98. Wala ka sa Lolo ko. As for him, let us be sober for the day of the Lord will come like a thief.
21 January 2021
The Day of the Lord
1 Thessalonians 5
2 For you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
Let me share my reflection 4 October 2017.
"End times. We do not know the day and the hour.
We can only be safe under God's watch.
1 Thessalonians 5
8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.
9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
That is, putting our faith in God.
2 Thessalonians 1
4 Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.
"Lord, among the things we are told to prepare for is the Big One, the major earthquake expected to occur within the near future. Yet, for the end times, Your warning, Lord, is for us to rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Yes, Lord, more than physical preparation, I must persevere in the faith. Lord, teach me to number my days, that I may gain a heart of wisdom. Satisfy me in the morning with your unfailing love, that I may sing for joy and be glad all my days. May the favor of the Lord my God rest on me; establish the work of my hands — yes, Lord, establish the work of my hands. (The Prayer of Moses, Psalm 90:12,14,17). This I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
""
1 Thessalonians 5
16 Rejoice always,
17 pray continually,
18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
"Practicing the presence of God is the best rule of a holy life." - Nicholas Herman aka Brother Lawrence
"Devotion", from Book: Heroes by Dr. Harold J. Sala, summarized
"Nicholas Herman was converted to Christianity at age of eighteen. Later, he realized he was spiritually dead and asked God to give him a rebirth. For a period of time, he served as a footman and a soldier.
In 1666, he was admitted to a lay brotherhood at the Carmelite monastery in Paris.
He entered the order expecting to suffer at the hand of God as a result of his prior sinful life, but God disappointed him. Instead of a life of regret and suffering, he who was given the name of Brother Lawrence, found forgiveness, joy, and peace beyond expectation.
However, his faith was soon put to the test, for he was assigned to the kitchen. By nature, he was awkward and clumsy. Kitchen duty was a challenge, but the way he tackled it provides guidelines for victorious living three centuries later.
How did he approach his duty as cook for the brotherhood? He began each task with fervent prayer and did it with love for God.
In his book, The Practice of the Presence of God, he shares what God taught him. He wrote, "The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer, and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees.... We ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed."
Brother Lawrence's practical approach to the presence of Christ is biblical. "And whatsoever you do," wrote Apostle Paul to the Colossians, "do it heartily as unto the Lord and not unto men" (Colossians 3:23).
For Christians there should be no difference between the secular and sacred because God has made all things sacred."
Hebrews 12
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,
"Wala ka sa Lolo ko; as for him, let us be sober for the day of the Lord will come like a thief", one day these will be the words of my children's children. Amen.
May you find comfort and joy in God's Word.
Maraming salamat.
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