A Sunset Photo - taken in the US in May 2006

I took this from inside a car. It was taken on May 6, 2006. Place: somewhere in New Jersey

I've always loved taking pictures of sunsets. I read a poster before that said, "Sunsets are God's signature at the end of the day." They are His handiwork indeed! He made the sun!

This post is in response to a tag from my sister, who has a blog on wordpress, Pinay Megamom.

This is her post where she tagged me:

It’s official: based on clamor from fellow bloggers, I am starting a photo tag. Show me your sunsets! Or your sunrise, whichever the case may be. It has to be a photo you took. Include a brief description of where it was, and how it made you feel watching that sunset/sunrise.

I am tagging Keng, Nap, Tina, Julie, Jong, Geri, Lovelyn, Analyse, Christianne and Lissa.
I am hoping that most of you will have something to share. If not, take out that camera and take photos. At least you will be forced to enjoy the fleeting view, even if only for a few moments.

Jesus didn't want fans, but disciples

Are we part of the crowd? Are we just those who just want to hang around Jesus without being a disciple? Do we just admire Jesus but don't consider Him as God? Do we just admire Jesus but don't intend to let His will be done in our life? As K.P. Yohannan, author of "Revolution in World Missions" said, "Jesus didn't want fans, but disciples."

Luke 14:25-33
25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said:
26 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters-- yes, even his own life-- he cannot be my disciple.
27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

If we decide to make Jesus the Lord of our life, we should mean it. Christianity should not be a "phase" in our lives. The Lordship of Jesus must be complete. His Lordship in our life must be to our last breathing moment on earth. When we ask Jesus to be Lord in our life, we must intend to let everything come under His Lordship. We must not "cordon off" parts of our life as "off limits" to God. That is not Lordship. How do I know this? I used to live like that. I did not let God have His will done in a part of my life. He didn't have complete Lordship. And that rebellion brought me to the worst crises in my life.

28 "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?
29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him,
30 saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.


It' s all or nothing. We should not ask Jesus to be our Lord and Savior if we don't intend to let everything come under His lordship. We will be like the fellow who began top build but did not finish.

31 "Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?
32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.
33 In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

Like the king, we must sit down and consider- do we really mean it to make Jesus the Lord of our life? Are we willing to give up everything in surrender to God? Do we consider Him the most important of all? Do we love Him over everything? Do we love Him more than anyone? Do we love Him more than life? Do we love Him more than our reputation? Do we love Him more than our careers?

The Lordship of Jesus must be radical or it isn't Lordship.

How to Prevent Depression at Christmastime

1) Don't focus on what you get. Don't let your worth or happiness be attached to what you get.

Luke 12:15 Then He said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

2) Don't just think about God on Christmas Day then forget Him the rest of the year. Think about God everyday of the year. Worship Him continually. Listen diligently and follow His voice all year round.


Deuteronomy 8:11 Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day.

Ps 63:6 On my bed I remember You; I think of You through the watches of the night.

3)Don't think about what you don't have.


Matt hew6:25,28-29, 31-32
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?... "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these... So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

4)Don't covet things. Covet means to be so consumed by a thing that it occupies all your thoughts and all you want is to get that thing to make you happy.

James 4:2-3 You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.


5) Don't just be generous at Christmas then be stingy and miserly the rest of the year.


Hebrews 13:16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Romans 12:13 Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

How A Pineapple Plant Looks Like

when you plant a pineapple top, after 7 months, this is how the pineapple plant looks like. this is in the garden of my parents' home.

when you buy pineapples, choose the pineapples with the lush, green, long, healthy-looking leaves. The middle or center leaves have to be particularly healthy because they are the newest leaves and they are a determinant of the health of the pineapple top as a plant.

when you cut off the top from the fruit part, leave an inch or so of the pulp/fruit part together with the top. don't cut at the base or the stem of the pineapple top, you will render useless the pineapple top as a plant. the cut part of the fruit is where the roots will grow. you can plant the pineapple top a day or two after you remove it from the fruit. you can place it in the soil of your garden or in a pot. but it has to be planted in the soil because it becomes a really big plant.

His Grace Is Enough

2 Corinthians 12:7-10
To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh,
a messenger of Satan, to torment me.
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

The grace of the Lord is sufficient for me. The woman with the issue of blood--did she have to touch the Lord's sleeves and neckline and waistline to receive power and healing from God? No--the hem of His garment was enough.

When you have nothing else to rely on in this world but God's grace, then you truly understand that His grace is enough. His grace is sufficient. All the other things the world longs for and reveres are all inconsequential.

More Tagaytay Pix

My friend took this picture from the terrace of the Mont-Aire Condominium in Tagaytay where we had our retreat last Nov. 12-13.

Taal Volcano

Boracay Sunset

My sister took this picture when she went to Boracay with her family.

God Prunes Us to Make Us Fruitful

This is the same vine in the previous post. It is in the backyard of Mrs. M. J. Poblete in California.

Pruned and cut underneath, the vine is full of fruit for the gardener to see.

I have many bromeliad plants and succulent/cactus family plants. But these are ornamental plants. They are admired for their leaves.

But the grapevine is not an ornamental plant. It is planted by its gardener to bear fruit, not leaves.

The Lord Jesus used the grapevine analogy to describe our relationship with Him. He wants fruit from us. But apart from Him we cannot bear fruit. Apart from Him we cannot be like Him. Apart from Him we cannot have His life flowing in us. Apart from Jesus, we will just be like dried branches detached from the vine, sticking plastic fruit onto our dried branches to make ourselves look fruitful. But God the gardener knows what is real fruit. He knows our hearts. He knows our motives.

Do you want fruit? Do you want fruit to show God?

Righteousness is from God, not from ourselves. And it is a righteousness by faith in Jesus. He gave Himself on the cross that His blood may cover our sins. And He rose again that we may live a new life in Christ- as a new creation, no longer a slave to sin but set free from sin because of Christ.

To receive God's free gift of righteousness, repent- meaning to acknowledge you have sinned against God AND turn away from sin 180 degrees- and believe in the Lord Jesus- meaning to commit yourself to Jesus making Him THE Lord of your life in EVERYTHING and surrendering your life to Him out of love because He loved you first and gave His life for you.

Only through the blood of Jesus can you be reconciled to God. He redeemed you from the pawnshop of sin and death where you had pawned yourself---with His own blood as the ransom.



Like a rose trampled on the ground

He took the fall

And thought of YOU

above all.

God is our Gardener

This picture was taken from a grapevine in the backyard of my husabnd's auntie in California. Look at the pruned and cut branches on the vine. My husband's auntie said that if the vine is not pruned, it will not bear much fruit but only leaves.

What is the fruit? People have interpreted "fruit" to be more church members or more "converts" or people we train. But I believe the fruit is WHAT WE BECOME in Christ, what God wants us to be. THE FRUIT IS FOR THE GARDENER, GOD, TO SEE AND EAT. Have you ever seen a plant trying to bear fruit so other plants would see how much fruit it has? In the same way, I believe the fruit God wants us to bear according to the verses above is the fruit of being in Christ. When we bear fruit as branches connected to the vine, who is Jesus, we are showing God (and God alone) how we are becoming like Jesus.

It is natural for a grapevine to produce grapes, it does not need to try to produce grapes. A person who is a branch who remains in Christ, the vine, does not need to try to produce fruit. If he remains in Jesus, he will bear fruit.

But a person who is detached from Christ, who does not remain in Christ, can never fake his fruit before God. It is God Who knows our hearts and He knows when we are just trying to be "righteous" apart from Him. Righteousness is from God, it can never come from us, from our own effort. Righteousness is only gained through faith in Jesus.

Philippians 3:8-9

What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-- the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.

Remember the Lord Jesus used the grapevine analogy when He was talking to His disciples in the garden of Gethsemane. He was talking to agricultural-minded people who knew that grapevines were grown to make grapes, which were then made into wine. A grapevine in a vineyard that does not produce grapes is not what a gardener wants. A gardener wants grapes on his vine.

John 15:1-8
Jesus said, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.

This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."

In the same way, God, as a gardener, tends us as vine branches. He wants us to be like the vine, Jesus. He wants to see "fruit" in us. He tends us so we will be fruitful in His sight. Fruit is proof of remaining in Christ. If you don't have fruit, you are not remaining in Christ.

In Hosea 14:8, God says, "your fruitfulness comes from Me". Jesus also said in John 15:4 "No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me."

Christianity is not a system of morals, it is the worship of a Person, William Lecky once said. Christianity cannot be faked. Christianity is a relationship with Jesus. It is the worship of Jesus, the fearful reverence, and extravagant respect of Jesus. You cannot fake a relationship with God BEFORE GOD. He knows if you are really in the vine or not. He will look at the fruit HE SEES.

My Bromeliad with 5 shoots!

Bromeliad with 5 shoots

These shoots are also called "pups" or "suckers". They grow from the main or mother plant's side.

one of the shoots, after 2 months

This is one of the shoots 2 months after repotting.

I am a revolutionary for Jesus

I am a revolutionary for Jesus. I take God at His word. He is God who made the heavens and the earth. He is God, and there is no other. (Isa. 44:24) All His promises are yes in Christ Jesus. (2 Cor.1:20)I am fully persuaded God has the power to do what He says He would do. (Romans 4:21 ) I never forget what Jesus did for me on the cross.(1 Cor. 11:24) I no longer live, but Christ lives in me, and the life I live, I live for the One who died for me. (Gal.2:20) I believe that I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, on earth, in my nation, in my city. (Psalm27:13) I believe I will see God’s glory cover the earth like waters cover the sea, because His word says so.(Hab. 2:14) I believe I can ask God to rend the heavens and come down because His word says so(Isaiah 64:1), and because I have seen Him do it! I love God with all my heart.(Deuteronomy 6:5) I love God more than food, and that is why I fast. I live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord(Deut.8:3). My food is to do God’s will.(John 4:34) I persevere because I see Him who is invisible.(Heb. 11:28)

I love God more than life. His love is better than life.(Psalm 63:3) I choose to stay under His shadow always.(Psalm91:1) I will obey Him no matter what.(1 Sam. 15:22) I worship God extravagantly because that is the worship He deserves.(Rev.5:12-14) I set my heart on heavenly things.(Col.3:1-2) I worship God continually(Daniel 6:16) and I always think of God whatever I do(Prov.3:6,Psalm63:6). I love my enemies, and I bless and pray for them.(Matt.5:44) I forgive all who sin against me seventy times seven times(Matt.18:22), even if they do not apologize to me, because Jesus forgave those who crucified Him even though they didn’t say sorry to Him. (Luke 23:34) I am a bondservant of the Lord Jesus.(Romans 6:16,22) I consider all things worthless compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus. (Philippians 3:8).

I am a revolutionary for Jesus.

Live this day as if it were your last

"Live this day as if it were your last"... I read this in Steve Jobs' speech as commencement speaker at Stanford University in the USA...

"Carpe diem" --latin for "seize the day". This came from the 80's movie "Dead Poets Society" starring Robin Williams.

The following passage in the Bible sums up these things .Yes, we are to live each day as if it were our last, but what do we look for? we are to hope in the Lord. OUR HOPE IS IN HIM.


Psalm 39:4-7


4"Show me, O LORD, my life's end

and the number of my days;

let me know how fleeting is my life.


5 You have made my days a mere handbreadth;

the span of my years is as nothing before you.

Each man's life is but a breath.

Selah


6 Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro:

He bustles about, but only in vain;

he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it.


7 "But now, Lord, what do I look for?

My hope is in you.


Our life is fleeting. In God's eyes, the timeline of our life is just a handbreadth.It is as nothing before Him. What do we do with it?

May we not be caught up in the vanities of life, bustling about, heaping up wealth not knowing who will get it, running after the things the world runs after. God knows what we need. So may we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to us.

But now Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in You. .......There was a time I was envious of some people who have heaped up wealth. The Lord showed me this verse. What do you look for?, the Lord asked me. Cars, cellphones, material things, fame, power,professional growth? The Lord said, Let your hope be in Me. Look for Me, and my righteousness.

What do we look for in life? only temporary things, or eternal things? Who do we hope in? people, or the Lord? Lord search our hearts!

Just think of the meaning of David's prayer --show me O Lord my life's end, let me know how fleeting are my days. Who of us is willing to pray this? Wow, this is a very difficult thing to pray for!!! IF we knew when we were going to die, would we live life differently? Lord, may we live our lives for You and Your glory alone.

Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.


We don't just "live each day as if it were our last". We live by faith in God each day as if it were our last. We don't just "seize the day", we seize the day for God, through God and by faith in God, who loved us and gave Himself for us.

Ephesians 5;15-17

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.


Help me to understand Your will and purpose for me Lord, as I live my life for You. May I seize the day, seize every opportunity, capture every thoughtin obedience to You, because the days are evil.

Disobedience

Jonah thought that escaping would change what God had wanted for him to do. Inside the whale, he knew his disobedience had brought him to that point in his life.

sometimes we think we can get away with not following God, or not obeying God. We can even reason out that there is no God. but no amount of reasoning will erase the existence of God. You may not believe in hell, but it remains as hot as ever. You may not believe in God, but you will still face Him when you die. Your beliefs or your lifestyle does not make God's word less true. Rather, the Word of God judges you. No matter how hard you try to reason out your decisions, it doesn't change God's word. You can't choose what to obey. You must obey everything.

God doesn't change. His word doesn't change. He is holy. So don't change the word of God to suit your life. Let God change your life through His Word working in you. Obey God.

Agricultural Principles of Planting & Growth fr. the Bible:The Mustard Seed

MUSTARD SEEDS

Faith is a seed from God

God plants the seed of faith in us. Faith is a habit of confident believing in God. Faith comes from hearing the word.(Romans 10:17 Faith comes from hearing and hearing from the word of God.--The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to understand or discern what God says in His word.

A person’s “greatness” or position in the world or in the ministry is not a prerequisite of faith. In the Bible the Lord Jesus healed many non-Israelites. He told the Roman centurion that he had “great faith”. He told the Canaanite woman who said that “even dogs eat the scraps from the master’s table”, that she had great faith. Even children can have great faith.

We cannot boast of anything at all because our faith comes from God anyway.

Ephesians 2:8-10 God saved you through faith as an act of kindness. You had nothing to do with it. Being saved is a gift from God. (9) It's not the result of anything you've done, so no one can brag about it. (10) God has made us what we are. He has created us in Christ Jesus to live lives filled with good works that he has prepared for us to do. ;

Philippians 2:13 It is God who produces in you the desires and actions that please him.

To know the meaning of faith being a seed from God, Let’s try to understand "The Parable of the Mustard Seed":

Matt 13:31-32"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone planted in a field. It's one of the smallest seeds. However, when it has grown, it is taller than the garden plants. It becomes a tree that is large enough for birds to nest in its branches."

God gives a small seed of faith. But God makes it grow as we obey and surrender our lives to His Lordship and follow Him as disciples. The size of the seed does not determine the size of the tree or plant. Where the seed comes from is what matters. As long as the seed is from God, its size is immaterial. it can and it will grow into the biggest plant.

The picture below shows a mustard plant (Brassica nigra)from Israel, its not actually a tree but it is a very tall shrub. This picture is taken from this site: http://dqhall59.com/parable_of_the_mustard_seed.htm

The plant is 8 feet 10 inches tall!

Faith as a seed from God is also seen in the parable of the Sower

Jesus explained exactly what it meant already. -Mar 4:14-20 "The farmer plants the word. Some people are like seeds that were planted along the road. Whenever they hear the word, Satan comes at once and takes away the word that was planted in them. Other people are like seeds that were planted on rocky ground. Whenever they hear the word, they accept it at once with joy. But they don't develop any roots. They last for a short time. When suffering or persecution comes along because of the word, they immediately fall from faith. Other people are like seeds planted among thornbushes. They hear the word, but the worries of life, the deceitful pleasures of riches, and the desires for other things take over. They choke the word so that it can't produce anything. Others are like seeds planted on good ground. They hear the word, accept it, and produce crops-thirty, sixty, or one hundred times as much as was planted."

You see the Lord Jesus plants the word in us. We are to be good ground that hear the word, accept it and produce crops. To produce crops we must grow. We must remove or set aside what keeps us from growing. Thw word of God must grow in us and become bigger and bigger , like a fruit tree that is growing, and produce crops or fruit in us. This means that we must let the word of God make us grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ. (2 Peter 3:18- but grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ) We must let the word of God permeate our every thought and area of our lives to renew our mind and make us grow in the Lord’s grace.

What about this passage? Have you ever understood what it means?

Luke 17:5 -6 Then the apostles said to the Lord, "Give us more faith." The Lord said, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Pull yourself up by the roots, and plant yourself in the sea!' and it would obey you.

In the light of the previous verses that have been discussed, I believe this is what it means: we don’t need a “bigger seed” or “more seed” to do God’s will. We need a seed FROM GOD. IF IT’S A SEED FROM GOD, it may be the smallest seed but it is still from God therefore it has all the power of God and the potential to be the biggest tree in the garden. If it is God’s will that a mulberry tree be pulled up from the ground and planted in the sea at your command, then all you need is a tiny tiny seed of faith from God and that mulberry tree will follow. The disciples wanted Jesus to increase their faith, as if “more is better” or “bigger is better”. But Jesus said, even if it were tiny tiny faith, we can do God’s will and command things to happen to fall in line with God’s will. We don’t need to have more faith, we need faith from God.

Is there something God is telling you to do? hat is the mulberry tree in your life that you need to command to fall in line with God's will? What is the mountain in your life that is standing between you and doing God's will? Ask God for faith from Him. Even if it’s the tiniest, tiniest faith, it is from Him, and thus you will be able to command things to fall in line with God’s will, because nothing is impossible for God.

What about this passage?

Mat 17:19-20 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked, "Why couldn't we force the demon out of the boy?" He told them, "Because you have so little faith. I can guarantee this truth: If your faith is the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

What did Jesus mean “you have so little faith”? they had faith but they doubted in God’s ability. Their faith was “short”, "hindi umabot", because they doubted in God. So don’t doubt in God. If you have tiny tiny faith from God and you don’t allow any doubt, nothing is impossible.

Instead, let's be like Abraham:

Rom 4:20-21 He (Abraham) didn't doubt God's promise out of a lack of faith. Instead, giving honor to God for the promise, he became strong because of faith and was absolutely confident that God would do what he promised.

The NIV says "Abraham was fully persuaded that God had the power to do what He had promised."

Let's be absolutely confident that God will do what He promised! We should be fully persuaded that God will do as He promised!

"Is There Room" slide show