YOUR HEART: JESUS' THRONE-ROOM

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The Jews expected a conquering king, one who would rescue them from the clutches of Rome. 

They were disappointed. Jesus, coming to Jerusalem on a donkey, even allowed himself to be flogged and abused, then crucified! 

What kind of an all-powerful Savior would allow such travesty and insult?     

But it was all part of a big all-encompassing love agenda! Jesus needed to do it. 

John 3:16 -- For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 

Imagine the King of all Kings, the Lord of Lords, the all-powerful Creator, leaving His heavenly throne-room for us. Was He motivated by a puny throne-room or a palace made of gold? 

Jesus is after just one throne-room: Your heart and mine! Ezekiel 36:26 -- "And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart."

1 Corinthians 6:19a -- Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit...?

Our sinful nature, handed down by our first parents, has marked us F -- failed in our standing with God: Romans 3:10-12 -- As it is written, none is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.

So God the Father provided the only acceptable way -- Jesus who knew no sin. John 14:6 -- I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

The great exchange: Heaven's Best shedding His blood on the cross -- that we may be saved from our sins, enjoy a full life here on earth, and spend eternity with Him in heaven. 

Lent is not just about a week of being holy, but a lifetime of committing our life to Him as our Savior and Lord.
  
Ephesians 2:8&9 -- For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith; and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 

Acts 16:31-Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved --  you and your household.

Jesus who knew no sin did it all for you! Romans 10:9 urges, "... if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." 

Make this Holy Week your most memorable ever. Call on Jesus: 

"Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for me and saving me. Forgive me for all my sins. I confess you now as my Savior and Lord. Help me walk according to your Word. Holy Spirit, teach me Your ways. In Your name I pray." 

A NEW BOUNCE

thebarefootkids.com

"Wear your tsinelas,  or else..." a mother would always tell her kids, sometimes rather sternly.

Because children love to kick their footwear off and feel the grass tickling the soles of their feet, moms concerned with their health and safety just won't quit reminding them.

Quite a number of children will not hear that warning again—ever—especially in Leyte, hardest hit by storm surge Yolanda which late last year leveled entire communities, leaving many children orphans.

Thank God, because kind-hearted kababayans and people from all over the world sent or came to help, Leyte and other Yolanda-ravaged provinces are inching, though rather still painstakingly, back to normalcy.

Operation Blessing, World Vision, Campus Crusade for Christ and New Life Christian Center are just a few of many organizations which have set up base-camps in the affected areas—first, to share food daily and provide basic necessities, then help rebuild houses and jump-start the able-bodied toward livelihood.

What a solid demonstration of Christian love! Christ taught in Matthew 25:40 that we should treat "the least of our brothers and sisters" with love and compassion— because "whatever we did for them, we did for Him."

Very recently, more than a thousand kids at Santa Fe Central School, Leyte, literally walked with a fresh bounce in their steps when representatives of  Operation Blessing replaced their tattered shoes and slippers (Many kids have for a long time been coming to school barefoot.) with brand new slip-ons donated by Skechers, a world-famous footwear brand.

totteringmama.com

Santa Fe disctrict supervisor Rosario Buena said the students eagerly anticipated their new-footwear day, made doubly memorable as volunteers from Youth with a Mission (YWAM) regaled the students with a puppet show.

“Wala na kasi talaga silang... sapatos. Tinangay ni Yolanda ang lahat... bahay, damit, school supplies... Noong sabihan sila na magbibigay ang Operation Blessing ng sapatos... donation ng Skechers, sobrang tuwa nila. (The students do not have any more shoes left.  Yolanda washed away everything... their homes, clothes, school supplies... When told Operation Blessing will give them shoes... donation by Skechers, the students were so happy.)

The children's heartfelf "Salamat po!" "Thank you!" and hugs were just the thirst-and-soul quenchers the Operation  Blessing volunteers needed to cap a tedious yet joy-filled Skechers-giving day.

This image will forever be etched in their hearts: Smiling kids clutching their new footwear like treasure.

Author Alexander Pope wrote, "Hope springs eternal in the human heart." Indeed! For the people—especially the children—of grief-tricken Leyte, a new bounce is afoot.

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit," Psalm 34:18.

DYE DAYS

brooklynimbecile.com

"When was the last time you dyed?" Pause. Senior moment panic. Did I hear that right? 

"Dye" or "die" -- is there a difference? Well, apart from their spelling, dyeing and dying may have a lot more in common than you think. 

Never missed appointments. For many of us golden girls, a dye day spells the difference between slowing the clock on our locks or readily admitting (Aminin!) -- walang kalaban-laban -- to the whole world that you're a senior citizen card holder. 

(I'm most willing to flash that card only when I need to eat in a restaurant or renew my driver's license -- special treatment kasi, o di ba? But when you walk into your 40-ish gastroentorologist's clinic and he calls you "Mommy," or when the jeepney driver shouts, "Eto po sukli nyo, Lola," you better not miss a dye day. 

Our die day is a definite appointment too. "Everyone has to die once..." Hebrews 9:27a.

Beautiful consequences. Well, your wallet may moan a little for the few bucks spent each dye day, but the color lift seems to lift your droopy face lines too. Bakit kaya?

When I applied to renew my driver's license, one of those in the line was adamant that I went ahead of the rest, till I told him, "Senior po, pinaderetso sa counter," I reacted with a hint of disgust. "Ay, hindi kasi kayo mukhang senior. Akala ko 40 lang kayo," he replied, sounding apologetic. Palusot! My senior ears applauded, secretly.

My husband is pleased naturally. I asked him a long time ago about nixing the dye. (My Nanay had completely white hair when she was my age and she looked fabulous -- not that I'm saying I'd be as fabulous. Kaunti lang siguro, hehe.) 

His cold reply: "Sa bahay ka na lang." He never questioned my salon visits of course. 

www.healthylifestyleart.com

But I've lately found them too pricey so I'm back to self-dyeing -- if only to maintain any semblance of young-me in my hubby's eyes. (Imagine walking hand-in-hand with someone who looks younger than you? It's bad enough if people mistake you for his mother, but a sugar mommy...?!!) So the expense and the effort are worth it, ladies. 

The bad news is, dye jobs can't soothe arthritic joints, high blood pressure and increased cholesterol level-the more frightening signs of aging. Grim reminders that no matter how we try to look and feel young -- sorry, face lift, botox, liposuction, etc. fans -- our body which kept on going and going through the years like an unstoppable Energizer battery, will run its course and go kaput. Back to dust where it came from.

So better to be concerned now with what really matters than just maintaining a babe-licious or hunky physique. What really matters? Our relationships, with our Maker and men -- what good we've planted in others' lives.  

The complete Hebrews 9:27 verse: "Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences."

What consequences await us when our body meets the cremation chamber? This I'm  sure of: Bio-organic-me may be bottled in an urn, but forever-youthful-me will surely be high-fiving Jesus and my long-lost loved ones in heaven-for the rest of eternity. 

That's what Jesus assures those who believe and obey Him. Acts 16:31: "... Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved-you and your household."

Jesus adds: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven," Matthew 7:21. 

OK, let's start. Lose the vanity. Ouch, ouch! 

Originally published at: 
http://cbnasia.org/home/2014/03/dye-days/

CHECK THE SELFIE

robot6.comicbookresources.com

When did we get to be so selfie?

Hold the dagger looks. Let me explain.

Time was when our family pictures and videos made their way quietly into our living rooms through nicely put together photo albums, and Betamax or VHS tapes, viewed for reminiscing during family bonding times.

Today, we do it digitally. Through Facebook, a baby passes from one stage to the next with his parents' friends and relations daily enjoying front-row seats to an eyeful of cute and LOL moments. 

Take note, hardly any techie-oriented lola takes with her apo photo albums anymore. (One shows off using her I-Pad; another lola, her I-phone.)

I remember seeing on FB right away, almost in real time, our second granddaughter's first ultrasound shot, and rejoicing every time a new baby picture got uploaded after she was born. Our son's family lives in the US, yet technology has enabled us to connect with them even from this side of the globe.

Of course, today too, we're so used to seeing one's nicely laid-out lunch or dessert, a selfie, or a group shot with friends uploaded right away for their viewing convenience. How cool is that? 

Don't you just love it that because of Facebook, YouTube and other social networking sites, connecting and being updated with the status of loved ones and friends have become as easy as pie? Free for cheapskates like me! 

hellogiggles.com

But let me poke your sense and sensibility meter a bit.

While we share shots of our food, eat-outs, vacays (short for "vacations" in case this is your first time to encounter this word), and fleeting thoughts for all our friends to view and read, have we thought of drawing the line somewhere so that we that don't come off as boastful or showing off? 

What impression do we really create in their minds as we fire off those "shares"?

1 John 2:16: For all that is in the world - the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions - is not from the Father but is from the world. The Holy Spirit exposes our hearts.  What does He have to say about sharing a photo or a video or a thought?  

We've seen the worst, haven't we? 

Why upload your own X-rated video?  Why produce it in the first place? Why rant and curse and fill the net highway with profanity?  

Wala nang itinago! 

The bible warns us that in the last days,  "... people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents...  slanderous, without self-control...  reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God..." (2 Timothy 3:2-4 ESV)

Is this referring to our selfie generation?

Connect with your friends and loved ones via FB. Share photos and updates. What's not to love with YouTube with all its downloadable music and videos?  Realize though that as we enjoy these ether-worldly perks,  the Lord will take us to account for every reckless word or wrong intention.
   
Even as we share photos and thoughts through FB, let your heart be sensitive to His Spirit.

THROW-AWAY

nyxknight16.deviantart.com

Used plastics may seem like a nuisance or eyesore; but the enterprising collect and recycle them into tabo, batya, park benches or even polyester fabrics-a bit more interesting than what they used to be.

Broken glass made new? Of course! Cullet or scrap glass, mixed with sand, soda ash and limestone, can be molded into high-value glass packaging. 

If engineers and entrepreneurs can repurpose throw-aways, couldn't our heavenly Manufacturer do too with us? He's after all the Mighty God who created everything by His awesome power.

Isaiah 64:8---But now, O LORD, Thou art our Father; we are the clay, and Thou our Potter; and we all are the work of Thy hand.

How many times have you been broken or crushed---almost sure you were doomed---but you hollered and He scooped you from your sinkhole of despair? 

"W" lurked in dark alleys where sexual perversion became his daily fare. "L" thought her life ended when her husband of many years left her---penniless and homeless---for a woman half her age. 

But to the great Rebuilder, no life can be so totally messed up beyond repair. He promised to transplant our heart of stone with a heart of flesh---able to hear His voice and motivated to zoom through Victory Boulevard. 

Jesus came "... to proclaim freedom for the prisoners... to set the oppressed free," Luke 4:18. Nothing is too impossible for the Mighty God who died on our behalf to ransom us from utter failure. 

"W" and "L" met Jesus just in the nick of time and turned their lives around. Was it easy to escape their barb-wired past? 

www.fivesgroup.com

Like shattered glass melted in a furnace with heat up to 2800 degrees Fahrenheit---so that they can be molded into brand new beauties, "W" and "L" must have struggled with unbelief, insecurity and the temptation to continue to bear grudges and return to sin's back alleys. 

They leaned on loving family and friends; and learned that Jesus was the only way to bounce back.

Let's face it, rebuilding broken lives is not easy. But that's the reason Jesus came. His grace is sufficient for us, cushioning us from the pain of our past. 

In Jesus, no one is ever a throw-away. 

YOU NEED PLASTIC SURGERY!

"H" is stressed rotten. Job-related? 

Partly, yes - because she is in Sales and meeting her periodic quota sometimes feels like hanging on for dear life while a storm, just like Yolanda, surges. 

But her stress decibel has lately been compounded by plastic. 

www.bubblenews.com

You see, "H" has been happily flashing her just-acquired credit card - utang dito, utang doon - so in just a few months, she amassed debts which her katiting or puny salary could not pay off. 

How does a plastic tragedy start, especially for yuppies so eager to take on life and its rewards as soon as that first paycheck comes?

Let "H" tell you herself: "I was walking into a mall when this debonair-looking guy sidled up to me. But more than his good looks, I salivated at the prospect of having a credit card; so I immediately signed up; and voila, I was off shopping as soon as I received it." 

About.com says, "Part of the allure of debt is the fact that you can get the emotional high from getting new things now, without having to deal with the pain of parting with the money now. It can feel like you're getting something for nothing."

A lot of yuppies get sucked into credit card debt simply because of naiveté. 

The prospect of acquiring - gadgets, fashionable clothes and blings, and more hanging out with barkada - becomes so strong especially when one gets a sense of independence and "world-here-I-come" rush once he gets a job. 

Little did "H" realize the fine print details would hang her head on her own guillotine.

"Pay only the minimum amount of ____," is the first thing you read on that credit card billing notice. 

"Yey, that's so easy!" your consumer mind rejoices. 

"I know I purchased ten times more than that," your memory insists. But you follow the "minimum" suggestion anyway because that looked just fine. 

So you shopped some more and paid the minimum, a vicious cycle which throws you into an even deeper well from which you could not climb - because your interests and penalties for late payments have mounted beyond belief and relief. 

What does the bible say about being in debt? Proverbs 22:7b says that the borrower is the slave of the lender.

Romans 13:7-8: Pay to all what is owed to them... revenue to whom revenue is owed... Owe no one anything..."

moneyplansos.com

During these times when the fear of getting robbed is very real - that's why we don't carry much cash anymore - is it still practical to follow these biblical principles? 

God wants you to ask for wisdom especially today when more eye candies abound. His principles still apply - restraint, faithfulness with little, growing from glory to glory, not being too hasty to reach the top if you're not yet ready for it. 

A credit card is a convenient alternative to cash especially if you're disciplined enough to purchase within your earning capacity and won't compromise your future pay. If you buy something on installment, like a house or a car (Who buys these in cold cash nowadays?), make sure you can afford the monthly payments - otherwise, you face house foreclosure and eviction, or your car impounded. 

God promised in Deutoronomy 28 that He will bless you if you fully obey Him, "granting you abundant prosperity" wherever he plants you. Surely, being weighed down by debt is not part of that.

www.clker.com

Another godly wisdom: Be content. Blings, designer bags, cruises, etc., are all good - momentarily making you happy; but these are nothing compared to the peace that passes all understanding in Jesus if you obey Him. He promised to bless you anyway. But there's a time for everything!

Someone today needs to make a decision to go under the knife. Plastic surgery may be painful but it may be your door to freedom from debt. 

(For more on financial stewardship, read "Going Up? Making Right Choices at Work," a book written by this author for yuppies.)  

Originally published at: http://cbnasia.org/home/2014/02/you-need-plastic-surgery/

FILIPINO MIRACLE AT SOCHI

AFP/www.interaksyon.com

A beautiful swan perfectly at home in his pond. 

That's 17-year old Michael Christian Martinez - skating so gracefully yet passionately on ice to prequalify for a medal in the current 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. 

Dubbed as a charismatic performer, Martinez "ranks 30th in the world and fifth in the 2013 World Junior Championships in Milan, Italy," reported GMA News. 

At this writing, Olympic commentators say he's a shoo-in for any of the medals in the Games' freestyle event for men. (Note: He landed 17th place at the end of the competition.)  

How could that be? Michael is Filipino. Isn't the Winter Olympics the natural domain of those living in countries with frigid temperatures like Canada or the United States?

Michael perfectly demonstrates God's amazing power at work in those who trust Him. The Manila Bulletin quoted Michael's Facebook entry prior to his performance: "Please pray for me. My event starts tonight." 

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness," God assured the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9. "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."

Michael was an asthmatic child, per GMA News: "I literally grew up in the hospital... very sick. I couldn't take up any sport. I tried outdoor sports when I was younger, but I easily got asthma attacks, so I stopped," Michael recalled.

But he discovered the health benefits of skating. He didn't just learn the game however. He excelled in it, persevering through "training 15 hours during low seasons and 25 hours in high season." 

www.abs-cbnnews.com

Michael credits his mother for her support: "Better to spend the money on skating than in the hospital," GMA quoted her as saying. 

A famous actress once said, "The natural state of motherhood is unselfishness."

Don't these mothers' hearts reflect our heavenly Father's? 

Jesus is our Savior, Lord, Teacher and Encourager.  And He allows us to experience the good with the bad - to train and strengthen us. 

Michael's training must have been rigorous. You'd never guess the falls, bumps, injuries and frustrations he must have been through. 

But today, you watched him glide, bend, spin, triple axle and triple loop ever so smoothly on ice - the first Southeast Asian to compete in a setting totally alien to people in these parts. 

Paul says in Romans 5:3-5a: "... we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame..."  

The first Filipino miracle in Sochi has shown us how.

Originally published at: http://cbnasia.org/home/2014/02/filipino-miracle-at-sochi/