Show All » 2010/04 » Don't Give Up
Thursday, April 01, 2010Don't Give Up
Have you ever experienced reading a story which you have read more than 100 times and you think you know everything what the story says and when you read it again for the 101st time then you see something so striking and new that it makes you wonder, how in the world did I miss this?
It may be you read it so fast that you've missed the message of the story. Or perhaps it's because you heard it from a speaker and he gives emphasis at a place where you normally wouldn't and BAM! It hits you.
The great thing about it is that it sheds light and leads you to discover several things on top of what you just found out.
This happened to me a couple of days ago when I was working on this blog.
For 33 years I have been reading the story of our Lord's resurrection, it was only now that I found out something new (maybe not for others) in this story.
"When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him. Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. They were saying to one another, 'Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?' Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large." (Mark 16:1-4)
Did you notice something peculiar in this verse?
Before I tell you what I found out, let's examine what's happening.
First, three women went to the tomb to anoint Jesus.
Who are these three women?
They were the same women who were in Calvary during the crucifixion (Mark 15:40). They were the last to leave Calvary (Mark 15:47) and the first to arrive at the tomb.
They were there to come to anoint the dead body of Jesus and probably to say goodbye to the one man who gave reason to their hopes.
Regardless of the lost hope, what could have motivated them to wake up early in the morning to go to the tomb?
I mean, really, what's the use?
Is it duty?
Is this what they call devotion?
What can they expect from a dead person?
One thing is for sure, they were not there to ask for something or get something. They are not going to the tomb to ask for a miracle either. They are going to the tomb to give. Period.
There are times when we are called to love or to serve or to give, expecting nothing in return. There will be times when we are called to give money to people who will never say thank you, to love those who cannot love us, to forgive those who won't forgive us, to come early and stay late in our gatherings or in our church even when no one else notices.
You are willing to give everything even when it hurts.
I believe this kind of love can be achieved if you have an intimate, personal relationship with the other person. This is what our Lord Jesus expects from us. This is not a call to a program, or a system of religion, nor to a church, and certainly not to the discipler, or some human leader - it is a call to discipleship.
The three women knew a task had to be done. They did not wait for others to do it but they decided to do it.
It is easy to give up, lose hope and be grumpy if you do not love, believe or worse if you have another agenda for serving another person or even serving our God through your church or community.
If one of the three women had a shallow relationship with Jesus, probably right in the middle of their journey she would start arguing and questioning the other two by saying, "What for? Jesus will not recognize my actions anymore, He's dead. I'm tired of being the only one who cares, it's always me. I'm just wasting my time here. I'll just go home. I'm not going to get anything anyway."
Whether or not one of them or all of them thought of quitting, I'm glad they didn't.
In this story, we know something they didn't. We know they were motivated by their love that even though our Lord Jesus is already dead and would no longer recognize their actions; they still did what they had to do to anoint Him. They continued their journey even when they knew they are going to a dead end. And since we know the end of the story, we know that God was smiling at them throughout their journey and thrilled at their devotion.
Our Lord God is also smiling at us when he sees our continuous effort to keep standing even though we face discouragement in our journey through life, even though we are busy we still take time to help others, even though our financial resources are drained but we still give simply because it is the "wise" thing to do.
Secondly, the three women asked this question - "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?"
Okay, what happened here?
Maybe the three women did not plan about this. They should have contacted at least one of the disciples to help them roll away the stone.
But here's the thing - hope does not easily die especially for a person who knows Jesus. I think that's what these three women had. That's what kept them walking. Although they knew this is going to be a concern, it did not stop them in their journey. They kept walking towards the tomb.
And finally, the peculiar thing that happened in this story, "they saw that the stone had been rolled away."
Why did I say peculiar? If you read the Gospel of John after the resurrection it says, "So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." (John 20:19)
After the resurrection, Jesus can walk through walls.
So, why is the stone rolled away from the tomb? Was it for Jesus to get out of the tomb? For the past 33 years, that's what I always thought. I always assumed that the stone was rolled away for Jesus to come out.
If not for Jesus, for whom then was the stoned moved?
Going back to the concern of the three women when they were walking towards the tomb "who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?"
The stone was rolled away not for Jesus but for the women. Their concern was addressed way ahead before they reached the problem.
This is a bonus - it was not rolled away for Jesus to come out but so the women could see in!
God does that for the faithful.
God loves to awe us.
Just when the womb gets too old for babies, Sarah gets pregnant. Just when the failure is too great for grace, David is pardoned. Just when the road to the tomb brings sadness and uncertainty, Mary and Mary experienced the resurrection of Jesus Christ first hand!
The lesson? Don't give up.
Is the road long? Don't stop.
Don't quit. For if you do you may miss the answer to your prayers.
Your closed tomb could be your finances, your broken relationship, your broken spirit, your addiction, your married life, your work, your family, your son who does not behave properly, your daughter who ignores you or anything. For all we know at this moment he may be telling his angels to roll the stone.
God is smiling at you.
Advance Happy Easter to all!
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Show All » 2010/03 » Keep Standing
Wednesday, March 17, 2010Keep Standing
When I was about to write this blog, I thought of checking my emails first to make sure that I don't have any important things to do before I start writing.
As I was browsing to open my emails, the headline news caught my attention - Nearly 15,000 jobs lost in Alberta in February.
A couple of days ago, my wife was talking to her friend about a massive layoff in their office. I thought the recession was over. I can only imagine the challenges these people have to face. I can tell because I was in that same situation last year.
In my last blog, I post this query - there will be a time in your lives when you are left alone, discouraged and everything that could go wrong has gone wrong - so, what do you do?
To properly answer this question, first, we need to understand these things that we know. Of course everyone knows about their own situation, that's obvious, but do we understand why we are in that situation?
So I don't confuse you, let me give you my example. Last year, when I lost my job, here are the things that I know.
I know that I lost my job, I know that I will no longer have a monthly income, I know I must find other means to provide for my family, I know I have a mortgage, I know I have a car payment, I know I have debts to pay, I know I have other people who rely on my help and at the same time, I know I have a big dream in life.
If I start analyzing the facts based on my logical understanding, I'm doomed! I will get scared and worried and desperate and angry and most of all, I will go crazy!
Thank God, it did not happen that way.
Let me tell you what I understand during that time.
I understand that it's not the end of the world. I understand that there are many open doors and opportunities waiting for me on the outside. I understand that God wants me to grow my career to another place. I understand that I have a great family and a loving wife to support me.
I understand that I have a God who is not worried about the outcome of my situation and trials. That's simply because he already knows the end result and what reassured me was - He can do all things but fail!
Situations happen and God allows these things to happen, for a purpose.
Don't think that I can say all these things because I have a good relationship with our Lord. Ahhhh... I wish! Once in a while I still do some stupid things.
Regardless, we need to understand that even if we make stupid mistakes in our lives, "God causes all things to work together for good." (Romans 8:28)
He does not sit in heaven and count the mistakes we do and say... strrrriiikkee three! Youre out!
If that's the way you think, you are separating yourself from a loving God. That is not the kind of relationship that God wants from you. Our God is not a tyrant!
What we think is wrong, the Lord changes for our good and His glory. There is no shortage on this goodness!
Scripture says, "The Lord's hand is not so short that it cannot save; nor is His ear so dull that it cannot hear." (Isaiah 59:1)
Having this thought, we do not stop trusting Him even when we encounter hardships; rather we need to overcome it.
"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials." (James 1:2)
How can you keep standing in the midst of these trials?
1) Be teachable.
There was a time when no one can teach me. It's not that I'm stubborn - but I consider myself to be smarter than others - I was "simply" arrogant!
That is why doors of opportunity did not open in my life! Becoming teachable allows you to open a lot of channels in your life.
Moses was right on when he told the Lord:
"Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, let me know Your ways that I may know You, so that I may find favor in Your sight." (Exodus 33:13)
Moses was not an uneducated person. One can only imagine the type of education he received while living in the palace of the Egyptian king. "Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds." Acts (7:22)
However, he had to spend 40 years of his life in the desert to learn the ways of God. He could not lead God's people with just the "wisdom of the Egyptians." He had to be taught by God.
If Moses did not heed through this process and rely on his own wisdom, the story of Exodus could have been different.
It was only when I started to listen to my family, friends and mentors through the word of God that I began to experience a dramatic change in my life.
If I remained stubborn and relied on my old ways, my questions in life could have not been answered and I'll still be practicing my old ways.
Being teachable is a sign of humility. "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (1 Peter 5:5)
2) Stand on His word.
Quick question, where do you like to stand - would you prefer standing on God's word or mans opinion?
During the times of distress, this is the best time to learn God's word and depend on it. Capitalize on those trials by taking advantage of your situation by knowing more about God while you have these trials.
God's word is very powerful in times of trials because there is a lot of conviction while reading His words. His word becomes your foundation.
Remember, the word of God is not like the economy or stock market. It's guaranteed. If God says it, that settles it.
The scripture defines the word of God as "The Helmet of Salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit." (Ephesians 6:17)
The Sword of the Spirit is a powerful weapon of spiritual warfare especially when we are facing trials.
The sword is formed by speaking God's word. When we use the sword properly, God's power and resources are available to us.
Just a quick note on this - when we use the Sword of the Spirit, we need to ensure that we are using the scripture in the proper context from where it was taken. In order to understand the context, we'll need to learn the Bible. Attending daily mass or bible study or living word groups or even teachings not only familiarizes us with the word but also sharpens our discernment skills and builds our faith. Faith comes from hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17).
I also encourage you to spend time even for a few minutes by reading the daily readings and reflect on it.
There are a lot of ways to do study the bible. If you ask me where to start, I suggest you start by reading the Gospel of Mark. It's the shortest Gospel and it's full of action.
As you face daily challenges, try to recall the verses you have learned that apply to the trials and challenge. If you can't remember any, ask the Holy Spirit to help you remember them.
Scripture says, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you." (John 14:26).
The Lord has provided us with spiritual armour so that we may be able to stand on the solid foundation. Start building up a good foundation and start today!
3) Keep Standing.
"Therefore, take up the full armour of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm." (Ephesians 6:13)
As the saying goes, "If at first you don't succeed, try and try again?"
Persistence is the key. If you get beaten up, stand up and try again. If you get washed out, get up and try again. If someone lets you down, leave them behind and stand again.
One of the main reasons why we don't get up is fear. Fear of failing again, fear of being rejected and the worse fear is the fear of being criticized by others.
A fine opportunity given to you, then you hear your neighbours comment - "Who are you anyway to aim so high?" In one comment, your dream is gone.
The challenge is - will you retreat because of the uncalled for comment or do you keep standing?
Your next action will define your future.
No matter how upset you are, how hopeless you are, how shattered your dreams are with all the trials, sufferings, distress, oppress, depress, and all the other negative "ress" that you can think of, you are still God's champion!
Keep standing!
God is the greatest!
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Show All » 2010/03 » Encourage Yourself
Wednesday, March 03, 2010Encourage Yourself
Have you ever had a goal in life that you wanted so bad that you will do whatever it takes to have it?
Did you ever experience the feeling that despite all your efforts in doing the right things you could not even take a step to get closer to that dream?
How do you encourage yourself if you cannot experience a breakthrough to reach your goal?
Can you quit and just try doing something else?
In my blog "When God Delays", maybe we just need to practice the virtue of patience.
But how can we practice patience when we are discouraged?
Let me borrow a parable from the Gospel of Luke. "A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any.
And he said to the vineyard-keeper, 'Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?'
And he answered and said to him, 'Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.'" (Luke 13:6-9)
Have you ever noticed when you are about to experience a pivotal moment in your life you stop and quit because of discouragement?
Let me tell you the story of the uncle of R.U. Darby? R.U. Darby is one of the most successful insurance salesmen. His uncle was caught in the "gold fever" in the gold-rush days. He was so passionate about his discovery of a shinny oar that he knew he will be able to find gold. Together, they invested heavily on machinery so they could follow the vein of gold. After all the digging and investment, something happened the vein of gold disappeared. For them it was the end of the rainbow. They tried to dig further but to no avail until they stopped.
Finally, they decided to quit. They sold the machinery to a junk man for a few hundred dollars and went home. With guidance from the experts, the junk man was able to find the vein that they were digging for just three feet from where they stopped drilling.
They were able to take millions of dollars in ore from the mine.
Like R.U. Darby, every person is guilty of this mistake one time or another. This lesson in life taught him so well that he became the best in the field of selling insurance.
Before success comes to most people, it is almost sure that the biggest challenges come into place. When we face these challenges and we think there is no way out, we get discouraged, we quit and we isolate ourselves.
We get discouraged, that's a normal thing. We isolate ourselves, that's not a bad idea too because I believe that finding yourself alone is God's doing.
Let's face it, there will be a time in our lives when we are left alone, discouraged and everything that could go wrong has gone wrong - so, what do we do?
Just like the parable says, "dig around and put fertilizer in it" and do what King David did - "But David strengthen himself in His Lord God" (1 Samuel 30:33)
God allows us to be alone so that we can turn to Him completely. A lot of us fail to understand these circumstances in our lives. We think he has forgotten us. No, He is just trying to tell us something - He is there for us. We are not alone. He wants us to be totally dependent on Him. He will show us another path to achieve our purpose.
Stop being discouraged because worse things will follow. If you become discouraged, you will only attract bad things in your life and believe me, they pile up really fast.
How do we encourage ourselves when we are left alone, depressed, discouraged and facing difficult situation?
1) Pray - "Ask and you shall receive." (Matthew 7:7-11)
I remember an old friend whose daughter was diagnosed with dengue fever. The platelet of his daughter is 10,000. (If you are wondering what platelets are - in an adult, a normal count is about 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter of blood. If platelet levels fall below 20,000 per microliter, spontaneous bleeding may occur and is considered a life-threatening risk)
When my friend heard this from the doctor, he was devastated. At that time, he confessed that he never knew how to pray but regardless, he took a chance of praying over her daughter. It was all his hope. Although the doctors were giving up, my friend never did. After praying over, her daughter had a miraculous recovery. That is the power of prayer!
A lot of us could pray like a fighter plane passing by. You can feel the ground shaking, they have words of prophesy and their praying in tongues is like singing. You can feel the presence of God in the place. I admire these people!
If you do not pray this way, welcome to my club. My prayer is more like a pin dropping on the floor. You can't hardly hear it or feel it. No one notices it. No ground shaking, no walls crumbling, no thunder roaring no nothing. No power.
Often, I don't know how to pray or how to focus my prayer; often, I do not know the root cause of the difficulty; often I do not have the right words.
Regardless, that doesn't bother me. When I pray, I know that the power of prayer is not in the prayer or how you pray. The power of prayer is in the one who hears it. That's the only thing that matters.
All we need to do after praying is to trust the one who hears our prayer and expect that it will be answered.
When I feel discouraged and I ran out of words to say while praying, instead of entertaining these thoughts in my mind, I secretly pray in tongues.
I hope that I could write more about the gift of tongues in the near future.
2. Be thankful.
When we are thankful to the many blessings that we keep receiving, that should be enough to encourage us.
Not thanking the source of all blessings is one step in the wrong direction.
Paul the apostle wrote to the Romans (1:21) "For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened."
In Ephesians 5:20 it says, "Always giving thanks for all things."
When the scripture says "all things" that means all "all things."
Is it possible to give thanks to the Lord for that person who harmed you? Who discourages you? Who tries to destroy your dreams? Who ridicules you and mocks you?
We should be able to do this through the grace of God.
In the Gospel of Mark 11:25-26 it says, "Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive your transgressions. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions."
These people will be the one who will purify you. They will be the tools so you could develop a good character. It is how you handle these adversities that results to what you can become. They will help you develop an attitude of gratitude.
3. Praise God.
The most common reaction for most people who are struggling with life and feeling discouraged in what they do is to analyze what has gone wrong.
Why am I in this situation? Why am I struggling to meet both ends need? What is the cause of my problem?
Stop analyzing and start praising! When we are hit with adversity, difficulties, discouragement, anxieties and a long delay, it's easy to lose our focus that we have a God out there who looks for us and loves us. It's sad that we prefer to look at our circumstances.
Just like prayer, there is tremendous power in praising.
What brought down the walls of Jericho? It was not the analytical warfare genius of Joshua but it was the trumpets and shouting (praising) of its people that brought the walls down. (Joshua 6)
What broke the chains of Paul and Silas when they were imprisoned? It was through praising. (Acts 16:25-30)
It is our choice to remain self-pity and be sad or to enter into His presence by praising and glorifying God.
I remember a time when I had a client that requires me to leave the house at five in the morning so I could take a two hour drive to arrive at their office. During rush hour, it would take me four hours to get back home.
One Wednesday afternoon, I planned to leave early from my client so I could make it in time for our bible study where I was the one leading it. Our group gathers in the church hall which is five minutes away from our house.
Unfortunately, I didn't have the chance to finish testing the system I made that I have to extend my working hours. I left my client at 4:30 pm and our bible study starts at 7:00 pm. There was no way for me to make it on time.
I did not analyze which route I'm going to take or how am I going to make it on time. All I did was I started praising God. I played the tapes of Steve Kuban and Don Moen and started singing inside the car while driving. Can you guess what happened?
I arrived at the church 15 minutes before 7 pm. Praise God!
No matter how strong the enemy is, the battle is not yours but God (2 Chronicles 20:15c)
4. Remember
Stop being discouraged and remind yourself of how the Lord has delivered you in the past; the same God who delivered you ten years ago, five years ago, one year ago or even yesterday, will deliver you again today.
Knowing how the Lord dealt with your problems and delivered you again and again, that should help us to remember His faithfulness to us.
We are suppose to remember all the goodness that's been done in our lives.
If you could not recall any blessing that you received throughout your life or if you think you were born to have bad luck, you are lying to yourself. God does not create junk!
The fact that you are reading this blog is a blessing in itself. I do believe that you did not read this far if this blog was not for you.
God has begun a work in your heart. And what he begins, God completes.
"For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6)
God is the greatest!
Posted By: Allen Espejo @ 1:49:02 AM
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Show All » 2010/02 » Are you investing or gambling?
Monday, February 15, 2010Are you investing or gambling?
Have you read the parable of the talents?
It's a story about a rich man who entrusted three of his men to handle his properties before taking a month vacation on one of his Caribbean islands?
Wait a minute... is this "Deja Vu" of my "Blessing your blessings" blog?
Not really. I'm only borrowing the part where it says, "Immediately, Mikee went and traded with them and made another five. Likewise, Bon made another two."
In that parable, I always wondered how the first two servants were able to double their investment. Did they gamble? Did they invest their money in the bank? Did they invest it in stock market?
Based on my knowledge, they did not begin trading shares in companies, government and debt until the 12th century. But, what if they did have an underground wall street during the Roman Empire? Who knows?
Other than gambling, stock market is one of the fastest ways to double your money. Since I'm at it, let me ask you this question, is trading stocks gambling?
Before I answer this question, do you remember the incident last October 2008? People thought that most companies were losing its value. The result, people got skeptic on the outlook of all businesses resulting to a sudden fall on the market. That was scary.
My stock investments lost almost 30 percent of their value in a matter of days. Ouch! I said to myself, I'll keep it for a while. After a few weeks, the market crashed another 20 percent more. Double Ouch!
Most of the people I know were pulling out their money in the market. Big mistake!
Warren Buffet said, "Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy only when others are fearful."
What? Did I hear it right? How can anyone be greedy in a falling market!
I did not understand this before. It's easy to give this advice to others but when your own money is involved, it is hard to comprehend. Regardless, I followed Mr Buffet's advice. Right now, I'm enjoying a 125 percent increase in my investment. Not bad!
If that is the case, are stocks the best paper asset in the world?
Among all paper assets (stocks and shares, bonds, currency and cash), the stock market is the known fastest way of growing your money. It's also the fastest way of losing money and it is not gambling.
When you own stocks, you own a share of common stock in a company. In layman's term, you own the company. It entitles you to a claim a fraction of the profits that the company generates. Oftentimes, investors think of shares as simply a trading vehicle, and they forget that stock represents the ownership of a company.
Gambling, on the contrary, is taking money from a loser and giving it to a winner. No value is ever created.
Before you start purchasing stock shares, you have to know your risk tolerance before putting your money into this market. You have to have a very, very high risk tolerance because of its volatility.
Another thing to consider is your age. If you're in your late 50s and you want to increase your retirement through the stock market, think again and again and again.
When I got curious about stock market, I lost all my money on my first attempt. It was painful. I was in my late 30s when this happened. I took time to learn how it really works.
Remember, knowing something is generally better than nothing, but it is crucial in the stock market that individual investors have a clear understanding of what they are doing with their money. It's those investors who really do their homework that succeed.
One of the best things I learned in my experience is to never chase the market. That's why I became a "passive investor." I'll talk more about this later.
Keep in mind that stock market is not for everyone. Before buying anything, I recommend that you assess your risk tolerance. As much as possible, minimize your exposure into this market especially when you are nearing your retirement age. Unless you have a lot of extra money to spare, that is up to you.
If directly investing in stock market is too scary for you but you still want to take advantage of stock market investing, you can invest your money indirectly.
In Canada, we have something called RRSP or Registered Retirement Savings Plan. In the US, this is similar to 401k. In the Philippines, I'm not sure if they have this. As far as I know, you have to build your own retirement savings.
Anyway, if a person owns an RRSP or 401k, the company where you have this account normally invest them in mutual funds or segregated funds. (There are other types of investment vehicles that you can use but in this blog, I will only focus on these two.)
Like mutual funds, a segregated fund is money invested in the following markets. (1) Bond funds, (2) balanced funds, and (3) equity funds. Bond funds are invested in government bonds. Equity funds are invested in the stock market. Balanced funds are invested in both bonds and the stock market.
If you invest in equity funds, the insurance company buys shares in the stock market. You don't do anything. They do the buying and selling. They do the work and charge you a management fee, they call this MER fees.
This is where their similarities end. Because a segregated fund is administered by Canadian insurance companies, when you invest in segregated funds, you are actually buying an insurance contract. It offers certain guarantees to the policyholder such as return of capital guarantee up to 100 percent. It is creditor protected. It by-passes probate fees when it flows to your beneficiary.
If before you were after return on investment (ROI), after the market crash of 2008, people are now after their return OF investment. This is where segregated funds are worth considering. The only drawback of this investment is its fees. But is you ask me, I would rather pay that extra fees rather than losing 30 percent of my principal at maturity.
If you want to know more about this product, ask your licensed insurance advisor about this.
I have segregated funds four years ago. When the market crashed, it didn't matter much even though I was losing more that 35 percent of my principal investment. It's that guarantee that gives me a peace of mind.
If this does not look appealing and you still want to invest your money directly in the stock market, you can do that by using a stock broker. If that is too old school for you, nowadays, there are a lot on-line trading platforms where you can trade by yourself. This is a lot cheaper. This is what I do.
There are two ways to be in the market.
1. Active Trading
Active trading is all about timing the market. Through careful analysis, active traders know when to buy and when to sell. If you cannot do this full time, I do not recommend you to be one. Being an active trader requires a lot of time in studying the market and the type of business. Without this careful study, active trading becomes nothing else but gambling - a game of chance.
2. Passive Investor
This is buying and holding stocks for a long term. The one important thing you need to know is the value of the company. Having just a little knowledge, because it is better than none, is enough to invest in the stock market.
After reading my blog and you still find yourself confused, don't fret, if you don't have the time to fully understand what to do with your money because having an advisor is not a bad thing. The cost of investing in something that you do not fully understand far outweighs the cost of using an investment advisor.
By the way, since tax season is around the area, just a caution. Don't be tempted to use your refunds in getting investments that promises crazy returns. There will be someone out there who will take advantage of "instant money" or "get rich quick scheme." That is gambling.
The scripture says, "Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles, but the one who gathers by labor increases it." (Proverbs 13:11)
Make sure you are dealing with a licensed advisor when investing your money. These licensed advisors have errors and omission insurance that protects you, the investor, in case of fraudulent activities and negligence.
If you think it's too good to be true. Stop and think about it.
If you think you're too young for investment planning, think again.
Don't just watch others make it happen.
I want you to make things happen.
I want you to be successful.
Wherever you invest your money, I pray that your investment performs well and may you achieve your financial goals in life.
Happy investing!
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Show All » 2010/02 » When God Delays
Tuesday, February 02, 2010When God Delays
Have you ever experienced planting garlic in a farm before? I did when I was 14 years old in a whole one hectare of land.
The most difficult part of my experience was between the time we planted the cloves and the time of harvest.
Here are some of the things I felt during that wait time:
1) I grew impatient that I prematurely uprooted some of the bulbs.
2) I got worried because I may have planted wrong seeds or planted them the wrong way.
3) I got scared when I found out that there was a snake in the area.
4) I became aggressive when I found the snake and nearly slaughtered it.
5) I became furious because some worms try to eat some of my bulbs.
6) I was sad because some of them withered and died.
7) I was happy because it was harvest time.
Here are some the lessons I learned based on the feelings I had during the process of growing.
1) I grew impatient - I have to understand that there is a gap between planting and harvesting. It is nature's way. It takes time to wait through the growing season for the garlic to mature, sprout and develop its bulb. I would look ridiculous if the day after I planted my garlic and the next day I go out in the field stomping and whining, "Why don't I have garlic? I planted tons of seed! Where is my garlic?"
It sounds silly but this is often how we behave. In our life, we have to wait for our seed to grow and mature too. We must understand that we have to be patient and tend our crops diligently in order to see the harvest.
2) I got worried of planting the wrong seeds - whatever you sow, you reap. If I planted garlic, there is no way that I'm going to get rice from my garlic plants. If I planted the wrong seeds, then I get the wrong produce.
No amount of positive thinking is going to change the wrong seed I planted to turn into garlic and no amount of worries can fix my problem. The solution is not worrying. I took action. I fixed the problem by uprooting the wrong seeds and replacing them with the right one.
3) I got scared of the snake and I became aggressive although it was just a small one, a snake is a snake. I was scared to enter the field knowing that there was a snake in it. But that did not stop me. I jumped into the field and started to hunt it down.
In our life, we will encounter snakes. What are these snakes?
In our life, we will encounter snakes. What are these snakes?
These are the four d's - doubt, deception, discouragement and we get distracted by the things that scare us.
During this time of waiting the "enemy" will come to try to scare you and prevent you from entering your "destiny." We must always remember this - the Lord allows these fears to come against you in order to train you and mature you.
In my case, that was the day I was able to overcome my fears with these creatures. I became aggressive and persevered that I am going to drive the snake away and made sure it never comes back. Instead of being a prey, I became the hunter. I did not give up. I stayed focused and fearless determined to drive it away as far as I can.
By the way, I tried to kill the snake but my aim was really bad as my hands were shaking while running and throwing rocks at it. Anyways...
4) I became furious imagine this situation, you are working as hard as you can and suddenly someone else steals your idea and harvest your reward. You plant the seed; they eat your crops, just like the worms that were eating my bulbs.
My advice, don't get distracted with these things. People will come and steal your ideas and they will take credit for it. Unfortunately, this is very common. I too have my own personal experience.
Sometimes the toughest part about this problem is to stand on the "promise" and believe that it will come to pass, no matter what the circumstances tell us. It's a testing of refining your faith. (1 Peter 1:6-7)
Be still because God is in your side. If someone took advantage of you, do not be furious and do not take revenge. As the scripture says, "Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, 'VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,' says the Lord." (Romans 12:19)
5) I was sad because some of them withered and died - sometimes our dreams, visions and projects have to "die" within this "waiting" or "delay" period so that the Lord Himself brings them back to life with great power and glory to His name.
Several times in my life, especially when I started using drugs, it may seem as if God has forgotten about me. I looked like anything but blessed by God. But waiting was worth it; He came through.
I finally come to realize that during these delay period, God was with me all the time.
Even in the scriptures, men must wait to receive.
Abram and Sarah waited for 25 years to get the promised child.
God promised Noah a flood when he was 500 years old. The flood came 100 years later. (Genesis 7:6).
Joseph had to wait a considerable time before he became the prime minister of Egypt. He had his dream around age seventeen. He was exalted at the age of thirty. (Genesis 37:2 & 41:46).
So, if you have been praying for something for the last five years, don't worry, like Joseph, you only have eight more years to wait.
Kidding aside, some promises come like an explosion - BOOM, there it is. But 90 percent of the time, you have to wait and work to receive it.
This is no different like planting and harvesting, investing and maturing, asking in prayer and receiving.
Whatever happens to you can never happen if God hadn't permitted it. Don't forget that He loves you dearly. He promised to cause all things to work together for your good. (Romans 8:28).
Waiting is a part of the divine design of things. Waiting is no accident, it is purposed.
Joseph, Abraham and Noah's situation were, humanly speaking, hopeless and nearly impossible. Imagine this, Joseph, thrown in a pit, imprisoned several times? Look at Noah - building an ark at His old age, on top of a mountain? Abraham and Sarah, I mean, logically speaking, who would expect someone to give birth at age 100. Even Sarah herself laughed about this idea. (Genesis 18:12)
By the way, did you know what the messenger of God told Sarah when he heard her laughing at his words?
"Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son." (Genesis 18:14)
Here is one thing common for all three, they all focused on what God can do, not on what they cannot do. It takes believing especially through a delay to see the glory of God.
Remember, during this time of delay, the Lord is teaching us something. He is preparing us for the greatest miracle of our lives. His ways are different from ours.
This is what happened to Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary. (You can read the whole story in the Gospel of John 11:1-46)
Jesus knew Lazarus was dying. He knew! So, why did Jesus intentionally delayed his trip for two days?
I mean, if Jesus really cares for them, if He is really a friend, if He really loves them, why did He allow this family to go underwater before he rescues them? If you are wondering how Jesus loved this family, this is the only incident in the bible where Jesus actually wept for a person. But why did He come only after Lazarus has been buried for four days? It's too late!
When Martha and Mary met Jesus, they told him the same words "If you had been here, my brother would not have died." (verses 21 & 32)
Both sisters had high hopes that if Jesus came on time to save their brother, Lazarus would still be living. What the sisters do not understand is that Jesus was there all the time. He knew what was going to happen, He knew how it's going to happen and He knew how the story will end.
Let me go back to the earlier verse, "But when Jesus heard this, He said, 'This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.'" (verse 4)
He knew Lazarus was already dead! (verse 14)
He allowed Lazarus to die for their sake. He allowed this to happen for the Glory of God! He allowed this to happen so the people can experience one of the greatest miracles he performed.
My friend, if your dream has died and you are in an impossible situation, do you believe God can raise that dream for you?
6) I was happy because it was harvest time this was the best part of waiting. I knew my garlic was ready. I can now see the fruits of my labour. But one week before the time of harvest, the fact is, I wanted to pull them out to make profit out of it as soon as I can.
It's interesting to see that when the end draws near, when victory is around the corner, the enemy comes to attack you big time!
The enemy will do everything to attack and try to temp you out of God's plan for your life just before the breakthrough. A lot of people give up at this point. Many of us question God's purpose in our lives. Many are tempted to take the short cut. Wrong move!
We will not be quitters who lose out. Never! We'll stay with it and survive trusting all the way.
What you need to quit though is quit looking at yourself as a victim and start looking at yourself as a champion. "But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us." (Romans 8:37)
No matter what we go through, He will see us through. No matter what we are going through, we should not fear because He is with us and He knows our situation. We will not be drowned even if we are already underwater with our problems and worries. Believe that our Lord is in control and He always provides a way out, even when it seems there is no way.
Humble yourself before him so he can exalt you.
By the way, just because you know that God has something great in store for you doen't mean that you are not going to do anything. As I wrote earlier, we have to be patient and tend our crops diligently in order to see the harvest.
Finally, be assured that God always makes it worth the wait. Just like eating, if you want instant gratification, you can go to any fast food or drive through McDonald's and buy a "Happy Meal." But if you want a gourmet meal, you know you will have to wait a while. Great meals don't happen quickly. A good chef uses the oven or slowly cooks the food to get the best out of it. Just like God's plans for His people. He delays our "cooking" process to bring out the very best in us.
When God tells you to wait, be assured that He is preparing for you the greatest miracle in your life.
Isn't that worth waiting?
Isn't that worth waiting?
God is the greatest!
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Show All » 2010/01 » What Is Your Purpose In Life?
Monday, January 18, 2010What is your Purpose In Life?
Every New Year, we always hope we can have a better life than the previous year. We always hope for the best regardless of what situation we are in.
But how will you find hope if this New Year you are stuck, frozen in space and you do not know where to go or maybe your dreams have turned upside down, got laid off from work, had a broken relationship, lost someone you loved and you started your year depressed, discouraged and fearful?
If you did not start the New Year right, it does not mean that it is the end of the world or there is no hope or you can no longer go where you want to go.
That's the very purpose of a New Year! Yes, it brings new challenges and new trials but it also brings new victories and new hope for a new you.
How do you start your New Year right? Some people advise, to set your goals, your dreams and your targets at the start of the year. I am all for that!
But how will you know if your goals and dreams for this year are aligned with your purpose? How will you know your purpose? Who determines your purpose? What is your purpose in life?
When I went to Google to search for answers to this question, "What is my purpose in life?" Guess how many results I got in 0.23 seconds - 72 million results! Wow!
Here is one result that catches my attention - "How to Discover Your Life Purpose in About 20 Minutes."
Here's what to do:
1. Take out a blank sheet of paper or open up a word processor where you can type.
2. Write at the top, "What is my true purpose in life?"
3. Write an answer (any answer) that pops-up into your head. It doesn't have to be a complete sentence. A short phrase is fine.
4. Repeat step 3 until you write the answer that makes you cry. This is your purpose.
By the way, below is a special note from the author:
"For those who are very entrenched in low-awareness living, it will take a lot longer to get all the false answers out, possibly more than an hour. But if you persist, after 100 or 200 or maybe even 500 answers, you'll be struck by the answer that causes you to surge with emotion, the answer that breaks you. If you've never done this, it may very well sound silly to you. So let it seem silly, and do it anyway."
Unfortunately, I had a problem in doing this silly thing. My mom always told me that I was smart but how come after three days I still could not find an answer that makes me cry?
Why do we need to know our purpose anyway? In one of the teachings by Fr. Leonardo Polinar entitled "The Purpose of Man" he said, "A person who does not know his purpose in life is like water that does not know where he is going. Life for him is meaningless."
If your life has no meaning, you will feel emptiness. You will always ask yourself these questions, "What is the reason I am alive? Is this all that it is in life? There has to be more!"
If you clearly know your purpose, every act you do becomes meaningful as you do it in relation to that purpose. Not only are they meaningful, but you know how to execute each act. If you know your purpose, you can easily align your goals, dreams and targets with that purpose.
The next question is, if life has a purpose, then who determines it?
Definitely, it is not for man to do it. The simple reason is because man did not make himself. This is a tough argument but let me answer it by telling my story.
When I was a boy, my belief was my parents made me. For a young boy who still needs guidance, I think that is the best way to explain it. But if you are already 30 years old and you still have that belief, I think you need to get out of your shell because if you still believe your parents created you, does it mean that they should determine your purpose? This is probably why I heard a lot of parents talking to their sons and daughters this way - "You should become a doctor or a nurse because that's how I want you to be. I made you for that purpose so you should obey!"
It sounds ridiculous but this is very common.
Remember, your biological father and mother is just tools to make you. There is no other way of doing this: nature's miracle of conception where sperm meets egg. This can only be done through Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve or Madam and Eve.
Just like making a hammer, you need tools to make one. You need iron and wood and so on.
To determine the purpose of anything made or created, in this case, a hammer, that is the sole prerogative of the maker or creator.
Your purpose why you made a hammer is probably you want to use it for building something. You made it for the purpose of building something. Your creation is your masterpiece. If you use that hammer for a different purpose like using it as a fork to eat your food, there is no way that hammer is of use to you because that is not its intended purpose.
In our case, "God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." (Genesis 1:27)
Since we believe that God is man's maker, it is, therefore, God who determines the purpose of man.
I know some readers are sceptic when I said God created you. As for me, I prefer to be a creation of God rather than evolving from a monkey.
If God made you, you are a masterpiece of God and you should function based on His purpose.
What becomes your mission in life?
The scripture says, "God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth."" (Genesis 1:28)
"What is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, and You crown him with glory and majesty! You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet." (Psalm 8:4-6)
If this is our mission, God does have great plans for your life!
We were created by God, in His image, for a purpose. Just as God set apart from birth Isaiah who was called from the womb (Isaiah 49:1), Jeremiah who before he was formed in the womb, God already knew him (Jeremiah 1:5) and Paul whom God set him apart even from his mother's womb (Galatians 1:15) for a specific purpose, he also has a specific plan for your life even before you were created.
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declared the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future'" (Jeremiah 29:11).
The Bible says that God's will is "good, acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:2b)
If God had said all these things in the scriptures, why do you suffer? Why are these words not manifesting in your lives?
Maybe you are doing the things that are against His purpose. Your physical goals, your financial dreams and your target careers are not aligned with what God wants for you. Maybe you have lost your vision on what your real purpose in life is.
If there is emptiness and you do not know where you are going, maybe it's time to go back to the basics. Maybe we just need to stop for a moment and listen to the voice of our maker and ask Him - "Lord, what is your purpose for me? What do you want me to do?"
In my case, I receive guidance through the scriptures to keep aligned with my purpose. Being God's creation, this is my manual. By the way, did you ever wonder why they called it the holy book "Bible?" (I learned this from a teaching back in the Philippines)
B - Blessed
I - Information
B - Bringing
L - Life
E - Eternal
God never tells you something you cannot do. He is your creator, He knows your capacity and He knows your capability. You will be surprised when God tells you what you can do! It will blow your mind when you find out Gods purpose in your life.
When you find out His purpose for you, your first question would probably be, "Me, do that? That's impossible! I'm not fit to do that kind of thing! I'm not worthy. I don't have the skill to do that. I don't have the resources to fulfill that purpose, I don't have this and I don't have that!"
My friend, tell that to the young King David who was called when he was a shepherd or tell that to St. Paul who was called while persecuting the Christians or you can ask me how I responded when I was a low life.
I said to myself, "What can I offer? I have nothing! How will people believe me? I do not have credibility!"
"But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong." (1 Corinthians 1:27)
The shoe must not tell the foot how big it will grow! Do not set limits on what God can do for you.
Isaiah 55:8 says, "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD.
If you followed God's purpose and things are still not changing for the better and you find yourself in a place where you're lost, don't worry. At least you know who placed you in that situation. That becomes your strength. That becomes your motivation.
Probably, there is just a temporary delay. (I will talk about this in my next blog)
Let me end my blog with a story.
When I was 14 years old (not too long ago), I remember a time when I was crossing a white water river in Ilocos (the province where I stayed every summer). While crossing the river, I slipped and lost my balance and I fell in the raging waters. I was literally rolling down the river bank. I thought I was going to drown. I tried to cling on every rock but the current was just too strong. Fortunately, I was wearing a back pack that protected my back and head from bumping into the rocks. After struggling for several minutes by going against the current, I paused and looked back only to realize that there is a deep and calm section of the river about 100 meters away from me. I stopped fighting the current and I let myself flow with the rapids until I reached the calm section of the river and I swam out to safety.
If you find yourself going against your purpose, going against the currents of your life, pause for a moment and swim towards calm waters. This can be a weekend retreat or a short vacation with the family. Let go and let the current bring you to the calm waters and then swim yourself safety.
Our creator says, "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)
God is the greatest!
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Show All » 2010/01 » I Ate My Cookie
Friday, January 08, 2010I Ate My Cookie
A wife asked her spouse what he wanted for Christmas. The husband smiled and said, honey, I want something black that goes zero to 200 in four seconds and I want that gift to be placed inside the garage on Christmas eve.
On Christmas Eve, the wife said to her husband, "I have a gift for you in the garage." The husband said, really! He had a big smile on his face hoping to get the present that he wanted for Christmas.
The wife asked her husband to close his eyes while she escorts her to the garage. The husband, getting really excited, closed his eyes and walked with her wife towards the garage entrance.
As the garage door opened, the wife said, tada!
Can you guess what was in the garage door?
I will tell you at the end of my blog.
By the way, did anyone here gained five pounds last Christmas? If you did, welcome to the club.
In this blog, I will be talking about the cookie I ate last Christmas. Allen, what does it have to do with faith and money? Well, read further and you'll find out.
When I had the chance to eat my first chocolate chip cookie last Christmas, three things came into my mind.
1) I will hide it and then eat it later.
There is nothing wrong in saving something for the rainy day. I will wrap it in a nice plastic wrapper and hide it in my fridge. I will hide it at the very back so no one can see it. By the time I get hungry, I will have something to eat.
2) I will sell my cookie and give the proceeds to the poor.
This is probably a noble thing to do. Depriving myself and giving what is suppose to be mine this Christmas will probably make me a saint.
3) I will enjoy eating it with my family.
I choose option 3.
Before I go further, to be honest, I find it hard to write this blog because there is a fine line between being selfish and just simply enjoying God's blessings in your life.
Like a popular song by George Benson goes, "Learning to love your self is the greatest love of all." True?
Not true! Loving yourself is not the greatest love of all. God's unconditional love for us is the greatest love of all.
Loving yourself is good but it is not the greatest love of all. How can you not love yourself if you know that God loves you? Eating your cookie is simply showing your appreciation to the one who made it. Eating all of it with your family does not make you selfish at all.
Selfishness and greediness is relevant when you do not acknowledge the fact that you are enjoying God's blessings. When you say, "I have this because of I, me and myself," that is the root of the problem. I was like that before - selfish and greedy. Being selfish and greedy is not loving yourself.
When you acknowledge your blessing as a gift from God, there is no way you cannot enjoy what was given to you. If you don't, there is something wrong. You may have this problem because you do not love yourself and that is not easy to achieve. Some people have a very difficult time loving themselves. When you do not love yourself, you are punishing yourself.
Just imagine, why would you not enjoy something that is God given? If you know how much God loves you, the more you will love yourself. Learn to love yourself so you can love others. Love your neighbour as yourself.
I'm not telling anyone to become self-conceited, especially with their blessings. Let me give you an example of what I mean.
When I was 19 years old, I had a gift in playing music. I am not a singer or an instrumentalist but a deejay. Yes, yes yo! Your blogger was a disc jockey. Do you want to know how good I was? That's how I met my wife.
At that time, everyone wants me to play at their parties. I was loud and arrogant because I know and they know that I was the best (I thought I was). I never heard from anybody that I wasn't good (or maybe I was just selective in their comments). That boosts my ego. This is self-conceited, arrogance, pride, egotism and immature all in one!
However, when you attribute a gift as an answered prayer from God and you begin to feel good and proud about it - this is not pride. When God gives you something through prayer, he wants you to feel good about it. Feeling good is an expression of gratitude.
If you think that I'm being spiritually immature and materialistic, let me give you my example.
After meeting with a client on a one hot summer afternoon back in the Philippines, it was 35 degrees centigrade, I was waiting for a train (Light Rail Transit) sweating all over while wearing my casual long sleeve attire.
While waiting at the station, I prayed to God asking Him that the next train would have an air-condition unit (at that time there were few air-conditioned trains, probably one out of five). After praying, the next train stopped and what do you know - it was air-conditioned - my gift from heaven and my answered prayer.
I never appreciated something so simple before but at that moment, that was a big deal to me.
In our next weekly prayer gathering, it may sound silly but I shared that incident in the congregation when we were asked "What were the blessings you received last week?" Others did their sharing of healing; others had their financial blessings while mine was a simple ordinary train ride which happens to several thousands of commuter's every day. But that sharing changed me. After my sharing, that made me realize how bless I was that I was able to appreciate even the smallest thing that happens to my life and I felt very proud proclaiming to the world how good God is - that he answers all our prayers, even the simplest ones. That felt really good.
This is a simple form of gratitude but that is how I started to feel good about so many things in my life, even the smallest things.
When you begin to be grateful in small things, the big things follow.
This Christmas, my wife and two boys were blessed to travel in a place where we never had been before. This was my cookie last Christmas. This was our gift from God. Our answered prayer.
I asked myself, would it have been better if I saved my money for the whole trip and bought silver to invest? Or, I could have been one step closer to my sainthood if I donated our vacation money to a charity, right?
"Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one's labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward. Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God. For he will not often consider the years of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the gladness of his heart." (Ecclesiastes 5:18-20)
My primary vocation being a married man is married life. Being married, I have the responsibility to provide for my family.
The scripture says, "But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." (1 Timothy 5:8)
Putting your family first is not being selfish. This is fulfilling your duty as a father and head of a family. This is glorifying God!
During our trip, we saw a man assisting two woman in a wheelchair. My wife and I looked at each other and said, we are so blessed that we are able to do these things while we still enjoy it.
Remember, one of the major causes of sickness is stress. Give yourself a break. Be sensitive to what you need. Enjoy God's blessing to you so you can bless others more.
Life is short, enjoy it!
When was the last time you went out with your family?
Invest on good memories.
"All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for all my labor." (Ecclesiastes 2:10)
I ate my cookie with my family and it was good!
Spend your money with your family but do not forget to control your expenses by handling your finances with a faith perspective. You will be guided.
In my next blog, I will write about knowing your purpose in life.
And finally, do you want to know what the gift of the husband in my story was?
Let's recap. He wanted something black that goes zero to 200 in four seconds found inside the garage... he got a black weighing scale in the garage!
God is the greatest!
Happy New Year!
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Show All » 2009/12 » Count Your Blessings
Friday, December 18, 2009Count Your Blessings
Two old friends bumped into one another on the street one day. One of them looked hopeless, almost on the verge of tears. His friend asked, "What has the world done to you, my old friend?" The sad fellow said, "Three weeks ago, an uncle died and left me forty thousand dollars."
"That's a lot of money!"
"But you see, two weeks ago, a cousin I never even knew died, and left me eighty-five thousand free and clear."
"Sounds like you've been blessed...."
"You don't understand!" he interrupted. "Last week my great-aunt passed away. I inherited almost a quarter of a million."
Now he was really confused. "Then, why do you look so depressed?"
"This week... nothing!"
Have you ever tried counting your blessings?
We all know that God is the source of blessings. If all blessings come from God, it should be available to all.
Why is it that there are days when we feel that we are being denied of these blessings? Is it because of the stress and anxieties that we have? Is this the reason why we cannot experience the blessings coming into our lives?
Why does God delay or deny your blessings when you know that you are doing His will? Worshipping Him, praising Him, doing the right things, helping the needy and loving your neighbours?
Or maybe, our God blocks these blessings because He delights in our suffering. Or most likely, He withholds our blessings because He wants us to beg. Or probably, He refrains from blessing us because He is unaware of our needs.
My friend, if we are not being blessed, it is NEVER because of God.
God loves us so much. He could never withhold His blessings that were meant for us. He may delay it, for a reason, but He never denies anyone of receiving it.
Can you guess the most common reason why we cannot receive these blessings that are for us? You guessed it - ourselves.
We have a lot of barriers that block the blessings that are planned for us.
We have to overcome, tear down and destroy these barriers.
And you know what, this is one of the best things that you can do for yourself this Christmas.
The steps in removing these barriers are similar to the one that I shared in my blog "Man in the Mirror."
The first step is to identify what are these barriers.
Let me give you some examples from the scriptures on what are these barriers.
1. Covetousness - this was the cause why Joshua was defeated at Ai. (Joshua 7:16-26) You will never inherit the kingdom of God. (Ephesians 5:5)
2. Disobedience instead of blessings, curses will come upon you and overtake you (Deuteronomy 28:15)
3. Unforgiveness - if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions (Matthew 6:15)
4. Rebellion not just rebellion to God (1 Samuel 12:15) but also rebellion to your parents. (Mark 7:10)
These are only four of the obvious barriers that block you from receiving God's blessings. I am certain that there are others that you can find once you start searching within yourself.
Once you identify your barriers, the next step is to immediately remove them. How?
1. Recognize that there is a barrier. You cannot solve a problem if you think that there is no problem.
2. Accept that you created the barrier. Do not point your finger to anyone. This is one of our biggest challenges. Why? Our biggest enemy is our own self. We tend to justify ourselves because we favour our self. "I am right and I am not the reason why I have these barriers." If it's not you, then who? Search for it. You will be amazed how the grace of God works when you start this process.
3. Learn to understand why God allowed you to have those barriers. It may have been intended for you to learn something. That's probably the reason why there is a delay between the time you asked for the blessing and the time you received it.
4. Be humble enough to ask God to assist you to remove the barrier. Once you start asking for God's help, grace will flow instantly!
5. Get ready to receive your blessings then give thanks to God and bless your blessings by sharing them to others.
Some of these barriers will be very hard to remove. It is a process.
If you still have these barriers, does this mean that you will never receive blessings in your life? Of course you will. Let me share you my story.
A decade ago, I did not know how these things work. I thought that blessings were measured by the material possessions you have. When I lost all the material things I have, I thought all my blessings were taken away from me. Clouded with scepticism, I could not see what my future will bring me. I have no money, no car, no business and no job no blessing.
After a while, I realized my failures and mistakes in life and learned to acknowledge them. I finally understood why God allowed me to fail so he can fill me with His blessings.
When I began to learn why I failed in life, that is when I started to experience God's grace working in my life. Failure purifies us. We become persistent. Persistence becomes faith. Faith becomes your virtue. That is a blessing!
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. (James 1:2-3)
Try asking yourself this question, "What is a blessing to me?"
Before, I only count the material things as blessings. A gift from a friend is a blessing. A big house is a blessing. Having lots of money and living a good life is a blessing. Driving a fancy car is a blessing.
But, what if you don't have these things? What if you only have a friend without the gift? What if you only live in a small house but you are living together as a family? What if you do not have any money but you are still able to inspire others with your talents? What if you stay healthy because you walk several kilometres each day for your daily commute?
Maybe you just need to change your perspective by removing the material things. Learn to appreciate all the blessings that you have in your life good health, good friends, happy family, the food you eat, the air we breathe, the water you drink and, the sunny winter sky in Vancouver! It's endless!
If you have removed all the barriers, changed your perspective and you still could not see any blessing in your life, you will need divine intervention - pray.
When you pray, focus on the things of what God can do for you. Just believing that you have a God who will do everything for you, that is a blessing!
Have you heard the story of the woman who had hemorrhage for 12 years? (Mark 5:25-34 NAB) Can you imagine the suffering she had for all those years? Her husband probably left her. Her community may have abandoned her. Not to mention, she may have been the talk of the town on how unblessed she was!
She had done everything she can. She had many physicians but nothing worked. Her final hope was an encounter with Jesus for she thought, "If I just touch His garments, I will get well." (Mark 5:28)
Although she has a devastated body, she has a pure faith. Check her words "I will get well." Not, "I might" or "I probably may" but "I will."
Because of her faith, she was blessed to be the only one in the bible (NAB) whom Jesus called "daughter." (Matthew 9:22 and Mark 5:34)
Friend, make every blessing count.
Finally, have you completed your shopping list already?
Below is a list of the best gifts this season. I received this list from an email and I would like to share it to you.
To a friend, loyalty.
To an enemy, forgiveness.
To your boss, service.
To your child, a good example.
To your father, honour.
To your mother, gratitude and devotion.
To your spouse, love and faithfulness.
To yourself, respect.
To all men, charity.
To God, your life!!!
Have a very Merry Christmas and may our Lord God pour out his abundant BLESSINGS to you and your family throughout this season!
God is the greatest!
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Show All » 2009/12 » What's in your shopping list?
Friday, December 04, 2009What's in your shopping list?
It's December! People making lists, buying special gifts, taking time to be kind to one and all. It's that time of year when good friends are near, and you wish you could give more than just presents from a store.
Why don't you give love on Christmas Day!
Sounds familiar? It's a song sung by the Jackson 5. The message of the song - "no greater gift is there than love."
But, what if the person you are trying to give your love to is the person who hurt you most? A cheating husband or wife who left you for no reason? A partner who ruined your dreams? A parent who abandoned you when you were young? A friend who molested you? A relative who took your money?
Can you still sing this song - from the heart?
Before I continue, let me share you what happened to me on black Friday.
For those of you who do not know what black Friday is, this is not like Friday the 13th or some scary stuff. Black Friday is a thanksgiving sale in the US which is similar to Boxing Day in Canada. In the Philippines, we call this midnight madness or "tiangge" that has super duper crazy deals.
On black Friday at seven in the morning, my sister sent me a text message asking if I want something from an electronic store (wow, what a way to wake me up). I told her, if you see a good portable navigation system or GPS that's priced with more than 50 percent discount, buy it. After several text messages, she found one and bought it.
After 3 days, I called her asking to return it back to the store.
What happened?
Did I find a better deal here in the local store? Did I find out that I was short of budget? Or I just want to give my lovely sister a hard time by going back to the store and return it? (Hey, I'm not that mean to my sisters... am I right my dear sisters?)
After 3 days, I realized I don't need it.
Although my work requires me to drive a lot, in God's grace, I am a person who has a good sense of direction when it comes to roads. I get lost once in a while, probably one out of ten in every new place that I go. On average, I only go to new places once or twice every three months.
Let me burn some brain cells for a moment, assuming that I consume one litre of gasoline every time I get lost, I would consume two litres every three months. If the gasoline is two dollars per litre, I would be out $16 dollars a year. The price of the GPS my sister bought was $160. If that's the case, it's okay to get lost for the next ten years!
I excluded the calculation for depreciation but I think I made my point.
So, given the assumptions, the GPS is not a need but a want. If I don't need it, why would I buy it? (We will talk about the difference between needs and wants next year.)
Often, what we purchase places tremendous pressure on us to spend more to "fill in the picture."
What do I mean?
Have you heard about the story about the cigarette ashtray auction?
A middle aged woman won a very unique ashtray from an auction. It was so special that she placed it at the center of the living room table so everyone can see it upon entering the house.
Being an interior decorator by profession, she found out that the living room table did not match the color of the ashtray.
The next day, she ordered a new table to replace the old one to match the design of the ashtray. After replacing the table, she found out that the ashtray and the table did not match the color of the sofa.
The following day, she talked to her designer to change the leather cover of her sofa. After changing the color of her sofa, she found out that the ashtray, table and sofa, did not match the color of the window curtains, and the walls, and the granite flooring.
Can you guess what happened next? She ended up tearing the house to build a new one!
Okay, I know I'm exaggerating.
Never, ever allow the things you have control your life or do not change your life to go along with what you have.
Of course we all want to look good - with matching styles, colors and the works but some people do not know when to stop. We all want to have what those around us have - consumerism has become a measure of our social worth.
Many justify their actions by saying "is it bad to reward myself? I worked hard for it and its Christmas anyway; I'm giving myself a treat?"
I'm not against that. I'll repeat this again, I am not against rewarding yourself. But rewarding yourself does not mean that you have to punish yourself in the end.
This is the problem - the things that we purchased have become the "status symbol" of who we are. I will repeat this again, never, ever allow the things you have control your life or do not change your life to go along with what you have.
This also applies to gift giving. This is why I prefer giving love to others during Christmas rather than giving gifts - ask my wife about this. (Now you know how cheap I am - nothing but love! My wife is actually proof-reading this and she said, "excuse me, how can you prove your love to me without the gift?)
This Christmas, giving love will be the greatest gift that you can give. This year and every year, this should be number one in your shopping list.
Say that you love your wife or husband or parents or friends and back it up with action. A Christmas card or a chocolate bar can add more value to your words.
Remember, they are not just material things. If your wife is doing the laundry, help her by folding the clothes or if your son is doing his or her homework, sit down and offer some help or give them encouraging words so they can finish their work. There are several ways that you can do to show how much you love them. These are small things that we neglect to do but if they are done with the intention of showing how much you love them, they mean a lot.
You cannot measure your love by the amount of your gift. I had a friend before who receives a new car every year but he never had the time to enjoy quality time with his parents.
There is nothing greater than giving love on Christmas day. Giving love can only be equalled by returning love to the giver. No amount of material gift can match the gift of real love. No money can buy love.
But Allen, how can I love my husband who keeps on hurting me? How can I love my cheating wife? How can I love my boss who's taking advantage of me? How can I love my friend who keeps on abusing me? How can I love my irresponsible relative who doesn't know how to bless their blessings?
Scripture says, "Love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men." (Luke 6:35)
It's so hard to love the unlovable. However, "if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them." Luke (6:32)
"Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in righteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a)
The message of advent is about repentance and forgiveness. If we have a God who is kind to ungrateful and evil men, who are we to deprive this gift by passing this grace to our fellow brothers and sisters.
This advent season, instead of filling your shopping list with the things you want to buy, try doing something for a change. Have a list if people that you would want to reconcile with. Create a shopping list on what you want to give them.
Don't give them expensive gifts like a nuclear time bomb or a king cobra with scorpions on the side but kidding aside, give them something that would make them feel that you want to be friends again.
That is the best gift that you can give not only to that person but to yourself.
Pray for that person and bless them.
If they are no longer living, offer a prayer for their soul.
I pray that our Lord would give us the courage to reconcile with our brother or sister and be grateful that you are able recover a love that was lost.
This is my shopping list.
God is the greatest!
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Show All » 2009/11 » Bless your Blessings
Thursday, November 19, 2009Bless your Blessings
Have you read the parable of the talents?
It's a story about a rich man who entrusted three of his men to handle his properties before taking a month vacation on one of his Caribbean islands?
For most of you who already this parable, you would probably ask me, "Allen, did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed again? Have you been watching pirate movies again while reflecting on the scriptures?"
Not really... As I am writing this blog, I am more likely to be day dreaming that I am in a Caribbean island. You can't blame me, its four degrees outside and been raining five days straight.
As a result, I hope you don't mind if I put in some twist by adding some herbs and spices in the parable and topping it up with a warm place setting.
Let me start again.
There was a rich man who entrusted three of his men, Mikee, Bon and Jack to handle his properties before taking a month vacation on one of his Caribbean islands. To Mikee he gave five talents, to Bon two and to Jack one.
(If you are wondering where I got the names - Mikee and Bon are my two sons. Jack is the main character of the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean.")
Immediately, Mikee went and traded with them and made another five. Likewise, Bon made another two. For Jack, he went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master's money.
Let's pause here for a moment.
I have read this parable more than a hundred times but this is the only time that I took notice of the word "immediately" in this verse. (Matthew 25:16 NAB)
What do I mean? Upon receiving the talents, immediately, they took action to multiply whatever they have received. Immediately - without hesitation, without second thoughts, without doubting, without mumbling, without complaining, they traded. Immediately, they started to bless their blessing.
When you know you have a certain gift which gives you the capability to do more with your life, what will you do about it?
Do you question why you have it? Do you complain that you have it? Do you doubt yourself that you have it? Do you hide it? Or, you put it on display but you have no plans of using it?
By the way, not using your gift because you do not want to use it is different from not using your gift because others do not want you to use it. That's legalism. I will talk more about this some other time.
Anyway, let's go back to our story.
When the rich man came back after his journey, feeling relaxed after enjoying daily SPA in his 150 foot yacht, (I could have said he owned a luxury cruise ship but our rich man is a modest billionaire) he called the three men for accounting.
Mikee drove to his master's house with his newly purchased hybrid American car in the parking lot. Upon entering the house, his master instantly noticed a change in his appearance. Instead of the hip-hop jeans, he now wears a suit but he still wears his yellow Converse shoes. Regardless, the master has seen a huge improvement with Mikee's physical appearance. Mikee came forward to his master saying, "Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more."
His master said to him, "You have blessed yourself well with the blessings I gave you. Well done, my good and faithful servant! Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy."
After the master finished commending Mikee on his good performance, Bon entered the garage with his newly purchased Japanese car he bought from Mikee at a brotherly price. He came forward using the suit he bought from the outlet store on sale (remember, being frugal is our secret investing on proper appearance but not punishing your wallets) saying, "Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more."
His master said to him, "You have blessed yourself well with the blessings I gave you. Well done, my good and faithful servant! Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy."
The master finally asked, "Where is Jack?" The door bell rang and when his butler opens the door, he saw Jack looking no different when he left him. Jack came forward saying, "Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back."
For those of you who never read this parable before, how would you react if your trusted servant or friend or co-worker did the same thing as Jack?
I mean, of course there is nothing wrong when you gave someone your one million dollars and after coming back from a vacation, he comes to you and say, "Sir, I knew you were a hard to please person so I played it safe. Here, I give you back your one million. No more no less."
I'm sure that's okay, right? I don't see anything wrong on being cautious.
Jack was afraid of losing what he doesn't own. Out of fear, he would rather bury what was given to him under the ground rather than risk losing it.
But, is that the right thing to do?
In our standards, that's an acceptable behaviour. But in God's standards, it's quite different. Let me quote the actual words in the scriptures on what was the answer of the master.
His master replied, "You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 25:26-30 NAB)
After throwing harsh words to the servant, he told everybody to throw the "worthless" slave outside where it's dark.
This only means that whatever gift we received from God, we should not take it for granted. If we do not use them and multiply what we have been given, if we do not know how to bless our blessings, we are in trouble.
It's not a question if we have talents, because we all do. It's how we use it. Are we doing our best to cultivate and grow these talents? By the way, "talents" does not only pertain to financial blessing, but this also includes our skills and abilities.
For example, in my case, I didn't know how to write blogs. I told you my success story on how I passed my college English class, after failing twice! Never in my life had I dreamt that I will be able to write blogs, but here I am. Many times, I doubt my grammar construction and selection of words, but I try. I see to it that I would write two times better than my previous blog. I do my best to bless the blessing I received that is my enthusiasm to write a blog.
Although I did get some help from my neice Nicole last summer but because she was going back to school, I have to do things by myself again. In that short moment, I was able to learn a lot from her. Little by little, I learn new things, everyday.
Many of us are afraid to use our gifts. We have the tendency to be perfect in all aspects of our lives before we go out of our cocoon. We are too concerned of what others may say.
We cannot control the way other people would look at us. When it comes to the behaviour of others towards us, our hands are tied. What do we do? We move beyond the naive expectation that if we do good or if we please others, they will treat us right. What if they don't?
Just look at Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao.
By the way, to my fellow Filipinos, I'm sure you've watched the recent boxing fight of Manny Pacquiao. Another proud moment for us Filipino's!
After the fight, I noticed a lot of fans (from where I watched) were commenting on how he answers the announcer. I heard some comments like, "His answers are way off the topic. He needs an interpreter." (I wanted to throw several punches in their face and I'll ask them the same questions and see if they can answer better... just kidding).
My gosh, here is a man who just won the biggest fight of his life, who has done something that nobody else in the world has ever done before (to be a title holder of seven boxing divisions to be a champion in one weight division is already a lifetime achievement), who etched his name in the history of sports and not the mention the honour he shared with his fellow Filipinos and here we are, a Filipino, commenting by saying, "he should get an interpreter."
Stop focusing on the weaknesses of others. Focus on what you can benefit from the strengths of others.
Manny believed in his gift. He did not doubt his gift. His poor English did not prevent him to say what he wants to say based on his understanding. He was real. If he doesn't speak that way, he is not the Manny Pacquiao we know. The great thing about him, he continues to bless others through the blessings he keep receiving. He knows how to bless his blessing.
Finally, when you receive a blessing, always remember that there is a responsibility attached to it. The more you receive, all the more is expected from you, the more responsibility will be given to you.
My prayer for you is that, one day when you retire; I want you to be like many others who would be bold enough to say, "Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more."
Then our Lord would say to you, "Well done, my good and faithful servant! Come, share your master's joy."
God is the greatest!
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