Psalm 112

Praise ye the LORD.

The psalmist shows his delight in the LORD, seeing that praising Him is the first thing he thinks of. He does not complain. He does not ask. He shows how he is satisfied with the LORD's presence in His life. He recognizes the LORD's greatness and mighty acts…that He is the only LORD God.

Before you think of anything else, start each moment with praising God. Spend time thinking how great He is and how faithful He has been in your life. Praise Him. Give the glory due to Him. He deserves it. He has been so good, so merciful to us…so loving. He alone deserves honor. Worship His name.

BLESSED is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in His commandments.

The following verses prove the blessings God provides to the one who loves Him-- spiritually, physically, materially, etc. But it is not what really makes him blessed. The mere fact that the presence of the LORD is with Him is what makes him blessed. When one finds joy and peace with the LORD, it is the most fulfilling life he could live.

The blessed man…

1. Fears the LORD: loves to obey Him
2. Delighteth greatly in His commandments: loves to know His Word

The blessed man can ask for no more. He himself is satisfied with the LORD. And because of this satisfaction he experiences being with the LORD each moment, his life reflects the inward radiance of being with Christ.

• His seed shall be mighty upon the earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.

His inward radiance proves a living testimony that he reflects the LORD Jesus Christ in his life. This shows that his godliness is not merely outward. It's not only others who notice his deep intimacy with Christ, but also his OWN family. They witness his inward godliness, how he has been living in, with, and for Christ. He light shines in their lives; thus, they are influenced to pursue a life fully given to Christ, just as he lived. He need not speak. His actions speak louder than his words.

• Wealth and riches shall be in his house: his righteousness endureth forever.

The LORD never fails to sustain him. There is not a single day he starves for God prospers his life. Do not worry. Do not despair. The LORD will never forsake you. When you are close to Him, you can rest assured that He prepares something great in your life.

• Unto the upright there ariseth light unto darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.

His light shines in the world. His actions show how he is close to God. His godly life serves as a living testimony that there is a powerful God working in his life. Living a righteous life is natural for him by God's grace. It is the result of his love for the LORD. He becomes gracious, compassionate, righteous, discreet…all because it reflects Christ who lives in his heart.

• Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD. His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies.

He is never afraid of his enemies. He trusts in the LORD. He lives for the LORD alone. His world revolves in God. He exists to serve His Master. What everybody else thinks does not matter. He thinks of what pleases God. He does not wallow in guilt and remorse for he knows the LORD has already washed his sins away. He has been cleansed white as snow. He does not live in self-loathing because he is no longer on the throne of his life. It is Christ. It is His LORD. The only one who deserves His attention.

When you live for the LORD, your earthly desires will slowly vanish away and you will be consumed by Him. You will desire to accomplish what He desires in your life and His will and your will become one. Kick yourself off the throne of your heart that He may freely sit on it and rule Your life. When your life is focused on the LORD, you will never be in despair and loneliness. He satisfies your soul as the Shepherd to his sheep. Your heart will be established on Him alone…

• The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.

THE WICKED SHALL SEE IT! As you live your life secretly for the LORD, He will work in your life OPENLY. Those who are against your God will witness how powerful the LORD is and they will grieved. They can never harm you. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. They themselves will falter. They will fall down.

Prayer:

O LORD, my God, truly You are great. Only You deserve the praise and glory, Lord. You are exalted above the heavens. LORD, you have been so faithful to me. You know my need, you know my weaknesses.  You remember that I am dust and ashes. You have been so merciful, my LORD, and you help me get out of this mire that I am in. You are the source of my joy and peace. Only You satisfy me. With you by my side,   you promised that I will never be alone. I will never be in despair and distress for you will fight for me. No one can harm me for You will protect me. You will always be there for me, O LORD. Let me love you with all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my mind. Consume me with Your presence that I may not ask for anything more. By Your grace, I kick myself off the throne of my heart that you may sit on it and rule in my life. Let Your desire be my desire, LORD. Let me live each moment of my life pleasing You and glorifying Your name…from the moment I wake up to the moment I lay my head down and sleep. Let my thoughts be filled with You. To be radically given to You is my lone desire. I yield to You my body, soul, and spirit. I yield to You my thoughts. I yield to You my heart that You may use everything in me for Your glory. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Thank You List

Today, I am thankful for...

1. God's everlasting love for me-- He makes me feel so cherished, no one cares like Him. He is the only one who has always been there for me no matter what happens. He forgives me of my sins...and gives me new hope, new chance to live.

2. peace only God can give me-- I may be troubled, but the Lord sustains me. With Him I can rest, for I know He's there.

3. a new refreshing day, a day to be with Him and feel His presence

4. a long time to talk with Him, to discover how much He loves me

5. my Bible-- I don't know what will happen to me if I don't have it.

6. Leslie Ludy's "Authentic Beauty"-- This one has been a blessing for me.

7. our new housekeeper (the one who guards our house while everyone's away)...she's sweet

8. lovely pink orchid flowers I bought for a cheap price

9. my childhood friend, Sarha: She offered help. I'm thankful.

10. online Christian bloggers-- Though I lack friends right now who would be interested talking about God, reading their blogs makes me feel like there is still someone out there whom I can talk with.

11. that person who resembles Christ in my life--- I have never told you how I truly feel, but I am so thankful I have always wanted to do something for you...maybe someday, with God's help.

12. challenges and trials--- without these I wouldn't realize how faithful God is

13. Christian music--- play whenever I can't control myself...then pray hard.

14. electric fan--- you made me feel comfortable, despite the humidity this afternoon

15. satisfying food-- because I'm home, I don't have to worry about food expenses. hehe

16. few women out there who stand for God. I ma not know you personally, but you inspire me.

17. God's reminders...

18. books-- it's a pleasure to read them

19. Sis. Vanessa-- you know there's still someone out there, with her friendly smile.

20. my family--- somehow they help mold me into a lady.

Choosing Friends

"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend."

-Proverbs 27:17

There is nothing more comforting in times of trouble than to be assured that there will always be a friend by your side on whom you can count on. You know you gather more hope and courage whenever you hear someone cheering you up with encouraging words. In fact, sometimes the mere presence of a friend is all you really need.

We need not debate over the fact that Jesus is the best example of a friend. He is everybody's best friend. Everyone who accepts Him as their personal Savior can be confident that He will never leave him nor forsake him. In spite of the fact that we cannot literally see him, we know he's there because we feel him. What's even more amazing is that He does not only listen. He even answers prayers!

I remember these past few days when I felt so depressed, I thought I was hopeless, he surprisingly talked to me in all the preaching and messages we had. It's not that I do not have faith, but isn't it weird that all bible messages you have read points out to you? Isn't it weird that just when everyone is expecting for a 'hard preaching', the preacher suddenly gives a different topic: encouragement. Weird because we do not exactly have totally depressing problems in the  church.

Last Sunday, I was not the assigned teacher, but the teacher got sick and I had to turn over. To my surprise, the topic was again about encouragement and exactly what I was feeling! Amazing, right? You know God is so powerful. He knows what's best for you. He already has a plan.

Not only that He's an ever faithful friend to us, He even sends for more 'angels' to comfort us and edify us. Friends, as we call them. They are the ones who help us grow and become more like Jesus. The problem, however, is that not all 'friends' possess those characteristics. Good friends help us become a better person. Bad friends oft times make us become worse.

This issue has been occupying my thoughts recently. So much as I treasure my friends as precious jewels, I realize that at times I do not feel good being around some of them. I enjoy myself and even have a good laugh when talking with them, but it always seems like there's something missing. Eventually, God has slowly given answers to these questions. 

No matter how the company may be good, it's still not the kind of friendship God planned for me. God compared friends to irons who sharpen each other, but if the friendship does not help you grow closer to God, or makes you stay away from His will, then probably it's not the kind of friendship God would be blessed with.

As I reread a very old post by Johanna & Bethany, Reflections of Grace, (if you're wondering, I'm really fond of reading other people's blogs. I hope they won't mind me mentioning them. :)) ) I vividly realized what kind of friends God wants us to have and most especially to be. I realized that if there's something I should be really close with, it should be my fellow Christian friends. Someone whom I can confidently talk about Jesus, someone who will carefully listen and give wise advice. Not someone who gossips, curses, etc. 

Most of all, someone who shares the same convictions with me as I Christian woman. (And this not only applies to them, it also applies to us, for before we gain good godly friends, we need first be good friends to others.)

True, you have to choose your friends wisely and though I never wanted to break the bond that my friends and I formed, I know I should do something to fulfill it. Should I leave them or keep them? for they have been a great part of my life.

I hope to find the courage and make wise decisions regarding this issue.

Five Months Away From PNU

It's finally the start of summer!

As I sit back and reminisce the precious memories I had together with my classmates and friends, I am slowly starting to miss them. 

They had been so sweet and kind to me. And throughout those stressful and depressing days, they were there to tell me, "God is always there. He will never leave you nor forsake you."

Whenever I look at the smiles on their lips and the glow in their eyes, I know they are a blessing to me.

I know that within these five months, a lot of things will change. And I hope it will be more on the positive side. :D

Friendship: It really is from above. :)

Welcome SUMMER!!!

Today, I was able to pass the last requirement I need to accomplish for the second semester. I felt so relieved now that I can finally say, "It's done." and get myself ready for a fresh new start this summer. 

It's time up to focus on working for the Lord's ministry. I'm really excited to attend Bible studies and soul winning activities I was not able to attend during school days. I long for visiting the children, singing spiritual songs and having wonderful fellowship with my sisters and brothers in Christ. I want to increase bonding time with my family and loved ones.

Hopefully, I would be able to work on improving myself in housekeeping, music, and other things I want to learn. I would be able to prepare myself in practice teaching by working on my weaknesses.

Ahh...there's just a lot of things to do that I guess, if listed, would fill in the entire summer vacation. Anyway, I'm excited. To have more time with God...to be close to Him, I long for it.

I know all of us do, right?

Blog Update

Hello! I'm back. :)

Finally, I changed the design of my blog! I realized it looks much neater having only two columns and adjusting the width. hehe

I wanted to post more about my schooling and most especially our Missions Conference and Church Anniversary, but the computer's not working really good today. So maybe I'll try to post some more later.

Have a nice day!

Raquel

The Torch Is Ours

My third year in college will soon be over. After our summer vacation will be the last school year. On March 16,  our campus held a torch ceremony-- a program where we would be entrusted by the seniors to take hold of their position as they leave our alma mater. It was our version of Junior-Senior Prom.

For the first time in my college life, I was able to wear a 'not really' Filipiniana costume. It was a too expensive though compared with the market price.

a picture with my best friend

We had to stand up all throughout the program. During our practice, it was tiresome but it had become easier on the actual program since we got used to it.

The climax of the ceremony was the lighting of the biggest torch and displaying of fireworks. I was able to meet my senior partner, who was a General Science major. She lighted her torch and passed it to me while I gave her my bouquet of flowers in return.

the torch

fireworks display

my senior partner

At last! The top view of our torch ceremony. :)

Finally, after the program we had a class picture taking. I was able to take pictures with my friends, too.

Now I wonder what will happen next year...

Christian Music Lyrics: A World We Never Touch

Sometimes Christians tend to focus too much on ''spiritual rules and regulations'. People tend to argue even about smallest doctrinal issues, splitting up with those who don't have the same belief about a certain matter. We tend to emphasize separation and create our own 'Christian world'. Yes, we reach out to others, leading them to the church, teaching them the Bible and what God wants them to do. But sometimes we forget the very essence of reaching the lost. 


God's first commandment is to love him with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind. The second is to love thy neighbor as thyself. Yet we, striving diligently on working for the ministry, forget the basic commandments God really wants us to follow. And that is to love. Love God and show others the love that we receive from Him. 


How can we show them the way if we'll see them as sinners and not as ones who are lost and helpless, needing the salvation and love coming from our Savior Jesus Christ? I believe this phrase in the second verse, "Sometimes the Word of God can pass through just a simple touch", is very true. This song is about reaching the lost and truly caring for their souls. 

First Verse

He walked along the shores of Galilee

From clay He formed the healing balm

That caused the blind to see

When stones of wrath lay heavy in their hands

He knelt to write His mercy in the sand

Jesus came to set the captives free

Showed us by the way He lived

The way we need to be

Oh love is more than words could ever say

We must touch them with compassion

To help them find their way

Chorus

How can we reach a world we never touch?

How can we show them Christ

If we never show them love?

Just to say we care will never be enough

How can we reach a world we never touch?

Second Verse

Could we be so busy being saved

Trying to impress a world that's long since lost its way

We pride ourselves in being set apart

Yet we don't have time to touch a broken heart

Even if we found the time to care

Would we take the risk involved in always being there

Oh we hold the very thing they need so much

Sometimes the Word of life can pass

Through just a simple touch

Bridge

We hide behind these walls

And the security of friends

While beyond the stained glass windows

The world is lost in sin

I don't know what will happen tomorrow. Surely, I will face another life's challenges in different areas of my life as usual. Maybe tomorrow will be more difficult than ordinary days. I may experience sadness and pain. But I know there's a God who will never leave. He holds tomorrow. He molds my life. He has already weaved my story beforehand. So whatever happens, I know it's part of His plan. God never makes mistakes. He never does anything without a purpose. If I hurt, it's His will. But one thing I will always remember: God will never leave me nor forsake me.

New Stuffs for the New Year

This New Year, I also had things I can consider 'new'. First is my new hairdo. I had my hair rebonded a few days before the new year's eve. I loved it and I thought I looked more lady-like. Here are some of the pics:

I also had my first expensive perfume, a gift from a sweet cousin of mine:

Aside from that, he also gave me:

2 Lux Soap bar

and...

a toblerone chocolate

I also had Faraway products from Avon:

My mom gave me school supplies for my studies:

And lastly, my aunt gave me two blouses...oh, I love them!

I actually had a chance to wear one...

And for the close-up...

All in all...

And oh yeah! I have a new brother...Glenn.

He's actually my cousin, but he will probably stay with us in the future. Mama said he'll be our very first brother. I love him! :)

He does look more like a Westerner, right? And do you believe I'm actually older than he is?

Welcoming 2012

Happy New Year everyone!


This year's one of the very special moments of my life, so I'm looking forward to wonderful experiences and memories that I will have throughout this year. During the vacation, I was too worried and afraid of what will happen to me for this next stage of my life. New Year. 2012. I had a lot of things to think about-- my personal relationship with the Lord, my family, other relationships, schooling, church, social life, and other ministries. These things worry me a lot!

But I remember what was written in Lamentations 3:22-23

 "It is by the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not.They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."

With this it seemed like someone in my mind sings,

Why worry when you can pray

Trust Jesus He'll be your stay

Don't be a doubting Thomas

Rest fully in His promise

Why worry, worry, worry

When you can pray

I believe God can make this year a fun and exciting one. I have a BIG God and Wonderful Father above so why worry? He's always there to save me. Above all, He can help me be more like Jesus...and Daniel. (Well I appreciate him these days.) 

I'm excited to face another start of my journey this 2012!