The Morning Star

John Calvin a man from history a renowned preacher who was considered as morning star by those people who saluted him as God’s servant. He was one of the proponent of church organization. Being a bright star to others, others saw him as heartless. So, we really cannot please everyone.

As Christ’s follower, I realized that, I have to shine as well in everything that I do, I say but not expect that everyone would see that light. Because even though others can see that light they would consider it as irritating and intimidating. Others would be enlightened while others are pissed off. I always treasure the story of Jesus of shining the light when He was born the shepherds and the wise men went to Him and worship the baby Jesus while the king, Herod plotted to kill Him, the future King. Another instance was that when Jesus was doing His ministry, a lot of people followed Him and on the other hand many opposed Him even to the point of hanging Him on the cross.

See even, the Son of Man, who came to redeem and to shine the Light to His people ended up on the tree, hanging. Even though He proved Himself as God by being resurrected again, was not enough to convince others of Himself being the Messiah, the very Love of God and turned out that those who believed in Him were being chased and persecuted.

"I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back, no turning back. The world behind me, the Cross before me. No turning back, no turning back." This song, was said by a missionary who was told to renounce his faith on Jesus or else his family will die. He did not, they all died but those people who killed them became followers the Morning Star.

Compromise

This quotation had been true to one of the church reformers Ulrich Zwingli.  Compromise was the word that come up in my mind when I learned that Zwingli, Ulrich had Felix Manz drown because of their conflicting view about baptism. Because he did not want to go against the church or the council who were supporting him but at first Manz and him both agreed and believed that baptism should not be done to infants because they could not decide for themselves yet. Because baptism was a symbol of faith and giving oneself to the Lord. But later on, Zwingli allowed infant baptism not as a way of salvation but just like the Jewish circumcision. It is not that I am against Zwingli but I am seeing what he had done as a compromise to his faith because he believed that infant baptism wasn’t supported by the scriptures yet he approved it.

Zwingli’s action is not impossible to happen to us as well. There would be times that we have to turn our head away or close our eyes to the things that would be against our belief. Perhaps we could just do the same as he did, when we want to win something, and we can until we have to take it with eyes close. Compromise is ok at times but not fine when it comes to setting aside what we believe. Going with the flow is much easier than going against it and they say bend a little it's healthy. But allow me to borrow from a quotation below....

So, let us not compromise when we know that what we believe is the Truth. Because the truth always prevail as the Word of God said it, "truthful words stand the test of time, but lies are soon exposed" (Proverbs 12:19, NLT).

  

Voice in the Wind

Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, and Billy Graham were just few of the well Known men of faith whose voice in the wind had brought many to Christ. They had done a job well-done in using their voices in bringing those who were lost in darkness to find the light. They were in anyway exemplary upon spreading the good news amongst the people.

I might not be able to do just the same as they did, but I believed that God has given me another ability to do just the same, to tell the world of His love. Telling the world about Him is not only via open air preaching but there are many ways of telling others about Him. Our life could be voices to those who are watching us. 

Actions speak louder than words but at times words are much clearer than actions. Sometimes misunderstanding happens at not saying anything at all. 

Shadow:Grip of the Past

SHADOW: Grip of the Past

As days go by, everything change but there would be this something a hole perhaps in your inner being that something hadn’t changed and something hadn’t been forgotten that you’d wished it didn’t happen at all. A nightmare of the yester times that you’d wished hadn’t grappled your existence and gotten you stock in the midst of the time elapsed and in the period of actuality. Yet the terrifying event of the bygones frightened and dumbfounded you every time you recapture them, you couldn’t help it and let it capture you and put you in limbo which actually obliterate you from the present. Arouse from your deep slumber in the now let nightmares be nightmares, you couldn’t do nothing about it anyway. Let go, it’s not the past had its grip on you it’s you whose holding it. Look back but step forward, let melancholy awash for that’s the normal course of life. Time to redirect your gaze forward, future kept coming and passing, when it comes it passes, when it passed all you can do is to let it past by and poof, gone forever. Don’t be perplex with the shadow of your past, the darker the shadow the brighter the light, the point when there is darkness there must be light though blocked by something, think it might be you hindering it or else you looking backward wouldn’t be able to see what’s behind.

There would be instances in our past that we wished to alter but if just intently look and see its contributing factor[positive ones] in or present, we could really say, “I won’t change any of my past instead I’ll learn from them”. Past passed for us to reminisce not for us dwell upon. Surrender to the light that brings that dark shadow of your past.

Prayer is a Lifestyle

Read your Bible pray every day, pray every day, pray every day and you grow, grow, grow…

It’s me3x, oh Lord standing in the midst of prayer2x, not my mother nor my father but it’s me oh Lord standing in the midst of prayer.

These songs are kid’s songs about prayer. Way back centuries ago, a religious movement called Moravians were known because of their prayer lifestyle. They had prayed every hour for everyday for one hundred years. They were the group often illustrated in preaching about faithful praying.

How is this true in my life? Sadly, I don’t have the same prayer life that of the Moravian brethren. Five minutes of praying seems too long for me but supposed this not should be, because the word of God encouraged us to “pray without ceasing” not just for five minutes, an hour but with continuity. Prayer at times becomes an emergency button, whenever we are in need we pray. Prayer should be a lifestyle part of our daily life. It should be equivalent to breathing.

There were times in my life where prayer became inconsistent, my life has been so dry, it seemed that there was something lacking. Thankfully, praying is not like a cellular phone where we need to have load and signal in order to communicate to God up above, though it seems we’re just talking to the air but He answers prayer in His own way. Knowing that the God I am serving never sleeps and never slumber, I pray that He would give me the untiring, continuousness attitude of praying to Him and talking to Him.

I Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.” Let’s talk to God ALWAYS.

Positively Charged.

Fourth century A.D., when Rome was ruled by a Christianized Emperors, its effects were uncontainable. For it has positively and negatively affected the empire both political and religious aspects. These positive effects were equality, better treatment, justice, and the Christian movement propagated. These were evidently in favor to the persecuted churches to those who follow the Way as well. There were negative effects, though it did not directly ruin the church but it caused it its weakening. Other people used religion to gain political power, pseudo conversion happened for the sake of power. Sadly, the persecuted churches and belief before, became the persecutor of the pagans or heretics. These were effects that were both good and bad.

Upon reading the Christianized emperors upshots, I thought for myself, “if these emperors say ‘Christians-follower of Christ’, positively and negatively influenced the people and their empire how much I, a manifesting follower of my Lord Jesus Christ. “. If these men actually affected their empire, I wanted to do it too. In the way that the name that I am bearing will be magnified.

As a Christian a bearer of the name of Jesus the Christ, God, and Lord. It is commanded that I am to let my “light so shine before men, that they may see my [italics, my words] good works, and glorify my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16, KJV).  God the Father is the name to be magnified and via good works He will be. It is commanded that only good is to be the effects that is to be made. There will be no either-or effects but only positive. As Christians I believed that, we, saved by the grace of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, are to be a positive charge to generate light on the hilltop, to the community we are living, working and to the people we are serving. To negatively affect others of our lives is not an option but it is a choice given for us to pull away from.

So, as Christians, we are torch bearer and light bearer of God that His name will be zoomed out and shone to the whole world. Let your light shine in the dark world where evil seems rampant. 

Serenity in JESUS

There are times that we wanted to have peace and seems that peace is nowhere to be found. We look for ways to find it. We try to do things our way to ensure satisfaction yet it was deprived from us.

Peace, where would this be found. Reading the life of Martin Luther the man factor of reformation, he himself, before reformation, longed for peace. He sought and followed everything that he thought could give him peace. He did good deeds to appease his own need, he confessed his sins which reminded him of sins not yet forgiven. His priestly responsibilities frightened him more to approach God. he followed all church stem to be peaceful yet everything he did turned out in futility. He did not find serenity, all the more his heart became troubled.

The same has been true to me when I have not known the fount of peace. I had kept on looking for it, did good things, instead of finding it I lost it and fall into miserable state. I turned away from the hope of finding it. Diverted myself to other things. I often stare on nothingness, wondering how can a someone like me, a very good daughter felt unpeaceful in life, feeling that something is lacking in life, that there is something a hole in the heart that needed to be filled. That feeling of lackingness led me to seeking more of that peace. I quitted in the long haul but just like Martin Luther, God found me, Jesus’ death on the cross made a very big impact in my hungered soul and burdened heart. Looking upon the Man who died up on the tree and knowing why he welcomed such a humiliating action renewed my longing heart for peace. I longed to know him more, he was not just a Savior, the Son of God, but also he was and is and is the Prince of Peace, knowing all of these about him serenity awash my soul. What keep peaceful now His word saying,

 “Come to me when, you’re weary and burdened and I will give you rest”.