Author: Elna

Have you ever heard the saying that Jesus is the Bread of Life? Do you know what that means and how Jesus came to be called the Bread of Life? Let’s enrich our minds and learn more about Jesus.

In Matthew Chapter 14, Jesus had just fed more than five thousand people. Then, He withdrew to the mountain by Himself to pray. Jesus used the setting to teach an important truth. While we need ordinary bread to meet our physical needs, we also need the Bread of Life to sustain our spiritual life.

What is the difference between ordinary bread and the Bread of Life?

• Physical bread spoils while Bread of Life endures for eternity.
• Physical bread can be bought while Bread of Life cannot.
• Manna is bread from heaven that sustains only our physical life, while Jesus is the true Bread from Heaven that gives life to the world.

Result of partaking of the Bread of Life

• Receive eternal life – We can have eternal life through Jesus. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Simply believe, accept Jesus as your savior, bear your cross and follow Jesus.

John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

• Be raised up by Jesus on the last day  – Jesus will be with us until the end if we don’t deny him at all cost.

Matthew 19:28  And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel

We take good care of our bodies by eating at least three meals a day. In the same way, we should also take care of our spirit. Let us pay ever more attention to our spiritual life by communing with Jesus day by day.

We all have our responsibilities, goals and dreams — that’s why we need to stay motivated all the way to achieve all of them. But sometimes, we cannot control some things. Sometimes, we encounter distractions, negativity and challenges that seem to destroy our hope. Here are some of the ways that will make you more motivated through hard times.

Have a positive attitude towards distractions – Think of how blessed you are so you won’t have time for distractions and negativity.  

2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Focus on your goals – Whenever you’re facing hard times, learn to focus on your goal. Always think of why you are keeping on moving, why you are sacrificing and striving. Go after what you want and what makes you happy.

Psalm 138:7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes; with your right hand you save me.

Accept that you cannot control everything – Some things are within your control, but some are not; so do not worry about that, rather, accept it and go through another way or make your plan B until you get what you want. Do not let these things paralyze you, you need to get over it and strive hard until you get victory!

Always remember that we have God – Always include God in the picture. All of your plans, endorse it to Him and let God do His will in your life. So whenever you’re lost and don’t know what you will do, just talk to God and allow the Spirit to control you and everything will be alright.

Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Do you love God or do you love money?

Love of Money

Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

Money is a necessity; we are working to earn money to be able to live. The desire to earn money is not evil, rather, it is the love of money that makes us do wrong. Love of money is the root of all evil. The problem is, when we want increase and when we are not contented with what we have, we are being greedy. You are serving money if you envy other people and you want to be like them and you are obsessed with becoming rich. That is greediness and love for money if you cannot be contented. Love of money can make us selfish. Remember that when we leave this earth, we cannot bring anything, even all the money that we worked for.

Love of God

Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.

You love God if you are contented with what you have, if you are happy even if you’re not rich, if you are sharing your blessings generously, if you didn’t worry about your needs because you know that God can provide everything. You are serving God if you’re doing all of these. Your eyes are focused on God and on the life after death. You’re not focusing on worldly treasures, instead, you focus on the treasures in heaven. That’s what God wants us to do, to love Him and depend on Him in everything.

You Cannot Love God and Money

Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

If you love and serve money, you cannot serve God; then everything you will do is evil. That’s why the love of money is the root of all evil. You need to choose between God and money.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Now, think of who you are serving: is it the Lord your God or money? Cleanse your mind of what money can bring to your life and understand that God is our true source of joy. All happiness is based on Him. We should have the right perspective by now.

Prayer is our way of talking to God. We pray when we are troubled, when we are worried, when we face challenges, when we cannot bear the pain, when we have questions, when we have our wishes and we ask God to give them, when we are so blessed and thankful, and when we are looking for guidance, provision, protection and breakthrough. There are many ways how people are led to prayer; but we all pray because we know only God can answer our questions and He’s the only one who can help us.

God also has His ways on answering our prayers. Below are the three ways God answers our prayers:

1. Yes – If our prayer is for God’s nearness — since we know that if God is with us we can face anything — the answer would be yes, because God is always there for us.

Joshua 1:9  “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

But if we are asking for something that needs to be changed or done, that would be depending on His will and His plan for you. Most of the time He answers yes, if it is for the better, if it will lead us to Him, or if it would be the best for everybody. If we pray for healing, financial help, guidance and protection, God can say yes, because God loves us and He will not leave us forsaken.

Mark 11:24 “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

1. No – Sometimes, we think that all our ways are for the best. We think that the answer we request for in our prayers will give us joy. But God has His own way; we just need to wait for what God has prepared for us.

1. Wait – Sometimes, God wants us to wait, to learn more, to discover more and to realize what is the best for us.

Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his goo, pleasing and perfect will.”

Whatever answer we get, we must not forget to be thankful. All we need to do is trust His will and His plan. His plan is to prosper us and not to harm us. Always remember that if God is for us, then who can be against us? Keep on praying!

All humans need food to eat. It is a primary need to have physical strength. We are all working for it. But do you know the other important food that we should take every day?

Spiritual food is needed just like how we need physical food. Have you ever wondered why spiritual food is important to us? How can it help us? How can it keep us going? How can it keep our way to God?

We need spiritual food for our spiritual strength and spiritual growth.

Isaiah 55:2 “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance.”

Spiritual food is like the bread that we eat to have physical strength. Spiritual food is whatever assists our spiritual growth, nurtures us and encourages us to be a better person. Being a God-like person and being righteous are some of the requirements to be saved. To live according to God’s will is one of the most significant things we can do in our life. Living the way God wants us to, living with God as the center of our life — these are the keys to being saved and having eternal life after death.

We can truly have spiritual food through the Bible, by reading it and meditating  on it. All the answers to our problems, struggles and confusion can be found in the Bible. There’s a strange feeling when you are reading the Bible; it’s like it is talking to us, it can calm our minds and make us feel fully complete as humans. It can mend our hearts, it can heal pain, and it can change us for the better.

You can also find spiritual food in many things, such as your hobby, work, family, relationships and even in nature. These can serve us spiritual food if they help us to grow and lead us to be a better person.

1 Corinthians 10:3-4 “and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.”

Let’s focus our eyes on Christ and live with His Word. Take spiritual food everyday to feed your spiritual life; the spiritual life that will lead us to eternal life. Do not focus on this world, this world will gone but the our life with God will be forever.

Have you experienced losing your patience and feeling anger at someone or something? What else do you know about anger? Do you know how to control it?

By definition in Merriam-Webster, anger is a strong feeling of displeasure and usually of antagonism.

Sometimes, we cannot control our emotions.  We are pushed to our limits and we result in anger. But do you know what anger means in the biblical aspect? Do you know what God has said about it?

The Bible usually portrays human anger as sinful. Anger can lead to punishment and revenge. As  Christians, we need to control and handle our anger properly. Let’s find out what Bible says about anger.

James 1:20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

God doesn’t want anger to control us. If we allow it to, it will become a sin. We will end up facing difficulties, trouble and even conflict, which we never want to happen. Yes, we cannot control our emotions; there will be times that we will feel anger towards someone or something. But God knows that we can handle it. We can handle it by seeing Him in the trial. This is a battle between God and sin. What will you allow to win, God or sin? All you need to do is to focus on God and have fear of what punishment God will give to you.

Ephesians 4:26-27 BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.

Thankfully, God has given us His Spirit who will assist us in our battle with our sin. Without His power, we are helpless and defeated; but with His power, we can claim the victory.

We can be able to handle anger by returning good for evil. Sometimes, you just have to pray, talk to God and give all of it to God. And God will fill your heart with peace and love. Always value the relationship at all cost. Value your relationship with God. Value your relationship with your family. Value your relationship with your fellow man. In that, you will receive the blessing of the Lord, His prosperity and grace.

Whenever anger comes your way, remember this verse!

Proverbs 16:32 He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.

Have you ever wondered what the basis of your Christian faith is? What if somebody asks you “How did you know that Jesus Christ is really God?” What will be your answer? Let us find out what is really the foundation of our faith and if the resurrection of Jesus Christ is what makes Him truly God.

The resurrection of Jesus, as described in Wikipedia, is the Christian religious belief that after being put to death, Jesus rose again from the dead. It is the central tenet of Christian theology and part of the Nicene Creed: “On the third day He rose again in accordance with the Scriptures”.

1 Thessalonians 4:14  For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.

God uses His only begotten son for those who have fallen asleep or those who do not believe that God exists. For those who control their lives as if they are the sole owner of it, for those who lost their faith, for those who are alone and don’t know that there is somebody that can help, and for all of us to know that there is eternal life in heaven with God.

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.

If there is no resurrection, then our faith is pointless. Imagine – Christianity would only be a physical existence – after we die we will never exist again. If that was the case, then it doesn’t matter what we do, how we live or even what we believe.

Christianity is not just living a physical life; we have a spiritual life that will lead us to live with Him forever.

His resurrection broke the power of death and sin. So think about the resurrection of Jesus when you feel that you’re losing your faith. Rise and remember how Jesus sacrificed His life for us. Always bear in mind that there is a great reward awaiting us, so whatever hardships you’ll experience here on earth is all worth it because God is preparing something wonderful in the afterlife.

Children are a gift from God; a gift that needs to be treasured and taken care of, a reward to claim, and a source of motivation.

Are you a parent?

Let’s talk about parenting. Being a parent is not an easy task. Raising children requires time, prayer, discipline, involvement, and relationship-building. It’s not about simply taking care of your child. It’s all about how to raise your child well. As a parent, what are your priorities for your child? Is it to earn money for them, discipline them and teach them values to become a better person, or lead them to God and let them be a follower of Jesus?

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

The Bible says that parents should train their children to the way they should go. What is that way being talked about by this verse? Is it your dream for them? Is it your plan for them? For me, it should be the way to Jesus. Jesus is the way. Let your children know that they can be saved through Jesus. That is the most important thing that they need to know. Do not let them depend on the world, let them depend on God.

Wisdom from God can also help us in parenting. Let’s talk to God and ask Him on what to do when we experience trials on being a parent. Read the Bible to know what is the right thing to do.

Proverbs 23:13-14 Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die. If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol.

Proverbs 29:17 Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart.

Parenting is a long and challenging task. Do not forget that we have a God who gives us the strength to accomplish the tasks He lays before us.

Philippians 4:13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

We, parents, can provide a safe haven for our families with the help of our perfect heavenly father, whose love for His children is deep and eternal.

Jesus’ main purpose in coming to earth is to reconcile man with God. True reconciliation between us and God brings spiritual and emotional healing, and sometimes even physical healing. In the course of Jesus’ ministry on earth, He did many miraculous physical healings.

Here are some of the stories in the Bible that demonstrate Jesus’ power to heal.

Curing Diseases of Men

Matthew 9:35 

“Jesus went to every town and village. He taught in their meeting places and preached the good news about God’s kingdom. Jesus also healed every kind of disease and sickness.” 

Ten Men with Leprosy

Luke 17:12-16(a)
“As he was going into a village, ten men with leprosy came toward him. They stood at a distance and shouted, ‘Jesus, Master, have pity on us!’ Jesus looked at them and said, ‘Go show yourselves to the priests.’ On their way, they were healed. When one of them discovered he was healed, he came back, shouting praises to God. He bowed down at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.”

Remember that all challenges, like sickness and disease, are just another opportunity for us to draw nearer to Him — to know Him better and to experience the healing power of Jesus that no one else can bring. Let us believe and have faith in Jesus. Pray without ceasing and let God take over everything. He will take away our worries and turn them into peace. All we need to do is to let Jesus do it and believe that He can.

James 5:14    Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.

Jesus continues to heal today as He did 2,000 years ago, at His own time, in His own way. Let us ask Him for healing (physically, emotionally and spiritually). Let’s start praying for it and let the power of God dwell in us!