God is Always at Work

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Juice.PH

I got accepted for an online news site, and currently, I am on training. A problem is that I still don't have a new laptop (since my previous laptop got stolen, I am updating my three blogs at internet cafes). Also, my training fell on Holy Week when virtually every remittance center is closed, so I have to be extra cautious of my budget. But God is always online 24/7. He knows my scenario, and He intervened. My training was moved to Monday.

But another trial came. Black Saturday and I only had a buck left. I really had to find ways to tell my mom that I need cash. But it came to a point that I was wrestling with God. "What? Am I about to go a full day of fasting?" I already mulled at it, but again God provided. My weekend money came just in time (with little trouble, though, as my mom gave me a wrong code, but the Lord is indeed in control).

However, God is also at work when it comes to handling what I am supposed to do. Someone invited me to the opening of a barber shop tomorrow. I wanted to come, but I was reminded of my pastor's preaching last week: God will provide the right amount you need. It turned out, my money may not be enough to come over the opening. Eventually, I have to back out (Or did he not choose me just because I don't have a phone yet?), but my friend offered that we can set up another date for that. Jesus said "no" because He is telling me that it's His day--the day He rose from His martyrdom that was intended to save us from doom (it's "was", not "is", meaning Jesus Christ died once for us). Also, He's preparing me for a Word that may strike me.

Holy Week is indeed God's special week. We commemorate Jesus' death and resurrection, and He is tweaking our lives to live according to His plan, a plan that will prosper us and not harm us (Jeremiah 29:11).

Here are some of the verses I read today that may help those who work like me:

"Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters, since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ." (Colossians 3:23)

"The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him." (Nahum 1:7)

Page 134 of 365: Post-Election Reflection

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I want change, so I made a stand.

I was among the millions who braved the drizzles, waited (im)patiently in the lines, and exercised their rights of suffrage yesterday. Being a registered voter in my town, I picked who for me are the right people to do the job in governing the nation for at least three years. To get more privacy, I even went out of the voting area (Yeah! I did that) to an open park. Now that the millions have spoken, I'm now waiting for the results. But according to the latest unofficial tallies, it looks like the eventual winners are now who I expected. As it stands, only two of the people I voted are in the Top 12. In a way, I already expected that.

Going back to my pre-election post, I mentioned that it will still be God who will decide who to place in the electoral seats. It comes in the way of allowing those who we not voted to get there. Ten of the Top 12 are in my snobs (still based on the media tallies).

All I can say now is that even if we're not satisfied with the results, we should still be thankful to God that He is still in control. Just continue to seek His kingdom and righteousness first, and everything will be added to you (Matthew 6:33). Continue to pray for the nation like how Jesus did (John 17:9). But more importantly, make your own contribution to the betterment of the nation.

The elections are just some of the ways for us to make a voice, but it doesn't end there. In the next three years, we should still be prayerful, faithful, and reliant to the Lord that He will bring change to the Philippines.

Page 130 of 365: Voice of People=Voice of God?

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Iglesia ni Cristo released its endorsement, but is its slate the group the Lord
wants to govern us?

Earlier in the week, the Iglesia Ni Cristo revealed who to support in the coming May 13 elections. Seven from the Liberal Party and five from UNA got the INC nod. The religious organization has been well known to exercise its suffrage rights as an entirety, or simply bloc voting. With about five million INC members, according to reports from TV5 and the People's Journal, expected to cast their votes on Monday, this, according to their doctrine, is a showing of their unity. That leads me to the slogan of the one handling the Monday event, the Commission on Election or COMELEC. COMELEC's slogan reads "Vox Populae Vox Dei", a Latin quote which means, "The voice of the people is the voice of God." I wonder, "Is this really true?"

For me, it's the other way around: the voice of God SHOULD BE the voice of the people. But either way, it's not the case in reality. If all the people will heed on what the Lord says, we should be expecting a unanimous vote. Ramon Revilla Jr, who was the top vote-getter in the 2010 senatorial race, got a majority vote (51%), but 51 is not 100. It's God's will to have Revilla in the Senate (I actually had him in my ballot), but it means that many had other plans. How about a more recent example: LeBron James (yes, this is an election-related post). James won the 2013 NBA Most Valuable Player, but only one guy who cast his vote thought James was not impressive enough and elected Carmelo Anthony. The rest voted for LeBron. Yes, it's God's will that LeBron will earn his fourth MVP, but not all voted him. The reason for these is that God also gave us free will. Because of that, we set our own standards in choosing our leaders. The chance of you seeing a person who voted all the 12 eventual winning senators is 1 over 354,817,320. With only 50,000,000+ registered voters, it's imminent that no one "will get it right".

Another reason why the voice of the people is not necessarily the voice of God is that not all will vote. In the 2010 polls, only barely more than 70% of the voters actually cast their votes. The others either had a hard time looking for their names or did not care voting at all. Most of them would fall in the second category. That's 10,000,000+ votes wasted! God is telling us to be the spark of change in our nation, and one way to do so is to elect the right officials. But some people would say, "Why do I need to vote? Nothing's happening in the government." If you're one of them, better change your mindset. God is telling you to vote, so don't waste that opportunity.

And lastly, bloc voting, in recent history, does not necessarily equate to a sure win. I don't know if the Manalos, the ones leading the INC, already told the press, "They are who God wants," but being a bloc voting church could make you conclude such. But going back, because the Lord gave us the right to establish our own standards, the people who have different political landscapes could make the difference. Another thing I found out: they're not actually required to vote all the endorsed candidates. While I'm pretty sure many INC people veer away with who their superiors endorse and elect according to their will, what some friends told me is that the voters who opt to support the endorsed aspirants can actually mark out at most four of them and replace them with their own. That's a probable reason why some endorsed aspirants still lost. (Update: An article from blogger Mark Madrona recapped the INC votes from 1998. Here, the INC votes dictated the pace of the 1998 polls, but in the later elections, some aspirants still lost, especially in 2007 where four crashed out.) That means God has other things to say. God's will also comes in the form of allowing things not favorable to you to happen. It's a proof that He's in control of our government.

I have nothing against Iglesia ni Cristo. I have some INC friends too. What I'm saying here is that God still has the ultimate power to appoint our leaders, and He gave us the power to choose. He gave us free will so that we could set a barometer of their competence. You might think, "Si Lord pala ang pipili eh. Why does He need my vote?" He assigned us to fulfill His will, and our vote is for the betterment of the nation. After the elections, even if your slate lost, support the elected and God-appointed leaders. Pray this prayer of Jesus Christ: "I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours (John 17:9 ESV)."

Page 109 of 365: When God Says No

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When you don't get the answer you want, just continue to trust God.

By this time, the chosen bloggers who will cover the Palarong Pambansa have already packed their things en route to Dumaguete. I expressed my desire to cover the games by registering at the Google Docs link given to us. I eagerly awaited for the email, but nothing came. In a more frustrating manner, I lost my SIM card too, so I don;t know if I received an SMS. To cut the long story short, with the addition of the tension at another sports event, the Boston Marathon, the Lord answered my prayer of covering the games (and celebrating my birthday at Dumaguete) with a no.

I was moved by Alex Castro's recent post on CIFL. Like him, it was difficult to accept that I wouldn't be able to cover the Palaro in flesh. What more celebrating my birthday in an uncharted territory (I'm not saying I've had enough celebrating April 24 either in Laguna, in Palawan, or in Metro Manila). But in the end, God's answer may not be what I want, but what I need.

God answers all our prayers, but the answers may not be in the way you think. Like I mentioned above, it's possible that He will answer no to our prayers. But think about this: the Lord knows what's good for us better than we are. With time running out and no email surfacing, I began to feel that big no. Then I was moved when the pastor at a Friday service exhorted and called us to surrender our desires. Then it became clear, "Sorry, Ivan," says the Lord. "I want you to give up on your pursuit." Again, it's hard to accept it, but that's what God says. The reason became clear when the Boston bombings happened, "I want you to be safe so that you can be happy come your 25th birthday," says God. I don't know if a terrorist attack will rock Dumaguete, but I hope the Lord will take care of them.

Like I mentioned, God's answer is not what you want to hear, but what you need to hear. That weekend, I was moved with what I heard. From the exhortation in the Friday service to the preaching in the Sunday service and even to what my friend demands me of my prayer before we eat. God is telling me something, but I need to get clearer Words from Him. About what? I will not tell it here because it's a very serious and sensitive one.

Maybe your faith and actions are in sync, yet you haven't received the answers to your prayers. God will answer all of them, but it may not be in the way you wanted. Even if it's a no, hold on to the Lord. What He will provide you can give you more pleasure than the thing you want. Just trust Him.

Read Matthew 7:7-11, 1 John 3:11-24, and Psalm 119:4-6.

Remaining in the Vine

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I'm done with the first of three devotions that I'm meditating on as I start a mid-year prayer and fasting. I believe the Lord has a powerful Word for me when I read these Scriptures: Psalm 73:28, John 15:4-10, and Hebrews 12:2.

• (Psalm 73:28) As for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my Refuge. I will tell all of Your deeds.
• (John 15:4-10) "Remain in Me, as I also remain on you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither you can bear fruit unless you remain in Me. I am the Vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; Apart from Me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in Me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you remain in Me and My Words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to My Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My disciples. As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Now remain in My love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commands and remain in His love."
• (Hebrews 12:2a) [Fix] our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

All these verses tell us that we should hold on to Jesus Christ. In times when we think there is no solution to our problems, all we need is to remain in the Vine. The Lord tells us to still be in faith. He is encouraging us by telling us that everything is under control. All we need is to keep His Words and fix our eyes on Him. If we continue to be faithful, rest assured that God will provide a breakthrough to answer our needs. To summarize it all, continue to get a grip on Him, and He will make us bountiful. Without God, everything is impossible, but the Lord makes all things possible (Matthew 19:26).

How to Know God's Will?

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Despite the loss, Manny Pacquiao remained composed and optimistic on God's plans for him.

Asked on her husband's controversial loss, Jinkee Pacquiao uttered these words, "Maybe this is the Lord's will." It made me wonder, "Is Timothy Bradley's still the talk of the town upset over Manny Pacquiao really God's will?" Let's make this general: How can someone know the will of the Lord?

First and foremost, it's God's will for us to win in all of our battles, whether it's a boxing match, a soccer game, a basketball shootout, or even in our daily living, but God sometimes allow the trials, the defeats, and the setbacks to happen in us so that we'll gonna realize that all of our successes come from Him. I liked Manny's positive attitude upon hearing the controversial (How many times am I gonna type this word all over again?) announcement from renowned boxing announcer Michael Buffer. I felt his aura last Sunday as if he knocked out Bradley right in the 1st round. His rejuvenated relationship with God mattered a lot. In fact, I liked the positive comments I read in Facebook, Plurk, and Twitter saying that Manny won a greater victory, which is victory over sin. Kinda reminded me of Job when he lost virtually everything yet his faith in God became even more deeper (better read the entire book of Job for that). The promise Job held on was what Jesus taught us, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33b)

Usually, we realize that God moved in our midst in the end, like in the case of Pacquiao. But we can actually find out God's will right at the start. How? By praying to Him reading His Word, the Bible. Praying is our way of communicating with God. We ask for Him to reveal to us His will and ask for the things we need and want with agreement to His will. Reading the Bible is our way to know His answers. There are thousands of commands and promises in the Bible that will inspire and encourage us. One example of that is when I got into some academic trouble that made me fear that I may not be able to enter school again. I leaned on to His Word that He did not give us a "spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7 KJV)" Despite the fears Satan is continuing to infuse on me, I remained firm, prayed to God, and guess what: my appeal to enrol again was APPROVED!

My pastor's favorite (Or should I say trademark?) quote is always on my mind: If it's God's will, it's God's bill. The Lord's plans will always prevail. If He allows something good, He knows you're doing it right. If He allows trials, He's reminding us to turn to Him. To encapsulate all of these, here's a quote from Rocksteddy's lead vocalist and Showtime host Teddy Corpuz. "My pastor told me, 'Don't merely believe everything I had preached, but find out for yourself. Read, ask, and seek Christ!' That's confidence in the Holy Spirit!"