People's Denial of the True Light (John 1:10-11)

There are times when the people you cared the most were the ones who didn't believe and listen to you.  It is a bit disappointing when you tried to reach out to them and share with them what you've learned but they didn't seem to care.  This is not something new, so don’t worry if you experienced setbacks like this.  More often than not, people have their own understanding of things and have their own views of the world, thus, making them pre-occupied with their thoughts and own desires. 

If these things can happen to you, you can be assured that it also happened to the Greatest Teacher ever to walk on earth. 

“But although the world was made through Him, the world didn't recognize Him when He came.  Even in His own land and among His own people, he was not accepted” (John 1: 10-11).

†Father, You sent Jesus to this world so that we may know You, the Truth, the Life and the Way to Salvation.   You sent Him to us as the Light of the world which He Himself made.  Lead us, Father, so that we may recognize Him, receive Him and live as He had lived.  Lord Jesus, guide us as we listen and meditate on Your words.

In the Name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. †

In the previous articles, we learned how St. John described Jesus to the early believers of the Church.  Jesus was with God from the beginning. He created everything.  He was God.  It must be considered that according to most Bible scholars, this Gospel was written during the first century when the Church was in its early years and was suffering from persecutions and challenges.  To give hope to the believers, St. John may have intended to strengthen the Church’s faith by introducing Jesus as the Son of God.  A power to whom everyone can seek refuge and comfort. 

During the time that the Gospel was written, the years before that, and even up to this present day, there were skeptics who don’t believe the message of salvation that is Jesus Christ.  People in the times of Jesus had their own perception of salvation.  From the last book of the Old Testament until the birth of Jesus, the people of Israel have been waiting for the Christ for hundreds of years.  During those years, many came to claim to be the Messiah but all of them proved to be false.  Then there came Jesus.  A Jewish carpenter from Nazareth, uneducated - unlike most scholars of that time.  Born and raised in poverty.  Who was this Man to teach about the salvation of Man and of the Kingdom of God?  The Christ that they were waiting for is a man who will end slavery and oppression. Not a carpenter.  Certainly not Jesus.

As we would also learn later from other verses in the Bible, even His Mother and brothers (and sisters) were skeptical about Him and His teachings.  St. James, also believed to be a brother of Jesus, was at first skeptical about Him until His resurrection on the first Easter when Jesus appeared to him again.  From that point on, St. James became a true believer, lead the Church in Jerusalem until he was martyred like many other saints and defenders of the Faith.

Maybe the people during those times were afraid that they again fall prey to those people pretending to be the Christ.  Maybe, the people during those early times when Jesus was about to start His ministries had doubts about God’s promised salvation.  Eventually, their fears and doubts blinded them.  And when the Light of God came to the world, they denied Him.  They cannot comprehend the way the Light was revealed to them.  It was not what they've been expecting.  It cannot be the truth that they've waiting for.

Doubt and fear lead to blindness.  People who suffered in life would understand.  People who experienced being alone, helpless and brokenhearted would understand the feeling of being forsaken by a God who never seems to listen.  Tired, afraid, brokenhearted people,  resort to closing their eyes and choosing darkness -relying upon their own understanding and strength-than to hope for a distant spark of light.  And these people hold on to their “blinded-faith.”  They refused to acknowledge the Light because it does not conform to what they believe and  expect. 

Until this day, many were living in the dark because they refuse to acknowledge the light.  Many still don’t believe in Jesus because He doesn't fit their preconceived idea of a savior or Son of God.  Many even deny His existence.  Many even deny the very existence of God.  The people of those days still live today. 

But, for the Church and to the believers, Jesus is the Christ – the Son of the Living God.  And through Him, we can find the light of peace, joy, hope and love that endures forever.

†Amen.  Lord Jesus, You are the True Light from the Father.  In You we entrust our lives.  Guide us that we may continue to live the life You have always wanted for us.  And when our time on earth come to an end, welcome us in Your loving presence.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.  As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. †

Christ the Divine (John 1: 1-5)

Let us begin our journey by walking through and with the Bible.  Our first stop, the Gospel according to John. 

It is believe that the author John is the same Apostle often described as the Disciple whom Jesus loved.  According to Bible Commentary by Matthew Henry, the Gospel and Epistles of John were written in Ephesus about 97A.D.  Therefore, putting it much later than the time John wrote the Revelation, while he was exiled in the island of Patmos. 

We picked John, as suggested by many Bible scholars, for us to have a glimpse of understanding of the true nature of Jesus before we proceed to other books in the Bible. 

† In the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

John 1:1-5:

“In the beginning the Word already existed.  He was with God, and He was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  He created everything there is.  Nothing exists that He didn't make.  Life itself was in Him, and this life gives light to everyone.  The light shines through the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. (NLT)”

In his commentary, Henry said that “the plainest reason why the Son of God is called the Word, seems to be, that as our words explain our minds to others, so was the Son of God sent in order to reveal His Father’s mind to the world.”

So what’s in God’s thought that He wants us to know?

Clearly, we can see that Jesus did not just exist some 2,000 years ago, but even before the beginning of time.  Jesus, we know is a Man because we know that He lived as a man and died as a man.  But this passage shows that He is God even before He became man.  If we will go back to the very first book of the Bible, Genesis, we will learn that God created everything.  But in here, we are given a different version of that story – that “nothing exists that He (the Word, referring to Jesus) didn't make” and that “He created everything there is.”  Therefore, if we follow a simple logic, then the Word who created everything and who was with God before the beginning and at the same time is also a God, must be the same God of Genesis. 

John, and in relation with Genesis alone, solves the mystery of the Trinity, or at least the Father and the Son being One.  If the Son is God and the Father is God, then there are two Gods – “He was with God, and He was God.”  But the entire Bible tells us that there is only ONE TRUE GOD, even Jesus said this.  How can, then, a God be with “another” God at the time of creation?  Must be, God the Son is in God the Father.  That’s “two person” being One at the same time.  The unity of the Father and the Son – both God, both Creator. 

It is very difficult to comprehend because we are trying to picture out God in the image of man and within the bounds of the physical realm.  Physics, we know, rules that a matter can only occupy one place at a particular time.  Therefore, in the physical world, which we try to use to understand the nature of God, it will be impossible to have two God in One Being.  But God is, and forever will be, outside the boundary of the physical world, which in the first place, He created.  How can you fit the Creator in His creation?  How can you limit the Creator within the properties of His creations.  If the nature of God will be too small to “fit” into our understanding, then, how was He able to formulate and maintain the entire creation as it was, as it is today, and as it is in the future?

By the moment we realize that Jesus, the bringer of Good News, is the same God who created everything, wouldn't we be grateful to know of His awesome power?  Wouldn't you put your trust in Him?

Jesus, the One who holds Life in Him, came into the world and every moment knocks on our doors to share the Life that gives light to everyone.  When are we going to open that door for Him?  If you know that someone is at your doorstep, willing to give you this kind of Light that no darkness can ever extinguish, will you not let Him in?  How long will we stay in darkness if we know that Jesus holds the life that gives light to everyone?

Jesus - God, Creator, Bringer of Life and Inextinguishable Light – is standing at the doorsteps of our hearts, knocking, will we let Him in? 

Amen! Lord Jesus, come in to our lives. 

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. 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. 

It's Time for Mid-Year Review

Look it's June 23!  Our last article was published before the end of 2012.  It took us almost six months to have this new post.

We just stopped-by to ask how you've been doing in the last six months of 2013. Have you started your semi-annual review already?

We all know that one year is too long to remember everything, to assess, re-plan and adjust.  School years are divided into semesters, normally two, sometimes three. Businesses do their performance reporting quarterly.  We, too, need to take some time off to review what we've done, where we are in our goals and what else needs to be done.

If you are employed, probably you are already familiar with a process called mid-year review.  Most people are threatened just by the thought of it.  But, you shouldn't be one of them.  Mid-year reviews should be something that you should look forward to.  Imagine, you have the opportunity to evaluate what you've done already and what needs to improve.  You should not be like most people who thinks that mid-year review is the time to point out where other people came short of what's expected of them.  It is not the time to point out what people missed, but a time to point out where improvements are necessary. It is one of those perfect moments to encourage people, including yourself, to keep doing the good things and to motivate them to push harder until their goals are reached.

We do mid-year reviews not just to know where we are, but to understand what else do we need to do to be where we want to be at the end of the year.

So, do yourself a favor.  Take a short break from your busy schedule.  Sit down, get a pen and a paper, or using your computer, write down your goals from the start of the year and have an honest assessment of where you are right now.

Whether you've been doing great or not, you should always make that honest evaluation of yourself.  You can lie to others, but you cannot lie to yourself.  So no cheating.

Do this so you can BE MORE and ACHIEVE MORE.

P.S. It will be wise if you will also ask opinions from people whom you trust and respect.  If they know that you value their opinions and that you are taking these steps to improve yourself and your life, they will be happy to help.

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.

  

Guilty as Charged!

I would like to start this article by saying that life is good.  I want to make that declaration for myself and for everyone.  It just feels good. Try it. Say, "Life is good!" Look to the person next to your left and say "Life is good." Now, do it again, this time to the one to your right.  Repeat it to the person behind you and to the person in front of you.  Finally, touch your chest and say, "Life is good!"  Doesn't that feel nice?

No matter how miserable we may think life has been, I would still want to believe that life is indeed good and it will continue to be as such.

Have you ever wonder how fortunate you are simply by reading this article or any article from the internet?  Well, perhaps you may not realize it but, together, let's try to take a look into it.

First, the computer (or whatever gadget) you are using and the internet connection.  How many people around the world are blessed to have computer in their homes or have internet connection, just like you?  I don't know.  But what I do know is that there are places not even reached by electricity so computers and internet are aliens to them.  They live in darkness, literally.

Second, how were you able to have this computer?  You bought it using your own money?  Somebody gave it to you?  Or, you are in the office and you are using your company's computer and internet connection.  (Ha! Ha! Ha!)  I don't know how you were able to acquire your computer or access the internet.  What I do know is that there are millions of people who are jobless right now and having the money to bring foods to the table is their primary concern rather than purchasing the latest gadgets or surfing the internet.  These are people who would rather burn their skins toiling under the sun rather than spend their time in front of the computer.

Third, your comfort.  You left your house this morning, went to the office, worked in an air conditioned room, had a sumptuous lunch, snacks in between meals, coffee breaks, left the office after eight hours, return to the comfort of your home.  Have you ever thought how blessed you are?  Imagine how many people have no home to call their own.  Imagine how many people walk for miles just to reach their destinations.  Imagine how many people stay under the sun, burning their skins and stretching their muscles for a day's wage.  And they will have to do it again tomorrow, day after day.  Imagine how many people were afraid to come home because they have nothing to give, no food to hand to their children, or sick parents, who are waiting for them.

Fourth, your time, your talent and your treasures.  These three things are possessions that everyone would want to have.  You have the time to spend on the things you want to do.  (Well, probably not all the time but still you're better off than those who, if wouldn't work, won't earn and eat.)   Your talent, what you know and what others could only envy from afar. They can't steal it from you but you can always share it to them.  Your treasures, your material possessions.   Are you among those who have the latest gadgets?  Upgrading every time new updates are released?  Did your mansion shrink that you have to replaced it with a bigger one every now and then?  Your car is already a year older so you have to replace it again?

The list may go on and on.  And I know it is not my business if you enjoy these things while others don't.  In fact, I won't even ask you to sell your possessions and distribute to the poor.  No!  I'm not even asking you to donate to charities, adopt a child, sponsor a scholar, build a house for the homeless,  or anything like that.  If you are privileged than the other, that's not your fault (of course, that's if you got it from moral and legal ways).  It isn't the underprivileged's fault either.  You may be rich and they may be poor because of circumstances, behaviors and beliefs, or for any other reason.  It is not my intention to discuss that right now.

What I want to share here are simply two things that I've realized when I looked back on how hard my parents worked under the heat of the sun or in the midst of heavy rains and thunderstorms and those ordinary people I see everyday on my way to work - people who will not eat if they wouldn't work.

One, Gratitude.  Be thankful for what you have and what you enjoy.  The tendency for us, based on what I've observed and what I personally experienced, is that, we compare our selves to the people who have more than what we have.  They may be more good looking, richer, more intelligent.  We seldom look at people who look up to us - the poor, the homeless, the jobless, the lonely, those who are alone, starving, sick, abused, threatened, and on and on.  We seldom realized how fortunate we are compared to these people.  We always want to have more.  To be above the others.  What we don't see are the ones who have less.  Have a sense of gratitude.  When you have a grateful heart, what else could go wrong?

When was the last time you've been thankful for what you are and what you have?  May be you could start NOW.

I don't know to whom you believe you owe that gratitude.  I believed in One God, and for me, first of all, I owe that gratitude to Him, then to my parents and to the people around me.  What matters is you know how to be thankful.

Two, Honor.  Honor yourself.  Bring honor to who you are.  Bring honor to the One who blessed you and to the people who raised you  Show that you are worthy of what you have or what you became.  Make whatever you have as instruments to bring honor to other people, to yourself and more importantly, to the ONE who has given you those things. If you have the time, the wealth and the talent but you are using it to degrade other people, take advantage of them, look down on them, where's the honor in that.

I am not saying that I am better than you are.  No one's better than anyone, unless he thinks less of himself than that of the other.  And the only person I know who did that was a Carpenter by the name of Jesus. With all the glories He has since time immemorial, He chose to be among men, lived among the poorest of the poor, betrayed by His friend, abandoned by His followers, died in the hands of the very people He healed and taught and saved.  He lived and died like a poor man, a servant, a slave, only to live again and be hailed as King of all kings.

I don't ask you to be Jesus.  Just be thankful for all the blessing you have and have the courage to bring honor to who you are and to what you have.  I repeat, bring honor to who you are and to what you have by being a living example of an honorable person who knows the value of gratitude.  

 If you would ask me right now if I am living with gratitude and honor, all I can say is that, I am trying.  But for now, let me just admit, "Guilty as charged!"

But even so, I am striving to BE MORE and Thank More so I can Live The Good Life.

Stick with Your Story

A job application turned down.  A project that never worked.  A diet that was never started.  A business that went south. A sweet life turned bitter.  A love that became hate.

"Why such a sad opening?"

Because we live in the world where "duality" of things and events prevails.  Life isn't always good.  We can't always have a good life, can we?  Well, as we have said before, to everything there is a season.  Let us just say that I just had my share of it no so long ago.

We are all aware that nothing is permanent in this world, even our jobs that we thought were stable enough to survive the tests of time.  We have seen corporate mergers and takeovers.  It's a world of "dog-eats-dog"  the "survival of the fittest."  And normally, it is the people who are the first ones to go.  We have heard of top honchos being kicked out of their offices.  What more could save a rank and file? So I said to myself, before that thing happens to me, I gotta be few steps ahead of it.

But what if, you've applied for a new job and you've been turned down not just once but a lot more?  Well, I know it's frustrating.  The world isn't just unfair, it's ruthless.

Once in our lives we experience helplessness and desperation (and the author of Live the Good Life is no exception).  In one of those low moments of my life thinking how I could be more successful in my career and how to augment the money I've been earning, I have resorted to all the self-help books I could grab, financial magazines, leadership books and business ideas.  I did not spare internet just to have ideas on how to earn more.   I was too fascinated with success stories of other people - people who get rich quick and people who earn money with virtually doing and investing nothing.  I thought my blogs could help me.  I put on adds and joined affiliate selling.  But so far, I have yet to earn my first dollar.  Then I get depressed even more.  I applied for another affiliate site and I was turned down for the following reasons:

"The website does not have enough link popularity"
"The website is submitting too many posts in a day"
"The website is not posting unique content"


What do all these things supposed to mean?  


Was all the time I've spent on reading and researching getting me no where?  Well, it seems to be heading that way.

In my desperation, I just wanted to isolate my self from the world.  Sometimes I would just blankly stare at something somewhere.  I longed for the moments when my head would just be still and quite.

Then it hit me.

It was staring at me for the longest time.  I haven't found my biggest "why" yet.

Do I want to be wealthy?  Yes, of course!  I believe that there's nothing wrong with being wealthy.  More so, I believe that there are more good things that I can do when I become wealthy.

But why?  So I can buy freedom of time to do the things that I wanted to do.  But why?  Because I want to spend more time with the people who matter to me the most?  But why?  Because I want to show to them how much I love them and how much I longed for the moments to spend my life with them without having to worry about where, when and how to get the money to spend.  But why?   Because at the end of my life story I want to be remembered by the very people I loved that I've lived my life for them.  But why?  Because it is my way of repaying the Lord, in my own simple ways, to give back to others the blessings He has given me - love, talent, time and treasures.  These are my big WHYs.

At the end of this journey, it won't matter how much I've succeeded, nor how many times I've tried and failed.  It won't matter how many streets they would name after me, or holidays after me, or books they would write about me.  It won't matter how much money I've made, how much I gave or how much I've kept.  At the end of this journey, what would matter would be how much I've complied with what was expected of me - loving with all the love I can give.  Being rich is just one of the many vehicles I can ride.  (We want to be rich not for the sake of being rich but for what we are becoming along the way.  This is the philosophy of we have at one of our new blog Pinoy Millionaires Circle.)    

Ahh... what a relief.  Just a while ago, I was about to bang my head on the wall because of the gloominess I've felt.  Now, I feel much better.  Is this the hour of "sweet-lemoning?"  Nope!  I don't think so.  I think the darkest part of the night just passed, that part of the night when the dawn is about to come.

Do I still feel down because after all the money and time I've invested on books and researches and yet the only source of my income is STILL my monthly salary?  Do I still feel sad because my blogs "aren't popular" and "without unique contents?"  YES!  I won't deny it because I can't and there's no need to.  But I can say now that it doesn't matter to me that much.  As long as there are people who read my posts and learn from it, even that be only a single person, I won't stop sharing my thoughts.  Whether I earn or not from my blogs, it doesn't matter.  What matters to me is the life that I could change because of what I share.

Maybe earning from blogging isn't for me.  Maybe my "luck" is yet to come.  But that's no excuse for me to stop acting on my dreams.  I think I'll just have to squeeze out some more ideas.  If there's such thing as "luck", i think it would be "being the right person at the right time, at the right place and FOR THE RIGHT REASON."  

Life doesn't always give us milk and honey. Sometimes, it throws us lemons.  And when it does, let's be thankful we now have another flavor for our drinks.

I believe in a greater future.  I believe in miracles and I believe that I am one.  I believe in Living the Good Life!  How about you? 

Trials, success, failures, joys, sadness... It's a roller coaster ride.  But this is my life.  This is my story.  And as inspirational speaker Les Brown would say, "This is my story and I'm sticking with it."