Be Still And Know God

I have been in my new office for about 3 weeks now and more than anything else, I have been quite terrified. It's difficult becoming a manger in a place full of experts and people expecting you to be an expert as well. I don't mind the hard work, I'm fairly used to that - I've been working since I was 16. But the thought of being thrown out there with the sharks is just scary.

While in church today I felt this sudden rush when I sang with the rest of the congregation...

When the oceans rise and the thunders roar
I will soar with You above the storm

Father, You are king over the flood
I will be still and know You are God.

It was comfort and relief and also immense gratitude and a sense of being "taken care of" just filled me when I sang through those lines that I just cried the rest of the song. Everyone else was calling this God's presence. This is why I attend this particular church. When I used to be a Catholic, I stood with hundreds of other people and I didn't really feel anything and I had to focus really hard to pay attention to what the priest was saying... just to feel the presence of God.

But in this church I sense God is there even as we sing and as we pray. God is not just an abstract concept that people talk about. God can be felt and God can be heard. I'm so grateful for this church and hope and pray that God will always abide there.

It's important to go to church every now and then. God gives us this opportunity to recharge ourselves and remember that He is around. Life is really difficult sometimes but as the speaker said this morning, God does not want to make our lives miserable. More often than not, we make our lives miserable. God just hopes that we learn from them and that we remember that at all times, His gracious hand is there to guide us.

Although I do pray and have morning devotion on a daily basis, the collective blessing felt in the church is quite powerful and I will never take that for granted.

What Kind Of Church Do You Want To Go To?

The message this morning was simple and very direct to the point. The sermon in church today centered around how there are 2 kinds of churches:

1. A church that only asks for the forgiveness of God, but does not really seek a relationship with God. Stemming from Isaiah 4:1 (mentioned below) -
   
   
   1 In that day seven women
   will take hold of one man
   and say, "We will eat our own food
   and provide our own clothes;
   only let us be called by your name.
   Take away our disgrace!"
   
   This church does not really love the Lord, this church is of a people that just wants the name "Christian" for God to take away disgrace. A church that doesn't really care about the Lord, of following the Lord's commands or wanting the Lord's provision. This is not a true relationship with God.
   
   The sad truth is that many churches these days and many personalities just want a church that preaches what they want to hear. Nothing of striving for perfection or being holy like the Lord but just that God is there to forgive our sins. Although the latter part be true, we should also strive to do what God wants us to do.
   
   
2. The 2nd church wants to glorify God and make a meaningful relationship.

The speaker really connected with me because sometimes I fall into the trap as well. We all want to be forgiven for our sins like the people who seeks the first church. But God's forgiveness isn't the end of our relationship with God.

A friend of mine once said what's to stop me from shooting anybody after I become a Christian? God will forgive me anyway. Now I had a difficult time arguing that fact at first, but I did manage to say that if forgiveness is the only thing God requires of us then we are quite pitiful.

As it is, we are already quite blessed that God is willing to forgive us and is just waiting for us to ask for forgiveness, but that forgiveness doesn't give us the right to abuse the Lord. It more than anything else, should bind us with God.

The path of Christianity is to have intimacy with God in such a way that we aim to please God and love God. I know it's not easy, sometimes I treat God like the ATM, just asking for one thing after another and then begging for forgiveness when I make mistakes.

When we have a relationship with the Lord, we should let Him be the Lord of our lives. That's the only way for the relationship to work. We should love the Lord and obey Him. Not just make him a laundry person to cleanse us when we make mistakes.

A Rather Dark And Horrid Bible Story

Most of the bible stories I've read are mostly very wholesome and just filled with moral lessons, as should be as the bible is the book of God. Just today though a very sad chapter was discussed in church this morning. This chapter was Judges 19. Here it is word for word from Bible Gateway

Judges 19
1And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the side of mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehemjudah.

2And his concubine played the whore against him, and went away from him unto her father's house to Bethlehemjudah, and was there four whole months.

3And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak friendly unto her, and to bring her again, having his servant with him, and a couple of asses: and she brought him into her father's house: and when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him.

4And his father in law, the damsel's father, retained him; and he abode with him three days: so they did eat and drink, and lodged there.

5And it came to pass on the fourth day, when they arose early in the morning, that he rose up to depart: and the damsel's father said unto his son in law, Comfort thine heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward go your way.

6And they sat down, and did eat and drink both of them together: for the damsel's father had said unto the man, Be content, I pray thee, and tarry all night, and let thine heart be merry.

7And when the man rose up to depart, his father in law urged him: therefore he lodged there again.

8And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart; and the damsel's father said, Comfort thine heart, I pray thee. And they tarried until afternoon, and they did eat both of them.

9And when the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant, his father in law, the damsel's father, said unto him, Behold, now the day draweth toward evening, I pray you tarry all night: behold, the day groweth to an end, lodge here, that thine heart may be merry; and to morrow get you early on your way, that thou mayest go home.

10But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem; and there were with him two asses saddled, his concubine also was with him.

11And when they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn in into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it.

12And his master said unto him, We will not turn aside hither into the city of a stranger, that is not of the children of Israel; we will pass over to Gibeah.

13And he said unto his servant, Come, and let us draw near to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah.

14And they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down upon them when they were by Gibeah, which belongeth to Benjamin.

15And they turned aside thither, to go in and to lodge in Gibeah: and when he went in, he sat him down in a street of the city: for there was no man that took them into his house to lodging.

16And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which was also of mount Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place were Benjamites.

17And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a wayfaring man in the street of the city: and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou?

18And he said unto him, We are passing from Bethlehemjudah toward the side of mount Ephraim; from thence am I: and I went to Bethlehemjudah, but I am now going to the house of the LORD; and there is no man that receiveth me to house.

19Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man which is with thy servants: there is no want of any thing.

20And the old man said, Peace be with thee; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street.

21So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto the asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink.

22Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him.

23And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly.

24Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing.

25But the men would not hearken to him: so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go.

26Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her lord was, till it was light.

27And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold.

28And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none answered. Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place.

29And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel.

30And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds.

Sad and tragic as this story may be, the speaker this morning reiterated that our era is not so different from the time this story was told. Everyone is living a life where we try to live by our own standards of what is good. I know God's way is a lot more difficult with a lot stricter standards, but we've got to try.

A couple of the key points of his sermon were that people should be more spiritually discerning and that we should be spiritually feeling. We should be able to know and feel when we are in God's presence and we should be able to know and feel when we sin.

If we are numb to these things then we will end up like the Levite who sacrifices his concubine, the very reason for his being in the predicament just to save himself. It's quite tragic. I felt most sorry for the concubine and the virgin daughter that the men were so easy to give away for the perverts' consumption. It hurts as a woman.

But more important to this story I guess is that now is the best time to commune with God and to seek His guidance. To be spiritually feeling and discerning. God is a good God and He wants to lead us, if we will just let Him.

Where God Leads, He Provides

I've been facing difficult times recently, not because of sickness or poverty, but because I felt I was lacking in direction.

I ended up quitting my high-paying job for another one. I was quite confused at first because I was praying to hard to the Lord to "take me out of the dark" so to speak. My job and my employer were becoming more and more difficult it was so stressful just to go to work and even more difficult to get the job done. I usually felt to exhausted when I get home even if I had only worked 8 hours or so.

I started working there for only 9,000 pesos a month, and eventually rose the ranks to make more than 100,000 pesos per month. Not bad if I do say so myself, but this was not because of anything I have done but because God has provided me with this growth opportunity at every step. I never dreamed I'd become a manager, I'd never really dreamed of earning that much money anywhere.

However as I continued on, very grateful. It became so difficult to be a good person in the high-paying position I was in, day-in and day-out I felt I had to be part bitch just to get things done in the way that I thought was effective and efficient.

And so I began rethinking if this was still the place I wanted to be in. I did make a conscious effort at being nice and being as Christ-like as I could possibly muster. It would drain me everyday to make that effort. Becoming frustrated and stressed out seemed like it was part of the daily routine. I didn't want that

I prayed for a different opportunity from the Lord and He was so kind, so full of kindness that He gave me 2 of them. Two great companies and 2 great offers. Both offered relatively less in terms of monetary compensation but enough growth opportunities to make me think I was getting a better deal if I moved.

But then I was left at the fork on the road last week because here they were 2 offers that were pretty good. And then I thought, Lord which one do you want me to take? I prayed a lot. Asked advice from many friends and family members. I even went to church when it was deserted thinking I could probably hear God more clearer in church than I would at home or at work.

I asked over and over again, and this was what the Lord answered me

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

I felt at that point that God was leading me so it was fine. In the end with God's leading, I chose the job offer with an even lesser monetary compensation, under the premise that God will provide. Although the better-paying offer had me traveling, it also meant I would work on Saturdays which would eat up my family time.

This job would give me an opportunity to be with my daughter more while still being able to go to church on a routine basis. And in this way of putting my God and my family first, I hope that God will guide me in each and every step. And that His purpose will be fulfilled in me.

Waiting For God's Timing

It can be so difficult to wait on the Lord. I know that He has His way that has been prepared for me and I'm so excited to take it that I can't help but feel downcast sometimes. Sometimes I think maybe the Lord changed His mind and wasn't going to give it to me after all. Although I still pray for faith that He will provide and that I will be patient enough to wait for His perfect timing.

And then all of a sudden in my morning devotion earlier today, this is the verse I get

For the revelation awaits an appointed time;
it speaks of the end
and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait for it;
it will certainly come and will not delay.
Habakuk 2:3

Praise the Lord. I continue to pray for patience I continue to wait for Your perfect timing Lord.

Dwelling In The House Of The Lord

My daughter just memorized this memory verse in Sunday School, "I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Psalm 23: 6

She was very happy and I was so proud. She never used to participate a lot in memorizing verses from Sunday School, I'm glad she's warmed up to it. I do hope she takes a lot more home in her heart

The Link Between Love and Sacrifice

The message in church today was very timely and very heart-warming so to speak. The speaker at our church spoke about love, sounds very passe I know, but this is about love for the Lord.

Everybody loves. That is a fact of life right? And the reason why everyone goes to their church (or place of worship, whatever that may be or maybe almost everyone anyway) is because we love and/ or fear God.

This is a really nice concept, loving a higher-being who has been looking after us. I do the same. The thing about this Sunday morning's sermon was that the speaker emphasized that it's not just about saying "I love you," or "I love God," but it's the actions that go with it

The focus of the message was on sacrifice, the things we should learn to sacrifice if we truly love the Lord. Now last week the message was that there can be no love unless there is no sacrifice, so this sermon was sort of connected to the previous one.

Anyway, he highlighted 3 things about sacrifice

• Sacrifice your freedom - now since we have been saved in Christ, we are all free. But just because we're free doesn't mean we should just go about doing what we want when we want like spoiled brats. We should be aware that because we love the Lord, we should be able to sacrifice some things for Him as he has sacrificed for us. This is very common even in romantic relationships right? We don't go ahead and eat something we know our partner is allergic to because it might hurt him/ her in the process. I guess it's the same for the Lord. We should do something that might hurt Him or brother and sisters - that they might sin because of what you did

• Sacrifice your time - church seems like a big sacrifice to some people. Being stuck in church for about 2 hours to hear sermon can be dragging and boring some times. I used to think so that's for sure. I've fallen asleep some times too. Now I try to think of it as a time when God might want to speak to me. I think there's a bigger chance because there are all these people as well to whom God might be speaking too, I guess I'm just after some collective blessing or message that God might want to impart. It's also really nice to with good Christians sometimes. But not only that, we should be able to say our prayers and devotions daily. These aren't necessarily long periods of time but instead times when we can come to the Lord daily for guidance. I think it's worth it

• Sacrifice your pleasures/ comforts - this was pretty funny when the speaker shared. His example was the "spa." There are a lot of those in the city these days. They make you feel good but then if they cause you to sin then you should probably avoid them. I'm not particularly a spa fan so I wasn't affected but he was right. Sometimes we have to forego certain pleasures in life to be with God, like a night-out for instance or probably a lunch-date that would make going to church difficult.

It was a very nice message today. I hope many were blessed. I'm sure I was