Big in God's Eyes

I've always been fascinated how ants can carry 100x times their own weight (upside down, on glass according to the link). Ants are one of the strongest animals in the world--relative to its size.  This small creature has been endowed by God with something unique and special--a reflection of how He loves the little ones.

Have you ever felt small, insignificant, and even stepped on? In the Bible, God always uses the least of all to do His great works--the youngest brother tending the sheep (David), the least in a family of the least tribe (Gideon), the one sold as a slave (Joseph), a stutter (Moses), a small insignificant nation (Israel), and the list of the least goes on.

Never underestimate how God will use you. The Lord sees a lion in us even if we feel like a scared cat. God who is the source of true strength can give us the power to carry even 100 times the weight  of things we think we can't bear. Remember, Jesus bore the weight of mankind's sins that we may enter heaven. Sometimes our crosses feel like too heavy to bear, but the Holy Spirit enables us! How? We cast our burdens upon the Lord, we who are heavily laden.

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,^* and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” Matthew 11: 28-30

We have a supernatural God who gives us supernatural strength. Without Christ in our lives, we will be borrowing strength from the wrong sources---worse, from the devil---that will lead us to our ultimate fall.

Get your Bible, hold it tight...feel the power, see the truth, live with His strength! You are BIG in God's eyes.

Why Names are Special

Last Sunday, we went out to have some 'catching up' time with friends. We landed on a Crepe Place. When they served the orders, we were delighted to see our names on the crepe's plate. We felt a little special because of the surprise gesture.

We are all special to God. God said, "Jerusalem, I can never forget you! I have written your name on the palms of my hands"(Isaiah 49:16). He expressed this visual to let Jerusalem understand how He loves, remembers, and takes care of them. This is a reflection of how God relates to us.

Let us keep in our mind and hearts that:
1. God knows us more than we know ourselves. Let us surrender our lives to hands of our Father.
2.He created us and he will never forget us. Even if at times we feel God is distant and quiet, He is always there. We need only turn away from sin and go back to Him.
3. We are specially loved. Special enough to be written on the palm of His hands. If you have someone special in your life and you treat him/her with extra care, God can even do more for us, beyond human capacity.

Oh God most high, thank you for keeping us ever near to you and inscribed on Your mighty hand.
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Making Others Feel Special

pic from http://www.hem-of-his-garment-bible-study.org

Here's a leadership perspective I heard from author Betsy Myers, "People may not remember what you said or even what you did, but they will remember how you made them feel."  Emotions have a way of imprinting in our consciousness.  This also puts in view on how we relate with the people around us.  Good leaders motivate their people by also being sensitive with their feelings.  I notice that effective leaders talk to individuals as if there was no other agenda besides your concern.  They will zoom in to you and will do their best to immediately address a concern.

I am reminded by a Bible scene where Jesus called Zacchaeus who was up in a Sycamore tree. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today (Luke 19:5)."

I can imagine how Zacchaeus must have felt.  I believe this is how the Lord relates to us.  He calls upon us and wants to be with us in the home of our hearts, as if we were the only agenda in His mind.  Let us then rejoice for we have a God who is omnipresent. He is ready to listen and make us truly feel special.

God's Great Inventions

I bought a light bulb today. I'm finally replacing the one that got busted. Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, was a very prolific inventor. According to wikipedia, he has 1,093 U.S. patents in his name. Now, that's a lot of inventions. His inventions also include the phonograph and the motion picture camera.

I always wanted to be an inventor. I like the thrill of discovering new things and the thought of contributing to mankind. That's why I admire Thomas Edison. But still the greatest of all inventors is the one who invented this thing called "love." In fact He is love. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love (1 John 14:8). Out of His love, he created mankind. All of us on earth, all 7 billion of us, is patented by God in heaven. Not to mention those who have gone before us in all history. None of us are alike. No two fingerprints are alike, no two voice prints are alike, no two eye prints are alike, and no two heartbeat patterns are alike. We are all God's great inventions, made out of his great love.

May we not forget how special we are. If you come to doubt your value and importance, remember that God made sure you are one of a kind.