Author: Elna

Do you believe in God? If so, do you know what is the importance of Proclamation of the Word? God speaks to us in the Liturgy of the Word, penetrating our hearts and minds. Let’s take a look at what the Proclamation of the Word does to unleash the essence of His Word in our life.

Speaking to Us – It points out Jesus as the Word made flesh. It emphasizes the value of listening during the reading of God’s Word. We should listen to His Word because it is speaking to us. It contains a message that we need to know and need to follow. Listen as though God is speaking directly to you.

James 1:22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Touching Our Hearts and Minds – It points out how it is good news. Every word of Scripture is breathed out by God, which makes the Bible divine. The word of God connects us and touches our hearts. It is intimate and personal. If  you are under heavy troubles or are full of worries, try to read  the Bible. It will give the answers to your problems. It will touch your heart and you will feel comforted by God.

Psalm 18:30 As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him.

Uniting All in His Word – It points out its meaning and importance to the people as one community. It tells of what one should do during the profession of faith. The Word of God commanded us to  share the good news and invite everyone to be His follower.

John 7:38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.

We all have needs in order to live and survive. As humans, we have these primary needs: food, shelter and clothing. We also need a job that will help us to earn money, among other things. But have you ever thought about what are the things that we REALLY need and where can we find those?

When Jesus came and lived here on earth, He invited people to come to Him. He called people to believe that God exists and to know how great His LOVE is. Jesus still does it today.

John 6:35  Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

These are the things we need that only God can provide:

1. Salvation – Jesus is the only way to our salvation. His forgiveness of our sins will lead us to God’s kingdom. Believe and declare that Jesus is our SAVIOR!

John 3:15 “that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

1. Purpose – Accepting Jesus in our hearts owes us to give all of our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths to follow Him. Are you ready to carry your cross and practice your purpose on earth?

Mark 8:34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

 Comfort – In trial and in sorrow, only God can comfort and ease the pain in you. He will give you peace and happiness that the world cannot give. He is just a prayer away.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

 Wisdom – In making decisions, we need wisdom to know what is right in the eyes of the Lord. We can ask for God’s wisdom anytime.

James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you

Strength – When we are weary, the Lord gives us strength. God will make us strong when we are weak.

Psalms 29:11 The Lord gives strength to his people;  the Lord blesses his people with peace.

Jesus said, “Whoever comes to me, I will never drive away.” Are you ready to seek Jesus and accept all of these blessings from God?

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14

A day will come when you will be faced with a tough decision. This situation will allow you to choose between what is easier according to man and what is right according to the will of God.

If you solely depend on your own knowledge and resources to resolve your problems, chances are, you may end up disappointed when failure arises. Remember, as a child of God, the Lord cast His Spirit within you; and all you have to do is to trust and rely in the Spirit. When you do that, you will have the wisdom and the resources of heaven to help you in whatever circumstances and challenges you are going through.  

As Christians, our success depends on whether we choose to obey and follow the Spirit of God. Also, the more we obey the Spirit, the more we get to know God as He reveals Himself in our lives.

Romans 8:26 says, Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

By acknowledging that the Spirit lives within us, we are able to call on the Lord to heed our requests and desires. The Spirit was given by God to us so we can plead for His divine power and mercy anytime we require it.

As long as you trust and obey God’s Spirit, you have no reason to worry because the Lord will give you victory over any challenge and situation.

What does “being blessed” mean for you? Is it having a new car? Business growth? Job promotion? Most people consider these as blessings. So if you have all of these, do you think you are blessed enough? Let’s find out what is the true meaning of being BLESSED in the eyes of the Lord.

What are the qualities of those who are BLESSED?

Luke 14:11 For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit– These are people who have humbled themselves and realized that they’re not worthy of God’s blessings and salvation. We need to realize and admit that we are spiritually poor and we should humble ourselves before the Lord. When a person does this, he or she becomes very rich in spirit in the eyes of God.

Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

2. Blessed are those who mourn – If we’re walking with Jesus, we become extremely sorry when we do something out of line with the work of God. We mourn because of the sins we have committed. Those who mourn shall be comforted by God, that is a promise from the Lord. Even if you commit sin, you’re still blessed by the Lord, just acknowledge your fault.
3. Blessed are the meek/gentle – Assertiveness is what the world requires, but in the eyes of the Lord, being gentle is enough.
4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness – These are people who are longing to do good for other people. They are people who are satisfied by doing what is right. Some people get satisfaction with money, their desires and other material things; but they don’t know that only God can truly satisfy people. God will give the desire of our hearts.

Mark 12:30 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] There is no commandment greater than these.

5. Blessed are those people who are merciful – They are full of mercy for their fellowmen. They’re following the great commandment of the Lord, which is love your neighbor as yourself. They’re obeying it and living with it.

These are five qualities we should have for us to be called BLESSED in the eyes of the Lord. Do not forget that it’s not just by our goodness, but by the grace of God that we are going to have salvation.                    

We all have our daily needs, dreams, desires, wishes and goals. We are planning to attain them in our own way — striving hard to accomplish all of this and working hard to earn money to provide ourselves a better living.

Provision is the action of providing or supplying something for use. Sometimes we feel like we are the only ones responsible for ourselves, focusing on our own welfare just to have provision of everything that we need. But do not forget that we have GOD.

Proverbs 3:5  Trust in the Lord with all your heart  and lean not on your own understanding;

This is a reminder that we should trust our Lord. Do not lean on your own self, God can give us everything according to His plan. A plan not to harm us, but to prosper us. He is our father, a father that will provide all our needs. We just need to be patient.

Matthew 6:31-32  Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

Philippians 4:19  And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.  

It gives us comfort, knowing that our God will PROVIDE for our every need. No need to worry, all we have to do is BELIEVE and TRUST. When we are weak, He will make us strong. The poor will be rich in the power of God.

We have a direct access to God and that is through PRAYER. Pray whenever you need something but wait for His timing. God’s perfect time will absolutely be the best time. Whenever you’re having a hard time, having so many problems and challenges, talk to Him. He will provide a solution for all of that. God will make a way, where it seems to be no way. He works in ways we cannot see. Sometimes, we don’t notice that every obstacle that we’re going through is a blessing from Him. We call that “blessing in disguise”. Just believe and entrust everything to Him. God’s provision is the only thing that we need.

Let us all STAND in the PROMISE of God and learn the secret of being content in every situation.That will help us a lot to live in Godly wisdom.

Do you have goals? What are your goals and what are you doing to achieve them? And why do we need them?

In Wikipedia, a GOAL is defined as a desired result or possible outcome that a person plans and commits to achieve.

A goal is something that you need to attain, a dream to accomplish and a promise to yourself that needs to be fulfilled. But how will you do it? Here’s the list that will help you.

1. Set and Choose the Right Goal – Decide all the goals that you’re planning to accomplish.

Aiming high is a good motivation but be sure that it is attainable. Always consider your ability in setting your goal. In addition, think of why you want to achieve those goals. Ask yourself: is the goal challenging, measureable and worthy of your time and effort?

2. Commit to Your Goal – Write your goals and think of ways how to achieve them.  It can start with studying, researching and discovering. Discover all your potential and skills that will help you the most. Also, you may be needing advice from other people, such as your parents, siblings or friends.  They can give you additional motivation.

3. Formulate a Plan – A plan is a big help to achieve your goal. Decide where to begin and make a step by step plan of the vital tasks needed for your goal. You can set a deadline, but be sure that it is realistic.

4. Begin and Stay Focused – Remember, the secret of getting ahead is getting started. After getting motivated and making plans, start and do it.

5. Continuous Assessment – While on your routine, make a definite assessment from time to time. Check if you’re establishing the step by step process that you made. Observe and recognize the outcome.

I truly suggest, do not forget to pray for your goal. God has plan, if that goal is for you, probably it will happen; but if it is not, accept it and make a new goal until you achieve what God has planned for you.

Are you tired of working? Are you tired of cooking every day? Are you tired of studying all day? And are you tired of doing good?

We all have our responsibilities in life. A mother has a lot of household chores; a father has tons of deadlines to meet in the office; students have plenty of projects, lessons to read and tests to pass. We all have our roles, obligations, commitments and duties. Are you tired of doing all of these? All of these are very tiring, but in the end you will be the one who will be benefited. You will reap what you sowed. You will earn what you’ve worked for. You will learn and you will become a better person than you are right now.

Same goes with doing good. Make sure that you’re always doing good every day and in every aspect of your life.

2 Thessalonians 3:13 “And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.”

Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Never tire of doing what is good, for at the right time, we will harvest all of these: we will earn joy, happiness, peace, contentment, and the blessing of the Lord which includes the most precious things in this world that money can’t buy.

Don’t lose heart today as you go about following God’s ways. Always remember that joy is guaranteed for more than a lifetime.

Keep running the race with eternity in view!

Do you belong to a CHURCH? Do you know why you are there? Why do you stay in the church? How does it help you?

The church is the temple of God. It’s a place where we pray, listen to the word of God and praise Him. But there’s a deeper meaning of the word “Church” based from the Bible.

1 Corinthians 3:9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

All believers are said to be the temple of God. So, if you believe in Jesus Christ, you are a part of His Church. The Church is not a mere building; the Church is the people who are in the church (physical structure), all the believers, including us.

What does the CHURCH do?

Acts 2:42  They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

• Apostles’ teaching – It is all about Jesus: His birth, life and resurrection.
• Fellowship – Assembling together to help one another. Helping each other grow in FAITH. Sharing how can we conquer our troubles and challenges as Christians.
• Breaking of bread – Symbolizes His body as a sacrifice, for us to remember how great is Jesus’ love for us.
• Prayer- Gathering together to pray for our country, community and fellow men. God is joyful when we are talking to Him. We know God can take care of us but we should also talk to Him regularly. He’s not an ATM machine that we only use when we need it.

We are staying in a church to grow in faith, to know Him better, to serve our God, and to live life with God as the center of our lives.

Are you experiencing problems and challenges in your life? Do you have questions that you know nobody can answer? Are you confused with some of the changes in your life, to the extent that you don’t know what is the right thing to do?

The thing that you need is WISDOM. Wisdom is a wise attitude, belief, or course of action, as defined by Merriam Webster. Wisdom is the ability to think and act using everything in you: using your mind, experiences, perceptions, insights and most important beliefs.

Proverbs 3:13 Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding.

The answer to all of your confusion is wisdom; it will help you discern what is the right thing to do in every circumstance. Wisdom will tell you when you’re on the right path. It is a treasure more than gold and silver. It is better than all the pleasures in this world. Do you know where you can find wisdom?

Ecclesiastes 2:26 To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Everyone should please God in order to have wisdom; for wisdom only comes from the Lord. There is, however, what is called earthly wisdom. These are called earthly because they do not abide by God’s point of view. One example is jealousy; it is an earthly wisdom because God didn’t teach us to be jealous. In God’s eye, we are all the same. We have been given different gifts from God that we should be satisfied and be thankful for.

These are the examples of  wisdom based from the Word of God.

James 3:17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

Peace-loving: accomplishing all issues and problems in life in peace. Considerate: considering all the people involved in our problem and not thinking of ourselves alone. Submissive: acknowledging your faults and failures. Full of mercy: showing mercy to all the creations of God. Impartial: treating people equally whether rich and powerful or less fortunate and powerless. Sincere: giving your heart and mind in everything that you do, especially when praising the Lord your God.

Proverbs 16:16 How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver!

Wisdom is more important than gold and blessed are those who will find wisdom. Seek the wisdom that comes only from the Lord and fill your life with it.