HOW TO STAND OUT

(GUSTO MO BA SUMIKAT?) A personal reflection on the 2nd Sunday of #Lent 2018

Life is hard. Kung minsan hindi mo alam kung kakayanin mo pa. But here’s the good news. God will be with you all the way. Walang iwanan. He even leads the way as you climb life’s troubles. 

Mark 9:2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. 

Jesus leads the way so we can conquer our “mountains". We are called to endure the difficulties because there is a great reward at the end of the journey. The reward is God himself!

Mark 9:2 “...And he was transfigured before them”

Have you ever climbed a mountain? It can be very tiring. The pathway is rough. Your backpack becomes a burden as you go up. Your breathing becomes harder. Every step becomes heavier as you move forward. Parang gusto mo na sumuko at bumalik na lang. But don't give up. Because all these is nothing compared to the prize when you reach the summit. You will be in awe with the beauty of nature, recharged by the fresh air and relaxed with the sight of the clear blue sky. You will feel that you're on top of the world. All of life’s trials is nothing compared to experiencing the glory of God. Bale wala ang hirap pag ang Diyos ang iyong kaharap!

Mark 9:3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.

Peter wanted to stay there because it was so awesome! He wanted the great feeling to last forever.

Mark 9:5 Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. 

He forgot about his troubles during that special moment. In that occassion, it felt like it was only him and God. No distractions. No troubles. No pain. All joy.

Mark 9:8 Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them.

That must have been such an experience, right? If you had that experience, you would go out and share it to a hundred or to a thousand. Maybe not only thousands. You would share it to as many people as possible. But God told them to wait. He asked them to wait for the right moment.

Mark 9:9 As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

So, paano ba sumikat? How can one shine or stand out? By following God & being courageous. Peter, James, and John obeyed God.

Mark 9:10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant.

They became courageous when Jesus rose from the dead. This should also give us the courage to face our problems head on. It gives us the confidence to follow Jesus all the way. When we follow Jesus, His glory shines on us. Then, we are able to shine out His glory to others. Kaya kung gusto mo sumikat, sumikat ka para sa Diyos!

Are you afraid? Don’t be.

Are you experiencing problems? Just wait.

What can you do? Be brave & obey God. 

Because when we are courageous we shine out for Jesus! - alvinfabella@yahoo.com

#Lent2018

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HAS GOD FORSAKEN YOU?

PINABAYAAN KA NA BA NG DIYOS?
1st Sunday of #Lent2018

Everyone undergoes a desert experience. No one is spared. Even the Son of God had it.

Mark 1:12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.

A desert is a dry, barren land with no sign of life. You feel isolated when you are there. No friends. No enemies. Just you, the sun and the sand. Because of this one becomes weak and when we are weak the enemies attacks.

Mark 1:13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; 

Isa ka lang at madami sila. Mahirap yan.

But no worries. Because God never leaves us. God says in Matthew 28:20 that HE will never leave us. So, in the midst of the attacks of the devil & wild animals, GOD sends HIS angels.

Mark 1:13 "....and the angels ministered to him."

If the desert experience is difficult and challenging, why does GOD allow us to undergo it? Is it necessary? Bakit parang pinabayaan tayo mg Diyos?

My personal reflection on today's Gospel is this - GOD allows you to SINK so you can SPRING UP for HIM!

God allows you to sink not that you may stay in that deep pit. God allows you to sink so you can realize how much you need God. The purpose of the desert is to prepare your heart so that you can move on to the next big step. What's the next big step?

Mark 1:14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God 15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel."

Jesus started to preach after his desert experience. He rose up from the deep to make the big leap. The big leap for God. The same applies to you.

Be thankful if you are in the desert now. Because your desert is your springboard to give glory to God

#Lent2018

IT AIN’T A GO UNTIL GOD SAYS “GO”

Noah waited for a loooong time for the flood to subside. He waited until he saw a sign when “the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth a freshly plucked olive leaf; so Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth” (Genesis 8:11)

Yes! Finally, a fresh leaf means a tree therefore dry land is here! So did Noah go out of the ark to find this dry land. No. He did what most of us would not do. Verse 12 says “Then he waited another seven days and sent forth the dove.”

Maybe Noah just wanted to make sure. But his first assumption about dry land must be correct because the last phrase of verse 12 says that the dove “did not return to him anymore.” The dove must have found a place to stay already.

Noah now has two confirmations of dry land. Did he go out now to look for it? Not yet. Maybe he was a skeptic. Because had to personally check and see it with his own eyes. So he “removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry.” (Genesis 8:13)

Noah now has two confirmations plus he personally saw dry land. If I were Noah I would broadcast the good news to my family, prepare our things, prepare the animals and start leaving the ark. After waiting for a looooong time that would be the logical approach. So what does Noah do? He waits again. In fact, he waits for another month!

Wow! I am beginning to think that Noah does not really want to step out of the ark. Maybe he prefers this fully packed boat with stinky animals compared to the open dry land with fresh air.

What the heck was Noah waiting for?

He was waiting for the “GO” of God. Verse 15-16 says - Then God said to Noah, “Go forth from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you.”

And right after that, “he went forth, and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him” (Genesis 8:18)

Noah had two signs and personally saw dry land but he did not act based on what he knew. He waited. He knew that God knew better. He waited for God. Good things come to those who wait.

Are you waiting for something? Pray about it. Wait for God. Because it ain't a GO till God says GO. - alvinfabella@yahoo.com

WHY IS 1>99?

“Gandang tanghali po!”

I turned to my right and saw a man who was smiling. He looked like he was only in his 30s. He was wearing a plain white shirt, white shorts and not so white sneakers. His outfit showed that he was a patient in the Drug Rehab Center where I would be giving a talk. The venue was a bit humid. It was an open space room with one electric fan that had seen better days. This man's smile & friendly greeting was a great antidote for the warm temperature.

“Magandang tanghali kapatid!” I replied back to him. “Excited ka na ba sa talk?”

He did not answer my question. Instead, he shared his past. He told me that he was caught several times for his use of illegal drugs. Then he is released after he settles what the authorities called “bail”. He smiled and said, “pero parang di naman 'bail' kasi iba-iba ang presyo.” Unfortunately, in his last arrest, he could not come up with the required amount. That’s how he ended up in this facility.

He told me that he did not believe in God. Because he could not find God in his past life. Because Jesus was nowhere in sight when he was caught by the police. Because he did not feel His Spirit inside the prison cell. Because God was not with him during his darkest moments. All these led him to conclude that there is no God.

He paused for a while. He then showed me that familiar smile and said, “pero dati pa yun!” He shared that the talks he heard the past weeks made him change his mind. He now believes that God is real. He realized that he did not feel God because his bad habit kept him away from God. Now, he is committed to change his life for God. He is now committed to love God and others.

I felt good after our conversation. I gave a talk to 44 patients of the rehab center on how God can change their lives. The humid venue did not bother me anymore. The air from the ancient fan felt like the cool breeze of Tagaytay. I felt better because this seminar is all about giving these men an opportunity to change. I ended my talk by praying over the participants. I prayed that positive change may start & continue in their lives.

Each person deserves a chance to reform his life. That is how Jesus looks at each one of us. I believe that it is how we should look at each person also.

So why is 1>99?

Because every soul is worth saving.

Luke 15:4 What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? 

#ShareAboutJesus

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR GOD

“The fever left her... – Mark 1:31

My 10-year-old nephew, Heinz, was diagnosed with Wilms tumor last January 27, 2017. This is a common type of kidney cancer in children. The doctor reviewed the CT scan results and explained to my brother how serious the condition was. He recommended that Heinz undergo surgery in two to three days to remove one of his kidneys. The tumor will then undergo biopsy to determine what stage the cancer is.

Tumor. Surgery. Removal of kidney. Cancer stage. Chemotherapy. Radiation. All these words came as a shock to our family, especially since it involves a 10-year-old boy. We had no option but to pray to God.

The surgery was done as scheduled and was successful. We got the biopsy results five days later, and the findings surprised us. The tumor was benign! It was an extremely rare case of hemangioma, a benign tumor composed of blood vessels only. Heinz was cancer-free!

Do you need a miracle now? Approach Jesus and trust in His powerful intervention. -  alvinfabella@yahoo.com

Reflect: What miracles has God done for you lately?

Originally posted in http://kerygmafamily.com/modules/dailyreadings/read.php?date=2018-02-04