waiting

alone
in the dark
is the last place
one wants to be,
but
alone
in the dark
maybe
the only place...
Let him who walks in the dark,
who has no light,
trust in the name of the LORD
and rely on his God.

blessed

I 'texted' my friends Christmas greetings in pure tagalog and one of my friends responded with this: "Isang malaking pagpapala na ang pagsilang ng Anak ng Diyos sa lupa ay hindi lamang isang pagdating bagkus pananatili, hindi lamang isang pagdalaw bagkus pananahan. Manatili't manahan ang Pag-ibig ni Hesus sa iyo at sa iyong angkan! Mapagpalang pasko at masaganang bagong taon! Zenyatmgaanakatapo" :)

wonderful joy ahead

reserved in heaven for us:
an inheritance--
pure, unsullied, undefiled,
unfading, imperishable, enduring, abiding, indestructible, permanent, enduring,
will never spoil/pass away/be lost,
beyond the reach of change & decay...

everywhere

do you know what's up ahead? do you know what you're supposed to do next? are you constantly asking God whats going to happen? has He told you? He probably won't tell you, tell you-- you know... but He is always revealing Himself... and He is always here, He will always be here & there... hmmm... the closer eternity gets, the more I am discovering God's "wonderfulness".

"...he obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going." Hebrews 11:8

overjoyed

“When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.” Matthew 2:10

the greatest gift

"11And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life."
1John 5:11-12

Thank you God for the greatest gift-- your Son, Jesus. And thank you for for all the other gifts that come with Jesus.

love in deed is love indeed

“Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” I John 3:18

It is so easy to talk about people and show concern—it is more desirable though to act on this seeming concern. As the old saying goes: actions speak louder than words.

keep looking up

"20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body."
Philippians 3:20-21

I am not a citizen of this world! This world is not the world I should be pining for... there is something else in store for me…something else to look forward to-- that is: my home in heaven and my glorious body!

Christmas

21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." Matthew 1:21

“Christmas proves that God is a promise-keeping God! He said that He would send a Deliverer, and He did. Your sin is not beyond the reach of this promise. He is ready and waiting to forgive your sins—all of them.” —Joe Stowell
December….Christmas is coming! Our Savior’s ‘birthday’ is almost here… the world seems to be abuzz with excitement… hmmm, but I think they are excited for a different reason…..

look up

“10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives.”
2 Peter 3:10-11 (New International Version)

“Crisis has a way of shaking us out of complacency. It reminds us this world is not our home and encourages us to be godly (v.11). When it feels as if our personal world is coming to an end, we should focus on living for eternity.” —Dennis Fisher

This is not my home; I am just passing through… I shouldn’t get so attached to this world, eh? But I should fix my eyes on Jesus… just keep gazing heavenward….

the promise

Joshua 14:10-13 (NIV)
10 "Now then, just as the LORD promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the desert. So here I am today, eighty-five years old!
11 I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I'm just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then.
12 Now give me this hill country that the LORD promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the LORD helping me, I will drive them out just as he said."
13 Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance."
“Life in all its dimensions is to be lived according to the plans set forth by God, not by the greedy, selfish plans designed by man. Blessing comes ultimately to the man who totally follows God." Dr Constable, http://www.soniclight.com/

grateful

Thank You for Your kindness and love dear God,
Thank You for saving me, not because of the righteous things I’ve done—no, no, no—You saved me because of Your mercy!
Thank You for generously pouring out your Holy Spirit on me through Jesus Christ my Savior.
Thank You for making me an heir and giving me the hope of eternal life.
Thank You Lord!

Titus 3:4-7

PERSEVERE!

“As life takes its course in the aging process, we have the hope of a new body that will far outshine the original. Despite our aches and pains, our destiny belongs safely in the hands of ‘Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith’ (Hebrews 12:2).“ Dennis Fisher, Our Daily Bread

O pain that shoots my shoulder blade
Intrudes my dreams and makes me wade
Through streams of sweat that I have made
Know that your reign to waste will be laid
For though hope may seem delayed
It’s anchored on the only Hope that does not fade…

Thank you Lord for the hope that is in you, thank you for we can be joyful in hope--because this “hope does not disappoint”(Romans 5:5); “this hope is = the blessed assurance of our future destiny; based on God’s love, revealed by the Holy Spirit, demonstrated in the death of Christ”.(NIV Study Bible notes)

“The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power” (1Corinthians 15:42-43 NIV).

only You

“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.” —Psalm 20:7

I have always thought of myself as self-sufficient, I always thought I can make it on my own (besides I enjoy solitude, that is I bask in the thought of being alone) --- but when I think about it, I am never self-sufficient & never really on my own (nor am I ever alone)... for the Lord is always present...always there...helping me make it...catching me when I fall...directing my paths... I have to constantly remind myself that it's not me, but it is the Lord working in me...

Lord God, thank you for helping me trust in You always, not in myself or my “strengths”, not in men or their seeming strengths, but on You, only on You-- for You alone are worthy of trust—You alone.

“My hope is built in nothing less,
Than Jesus blood & righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name;
On Christ the solid rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.”

Better

better by far;
very much better;
far, far better;
far better for me;
lalong mabuti

Philippians 1:21-23

NIV
21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
22If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!
23I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;

NLT
21 For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.
22 But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better.
23 I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me.

celebrations

I celebrated my birthday this past Friday.... wahoo! yipeekayey! I don't really feel old-old, you know. It's just when I think about my age in years that I realize I am getting up there in years. The Lord is truly a faithful God, He has seen me through everything, He has made sure that I reach this age. One cannot help but keep trusting Him, for He is the rock eternal.

"Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord is the rock eternal." Isaiah 26:4

interruptions

Interruptions seem to be a pain when one already has things laid out. Accidents are unexpected interruptions... Hmmmm... it's a good thing, no! it's a great thing the Lord never sleeps... He is there through the 'interruptions' and 'accidents'...the Lord is good...

He never sle-eeeps,

He never slu-u-umbers,

He watches over-me

Both night and day.

He never sle-e-e-e-eps,
He never slu-u-umbers

The reason I kno-o-o-o-o-ow...

He told me so!

He's in the forest,

Out in the o-o-o-ocean,

He's in the fie-e-e-elds,

Where the wildflowers grow

He never sle-eeeps,

He never slu-u-umbers,

The reason I kno-o-o-o-o-ow

He told me so!

He loves me so!