Spiritual Maturity

Baby Christian. Bagong buhay, bago lahat. Andami mong gustong matutunan. Baby Christian. Spoon-feeding, lahat binibigay sayo. Anjan yung answered prayers. Like, “Lord sana wag po ako malate.”, “Lord, sana may magpaupo sa kin sa bus.” or “Sana Lord may manlibre sa kin.” Uy. Right after mo magdasal, instant! Agad-agad. Edi tuwang-tuwa ka naman. Mas lalo kang naeexcite at namomotivate na mag-mature pa as a Christian. 1 Cor 3:2 “I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.” Gatas ang pagkain ng baby hanggang sa ready na sya for solid foods. Una, breastmilk. Tapos Nido, Bearbrand o Alaska, kung nagtitipid ka Mik-mik muna. Susunod, Gerber na. Sunod, pwede nang siomai with rice. Pero as Christian, ang spiritual food natin ay ang Salita ng Dyos. Sige basa ng Bible, highlight nang highlight, iba-ibang kulay. Halos naging coloring book na yung Bible. Sa una, mababaw pa lang tayo mag- interpret. Kaya dapat magpray muna bago magbasa ng Bible. Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance para maintindihan at madigest ang natututunan mo. Hindi utak ang ginagamit sa pagbabasa ng Bible, puso.

Hanggang sa nagmature ka na nga. Nagmature na nga ba? Nabasa mo na ang kalahati ng Bible o natapos mo na lahat, naaapply mo ba sa buhay mo? Spiritual maturity is not about how much you’ve learned but on how you apply it to your life. May mga tinatawag tayong spiritual seasons: 1. springtime- short, intense burst of growth or yung spiritual high (times na spiritually on fire) 2. FOLLOWED by a PERIOD of STABILIZING and TESTING- fall and winter. We often feel frustrated with ourselves na after for example, youth camp or encounter, uyyy sobrang init mo kay God, puro blessings wooohhh! ansaya-saya mabuhay! but after a few days or weeks.. balik ka na naman sa old patterns mo. “Hala? Anyare sa kin??!” Sunod-sunod na pagkakasala, guilt, feel mo anlayo-layo mo na kay God. Yun, depressed na depressed ka na, di mo na kaya! You repent. You asked for forgiveness and God forgave you. When you ask God for forgiveness, you have to forgive youself also. We have no right to condemn ourselves. 1 Cor 4:3 “I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself.” We are imperfect persons, only God is perfect. Magkakasala at magkakasala pa rin tayo dahil nasa loob tayo ng makasalanang mundo. Prov 24:16 “For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity.” Ang mahalaga, hindi tayo nggigive-up sa sarili natin. Ang mahalaga, quick repentance. Balik lang nang balik kay God, sa huli naman sa Kanya ka rin tatakbo edi takbuhin mo na agad once na narealize mong naliligaw ka na ng landas. We have to be patient with ourselves because God is patient with us. Perhaps di naman sya napapagod magpatawad sa tin.. But this is no excuse to keep on sinning.

So yun, solid food na ang pinapakain sayo ni Papa God. Solid food: trials, sufferings and temptations. At one point in my Christian life, ansaya-saya ko, as in parang wala akong problema kaya pinoproblema ko yung problema ng iba. Wala na kong maipagpray kasi lahat na ng prayers ko sinagot na Nya. Walang..thrill. While yung mga kasabayan ko namang Christians, puro problema. I prayed, prayer na I don’t think a normal person would ask. I asked God for a problem, problems. Bakit? I want to test myself. I want to see kung nainject nga sa kokote at puso ko at sa lahat ng veins ko sa katawan ang mga natutunan ko kay God. Ganun naman talaga e, pagtapos magdiscuss ng lesson, nageexam. And I have this feeling na.. hindi ako tinatrust ni God.. na kaya kong maghandle ng problem. Ang weird but that’s how I feel at that time. God doesn’t give you trials beyond your measure of faith. 

Oops! sinagot ni God. Wala nang bawian. Hindi pwedeng, “Ay joke lang po Lord!!” Edi binigyan Nya nga ako ng problema.. E mapagbigay si God e, di lang problema, maraming problema. May malaki, may maliit may tama lang, may problemang hindi naman problema pero pinoproblema mo.. may problemang hindi ko ineexpect.. problemang di ko ata kaya.. Hindi naman tayo pwedeng mamili ng problema!! Si God ang pumipili ng problema natin.. alam Nyang kaya natin yan, kahit sunud-sunod.. o sabay-sabay. You should be overwhelmed when God gives you trials because you know that He trusts you. 

There are also times when God intentionally hides Himself from you so that you would seek for Him. We call this spiritual dryness. Nagbasa ka ng Bible, umattend ng Bible studies, nakikicellgroup kahit di mo kacellgroup, nagdasal, self-check na paulit-ulit pero wala pa rin. Napaparanoid ka na, “Lord, ano po bang nagawa ko? Bati na tayo oh.. hello? Anjan ka pa ba Lord?” Remember that God is a Spirit. God is everywhere. God is with us. God is IN us. Normal lang yan. Matuwa ka kasi sign yan na nagmamature kana. Faith, not feelings. Kahit na di mo mafeel si God, di mo sya nakikita or naririnig, naniniwala kang nanjan sya. He’s always watching you.. and you make Him smile when you trust Him instead of depending on your feelings. 

Lastly, have a childlike faith. There’s always more to God. Napaka-mysterious ni God para masabi mong kilalang-kilala mo na Sya. Napakacomplex ng persona Nya. Seek for God, thirst for Him and be more intimate with Him. Desire to deepen and deepen your relationship with Him. “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Jer 33: 3 

Day 4- Made to Last Forever

“God has planted eternity in the human heart.” Ecclesiastes 3: 11

“Life on earth is just the dress rehearsal before the real production.” It is just the preparation for the next. Just like God’s love for us is eternal so as He made us for eternity. Death is natural! It shouldn’t be feared. It’s just like falling into a deep sleep while we wait for resurrection through the second coming of Christ. We shouldn’t be afraid to die when we know where we are going: heaven or hell. But not all are destined to die! Admit it or not, we’re already in the last days.. Some will make it until rapture! Some will be able to see.. our Lord Jesus Christ coming down from heaven to judge the living and the dead. One pastor prophesied that 29years and below at present will witness the judgment day. I do hope to be one of them!

“The closer you live to God, the smaller everything else appears.” When you start to live in the light of eternity, you will realize that things on earth doesn’t really matter and you look forward to the greater inheritance you have in heaven. What do you want, things that will perish or things that will last forever? Remember that we are not from this world so don’t attach yourself in it! The reason why people are not determined to live a holy life on earth is that they don’t know what’s in heaven! The Bible gives us clues or hints on what it’s like to be in heaven but it doesn’t give us a clear picture of what’s in there. Some were given visions but no words can describe how majestic it would be like to be there. Just imagine.. you will be in the Kingdom of God.. to have fellowship with Him.. not only for a day.. but FOREVER. Wouldn’t it be enough motivation for us to live for Him while we’re still on earth? Of course, it’s hard to live holy in a world which is not holy.. but we should endure..  FOR HIM. We can victoriously overcome all trials on earth if we would just look to that day when we will be with God in heaven.

God bless 🙂

Day 3- What Drives Your Life?

We were disconnected to God because of sin. Like Cain, we were like restless wanderers on earth when we haven’t known Jesus yet. We live our life without knowing what are we living for.

For years, I had been a prisoner of sin but God unlocked my chains and I’d been set free. He didn’t only set me free but He changed me into someone I think I could never be. Like an ugly duckling turned to swan, God showed me endless possibilities if I would just stick with Him and trust Him. It was really a fresh start! No guilt, just happiness. God cleansed me from the mud that covered me for so long.

• I was a worrywart before but He took away all my worries. Now, I don’t have to worry about anything because He will do it for me. He makes things easy for me. He also took away my fears. I’ve always been afraid in speaking in front of people but He gives me the confidence I need. I know that He is right beside me, giving me the right words to say and calming my nervous heart. “Well-formed love banishes fear.”
• “The most valuable things in life are not things!” Real security is in God and He says, “No one can snatch you away from me.” Imagine God telling those words to you.. Your security is rest assured in God’s loving arms.
• “Those who follow the crowd usually get lost in it.” Do not be a people pleaser! God should be the only one you should please. You can’t find your value on anyone or anything but from God alone or else it will lead to desperation, frustration or depression. “No one can serve to masters.” Who is your Master? God or man?
• “Knowing your purpose simplifies your life.” I gave up activities which are idle and which I think is not pleasing God. God wants you to use your time wisely and productively. Simpler lifestyle gives you peace.
• “Knowing your purpose motivates your life.” When I met God, everyday is just as exciting. No days are dull, it’s full of surprises, lessons and trials.

When you will stand before God, will you be ready to account your life?

“Where God guides, He pr…

“Where God guides, He provides.”

Day 2- You are not an Accident

“God doesn’t play dice.”– Albert Einstein

God knows what He is doing. He can’t commit mistakes. His timing is perfect. His plans never delay. 

Instill to your mind that God created you because He has a purpose for you. And you should live according to that purpose. 

God is the greatest Designer. He designed every single detail part of your body. No two persons have the same fingerprints! God also chose your race and nationality. God has a purpose why you belong in this country. God also determined the uniqueness of your personality. You may want to be like this or like that. You may even desire to be a girl when you’re a boy or vice versa. But. DO NOTtry to be someone you are not! God wants you how He wants you to be. He wants you just the way you are.

“I was sculpted from nothing into something..” God gave you VALUE. He gave you WORTH. You are SPECIAL. You are IMPORTANT. You have a PURPOSE! You didn’t exist for nothing. You didn’t exist just for the sake of existing. Your days are planned in advance. He knows the exact time of your birth and of your death. It is recorded in His Book. God is indeed the Author of our lives. So do not try to write your own life! Let Him do it! Let Him be the driver of your life, stay put at the passenger seat, sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. 

Remember that God’s motive for creating you was His love. We are the FOCUS of His love and the MOST VALUABLE of all His creations. When He created the sun, moon, stars, day and night, land and seas, animals and plants, He was thinking about us. These were made for our convinience. He even gave us the dominion over them!  We couldn’t fathom God’s love for us.. why He loves us so much.But the mere fact that you know that God loves you determines your value and it holds all aspects of your life together. God is LOVE! Love is GOD! God took care of you the moment you were born. His love for you will never change.. it won’t ever fade. 

To God be the glory! God bless us all.

The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren (Reflections)

What on Earth Am I Here for?

Before we were born.. God was already thinking about us. He had already planned our lives. It was all because of His love for us.

For so long.. I had been blind. I didn’t know Who God is.. only by Name. Yes, I pray to Him everynight but I didn’t know Who I was talking to. Yes, I go to church because it’s an obligation and my parents told me so but my heart was not in it. I was in there.. but my mind was somewhere. 

But when I knew Him, and accepted Him as my Personal Lord and Savior, He opened my eyes. I found myself in Him. I realized I have a purpose!.. not just simply living. My life changed.. and became meaningful. They say that the average life span of man today is 25,550 days. I accepted Him at the age of 16, 25th of March 2011. 15yrs x 365days= 5475days+ 28days of February + 24 days of March= 5527days of my short life was wasted and was spent meaninglessly. But God had made, is making and will make the next 20,023 days of my life prosperous! I could say I’m so blessed to know Him at this young age because some only knew Him at 40’s or 50’s, at their last 15 days or even.. NEVER. 

 

Day 1- It all starts with GOD

Life is not about us, it’s God’s. When we want to find our purpose in life, we do not begin with ourselves because you did not create yourself! Our Creator, God the Father, will tell us who we are. He is not just the starting point of your life, He is the source of it! He designed us personally. He gave each one of us a mission, a sense of living. You exist because God wills you to exist. You were made by God and for God. We were made to obey Him, to worship Him and to please Him. Each of us is special to God. Paths other than His paths are dead ends. Where are we heading to? If you realized that you’re on the wrong direction and an inch close to stepping on a trap, take a drastic turn then walk towards the path where God intends you to be. At the end of that straight and narrow path is God.. waiting for us.. excited to embrace us and to welcome us in His Kingdom. 

“Life is about letting Him use you for His purposes not using Him for your own purpose.” God definitely has the authority over us but still, He gave us the freedom to choose whether we’ll submit to Him or not. HE. WANTS. TO. USE. US. He wants to use you for His works, for His glory! But most of the time.. it seems that we take God for granted. We make Him our personal genie instead of Personal Lord and Savior. We keep on asking this or that but we never made any effort to show our love for Him, to serve Him! We know very well that God still loves us even if we don’t love Him. Ask yourself, “Do I love God? How?” 

“Being successful and fulfilling your purpose are not the same.” “Do less in life by focusing on WHAT MATTERS MOST: GOD!” He should be our utmost priority. Our purpose in life is revealed in the Bible. Do we read the Bible? Or is it just a display covered with thick dust because nobody dares to read that thick book with microscopic letters? Well, God tells you today, READ THE BIBLE. Inside the Bible are the answers to life’s greatest questions. The Bible tells you how to live and what are you living for. It is personally written by our dearest Creator..for us. 

God designed our purpose for eternity. We are not from this earth. We originally live in God’s paradise.. but with sin, we were separated from God. But God sent Jesus to redeem us back to Him, back to where we are meant to be..

Start living your life for God! 

 

To God be the glory! God bless!

 

 

*superparaphrased, expounded and emphasized. 

Love Listens (Feb. 14 devotion)

I’ve felt the need to share this. :’)

Love Listens

Psalm 119: 145-152

Many people have a hard time listening. I, myself, am a listener. In fact, we all do but what kind of listener are we?

I’m more of a listener than a speaker. I don’t talk a lot but I enjoy listening to others because I learn a lot from them. It’s hard to focus in what others are saying when you aren’t really interested to it but you should be. Listening is a form of love. It shows that you give value and importance to that person you are listening to.

When listening to a friend or anyone, you should try your best to show enthusiasm to what he/she is saying (like asking related questions). It’s a nice feeling when someone trusts you. I love it when my friends tell me their secrets or problems. I assure them it’s safe with me. Trust can be earned through listening. Listening is an opportunity to let others feel your care and concern with their lives. When giving counsel or advice to a friend in need, consult God first because He is the Great Counselor and He definitely knows the best solution to all problems.

It hurts when people don’t listen to you right? It’s as if you were being disregarded and left out. You feel out of place. Have you experienced when it was your turn to speak and for a moment they were listening but after a few minutes they had lost their attention to you? Honestly speaking, I often experience this.. even with people close to me. Maybe that is why I don’t talk much. I really admire people who can listen very well. They’re the most sincere people you will ever know.

But I have someone who would always listen to me. Guess who he is.

Anytime, anywhere he’s ready to listen to me. Whenever I would call him, he immediately answers. He had earned my trust. I trust him with my everything: my worries, concerns, problems, wishes, aspirations, faults and every happening in my life. He knows me more than I know myself. I think he had already memorized my train of thoughts, my heart and even my desires. There is nothing I can hide from him for his eyes are on me wherever I go and whatever I do.. day..and night. He is FOCUSED ON ME. I have his FULL ATTENTION.

He always tells me what to do. When I’m about to give up, he tells me, “Go on! I’m always by your side. I’ll catch you when you fall, I’ll guide you with every step. Trust me.”

He comforts me when I’m sad. He’s the only one who can light up my face instantly. I don’t know how he does it. He would always remind me not to worry and that he’ll fix everything. “Everything’s fine! Leave it all to me!”, he says.

He’s also concerned with the people I love..because he knows it affects me to see they’re hurting.

He protects me from all harm. Everytime I would cross the streets he would accompany me. He makes sure I leave home safe and go home safe. He follows me everywhere!

I always ask favor from him, whether it be financially, emotionally or intellectually. He is the wisest person I’ve ever met! He knows everything. He is better than any professors or degree holders. He is my favorite professor. He tutors me whenever I’m having a hard time studying especially in Chemistry. During exams he would hold my hands while answering but sometimes I would doubt him and depend on my own abilities.. so I fail.

I have a low self-esteem..but he gives me confidence. Again, I don’t know how he does it! It’s as if I can’t do anything apart from him, I have become so dependent and attached to him. I’m afraid one day he’ll be gone just like the bubbles. I can’t live without him. I. can’t. He’s already a big part of my life. No, he’s my life! But he assures me, everyday, that he’ll never leave me.. that what ever happens, nothing will ever separate us.

I don’t know why he loves me so much, I don’t know why he gives me such importance and value. I am not even worthy of it. There were times when I wouldn’t mind him because I’m so busy and preoccupied with my business. Oftentimes I would do things he doesn’t like. I know very well what he likes and what he dislikes but I still do what I want regardless of his feelings. When he talks, I don’t listen much. When he asks favor from me, I would make excuses not to do it. It’s so unfair for him! Later on, he will made me realize my mistakes.. but in a gentle way.. He’s so calm and kind.. He’s never angry with me, only disappointed. You’ll really feel guilty and ashamed for offending him but he tells you not to, because he has already forgiven you and gives you 2nd chance, 3rd chance, 4th chance.. nth chance! I don’t deserve it! Why is he like that! I don’t understand! He tells me to forgive not 7times but 77 times. But if you’ll count how many times I’ve offended him, it’s more than 77! He never blamed me.. not even once. He accepts me for who I am.. my weaknesses.. my imperfections and all.. of.. me. He tells me, “I love you just the way you are and you are very special to me.” He tells me that everyday of my life. No one had ever valued me and loved me the way he does..

…..

Who’s your guess?

…..

Of course, He is none other than MY Personal Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Amen! To God be the glory! God bless us all! :’)