Becoming the Children of God (John 1:12)

There were children and then there were strangers.  The children almost always have part in the inheritance, but not the strangers, except for a very few.  The children have the privilege of being part of a family where they are nurtured and loved. The strangers, aside from a few moments of generosity and compassion, were not part of the grace reserved for the children.  One would not keep his or her children out in the cold of the night and let some strangers in to his or her home.  That’s not the way of the world. 

But there were strangers, unrelated by blood, who were taken in as one’s own.  They are the adopted sons and daughters, worthy to be called heirs and part of the family.  They were given the rights to call their “parents”, father and mother.   If this can happen here on earth, believe that it is possible, too, in the heavenly realms. 

“But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12)”

†Father, we thank you for the gift of life.  We thank you Father for Your grace that You made us worthy to become Your children through Jesus Christ Your Son, our Lord and Savior. 

Father, touch our hearts today, so that as we read and meditate on Your words, we may fully understand Your message.  Lead us, Father, in a life that will make us worthy to be called Your sons and daughters, children of the Most High. All this we pray, Father, in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

From our last article, we talked about how Jesus, being the Light of the world was not received in the world.  He created it, yet He was not accepted by it.  Such were the people living in the dark.  And many of us today are not different from the people of Jesus’ time on earth. 

We love darkness because in the dark, we can be bold and daring and careless.  Compare the crime rate during the day and during the night.  Most crimes were committed at night.  Why?  Because people, like us, who do bad things believe that we are isolated from the light during the night.  We can do whatever we want because no one can see us.  So we gain false courage and dare to be bold.  But you know that is not true, because God, who is ever present and ever powerful, can see us even during the darkest hour of the night or even if we hide in the deepest abyss of the earth.  That’s why many would deny Jesus – and deny God.  We hate the light the would expose our wrong doings. 

No one would want to wave their dirty hands in broad daylight.  Not even me.  So we move away from the light, making us strangers to God. 

But there is hope.  And that hope is in Jesus. 

Many people, in order to achieve the grace of being called child of God have done so many things.  But if we will look at the verse above, we need to do only two things: BELIEVE and ACCEPT.

BELIEVE

We know that there are many who do not believe in Jesus –  as to who or what He is.  So let’s not talk about them.  Let us talk about the many who “believe” in Him. Believing something is associating it as real or true.  If we believe in Jesus, then we believe that He lived on earth and that He existed.  But this “belief” requires more than just acknowledging the fact that Jesus lives and that He is the Son of God.

If we are to believe in Him, then we must believe His works and His words.  You cannot say, “I believe in what you said, but I don’t believe it’s the truth.”  What is the point in believing a lie.  Believing in a person but not in his words is very contradicting in its own.  Such is something we cannot do when it comes to our belief in Christ.  We cannot simply believe that Jesus is the Son of God and our Savior, and yet do not believe the words He said.  We cannot also say that we believe Him to be the Christ, but not believe that He died for our sins. 

Many people who are suffering and struggling in life profess their beliefs in Jesus but they live their lives as if He can do nothing about their problems.  Many people believe in Him and His remission of sins, but continue to live their lives as if they can never be forgiven.  They believe in Him, but not His words, not His works.  If we truly believe in Jesus, we will believe what He said and will DO as He commanded. 

ACCEPT

Accepting Jesus means letting Him in into our lives.  You cannot accept and not receive.  “I accept this gift, but take it with you when you leave.”  “I accept you in our house, but you have to stay outside.”  That’s not acceptance. And I don’t know what it is.  We cannot say, “Jesus, I accept you in my life as my Lord and Savior, but don’t meddle in my affairs.  I can do this on my own.”   Accepting Jesus means surrendering everything to Him.  When you ride a taxi, you don’t instruct the driver when to turn left or right, when to step on the brakes and when to change gears.  You just tell him the direction or location you want to go and let him do his job. 

So, when we accept Jesus, we just have to let Him do His job of changing us, from the inside out.  We cannot accept Jesus and then continue on our own “journey” of self-enlightenment, self-discovery, self-fulfillment or whatever you want to call it.  All our efforts, though some may succeed in some areas and for some times, will all end empty and will fall short.  Because only by accepting Jesus we can have the fullness of life.  With Jesus in our lives, we shall lack nothing for He is the Good Shepherd with unfailing love that will pursue us all the days of our lives (cf. Ps. 23).  

BECOME

This not something you can do – this is the outcome of your belief and acceptance of Jesus Christ.  This is the grace of God that is offered to all of us through Christ.  This is made free for you and me because Jesus already paid the ultimate price – His death on the cross.  With His death and resurrection, we can become heirs and be called children of God.  All we must do is Believe and Accept.

Then, what shall we do as we become children of God?  Live like one.

“This includes you who were once far away from God. You were His enemies, separated from Him by your evil thoughts and actions.  Yet now He has reconciled you to Himself through the death of Christ in His physical body. As a result, He has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault.  But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. (Colossians 1: 21-23)”

†We thank you, Father, for the love and mercy you have given us.  We thank you for the gift to be rightfully called your children through Jesus Christ.  Without you, we are nothing.  And as a child of the Almighty, we pray that you meet our every needs like a babe helpless and in need of your love and care, every waking moment of our lives.  And when our time on earth comes to an end, welcome us in the gate of heaven, to a place You have reserved for us since You laid down the foundation of the universe.  All this we pray, in Jesus’ mighty name, together with the Holy Spirit, who lives and reigns with You, now and forever. Amen.†

Classes (Re)Start

Most of the schools here in the Philippines opened today.  In my younger days, I always looked forward at the beginning of the school year.  New notebook... new... ?? I think that’s all I had then.  I never had problems using old bags or clothes or even recycled notebooks from the previous years.  New or old, it didn't matter.  All I needed was something I could use.  But of course I wanted something new every start of the year. 

It’s a different feeling when you hold in your arms something new.  It gives you renewed hope that this time it will be better than the last one.  Something new is something you will always look forward to, something you will love sharing and talking about. What’s new inspires you.  What’s new excites you.  But sometimes, it is not always that something or someone “NEW” that will give you the needed inspiration, the needed excitement.  Sometimes, it is the old one being rediscovered.  Finding something different, understanding it deeper, and appreciating it more will lead you to greater joy and happiness. 

The same goes with faith as it is with other things.  You are searching for something that will give you more meaning, more purpose.  You look for answers to your questions and instead of finding the answers, you find alternative “fixes.”  Good for you if can find the answer from a different path.  But better if you can care enough to study more and learn what’s already there.  Sometimes, the answers we’re looking for is not from without but kept within.  Sometimes, change is not even necessary.  Maybe it is just a little effort to look deeper, listen more intently. 

As we’ve invited you in the past articles, please join us as we take this journey of (re)discovering Jesus.  Join us as we take small, baby steps towards Him and get to know the Son of Man better. 

For our reference, we decided to use the New Living Translation (NLT) version of the Bible (©1996), not for any other particular reasons, but merely for easier understanding of the words.  We are still babies, you know, so we need to take “soft” foods for now. 

This is not a philosophical or theological or religious journey.  This is just about a man trying to rediscover his faith in One Man named Jesus.  This is just about a man being in front of the Divine as he tried to see a glimpse of His glory. 

An Invitation

“The night is dark and full of terror.”

That is the famous line from the TV series Game of Thrones, an adaptation of the book with the same title. 

It is a fictional line but it cannot be too far from reality.  

We are now in the age when every street and every corner is illuminated by man-made lights but we remain in darkness and hides in terror.  We live in the world of interconnected lives but with disconnected hearts.  We know what’s happening on the other side of the world but we don’t even care on what’s happening with our next door neighbor or the person sitting on the next cubicle in our workplace. We, despite all the glory and honor that man received in this world, still live in darkness and fear. 

But we know too well that there is fear only when one is left too long in the dark.  For from light, from illumination, comes forth courage and hope.  Light birngs forth true understanding and wisdom.  From lights comes life and freedom.  But that light must be searched with diligence, perseverance and eternal dedication.  We need to find that light, come what may.  But which light, for many have claimed to be bearers of light?  The Light of Faith, Lumen Fidei, which can only be found in Jesus.  

“Faith is not a light which scatters all our darkness, but a lamp which guides our steps in the night and suffices for the journey” (Pope Francis I, Lumen Fidei, #57).

For many of you who have been with us for more than a couple of years now, you know that try to dwell on the natural things and talk about how we can live the good life.  If you’ve been with us for quite a long time, you will realize that we are sharing with you things that may inspire you to live a life that you want.  But you will also be wise enough to see that we’ve been doing it the wrong way.  We encourage you live a good life instead of urging you to live a godly life – a life that imitates the life of Jesus. 

I invite you to join me, as I search for that light of faith.  This is an invitation for everyone, ordinary people who wants to go out of dark and run away from terror.  This is an invitation for everyone to march forward for their faith, their freedom, their life – both here and in eternity.  Join me in this journey of self-discovery and making Jesus more famous.   

We are going to change the theme of this site.  We will now be dedicating this site to the men and women who seeks to find not a good life but a godly life.

This is an open invitation – free of charge.  Join us as we journey towards life, using nothing but the light of faith to illumine our path, until we meet Jesus as He welcomes us in His loving arms.     

Choose To Be Brave

The best thing about being blessed is you won’t be able to contain it to yourself.  One way or another you must share it.  When you feel the love of God overflows, you have no alternative course of action but to share it.

Everyone has a story to tell.  What’s your story? 

It doesn't matter if it isn't the best story in the whole world.  It is okay even if it is not “for Hollywood” or a novel-like story.  It is your story.  And because it is your story, it hasn't ended yet.  You can still make it as one of the best stories ever written.  Who would stop you?

What’s my kind of story?  It’s a story of grace.  A story of second-chances (lots of it, actually), of mercy and forgiveness.  It is a story of hope.  Hope that comes from God.

Many people would raise their eyebrows if ever they read this article, (if they really read it) especially the ones who knew me so well. 

“Well, that’s not the Roy we know,” they will probably say. 

And I won’t blame them.  This isn't the life I intended to live.  This isn't the life I wanted.  Very much so, this isn't the life I have lived.  But by God’s grace, I am living the life I thought I never deserved.  God is putting blessings in our tables, who are we to say no? After all, these are not ours to keep but to share to everyone.

Twenty-fourteen is really starting to be a great year for us.  Not because there is such a thing as great year but because we resolved to make it greater than 2013.  And we know God hears our prayers, He is making Himself felt in more ways than one. 

Why did I say my story is a story of second chances?  Because I've failed in the past... many times.  But God never gave-up on me.  He keeps on giving me another chance to try again and make it right the second time around.  Most of the time, that second time becomes second-time-version-seven-zero.  And His message is clear - He is not giving up on you, too!

I won’t give you a list of my failures.  There’s nothing romantic with failing.  But there’s nothing to be ashamed about it either.  In failing we learn.  And my failures have been the instruments God used to make me see life clearer.  He picks me up every time I fall and He lets me walk my way again.  That's how forgiving God is and that's how much He believes in us.

God has been so good that I can boast about it.  And I boast about the goodness and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ – not for what He has done – but for Who HE is. 

Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don’t see many of “the brightest and the best” among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these “nobodies” to expose the hollow pretensions of the “somebodies”? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That’s why we have the saying, “If you’re going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God.” - 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 (The Message)

In the articles after this, you will be reading about God’s grace and mercy.  It’s all about how to LIVE THE GOOD LIFE after all, isn't it?  I’m not talking about my faith, I am talking about God’s grace.  Those are two totally different things.  Faith is something you give to God and share with people. It’s imperfect just as you are. But grace – God’s grace – is perfect because it comes from One who is Perfect. 

Today, when your faith is called by the Lord to be lived, through His grace, how would you answer?  I, I choose to be brave.

http://www.choosetobebrave.org/

Soon it will be 2013... to Living the "Better" Life!

In less than 30 hours from now, we will be saying our goodbyes to the wonderful year of 2012.   While everyone is busy thinking about their plans for 2013 and reflecting on what 2012 has brought them, allow us to share with you this quick message before the year-ends...

First, to all of you who have shown appreciation for the articles, through comments and "likes", in our facebook page or in this space, THANK YOU!  We are deeply honored by the fact that there are people who read and appreciate our thoughts in BEing More and Living the Good Life. Our first article was published just a little more than a year ago and we are glad to know that you still continue to be with us - through the good and not-so-good times.

Second, we would like to encourage you to continue Being More so that we can continue to give more, live more, and share more of the good life.  If God's willing, we will be giving more regular and frequent "thoughts to think about" in 2013.  By the way, we encourage contributions of articles.  So should you like to share with us your experiences, life lessons and words of inspirations, please send us an email at livdgoodlyf@gmail.com.

Third, we would like to remind you, as you reflect on the year 2012, to please avoid the common tragedy of looking back at life with "what ifs."  It is a fact that in this life, you cannot be anything, do anything and have anything.  No matter how hard you try, there are times when life will not give you what you want, when you want it, and how you want it.  Live with that; and appreciate life instead.

Fourth, we request you join with us as we thank the Lord for He delivered us "again" from another "end-of-the-world-frenzy" last December 21, 2012.  We all know that all things must come to an end, that is why we have to constantly remind ourselves to live a life that's full and worthy so that we don't have to be afraid when it finally comes to the point when we have to move to the next chapter.

Lastly, please be safe as you celebrate the welcoming of the new year.  It's gonna a fresh start for all of us.  Leave all the baggage and regrets behind but keep the lessons with you.  Treasure every moment for there will never be another 2013 in this lifetime.

P.S. >  2012 will soon be over.  What is that one thing that you've really been wanting to do, that you told your self you cannot let go of 2012 without doing it?   You still have time...

For me, it's this: "Iloveyou, Rheena.  And I will say "I DO" to you, over and over again..."


Happy New Year Everyone!  May you have a more blessed and more wonderful 2013 than all the past 2012 years combined....
  

Courage in Giving Up

"Winners never quit and quitters never win."

Yes, yes, I know you've heard that line million times already.

If you think life is a battle, well, then, "maybe" you are on the right path if you think that quitting is synonymous with losing.

But let me tell you something...

Life is not a battle. It is not a game. Here is my take on that matter.  In a game (or a battle), there is always a winner and a loser.  Very seldom are "draws."  But such is not in life.  We all know that we could all be winners in this life. We have the every right and the capacity to be winners.  People who believe otherwise either do not believe in God or believe that God is biased - favoring some over the others.

Life is not always about taking chances but rather making choices.  It is not always the survival of the strongest but that of the fittest.  Those who survive are not necessarily the strongest, most of the times it is the one who knows how to adapt well.

Life is a about making decisions.  Lots of it.  You don't have to be the strongest, you only need to know where to put your strengths.

If your circumstances seems unfavorable, does it mean you have to end up the loser?  Of course not.  So what you do is turn things around.  And more often than not, what seemed unfavorable will eventually turned to become a happy ending.  Would you say because you have been more favored or stronger or smarter that you've succeeded?  Do you mean that others are less favored, weaker and dumb?  Then you are showing impartiality and for me, it doesn't make sense celebrating in such kind of success or victory in life.

As you can see my friend, life is an adventure of ups and downs.  Success and failures.  But at the end of it all, it is not what we went through but what we learned that truly matters.  There are things that are simply inevitable, and there are things we should rather accept than fight.

Not because you have been doing, enjoying or getting things your way for the longest time it means that that could not end.  No matter how great things maybe, there will always be a certain point in time where it will have to end, or less painful, change. And more often than not, it is really difficult to let go of things you've learned to love - things that became part of yourself.

But do not despair. What may seemed to be an end could only be the start of a new beginning.  So when life is pushing you very, very hard and you've done your very best, but still things are going the opposite way, think again.  Maybe the perfect thing for you is to simply "throw in the towel."  Yes, there's nothing wrong with quitting.  Let me repeat that, there's nothing wrong with quitting.  What's wrong is to keep on doing things that doesn't make sense anymore.  Addictions to material things, procrastination, lack of discipline and the likes, these are things worth giving up.  Continuous self-pity and self-hatred should not linger for too long.  Surrender these things.  It is better to give up than to give in.

I don't want to sound like a preacher here because I'm not.  I know you know that deep within you there are things worth surrendering, worth giving up.  Don't try to fight it on your own.  You don't have to prove how strong you are.  God knows how much capable you are to conquer every trials you are facing.  He created you.  And as much as He know how able you are, He simply wants you to realize that like opening a treasure chest, you have to find the perfect key.  And that key could only be found in Him - when you surrender to Him.

Friends, if you dare accept to give up these things, you should know to whom you should surrender.  Surrender only to the One who can make you even more victories - God.

So, what are those things that you think you really have to let go?  Lift them up to God. Surrender to Him and be even more victorious.  It is time to lighten your loads, BE MORE and Life the Good Life.