Giving back = sacrifice = worship

For years, I've wrestled with the idea of tithing/sacrificial giving. It has been a constant battle in my head, but this morning I finally found a good explanation to these deep-seated questions: 'Why give?"
Follow the link http://www.biblegateway.com/devotionals/stewardship-bible/
By addressing the WHY question more than the WHERE or WHO or HOW and HOW MUCH to give, it is easier to refocus and re-align my heart/mind/spirit according to God's will. As stated below, when I answer the why, it becomes clear to a believer like me to act upon not just think about the essence of giving back to the One who gives. My prayer is that God will transform my attitudes, thoughts, emotions and motives that need to change so that I may worship Him in love. 


God may be pleased, indeed delighted, with us even if we are giving the wrong amount, even if we are giving to unworthy or inappropriate cause. As we learn more about stewardship, of course, we will want to grown in those respects. We can spend a lifetime trying to find better ways of fulfilling God's expectations. But, for starters, our principal concern in giving should not be where to give, or how to give, or how much to give. First, let us focus on the why. If we give with hearts full of devotion for the God who loves us, then the questions of where and how and how much will work themselves out in time.

...worship is essential to faith... sacrifice is essential to worship. Why is that? Because worship, almost by definition, is the opposite of self-centeredness. Doing this always involves some element of self-denial or sacrifice, giving up something that we value, giving up attention to our wants and our needs in order to focus on God…

When we give cheerfully as an act of worship, the very act of giving moves us to lose interest in ourselves and to devote ourselves to God.

Learning to be content

Philippians 4:11

Paul wrote, "... I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances."
For many years, I've asked myself over and over again "what is contentment?" and what does it mean to be content. How do I learn be content in whatever state I am? 
Today, I think I found a bit of insight after reading Charles Spurgeon's response:
Covetousness, discontent, and murmuring are as natural to man as thorns are to the soil. We need not sow thistles and brambles; they come up naturally enough, because they are indigenous to earth: and so,we need not teach men to complain; they complain fast enough without any education. But the precious things of the earth must be cultivated. If we would have wheat, we must plough and sow; if we want flowers, there must be the garden, and all the gardener's care. Now, contentment is one of the flowers of heaven, and if we would have it, it must be cultivated; it will not grow in us by nature; it is the new nature alone that can produce it, and even then we must be specially careful and watchful that we  maintain and cultivate the grace which God has sown in us.


Indeed, in as much as it takes time and attention to grow flowers, learning to be content is not only an attitude to cultivate but also a lifestyle to pursue. It is not easy to be content in this world that promotes materialism, power and  ideologies antithetical to what Christ modeled, i.e., humility and self-sacrifice. How do I discipline a wayward heart? How do I redirect my focus so that I can see that the path I'm taking leads to the one true purpose of my existence? I feel that 2012 is my year of reckoning: not "retribution" but "calculation" of where I have been, where I am in my life now and where I'm going in the future, or better yet, where God is taking me... 

Prayer

What is prayer? How and when should I pray?

If prayer is a way to communicate with God, then I should do it as I do my tasks each day, as often as every minute...  "Whether our earthly life is beset by trouble or abundant with joy, we must express our thoughts and emotions to God. Our lives become a communion, each moment communicated to our Savior."

The challenge is not so much the what/how/when but the why - why pray? Why must I communicate with the ALMIGHTY who already knows my thoughts and emotions? Isn't it unnecessary? 

After reading James 5:13-30, it becomes obvious that prayer serves many purposes, If done by a righteous person, it is effective and powerful in giving praise to God, in healing the sick, in forgiving confessed sins, in making the impossible possible if we call out to the CREATOR of all things, HE who can move mountains and make the blind see/the lame walk/the mute speak. I love this story about Elijah - Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. 

Isn't that amazing?

The next challenge is how do I become a righteous person so that my prayer can be effective and powerful? I suppose my prayer should be to ask God to help me become a person of prayer, to help me focus my heart and mind on things above and to radically change my life and take it captive FOR HIS GREATER GLORY.

What my cousin Erin shared with me...

PHENOMENAL WOMANby Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing of my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still can't see.
I say
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
The palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

from And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
copyright © 1978 by Maya Angelou.

Psalm 46

I love this verse! It reminds me that God is bigger than everything I have encountered and will encounter in this life...


<sup>Today in the Word October 21, 2011


1</sup> "God is our refuge and strength, 
   an ever-present help in trouble. 
² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way 
   and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 
³ though its waters roar and foam 
   and the mountains quake with their surging.


¹⁰ He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; 
   I will be exalted among the nations, 
   I will be exalted in the earth.”


Are you distressed by the world’s mess or feel like mountains are lurking in your life? Where do you find refuge and help in the midst of chaos? Most people rely on themselves, money, possessions, or prestige for security—but these provide a false sense of protection from vulnerability. Only our sovereign and good Creator and Redeemer is a trustworthy protector and provider. Repent of ways you turn to false security and place your hope in God alone.

October 25, 2011

There are 3 things that Tatay has left behind for all of us to remember -
I call them the 3 H's: HONOR, HONESTY and HUMOR.
For those who really knew my grandfather, the first 2 H's were often associated with his character. The last one, humor, was somewhat less visible in his personality and yet, he did pass it on to several of his offspring. In light of his passing, I felt the impulse to say a prayer and to share it with those who attended his burial at the Elysium Gardens on October 25, 2011.
I now share it with you on this blog...

"Two days ago, House Bill 834 was approved to benefit the centenarians. But it did not come any sooner. If it did, Tatay would have enjoyed 100 grand and 50% senior discounts. Today, nonetheless, Tatay is enjoying something greater, richer, much grander and better. He is, we pray, in the presence of his Maker and smiling upon us - upon his 8 children: Tita Myrna, Tito Donnie, Tita Marlene (my Mom), Tita Daisy, Tita Noemi, Tito Boy, Tita Eva and Tito Mel; upon his 18 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren.

FAMILY - what a legacy! Without our family the past century would not have made an imprint let alone an impact on this side of heaven, at least for me. I THANK GOD for our family. I pray that those who are left behind will treasure Tatay's legacy for the rest of our lives. May God welcome Tatay in his eternal home, and comfort us in our loss. But most importantly, let us rejoice despite our grieving hearts for Tatay is FREE... he is free to reach down from heaven and take us to a better place as long as we are willing to TRUST, to LOVE, to FORGIVE, and to EMBRACE our LOVED ONES despite our flaws.

May we honor his memory with LAUGHTER despite the tears, with JOY in the midst of grief, with DEEP CONCERN for each other despite the conflicts, with TRUE LOVE that keeps on giving until it hurts. For the GOD ALMIGHTY gave His Son, JESUS CHRIST, to connect with us and rescue us from a bitter end by dying on the cross. HE LOVES US, He loves Tatay and has now called him back home.

This day, we should CELEBRATE not mourn because Tatay is not only with GOD but is also with the wonderful, graceful and gentle soul we've known as Nanay - his wife, your mother, my grandmother and my children's great grandmother."

Fear not terror

To those who fear the Lord, three promises are made: protection, deliverance, and provision. The fear of the Lord manifests itself in words and deeds that glorify God (Ps 34:13-14). Fear of the Lord is not terror in the face of threat. It is a recognition of God’s holiness and majesty and humanity’s sinfulness and frailty. As one Bible scholar puts it, “Fear grows from the respect and honor of which God is worthy.”


http://www.todayintheword.com/GenMoody/default.asp?SectionID=ABECA3F4F745454090BB3C5F613C9CE7&date=10/11/2011