S E E D S

It is true- we can not fully fathom the heart of the Father towards us. It will always be a beautiful mystery, series of unfolding and unboxing. Good news is He loves showing us glimpse of His heart, of His love, of His will. But a glimpse to Him is still immeasurable. It will always leave us dumbfounded. A glimpse we can't contain. A glimpse that is meant to be shared. A glimpse that keeps us hungry and thirsty for more.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV)
"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end."

How does God pursue?

He always does things to catch your attention, even when He does not get a response in return.

He prepares the table for you and goes ahead of you while patiently waits for you, so when you finally find yourself pursuing Him back, you'll be able to taste His good and perfect will.

He has known you even before you were born, but makes sure familiarity does not get in His way. He is always excited to see you and talk with you, asking you questions, initiating conversations, as if it's the first time.

He is just so CONSISTENT and RELENTLESS.
His pursuit of us costed Him His most precious Son.

This is the sacrificial AGAPE kind of love described in John 3:16.

May we be open to God's pursuit until we find ourselves pursuing Him back.

Last night, God allowed me to experience a very simple yet incredible moment that made me praise Him like I never did before.

I can't share the full details, pero grabe, super ramdam ko ang love ni Lord sa akin. 😅

Sabi ko kay Lord, "Buti na lang naniwala ako sa move mo, dahil kung hindi, hindi ko sana mararamdaman itong nararamdaman kong pasasalamat ngayon."

When I feel so much loved by God, I know I am fully alive and living my purpose.

Kapatid, I pray maranasan mo ang bagong pag-ibig ng Lord ngayong araw na ito! ❤️

David committed adultery.
Paul was a murderer.
Jephthah was an outcast.
Gideon belonged to the weakest clan.
Peter had temper issues and even denied Jesus three times.

And yet God called and chose them to make history in the world of Christianity.

What should that teach us?

It's true, our past can explain why we are the way we are, but it does not determine our future. Our destiny lies in the decisions we make NOW- whether we get aligned with God, and do what He wants us to do or not. And to us who have truly encountered the love of Christ, obedience is not a burden but a delight.

Shalom!

Let's make this word more personal, shall we?

"Because of your great compassion you did not abandon me in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud did not fail to guide me on my path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way I was to take. You gave your good Spirit to instruct me. You did not withhold your manna from my mouth, and you gave me water for my thirst. For forty years you sustained me in the wilderness; I lacked nothing, my clothes did not wear out nor did my feet become swollen.”
‭‭
Nehemiah‬ ‭9‬:‭19‬-‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I love the way You love me, my Lord. So grateful I get to love You back. ❤️

Tell me God isn't real.

As for me, I put my confidence in You, my Abba Father! ❤️

Healthy confrontation is key to overcoming weaknesses, resolving conflicts, and restoring relationships. It can be uncomfortable and challenging, so some struggle doing it. That is why we should be reminded that doing so should not come from our own effort and righteousness, but only through wisdom that comes from God, and the fruit of His Spirit. ❤️

Confront yourself. Confront others...with love.

If you are someone who has been trying really hard to gain approval from people, and God, this is for you.

The path to seeking validation and self-worth from others, and chasing people's applause only leads to destruction. It comes with striving to hide vulnerabilities, and once approval is obtained, pride that inflates our view of our own importance and blinds us to our sins and failings is magnified.

What about chasing approval from God?

This is not entirely wrong. In fact, the Bible clearly says we should gain favor from God's eyes above all else. But what if I tell you, even if you haven't done anything yet, God already has His eyes fixed on you?

Won't you stop striving? Will this knowledge break the spiritual bo***ge of performance?

God is saying, "All I want from you is YOU. I don't need your works. I don't need your performance. I WANT YOU."

This is the original purpose of God even before the Garden of Eden, to commune with us, that our entire being and His become one. Only through communion can we produce genuine and righteous works for the Kingdom.

This is really humbling and we might say, "How can God want someone like me? I don't feel like I am good enough."

That is the mystery of His love for us. Even if we think we are not worthy, He says otherwise. WE ARE ENOUGH, and WE ARE WORTH DYING FOR.

HUNGER FOR ME,
even if people think it's crazy,
even if it costs you everything.

SEEK ME,
and you'll see that I am not hiding,
you'll see that I am just right here waiting.

ASK ME.
I am ready to give what you need,
even more than enough.

You should know,
I AM THE GOD OF OVERFLOW.

-Abba Father

Dear reader,

I dare you to dream big! Believe it when God says you are meant for greater things because you are an heir of His promise. God never lies. God never changes His mind. Whatever He says is final. Nothing, not even your situation, can change His character.

Therefore, put your confidence in Him, and you'll see all your dreams manifested right before your eyes!

I hope you see what I see when I look at you.

I see that light burning in your soul even when you think you're completely in the dark.

I see hope in your striving, hope of a wonderful future even greater than what you can imagine.

I see how beautiful and tender and kind your heart is towards the people you love.

I see the beauty in your brokenness.

Just because they told you you're not worthy nor deserving doesn't mean it's true because truth is you hold a great space in the heart of the One who created you. My love, look at yourself the way I look at you.

YOU ARE ENOUGH.
Not perfect, but definitely enough.

Relationships taught me a lot.

But one thing that's really helpful for me is that in a relationship, it's no longer what I can gain, but what I can offer. I'm not just talking about romantic relationship here, but mostly friendship.

Solitude is necessary, but don't remain isolated. We are created to complement whoever God is connecting us with. Living isolated is like deviating yourself from the very purpose of your creation. You want to make this world better? Start connecting and intentionally creating a healthy relationship to the very people you meet everyday, and see what you can offer.

We don't instantly become perfect at handling relationships, but we're getting there. There's so much to learn, and a healthy one already has been modeled by the Trinity. We just go back to the very glue that sticks all relationships together: LOVE.

Be love!

James 1:25 NIV

Religion that our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after the orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

After all those days striving to take charge of the things we can't control only to find ourselves exhausted and empty, did it change the situation? No, not in our own effort. That's why we need to involve someone who is IN CONTROL.

And He is just there waiting and saying, "Anak, stop the striving. Let me do it for you. It's time to surrender! Open your heart, let me come in. Let me take charge, for I know what I am doing, and I never ever will fail."

And all He is waiting for is our "Okay, Lord. Ikaw na po ang bahala."

All this comes from a revelation of who God is and what He can do. Because You know the nature of God, it becomes easier to surrender.

This might not change our situation in an instant, but it will surely change us, becoming more and more like Christ.

10-30-22
Devotion

It's true, the more I get to know the Lord, the more I realize how very little I know. The more I get deeper and deeper in His presence, the more I see how shallow my intimacy is with Him. This makes me crave for more...because I know there is more. There is more about life. There is more about what I see in the physical realm. There is more about the heart of the Father. THERE IS MOOOREEE!

🔥🔥🔥

This craving seems to be eternal. ❤

The God who created the universe and all its above and underneath is the same God who created and formed you. And He didn't form you the same as how He created things you perceive breathtakingly beautiful like the nature for He created these through spoken word. You are created in a very special way. You are fearfully and wonderfully made in His image and likeness.

So when moments come and fear overwhelms you, remember this in Isaiah 43:1:

Now this is what the Lord says— the one who created you, Jacob, and the one who formed you, Israel— “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine.

HE OWNS YOU. HE LOVES YOU. AND HE WOULD DO ANYHTING TO PROTECT YOU. HE EVEN SENT HIS ONE AND ONLY SON TO BE WITH YOU. ❤

I find beauty in your flaws. 😍😍

First time to attend physical Sunday service here in VN.

Before coming here, I asked the Lord to teach me something new today. Guess what the Pastor's topic is today?

John 3:16- God's love through Jesus Christ 😍

Indeed, God's love is new everyday. Hindi nakakasawa. Hindi nakakawalang gana. ARAW-ARAW BAGO. ❤

God is with you in the journey! Just hold on.

Heal.

What I am able to do within a day is simply what I am able to do within a day.
What I am able to accomplish, achieve, or produce in this lifetime, is simply, what I am able to do, and nothing more.
My hope is that I am able to breathe deep knowing this, no matter the unchecked items on life’s lists.
I have this hope for you, too.
It’s okay if productivity looks different from now on.

-Morgan Harper Nichols

God, you know her.

These recent days, I have gone through some deep realizations about how God has been good to me despite my weaknesses, and I can't help but love him more and more.

I have been living as a born-again christian for a long time now. I developed a mindset that as a christian, I should be well-behaved all the time. Because I am the ambassador of Christ, I should always act as one. Don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong about having this mindset. But it grew a pressure on me. I became hard on myself especially when people I am closed with get discouraged when they see the negative side of me. I beat myself when I do or say something wrong. It's as though I am trying to earn righteousness by my own.

One time I had an intimate conversation with the Lord, and I told him my frustrations. He just reminded me, "Darling, you're allowed to make mistakes. I love fixing you." I cried.

Sometimes, we forget that we are all a work-in-progress. We have weaknesses, we make mistakes, but as long as we recognize and surrender them to the Lord, allowing Him to change our hearts, we're good.
JESUS IS OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Darling, you are allowed to make mistakes. We grow and mature through them. Patuloy lang gawin ang dapat gawin. 😊