Passion is when your body is trying to cope with the demands of your heart, mind, and soul. To rest and fortify the physical -- so the mental, emotional, and spiritual can carry through the mission. Philippians 4:13: "I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me."
Showing posts with label passion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label passion. Show all posts
Monday, July 14, 2014
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Being Christ to Others and Seeing Christ in Others
They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?" (Luke 24:32)
I come to ponder on the thought about being Christ to others and seeing Christ in others.
Being Christ to Others. No longer I but Christ in me (Galatians 2:20). Knowing that Christ resides in us, gives us supernatural strength. For us to do His mission on earth, it requires His power. Pentecost made it known to us that the Gospel spread precisely because of the Power of the Holy Spirit.
When we recieve Christ's body and blood in Holy Communion, we are one with Him and strengthened by His grace.
In the Mass, after the sacrifice itself is completed, we have the unspeakable privilege of receiving the flesh and blood of the Divine Victim, who is not dead, but living, and comes to give life in abundance to our souls. This Holy Communion, if we are rightly disposed, produces an increase in sanctifying grace - the ability to take in the vision of God in the life to come - plus a special claim to actual graces as needed, forgiveness of venial sin for which one is repentant, help to keep from mortal sin, and an increase in the virtue of love.
--from Fr. William G. Most (http://www.ewtn.com/faith/teachings/euchb2.htm)
Seeing Christ in Others. The walk to Emmaus allows us to reflect about Christ who is often with us, but whom we often fail to recognize. The idea of Christ in others is what Mother Teresa carries when serving others, specially the poor.
" I believe that we are not really social workers. We may be doing social work in the eyes of people. But we are really contemplatives in the heart of the world. For we are touching the body of Christ twenty-four hours. We have twenty-four hours in His presence" -- from Mother Teresa's Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, 1979
Having Christ in us and experiencing Christ through others leads us to a life of fullness in Christ. For everywhere we look, whether inward or outward, we see the presence of Christ. It is a life filled with passion, purpose, and missionary adventure. In this way, man is fully alive and God's glory is revealed. As St Irenaeus said, "The glory of God is man fully alive."
In my recent prayer time, I sensed the Lord saying, "Be faithful to Me, and I will show you how it is to truly live by My Spirit." Being Christ to others and Seeing Christ in others comes down to being consistently attuned to Him. Being full of faith is what God requires as seen throughout the Bible and reflected in Hebrews 11.
May we live our lives in the grace of the Lord, with hearts burning, knowing that He is in us and in the people around us.
I come to ponder on the thought about being Christ to others and seeing Christ in others.
Being Christ to Others. No longer I but Christ in me (Galatians 2:20). Knowing that Christ resides in us, gives us supernatural strength. For us to do His mission on earth, it requires His power. Pentecost made it known to us that the Gospel spread precisely because of the Power of the Holy Spirit.
When we recieve Christ's body and blood in Holy Communion, we are one with Him and strengthened by His grace.
In the Mass, after the sacrifice itself is completed, we have the unspeakable privilege of receiving the flesh and blood of the Divine Victim, who is not dead, but living, and comes to give life in abundance to our souls. This Holy Communion, if we are rightly disposed, produces an increase in sanctifying grace - the ability to take in the vision of God in the life to come - plus a special claim to actual graces as needed, forgiveness of venial sin for which one is repentant, help to keep from mortal sin, and an increase in the virtue of love.
--from Fr. William G. Most (http://www.ewtn.com/faith/teachings/euchb2.htm)
Seeing Christ in Others. The walk to Emmaus allows us to reflect about Christ who is often with us, but whom we often fail to recognize. The idea of Christ in others is what Mother Teresa carries when serving others, specially the poor.
" I believe that we are not really social workers. We may be doing social work in the eyes of people. But we are really contemplatives in the heart of the world. For we are touching the body of Christ twenty-four hours. We have twenty-four hours in His presence" -- from Mother Teresa's Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, 1979
Having Christ in us and experiencing Christ through others leads us to a life of fullness in Christ. For everywhere we look, whether inward or outward, we see the presence of Christ. It is a life filled with passion, purpose, and missionary adventure. In this way, man is fully alive and God's glory is revealed. As St Irenaeus said, "The glory of God is man fully alive."
In my recent prayer time, I sensed the Lord saying, "Be faithful to Me, and I will show you how it is to truly live by My Spirit." Being Christ to others and Seeing Christ in others comes down to being consistently attuned to Him. Being full of faith is what God requires as seen throughout the Bible and reflected in Hebrews 11.
May we live our lives in the grace of the Lord, with hearts burning, knowing that He is in us and in the people around us.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Passion for God
Passion is a very strong word. It reminds us of two things. Christ's passion, which is His suffering and death on the cross. Also, it reminds of us of the things we love to do, the things we are passionate about. In the dictionary, the meaning of the word passion is "any powerful or compelling feeling or emotion, as love or hate." I'd like to focus on the side of Passion, which pertains to the things we love to do.
Passion is something God given, it is innate in us. Not all people have the same passions. Not everyone is passionate about music or art, nor are others passionate about numbers and algorithms. Since each of us have different sets of passions, we can conclude that God has uniquely planted in each of us a combination of interests and desires we can use for His purpose.
Purposeful Passion. Passion with purpose is very important. Without purpose, our passion will have no clear direction. It can go wild and destructive, and to a certain point meaningless. When it's meaningless, our passions often end up in sinfulness. Having a purposeful passion stems from knowing "Why we are doing what we love doing." Having a clear purpose will sustain our passion and even deepen our passion. Let's say a person is passionate about music. This person will have then to ask himself, "Why am I passionate about music? Is there a greater reason and purpose behind my interest?" Being able to answer this question will lead him to the enlightenment of why God planted in him the love for music. We also have to watch out because our passion can end up having selfish intentions, like doing it only for money. Money is not enough motivation. You cannot derive creativity just by thinking of money. For some this will motivate them in the beginning, but in the long run, it can become meaningless. That is why companies or organizations have vision and mission statements, so that those working will have a greater purpose and clear contribution to the world.
Powerful Passion. The result of purposeful passion is powerful passion. Power has a negative connotation, and it is often associated with greed. But if we turn to the definition of power, we find out that in the field of science power means, "a measure of how quickly work can be done." It is also defined as "the capability of doing and accomplishing something." God has a mission for each one of us, and he intends to use our passion gifts for this. With passion, we can get things done quickly and with greater capacity. Passion is fuel to our purpose to be able to powerfully make a difference.
Passion for God. Having both purposeful and powerful passion for the Lord's mission is Passion for God. When we raise our hands or bow in reverence when we pray and worship, we are passionate. When we serve Him through our God given passions, it is a form of worship. Passion for God is expressed in both prayer and action. Our passion for God is brought to its fullness with the Power of the Holy Spirit. Often when we refer to the Spirit, we imagine fire burning in us. Passion for God is the Spirit's Holy Fire burning in us to have the power to do our purpose.
May we discover and harness our passions for His purpose to make a powerful difference in the world.
Passion is something God given, it is innate in us. Not all people have the same passions. Not everyone is passionate about music or art, nor are others passionate about numbers and algorithms. Since each of us have different sets of passions, we can conclude that God has uniquely planted in each of us a combination of interests and desires we can use for His purpose.
Purposeful Passion. Passion with purpose is very important. Without purpose, our passion will have no clear direction. It can go wild and destructive, and to a certain point meaningless. When it's meaningless, our passions often end up in sinfulness. Having a purposeful passion stems from knowing "Why we are doing what we love doing." Having a clear purpose will sustain our passion and even deepen our passion. Let's say a person is passionate about music. This person will have then to ask himself, "Why am I passionate about music? Is there a greater reason and purpose behind my interest?" Being able to answer this question will lead him to the enlightenment of why God planted in him the love for music. We also have to watch out because our passion can end up having selfish intentions, like doing it only for money. Money is not enough motivation. You cannot derive creativity just by thinking of money. For some this will motivate them in the beginning, but in the long run, it can become meaningless. That is why companies or organizations have vision and mission statements, so that those working will have a greater purpose and clear contribution to the world.
Powerful Passion. The result of purposeful passion is powerful passion. Power has a negative connotation, and it is often associated with greed. But if we turn to the definition of power, we find out that in the field of science power means, "a measure of how quickly work can be done." It is also defined as "the capability of doing and accomplishing something." God has a mission for each one of us, and he intends to use our passion gifts for this. With passion, we can get things done quickly and with greater capacity. Passion is fuel to our purpose to be able to powerfully make a difference.
Passion for God. Having both purposeful and powerful passion for the Lord's mission is Passion for God. When we raise our hands or bow in reverence when we pray and worship, we are passionate. When we serve Him through our God given passions, it is a form of worship. Passion for God is expressed in both prayer and action. Our passion for God is brought to its fullness with the Power of the Holy Spirit. Often when we refer to the Spirit, we imagine fire burning in us. Passion for God is the Spirit's Holy Fire burning in us to have the power to do our purpose.
May we discover and harness our passions for His purpose to make a powerful difference in the world.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
In Tune With God
I was asked to play the guitar for worship this morning. I overlooked in testing if the strings were in tune and just went right into playing. I later noticed that the 2nd string was off key. It was impossible to adjust the strings in the middle of the song. In short, the songs went on while bearing with one string that was out of tune.
Just like in our Christian living. We can go on following Christ, but many of us still have a part of our lives that is not attuned with the Lord. We may go on serving Him while we have issues with purity or other sins that we find hard to surrender. The result is a service that fails to reach its true potential. We can still do the usual things we do for the Lord, but the impact of a service derived from a life fully "in tune" with God is a far cry from a service born out of a compromised or "off key" Christian lifestyle.
The product of an off-key Christian lifestyle are:
Energy leak. Our strength is being drained by this part of our lives that refuses to yield to God. And when we are empty, we tend to "borrow strength" from hyping up or psyching up ourselves for the work ahead or a talk or sharing you have to give. In the end we are tired, and will even seek strength in other vice-based "unwinding."
Loss of passion. We will tend to focus on our unworthiness more instead of a God who will love us and raise us up.
Eventual backsliding. When we feel drained, empty, and unworthy, the next is to withdraw. The devil eventually wants us to get out of our commitment to Christ and will feed us "logical" excuses like, "Without my service, I can have more time for my family" or "The money I spend in the community can be better put in another investment."
So, it starts with a compromised Christian living and ends up in Eventual Backsliding. So how do we combat this? I have three suggestions:
1. Tune in to God daily. One day without prayer is enough for the devil to feed us with scheming thoughts. If we tune-in to God through faithful prayer, we will be strengthened and nourished.
2. Decide to Yield. Surrender to God that aspect of your life that compromises your Christianity. It is by the strength of the Spirit that we are to overcome.
3. Be accountable to somebody you trust. Have someone that will not hesitate to correct you and tune you back in harmony with the Lord. People who refuse correction are most prone to compromise. Humility will put our lives back in tune with God.
It takes time to tune a guitar and it is dependent on the sound of other strings to get that off-key string back in harmony. If you are a guitar player, you will only strum your guitar strings with gusto and passion when you know that each string is in tune. Let us serve the Lord with maximum impact by living a life fully attuned to God.
For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him (2 Chronicles 16:9).
Just like in our Christian living. We can go on following Christ, but many of us still have a part of our lives that is not attuned with the Lord. We may go on serving Him while we have issues with purity or other sins that we find hard to surrender. The result is a service that fails to reach its true potential. We can still do the usual things we do for the Lord, but the impact of a service derived from a life fully "in tune" with God is a far cry from a service born out of a compromised or "off key" Christian lifestyle.
The product of an off-key Christian lifestyle are:
Energy leak. Our strength is being drained by this part of our lives that refuses to yield to God. And when we are empty, we tend to "borrow strength" from hyping up or psyching up ourselves for the work ahead or a talk or sharing you have to give. In the end we are tired, and will even seek strength in other vice-based "unwinding."
Loss of passion. We will tend to focus on our unworthiness more instead of a God who will love us and raise us up.
Eventual backsliding. When we feel drained, empty, and unworthy, the next is to withdraw. The devil eventually wants us to get out of our commitment to Christ and will feed us "logical" excuses like, "Without my service, I can have more time for my family" or "The money I spend in the community can be better put in another investment."
So, it starts with a compromised Christian living and ends up in Eventual Backsliding. So how do we combat this? I have three suggestions:
2. Decide to Yield. Surrender to God that aspect of your life that compromises your Christianity. It is by the strength of the Spirit that we are to overcome.
3. Be accountable to somebody you trust. Have someone that will not hesitate to correct you and tune you back in harmony with the Lord. People who refuse correction are most prone to compromise. Humility will put our lives back in tune with God.
It takes time to tune a guitar and it is dependent on the sound of other strings to get that off-key string back in harmony. If you are a guitar player, you will only strum your guitar strings with gusto and passion when you know that each string is in tune. Let us serve the Lord with maximum impact by living a life fully attuned to God.
For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him (2 Chronicles 16:9).
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Paul's Unwavered Passion and Commitment
Paul, in Acts 14: 19-28, was stoned, dragged, and left for dead. But still, after recovering a bit, stood up and continued his mission. Paul had unwavering passion and commitment to build God's kingdom.
We too have our own persecutions. We are also stoned with hurtful words, unexpected sickness and deaths, calamities, and more. But how soon do we stand up once again and go about the Father's work?
Paul shows us the mighty strength of God's Spirit that made him one of the greatest missionaries of all time. May his unwavered passion and commitment inspire us to be strong in the Lord and His mighty power (Eph. 6:10).
We too have our own persecutions. We are also stoned with hurtful words, unexpected sickness and deaths, calamities, and more. But how soon do we stand up once again and go about the Father's work?
Paul shows us the mighty strength of God's Spirit that made him one of the greatest missionaries of all time. May his unwavered passion and commitment inspire us to be strong in the Lord and His mighty power (Eph. 6:10).
Thursday, April 21, 2011
God Prepares Us For Our Life's Challenges
Finally had time to catch on with some sports activities. Thanks to my household. It's just that since I haven't really had a "real" exercise in the past months, i woke up with a sore body, hardly being able to move. I had muscle pains in places I never knew would ache. It would even hurt when I laugh.
Remembering the passion of Christ, I could just imagine the pain our Lord went through. What was even more difficult was that He knew exactly what He will be going through. The prayer at Gethsemane must have been excruciating for Him. Yet, despite of the knowledge of what He will suffer, He still went on with it, telling His angels not to help Him and telling God, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23:34)."
When I reflect on the pains that I have gone through in my life, emotionally, physically, and spiritually, I think nothing can compare with the sufferings of our Lord. We are even spared of the knowledge of our future sufferings and sacrifices. God prepares us for our life's challenges and won't give us what we can't bear to overcome. He helps us to go from strength to strength by enduring every problem that comes our way.
Lord, may we not forget Your great love for us, made evident by every wound and every drop of blood you gave for our sake. We love you so and we pray that our life's sufferings and sacrifices may lead us closer to You. Amen.
Remembering the passion of Christ, I could just imagine the pain our Lord went through. What was even more difficult was that He knew exactly what He will be going through. The prayer at Gethsemane must have been excruciating for Him. Yet, despite of the knowledge of what He will suffer, He still went on with it, telling His angels not to help Him and telling God, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23:34)."
When I reflect on the pains that I have gone through in my life, emotionally, physically, and spiritually, I think nothing can compare with the sufferings of our Lord. We are even spared of the knowledge of our future sufferings and sacrifices. God prepares us for our life's challenges and won't give us what we can't bear to overcome. He helps us to go from strength to strength by enduring every problem that comes our way.
Lord, may we not forget Your great love for us, made evident by every wound and every drop of blood you gave for our sake. We love you so and we pray that our life's sufferings and sacrifices may lead us closer to You. Amen.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Passion for God
What are the things that we do with passion? Often our passion is connected with God's unique gift to us. Ever wonder why we are fascinated about certain things while others are less enthusiastic about them? We are 'wired' differently from one another, intended for a purpose. We are created in such a way that we will need each other to achieve a great mission. We need to acknowledge the strengths of others as well as our own. We need not even try to mimic the style of others since God designed us to be special.
Spend a significant amount of time, money, and energy on your God given passions. This is how excellent people are made. They focus on their zone of strength and continue to beat their own record.
Make sure your passion contributes to God's mission. If you have to devote to something, make it worth your time by helping God's kingdom spread on earth. Many throw away precious hours to something very temporary, self-indulging or less meaningful. Identify your passion as being part of a great dream.
See Your passion as a form of worship to God. Worship is something that we offer to God because He is worthy, He is holy. Singing to God with songs of praise is one way of worshipping Him. Our passion, whether it is dancing, cooking, or business, when offered to God can be a form of worship.
Above all, let our passion for God drive our lives. This holy week, may we remember our Lord Jesus, ever passionate to save us from our sins. May we respond to Him with the fire of love in our hearts.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
God is Passionate About Us
I had dinner with a good friend, John. What one would notice about him is his passion for his craft, photography. I could feel his love for it. He can endlessly tell you about his discoveries and learnings about the art. During a wedding photo shoot, I felt that he was very excited of every pose, every possibility of a perfect shot. He has invested much in it; his resources, time, sweat, and energy. He has attained much success in the field of photography, yet he tells me that he is still barely scratching the surface. "There is more to learn," he says.
I've realized that Christ is passionate about us. We are His masterpiece, His handiwork. He is interested about us and is continually excited to hear how we are doing in our lives. He awaits upon us in prayer. Jesus wants to speak to us, endlessly and passionately, if we listen.
We are His craft, His favorite creation. All through our lives, He wants to mold us to perfection. We respond through our free will, inviting Him to shape us to His intended design, even if painful at times.
Many of us might have known our Lord through school, talks, or prayer meetings. Yet, we are barely scratching the surface of what we know about God. He is a divine mystery. There's still much much more to learn about our great God.
May we be passionate about God as much as He is passionate about us.
- For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God;
- it is not from works, so no one may boast. For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them (Ephesians 2: 8-10).
I've realized that Christ is passionate about us. We are His masterpiece, His handiwork. He is interested about us and is continually excited to hear how we are doing in our lives. He awaits upon us in prayer. Jesus wants to speak to us, endlessly and passionately, if we listen.
We are His craft, His favorite creation. All through our lives, He wants to mold us to perfection. We respond through our free will, inviting Him to shape us to His intended design, even if painful at times.
Many of us might have known our Lord through school, talks, or prayer meetings. Yet, we are barely scratching the surface of what we know about God. He is a divine mystery. There's still much much more to learn about our great God.
May we be passionate about God as much as He is passionate about us.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Serving God in 2011
2010 was rough and tough, but abundant in grace. A year of great challenges, fulfilled dreams, and wonderful friendships. I thank the KFC family, who showed me how it is to Dream Big and to make big dreams real. Yes, we are out to change the world for Christ, and with Him nothing is impossible. The Island Kids Villages and the 13th IKV in Singapore will forever be testimonies of the great faith we share in the Lord and how our brotherhood can conquer impossible feats. To the KFC fulltimers, thank you for sharing your love with my wife and kids. Sev never fails to include your names in his prayers. We will, forever be, FAMILY! Thank you for 3 Spirit-filled years in the service with the Lord.
My 2010 journey has taught me a lot. Allow me to share a summary of lessons I learned from the year that was:
Value your faith, family, and friends. Many things may change in our lives, but these 3 F's, we have to treasure and guard well. For if we lose them, we may have lost our whole life.
Do not be afraid to dream. Our goals do not hold meaning if they are not faith goals. Our goals, offered to God, is one of the best ways to honor Him. At the end of the day, we only hope that our dreams will coincide with God's dreams for us. But He always, always has a better plan for our lives.
Peace will be given to those who seek it. The path to peace, specially in discernment, is a rough road. Prayer, patience, persistence, and sacrifice will help us along the way.
2011 for me will be about "serving God with humility, passion, and excellence." Taking on a new service in the International Missions, meeting new people, and learning new ways will once again bring me to a point of "nothingness." Once more I will be a student, learning from my predecessors, making some mistakes, and challenging myself to do better at each time. Once again, I am brought on my knees in prayer, submitting to God in full dependence. For I yet not know what lies ahead and it is up to Him to bless me with His wisdom.
Have a blessed new year everyone. May God reign in all our plans and actions.
So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come (2 Cor. 5:17)
My 2010 journey has taught me a lot. Allow me to share a summary of lessons I learned from the year that was:
Value your faith, family, and friends. Many things may change in our lives, but these 3 F's, we have to treasure and guard well. For if we lose them, we may have lost our whole life.
Do not be afraid to dream. Our goals do not hold meaning if they are not faith goals. Our goals, offered to God, is one of the best ways to honor Him. At the end of the day, we only hope that our dreams will coincide with God's dreams for us. But He always, always has a better plan for our lives.
Peace will be given to those who seek it. The path to peace, specially in discernment, is a rough road. Prayer, patience, persistence, and sacrifice will help us along the way.
2011 for me will be about "serving God with humility, passion, and excellence." Taking on a new service in the International Missions, meeting new people, and learning new ways will once again bring me to a point of "nothingness." Once more I will be a student, learning from my predecessors, making some mistakes, and challenging myself to do better at each time. Once again, I am brought on my knees in prayer, submitting to God in full dependence. For I yet not know what lies ahead and it is up to Him to bless me with His wisdom.
Have a blessed new year everyone. May God reign in all our plans and actions.
So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come (2 Cor. 5:17)
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
A Perspective On Livelihood
As a birthday gift, I gave my 3 year old son, Sev, a ukulele. He loves it so much. He brings his ukulele everywhere. In the office, in the mall, in the sala, in the bedroom, you name it. He does his best to sing worship songs. His favorites so far are 'Worship the Lord' and 'How Great is our God.' He strums and strums and sings his heart out. He is so happy playing his ukelele. He even made a song called, 'Hippopotamus.' During Mass, he tries to keep up with the music ministry by strumming along. Today, while the other fulltime workers were worshipping, he was even closing his eyes and trying to sing the songs. I saw in Sev something he really loves doing. What is it that we love doing so much? What is the very thing that we do that ignites our hearts? What makes us sing with joy when we do such a thing? They say, "Find something you love doing, and you don't have to work a single day."
This reminds me of our livelihood. Our daily work, whether at work or in school. The word livelihood' comes from “lyuelode,” a 14th century Old English word which means “the way of life” or “the manner of living one’s life.” Since it is a way of life that supports our personal and family's needs, is our livelihood, life giving? Many of us complain about our jobs or livelihood more than we are thankful for it. For some, it's all about logging in on time and logging out on time and making sure we get paid for our work. I believe we have to assess some key points in our livelihood. We ask, "What is our company's end goal? It's vision and mission?" Is it something we believe in? Is it something we are proud of? What are the values that we are practicing or pursuing in our livelihood? Is it being lived out or is it compromised? Is what we are doing pleasing to the Lord? My perspective is that it would be great if we are in a livelihood that we are truly passionate about. But even if we land on something that is not fully aligned to our passion, I believe we have to sincerely consider these three important things. First, we dedicate all our works to the Lord, making us strive for excellence. Second, our character and integrity are not to be compromised. This will allow us to live a life of dignity and righteousness. Third, we think beyond our profit goals and see ourselves contributing to the noble vision of the workplace, specially if it is compatible with our Christian values. This will remind us that the little and big things we do lead to something worthwhile. With these, we gain peace. With these, we honor God.
Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better (Colossians 1:10).
Let us remember that our livelihood gives us life and not the opposite. May we do our work passionately like how my son plays his ukulele. Let us grow in loving our work, fully dedicating it to our Lord Jesus.
