Fear Not

I’ve always struggled with the fear of the future, specifically for the great trial that will happen right before Jesus comes. Other church members are happy that prophecy is happening and they are stoked to see these things come to pass. I struggle to share the same sentiment. I am happy to know that God’s word is true and real, but knowing what to expect also scares me.

I think what I’m truly scared of is the prosecution of the saints. I don’t do well with physical pain. Knowing that old school torture instruments will be used again makes me shudder. I’ve been praying that God give me more love for Him because love casteth out all fear.

I’m happy to see this verse today. It’s a great reminder that I have nothing to worry about. Even if I die, God will give me life again when He returns. I just need to keep trusting Him and keep my relationship with Him growing.

Reflections on Exodus 3 & 4

There were most likely more than a hundred years that passed between the death of Joseph and the birth of Moses. The Bible says that the new Pharaoh did not know Joseph, therefore he did not have a relationship with the Israelites and thus feared them. That’s why he decided to make them slaves and to oppress them so they don’t overpower the Egyptians.

When God called Moses out of Midian to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses had the nerve to complain about his lack of speech eloquence. “And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses…” I think this means that the Lord was disappointed, because He already reminded Moses that He is the Creator and He can make Moses a great orator, but Moses kept complaining. And God in His mercy worked with Moses; He decided to have Aaron be the mouthpiece for Moses.

How embarrassing is it to show doubt in front of God, especially when talking to Him face to face. I imagine the Queen of England coming to see me and giving me a task and I complain in front of her face. Sadly that is the culture we live in today. Sin has ruined our ability to be respectful. We feel more and more entitled because we value self and our opinions above trust and faith. Praise God in His infinite love that He still works with us and helps us grow through our deficiencies.

I also wonder why God had to harden Pharaoh’s heart. God said that Pharaoh would not believe, and would not let the Israelites go. The Israelites probably have not seen miracles happen for many years, so for Moses to suddenly come and claim that God had sent him to free them, they were sure to doubt it. That’s why God gave Moses the signs to perform for them to believe. I think sending the plagues to Pharaoh was also a way for the Israelites to be converted and believe again in God. If the people did not believe the signs that Moses showed them, they had all those plagues to reflect and believe that God is real; same thing goes for the Egyptians. God doesn’t just display His power to show off; He always does it for our benefit and to save us because He loves us.

Nowadays, it will be even harder to discern which miracles are real and which are counterfeit. Satan has the ability to pretend to be like Jesus, and if we don’t see past all the fake signs, we will surely fall into the wrong path. Back in the days of Moses, other people were also copying the plagues and miracles and doing it their way. Maybe some of the Israelites were confused on whom to believe. What’s most important in our generation today is that we grasp on to the Word of God, know it inside out, have a relationship with Jesus, and take time everyday to be still and listen to His voice so we don’t confuse the real with the counterfeit. It’s going to be hard in the last days, so we should start now to discern the differences between good and evil. When the end of time comes, we will be ready. Nothing will be a surprise.

Nature Defiled

I am reading the book “Child Guidance” by Ellen G. White and for the first seven chapters she greatly emphasizes the need to introduce our children to nature. It is our parental duty to let our children get acquainted with the Creator of the universe through His creation.

However, nature has been defiled and it’s beauty has greatly diminished over the years because of sin. Just this evening I went out for a quick walk around the neighborhood, and I only lasted about 10 minutes because the temperature was too hot. It was 7:45pm at the time. How am I supposed to teach my daughter the beauties of this earth when nature itself discourages us to be outside?

Since the pandemic of Covid-19, I have not been away from the house very much. I force myself to bring my daughter out to the back yard to get some sun for a few minutes, but even then the sun is scorching hot in this Arizona heat at 8am. I find it difficult to fulfill my duty of introducing my daughter to the outside world. Plus, with the limited knowledge I know about plants and flowers, (since I never really was an outside person to begin with) what do I tell her? How do I make learning interesting? What if she just wants to stay indoors and play video games like I did as a child?

One thing that does give me comfort though is that I know God will bless my efforts. This world may be slowly losing it’s beauty, but as long as I do my best to keep pointing out the Creator from nature, I’m sure a seed will be sown in my daughter’s mind. I will do my best to “train up a child in the way he should go.”

Quote of the Day

Child Guidance p. 46.4

Parable of the Talents

Matthew 25 is a chapter that relates the kingdom of heaven to several different parables. The parable I want to focus on for this reflection is the parable of the talents. You can find the parable written in the next paragraph.

Matthew 25:14-30 KJV
“[14] For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. [15] And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. [16] Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. [17] And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. [18] But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money. [19] After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. [20] And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. [21] His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. [22] He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. [23] His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. [24] Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: [25] And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. [26] His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: [27] Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. [28] Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. [29] For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. [30] And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. …”

I decided to replace the word “talent” with the word “people.” Talents back in the Biblical era were money, but we can apply this parable to our time with talents meaning our gifts and skills and abilities. People who are recruited to be actors and artists are also called talents. Therefore I tried to read the parable again with talents meaning people.

I imagined that the servants in the parable were entrusted with people, and that the people were under the servants’ care and the servants needed to train and grow these people in the knowledge and ways of the master. Once trained, these people then went and found other people and trained them as well. Thus, because each of his five people trained another person, the first servant ended up with ten people ready to be servants for the master.

I imagined the same thing with the second servant who was entrusted with two talents. He trained the two and gained two more, making a total of four servants.

The last servant “hid” the talent; in other words, did not enlighten his person about the wonderful opportunities of serving the master. The servant did not feel the need to do anything with the talent and did not grow his abilities, leaving the talent in the exact same shape as he was when given to him.

Obviously the master was pleased to see that two of his servants could be trusted to carry out his will. They were not afraid to do something with the things entrusted to them, unlike the last servant.

I started to wonder what I would do if I were in their shoes. Would I be excited to train someone in the knowledge of the master? Or would I miss the opportunity to witness to someone because of fear?

Our Great Commission as Christians is to go out into the world and teach people about Jesus (Matthew 28:19,20). God, our Master, has entrusted us, his servants, to multiply his disciples and tell them the wonderful Gospel of Jesus Christ. There are many ways we can share the good news. Some people do evangelism, others do Bible studies, some have music ministry, others are in the medical field or in nutrition… the list is endless! But for some reason, I feel like the secret standard for successfully creating a new disciple is by bringing someone to church and having them get baptized. I have not yet invited anyone to come attend our church; how much more influenced someone to be baptized. I also noticed that I’m afraid to admit that I’m a Seventh Day Adventist and I always generalize my faith and say I’m just a Christian.

Reading Matthew 25 has made me even more afraid to be afraid of sharing my faith! But now is not the time to shut down and hide, especially with the second coming of Christ being closer everyday. I can’t sit back and hide and waste my talents. There are still people out there who have not been introduced to Jesus. God has entrusted me with this work and I need to do something about it.

I also realized that it would never be about MY works that would create a disciple. I just have to do my best and the Holy Spirit will be the one to grow the seeds I plant. I just pray that God continues to give me courage to share my faith and not be afraid to talk about it with others.

Almost Persuaded

https://youtu.be/CynxDodfsMQ

The link above is a song called “Almost Persuaded” by the Louvin Brothers. I first heard this song when a church member asked me to sing it at church one day. He gave me the piano piece and lyrics so I can practice. I’ve always thought of it as a strange song because it tells the story of someone who was almost persuaded to believe in Jesus and accept Him as Savior, but in the end the person hesitated too long and eventually time ran out.

This reminds me once more of the story of Caiaphas the high priest. He shunned away his belief in the Savior until he reached the point of no return. He was almost persuaded. However, almost isn’t good enough.

If you’re reading this, I urge you not to dissuade the callings of the Holy Spirit. If you hear God talking to you, try to listen. God loves you and He will do anything to be with you. He already died for you on the cross to save you. All you need to do is believe.

Caiaphas Almost Convinced

In the Bible, Matthew 26:57-67 and John 11:45-53 tell the story of when Jesus was being accused of blasphemy and was brought before the high priest Caiaphas for trial. He had the opportunity to help the crowd realize that Jesus was the true Messiah, but for selfish reasons Caiaphas declared Jesus guilty.

Take a look at Ellen G. White’s commentary in the next two paragraphs below:

“Caiaphas belonged to the Sadducees, some of whom were now the most desperate enemies of Jesus. He himself, though wanting in force of character, was fully as severe, heartless, and unscrupulous as was Annas. He would leave no means untried to destroy Jesus. … Caiaphas had regarded Jesus as his rival. The eagerness of the people to hear the Saviour, and their apparent readiness to accept His teachings, had aroused the bitter jealousy of the high priest. But as Caiaphas now looked upon the prisoner, he was struck with admiration for His noble and dignified bearing. A conviction came over him that this Man was akin to God. The next instant he scornfully banished the thought. Immediately his voice was heard in sneering, haughty tones demanding that Jesus work one of His mighty miracles before them. But his words fell upon the Saviour’s ears as though He heard them not.”—The Desire of Ages, pp. 703–705.

“Caiaphas had denied the doctrine of the resurrection, the judgment, and a future life. Now he was maddened by satanic fury. … Rending his robe, that the people might see his pretended horror, he demanded that without further preliminaries the prisoner be condemned for blasphemy. …Conviction mingled with passion led Caiaphas to do as he did. He was furious with himself for believing Christ’s words, and instead of rending his heart under a deep sense of truth, and confessing that Jesus was the Messiah, he rent his priestly robes in determined resistance. This act was deeply significant. Little did Caiaphas realize its meaning. In this act, done to influence the judges and secure Christ’s condemnation, the high priest had condemned himself. By the law of God he was disqualified for the priesthood. He had pronounced upon himself the death sentence.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 708.

After I read these paragraphs, I felt so heartbroken for Caiaphas. He prevented himself from believing in God. The outcome could have been very different. He was already convinced that Jesus was Lord but he shunned those thoughts away, leading to his eternal demise.

How many of us hear the voice of God yet continue to block him out? How many times has Jesus knocked on the door of our hearts yet we refuse to let Him in? How many more signs are we going to ignore before we recognize God’s presence?

I believe that the spread of the Corona Virus did one positive thing – it brought people’s attention back to God. We are nearing the time of Jesus’s return and this lockdown is the perfect opportunity to get back on your knees and renew your relationships with God. Don’t be like Caiaphas and miss out on eternal life. Don’t let pride harbor in your heart. Accept Jesus – He already loves you. Grab the opportunity to experience God’s love to the fullest.

Was Eve Framed?

As I was driving to work one day, I read a bumper sticker that said, “Eve was framed.” The thought of Eve being framed has been stuck on my mind ever since. So I did a little research to see if I could prove this statement.

I started reading Patriarchs and Prophets by Ellen G. White. It explicitly said in page 52 that angels have warned Adam and Eve about Lucifer who deceived many angels with his lies and that the couple need to be vigilant because Lucifer resided now on earth.

Eve was also told directly by God not to separate herself from Adam and wander by herself for a long period of time. God also said not to eat the fruit from a specific tree called the “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.” Adam and Eve were not to go near it nor touch it. They were to leave it alone.

Despite the warnings, Eve managed to find herself separated from Adam and standing in front of the forbidden tree. Lucifer was already at the tree and he lured Eve into temptation that ultimately led to her demise.

Eve was not framed. She gave into her passions despite the warnings. And most of us today are doing the same thing – ignoring the signs and going against our better judgment.

I also observed something else when I read the story again in the book of Genesis. In chapter 3:6, it says, “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate” (NKJV). Eve committed the three most deadly passions that the Bible warns us about in the New Testament. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” This is found in 1 John 2:15-17 (NKJV).

The three passions John is warning us from are (1) the lust of the flesh, (2) the lust of the eyes, and (3) the pride of life. Eve was the first to commit all three at the same time. She “saw that the tree was good for food,” which is the same as lust of the flesh, or in other words, gluttony, which is one of the seven deadly sins. Secondly, Eve saw that “it was pleasing to the eyes,” which is the definition of lust of the eyes. Lastly, she believed that the tree was “desirable to make one wise.” Isn’t it our pride and joy these days to be all-knowing and wise? Look at Jeopardy, for example. We take much pride in our knowledge and wisdom.

I know it’s unfortunate that our first parents made this grave mistake. It’s not fair that we have to pay the price for something we did not do. But we have to face reality. The wages of sin is death, and we need to find a way out or else we’re doomed. Thankfully Jesus has already given us a way out through His death and resurrection. He offers us the gift of salvation. All we need to do is believe in Him and accept His gift. Jesus had to die because of something He did not do. But He willingly did it anyway because He loves us. Let’s focus on having a relationship with Him as a response to our faith and gratitude.

Seek God and Worry Not

Taken from the Holy Bible King James App

These verses are a great reminder of God’s love for us. We need not worry about tomorrow. No need to stress over something we cannot take control of, especially when it doesn’t exist yet.

My pastor’s wife called me a few months ago and invited me to join their prayer group that prays twice a day, every 6-6:30am and 6-6:30pm. Honestly, it’s been a struggle to pray at those specific times because I never know when the baby would want attention or start to cry. When she wakes up before 6am, let’s say around 5 or 5:30, I try to pray while feeding her but it is extremely hard to stay awake. Not to mention she wakes up to feed every other hour. I’ve learned to live life being sleep deprived. Those wee hours between 6-8am are the hardest to stay awake.

The Bible, however, is clear that these wee hours are the best time to be in communion with God. I have heard countless people with amazing testimonies that their walk with God is so much richer after they started the habit of getting up early and spending time with God before life gets in the way. For years I have been trying to get up early, but now with a two month old kid it is even harder to do so.

Yet, I find comfort in these verses. I need not worry, because God loves me. He is patient with me. I try my best to have my devotional time as the first thing I do regardless of what time I wake up. The Bible says to seek God first, and then He will take care of the rest.

Being a mother is extremely challenging. My patience is constantly tested to the limit, my frustrations are more frequent, and it’s easier to lose self control. If I seek God first thing everyday, He will grant me the strength and endurance to survive that day. I just need to take it one day at a time. Forget worrying about tomorrow; ain’t nobody got time for that. Especially with a baby. I need to channel God’s patience in my life.

I used to be so great at planning ahead and getting things done. I used to be able to have things scheduled in my calendar up to five months in advance and I expected everything to go the way I planned it. But becoming a mom has completely changed all of that. I can literally only take things moment by moment. And praise God that He gives me enough strength for each of those moments.

Verse of the Day

Amos 5:8