Cell Extraction

“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.” ~ C.S. Lewis

Once in a while, custody staff are faced with those inmates who are defiant and just do not want to obey in any way. Some would throw feces or urine [called “gassing”] to staff. Spit at them. Throw anything in their cell at them. They just don’t want to come out of their cell. And in rebellion, just would not heed to come to the door so a handcuff can be placed around their wrists, before they come out of their cell. The problem….They don’t want to come out. A little proof shown which means “nobody can touch me.” Here’s an example... [WARNING!!! Some scenes may be offensive to some.]:



Those who don’t believe in God think of Christians as being judgmental. Hypocrite. While it is sad that some Christians do not walk their talk [I might be one of them sometimes, forgetting that I am here to reflect His light], they forget that their actions give an impression of Who they represent. But it is the people who act wrong. Not God. God never changes. He is God of mercy. God of grace. God of compassion. God of love.

When you are in that stage of your life and there’s One Voice calling you, inviting you to come out of your hiding place, asking you to come out of that dark place, don’t rebel. Don’t be defiant. It is the Holy Spirit convicting you of your sins. Not only He convicts us of our sins but He assures us of the truth of the Good News. He is calling you to a life of holiness. To a new life with Christ. Where you are changed from the inside out.

I was once like you. Not wanting to come out of my pit. Waiting for Him to extract me. Except the difference from the video, God does not force us to love Him. He does not force us to believe in Him. He had given us that choice. To hear Him. To believe in Him. To trust Him. To surrender to Him. To follow Him. Christianity is not about hearing facts. It is the power of God to everyone who believes.

Yes, my life is harder physically when I turned to Christ. Because He wanted us to turn away from our sins, from all the idolatries in this world programmed deep inside us. But in return, I got the best reward of being raised up toward heavenly things. Toward those things that are not seen. Toward those things that last eternal. And as us, Christians, are being weaned from the things of this world, we are filled with none but joy. To share with you the things about Christ. This is a sign of sincerity. Not of being hypocrite. We are all changed. Because of the power of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, He extracted us from the pits we’re in. Using His grace, love and mercy.

“because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction…”
- 1 Thessalonians 1:5 [NIV]


“What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!” - 2 Corinthians 5:17

Motivated By God's Love

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“Whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, you must do all for the glory of God.”
- 1 Corinthians 10:31

I saw the wisp of smoke as she struggled with every gasp of breath in front of my 2 co-workers and a few deputies. I just came out from that medicine room where a big machine pulled the medications needed for that morning, for the 3,000 something inmates housed in our detention center.

Her back was facing me. I thought how odd that she was not dressed like one of our inmates. My co-workers and the deputies looked more relaxed but at the same time, edgy for her. I went around one corner and saw her whole face this time. No wonder, it was one of our co-workers from the custody staff. She was known for being a smoker. She got hit with pneumonia and as she was working that night, controlling all the doors in her unit, she got so short of breath. The deputies working with her panicked a bit and decided to bring her to the Infirmary, where my 2 co-workers were there. Not to my knowledge as I pulled the morning and noon doses.

“Try to relax!” I hollered to her. As it was an emergency and there was no time to call for any outside sources, my co-workers decided to give her a med-nebulizer treatment to help her constricted lungs. She started looking better after a few minutes. As she regained her normal rhythm with her breathing, the Sergeant sent her home after. She kept thanking my co-workers.

When it was just the three of us, one of the treating nurse yelled to the other one who helped her put the gadgets together, “We should be given an award!!! We saved a life!”

“I know,” the other nurse responded. She went closer to her and gave each other a hug and a pat to their own backs.

These 2 nurses unfortunately, were known for being lazy. Surfing on the web on nights that they worked and all night long talked about others.

“I’m glad you guys helped her out,” was all I said.

That morning, they were non-stop praising themselves for the “heroic act” they had done when the day shift crew came in. They were loud and kept telling everyone about the help they had given that Custody Specialist.

Jesus had warned us not to let “our left hand know” what the right hand is doing. He taught us that our motives for giving to God and towards others must be pure. Sometimes, we feel so good about the outcome that we end up with mixed motives. But Jesus wanted us to avoid giving out of pleasure.

“Take care! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired, because then you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give a gift to someone in need, don’t shout about it as the hypocrites do - blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I assure you, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone, don’t tell your left hand what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in secret, and your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you.” - Matthew 6:1-4

When we remember, God forgets! But when we forget, God remembers!

Above all, we must do everything in love. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.

Lord, I'm sorry if I take credit for the things that I do. Help me remember to do everything for Your glory! You deserve all the thanks and praises for everything comes from You Oh Lord, the Giver of good gifts. Thank You for supplying us with everything that we need. For things we are able to use so we can help others in need. But most of all, help us remember Lord to do everything with love, the kind that comes from You. You are God alone Lord. Thank You for loving us. You are Lord of lords, King of kings, yet, You are the most humble of all. Help us see Jesus' example and help us grow to be more like Him. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Free Surgery

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“Okay, don’t forget to ask the doctor how much it costs…”

One of my co-workers complained about her face looking older. I was behind them two, as they were talking. The other co-worker was recommending a famous and supposed to be good kind of plastic surgeon.

“Look at this!” she was exasperated as she pinched her cheeks. “My body is still young but it is my face that looks like my age!” she continued. “I think I want a little face lift and those eye bags removed.”

“It doesn’t matter what you do,” I exclaimed. “You can have it fixed but give it   another few years and everything will sag again,” I jokingly said.

“That’s true,” she agreed. “But I want to look beautiful still.”

People always look everywhere for happiness and fulfillment in everything. I was there once, too. When I worked so hard and thought I could be happy when I was earning more money. But in reality, it’s only God Who can satisfy all of our deepest needs. Especially the longings of our souls. We often forget to seek Him first. We are always after materialistic wants, forgetting that there is a much more important thing to pursue: that of spiritual things. God can meet all of our needs but He definitely wants us to pursue for spiritual things and there is no spiritual needs that He can’t meet.

We all need that kind of surgery. Not of physical ones but of the spiritual kind. It’s only through Jesus Who is the Master Surgeon that can fix those ills deep inside. That is…if we allow Him to. So, why don’t we all make an appointment to have the Surgeon give us a new heart? It’s free!

“And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart.” ~ Ezekiel 36:26-27

I just want to share this beautiful song. It's like a prayer to me. Sung and written by a famous Filipino singer, Gary Valenciano:

Wisdom

The gusts of wind made the surrounding trees danced as the dust got spun around all over the tennis courts this afternoon. My child, invited some friends as they played a few sets. The unfamiliar silence blanketed the school, emitting both mixed emotions of sadness and excitement as its seniors are about to say goodbye tomorrow, being the last day of the school year. They had a lot of celebrations prior to leaving their alma mater and start a new adventure in college. I know that in a few more years, it will be my son’s turn. And I know, that these years will go by fast. Most of the seniors feeling agog in pursuing their goals. Some will probably become nurses like me. Some, doctors. Engineers. Teachers. Coaches. Businessmen/women. And other careers.

They will all chase their hearts’ desires. Hopefully, most of them will succeed. Sadly, some will fail. Some questioning their lives’ purpose. Education is a big thing. To gain knowledge. It’s woven in humanity. They hunger to learn and understand. Knowledge is good. But God wants us to seek wisdom. We can learn all the knowledge to the best of our ability. But it’s useless if we don’t have wisdom for wisdom make us able to apply that knowledge into our lives. And in today’s world, knowledge is plentiful but wisdom is scarce. And the foundation of knowledge is to fear the Lord. To honor and respect Him . To be awed by His power. To obey His Word.

For all of you graduating, congratulations! May your heart choose to seek that path -  God’s way because He is the One Who grants wisdom. His Word leads us to live right and make those right decisions.

“1 My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding,
3 and if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
4 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD gives wisdom,
and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” ~ Proverbs 2:1-6 [NIV]