Time. The greatest equalizer.

My wife and I were having a discussion over dinner. She mentioned to me this, "Time is one of the greatest equalizers. Rich and poor are given the same . It is how you use it."

I was amazed. True, we are all given the same time. It is how we utilize those precious seconds, minutes and hours. Great men use their time wisely. They focus on the solution rather than arguments. They focus on the goal and not on the situation. Most of all they endure to finish the task with great efficiency.

The apostle Paul mentioned in one of his letters that each one of us were given a race to finish. It is not a race on who will arrive to the finish line first but to the one who endures.

As we were given day and night, what are we doing with our time? Are we spending it recklessly? Are we taking time for granted? Who are you spending it with? Is it worth your time? Is God pleased of how you use your time? We are given the liberty to use time. Sad to say, we can never go back in time to make up what has transpired. Use it wisely, you will understand why great people value time.

We often pray for peace but sometimes we fail to start it within us. it all starts with LOVE. Peace is the product of love and love has a divine origin. We are a product of that LOVE. It is God's Love manifested through us for we were created in His image and likeness. it is not us who searched for God first; It is not us who loved God first but He searched for us and Loved us first.

The world has distorted our minds on the way we think of peace. The world pulls it down to a level of understanding which we can QUANTIFY so that it will be easier to understand. To live wealthy, to live in a secured subdivision, to have a stable employment, to have big business, to have a good retirement... etc., these are some of the things the world equates to peace. They are not all bad but when we pursue these things and not pursue God, then there is the vast difference.

Peace is not the absence of all the troubles in life but it is the presence of God inside our heart. It is that silent- powerful word that says, "son, everything will be alright...", when everything else seem helpless. That is the assurance we receive from God in every trial and sufferings we are going through. It is God's peace.

Pursue God and everything else will follow. It starts from accepting Jesus for He is the only mediator between God and Man.

Have a peacefully peaceful Monday! Shalom!

Wise Men Say

The moment you say you already know everything about God is the moment you need Him most in your life. (See Rom 1:22 - Claiming to be wise, they became fools.)

There is a language that is very difficult to understand but everybody knows about it. The language has been very successful in creating brokenness and separation in the lives of people. It is the language of pride that keeps on plaguing the lives of people even from the beginning of time. It was when the first persons in the world wanted to become God. A thirst for power, richness or fame is what deceives people until this present time. It is also the innate weakness of man. It is the same weakness that has been used to entice people to invest in a business of uncertainty.

Most of us are aware on the definition and practice of idolatry to worshiping images carved in woods or stones but are not aware of the idolatry that is embedded deep within our hearts. Pride, supremacy, fortune and our selves can be idolatry in itself. ANYTHING we place before God is idolatry. It is anything we RELY ON MORE THAN GOD and ANYTHING WE LOOK TO FOR GREATER FULFILLMENT THAN GOD. Our wealth, does it glorify God? Our relationship, does it glorify God? Our job, does it glorify God?...etc. or Is it a means of a greater separation between us and God?

If the answer is YES to these questions then let us start learning a new language. Instead of the language of pride let us begin to speak the language of Love - To love God and to love others.

As we chart our appointments in business or work, let us not forget to place God on top of our priority for NOTHING is greater than God. Let us also share the good news we hear in church to others. It can change lives. Jesus changes lives not jeflivs.

The word:

1. "Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever!" Romans 1:22-25

2. "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Mathew 6:33

Lemons and Lemonade

Failures and defeats can be your stepping stones toward success. The greatest men and women of all time were those who were able to turn their failures to success. To name few:

Walt Disney-Our childhood would have been dreary without this genius of a man. Walt Disney was also another boy brought up in a farm – and used to draw pictures for his neighbors for money. He used to be the cartoonist for the school newspaper, Disney went through the jobless phase where no one hired him, and his brother had to help him out with his job search. He went from rags to riches by starting out with advertisements and going on to animating his own cartoons.

Samuel Walton - Growing up in the great depression of the 1930s, Walton had to milk family cow and do numerous odd jobs to help family survive. After the war, he took out a loan to buy a small grocery store. He went on to build this into the giant Walmart supermarket chain, amassing a fortune of over $23 billion

Oprah Winfrey. Born to a housemaid and a coal miner, Oprah definitely did not grow in the lap of luxury. Living the life of poverty, where she used to have to wear dresses made out of potato sacks and was molested by relatives. She entered the world of media after getting the job of a news-reader in a local black radio station. After she got her first talk-show in Chicago, there was no looking back for this TV personality.

Howard Schultz - Born to poor Jewish parents in Brooklyn, New York. Schultz was the first member of his family to attend college. Working his way up from a salesperson for Xerox, he became CEO of Starbucks, and oversaw its rapid growth, leaving him a net worth of $1.6 billion by 2013.

JK Rowling- Before becoming the international best selling author of the Harry Potter series, JK Rowling was a struggling single mother. Life was tough for her living off of government welfare, but she stuck to it and even managed to find the time to write. The result? She's estimated to have a net worth of $1 billion. JK Rowling is literally the definition of a rags to riches story.

Whatever hardships, trials or difficulties we may experience, God is greater and He uses these things to make us more dependent upon him. When we feel defeated, we can get back on track by living victoriously in Jesus, believing that he will comfort and help us. He is in control and greater than our circumstances.

Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong (1 Corinthians 16:13). Let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up (Galatians 6:9). We are more than conquerors through him who loved us (Romans 8:37)!

Lastly, if you’re someone reading this that has never trusted in Jesus Christ as your personal savior I have  great news for you. God loves you so very much and has tremendous plan in your life. He wants to save you from your sins so that you can experience eternal life and be with him in heaven, but he also wants to be there for you through life’s difficulties. Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Apart

Isn't it a great feeling to know that you are loved? A feeling that someone is praying for you and a feeling that someone misses you too!

Didn't you know that no matter how others turn their back on us and that no matter how we place ourselves apart from God, He will be looking for us to be back in His arms.

Some of us might have been living separate lives and might have been feeling alone in this world, the truth is, we were never alone. It was not God who walked away from us. It was us. Our sins separated us from God. Give love a chance, Give God a chance... to transform your life.

"Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the LORD your God will gather you and bring you back." -Deuteronomy 30:4

The Joy in the Weirdest Circumstances
by: Jeflivs Livara

Joy is the most difficult thing to search. It seems like it is impossible for us to have consistent joy in our lives. Joy seems temporary in the lives of people. We work not because of money... We work because we want to have what money can benefit us and one of them is joy.

The problem is not JOY itself. The problem is, we are looking for joy in the wrong places on earth. 

Money 
We thought that having much money would make us happier. The happiest man on earth is not the wealthiest man. Money cannot bring joy.

Peers
We also thought that being with friends can bring joy. Yes they can help you and be with you in the good times. But chances are when trials come in your life, give a head count. They might leave you in your most troublesome moments.

Career
We thought that having a job would bring joy... but the people with high paying jobs are not the happiest people on earth. Sometimes they become too much focused on their jobs that they forget their family and worse, forget about God.

Religion
We thought that religion can bring us JOY. Perhaps yes or no. Even the most religious people on earth are not happy. If you go back to the bible, aren't the most religious people, the one's who crucified Jesus? Jesus doesn't endorse religion. Read the Bible. Many sects would claim they are the true religion... Jesus does not speak of a religion but Jesus speaks of your RELATIONSHIP to His father.

True and Everlasting Joy can only be found with Jesus Christ when you start a relationship with HIM. If you find joy in material wealth, it is temporary and it will pass. But when you find joy in Jesus, your life will change and it's eternal.

In Philippians 1-1:11, Paul will give us a very concrete scenario on how he found Joy. If you study the context, Paul was a prisoner when he wrote to the Philippians. He was imprisoned and yet HE has JOY in his heart! He never complained, He never lost faith, He never rebelled against the Lord... In fact he continued to become an effective apostle of Jesus.

How many of us now are imprisoned? Yes, we might not be behind bars but many of us are PRISONERS of Grief, Sufferings, Anger, Pain, Worry, Selfishness, Hatred and Uncertainty... But when you invest in the word of God, you will no longer feel and experience these... because Jesus changes your heart. He puts a renewed spirit within you... and his graces will simply manifest in you.

A man who has Jesus in his heart, smiles a lot and inspires others a lot.

From the time I accepted Jesus in my life, problems and trials did not eventually diminish! But what was renewed, was the way I think and see.
Others see problems as dead end but I see it as opportunity.
Others see trials as hindrances but I see it as preparation.
Others see being "alone" as sufferings but I see it as an opportunity to improve oneself and spread my wings.

When you see yourself at the mirror? What do you see? An unhappy man or a man with JOY over flowing?

Jesus renews you and brings JOY. Joy cannot be found in places... It can be found only in Jesus. It can reside in you. If it does, joy is in you even in weirdest places on earth just as Paul when he found joy even when he was imprisoned  because JOY resides in the Heart where there is God.

Amen.

Reflection:
Philippians 3:8
"3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus."

ReDiscovering Faith.

Faith is not faithfulness to religion. It is faithfulness to God. It is not what the "world" says. It must be what the Lord says. Many claim to know Christ but the message of Christ is not evident in their lives. Our deeds are reflection of our faith.

Even in this present time, Jesus continues to restore us. I see people being restored for the better and not for the bitter. It changed me; It restored me; That is why I am always eager to invite acquaintances and friends to rediscover Jesus and understand more about Him because I want them to experience first hand the LOVE of God to us.

It is not enough that we remain lax about our faith. Being lax is a sign of no faith at all. Talking to a stone or a wood will not change anything; tradition will not save us. Jesus does. Their is no neutral faith; There is no stagnant faith; And their is no middle ground. Faith is dynamic. Even the parable of the mustard seed says that when you have a faith like a mustard seed, it can grow to be the biggest of the herbs! How? It is when it is scattered on the ground! Faith does not grow when you are holding it. It should be scattered to the ground - it must be shared and nourished in order to grow. Your faith grows, then let it grow.

This coming Christmas, I believe the best gift we could give to a friend is Jesus. Some say they are living in hell right now but they still have the chance to change their lives through Jesus. I am thankful for some friends who decided to follow Christ. I believe they are living testimonies of how Jesus pulled them up from the rubles they have been.

I would like to invite you to discover what the Lord has planned for you.

Have a blessed Sunday.

Reflection:

"These people claim to worship me, but their words are meaningless, and their hearts are somewhere else. Their religion is nothing but human rules and traditions, which they have simply memorized. So I will startle them with one unexpected blow after another. Those who are wise will turn out to be fools, and all their cleverness will be useless." - Isaiah 29:13-14