Ptr. Flavi

God wills us to be conscious of the paths we take in life. Sometimes we actually have to stand still, take a look at the options before us, and ask God which way we should go. It's better to take these lengths to ensure we are walking in the right way, than to rush ahead and make a ton of mistakes.

This verse echoes the essence of our Christian walk: keep your trust in God and never rely on your own wisdom. Involve Him in all areas of your life and you will never go wrong. When tough times come, you will have confidence because you know God is with you. Our human wisdom can never match up to God's wisdom.

There is no better image of love and protection than the image of a baby bird safe under the wing of his mother. Under her wings, he is safe from every harm, from foul weather, from cold. Under her wings, he is warm and dry and comforted. This is the image we see in this verse. It is focused on the sense of security found in God. When we dwell in the secret place of God--that is, the very essence of God, the place where we meet intimately with Him--we find ourselves in the shadow of the Almighty, often read as the shadow of His wings. We are in a place of safety and security. When we are in the secret place of God, we are protected. No harm will come to us and we are comforted by His presence.

This is a truth that will never die: we will never find anyone who can ever measure up to God. God is never moved by the problems we face because they cannot shake Him. No man, no power, no principality can even dare to come to us and try and convince us that they are greater than God. Who can compare to the One who created the heavens, the earth, and everything in between? Who can say they can stand on the same ground as the God who made the ultimate sacrifice of love, to save those who didn't even know they needed saving? No one.

The "whom" Paul mentions here was Tychicus, who was a fellow minister, who was sent to the people of Ephesus to bring news of Paul. This was long before the days of phone calls and emails, so Paul had to have a way to communicate with these people. Messengers such as Tychicus were often used to communicate messages between Churches in that time. Paul has been imprisoned in Rome and surely the churches where he has preached wondered about his welfare. Tychicus, would have brought a measure of comfort to these people who had formed relationship with Paul. To know that he was surviving, almost thriving, through his trials would have brought them great comfort, as would the letters that Tychicus would have brought them from Paul. Even today, letters from missionaries to their home churches are encouraging. Such letters give those who are unable to go into the field a chance to encourage and pray for those who are giving their lives in the mission fields.

We can never afford to be know-it-alls because we will never know everything. The moment we think we know best, we start to distance ourselves from God's counsel – and that is when errors are bound to happen. Don't try and take God's place in your life. Trust in Him and resist all pride – which is a form of evil.

It is far better to be a Christian who does not have much in this world, in comparison to being a wicked person who abounds in wealth and material possessions. There will come a day where all of these earthly things will pass away and we will be faced with what matters the most – our eternity. Those who have believed in God and followed His ways will be given eternal life. Those who have chosen to be wicked will, unfortunately, face eternal damnation.

2-23-22

You can't outgive God. God has a boundless supply of blessings. He teaches us to give by example. Luke tells us here that, when we give, we will experience a return the likes of which we cannot manage. He says we give, it will return to us "pressed down..and running over." Our generosity inspires God's generosity and He certainly has a whole lot more to give than we do!

#2-22-22

God has gone to the ends of the earth to make sure that you will always know that, no matter what, He has got you covered. He will keep you at rest, He will strengthen you, and He will see you through the tough times. In everything you do, every trial that you face, and in every challenge, that comes your way, you should know that you have no reason to fret or worry. God is with you.

If a person claims to love and know God, but it is clear in their actions that they are not loving towards the people around them, then this means that they actually do not know God. God is the epitome of love and we cannot have a relationship with Him if we do not express who He really is.

Contemporary Christian recording artist Toby Mac released a best selling song in 2007 entitled "I don't want to gain the whole world and lose my soul." That song actually references Mark 16: 26, but its intent can also be applied here. Paul tells the Church at Corinth that unless they hold firmly to the word that he preached to them, they have believed in vain because it was the Gospel of Christ that saved them. The Corinthian church had a number of spiritual problems, the most destructive being their tolerance of in-your-face immorality. Paul is reminding them that they can't count on a one-time acceptance of the Gospel. They must hold fast to what they were taught or they would be lost. They could gain the entire world, but their own souls would be lost because they had not stood firm in their belief.

God would have his children to do good to all men, but there should be also a special love and concern for doing good to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Even as members of a family care for each other, those in the family of God should look out for one another.

There are times when we may have a good motive but not initially pray according to God's will. This man out of whom Jesus had cast demons desired to travel with Jesus, but Jesus told him to go and tell his acquaintances at home what He had done for him.

God did not wait for us to "clean up our act" first, to make improvements in holiness, to make progress on our own and somehow turn ourselves to him. But instead, he magnified his love for us by sending his Son to die for us while we were yet in our sins, yet in rebellion against him, yet having no desire to know him or serve him.

God knows everything about us and more. His plans for us are always for peace and out of love – never for our destruction. God has always been concerned about saving His children, and save His children He did. What a loving Father we have found in the Almighty God.

Seeking the things of God should be your first priority. When you pursue the things of God, you have put yourself in a place where everything that you require will come. God takes care of His own – He always does. Don't think you are missing out on anything when you are focusing on God – because you truly aren't.

Through Jesus Christ alone are we made "alive unto God. " If we are dead to sin, then it wil lose its power over us. If we are alive to God, we will respond in love and obedience to his Word and his Spirit

We cannot appreciate the magnitude of God's gift of eternal life until we first understand that the wages of sin is death. Wages are what we "earned, " what we "deserve. " "Death" is not only physical death, here, but spiritual and eternal death. Our sin was an offense to the infinitely holy God, and thus justly deserved eternal punishment. But God's grace, which was greater than all our sin, brings us eternal life instead.

Every gardener knows that one of the secrets to healthy plants comes from cutting away the dead parts. When the leaves begin to wither and turn brown, that part of the plant has died and needs to be pruned. The dead parts can contaminate the healthy plant and if the gardener refuses to prune, the entire plant could die. In this passage, God is the gardener who must "cut off" the descendants of the wicked. He does this to protect the "godly ones"--the healthy part of the plant. He does this because He is just God and wishes to "preserve" us forever.

Our Busyness can keep us from God's business.

The Greatest profession in this world is to become a SERVANT of GOD.

Blessings.

Start your 2021 with a smile.
Less stress, worries, anxiety.
the secret is,

God no matter what

Kamusta ka?

For to be FREE is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and embraces the freedom of OTHERS

Choose to be happy even when you are having a hard time.
Always remember, the happiness of your life depends upun the quality of your thoughts.

Positive mind
Positive vibes
Positive life

MAHAL KA BA NG MAHAL MO?

Never feel sad on losing anything in life, because whenever a tree loses its leaf, a new leaf is ready to take it's place.

Some people in your life are at the top of your priority list.
You don't talk to them daily but whenever you talk, it feels like home.