God of the Extremes

God specializes in going to the extremes. He did not wait that long to fulfill His promises just because He can't; but He waited for the perfect time when Abraham and Sarah could depend on nothing and no one else but God. 

God waited for the time when all chances were over for the promise to be fulfilled. God waited until all logical possibilities were eliminated. God waited until what remained were only hope and faith. 

And God has to remove first what was humanly possible so that we won't be mistaken about which is truly the work of God when it happens. God has to remove first our confidence to man-made strategies so we can really say that He is the God of miracles. God has to remove first our confidence in the things that we try to hold on to so that we would lay hold on the grace of God alone. God has to take away all our possibilities so that we can believe in Him as the God who can do the impossible.

Faith is oftentimes like that. It is going to the extremes. It is going to what is illogical. It is going against the tide of human reason. It is defying all common sense because faith now becomes the new definition of reality and everything I know about faith in God has now become the only truth.

The point of waiting in faith is that we're not waiting in vain. But we're waiting for a God who has never fail ever since He authored the beginning of time. In case He fails today, it will be the first time ever in the history of eternity. But that won't happen. Because God will come through. As He always has.

*Reflections on Genesis 18. I am doing a daily devotional on the Book of Genesis, and it really pays to again go back to the beginning to see God's wonderful work throughout all eternity past.

Live like you mean it! (Photo from the net)

The non-negotiable of God's Will

Do it God's way! (Photo from the net)

If you want God's perfect WILL, you have to do it God's WAY. God's will and God's ways are not mutually exclusive. They must always go together. Anything done outside the ways and strategies of God is just human work and can not stand in eternity. Anything done outside the truth of God's Word and God's timing is not only crazy but dangerous.

Oftentimes, we have the tendency to insist on doing things our own way because we think we already figured this out and that this is how it should be done because it appeals to our logic and common sense. Because this is the reasonable way to do it. I do not say that logic and faith don't go together very well. They actually complement one another; or better yet, in the eternal view of things, faith and reason actually mean the same thing! Because to a believer faith is reasonable, faith is logical, faith is as good as common sense. When we start to live our lives in faith, we now recognize that faith really is as solid as common sense.

So I must learn to live out in faith, because it will make me trust in God's ways. And God's ways are not burdensome, they are not there to keep me from enjoying life--they are there to make me enjoy life in the way that it should be. I must control my tendency to trust in my own ways until following God's way will be as natural to me as breathing.

*My reflections on Genesis 17. I am currently doing a daily devotional on the Book of Genesis, and it really pays to again go back to the beginning to see God's wonderful work since eternity past.

Live looking up

Faith is not just something you watch in the movies like the pop culture setter "God's Not Dead" or the biography-inspired flick "Faith Like Potatoes". Faith is not just something you listen to no matter how many Christian albums from different Christian bands you have in your mp3 player or iPod playlists. Faith is not just about the religious books you read, it's not even about the bible itself but on the One whose Words are being contained on its pages.

Faith is about a person. Faith is about Christ.

Knowing where your faith is grounded to is pretty much important in determining whether this faith is really worth it. People have the tendency to depend on someone for affirmation, beliefs, values, confidence and even a sense of wholeness. We're relational beings. And in matters of faith, we get relational with the wrong things and persons. So we get disappointed when promises are not fulfilled, we get pained when expectations are not met, we get discouraged when situations get tough. These happen when we put our confidence--and faith--on ephemeral things and flawed people like you and me.

But the person of Christ is the fulfillment of a great promise in itself. He is our firm foundation where we can stand and never be shaken. His person is our source of faith, our eternal confidence. When we focus on Jesus Christ our faith gets confirmed by His character and through the promises He has made.

That's why the scriptures says that we are running a race for Someone who has already gone ahead of us; Someone who already finished the race Himself. Our task now is to keep running with endurance and live looking up and "fixing our eyes on Jesus Christ, the Author and Finisher of our faith..." (Hebrews 12:2)

Live looking up!

Don't play Christianity!

The apostle James says in chapter 2 verses 17-18 in an epistle bearing his name, “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

Either James must have been a choleric person, or he must have been telling an obvious truth for all believers: the test of true faith is on the way we work it out. I can’t say I’m a body builder if I can’t show muscles. In the same way, I can’t claim to be a follower of Christ if I don’t produce anything in resemblance to him. How then can we prove true faith?

Faith is Proved by Love

James 2:8 (ESV) says, “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.” Love is always the greatest manifestation of faith in God. No wonder the greatest commandment given by God contained the word LOVE. As in love God; love people. It is by loving God that we can submit to him. It is by loving people that we can serve them.

Faith is Proved by Works

It was the choleric James whom we attribute this strong challenge: “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works (James 2:17-18). He doesn’t say that our works make up for our salvation; but he does say the works is the product of our faith. A person who truly claims to have faith in Christ will always produce good works. Doing good works is just our automatic response to the grace we’ve freely received from God.

Faith is Proved by Changed Life

The strongest argument of true and living faith is a life that has been truly changed. Faith in God is that one ingredient which makes all things new. No one can receive Christ as Lord and Savior and still remain the same! James 2:25 reminds us of the example of Rahab: “And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?”

Can we still stay the same after we received Christ in our lives?

Let it not be said that we’re just Christians by words and not by works. The bible commanded as to let our light shine before men so that they may see that we have God. Our God must be demonstrated through us by our love and good deeds. After all, aside from our redemption, it was for this very reason that God called us to partake in his kingdom.

Killing Miriam

The fight is not lost. The last warrior is still here. And he will continue the fight.

She could be as feisty as she could get but you're thankful that she is what she is. She could be flamboyant in her declarations but you're glad because her brand of flamboyance is perfectly matched with sense. And class. Who else gets to eat death threats for breakfast, anyway? My, that one is classy smile emoticon Her intelligence is so lethal her closest rival is no match to her. And let's not even talk about IQ here, please. Performance wise, she is among the best ever that has graced Philippine politics. She has done justice to every position--elective or appointive--she handled in her long stint as a public servant. Oh, how I wish she would stay long enough to scare plunderers, swindlers, and trumpers, and the corrupt in the government--and drive them away. I wish she would stay long enough to demonstrate to lawyers and law-makers the grandness of the practice, and to show politicians the even more grandness of public service.

I remember when we were so proud of Miriam being there in the senate every time there is a trial because we just know that it would be hard time for those who try to distort justice. I remember how we would face our TV sets and shout "go, Miriam, go!" like a mantra and she would say to her opponents, "don't play games with me!" or "what's your grade in law school?" like an angry mother defending her brood. That's not intimidating her opponents, it was bringing out the best in them specially if they have to stand for something. I remember when we were very eager to hear Miriam throw the verdict to anyone accused of wrong because we just know it would be the closest thing we can come to justice. I remember how Miriam would make us feel safe every time she took the cudgels to stand for us against the crooks and the villains and the monsters that we see every single day in our institutions. Yeah, Philippine politics is a safer place with her being there. And all these while she keeps us entertained in a good way. All these while she teaches us lessons about ourselves, as a people, and as a nation. All these while she shows us how the good and the right stuff is made. Yes, I remember when she would remind us that we are good, decent, sensible, intelligent, and strong-willed people.

But pity now, we have forgotten these things about her. She was your no-nonsense rhetoric plus ability combined but still you don't want her. She was your expert constitutionalist and legal defender but still you don't want her. She was your fearless fighter in shining armor with a heart of a mother but still you don't want her. She was your tough-minded, strong-willed Iron Lady with a tender soul but you still don't want her. I'm so ashamed of myself.

But then again, this is not about her, this is about us. This is about our tendency to forget as a nation. And to forget about the good ones--the ones we should have had if only we didn't want something else. This is what Plato defined many centuries ago as the curse of "forgetfulness". And this happens when our soul loses its memory, or fails to exercise remembering. It was under this spell that made Adam and Eve forget that they are already made with the "good stuff" and wanted something more.

Come election day, only 2% (?) of the voters will remember who they are. The rest will forget. That's a disease greater than Miriam's cancer. And that's what killed her.

*Written prior to the elections 2016. And the result clearly says we just had collective amnesia.

Her name is Miriam

I'm gonna cry for Miriam. I'm gonna cry for Miriam, not because she's dying, but because the people already have a choice. And it's clearly not her.

I'm gonna cry for Miriam as I would cry for the right stuff that we so often ignore but wished we didn't. I'm gonna cry for the sake of crying because that's what I'm good at. Because I am a cry-baby. And because I'm an idealist and I have this ideal that political will combined with civility is actually possible. That it is possible to disagree with others without compromising international alliance and security, or without totally severing them. That it is possible to cure social ills without killing the sick altogether--just the root cause, and with the right tools. That it is possible to change the system without the threat of destroying it. That it is possible to strongly govern the nation--with an iron hand, even--but still with the firmness of the intellect and the strength of will. Yes, these two can perfectly go together. And compassion. Yes, compassion for the people and the nation, matched with respect for human life and dignity. Ah, too idealistic...pretentious even! Specially when ideals like these are not taken seriously anymore. So it seems. Because they're just ideals and ideals don't necessarily win elections. Because things change, they say. Because this time we want more. Exactly. Exactly. Exactly.

That's why I'm gonna cry for Miriam because she was all of these and more but we still just didn't want her. For the third time she has given us a fighting choice, and our choices have been her curse. And ours, too. 

Her name is Miriam. And she's the best president that we didn't want.

No, she's too good for us we just didn't deserve her.

*Posted as a Facebook status at the height of the campaign period for Philippines elections 2016. Miriam finished last in a five way contest. That speaks much of our national sensibilities. Sad face.