the reward in secrecy

Today's Gospel Reading from the book of Matthew 6:1-8; 6:16-18

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

² “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ³ But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

⁵ “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ⁷ And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

 ¹⁶ “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ¹⁷ But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

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After all my non-sense excuses over the years, I finally took time to attend the mass for Ash Wednesday together with my office mates. And I'd like to share a song that came to thought that is fitting as we welcome the season of Lent.

CREATE IN ME

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a right spirit within me.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Thy presence;
Take not Thy holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation;
And renew a right spirit within me.

 

in STILLness

STILL

Hide me now

Under your wings

Cover me

within your mighty hand

When the oceans rise and thunders roar

I will soar with you above the storm

Father you are king over the flood

I will be still and know You are God

Find rest my soul

In Christ alone

Know his power

In quietness and trust

~~~

The song STILL of Hillsong United is one of the best songs that I have sang. Sinner as I am, I hinged on my dependence to God and the best form of prayer for me is through songs of praises & worship.

 

I will open-up a small portion of my life – one of the hardest struggles I must say. Maybe it is time to release it to the world so the load that I have been carrying would be lighter.

It was October of 2013 that my father was diagnosed with Lung Cancer stage III. 1/3 of his left lung was removed and he was hospitalized for almost a month.

Yes, I crumbled. My knees were shaken. I cried in secret from my family. I hanged on to every strength that I have – not really knowing how much is left. From what I remembered on my conversation with God is I never questioned Him – "WHY?". "Why not me?" I say, God chose me to carry this cross and I will put my faith in Him. I am not excluded from pain. It was an opportunity from God for our family to be stronger and an opportunity for my faith to be tested and so I welcomed it with conviction. True enough I have prayer warriors who prayed for my father, I have friends and family who gave me strength in every way. Although I might have rejected some of their comfort because as much as possible I would not like to admit the fact that I was weak – that I needed help. It was not a time to think of myself – it was not. 

I had to talk to the doctors & nurses, check on the needed procedures with the hospital, buy medications and necessities, run to the bank back and forth, keep family updated, go home to check on the other members of the family, work in between hours in the hospital, and remember to breath. That was the longest 4 weeks in my life, by far.

There was a moment that my father wanted to give up – maybe because he was tired of chasing his breaths or tired to be in the hospital (knowing how stubborn he is) – I refuse to break down. He was opt to be moved in the ICU but it was full so all equipments were moved in the room to keep him monitored and stable. In all pretense I gave him a strong look and told him – “If you’re tired then just rest for a while. If you’re weak then borrow strength from me. Don’t be stubborn Pa.” My voice was shaking and the tears were about to fall but I tried my very best to keep it all in. Mama and Papa might get worried to see me cry. Then again my father shared some farewell words. The three of us - Papa, Mama, and myself - were holding hands in the room listening to the unstable heart rate monitor.

When in pain, RESPOND IN FAITH.

And with my staggering voice I kept singing the song STILL – “…I will be still and know You are God”. I surrender to the Lord – I will let Him do His plans. I have come to accept that He is a Great God and He is bigger than my fears, worries, and pains.

“…I will be still and know You are God”

Minutes later, the heart rate monitor normalized. The mass that was blocking my father’s air passage was coughed out. Oh how great is our God! Days later he was discharged, 3 months after he went back to work, and now more than a year after – my father’s health is good with no recurrence of the C word.

The doctor gave us a 20% chance of survival but God assured me more that those numbers. I continue to pray for healing because the journey doesn’t end there. There will be storms and floods and I am not certain that I will be strong or if my faith will not waiver but – God will be there for me. He will send instruments and blessings for me to remember His presence. He will make His existence known through His miracles.

[imho series] fruits from the ICON

Excerpts from the SFC 2013 ICON - OBEY and WITNESS
 

We are all invited for a purpose-driven life. 
A man can be happy in life with the fulfillment of his dreams - career, material possessions, love live, family life, good friends, travels, and more. On the other hand, a man can also be happy in life with the fulfillment of his purpose - giving/sharing his time, talent and treasure to others and having a life in service. I learned that the higher form of happiness is fulfilling our purpose. Which of the two are we then?
 
In our life, we get invited in many forms. We are invited to fulfill our dreams and purpose. A simple tap in the shoulder could be an invitation, a favor asked by a friend could be an invitation, a job opportunity could be an invitation, having an option could be an invitation, losing loved ones can be an invitation, pain and suffering could be an invitation, blessings could be an invitation, and a lot more. Can you identify your invitations?

I'd like to site my personal experiences. I consider the simple invite in joining Singles for Christ as in invitation for a life in service and an invitation to know God. I consider the opportunity of working in the local government as an invitation to serve. I consider my wait for married life as an invitation to explore more my single-hood. And there's plenty more of invitations.

The key also in every invitation is how we respond. A YES or a NO or an ABSTAIN could make a difference. Imagine if Mama Mary said no when God chose her to bear Jesus? That simple YES changed humanity until to the present times.

So in every invitation that comes to us, take notice of the message and RESPOND. 


The key in obedience is to LISTEN.
One of the best trait of an obedient person is having the ability to listen before taking an action, before giving an answer or opinion, and before reaching a conclusive thought. This applies also on how we listen to God's message - to the prayers He answers and to those left unanswered. One can find greater wisdom when a person knows how to listen.
 


When something is taken from you, give more.

If we lose what we consider important and precious, we have a tendency of taking a stronger grip of what we have left. We hesitate giving. We cling to them more strongly so we can avoid of losing them. I learned that in these moments, God is working in our life. He is trying to empty us. He is inviting us for a life in humility and obedience. So in times that something is taken from us... just GIVE MORE and you will be BLESSED MORE.

I came to realize this after hearing a story of a woman with a father being kidnapped. They lost their wealth for the ransom money and yet her father was not returned. During those testing times, I imagined that if I were her, I would have stayed by my family's side even more. But you know what the woman did? She left her family and served in a distant place to preach God's word - a tragedy did not stop her from giving. 

Overflow to Share.

When we are being blessed let us also become a blessing to others by sharing. For me, I believe that every thing makes sense when shared. And so I continue to pray that God will bless me with opportunities and graces so that I may be able to share it to my family, friends, work mates and whoever needs a little sign of hope and happiness in life.

The experiences and struggles of others humbles me.

In the ICON, the experiences of the sharers are beyond from what I have imagined. I grew shy in front of God for my petty complains when there's another person who has greater burden and yet remained grateful.

A sister went multiple facial surgeries and yet she is thankful for the accident as she continue to see herself beautiful in the eyes of God while I - I rant when a pimple grows in my face.

A brother who served years in jail found his way out from darkness and is now leading and serving in the SFC community while I - I who is free but decides to be chained to my alibis, weakness and stubbornness to serve.

Become a WITNESS of God to others.

Have we witnessed God's miracles and doings in our lives? Have we witnessed the people that He sent as instruments to help us get our purpose fulfilled? Let us take time in acknowledging these people... these people who we witness God in.

In the same way, let others bear witness of God's greatness through us. That is the challenge!

God restores us.

Our God is forgiving. Our God is loving. Our God never changes. And His never ending love restores us.

IMHO SERIES

Okay, I've decided to start this series that I will call IMHO SERIES - short for "in my humble opinion". How cool is that right! \m/ Hey I am cheering for myself here...so bear with me :)

It's nothing different from my usual posts - it's all blabber. But the catch is I will try to be pretty serious in this series. Yeah... I hope I would sound sensible.