Lights On Path

Just Like the Moon

2011-03-16T12:02:00.000+08:00

The moon is a wonderful attraction during the night. Its glow and its phases have fascinated my eyes from time to time.

It was July 20, 1969 when the first man stepped onto the surface of the moon and found out many things about it. The moon is not as beautiful as we see it on earth. Men who already walked on the moon described it as dark and have lots of holes on it, so it is not a compliment when somebody told you that you are as beautiful as the moon. The moon does not have its own light. The moonlight we see here on earth is just a reflection of the light that comes from the sun and with that I came to realize that the moon is a good illustration of who we are as Christians. Metaphorically, we, Christians, do not deserve to be loved by God because of our iniquities.

“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” ~ Isaiah 64:6

Truly, indeed that we are like filthy rags because of the sins we have in our lives but because of His love, He gave His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to redeem us and cleanse us from all these unrighteousness and with that we became lights of this world.

“That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;” ~Philippians 2:15

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” ~Matthew 5:16

Just like the moon, let the light of His glory be reflected onto others that they may glorify His holy and mighty name.

A Wise Doctor

2011-03-16T12:00:00.000+08:00

This content was taken from here. It was a very good inspiration for us to know so I decided to put it here in my blog for others to see.

A worried woman went to her gynecologist and said:
Doctor, I have a serious problem and desperately need your help!
My baby is not even 1 yr. old and I’m pregnant again.
I don’t want kids so close together.

So the doctor said: ‘Ok, and what do you want me to do?’

She said: ‘I want you to end my pregnancy, and I’m counting on your help with this.’

The doctor thought for a little, and after some silence he said to the lady:
‘I think I have a better solution for your problem. It’s less dangerous for you, too.’

She smiled, thinking that the doctor was going to accept her request.
Then he continued:
‘You see, in order for you not to have to take care of 2 babies at the same time,
let’s kill the one in your arms. This way, you could rest some before the other one is born.
If we’re going to kill one of them, it doesn’t matter which one it is.
There would be no risk for your body if you chose the one in your arms.

The lady was horrified and said: ‘No doctor! How terrible! It’s a crime to kill a child!
‘I agree’, the doctor replied. ‘But you seemed to be ok with it, so I thought maybe that
was the best solution. The doctor smiled, realizing that he had made his point.
He convinced the mom that there is no difference in killing a child that’s already been
born and one that’s still in the womb.
The crime is the same!

If you agree, please forward.

Together we can help save precious

Flavorful Tea Bags

2011-03-16T11:57:00.000+08:00

I would like to share a beautiful and inspiring illustration about people that I once heard from my pastor as he delivers his message one Sunday morning. It was about the parable of the flavorful tea bags.

Teas on the supermarket nowadays, comes from different flavors, there are jasmine, mint, hazelnut and many more, but what is amazing is, you cannot tell if one flavor tastes great unless you soak it on a cup of hot water and drink.

The box of assorted teabags represents us, individuals with different personalities. The hot water, on the other hand, represents the trials that come in our way. Whenever we experience problems and sufferings in our lives, our true flavor comes out.

The challenge here is, what flavor do you have, when soaked on a cup of hot water?

Carpe Diem

2011-03-16T11:55:00.000+08:00

Carpe Diem is a phrase from a Latin poem written by Horace which means “seize the day”. It is a fact to everyone of us that life is unpredictable, even the Bible tells us that, we should not boast for tomorrow for we do not know what tomorrow will bring us. Life begins and surely will end, that end is we do not know. Death comes like a thief in the night.

What if God gave you the opportunity to know when your life will end, and that day will be tomorrow. How will you spend this day? Maybe, for some, they will spend all day with their love ones and enjoy it, however, that will never happen. Life was designed with full of surprises that even its end is unknown.

Each day is a gift that we should enjoy. It is a good thing that we should make the best of it while it is not too late. Show every one you love how you really loved them. Appreciate the people who make you feel special and most importantly, make sure where your soul is going.

“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” ~ Mark 8:36

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” ~ John 3:16

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” ~ Romans 10:9

A Challenge About Being a Good Steward.

2010-09-03T18:13:00.000+08:00

This question was raised during our Sunday School at church last Sunday. I would like to see some answers.

The Bible said...

"And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. (KJV) ~Luke 14:25-33"

On the other hand,

"Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. ~1 Corinthians 4:2"

We are stewards of everything we have including family, work, studies and possessions, and we need to be faithful with these, however the passage in Luke 14: 25-33 said that we should forsake everything to be a good disciple of the Lord. In addition to this, we cannot serve two masters.

What if one sunday, your wife ask you to stay at home because she is not feeling well. Will you go to church and be a good disciple or stay at home and be a good husband?

Did God Make a Mistake?

2010-07-30T16:24:00.003+08:00

One day, there were two farmers sitting under an apple tree. While enjoying the shade of the tree, one of them whose name is Tom asked his fellow John. “Haven’t you notice this apple tree? It’s bigger than those watermelons we have on the other side of the farm yet its fruit is smaller than those watermelons. God must have been mistaken,” he said. “Big trees should have big fruits and small trees should have small fruit” he added as he smiles as if he knows best. After saying those words an apple fell on his head. “That is the reason why God did not make apples bigger than of those watermelons, because if He did, this might be your last day.” said John.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

God has a reason behind every situation. We may find it hard to see His purpose many times but we should always bear in mind that His ways are perfect and His wisdom is far too better than ours.

Truths About LIFE

2010-06-26T11:22:00.003+08:00

Each of us has different views about life, some enjoys it but some don’t. Some look at it as exciting but for some it is frustrating. What is life? Do we really know everything about it? I would like to give three simple truths on how I define it personally.

1. LIFE IS A MATTER OF CHOICE. God created man with minds that can decide for their own. Apology for those who believes in destiny but I believe that life is a matter of choosing. I believe in a fact that God already has plans for us even before we are born yet it is our choice to follow or not to follow. Who are we today are the product of our decisions in the past and who we are tomorrow depends on what decisions we make today.

2. LIFE IS UNPREDICTABLE. What happens in the past will never be the same today, or even tomorrow. Life is full of surprises, new challenges waits as we continue to unfold its chapters. Nobody knows what will happen to them in the future; even a fortune teller cannot tell what will happen to him/her in the next hours. King Solomon of Israel once said, “Boast not thy self of to morrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” It is of a truth that there is no assurance for tomorrow.

3. LIFE IS SHORT. Life is likened to a vapor that appears in a short time and then it vanishes away. Days run so fast that you would not even realize it ends. If you would recall the days where you used to play in the sand, when you ride the school bus, when you first met your first crush, it just like yesterday, you even did not notice that wrinkles on your face starts to appear and that you needed to buy a dye to color your hair. Life may have given you thousands of smiles and tears but this one thing is for sure. IT HAS AN END.

Three basic truths about life: Life is short, it is unpredictable, and thus we don’t know when it ends, so make the best choice out of it. Will you live it with sense, or waste it with nonsense?

Winning and Loosing in Facing the Giants

2010-06-25T11:38:00.002+08:00

“If God will not give us a baby, Will you still love Him?” a question asks by Grant Taylor to his wife when he found out that it is impossible for them to have a baby. I wonder how many people living in this world would say YES to this question.

From the movie, Facing the Giants, Grant Taylor is a coach of a football team, where winning is so hard to get. He is a husband for four years but never been a father. One day he decided to talk to a doctor, the doctor told him that it is impossible for him and his wife to have a baby. After a while, while looking for his assistant coach, he saw the parents and the school board planning to petition him as coach. It was the hardest time of his life, but what is inspiring about this man is, he never asks God why, but blessed Him instead.

It is easy for us to say a prayer of thanks or even sing praises to God when everything seems alright. What if the doctor tells you that you have a cancer and you only have one more year to live? Will you say, Lord I praise you and glorify you, thy will be done? Or Lord, why me?

Remember what Paul said, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Everything has a purpose, whether the situation is good as winning or bad as loosing, let us all put into our hearts the motto of Shiloh Eagles, “Praise God when we WIN and Praise God when we Loose.” Win or Loose, God deserves our praises.

Less Than a Cup of Water

2010-06-24T16:35:00.004+08:00

A fog is a mist of cloud on the ground that can cover 1 to 2 kilometers of your block. Others look at it as a wonderful phenomenon, but for some it is hazardous because it decreases visibility that can cause street accidents. Do you know how much water does fog contain? According to Michel Verheughe, top contributor of http://answers.yahoo.com, at 15 C, which is the average temperature at sea level, on earth, a cubic meter of fog contains roughly 13 grams of water. If the temperature falls to 0 C, which is the freezing point, then the same cubic meter of fog (saturated air) can contain only roughly 5 grams of water. 13 grams of water is just less than a cup of water.

Worries can be likened to a fog, though it is psychological, it affects our entire being. It makes things complicated and makes the future unclear. It stops us from doing our plans because we fear that it will not succeed, in that case many opportunities are wasted because of it. Many of us became slaves of worries and that includes me. There was a time I also suffered from it until I read what Paul said, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind.” Paul was true, why do we worry when God is with us. God is great, His power covers the entire universe and worry is just like a less than a cup of water.

Relationship Pyramid

2010-06-23T09:37:00.001+08:00

Pyramids of Egypt are one of the best sceneries we have nowadays. Pyramids have base, it is the first stage of a pyramid which is the widest part of it. As they grow higher the parts become narrower and smaller. The last part is the tip, the highest but smallest part of a pyramid.

Relationships on the other hand, can also be likened unto a pyramid. It also has its base and a tip. The first stage of a relationship is the time where both couples are starting to know each other. Both of them have their own circles of friends. As times pass by, their love grows deeper, thus, they become closer to each other and the people around them becomes lesser and lesser until they will come in a point where only the two of them remains together. This is the time, when relationship becomes harder, conflicts will start to arise and no other people around to help you solve these issues. Some relationships overcome such problems, where both couples live happily ever after, however, many relationships do not, and they often reach the tip separated, lonely and unhappy.

What is missing in these relationships is, they do not know what to put on the tip. Some put their money, careers and ambitions to it. They forget to put somebody to be with, as they stay together, as they face different situations in life. Somebody who can be their shelter during the rain, somebody who can be their comforter during the pain, somebody they can lean on. They forget God.

Love in Action

2010-06-22T14:30:00.000+08:00

Many people define love in many ways but never understand it very much. There are those people who know it, teach it and preach it but don’t truly live with it. Some people would say “I’ll cross a thousand rivers” but when they were asked for a little favor they walked away and say sorry I can’t do it. True love is not measured on how you define it but how you do it.

“It was for his bride, he left His throne in glory,
it was for his bride, he chose to be born in a manger,
it was for his bride, he suffered, bled and died” – Pastor Mike Layson

What a wonderful thing to know that a God so mighty, humbled himself because of LOVE. God did not just say “I love you son” but He gave up everything to show His love. Love is a sacrifice. Love without a sacrifice is vain. Sometimes, loving someone needs to have a consequence, and that consequence could sometimes be your entire life.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
~ John 15:13