Sin that Separates

We often hear from preachers saying, “sin separates man from God.” Yes, that is the truth. Another
truth is that sin separates us from people close to us too. It affects our relationships destroying memories built over the years. In a world where we are supposed to create good lasting memories, sin paints it black.

In families, children are the greatest casualties of sin - directly or indirectly. As parents, it is not the lessons we teach our kids that they learn most but from the things we do. Grown ups are role models to the younger generation whether you like it or not. Being older is a responsibility you cannot evade. It comes with your age for as long as there are people younger than you and looking up to you.

Sometimes It makes me think if theology can cease a person to sin;
Sometimes it makes me wonder if religiousity can cease a person to sin;
Sometimes it makes me doubtful if raising your hand in church and all the Halleluiahs can cease a person to sin;
But one thing l’m certain of,
play with theology...
play with religiousity...
play “churchy-churchy”...
play with Halleluiahs...
and you are playing with your salvation.

In tagalog:
Kunwakunwaring kinikilala ang Diyos
Nagsisimba-simbahan...
Nagbabait-baitan...
Ang kaligtasan mo nagkukunwari-kunwarihan din at baka naglalangit-langitan ka lang.

The enemy came to Steal (Magnakaw), Kill (Pumatay) and Destroy (Manira).

So what now can truly cease a person to sin?
It is not a question of what but who. It is through a geniune relationship with Jesus. Jesus came to restore and give us new life.

It is not enough that we read the bible and know God. It is how we apply it. Take it seriously and consistently. A relationship with Jesus is a continuous walk and not a short-time love affair. It is a non-ending journey with Him until we finally meet Him in the final judgement. These will be the only words we will be longing to hear when that time comes, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”

Have a blessed morning!

Grace Changes Everything

Naranasan mo na ba yung tinanggap mo na yung pagbabago pero tingin pa rin ng ibang tao sa iyo ay mali pa rin? Marahil in the past ang laki ng kapalpakan o mali na iyong nagawa na nagmove on ka na pero nakakulong ka pa rin sa nakalipas. Ang kanilang mata at puso ay naging sarado sa iyong daan tungo sa pagbabago.

Keep on embracing the good which was started in you kapatid. In the end, it is not the eyes of men you please but the eyes and heart of God.

We have a gracious God.

Justice, we pay the penalty of our actions.
Mercy, we receive pardon.
Grace, we receive what we don't even deserve.

Change is not that difficult when we understand the grace that was released at the cross. Man in his sinful nature deserves hell but a man whom without sin, who is God himself paid the penalty of sin (Justice) in our behalf so that we may be made right before Him (Mercy) and receive everlasting life (Grace)

We do not deserve heaven. I don't deserve it either but only by God's grace. It is by Grace through Faith that we are saved, no matter what you have done in the past.

If you put your faith unto Him, you will never be put to shame.

God morning and God bless your day.

#jeflivs
#graciousGod

A Korean’s Message for the Filipinos

"The Philippines is the most “religious” country in Asia, they say. But there are too many poor people here. People go to church every Sunday to pray, but nothing has been changed. "

Filipinos always complain about the corruption in the Philippines. Do you really think the corruption is the problem of the Philippines?

I do not think so. I strongly believe that the problem is the lack of love for the Philippines

Let me first talk about my country, Korea. It might help you understand my point. After the Korean War, South Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world.

Koreans had to start from scratch because entire country was destroyed after the Korean War, and we had no natural resources.

Koreans used to talk about the Philippines, for Filipinos were very rich in Asia. We envy Filipinos. Koreans really wanted to be well off like Filipinos. Many Koreans died of famine. My father & brother also died because of famine. Korean government was very corrupt and is still very corrupt beyond your imagination, but Korea was able to develop dramatically because Koreans really did their best for the common good with their heart burning with patriotism.

Koreans did not work just for themselves but also for their neighborhood and country.

Education inspired young men with the spirit of patriotism.

40 years ago, President Park took over the government to reform Korea. He tried to borrow money from other countries, but it was not possible to get a loan and attract a foreign investment because the economic situation of South Korea was so bad. Korea had only three factories. So, President Park sent many mine workers and nurses to Germany so that they could send money to Korea to build a factory. They had to go through horrible experience.

In 1964, President Park Chung-hee visited Germany to borrow money. Hundred of Koreans in Germany came to the airport to welcome him and cried there as they saw the President Park. They asked to him, “President, when can we be well off? That was the only question everyone asked to him. President Park cried with them and promised them that Korea would be well off if everyone works hard for Korea, and the President of Germany got the strong impression on them and lent money to Korea .

So, President Park was able to build many factories in Korea. He always asked Koreans to love their country from their heart.


Many Korean scientists and engineers in the USA came back to Korea to help developing country because they wanted their country to be well off. Though they received very small salary, they did their best for Korea. They always hoped that their children would live in well off country.

My parents always brought me to the places where poor and physically handicapped people live. They wanted me to understand their life and help them. Have you cried for the Philippines? I have cried for my country several times. I also cried for the Philippines because of so many poor people.

I have been to the New Bilibid prison. What made me sad in the prison were the prisoners who do not have any love for their country. They go to mass and work for church. They pray everyday.

However, they do not love the Philippines. I talked to two prisoners at the maximum-security compound, and both of them said that they would leave the Philippines right after they are released from the prison. They said that they would start a new life in other countries and never come back to the Philippines.

Many Koreans have a great love for Korea so that we were able to share our wealth with our neighborhood. The owners of factory and company distributed their profit to their employees fairly so that employees could buy what they needed and saved money for the future and their children.

When I was in Korea, I had a very strong faith and wanted to serve in a church. However, when I came to the Philippines, I completely lost my faith. I was very confused when I saw many unbelievable situations in the Philippines. Street kids always make me sad, and I see them everyday.

The Philippines is the most “religious” country in Asia, they say. But there are too many poor people here. People go to church every Sunday to pray, but nothing has been changed.

My parents came to the Philippines last week and saw this situation. They told me that Korea was much poorer than the present Philippines when they were young. They are so sorry that there are so many beggars and street kids. When we went to Pagsanjan, I forced my parents to take a boat because it would be fun.

However, they were not happy after taking a boat. They said that they would not take the boat again because they were sympathized the boatmen, for the boatmen were very poor and had a small frame. Most of people just took a boat and enjoyed it. But, my parents did not enjoy it because of love for them.

My mother who has been working for a church since I was very young told me that if we just go to church without changing ourselves, we are not Christians indeed. Faith should come with action. She added that I have to love Filipinos and do good things for them because all of us are same and have received a great love from God. I want Filipinos to love their neighborhood and country as much as they love God so that the Philippines will be well off.

I am sure that love is the keyword, which Filipinos should remember. We cannot change the sinful structure at once. It should start from person. Love must start in everybody, in a small scale and have to grow. A lot of things happen if we open up to love. Let’s put away our prejudices and look at our worries with our new eyes.

If you have a child, teach them how to love the Philippines. Teach them why they have to love their neighborhood and country.

That’s all I really want to ask you Filipinos.”

A Korean’s Message for the Filipinos
18 July 2008
Written by Jaeyoun Kim

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).