Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ

P S A L M

Psalms 116:12-13, 15-16, 17-18 (or Psalms 89:21-22, 25, 27)
R: Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.
12 How shall I make a return to the LORD for all the good he has done for me? 13 The cup of salvation I will take up, and I will call upon the name of the LORD. (R) 15 Precious in the eyes of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones. 16 I am your servant, the son of your handmaid; you have loosed my bonds. (R) 17 To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving, and I will call upon the name of the LORD. 18 My vows to the LORD I will pay in the presence of all his people, (R)

Honesty, Growth & Moving On

I think I can honestly say that I'm finally ready to move on. Crisis averted, I hope.

This is a small breakthrough cuz I've been looking back and wasted so much time on regrets and could've beens that I failed to appreciate the blessings that are right in front of me this whole time.

My family, for one. I never thought I'd say this but I missed them! Where on earth was I the past 17 years? Have I really been too self-involved? Too caught up in my own problems that I never realized that I already have awesome cousins who are so much fun to chill with. That I have a loving nephew who would've grown up right next door but I missed most of his growing years. That my family truly loves me and wants the best for me.

My friends are such gems too. They know me inside out. They know when to come calling and when to back off and give me space. Now I realize how truly blessed I am. Family and friends who truly love us? Thank God for sending these loving people into my life!

And my work, such bliss. I have a lot of fun, the toughies become biggies because of the affirmation that my workmates and clients offer. This is perhaps a sign that I truly have moved on. True, it was painful leaving two of the best companies that I've ever worked at, with people who I truly love. But looking back now, I guess I lost nothing but time. And I am determined to make up for that.

Another realization, time is something that, once lost, can never be taken back. So I'm taking back Sunday, and Monday, and Tuesday, and Wednesday, and Thursday, and Friday, and Saturday. Thank God for Holy Week and Easter. A time for meditation and reflection. This is one opportunity that I'm not passing up on.

And so as I head off to dreamy land, I look forward to a new day. And a new week. And a new month. And a new year. Most of all, I look forward to a new me. Very excited here. Praise God for new beginnings. Amen. :)

God is in control - Avalon - English Subtitled

Perfect Ending to a Perfect Day

Dear Kristina,

You've grown so much! It's wonderful to see all the changes that have happened in your life through the years.

Celebrating your victory,  

GOD 

P.S. You make my day, Kristina. Keep growing. Heaven will be so exciting because you'll continue to grow there too.

Thank you Jesus. Praise you Jesus. :)

Blessed is Your Name

What is your name? What does it mean?

Kristina - follower of Christ. (Wow!)

 

Thank You, Lord, for the wonder of my name. In Your holy name, I am blessed. Amen.

Gospel: Jesus, the Great I AM

G O S P E L

The Jews are too concerned with this physical life in the world. Jesus is speaking here of eternal realities of which they seemingly know very little. It is time for them to look beyond the immediate worries of their lives and begin to position themselves for the goal of eternal life. Only from this perspective will they begin to understand the teachings of Jesus and be inclined to accept His message.

VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL
If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

John 8:51-59
51 Jesus said to the Jews: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.” 52 [So] the Jews said to him, “Now we are sure that you are possessed. Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’ 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? Or the prophets, who died? Who do you make yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing; but it is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ 55 You do not know him, but I know him. And if I should say that I do not know him, I would  be like you a liar. But I do know him and I keep his word. 56 Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad. 57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.” 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area.

my reflections
t h i n k : Let us seek to be sons and daughters of Abraham by being men and women of faith.

Gospel: "The Truth Will Set You Free"

G O S P E L

In many ways, I think John 8:31-32, the start of our Gospel Reading today, is the heart of John’s Gospel as it draws together so many of the themes of the Gospel – abiding in God’s Word, truth, freedom, discipleship, learning and so on. Let us pray for the grace to abide or live in God’s Word so that the truth will always be a part of our life and consequently true freedom as well. This is what a disciple’s life should look like.

VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL
Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance.

John 8:31-42
31 Jesus then said to those Jews who believed in him, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, 32and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will become free’?” 34 Jesus answered them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 A slave does not remain in a household forever, but a son always remains. 36 So if a son frees you, then you will truly be free. 37 I know that you are descendants of Abraham. But you are trying to kill me, because my word has no room among you. 38 I tell you what I have seen in the Father’s presence; then do what you have heard from the Father.” 39 They answered and said to him, “Our father is Abraham.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works of Abraham. 40But now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God; Abraham did not do this.41 You are doing the works of your father!” So they said to him, “We are not illegitimate. We have one Father, God.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and am here; I did not come on my own, but he sent me.”

my reflections
t h i n k : This is the benefit of living a holy life – you will actually look forward to and embrace death as the beginning of a new and better life.

How To Enjoy Your Wealth from Bo Sanchez

I read this today and thought it's worth sharing. This is from Bo Sanchez, one of my mentors. The topic is quite interesting and he's managed to make it even more so. Clap clap!

How To Enjoy Your Wealth

For 3 weeks, I’ve been sharing a 4-part series on money. 

Here’s my last installment: How to Enjoy Wealth.

Before I tell you how, here are two Bible passages about enjoying your wealth.

Ecclesiastes 5:19 says, If God gives a man wealth and property and lets him enjoy them, he should be grateful and enjoy what he has worked for. It is a gift from God.

Some are surprised by that passage.

Here’s one more...

Sirach 14:5 says, How can you be generous with others if you are stingy with yourself, if you are not willing to enjoy your own wealth?  No one is worse off than someone who is stingy with himself; it is a sin that brings its own punishment.

Yes, God wants you to enjoy your wealth.

But you’ve got to enjoy it in a particular way.

What way? 

God’s way!

Remember These 3 Investments

 

I’ve mentioned this before, but I need to say it again. Divide your money into three investments:

Step 1: Invest 10% in your Eternity
Step 2: Invest 20% in your Maturity
Step 3: Invest 70% in your Family

In reality, everything is an investment.

Step 1: Invest 10% in your Eternity. You’re a spiritual being. You will live forever. When you tithe, you’re declaring you’re merely passing this world and that Heaven is your future home.

Step 2: Invest 20% in your Maturity. Your biggest expense isn’t your car or your home. Your biggest expense is your retirement. You don’t want to grow old and poor. You don’t even want to grow old and rich. (Believe me, thats not fun too.) You want to grow old, rich, and generous.

Step 3: Invest 70% in your Family. Don’t invest in things. Invest in people. Don’t invest in stuff. Invest in relationships. Because the best investment in the world isn’t bonds, stocks, oil, silver, or gold. The best investment in the world is love.

Let me now give you my 3 rules on enjoying wealth God’s way.

(To continue reading Bo's inspiring article, click here.)

An OMG Moment -- Tonight's Answered Prayer

Dear Kristina,

There is a last stage in your spiritual life: To become a beggar-farmer. That’s when you come full circle. What does it mean to be a beggar-farmer?

When you hold your bountiful harvest in your hand, you realize how
everything—even the fruit of your labor—still comes from Me.

Go deep,
God

P.S. Kristina, at the end of the day, nothing belongs to you. Everything is a blessing—whether seeds or fruits. And you give it all back to Me.


Wow! That was quick. Thank you God! Yay! My bountiful harvest, I give back to you Lord Jesus. Thank you Jesus. Praise you Jesus. Amen.

This is our God the Servant King

G O S P E L

Self-promotion may be an important means of moving ahead in the world but it is anathema in the Kingdom of God. The heart of the life of a disciple of Jesus is humility. Until we are able to lose our self-interest, it is not possible to progress in holiness. It is no mistake that this teaching of Jesus immediately follows one of the predictions of His Passion. It is in His Passion that we see the depth of the humility of Jesus, His willingness to embrace even death on a cross, and thus we learn humility’s central role in the life of discipleship and obedience to the will of God.

ALLELUIA
R: Alleluia, alleluia
The Son of Man came to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
R: Alleluia, alleluia

Mark 10:32-45
32 The disciples were on the way, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus went ahead of them. They were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them what was going to happen to him. 33 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles 34 who will mock him, spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to death, but after three days he will rise.” 35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” 36 He replied, “What do you wish me to do for you?” 37 They answered him, “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” 38 Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am
baptized?” 39 They said to him, “We can.” Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; 40 but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared.” 41 When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John. 42 Jesus summoned them and said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. 43 But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; 44 whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. 45 For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

my reflections
t h i n k : We need to learn to entrust our needs to the Lord and so give Him the opportunity to demonstrate His eternal faithfulness to us.