March to the Water

Does it seem like obeying God is like following a cloud - something uncertain, something you cannot understand, something that might make the situation worse? Does it seem like "against the cloud" is the better, wiser, more practical, maybe even only way to go? Read on; you're not the first one.

It must have been a horror. Right when they thought they were on their way to a freer, better life, they find their enemies after them, an army prepared for battle. There must have been frantic cries, mothers gathering their children, fathers trying to secure a weapon out of the common household items they carried, and a general cry to their leader, "What now?"

"Run, quickly!" Someone must have cried. But where? There was only the Red Sea in front of them, and nowhere else. 

Behind them death by the sword, before them death by drowning. Oh how they must have regretted seeking for freedom, how they must have thought that anything was better than this, anything - even a lifetime of bondage for themselves and all their children after them.

Why had they left in the first place? And why had they come through here in the second? They followed a cloud. A cloud, of all things!

But suddenly, the cloud moves between them and their enemies. And their leader stretched out his hand toward... the sea?! Okay? drowning, then? 

Yet he looked confident, peaceful. Perhaps it's alright. He has received instruction: "Go forward!" 

Alright. To the water!

How terrible it must have felt! And what a wonder it must have been! When as they moved toward the water that under normal circumstances would have swallowed them by the millions, the water parted before them, making a path of dry land for their feet.

And when they all - millions of them - have passed through the parted sea, and their enemies came after them, the water closed right back in. The trouble before has swallowed whole the trouble behind.

A miracle.

When I face the trials of tomorrow, may I be reminded of this:

A miracle's one of two requirements is the impossible. The other one is a God with whom all things are possible. Never be afraid of the impossibility, for it is only God's backdrop for a wonderful miracle. Simply trust, and obey. 

He bids them seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and His promise is that all things needful to them for this life shall be added. Worry is blind, and cannot discern the future; but Jesus sees the end from the beginning. In every difficulty He has His way prepared to bring relief. Our heavenly Father has a thousand ways to provide for us, of which we know nothing. Those who accept the one principle of making the service and honor of God supreme will find perplexities vanish, and a plain path before their feet.  {DA 330.1}  

God in His providence brought the Hebrews into the mountain fastnesses before the sea, that He might manifest His power in their deliverance and signally humble the pride of their oppressors. He might have saved them in any other way, but He chose this method in order to test their faith and strengthen their trust in Him. The people were weary and terrified, yet if they had held back when Moses bade them advance, God would never have opened the path for them. It was "by faith" that "they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land." Hebrews 11:29. In marching down to the very water, they showed that they believed the word of God as spoken by Moses. They did all that was in their power to do, and then the Mighty One of Israel divided the sea to make a path for their feet.  {PP 290.1}   

The great lesson here taught is for all time. Often the Christian life is beset by dangers, and duty seems hard to perform. The imagination pictures impending ruin before and bondage or death behind. Yet the voice of God speaks clearly, "Go forward." We should obey this command, even though our eyes cannot penetrate the darkness, and we feel the cold waves about our feet. The obstacles that hinder our progress will never disappear before a halting, doubting spirit. Those who defer obedience till every shadow of uncertainty disappears and there remains no risk of failure or defeat, will never obey at all. Unbelief whispers, "Let us wait till the obstructions are removed, and we can see our way clearly;" but faith courageously urges an advance, hoping all things, believing all things.  {PP 290.2}    

The cloud that was a wall of darkness to the Egyptians was to the Hebrews a great flood of light, illuminating the whole camp, and shedding brightness upon the path before them. So the dealings of Providence bring to the unbelieving, darkness and despair, while to the trusting soul they are full of light and peace. The path where God leads the way may lie through the desert or the sea, but it is a safe path.  {PP 290.3}  

Step forward in faith on to the path of obedience. Follow that cloud. March to the water.

This post is inspired by the experience of my friend, Lorie, who refused to take an important exam because it was on a Sabbath, at the risk of not being able to take her young career forward, despite her potentials. Yet, God honored her step of faith (sometimes manifested by a stubborn refusal to budge, whatever the cost). With much prayer, she was later granted a privilege of taking a special exam alone. But the results proved that she was not, after all, alone. By God's grace, she passed that career exam. And the beautiful thing? She had passed a much more important "test" just a little earlier. God must be beaming, "Well done!"

A Sinner's Prayer: a work finally finished

This is a piece I found as I was going through my files this morning. Apparently, I began to write it in October 2012, but didn't get to finish it until today. The parts in red are those I wrote almost three years back; the ones in blue I put in only today to finish the poem. 

A SINNER'S PRAYER

My heart is sore within me

My knees tremble as I kneel

I've had my way, I disobeyed

But I feel empty still

Lord, raise me from the mire

This is my soul's desire

Take away my guilt and fear

Wash me, this is my prayer.

I don't deserve to face You

But there is no one else.

There is no good in running,

Or hiding from Your grace.

Lord, free me from my chains

Your grace I humbly claim

I ask, save me not from pain,

But cleanse me, Lord, from sin.

What amazes me and drove me to post this piece is how much I can still relate to the sentiment expressed in the unfinished poem, so much so that I could still pick up the thought and continue it. But more than that, I am more amazed at how much more of God's grace I have come to understand by study and experience in the three-year gap. 

I think today of 1 John 1:9,"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Jesus loves us so much that the forgiveness He offers is not just a pardon from the sinful act committed, but also a cleansing from the unrighteousness within that causes the wrong act/thought/deed/sentiment. I love how Inspiration puts it in the book Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing:

But forgiveness has a broader meaning than many suppose. When God gives the promise that He "will abundantly pardon," He adds, as if the meaning of that promise exceeded all that we could comprehend: "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:7-9. God's forgiveness is not merely a judicial act by which He sets us free from condemnation. It is not only forgiveness for sin, but reclaiming from sin. It is the outflow of redeeming love that transforms the heart. David had the true conception of forgiveness when he prayed, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51:10. And again he says, "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us." Psalm 103:12.

My Redeemer is indeed faithful and true. Praise God for His wonderful mercy and matchless grace!

To the Dust Again, and From

Mercy, Father, for mercy I plead

Not for any argument, but my great need.

Where, if not to You?

From where else shall mercy flow?

So I bow to the ground whence I come

To be taken again by my Potter's hands.

My Choice Today

Today I refuse to be stressed about that which is beyond my choice or control.

Much of the past days/weeks were spent researching, writing, editing, printing, and binding the maiden issue of the foundation and school's newsletter, Arise! 

The first 100 copies of the maiden issue of Arise!

I've been sleeping over at the office with teammates so we could spend longer hours working, not only on the newsletter but on other office details as well. We came to a point when we had to drive the for-home-use printer to work 24/7, and six of us arranged our schedules so there's always someone printing at two-hour shifts twice each day. We began to sleep later and later, and wake up earlier and earlier until the final layout was ready for even more printing.

Then everyone else had to be busy with something else, or away, and I was left to print, sort, bind, and worry when the printer refuses to cooperate as deadlines approached without slowing. Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway), all other work was put on hold - encoding, printing, preparation for the next school term, even laundry, among others. Just thinking about the work (and dirty laundry) piling up sent my brain ticking.

Yesterday, we lost the electricity before I could reach the 200 mark. Early last night, the printer stopped printing the black parts. I worried and fretted and fussed and stressed.

But not today. Today the printer stopped working entirely, calling for a reset and manufacturer service. But I am not at all stressed, not a bit. This is God's work and the uncooperative printer is His problem. He has given us grace enough to meet the most urgent of needs - 300 copies of the newsletter have been sent to the Philippine Youth for Christ congress. I was hoping to send 200 more. But that is enough for now. 

One cannot cram everything into one day. Even God chose to take six days to make this world beautiful. 

"Creation did not crash when God rested; it won't crash when you do."

Our basic printer churning out the cover page of the newsletter.
Even this office setup is relatively tidy.Now imagine the floor
with two mattresses and pages upon pages covering every
square foot.

"One day at a time, sweet Jesus. That's all I'm asking from You. Just give me the strength to do everyday what I have to do. Yesterday's gone, sweet Jesus, and tomorrow may never be mine. So help me today; show me the way one day at a time."

So today I choose to smile and be happy, to do the work that lies nearest at hand, to "do [it] heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men," and to leave tomorrow's worries where they belong - to tomorrow.

Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof. Matthew 6:34 

Today I'm refusing to be stressed by anything. Printer stopped working? Good. I'll have time to wash the dishes, tidy up this office a little, encode a few documents, organize some files, finally call the technician (for the other abused copier), do some meditative reading (because it's easy to get caught up in the work of the Lord that we forget the Lord of the work), say hello to workmates who are suddenly no longer just motion blurs, drool over high-end, high-volume printers on the internet, and maybe even do a little laundry. 

God is merciful in that He sees the needs I could not see (or have been neglecting), and makes a way to meet them. 'Our heavenly Father has a thousand ways to provide for us, of which we know nothing." {DA 330}. And a blackout and an uncooperative printer are just two of them.

The Arise! Editorial staff in uniform shirts and eyebags from
the late nights/very early mornings. Praise God that there's
always joy in His service.

One For the Road

I found something pretty on my way to to the office down the hill today. See how there are six petals on one blossom? All the others had only five.

Yesterday, it was this calf that was apparently born just a few minutes before I came along. If you look close enough, you could see the placenta just beyond where the cows are. The mommy cow was really protective and got mad when I tried to pass. My heart skipped several beats when she attempted to charge at me thrice.

I follow this path at least once every day, and I thank the Lord for preparing something new and special for me every single time - a new thought,  clearer understanding, the green of the rice fields. the colors of the sunset sky, a friend to walk with, the scent of leaves, the other day my own shadow. So many things.

I could almost see Him point to a tiny blossom and excitedly say, "Look, love. This one opened today. It's for you. Ain't it pretty?" 

Then I get so excited about what else is in store for me along the way that I travel day by day, what else He almost can't wait to share with me.

He isn't just a God who sustains me and provides for me. He's someone who wants me to know joy and beauty in things both simple and profound. 

And what can David say more unto thee? for thou, Lord GOD, knowest thy servant.  For thy word's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all these great things, to make thy servant know [them]. Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for [there is] none like thee, neither [is there any] God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.  

  2 Samuel 7:20-22

and His promise:

Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.  Jeremiah 33:3

I just love being a child of the King. Don't you too?

On Loop in My Heart: God’s Goodness

God is good.

Did that sound cliché to you?

There just isn’t any other way to say it. It’s the closest I could get to expressing that wonderful truth.

God is good.

I could not, for the life of me, find any reason why He would take the time to mold and shape me, to make sure I get everything that I need, to bring people into my sphere of influence. Patiently, He surrounds me and drenches me with blessing after blessing, every single one calculated to fill my individual need. But He does.

God is really just good.

I cannot repeat it enough times.

His goodness I see in nature, in the way He sustains me and my family, in the way He provides for my needs, in the privileges He gives me to serve despite my imperfections. The most wonderful evidence, however, remains to be the outworking of His grace in people’s hearts, bearing fruit in beauty, and mercy, and faithful surrender, and loving service.

One afternoon, I found myself alone in front of my computer, weeping. I was in conversation Kuya Nick, the man whom God had used to bring me to the LIGHT school in Nueva Era, Ilocos Norte, thanking him for being God’s instrument. Instead of taking the credit for himself, He glorified God and asked how God is leading me after the training. He shared to me his burden for today’s educational systems and his vision of establishing a school after God’s blueprint in Davao – a vision I share and desire to pursue.

At the end of our conversation, he said the words that stirred my heart and brought out the tears, “Learn what you can now, and if it be my calling to support you in the work that God has put in your heart to do, then so be it.”

How could it be? How could this man, with his talents and means and beautiful family, be willing to support me – sinful, weak, imperfect me? How could he surrender himself so fully to the Lord’s will? And the Lord – how could He will to entrust a sacred work into my heart – my wicked, wavering heart? How could He believe that I deserve these opportunities to learn and serve? How could He drench me in so much grace?

God is good.

What other reason could there be?

And when I see His goodness overflow in people's hearts to mine, it moves me and makes Him more real and more beautiful to me - so beautiful I could not fully fathom, much less express, just how much. Tears are perhaps the closest I could approach to expressing how I feel, and even that is not enough.

God is good.

God is good.

His mercies are new every morning.

His grace flows without measure.

His love – His unfathomable love – saves me, sustains me, amazes me, and awakens in me a love for Him – my good, wonderfully good, God.

Back from the Mountains

Now that training's over and I'm off the boondocks, there's so much I can't wait to do: upload photos and vids, get my computer back to shape, update my blog, get home, do the laundry, see everyone, cook (yes, cook), research stuff, organize my files, share the things i've learned, buy clothes na pang Christian Living , and reply to everyone who's been messaging me for the past seven months, among others. I miss the mountains already, but I'm sure that wherever the Lord is taking me will be even more beautiful. I'm still not better than anybody, but I believe that I'm better than who I was. I praise the Lord for His goodness and for His faithfulness in my life. Everyday I learn that He loves me with more love than I could possibly know in this lifetime.

There's More Where My Ears Came From

at 90, my grandfather can still read without glasses. he does the laundry and the cooking for himself and my grandmother. he commutes on a regular basis, oversees the farm, takes the carabao to pasture, remembers all our birthdays, does not make excuses for not attending church regularly (he walks to church, by the way), and insists on doing the chores himself. his speech and hearing are both clear, his memory intact (probably even better than mine), his understanding and foresight sharp. he continues to earn by farming, pays his own bills, offers help instead of asking for it, freely gives to missions. he's still one of the most thoughtful, tactful and kind  people i know (not crabby and mean like others are in their old age). as far as i remember, we took him to the hospital only twice in recent years - for fever and indigestion.

lolo, thank you for my ears and forehead, but i really hope i got more from you than just the good looks.

useful note: he did wear glasses for a short time many years ago. the eye doctor told him to stop eating instant noodles and canned foods (beef loaf, corned beef, tuna, beef and beans, sardines, etc.). he did as told, and his eyesight returned to normal.

the everyday miracle that is a flower

imagine, from this:

(which I blogged about here)

to this:

to these:

in three months.

flowers are, i think, one of the best examples of God's everyday miracles.

Miracles He is more willing to shower on you.

 Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:  And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, [shall he] not much more [clothe] you, O ye of little faith? Matthew 6:28-30

May your faith bloom like a hundred pretty flowers.

***all photos taken at Royal Valley Free SDA Church. :)

thank you Lord for the mangoes

lately, i've been feasting on the luscious mango produce of the tree we have at church. it seems i've been having mango for breakfast, lunch and supper for the past two weeks.

just this afternoon we collected over 70 mangoes. two of our brethren climbed up the tree and shook the branches while my friend jade and I collected every fruit that fell to the ground. such happy times made only happier by the wonderful feast afterward.

these past few breakfasts have made me realize that mangoes are my favorite fruit.

thank you so much, Lord for the treat you threw in with the church property. You really are the best.

to brethren who are reading this, don't worry, we left you some.

Wherefore ye shall do my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety. And the land shall yield her fruit, and ye shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety.  

Leviticus 25:18, 19

Recount God's Goodness

"[God] desires us to appreciate the great plan of redemption, to realize our high privilege as the people of God, and to walk before Him in obedience, with grateful thanksgiving. He desires us to serve Him in newness of life, with gladness every day. He longs to see gratitude welling up in our hearts because we have access to the mercy seat, the throne of grace; because our names are written in the Lamb's book of life; because we may cast all our care on Him who cares for us. He bids us rejoice because we are the heritage of the Lord, because the righteousness of Christ is the robe of His saints, because we have the blessed hope of the soon coming of our Saviour." 


Ellen G. White
Upward Look