I.T.:
I had a hard time with my QT today. I felt like I know it already and can't seem to extract new juices from the ampalaya which is....
John 16:24 Ask and you will receive and your joy will be complete.
Then it struck me... I should apply the verse at that exact time. I should ASK something/s from GOD and see how God will give it to me. Then I can share later what joy I got from asking and receiving.
The author expounding on this verse said that asking does not really mean big things always. We can also ask for small "miracles" as our God is a God of big and small miracles.
So for this morning, I tried thinking of 3 simple things. I had a hard time so I just came up with: (1) a simple ride going to the bank; (2)
around 10am, I received a surprise :-) somebody who owe me money visited the office and gave me P10T.
And at the end of the day, the three simple things did not materialize.
Nag-isip tuloy ako....
I believe God knew I needed the money more than the 3 simple things. It was a QT prayer request of mine a few weeks ago. The person who owed me that money ay nalugi sa biznez... so I knew it was a bit hard for the money to be returned and if ever it will, I did not expect it this month or the next few months.
God made my JOY really complete even though I did not get the 3 simple things. He knew what I really wanted and He gave it to me.
Indeed, our God is a God of miracles.. a God who knows what we really want... and a joy giver!
J.B.:
"Wait for the Lord
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord." Ps. 27:14
This is one thing that I fear - the feeling that nothing is happening in my spiritual life, that things have become idle. This is when I get stuck in a rut. One reason why this happens is sin. The thing that takes me away from God is sin and I must have this conscious effort to be an over comer of sin.
The waiting part is hard when I seem to be separated from the Lord. Although I seem not to hear from Him, he wants me to know that the thing to do is take heart and wait. And that, coming from Him, is all that I need to know.
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with Ptr. Jon Almusara (3rd from left, front row)
Two ladies from Lakas-Angkan,N. Ecija share their insights on each quiet time that they have ever since they heard about "ampalaya".
DO SOMETHING
"Faith that does nothing is dead!" (James 2:26)
Faith is not the belief that God will do what you want. Faith is the belief that God will do what is right. God is always near and always available. Just waiting for your touch. So let him know. Demonstrate your devotion:
Write a letter.
Ask forgiveness.
Be baptized.
Feed a hungry person.
Pray.
Teach.
Go.
Do something that demonstrates faith. For faith with no effort is no faith at all. God will respond. He has never rejected a genuine gesture of faith. Never.
---He Still Moves Stones
Faith is not the belief that God will do what you want. Faith is the belief that God will do what is right. God is always near and always available. Just waiting for your touch. So let him know. Demonstrate your devotion:
Write a letter.
Ask forgiveness.
Be baptized.
Feed a hungry person.
Pray.
Teach.
Go.
Do something that demonstrates faith. For faith with no effort is no faith at all. God will respond. He has never rejected a genuine gesture of faith. Never.
---He Still Moves Stones
SOLE PROVIDER, SOLE COMFORTER (from The Applause of Heaven)
As long as Jesus is one of my options, he is not an option.
As long as you can carry your burdens alone, you don't need a burden bearer. As long as your situation brings you no grief, you will receive no comfort. And as long as you can take Him or leave Hin, you might as well leave Him, because He won't be taken half-heartedly.
But when you mourn, when you get to the point of sorrow for your sins, when you admit that you have no other option but to cast all your cares on Him, and when there is truly no other name that you can call, then cast all your cares on Him, for He is waiting in the midst of the storm.
As long as you can carry your burdens alone, you don't need a burden bearer. As long as your situation brings you no grief, you will receive no comfort. And as long as you can take Him or leave Hin, you might as well leave Him, because He won't be taken half-heartedly.
But when you mourn, when you get to the point of sorrow for your sins, when you admit that you have no other option but to cast all your cares on Him, and when there is truly no other name that you can call, then cast all your cares on Him, for He is waiting in the midst of the storm.
Single Professional Fellowship
with Ptr. Jon Almusara (3rd from left, front row)
visit the LAKAS-ANGKAN website!!
Amena Brown: Ressurection
What's AMPALAYA?
Ampalaya or bitter gourd is a vegetable which has a bitter taste but very high in nutrients and said to be good cure for anemics. For Christians, it is devotion, the essence of your faith - that which Christians almost never like. It is the reading and meditating on God's word. Our faith may be focused on good deeds and making the world a better place, but it is nothing without ampalaya.
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