This is the product of my fertile thoughts. I am recreating them here and am sharing them with you, dear bloggers, for whatever benefits, if any, you could derive from them. I wish you could be more open and share with me your comments and suggestions so that I can improve on my blog. Thank you, God bless and have a nice day. Mel Avila Alarilla
FEAR OF THE LORD Proverbs said, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." When I was just a new Christian, I often shun away from this verse because fear has a negative connotation to me. I would reason out that I loved God more than I feared Him and that perfect love cast away all fears. But as I grew and matured as a Christian, this phrase assumed a new and different meaning to me. Why would the author of Proverbs associate the fear of the Lord as the beginning of wisdom? Seen in the light of John 3:16 ("For God so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.") which showed the incomparable love of God for all men, I began to understand and appreciate that verse.
Fear of the Lord means fear of offending Him who has given the most precious possession He has to save all mankind. And to do the one thing that He abhors most, and that is- sinning, is really unthinkable. When we realize all the wonderful things He has given us- from birth to eternal life, to countless blessings- there is a reverential fear and awe of Him and the desire to please Him and do His will. Fear of the Lord then simply means to live in order to please God and give glory to His name. Fear of the Lord means to avoid the one thing that will separate us from Him, and that has always been sin.
So as we fear the Lord and avoid incurring His wrath through sinning, we reap the incalculable harvests of blessings and graces that He so abundantly bestow to those who fear Him and obey His will. Did He not promise in Matthew 6:33 that, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Truly, it is wisdom to choose the path of grace, salvation, blessings and fellowship with God and our fellow brethren and the joy and glory of eternal life with the Lord. SHALL WE START TO FEAR THE LORD?
Tags: Fear of the Lord, God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Righteousness, Salvation, Grace
I AM MY BROTHER'S KEEPER Cain committed the world's first murder by killing his brother Abel. When God confronted Cain about his brother's whereabout, he gave this classic remark, "Why, am I my brothers's keeper?" Throughout all the ages, man carried this same cavalier attitude towards his fellowmen. He always turned a blind eye on the sufferings of others and we could almost surmise that in his mind, he always carry the same answer that Cain gave to God- "Why, am I my brother's keeper?"
Now, is the time to reverse this decadent attitude of man towards his fellowmen. Instead, let us show our concern and care for the least of our brethren by declaring these words:
Yes, I am my brother's keeper. His pain is my pain. His joy is my joy. His sorrow is my sorrow. His happiness is my happiness. His hunger is my hunger. His deprivation is my deprivation. His ignorance is my ignorance. His poverty is my poverty. His sickness is my sickness. His struggles are my struggles. His loneliness is my loneliness. His isolation is my isolation. His imprisonment is my imprisonment. His tortures are my tortures. His agonies are my agonies. His search for truth is my search for truth. His cry for freedom is my cry for freedom. His quest for salvation is my quest for salvation.
I cannot just sit here and mind my own business oblivious to what's happening to my brother. I cannot keep a blind eye to his cry for deliverance. I will make a commitment right here and now that henceforth, I will be my brother's keeper and I will do everything in my power to help him in every way I can. So help me God. Signed this day and attested by me.
Please copy this manifesto and affix your signature, and post or send it to your friends. Send me a copy of your post or email so I can consolidate the complete manifesto. Thank you so much. God bless us all.
Tags: We Are The World, I Am My Brother's Keeper, Universal Brotherhood, Love, Peace, Joy
"Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts" (Hebrews 4:7b)
DO YOU NEED HELP? ARE YOU IN THE DARK? CAN'T FIND YOUR WAY AROUND? NEED A FRIEND WHO WILL STICK WITH YOU THROUGH THICK OR THIN OR WHEN EVERYBDOY ELSE HAS DESERTED YOU?
