Christ Is The Answer

2012-01-30T20:11:00.001-08:00

The scandals and corruption of human leadership, humanity's plight, and the future hope now and to come

2011-08-09T18:42:00.000-07:00

"For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever." - Isaiah 9:6-7

All human governments and authoritative bodies from the dawn of time up to the present, have had their fair share of corruption, abuse of power, and scandal. From third-world countries to first-class nations, from democratic to totalitarian, one way or another has tainted it's own hands and wronged it's own citizens.

Its rather difficult for someone to pinpoint the last time that a leader actually cared for his or her own people, who did not have selfish ambitions but put others before themselves, who had in mind the good sake of the people rather than their personal gain, who carried the nation or a an oppressed people group rather than placed heavy burdens on them, who sacrificed themselves for the betterment of those who trusted in them rather than sacrificing the people for their own betterment, who answered the tough questions and did not dance around them.

Of course through out history there have been a fair share of good leaders with the likes of Martin Luther King who worked toward the end of racial segregation and discrimination through non-violent means, Prime Minister Trudeau who helped Canada gain independence, Winston Churchill who led the British to fight against Hitler's regime and led the way to it's destruction, and of course Corazon Aquino who restored democracy to the Philippines from the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos.

What these men and women had in common was that they were good leaders who stood for ideals and ethics, cared for the oppressed, and looked at injustice in the face. Another commonality they share is that they are now gone, they had their portion in history but are now sadly replaced by leaders who have no heart, who have no convictions, who lack integrity, and who even oppose what these fallen heroes stood and fought for.

We live in sad times, where one day democracy lives and the next day is murdered, we live in the days where seemingly each successive leadership tends to become more and more corrupt than the last. A friend when asked about the issue of leadership and government throughout history, remarked that the common thread of all who ever held power or influence is "corruption".

Canadians are unhappy with the Harper government, The Obama Administration is struggling, the Middle East is in turmoil, Oppresive regimes still reign, North Korea and South Korea in tense dispute; and to bring it closer to home and my heart, Philippine governmental bodies reek with corruption, fraud, and scandal.

Recently on the news, America has brought itself to deep trouble for the insurmountable debts the nation has accumulated and the nation is now in default. The once-thought savior of America and hope of the world, Obama now appears grey-haired, lacking sleep, and under intense scrutiny. Everyone is holding their breath on how Obama's leadership will pull them out of this dilemma.

If you take a conscious look around you, what you see is bound to tire you, sap out all your optism, and leave you feeling hopeless for the horrible state the world is in, it's deeply corrupted leaders, and humanity's desperate situation. The future is bleak and tommorow looks dark. Can you feel the weight of the plight of humanity? If you don't then you haven't opened your eyes yet.

The point I'm trying to get to is: what is the meaning of all this? Will there ever be another good leader again? Will there ever be peace and resolution in the world? A world free of chaos, war, problems, political corruption and strife?
Where are we headed? And my aim is to answer what is on most people's minds: is there hope for the future?

The answer is yes. There is hope now and hope for the future, and this is not ignorant optism either or wishful thinking, it is reality grounded on the greatest leader: Jesus Christ.

You might be thinking: "what's religion gonna do? I don't think thats what we need right now. and I don't think religion is exempted from the corrupt leadership you've mentioned. they've had their fair share of corruption. Religion won't solve anything"

I'm not talking about religion. I'm talking about a person. And He is Jesus Christ.
He is the leader everyone is looking for but pushed aside. He is the deliverer who everyone has been yearning for but have overlooked. He is the Savior of the world who everyone waits for but has tragically been dismissed.

Jesus is the perfect leader.
He's called Wonderful Counselor, with the implication that He is a ruler whose wisdom infinitely surpasses all human capablities.
He's called Mighty God, no one can overthrow His government because He is infinitely powerful.
He's called Everlasting Father, a beautiful portrayal of Jesus being our benevolent and kind protector who will forever care for us like children.
He's called the Prince of Peace, the ruler whose reign will put an end to tyranny, rape, murder, racism, strife, pain, anguish, hopelessness, hunger, thirst, all evil and suffering and will usher in peace, joy, prosperity, equality, justice, righteousness.

Many politicians and leaders promise to do good to those who follow them yet the next day break their word.
But here is the clear demonstration of God's love for us:

We begin with Jesus who is the Creator of all that exists. Jesus the Creator of us all.
Jesus the one who has every right to be our King and the ruler of our lives, neighborhoods, cities, countries, and world has been dethroned from His rightful place.

You and I have dethroned Him from His respective rank. We kicked Him out and instead we have entitled ourselves the King of our lives. We deliberately declared war against Him and named ourselves His enemies.

We figured we would live our life for ourselves. We figured at one point in our life that we did not need to live by His rules, live under His government, be under His care, and be under His protection.

So we started saying His name with dishonor, we started making fun of those under His rule, we started lying, we started stealing, we started cheating, we started having sex beyond the limits He set, we started killing, we started raping.
We stopped thanking Him for the food, money, shelter, clothing, and life that we enjoy but truly belongs to Him and instead think it rightfully belongs to us.

Now by law, such demonstration of defiance to the King is infinitely punishable. His justice,honor, and Kingdom must punish criminals like us and opposing kingdoms like our lives; a punishment fit for the crime: by eternal death. Blood must be shed for such an insurmountable dishonor.

But yet The King Himself loved us so much that He took off His robe and represented the entirety of humanity, and took the punishment we deserved. His death for the sparing of our lives.

That's a reality. Jesus Christ, the King came to the earth and lived among us. He then intentionally laid down His life on that cross for the crimes we have committed against Him.
Jesus, The King who died for His disloyal subjects so that their lives may be spared from eternal suffering in hell.

On the third day He rose again and went back to His throne. All who would trust in Him as their Savior and King will be exempted from punishment.
That is the hope you and me can have right now. To have our sins forgiven. To have our guilt and eternal suffering punishment taken away, and to have a restored relationship with this King who loves us beyond all measure.

So to answer the question: is there hope for the future?

Answer: Jesus is the hope that sustains us now and for the future.
The Bible tells of a future event when Jesus will come back to earth and usher in a government that is under His rule. A government to end all governments, where all the nations are subjected under His authority, care, provision, and protection, where His reign will stretch to the ends of the earth, and lastly where His Kingship will never end.

Jesus is alive. He is coming back. He is establishing a kingdom of peace, joy, and prosperity. His government is not oppressive. All the nations will be under His rule.
He's is the faithful promise keeper. He is omnipotent. He's able. He's wise. He's humble. He's gentle. He cares for His people. He laid down His life for His people. Most importantly, the good news of it all is that His reign will be forever. His government will never crumble.

Deep down inside we all long for a Savior to save humanity from it's plight and rescue us from our problems.
All these corrupted leaders throughout history are meant to point us to Him and whose purpose is to accentuate the contrast of their corruption and His justice, their evilness and His goodness.
All the good leaders of history pale in comparison to Him. All the commendable traits and amiable dispositions they held are only like a drop in the ocean of God's mercy and grace, like an extra in the play of God's story of redemption, like a tongue of flame in the blazing inferno of His love, and a foreshadowing of the One who is to come.

How can you have the highest joy in a wrathful God?

2011-01-17T22:10:00.000-08:00

More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:11 ESV)

Romans 5:11 says that we rejoice in God. Keep in mind, this is the same God that Paul talks about in Romans 1 and 2, this is the God of wrath and God of fury and God of Justice and God of righteousness and God of holiness.

This God aint someone you should mess with, this God, Jesus says to fear because He can take send both your body and soul to hell. This is a terrifying God whose reign brings terror to sinners.

There's no celebration in Him but only dreadful fear because He is our enemy and He is infinitely powerful with unmatchable strength, and we are all under His judgment and anger. Therefore, we all expect a day when we are sentenced to everlasting torment with no escape.

Yet, in a few paragraphs later Paul tells us to rejoice in this God? WHAT?! HOW? When I think of Him all I do is tremble and be terrified. Are you nuts Paul? Are you out of your mind? then Paul connects this rejoicing in God: through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we now have received reconciliation. Paul grounds our rejoicing in God on the basis that we are reconciled to Him.
Meaning to say we were once enemies but we are now friends, we were once rivals but now we are allies, we once had strife but now we are in good terms. All this was accomplished in the death and resurrection of Jesus.

WOW what a wonderful news! It's as if you were summoned to appear in court for offending a person, and you know very well that your sentence is a life-sentence. But before the court case, that person comes to you and says, let's reason together, let's talk this out, let's be reconciled..Let's become friends.

The same God of wrath we were terrified in becomes our source of joy! This is the same God who would pour out wrath on us if it were not for Christ. This is the same God who sent His Son to die for our sins so that the wrath and punishment that was meant for us would be inflicted on Jesus. We now have peace with God through our Lord Jesus (romans 5:1) instead of strife and separation.

Romans 5 packs many verses that call us to rejoice in the salvation found in Jesus: "and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." In other words, God pours His love on us and gives us hope that will not shame us on judgment day.

Lastly, we are given a beautiful portrayal of God's love:

"For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For no one would scarcely die for a righteous person -- though perhaps a good person one would dare even die --- but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life."

That is the most beautiful and glorious message of all! that we need not be terrified of God in fear of condemnation, but on the contrary we rejoice in this God who out of love sent His Son to die and bear the punishment and penalty of our sins.

This God is a God of love and compassion and mercy and grace and benevolence. This God went out of His way to rescue us from eternal torment in hell, an act of something we certainly did not deserve.

While I was yet an enemy I was reconciled to Him by the death of His Son. And may we never stray away from this wonderful and extravagant message that encompasses all awe and wonder.
We are not an enemy of God anymore sentenced for death, but we are now called beloved, child, friend.

I need not dread in terror of Him, but I can rejoice in Him and love Him. So When the day comes when you finally see Him, you will not be seing the face of a wrathful Judge but you would see the face of a dad and a friend.

Come to Christ!

The blessings of reading the Word of God

2011-01-03T18:35:00.001-08:00

“The Lord revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord.” - 1 Sam 3:21

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” - Col 3:16

Tonight, we as God’s people, will commit ourselves to Him, ourselves, and each other by reading the Bible everyday and journaling what God reveals in His words to us.
The benefits and blessings that we will draw from this new commitment to God, each other, and to ourselves far surmounts any expectation that we might have. Indeed we will reap more benefits than we can think of.

Yet we can expect two important benefits in our lives to happen when the word of God dwells richly in us: 1. We will see and enjoy God 2. Christ will abide in us 3. We are enabled to minister to one another.

God reveals Himself to us through the Bible

The fundamental reason that the Bible is essential is that it is mainly the way God reveals Himself to us. And seeing this revelation of God is the foundation of our joy. As it was in the days of Samuel, so it is in our time: “The Lord appeared… at Shiloh, for the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel At Shiloh by the word of the Lord.”

When it says “The Lord appeared,” it says something amazing. God was not seen with the eyes of the head, but with the eyes of the heart, for God is “The King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God” (1 Tim 1:17). And this seeing happened “by the word of the Lord.” As the Word was heard, the Lord was seen. In this hearing was the seeing. The spiritual hearing of God’s Word becomes the spiritual seeing of God’s glory.

The Lord opens the eyes of the heart to see the glory of Jesus in the Word. God has chosen to reveal Himself to to the world mainly through the incarnate Word, Jesus Christ, by means of the written Word, the Bible.

When we read the Bible, God reveals Himself and we will see Him, not with physical eyes but with the eyes of our heart; and by seeing Him we enjoy Him.

Jesus abides in us when we read the Bible

Jesus said, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you” – John 15:7.

The best way to see what it means for the words of Jesus to abide in us is to look at what Jesus says about abiding a few verses earlier. In verse 5 He says, “Whoever abides in me and I in Him, he it is that bears much fruit.”

Notice the parallel.

In verse 7 He says, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you,”
and in verse 5 He says, “Whoever abides in me and I in Him…”

I think the point of this switch is to reveal to us how Jesus abides in us, specifically, by His word abiding in us. Meaning to say, when we let the words of Jesus abide in us means letting Jesus Himself abide in us.

The Bible enables christians to minister to each other

When the Word of Christ dwells richly in us, we are enabled to teach, encourage, lift up, and build up one another. When we are immersed in the Bible, we are able to echo the words of Jesus to our fellow Christian brothers and sisters; and when they hear the Word of the Lord, they will see Him and enjoy the beauty and splendor and glory of Jesus.

When we are soaked with the Word of God, we are a vessel that is able to reveal the glory of Christ and we are able love one another by urging each other to a deeper and stronger walk with Jesus.

In conclusion, let the word of Christ dwell richly in you and in doing so, you will reap the reward of seeing and enjoying God, Christ abiding in you, and building up the church. It is a new year of our journey with Jesus, let it count.

Bonsai Christian

2010-12-22T22:31:00.000-08:00

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness” - Colossians 2:6,7

The bonsai tree craze
I am a proud owner of a bonsai tree. My fascination with these dwarf trees started when I watched a movie called kill bill, there was a fight scene in which a background shot of an ancient bonsai tree captured my attention. Amidst all the clatter and chaos of the fight, all I could think of was that miniature version of a tree. Is it a shrub? It doesn’t look like it. How do you keep a tree that small?
How old is that? It looks ancient and worn out. A miniature acacia tree would be so cool!
How about an apple tree? Delicious miniature gala apples hanging down, mmmmm i could pluck and eat them whenever I watch a movie. What if I cultivate a field of bonsai apple trees? Then sell them in the mass? That was a peek into my thought process and how bonsai trees ran through my mind.

Fast forward to a few years later and now I own one. I am not a self-proclaimed professional bonsai taker but I know a few things about the art of making bonsais.
It turns out that you can make any tree a bonsai tree as long as you stunt it’s growth thoroughly and consistently.
The secret of the art to keeping a bonsai small is to trim its roots in order to starve it and deprive it from the nourishment it needs for growth. A trimming of the leaves is also done to ensure that the tree does not eat too much sunlight. It is also advised that you keep the tree enclosed in a small pot to keep the roots from growing deep.
If done successfully, a bonsai will appear to be a tree seen through panoramic view while boasting of it’s old age.

A bonsai Christian

You can be a bonsai Christian. A Christian who remains in a small pot, not rooted deep in Christ. You are deprived of nourishment and sustenance, the necessities of fruit-bearing and growth. Yet you are content in getting by with little to no food.
A Sunday service, a quick prayer before meals, read the Word of God if you have time out of your busy schedule. It’s enough to “tend” to your Christian walk. You look like a seasoned Christian, yet your appearance is small.

The role of the word of God in fruit-bearing and growth

We are called to be “rooted” in Christ where our spiritual nourishment and sustenance solely come from. We are to bear good fruit, but the question then is how do we bear good fruit? Learn from the example of the bonsai tree, we must strive not to starve ourselves but rather we must EAT in order to catalyze growth.
What is the food for fruit-bearing-faith? Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from God” – Matthew 4:4. It is the Word itself that gives us life abundantly. This is the food we need for fruit-bearing and growing faith.
Let us press on a little further.

Jesus said, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you” – John 15:7.

The best way to see what it means for the words of Jesus to abide in us is to look at what Jesus says about abiding a few verses earlier. In verse 5 He says, “Whoever abides in me and I in Him, he it is that bears much fruit.”
Notice the parallel.
In verse 7 He says, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you,”
and in verse 5 He says, “Whoever abides in me and I in Him...”

I think the point of this switch is to reveal to us how Jesus abides in us, specifically, by His word abiding in us. Meaning to say, when we let the words of Jesus abide in us means letting Jesus Himself abide in us.

The point I want you to see and understand is that: if we are to be “rooted” in Christ and drawing spiritual nourishment and sustenance from Him in order for growth and the bearing of fruit , then we must abide in Him and Him in us.
And just as I have shown that letting the Word of God abide in us means letting Jesus abide in us.
“Whoever abides in me and I in Him, he it is that bears much fruit.”
To deny yourself the reading of the Word of God is to deny yourself of food and a healthy, fruitful Christian walk. And in a deeper, serious level, it means you are not abiding in Christ.

That is how we stop ourselves from becoming bonsai Christians; we must be reading the Word of God everyday with fervour and tenacity as if it was water, sunlight, and fertile soil.
For in reading the word of God, we are in reality, tapping into an unlimited resource of nourishment and sustenance for fruit bearing and growth.

The insatiable hunger of the human heart

2010-11-29T19:48:00.000-08:00

The heart has an insatiable hunger and greed, it cannot ever have enough. It must have more, it must have all. People try to feed this hunger and alleviate the symptoms by countless methods, but only work temporarily. They resort to materialism and completely rely on it for fulfillment, yet as always the hunger pains resurface to the bottomless stomach of the heart. The emptiness, loneliness, depravity of the heart screams at the souls of men, only to be drowned out with i-pods, television, facebook, movies, books, magazines.

The most terrifying thing to people is silence because it has a way to make people realize that they are alone, empty, unfulfilled, and unhappy. It’s as if the average person, understands deep down inside that they are severed from the source of life, fulfillment, companionship, and happiness. People try to keep away from this very realization. The heavier the hunger pounds, the more they drink and smoke. When the heart says I’m unfulfilled they buy more clothes, accessories, cars, latest gadgets and toys, hoping that it will go away.

The truth is people are severed from the source of life, fulfillment, perfect companionship, and happiness, and that is none other than God. Every heart has been severed from God because the heart is sinful and every person has sinned. Every human heart deep down inside truly longs for God, but are blinded from the realization that it is God that it truly needs.

But hope has come. That hope is Jesus Christ.

Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” John 6:32-33

Call your attention to the very last sentence, it implies that this bread is outside our reality and is foreign to this world.
There is also a thesis in the remark of Jesus in which He reveals that this bread would give life to the world, this could only be said, if everyone in the world is in need of life, which would suggest that all are dead.

The insatiable hunger within each human being is the hunger for life, and all humans have invented generic and cheap imitations of life, it comes in the form of materialism, hedonism, in fact any methods that try to fulfill the person.

The gnawing feeling of emptiness, unfulfillment, and unhappiness is the symptom of a heart deprived of life.

But hope has come; there is a bread that can satisfy the hunger of the heart permanently, ultimately, and decisively.

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” -John 6

Jesus then reveals that He is the bread of life, that anyone who would come to Him would never go hungry and whoever would believe in Him will never be thirsty ever again.

In Jesus there is complete fulfillment, happiness, companionship, and most of all: life.

What comforts, luxuries, material possessions, and hedonistic lifestyle fail to do, He can do. He is the only one who can give life, He is the only one who can satisfy the hungry and thirsty. Come to Him.

The Scandalous Servant-King

2010-11-07T01:46:00.000-07:00

The Scandalous Servant-King

5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
6 Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
8 he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross. – Philippians 2:6-8

The gods of this world demand service

In a pluralistic world in which there is a wide array of deities, we find a common trend among all the gods of different cultures and societies. They are all similar in the fact that they desire and demand much of man: his affections, his worship, his devotion, his attention, his service, his everything.
Often these gods are so transcendent that there is a remarkable and evident gap between them and their followers; the deity is highly esteemed, on the throne, while the follower is of no importance and
is to be committed to his god at all cost. Their only relation is on the terms of boss and servant, the relationship between the two stops at this point and nothing beyond.

Jesus the scandalous King

Then Jesus came and He shook the status quo of society and changed everything.
Jesus who is God, gave up all his divine privileges and took the humble position of a slave.
Wow. Let me just give you a second to pause and think about of the enormity of verse 7.
He became a human being. He willingly humbled Himself to the position of a slave.
Jesus who had everything gave up his divine privileges. That is an enormous statement in which one
would have difficulty and trouble trying to fathom and understand – from the view-point of both saved and unsaved.

The eternal King of the universe and everything that exists, Creator of all, Majestic Lord, the one who is infinitely precious and beautiful. Wrap your mind around Him in all His glory and splendour, and then imagine Jesus taking the position of a slave. Mind-boggling. A King-servant? Who has ever heard of such a thing?

Rowland Croucher captures the imagery well: “In first century Palestine, slavery was very evident. The slave was a pitiable person. He had no name, no possessions, no rights. He was sold into slavery in the marketplace to the highest bidder. He was a nobody. And Jesus came into this world as a slave.”

Everything changed.

The King became the servant out of pure will. Everything was turned upside down.

Man gives his health for his god, while Jesus healed the sick.
Man feeds his god by offering food, while Jesus fed the hungry.
Man makes sure the statue of his god is spot-free, Jesus washed the dirty feet of his disciples.
Man decorates his god with the finest linen and clothing, Jesus clothed us with his righteousness.

I am not claiming that man became the king/god of Jesus, no, that would be blasphemous. What I am pointing out is the outward demonstration of Jesus servant-hood.

Jesus served.

Nothing makes this clearer than Mark 10:51-52 in which a blind man encounters Jesus, and the following ensues:

51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked.
“My rabbi,” the blind man said, “I want to see!”
52 And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road.
In the encounter with the blind man, Jesus does something shocking and scandalous. Jesus asks the blind man how He can serve him. This is not what we expect – How could the Lord of the universe ask such a thing? Because He took the position of a servant.

God-Centered service

But let us remember - lest we become man-centered - that Jesus serving men is only a secondary matter. Let us not forget the primary and ultimate reason why Jesus took the form of a servant and that was to glorify the Father by being obedient to unto death. Jesus ultimate and main aim was to pour out His life as an offering in complete obedience, and this was His perfect service to His Father.

Jesus first and most importantly gives His life in service to the Father, and then secondly and in turn served us as He gave us His eternal life.

This is the Servant-King. He is infinitely different from the deities of the world.
And our ultimate service and honour to Him is to give the entirety of our lives for His glory.

JERSEY SHORE: The Snookie Story

2010-01-18T20:40:00.001-08:00

So on my day off, I decided to watch a marathon of Jersey Shore..sure enough the teaser in the beginning promised alot of drama, something this generation thrives on. What they did was find a bunch of guidos and guidettes and put them all in one house in Seaside Jersey. Just to summarize what guidos are, basically they look like Italian oompa loompas (referring to their tan) who somehow found a way to escape willy wonka's factory, found heavy duty hair gel, steroid needles, and jacked up some kid wearing Ed Hardy.

Its a pretty cool show with unique individuals, all equally bringing their own quirks to the table. They have Mike the cook who creeps alot, Pauly a Supersaiyan, Vinny a momma's boy, Jwow chic who could probably manhandle alot of guys, Sam packing a fred-flinstone toe, and so on, and so on.

Out of all these people there is one specific person in the show who caught my attention more than the rest and that's the pickle loving girl: Snookie. She's probably the embodiment of a large percentile of the girls in our generation today, the party-hardy charsimatic girl who is hopelessly looking for the right man for her.

Throughout the show, I couldn't help but notice that though she loved hooking up with guys, there was a longing inside her to find the man that she could settle and grow old with, someone who would treat her right. She is among many who are looking for the "one", and though snookie's efforts were made, she would fail in her quest for love. When I studied snookie more closely, automatically a picture came in mind of the Samaritan woman whom Jesus met.

Jesus, thirsty and worn out by the long trip, sat down at the well in a Samaritan Village. It was noon.
Right around that same time, a Samaritan woman, who was an outcast in her village, came to draw water at noon cause she had a reputation of sleeping around with alot of men, or what the Jersey Shore casts refer to as "sloppy girls". To avoid confrontation and humiliation from the other villagers who came early, she would get her water at the hot smoldering day when no-one was out.

She sees Jesus, Jesus sees her and
their encounter goes somethin somethin like thiiss (and for the sake of relevance I'll refer to the Samaritan woman as Snookie) :

Jesus: Hey could you hook me up with some of the water? (since His crew went to buy food)

Snookie: Hold up!! what's up with you, a Jew, asking me, a samaritan woman, for a drink? (Jews in those times were forbidden to talk with samaritans)

Jesus: If only you knew the gift God gives, and who is asking you for a drink, if you asked me to hook you up, I would give you LIVING WATER.
You see this well? Whoever drinks the water from it will thirst again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst again.

Snookie: Hey, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty no more and have to keep coming here to draw water.

Jesus: Aight, but first call your husband

Snookie: I don't have a husband

Jesus: You're right when you're saying you don't have a husband, The fact is, you had five husbands, and the man you're now creepin with is not your husband.

You're probably asking: "how the hell does this relate to snookie?"
The text I just quoted speaks on the issue of fulfillment. This Samaritan woman, like snookie, have been with many men and both are on a search for the right man. But the deeper and real issue that Jesus points out is that there is a gap inside her heart that is longing to be filled, that is why He used the analogy of living water that would fill.

All humans have a gap in their heart that is longing to be filled, and the way we as humans respond to this is grab the nearest thing we see and throw it in the gap of our hearts just so it will be filled. But sort of like what Jesus says about the water in the well, you can keep drinking all you want but its only going to make you thirsty again or in other words you could keep throwing things in the gap of your heart but its never going to fulfill you.

The Samaritan woman and Snookie are very similar in the way that they think that getting more men, or finding that right person for them would keep them fulfilled. But time passes by and the Samaritan woman has had five husbands and Snookie having met many men still feels unfullfilled.
They were both looking for the wrong thing, they had the wrong puzzle piece to the gap of their hearts, they "drank" but later were thirsty again.

So what's THE SITUATION? All of us have that gap in our hearts and we try to fill it with things that give us TEMPORARY contentment such as alcohol, partying, drugs, sex, shopping, videogames, men (for snookie).

To find out what is filling your heart, just ask yourself, when I feel down what do I resort to? when I feel that emptiness gnawing inside what do I do, what do I get, or what do I buy to make me happy? where do I find my comfort?
but the truth is by the end of the day, we come out still deprived and thirsty.

But Jesus is the missing piece to the emptiness of each and every human's heart, He offers water that will forever fulfill you. He is the one Snookie has been looking for deep down inside. Since the beginning of time, mankind has been looking for Him. You and I have been looking for Him.

To those who are thirsty, Jesus is just saying

Come at me bro, Come at me!

The Case For Christ

2009-10-29T23:56:00.000-07:00

There was once a man in history by the name of Jesus, who said that:
He was God, He would die, and would come back to life again.

Now this presents a decision that will forever change your life.

1) If this "Jesus" person, died and stayed dead, it is safe to say that He was never God in the first place and it means that the Christians are wrong and only believe in a lie. Your life can return back to normal.

BUT...

2) If indeed this "Jesus" who claimed to be God, died and came back to life three days later, this means that He was not just an ordinary human being but Jesus was and is God. Your life will never be the same again.

Lets make this simple for you:

1) JESUS BODY + TOMB (a.k.a casket) = He is dead
He is dead = He was never God

2) TOMB (a.k.a casket) - JESUS BODY = He is alive
He is alive = He is what He says He is = He is God

If you want to know the truth, please watch the following youtube videos:

(PART 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9RDHHpfKJw&feature=related

(PART 2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LFrocL3U8c&feature=related

The Case For Christ Documentary:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMvaSAwL7_k&feature=PlayList&p=A9B90FF7AA777956&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=7

If you have any comments and questions please feel free to email me at: full_throttle6@hotmail.com
please title your email "CHRIST"

The American Dream-- Modern Day Carrot-On-A-Stick

2009-10-27T17:30:00.000-07:00

What is the pursuit of happiness?
We live in a society plagued with an obsession for the american dream and for the sake of brevity the american dream is this: a better, happier, and more prosperous life. The average rapper is one of the prominent advocate and the closest embodiment of this dream. He is the walking advertisement: Holding a high salaried career, abundant money, luxurious cars, mansions perched on the suburbs, and a supply of women for each day of the week.
This, the youth of society believes, is the focal point of life, in which one finds happiness and fulfillment in. The youth of today, are spoon-fed the mindset of get rich or die trying. This generation is as a horse chasing a carrot-stick, forever chasing after the dream until one day it runs of the edge and plummets to its death. Is this all life consists of? the highest achievement and the highlight of the human life is owning a measly amount of green paper, sculpted box of steel that moves, and a big roof to live under? To many, it sadly becomes their purpose in life, in which they hope will fulfill them.

In the bible there is a man who was at the very pinnacle and was the absolute embodiment of the american dream, his name was King Solomon. This was what he had to say about the lifestyle of this dream:

"I increased my achievements. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself.
I made gardens and parks for myself and planted every kind of fruit tree in them. I constructed reservoirs of water for myself from which to irrigate a grove of flourishing trees. I acquired male and female servants and had employees who were born in my house. I also owned many herds of cattle and flocks, more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. I also amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I gathered male and female singers for myself, and many concubines, the delights of men. Thus, I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem; my wisdom also remained with me. All that my eyes desired, I did not deny them. I did not refuse myself any pleasure, for I took pleasure in all my struggles. This was my reward for all my struggles. When I considered all that I had accomplished and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind. There was nothing to be gained under the sun."

What a forlorn and miserable statement to say about the lifestyle, many so desperately expend their energy, efforts, and whole life on. Solomon had it all: the luxurious mansions, beautiful parks and gardens, his own hydro system which lowered his bills; he owned many slaves, or in modern times "employees"; he owned crops, herds of cattle and flocks, and land. Solomon goes on to say that he accumulated silver and gold for himself, amassed the treasures of kings and provinces, which is the equivalent of modern day a whole lotta "money", oh yes he could make it rain for years, non-stop. An accountant ran the numbers to find out how rich Solomon would be if he lived in today's world. He concluded that Solomon would have had twenty five billion dollars in his bank account and $174 million coming in every year.
He surpassed all the kings who lived before him. He had what the bible calls "wisdom", or in today's standards knowledge more than all Ph.D's, Masters, and Degrees combined. All that Solomon had ever desired, he says, he got. King Solomon had an estimate of 700 wives and 300 concubines, he could have a different woman in bed, everyday, for 3 consecutive years. He did not refuse any pleasure, if one were to look the word "hedonistic" in the dictionary, the face of Solomon would be enough to define it, he was the most hedonistic person you could ever meet.

In the end, Solomon had this to say: Everything he accomplished and everything he achieved was futile or in other words, useless. Solomon says that the pursuit of the american dream, or the pursuit of happiness is a pursuit of the wind.
The carrot-on-a-stick dream will never satisfy the soul's insatiable hunger to be fulfilled and happy, it is incapable of filling the emptiness within. Solomon showed that one could live the american dream: have the best career, all the money, women, cars, employees, mansions by the world's most beautiful beaches, PH D's, Masters, Degrees, a healthy family, lifetime of vacations, anything one can think of, but at the end of the day, one would still feel empty, unfulfilled, and unhappy. Solomon came at the end of his life and found no trace of satisfaction in his soul.

The heart of the matter now becomes: how does one avoid the pitfalls of the empty and the fleeting? how should one expend their efforts, devotion, and life? how does the human heart and soul become fulfilled and happy, no matter where one is in the navigation of life? Then tune in for the next article ; )

- Lem

Mountains

2009-09-21T12:28:00.000-07:00

Many times in the biblical narratives, mountains were places where man met God.
Moses would climb Mt.Sinai where a visible inferno of flame can be seen at the top.
Peter, James, John would never look at Jesus the same after their Master brought them into a mountain where they experienced Jesus transformation into His divine nature.
Jesus, Himself, before He started His day would retreat into the mountains from the ruckus of the crowd, for isolation and a time to talk with God.

It is no doubt then that in the bible mountaintops were places where man met God, but all too often many people don't make it to the top.
The Israelites did not climb up Mt. Sinai with Moses because they did not want to encounter the living God, whose thundering voice struck fear in their hearts when He spoke and whose appearance is like that of a consuming fire.
It is then a matter of one's decision whether or not one meets God.

There will be Mount Pain, Mount Heartache, Mount Loneliness, Mount Disappointment, Mount Uncertainty, Mount Hopeless that we will all climb sometime in our lives. Do not be reluctant to take that first step up the mountain. That first step is one step closer God, and that's our comfort isn't it? the comfort that God will meet us.
It's in those moments up there that we will see a side of Him we've never seen before, completely changed like the disciples. God will make a transfiguration in our lives and it's guaranteed that when we encounter the living God in our personal Mt.Sinai's, we will never be the same again.

True Colors

2009-09-13T14:12:00.000-07:00

Everybody knows John 3:16 by heart: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
It's very flattering but there is the following verse that many tend to overlook and that is "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
The implication of this verse is truly phenomenal. It speaks of God coming into the human world not to annihilate and usher in the apocalypse but rather to save the whole world. This verse probably was a shock value to many since up until then (in Jesus' times) and even now there was and is a pre-conceived notion that God is always angry. A God who gets angry the moment you succumb to your human weaknesses and has His fist poised, ready to send you to hell at any given moment. Who painted this picture? If you think of God like this, then that is a different one than the biblical God we worship. That's the problem and that's the obstacle for society is that they are conditioned to think that He is just that sort of God. Easy to get angry and hard to please.
If you know your greek mythology then you know that
every now and then the "gods" would get angry. Rather than taking a deep breath, having a heart-felt conversation with their psychiatrist or trying to solve their problems using constructive methods, the gods all too often unleashed terrible punishments on those unlucky humans who got in their way. Maybe that's why society closes it's ears when we talk about God, they picture Him along with the greek gods.

Yet John 3:17 paints a totally different picture, it speaks of a God who did not condemn the moment He entered this sinful world but it speaks rather of a God who came to save. Jesus demolished the very idea that God got violent and had tantrums quickly. Jesus then portrayed the true side of God. The God who is patient with us when we are ignorant and act out of our own selfishness. The God who loves us even when we submit to our human weaknesses and vices. The God who has an eternal love for us. That's the God we serve. Our part then is to emulate Jesus and with our life: peel the paint off the canvas and show it's true colors.

That is the obstacle that keeps people from coming to

God of proximity

2009-08-23T01:04:00.000-07:00

The most intriguing aspect of the Christ story is the very nature of incarnation itself. Jesus models that it is possible to be both God and human at the same time. This is for us, certainly, the most terrifying thought. Throughout history the church has retreated into deifying Jesus so thoroughly that the human Christ can't be seen. If indeed Jesus is too human (or barely human at all), he calls from us a worrying response. To this otherworldly, super-spiritual Jesus I simply have to offer my devotion, my worship, my adoration. By the grubby, human, peasant Christ we are challenged that maybe it is possible to be human and Godlike after all.

How distressing to us that Jesus could be the Messiah, the human incarnation of God for thirty years and NO ONE AT HOME NOTICED! No one in Nazareth smiles knowingly and says, "I always suspected there was something strange about that kid." Instead they wonder where he got all this messianic stuff. Somehow Jesus could be fully God and blend into Galilean society - hardly the most pious or sophisticated culture - without creating a ripple. What does this mean for us? It invites us to follow Christ in all His ordinariness as well as his righteousness. The incarnation demands that we neither retreat into a holier-than-thou Christian ghetto nor give ourselves over to the values of secular culture.

Take a look into the life which Jesus modeled for us. His life calls us to be godly, but we are expected to live it out in the midst of others, not just in the confines of church. It tells us that we should be able to hang out with sinners yet we do not compromise on our obedience to God. What Jesus did was right. He was involved in the lives of sinners and showed them the love of God, but He wouldn't have been able to impact others lives the way He had done if He retreated into a "holier-than-thou" attitude. Rather He closed the gap and was in close proximity with sinners. He was eye to eye with them, and treated them as equals, they were friends. What does this say about God? Jesus shows that God is a God who is interested in every detail of your life and has involved Himself in every aspect of it. That He is a personal and close God, not a distant and indifferent one.

I challenge you to do the same: to live a godly life in the midst of sinners yet maintain your faithfulness. Show others the personal God you know.

2009-08-09T00:35:00.000-07:00

Count the number of times the letter F appears in the following paragraph.

FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH
THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS... [answer at the bottom of the page]

Theres a lesson that God wants you to learn, that "F" in the sentence of your life which you just seem to miss.
There comes a time in our life that we have questions, questions that pain us.
You're wondering why there is no break through in your prayers, why you're in the situation you are in now, why you don't have a job, why everything is going wrong for you, why everyone around you seems to be doing better, and the list is endless.

We all have experienced our share of pain and struggles in life. The secret is that: behind every difficulty and obstacle in life there is a lesson learned. Unless you learn the lesson that God is trying to teach you, those painful "whys?" will never have answers and you will find yourself repeating the same lecture until you finally get it.

God is so good that He desires that you become the best you are, because when you are at your best you are most like Him.
Each and everyone of us is a working progress and God propels us towards perfection by giving us our lessons in the forms of problems we have in life, pain, confusion, and unanswered questions. The lessons are merely God's chisels, used to sculpt us to look and be more like Him.

Reflect this week on what it is God's trying to say to you, what He wants you to learn through your time of difficulty. Review your life, your situation, and circumstance. Try to find the missing "F", go letter by letter, read it again and again. Chances are there is something that needs improvement on you behalf. Maybe the reason you're not having break throughs in your prayers is because you're not doing your part. Maybe the reason you're in the situation you're in is because of the poor choices you're making. Maybe the reason everyone seems to be doing better than you is because you simply choose to remain as you are.

Don't fret if you are experiencing pain, just know that class is in session. The sooner you learn the lesson the faster you progress. Learn your lesson, don't repeat the grade.

[ANSWER 6]

Happiness

2009-05-29T19:21:00.000-07:00

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds." - James 1:2

We live in a culture where the criteria for having a good life is defined as merely possessing a high paying career, a big house, an appealing car, and a family. No wonder why many are left feeling under-achieved, unhappy, and completely distraught when they compare their life to society's blueprint for happiness. If we're not careful, we could buy into the delusion that: in order for one to be happy, their life must be full of good circumstances. Otherwise if you're living a life completely contradictory to society's ideal good life, then your life is considered by culture's standards, to be mediocre. This could not be any further from the truth, happiness does not depend on good circumstances, Solomon's life proved this.
Solomon was a king who embodied the "good life" culture says we must strive for.
An accountant ran the numbers to find out how rich Solomon would be if he lived in today's world. He concluded that Solomon would have had twenty five billion dollars in his bank account and $174 million coming in every year. Solomon was very wealthy.
To add insult to injury, King Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. The Bible says he was the wisest man to have ever lived on earth, but with that many women in his life, I don't think that call was very wise. To close the argument, Solomon was at peace with all the nations and Israel never had to go to war under his reign. It is not a debate that King Solomon had it all: riches, women, wisdom, and favor. He embodied the good life society says you'll find fulfillment and happiness in. Yet throughout the book of Ecclesiastes we find a dissatisfied Solomon saying that "Everything is meaningless!"
He was UTTERLY DEPRESSED! So unhappy that he questioned if life was really worth living. What was the reason for his grief? Doesn't society say that if you have what he had, you would be HAPPY? Yet the man himself says otherwise.
The reason for his sorrow was because he looked back on his life, much of which was lived APART FROM GOD! Solomon realized that you could have everything but if you do not have a realtionship with God in your life, you will never have fulfillment and happiness. Solomon felt the emptiness gnaw at his soul. What advice does the wisest man who had it at all have for anyone who might listen?
He encouraged all to: not forget their Creator and God, honor Him, and live life WITH God. He concludes ecclesiastes by saying

"Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man."

Through Solomon's life and example, we are now able to understand that a "good life" apart from God is, never was, and never will be a good life. The only way you will find true fulfillment and happiness in your life is in God.

Next Article: How not to waste your life

Today

2009-04-29T19:38:00.000-07:00

TODAY!

By Lemuel Reyes

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. – James 4:14

The word of God sends a chilling truth down the spinal cords of those who have forgotten the short span of their life. It’s an alarm clock to those deceived into thinking they have a handful of time to live for Christ, to enjoy their loved ones, to do what they know they should. They have long forgotten the imminence of death.

Life is described as a mist that appears but shortly after fades away. The truth is life is fleeting and its how we utilize our time, energy, and effort that determines whether we cry or smile in heaven.

Everything you do in this life echoes, echoes, echoes into the halls of eternity. It is up to you then, whether you orchestrate a symphony masterpiece, with God as the conductor and you as the musician, or whether you sing a sorrowful song as a solo. It’s your decision which eternal encore will play forever.
But by God’s grace, the fat lady hasn’t sung yet.

This is an opportunity for renewal. So I challenge you to give your life to Christ today if you haven’t already and if you are a Christian, rededicate your life. Live for God starting today! Then no matter when your life ends, you will have no regrets for you have fulfilled God’s plan for you.

Life is like a taxi. The meter just keeps ticking whether you’re getting somewhere or just standing still. – Lou Erickson

Death is a beautiful thing

2009-04-29T19:37:00.001-07:00

Death, the one thing that befalls upon all of us. What comes to our mind when we hear the word death? Grief. Tears. Sorrow. Funerals. Unfortunate. The word "death" is too vulgar to the ordinary human ears so we replace it with the words "passing-away"

It is often paralleled with: hurt, loss of life, disaster, extinction, destruction, and bloodshed. Rather grotesque subjects to be compared to. Humans perceive death as ugly, so cartoonists created the grim reaper: A skeleton infested with worms, rotting away in a grim robe.
But let me offer you a proposition, an alternate view of death. What if I were to tell you that death is in fact a beautiful thing? You would not hesitate to think I'm a cross-breed of an emo and a psycho.

Death is depicted as the moment when life finally ceases to exist-- is it? or is it rather the stepping stone into a different realm? Into a reality where one transcends into beauty.
If you are aware it is now fall, it is the season in which trees begin to - that's right - DIE. The fall season my friends, is the perfect depiction of a beautiful-death. A little bit of bright yellow, red, orange, a combination of colors that change the atmosphere and complexion of nature itself.

It is truly a spectacular sight to behold, when at the final moments of death, they manage to look admirable in the process. Then comes winter, the season in which the trees are lifeless, but are now clothed in fluorescent and vivid Christmas lights. After a few months into the new year, the utmost display of grandeur happens, a beautiful rebirth called spring.

I always wondered why they called this season spring and now I know. The dictionary defines spring as: to come into being by growth. In other words LIFE! Fall - like death - was just a preparation for an awesome rebirth (spring).
A season where the cherry trees blossom forth pink-roses that fall as dancing petals; growth occurs; green vibrant plants; fruits are produced. All these things shout out LIFE. Death is indeed a beautiful thing and beyond its borders are life and rebirth.

How then does this apply to us? The Bible calls us to crucify our flesh in order that our Spirits may live. In layman's terms crucifying the flesh means we are to kill our selfishness, wrong motives, malice, tendency to lie, ability to hurt, self-corruption, and all vices.

And as we die daily to our immoral conducts, it tends to hurt since it is often difficult to let go of our consistent moral faults..but in totality it is truly an incredible experience and an admirable sight.
In order that change may take place in our lives, we need to go out of our comfort zones and do the very thing we all hate: die.

While we shed the leaves of our former selves and undergo the process of death, something incredible takes place: our personal SPRING. Our rebirth as a new person. We develop love for others, have a higher sense of morality; our patience grows, we become sensible and considerate, we self-sacrifice and seek others well-being. Its as if we see things under a different light, we're optimistic, our outlook in life dramatically changes.

But dying is an arduous task and takes a painfully deal of devotion and sacrifice. One must consistently and daily kill themselves. But the fruits of the labor is truly satisfying.
Love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, kindness, self-control.

It is like a see-saw: in order to raise one up, one end must go down. Crucify the flesh and we are able to walk in Spirit. I encourage you to live more like the cycle seasons, and when you begin to do so that is when the epiphany of transformation kicks in. Only then you will realize...death is a beautiful thing.

Where Is Mr.Green?

2008-11-21T10:35:00.000-08:00

In recent events, a team of international scientists led by Dr. James Hansen, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies confirm the worst as they unveiled that in a recent study that carbon dioxide (CO2) levels are in the circumference of the danger zone. Great dire is at hand as concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere stand at 385 part per million (ppm) and are rising at a steady rate of two ppm per year. According to the scientists this triggers a chain of dangerous changes to our precious blue and green planet. The future looks grim as deserts expend, food becomes scarce, storms intensify, coral reefs wiped out, and mountain glaciers – which by the way supplies water to countless of millions of humans - make a disappearing act.
I’ve always gone by the mindset of “half-full” but in this entry, it can’t be helped but to think "half-empty" due to the horrifying foresight of the things to come; also at the notion that we have dug ourselves a bottomless grave.

The future indeed is a dark cloud and I’m not speaking of the carbon dioxide that blankets the earth. The main reason for all this doomsday predictions? you guessed it, us. We have become far too comfortable in immersing ourselves in gluttony; and indulged ourselves in our insatiable greed. We face a gloomy and dismal future, in courtesy of our over-consumption of resources. Demand is rising and supply is becoming scarce. Surely there is a principle that humanity has forgotten and that is: Too much of everything is not a good thing. In this generation we have the tendency to delight in agility. Fast cars, instant noodles, one-night stands, marriages, you name it. But the number one factor that has led to this problem is our misuse of technology. We like fast things, so we use technology to gratify our desires. We prefer to get to our destination quicker, so we built cars, and now the car is one of the top five contributors of green house emissions. Its pure self-infliction on our part.
We have neglected our responsibilities as the top hierarchy and as good stewards of the earth. But on the brighter side: we are becoming more aware and concerned to this crisis than before, and we have made the effort to clean up our act.

Credits to:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/11/21/climate.danger.zone/index.html