REJECTION

We are AFRAID to love, to forgive, accept, embrace, approach, reach out, speak up, and move on. They all rooted from fear of REJECTION. 

LOVE, even if it means (they are) unloving you. FORGIVE, even it means hurting you. ACCEPT, even it means troubling you. EMBRACE, even it means giving you up. APPROACH, even it means pushing you away. REACH OUT, even if it means leaving away from you. SPEAK UP (kind words), even it means not listening to you. And MOVE ON, even if it means not asking for forgiveness from you.

This can't be learned overnight. It comes with a process. You learn these things as you go through seasons of life. We all have different situations and experiences. But if there's good thing you have and want to do, don't hold back just because you are afraid to be rejected. Make a difference and your life will surely different from the others. Don't hurt yourself by living in BITTERNESS forever.

REJECTION is not bad at all. It will teach us to be HUMBLE. It brings out the best in us. 

TOTAL SECURITY

Psalm 5:12

For you bless the godly, O LORD;
you surround them with your shield of love.

There is no greatest protection we can ever have but the LOVE of GOD for us. We seek for security in this world but we are still afraid and fearful about so many things. But we don't realize that only GOD can assure us TOTAL SECURITY.

TRUTH REVEALED

 Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
(Psalm 25:5)

The TRUTH is revealed to those who long for it.

Pacified Troubled Heart

In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O LORD, will keep me safe. Psalm 4:8

When you realize your need for God, no matter how troubling your situation is, you feel that He is there to help you because He is always in control.

No fortified walls, no strong people, nothing can ever pacify our anxious heart. 

Only those who totally trust God can have a peaceful sleep at night. Depending on Him releases us from the bondage of worries and fears.

Fix our eyes on Jesus and learn to trust Him. Then you will see the wonderful works of God in your life.

SEEING GOD AND BEING LIKE JESUS

Have I seen Jesus?  How can I see Him? How can I be like Him? Those are the questions that a person who seeks God may ask.

From human perspective, we can't see God physically. It is impossible for a person to believe someone who doesn't exist. Or even get to be in a relationship without experiencing or encountering the person.

So, it is a wonderful thought to think about that a person who accepts God declares to have a relationship with Him without even seeing Him Himself! How's that possible?

Seeing Jesus is a personal experience. A person can only see God who is spirit (John 4:24) through spirit eyes not the physical ones. Seeing Jesus is like seeing God.

In my own personal experience, I see God when I feel love and see people loving each other. Do you know why? Because God is Love (1 John 4:8). So when I love, I become like Him because I copy His character. And when I do it, God manifests Himself through me (Ephesians 5:1).

God said that He reveals Himself through His creation (Romans 1:20). And He also said that whatever we do to those people who are in need, we do it for God (Matthew 25:45).

Next time you encounter someone who is difficult to understand, think about this message. That person needs to be loved just as how God loves you. And when you do, you do it for God. You directly love Him.

TRUSTING GOD AS THE NIGHT

I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the LORD was watching over me. (Psalm 3:5)

God speaks in mysterious ways. He made me realize that TRUSTING HIM is like SLEEPING AT NIGHT.

We know that the night is enveloped in darkness. Everything is covered in shadows. Even if we try to look at it and understand, we actually don't know what's going on.


In the midst of its black presence, we are not totally sure about our safety. Let's say we fortify our walls, we may think that we are already safe from natural disasters such earthquakes, fires, storms, etc. But what if we get a heart attack? The fortified walls can't save us.


Yet, despite of these uncertainties, we close our eyes and lie down. Then, we wake up, rise up, and see the beautiful sunshine of the day.


THAT'S HOW WE SHOULD TRUST GOD. Regardless of our troubles in life, we lie down in the hope of God's love for us. As we look forward to seeing the sunrise, we also hope for God's grace throughout the day.


Therefore, God has designed us NOT TO WORRY and FOR WORRIES. Just like how he created the night for us to lie down at night, He wants us to fully trust Him in whatever we do.

TRUE JOY and HAPPINESS

Psalm 2:12
....But what joy for all who take refuge in him!

Do you feel UNHAPPY? TIRED? EXHAUSTED?

We always think of ways to be happy in life. Go to parties, vacation, do some leisure activities like sports, music and the like.

But why do we still feel incomplete? What's lacking?


 We don't realize that TRUE JOY and HAPPINESS can only be found in Jesus. He is the source of joy. He fills our hearts with joy even when face difficulties in life. No wonder why we feel comfort and explainable peace whenever we come to God.

Let us learn to fix our eyes on Jesus. We will see how different it is to find comfort from God than looking for something for enjoyment.

So, where should we go to find TRUE JOY and HAPPINESS?

More Grace

Romans 5:20 

God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.

Does this verse permit us to go on sinning? Does God give us freedom just to rebel more against Him?

If we try to look at Ezekiel 18:31-32, we will know how eager God is to bring His people back to Him. Let see: "Put all your rebellion behind you, and find yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O people of Israel? I don’t want you to die, says the Sovereign LORD. Turn back and live!

Wow! He encourages us to come, repent, and turn back to Him by giving us so much grace which we don't even deserve to have. Unbelievable. I can't imagine how I can get access to God without GRACE. And that Grace is our Lord Jesus Christ.

So no matter how wicked we are, God still desires for us to turn to Him. He still forgives us and accepts us even though we decided to leave Him just like the prodigal son in Luke 15.

More grace means the DESIRE OF GOD TO GET US BACK INTO HIS CARE, TO RESTORE OUR BROKEN RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM.

Praise be to God for His wonderful grace for us all.

Revitalizing Life

Psalms 1:2-3

But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Notes:

Do you feel frustrated about your life? Does everything you do seem to be repetitious and never-ending? Do you see yourself as lifeless and someone without a purpose? Are you tired of doing something but ends up gaining nothing?

Indeed, life is meaningless, dull, unfruitful, unproductive, and lifeless without God. Everything in this world makes us tired and exhausted. Things are difficult to deal with and people are complicated to be around. Whenever we face tough situations, our energy is being drained off. We become dry and weary. So, how will we replenish our dying self?

Jesus is the living Water. He is the source of life. So apart from Him, things become barren of receiving vitality. The verse encourages us to plant our lives on Jesus. We must grow and cultivate our lives in Him. But how do we do that? ----We come to Him. We get to know Him by reading His words. We cherish and value it. 

Prayer:

Dear Father in Heaven, we are glad to receive this message for this day. We are amazed to know that there is a way for us to continually experience a joyful life and that is in Jesus. Dear God, help me to always trust you and fix my eyes on you. You are the source of my strength and power. I can never be satisfied in life without. On you, oh I depend. Let your will becomes my will. Let your will be done in my life. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Greatest Battle

The Greatest battle is found within us.

You can never plan how to conquer it unless

it is discovered.

Why Do We Worry?

1 Peter 4:12

Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.

Notes:

Why are we worried? We feel anxious about something we are not sure of, something we don't exactly know about.

But when we understand it, no matter how scary people's words are to hear, you will not be scared. 

So then, when you get to know more who God is, no matter how strange things may appear to everyone, you will not be shaken by it, for you know who your God is. By reading His words, you discover His character. So fear of this world fades away. Instead, you grow in wisdom and fear of the Lord.

Therefore, you are worried only because you don't know exactly who God is in your life. So, start seeking and knowing Him. From there, you will experience His peace which is beyond comprehension.

Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven, we lift your Name on high. We are so amazed of your love for us. We don't deserve it but you do it. Help us Lord to always trust you. May you draw us closer to you by the power of the Holy Spirit. May you help us grow in knowledge of you so our faith will never be shaken by anything. This we pray, in Jesus Name. Amen.

Perfection Out of Passion

Pursue perfection 

not out of pressure 

but out of passion. 

Because when you do something you like, 

no matter how hard it is, 

you feel happy even after a long day. 

Restored Truth

John 14:15-17 (NIV)

 “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 

Notes:

Since from the fall of man in the garden of Eden, we were all living in LIES. We were all confused, full of doubts about purpose, meaning, roles, power, direction, and identity.

Even up to this generation, people are divided with different point-of-views, principles, opinions, doctrines, and teachings.

That's the reason why God sent His Dearly Son for us. He wants to restore the TRUTH that was stolen from us and tainted with deceit. He died so that He may send His Holy Spirit to lead us to the truth of everlasting life in Him. He died so that we may return to the truth as what the footnote in the NLT version says.

So in this life full of lies and deception, it is crucial that we depend on God. Let us desire for God's truth to lead us in every part of lives.

Prayer:

Oh Dearest Lord Jesus, we want to thank you for your sincerity. You gave yourself willingly to return us to you. We disobeyed you and believed the lies instead. We don't deserve to be restored in the first place. But you are so gracious to make it happen. Salvation becomes available for all of us because you love us. Thank you for this underserved kindness Lord. May your Spirit continue to lead us to the truth of your words and never depart from it. May your will be our will. In Jesus Name we ask and pray. Amen.

Humble and Wise

Only a humble person appreciates the beauty of discipline.

Only a wise person values the importance of criticism.

A Righteous Healing

Matthew 8:3 (KJV)

And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Notes:

Many people are sick (emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually) and want healing. We want healing just because we desire to free ourselves from pain and struggle. Well, Jesus hopes for that too. He doesn't want people to struggle. But more than his longing to heal you, he is looking for people to accept His holiness.

Most of time, the main reason why we are in pain is because of sin. Sin destroys everything. It damages our being. And God wants to heal you from that. So out of a repentant heart, healing comes and restoration flows.

So, let us seek God and let Him heal us.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, we know how much you care for us. You are a loving Father. So, we come to ask for forgiveness to all of our sins against you. Make us clean oh God. Heal us. And teach us to live in your righteousness.  Just like you, we are willing to be pure and clothed in your glory. In Jesus Name, Amen.