He Lives in Us

Something I thought about and posted on Facebook for those who are missing the devotionals.

(3 posts tonight!  Hooray!  Met my quota for the month :) )

♥♥♥

No, no, no my friend. The Old Testament God is unlike the Eastern gods who are too high up on their thrones, that they wouldn't take the time to love a sinner like you. Nor the Western gods who are greatly flawed and fallible. Jehovah is higher than any of those gods, never flawed never fallible yet has taken the time to express, "I've loved you with an everlasting love and my thoughts for you are as numerous as the sand by the sea." And this unchanging God carried on with this love to the New Testament with Christ who died for us and the Holy Spirit who now lives within us so that He can always make Himself available to us. (There's more, but just bear with the simplicity of this sentence.)

Because He lives in us, all the more we have the power to sin no more nor be overcome by the devil. Also, His promises are fulfilled: that He is our ever constant help in time of need, that He would dwell with His people, that He will never leave us nor forsake us, that we can never hide from His love.

A Long Story But A Good Story

**Repost from my Facebook**  

Hi everyone,

So this photo album is like the big reveal of my story about my classroom this school-year. I’ve been holding off from telling this because, as my friend mentioned, I wanted to do the story some justice and to include photos with it. I’m so excited to finally share with y’all! So, here goes!

At the end of last school-year, my principal told me that he was going to move me from my classroom. I honestly was ok with it except that I felt some attachment to my former room. I’m a VERY sentimental person, you see? Anyway, once the idea sank in, I thought that the move was really for the better. The new room was much larger and the air-con was working much better than at my previous room. Believe me, with the recent fickle and HOT weather, air-con is a necessity that you’d really consider as a teacher.

When I was moving my things last month, I found out that the air-con in the new room froze over and broke. With its last, shuddering breath, it decided to spill its insides and create a puddle in my room. My friends who were helping me move my stuff, teased me that I would be giving swimming lessons in that room and how they were hoping that there weren’t any tadpoles in that pool. I could only give them a face like this: (-_______-) (kind of looks like a frog, yah?) I tried to be positive though, saying, “It’s gonna be ok! They’ll clean it up.” But deep inside, I felt pretty embarrassed because one of them is a teacher at a new school, so I was imagining their beautiful and pristine classrooms as I was blushing at my super old, puddle-in-the-middle-of-the-room classroom.

So, I decided to wait for a couple of weeks before I come in to clean and decorate my room, because I’d figured (and this is solely my opinion) that the school would take a while to clean up the puddle and to install a new a/c.

By the time I came back, the puddle had been mopped up and I’m happy to say that there weren’t any frogs that grew in the room so there goes the tadpole theory. But the air-con remained broken, so another type of organism was growing prolifically in that dark, warm, and moist environment. Molds! And plenty of them.

But you know, I’m Filipina, so I was not too frazzled by the molds and cleaned them out. I ended up throwing away a lot of old books and papers infested by them. Then I began decorating although the room was warm. My SWEET mother and father even helped me out and we painted the walls a lovely shade of mint green and yellow

That’s when more problems happened. You see, one should never paint wet walls. It really doesn’t make sense. I look back and wonder why in the world I had my parents paint my classroom walls when they were wet. I’ll tell you the method behind my madness. I thought that the walls would eventually dry. With a little bit of wiping, everything should be ok. I was wrong. Everything was not ok. Later on that day, when we watched with horror the paint drip off from the walls and make yellow and green puddles on the floor (puddles haunt me), I remembered my science lessons:

The warmth of my no air-con classroom mixed with the coldness of the adjacent classrooms created precipitation on the walls- hence making them very wet. The only solution was to regulate the temperature in my room to make it as cold as the other rooms. And that would need an a/c.

Of course, I told the principal about the situation. Of course, I bothered the head secretary to call downtown to do something about it. Then he told me that the maintenance crew came in to check my air-con. “And?” I asked. “They said that your air-con is broken. It cannot be fixed. It needs to be replaced.” As clueless as I am with much of this world, I figured that getting a new air-con would be a longer process than getting it fixed. The following day I asked him if they were coming in to replace it, the head secretary said, “They came in to check it again.” Hmmm… didn’t they already do that yesterday? I was really hoping they would pause from checking and actually do some replacing. I was really hoping that this situation would be resolved before the school-year started. It was definitely crunch-time. I had one week left.

When I came in to continue working on my room the following day, I started to feel so sad about the ugliness of my room and the situation. It was no one’s fault, really. I would not blame anyone because things like these took time and money- the system is not a genie in a lamp- I understood that. But I still cried. Why? Because it’s one of my hobbies, that’s why.

Throughout this entire situation, I was praying to the Lord to help me, with the things that I could not control and especially with my attitude and responses toward people. After my cry fest, I said to God, “It seems like the hands of the people in charge at my school are tied until the headship of the system gives them the means to help me. Abba, what should I do?” Then an idea came to me.

I wasn’t sure if it would work but it wouldn’t hurt to try. I brought the issue directly to the one in charge. And to my surprise, the person responded. I really wasn't expecting anything but I am proven wrong again

Within three days, a new air-con was installed in my room. The puddles on the floor dried up as the walls did also. Last Saturday, my family came again to help me repaint and give the room its final touches. I have such an awesome family! And even today, maintenance people are going to my room to paint the ceilings.

I can surely attest that my God is good. Yes, I give credit to the leadership at my school and the system for the support that they have given. But I know that none of these would have happened in that short amount of time without God involving Himself in my life. Therefore, I will not call this a random coincidence. Anyway, if it is then, I am reminded of a certain quote that says, in a sense, “It’s amazing how many coincidences happen when we pray.”

Would I call it a miracle? I would like to say so because I’m a happy person like that but I’d like to be mindful of those who consider miracles to be something loftier and less common (wink* wink* Philip Yancey). Therefore, I would call it- and although it may seem like a trivial thing to do for such a grand person- God, the Creator of the universe, allowing Himself to be a Papa to me- to us.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. “ Romans 8:28

The horror that was my classroom 3 weeks ago.

Paint bled off the wall.  Nearly everything in the room was so ugly >.<

Try sticking your finger in that socket and I'll give you a dollar. :D

 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

TADAH!  The night and day transformation :)

I'd also like to thank my family for really helping me out and encouraging throughout this process.  I'm so blessed :')

My kiddies working comfortably and happily.  Sometimes when times are tough, they give me something to smile about with my job :)

My current obsession with Japanese lanterns.  

My Reflection on Gardens in the Bible

Hi everyone,

I wrote this on my Facebook page and I thought it was worth to share here also ^.^

♥♥♥

The first and the greatest spiritual battles happened in gardens- both were the battle of whether man's or God's will be done. 
In the first garden, where Adam and Eve had all the comforts and happyness that God intended for His creation- where all was good- surrendered to their human will. "Man's will be done" brought death to the rest of humanity.
Some millennia later, the Man-God kneels in prayer in another garden, very much aware of His destiny and in honest despair in His Spirit, cried out "Take this cup away from me." Perhaps, He knew that He had the power to command an army of angels to rescue Him from the God-forsakenness He was about to face. But man's will did not win that night. "Not my will but Your will be done." In that garden, when the Christ said that, dare I say, He had redeemed what happened in the first garden and took the step to win the battle for our souls, our lives, our destiny. 

*Bible verse: Luke 22:24 "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; but not my will but yours be done.

I Took the Ring Off

"...I have loved you with an everlasting love..."

~Jeremiah 31:3

You may remember the Christian movie Courageous released nearly two years ago.  It was such an inspirational movie for the Christian community.  One of its most popular scenes was when Nathan Hayes takes his daughter's hand and makes her a promise to take care of her and offer her his full blessing when the right man comes to her life.

You can see it for yourself on this YouTube clip below.

When my single-hood began again in 2011, my older sister, being inspired by the movie, bought me a ring that I was supposed to wear until the one for me comes along.  So, yep, a promise ring- not the Asian definition of it, but the more American one, and not only for the chastity of my physical body, but for the chastity of my heart.  However, I wished for my dad to have given it to me rather than my sister because then it would have been more meaningful, like in the movie.

Then on November of last year, I took the ring off.


No, not because I broke my promise.  My reasons were...

1) A ring for $15 is not meant to last and be worn for a long time, so it had tarnished greatly in the short while that it was on my finger.

2) I became tired of people mistaking that I was married.  (I guess promise rings are quite foreign things to people around here.)

3) I felt that I needed to be free of all vows (good and bad) that reminded me of my past mistakes and hurts.  Whenever I looked at that ring, I did not see my future.  I saw my past and the reasons as to why I would be wearing it.  It also reminded me of my desire for a far-off someone to take away my loneliness.

During the first days after I took it off, I felt weird that for the first time in so many years, my finger was free.  There still remained a tan line on my skin- a lingering reminder of all the rings I've worn: rings from broken relationships and then, most recently, the promise to my family and myself.  "These tan lines," I thought, "along with their memories will fade away with time- yet, of course, much more quickly."

Four months later, during my last prayer ministry session, I felt as though God was asking me, "What are you waiting for?  Who are you waiting for?"  And I wept.  I know where I was mistaken.  All these years since childhood, vowing that I could provide for myself that "right" man and moping because I do not have him yet, have robbed me from loving God.  "Who are you waiting for when I have been with you all along?"

Who am I waiting for?  I do not need to wait for someone to love me dearly because He is already here!  And not that I want to become a nun- He knows that.  When I finally come to that moment and place where God will bring about the expression of His love into a flesh and blood spouse, we both will be ready for each other.  And until then, my life will not be in a stand-still: my heart will continue to heal, my life will continue to transform, and I will keep living and loving for Him.

Images:
Ring
Girl in flower field

Our Brothers' Keepers

I remember reading an argument by a blogger listing her reasons for not wanting to help charities and causes.  One point that she made was that she would rather help those who directly impact her life.  This article made me pause and ponder.  Her argument could be convincing for someone with weaker convictions because she was very adamant about her belief.  But it bothered me because it reminded me of what the Bible said that in the last days people will come up with their own righteousness- calling what is evil good and what is good evil (see 2 Timothy 3:1-9).

So, why do we have to take on the responsibility of inconveniencing ourselves in order to help others?  The answer seems so simple- we can lay down arguments that are logical, scientific, and moral.  Yet some have decided that the answer is not simple at all, and have chosen to remain unconvinced.

After the very first murder happened, the Lord asked Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?"  Cain retorted, "Am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4:9).  The same questions are being asked of us now because although this event happened thousands of years ago, the same human heart beats in fallenness that would choose to deny and excuse evil and ignore what is good.

Are we our brothers' keeper?  Will we choose to stand between the gap?  The world will always have the poor, the sick, the orphan, and the widow, by choice or by circumstances.  We cannot save them all.  But it will matter to those whom we help.  It matters to God.

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’  “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’"  (Matthew 25:37-40).

 God is so good that we were given Christ who became poor for us in order that He may save us!  And having Him as our example, our source of strength, and our provider so that our blessings will overflow to others, we are more than able to help those who are in need.

"My life of service to God is the way I say 'thank you' to Him for His inexpressibly wonderful salvation." Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest.

Image
Helping hands
Nailing hand
Text 
Scripture taken from the New International Version (NIV) from biblegateway.com.

Strive No More

"Religion is man seeking to find God, trying to please God in order to win His love.  It is man taking the initiative, striving, being filled with futility and frustration.  Faith is God finding man, God coming and claiming and loving us even when we don't please Him.  It is God taking the initiative to love us.  When there are idols, man is in control.  When there is God, He is in control."*

Early on in our lives, we have learned that when we do well, when we strive, when we are the best, we can get our reward- from those times when our parents gift us for good grades received on our report cards, from teachers who give us treats for good behavior and correct answers, and from Santa Claus who leaves toys underneath the tree for good boys and girls and pieces of coal for the bad ones.

This is the world that we know, the world we live in, the system that we adhere to and have learned to play along with.  Some of us have been very good at it: climbing up the ladder of success through hard work and then rightfully receiving the fruits of our labor.

However, many of us often approach God thinking that in order to gain His love and approval, we must come to Him on such terms.  Oftentimes, we think that if we accomplish such and such- if we prayed enough, if we went through penances and pilgrimages, if we could be good enough- we could have God love us, or at least that we could have Him turn His attention to us.  Then we realize that there are a thousand moments when we say and do the wrong things.  Then we question, "How can God love someone like me?"

  "This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins." 1 John 4:10

Dear reader, we have been invited to strive no more to gain His love because even before time began, He already loved us.  And our sins were washed away through His Son so that we would no longer focus on them.

This is what sets Christ apart from other gods.  While others demand that we come up to their level in order to gain their approval and thus our reward, Christ came down and lived amongst us to not only demonstrate His love for us, but to give us the opportunity to have a deep relationship with the perfect God.  In Christ and through Christ, our sins are not judged anymore and we are given a reward that is infinitely beyond what we could ever deserve or accomplish for ourselves.  All we have to do is believe.

Text
*Prophetic meeting, January 7 2013
Scripture taken from the New Living Translation (NLT) from biblegateway.com.

Image:
Cross

A Gift to the Greatest Gift!

Merry Christmas!

"For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Isaiah 9:6

Happy Birthday to the One who gave it all when we should have been the ones to give Him all, to the One who loved us before we had any thought of loving Him, to the One who deemed it great pleasure that He should draw us back to Him.

To my Wonderful Counselor, my Mighty God, my Everlasting Father, my Prince of Peace- Your birth gave us hope, your death gave us life, your resurrection secured our future!

This Christmas, as a gift to You, I pray for the strength to fulfill my mission: "to do the will of Him who sent me, to prepare the next generation to walk in Your purpose through obedience, prayer, worship, discipleship towards others and from others, and the prophetic word, and to bring in the harvest for this generation."

In Jesus' Name,

Amen.

Image:

Nativity scene

Reflections on the 40-Day Facebook Fast

Beauty
Reason
Entertainment
Attention
Deliciousness

The wisest Man said that man does not live on bread alone (Matthew 4:4a).  For him who stayed in the wilderness for 40 days without food, ultimately his body's need would be just that.  Of course, it is not wrong to have this need, but any need has the potential to be an impetus for us to sin.  What do I mean?  When we fall into the temptation of allowing other things apart from God to satisfy us, when we act independently of Him, then we fall into sin.  Jesus was hungry and the devil himself was suggesting the bait, would Jesus' need for bread be an excuse for him to take on the devil's offer?

"but on every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4b)

Many times we feed on stale bread- beauty, reason, entertainment, attention, deliciousness, or whatever it is for you (these are what I have identified as the temptations for me)- thinking that it could fill emptiness, console loneliness, and satisfy longings.  But interestingly, no matter how much we consume, we are left feeling more unsatisfied because although we think we need that stale bread, it will only remain as that- stale and dry- and can never compare to the grandeur of a feast.

Rather than surrendering to temptations, we are called to feed on the word of God- for His Word gives us the strength to stand up against these!  Oh, for His Word is not just any bread to fill us for a moment, but it is the bread of life!  And this Bread of Life will sustain us until we are called to feast forever with Him in Heaven.

^"Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life,and I will raise them up at the last day”  (John 6:35-39).

Text:
Inspiration from Ptr. Rob
Scripture taken from the New International Version (NIV) from biblegateway.com.

Image:
Bread

Application

After clicking on the refresh button for the tenth time in the last hour, I did not know what I was expecting the webpage to do.  "Come on, Facebook, do something new," I grumbled.  

Hence I put up cool photos, witty quotes, inspirational videos, and intently watched out for the red bubble to appear with numbers: 2... 3... 1... none... none... none...  then out came a disappointed sigh.  

Obviously, there was a heart issue going on: something that I was expecting for this particular social network to fulfill, but apparently, was not doing so.  I had to step away because I was sensing something was not right.  With a scroll and a click of the mouse, I answered a survey asking why I was deactivating: "This is temporary.  I will be back."  

I will be back to proclaim the revelation of Christ- that no matter how many friends we've accumulated in life- as precious as they are- can never take away the loneliness and fill in the hole in our hearts that is reserved for the Bread of Life.  I let Him satisfy me today.

Grace

Got a moment or two?  It's lengthy so you may need a little more than that, but SO worth it!

Be encouraged because Christ has got you covered (^.~)v

Grace

"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God." 

Ephesians 2:1-8

Trust in the Lord

"Now on whom do you trust?"

Isaiah 36:5 (NJKV)

I trust in a triune God.

I trust the Father, believing that he has chosen me from before the foundations of the world; I trust him to provide for me in providence, to teach me, to guide me, to correct me if need be, and to bring me home to his own house where the many mansions are.

I trust the Son.  Very God of very God is he- the man Christ Jesus.  I trust in him to take away all my sins by his own sacrifice, and to adorn me with his perfect righteousness.  I trust him to be my Intercessor, to present my prayers and desires before his Father's throne, and I trust him to be my Advocate at the last great day, to plead my cause, and to justify me.  I trust him for what he is, for what he has done, and for what he has promised yet to do.

And I trust the Holy Spirit- he has begun to save me from my inbred sins; I trust him to drive them all out; I trust him to curb my temper, to subdue my will, to enlighten my understanding, to check my passions, to comfort my despondency, to help my weakness, to illuminate my darkness; I trust him to dwell in me as my life, to reign in me as my King, to sanctify me wholly, spirit, soul, and body, and then to take me up to dwell with the saints in light for ever."

Text:
Spurgeon, Charles.  Morning and Evening. Biblia.com. With the Logos iPhone Bible app. 8 Oct. 2012 

Image:
Eagle

♥♥♥

Reflection and Application

In whom have I placed my trust for my sanctification?  The point that makes the most impact on me at this time is the last paragraph about the Holy Spirit.

God in Spirit dwelling in me, yet how many times have I trusted in my own strength for my sanctification?  By adhering to Christian disciplines and obedience to the Commandments?  These can never be enough and they have me feeling insufficient and unable to measure up to the perfect standards of my Lord.  But why is this?  Because I was not created to be the fulfillment of my own being; because I was not created to be the constant Redeemer of my heart; because I was not created to keep on drawing sustenance from the cistern of my own strength.  Because the Holy Spirit is the only one who can fill me and make me whole; because He is the only one who can refine me in my temper, will, understanding, passions, despondency, weakness, and darkness; because He is the only living water that can keep on refreshing, healing, and sustaining me.

Through the Lord's grace, Jesus pronounced, "It is finished!"  It is all Him and never my own efforts.  "It is finished!"  So, I can stop fretting about my righteousness because it rests on Him, so I can rest in Him.  My trust is in Him.

"But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
    They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
    They will walk and not faint."  
Isaiah 40:31 (NLT)

Amen! 

Scripture taken from the New King James Version (NJKV) and the New Living Translation (NLT) from biblegateway.com.

What Frees Us

People disappoint us.  And hurt us.

Yet, instead of retaliating, we are called to forgiveness- no, not for the benefit of the relationship nor of the other party, but for the very benefit of ourselves.

A wise man once said that unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting someone else to die from it.  Unforgiveness festers at our hearts and keeps us in bondage- which can then surface as the cold shoulder, the silent treatment, gossip and slander, or onto more drastic actions such as physical aggression, legal battles, and murder.

Usually, our reason for unforgiveness is our misunderstanding of forgiveness.  Forgiveness is not defined as the restoration of either the relationship or trust.  Forgiveness simply means, "Giving up the right to make the other person pay for what he/she has done."

When we're able to do so, it brings us to maturity and, most especially, freedom from judging the other person and from the devil's foothold in our lives.  It brings us to obedience before the Lord because He has commanded us to love others as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:29) and love does not keep a record of wrong (1 Corinthians 13:5).

A humble attitude can aid us onto forgiveness by helping us identify with the person who has offended us.  For example, disagreements are, in many cases, because of differing perceptions.  Your perception of a situation can be considerably different from the other party's.  And what humility allows us to do is to set aside our pride as we try to identify with how the other person perceived that particular situation.

Moreover, God has given us the Holy Spirit to guide us and maintain us.  To be filled with Him strengthens us and leads us to life-giving decisions: "The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace" (Romans 8:6).

Apparently, forgiveness is not easy.  If it were, then we would not really have to long for heaven because it would be here on earth.  And even God knows well that forgiveness is not easy.  It is costly and painful.  It cost Him His Son.

Yet, unforgiveness is not a burden that we have to bear on our own because Jesus chose to carry it and crucify it for us 2,000 years ago.  O, how blessed are we that we have a God who humbled Himself at such a lowly level to be identified with us!  And because of what He had done on the hill of Golgotha, we were forgiven- thus, giving us the strength and the freedom to forgive!

Sometimes, we may think that we must first be a better person, a more mature person, a Godlier person in order for us to overcome our attitude of unforgiveness.  But just as salvation is only through Jesus, so is sanctification.  It is God's effort and not our own.

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin" 

(Hebrews 4:15). 

Text: 

All Scripture taken from the New International Version (NIV) from biblegateway.com.
Inspiration from Pastor Mark; most of these words and idea are not my own!

Image:
Broken egg

It Was Not Enough

When God decided to save us, it was not enough that He paid the ultimate price with His life so that we will be saved from the hell that we deserved.  Rather, He also chose to crown us with abundant and eternal life that begins today.  It was not enough that He cleansed us of miry hearts but He also gave us hearts after His own.  It was not enough that He would have us feed from the crumbs that fell from His table but He invited us to feast richly in His presence.  It was not enough to accept His prodigal sons and daughters but He forgave us of all sins and dressed us with fine robes and jewels.  It was not enough that He healed the sick and brokenhearted but He raised us into a strong army already victorious in battle.

This is the saving grace of Christ in which we did not get what we deserved or were given only a taste of mercy but that we are blessed: pressed down, shaken together, and running over in order that we will be forever thankful.

"He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time" (2 Timothy 1:9).

Text:
Inspired by Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon
Scripture taken from the New International Version (NIV) from biblegateway.com.

Real Life Sundays, ed. 14

If you asked me what I have been up to, I'll say I've been up to a bunch of things.

I thank God that He has made every day memorable.  Every day of this week has been embedded into my memory.  It's been so sweet and beautiful.  *Sigh*  I'm so happy...  ^_______^

I finished decorating my classroom today and it's ready for them kiddies :)

Hi beautiful sister ^___^

Great Daiso find!  I miss Daiso and Tokyo...

Hehehe... No batteries yet... I always forget ^^;;

After my decorating spree, I had a little shopping spree to congratulate my hard work and celebrate the good things of life ^_____^

Spend $35 and get lotsa freebies from Lancome at Macy's, which was so
opportune because I needed a purple eyeshadow palette ^___^

My new skin care routine ^_^  Including the Genefique eye cream.

♥♥♥

Dear Readers,

  Some of you may have been missing the devotionals that I like to write and has in place been showing you a bunch of superficial things.  I miss writing those devotionals, too, but have been waiting long for proper inspiration and the words to put it all together. 

  But, let me tell you, I think what is so beautiful about my life in Christ is that I don't only get to think about and write inspirational thoughts but I get to live it!  This summer has been so life-changing for me, and believe it or not, I'm experiencing who God is in ways that I've only used to yearn for and His goodness, faithfulness, grace, and love are becoming so real and tangible in my life that all I can be is to be in awestruck thanksgiving to Him.  It is true... so true... that the God who is involved with the workings of the universe and of this world, is the God who is also so involved at a personal level in our lives.

  Because of His love, I can experience the juxtaposition of beauty inside and out!  He makes plans unfold, hearts renewed, and dreams come true!

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." Colossians 2:6-7

His Presence and Not Answers

In the light of the tragedy that had happened, there are no words to describe the depth of how terrible, shocking, and heart-breaking the Aurora Colorado massacre was.  I refuse to act oblivious to it on this blog because it's been on my mind, and needless to say, constantly on the news.  One can't help but feel the reality of the sorrow for those who have passed and for their loved ones, and "to weep with those who weep."

Sometimes, we come to ask, "If God was real, why do bad things happen to good people?"  Despite of the beauty that we love to behold that I believe profess the reality and majesty of the Lord, we are also well aware that there are very horrible and twisted things in this world that cause us strife and suffering.  I know that terrible things are made or suggested by the devil, but as to why God allows them to happen, I don't always know the reason or have an explanation.  Similarly, why did God allow suffering in the life of his faithful servant Job or the ugly death of His Son Jesus?  Sometimes, although it is somewhat truthful to say that "all things happen for a reason," it is quite insensitive to even mention this in the freshness of the wounds.

Dr. Robert Peterson writes:

"When we encounter suffering, something inside us often cries out: "This is wrong! The world should not be like this! Children should not be abused, senior adults should not get Alzheimer's, missionaries should not be tortured!" Or on a more personal level, we might protest: "Why me? What did I do to deserve this?" Such instincts are valid because they recognize that this world is not the way it is supposed to be. We know this when we consider sin; we know to hate rape, murder, bigotry, and child abuse. We oppose sin and refuse to be at ease with it. In the same way, we are not to be comfortable with the reality of suffering (although we are to be at peace with God in the midst of it) and should do our best to alleviate it. Like sin, suffering is an intruder and cannot be welcomed as natural. The horror of suffering's intrusion points to the horror of sin, its fundamental source."

But although I, or anyone else, attempt at giving an answer to these questions, I don't think that the answers will suffice to comfort aching hearts.  Even God did not answer Job's questions.  In the end of their whirlwind discussion, Job came to the realization that it's only God's presence that would suffice to bring peace to his troubled heart and mind, not the answers.  "I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes" (Job 42:5).

Even in the midst of suffering, I really see the reality and the presence of God.  I see Him in the nation that has come together to sympathize and support those who mourn, in communities that build each other up in love, and in the individual who comes to the understanding that hope remains and he can face tomorrow because God will be with him through it.

Text:

Scripture taken from the New Living Translation (NLT) from biblegateway.com. 

Images:

Stormy sea

Dandelion