Ang Panginoon ang aking Pastol.
Wala na akong kailangan pa.
Inilalagay Niya ako sa lugar na walang kagutuman.
Hindi ko kailangang magpagal ng husto dahil ang aking kinalalagyan ay walang alon ng katulad nang sa karagatan.
Kinakalma Niya ako.
Tinuturuan Niya ako ng mga bagay na ayon sa Kaniyang kalooan at pag-iisip, upang ang Kanyang Pangalan ay mailahad sa lahat ng sangkatauhan.
At kahit pa sa aking buhay ay may pighati, kalungkutan, problema at sakuna, hindi ako natatakot. Wala akong pag-aalinlangan na patuloy na maglakad dahil ang aking Pastol ay kasama ko. Ang kaniyang mga biyaya ay sapat upang tugunan ang anumang pighati, maging kamatayan man, kawalan ng trabaho, pagkakasakit, pagkakaroon ng problema at maging sa pagkakasala.
At katulad ng isang pitagang bisita, ako ay Kaniyang binigyan ng halaga kahit pa sa harap ng mga may ayaw sa akin, sa harap ng mga napagkamalian ko, sa harap ng mga taong mababa ang tingin sa akin. Pinili Niya ako, at aking kagalakan ay patuloy na umaagos sa aking puso.
Sigurado akong sa aking buhay ay patuloy na magkakaroon ng walang hanggang kasiyahan, at ako ay mananatili sa piling ng aking Panginoon magpakailanman.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Joel, the Locusts and Us
Joel and the Locusts
During the post-exilic era, the Southern Kingdom was devastated with locusts. The plague was so intense that the grapevines and the grains were all laid in ruins. The land was left in desolation. Not even the requirement for the daily offerings of grain and wine were met, leaving the priests and the temple ministers in a state of inadequateness. In addition to this, the people of Judah were also greatly suffering from severe drought and famine. The locusts left them hungry, depressed and totally whacked up. However, God, who has loved them spoke of deliverance should they “return to Me (God) with all your heart. And with fasting, weeping and mourning; And rend your hearts and not your garments.” Joel has asked the people to “Consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly, gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders…” Clearly, the locusts were God’s judgment over something they shouldn’t have done.
Drunkards and Wine Drinkers. They were the ones asked to weep for their wine production has been cut. However, they were not asked about their deed but for their satisfaction over wine. This was Israel’s sin, Idolatry. They replaced the satisfaction offered by God Himself with His gifts. They bathed their hearts with the joys of celebrations, not of the celebrant. It was as if they worship God, but only out of their need for His gifts and not for Him. Yet, God is so “gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness and relenting in evil” that He sent Joel to His people. He sent Joel so that the people of Judah find the antidote to their crisis, which was, God Himself.
“To You, O Lord, I cry”. This was Joel’s statement after witnessing “fire devouring the pastures of the wilderness, the flame burning up all the trees of the field..” It was the Lord who would be the ONLY HOPE, not the LAST HOPE. “Even the beast of the field pant for You..” All creations cry out to God alone for comfort during times of great crisis. And only with Him can we find that peace, that rest, that satisfaction that not even a great swarm of locusts may ever disturb again.
Everyday, we are met by different events. Some wonderful, some partly, some are totally unlikely. Wonderful days are so wonderful that at times we don’t want to get out of it, we want to stay inside the circle of wonderful days that when they end, we also end up, hungry for more, wanting and looking for more. This is what happens when we attach too much of our joys to the blessings that God bestows. God has to send locusts for us to find our ultimate need, which only He can satisfy. God has to cut them, make us hungry and dry, He takes our air and suffocates us until we say “To You, o Lord, I cry”. He’ll do that until we cry “like those beasts who pant for You, I am as needful as they are.” Only until we say those words and return to Him (God) with all of our hearts. And with fasting, weeping and mourning; with rendered hearts; will He deliver us from the locusts.
During the post-exilic era, the Southern Kingdom was devastated with locusts. The plague was so intense that the grapevines and the grains were all laid in ruins. The land was left in desolation. Not even the requirement for the daily offerings of grain and wine were met, leaving the priests and the temple ministers in a state of inadequateness. In addition to this, the people of Judah were also greatly suffering from severe drought and famine. The locusts left them hungry, depressed and totally whacked up. However, God, who has loved them spoke of deliverance should they “return to Me (God) with all your heart. And with fasting, weeping and mourning; And rend your hearts and not your garments.” Joel has asked the people to “Consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly, gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders…” Clearly, the locusts were God’s judgment over something they shouldn’t have done.
Drunkards and Wine Drinkers. They were the ones asked to weep for their wine production has been cut. However, they were not asked about their deed but for their satisfaction over wine. This was Israel’s sin, Idolatry. They replaced the satisfaction offered by God Himself with His gifts. They bathed their hearts with the joys of celebrations, not of the celebrant. It was as if they worship God, but only out of their need for His gifts and not for Him. Yet, God is so “gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness and relenting in evil” that He sent Joel to His people. He sent Joel so that the people of Judah find the antidote to their crisis, which was, God Himself.
“To You, O Lord, I cry”. This was Joel’s statement after witnessing “fire devouring the pastures of the wilderness, the flame burning up all the trees of the field..” It was the Lord who would be the ONLY HOPE, not the LAST HOPE. “Even the beast of the field pant for You..” All creations cry out to God alone for comfort during times of great crisis. And only with Him can we find that peace, that rest, that satisfaction that not even a great swarm of locusts may ever disturb again.
Everyday, we are met by different events. Some wonderful, some partly, some are totally unlikely. Wonderful days are so wonderful that at times we don’t want to get out of it, we want to stay inside the circle of wonderful days that when they end, we also end up, hungry for more, wanting and looking for more. This is what happens when we attach too much of our joys to the blessings that God bestows. God has to send locusts for us to find our ultimate need, which only He can satisfy. God has to cut them, make us hungry and dry, He takes our air and suffocates us until we say “To You, o Lord, I cry”. He’ll do that until we cry “like those beasts who pant for You, I am as needful as they are.” Only until we say those words and return to Him (God) with all of our hearts. And with fasting, weeping and mourning; with rendered hearts; will He deliver us from the locusts.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Vision
I dream of a community serving each others' needs, rushing to each other when someone is hurt, correcting each others' mistakes, teaching one another valuable lessons and loving each other unconditionally. And then I saw my mom, my brothers, my sisters, my cousins, my aunts, my uncles, my neighbors, my friends, peers... Then I inquired myself, "How far is my community from my dream?". Honesty silenced my lips. My heart palpitated, faster and faster. The nerves on my hands are but buffering. I have to admit it, the silence implied a negative answer.
This is my vision. A community founded on the purity of God's grace enabling every citizen of our neighborhood to be of one mind. A place where God has regenerated every being, a place where the chapel is just for corporate worships and meetings, a place where the church is entirely the entire neighborhood, or at least to say, most of the inhabitants. However, we have to acknowledge that the point we should start sharing on the goodness of our God is on our own family, with our own kins, own blood. If a light is seen in a single house in a place where darkness prevails, then people will surely come to that house. I pray then, that God would enable us to witness His goodness to our families. I pray that God would give us strengths to overcome any spirit of hatred, divisions and negative hedonism living beneath the carpets of our houses.
This is my vision. A community founded on the purity of God's grace enabling every citizen of our neighborhood to be of one mind. A place where God has regenerated every being, a place where the chapel is just for corporate worships and meetings, a place where the church is entirely the entire neighborhood, or at least to say, most of the inhabitants. However, we have to acknowledge that the point we should start sharing on the goodness of our God is on our own family, with our own kins, own blood. If a light is seen in a single house in a place where darkness prevails, then people will surely come to that house. I pray then, that God would enable us to witness His goodness to our families. I pray that God would give us strengths to overcome any spirit of hatred, divisions and negative hedonism living beneath the carpets of our houses.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
The Sovereignty of God by Lorraine Boettner (An Excerpt)
Every thinking person readily sees that some sovereignty rules his life. He was not asked whether or not he would have existence; nor when, where, or what he would be born; whether in the twentieth century or before the flood; whether white or Negro; whether in America or in China. It has been recognized by Christians in all ages that God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe, and that as the Creator and Ruler of the universe He is the ultimate source of all the power that is found in the creatures. Hence nothing can come to pass apart from His sovereign will; and when we dwell upon this truth we find that it involves considerations which establish the Calvinistic and disprove the Arminian position.
By virtue of the fact that God has created every thing which exists, He is the absolute Owner and final Disposer of all that He has made. He exerts not merely a general influence, but actually rules in the world which He has created. The nations of the earth, in their insignificance, are as the small dust of the balance when compared with His greatness; and far sooner might the sun be stopped in his course than God be hindered in His work or in His will. Amid all the apparent defeats and inconsistencies of life God actually moves on in undisturbed majesty. Even the sinful actions of men can occur only by His permission. And since he permits not unwillingly but willingly, all that comes to pass — including the actions and ultimate destiny of men — must be, in some sense, in accordance with what He has desired and purposed. Just in proportion as this is denied God is excluded from the government of the world. Naturally some problems arise here which we in our present state of knowledge are not fully capable of solving; but that is no sufficient ground for rejecting what the Scriptures and the plain dictates of reason affirm to be true.
If the power of an earthly king Is law in his kingdom, how much more shall the word of God be in His! For example, the Christian knows that the day is certainly coming when, willingly or unwillingly, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. In the Scriptures He is represented to us as God ALMIGHTY, who sits upon the throne of universal dominion. He knows the end from the beginning and the means to be used in attaining that end. He is able to do for us exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or even think. The category of the impossible has no existence for Him "with whom all things are possible," Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27. This, however, does not mean that God has power to do that which is contrary to His nature, " to work contradictions. It is impossible for God to lie, or to do anything which is morally wrong. He cannot make two and two equal five, nor can He make a wheel turn around and stand still at the same time. His omnipotence is as sure a guarantee that the course of the world will conform to His plan as is His holiness a guarantee that all His works will be right.
Not only in the New Testament but In the Old Testament as well we find this doctrine of God's sovereignty consistently developed. Dr. Warfield says concerning the doctrine as it is found there: "The Almighty Maker of all that is represented equally as the irresistible Ruler of all that He has made; Jehovah sits as King for ever (Psalm 29:10). " He goes on to say that the writers rarely use such expressions as "it rains;" they instinctively speak of God sending rain, etc. The possibility of accident and chance are excluded and even "the lot was an accepted means of obtaining the decision of God (Joshua 7:16; 14:2; 18:6; 1 Samuel 10:19; Jonah 1:7). All things without exception, indeed, are disposed by Him, and His will is the ultimate account of all that occurs. Heaven and earth and all that is in them are the instruments through which He works His ends. Nature, nations, and the fortunes of the individual alike present in all their changes the transcript of His purpose. The winds are His messengers, the flaming fire His servant: every natural occurrence is His act; prosperity is His gift, and if calamity falls upon man it is the Lord that has done it (Amos 3:5, 6; Lamentations 3:33-38; Isaiah 47:7; Ecclesiastes 7:14; Isaiah 54:16). It is He that leads the feet of men, wit they whither or not; He that raises up and casts down; opens and hardens the heart; and creates the very thoughts and intents of the soul." 1
And shall we not believe that God can convert a sinner when He pleases? Cannot the Almighty, the omnipotent Ruler of the universe, change the characters of the creatures He has made? He changed the water into wine at Cana, and converted Saul on the road to Damascus. The leper said, "Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean," and at a word his leprosy was cleansed. God is as able to cleanse the soul as the body, and we believe that if He chose to do so He could raise up such a flood of Christian ministers, missionaries, and workers of various kinds that the world would be converted in a very short time. If He actually purposed to save all men He could send hosts of angels to instruct them and to do supernatural works on the earth. He could Himself work marvelously on the heart of every person so that no one would be lost. Since evil exists only by His permission, He could, if He chose, blot it out of existence. His power in this latter respect was shown, for instance, in the work of the destroying angel who in one night slew all the first-born of the Egyptians (Exodus 12:29), and in another night slew 185,000 of the Assyrian army (2 Kings 19:35). It was shown when the earth opened and swallowed Korah and his rebellious allies (Numbers 16:31-33). Ananias and Sapphira were smitten (Acts 5:1-11); Herod was smitten and died a horrible death (Acts 12:23). God has lost none of His power, and it is highly dishonoring to Him to suppose that He is struggling along with the human race doing the best He can but unable to accomplish His purposes.
Although the sovereignty of God is universal and absolute, it is not the sovereignty of blind power. It is coupled with infinite wisdom, holiness and love. And this doctrine, when properly understood, is a most comforting and reassuring one. Who would not prefer to have his affairs in the hands of a God of infinite power, wisdom, holiness and love, rather than to have them left to fate, or chance, or irrevocable natural law, or to short-sighted and perverted self ? Those who reject God's sovereignty should consider what alternatives they have left.
The affairs of the universe, then, are controlled and guided, how? "According to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His will." The present day tendency is to set aside the doctrines of Divine Sovereignty and Predestination in order to make room for the autocracy of the human will. The pride and presumption of man, on the one hand, and his ignorance and depravity on the other, lead him to exclude God and to exalt himself so far as he is able; and both of these tendencies combine to lead the great majority of mankind away from Calvinism.
The Arminian idea which assumes that the serious intentions of God way in some cases at least be defeated, and that man, who is not only a creature but a sinful creature, can exercise veto power over the plans of Almighty God, is in striking contrast with the Biblical idea of His immeasurable exaltation by which He is removed from all the weaknesses of humanity. That the plans of men are not always executed is due to a lack of power, or a lack of wisdom; but since God is unlimited In these and all other resources, no unforeseen emergencies can arise, and to Him the causes for change have no existence. To suppose that His plans fail and that He strives to no effect, is to reduce Him to the level of His creatures.
SCRIPTURE PROOF
Daniel 4:35: He doeth according to His will In the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him, What doest thou?
Jeremiah 32:17: Ah Lord Jehovah! behold thou hast made the heavens and the earth by thy great power and by thine outstretched arm; and there is nothing too hard for thee.
Matthew 28:18: All authority bath been given unto me (Christ) in heaven and on earth.
Ephesians 1:22: And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church.
Ephesians 1:11: In whom we were made a heritage, having been foreordained according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His will.
Isaiah 14:24, 27: Jehovah of hosts hath sworn, saying, surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass . . . . For Jehovah of hosts hath purposed, and who shall annul it? and His hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?
Isaiah 46:9, 10, 11: Remember the former things of old; for I am God. and there is none else; I am God and there is none like me; declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure . . . . yea, I have spoken; I will also bring It to pass; I have purposed, I will also do it.
Genesis 18:14: Is anything too hard for Jehovah?
Job 42:2: I know that thou canst do all things, And that no purpose of thine can be restrained.
Psalm 115:3: Our God is in the heavens. He hath done whatsoever He pleased.
Psalm 135:6: Whatsoever Jehovah pleased, that hath He done. In heaven, in earth, in the seas, and in all deeps.
Isaiah 55:11: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
Romans 9:20, 21: Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why didst thou make me thus? Or hath not the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?
By virtue of the fact that God has created every thing which exists, He is the absolute Owner and final Disposer of all that He has made. He exerts not merely a general influence, but actually rules in the world which He has created. The nations of the earth, in their insignificance, are as the small dust of the balance when compared with His greatness; and far sooner might the sun be stopped in his course than God be hindered in His work or in His will. Amid all the apparent defeats and inconsistencies of life God actually moves on in undisturbed majesty. Even the sinful actions of men can occur only by His permission. And since he permits not unwillingly but willingly, all that comes to pass — including the actions and ultimate destiny of men — must be, in some sense, in accordance with what He has desired and purposed. Just in proportion as this is denied God is excluded from the government of the world. Naturally some problems arise here which we in our present state of knowledge are not fully capable of solving; but that is no sufficient ground for rejecting what the Scriptures and the plain dictates of reason affirm to be true.
If the power of an earthly king Is law in his kingdom, how much more shall the word of God be in His! For example, the Christian knows that the day is certainly coming when, willingly or unwillingly, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. In the Scriptures He is represented to us as God ALMIGHTY, who sits upon the throne of universal dominion. He knows the end from the beginning and the means to be used in attaining that end. He is able to do for us exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or even think. The category of the impossible has no existence for Him "with whom all things are possible," Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27. This, however, does not mean that God has power to do that which is contrary to His nature, " to work contradictions. It is impossible for God to lie, or to do anything which is morally wrong. He cannot make two and two equal five, nor can He make a wheel turn around and stand still at the same time. His omnipotence is as sure a guarantee that the course of the world will conform to His plan as is His holiness a guarantee that all His works will be right.
Not only in the New Testament but In the Old Testament as well we find this doctrine of God's sovereignty consistently developed. Dr. Warfield says concerning the doctrine as it is found there: "The Almighty Maker of all that is represented equally as the irresistible Ruler of all that He has made; Jehovah sits as King for ever (Psalm 29:10). " He goes on to say that the writers rarely use such expressions as "it rains;" they instinctively speak of God sending rain, etc. The possibility of accident and chance are excluded and even "the lot was an accepted means of obtaining the decision of God (Joshua 7:16; 14:2; 18:6; 1 Samuel 10:19; Jonah 1:7). All things without exception, indeed, are disposed by Him, and His will is the ultimate account of all that occurs. Heaven and earth and all that is in them are the instruments through which He works His ends. Nature, nations, and the fortunes of the individual alike present in all their changes the transcript of His purpose. The winds are His messengers, the flaming fire His servant: every natural occurrence is His act; prosperity is His gift, and if calamity falls upon man it is the Lord that has done it (Amos 3:5, 6; Lamentations 3:33-38; Isaiah 47:7; Ecclesiastes 7:14; Isaiah 54:16). It is He that leads the feet of men, wit they whither or not; He that raises up and casts down; opens and hardens the heart; and creates the very thoughts and intents of the soul." 1
And shall we not believe that God can convert a sinner when He pleases? Cannot the Almighty, the omnipotent Ruler of the universe, change the characters of the creatures He has made? He changed the water into wine at Cana, and converted Saul on the road to Damascus. The leper said, "Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean," and at a word his leprosy was cleansed. God is as able to cleanse the soul as the body, and we believe that if He chose to do so He could raise up such a flood of Christian ministers, missionaries, and workers of various kinds that the world would be converted in a very short time. If He actually purposed to save all men He could send hosts of angels to instruct them and to do supernatural works on the earth. He could Himself work marvelously on the heart of every person so that no one would be lost. Since evil exists only by His permission, He could, if He chose, blot it out of existence. His power in this latter respect was shown, for instance, in the work of the destroying angel who in one night slew all the first-born of the Egyptians (Exodus 12:29), and in another night slew 185,000 of the Assyrian army (2 Kings 19:35). It was shown when the earth opened and swallowed Korah and his rebellious allies (Numbers 16:31-33). Ananias and Sapphira were smitten (Acts 5:1-11); Herod was smitten and died a horrible death (Acts 12:23). God has lost none of His power, and it is highly dishonoring to Him to suppose that He is struggling along with the human race doing the best He can but unable to accomplish His purposes.
Although the sovereignty of God is universal and absolute, it is not the sovereignty of blind power. It is coupled with infinite wisdom, holiness and love. And this doctrine, when properly understood, is a most comforting and reassuring one. Who would not prefer to have his affairs in the hands of a God of infinite power, wisdom, holiness and love, rather than to have them left to fate, or chance, or irrevocable natural law, or to short-sighted and perverted self ? Those who reject God's sovereignty should consider what alternatives they have left.
The affairs of the universe, then, are controlled and guided, how? "According to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His will." The present day tendency is to set aside the doctrines of Divine Sovereignty and Predestination in order to make room for the autocracy of the human will. The pride and presumption of man, on the one hand, and his ignorance and depravity on the other, lead him to exclude God and to exalt himself so far as he is able; and both of these tendencies combine to lead the great majority of mankind away from Calvinism.
The Arminian idea which assumes that the serious intentions of God way in some cases at least be defeated, and that man, who is not only a creature but a sinful creature, can exercise veto power over the plans of Almighty God, is in striking contrast with the Biblical idea of His immeasurable exaltation by which He is removed from all the weaknesses of humanity. That the plans of men are not always executed is due to a lack of power, or a lack of wisdom; but since God is unlimited In these and all other resources, no unforeseen emergencies can arise, and to Him the causes for change have no existence. To suppose that His plans fail and that He strives to no effect, is to reduce Him to the level of His creatures.
SCRIPTURE PROOF
Daniel 4:35: He doeth according to His will In the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him, What doest thou?
Jeremiah 32:17: Ah Lord Jehovah! behold thou hast made the heavens and the earth by thy great power and by thine outstretched arm; and there is nothing too hard for thee.
Matthew 28:18: All authority bath been given unto me (Christ) in heaven and on earth.
Ephesians 1:22: And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church.
Ephesians 1:11: In whom we were made a heritage, having been foreordained according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His will.
Isaiah 14:24, 27: Jehovah of hosts hath sworn, saying, surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass . . . . For Jehovah of hosts hath purposed, and who shall annul it? and His hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?
Isaiah 46:9, 10, 11: Remember the former things of old; for I am God. and there is none else; I am God and there is none like me; declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure . . . . yea, I have spoken; I will also bring It to pass; I have purposed, I will also do it.
Genesis 18:14: Is anything too hard for Jehovah?
Job 42:2: I know that thou canst do all things, And that no purpose of thine can be restrained.
Psalm 115:3: Our God is in the heavens. He hath done whatsoever He pleased.
Psalm 135:6: Whatsoever Jehovah pleased, that hath He done. In heaven, in earth, in the seas, and in all deeps.
Isaiah 55:11: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
Romans 9:20, 21: Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why didst thou make me thus? Or hath not the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Wet
Life isn't always easy. There would be times when the road would be slippery and we all feel anxious driving on a crooked lane lubricated by the angry rain. There were times when I had to walk the five kilometer distance between my place and my school when two big wheeled cans would reenact the Twisted Metal game, causing disturbances along the narrow highways of our country. Life wasn't really meant to be easy. I have to admit, I myself have ran from the bites of life a lot of times, I mean, LOTS OF TIMES. And tonight, my calm has been disturbed again. Surely, the next days, my face would show forced smiles again. This storm is so frightening and I can't help but cover my face again. Fear is slowly eating my soul, and I can't help but wrestle with the Master Gardener. Only under the care of my Master can I actually rest. The storm might bring more rain, but His hands are strong enough to cover me with His big umbrellas, big enough to cover five thousand people eating loaves of bread and pieces of fish. And every time this rain comes, He will surely run to stretch His arms wide to carry His umbrellas. There were times though when He would just watch at me getting wet and for whatever reason, He's smiling, He's smiling at that scene. Me, getting wet all over. But there's one thing that is always sure, He'll never allow me to be totally soaked in the flood for a long time. When the flood rises too much, with a loud voice, I will surely hear Him say, "Be still!", and the flood will subside, the storm will die down. And this is what removes a forced smile on my face. Whenever I recall how this Gardener has worked to keep me safe and pleasant to Him, fear flies away. No matter how terrorizing the storm is, I can always be still, because my Gardener can do, and will do everything to keep His front lawn pleasant to His eyes. In this, I will have to say, life may not be easy, but the Creator assures us of a life worth living. So I won't mind being stepped on again..
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Romans 13:1-7 and the Philippine Election
God, the supreme Lord and King of all the world, has ordained civil magistrates, to be, under Him, over the people, for His own glory, and the public good: and, to this end, has armed them with the power of the sword, for the defence and encouragement of them that are good, and for the punishment of evil doers.(Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter XXIII. 1).
I voted for Manny Villar. And the moment I announced my support for the senator, my own family showed disgust over my decision. I have to admit, the sentimental value of the Filipinos for Cory and Ninoy was so overwhelming that most wanted Noynoy for no objective reason. They wanted Noy, and they were not wrong in their candidate. He is winning, though the proclamation is not yet announced, he is obviously winning now. My reaction, simple, submit to the new governing body. I honestly and personally do not believe in the competence of Senator Aquino but if he would be the one about to take shelter at Malacañan, then I have no more questions. I cannot make objections against the will of the sovereign God who establishes every kingdom, every government and every authority.Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. The government was instituted by God to bring His will down to us. They might be some unlikely events but the bottomline is it will still end up glorifying God. Therefore, Give everyone what you owe him (government): If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
I voted for Manny Villar. And the moment I announced my support for the senator, my own family showed disgust over my decision. I have to admit, the sentimental value of the Filipinos for Cory and Ninoy was so overwhelming that most wanted Noynoy for no objective reason. They wanted Noy, and they were not wrong in their candidate. He is winning, though the proclamation is not yet announced, he is obviously winning now. My reaction, simple, submit to the new governing body. I honestly and personally do not believe in the competence of Senator Aquino but if he would be the one about to take shelter at Malacañan, then I have no more questions. I cannot make objections against the will of the sovereign God who establishes every kingdom, every government and every authority.Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. The government was instituted by God to bring His will down to us. They might be some unlikely events but the bottomline is it will still end up glorifying God. Therefore, Give everyone what you owe him (government): If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Ephesian Doxology
Congratulating God
Ephesians 1:3-23 is a single sentence in Greek, often called a doxology because it recites what God has done and is an expression of worship to honor him. It starts with the word “Blessed”. The CEV (Contemporary English Version) renders it as “praise” but I would like to use Dr. John Gill’s explanation. “God is neither to invoke nor confer a blessing on him; for there is none greater than he to be called upon; nor does he need anything, nor can he receive anything from his creature; but it is either to congratulate his greatness and goodness, to ascribe blessing, glory, and honour to him, or to give thanks unto him, both for temporal and spiritual mercies.” It is a congratulatory address to God the Father, who has effected us with every spiritual blessing specially the blessing of being redeemed. God is to be congratulated, He should be greatly appreciated because His resolve was ultimately efficient and effective. And there is nothing on earth can change the course of his resolve. As Jesus said, “It is finished!”. It is done then. His way was already successful even if decades would run into being before actually realizing the fulfillment of all things. After all, God isn’t bound by time. Therefore, God authored our lives and He should be thanked for giving us life.
Redemption and Adoption
At verse 4-5, Paul tells us that God chose us not by our own hands but all by virtue of God’s overflowing love. He adopted us as sons, making us holy and blameless. Through the blood of Jesus did we have the forgiveness of our sins. During the time of the writing of the Epistle to the Ephesians, the redeeming of slave was a common practice. Therefore, it was of big deal to the early church that Paul used the word redeem or redemption. We were formerly enslaved by sin and were bound to death. But Christ’s death was the ransom used to pay off our death penalty. This redemption frees us from the penalty, but the adoption promises us a life of holiness. The sealing of the Holy Spirit was the pledge of God’s inheritance to His elect. He granted us the Holy Spirit who freed us from our total inability to seek God. As a part of His family, we are now recipients of this inheritance. These two words aren’t done in an orderly manner. Because when God redeemed us, He already adopted us. After all, as what verse 4 speaks, God chose us before the creation of the world. Therefore, we had been redeemed and adopted in the heart of God even before the earth began to exist.
The Centrality of Christ
In the entire passage, the Trinity was ever-present. From the Father creating and bestowing blessings, to the Son redeeming and the Holy Spirit Sealing, the Triune God was ever appreciated and praised. However, when Paul prayed at verses 18-22, he asked God to reveal unto the Ephesian Church the Hope of their calling, the Riches of the Glory of the Inheritance of the Saints and the surpassing greatness of God’s power all in accordance to God which He brought in Christ. And when he sat back at the right hand of the Father, all authorities became subject to Him. He is the head of the Church and His fullness dwells in us, His body.
The Reason for Everything
When I was eleven, I went to a retreat camp and I have to admit, it was the beginning of the realization that I am a redeemed and an adopted son of the Lord. But one thing that stuck with my mind was the reason I was “forced” to “receive Christ in my heart”. The staff planned a real-time drama rapture stuff. Since I was only eleven, fear struck my heart. I feared being left behind, I feared being thrown away in the lake of fire. To cut it short, “fear” led me to Christ. Time passed along those days and I became a member of what our local church called the communicant class. I learned from that class that God was a loving God and He wants to save my soul from hell. The thoughts of a majestic celebration when one comes back to God were so overwhelming. These were also reaffirmed and reinforced by the family. But time came when my life had to choose the worldly side, leaving my faith behind. The reason I am stating this is though parts of the learning I had were true, they were only relatively true. God saving people was a very great thing. It is indeed something to be celebrated about. But the thing lost here is what the passage has been talking about. It was stated thrice when concluding for an action of the Lord “to the praise of His glory” or “to the praise of the glory of His grace”. The redemption and adoption stuff were all executed not to give us happiness but to praise the glory of the Lord. The excitement, the happiness and security that we have are all based from the glory of the Lord. Yes, the Lord loves us so why He saved us. But still, that love is an overflow of His delight to His own glory. As what John Piper wrote in his book, “The chief end of God is to glorify God by enjoying God forever.”
Ephesians 1:3-23 is a single sentence in Greek, often called a doxology because it recites what God has done and is an expression of worship to honor him. It starts with the word “Blessed”. The CEV (Contemporary English Version) renders it as “praise” but I would like to use Dr. John Gill’s explanation. “God is neither to invoke nor confer a blessing on him; for there is none greater than he to be called upon; nor does he need anything, nor can he receive anything from his creature; but it is either to congratulate his greatness and goodness, to ascribe blessing, glory, and honour to him, or to give thanks unto him, both for temporal and spiritual mercies.” It is a congratulatory address to God the Father, who has effected us with every spiritual blessing specially the blessing of being redeemed. God is to be congratulated, He should be greatly appreciated because His resolve was ultimately efficient and effective. And there is nothing on earth can change the course of his resolve. As Jesus said, “It is finished!”. It is done then. His way was already successful even if decades would run into being before actually realizing the fulfillment of all things. After all, God isn’t bound by time. Therefore, God authored our lives and He should be thanked for giving us life.
Redemption and Adoption
At verse 4-5, Paul tells us that God chose us not by our own hands but all by virtue of God’s overflowing love. He adopted us as sons, making us holy and blameless. Through the blood of Jesus did we have the forgiveness of our sins. During the time of the writing of the Epistle to the Ephesians, the redeeming of slave was a common practice. Therefore, it was of big deal to the early church that Paul used the word redeem or redemption. We were formerly enslaved by sin and were bound to death. But Christ’s death was the ransom used to pay off our death penalty. This redemption frees us from the penalty, but the adoption promises us a life of holiness. The sealing of the Holy Spirit was the pledge of God’s inheritance to His elect. He granted us the Holy Spirit who freed us from our total inability to seek God. As a part of His family, we are now recipients of this inheritance. These two words aren’t done in an orderly manner. Because when God redeemed us, He already adopted us. After all, as what verse 4 speaks, God chose us before the creation of the world. Therefore, we had been redeemed and adopted in the heart of God even before the earth began to exist.
The Centrality of Christ
In the entire passage, the Trinity was ever-present. From the Father creating and bestowing blessings, to the Son redeeming and the Holy Spirit Sealing, the Triune God was ever appreciated and praised. However, when Paul prayed at verses 18-22, he asked God to reveal unto the Ephesian Church the Hope of their calling, the Riches of the Glory of the Inheritance of the Saints and the surpassing greatness of God’s power all in accordance to God which He brought in Christ. And when he sat back at the right hand of the Father, all authorities became subject to Him. He is the head of the Church and His fullness dwells in us, His body.
The Reason for Everything
When I was eleven, I went to a retreat camp and I have to admit, it was the beginning of the realization that I am a redeemed and an adopted son of the Lord. But one thing that stuck with my mind was the reason I was “forced” to “receive Christ in my heart”. The staff planned a real-time drama rapture stuff. Since I was only eleven, fear struck my heart. I feared being left behind, I feared being thrown away in the lake of fire. To cut it short, “fear” led me to Christ. Time passed along those days and I became a member of what our local church called the communicant class. I learned from that class that God was a loving God and He wants to save my soul from hell. The thoughts of a majestic celebration when one comes back to God were so overwhelming. These were also reaffirmed and reinforced by the family. But time came when my life had to choose the worldly side, leaving my faith behind. The reason I am stating this is though parts of the learning I had were true, they were only relatively true. God saving people was a very great thing. It is indeed something to be celebrated about. But the thing lost here is what the passage has been talking about. It was stated thrice when concluding for an action of the Lord “to the praise of His glory” or “to the praise of the glory of His grace”. The redemption and adoption stuff were all executed not to give us happiness but to praise the glory of the Lord. The excitement, the happiness and security that we have are all based from the glory of the Lord. Yes, the Lord loves us so why He saved us. But still, that love is an overflow of His delight to His own glory. As what John Piper wrote in his book, “The chief end of God is to glorify God by enjoying God forever.”
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