Category: Random thoughts

Daily Ponder: #009 Questions

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Have you ever prayed for the love of God to be manifested? To be felt by you? While you may know mentally that you are loved and accepted it may seem that the heart yearns for it to be felt. It may feel empty.

Have you ever consider taking time to reflect how God uses people to fill that love? That God causes people to move or do acts of caring for you?

Have you been vulnerable and the people with you responded with grace and love?

Have you ever made a list of all the possible good you are experiencing despite the present challenges?

These things we need to ask ourselves, these thing we need to ponder. How is the love of God manifested in your life?

Do we have him in a box? In our set of expectations? Because these can possibly blind us from seeing how He is manifesting His love and care?

What else can hinder? Would it be possible we are nurturing anger, bitterness and un-forgiveness? how much more is greed and pride?

If we truly desire to experience His love, it takes a humble heart to ask for it, have it His way and show the potential hinderances and act on obedience.

While there are situations of extreme, while you might be in, it can never negate the presence of His Love.

Sometimes, We are more hard on ourselves… the subconscious words we accept and say to ourselves. This can be “I am are not worthy”, ” I am a bad person”, ” I am filthy” “I am ugly”. and so many more self declarations.

Whatever it may be, My prayer for you is that 2022 will be your year of knowing more and experiencing the love of God in Christ.

Daily Ponder: Where is your hope set?

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#008

It has been a difficult and challenging 2 years and it seems it may be far from over. As the new year entered a surge a rise of a new variant grips the world. We have experienced sickness, we have experience grief over the loss of love once and people we know, for the many it can be grief over the world once we know, the loss of what we loved so much ( work, opportunity, routine of life). The world has changed. The dynamics of day to day life and business has changed radically.

What sustained you during this times? What kept you drowning from hopelessness?

As for me it was HOPE. To be very specific it is the sustaining hope that springs from the promises in the Bible. While there were times I felt the darkness of the future, it was the daily meeting with God and His words that kept me to look beyond, to hope again, trusting the grace of God to carry me.

Thank you for coming to this point of reading this sentence. You made it here, you made it to 2022. and I say you will make it through again this year.

“I have put my hope in your word”… words that is constantly repeated on Psalms 119, It gives emphasis where we should set our hopes, God’s word is trustworthy. I am thankful to the person who I was 10 years ago or so, for coming to terms of putting his hope on the God and His word.

There is hope. There is an eternal hope. May I invite to his hope in which I have. You maybe clouded with fear, betrayals, discouragements and pains, fighting and struggling to keep things together. I am inviting you to move an inch or centimeter each day towards a greater hope in the word, with God.

Daily Ponder #007

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Your hands made me and formed me;
give me understanding to learn your commands.

Psalms 119:73 NIV

Con tus manos me creaste, me diste forma. 

Dame entendimiento para aprender tus mandamientos.

Psalms 119:73 NVI

Reflect about it, by His hand, God you were made and formed. Your existence is made with purpose, your life is not an accident nor an anomaly in the universe. Your very existence came with approval, you are a labored with love, created by all mighty.

The same creator, is the source of endless possibilities on if He causes it. But God did cause our very existence. However the question is, Are we leaving this life having Him involve? depending on Him.

The psalmist recognize the fact that His existence came with purpose. To achieve that will mean a life of intimacy with God. The request was that the psalmist be given the capacity to understand and learn God’s command.

God’s command is precious to every believer. Wrong understanding of God’s commands, can lead to a mislead us far from the truth.

It is my prayer as well that I may understand God’s command.That you may understand God’s command. that we mat have a greater desire to know God more, that we may gladly cooperate to God’s will in our lives knowing He created and formed us.

Think about it well.

Daily Ponder #006

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La tierra està llena de su gran amor, enseñame tu decretas.

I have been working on my Spanish language for a while now, I’ve been using a bilingual bible that has both Spanish and English.

En english, “ The earth is filled with your love, Lord, teach me your decrees.” Psalms 119:64

So I kept this thought as I go through the day, wander on it’s implications. It started to help me recognize and acknowledge the very presence of God. I was looking at city view from my window, acknowledge that God’s great love is for this city, not just for the city, but for the nations of the world and all the people in it.

While all of this are happening, There was a sense of asking God for an experience of this love. While my head knows this lines well, the emotional part of me yearns for the experience. I don’t know how God will meet me there but I am excited for how He will meet me in this request.

The truth about this Love of God….

The truth: we are not really lovable or acceptable before him if not for the gospel. Yes God is Love, but He is also a God of Justice. He punishes and does not tolerate sins, and we the human race sins and has that inner tendency to deviant from His standards and we will never be able to satisfy the justice of forgiveness, so in our behalf Jesus who is innocent and free of sin took the place of humanity. The wrath of punishment and justice was taken upon, He died and rose again on the third day, offering salvation and forgiveness who those who repents and believe in Him as Lord and Savior. Now in Christ we have that love and forgiveness. And so much more.

We need to recognize that love of God for us, making a way for all of us to be recipients of love and forgiveness.

If you don’t have Jesus yet in your heart, let me help you know him more, what He has done. Let me be a help to grow an inch closer to Him. Connect with me.

Daily Ponder #004

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Psalms 119:41 May your unfailing love come to me Lord, your salvation according to your promise.

Reflecting on the psalmist supplication for two things, first the unfailing love of the Lord to come, Second the promise salvation. Both of which has been fulfilled in Christ Jesus for God’s people. In Christ we have received God’s unfailing Love and Salvation.The psalmist was at a vantage point of waiting for the promise to be fulfilled, we on the other hand is on the vantage point of a promise fulfilled, it is done.

The experience of God’s unfailing Love, brings us to be drawn all the more and appreciate Christ that radically motivates to repent and live a surrendered life to Christ. For Salvation is only found in Christ.

God’s love is unfailing, it is manifested in His faithfulness in the greatest need of our souls, providing us Salvation.

Let us trust His words, Put hope in His ways, delight in His commands our response of loving Him back.

Daily Ponder #003

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Psalms 119:33-37

Teach me Lord, the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end. Give me understanding so that I may keep your law and obey it with all of my heart. Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart towards your statutes and not towards my selfish gain. Turn my eyes from worthless things, preserve my life according to your word.

What runs through my mind in these verses:

Teach me Lord, because I I do deeply need your guidance and teaching. Teach me Lord for I deeply desire to follow your ways to the very end.

Give me understanding, I acknowledge that human intelligence and understanding with never be able to fathom the greatness of who you are nor are your word. Every time I go towards your word, In Jesus name I ask that I may be given a deeper understanding.

Direct my path or direct in the path of your commands, because God I know deep within I can easily be misled by my own rationalize good path.

Turn my heart for only you can turn this heart around. This heart apart from you can be filled with self deceit and lies.

Turn my eyes from worthless things, Turn my thoughts from worthless thoughts. let me hold dearly on the eternal truth. let me not wander away in your presence and your word.

As I went through the day, these verses comes to mind and help me have awareness of my present thoughts. in these moments I re-invite God through this lines to my thoughts. I remind myself of these prayers.

Daily Ponder #002

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Daily ponder is my attempt to write down one of the many thoughts that took me captive or nor I meditated.

Yearning, Trust and Dependence

What caught me well today are the words…. According to your word.. you have broaden my understanding. These are from Psalms 119:25-32 NIV

  • Preserve my life according to your word.
  • Cause me to understand your precepts.
  • Strengthen me according to your word.
  • You have broadened my understanding. ( Enlarge my heart at ESV)

May we live our lives according to His word. May our greatest desires and admirations be unto him alone. May we humble ourselves towards Him and ask for His grace to enable us to understand the scriptures. May we depend on him for strengthen in accordance to His words.

I love how these psalms resounds to my to my heart, I kept reading it over and over. In the same way is my declaration for my life. Let me share to you a prayer that arouse from these lines.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father,

I desire to grow greatly in the word, preserve my life according to your word, teach me your decrees, cause me to understand your precepts that I may meditate on your wonderful deeds, strengthen me according to your word, keep me from deceitful ways nor in the lies I tend to permeate in my thoughts, be gracious to me and teach me your ways, when I run in the path of your commands you enlarge my heart, you have broaden my understanding. I ask these today In the name of Jesus.

Listeners diary: This is not okay…not normal

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I met and sat before a familiar face, perhaps my best memories of her is quiet, intelligent, kind, good hearted and beautiful. I listened to her story.

What is before me seemed to be drained of life. Devoid of joy, confused, lost and disoriented. Hungry for a place to fully express without being interrupted and judge.

In her five years of marriage, she has reap words so demeaning and deprecating she has lost her sense of value and intelligence. The words she received from her husband I never imagine would be uttered to her. The words are so verbally and mentally abusive. This is not okay, this is not normal in marriage specially for a husband who claims of faith in Christ and know the scripture.

Bible verses weaponize against her wife. This is not okay, and will never be okay.

Using God and faith to manipulate a wife, in order for his wishes to be fulfilled. This is not okay and never okay. This is not normal!

Not allowing your wife not to talk to pastors, people that can guide marriage and be part of a community. This is not okay.

Blaming the wife for his misfortunes is not okay. This guy is not taking ownership!

She wonders if this marriage is normal. I said, this is not okay and this is not normal.

The wife is a victim of an abusive relationship.

But here’s the thing, the husband was raised up by a single mom, who also weaponize the scriptures as he was raised up. This too was not and never okay.

The husband grew up in environment, that is very controlling, lacking of praise and filled with correction.

The husband is also a victim.

But this cycle has to stop, at least that’s what I think.

Thoughts from this:

The Bible is not meant to be weaponize to attack and manipulate others. This does not give glory to God and not reflective of His good character.

Sadly, not all who goes to church, nor who knows the bible and every verse does not necessarily equate with being intimate with God and a disciple.

While every believer is not expected to be perfect, our journey in faith is inescapable of gospel transformation. That changes our hearts and behavior reflective of Jesus Christ’s along the process.

What are your thoughts?

What The Past Year Taught Me

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When life and circumstances seems crippling, cornered and no where to go, succumb to darkness of hopeless and grief; a time when emotions are high and overwhelming.

The days felt like days of mourning and grief, as if someone you dearly loved passed away. Moment of immense tears and sadness no words can ever describe. Such a despair I can only do but cry.

This was me a week before entering 2018, the last quarter of 2017 had a plotwist that brought much pain and challenge, a time when life and circumstances hit hard. I was overwhelmed with the circumstances that I have, combined my reflections with disappointments and discouragement for 2017 that surfaced on the very eve of Christmas to days that followed was filled with emotional pain.

I had an overwhelming number of family challenges going through back home, along with thoughts and reflections of shortcomings, failures and discouragements both personal and in ministry. All were overwhelming at the same time. I didn’t know how I would celebrate Christmas at that time, at a very special time to be with family. All I wanted was to be alone. Though my closest friend would invite, the grief within was overwhelming I deeply wanted to be alone.

I wandered how will I ever surpass this season. I cried to God almost every day, to remove this grief and mourning in my heart and restore my joy. I prayed for God to help me to hope again and restore the joy of my salvation.

As I waited, I felt God comforting the pain I am going through by sending my friends. It was a season I felt my heart was callous from hoping and joy. Deep within a still small voice saying never give up hoping, never stop believing, and above all never stop calling to God.

A year later, as I spent time with family for the Christmas season, as I look back my heart was filled with peace, and assurance that whatever 2019 and the years will bring, I can rest in his power. As He has sustained me and my family in 2018, how much more in the years to come. Truly apart from God’s goodness and faithfulness I didn’t know I could have survived. This only inspired me to be in faith all the more. The weight of challenge hasn’t lighten up, yet God’s presence through the storm breathes life and hope everyday.

We all have crosses to carry, the weight will never be easy. But as we take it, let’s continue to fix our eyes on Jesus. The cross he carried far more outweighs the ones we have. As we enter 2019, we can continue to rely on his unfailing character.

If we are in Christ then, so are our situations. Nothing escapes in His sovereignty and power. In christ, we rest in His capacity.