God’s Loving and Gentle Correction

May 24, 2013 by Leave a Comment

I’d like to share with you a very beautiful and inspiring line I read from article on Catholic.org titled, “Receiving the Eucharist: I Have Decided to Kneel For Jesus.” It has to do with God’s loving and gentle correction, and how it makes the author feel.

It never ceases to amaze me how patient and gentle God is with me. The perfect Father, He knows just how and when to reach me. Never impetuous, like me, He redirects and corrects a little here and a bit there as the gardener who sets out to straighten a bent tree.

A lot of people think that God uses physical, emotional, or financial trials and adversities to correct his children. I beg to differ though. I don’t think that our loving Heavenly Father could afford to send us sickness and disease, trials and tribulations just to teach us a lesson–to correct us when we go astray. Instead of chastising us with hard blows to make us realize our wrongs, I believe that God lets us see the direction that we are heading, illuminate the dangers in front of us and gently guide us back to the right course. God’s loving and gentle correction is Him showing us the path to salvation.

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Ways to Give Thanks to God

May 16, 2013 by Leave a Comment

A post I read titled, “God, Forgive Me If I Don’t Thank You Enough,” reminded me of my own doubts of whether I am thanking God enough. There are many ways to give thanks to God, but do any of us do them frequently enough? Do you ever have these kind of thoughts? Do you ever feel as if you are not giving God the gratitude that is due him? On the other hand, is there really a way for us to thank God enough? Even the great psalmist King David has this to say about expressing gratitude towards God, “Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord? Who can ever praise him enough.” (Psalm 106: 2) So while there are many ways to give thanks to God, I’m not certain any of them will ever be enough. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try our best though!

We can exhaust ourselves in radical thanksgiving and it still won’t be enough to thank God for all that he has done for us. So what do we do? Honestly, I don’t know, just keep trying. I find this quote from William A. Ward enlightening, “God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today.  Have you used one to say “thank you?”.  Saying thank you to God, sounds like a good start to me.

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Figuring Out God’s Will For Your Life

May 14, 2013 by Leave a Comment

A post I read this morning titled “Mystery of God’s Will” had some statements that reminded me of a time in my life when I was searching for the presence of God in my life–when I was struggling and figuring out God’s plan for me. For example these questions in the post seemed like questions that I personally mouthed a few years ago: “Lord, what’s wrong with me? Why are you not using me? Does your will even have a plan for my life?”  These are all questions that you will wonder on the road to figuring out God’s will for you life.

Figuring out God’s will for your life is not easy–it is confusing and worrisome. You may even think that God is hiding from you–that he does not want you to understand what he wants you to do. During my struggle, I have come to realize that God wants us to know his will even more than we want to know it.

While I had a really tough time understanding his will for me then, I would say that it was an experience I would still be willing to go through again if I had to.

If you are at a point in your life where you are struggling to understand the will of God for you, keeping in mind these promises will greatly help you:

“I know the plans that I have for you, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

“We know that in everything God works for good for those who love him, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28). 

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When in Doubt, Trust God’s Goodness

May 6, 2013 by Leave a Comment

I read a prayer today from Jesus Creed which I cannot help but share with you:

O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards you, that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

As humans, we have this tendency to doubt and question God and his plans for our lives during tough times. I have realized through the trials that I have faced that most of the time, there is really no point trying to understand how God is working in my life. The best thing for me to do is trust God’s goodness, recall all the ways that he has shown his love to me and cling to his unfailing promises.

When in doubt, trust God’s goodness word and recall that

• God is wise and all-knowing.

• God is good.

• God loves you and he is always on your side!

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Show God’s Love By Paying It Forward

April 30, 2013 by

“Love can change lives.” We all know this. We have all heard of stories of people whose lives have been changed because of love. While these life stories are moving, I believe the strongest and most profound proof of how powerful love can be is the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. It was love in its purest and strongest form that lead Jesus Christ to come down to earth and redeem us all from sin.

What better way to respond to the love that has transformed us than to pay it forward. The love that we have experienced from God is not meant to be locked in our hearts and enjoyed on our own. A love so great as Jesus’ love is meant to be shared.

As John the Apostle said in 1 John 4:11, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.“

As followers of Christ we ought to do just as he did–radiating love to everyone around him, doing kind deeds to everyone he came in contact with.

Here’s a must-read post about sharing God’s love through good deeds: “Spread the Love: Random Acts of Kindness.”

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God Calls Us All for Different Reasons and Purposes

April 29, 2013 by Leave a Comment

The story of one man’s journey towards the Catholic Church titled, “Road To The Catholic Faith,” reminded me of how blessed I am to have heard and responded to Christ’s call to follow him. Although my life is imperfect and still laden with trials and tribulations, knowing that I have Jesus brings a sense of peace and contentment within me.

 Just as Jesus had called his disciples in the past, he is calling all of us today to “abide in him” and follow where he leads. God calls each and every one of us for a different yet equally vital purpose. However, not everyone hears or listens to God’s voice and does his will. It is only by understanding and heeding to the will of our maker that we are really able to live a fulfilling life. A life lived after worldly pleasures is bound to be empty–full of fleeting fun but devoid of true happiness.

Have you answered God’s call? If you have, take the time to thank him today for calling you and giving you the gift of salvation. If you haven’t made the decision to fully commit your life to Christ yet, take the time to search your heart and talk to him today.

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The Gift of Choice: One of God’s Many Gifts

April 24, 2013 by Leave a Comment

A very inspiring story brightened my morning today, and I am quite thankful to have read it. I would like to share the story with you: “Living in the Light.” While the story brought me a lot of wonderful realizations and lessons, I would like to focus and reflect on the subject of “choices”–our God-given freedom to choose.

The freedom of choice is one of God’s best gifts to mankind, but like many of God’s gifts the liberty to choose can also be dangerous. The perils of making the wrong choice are evident in the Bible. As a matter of fact, it is the wrong choice of our first parents that put us here in this sinful world. In the same way that the choice of Adam and Eve to disobey God’s warnings brought them the punishment of death, the choices we will make in our lives will have their corresponding consequences and rewards.

As the Apostle Paul wrote, “For you were called to freedom, brothers.  Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” (Galatians 5:13)

We can choose to live a life in bondage of sin or choose to live a life in Christ and be free from the dangers of the world.

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Having The Power To Forgive

April 18, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Forgiveness does not come easy for most of us. Why? Because it is a part of our human nature to protect ourselves. It is primitive survival reflex to remember what hurt us and shun away from it or even repel it–doing theis is like our way of making sure that we are not harmed by the same things over and over again.

However, the Bible clearly states that the act of forgiveness is a Christian duty we must all fulfill. Matthew 6:15 tells us that,“If you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” And in Colossians 3:13, the Apostle Paul counsels us to, “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

Forgiving is so hard because it requires us to go against our natural instincts. As we know, overcoming our human inclinations is very difficult. I believe that to really forgive and let go of all the pain and grudges is something that we have the capacity can do. It is only through the help of the Holy Spirit that we will be able to have the strength to let go of all the hate and forgive.

If you are struggling in offering someone forgiveness, reading this post might give you some great insights: “How Can I Forgive? How Can I Forget?“

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God’s Transforming Work in Our Lives

April 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment

When the Lord Jesus ascended to heaven, He left his disciples with these last words, “Behold, I am with you always unto the end of time.”  (Matthew 28:20) While we may be inclined to think that Jesus just spoke these words to comfort to the disciples that he left behind, these words have a deeper meaning–for both the disciples and for Catholics.

This morning I got to read a wonderful post at Roman Catholic Spiritual Direction titled, “I am with You Always: Encounters with the Risen Lord in Prayer that so wonderfully expounds the essence of Jesus’ last words.

When Jesus was on earth, he was able to bring about great change in the lives of thousands of people who had known him. When he was called back to heaven by God the Father, he left us all with a reminder through his last words that he will never cease to cause transformation in the lives of those who are willing to let him into their lives. So long as we accept him as our personal Savior, he will constantly work to free us from our sins and shortcomings just as he did during his time on earth.

 May we all open our hearts and allow the workings of God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit to transpire in our lives.

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Turning To God In Tragic Times: Events in Boston

April 16, 2013 by 1 Comment

The news of the bombing in Boston shook me and my family–as it did the whole nation. It is very horrifying to think that what should have been a really joyful event turned into something tragic. In times like these I cannot not help but get emotional and angry. I got really emotional hearing that an innocent 8-year old boy had been killed in that senseless act of terrorism.

When you surf the web, you can see that there is a massive outpouring of grief and anger not only from people here but from all over the world. More than the spate of negative emotions, the gush of prayers and words of comfort and encouragement for those who were affected by the tragedy is just overwhelming.

It is inspiring and uplifting to see that in times like these. Most of us still find comfort in knowing that we have a God that we can turn to. Here is one Bible text I would like to share with all of you:

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Let us pray for the families of those who perished, the recovery of those who were injured and the healing of everyone who has been affected by this tragedy. If you are not quite sure how to seek God in times like this, here is a wonderful post: “Making Space for God in the Face of Grave Evil.”

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