  Rubie Tuesday Link Up, Be Inspired

 A Little R and R,  No Rules Weekend Blog Party
Cheerleaders of our Faith, Reflect
Wow Us Wednesdays, Sitting Among Friends

The Weekly Creative, Three Word Wednesday
Word Filled Wednesdays
Great Blog Train Bloghop, Cheerleaders of Faith
Women with Intention Wednesdays
Christian Blogger Link Up, Word Filled 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
Hearts for Home Thursday

Dance with Jesus Friday

Blessings!

Patsy  

Enduring to the End

“Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power...” Acts 6:8

Today is the Feast of Saint Stephen, the first martyr of the Church. After Jesus left the earth, the believers rapidly multiplied but all did not go smoothly. There was some complaining and discontentment. The Twelve apostles called a meeting and decided to to select seven men to take care of the distribution of food so they would be free to preach and teach God’s Word. One of the chosen was Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit. He performed many amazing miracles, signs and wonders. But some men accused him of blasphemy and Stephen was stoned to death. 

Today, there are many many martyrs of the faith. There are secret churches, and many Christian leaders have been tortured, regularly beaten and even incapacitated at the hands of government authorities. Open Doors, an organization that keeps a watch list says persecution is most extreme in North Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Iran. But even here in the Philippines, Christian brothers and sisters suffer persecution in Sultan Kudarat, where a church elder was gunned down, and Christians are being forced to sell their properties located near a mosque. Our Christian values are being attacked by our leaders, and we need to be vigilant. 

The readings for today are about the martyrdom of Saint Stephen, and Jesus’ warning to the disciples in Matthew 10:17-22, “...whoever endures to the end will be saved.” 

Lord, You reminded the disciples that we should not expect following You to be easy. Help us to endure to the end. 

The Miracle of Christmas, The Miracle of Love

“And the Word became flesh...” 

John 1:14

The miracle of Christmas is all about the Word of God taking on human flesh and dwelling among men. It’s God’s way of letting us get to know Him. 

Jesus is the total message of God. When we read about Him in the Gospels, He is God in the round. Jesus is no abstract concept we can delegate in the background as an epic myth. Jesus really existed and is a historical figure. And for the curious scientific mind, maybe the 300 prophecies in the Old Testament about Jesus is mumbo jumbo, but we cannot discount that mathematically speaking, no one else but Jesus fulfilled all of it. Just one person fulfilling a mere 8 prophecies is a chance in an awesome 100,000,000,000,000,000!!!! It is totally impossible for one man to fulfill 300 prophecies. It can only be God who has control of time and space! 

So let us ponder this mystery of God becoming a man like us, this amazing miracle of love becoming flesh. 

A Temple to Live In

“Are you the one to build me a temple to live in?” 2 Samuel 7:5

Sometimes we think we have this brilliant idea, but it’s not at all what God wants. King David was struck with a guilty conscience when he realized he was living in a beautiful cedar palace and the Ark of the Covenant was housed in a tent. He decided to build a temple for the Ark. 

This Ark of the Covenant or Ark of Testimony is described in the Book of Exodus. It is a gold covered acacia chest containing Moses’ two stone tablets with the Ten Commandments, the rod of Aaron and some manna. It symbolized the presence of God among the Jews, and was made according to God’s instructions in Exodus 25. 

But God did not want a temple built. 

Since the time of David a great many amazing cathedrals, basilicas and churches have been built for God. There is the majestic Saint Peter’s Basilica, the Cologne Cathedral, Notre Dame de Paris, Chartres, Sagrada Familia, Santiago de Compostela, etc. But one wonders if God would not rather be pleased with a little thatched hut in a barrio if it was filled with worshippers singing beautiful songs raised in praise to Him. Many of the beautiful churches in Europe are full of tourists taking pictures. Not many people take the time to pray, or think about the God who gave the magnificent gifts to the architects, sculptors, painters, stonemasons who fashioned these beautiful buildings. 

No, God did not want David to build Him a temple. Instead He told David that He will be the one to establish a house for him, “Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever.” We too can be part of that house, that kingdom that shall endure forever. God does not want an awesome cathedral to live in, but to live in our hearts. Is He comfortable there or is it too cluttered with other things there is no room for the King of Kings?