"Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness." 1 John 2:9 (ESV)

In Luke 10:30-32, there is a man who was robbed and was left half-dead. But on the next two verses, a priest and a Levite, saw the poor man. But what happen is unexpected, they didn't gave their time to help the man.

Being a worshiper is good. Having a good and strong one-to-one relationship with God is good. But God doesn't want us to dwell and focus in strengthening our vertical ties. 

Genuine vertical relationship with God makes us strong in the horizontal too.

We should help our brothers and sisters especially when they are in need. Along with purity and holiness, we should pursue love and compassion for others.

There is no such thing as loving our God and we don't love the people around us. We can't worship and honor Him and ignore His children.

Rejoice in fellowship. Avoid conflicts with one another. Cherish the fellowship, and help each other in your walk with Christ.

Read 1 Corinthians 13: "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant  or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." 

 

"We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;  persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;" 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (NIV)

Before glory, there is trouble. Before happiness, there is persecution.

Christianity did not promise us a fully perfect life in this world. The way that we embrace the Cross - The work that was done by Jesus - is not an easy way. We get persecuted, we are accused of being a bigot, we are expelled by the norms of this world.

We are not "born-again" to have a little comfort in this world. At least, not yet.

What can we do? Does this mean that we should not get out of our homes and just whine and sit in the corner?

No.

In fact, we should GO. Not by ourselves. Quit being a loner. Quit being a loser. God is with you my brother/sister. Hold on to His promises. Walk with His Spirit.

The world out there cannot break the Spirit within you. It is true that we can't get happiness from this world, BUT WE CAN GET HAPPINESS FROM GOD.

Reflect. Don't lean on discouragement. Refuse it. The mercy of God will make you soar. He will overcome.

I decided to take a break on my daily devotionals postings, currently they are saved in my drafts so that I can just edit it and post it. For now, I would like to talk about something relevant to the lives of us youth.

As you read the title above, you might think that I am going to post about love. Well, let me tell that this post ain't gonna be cheesy.

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." Ezekiel 36:26 (NIV)

Reflecting on this verse, it says here that we have hearts of stone. Why stone? Stone is hard, compact, almost unbreakable (or cannot break on normal means) and non-living. It is the best comparison that our unsaved/"ungraced"/"unmercified" hearts can have.

Our hearts of stone exhibits pride, sometimes we take decisions in a "stonely" manner. We let the enemy deceive us to the point that decisions are almost equal to denials, therefore leading to the "fail" decision.

But God laid His grace on us, He gave us a new heart. HEART OF FLESH. LIVING, BEATING. It has EMOTIONS, FEELINGS AND.....a SPIRIT.

That is why in God we can make the right decisions, in God we can venture straight roads to success.

If you need to decide, let Him decide. If you want an answer, let Him answer. If you want something, let Him.


Lastly, place your heart to God. Let Him protect it for you. Let Him guide you.

"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ." 2 Corinthians 4:6 (NIV)

How much time do we spend in gratitude and praise?

Do you know that those who spend time in worship are filled with joy. Filled with grace, filled with peace. Who can ever not desire it?

Paul wrote this verse in the context of hardship, yet, he talked about being "a light in the darkness," meaning, worship sparks a light in the individual. Even in the face of problems, the worshiper shines, and fills the surrounding with his/her light.

That is why we are needed in this dark world. Blind people cannot see the nature. But when they hear about its beauty, they crave for it. Same for the unbelievers. They cannot see the relevance of having a God in their lives.They cannot comprehend about glory. But they see it on the worshiper and begins to desire it.


The light that God installed to us is like an invisible magnet. It draws your family in. Your friends, your professors, your orgmates, even your enemies. 

The only way for the non-Christians see the essence is when a worshiper loves His glory, plunges himself/herself on it and worships God for it. That is why we, "the salt and the light," are relevant on this salvation-hungry generation.


Let us step-up, LET US BUILD THE MOMENTUM IN LOVE. BECAUSE THEY NEED GOD.

"...we have renounced secret and shameful ways..." 2 Corinthians 4:2 (NIV)

Purity. Have you living a life of purity this past few days? Surely, being pure isn't easy. It deals a lot of conviction and realization before one can attain such feat. And because we live in a world that can crush convictions, purity is almost an impossible word.

Let us be reminded. Nothing is impossible when it comes to God. With the power called grace, purity is certain.

In fact, Paul and the other apostles achieved purity. They transmitted the message of God in the way it is supposed to be. Honest speech, an unadulterated message, a clean lifestyle, a holy morality, and a self-sacrificing ambition - they all lived with purity, with holiness. Yes, human nature sometimes had the tendency to manifest on their ways. But they trusted God. They just let the Spirit overflow in their lives.

What made them "purity warriors" is their relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. They experienced Jesus' purity.

Good news. We can experience Jesus also. Let us open our eyes. Ask for His grace.

Then one day, we'll find ourselves what God wants us to be. No dishonesty, no immorality, no secret maneuverings and ulterior motives. 

"Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart." 2 Corinthians 4:1 (NIV)

Discouragement is really a part of human life. It is a cycle that will occur in our lives, we faced it, and we will still face it. Being discouraged is okay, for it promotes critical response and case studies. But what was done in excess is bad, so is discouragement. Sometimes; suicide, murder and other crimes can be rooted in cases of discouragement. Sin can be a cause of discouragement evolving to hatred or envy.

I also experience discouragement. But with God's help, I am coping up and learning to not live in it.

How?

Think about His mercy. Reflect on God's well-being. That He is not a condemner, not judgmental, not passive, not prideful. That He is the God of LOVE, WISDOM, POWER, PROVISION.

For me, it is really an honor that I can worship this God, for I know that He will be always there for me, in good times and bad times. Having God in my life is really encouraging.

So whenever you feel the stress, "leave it in the top of the cliff and jump" (not literal hehe), for His mercy will surely catch you, and you will fins yourself hanging in the clouds with His peace in your heart. 

"The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name." Acts 5:41

Are you being persecuted? Are you experiencing trials when it comes to your faith? If your answer is yes, don't feel discouraged. Instead of whining in the corner because someone teased you about your beliefs, read the verse indicated above. In Acts 5:27-42, the apostles of Jesus who are preaching the gospel to the Sanhedrin were flogged and mocked by the authorities, yet they still happily fled the place and worshiped His name.

Nowadays, it is common for us Christians to be persecuted verbally. Those who are worshipers of science and reason will seek us so that they can refute our convictions. But don't fear, brother/sister. It  is said by Jesus that for every suffering we experience because of His Name, joy and blessings will follow.

Don't be filled with misery, fill your hearts with the graceful love of our God. 

"O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name." Daniel 9:19

You are a physical testimony of God's grace. You are a Christian, saved by the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. That is why you bear His name, you are the living testimony of the change that was brought upon you the moment you surrendered everything to Him.

Yet sometimes we don't show people who we are as His children. We sometimes put ourselves in a situation where we seem to embrace some of the actions that the world offers. And that action puts His name in a futile and disgusting reputation. Then the persecution starts, we became bigots and hypocrites for some.

Our forefathers always pray for the glory of God to prevail in a place or event. This is because the main purpose and goal of whatever they were doing are not for their own fame and glory, it is for God's glory.

So whatever we do, always keep in mind that those who are non-Christians will always scrutinize us, seeing if a change is evident in our actions. By doing so, we became a magnet that will pull those who don't believe to the love of God. 

"Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy." Daniel 9:19

We always make requests. When you are in a fast food chain, you tend to make a request to the waiter/waitress your desired meal. When the classroom is untidy and it can't be cleaned with normal means, you ask the janitor to help you out. In this world, we make request to those people  that in terms of their status, somewhat lower (customer-employee relationship) or equal to us (camaraderie).

Sometimes, when it comes on having terms with God, we tend to take pride and view ourselves equal to Him. We look ourselves righteous enough, sometimes we tend to treat Him as our personal assistant. These instances are foolish. The thing is, human righteousness should not be the basis of our prayers. It is like a filthy rag that makes things worse.

We should view our prayers as an act of reverence to God's mercy. It is by His grace that we receive His blessings, not because we deserve it. He looks at us in mercy, and in mercy He answers. Take off the pride and take note of His merciful presence when we make a request to Him.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:8-10

Looking back when I was a child, I always spend my free times doing household chores. Obedient, isn't it? But I actually do the washing as long as my parents will reward me. And sometimes, this occurs with the relationship we have with Christ: we tend to worship Him or acknowledge Him when we want or expect something from Him.

Bad news. This isn't the cycle of Christianity. The truth is, we are already rewarded, we are already saved, thus we do not have to do all the chores to gain a favor from God.

What? Does this mean that I can have an excuse on doing ungodly things?

No, for as said in the verse, WE AREN'T REDEEMED BECAUSE WE DO NICE/GOOD/GODLY THINGS, BUT WE DO GOOD WORKS BECAUSE WE ARE REDEEMED AND FREE.

That is why we still have to work, to worship Him and to bless those who are in need. And because of that, stop believing in your good works alone for salvation, for it is already done by the grace of God through Jesus' work on the Cross.