All about JESUS :)

Temptations: An Appeal to Physical Needs and Desires

Matthew 4:1-11

Verse 3

• ³ During that time the devilcame and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”

I think we can imagine how hungry Jesus was after 40 days of fasting, and if He wanted to satisfy His hunger He could have done it very easily by supernatural means.

BUT WHY DID JESUS NOT DO THIS? Jesus replied.

Verse 4

• ⁴ But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,

God’s Word takes precedence over one’s physical needs. Apparently at this point, Jesus had received God’s Word of command that He should not eat any food for forty days. Keeping God’s Word was more important to Him than His immediate pressing physical need for food.

And this should be our conviction as well. Have you sometimes given in to the temptation of putting your immediate physical needs above the Word of God? For example, when waking up in the morning, instead of getting up immediately to start the day with God in our Quiet time, we feel urged to go back to sleep. (Kesyo mabigat daw gravity pag umaga eh :P )

Being a student, one of the excuses that was heard in school for absences by students is…

“Ayy hindi po ako agad nagising.”

But the strange thing is that when it comes to going to school or to work during the rest of the week, WAKING UP DOES NOT SEEM TO BE A PROBLEM. Let us not allow our physical tiredness prevent us from spending time in the Word of God.

Let us be like Jesus:

He did not allow His hunger to prevent Him from keeping the Word of God. He understands our physical needs perfectly well because He Himself had the same physical needs here on earth, but He will not condone the meeting of physical needs at the expense of keeping God’s Word.

We need to get our priorities right, so that we will not fall when Satan tempts us by appealing to our physical needs. And our priority should be based on the Scriptural principle used by Jesus: “People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

One great example is Job, how did he resisted the temptation to sin?

Job 23:12

• ¹² I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.

-> God’s word ought to take priority in our lives.

-> Obeying it is our most basic necessity.

-> Keeping it is our most urgent requirement.

-> Meeting our physical needs is useful only for this short present life.

-> Meeting our spiritual needs with God’s Word is useful both for this present life as well as for eternity.

Let us therefore give God’s Word greater priority. Godbless :)

Stepping Stones and Stumbling Blocks

Did you know that by the way you live each day, you are exerting an influence that is affecting the people around you? Every moment of your life, you are exerting a tremendous influence that is going to affect the eternal destiny of your family, your friends and the ones you work or study with. You are making an impression on them either for God or against God. The question that I hope you will think about is this: “What kind of impression am I making right now by the way I am living?”

Do people say to you, “I have seen the kind of person you hav become since you became a Christian, and I would like to find out how my life can be changed to be like yours too. Please tell me about Jesus Christ.”

Or do people say, “You know, the way that you live just confirms in my heart that you Christians are just a bunch of hypocrites. What kind of God do you have anyway that tolerates the things you do?”

We are like stones that are found on the ground where people walk. Do you know that stones on the ground can sometimes be very helpful? When it rains heavily and the path where we are walking becomes full of puddles of water, these stones are useful to step on, so that you can keep your shoes dry. These are what we call stepping stones.

On the other hand, stones on the ground can sometimes be a great nuisance and even a danger to people. When it gets dark, it’s very easy for a person to trip or stumble over a stone and fall to the ground, getting himself hurt. These are what we call stumbling blocks. Stumbling blocks prevent people from making progress, but stepping stones help them to move on.

• As Christians we can either be stepping stones or stumbling blocks. If we are helping people to make progress toward God through our godly living, then we are stepping stones. But if we are preventing them from making progress toward God because we are not living godly lives, then we have become stumbling blocks to people. So then, the question becomes: “Are you a stepping stone or a stumbling block?” I hope that we are all stepping stones. Then our lives would be truly useful to God.

Live ” godly “

What does it mean to live ” godly “?

•it does not mean that we are just to confine ourselves w/in a set of rules and regulations.

•it does not mean we have to do a list of do’s and don’ts.

Godly living means living in the manner that God wants us to live.

This means having the same feelings, attitudes and heart’s desires that God has. Pag love ni Lord, love mo din. Pag ayaw ni Lord, dapat ayaw mo din. And since God loves righteousness, a godly person also loves righteousness. Si Lord ayaw nya din ng kasalanan, dapat ayaw din naten ang kasalanan whether it is in our own life or in others. A godly person will find a way to abandon every sin in his life. Since God wants His own will to be done and to be glorified.

If we have these feelings, attitudes and heart’s desires, we will soon find ourselves being quite DIFFERENT from the world we live in. And we will soon find ourselves coming into CONFLICT with the world many times. For short, di ganun kadali :)

Good news! Kahit gano pa kahirap yan, kahit gano pa ka invconvenient na naiiba ka sknila, IT SURELY IS WORTH IT,  because the Lord deserves much more than this response from us, for all that He has done. THE MORE WE THINK OF HOW JESUS GAVE HIMSELF FOR US SO SACRIFICIALLY, NOTHING BECOMES TOO GREAT FOR US TO GIVE TO HIM.

Godbless everyone :)

A True Winner

COLOSSIANS 3:23–24

“Being a game player is a fiction some people use to excuse themselves from working as hard as they should. People who think they are game players are what coaches call ” floaters. “ They float along on a cushion of talent or sheer physical size and strength. They don’t see what all the fuss over concentration and work ethic is about—until players of lesser talent start scoring in their face, quarter after quarter, simply because they are more in tune with their game … Eventually, every team has to learn that excellence isn’t a destination. It’s a process that must be continually improved”.

-Coach Pat Riley from the book The Winner Within

NBA players and coaches are committed to excellence because they want to win a championship. Reminds me of our game yesterday. We too, want to win this year’s Hislife Basketball League. And because of that goal, our team was so motivated, we won 2 practice games (All glory to God) eventhough we were the weakest team or what they call “UNDERDOG “.

Then I realized, as follower’s of Christ the motive that drives us to excellence should be a desire to please an audience of ONE. Everything we do should be done with a conscious awareness of his presence, a realization that he is watching.

Paul said in verse 23 that we should ” work at it with all our hearts. ” I believe sons and daughters of God are not ” FLOATERS “ just as Coach Pat explained. They give their best efforts all the time, knowing that the one you are serving is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings.

“You’re gonna have to cut Michael Jordan’s heart out to beat him”. -George Karl

What is our motivation today? What drives us? Who do you please?

It all ends up with ONE. :)

Fatherly Love.

Since malapit na ung Exceptional Harvest Youth Camp, I would like to share my experience last year sa Extreme Fruitfulness Camp :)

• Ok honestly, diko alam panu ko sisimulan to, sobrang naeexcite lang talaga sa paparating na youthcamp!

(First of all bigyan ko muna kayong background ng buhay ko para kahit papano may idea kayo. haha.)

Before I was born, naghiwalay na parents ko. So si mama ko lang talaga ang nagsusupport saken. When I was 7 (if im not mistaken), pumunta states mama ko to work there. So, at that age, I was exposed to the what you call ” Independent ” world. So from 7 onwards, i dont have my parents beside me physically.

My entire life, I would wake up in the morning, sleep at night. Wanting to have a father. I mean, I grew up in a place where I’m surrounded by happy, complete families. Initial reaction would be ” Haaay. Buti pa sila. ” Totoo man. Lalo na kapag family day sa school? It’s one of the worsest day ever.

Moving on…

Last year, Exceptional Harvest camp, I’m so excited thinking, ” What would God do this time? “

*I won’t mention something about the activities/sessions in the youth camp to avoid spoilers.

To make the story short, there is this one session where in, I realized that God is not only a ” Lord ” God where in, He is the master, you are the servant who obeys/follows what he tells you to do. I also realized that, He has a “ Father ” side.

All this time, since birth, until umalis mama ko, hanggang magcamp ako last year.

Im living my everyday life, missing the whole point!

The father, that i have been looking for, is already there before I was born. He knows everything about me, He chose me, He offers me MORE than my earthly father ever could give, He is the perfect father, He gave up EVERYTHING just for me…

All this time, He was just there, waiting for me. Last year, God showed me His FATHERLY LOVE.  He embraced me, called me His son.

I Love you Daddy God :)

Following your HEART.

First of all, this is for ALL. I mean, pwd to sa mga may asawa na, sa mga single, in a relationship, complicated etc.

Can you remember a time when you first thought you were in LOVE? Yung tipong akala moinlove ka na, papakasalan mo na siya grade 6 kapalang. Yung mga ganong experience. Or may kakilala kayo before, (or pwdng kayo mismo) followed his/her HEART?And he/she was very very certain ,absolutely sure, this person is the right person for me. This relationship is the right relationship…

…AND THEN…

…it did not work out.

tpos broken hearted, iyak ng iyak, galit sa mundo, galit sa mga lalake/babae, di nako iibig ulet, MAD, SAD, BH. After ilang years nakarecover, and thenthey looked back,and they said,BUTI NALANG DI KAME NAGKATULUYAN.

You know what that tells us?

When it comes to relationships,WE DONT KNOW EVERYTHING.

Yung feeling mo sure na sure na pero mali ka. Yung akala mo eto na, tas di nagwork out, nagalit ka, yun pala bute ndi nangyari yun.

So the question is…

IS IT REALLY WISE TO FOLLOW YOUR HEART WHEN IT COMES TO LOVELIFE?

•Following your heart - it means to do what seems right to you or to do what makes you feel good. ( Pag feeling mong tama ipaglaban mo, pag feeling mo kayo, kayo talaga, when it feels right. )

IS IT WISE??

Sino dito ang nagask na ng advice about lovelife? (most of us.) Maybe sa mga friends, sa parents, sa radio ( Dear Jasmin xD )

Solomon (wisest man according to God ) has an advice for you.

Proverbs 4:23

Above all else, guard your HEART.

What comes to your mind when you hear the wordHEART?

•red

•heart shaped eyes

•blood

•a fragile thing

etc…

Solomon’s picture of a heart when he wrote proverbs is that of aHARDCORE CRIMINAL.

Imagine going to a concert, ang taas ng expectation mo. Iniisip mo maganda, pero pag pasok mo, nashock kase, it was the WILDEST concert, un imaginable! ung tipong nagpapatayan sila sa stage, nagmumura sila, saying curses, at no rules! kahit ano ginagawa nila.

Siguro mag wawalk out ka lang. You will probably.

If God will ever project EVERYTHING thats going on in our hearts?

That would be the scene. That would be whats going to happen.

Mark 7:21

For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.

Guard your heart! Solomon protects us from ourselves. He was trying to say protect our selves from the damage that can be caused by our hearts.

Too many people today are in-love with LOVE. Parang bsta Love, Love. Magmahal ngayon, Magmahal bukas.

•The goal is not to love much but to love WELL.

•Learn to Love appropriately. May tamang pagmamahal at maling pagmamahal.

•You need to use yourHEAD. Gamitin mo ang utak mo. Magisip2 ka naman.

•Test yourFEELINGS.  Hindi lahat nagpapadala sa emotions. Emotions are unstable.

•Your love must be SINCERE and INTELLIGENT. Hindi ung nabigla ka lang.

Many times our heart deceives us bec. we feel its right. But so many things can feel so right, and be completely so wrong.

Im not here to follow my HEART, Im here to follow GOD.

And that’s where I met HER. 

I like you, but there is something more than just following the ” Like you, Like me “. There is a God factor, I wanna follow God, I wanna do the right thing before the eyes of God, and  I will not move just because just bec. I like you, Im gonna move cause I know this is the right thing to do.

” You want a long lasting relationship? Dont just follow your heart, let your heart follow God. “

Some of you are in the situation where you already followed your heart, you feel like its hopeless, you feel like its not gonna work out.

Just like David, from a man that followed his heart that lead to murder and adultery, to becoming a man who followed the heart of GOD.

What happened?

Psalm 51:10

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Some of you are single, and some of you are in that direction already, some of you are following your heart but you know this is not right.

I hope we would respond like david, humble ourselves, repent and ask God, Lord create in me a pure heart.

The good news is, 2000 years ago when Jesus died, the very reason He died is to create in us a pure heart, its not what you do, its what Jesus Christ has done for us.