Philippine Asian News Today Vol 21 No 01 | Page 24

RELIGIOUS
24
Wisdom from
the Word
Ben Berto
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY January 1 - 20, 2019
GOD CHOSE YOU. BE HAPPY, DON’T WORRY
crust;
Ere her cause bring fame and
profit, And ‘tis prosperous to be
just.
Then it is the brave man
chooses, While the coward stands
aside,
Till the multitude make virtue,
Jeremiah 1: 5 NKJV
One of the freedoms that God Of the truth they once denied.”
God has choices, too, and
gave to man when He created him
was the power of choice. Each when God chooses, His choices
person has the choice to either be sometimes baffle us. Dr. Dwight
good or be bad, to follow or not to Nelson, in his devotional book tells
follow his conscience. In the end, us why God chose to make man
it will be our choices that will make instead of just creating animals
our day. One hymn-writer, James only. On January 1, 2019 he
Begun, with the title, “THE
Russell Lowell wrote this song,
NIGHT
YOU WERE CHOSEN”
Once To Every Man And Nation
“Have you ever wondered what
First two stanzas go on like
is like the night you were conceive?
this;
1“Once to every man I hadn’t either, until I came across a
and nation, Comes the moment to stunning description that biologists
on this campus assure me is true
decide,
In the strife of truth and for all of us. Your parents came
falsehood, For the Good and evil together --- whether they stayed
together, ever really got together,
side;
Some great cause, God’s new or were strangers, doesn’t really
Messiah, Offering each bloom or change this incredible scenario for
any of us--- and father deposited
blight,
And the choice goes by half a billion tiny male reproductive
forever, “Twixt that darkness and cells or sperm, inside mother.
That’s right---500,000,000 sperm,
that light.
2Then to side with truth is each with a solitary mission, to find
noble, When we share her wretched the singe ovum, mother’s egg, and
penetrate it. And only one of those
“Before I formed you in the
womb I knew you;
Before you were born I
sanctified[a] you;
I [b]ordained you a prophet to
the nations.”
Moments
truth of this New Year---God Chose
You. Any other reproductive cell
combination, and we’d have gotten
your sister instead! God chose you
the night you were conceived.
“And He has chosen you now
to make this uncharted journey
with Him. “ For I know the plans
I have for you,’ declares the Lord,
plans to prosper you , and not to
harm you, plans to give you hope
and a future.’ (Jeremiah 29: 11,
NIV
“And when the One who
chose us before we were born
promises to journey with us all the
days we live, can you imagine our
destination?”
This why God chose to
make human being in His image
and to his likeness so we can
communicate with Him face to
face. Animals can’t talk to God,
but you can.
For questions and Bible
Studies, call, Ben at 604 581 1278,
Junjun at 778-927- 8040, and
Pastor Leomar Macaraig at 604
928 3579. The Abundant Life Fil-
Can Seventh-day Adventist Church
meets at the City Center Church
on 13062 104th Avenue, Surrey
on Saturdays. All are welcome to
attend.
Pleasing God
Fr. Jerry M. Orbos, SVD
The story is told about an
interviewer who asked a call center
applicant to use green, pink, and
yellow in a sentence. After some
thought, the applicant said: “When
the phone goes ‘green, green,’ I
‘pink’ it up, and say ‘yellow’?” The
interviewer was pleased. She got
the job.
Today is the Solemnity of the
Baptism of the Lord. After John
baptized Jesus at the Jordan River,
a voice came from heaven that
said: “You are my beloved Son,
with you I am well pleased.” We,
too, must live lives pleasing to the
Father. Let us ask ourselves today:
Is the Father happy and pleased
with me, and the life that I am
living?
In today’s Gospel (Luke 3, 15-
16.21-22), we hear how the people
were pleased, and were filled with
expectation that John might be the
Christ. John was clear in saying
that he was not the Christ. And that
someone mightier than himself is
coming. John teaches us to please
God, and not people.
The things people do and say
sperm could make you—which
meant that it had to outswim the
499,999,999 other sperm in that
race for life.
In the words of Anthony
DeStefano: Half a billion potential
human beings, each one completely
different from you, could have been
born in place of you had not that
one, unique sperm fertilized that
one unique ovum. In a very real
sense, half a billion other potential
human beings had to forego life
to make way for you. And then
comes his stunning conclusion:
‘From a strictly statistical point of
view, you presence on this planet
is a miracle. At the very dawn of
your life you have to overcome
overwhelming odds---odds higher
than any you will ever have to face
in any other situation. No matter
what you think of yourself now---
no matter what ills may befall you,
no matter what suffering you may
be forced to endure, no matter
what family or money problems
you may eventually have to face,
it is imperative that you have to
understand this: You came into
this world as a champion.”(Ten
Prayers God Always Says To, pp.
167, 168)
“Do you know why? Because
you were chosen! It is the shining
just to get the attention, and please
others! Please remember that life
is not about approval ratings or
popularity. Those who live so will
live a life that is vain and empty.
Many of us spend our lives
making money and making a
name, but if that leads to our
unmaking, then it is time to rethink
and change our priorities, core
values, and our very orientation
and horizons. Bottom line is: What
would indeed profit us if we gain the
whole world and lose our souls?
One of my learnings from
my battle with cancer these past
six months is the importance of
slowing down and silencing down
in prayer. We have to learn to let
the world go by, and pray more.
Someone once said: “Your most
important appointment today is
your appointment with God.” Now,
more than ever, I know what that
means.
We please God when we finally
learn to say “please” to Him. As
long as we are arrogant and proud,
and lean on our frail knowledge
and understanding, we cannot
make progress in our journey to
God’s heart. The journey happens
when we bend our knees, with a
humble and a contrite heart, and
say: “Lord, have mercy on me, a
sinner…”
We truly please God when we
finally learn to say, “Not my will,
but Thy will be done, Lord!” Please
remember that life is not so much
about your personal agenda and
ambition as doing God’s will and
mission. This life is not about you,
but about something or someone
greater than you. Period.
I admire people who, like
John the Baptist, do their job
with perseverance and dedication,
unfazed by persecution or
adulation, so focused on doing their
God-given mission. I admire those
who know how to acknowledge
and honor God publicly. And more
so, those who know how to avoid
the limelight and just fade away,
pointing to God, constantly saying:
“It is not, and it was never me. To
God be the glory!”
We all have different beliefs
and mindsets. But one belief I hold
WWW.PHILIPPINEASIANNEWSTODAY.COM
on to is that when I die, I will face
God, my Creator and my Savior for
eternal life, and not just the glass,
the wood or the metal of my coffin,
nor the soil nor the cement that
will cover me then. There is a God,
and you’re not Him. Amen.
Think about this: “God is
fixing the broken pieces of your
life. Get ready for restoration. God
is preparing you for everything you
prayed for. He can turn around any
situation for the better. Your hard
times will end. Keep praying. He
has a plan. Listen, trust and obey
Him.”
A moment with the Lord:
Lord, help me to live a life that
is pleasing to You. Amen.
(Rperinted @inquirerdotnet)