83. Wala ka sa Lolo ko. The Lord Jesus Christ gave His life for sinners like him, he can only give back in gratitude.

5 January 2021
Happy New Year! 💞

The Lord Jesus Christ gave His Life for us.

We can only give back in gratitude.

Give, but give until it hurts. - Mother Teresa

Here is my reflection 19 September 2017 which I have updated.

“Giving by the Philippians.

As Apostle Paul put it: 
Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only. (Philippians 4:15)

2 Corinthians 8
1 And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.
2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 
3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 
4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. 
5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.

The Philippians were a giving church, yet the Corinthians were well-to-do. 

The Philippians, as Apostle Paul put it, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.


“All these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had. — Luke 21:4

An elderly woman in the church donated several hundred dollars to the project—money we knew she could not spare. We thanked her for her gift but wanted to return it, feeling that her needs were greater than the church’s. However, she refused to take the money back. She had been saving for years in order to buy a stove and was cooking on a hot plate in the meantime. Yet she insisted that she needed a place to worship with her church family more than she needed a stove. We were astounded by her extravagant gift.”


“Lord, yes I thank You that You allowed me to pay debt of gratitude. I had my health and my life back, Lord, I have everything to be thankful for, having experienced first hand Your goodness. Lord, mine is the joy of giving back in gratitude, please accept my offering from the heart, in Jesus' name. Amen.””



That was maybe about three months ago, I booked a courier (rider with Lalamove). I have this habit of engaging riders in some conversation. So I asked him where he lives, to which he responded he is from Cubao. Sabi ko, kumusta naman hanapbuhay, sabi niya una niyang biyahe, kakapasok lang niya sa Lalamove. Then I told him, tracking showed he was near Timog Avenue when I booked him. He said, opo kasi marami po sa Cubao, agawan po kaya pumunta ako Timog.

It was a return trip, so when he came back, I handed a tip, asking if he has a family. If I remember right, he responded his wife has just given birth to their second child and he also said his mother is a vegetable vendor. I then asked him to wait, I got some more amount and gave it to him, to which he responded, huwag na po, but I insisted. I have gotten his cellphone number through the booking, and I received a text message of thanks from him. I sent him through text message the post of my first blog and the link for our church website.

I would say, had I not gone through affliction, I would maybe give tip to riders and that's all.

I have been a receiver of the giving of others that I can only give back in gratitude.

“Wala ka sa Lolo ko; the Lord Jesus Christ gave His life for sinners like him, he can only give back in gratitude”, this my children's children will say someday.

‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ (Acts 20:35) Amen.

Let's share our blessings.

Maraming salamat.


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