When God Speaks

I once read from an author that God can speak to us in many different ways. Sure, the Bible is there and God speaks to us through His word when we meditate on it regularly, but this guy was saying there are other ways God can speak to us. Blasphemous you say? I think not. He said that there were times when God spoke through movies, other times maybe through songs, just little instances where messages came through and he knew that it was an answer to some of the things he was going through.

Obviously God wouldn't speak through songs with lyrics like "I wanna see your peacock" (which incidentally I overheard someone playing on their mobile phone) or in movies like say Saw, but there are times when I felt like God was telling me something through the things I read.

I remember one particular time when I was browsing the editorial section of a newspaper and came across two editorial columns which talked of two entirely different things altogether. One was written by a renowned hard-hitting journalist while the other was a guest writer. One talked about the struggles of Fil-Ams with their identity and wealth while the other talked about his work.

The Fil-Am struggles were highlighted by the penchant to work to death for material things and the signs that go with wealth and success like cars, gadgets, and so on while normal Filipinos can go on contentedly with smiles on their faces without these symbols of affluence. The other guy talked about his dreams of getting a dream job in "skyscraper city" after leaving the province but ended up feeling frustrated because he wasn't in it wholly. After getting a job as a research assistant in a far-away province, he said that he found his sense of purpose and fulfillment. Imagine that, giving up a high-paying job and trading it for one where his passion was.

Which brings me to the question: What did God say to me through these insights? My mind raced back to what the wise man said toward the end of his life "Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 2:11). I think what's important is what God wants me to do and not what I think what's good for me. I suppose everyone should prayerfully consider that; what is that thing God wants to do so that His purpose may be carried out in each individual. Time to get going.

The fine line between belief and doubt

"If you can? said Jesus. Everything is possible for him who believes." Mark 9:23

You can read: Mark 9:17-29

We often take things into our own hands. Why not? If there is a problem, we often can come up with a solution. If there is something that needs to be fixed, we find way to get it done. So , in our reliance on our strength, we need not consider what God can do, and he is always relegated to the sidelines. Then, when a situation comes aling which we cannot handle, we turn to God in prayer but deep down inside is a question of whether God will be able to see you through that situation.

I really liked the way Jesus replied to the father whose son had an evil spirit tormenting him. In response to the dad's remark that maybe Jesus can heal his son, the Lord replied with a frank "If you can?" as if to say, are you really trying me? After which came a remark that everything is possible for him who believes.

We can be like that sometimes, bringing our problems to God, yet doubting His ability to take care of it. In His wisdom, he gently reminds us that if we believe, things can and will happen. Just believe.

Name association

"A good name is more desirable than great riches, to be esteemed is better than silver or gold" Proverbs 22:1

You can read: Proverbs 22:1-6

When you leave this world behind, what would it remember you by? Were you someone who spread goodness and cheer, or were you someone who led by cunning, deceit and wrong intentions?

A name conjures up feelings of good or bad that are associated with it. For example, you hear the name Sy, Tan, Ayala or Lopez, and you instantly associate that with the biggest families in business in the country. Or you hear Francis Kong, Andrew Liuson, and you know that these are successful businessmen who are also very vocal about their faith.

Then you read about Bernie Maddof, and then the connection switches instantly. Here now is a rich Wall Street financial broker, now infamous because of duping people into a sophisticated pyramiding scheme.

When others hear your name, what would they associate it with? Why don't we all take some time out and reflect about what our name would be associated with?

Once for all

"Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself." Hebrews 7:27

You can read: Hebrews 7:26-28

Some people have a hard time comprehending that Jesus died once for all. There are still those who believe that they can earn their way into God's presence through repetitive prayers or event through their own merit.

The bible is very clear that the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross is enough for us to be cleansed of all unrighteousness. He was the perfect sacrifice, therefore, there is no more need for any other sacrifices in order to gain God's favor.

As people who have faith in Christ, we can also tell this to others who may still think it needs some effort on their part before God accepts them. We can tell them of the great sacrifice Jesus paid one time upon the cross to set us free and keep us alive.

Sawdust and planks

"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?" Matthew 7:3

You can read: Matthew 7:1-5

Sometimes there are verses in the Bible that make you think about theological stuff, which sometimes needs fancy high-falutin terms in order to get an explanation. Sometimes, there are verses that are so straightforward and practical that only a fool would miss its meaning.

Take a quick look at what Jesus said about judging. Simple, yet straight to the point. Why look at others when you can't see the fault with yourself? Very true. There are times when we get upset with others because we find a little bit of our fault in the things they do. Unconsciously, we correct others because of faults we cannot correct ourselves.

So instead of quickly pointing an accusing finger on others, check yourself out first, maybe it's you who needs a fixing, before you try to fix others.

Have Faith

"Have faith in God," Jesus answered.” Mark 11:22

You can read: Mark 11:20-25

We can sometimes look at the mountain or turn our focus on God. Troubles come, hardships can make us feel weary, we can also look at our problems instead of the opportunities they present, but God tells us to always have faith in Him.

The disciples were amazed at Jesus' declaration upon a fig tree. In the earlier parts of Mark 11, Jesus and the disciples were hungry and looked for something to eat. They came upon a fig tree, and finding it bare, Jesus declared that no one would eat from it again. The disciples remembered, and after a few moments, they came back and saw that the tree had withered, and Jesus declaration came true. When they asked how He did it, Jesus replied by saying, have faith in God.

How many times have we really declared our faith in God? Do we always see God first before the problem? Or de we always see the obstacles first before realizing God's power in our lives? God is always there to provide us with what we need. All it takes is faith in Him.

The true object of worship

"When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, The gods have come down to us in human form!" Acts 14:11

You can read: Acts 14:8-15

There are preachers, and then there are good preachers. There are good leaders, and then there are leaders who have ordained themselves gods and ask their followers to submit to them and whatever they require.

This isn't a new thing. We have heard of people like Jim Jones, David Koresh and the likes. But even before these personalities developed their god status, Paul and Barnabas were also worshipped as gods but they constantly rebuked those who did so, saying they were only messengers of God and they were proclaiming what they have seen and witnessed.

People who bear God's message and who possess great communication and interpersonal skills are merely God's messengers. They are merely people who have extraordinary abilities to convey God's message. They are not gods to be worshipped or revered, all that is due only to God who created everything and who is sovereign over all.