During last week’s discussion, we learned that God has an unreasonable, tough and unconditional love for all of us. And yes, lucky are we that no matter what, that great love remains and will forever be there.
On the other hand, a love unrequited is our concern today. Have we ever assessed our response to God’s Love? Did we ever take time to see if we do things to reciprocate that great love He has for us? Have we ever returned “I Love You” back to Him? Have we been fair? Or we just always ignore and take things for granted?
I know that we all want to respond to the great love of the Lord. And for us to do so, here’s the things we can do:
SCRITURE BASIS: Deuteronomy 10:12-13
A. Fear Him – Our fear of the Lord is the start of our knowledge and relationship to Him. This is when we stand in awe of His power and majesty.
1. Sinners’ Fear – they run away from God
2. Saints’ Fear – they trust the Lord more
B. Walk in His Way – To walk in His way is to live like how Jesus lived. This is to imitate Him, not some of his ways but all of His ways.
C. Love Him with All Your Being – Loving God is the ultimate thing behind every Christian does. In this sense, it tells us that we have to love what God loves and to love Him unconditionally.
D. Serve Him – It is a requirement to all Christians. There is no exception. This means to serve Him wherever He puts us and laying in all our talents, time and treasures to advance His kingdom here on earth.
E. Obey Him – Out of love we obey. And obeying Him is our proof of love for Him.
There is no hard way in giving back the love our God deserves. In the first place, he has already done a thing no other can, when he did it the time we were still sinners. And these things that we can do for Him are the least we can. Remember that we can never reciprocate equally the great love our God has for us. But he didn’t ever require us to do so. We just have to do simple and small things, and the Lord is more than pleased. Blessed be!
Acknowledgment: Sermon by Ptra. Cecil Mendoza, Jan. 31, 10, Jesus For All Ministries, KKFI Seminar Hall, Manila.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
GOD's Love
The Book of Hosea tackles about a man whom God allowed to suffer pain by having a woman named Gomer who is adulterous and prostitute. The Lord however did not make this happen so as to make Hosea bear hurt but rather to create a picture of how the Lord demonstrates an unreasonable, tough and unconditional love.
1. Unreasonable Love (Hosea 1: 2-3) – God’s love doesn’t make sense and has no logic. Even the sinners, he loves. He gives it to whoever person of whatever situation he may be. God doesn’t set any requirements for someone to receive His great love. He just loves us with no reason at all.
This is paralleled to Hosea’s love for Gomer. His wife didn’t have to be a good one before he offered his love. Despite Gomer’s promiscuous way of living, she still receives the love that only Hosea can give her.
2. Tough Love (Hosea 2: 19-20) – God’s love is ceaseless and resilient. It withstands great strains without tearing. He lets one go away if it is desired. But, He has his own way to bring his child back home:
a. withhold happiness
b. withhold blessings
c. remove hypocrisy
d. remind one of His Love
e. renew covenant
God would never allow one to step out of His grip and not doing anything to make him return. Hosea, likewise, let his wife go her way. Until it came a point when she was about to be sold as slave, it was only Hosea who saved him out of love.
3. Unconditional Love (Hosea 3:1-3) – Hosea was the one who raised the highest bid to buy Gomer as slave, but, Hosea didn’t look at what Gomer had done to him. He still welcomed her home not as slave but as wife. This is how the Lord look at us, He considers no sin, rather, he looks at how sincere we are asking for forgiveness and He offers a wide open arms to welcome us back. God knows no person and situation. He just loves unconditionally.
God loves like no one in this world can. He demonstrated it through sending his one and only son as atonement for our sins. He alone loves with no reason, and tough and unconditional. This is why God is love… that we only can understand true love if we know how to love like God can.
Acknowledgment: Sermon by Ptra. Cecil Mendoza, Jan. 24, 10, Jesus For All Ministries, KKFI Seminar Hall, Manila.
1. Unreasonable Love (Hosea 1: 2-3) – God’s love doesn’t make sense and has no logic. Even the sinners, he loves. He gives it to whoever person of whatever situation he may be. God doesn’t set any requirements for someone to receive His great love. He just loves us with no reason at all.
This is paralleled to Hosea’s love for Gomer. His wife didn’t have to be a good one before he offered his love. Despite Gomer’s promiscuous way of living, she still receives the love that only Hosea can give her.
2. Tough Love (Hosea 2: 19-20) – God’s love is ceaseless and resilient. It withstands great strains without tearing. He lets one go away if it is desired. But, He has his own way to bring his child back home:
a. withhold happiness
b. withhold blessings
c. remove hypocrisy
d. remind one of His Love
e. renew covenant
God would never allow one to step out of His grip and not doing anything to make him return. Hosea, likewise, let his wife go her way. Until it came a point when she was about to be sold as slave, it was only Hosea who saved him out of love.
3. Unconditional Love (Hosea 3:1-3) – Hosea was the one who raised the highest bid to buy Gomer as slave, but, Hosea didn’t look at what Gomer had done to him. He still welcomed her home not as slave but as wife. This is how the Lord look at us, He considers no sin, rather, he looks at how sincere we are asking for forgiveness and He offers a wide open arms to welcome us back. God knows no person and situation. He just loves unconditionally.
God loves like no one in this world can. He demonstrated it through sending his one and only son as atonement for our sins. He alone loves with no reason, and tough and unconditional. This is why God is love… that we only can understand true love if we know how to love like God can.
Acknowledgment: Sermon by Ptra. Cecil Mendoza, Jan. 24, 10, Jesus For All Ministries, KKFI Seminar Hall, Manila.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Seven-Love a Mother Deserves
The most heartfelt scene during the death of Christ in the cross of Calvary was when Mary had to come before Jesus’ feet and kissed it. No one could ever imagine how it could’ve felt… the pain that you cannot do anything about.
This simply pictures our mothers of any generation. They are incomparable heroes in their own way. They have things that no one else can do. They have responsibilities no one would wilfully accept. They have routines only them can know how to do efficiently.
Having it all said, there is love that they deserve. Not an ordinary love but love given and shown in 7 Ways:
A. Verbal – a simple assurance of love through words could make her works go easier. Nothing is sweeter than a regular verbal declaration of love for her. Not the flowers, chocolates even money could replace it.
B. Physical – more important than words are gestures to showcase the assurance. As said, action is better than words. Our moms deserve a return of hug, kiss and touch as it can fade away every tiring chores she does everyday. Not to mention that she was the first to do it to us when we were still incapable of ourselves.
C. Patient - . Because she’s tender to your needs is no reason to take advantage of her, it is reason to be patient and to love her all the more!
D. Attentive – Just as how our moms listen to us in full attention everytime we need to talk to her, we have to pay an attentive love to them in return. Not because they are mothers they don’t face worries and issues. At times, they need a rock to take time to listen to them.
E. Grateful – For all that they have done since you were a kid, they just deserve a sincere thank you not just on Mother’s Day but everyday and time it is least expected, from a genuinely grateful heart.
F. Generous – As the cliché goes, the last food she has she is still to feed to her child. Our moms are the most generous giver we can ever encounter. They are the people who never spend time for what they want and give up her opportunities to give the family more opportunities.
G. Honorable – Mothers are the heart of homes, so never break their hearts. In the first place, God took special mention of our parents in the 10 Commandments - a commandment of which has a built in promise of blessing. Exodus 20:12 says, honor your father and mother that your days maybe long upon the land the Lord your God gave you.
Great is our God that He gave us mothers who is more than an ordinary human who could do all things for us, endure all pains for us and risk all things for us. And as to glorify the Lord, who endowed us such a great gift, let us all love our mothers as they deserve.
Happy Mother’s Day!
This simply pictures our mothers of any generation. They are incomparable heroes in their own way. They have things that no one else can do. They have responsibilities no one would wilfully accept. They have routines only them can know how to do efficiently.
Having it all said, there is love that they deserve. Not an ordinary love but love given and shown in 7 Ways:
A. Verbal – a simple assurance of love through words could make her works go easier. Nothing is sweeter than a regular verbal declaration of love for her. Not the flowers, chocolates even money could replace it.
B. Physical – more important than words are gestures to showcase the assurance. As said, action is better than words. Our moms deserve a return of hug, kiss and touch as it can fade away every tiring chores she does everyday. Not to mention that she was the first to do it to us when we were still incapable of ourselves.
C. Patient - . Because she’s tender to your needs is no reason to take advantage of her, it is reason to be patient and to love her all the more!
D. Attentive – Just as how our moms listen to us in full attention everytime we need to talk to her, we have to pay an attentive love to them in return. Not because they are mothers they don’t face worries and issues. At times, they need a rock to take time to listen to them.
E. Grateful – For all that they have done since you were a kid, they just deserve a sincere thank you not just on Mother’s Day but everyday and time it is least expected, from a genuinely grateful heart.
F. Generous – As the cliché goes, the last food she has she is still to feed to her child. Our moms are the most generous giver we can ever encounter. They are the people who never spend time for what they want and give up her opportunities to give the family more opportunities.
G. Honorable – Mothers are the heart of homes, so never break their hearts. In the first place, God took special mention of our parents in the 10 Commandments - a commandment of which has a built in promise of blessing. Exodus 20:12 says, honor your father and mother that your days maybe long upon the land the Lord your God gave you.
Great is our God that He gave us mothers who is more than an ordinary human who could do all things for us, endure all pains for us and risk all things for us. And as to glorify the Lord, who endowed us such a great gift, let us all love our mothers as they deserve.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Lazarus (Death and Rise)
In the 11th chapter of the Book of John written the shortest verse I have ever encountered in my reading of the bible so far. This may sound to be a good trivia I may tell everyone, yet behind this is a bigger story of compassion, power and faith.
My blog is not about the shortest verse in the bible or the longest or any other trivia I discovered. There is more important thing I prefer to discuss here than to look and explore on petty details. But then again, why don’t we start this discussion with that trivia I’ve been talking about: “Jesus wept.” John 11:35.
The small verse captured my deepest thinking, even the Lord wept. This is a wonderful picture of His care to His people’s sorrow. Yes, Jesus is ever compassionate. The weeping of Jesus in here is due to the death of someone close to His heart Lazarus, and to the mourning of the sisters Martha and Mary after the incident. Though Jesus knew that Lazarus would rise again from the dead, He still expressly shown His care through outward emotion. He is so compassionate and knows to share with our sorrow.
From compassion, let me bring this discussion to something even bigger: out of compassion Jesus revealed His power over death. Seeing how people lament the death of Lazarus, He went to the grave and miraculously let the latter live again. Our Lord conquered even the death. And as He has promised, in Him no one will ever die (John 11: 25). In him there’ll be no hunger and thirst as He is the Bread of Life (John 6:35).
Bringing back to the previous scene, Jesus delayed two more days before He went to Bethany. He already knew that Lazarus has to die and so purposefully, He could be able to perform wonders and so many may believe and bring glory to him. In this third point, what the story points out is the attitude to wait and be still. Know God and even in delay, trust. The Lord is just molding something so great that He lets trials go along the way.
The Book of John, similar to that of Mark, is another story of miracles and faith that Jesus demonstrated during the time He was in here. Again, in my quest to know more of Jesus, this book had been an excellent sustenance that fills my longing to seek His face. Little by little, it is becoming clear. Truly, reading God’s Words bridges real and strong relationship with Him. The more one can decipher how great the love of the Lord is to the world.
Enjoy the word! Enjoy His love! Enjoy longing for His presence…
My blog is not about the shortest verse in the bible or the longest or any other trivia I discovered. There is more important thing I prefer to discuss here than to look and explore on petty details. But then again, why don’t we start this discussion with that trivia I’ve been talking about: “Jesus wept.” John 11:35.
The small verse captured my deepest thinking, even the Lord wept. This is a wonderful picture of His care to His people’s sorrow. Yes, Jesus is ever compassionate. The weeping of Jesus in here is due to the death of someone close to His heart Lazarus, and to the mourning of the sisters Martha and Mary after the incident. Though Jesus knew that Lazarus would rise again from the dead, He still expressly shown His care through outward emotion. He is so compassionate and knows to share with our sorrow.
From compassion, let me bring this discussion to something even bigger: out of compassion Jesus revealed His power over death. Seeing how people lament the death of Lazarus, He went to the grave and miraculously let the latter live again. Our Lord conquered even the death. And as He has promised, in Him no one will ever die (John 11: 25). In him there’ll be no hunger and thirst as He is the Bread of Life (John 6:35).
Bringing back to the previous scene, Jesus delayed two more days before He went to Bethany. He already knew that Lazarus has to die and so purposefully, He could be able to perform wonders and so many may believe and bring glory to him. In this third point, what the story points out is the attitude to wait and be still. Know God and even in delay, trust. The Lord is just molding something so great that He lets trials go along the way.
The Book of John, similar to that of Mark, is another story of miracles and faith that Jesus demonstrated during the time He was in here. Again, in my quest to know more of Jesus, this book had been an excellent sustenance that fills my longing to seek His face. Little by little, it is becoming clear. Truly, reading God’s Words bridges real and strong relationship with Him. The more one can decipher how great the love of the Lord is to the world.
Enjoy the word! Enjoy His love! Enjoy longing for His presence…
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