CORE-RELATE!
My 'supernatural' birthday wishlist:
1. eternal salvation and preparedness for all my relatives, friends and workmates
2. to see the fulfillment of the vision God has entrusted me before He lays me to rest: millions of young people making a commitment to Jesus to live their lives according to His plan, and model a lifestyle of purity
3. to be able to step out in boldness and pursue the MAX business to augment my building fund pledge and my financial needs for ministry work and giving
4. faithfulness, availability and teachability in fulfilling the Great Commission
5. PASSION MANILA! May 25, 2010, Araneta Coliseum
My earthly wishlist:
1. a brand new car
2. my own room
3. to publish a book!
But if there's ONE GIFT, just ONE, which I would like to "have," it's the first item in my 'supernatural' list. It's a gift that I would like YOU to RECEIVE with an openness and sincerity that only God can see: the GIFT of ETERNAL LIFE in CHRIST JESUS.
If you want to claim that gift, just follow these 3 simple steps:
A- ACCEPT the fact that without JESUS in your life, you cannot do the very Plan that God wants you to do, because we are sinful by nature and our sins keep us far from God: "For all have sinned and fall short of God's glory" (Romans 3:23).
B- BELIEVE that what Jesus did for you (and me) on the Cross is more than enough for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus made LIFE possible for you and it is only through FAITH IN JESUS that you can be saved: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through FAITH, it is not of yourselves, it is a gift of GOD, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9).
C- CHOOSE for this day, whom you will follow: yourself or God? Will you continue living your life on your own, in your own terms, based on how you think things should be done, OR will you choose to live your life according to the Plan that God has for you? If you choose the second, you MUST repent of anything that keeps you far from God; CHOOSE to lay that aside and CONFESS them all to JESUS and ASK Him to help you live your life according to His will, His plan, His purpose for your life.
I'm not saying that you should change religions because religion CANNOT save you. Why? Because there is only ONE WAY to Heaven. It's the intimate, personal relationship with JESUS CHRIST who is The Way, the Truth and the Life for no one comes to the Father EXCEPT through Him. It is only by His name that a person can be assured of eternal life - no other name.
JESUS has PAID for your sins (and mine) so that you can have life because without shedding of blood, there can be no forgiveness of sins. CHRIST paid the penalty... on our behalf... because He loves us so much.
"For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in CHRIST JESUS our LORD." (Romans 6:23)
SALVATION IS FREE YET IT ISN'T CHEAP. JESUS paid for it with His blood, His life. His life was not taken from Him, He gave it up on His own accord. He rose again on the third day to show us VICTORY over death. He is very much alive TODAY and He wants to have a RELATIONSHIP with you, through faith. He is waiting for you. All it takes is this one prayer of faith:
"LORD JESUS, I need You, I am sorry, please forgive me for all my sins. Thank you that You love me and died for me so I can live. Help me be the person You want me to be. Please come into my heart and be my LORD and SAVIOR. I now claim Your forgiveness and Your gift of eternal life. In Your name, I pray, Amen."
GOD knows your heart. Happy birthday!
Showing posts with label birthdays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label birthdays. Show all posts
20100517
20090517
BACKWARD-23.
CORE-RELATE!
Today's my 32nd birthday, "wala na sa kalendaryo.." (not in the calendar anymore.) In all honesty, I actually prefer backward-23 but there's no such thing. Facebook has a greeting card which says, "Age is just a number, and mine is not listed." Well, I do consider age as just as a symbol for the number of years I've been temporarily "lodging" on "Earth."
Maybe it's a sort of defense mechanism... but I also believe that "Age is just a state of mind." The mind is the most powerful organ in the human body and I've proven first-hand for several times that the condition of my brain dictates the way I look.
One case in point was when I felt so old, tired and weary and the thought in my mind as I was entering the door to the office was "I feel so harrassed." Faster than the snap of a finger after I've thought of that, one of my 'younger brothers' who saw me remarked, "You look so harrassed!" It ironically brought a smile to my heart and I actually replied, "Thanks for the compliment!" in all sincerity. I felt it as a sort of validation to how transparent I was as a person.
So, I'm not really surprised about the state of my health these days. Aside from the fact that I haven't been able to run in months because I've been losing sleep, the constant thought in my mind is "I need some rest." I just can't take a rest, though. Not... yet.
I know that God knows my heart and He's the only ultimate judge of the motivation behind everything that I do. I know that if I need to be disciplined, He will discipline me. If I need to be reminded first before He disciplines me, He will remind me first. If I need to be consoled, He will console me. If I need to be uplifted, He will uplift me. If I need to be assured, He will assure me; if I need to be rewarded, He will reward me.
Nine years has passed since that 'peak' in my life when God allowed me to have the limelight for a few hours, when the stage was mine, when everybody sort of knew me, when I was a winner and felt that everything was possible. It would be an understatement to say that nothing much has happened. Well, a lot has happened since July 2000 when I had "glory," when a sparkling crown was on my head and camera lights flickered on every side.
But then again, what of it? What tangible significance has it made on my life and the lives of those who helped me get there, who cared enough to encourage me and let me shine? Where are they?
My mother is still here, thank God that I still have a chance to "pay her back" for all the years she has reared me. But Papa, he's "asleep" six feet under, awaiting Christ's second coming. My sister Joy is in Singapore, my 'bunso' (youngest sibling) Amy is leaving for London soon.
How about my mentors, Jojo and Kuya Rogil Flores? My make-up artists, Tita Jeanne and Tita Atlas? Where could they be? I wonder if they are still in the country. I wonder if I could still have a chance to make them feel how deeply grateful I am for all the help they've given me. I don't think I have really thanked them enough.
My city, Pasig, is still on the map. It is thriving, it is growing. My town, Sta. Lucia, what of it now? I haven't visited it in years..
The pages of my lifebook has quite a number of open-ended chapters. As God is the Author of that lifebook, He will give fitting 'endings' to those chapters -- if He wills it. At 32, I haven't really reached the peak yet, I haven't reached my full potential and exhausted "all of me" so I could be the kind of person that God has designed me to be. I am yet to get to the top of my game, I am yet to endure a thousand laps towards a strong finish. I am yet to do what He really wants me to do.
Will I get there? Will I endure further? Will I scale the slopes to reach the peak and wonder at the beauty of the horizon?
Only God knows. For now, I can only move forward and pray that next year would be better.
Today's my 32nd birthday, "wala na sa kalendaryo.." (not in the calendar anymore.) In all honesty, I actually prefer backward-23 but there's no such thing. Facebook has a greeting card which says, "Age is just a number, and mine is not listed." Well, I do consider age as just as a symbol for the number of years I've been temporarily "lodging" on "Earth."
Maybe it's a sort of defense mechanism... but I also believe that "Age is just a state of mind." The mind is the most powerful organ in the human body and I've proven first-hand for several times that the condition of my brain dictates the way I look.
One case in point was when I felt so old, tired and weary and the thought in my mind as I was entering the door to the office was "I feel so harrassed." Faster than the snap of a finger after I've thought of that, one of my 'younger brothers' who saw me remarked, "You look so harrassed!" It ironically brought a smile to my heart and I actually replied, "Thanks for the compliment!" in all sincerity. I felt it as a sort of validation to how transparent I was as a person.
So, I'm not really surprised about the state of my health these days. Aside from the fact that I haven't been able to run in months because I've been losing sleep, the constant thought in my mind is "I need some rest." I just can't take a rest, though. Not... yet.
I know that God knows my heart and He's the only ultimate judge of the motivation behind everything that I do. I know that if I need to be disciplined, He will discipline me. If I need to be reminded first before He disciplines me, He will remind me first. If I need to be consoled, He will console me. If I need to be uplifted, He will uplift me. If I need to be assured, He will assure me; if I need to be rewarded, He will reward me.
Nine years has passed since that 'peak' in my life when God allowed me to have the limelight for a few hours, when the stage was mine, when everybody sort of knew me, when I was a winner and felt that everything was possible. It would be an understatement to say that nothing much has happened. Well, a lot has happened since July 2000 when I had "glory," when a sparkling crown was on my head and camera lights flickered on every side.
But then again, what of it? What tangible significance has it made on my life and the lives of those who helped me get there, who cared enough to encourage me and let me shine? Where are they?
My mother is still here, thank God that I still have a chance to "pay her back" for all the years she has reared me. But Papa, he's "asleep" six feet under, awaiting Christ's second coming. My sister Joy is in Singapore, my 'bunso' (youngest sibling) Amy is leaving for London soon.
How about my mentors, Jojo and Kuya Rogil Flores? My make-up artists, Tita Jeanne and Tita Atlas? Where could they be? I wonder if they are still in the country. I wonder if I could still have a chance to make them feel how deeply grateful I am for all the help they've given me. I don't think I have really thanked them enough.
My city, Pasig, is still on the map. It is thriving, it is growing. My town, Sta. Lucia, what of it now? I haven't visited it in years..
The pages of my lifebook has quite a number of open-ended chapters. As God is the Author of that lifebook, He will give fitting 'endings' to those chapters -- if He wills it. At 32, I haven't really reached the peak yet, I haven't reached my full potential and exhausted "all of me" so I could be the kind of person that God has designed me to be. I am yet to get to the top of my game, I am yet to endure a thousand laps towards a strong finish. I am yet to do what He really wants me to do.
Will I get there? Will I endure further? Will I scale the slopes to reach the peak and wonder at the beauty of the horizon?
Only God knows. For now, I can only move forward and pray that next year would be better.
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