SOS!

When ships were in trouble, going through extreme distress at sea, they put out an SOS radio signal to be rescued. 

SOS was not an acronym or abbreviation of anything—it was just a distinctive Morse code sequence. But many years later, when these letters became popular, people put meaning into them, such as:  "Save Our Souls" and "Save Our Ship". 

In everyday life, we likewise cry “SOS!” when we need help very badly. In such a crisis mode, what do we do?  

Answers vary: “I call my mom.” “I cry to let it all out.” “I plan what to do next.” “I psyche myself up to be strong.” “I pray.” 

The last answer is what we are encouraged to do by God Himself. Although people and our inner strength can help solve our problem, nobody can comfort us more than Jesus can. He said so in James 5:13 (NLT), “Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.” 

Psalm 46:1 assures us, “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.” 

Prayer is often not our first response to crisis. We run to people close to us—family  members and close friends, or try to figure out a solution by ourselves. And only after we’ve done all, without much success, do we pray as a last resort.  

We know that God does not always give us the answer we want, but we also know that as a God of grace, He will give us a fresh way to look at our situation, and help us become stronger and more at peace. 

King David always called on God when in trouble, “. . . in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears.” (Psalm 18:6) 

Whenever we are in trouble, let’s cry "SOS!" to the Lord in prayer.   

Splitting Hairs

The phrase “splitting hairs” is an idiom which has existed since Shakespeare’s time. It continues to be used today because that’s how many of us behave. 

In a meeting, gentleman 1 (G1) made a motion using the word “empower.”  

Immediately gentleman 2 (G2) objected saying that “empower” is not the exact word. He suggested “task” because he felt it is more result-oriented and specific.  

G1 defended his position in a voice that was two decibels too high.  

Naturally, G2 became defensive and explained his choice of word emphatically in a pitch higher than his normal voice.   

Splitting hairs: worrying and arguing about small, non-essential details. It can be the start of a bitter word war. 

This can happen in churches, too.

Sometimes, we argue with fellow believers about what this word in the Bible means and how it should be used in Bible study lessons. Words, as invented and translated by man, are not exact. They have nuances and sometimes, one word cannot exactly replace the other. So we split hairs. 

My boss in the workplace used to advise me when I fumed over a client’s habit of changing my carefully thought-out words in a TV advertising. “If it’s just a synonym or a word that does not change the concept, give it to him. Don’t lose sleep over a word.”  

The Bible admonishes us, “A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people.” (2 Timothy 2:24 NLT)

In Romans 14:19, this is how church people should behave among themselves, “So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.”  

By grace, this should be the norm.  

Leaning Tower of Pisa

This bell tower of Pisa is considered one of the seven wonders of the medieval world. It is visited by millions of tourists every year. Construction started in 1173, and five years later, it started titlting because of "shallow foundations and unstable subsoil."*

It has not toppled over because engineers, through the centuries, have been trying to come up with a fix.  During the restoration work from 1999 to 2001, engineers placed weights on the structure's leaning end and extracted soil from below, causing it to slowly sink back in that direction.

Barring a large earthquake or other unforeseen disasters, engineers believe it will stay put for a few hundred years more!  

Like the Pisa bell tower, we need something to lean on as we grow older with unstable balance. There are canes, staff, and walkers that could steady us as we walk. The old patriarch Jacob, who was once young and strong, had to lean on his staff.   

“It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff.”  (Hebrews 11:21 NLT)  

The symbolism of the staff dates back to ancient times when shepherds used them to guide their flock. 

Today, with a staff or any of the above physical aids for steadying us, we can maintain our bearings if we lean on the Lord. He said in Isaiah 41:134 (NLT), “For I hold you by your right hand—I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.” 

Psalm 118:8 says, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.” 

To my young-once friends: our stronger years are gone, but we have a Redeemer, our Tower of strength. He is the Staff we can lean on. 

To my young friends of this generation: May you always lean on the Lord’s strength in your weakness, as we have, your seniors. Otherwise, without leaning on His grace, we would not have lasted this long. 

*The tower was finally completed in 1372.

The Greatest Love of All

“Learning to love yourself.” 

That’s how the pop song with the above title defines the greatest love of all. 

It has nothing to do with how the Bible defines it, as summarized in this verse, KJV version, that I memorized in Sunday school as a little girl: 

This was the theme of our pastor’s message last Sunday. It took him an hour to explain this in great detail, but having a short attention span—not shorter than GenZs’ or tadpoles’ though—I had it all wrapped up briefly (my training in advertising) in my notebook, using his listicle and adding my reflections. My net take-away:    

1. God’s love is unconditional: “For God so loved the world [kosmos]," peppered with sinful men of various kinds. The adverb “so” emphasizes the depth and breath of this love. 

2. God’s love is sacrificial: “That he gave . . .” It was a concrete action, sharing what He owns and treasures.  

3. God’s love is valuable: “only son . . .” God did not send just anybody; He sent His valued only son. 

4. God’s love is personal: “Son . . .” His son became flesh so he could be close to us, to have a personal relationship with us.  

5. God’s love is accessible: By sending Jesus to earth, God enabled insignificant humans to talk to him freely, going to him for help, learning from him, and asking favors where they could.

6. God’s love is just. “ Whosoever believeth in him will not perish . . .” The  justice here is that there will be consequences of sin. Those who choose to turn their back on Jesus by mocking him and doing the opposite of everything good will have their day of reckoning. 

7. God’s love is beneficial. “. . . but have everlasting life.”  By dying on the cross for our sins, Jesus made it possible for us to receive forgivenss, be wiped totally clean, and that a beautiful, everlasting reward at the end of the road awaits us. Those who walk with him will never die but will live forever.

In a word, the greatest love of all is grace. Jesus came for all—even  for the undeserving. It is our choice to accept him or reject him. 

Valentine’s Day, as the world invented it, is about love. 

Note to self: may I always treasure in my heart the root and the essence of the greatest love of all.  

Disinterest

Thomas Clayton Wolfe (American novelist in the early 20th century) wrote, “You have reached the pinnacle of success as soon as you become uninterested in money, compliments, or publicity.”

This describes Mr. Ato Acosta, once the top honcho of his many firms, but who is now—in his own words—blissfully retired. 

Still strong at age 79, he prefers to stay home with his wife, read history books, or go to the mall for coffee and subtly introduce the Gospel to his seatmate.    

“What should I do with these?” his wife asked, gesturing to the plaques and trophies lined up on shelves. 

“Sell them,” he said, laughing.   

“How much for each?” his wife joked.  

“How about P100 for the whole lot?” he bantered. 

Once upon a time, Mr. Ato loved the adulation and honor for his achievements. But now, he valued his freedom—from the expectations to have more of everything. He has lost interest in money, compliments, or publicity.

The opposite happened to Saul (1 Samuel 15). Before he was anointed as king by Samuel, he was a nobody in Israel. But as king, he honored himself with a monument.  

Samuel confronted Saul (verse 7, NLT), “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king . . . and sent you on a mission . . . Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder . . .?’”   

King Saul wallowed in his own self-importance, valuing money (plunder), compliments (honor), and publicity (recognition). 

Mr. Ato lost interest in everything, except in giving honor to the Source of grace, the Source of everything he ever had.    

He says, “I avoid craving for accolades and instead give importance to the One deserving of my praise.” 

“I’ve Been Had!”

No matter how careful we are, we can sometimes be duped. For one, we easily trust.  For another, it’s tough to tell deceivers from honest people. 

To my deep dismay, I have been had a few times by glib-talking salesmen, financial advisers, and hyperbolic advertising: “miracle” devices that don’t work as explained; insurance that promised big returns that never came; “cheap” goods that are actually much cheaper elsewhere; designer outfits that turned out to be fake; yadda, yadda yadda. 

Of course I have learned my lessons and I am more careful now; still, sometimes I am caught off guard and victimized anew. Scammers on the Net are on the loose; I need to be extra vigilant.  

In the Old Testament, Joshua was scammed big time by the Gibeonites (Chapter 9). Fearing that they will soon be destroyed, they went to Joshua pretending they had come from a distant land to request for a peace treaty with the Israelites. Joshua asked them many incisive questions, but they had all the “right” answers. 

Through all these, the Israelites failed to consult the Lord.  “Then Joshua made a peace treaty with them and guaranteed their safety, and the leaders of the community ratified their agreement with a binding oath (verse 15 NLT).” 

Three days later, however, they discovered that the Gibeonites had deceived them. Joshua confronted the Gibeonites about their deception.  But because they had a peace treaty in the name of God, the Israelites could not attack their towns nor kill them. They instead made them woodcutters and water carriers for the Israelite community and for the altar of the Lord. 

May we always seek God’s grace for wise counsel whenever we make a decision.  

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5 ESV)

Believers or Not

 My grandfather used to advise us, “Many people call themselves Christians without knowing what it means. Make sure that when you say you are a Christian, you really are.” 

What is a Christian? 

Some say it is a good person, or someone who goes to church often. In the Bible, the first time anyone was called a Christian was in Antioch. The story is told in Acts 11:19-26:   

Many believers of Jesus went to Antioch to preach to the Gentiles about the Lord Jesus, and a great many turned to the Lord.  This amazing news reached the church at Jerusalem and sent Barnabas to Antioch. Indeed, Barnabas saw the proof of God’s blessing.  

Barnabas then went to Tarsus to bring back Saul to Antioch. Verse 26 reads, “Both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people. [It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.]” 

Those who believed that Jesus came to earth, died, and resurrected to offer forgiveness of sin were eventually called Christians—applying Jesus' title of Christ as a label for His followers.

A Christian, therefore, is one who responds to God’s grace of forgiveness by choosing to stop living for himself and start living for Christ.  

“. . . if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” (Romans 10:9-10 ESV)

People do good things for many reasons, but a Christian does good things because he/she loves God.

Are We Heading South?

Heading South or going south is an expression people use when things are deteriorating or becoming worse. It refers to compasses and two-dimensional maps where north is up and south is down. 

This is a blog site on grace and not on politics, but the wranglings of two camps that were once called UniTeam and promised unity during the political campaign are too noisy to ignore. 

Adding to our many problems (learning poverty, high prices, horrific traffic, cyber scams, etc.) in this country, this war is making us go south too quickly. 

On January 29, two opposing events happened simultaneously.  

One, Pres. Bongbong rebranded his administration's direction with a new logo and a slogan, “Bagong Pilipinas” in a lavish manner. Crowds were hauled to attend it. Entertainers and speeches of platitudes highlighted the concert/extravaganza that cost taxpayers 16 million pesos.  

Two, a Candlelight Prayer Rally in Davao City to oppose charter change (particularly the People's Intiative) was attended by Ex-President Digong and the mayor  (father and son). In his speech, the mayor asked the president to resign because he is “lazy  and has no compassion for people.” Digong, in an expletive-laden speech, accused the president of being a cocaine addict.  

The following day, the president accused Digong of being addicted to Fentanyl, which might have affected his brain. 

The following day, too, many comments tried to explain the dirty verbal war, the causes of which an ordinary mortal like me can never guess. As it degenerates to gutter level, many applaud it.   

“Digong resented the fact that the president did not prevent the ICC from investigating his tokhang program."  

“There is a high chance that former Pres. Duterte and his children are being urged by China to destabilize the current Marcos administration . . .backing the Dutertes to take over the country's leadership, while making use of the opportunity to try to topple the Marcos administration to escape a possible arrest by the ICC. In return, a new leadership under a Duterte will most lilely stay quiet on Chinese domination in the West Philippine Sea, and will push for reduced cooperation with the US and its other partners like Australia, Japan and Europe.” 

China? US? Greed? Ego? We are indeed going south.  

What will happen tomorrow? 

“. . . do not be anxious . . . 'What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:31-34 ESV)