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
Why is it that not all Christians experience the victorious Christian life? Why is it that some Christians are underground Christians and you can not detect any sweet fruits from them? Did not the Bible say that by the fruit you will know the tree? And did not the word of God promise all Christians that if they accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior, they will be transformed by the Holy Spirit from glory to glory until they reach the whole measure of the fullness of Jesus Christ? What happened?
Because their being born again were only half baked. They probably accepted Jesus Christ with their mouths but not with their hearts. Or probably they did, but the allures of the world beckoned upon them and they forgot their first love and have backslided.
The Bible said in Romans 12 verse 2 that the way to our transformation is by the renewing of our mind and conforming it with the mind of Christ so that we will be able to test and approve God's perfect will in our lives. We cannot continue to do things on our own. Everything that we do must be done in the name of Jesus Christ. Jesus' righteousness and holiness were imputed upon us when we accepted Him as our Lord and savior and we must focus on that.
"The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day." (Proverbs 4:18)
Tags: Jesus Christ, Lord, Savior, Righteousness, Holiness, Glory, God
To be able to get the maximum benefits of Christ's crucifixion and death on the cross, let us not focus on our own finite love for God. That love is imperfect and waning just like any other human emotions. Let us focus instead on the love of God for us, for that love is infinite, beyond measure and beyond comprehension.
Ponder this. If God did not hesitate to send His beloved and only begotten Son to save us, how could He ever withhold all the wonderful things that we ask from Him in the name of Jesus Christ? The problem is, we do not know how to ask. Most of the time, we ask impossible things from God and expecting nothing in return as if God is some sort of a modern day genie. And when we fail to receive the imperfect things we ask from Him, we say that God is unjust and does not hear and answer our prayers.
In order to get the things that we ask from God, let us be sure that the conditions for God's answering our prayers, as contained in the Bible, are met. These are:
1) God gives us what we need and not what we want. 2) When we pray, let us believe that God will hear and answer our prayers. 3) We must have a clean heart and soul. We must confess all our sins and accept forgiveness from God. 4) We must forgive the sins of others to us. 5) We must address all our petitions to the Father, in the name of Jesus, and through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. 6) We must focus on God's love for us and must maintain an expectant attitude that our prayers will be granted.
Do these and focus on God's immeasurable love for us and we can expect miracles to unravel in our lives.
Tags: God, Love, Father, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, expectant spirit
Scholars through the ages have debated the true identity of the Leviathan, the creature mentioned in the Book of Job (from the Bible) chapter 41. Verse 1 says, "Can you pull in the leviathan with a fish hook or tie down his tongue with a rope?" Verse 7 further states, "Can you fill his hide with harpoons or his head with fishing spears?" What creature could you envision in your mind than a huge creature of the sea, the whale? But wait, the author made further descriptions at the later verses that will throw your assumptions off.
From verse 14 to 31, the author made other descriptions of this creature that are totally out of this world. Let us summarize them: Verse 14, "Who dares open the doors of his mouth, ringed about with his fearsome teeth?" Verse 15, "His back has rows of shields tightly sealed together." Verse 18, "His sneezing throws out flashes of light; his eyes are like rays of dawn."
Verse 19, "Firebrands stream from his mouth; sparks of fire shoot out." Verse 20, "Smoke pours from his nostrils as from a boiling pot over a fire of reeds." Verse 21, "His breath sets coal ablaze, and flames dart from his mouth." Verse 25, "When he rises up, the mighty are terrified; they retreat before his trashing." Verse 26, "The sword that reaches him has no effect, nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin." Verse 27, "Iron he treats like straw and bronze like rotten wood." Verse 31, "He makes the depths churn like a boiling cauldron and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment."
What creature could you conjure in your mind with the above descriptions? Yes, a fire breathing dragon. It seems that chapter 41 of the Book of Job was mentioning two different creatures instead of one. The first one named the leviathan was probably a whale, but the second one which was unnamed was more of a fire breathing dragon. We can never discover the veracity of the second creature for we have not seem the remains of this fire breathing monster.
The Book of Job was the oldest written book of the Bible, even older than the Book of Genesis believed to be written by Moses. Genesis was placed ahead of every other book because it speaks of the beginning of creation.
There are so many legends around the world about dragons. Even China and medieval Europe have their own legends of this fire breathing monster. Are they myth and a pigment of man's imagination? But why would God mentioned the creature to Job? Was it just to impress him? It is not likely, for God does not boast nor indulge in tall tales. Who can ever solve this mystery?
Tags: Leviathan, whale, dragon, Book of Job, Bible, legends
Paradigm is what people originally think about us. It is what people associate us with. It is the representative idea that is evoked in the minds of people that is readily associated with our name. Paradigm is practically the first impression that people associate us with. It is a built in reputation surrounding us and is very hard to erase in the minds of people. Even if we have already changed, we are still associated with a particular paradigm.
Those who have been truly born again and had a complete turnaround in character are particularly vulnerable to this kind of name association. A person who was known to be a drunkard, a womanizer and a heavy gambler, and who had a complete change in his life because of the power of the Holy Spirit, will have a hard time convincing people that he has really changed. The best thing for him to do is to stop convincing people about his miraculous change and just show them his transformed self.
Yes, it is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can completely change ourselves from our shameful past to our present glorious life. If only we could change our individual paradigms or the first impressions of people about us, that would be wonderful. Ah, but who cares. So long as we have already changed and are doing the will and purpose of God in our lives, that's all that counts.
Tags: Paradigm, First Impression, Holy Spirit, Glorious Life, Inspirational, Motivational, Uplifting, Feel Good
They say that laughter is the best medicine. And it can never be truer than that. Have we not enjoy the company of people with a good sense of humor? And haven't we felt so good after a good laugh? Laughter secretes a hormone that makes us feel good and euphoric. This hormone can also deaden the pain in our body.
But how can we evoke laughter if our situation is less than pleasant? We cannot laugh at the expense of others. Those who do that makes a good laugh at a gathering but loses the friendship of the butt of his joke. If we ever have to make fun, see to it that we make fun at our own expense rather than on others. People love to laugh at jokes cracked on others rather than on themselves. That's why a good stand up comedian always cracks joke at himself rather than on his audience.
But if we are not a professional comedian, how can we evoke laughter in ourselves? Laughter comes from a healthy spirit. We laugh because we feel good inside. We laugh because we are at peace with ourselves, with our neighbors and with the world. But most of all, we laugh because we are at peace with God and we are so in love with our present life.
To evoke laughter, one must be very observant. Look at babies and small kids. They are so laughable in their own ways because they are so satisfied with themselves. Look at a cute pup or kitten or any baby animal and you can feel the joy and laughter bursting inside them. Hear the singing of the birds, the swaying of the leaves as the wind passes by. They bring the melody of joy and laughter to the world.
If our inner being is joyful, then we can laugh to our heart's content and the whole world will laugh with us. Ha, ha, ha, ha, *lol*
Why was Paul so fanatical in spreading the Gospel to the point that he gave his own life for it? Was not Paul the same person who persecuted the church and was the cause of death of so many early Christians? Was he not on his way to Damascus bearing with him a letter from the high priest to conduct a hunt for Christians there?
The answer is simple. He had an encounter with the very person he was persecuting. He was struck blind on the road to Damascus and Jesus showed Himself to him. From then on, he lived a life dedicated solely to the spread of the Gospel until he was arrested and executed in Rome.
We need that same encounter with God to fire us in our efforts to preach the Gospel of salvation to the entire world. We just have to hold on to His promise and must desire the encounter with all our heart.
Of all the people who went to the grave of Jesus, only one actually saw Him first. She was Mary Magdalene. She refused to leave the grave site until she saw her master and she was rewarded for her persistence. Jesus showed Himself to her.
God promised in Jeremiah 29: 13-14 that we can see Him if we seek Him with all our heart. Jeremiah 29: 13-14 says, You will seek Me and find Me if you seek Me with all of your heart, I will be found by you, declares the Lord." God never lies. He is always true to His words. Shall we start seeking God?
Amidst all the darkness, the bitterness, the hatred, the loneliness and sorrows that abound the world, there is a bright shinning element that lightens up the heavy burdens of our existence, and that is love. It is the unquenchable fire that warms our hearts and thaws the coldness of even the most frigid individual. There is no exception. All individuals have the right to love and be loved.
When the eyes of those who are truly in love are locked in that longing and endearing glance, there is that moment of magic that no power on earth can ever negate. And when that longing and endearing glance ends up in a passionate embrace and tender kiss, the world stop revolving for a time to give way to that instance of magic and enchantment.
Yes, no words can ever describe the joy and the increasing beat of the heart of the one who is truly in love. There is no distance, no hindrance, no barrier that could ever separate two souls truly in love with each other. The heart knows, the heart discerns the presence of a love one because time stands still whenever our beloved is around. Music fills the air and the surrounding scenes turns rose colored. There is magic everywhere and we feel like dancing to the beat of the rhythm of our hearts. Our souls soar to heavenly heights screaming with pure joy and ecstasy. Yes nothing, no force on earth can ever replicate the marvelous feeling of being in love. LOVE CONQUERS ALL.
"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?
