Sunday, September 16, 2012

The Bible and Facebook

Bored at work while I was waiting for people to assist on chat, I decided to search the internet and stumbled reading articles at ChristianPost website. One article captured me. It is worth sharing. 

May I ask how often do you read your Bible? What about your checking your Facebook?

Those were the ideas or the questions that made me ponder. It was like a lightening that struck straight to my heart. 

Am I reading my Bible more than I get on my Facebook account? Is Facebook a priority more than learning God's word?

After reading the article, I was full of guilt. I felt it was like a slap on my face. I can still even feel it while I am writing this blog post. I feel so ashamed of this occurrence. 

I think there is nothing wrong having a Facebook account. What is wrong is if we drool first hour of the day to check for "Friend Request" or "Notifications". Facebook became our god. We even post our success and failure first on Facebook before we can even thank the Lord. We check our Facebook for hours but we find it boring reading God's word in 15 minutes or less. It is about setting our priorities.

Let us remember that anything that takes your love or your time for Jesus is our idol.

Exodus 20:3-4 "You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on earth beneath or in the waters below."

It is anything that steals our focus in the Lord. It could be money, relationships, car, house, gadgets and even the things we spent time on, like Facebook. This is not just Facebook, it could be Twitter or any social networking sites that pulls you away from the Lord.

I'd be an hypocrite if I will not admit that sometimes I can stay online on Facebook the whole day but sometimes drag by self in reading Bible the last minute before I passed out because of sleepiness.

So this has been my prayer after reading that article.

Lord, please forgive me. Forgive me for being lax in reading your Word, the Bible. I am very sorry that I get on Facebook more often that reading the Bible. I am so embarrassed by this reality. You are so good to me but I failed to please and worship you. Lord, please give me the grace and the joy in reading my Bible more often than checking my Facebook. Please allow me to use Facebook to share your Word and to win souls for you. Please give me the strength to fight the lure of Facebook. Thank you for making me realize I was wrong. I pray for the enlightenment of other Christians that your also guilty of this feat. I ask this and pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

The title of the article is Are You Being Distracted by Facebook?

I am made some progress. I realize that I have not been writing articles for my blog. So instead of spending time staring, liking and commenting on Facebook, I'd rather write blogs about the Lord. 





Friday, May 11, 2012

No Time

I knelt to pray but not for long,
I had too much to do,
Must hurry off and get to work,
For bills would soon be due,
And so I said a hurried prayer,
Jumped up off my knees,
My Christian duty now was done,
My soul could be at ease.
All through the day I had no time
To speak a word of cheer,
NO TIME to speak of Christ to friends,
They would laugh at me I feared.
NO TIME, NO TIME, too much to do,
That was my constant cry,
NO TIME to give those in need,
At last it was time to die..
And when before the Lord I came,
I stood with downcast eyes,
With His hands lie held a book.
It was the BOOK OF LIFE.
He looked into the book and said,
Your name I can not find,
I once was going to write it down,
But never found the TIME.

Friday, March 16, 2012

180° Change

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. - 2 Corinthians 5:17

I must admit, being a Christian is not easy. People looking at you; observing your next move; and waiting for you to make mistake and fall.

I am not a perfect Christian -nobody is- and I have struggles as well. I feel sad sometimes if people don't see the Christian in me. It is like when two friends meet in a Christian event and the two would say "Oh, you are a Christian?!?" I feel ashamed that I am not being a good example in my actions and words everyday. It could be that I am living in the "safe mode". Church people see me as very faithful person on Sundays but my friends and others do not really see the light in me. I don't smoke. I don't drink nor do drugs. I don't even go to movie theaters nor any night bars or party houses. Still, sometimes they don't see the Christian in me. I know I am missing something.


180°. In mathematics, it is a straight line. It doesn't really portray change. However, in the Bible, it symbolizes a person who was in the dark and now is in the light; a new creature. A person that used to satisfy himself and now cares what others would think and most of all what does the Lord think about it. Hundred eighty degrees is a representation of a new person from darkness to light; a person that was once was lost and now have found and especially sees what's the difference of the old life in sin and a new life in God. It also represents a change in every aspect of your life. Just like a song, "There's a great change since I was saved. It says "The things I used to do, I do them no more. The things I used to say, I say them no more, The books I used to read, I read them no more. "There's a great change since I was saved."

Sometimes it is difficult to show who you really are in a world that is too difficult to please. However, I admire these famous people who took a stand to what they believe is right and what pleases the Lord. They have surrendered their earthly profession for the sake of the calling and for the glory of God.

Lately, the runway has been surprised when the 21 year old, Kylie Bisutti, announced her decision to quit being a Victoria's Secret angel/model for her faith. Many had criticized her for the decision since she was chosen over 10, 000 wannabes. However, convicted of her faith, she chose to honor her husband through not exposing her body and glorify the Lord. Here is a video clip of hers.



A few years back, the same decision was made by Brian Welch better known as "Head" of the rock band Korn. Brian came to know the Lord through his business partners. Brian suffered emotional turmoil as a husband and a father to her daughter. He was a drug addict. After he came to know the Lord, he eventually quit drugs and Korn. People think that drugs got into his brain already but he shows to the world that he made the right decision. Here is his story.



Are you claiming that you are a Christian? Remember your attitude is the aroma of your soul. If your attitude stinks there might be something wrong inside of you. Can others see the change in your life; the light in you? Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:16

Are you still living in the darkness? Why not have a 180° change? Jesus can only make you change. Just like what Brian said, he didn't go to rehab. He surrendered everything to God. God changed him. The Lord is waiting for you. If there is one thing I learned being Christ like is difficult but if our desire is for others to know the Lord let our actions and our words reflects what our Master is. Give your best to Him and what pleases Him. I hope people in the dark can see our light. I hope we will not live in the "safe mode". There are martyrs in the Middle East that would die for their faith. The Lord is not asking us to go to the Middle East and die for him. The Lord needs us to be like Him in our actions and in words that others may came to know the Lord as well.

Surrender to the Lord all the things you have not changed when you were still in the dark now that you are in the light. Only God can change you and only by His grace that change could happen. It is not easy but rewarding.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Mercies in Disguise

I HATE failures!!! Who would love failures anyway? Of course, we would love to win in every single competition and examination.

It has been... (counting) 7 months since I have posted an article in my blog. Whoa! That is not good!

More than a year ago, I passed an interview for a nursing job in the United Kingdom. The interviewer gave me an A- in the interview saying I speak good in answering question for a young foreign nurse. I was ecstatic and in several weeks I decided to take the IELTS (International English Language Testing System). Without that much review, I took the test. I prayed hard to the Lord that this is the answer to my financial problems and of course, my desire to pursue my nursing career for good.

The exam came and I took the test. Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. I practiced much in reading and in listening as I thought that these were my low points. I had to take all 7 in all tests to pass the UK's standard in English. So in my mind, I thought I will be fine in writing and in speaking as I converse well and I receive good feedback in how I write my articles. So I was a little confident that I focused on the other tests. After the examination, I had this feeling that maybe I didn't make it. My tongue was tied when I had the speaking test and all I said was in one liner answers and puzzles of words for writing but I was still praying hard and hoping that God will answer my prayer.

Few months later, I received an SMS that the result was already available. I went to the center with a very heightened anxiety. Before I opened the envelope, I said, Lord, pass or fail I will still worship you. I open the envelope and in one glanced I see I got a 6.5 overall. I was silent the whole time but I was trying to think of the brighter side of the failure. I will not deny it. I was sad though.

I talked to my pastor and mentioned that I didn't make it. He said, hat it's okay. God has a better plan for you.

In the back of my mind, my lowest was writing!!! Seriously? Then speaking?! That is the reason behind I haven't written any blog articles for several months. I was frustrated that every time I try to think of a good article, there is this idea. Come on! You got your lowest score in writing! I was thinking how can I write good articles if I can't even pass a writing test; the whole English language test.

I was sad but I was still focused in serving the Lord.

A year later with my fellow nurses talking, one of them mentioned an agency that I applied and passed. He said he quit that agency because those who got in the UK went back after several months. They were promised of a 4 year contract for a working visa.

Right there and then, I realized that God indeed has the best plan for me. What if I spent thousands of pesos for the placement fee and other expenses for nothing?

Then, this made me smile.

I ponder this every now and then. God is using our failures to protect us. It may look a downfall on our end, a big failure as other people see, however, we may want to thank God for our failures. As He prepare something big and beautiful for us in the future. He knows better than we do.

You may wonder, of all the days... why did my car stopped working?!, why did it rained?!, why did I fail?! We may not understand it now as how it happened to me, but in due time you will thank the Lord for the failures you had in your life.

In my case it was for my protection and I think lesson as well that I need to review everything and I can't be confident even if I know something already. For you, it could be for you to stay grounded, maybe for you to strive hard or maybe for you to focus on what pleases the Lord.

As the Scripture says, All things work for good to those who love the Lord (Romans 8:28). This means ALL things not just good things.

Indeed, mercies in disguise.