True Happiness

Have you ever wondered where true happiness is?
Let's find out from the Word of God.

Psalm 1

1 Happy the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
2 But delights in the law of the Lord
and meditates on His law day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
(Whatever he does, prospers.)

4 Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind
drives away.
5 Therefore in judgment the wicked
shall not stand,
nor shall sinners, in the assembly
of the just.
6 For the Lord watches over the way
of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.

The first verse tells us three things we should
NOT do if we are seeking happiness in our lives:

1. follow the counsel of the wicked
2. walk in the way of sinners
3. sit in the company of the insolent

If there are questions in your mind, who do you seek
for counsel? Do you go to the psychiatrist, the
professionals or do you read the horoscope to find
out the signs and symbols of the stars? What is the
best counsel you can have? Do experts in their field
provide the best answer for your particular problem?
Or they are just human as you are, therefore can
commit mistakes. There is only one real Counselor
and that is the Lord.

Sometimes there is so much ambiguity in our lives
that we cannot fathom how to resolve them. But
there is Someone who can understand everything
about us. He made us so He knows every part of
our body, its needs and the complex nature by which
it operates, the problems we have and the best
solutions we can never imagine. One of His names
is Wonderful Counselor, the everlasting and mighty
God. He said, "I have loved you!" Even before we
speak, He knows and understands...He cares for us
more than anyone else in this world.

Hebrews 4:12 Indeed, God's word is living and
effective, sharper than any two-edged sword. It
penetrates and divides soul and spirit, joints and
marrow; it judges the reflections and thoughts of
the heart.

Godly counsel is meant to give us peace, calmness,
comfort and assurance. He will not leave us nor
forsake us. That is His promise. God's way is the
right way. When we do it our way, we become
exhausted but going nowhere. But when we do
it God's way, we are greatly benefited and blessed.
It's a multiplicity of blessings...one after the other,
something that has never even entered our minds.

Imagine the Word of God as water in the swimming
pool. Immerse in it and get wet all over so you can
prosper with His words. The love of God is in His
words and our love, on the other hand, is in obeying
His every word.

Do not walk in the way of sinners...
Who are you walking with? The people that we walk
with determine the direction where we are going.

Isaiah 57:20 But the wicked are like the tossing sea
which cannot be calmed, and its waters cast up mud
and filth. v.21 No peace for the wicked! says my God.

The 3rd "don't" says, "Do not sit in the company of
the insolent." The first one is believing, the 2nd is
behaving and the 3rd is becoming...an insolent. If
you sit in the company of the insolent, you eventually
become one...extremely rude, especially in expressing
contempt.

Romans 1:28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

In verse 2 of Psalm 1, there are two things that we must do to obtain true
happiness:
1. delight in the law of the Lord
2. meditate on His law day & night

Remember your 1st love when you cannot get enough of the other person...
you want to see him always and hear his voice morning, noon & night. You have read his love letter for the nth time and still reading it until you memorize every word including commas and period...even kissed the name that he signed. That is what you should do with the word of God...read it, memorize it and meditate on it day and night...and true happiness will come your way emanating from every word that you read, it is alive and active, sharper than any two-edged sword but giving you love, peace, comfort, unsurpassing knowlege and wisdom to guide you everyday of your life.

If you do those two things, you would be like a tree planted near running water, yielding fruits in due season and leaves that never fade...whatever you do, prosper. Wouldn't it give you true happiness the way you want it?
Not only happiness but inner joy emanating from the heart showing on your face because the Spirit of Jesus lives in you.

Thank God for Affliction

Romans 8:28 We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His decree.



Romans 8:32 Is it possible that He who did not spare His own Son but handed Him over for the sake of us all will not grant us all things besides?



God is using all things for good, including our frailties, idiosyncracies and eccentricities. He is still in control! All things work for good to those who love God.



God regularly and consistently takes all that He allows to happen to Christians, even what seems to them to be the worst things, and turns those events ultimately into blessings. That is Divine Providence at work.



No matter what your situation - happy, prosperous and easy; or sad, painful, and difficult - through it all, God works to do what is ultimately best and most blessed for you.



In His providence, the Lord uses 'all things', circumstances that are evil and harmful as well as those that are good and helpful, to mold you into the kind of person He wants you to be. When you struggle with life, just remember what God promised the apostle Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor.12:9). That pledge is for you as well.



Psalm 119:71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn your statutes.



Psalm 73:28 But for me, to be near God is my good. (Other translation: "It is good for me to grow near to the Lord."



Sin is always poisonous and error is always injurious. . . and we experience these in moments of relaxation...enjoying the soft hours of ease, times of learning and seasons of calm, putting down our guards and unknowingly letting the enemy in our lives. "Much that seems good is only good in the seeming."



Affliction can be described as pain, discomfort, problems, tests. . . How has it been good?



1. too much "good times" could destroy us

Two things can harm you:

- to take success into your head

- to take failures into your heart



Proverbs 27:21 As the crucible tests silver and the furnace gold, so a man is tested by the
praise he receives.


The purity of silver and gold is tested by putting them in the fire. . . so the purity of human
hearts is tested by giving them a little fame.


2 Corinthians 12:7-9 But I refrain, lest anyone think more of me than what he sees in me or
hears from my lips. As to the extraordinary revelations, in order that I might not become
conceited, I was given a thorn in the flesh, an angel of Satan to beat me and keep me from
getting proud. Three times I begged the Lord that this might leave me. He said to me, "My
grace is enough for you, for in weakness power reaches perfection." And so I willingly boast
of my weakness instead, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.



2. Affliction is good as a cure for evils existent within our nature . . . to root out all the remaining
bitter roots implanted in our hearts.


Like the water bottle with sediments sinking at the bottom . . . shake it vigorously and the
sediments will appear.


Psalm 119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I have kept thy word.


Romans 5:3-4 But not only that - we even boast of our afflictions! We know that affliction
makes for endurance, and endurance for tested virtue, and tested virtue for hope.


Affliction is also useful to God's people as an actual producer of good things in them.
Perseverance produces strong character.


Affliction is a wonderful AWAKENER. God whispers to us in our quiet moments with Him
but shouts to us in our pain and afflictions. How have you reacted to the pains and afflictions
in your life?


Your life may be the only BIBLE some people will ever read. Live it well by bringing light to
others in the midst of darkness.

Arms of God

What can the arms of God do for us?

The arms of God . . .
1. lift us up
Psalm 42:4 My tears are my food day and night, as they say to me day after day, "Where is your God?" v6. Why are you so downcast, O my soul? Why do you sigh within me? Hope in God! For I shall again be thanking him, in the presence of my savior and my God.

When we are feeling downhearted, depressed, lonely, weak, hopeless...somehow we have forgotten that God is with us. His Spirit is within us and when we are connected to Him, He will lift us up and show us the way.

2. hold us up
Isaiah 40:10 Here comes with power the Lord God, who rules by his strong arm; here is his reward with him, his recompense before him. v.11 Like a shepherd he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs, carrying them in his bosom, and leading the ewes with care.

Isaiah 41.10 Fear not, I am with you; be not dismayed; I am your God. I will strengthen you, and help you, and uphold you with my right hand of justice.

Do not be discouraged, God will be the source of your strength. After lifting you up, He will not abandon you, but instead remain with you to hold you up like a father in His loving arms.

Don't put your trust in man...hope in God. Draw near to Him so He will draw nearer to you. Allow God to be GOD. Put God first in your list of priorities and He will crown you with honor and success. Don't tell Him you are too busy... find time to read His word and fellowship with Him thru prayers. If you can watch tv for an hour, why can you not find time to listen to your God. Remember, all that you have came from Him and He can take them all away from you in a flicker of an eye.

3. will take us up into the clouds
1 Thes. 4:17 Then we, the living, the survivors, will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Thenceforth we shall be with the Lord unceasingly. Console one another with this message.

We can find security in God's loving arms. If you are already up, stay up, and wait for the GREAT LIFT. But do not forget, God's arms minister thru you. Tell everyone what you have learned from Him. Be a living testimony of His goodness to you.

Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you. v.29 Take my yoke upon your shoulders and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart. Your souls will find rest, v.30 for my yoke is easy and my burden light."

The Lord is your healer, provider, comforter and the God who cares for you more than anyone else in this world. Talk to Him. . .

The Power of Your Testimony

Read Galatians 1:11-24

INTRODUCTION:

"Even the smallest and seemingly ordinary representation of a true Christian has a big impact on unbelievers. . ."

Children see what we adults do everyday...and unknowingly imitate our actions.

We can have a powerful testimony...

HOW. . .

I. BY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH GOD

v.12 - "I receive it by revelation from Jesus Christ." Paul became blind so that he could stop persecuting Christians and see what he was missing, the first hand experience of receiving wisdom directly from God and revealing His very Son to him, that Paul might spread among the Gentiles the good tidings concerning Jesus.

We, too, need a personal revelation from God...a one-on-one encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ who can bring us and eventually our whole family to salvation and an everlasting life in heaven.

II. BY THE GRACE OF GOD

v.15 "But when God who set me apart from birth and called me by His grace was pleased."

Paul received God's grace during a time when he did not even merited God's favor. In verse 13, it says, "You have heard, I know, the story of my former way of life in Judaism. You know that I went to extremes in persecuting the chuch of God and tried to destroy it."

Romans 3:23 All men have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God.

Romans 6:23 The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Why did Jesus come to die on the cross? John 3:3 "I solemnly assure you, no one can see the reign of God unless he is begotten from above." v.5 "I solemnly assure you, no one can enter into God's kingdom without being begotten of water and Spirit. v.6 Flesh begets flesh, Spirit begets spirit. v.7 Do not be surprised that I tell you you must all be begotten from above. v.8 The wind blows where it will. You hear the sound it makes but you do not know where it comes from, or where it goes. So it is with everyone begotten of the Spirit.

No one can boast that he received grace from God thru his works because the grace is a gift to those who believe and accepted Jesus as Lord & Saviour. John 1:12 Any who did accept him he empowered to become children of God.

John 3:16 Yes, God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him may not die but may have eternal life. v.18 Whoever believes in him avoids condemnation, but whoever does not believe is already condemned for not believing in the name of God's only Son.

III. BY THE CHANGED LIFE

V.23 "They only heard the report. The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy."

Do people around you know that you are a Christian? Can they see it in the way you do your job? Or in the way you speak? How about in the way you dress? Are your decisions based on the Word of God? How many people have you turned down lately when they asked for help? Are you actively involve in the ministries of the Church?

We must change from within...reading the Word and following what we have read. People should see Christ in us because sometimes we are the only Bible that they will ever read.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To Senior Citizens "60's and Up":

All are invited to the Agape Care Center for the Elderly Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm at Alpha House, 261 E. Topacio St., Imus, Cavite 4103 Tel. No. 471 3834.

Isaiah 46:4 "Even to your old age I am the same, even when your hair is grey I will bear you; It is I who have done this, I who will continue and I who will carry you to safety."

************************************************************************

Praise of Divine Goodness

Psalm 103:1-5

"Bless the Lord, O my soul;
and all my being, bless His holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all His benefits;
He pardons all your iniquities,
He heals all your ills,
He redeems your life from destruction,
He crowns you with kindness and compassion,
He fills your lifetime with good;
your youth is renewed like the eagle's."

We ask for silver and God sometimes
sends His denials wrapped in gold.
Blessed be His most holy name
now and forever. Amen.

...A ROSE WITHIN...

"A certain Man planted a Rose and watered it faithfully
and before it blossomed, he examined it.
He saw the Bud that would soon blossom and also the THORNS
and he thought,
"How can any beautiful flower come from a plant
burdened with so many sharp Thorns?"

Saddened by this thought, he neglected to water the Rose
And before it was ready to bloom it died.

So it is with many People.
Within every Soul there is a Rose,
the God like Qualities planted in us at Birth,
grow amid the thorns of our Faults.

Many of us lock at OURSELVES and see only the Thorns, the Defects.
We Despair, thinking that nothing good can possibly come from US.
We neglect to water the Good within us and eventually it dies.
We never realize our Potential.

Some People do not see the Rose within Themselves.
Someone else must show it to them.

One of the greatest Gifts a person can possess is to be able
to reach past the Thorns and find the Rose within Others.

This is the characteristic of LOVE.
To look at a Person and knowing his Faults,
recognize the Nobility in his Soul,
and help him realize that he can overcome his Faults.

If we show him the Rose, he will conquer the Thorns
then will he Blossom,
blooming forth thirty, sixty, a hundred-fold as it is given to him.

Our Duty in this World is to Help Others
by showing them their Roses and
not their Thorns.
Only then can we achieve
the LOVE we should feel for each other.

Only then can we Bloom in our Own Garden."

- Author Unknown -

Kailangan ng Diyos: Mga Tigapamagitan sa Panalangin

“Naghahanap ako sa gitna nila ng isang taong maaaring magtayo ng pader, at sa puwang nito’y tumayo sa harapan ko para sa kapakinabangan ng lupain upang hindi ko na iyon wasakin, ngunit wala akong makita.”
- Ezekiel 22:30

Sa aklat ni Ezekiel, makikita po natin dito ang kasamaan hindi lamang ng mga pinuno ng Israel kundi ng mga mamamayan at ang banta ng Diyos na wasakin ang buong lupain dahil sa nakapopoot nilang mga kasalanan. Ang sabi Niya sa susunod na talata bilang 31, “Kaya, ibubuhos ko sa kanila ang nag-aalab kong poot at sila’y aking lilipulin. Sisingilin ko na sila sa masasama nilang gawain.” Mahabagin ang Diyos at mapagpatawad ngunit kaalinsabay nito ay pinaiiral pa rin Niya ang hustisya na may kaparusahan ang mga makasalanan. Naghahanap Siya ng isang tagapamagitan na mananalangin sa Kaniya para sa iba upang hindi na matuloy ang pagwasak sa bansa. Ngunit ang sabi sa talata, “wala akong makita”.

Mayroon po tayong 5 dapat tandaan sa talatang nabanggit:

1. Dahil sa kasalanan, nagkakaroon ng puwang sa pagitan ng Diyos at ng tao. At kapag nagkaroon na ng puwang, doon na pumapasok ang mga sakit, sakuna, pagkalumbay, galit at iba pang negatibong aspeto ng buhay. Nawawala ang mga biyaya at napapalitan manawari ng ibat- ibang problema sa buhay. Ang ibig sabihin nito ay wala ka na sa pagkalinga ng Panginoon dahil sa nagawa mong kasalanan at kung ikaw ay magmamatigas at hindi hihingi ng kapatawaran, kaparusahan ang kapalit nito.
2. May paraan para madugtungan ang puwang na ito at mapunan ang kamaliang ginawa laban sa Diyos…sa pamamagitan ng paghingi ng tawad, taimtim na panalangin at pagbabago ng pagkatao at kaluluwa. Si Moises ay namagitan sa puwang na ito ng Israel at ng Diyos ng taimtim niyang ipagdasal ang bayan ng Israel sa Awit 106:23, “Ang pasya ng Diyos sa ginawa nila’y lipulin pagdaka, agad na dumulog kay Yahweh, si Moises namagitan siya, at hindi natuloy yaong kapasyahan na lipulin sila.”
3. Kapag napagpasiyahan na ng Diyos na lipulin ang mga masasamang tao, naghahanap Siya ng kahit isang tagapamagitan na magdarasal para sa kanila. Bakit? Dahil isang katangian ng Diyos ang pagkamahabagin at ninanais Niya na bigyan ng habag ang mga nagtitika sa kanilang mga kasalanan. Katulad ni Abraham para sa Sodom, hinanap Niya si Abraham at tinawag para maging tagapamagitan at siya’y lubos na nagalak sa Kanyang natagpuan. Basahin natin ang Genesis 18:16-33. Dito’y malalaman natin kung paano nakikipagtawaran si Moises sa Diyos na kung may 10 taong matuwid na makita sa Sodom, hindi na wawasakin ng Diyos ang lungsod.
4. Isang malaking babala sa mga tao kapag nahaharap na sa napipintong paghuhukom at wala ni isang tagapamagitan man lamang sa kanila. Kapag ang espiritu ng panalangin ay sadyang pinigilan at wala ni isa man na magbibigay ng magandang pahayag sa mga taong hahatulan ng Diyos, isang masamang signos ito ng pagkawasak ng isang bansa at ng mamamayan nito.
5. Kapag nangyari nga ito na wala ni isa mang tagapamagitan, ang kahihinatnan ay sadyang pagkawasak ng buong bansa at lahat ng mamamayan. Ezekiel 22:31 “Kaya , ibubuhos ko na sa kanila ang nag-aalab kong poot at sila’y aking lilipulin. Sisingilin ko na sila sa masasama nilang gawain.” Ano man ang parusang idulot sa mga tao, ito’y dahilan na rin sa kanilang kasamaan na kailangan ng putulin ng Diyos, at ang kaparusahan ay pagpupuno lamang sa kanilang mga pagkukulang.

Anu-ano ang mga katangian ng tagapamagitan:
1. Isang pusong handang manalangin sa Diyos para sa iba. Ibig sabihin nito ay isang pusong hindi makasarili bagkus mapagmahal sa kapwa niya at iniibig ang kabutihan ng iba.
2. Ang puso niya ay katono ng puso ng Diyos…busilak, maputi katulad ng snow, walang bahid ng kasalanan dahil hinugasan na ng dugoni Kristo Jesus, mapagmahal, mahabagin, mapagpatawad, mapagbigay sa kapwa, matulungin, laging masaya, hindi mainitin ang ulo, makatarungan, at walang kapaguran sa paghahanap ng kanyang mga tupa.
3. May lubos na kamalayan kung ano ang nakataya para sa kaniyang bayan. Alam niya kung ano ang mangyayari sakaling hindi siya mamagitan para sa mga taong hahatulan na ng Diyos.
4. Mananatili sa harap ng Diyos hangga’t kailangan upang magtamo ng sagot ng Diyos. Siya ay matiyagang manalangin kahit na abutin pa ng kung ilang taon hanggang matamo niya ang sagot ng Diyos. Kung minsan kasi ang panalangin natin ay hindi agad-agad ibinibigay sa atin. Iyon ay matatanggap natin sa tamang panahon ayon sa kalooban ng Diyos.
5. Hindi nagpiprisinta na maging isang tigapamagitan ng Diyos sa panalangin. Siya ay kusang tinatawag ng Diyos.

Tayo po bang lahat ay nanalangin para sa iba? Huwag po tayong mag-alala na hindi sasagutin ng Diyos ang ating mga panalangin bagkus magkaroon tayo ng katiyakan sa ating mga puso na narinig ng Diyos ang ating mga panalangin at Siya ay kumikilos na para magkaroon ng katuparan ang ating mga hinihiling. Sa Mateo 7:7 nangangako ang Diyos na kapag tayo ay humingi, tayo ay makakatanggap. Maglaan tayo ng panahon para sa panalangin dahil kung hiwalay tayo sa Diyos, wala tayong magagawa (Juan 15:5). Kung hindi lubos na malalim ang pagkakilala natin sa Diyos at sa Kanyang kalooban, walang kabuluhan ang lahat ng ating paggawa. Ang paglalaba, pamamalantsa, at paglilinis ng bahay…makapaghihintay yan, dapat nating unahin ang panalangin para maiwasto lahat ang ating gagawin.

Ang panalangin para sa iba ay isang gawaing marangal at puedeng gawing mag-isa lang o kasama ng iba. Mas marami ang nagdarasal, mas mabuti ang kahihinatnan at mas lalung naririnig ito ng Diyos dahil Siya ay pumapagitna sa kapisanan ng mga nagdarasal. Maaari na maraming araw o mga taon ang bilangin bago mo makita ang bunga ng iyong pagpapagal. Ngunit tanging ang mga nananalangin lamang para sa iba ang tumatayong namamagitan sa isang pamilya at sa paghatol ng Diyos o sa pagitan ng isang tao o ng isang bansa at sa galit ng Diyos.

Cure For Depression

John 16:33 "I tell you all this that in me you may find peace. You will suffer in the world. But take courage! I have overcome the world."

1 Peter 4:12 "Do not be surprised, beloved, that a trial by fire is occurring in your midst. It is a test for you, but it should not catch you off guard."

Romans 5:3-5 "We even boast of our afflictions! We know that afflictions makes for endurance, and endurance for tested virtue, and tested virtue for hope. And this hope will not leave us disappointed, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."

Count your blessings and thank God in all your sorrows like the Psalmist did in Ps.30:11 "You have turned for me my mourning into dancing." Have faith in the God who holds tomorrow's opportunities and blessings in His very hands. He will never leave you nor forsake you.

Isaiah 40:31 "Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint."

1 Corinthians 2:9 "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him."

Be of good cheer. Storms in life are just temporary and they, too, will pass, even afflictions. They are sometimes appointed to develop one's character and strengthen it so that it is rooted on solid ground.

Afflictions, pressures and problems will come to pass, they will not stay with a Christian believer. Just like any typhoon, it will pass and will be gone before you know it.