The Gift of Salvation

My son told me 2 days ago that his close friend invited some of them for dinner to celebrate that friend's birthday. Despite the hectic schedule at school brought about by numerous, harder lessons, I told him it was up to him that I'd rather have him take a break and also, have fun with his friends even for a couple of hours. I have to admit it must be hard for that friend to celebrate his birthday on one of busy weekdays they have at school but he chose to celebrate it with his friends.

So, last night, my husband and I dropped him off at the restaurant where they were supposed to meet and left him. By the time we had come back to pick him up, my son's face was glowing with happiness that someone could just tell he had so much FUN!!! He told my husband and I about what went on and how they had fun with each other's company and that his friend was so grateful for the gifts they had given him...

My son made a joke of giving a funny bday card that applied for someone who was much younger, then he had put another card inside that had the gift in it [money] which was the more appropriate one. He said at first, his friend was wondering why he got the wrong card [mind you, that card was for a girl and he was a boy] but was totally RELIEVED when he finally discovered that there was one more card that was more appropriate for him. But the bottom line, they all had fun...

Spiritually speaking, Jesus has been inviting us all, too for a "celebration". He wants us all to have a personal relationship with Him and that's the only way we can get to know Him. Are we too busy to even hear this "special invitation" from Him? And if we don't take notice, it's sad because we've been missing the BEST opportunity of having the BEST FRIENDSHIP from Someone Who truly cares and loves us all from the start. But instead of us giving Jesus a gift, He is the One Who has a gift for those who will accept Him into their hearts. By believing that He died on the cross to pay for our sins, that's how we get saved, meaning we don't have to do anything because He became the sacrifice for our sins. Being saved means our sins do not count against us anymore when we believe and open Jesus' gift of salvation. Revelation 3:20 - "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear My voice and open the door, I will come in and eat with you, and you will eat with Me" [NCV].

When my son's friend had opened the "appropriate bday card" which was inside the "phony card", he had that feeling of relief and then, got excited again when he saw the gift inside...Same thing with Jesus' offer of salvation, there is no other way to have an eternal life but only by the REAL DEAL and that is through Jesus!!! John 11:25, 26 - Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in Me will have life even if they die. And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die."

John 14:6 - Jesus answered, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. The only way to the Father is through Me..."

Money

It's scary the way our economy is going...Higher gas prices, that in return, affects the costs of all things we buy or the costs of services we need. A lot of people lost their homes. Some are working not only 1, nor 2 and sometimes, maybe even 3 jobs, to make their ends meet. Some people gave up the things they love to do for themselves in order to save even a few bucks. A lot of people are not sleeping well, when it's time to pay for their bills and if their savings is not enough, where can they get the money they need to pay for these bills or their debts? Or they might worry that something might happen to their health, that if illness strikes, they're not going to be able to work and earn the money they need. Some people if not for their gambling addictions, buy lottery tickets, hoping to win that millions of dollars prizes though they know that the odds of winning is so slim!

I thank God for finding a lost soul like me. Before I have given my life to Christ, I was a worrier, who would want to have lots of money thinking that it would give me the security I need. Once we have a personal relationship with Christ, and if we truly surrender our lives to Him, our worries are replaced with the peace that only comes from our Lord Jesus. Through His promises [His Words], they are great assurances that His love and support for me will never fail. He is my true Security in this lifetime and beyond...To God be the glory!

Psalm 23:1 - "The Lord is my Shepherd; I have everything I need."

Matthew 6:24 - "No one can serve two masters...You cannot serve both God and money."

Psalm 119:36 - "Give me an eagerness for Your decrees; do not inflict me with love for money."

1 Timothy 6:10 - "The love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil."

Hebrews 13:5 - "Stay away from the love of money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, "I will never fail you. I will never forsake you."

Proverbs 11:28 - "Trust in your money and down you go!"

Proverbs 19:1 - "It is better to be poor and honest than to be a fool and dishonest."

Mark 8:36 - "How do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process?"

Philippians 4:19 - "This same God Who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches."

Luke 12:15 - "Don't be greedy for what you don't have. Real life is not measured by how much we own."

Matthew 6:31-33 - "Don't worry about having enough food or drink or clothing. Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and He will give you all you need from day to day if you live for Him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern."

Stress

Henry Ford once said, "When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it..."

The other night, a family member close to my heart emailed me and started venting out about the tremendous pressures in life she is facing. She is not getting the help she needs from her own family and it is hard to be ignored when she only meant well...

My son was feeling "bummed out" when he found out he got a letter grade equivalent to "C', despite him studying so hard from the previous night prior to the test. I told him, "it was ok". We will all have our own failures. But from that mistake, he can learn from it, move on and strive harder until he reaches his desired goals.

My husband is scheduled to go to another city [work-related] and that means it will only be my son and I together during those times that he won't be home. Then I have to be both the "father and mother" to our son while he is away.

I'm feeling the "pinch" from a dear sis-in-law of mine who's trying to make both ends meet every month. I've been in that situation before and I know it's really a very difficult trying times when you are trying to provide for your family and sometimes, just don't have enough resources.

Wherever we are, whatever we do, we all face stress at one point in this lifetime. The way we deal with them depends on our own attitudes. When we fall, we can choose to get up right away or stay there and feel sorry for ourselves. When we lose something, we can choose to earnestly find it or just let it be gone forever. When someone hurts us, we can choose to confront that person, forgiving at the same time or we can choose to pay back and give them back the hurt they have caused us. Stress is never a fun thing. But it can be a great learning tool we all can use to become more strong, more patient, more enduring, more loving, more forgiving and perhaps, to have hope, instead of feeling despair.

I know that when we learn to accept God's love and start to understand His ways, stress is not a "stress" anymore when we start to trust in Him. Jesus even said from John 16:33, "I have told you all these so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, I have overcome the world." What else would be the BEST way to deal with stress than to turn to God Who had been there and overcame that?

Psalm 55:22 - "Give your worries to the Lord and He will take care of you. He will never let good people down." [NCV]

Psalm 86:7 - "I call to You in times of trouble because You will answer me."

Isaiah 41:10 - "So don't worry because I am with you. Don't be afraid because I am your God. I will make you strong and will help you. I will support you with My right hand that saves you."

Matthew 11:28, 29 -Jesus said, "Come to Me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Accept My teachings and learn from Me because I am gentle and humble in spirit and you will find rest for your lives."

2 Corinthians 4:9 - "We are persecuted but God does not leave us. We are hurt sometimes, but we are not destroyed."

Isaiah 43:2 - "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you." [NASB]

Psalm 23:4 - "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."

Psalm 34:17 - "The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles."

Mountains

Wow...seasons have come and gone so fast, leaving me thinking where the years went. The years just slipped through my fingers like how sand would...

There are so many things we give up sometimes in our lives as the years go by. A project maybe? A dream? A relationship? Hope? Faith? There will always be mountains that face us and challenge our endurance. In this life, we face the mountain of illnesses, of different kinds of problems, of fear, and even of death. There will always be times when turning back seems the wisest thing to do, yet, sometimes, we can't make a "u-turn" for some reasons. We just have to face that huge mountain. I know it will be okay if we try to conquer that mountain, not with our own strength but of God's. We can always go to Him and ask Him to help us climb that mountain we are facing.

Psalm 61:2 - "I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the Rock that is higher than I."