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
Joy is different from happiness although to many, they may mean the same. Happiness is contingent upon the realization of a cherished goal or want. Happiness is an external manifestation of that feeling of elation over a positive development in one's life.
We may be happy because we hit the jackpot in a lottery, or we landed a big business deal, or our child won in a spelling bee contest in school, and so many other positive developments in our lives that give us that feeling of wellness and exuberance inside.
Not so with joy. Joy is from the Creator. It is the feeling of indescribable joy that is not contingent on any external circumstances or situations in one's life. One may be in the most miserable and dangerous situation in life and still be in the state of indescribable or overflowing joy. Why? Because indescribable or overflowing joy is anchored on the firm hope and faith of the believer in the promise of His Creator.
Have you ever thought about the reasons why the early Christians exuded that indescribable joy even though they were persecuted, crucified and fed to the lions by their Roman tormentors?
The frenzied mob that flocked the Coliseum during those times were awestruck by the stoic faith and calm in the faces of those Christian martyrs as they were mauled to death by lions, or were burned alive at the cross, or were mercilessly slaughtered by war toughened gladiators.
Expecting that the victims would be so hysterical and fight their tormentors to preserve their own lives, the audience were treated to a sight seemingly out of this world.
The Christians were looking up to heaven and were singing praise and worship to their Creator. Why? Because they were clinging to that cherished hope that they will be with their Creator in His blissful abode after their impending demise.
If we are at peace with our Creator and we know that we are walking in His will, then we have that same indescribable and overflowing joy in our hearts. No matter what the circumstances may be, we may be living in the most wretched situation, yet that same indescribable and overflowing joy will remain in our hearts until we see the day of our eventual deliverance and return to the bosom of our Creator.
Joy To The World
Posted by Mel Avila Alarilla Philippines Spiritual/Inspirational
PRIDE GOES BEFORE DESTRUCTION What was the sin of Lucifer before he was cast out of heaven, and before he was thrown down to earth to become Satan? Was it not the sin of pride which caused him to rebel against God and His heavenly hosts (angels)?
Lucifer was the highest, the most intelligent and the most beautiful of God's creation. He was almost like God but was never God.
In his worship like admiration of himself and all his superlative attributes, self pride caused him to aspire to become God. He was able to win over his side, one third of the heavenly hosts and they rebelled against God and the remaining heavenly hosts.
The faithful heavenly hosts of God, led by a lowly archangel by the name of Michael, defeated Lucifer and his rebellious angels who became demons. (Lucifer ranked as the highest Seraphim, and the Seraphims are the highest rank among the hierarchy of angels in heaven. Seraphims and Cherubims are of the highest rank- the first order in the hierarchy of angels, while angels and archangels are on the third and lowest rank).
The worst enemy of man is pride. As the saying goes, "pride goes before destruction." Pride originates from a very high estimation of one's self. A proud man does not want to depend on God, but wants to stand on his own two feet alone. In fact, he rebels against God's authority over him and does not want anybody to reprove him when he does something wrong. The poetic line from the poem "Invictus" characterized him most. "I am the captain of my ship, I am the master of my soul."
This is in direct contrast to God's admonition to man when He declared, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)
We can see the example of king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in the Book of Daniel. Seeing the splendor and grandeur of his mighty kingdom, he praised himself and attributed all of those to his own glory. He was not yet finished declaring himself to be glorious when God struck him and made him to become lunatic, acting like a beast of the fields and partaking only of dew and grass for his sustenance. Not after seven years had elapsed, and only after acknowledging God's sovereignty over him, did God restore him to his sanity and his kingdom.
Hitler prided himself that he will develop a superior Aryan race and will establish a new world order with him as lord of the world. He was soundly beaten in World War II and committed suicide in his own bunker.
Saddam Hussein, who prided himself as the second Nebuchadnezzar who would bring back the lost glory of ancient Babylon, was caught like a rat in a solitary bunker, sentenced to death and was hanged before his own people.
We can go on and on with our examples. Men who defied God and established their own proud existence were severely punished and were humiliatingly brought down to their knees.
James 4:6b says, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." God loves those who are of a humble heart but abhors those who are proud in their minds. In fact, God gave these three attributes as His most admired ones, and humility was at the top of the list. Isaiah 66:2b says, "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word."
You want to please God? Humble yourself before Him and acknowledge His sovereignty over your life. Remember, pride goes before destruction.
It was the hardest decision in my life to take. Come to think of it, I had no choice then but to turn to the Lord for guidance and deliverance in those troubled times.
After so much soul searching and inquiries from the Lord, I decided to forgo the operations and let my wife proceed to the US to work. Actually, there was no choice since we do not have the money for the operations. And even if we do, how can I be operated for three different diseases that all needed immediate surgeries. I think even king Solomon would have been hard pressed to solve that problem.
My wife finally went to the US and I was left alone relying exclusively on the grace and mercy of my God. I have to become the father and mother of my four kids, the youngest of whom was my six years old Princess Heidi.
Oh, problems were aplenty and I terribly missed my wife to share the burden of the upkeep of our house and the rearing of our children.
I have been to the portals of death so many times that I have already prepared myself for such an eventuality. In my sleep, the evil one would taunt me with the possibility of death. So many times, I would hear the vein on my nape snapped as I thought I was already having a major stroke. I knew that a single stroke would kill me since as a diabetic, whatever wound that might develop in my brain would not clot and I would bleed to death.
I have time and again suffered sleepless nights because of the excruciating pain in my lower back and in my groin. I hid those pains to others as I ministered and prayed for the needs of those the Lord had brought to me. But at night, I pour my heart out to the Lord. I shed copious tears to the Lord but never did I question the reason for my terrible pain. I always trust in His unfailing love and mercy.
But it's not all pain throughout. There were respite and relief from the nagging pains in my journey to life. They serve as virtual oases in my desert trek in life.
I have been through a lot of misfortunes and pains that there were times where my faith wavered. Like when we suffered that devastating flood that practically wiped out all our material possessions in our house. My wife suffered scarcity of and intermittent jobs in the US because of the housing and unemployment problems there. And lately, the scoliosis problem of my lower back and the acute hernia and enlarged prostate gland in my groin have caused me so much pain that I could scarcely get up, much less walk.
I no longer use my mind to ponder these things since all signs point to a permanent disability or complete paralysis of my lower body. I hold on to the great promises of God to deliver me from all these trials.
My favorite verse containing His unequivocal promise is, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6) He has delivered me from all my trials before, and He will deliver me from them, again and again and again.
Each day that I wake up in the morning, I thank Him for keeping me alive and still become productive for my children and the souls I minister to. Truly, I am now living by faith and not by sight. To God be the glory now and forever. Amen.
Posted by Mel Avila Alarilla Philippines Spiritual/Inspirational
No, this is not a sob story. This post was written not to elicit pity or compassion from the readers. Rather, this post was written to show the incomparable glory of God through His amazing grace in my life.
Thirty years ago, I was diagnosed to be suffering from hypertension. And twenty years ago, I was also diagnosed to be suffering from diabetes type 2 or diabetes miletus. At about the same time, I found out that I have a congenital scoliosis- a disease of the spinal column where there was an abnormal curvature of the lumbar section.
This last disease has caused me considerable pain all through these years and has time and again threatened me with complete paralysis of my lower body.
During those times, I found myself going in and out of work because of my sicknesses. Until I finally retired at a relatively young productive age since no company could tolerate my frequent absences due to constant illnesses.
My wife had to take on the role of bread winner of our family as I switched roles to be the caretaker of our children and our house. It was a bitter pill to swallow to a male ego, but I humbly accepted the reversed role that the Lord has given me and I concentrated on the spiritual upkeep of my family.
The Lord has showered us with tremendous blessings through my wife as she was promoted again and again. I was showered too with countless spiritual blessings as I ministered to the spiritual needs of the souls that the Lord has given to me.
Last year was the turning point in our lives. My wife decided to try her luck in the US to work, as our expenses simply outstripped her income. I used her medical insurance card to seek treatment from the best hospital in our country.
The doctors were astounded in what they saw. I was diagnosed to have a severe hernia and an enlarged prostate gland that both needed immediate surgery. Another doctor who x-rayed my back was taken aback by what she saw. My lumbar 5 bone had collapsed on my lumbar 4 bone in my spinal column. She also recommended immediate surgery. Yet another doctor diagnosed me with an enlarged thyroid gland and also recommended immediate surgery.
But the allowable amount in the medical insurance of my wife had all been used up and her insurance card had to be surrendered to her company so she could seek clearance for her resignation and travel to the US to work.
(End of Part 1)
Posted by Mel Avila Alarilla Philippines Spiritual/Inspirational
I am sorry to all my friends who have been faithfully patronizing my blog through their visits and through the wonderful comments they always leave behind. Be assured that I treasured them all and I regarded you all as my most cherished friends. But I have to declare an indefinite blog holiday because of fortuitous events that have been happening and may about to happen to my life.
As of the moment, there is a super typhoon that was forecasted to pass through our province. The biggest dam in our province has already spilled their excess water and half of our province have already been inundated in floodwaters. The super typhoon was forecasted to pass by our province within two days. To those who were with me since four months ago, they were aware of the devastating flood that swept through our house and devastated all our material belongings. To make matters worse, I have been suffering from severe scoliosis on my lower back and acute hernia in my gut that prevented me from going out of our house for more than one month now. The pain is so excruciating that I find it almost impossible to sleep peacefully.
I leave everything to the grace and mercy of my God. He will deliver me from all these trials and burdens in my life. To all who need my prayers, be assured that I will continue praying for you and I will appreciate it very much if you can also pray for me.
Thank you very much for your faithful patronage of my blog. I hope that when I come back, you will still be there to visit me and leave your wonderful comments. They have been a source of so much inspiration to me. I love you all with the love of the Lord. God bless you all and have a peaceful and pleasant day to everybody.
Man strives for that one shinning moment in his life, that one in a million, chance of a lifetime, when he can etch his name in immortality and fame.
And so he keeps on dreaming, and in his mind, he thinks of all the great things he will do to achieve just that- immortality and fame.
He marvels at the pantheon of the immortal greats of history- Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Napoleon Bonaparte, and others.
He marvels at the great minds that shaped the philosophical and intellectual world of mankind- Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, Freud, Emmanuel Kant, Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Albert Einstein, to name a few.
He spends a lifetime of planning and plotting to achieve that one in a million, chance of a lifetime shot at fame, glory and fortune, and a place among the immortal greats.
He climbs the highest mountains, swims the deepest oceans, treks the unreachable places of the earth, jumps from the highest structures, and so on.
It does not matter whether he risks his life in order to attain that one in a million, chance of a lifetime ticket to fame, fortune and immortality.
Many have perished because of these quixotic quests. Many have fallen by the wayside in their attempt to achieve worldwide recognition. And they died disillusioned, broken and in anguish.
Even the so called immortal greats did not have that shinning moments at their life's end. Julius Caesar was treacherously murdered by his bosom friend. Alexander the Great died of mortal wounds sustained in numerous combats at a youthful age. Genghis Khan also died a lingering death because of mortal wounds of war. Napoleon Bonaparte died in exile, a suspected victim of arsenic poisoning.
Man has time and again, became victim of the illusionary goals of this world. They swim with the collective mindset of the world, established by that great enemy of man- Satan. Like the rats of old, they march to the hypnotic tune of the Pied Piper of Hammelin to the edge of the cliff and to their eventual doom. They strive for greatness only to end up in disaster and doom.
Why? Because God never gave us the one in a million, chance of a lifetime to be great. Instead He gives us little stones scattered all over our lives, to pick up each day until our lives become clean and wonderful, devoid of any litter and trash of this world. We then become a shinning testimony of God's greatness in our lives, as we reflect His wondrous glory. Then we become a light of the world and a salt of the earth, reflecting and magnifying God's glory to the world.
One In A Million - Hannah Montana
Posted by Mel Avila Alarilla Philippines Spiritual/Inspirational
Do we have the "give" mentality or the "get" mentality? The answer to this question determines who we are spiritually.
Man by nature is used to have the "get" mentality because of the instinct of self preservation. To him, success means how much he can "get" out of life, and how he can minimize what he "gives" to others.
But as far is spirituality is concerned, the exact opposite is true. True spirituality is measured by how much we can give without expecting anything in return. In fact, most spiritual souls suffer undeserved persecutions and calumnies because they go against the norm of society, which is , to get as much as one can get in this world, where survival of the fittest is the rule rather than the exception.
To be selfless and passive in this dog eats dog world would mean a life full of ridicule and persecutions. Man, in his ignorance, hates the person who is different, who go against the raging tide of what is acceptable to society. Man still uses the old maxim "when in Rome do as the Romans do."
There is also an old saying that goes, "it is better to light a single candle than to curse the whole darkness." As foreboding evil beclouds the whole world, would we participate in the common man's insatiable lust for licentiousness and wanton living? If everybody else seem to have lost the integrity of his soul and has gone the way of living the wicked life, would we do just the same since everybody else is doing it?
Or should we heed the still small voice in our heart that says no to wanton and profligate living? The answer lies in what we firmly believe in. If we believe that life is just a one shot deal where we have to get the most out of our limited existence before we experience annihilation, then the worldly man is right all along. But if we believe that this life is a transitory one, a springboard to a much fuller and satisfying one, then we must do as our conscience dictates us to do. To do otherwise would be like committing spiritual suicide.
The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter - Dave Grusin The paintings and music in this video are dedicated to Greenearth and Sacrifice- our resident artists at World United Bloggers. Hope you like the paintings.
Posted by Mel Avila Alarilla Philippines Spiritual/Inspirational
"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?
