Sunday morning

It’s Sunday morning, and we are going to miss church today. Nette is sick because of the travel. It was a long journey home yesterday from Nasugbu where Grace’s (Nette’s cousin) wedding was held. Nevertheless, our time in Nasugbu was a time of rest and refreshing. We got to swim, and sleep and just recover from all the travels that we had from ministry (I have yet to blog about our Bicol and Baguio trips.)

It was also a time of reflection and processing what happened the last few months to our lives. I got to just stop, sit and recollect all the things that had happened, and just became overwhelmed with joy for what God has done to our life. So I posted in Facebook:

This is one of the memorable summers of my life @Jesus @netty @friends @xa @aiys @adventures @blessings @bloopers … Thank you Jesus! I feel like 20 again.

It was indeed one of the best summers I had lately. Previous summers just went by. This one’s memorable. For a while I’ve been sort of clueless entering my 30th year on earth, felt I’ve become too old. But this summer I’ve experienced a personal awakening that set me up for the years to come. It was a balance of ministry and my personal journey with the Lord. Walking this earth with my wife and being surrounded by caring family and friends. The theme song of this awakening is “I know who I am, I am yours, and you are mine.” I have rediscovered my identity in Christ and in His kingdom.

I was trying to find this particular passage (which is also an old chorus we sang at church) to reflect on God’s goodness in my life. And finally God showed it to me this morning.

Praise the Lord, my soul;
   all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, my soul,
   and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins
   and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
   and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
   so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

- Psalm 103:1-5

Open my eyes that I may see

Full story in 2 Kings 6:8-23.

It had been an awesome sight—to see horses and chariots of fire. But from the perspective of Elisha’s servant, the context from where they are made it more awesome. First, there was the crisis, an enemy poised to attach after the Aram king decided to hunt for Elisha when he learned that the prophet was helping his nemesis king of Israel (v. 15). And second, the solution, God’s solution, and salvation, in the form of flaming armies of the living God (v. 17). Like Elisha’s servant, we too are sometimes overwhelmed by fears and threats that is poised on the horizon, ready to eat us up. We don’t recognize what it means to be on God’s side. So we fail to see how God is working in and through our lives.

May we desire the prayer Elisha had desired for his servant, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that I may see.” May we say to God, Lord, open my eyes, my spiritual eyes, give me a God-ordained vision, so that I may see. Here are 5 things God will show us as we ask Him for a fresh vision:

Open my eyes so that I may see God’s protection. Elisha encouraged his servant not to be afraid, because those who are with them, are more that those who are against them. The servant was called by Elisha to believe in faith that God is present and able to deliver. Faith is the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1). May God open our spiritual eyes so we may see what others do not see.

Open my eyes so that I may see God’s power. Sometimes we magnify our problems too much that we overlook how big God is. God is always greater that all those that are against us combined.

Open my eyes so that I may see God’s ways. Realize that when God delivers, it’s in His own terms and in His own timing, and not our own. Have the humility to obey and the patience to wait for God’s answer.

Open my eyes so that I may respond in kindness to others. It’s interesting that when God gave over the enemy to Elisha, instead of annihilating the enemy as per the Israelite king’s suggestion, Elisha commanded the king to respond in kindness—to feed the enemy and send them away. May we see beyond those who are hostile and rebellious, not reciprocating in hostility and vengeance, and respond in kindness and compassion. Only a heart whose eyes have been opened to receive God’s grace can overflow His grace towards others.

Open my eyes so that I may receive kindness from others. Sometimes it’s us whose hearts needs to be opened to receive the kindness of people around us. There are people who have a hard time receiving kindness because they feel they don’t deserve it, or they feel they’re above anyone to receive help. It’s only a deceptive disguise of the pride and false humility in us. God uses people to bestow His goodness to His children.

Imagine having a vision of God himself and instead of focusing on the problems, we focus to live the purpose that God has purposed for us to live. May we seek God wholeheartedly, desperately so He can reveal to us and fulfill in us a full life of one who has seen God.

Present with you on the battlefield

2 Samuel 23:12, “But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory.”

Shammah is one of David’s mighty men. He was one of the trio of a group simply called the Three. The other two was Josheb and Eleazar. Previous verses mentions both Eleazar and Shammah both standing there ground when the rest of their comrades flee from the enemy (v. 10, 12). They stood their ground, they fought with fierce courage, and the passage was careful to say that it was the Lord that “brought about a great victory.”

And such is true in our Christian lives, if we want to witness God bring a breakthrough in our area of struggle, we must be willing to stand our ground, even when the rest of the world tells you to flee, retreat, give up or give in. For me to witness God bring victory, I must be where the action is—where God is at work and my faith is required. I will miss God’s move when I hide in the crevices of my comfort zones.

I remember again a talk given by Andy Stanley about courage. He says one way to know if you’ve made the right choice (to stay or to go) is if you fast forward your life and in that future look back to this very moment when you are in a forked road, which would be more noble to recount? Is it when you went even when you’re tempted to stay or stayed even when you’re tempted to go? Either way, obeying God despite the challenges would always be a winning remembrance.

Tempted to give up or give in? Too soon. One of God’s names in the Bible is that God is Jehovah-Shammah (The Lord who is there). The Lord, your Commander-in-chief, is always there with you in the battlefield. So don’t let your faith waver, stand your ground and you might just witness God’s bring about your victory.

Galatians 6:9, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

At the usual hangout

Last night we’re at our usual hangout at Starbucks Drive Thru.. the two pics were taken at two different times. In the photo are Nette’s cousins who have maintained a close connection even now as grown ups. Mine is not as close as before, since we are now living far from each other and reunions are only times to connect and catch up.

Last week was the only week I stayed in Manila the longest time. Before Manila I was in Mindoro, Cebu and Iloilo. And after Manila I will be in Legaspi, Baguio, Ifugao, Batangas and Pampanga. I tried to cram in as much design work as possible, work what needs to be done for APMedia and ICI and catch up on our house to-do lists before leaving again.

Tomorrow we’re flying to Legaspi for our Chi Alpha Leadership Training. Looking forward to see this towering beauty. Last time I’ve been to Bicol, I was only able to see the tip from a mountain top in Daet six hours from Legaspi.

The Perfect King

One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful … (2 Samuel 11:2)

I’m reading through the book of Samuel in my Time Alone with God these days. 1 and 2 Samuel is about Israel’s transition from a people to a nation, from being led by judges to being led by kings. It’s about the early years of Israel as a kingdom. The citizens thought by asking for a king much of the nation’s problem will be solved (in fact their reason for asking for a king was because they envy other nations surrounding them who had a king leading them). But it’s far from becoming a perfect government, especially with humans involved. We read Saul’s rise and tragic fall. Even David, who was even called by God a man after His own heart, fell for a married woman thereby unleashing chaos on his own family. It was only by God’s grace and unfailing love that David was restored.

It got me thinking, leaders are not perfect people. We have followed “kings” leaders who at one point of your life have let you down. Leaders who are supposed to do the right thing; who are supposed to know the answers. But as leaders ourselves we are not exempted. We have instances that we feel or know that we have let down some people in our lives. One thing is sure. Apart from God and the recognition of His lordship, His kingship over us, we are surely to mess up, because our heart is prone to deceive itself if not in constant submission to Christ.

Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”

John 15:5, “apart from me you can do nothing.”

And may I add, apart from Christ, we can do nothing good.

Despite Israel’s foolishness to put a king above them instead of having God lead them as a nation, God’s sovereign will is in effect as the age of kings through Samuel, Kings and Chronicles become a foreshadow of the coming Perfect King. God at one time promises to David:

When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. - 2 Samuel 7:12-13

While this prophecy found an immediate fulfillment with the reign of David’s son Solomon, God was also alluding to a future King whose kingdom will be established forever—Jesus Christ. And truly He is our Perfect King. The King who will not let us down, the King who does the right thing. He’s the kind of King we leaders aspire to be, selfless yet mighty. The King who could empty Himself without losing Himself. The King who became the ransom for many. The rightful King who alone can pardon our sins. Though His death and victorious resurrection, He becomes our righteousness—even to the worst of sinners.

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 
Do not cast me from your presence 
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Psalm 51:10-12

He is the Perpetual King. The Selfless King. The Mighty King. The Returning King. The Perfect King. Come, Lord Jesus.