Filled, Changed, and Empowered Through Worship

http://www.cfcyfcilc.com/out-loud/

Giving honor, praise, and worship to our God. That's what I did together with 9,000 other young adults during the Liveloud Concert of CFC Youth For Christ.  It was awesome!

Here are some things I'd like to share about worship.

1. There is a hunger in us that only God can satisfy.

We are made for worship. When one does not discover God in his life, he tends to worship other things.  Things that are temporary and finite.  Money does not satisfy.  Man can never get enough of fame and recognition. People will fail us.  But God is perfect and infinite, and only in Him can we find our peace and contentment. Only in the worship of the One True God can our hunger be filled.  God is enough. Our hearts are restelss untily they rest in You (St. Augustine).

2. Worship is transformative. Sincere and reverent worship can change us.

Worship is a declaration that we do not lord over our own lives..  In worship, we are saying that only Jesus is Lord.  Being fully convicted about this, changes our whole outlook in life.  Every decision will be made with the thought, "Is this what the Lord wants?" Everytime we raise our hands to worship in full surrender, we are saying, "It's up to You Lord, take over."  Through genuine worship, our relationship with Christ deepens.  We come to trust in His plan, even though painful at times, because we know that Christ never fails. Our lives change because it has become a life of worship in the Lord.

3. Through Worship, the Holy Spirit empowers us to do the impossible.

We must remember that it is God whom we are addressing our worship. God, who parted the Red Sea. God, who created the Universe. God, who loves us immensely.  Worship is not just about getting excited or having that wonderful feeling, it's about giving honor to an ALL POWERFUL God.  If God wills to do the impossible through us, and if we desire it, then He will use us even beyond the capacity of our own abilities.

The ultimate worship experience is the Holy Eucharist.  Together with the invisible hosts of angels and Saints, we are one in worship with them everytime we attend Mass.

As we sing and dance in community prasie and worship-- be filled, be changed, and be empowered to do great things for our God! 

Temporal or Eternal?

The thing about coffee is that I really can't take too much time in drinking it 'cause it will lose its hotness. So,  I would have to finish it in a bit of haste or waste good coffee. After sipping all up my favorite cup of cappuccino, I felt that I wanted more. I was left staring at an empty cup, and telling myself, "That's it?"..."Bitin (the feeling of lack)."

Like my cappuccino, all good things on this earth will come to end. All that we own is temporarily ours. Yes, we will feel the urge to acquire more. But like all earthly things, urges turn to lust, and lust turns to obsession. And obsessions never satisfy until it consumes our whole lives. We tend to spend too much time and money on what is temporal instead of the eternal. Funny how people do not recognize the value of tithing but consider much value on their own entertainment. Hear how people complain if the church asks for donation to finish the church structure or help in a project for the poor. Let us review where we dedicate our resources. How much time and money are we investing in our spiritual education and nourishment?
What then is eternal?

God's Word, the bread of life and His Kingdom are eternal. We are to invest time and money to understanding His Word and in building His Kingdom on earth. We are to invest where we want our souls to be in the after life. Surely, we will choose eternity in heaven. But what are doing to prepare ourselves for receiving eternal life?

The lures of this world are obvious. They are visible and very tempting. We succumb until we are convinced that this temporary life is already "it." We have to strengthen our faith and constantly be reminded of our true eternal destination.

Let us then be happy of living a simple life, with simple joys, and an abundant faith. Even if at times it's "Bitin" we need to have discipline and to be content. After all, the more we sacrifice on earth, the more our Father in heaven will store riches for us in our eternal home.

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