Tag: grace

Relationship

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Yesterday and today, I’ve been blessed with all the learning and teachings during the Leadership Conference at CCF. The theme of the conference is Make HIM Known. There is so much to take in that I could not even write everything about it. All I need to do is to go through the points again and put them into practice.

What amazed me the most on these two days are the scientific facts which proved that there is no such thing as randomness. Everything was created for a reason, for a purpose. It was designed but can’t be done by mere human. It can only be done by the only Creator, the Mastermind, and the greatest Designer. It made me realize that God allowed science to discover different facts not to be amazed by science but to prove that everything written in the Bible is true. Even before science discovered different principles, God has created them already.

God is just amazing. Now, I ask myself, what makes it so difficult to trust God when wherever I turn my eyes, all I can see are His good works?

I watched the movie, “Les Miserables”  tonight. I was actually moved by the movie. I didn’t have a clue what the movie is all about. It was a story of a man who was treated with grace and was changed because of it. He turned his hatred by choosing to love. I like the last part when he said something like loving another person is seeing the face of God. That’s what God wants from all of us, a relationship, for us to love Him back as He manifested His love through Jesus Christ.

My quiet time with the Lord for the past 2 weeks haven’t really been consistent and well spent. And I miss hearing God when I don’t spend time with Him. A relationship is never one way. Both have to make time and I didn’t. But God is always there waiting. I’m grateful. Hopefully, I could really spend more time with the Lord in the coming days. I miss my quality time with God. I miss the intimacy.

Written Jan. 26, 2013

Working for ONE

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It’s this time of the year again! Aside that September is the first month of the “-ber” months, this is also the time for promotions, ratings and increases. 🙂 This is the time of the year that there will only be two types of people at the office – happy and disappointed.

As for me, I even forgot about ratings until I was scheduled to have the discussion.  And nothing new, God’s ways are really amazing. I received a rating that was really way, way beyond my expectation, which meant better rewards package starting this month. Such a privilege to have the God of “how much more” in my life!

I didn’t get a promotion this year.  Would it be a hypocrite to say that I really didn’t want a promotion? I really didn’t. I just know that I’m not yet ready for the role. And I know that when I’m ready, God will be the one who will make it happen.

A lot of things happened lately that I even forgot and didn’t even ponder about all of these ratings, etc.  At the start of the middle of this year, things were unexpectedly challenging at work.  God has blessed me with a role that I really wanted, thinking that it would be impossible to have.  Indeed, if God wants to bless us, He will make it happen. That’s who God is. 🙂

God has allowed me to be into difficult situations, balancing work and dealing with people – to be able to give my best in what I need to deliver and at the same time to be very patient with the people around me.  When I started this role, I was very excited and really happy. I guess I was being naive. Little did I know that the opportunities I have been praying to glorify Him would be this tough.  And sadly, there were days that my heart and thoughts were never glorifying to God.

For more than seven years, I was in a comfort zone wherein I know what I need to do, I do what I need to do and I decide what I think is right.  I never realized how difficult it is to adjust into something that is totally different from what  I had been used to. (The reason why I even forgot about ratings and salary letters. )

But then I realized it is during these times that I will experience God more and see more of what He could possibly do in me and through me.  All of these difficulties and challenges were never about me in the first place. Everything has always been about God. How He will make me overcome, how He will sustain me, how He will protect and preserve me, how He will grant me favor from men, how He will uphold me, how He will change and renew my mind each day.

The more I realize that, the more I feel peace because I really don’t have to try so hard to please everyone around me. All I need to do is to give my best to please God because what matters to Him is what’s inside my heart.

No matter how excellent the output of my work is but my means to it is not pleasing to God, it’s worthless.

I always hold on to my work verse, keeping me grounded and reminded the reason why I’m doing what I’m doing.

 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”  Colossians 3:23 – 24

I praise and thank God for the wonderful blessings, for the trials and for the people He put into my life to mold my character more. All glory to God! 🙂

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Confessions of a Sinner

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Over the weekend, I just found myself feeling really alone. The past weeks were really tiring with work but it didn’t remove the joy in my heart. I was enjoying my work. But starting this weekend, I felt I was really slowly going down. I could not understand the condition of my heart. It seems empty and full at the same time.

I tried  praying so hard and pushed my self to read the Bible just to find comfort and to feel good. But, it didn’t work. I got so distracted with other things and my mind got tired of thinking what is wrong with me.

You see, I have moments like this in my life when all of a sudden I tend to get so emotional. Then, I start losing focus on God and start focusing on the desires of my heart. Instead of allowing the Holy Spirit to pull my self up from the pit, I pull myself down even more. I admit that this weekend, I let my self just go down. I know God is letting me face something but I was just so tired in dealing with it. I just want to do things my way.

But, big BUT… God is simply amazing. His patience and compassion is just endless on me. He will do everything so that I will return to Him regardless of the condition of my heart. I was reading the book entitled, “Growing Deep in God” (by Edmund Chan) and it focused on prayer. There were 2 paragraphs there which really affirmed my heart’s condition. God has been rebuking on me already about it but I just ignored. But, God loves me so much He would even use a book to rebuke me again.

Here’s what God reminded me. The ones with comments in the side.

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I realized why I was so lazy reading God’s Word. Because I want to read to feel good and be comforted. And because I felt that it hasn’t been like that, I was doing my quiet time out of obligation when I should read because I love Jesus so much that I’m just thrilled to know more about Him.  I now understand why my prayer life is becoming a duty rather than a delight. It’s because it has been about me when it should be about God.

My heart hasn’t been right. My mind even. My perspective shifted because of too much distractions. Slowly, I focused on myself instead of focusing on God.

God knows what’s in my heart right now. The fact that God is always committed to me despite my weaknesses gives me a reason to go back to Him. I’m just grateful for a God who is always true and faithful.

I pray that I will be more delighted in prayer and His Word because it’s always about Him.

I call you, Friend.

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How would you feel when our President Noy would call you his friend?
What would you do when the Queen of England would make you part of her circle of friends?
How will you react when your ultimate celebrity crush would put you in his/her friend zone?

If that would all be me, I’d be very ecstatic! But it would also make ask, why? How did it happen? What did I do to deserve such privilege?

Here’s another one…

How would you feel if the Creator of this world, the Savior of this world, the King of kings, the Prince of Peace, the Son of God would call you His friend?

I have two words – In awe.

Who am I to be called a friend of Jesus? It’s more than a privilege. It’s grace.

We might never be friends with the president, the queen or celebrity, but being a friend of Jesus is very, very possible.

His very own words, “You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father, I have made known to you.” (John 15:14-15)

Why would we do what Jesus has commanded us? It’s not a performance. It’s a matter of the heart.
He said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” ( John 14:15)

Do you love your family? Your friends? Why do we do what they ask of us? It’s because we love them and we want them to be happy.

If we love Jesus, then, we are called His friends.

Do you want to be in the circle of friends of Jesus?

Think about it…

🙂

Some of my ladies who are also in the Jesus’ zone. 🙂 This was our trip in Baguio.

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28: Perspective

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It’s September again! If you’ve been following my blog, you would remember what I always write at the start of this month. Promotions, ratings & increases.

To help you recall, here are my stories for the past 2 years, September 2010 & September 2011.

What’s my story this time? Well, I didn’t get a promotion and I didn’t get a high rating. In short, I was okay. I wasn’t expecting a promotion and I wasn’t expecting a high rating. If you’ll know how our process works, you’ll understand why I wasn’t expecting at all.

Looking back in 2010, if God didn’t change my heart at that time on how I view promotions, positions and rewards, I would have felt really bad with my rating. I would again start comparing myself to my peers and questioning my supervisor.

Amazingly, by God’s grace, I responded differently. It’s not that I was not doing well that I wasn’t expecting anything. It’s just that it doesn’t matter to me that much anymore as it did to me 2 years ago. I realized that the standard set by men is different from the standard set by God. No matter how much effort you put in your work, the standard of men can only give what it can afford to give. But in God’s standard, your rewards are unimaginable. Because God sees your heart when you do your work.

To everyone who got promoted – Congratulations! Share the blessing! 😀

To those who are a bit down  – just continue looking UP; everything has its own time 😀

I remembered in one of our leadership sessions at work, one of our senior execs told us, “Don’t let your promotion define you, you define it.”

In everything, to God be the glory!

” Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.  Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.” (Ephesians 6:5-8)