2011 Weekly Bulletin Messages
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01/02/2011 We have to make inner resolutions
2011 comes filled with hope, anticipations and promises. Speaking of promises, today some of us will make New Year resolutions, when we vow never to do this or that again, or to spend more time doing certain things. Today when we make resolutions we will try to make them easy enough to pull off at least for a while.
I think most of us make resolutions to improve the outer part of ourselves, that is to lose weight, to stop smoking (in order not to get sick or to make others sick) never to eat another ounce of fat food, going to exercise every day and twice on Sunday.
Some of us, who are in the business world vow to get richer.
As you can see, most of the above are resolutions that will make us look better, prestigious and financially prosperous.
There is another side of life besides improving our outer world. That is to make a resolution to be a better person, with better behavior, something that is not tangible yet visible to others: CHANGE OF INNER LIFE.
Paul writing to the Christians in Colossi said, “CLOTH YOURSELF WITH COMPASSION, KINDNESS, HUMILITY, GENTLENESS AND PATIENCE.”
You notice all the above qualities have to do with others rather than yourself.
COMPASSION:
The word compassion means feeling someone else’s pain, experiencing their pain as they are experiencing it personally. In one word, entering into another person’s pain and sharing it with them. Are you going to make a resolution to be more compassionate toward others? I am.
KINDNESS:
God wants us to put on kindness. We teach our children to be kind and polite in their conversation, yet we often neglect this important virtue. What does it mean to be kind? It means merely to treat others without harshness, rather than them with respect and honor, even though he/she disagrees with us. Paul tells us in humility to consider others better than ourselves. Look at others and try to see them the way God sees them, not judgmental but with love. I will try.
GENTLENESS:
Some people think to be gentle is a sign of weakness, definitely not. In gentleness there are affection, tenderness, kindness and compassion. Jesus was gentle, and He was anything but weak. He said, “TAKE MY YOKE UPON YOU AND LEARN FROM ME, FOR I AM GENTLE AND HUMBLE IN HEART.” (Matt. 11:28)
So what kind of resolutions are you about to make? I don’t think God cares about
our outer appearance as much as He is interested in our inner attitudes.
What image do you want people to see when they look at you during 2011?
The choice is yours. Go ahead and make a sensible and a meaningful resolution for the year 2012.
01/09/2011 “TEACH US TO NUMBER OUR DAYS ARIGHT, THAT WE MAY GAIN A HEART OF WISDOM.”
Psalm 90:12
Moses is the one who, realizing that life is too short (no matter how long you live) is asking God to give him wisdom to use the days and the months to come more wisely and to invest it for eternal life.
As 2010 ended and we welcomed the New Year with great anticipation and hope. Are we looking back with joy, or with regret? Have we forgiven ourselves for the mistakes we made during 2010? Or we are punishing ourselves by pondering over them?
Today’s Scripture passage states:
“BE VERY CAREFUL, THEN, HOW YOU LIVE-NOT AS UNWISE BUT AS WISE, MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY, BECAUSE THE DAYS ARE EVIL. THEREFORE DO NOT BE FOOLISH, BUT UNDERSTAND WHAT THE LORD’S WILL IS.”
In this passage the Apostle Paul presents some important lessons we ought to pay attention to.
A. - OUR TIME ON THIS EARTH IS LIMITED:
The sad part is, we cannot turn the clock back. The Psalmist wrote, ”Show me, O Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life.” (39:4) if we become aware of something that is precious to us will soon be coming to an end, we will be more careful how we deal with that thing. That is why the Psalmist also says to number our days so that we will develop a heart of wisdom.
A few years ago People Magazine published an article entitled “Dead Ahead” telling about a new clock that keeps track of how much time you have left to live. It calculates an average life span of 75 years for men and 80 years for women. No matter what they predict, the Bible tells us that we have no guarantee of even one day more to live.
B. - WE HAVE TO MAKE THE MOST OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY:
If you have earned your money a hard way, you become very careful how you spend it, (Specially these days) That is why most people who hit the Lottery waste the money because as they say, “Easy come easy go.” Life is more than hard earned money, life is precious and you cannot replace it.
Jesus said, Satan is a robber and a thief, and one of the things he robs us of is our time. He makes us waste our time on non-essential things, so that we won’t make a different in our Personal, Family and Church life.
Let us be careful for every minute and for every hour and every week and month as how we live God given life. As the Apostle says, CHRIST SHOULD BE EXALTED IN OUR LIVES.
MAY GOD GIVE US THE WISDOM AND THE INSIGHT TO LIVE A LIFE WITH GOD PLEASING PURPOSE IN MIND.
HAVE A VERY HAPPY, HEALTHY AND A MEANINGFUL NEW YEAR!
1/16/2011 DON’T KILL YOURSELF BY WORRYING
In today’s Scripture reading, Jesus is talking to thousands of people, telling them, as well as US today, that life on earth is more than striving for possession and position, but preparation for the life to come.
He tells us not to worry about our life, “FOR WHAT WE SHALL EAT OR WHAT WE SHALL WEAR, FOR LIFE IS MORE THAN FOOD AND CLOTHING.”
Jesus is not suggesting to not planning for your daily living, rather He is reminding us that, LIFE IS MORE THAN STRIVING FOR FOOD, CLOTHING AND ACCUMULATING. “FOR YOUR FATHER KNOWS THAT YOU NEED THEM,”
He said. And He gives examples from the birds and lilies of the fields. They teach us a lesson concerning God’s provision for His creatures that He loves.
In the Gospel of Matthews, in the Sermon on the Mount, food and clothing are mentioned as necessary part of human life in the world, but He states, “your Father knows that you need them.” (12:30) Your main concern, however, should not be the laying up of treasures on earth, “BUT TO BE RICH TOWARD GOD.” (Verse 21b) The Rich man did not take into account eternal life, where his possessions would be of no value. That was the mistake of the wealthy farmer in the story. Making provisions for ‘treasures in the heaven’ is what to be “rich toward God” means, and it must be the characteristic concern of each Christian, who claims to have God as our heavenly Father.
We often forget, that if God has created us He will not abandon us but will supply our daily needs. God said:
“CAN A MOTHER FORGET THE BABY AT HER BREAST AND HAVE NO COMPASSION ON THE CHILD SHE HAS BORNE? THOUGH SHE MAY FORGET, I WILL NOT FORGET YOU!” (Is. 49:15)
This is a God given promise, yet we fail to put our trust in Him, we plan, toil day and night for material things and neglect the spiritual.
At the end of the sermon Jesus tells us as what the important thing should be in our life,
“NOT TO WORRY, SAYING WHAT SHALL WE EAT? OR WHAT SHALL WE DRINK? OR WHAT SHALL WE WEAR? FOR THE PAGANS RUN AFTER ALL THESE THINGS, AND YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER KNOWS THAT YOU NEED THEM. BUT SEEK FIRST GOD’S KINGDOM AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS AND ALL THE OTHER MATERIAL NEEDS WILL BE GIVEN TO US, AS WELL.”