Day 12: Your Proudest Accomplishment

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It took me some time to follow through this blogging challenge. I’ve actually drafted several versions of this post but wasn’t able to publish it succesfully because until now, I’m not sure of what my proudest accomplishment is. Sure I have several things in mind,  but those things I’ve achieved happened ages ago so I thought I should write about something that’s recent. The sad thing about it though is that I can’t think of anything I’ve accomplished recently that I can be proud of. Sad right?!

So for the sake of finishing this challenge, I’ll just share my favorite acomplishment in college. If you’ve been following this blog for a while now, you’ll remember that I’ve said something about getting a grade of 1.00 back in college. Actually, that’s the only perfect grade I’ve got in my entire college life. The subject was FPPS 127 (Forest Product Utilization), one of my major subject in Forestry. I challenged myself to get a grade of 1.00 in that subject because my specialization was forest products. When I look back how I was able to get my target grade at the end of the sem, I remember doing these things:

■ I devoted my time and effort to it. I remember spending extra time reviewing my lessons and memorizing the concepts so especially during exams so I can get a perfect score.

■ I aimed for excellence. Even if I don’t admit it, I was so competitive back in college. I’ve always wanted to be on top of the class so I always make it my goal to get a high score, if not perfect score, during exams. With that motivation, I worked hard to achieve my goal and get the grade I wanted.

■ I’ve worked with the right kind of people. During the last part of the sem, our class was asked to form a group and work on a project we were asked to do. I’ve competely forgotten what the project was all about but I remember that I’ve partnered with a close friend of mine from that subject and we ended up making a miniature model of a paper mill. That friend of mine was more artistic and creative than me so the paper mill idea came from her. So we worked together and did our best to finish the project on time. The paper mill model turned out to be a good so we got a grade of 1.00 on that project. Because a large percentage of my final grade came from that project, I was able to get my target grade of 1.00 at the end of the sem, and I’m thankful that I worked with my friend for that particular project.

Looking back, getting what I’ve wanted was really easy for me once I’ve set my mind on it. Sometimes I wonder where that part of me have gone now? Maybe it’s really high time for me to set goals again and really go for it.

‘Do You Love Me More More Than These?’

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”  “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”   Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”  He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”   The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”  Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.  Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”
(John 21:15-18)

If there’s one chapter in the Bible that I believe I know by heart, it’s John 21. What makes me love this Chapter is the conversation above, where Jesus has reassured Peter that he’s forgiven and that Peter is still capable of doing great things for the Lord despite his past mistakes.

This chapter also taught me that following Jesus is a personal thing. We need to follow Jesus, regardless of what others are doing. This is very evident when Jesus said to Peter, “what is that you?” when Peter asked, “what about John?”.

But lately, God has revealed something new to me from this passage. It’s actually the same question that God has been asking me since last year.

“Cary, do you love me more than these?
Do you love me more than your family, your friends, your work and even your ministry? Do you love me more than the things and blessings I have given you?”

And the sad thing about it is that my answer is ‘I don’t know’.
Yes, I am truly enjoying the work and the ministry that God has entrusted to me, but am I really enjoying Jesus Himself? If God will remove all these things, will I still love Him? Will I also answer yes if Jesus will also ask me three times if I love Him?

The truth is, I have forsaken my first love. But praise God that it’s not yet too late to rekindle that love. And I am still able to love because He first loved us.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
(John 15:5 NIV)

My Favorite Birthday Greetings

I celebrated my 28th birthday quietly.

Though I know that I’m not going anywhere on my birthday, I still decided to file a leave and celebrate it at home to spend my day in the presence of God. So on the morning of my birthday, I sat down and do my usual quiet time with God and spent some more hours meditating on God’s faithfulness for the past 28 years of my life. I thanked God for all the blessings He has showered upon me and recalled all the promises He’s given me two years ago. I also spent some hours recalling  all my frustrations, disappointment, failures and sin I have committed against God and laid it all at the Lord’s feet, trusting and believing that God’s grace is always greater than all these failures combined. The most comforting words I received from God during that day is this:

..But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” – Luke 7:47b

I praised and thanked God for the forgiveness and even for allowing me to undergo a series of disappointments and frustrations to humble me and so I will be able to love Him all the more. I also claimed Psalm 80 as my personal prayer to God.

As I’ve always expected, birthday greetings have started to pour out the moment I woke up. What surprised me the most are the greetings from people I haven’t seen or heard for so long. I was so delighted to get an update from them even for a short while. But what I love most are the birthdays greetings I received with prayers and God’s promises in it. For me, these greetings are tangible declaration of God’s blessings in my life that’s why I’m always looking forward to it on my birthday.  Now I want to keep a record of it so I can look back and say that God  has indeed been true to His Word and promises.

Acts 20:24 (NIV)

24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

Micah 4Micah

Isaiah 46:4 (NIV)

4 Even to your old age and gray hairs
    I am he, I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
    I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

And my most favorite of all, from my beloved bible study leader…..

Isaiah 43:4 (NIV)

4 Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
    and because I love you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
    nations in exchange for your life.

To tell you honestly, I spent my birthday physically alone but I didn’t feel loneliness even for a second because of these promises and all the heartwarming greetings I received. Truly, spending my birthday in the presence of the Lord is the best way to celebrate it.

 Thank you, Lord for all these thoughtful friends! 😀

My Wedding Song Playlist

Hello there! Because today’s my birthday and I’m celebrating my 28th birthday, I thought of writing about something women of my age are starting to  get anxious about.  Yeah, I’m referring to wedding or marriage or everything about finding your true  love. Not that I’ve already found my true love or I’m getting married soon. I’ve been wanting to write about the songs I want to play on my wedding day (Lord willing!) and I thought today’s the best day to write it. 😀 Who knows, it might come in handy. 😀

So…. here you go!

  1. Praying for You by Mandisa
  2. Marry your Daughter by Brian Mcknight
  3. Commitment by Sanctur Real
  4. Other Guys by Jonny Diaz
  5. Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts
  6. When did You Fall by Chris Rice
  7. How to Fall by Josh Wilson
  8. Love is Not a Fight
  9. To be With You
  10. Love is Waiting

I just find these songs sweet so I thought it would be good if I would hear them playing on my wedding. 🙂

Do Not Be Afraid

I just finished meditating on Matthew 28 yesterday and then  skipped to Luke 1 today. I’ve already meditated on these chapters during my quiet time before but one of the new and fresh thing I discovered from my meditation recently are the common words in the messages from God delivered by Angel Gabriel to the three of Lord’s servants namely, Mary Magdalene (together with the other Mary), the priest Zechariah and Mary, the mother of Jesus.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. (Matthew 28:5 NIV)

But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. (Luke 1:13 NIV)

“Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. (Luke 1:30 NIV)

I noticed that the common phrase used by Angel Gabriel in delivering God’s message was ‘do not be afraid’. And I wonder, why is it that the God’s messenger often use these words when he knows for a fact that he’s delivering a good news to these people?

Then I realized that experiencing God’s miracle as an answer to our prayer can sometimes be overwhelming. Our finite minds often see it as too good to be true and our omnipotent God understands it that’s why He has to give us these four words of caution: do not be afraid.

This is a very timely message for me as well for I am claiming this year as a year of great harvest. I know that this year will be a year when I will see God’s glory in my life more than I have ever imagined or experienced but deep in my heart, I know that I’m scared at the same time. I’m afraid that I’m not ready yet to handle the great things that God will entrust to me this year. I’m afraid that I will fail God, again.

Three Responses
As I continue to meditate on the encounter of the Lord’s servants with the angel, I noticed the different responses of these group of people to the Lord’s calling.

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.(Matthew 28:8 NIV)

Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
(Luke 1:18 NIV)

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her. (Luke 1:38 NIV)

The women who met the angel at Jesus’ tomb hurried away to tell the good news to other disciples, and along the way, they met Jesus Himself. Zechariah responded in unbelief so the Lord made him mute until all the things that the angel had told him came to pass. And Mary embraced her God-given role of becoming the mother of the one and only Savior to fulfill God’s plan of salvation.

Different responses, different results. One responded in unbelief so the Lord has to teach him a lesson the hard way until he finally believes. And the sad truth is I can identify myself more with Zechariah. I often make excuses and doubt if God will really fulfill in my life what He has promised even though God has already said it for so many times…
For no word from God will ever fail. (Luke 1:37 NIV)

So now I want to respond differently. I want to be like Mary who will respond courageously and say ‘I am the Lord’s servant, may the word of God be fulfilled in my life.’ I want to be like the other Marys who will respond immediately and not delay at God’s command. I want to respond in faith and not be afraid.

Lord, I want to believe. Help me with my unbelief.

Sunday Service Year-end Message: How to Stand Firm in the Lord

Today is the last Sunday of the year and I want to remember this day so I’m writing about the message I heard during our worship service earlier. Actually, I had a not-so-ordinary Sunday worship service experience today that’s why I decided to blog about it.

Sunday has always been the Lord’s Day for me. In fact, I think I’ve only missed 1 or 2 Sunday worship service this year and I really praise God for enabling me to be faithful in attending the worship service. But because I was so caught up with the busyness of the Christmas season this week, I decided last night that I will not attend the service today. I even intentionally woke up very late this morning because I’ve already planned to do some household chores in the morning instead of going to church.

So I woke up late but I still continued to do my regular quiet time in the morning. Before I start, I told God in my opening prayer that I really want to end this year and start the new year right so I asked Him to speak to me personally and I was really looking forward to God’s new revelation to me for the coming year. But God is really funny sometimes because instead of giving me a new revelation, He gave me a simple test of obedience. I was really serious about not going to church today but the message that God has clearly given to me as I meditated on Matthew 12 during my quiet time is this:

For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. -Matthew 12:8

So when I saw this verse, I  said “Lord, really?!! Why, I told you already I’m not really going to church today!” And then I started wrestling with God and told Him all the excuses I can think of why I won’t be able to make it to church today. I told Him it’s already past 8 and our worship service starts at 9 so I’m sure I’m going to be super late if I will change my plan. But the more I try to reason out to God, the more I realize how lame my excuses are, so in the end, I gave up and told Him, “okay Lord, I’m going now. I know I’m going to be late, ​but I’ll try my best to come just in time for the message.” So I took the cab instead of my usual FX ride. Praise God that indeed, I was able to arrive right after the praise and worship part and just before our Pastor gave his message. Truly, there is blessing in obedience because I can’t explain the joy I felt after listening to our Pastor’s year-end message. The Lord really knows what I really need to hear at the moment so I’m really glad that He enabled me to obey. Our Pastor’s message today was about how to stand firm in the Lord and I want to share it with you because I was really encouraged when I heard this message.

How to Stand Firm in the Lord

  1. The Blessed Exchange.  If we want to stand firm in the Lord. we need to make thatserious  decision to give up our life, our dreams, our selfish ambition, pleasure and all the things that this world is offering, for the sake of our relationship with Christ and God’s kingdom agenda.

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ. (Phil. 3:7-8)

2. Be Patient and Stand Firm.   Being patient is really a challenge for most of us today because we live in a world where everything is done in an instant. So when God delays His answer to our prayer, we lose our patience and start grumbling, and sometimes we even give up and turn away from God. But God wants us to be patient and wait for His perfect timing so we really need to be patient and trust God that He will give the desires of our heart when the time is right.

You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! (James 5:8-9)

3. Hold to the Teachings Passed On.  God usually uses people and delegated authorities who will guide us in our journey with God. But God also promised that there will be false prophets and teachers in these last day  who will try to lead us astray so we really need to stand firm and hold to the teachings that our leaders have passed on to us.

 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings[a] we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. (2 Thess. 2:15)

4. Do not be enslaved by anything . One sign that we are not standing firm in faith is when we get addicted to something other than God. So we really need to guard our hearts and ensure that God remains to be the highest good in our life.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

5. By Faith We Stand Firm.  Faith is simply trust in God alone. In order to overcome sin, we need to trust in the finished work of Jesus on the Cross.

Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm. (2 Cor. 1:24)

6. Have an Intercessor.  More is accomplished in prayer than doing all the work so we really need to pray that someone is really praying for us.

Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.(Colossians 4:12)

7. Give Yourself Fully to the Lord’s Work

 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58)

So there. I’m glad that God enabled me to obey today and I did not miss this wonderful message to cap my journey with Jesus this year. Plus, I was able to spend some quality time with my closest friend in the church after our service so I’m really glad that I was able to spend my time wisely. Thank you, Lord Jesus for your faithfulness in my life. 🙂

To Love the Lord our God is the Heartbeat of our Mission

I had an interesting conversation with God this morning.

I was praying to God during my quiet time today about my love for Him because I’m still having a hard time to digest and absorb the message I heard last Sunday. I realized that the reason why I feel burdened by the challenge I am facing in my personal ministry, particularly the daily evangelism, is because I’m not doing this out of love and out of obedience to God. I confessed to God this mistake and I prayed that God would fill me with His love so that it will be easy for me to love Him. Then I was reminded of that prayer this morning and I asked Him again to remind me always how much He loves me. To my surprise, as I was praying, God impressed to me that the only way I can always be reminded of His great love for me is by sharing the Gospel. And I realized He’s right. The Gospel is a love story between God and mankind. It is a story of how Jesus showed His love to man by giving His own life for the forgiveness of our sin. By sharing the Gospel, I testify to other people how that great love story became true to my life. So by sharing the Gospel to other people, I am somehow retelling to other people how God saved me from my own sinfulness so now it’s my turn to share to other people the great blessings I received when I heard that message.

Praise God that He has helped me settle this burden in my heart. I am now encouraged to share the Gospel all the more. 

An Encouragement in this time of Grief and Trouble

2 Thessalonians 2 (NLT)

Events Prior to the Lord’s Second Coming
Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him. Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction. He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God. Don’t you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you? And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes. For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way. Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will kill him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming. This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.

Believers Should Stand Firm
As for us, we can’t help but thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters loved by the Lord. We are always thankful that God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation—a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth. He called you to salvation when we told you the Good News; now you can share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person and by letter. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.

An Open Letter to All of My Friends

Dear Friend,

Yes, you, if you consider me as one of your friends. I know you’ve noticed that I’ve been silent for a while now and have been rarely visible these past few weeks (and even months). I wish I can say that the reason for this is because I’m really busy. But no, I’m not actually busy.

No, I’m not undergoing a quarter-life crisis or something. And no, I’m not on anti-social mode again or isolating myself from people. And don’t ever think that I’m angry at you or you’ve done anything wrong that’s why I decided not to spend time with you anymore or talk to you anymore (although I must also admit that I’m also learning to let go of some people who are supposed to stay only in my life for a season).

I’ve just decided to streamline my activities to focus more on things that really matter. When I say things that really matter, these are things that are of eternal value. These are things that I believe will have an impact for eternity.

It’s not that you don’t even matter me. You are precious to me, in the same way that God sees you precious in His eyes. It’s just that I’ve decided to free up some of my time to give room for the work that God will give to me in the near future. I need to let go of the good things to make room for the greater things that God has prepared for me. So for me, it means letting go of the good and pleasurable times with my friends.

It really hurts me not to see my friends more often but if this is the only way for us to save both of our lives, then I have to make that hard decision of realigning my priorities. I have to make the decision to put God first above all else in every area of my life, and that includes friendship. So expect that I might decline to most of your invitation for quality time or for doing fun times together. But please do remember that if you need a helping hand, I’m still a text, call or message away. I promise to do my best to make time for you. But if I really can’t make it to be physically present, rest assured that I will still make time to pray for you.

I hope you understand.

Your friend,
Cary