Joshua 23-24 (Encouragement and Remembrance)

As Joshua told the Israelites encouragement and reminders before he left, Joshua reminded them of what God had done to them since God chose Abraham and his offspring to be God's followers.

I thank God for all the years he has preserved me and sustained me, and little by little molding me even if it hurts. Thank you God for giving me people as I enter stages of life. Now, thank you Father for giving me a spiritual mom and dad. Truly they are my spiritual parents compared to my spirituals moms-of-old. Nonetheless, thank you Father for giving me spiritual parents who, though, aren't with me in the flesh, are with me in your Holy Spirit, being part of Your family, praying for me and desiring for my growth.

Father, enable me to be always reminded of you, your grace, and your blessings. Father, help me with my mind, my battlefield. Give me wisdom. Enable me to think of things are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Father, enable me look at things beyond myself, to see what is according to your heart. To do what pleasures you and glorifies you. May your Holy Spirit guide me.

Father, don't give up on me. Give me strength and patience to live out this day. Father, may I learn to pray like David. Father, enable me to imitate my spiritual mom and dad and inherit their faith and patience. Give me strength as you mold me to be like Christ. Thank you, Father, for also being with me though I am lonely and cannot feel you. Thank you for the love my spiritual mom and dad are giving me. Thank you for your love and for molding me. Father, thank you for enabling me to know you and be your offspring.

In Jesus' name. Amen.

How long must I wait, Lord?

How long, Lord, how long?
How long do I have to wait?
How long do I have to sit in this darkness
Until you vindicate me into Your Light?

I find myself in this pit of tyranny
The tyranny of time and this cursed world
The tyranny of misunderstanding
The tyranny of an expanse of my mind

All the more wretched I am
As I see my own tyranny in people
Their silent oppression has blinded them
Yet I am hopeless, helpless, and lost in my own mire

How long, Lord, how long?
How long must I stay in darkness
Until You let Your Light shine
Until hope comes real to my eyes?

Yet I thank You, Father
Though I am alone in the flesh
I am not alone in the spirit
I am not lost in Your Presence

Forgive me, deliver me
Enable me strength and patience
Impart me Your wisdom, Your heart
To do what I must as I wait

For Yours is your glory.
Forever. Amen.

Working for Empty Gain?

I really, really, really wonder....other than I still don't understand everything that's going on around me.

People work so hard. They drudge so hard just to make a living and survive themselves. All these things I see are either routine or really "empty" gain.

Wake up. Eat breakfast. Prepare for work. Go to work. Do work. Eat lunch. Rest awhile. Then go back to work. Go home. Make dinner. Rest or leisure with whatever comes to mind (TV, go outside, internet). Sleep. Then the cycle starts again everyday until days off where people can do anything they want or need to do. Then every week, the same cycle again.

Why do people work to earn a living? To survive themselves and, if salary suits them well, to enjoy themselves or enjoy life.

Some, if not most, people enjoy their work because they find their belonging and fulfillment in their jobs.

What's next? I don't know.

----

Work to glorify God......

File papers to glorify God.
Make reports, powerpoints, and  graphs to glorify God.
Answering phone calls to glorify God.
Selling products to glorify God.
Compete with other companies for business to thrive to glorify God.

?

I don't get it. =(

Why are you lonely and still endure?

Seven years ago, I was asked this question, "How come you can be alone and not have a hard time?" My answer was, "because I got used to it."

If I am asked that question again, "How come you can endure or rather able to be alone most of the time? Be mistreated? Be abused? Be left behind and shunned?" My answer would be:

"I don't. I'm never able...but my God is able."
"If He's a good God, how come you still suffer and still lonely?"
"So God's grace will be sufficient in me. So He will be more glorified."
"Why is your God such a selfish God and does only what benefits Him and not you or other Christians?"
"God is not selfish. He's just in higher authority and He is holy. God doesn't want His children to suffer. However, because we are still here in this world of griefs and evil, and our human nature is still evil, we just have to wait for God to take us home until the day He has changed us into the perfect beings intended to us for He has made us into His Likeness before evil came into the world when God's first children disobeyed him and listened to the devil more than remembering God's warning not to disobey."

February, The Love Month (Challenge)

It's the love month. Ya, Valentine's Day has roots with paganism, and the mating season of love birds. Traditionally, people would be celebrating with their romance.
But know here, remember where love first come from.

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:10)

Let's change the usual traditions of daydreaming, dating, courtship, flowers, chocolates, movies, etc. and come to remembrance (and repentance), bringing glory to the One who is Love.
Let's proclaim this Love Month with the Love of God. Share that love. Make it an evangelism. It's a challenge to me and to you who read this.

What if Jesus would ask us this month, "Do you love me more than these?" (John 21:15+) What would our answers be?