PENnED

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…living life with no regrets

  • Real or Fake?

    November 16, 2011

    Read: 1 John 2:18-27

    24 As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is what he promised us—eternal life.

    There was a young man who attended my Bible study and who said that whatever he did, even if it was a very bad thing, like killing, would not endanger his soul. He believed that because he “accepted” Christ, he was predestined to go to heaven.

    Eternal life, however, is promised to genuine believers and not to counterfeit ones. The real ones are those that “remain in the Son and in the Father.”

    Fakes won’t make it; but to the real ones the Lord will say, “Well done!”

  • Got solid food?

    November 15, 2011

    Read: Hebrews 5:12–6:2

    You need milk, not solid food!

    These are some offensive words to people who are supposed to be spiritual adults but in reality are still infants. With some people, I feel that my efforts have been in vain. But this passage brings me some comfort because it seems to show that if people do not grow it is not necessarily the teacher’s fault. Some people for some reason do not “move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity” (6:1).

    If you want to grow, it’s really up to you. 

  • There’s hope: “no one is cast off by the Lord forever”

    November 14, 2011

    Read: Lamentations 3:25-33

    31 For no one is cast off 
       by the Lord forever. 

    This verse has been used as proof text for the belief that God will not abandon people in hell forever. But it’s context seems clear: it is meant for “those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him” (v. 25).

    Do you feel like you’ve been cast off because of your disobedience to the Lord?Do not lose heart! Repent, return to the Lord and “wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD” (v. 26).

    When we return to God’s fold, we may experience blessings untold.

  • You can bloom among stones

    November 13, 2011

    Read: 1 Peter 3:8-17

    17 For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

    Let’s get this straight: suffering for doing good is better than suffering for doing evil only if it is God’s will. The verse thus implies that suffering for doing good is not always God’s will. But if it is, then we are to be willing to go through suffering for such reveres Christ our Lord (v. 15). It’s tough, but like the beautiful cactus I took a picture of recently (see above), we can thrive  and grow beautifully even in the hardest of places.

    A faithful believer blooms even among stones.

  • Need a cure for a heart that grumbles?

    November 12, 2011

    Read: Exodus 15:22-27

    On this supposed-to-be memorable day, the Lord provided the much needed water for the Israelites who were trekking the desert to the promised land. But just a couple of chapters later, they seem to have forgotten what God had done for them: “…they grumbled against Moses” saying “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?” (17:3)

    When you’re tempted to complain today, remember what the Lord did yesterday.

  • Live like a believer

    November 11, 2011

    Read: Romans 8:31-39

    38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

    What an expression of confident assurance!  The believer in Christ enjoys security. However, such assurance is not meant to be abused. The proper response to the grace of God is not careless but careful living. We are to heed Apostle Paul’s advice: “…continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Phil. 2:12-13).

    Those for whom Christ died should “live… for him who died for them” (2 Cor. 5:15).

  • Jesus: Is he the only way?

    November 10, 2011

    Read: John 3:22-36

    36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

    The reason why John the Baptist gives way to Jesus is because Jesus is the Messiah, God’s anointed Savior, and he is not. People may trust someone else to save them—perhaps Mary, the mother of Jesus—but it’s quite clear that eternal life can be had only through faith in the Son.

    To have eternal life, one must believe in Jesus  who alone is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).

  • To believe is to see…

    November 9, 2011

    Read: Luke 2:22-38

    29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
    you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
    30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
    31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
    32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and the glory of your people Israel.”

    Simeon’s praise is a beautiful expression of that wonderful feeling that arise from knowing that something of utmost importance has been fulfilled in his lifetime. Simeon saw the Lord’s provision for salvation when he saw Jesus. The coming of Jesus, “the Lord’s Messiah,” was a onetime event. But today you, too, can see and experience—if you have not yet seen and experience— the Lord’s salvation if you put your faith in Jesus.

    Believe and you will see!

  • He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother.

    November 8, 2011

    Read: Romans 14:13-19

    Although “the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking,” Christians have quarreled over the issue of what or what not to eat or drink. What I find interesting is how the Apostle began in this chapter: “1 Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. “

    In my experience, it is often the “weak” that judges the “strong”(?) for eating and drinking what the former believes to be bawal (Tagalog for “forbidden”). But in the end, it is the “strong” in faith that are expected to give way. It sounds unfair, but it makes sense—it is the strong, who thinks broadly, that can understand a weak sister or brother.

    If you are strong, carry the weak.

  • What are you willing to do to win the greatest prize?

    November 7, 2011

    Read: Philippians 3:8-17

    What is it that the Apostle Paul is pressing on to take hold of? What is the prize he is trying to win? He tells us: “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead”(vs. 11-12). Knowing Christ, which to Paul meant experiencing the power of Christ’s resurrection and which in turn presupposes sharing in his suffering and death, is the thing that Paul is striving to attain. Did he mean all this to be taken literally? I think so. Further down Paul speaks of “heaven” and the transformation of our “lowly bodies” into “glorious body” (vs. 20-21).

    Does “pressing on” mean that Paul worked so hard to win the eternal prize? It does appear that way, but we have to see his efforts in the context of “the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith” (v.9). This is another instance in Philippians where we see works in response to God’s grace go hand in hand.  The other is found in 2:12-13:  ”work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you.”

    We’ve been saved not by works but we’ve been saved to do good works (Ephesians 2:8-10).

  • Do not be afraid…

    November 6, 2011

    Read: Revelation 1:9-17

    “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last” (v.17).

    What are these comforting and assuring words for? Are they meant to calm John who has just seen an apparition? Or, is to bring encouragement to him and those that consider him a “brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus” (v. 9).  Or, both?

    Whatever the case may be, the second option is the one that would truly benefit us. A life wholly committed to Christ can be hammered by suffering, but we are not to be afraid. Why? Because the One we follow has already won for us the victory over suffering and, yes, even death! Hear the words of Jesus, the Son of Man:  “I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades” (v.18).

    If you follow the One who is victorious, you will be a victorious one. 

  • Another Kind of Peace

    November 5, 2011

    Read: John 14:19-27

    “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (v. 27). 

    The peace he gives, Jesus says, is different from the peace the world gives. How is it different? In a big way! Jesus’ peace does not end when there is chaos or hostility. It does not end even in death! Why? Because the peace that Jesus gives is wholeness of life for all eternity: “Because I live, you also will live” (v. 19).

    But to whom does Jesus give his peace? It is given to the disciples, then and now. If you believe in Jesus and love him then the promise is for you as well. How do we know we love him? Jesus says,  “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me” (v. 21).

    If you have Jesus’ peace in you, a piece of heaven is in you. 

  • Scripture is God’s word but it is not God

    November 4, 2011

    Read: 2 Timothy 3:13-17

    “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (vs. 16-17). This is one of the most quoted verses in the Bible. Scripture is useful but  it can also cause the Body of Christ to be divided due to disagreements on how some Scripture texts should be understood.

    However, regardless of how we interpret controversial Scripture texts, I think we would all agree that although Scripture is “God’s word,” it is not God. When as believers we see our unity in Christ and commitment to him as more important than our pet doctrines, then the world may begin to see the Body of Christ as truly one—not a dismembered body—and be drawn to it.

    When you think you know that you are right, know that others have the right to think. 

  • Drink for life!

    November 3, 2011

    Read: John 4:1-15

    Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (vs. 13-14).

    Obviously the water Jesus offers is not the ordinary h2o you and I drink. It’s a thirst quencher that goes so deep that anyone who “drinks” it will have in him a life-giving… well, it’s something really hard to pin down. But if you believe in Jesus as the Messiah or God’s anointed Savior, then you’ll taste and experience it.

    Still thinking about it? Well, if you just drink it, maybe you’d stop wondering about it!

  • Thing with the tongue…

    November 2, 2011

    Read: Proverbs 15:1-7

    There are more stuff in Proverbs 15 than we can handle here. So let’s just focus on the theme verse: “The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly” (v.2). I can’t help it but I automatically imagine a cartoonish image of two tongues: one is lovely, the other ugly.  The lesson is clear: speaking wisdom is lovely, speaking folly is ugly.

    If you cannot stop your tongue from sticking, stop it from stinking.