Showing posts with label jesus christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jesus christ. Show all posts
len



I have always loved listening to piano pieces when I was a kid...but my parents cannot afford to buy me an instrument. When I was in grade 6, my grandfather brought me a Yamaha keyboard from straight from the province. This keyboard was owned by a priest who sold the keyboard to my grandfather. I was so happy at that time, but I do not know how to play the instrument the way pianists are doing.


There was a keyboard tutorial at Diliman Preparatory School (this is where I spent my elementary years) every afternoon. I would always go there and watch a group of elementary and highschool students being taught how to play their keyboard. I got home and told my mom that I would like to enroll in a keyboard tutorial class. However, my mother told me that she cannot afford to enroll me in that class.


I really want to learn how to play the keyboard, but our family income cannot sustain my keyboard lessons. What I did is I listened and listened to songs on the radio and tried to imitate what I heard. I'd spend many hours listening and imitating the songs on the radio..but it did not matter to me. I LOVE WHAT I'M DOING. I was so eager to learn how to play the keyboard that I lose track of time when my fingers start hitting the percussion instrument. By the way, I played with the right finger only at that time hehe..because I do not know how to play with my left hand.. All I did was listen to songs and then play the melody of the song using my right hand.


When I was in third year highschool, my sister brought a chord chart. That was when I learned how to play the chords using my left hand. My eagerness went overdrive as I leared how to play using my 2 hands.. the left hand for the chords and the right hand for the melody. After weeks of practice, I could already play any song in song books that my sister brought home.


Fast forward to 3rd year college. I read this book entitled "The Purpose Driven Life". For 4o days, I have religiously read Rick Warren's book every night before I go to sleep and try to apply what I have read the day after. What struck me the most is "our gifts, talents, and abilities are not given to us by God for our personal fulfillment...He gave us that so that we can use it for His purpose".


And then it hit me. All these years, I have been wanting to play the keyboard for my self satisfaction. But God has given me this gift to use it for his purpose and that is what I should do. With a quick turn around of events, I met this person who have showed me how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Weeks have passed and then I suddenly found myself playing the keyboard during bible studies, and then months later, at our church.


4 years have passed and I still love playing the keyboard. But now, I am not playing just because I like it too..but because I want to play for God who have blessed me with this gift. I use this to worship and praise Him and to show him my gratitude for saving me from the pitfalls of darkness..
len

Note: I used the pot and potter as metaphors to show the relationship between God (potter) and man (pot)



See this beautiful clay pot? Before it came into this, it started as a lump of clay—a lump of clay that is formless, without any specific purpose...it’s nothing but a lump of clay.



"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Genesis 2:7, KJV


Without a purpose, it will just be a lump of clay that can be thrown out anywhere...anytime. It’s just a piece of dirt.







However, the potter sees otherwise. He sees not just a lump of clay. He sees a work of art...He envisions something out of that lump of dirt that can be useful for his purpose. And so he makes a plan and puts it into action.



"But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand." Isaiah 64:8, KJV



The potter works on the clay to form the design he wants to. It starts of as a lump of clay...He puts the lump of clay into the machine and then slowly forms something out of it. Slowly but surely, a magnificent work of art is formed after a significant amount of time of molding and shaping the clay.



"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well" Psalm 139:14


After he creates the design of the clay, he puts it out of the sun to be dried so that it will harden. And when it has hardened, it will now be ready to be used for its purpose.

“…even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.” 2nd Corinthians 4:16-17












The clay is also vulnerable to breakage. If it is not carefully stored or used it might get broken and shatter into pieces. How can you use it for the purpose it is intended to be if it’s broken? It’s simply not worth using anymore.






"For all have sinned and fall shortof the glory of God" Romans 3:23


The clay pot may be shattered...but the potter can still make the clay pot whole again. He will collect the broken pieces and form it again into a lump of clay...




...and then mold and form it into the purpose he originally intended it to be...dries it out in the sun and then when it is hardened enough the clay pot will now be used for the purpose it was created.


“Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us.” 2 Corinthians 4:7


"He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet on a rock, and established my goings" Psalm 40:2

“Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver bowls, but also those of wood and earthenware, some for special use, some for ordinary. So if anyone purifies himself from these things, he will be a special instrument, set apart, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.” 2 Timothy 2:20-21
len
My life is in You, Lord
My strength is in You, Lord
My hope is in You, Lord
In You, it's in You
My life is in You, Lord
My strength is in You, Lord
My hope is in You, Lord
In You, it's in You

I will praise You with all of my life
I will praise You with all of my strength
With all of my life
With all of my strength
All of my hope is in You

My life is in You, Lord
My strength is in You, Lord
My hope is in You, Lord
In You, it's in You

My life is in You, Lord
My strength is in You, Lord
My hope is in You, Lord
In You, it's in You
In You, it is in You!

-----

3 words have stuck in my mind while listening to this song: LIFE, STRENGTH, and HOPE. Here are the nuggets of truth that God has revealed to me through this song:

LIFE


God wants all of us and that includes:

  • mind
  • heart
  • body

    "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service." Romans 12:1

STRENGTH

  • God shows his power through our weakness.
  • "all of our strength" - not just when we are physicall healthy, but up to the remaining strength inside our bodies.

    "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Philippians 4:13

HOPE

  • Anticipation "OUR FAITH"
len
John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid"

2 FACTS ABOUT PEACE:

1. Peace is a gift - you do not earn it
          - there is a huge difference between human peace and God's peace. Why? Becasue human peace is based on circumstances.

2. Peace is an internal thing

5 KEYS TO PEACE: R.E.L.A.X

1. R-est in God's forgiveness 
Romans 5:1 "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ"

- When we are out of harmony with God, it causes stress - #1 cause of stress is GUILT
- There's no peace of mind without a clean conscience

2. E-ver present God
God is always with us (Psalm 139, Matthew 10:9, Genesis 1:27, Jeremiah 14:5)

- Sress comes when you feel you are facing everything by yourself.
- Hurry aggregates worry. The more hurried you are, the more worried you get.
- Peace is a mindset. It's what you focus on.

How would you know God is with you? BE STILL AND KNOW GOD (Psalm 46:1-10)

        BUT...There's a huge difference between KNOWING ABOUT GOD and KNOWING GOD

Knowing About God - merely facts about God, what you read, what you hear from preaching
Knowing God- based on your personal experience, persoanl interaction and relationship with God.

3. L-earn to obey God's principles 

     - Read the bible

"What matters is not WHO WE ARE,  BUT WHOSE WE ARE"

     - Peace comes from obedience. When we ignore God, we become stressed.

4. A-lways trust God's plan Proverbs 3:5-6

- Trust the Lord with all my heart (Prov 3:5) - means total dependence amidst all things.
- Don't lean on our own understanding (Prov 3:5) - don't try to figure out everything

 Acknowledging God + Trusting God + Depending on God = God will direct our paths = PEACE

5. X-pressing all my cares to God 

Psalm 4:6 "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God"

When you're not praying, you're worrying

Jesus Christ is the PRINCE OF PEACE, Invite Him to come into your life.