Author: Simeon Rosete

Rains had kept us indoors for much of the two weeks and when the sun comes up, we see it as a chance for some tennis or golf. This time though, I decided to go to my backyard late in the afternoon and tend the fruit trees that I have planted two years ago. It was also a time to repair the dirt steps that I built for easier access to our hillside garden.

I must have enjoyed flexing my muscles without pausing from the work I was doing so that after about two hours, I looked to the west and my eyes were greeted by a spectacular sight. Aa glorious sunset presented itself right before my very eyes. I was so delighted by this beautiful scene which I had not witnessed before from that section of our property. I stopped for a moment to thank God for such beauty and for eyes that are able to see and appreciate these things.

As I continued to dwell on this wondrous sight another thought crossed my mind. It struck me that there are many tings around us that are so grand and so majestic and yet we have not noticed them simply because we haven’t taken the time to slow down and open our eyes to them. We travel to distant lands and spend tons of money in search of beautiful things to gaze at and wonder upon. But many of these beautiful things are just right around us, if we know where to look and if we slow down and take the time to appreciate them.

So, let us slow down, open our eyes and look and see and appreciate such things God has placed before our very eyes. He is trying to reach us at every moment and let us be sensitive to His messages.

As we begin the New Year, I encourage you to start with the promises of God and a resolve to continue only under His divine direction. The following poem by M.S. Lowndes is inspiring.

A New Year with The Lord

A new year is about to unfold
With new opportunities to explore
Doors will open for new experiences
New adventures with the Lord

Remember not the former things
The things of this past year
The Lord will do new things in us
Much more than we are aware

For He will make a way for us
As we put our trust in Him
And He will guide our every step
By His presence we have within

What God has placed within our hearts
We find we’ll be able to do
If we look for the opportunities
We’ll see the door to go through

We mustn’t let anything hold us back
But rise up and take our place
And be all that God wants us to be
With a fresh touch of His grace!

In Isaiah 43: 18-19, the prophet encourages God’s people by assuring them that the Lord will do great things for them- new things, wonderful things for as long as they forget the “things of old” and trust only in the guidance and direction of the Lord.

“Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.

Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, [and] rivers in the desert.”

These promises for Israel of old are promises for us too especially as we turn the pages of the old and bring in the new.

Happy New Year to all!

Long time ago there ruled in Persia a good and wise king. He loved his people. He wanted to see their struggles and hardships. Often he would dress in the clothes of a working man or a beggar, and go to the homes of the poor. No one among those he visited ever thought that he was their king.

One time he stayed with a very poor man who lived in a cellar. He ate the coarse food the poor man ate. He spoke kind and cheerful words to him. Then he left.

Later he visited the poor man again and revealed his identity by saying, “I am your king!” The king thought the man would surely ask for some gift or favor, but he didn’t. Instead he said, “You left your palace to visit me in this dark and dreary place. You ate the coarse food I ate. You brought gladness to my heart! To others you have given your rich gifts. To me you have given yourself!”

This Christmas season, as the Christian world celebrates the birth of their king, it would be well for us to remember that the King of glory, Jesus Christ, gave Himself to us. The Bible calls this “the unspeakable gift!” 2 Corinthians 9:15.

And of all the gifts that we enjoy because of Jesus coming down from heaven to earth [family, friends, health, jobs, homes, including the blessing of love, joy, peace, etc.], none is more precious and valuable than the gift of Himself. When God gave, He gave the best there was in heaven- His only Son. And we can have the greatest blessing if we accept this gift and allow Him to be born into our hearts again, not as a helpless baby but as Savior and Lord of our lives.

Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year!

A television interviewer was walking the streets of Tokyo at Christmas time. Much as in America, Christmas shopping is a big commercial success in Japan. The interviewer stopped one young woman on the sidewalk, and asked:

“What is the meaning of Christmas?”

Laughing, she responded, “I don’t know. Is that the day that Jesus died?”

Presumably, the young woman may not be Christian. And we can understand and even excuse her ignorance as to what this greatest of Christian holidays is all about. But there is some truth in her answer. For the way Christmas is commercialized and celebrated even in professed Christian lands, the occasion signifies the “death” of Jesus Christ more than His birth.

Materialism and greed drive the celebration of this most important of Christian holidays. And the success of the entrepreneurial spirit has allowed Santa Claus and Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman and other fictional characters dominate the Christmas theme and has contributed to the “death of Jesus” on what is supposed to be the day of His birth.

It’s time to make Christmas what it really is- a celebration of the birth of Jesus. Let us make every celebratory act a reflection of the infinite love of God who gave the most precious gift that heaven could ever bestow upon man- the gift of His sone Jesus. Let us sing the praises of Jesus who willingly came to be born as a little baby and become a man so that He could give His life for us that we may have forgiveness of sin and the gift of eternal life.

Celebrating Christmas like we should will make it the day when Jesus was born, not the day that He died.

Merry Christmas to everyone!

As the holidays come upon us and Christmas carols fill the air, we begin to realize how blessed we are that God gave His only Son so we can have the gift of eternal life. But as we get reminded of this greatest story ever told, we lament at how crudely the King of Glory was received when He came to be born in a world of His own creation.

Come to think of it if we were there at that time and place, would we have acted differently? Could we have been among the residents of the city who were too busy they had no room in their hearts for Him or would we be among the shepherds who rejoiced with the angels that celebrated and joyfully sang at His birth?

A poem written by Mary Flynn poses this rhetorical question.

Jesus, When You Were Born

Jesus, when You were born
In Bethlehem long ago,
Did You mind being out in a stable
When there was o place else to go?

And Jesus when You were born,
Son of God, in a stable You lay,
And the people didn’t know who You were,
Didn’t come to You and pray.

But I wonder if I had been there,
In Bethlehem looking at You,
Would I have known in my heart who You were,
Or would I have shut my door too?

So, now Jesus I will promise,
Because I know what to do,
I know that You are the Son of God,
And I will open my heart up to You.

Rightfully so, the really important question now is whether we recognize Him today and whether we know Him to be the Savior and King of our lives. If we do, Christmas would be a wonderful time and Jesus’ mission from heaven to earth would not have been in vain.

One day a man broke his model Ford car on the side of the road. Now this man knew a lot about cars so he tried fixing it.

He tried different ways and each time he went back to crank the engine, it wouldn’t start at all. He was a little stubborn so rather than call for help, he continued working alone.

He tried everything and still, nothing…the car won’t start.

A few minutes later, another car pulled up beside him. Out stepped an old man who stood and watched him awhile.

The old man looked at him and said: “Son, do you see this part? Just twist this one and you’re good to go.”

The man whispered in his mind: “There’s no way this old guy could know more about this car than me.”

Anyway, he gate it a try. He adjusted the part, got in the car and sure enough…the engine cranked back to life.

He was surprised and asked the old man: “How did you know what to do?”

Then the old man smiled and said: “My name is Henry Ford. I’m the one who invented your car. And I know everything about it.”

When your life breaks down, don’t ever think that you know how to fix everything…that you don’t need any help. Always remember, only God knows how to fix our lives because we are His creation and He loves us so much.

Even when life seems to have lost its meaning and we are facing a blank wall or think we have reached the end of our road. He invites us to just come to Him. He says: “Come unto Me all ye who labor and are heavey laden and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Matthew 11:28-30.

While Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem from Galilee, ten lepers came to Him begging for mercy. The Scripture says that He had compassion on them and told them to go show themselves to the priest. Taking Jesus at His word, they went and on their way, they got healed. Their horrible condition left them and whatever ravages the terrible disease had on their bodies were gone.

One of the ten came back praising God and thanking Jesus for His healing. Jesus was glad someone came to give thanks. But at the same time, He was sad that only one of them returned to say ‘Thank you’. His eyes were peering in the distance asking, “Were there not ten who were healed? But where are the nine?” (Luke 17:11-19).

Someone wondered why the nine did not return to give thanks for their healing. And the following reasons are suggested:

1. One waited to see if the cure was real.
2. One waited to see if it would last.
3. One said he would see Jesus later.
4. One decided that he had never had leprosy.
5. One said he would have gotten well anyway.
6. One gave glory to the priests
7. One said, “O, well, Jesus didn’t really do anything.”
8. One said, “Any rabbi could have done it.”
9. One said, “I was already much improved.”

The above possible reasons why the nine lepers who were healed didn’t return to give thanks describe the attitude of the naturally ungrateful human heart. It shows how we are when we are unappreciative of what God has done for us and unthankful for the countless blessings we receive from His beneficent hand. We are proud, self-sufficient, indifferent, apathetic, arrogant and downright ungrateful.

God does not need our gratitude to fell good or happy. But just the same He is grieved when we are ungrateful and fail to acknowledge His blessings. He looks for us whenever we neglect to give Him our thanks.

Do we keep Him waiting to receive the thanks and gratitude that He deserves?

Too often, we give up on someone and in exasperation say, “He is a hopeless case. He is messed up and there’s no way he can turn around. Nothing can be done to make him change for the better.”

But we underestimate the power of God. The apostle Paul says: “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes; to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Romans 1:16.

When we think we have done everything we can to help someone turn around and make something out of his life and still see no positive results, we should not give up. It is at this point that we need to let go and let Go. And we will find that with God, there is nothing impossible. Truly, with Him, the difficult is easy, and the impossible? …just needs a little more time.

The following material states this point beautifully. No matter how messed up and dysfunctional our lives may b, if we give it up to Him, He will touch us and with the skill of Master’s hands, He will help us produce a melody that will sweeten and brighten the world we live in.

THE TOUCH

It was battered and scarred, and the auctioneer thought it scarcely worth his while to waste much time on the old violin. But he held it up with a smile:

“What am I biddin’ good folks,” He cried. “Who’ll start the biddin’ for me? A dollar;” then, “two! Only two ? Two dollars, and who’ll make it three ? Three dollars once, three dollars twice; going for three — ” But no.

From the room, far back, a gray-haired man came forward and picked up the bow. Then, wiping the dust from the old violin, and tightening the loose strings, he played a melody pure and sweet as a caroling angel’s wings.

There’s many a man with life out of tune, who’s battered and scarred, and is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd, much like the old violin. A mess of potage, a glass of wine, a game, and he travels on. He is going once, and going twice, he’s going and almost gone. But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd never can quite understand the worth of a soul, and the change that’s wrought by the touch of the Master’s Hand.

May we all with gracious understanding and patience wait on those God is touching with the skill of Hi hands knowing that we too in a certain degree are undergoing a similar process of restorative work. And better still, may we be instruments in His hands to help shape and mold others for His glory.

Americans went to the polls on Tuesday, November 8 2016 thinking that at day’s end they would be listening to an acceptance speech from the first woman ever to be elected president in United States history. But imagine their shock when they awoke Wednesday morning and watched unbelieving newscasters announce that Donald Trump had scored an unbelievable and stunning upset of Hillary Clinton for the presidency of the United States.

Hillary Clinton could have screamed “Rigged!” which Trump said he would do if he lost. The survey polls gave her as much as 2-digit leads over her rival in the weeks prior to election. Many odds were stacked up against Mr. Trump. Clinton’s campaign persisted in declaring that Trump was unfit and not qualified for the highest office of the land. Trump himself bungled things up and almost offended every group and segment of the constituency every time he opened his mouth during the campaign. But incredibly, he still won. And as several of his naysayers were threatening to do if he won the elections, they might as well start packing up and move to Canada or to some other planet in the universe.

Disaffection for Clinton and her performance or lack of it while in office may have been greater than people’s disdain over Trump’s flawed character. But the results of the election may also be a reflection of the panic that people had as they see the direction this country is going and want to change course. The horizon may look so bleak Americans in desperation want to try someone from outside the political arena to lead them to where America could be great again as Trump promised time and time again during his rallies.

Even as the president-elect is meeting with President Obama at the White House in order to map out a smooth transition of power, students and young people across the land are marching out on the streets protesting the election of Mr. Trump and refusing to acknowledge him as their president. In Los Angeles, they burned effigies of him and vandalized police cars.

We don’t know how a Trump presidency will affect day to day life in the United States or the role the US will play in world politics. We can only pray that God gives him wisdom to lead the country and the free world and that under his leadership, the church will be able to finish its task so that when his world as we know it comes to an end, Christ will come and usher in an everlasting kingdom of joy, peace and prosperity that has long eluded us under the rule of men.

Years ago in Scotland, the Clark family had a dream. Clark and his wife worked and saved, making plans for themselves and their nine children to travel to the United States. It had taken years, but they had finally saved enough money and had gotten passports and reservations for the whole family on a new liner to the United States.

The entire family was filled with anticipation and excitement about their new life. However, seven days before their scheduled departure, the youngest son was bitten by a dog. The doctor sewed up the boy but hung a yellow sheet on the Clarks’ front door. Because of the possibility of rabies, they were being quarantined for fourteen days.

The family’s dreams were dashed. They would not be able to make the trip to America as they had planned. The father filled with anger and disappointment, stomped to the dock to watch the ship leave – without the Clark family. The father wept and cursed both his son and God for their misfortune.

Five days later, the tragic news spread throughout Scotland – the mighty Titanic had sunk. The “unsinkable” ship had sunk, taking hundreds of lives with it. The Clark family was to have been on that ship, but because the son had been bitten by a dog, they were left behind in Scotland.

When Mr. Clark heard the news, he hugged his son and thanked him for saving the family. He thanked God for saving their lives and turning what he had felt was a tragedy into a blessing.

At times, we lament our misfortune when things happen or don’t happen according to our plans and desires. But we need to remember that life is in constant motion and we must hold off giving our verdict until the real life drama has fully unfolded. For all we know, the bitter experiences in life are God’s way of preserving us and getting us ready for something more glorious than what we have ever imagined. We see them as tragedies but God intends them to be blessings for us. The Scriptures say “We know that all things work together for good to them who love God…for them who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).