Marriage is Mission

My wife Michelle and I took the midnight bus to Baguio. We were on a mission trip to share God's goodness in our life. I thank God for giving our marriage a purpose beyond ourselves. Serving God as a couple gives me great joy and affirmation.

I believe that people in love with each other have to seriously consider the following:

1. To love God more than your spouse.

It is In loving God that we can truly learn how to love the other.  For there is no question that God loves us. It is in opening ourselves to Him that we are filled with abundant love. The person nearest to us is the greatest beneficiary of this overflow of divine love.

2. To share the same purpose of building God's kingdom on earth

This settles the purpose of wealth, time, and even raising kids. Many quarrels  happen because of a lack of purpose in the marriage. Marriage is a sacred vocation. Just as priests are called to serve God, so are married couples. Marriage is also mission. It is not enough to look at each other and declare your love, but to look towards the same direction and declare your mission. 

3. To see Christ in each other.

How will you treat your beloved if she/he is Christ?  Truth is, Christ is in all of us--especially with our spouses. It is in looking through the lenses of grace that we can treat each other with respect, love, gentleness, and kindness.

Your spouse is your mission partner--forever. Let us fulfill the purpose of our vocation and live our lives with fullness in Christ.

Serve With a Smile

Mother Teresa was a symbol of the joy of God amidst difficult service. Often, when the service gets challenging and extremely difficult, our worries overwhelm us.  It either leads us to a depressed state, discouragement, or reluctance. Here are some of my reflections about serving with joy:

1. Sin robs us of our true joy

Sin entices us to pleasure, and we mistake it for joy. Since sin separates us from God--the ultimate joy giver, we are led to misery. Union with God is true joy.

2. See challenges as opportunities for growth

In life, we easily remember the times when we faced trials-- and the lessons that were derived from them.  In these times we are to stand our ground. 

Exodus 14:13  But Moses answered the people, “Do not fear! Stand your ground and see the victory the LORD will win for you today. 

Ephesians 6:13  Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground.

God will give us His victory. Growth is about desiring God's victory in our lives.

3. Serve with a smile

1 Thessalonians 5:16  Rejoice always.

Philippians 4:4  Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!

Joy is not dependent on our circumstances, but it is dependent on our relationship with God. If God is in our hearts, then even amidst crisis, this joy is complete. This joy in the Lord can even be our strength.

Nehemiah 8:10  ...Do not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in the LORD is your strength!”

Let us therefore serve and work in the Lord's vineyard with a smile. Christians are marked by their joy. 

Permeating the Christ Culture in Society

The other day I was with two people who are very convicted in the work of evangelization. Fr. Jacob, from Bangladesh shared that even if Christians are the minority in his country, they continue to make an impact by simply being witnesses of Christ in their area. He shared to me that the way to truly evangelize is to bring families to the faith. This is something we both strongly agree upon. Moses, a CFC brother from Sierra Leone (West Africa), expressed that in spite the problems their country faces, especially coming from civil war that ended just in 2002, they do their best to pursue the work of evangelization through Couples For Christ.

No matter what color, race, or tongue--CHRIST is universal. There is one Christ culture. The culture of humility, servanthood, sacrifice, and the mandate to make disciples of all nations (Mt.29:18).

What is it that stops us from spreading the faith? Is it our office culture? Our peer culture? The Christ culture is seen and felt in our speech and in our deeds.  If one is truly filled with the presence of God, His grace will overflow to the people we meet.  With constancy, the environment will slowly transform and adapt to the culture of Christ. Let the Gospel permeate into society through the lives we live.

Be filled, let His lover overflow, and witness change!

Christ is our Purpose

9As Jesus passed on from there,^d he saw a man named Matthew^*sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. Matthew 9:9

It is inherent for man to search for meaning in his life. Whether this seeking of purpose is conscious or not, we feel that we are called to something--a role to play in the bigger scheme of things.  When we are not in communication with our Creator, it will be hard for us--His creation, to hear our calling.

Matthew, being face to face with Jesus, was struck by the truth of his calling. An experience of Christ will radically change our lives because suddenly the truth becomes clear: CHRIST IS OUR PURPOSE.

Following Christ then is the most spiritual and most logical decision we can ever make.

God Is In Our Favor

My son,” Abraham answered, “God will provide the sheep for the burnt offering.” Then the two walked on together. Gen. 22:8

Abraham, knowing that Isaac is the actual sacrifice, hoped in the Lord to provide a substitute for Isaac.  Having hope amidst desperate situations is what The Lord requires. As well as having faith that The Lord has a purpose for our obedience.

Having encountered The Truth--who is God, Abraham obeyed without question even if it was excruciating for him. I would have thought, "How can God ask this of me?" Yet an encounter with The Truth makes us realize that all we see are His--even our children, that He is good all the time, and that He always acts in our favor.