PASSING OVER

by with No Comment INSPIRATIONAL

The exodus account is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. Seeing the faithfulness of God all through-out the narrative is a depiction of unfailing grace and renewed mercy. The temporary uprooting of Jacob and his family was pre-planned by God in eternity past so that the lineage of Christ will be preserved. It gives you a glimpse of God’s love towards His beloved. Then, the time came for the Israelites to return.

When you read the first chapter of exodus starting at verse 8, you would see that the suffering of the Israelites started when a new Pharaoh came into power without being oriented to the history and origin of Joseph’s people. Fear was somehow instilled in the mind of this new leader. A major detail to the story of the Passover.

I will not be tackling the whole story. I expect that you have come here with a basic knowledge of the Exodus story, or even the Disney adaptation – Prince of Egypt. Now, let’s fast forward to the very last plague that would be the key to the Israelite’s release.

Now the Lord had said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely. (Exo 11:1 NIV)

Let’s pause. You might be thinking – “Why didn’t God just jump to this plague right here? Why go through all the trouble of sending nine plagues?” Well, it’s a very valid question. I asked myself that years ago, and I came across this study on how all the plagues God sent may have been a direct contradiction to one or two specific gods of the Egyptians. Just like how the last plague hits the ultimate power of Egypt – Pharaoh! The Egyptians worshipped Pharaoh. They even believe that he is the actual son of Ra – the sun god. So, when you think about it, the nine plagues before the final one is a precursor to the ultimate knockout move God has planned out. Now that God has the attention of both the Israelites and the Egyptians, it’s time to show grace and judgment in one pass.

So Moses said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the slave girl, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt – worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. But among the Israelites, not a dog will bark at any man or animal.’ Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. (Exodus 11:4-7 NIV)

There’s the knock-out punch! I love how Moses wrote the last part of verse 7 – “Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. God has drawn the line and made sure that the world will know the difference between those He has chosen and those whose heart has hardened from the mere revelation of His character. Let’s move on.

The Lord had said to Moses, “Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you – so that my wonders may be multiplied in Egypt.” Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go out of his country. (Exo 11:9 & 10)

TIME OUT! That’s not fair! Pharaoh was bound to lose in the first place! Let’s clarify. First of all, God will always judge fairly (Psa 9:8). If we understand the nature of God, it’s common knowledge for the believer (It should be) that everything God has willed and purposed is and will be good (Rom 8:28) – final and beneficial. Secondly, God is also a God of mercy, compassion, and grace (Lam 3:23). Never will God contradict His essence just to prove a point. His characteristics operate simultaneously without any contradiction. Remember what I said? GRACE AND JUDGEMENT IN ONE PASS! Now, let’s go back to my first question – Why did it take 10 plagues when it could have been finished in one? What if, it’s also a show of grace to Pharaoh to acknowledge God’s power and sovereignty over everything? I love how an article in The Gospel Coalition explained that for the first five plagues, Pharaoh hardened his heart. It was not until the end of the sixth plague (Exo 9:12) that it mentioned the Lord hardening Pharaoh’s heart. Then, then the article said this:

Well how did God harden Pharaoh’s heart? God simply revealed himself. He revealed his power, supremacy, love for his people, hatred of sin, etc.. Through the signs and wonders of the plagues. It was this revelation of God that hardened his heart.

Even before the plagues happened, in the first verse we read, the information Pharaoh decided to believe was the foundation of his heart being hardened. He did not know who Joseph was, therefore the existence of the Israelites became a threat.

We have come to the part of the story where God gave the Israelites the whole day to prepare for His visit. This part amazes me because of the way God has included specific instructions for the people to follow. The details include what meal to eat, how to prepare the meal, how to eat the meal and even what to wear during the meal. The most interesting part is when Moses said this:

“Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. When you enter the land that the Lord will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ then tell them, ‘it is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when He struck down the Egyptians.’” Then the people bowed down and worshipped. The Israelites did just what the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron. (Exo 12:24-28)

This was an event worth remembering. This was an event that future generations needed to hear about. It’s like God telling the Israelites – Don’t you forget that I chose you! And when I come passing through your homes, remember that I showed you grace! Grace to the Israelites. Judgment to the Egyptians. All in one passing.

So how does this story help us?

Well, dearly beloved, if you are a follower of Christ, then we should not forget that God chose us. Before the foundation of the world, we have been purposed to be In Christ. Spiritual death passed over us the moment we were reconciled in Christ. Grace pursued us the moment we were born to this fallen world. The elaborate story of the Exodus was given for us to deeply appreciate the extent of God’s faithfulness towards us. Even during the times when we fail and complain, just like what the Israelites will do after they are freed, God continued to show grace.

Now, hold on to these principles. Live life with a better perspective. Look at your circumstances through the lens of grace. Remember this fact – that through Christ’s loving mercy, He called onto death to pass over His beloved and offered Himself in our stead. The passing over of death is in itself an act of grace.

ABUNDANT GRACE

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When apostle Paul complained to God the predicament he’s been having, God replied that His grace was sufficient…never did I understand what Paul was going through, but it has to be something big for him to bring it up many times. But once God answered, I never did read another word from Paul. Sometimes I wonder how I would react under those circumstances…if I were Paul, would I just shut up after an indefinite answer on how God would solve this “thorn in the flesh”? We have to look at Paul’s story!

You see, Paul was shown grace by God from the beginning of his Christian Life. Being blinded along the road to Damascus rather than being killed by God for persecuting most of Israel’s God fearing men is a big incentive to count. Paul even considered himself chief of all sinners…not a good info to put in your Facebook page, yet God used him everywhere! He was the most successful missionary to the gentiles. He expressed grace as openly as God had poured out grace to him…you might consider his letters as strong, but if you would take time to analyze it…you would sense the character of God in every word…he often pleads for his readers to reconsider doing things the right way…”I BESEECH THEE…” Paul said.

If God could extend grace to a murderer of Christians and use him for His glory…then how much more could he extend grace to us? If you think you’ve done such a sin that you are not worthy of forgiveness, think again…think about Paul…don’t belittle our God…don’t think too much of yourself. God’s integrity is so intact that He can handle any mistake we make…as long as we recognize that we need His forgiveness…I John 1:9 nails it good when it states that if we would just recognize that we have done wrong in front of God and tell it to Him directly and privately, He would always look back at what His Son has done and say “FORGIVEN!” Because that’s how God rolls…with abundant grace!

RECALLING THE PAST

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In 1999, I received the hardest task given to me by my parents…that’s to go home alone to the Philippines and finish my last two years in High School. Most of my life was lived in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. My family, friends and even my knowledge of Christianity was established in the Middle East. Leaving everything behind and starting a new was not an easy task for a 14 year old. I may have the physique of a 30 year old but still an emotional quotient of a frail boy.

Being reminded of Ephesians 6:1, I obeyed my parents, even if I have to suppress my dismay and feeling of unfairness. On April 1999, my family and I flew back to the motherland. It was my last international flight. I psyched myself into accepting the reality that one month from that point in time; I will be left alone by my parents. The thought of separation was the most painful thing. Thousands of miles from your loved ones on a different time zone were more of a torture than a challenge.

Two years have passed, God granted me to graduate from High School. No honors but a true graduate none the less. 16 years old was the ideal age for my generation to enter college. I applied in UP, UST, MAPUA, LA SALLE and LETRAN. I was on fire. But that fire was quickly distinguished when all my applications were denied. Running low on confidence, I thought of just taking a short vocational course, convinced that my mental capacity can only handle only two more years of studying. But then, a friend told me to try La Salle top…not taft…but top…top of the mountain! La Salle Dasmariñas offered Computer Science (which was the in thing then). So I took the entrance test, and lo and behold, I was accepted. I was placed in Section 1 of BS Computer Science year 1. But my stay in that university was cut short because of financial matters. I only finished 1 year.

At 17, I decided to work. We had a small food stall in the Sucat area near the City Hall. So I helped out every morning, delivering food, washing the dishes, cooking big kalderos of rice, and packing up. I followed the same routine everyday for almost 4 months when an opportunity opened for me in School of Tomorrow, Philippines.

To summarize everything, 2002 I entered Living Heritage Academy as a database encoder under Mrs. Kakilala. In 2005, God gave me the opportunity to discover my hidden talent in graphics design. By 2007, my skills were enhanced, by God’s grace, from print design to video editing. 2008, a personal bump in my career and spiritual life lead me to resign from School of Tomorrow and work for a secular company. Higher pay was guaranteed but it was hard to ignore God’s tug on my heart back to my first love which is Christian Education and doctrinal teaching. 2009, I answered God’s call and went back to School of Tomorrow. Now, God has blessed me with the opportunity to show His grace to everyone through Multimedia Arts.

Looking back, it’s hard not to see God’s sovereignty in each important life changing situation. I hope and pray that your story would reflect God’s character and integrity. After all, we Christians are the light of the world, a city that is set on a hill that can never be hidden. And when people would see that light, they should not see us but instead glorify our Father Who is on heaven.

GIVING A DEFENSE

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Last Sunday, we had a very interesting time at Church…well, we always do, but this time it’s different. During our life lesson’s time, the topic took a very heavy turn. It talked about conversational evangelism. Evangelism per se is the epitome of the divine directive that is given to all Christians. “GO YE THEREFORE…” is the operative phrase in the great commission of Christ to the church age believers. John Piper even said, “the good news that is not proclaimed is not a good one…it’s not even news!”

Personally, I was challenged with the drive of the message that day. I was examining myself on how I am fulfilling the great commission? What part am I doing? Am I not responding to God’s call? Is this part of the “CHANGE PROJECT” I set out to do? Are you telling me something God? These are questions that need to be dealt with in this lifetime.

To make matters even more complicated (yet affirming), I’ve just finished listening to Ravi Zacharias’ introduction to Apologetics, and I tell you, complicated is just an understatement! There are things in life that I wish I could grasp with just a phrase or two…but in reality, the things of God are too broad and infinite in character that words could barely contain their full significance. In this study, it teaches us how to “…make a defense” according to Peter’s 1st book in the New Testament. To MAKE A DEFENSE in the Greek is the word APOLOGIA which means apologetics. It is simply building a solid belief system that can be used to convey and explain itself using acquired and applied knowledge. It’s CONVERSATIONAL EVANGELISM. I think God is telling me something.

For quite some time I’ve been assessing myself in all aspects…thinking of my role in this world. Am I just a pawn of the princes of the power of this world? Or am I a new creature…armed with the mind of a deity who personally thought of me while being sacrificed for MY sins. Why am I here? What’s my DEFENSE?

REALITY OF CHANGE

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I don’t like it but I need it. I HAVE to change in order for me to be able to do stuff that really matter. Life is constantly changing, and not to change will be devastating. 50, 20, 10 years ago…things ran differently. The government for one has a constant fluctuation in growth…one decade we we’re a tiger economy, then a poverty stricken country on the next. People change for the better or mutate to a Hyde-like person. We are changing.

This morning, I was browsing the internet for stuff that would satisfy my interest-seeking media conscience. I had five browsers simultaneously running with one purpose in mind; fulfill my craving for information that could benefit my career and my spiritual life. 15 minutes in to my search for media-nirvana, I stumbled upon Pastor Ed Young’s blog. Pastor Ed Young is the Pastor of Fellowship Church and his recently concluded Sunday Sermon just got uploaded. He has a series on LUST called “Leaving Lust Vegas” and preached on the lust of the flesh. I watched the 28min teaser kinda clip…the rest of the sermon was available for download for a small donation. The clip revolved around the story of Lot and his decision to pitch his tent towards Sodom (Genesis 13) during an internal conflict with his uncle Abe. We all know that Sodom and Gomorrah provided services that would bankrupt Manila’s Red Light district. Unimaginable sexual lusts are marketed in that city 24/7…and Lot was slowly drawn from the outskirts of Sodom in to the heart of Sodom.

What struck me the most with Pastor Young’s sermon was the reality of how much effort we have to exert in order to integrate biblically good change within us. I am 25, and people say I’m still young…but according to a Wii console, I’m in a 36 year old body! Now that’s one change I need to address…but for the rest of my life, what do I really want to do? What changes should occur for me to be used by God? Another question that I need to ask myself is…am I willing to change at all?

I already know that change needs to begin within. As John the beloved said that as my soul prospers, the details of life will follow. I want to succeed in life, but not according to man’s standards. I want God’s approval and hear Him in my soul say “Well done!” I think seeking God’s approval is not a lust, but a desire.

So, what do I need to do? CHANGE

How will I change? Now…that’s a question for another blog entry to answer! For now, I’ll be doing baby bite size applications and try to implement as much renovation of the mentality as possible!

BREAKING POINT

by with No Comment INSPIRATIONAL

When you had enough crap from people, circumstances and things…and you feel like shouting from the top of your lungs and just curse…then my friend, you have just reached one of life’s breaking point! Yes…you read it right…it’s just one of the many opportunities to break or make a situation!

I acknowledge the fact that we are mere mortals…humans…in my language it goes like this…”sensya…tao lang!” But in reality, the fact of us being finite in being is not really an excuse. God, in His sovereign nature, has purposed in His plan for man to be weak and vulnerable…not because God is a sadist…but because He wants us to realize that if we ever reach the BREAKING POINT, He is there to show His love, mercy and grace! When Adam ate the forbidden fruit, God knew that it was the perfect time to show grace…so He called Adam. Not because he did not know where he is…but because he wants them (Adam and Eve) to acknowledge their mistake and come to Him for a divinely approved solution. But instead of going to God, they sewed fig leaves and hid their nakedness (human works).

You see…we have this opportunity to be confronted and comforted by God…the only thing we need is to restore that relationship with Him that was once lost by Adam. So if you are reading this, and you are nearing your breaking point, then assess yourself.

1) Do you have an eternal relationship with God the Father? The only way you can have that relationship is if you sincerely accept Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, as your personal Savior, and recognize that you cannot save yourself

2) if you have that relationship with God…then are you growing for the good of the kingdom? Are you taking in Biblical principles that will lead you to spiritual maturity?

Only you can answer that question…so I urge you beloved reader…search your heart!