Count the Cost - April 28, 2014

Scripture: 8-10

21 Another of his disciples said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”
22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me now. Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.” - Matthew 826 

“But don’t be afraid of those who threaten you.
28 “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.[j] 29 What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin[k]? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. 30 And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.
32 “Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven. - Matthew 10

Message:
Commit to Follow GOD and don't turn back.

Observation/Promise:
GOD knows everything that happens and permits even the terrible things that happen to us. But we ought not to base our faith in our circumstance but our faith should be founded in the Almighty GOD who gave His only Jesus to sacrifice for the sins we have done and ought to pay. GOD calls all of us to follow Him but when we follow Him we have to make sure we fear nothing not even death. We have to make sure that we are willing to even give up our lives for Him.

Application/Command:

When we follow GOD, we have to make sure we are committed whole heartedly because there is no chance to turn back once we are out in the field. We cannot decide to follow and then regret or look back if you do this, you are not counted worthy in the kingdom of GOD. Be sure of yourself before you even start vowing to follow GOD to the end. Remember Peter was not even able to carry out his declaration of love for Jesus because we are only human. But humility with commitment will bring you grace and mercy from the heavenly throne that will enable you to carry out the purpose that GOD has made you to do. Count the cost before starting the commitment. 

Live! Give Thanks! - Feb 20, 2014

Scriptures: Ecclesiastes 9-10
7 So go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this! 8 Wear fine clothes, with a splash of cologne!
9 Live happily with the woman you love through all the meaningless days of life that God has given you under the sun. The wife God gives you is your reward for all your earthly toil. 10 Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.11 I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time. - Ecclesiastes 9
Happy is the land whose king is a noble leader and whose leaders feast at the proper time to gain strength for their work, not to get drunk. - Ecclesiastes 10

Message: 

Life is Short. There is only one Life to live.

Observation/Promise:

GOD approves when we know how to appreciate the blessings in our lives. There is no such thing as luck, but favor comes from GOD and His favor comes to those that love Him. When you are thankful for what you have because you recognize that it is HE who has given and blessed you with everything, this pleases GOD and it makes your life even richer knowing that you are given everything that you need. Gratefulness is the key to a fulfilling life which leads to contentment.

Command/Application:

Live Life to the fullnest! Do not hold back or hesitate to chase your dreams and experience whatever you always wanted to do. Do your best in all things! For life is very short and everyone dies. When we die, there's no more, that's it! Be thankful to GOD for everything, and whatever you may still need, ask GOD of this, pray and do not stop praying. Live, not just for today but prepare for the future

Death

A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume.
And the day you die is better than the day you are born.
Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties.
After all, everyone dies—
so the living should take this to heart.

Sorrow is better than laughter,
for sadness has a refining influence on us.
A wise person thinks a lot about death,
while a fool thinks only about having a good time.

- Ecclesiastes 7:1-4

We all try to have a good reputation but no matter what, it's not what others think of us that truly matters, but it's the way we think about ourselves and how GOD thinks of us.  At the end of this life we are not accountable to anyone else but GOD. We will give account of everything we done in our lives day in and day out. And no matter what we do, it's not about the results of our work but about why we are doing what we are doing. GOD searches the motives of our hearts. We are most likely to achieve success when we do things out of pure and right motives. But with all our hard work, King Solomon says it is better to think be at funerals than to enjoy at parties because it is wise to think about our death. When we realize how short our time here on earth is, and how alll people will go to the grave one day, we will think about our loved ones more and make better decisions. So that one day when we die, we will not regret spending most of our time just making money and doing useless things, things that only affect the temporary but no effect on the eternal.

It is even better to be sad than to be happy because sorrow refines our hearts. Happiness can last for only a short time while joy is a permanent value that is independent of the circumstance going on around them. We have joy when we know and truly understand that GOD loves us and we love HIM. Joy is beyond emotions, it is deeper and more than just temporary. Even joy surpasses death. When we think about death, we understand that our time is short. The body passes and the Spirit remain. We will review our lives, what have we done in our lives that has an eternal effect? Have we invested our time on Spiritual things? What have we done that have affected other people spirtually? What are we doing to please GOD? Death is scary for most people, they don't want to even think about it, but denying it doesn't mean it's not real. It's a fact that we will have to face one day. If you don't know GOD, it's natural to be afraid of death. But if you know The One who promised eternal life, then you will not be afraid of death, you will even have joy on your dying die day, excited to meet your Maker. Do you have this kind of joy? You can decide right now to have this kind of joy today. Let us be wise with what we do with our short time.