Be Honest

Jesus the Light of the World

12 Jesus spoke to the Pharisees again. “I am the light of the world,” he said. “Whoever follows me will have the light of life and will never walk in darkness.”

13 The Pharisees said to him, “Now you are testifying on your own behalf; what you say proves nothing.”

14 “No,” Jesus answered, “even though I do testify on my own behalf, what I say is true, because I know where I came from and where I am going. You do not know where I came from or where I am going. 15 You make judgments in a purely human way; I pass judgment on no one. 16 But if I were to do so, my judgment would be true, because I am not alone in this; the Father who sent me is with me. 17 It is written in your Law that when two witnesses agree, what they say is true. 18 I testify on my own behalf, and the Father who sent me also testifies on my behalf.”

19 “Where is your father?” they asked him.

“You know neither me nor my Father,” Jesus answered. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”

20 Jesus said all this as he taught in the Temple, in the room where the offering boxes were placed. And no one arrested him, because his hour had not come.

John 8:12-20 (GNT with Deuterocanon) 

The Message

The reason why they are in the treasury area in the temple because of this verse in the Old Testament:

Isaiah 45:3 (GNT with Deuterocanon)

3 I will give you treasures from dark, secret places;

then you will know that I am the LORD

and that the God of Israel has called you by name.

This is why the LORD Jesus said He is the Light of the world. The pharisees are hiding something that is why they are angry with Jesus.

Jesus continued by saying He passes judgment on no one, and if He judge others then He has a witness and that is God the Father that is why the pharisees are looking for Jesus’ father. They thought that Jesus’ father is just a human being.

Jesus was saying that anything hidden will be put into the light, no matter how hard you try to hide your wrongdoing. Everything will be put into the light for everyone to see, and there is judgement. God will judge you in all that you do, right or wrong, and He will give you the right verdict.

So, if you stole something, confess your sin! If you wronged someone, tell the truth! It is better to confess your guilt earlier than get punished in the end. God is Light, and He will see to it that there is justice.

Psalms 7:11 (GNT with Deuterocanon)

11 God is a righteous judge

and always condemns the wicked.

A Sense of Urgency

“Wake up, sleeper,

            and rise from death,

            and Christ will shine on you.”

15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like ignorant people, but like wise people. 16 Make good use of every opportunity you have, because these are evil days. 17 Don’t be fools, then, but try to find out what the Lord wants you to do.

18 Do not get drunk with wine, which will only ruin you; instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with the words of psalms, hymns, and sacred songs; sing hymns and psalms to the Lord with praise in your hearts. 20 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, always give thanks for everything to God the Father.

American Bible Society, The Good News Translation with Apocrypha (New York: American Bible Society, 1992), Eph 5:14–20.

The Message

Many people nowadays are struggling to make ends meet because these days are evil days. We are already in a time when we are waiting for the “second” coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and He will take us to our new home called, “New Earth.” So, do not be anxious, for your problems will vanish away when you believe that the Lord’s coming is near. Nothing would really matter when He comes.

Therefore, there is a sense of urgency for us Christians to spread the gospel to those who are still “sleeping.” Those people who are searching for a God that can save them. We believe that God will save us, putting our trust in Him that He will take us safely to His Kingdom.

Keep sober, stay alert, you don’t want God to catch us sleeping on the job when Jesus comes, or you will be left behind. This is the time to pray for wisdom in everything we do, and ask God what we should be doing not later, but today. And, He will pour out His Spirit to us and give us peace beyond all understanding:

And God’s peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus.^[1]

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^[1] American Bible Society, The Good News Translation with Apocrypha (New York: American Bible Society, 1992), Php 4:7.

God’s Mercy Has Its Limits

Make it your aim to do what is right, not what is evil, so that you may live. Then the LORD God Almighty really will be with you, as you claim he is. 15 Hate what is evil, love what is right, and see that justice prevails in the courts. Perhaps the LORD will be merciful to the people of this nation who are still left alive.

American Bible Society, The Good News Translation with Apocrypha (New York: American Bible Society, 1992), Am 5:14–15.

The Message

It is not true that God can give unlimited mercy, in the Bible, God sets limits. Remember, God did not forgive Moses when he made a mistake of striking a rock instead of speaking to it. Moses did not enter the Promised Land because of that.

God is Soveriegn. If He wants to forgive you, He will forgive you, but if He doesn’t want to forgive you, then He will not forgive you that is why we must have God’s Spirit. Without God’s Spirit, we cannot do anything. In the scriptures it says,

“I am the vine, and you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing without me.

American Bible Society, The Good News Translation with Apocrypha (New York: American Bible Society, 1992), Jn 15:5.

Remember? The Lord Jesus Christ said that there are sins that cannot be forgiven?

³¹ For this reason I tell you: people can be forgiven any sin and any evil thing they say; but whoever says evil things against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
Matthew 12:31

If you are a child of God, don’t worry. God cannot sin against Himself, and we are sure that He will fulfill His purpose for us because of His loving Holy Spirit:

⁴ At the same time God added his witness to theirs by performing all kinds of miracles and wonders and by distributing the gifts of the Holy Spirit according to his will.
Hebrews 2:4

So, let your life be controlled by the Holy Spirit, and not controlled by the flesh, and you will bear a bountiful harvest of God’s goodness.

Charity

The Message to Laodicea

14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
“This is the message from the Amen, the faithful and true witness, who is the origin of all that God has created. 15 I know what you have done; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were either one or the other! 16 But because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am going to spit you out of my mouth! 17 You say, ‘I am rich and well off; I have all I need.’ But you do not know how miserable and pitiful you are! You are poor, naked, and blind. 18 I advise you, then, to buy gold from me, pure gold, in order to be rich. Buy also white clothing to dress yourself and cover up your shameful nakedness. Buy also some ointment to put on your eyes, so that you may see. 19 I rebuke and punish all whom I love. Be in earnest, then, and turn from your sins. 20 Listen! I stand at the door and knock; if any hear my voice and open the door, I will come into their house and eat with them, and they will eat with me. 21 To those who win the victory I will give the right to sit beside me on my throne, just as I have been victorious and now sit by my Father on his throne.
22 “If you have ears, then, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!

American Bible Society, The Good News Translation with Apocrypha (New York: American Bible Society, 1992), Re 3:14–22.

Israelites In the Wilderness

For it is impossible to renew to repentance those who were once enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, who shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who tasted God’s good word and the powers of the coming age, 6 and who have fallen away. This is because, to their own harm, they are recrucifying the Son of God and holding him up to contempt. 7 For the ground that drinks the rain that often falls on it and that produces vegetation useful to those for whom it is cultivated receives a blessing from God. 8 But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and about to be cursed, and at the end will be burned.

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Heb 6:4–8.

The Message

Paul is talking about what happened to the Israelites in the wilderness who did not enter the Promised Land. The Promised Land is a shadow of the New Earth we will inherit when we received salvation, and there we will find rest. So, these verses in Hebrews are talking about Christians who experienced signs and wonders from God, like the parting of the Red Sea, but still rebelled against God. They had faith, and they believed for a little while, but their hearts were evil.

Remember the time when they are about to enter the Promised Land, where the spies reported it’s impossible for them to win because of giants, except Joshua and Caleb? They turned back from God! They did not believe they will be victorious against the Canaanites. And so, they died in the wilderness and did not receive the rest God has promised.

In the same way, if we do not believe we will be victorious against ‘giants’ or against our enemies, and we turned back because of lack of faith, then we will not be saved or receive our Promised Land.

Remember? Moses always said about the Israelites that they were ‘rebels?’ They always complain and wished to return to Egypt? They were like Christians who were not really Christians in the first place. They did not receive the assurance of salvation because they turned back, for they did not believe that God will save them. And so, they will not be saved.

But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and are saved.

Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Heb 10:39.

Testimony

I had “giants” in my life. Like when I got infected with COVID, and prayed for healing. God showed His mercy unto me even when I was afraid. Truly, nothing can separate us from the love of God, not even COVID.

His healing power extends over others who were sick like my mom, sisters, brother in law, nephew and nieces. That is why I wrote this, so that others may know that Jesus Christ is always and our only Savior!

Shalom!

Blessings or Curse

“So then, obey the commands that I have given you today; love the LORD your God and serve him with all your heart. 14 If you do, he will send rain on your land when it is needed, in the autumn and in the spring, so that there will be grain, wine, and olive oil for you, 15 and grass for your livestock. You will have all the food you want. 16 Do not let yourselves be led away from the LORD to worship and serve other gods. 17 If you do, the LORD will become angry with you. He will hold back the rain, and your ground will become too dry for crops to grow. Then you will soon die there, even though it is a good land that he is giving you.

Deuteronomy 11:13-17

The Message

The greatest commandment is to love God will all your heart. How? By putting the Lord first. Not family, not work, not your car, not your fancy phone, or even yourself. We should put our time, money, and dedication to serve the Lord every day.

If we put God first, everything in our lives will be fall into place, and everything you do will prosper.

I experienced this long ago when I fell in love with a girl, and everyday I would sit in front of my piano and make music for her. My world revolved around her, and I suffered for it. Later, I then realized that she wasn’t meant for me, and began to pursue the Lord.

Today, my life isn’t perfect or pain free, but I have this joy in my heart every moment in every day. I sing now for the Lord because He saved and saving me still from trouble. I love the Lord because He first loved me.

We love because God first loved us.

1 John 4:19

Happy Mother’s Day!

And so they left, and on their way they saw the same star they had seen in the East. When they saw it, how happy they were, what joy was theirs! It went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹¹ They went into the house, and when they saw the child with his mother Mary, they knelt down and worshiped him. They brought out their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and presented them to him.
Matthew 2:10-11

The Message

The other day, I saw a child with genetic skin disease and was pleading for help. Her mother was putting bandages to her scarred skin on her whole body. She loves her child even when her daughter is inflicted with a painful disease and needs a lot of time and care. How precious our life is.

To Help or to Harm?

Then Jesus went back to the synagogue, where there was a man who had a paralyzed hand. ² Some people were there who wanted to accuse Jesus of doing wrong; so they watched him closely to see whether he would cure the man on the Sabbath. ³ Jesus said to the man, “Come up here to the front.” ⁴ Then he asked the people, “What does our Law allow us to do on the Sabbath? To help or to harm? To save someone’s life or to destroy it?”

But they did not say a thing. ⁵ Jesus was angry as he looked around at them, but at the same time he felt sorry for them, because they were so stubborn and wrong. Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and it became well again. ⁶ So the Pharisees left the synagogue and met at once with some members of Herod’s party, and they made plans to kill Jesus.^[1]

The Message

We Christians know that we are saved not by following the Law, but because of our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, are we to punish those who disobey the Law? Is God out to get us when we fall into sin? Of course, not!

We must be reminded that all people fall into sin, and no one is perfect. Only God is perfect, and He is the one who will judge us of right and wrong. It doesn’t matter what we see in other people, but what God sees in our hearts.

“What does our Law allow us to do on the Sabbath? To help or to harm? To save someone’s life or to destroy it?”

This statement from Jesus provides us what God is like. God has a heart of saving people and not out to get you and harm you with punishment! If we punish others according to the Law, then we are like the pharisees who finds obeying the Law is much more important than having faith and love in God.

God is a God who wants forgiveness rather than judgement:

For God will not show mercy when he judges the person who has not been merciful; but mercy triumphs over judgment.

American Bible Society, The Good News Translation with Apocrypha (New York: American Bible Society, 1992), Jas 2:13.

For example, when people are crossing the street using the pedestrian is lawful in order to avoid accidents and save lives. However, when people do not use the pedestrian and crossed the street, will you stop your car for them to cross? Of course! The pedestrian lane is there to save lives, but if people are not crossing the pedestrian, and you are driving your car, you choose to stop for them to cross the street whether they are following the law or not because law is there to save lives.

The Lord Jesus Christ is showing us that laws are there for us human beings, and not the other way around.

I hope this read gave you insight to what the heart of God is, and change us to be like Christ in our daily lives. I pray that it will open your hearts and minds so that we will have a better way of living and receive life. Please share this with others, so they will also be blessed.

Thank You!

Safety Through Obedience

      You created me, and you keep me safe;

            give me understanding, so that I may learn your laws.

American Bible Society, The Good News Translation with Apocrypha (New York: American Bible Society, 1992), Ps 119:73.

The Message

God is our Creator, for He gives life and only He can take it away. So, we are rest assured that we are not going to die because of the Devil. Do not be afraid. Obey God’s commands, so we may live a safe and secured life. Do not put your hope in money for security and safety. Always look to God and put your hope in Him only. Or else, we will be found unfaithful by idolatry worshipping other things rather than God. We cannot both serve God and money.

      Those who honor you will be glad when they see me,

            because I trust in your promise.

      75       I know that your judgments are righteous, LORD,

            and that you punished me because you are faithful.

      76       Let your constant love comfort me,

            as you have promised me, your servant.

American Bible Society, The Good News Translation with Apocrypha (New York: American Bible Society, 1992), Ps 119:74–76.

Why this phrase, “those who honor you will be glad… your promise?” Because when you look at verse 76, it says there because of God’s constant love, He will comfort us, Christians. God gives comfort to Christians, believers and not those non-believers or un-believers. God’s love is constant, meaning, it never changes. He loves you when you are faithful, God loves you when you are unfaithful. In that, God punishes us because He loves us, so we learn from our failures in life, and receive what He promised us.

When a small child stumbles, he just gets up and walk again, and again, and again until he reaches his destination. Therefore, never give up, child of God!

You Know Us By Name

This song reminds us on how God loved us so deeply. I may not remember the names of people and places, but God knows all of them, and He engraved our names on the plam of His hands. That is how precious we are to God.

Can a woman forget her nursing child?
Will she have no compassion on the child from her womb?
Although mothers may forget,
I will not forget you.
¹⁶     I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.
Isaiah 49:15-16