Ministry recap for the day



I spent most of the day at home. I was busy blogging and  improving my blog's look. Actually, I'm not sure if my blog is DCF's or my personal diary. My life's just too intertwined with the ministry that most of the things I'm writing about have something to do with the Christian organization.


Journalese's new look is up and running, though there are still some links that I left blank. I still don't know what to do with them. But they'll be filled eventually. I specifically like the rolling photos in my blog. Lour Marc commented in my FB that the photos made him miss the fellowship. I assured him that we missed him as well.

I'll be changing the photos once a month, at least.

Today's full of praise item. I was beginning to worry that this week will go down in my history as another wasted week. It did't start well because of some misunderstanding with people, but God taught me a lot in these circumstances.

I suddenly remembered Del's sharing in our reunion last week She thanked God for lessons on humility. There were no additional details but suffice it to say that God was working to teach her to be low and her feet on the ground through her many experiences.

She said the lessons are painful but rewarding. Many times, God will really break us so that we'll recognize that life is not about us but all about Him.

I remembered this because I know God is continuously pruning me as well in this area of my life. I could not remember a time when He specifically dealt with my pride in an unusually extended period. This has been a semester-long pruning. It is really painful and challenging, but at the end of it, character is built.

We had the freshmen fellowship tonight with Dado as the speaker. Kalayaan Christian Fellowship is truly encouraging. Five freshmen attended and we tackled Luke 9:57-62, "Jesus and Three Would-be Disciples."




As I write this blog post, I'm sifting through Dado's manuscript, picking out the most striking statements from his message.


What can we learn from the first person? Dado dealt with a very controversial topic-- prosperity gospel. Many churches today that it is always God's will for the Christian to become rich or prosperous, thus, following Jesus becomes a ticket for a life of comfort and luxury.

This thinking, however, stands in stark contrast with Jesus' own words in verse 58, "Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

Jesus never promised prosperity. He even warned of the truth that following Him may mean letting go of all worldly comforts.




As for the second person, God emphasized the urgency of following Christ. Jesus called out to the man but he said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." He was actually saying, "Lord, I will follow you after my father dies and I get all the inheritance from him."


He is so much like us. Many times we choose to follow our set plans first before submitting to God's master plan. We want to achieve our dreams first and do all that we desire, and when we're old, we'll give God the remainder of our lives.

In his talk, Dado explained, "Following Christ can require us to go out of our conveniences. As we submit to God, He should govern our schedules; we should not be close-fisted when giving our time to be with Him, searching His Word and doing His will."

This is a very strong statement especially to the busy urban people of Metro Manila. Dado is right, however, that God isn't requiring all of us to go full time in ministry. Instead, He is telling us that we need to offer to God everything that we do. He must be our all-consuming passion and reason for doing all the things that we do.

Finally we turn to the last person. We see that his issue is closely related with the second person, but there is emphasis in commitment and priorities. But again, because God demands the heart condition not the outward service, the challenge for us is to search our hearts and make sure that He is at the center.

Just listen to the first part of the Greatest Commandment, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." May this be true to us by God's grace.

Before wrapping up his talk, Dado gave a very important reminder. He said following Jesus can result to ministry, but ministry is not hundred percent assurance of following Jesus. He said we have ask ourselves, "For whose glory am I doing what I'm doing?"

Here's the most striking part-- Dado said "Following Jesus is living for His truth, losing your citizenship in this world, losing all your worldly securities, losing all your worldly concerns and finding your life in Him."

To God be the glory!


Next Next

0 comments:

Post a Comment