Faithfulness: A Divine Connection

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But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law.
- Galatians 5:22, 23



Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning,
Great is Your faithfulness.
- Lamentations 3:22, 23



For we walk by faith, not by sight.
- 2 Corinthians 5:7




Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes
will He really find faith on the earth?
-Luke 18:8



For without faith it is impossible to please Him,
for he who comes to God must believe that He is,
and that He is a rewarder of those 
that diligently seek Him.
-Hebrews 11:6

My beloved grand-daughter Olivia turned six months old yesterday.

My heart overflows with many blessings for this precious little one, and this month I want to focus on faithfulness, the seventh segment or facet of the single entity called the fruit of the Spirit.

Faithfulness means to be trustworthy or reliable.

The root word of faithfulness is faith, and in the same way, how faithful one is depends on how deeply rooted in God one's faith is, for faith is always received from God. We could never produce faith on our own.

When I look back at my life, I can aptly describe it as a  journey of faith. I know only too well what it means to receive faith as a gift, as an enabling and an empowerment from God. Definitely, I could never have generated it in my own strength.

Through the years, I have learned the necessity of staying rooted and grounded in God... to abide in Him... to stay connected... to continue receiving nourishment from Him alone.


When Jesus said to His disciples, "Have faith in God," He was not telling them to generate faith on their own, He was telling them to exercise the gift of faith that has been made available to them. 

This much I understand: the more I exercise faith in God, the stronger my faith becomes. In the midst of fear and uncertainty, I can choose to act in faith, instead of giving in to doubt.

The writer to the Hebrews gives us the perfect definition of faith:

Faith is the substance of things hoped for,

the evidence of things not seen.

- Hebrews 11:1

When the road ahead of me is dark, when the outcome of what I am hoping for is not sure, faith gives me the assurance that things will work out in my favor.

This is only possible if I know that the object of my faith is dependable, unshakable, unchangeable, immovable.

My faith is only as good as the object of my faith.

I may trust in people, but only to a certain extent.

Only God is worthy of my unconditional trust, for He alone is consistently dependable, unshakable, unchangeable, and immovable.

And when my faith in God is strong, I can also be faithful in my relationships... with God, and with others.

Graham Cooke, one of my favorite Bible teachers, says this:

"What God is offering us in the first place is His unchanging self, so that we can learn to be unchanging in the way we live our life. God is constant and unchanging in the way He deals with us. And He wants us to learn to be constant and unchanging to others, regardless of what they are doing."

So beautifully said!

Regardless of how our life circumstances are, regardless of how others treat us, Father God is giving us a model of what it means to be a man and woman of faith... someone who is constant, and dependable.

Today I bless my dear granddaughter Peaceful One with the quality of being faithful.

I fervently pray for you dear grandchild that you will get to know God as you grow up and learn what it means to put your trust in Him.

Abba Father, I pray that You will shape and mold this little girl's heart that she may know You as her faithful Father.

Precious child, I pray that your parents will model for you what it means to have a deep, abiding faith in God...

that you will grow up trusting God, and being trustworthy; walking by faith, not by sight...

that you will grow up to be consistent, someone whose word can be depended upon.

You will keep your promises.

You will be loyal in your relationships.

You will be unwavering in your faith.

Your spirit will be fed and nourished by the promises of God.You will grow up knowing what it is to trust His word. 

And as the years go by, even in the midst of difficult circumstances, your faith in God will become stronger.

I pray that you will be surrounded by Godly examples of abiding in Jesus Christ as the True Vine.

Yes, dear granddaughter, your faith in God will cause you to be fruitful.

I pray that Abba Father will look at your heart, see your faith, and be pleased. For the Bible says that "without faith, it is impossible to please Him."

Love always, 

Nana

Below are two of my favorite songs:

You Are So Faithful (Bob Fitts)

Like the sun that rises everyday

You are so faithful, Lord You are faithful

Like the rain that You send

And every breath that I breathe

You are so faithful, Lord.

Like the rose that comes alive every spring

You are so faithful, Lord You are faithful

Like the life that You give

To every beat of my heart

You are so faithful, Lord

I see the cross and the price You had to pay

I see the blood that washed my sins away

In the midst of the storm

Through the wind and the waves

You'll still be faithful, You'll still be faithful

When the stars refuse to shine and time is no more

You'll still be faithful

You'll still be faithful, Lord

On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand

The Narrow Gate

Enter by the narrow gate;

for wide is the gate and broad is the way

that leads to destruction,

and there are many who go in by it.

Because narrow is the gate

and difficult is the way

which leads to life,

and there are few who find it.

- Matthew 7:13, 14

In this post, I want to share some of my thoughts on the claims of Jesus Christ as being the only way to heaven.

"For anyone who takes the time to actually read Jesus' own words, the truth is abundantly evident: Jesus is unequivocally exclusive, narrow, and intolerant about the way to eternal life." (Pastor Ray Noah)

One of such narrow and intolerant claims is found in John 14:6,

I am the way, the truth, and the life. 

No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Another is found in Matthew 7:13, 14, quoted above, and I quote it again here,

Enter by the narrow gate...

because narrow is the gate

and difficult is the way which leads to life,

and there are few who find it.

When it comes to truth, it has to be unequivocally and absolutely true, for it to be dependable and trustworthy.

If it can be interpreted another way, or misunderstood, then truth serves no good purpose, in very much the same way that a chair... or an airplane... must be true to its claims for it to be reliable, dependable and trustworthy.

If I may say so, the problem confronting the world today is its willingness to settle for relative, watered-down truth.

In the words of a song by the Monkees that I loved to sing in my teenage years, "Today there is no black or white, only shades of grey."

But relative truth is not truth at all.

The enemy of our souls has tricked us into buying the horrible lie that we need to be able to fend for ourselves, and not to be so dependent on a higher power for everything.

That is one outright twist to a truth that we desperately need to believe.

God is God alone. And we are creatures designed to be dependent on Him for our every breath.

This is not a bad thing at all. In fact, it is our salvation; our very existence depends on this truth.

If we really knew God, we would know that He is a benevolent Creator, One who is all wise, and who wants nothing but the best for the people He created. 

The best thing that can ever happen to us is to live life the way He planned it: dependent on Him.

He will give us what is best for us, what will best fulfill us, what will best satisfy us.

So when Jesus says we are to enter life through the Narrow Gate, it is in truth the best way to go through life.

And when Jesus says, narrow is the gate, and difficult is the way that leads to life... only a few find it, He knows what He is talking about.

Jesus makes it clear -- there are only two kinds of gates to choose from - the narrow gate, and the wide gate.

It is not true that "all roads lead to heaven."

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

One of the best realizations I have ever had was when I understood that the kingdom of heaven is precisely that, a kingdom.

A kingdom is ruled by a king who is sovereign. He is not elected into office by a vote of the majority. He reigns supreme, and His kingdom knows no end... because He is God who will never die.

When it comes to spiritual truths, it is best understood in terms of kingdom principles.

The difficulty begins when we look at Bible truths in terms of democratic principles. A democracy is a form of government in which the supreme political authority rests with the people.

Vox populi - the voice and opinion of the majority - is what best defines a democracy.

In a democracy, the will of the majority is considered the correct way. 

The kingdom of heaven is not a democracy.

Jesus clearly says that the road that the majority will take is the broad way... but that is the wrong way! It leads to eternal destruction.

We can go through life believing what we want to believe... but ultimately, if what we have believed as truth is not absolute truth, then sadly, we have no eternal security.

Believing in Jesus as the only Truth, and as the only Way, and as the only Life... and believing in Jesus as the Narrow Gate that leads to life... is the only way by which we will make it to heaven when the time comes for us to leave this earth.

I have no problem believing that. After all, it will spell the difference where I spend the rest of my life... forever.

Augustine of Hippo wrote these famous words:

Yes, of course.

The law of gravity is truth. Whether we believe in it or not.

So is the law of seedtime and harvest.

And the law of sowing and reaping.

And so is the unequivocal claim of Jesus Christ being the Only Way to Heaven.

It just needs a paradigm shift on our part, from a democratic mindset, which is founded on our individual rights, to a kingdom mindset which is founded on the principle of trusting and obeying the sovereign King of the universe...

And regarding a kingdom mindset, Jesus has this to say:

I tell you the truth, 

no one can see the kingdom of heaven 

unless he is born again. 

- John 3:3

Another unequivocal claim.

I love how Pastor Ray Noah puts it in perspective. He says that if the claims of Jesus sound narrow and intolerant, 

it most definitely is--but so is a runway, and landing exclusively on it is the only way to get the airplane you are on safely to its destination. 

A runway has to be reserved for airplanes alone, no other kind of transportation can run on it. If cars and trucks were allowed on runways, the result would be pure chaos and disaster.

Jesus made unequivocal claims, and He so believed in His claims as being the only Way to the Father's heart that He was willing to die for the salvation of the world, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.

I am passionate about what I believe in, but I have a deep love for my friends who do not believe in God the way I do. I respect them, and honor them, and I never try to impose my faith on them. My only prayer is that someday they will also come to know Jesus as their Redeemer and Lord.

A week ago, my third grandson Jeremiah David, Joyful One, turned nine months old.

Each month of his first year I pray a special blessing based on the names of God, and this month, the name of God I have chosen is Narrow Gate. 

Jesus calls Himself "the Door." 

I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved,

and will go in and out and find pasture.

The thief does not come except to steal,

and to kill, and to destroy.

I have come they they may have life,

and that they may have it more abundantly.

- John 10:9,10

This is the wider context for how Jesus concludes his Sermon on the Mount... that to reach eternal life, we are to enter through the Narrow Gate... which is Jesus Himself, being the only Way to the Father.

Here is my blessing for my dear grandson:

I bless you today with a kingdom mindset, dear Joyful One.

May your heart be soft to accept and believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, that you may become a true citizen of that heavenly kingdom.

May you understand and believe the unequivocal claims of Jesus being the Narrow Gate and the narrow road that leads to eternal life.

Stand up for what is true... absolutely true, dear grandson.

Never settle for half-truths... only hold on to the truth that can be depended on, the truth that will never change, and will stand the test of time and culture.

You have a good heritage of faith, hold on to it... never let anyone steal it from you.

Love always,

Nana

Goodness

But the fruit of the Spirit is

love, joy, peace,

patience, kindness, goodness,

faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Against such things there is no law.

- Galatians 5:22, 23

Now the LORD descended in the cloud

and stood with him there,

and proclaimed the name of the LORD.

And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed,

"The Lord, the Lord God,

merciful and gracious,  longsuffering,

and abounding in goodness and truth...

- Exodus 34:5, 6

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,

and comes down from the Father of lights,

with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

- James 1:17

Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance,

and longsuffering, not knowing that

the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

- Romans 2:4

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good;

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

- Psalm 34:8

Today we celebrated my granddaughter Olivia's fifth month of life. Every month of this first year of her life, I post a prayer blessing for her. 

I am taking one component of the nine-faceted fruit of the Spirit for the first nine blessings I'm doing for her. This month, I am asking the Holy Spirit to plant the seed of goodness in her heart, and that this facet of the fruit will be evident in her when she grows up.

From the very first chapter of the Bible, we are already introduced to the goodness of God. 

The very first thing that strikes me in this creation story is the kind of heart our Creator God has. God looks at what He creates at the end of each day; what He sees is good. 

And at the end of six days, the Bible says that God saw everything He had made, and indeed it was very good.

If God who is a perfect Being, declares that something is very good, then it really must be very good.

One of my favorite Old Testament passages is found in Exodus 34. When Moses asked God to show him His glory, God responds to this request by proclaiming His own name to Moses: 

Now the LORD descended in the cloud

and stood with him [Moses] there,

and proclaimed the name of the LORD.

And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed,

"The LORD, the LORD God, 

merciful and gracious, longsuffering,

and abounding in goodness and truth..."

- Exodus 34:5, 6

Abounding in goodness and truth. That is how God describes Himself.

Goodness is at the heart of our God. At the very center of His character and attributes lies goodness.

Power and might would be terrifying in the hands of someone who is not good.

Knowledge is dangerous in the mind of someone who is not good.

And as I think on the attributes of God as being All-Powerful, Almighty, and All-Knowing, I can trust Him because He is a good God.

How reassuring and comforting as well to know that it was a good God who planned for and created this universe in which we live. 

He has thought of everything we will need... including the need to be redeemed and ransomed from the land of death.

When Adam and Eve chose to disobey Him, God already knew beforehand what was going to happen, and He had a plan for our salvation. 

The salvation plan would come at great cost to Himself, the death of His only beloved Son, but the victory and the glory that would come as a result, not to mention the eternal defeat of the enemy of our souls, would make it all worthwhile.

And that is what God's goodness is all about. It is not passive goodness... it is active goodness.

God's goodness has an objective... that we and the rest of His creation may benefit from it.

The Greek word translated "goodness," agathosune, is defined as "uprightness of heart and life." Agathosune is goodness for the benefit of others, not goodness simply for the sake of being virtuous.

(The Fruit of the Holy Spirit-What is Goodness?)

And because goodness is one of the facets of the fruit of the Spirit, even if the Bible says that no one is good but God alone, it is still possible for you and me to have a measure of goodness; the Holy Spirit can help us bear the spiritual fruit of goodness.

Here's my prayer blessing for my dear grandchild:

My dear granddaughter Olivia, Peaceful One...

As you turn five months old, I bless you with a heart that will experience and appreciate the goodness of God.

You are surrounded by so much love and goodness, dear child!

How I pray that none of the goodness that is being poured on you by your parents, brother, and extended family be wasted.

May your young heart be shaped by all the goodness that you are receiving.

I pray that as you grow up, you will grasp and understand the goodness of God at work.

May goodness be a part of your character, dearest child!

And my prayer for you today is that you will not belittle or turn your back on the riches of God's goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering... rather, the goodness of God will lead you to repentance, and that you will come to know Jesus as your Redeemer, Savior, and Lord, even at an early age.

You are such a gift to our family, and my heart overflows with love for you!

Thanking God for you,

Nana

Morning Star

I, Jesus, have sent My angel to give you 

this testimony for the churches.

I am the Root and the Offspring of David,

and the bright Morning Star.

- Revelation 22:16

And we have the word of the prophets made more certain,

and you will do well to pay attention to it,

as to a light shining in a dark place,

until the day dawns and 

the morning star rises in your hearts.

- 2 Peter 1:19

One of the beautiful names for Jesus in the Bible is the Morning Star. 

The Greek word for it is Phosporos, meaning "Light bearer."  Another Greek word used is Heosphoros, which means "Dawn bringer."

Astronomers say this refers to the planet Venus, rising in the western sky just an hour or so before the sun rises in the east.

The morning star is the brightest star and shines just before daybreak. 

The King James version uses another beautiful term Daystar.

In the passage quoted above, Peter speaks prophetically about the return of Jesus Christ. When He does return, it will really be like the dawning of a new day, the morning star will rise in our hearts.

I am always looking for connections and symbolic meanings behind things and events.

And I am just amazed at the rich symbolism in Jesus calling Himself the Morning Star.

When the Morning Star rises in the sky, we know that daybreak is coming. The darkest hour is said to be just before dawn, and that is when we see the Daystar shining.

God's compassion never fails, His mercies are new every morning.

The Morning Star is the constant reminder to us of a new, and better day coming.

No matter how terrible yesterday may have been, today is a new day.

Weeping may endure for a night, 
but joy comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:5)

Not only does the Morning Star speak to me of  hope... He also speaks to me of staying young at heart.

For isn't it true? The heart that is filled with hope stays forever young.

Yesterday, during the coffee get together time at church, I had a delightful conversation with Uncle Roy, my friend Bjorn's dad.

Uncle Roy is turning 80 this year.

We talked about many things, mostly about how one stays young at heart even when our bodies are chronologically growing older.

Before he left, he mentioned to me a beautiful quote that hangs above the office of General Douglas MacArthur in Tokyo, Japan... an excerpt from the poem Youth by Samuel Ullman, an American businessman and poet.

It was my first time to hear this poem, such unassuming lines, yet so powerful!

Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind;it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips, and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.

I just fell in love with the way Sam Ullman described youth... 

The rest of the prose poem goes this way:

Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity of the appetite, for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of sixty more than a body of twenty. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals.

Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust.

Whether sixty or sixteen, there is in every human being's heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing child-like appetite of what's next, and the joy of the game of living.  In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage, and power from men and from the Infinite, so long are you young.

When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at twenty, but as long as your aerials are up, to catch the waves of optimism, there is hope  you may die young at eighty.

My third grandson, Joyful One, turns eight months old today.

This little guy will surely stay young... his heart is indeed full of joy and laughter. I think he got the sense of humor of his grandpa Ernie. For both of them, there is always something to laugh about!

Here is my prayer blessing for my grandson today:

May the Daystar, the bright Morning Star always shine on you, my dear Joyful One.

When the night is dark, may your heart always be filled with hope, holding on to the assurance that dawn is coming, and the promise is sure that joy comes with the morning.

I declare that you will spread joy and hope wherever you go...

And you will inspire many others to remain young at heart, by trusting in God, and by waiting on Him alone for the fulfillment of your dreams.

Much love

Nana

Here is a very beautiful song, one of my husband Ernie's favorites. It never fails to touch my heart each time I hear it. This is my song for my dear Joyful One this month...

A Legacy of Kindness

Birds eating leftover breakfast

at the Verandah, Baguio Country Club

May 30, 2015

... do you think lightly of the riches 
of His kindness and tolerance and patience,
not knowing that the kindness of God
leads you to repentance?
- Romans 2:4

But the fruit of the Spirit is 
love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Against such things there is no law.
- Galatians 5:22-23

God is unfathomable, but He is approachable.

And of His multi-faceted nature, He reveals some to you and me on a personal basis.

He is a God who allows Himself to be known.

We can ask God to reveal who He is to us, and when He does, that becomes our access point into His presence.

What touches me the most about God is that He is consistently good. His goodness is the basis for all He does.

When Moses asked God to show him His glory, God replied by saying, "I will cause all My goodness to pass before you..."

Yes, God's heart is filled with goodness... and this is seen in His acts of kindness toward His creation.

Father God does not hide His goodness from us; in fact, it is His goodness that softens our hearts to seek Him.

After Adam and Eve messed up His beautiful plans, He was ready with a plan rescue. He didn't have to do that... but He did.

He causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust...

If He feeds the birds of the air, will He not also give us the things we need, we who are far more valuable than the sparrows!



Today I am meditating on the fruit of the Spirit passage in Galatians 5:22-23.

When I was a young Christian believer as a university freshman, I could not understand why this passage listed the nine qualities as one "fruit." I couldn't get my mind off what our Bible teacher said: "These nine qualities is a portrait of Jesus Christ."

There is only one spiritual fruit - these nine qualities are segments or facets of that one fruit.

My mind was just blown away to realize that the Spirit so desires to grow that very fruit in each one of us.

I could never grow this fruit on my own. Self-effort has nothing to do with it. Only by abiding... being connected... being intimate with God... being obedient to Him... can the fruit be given the right environment for growth.

My ongoing desire is to have all these nine segments of the fruit of the Spirit growing in my heart.



Today, my granddaughter Peaceful One turns four months old.

This month, kindness is  facet of the fruit that I am asking God to develop in her.

In our world today, kindness is no longer a common quality. People can pretend to be kind for ulterior motives and hidden agenda, but genuine kindness, coming from a heart of goodness, is not so easily found.

We are confronted today by mudslinging in the entertainment world, as well as in politics, even in sports. In the name of religion, helpless individuals are being beheaded.

This world is starving for true kindness, acts of mercy and grace offered to another without expecting anything in return.

This seems to be my favorite line these days... its own reward... and it applies so beautifully to kindness as well.

Being kind is its own reward.

Being kind to another person for no hidden motives, and not out of pretense, is its own reward. We give life, and we receive life in return.

Kindness is a life-giving act.

Graham Cooke has often said that God is the kindest Person he has ever known. I definitely agree with him.

Kindness is not just a sweet, gentle disposition... it is very much an action-filled concept.

Kindness translates concern to actual deeds, deeds that convey a message to the other person that he or she has value and worth in your eyes and is worth your attention.

Genuine kindness to another person means that I am considerate of his needs, aware of his feelings, compassionate toward his circumstances, his shortcomings, his inadequacies... and I offer myself to him or her in an area of need, without expecting to be thanked, acknowledged, or even repaid.

True kindness is being willing to be interrupted or inconvenienced.

So much more. Several pages would not be enough to talk about true, spiritual kindness.

But as I meditated on this particular quality of our Lord Jesus Christ, I was struck by what this Bible passage says: it is the the kindness of God that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4).

Looking inside my heart, I realize it is easier to be kind externally than internally. I must admit I am often unkind in my thoughts, judgments, and assessment of others. 

Yet, it is the kindness of God that leads me to repentance. 

How beautiful the heart and good intentions of God, that because of His kindness, showing me true value and worth, I have been led to bow at His feet, and offer my life to Him, to do with as He pleases.

Abba Father God has passed on to me a legacy of kindness.

Even as I write these words, I am also thankful for the legacy of kindness that has been passed on to me by my own dear earthly father, my Papa. 

I want to be like him. 

He was always kind... always kind. Of him it can be said, he didn't have one mean bone in him.

And this legacy of kindness I have received, from my Heavenly Father, and from my earthly father, I pass on to my dear grandchildren. 

As I pray for my dearest granddaughter Peaceful One, I ask Abba Father that she will truly experience the kindness of God in her life, that she, in turn will open the throne of her heart to Him.

Dearest granddaughter,

I pray that your heart will receive so much kindness 

from those around you,

causing the ground of your heart to be watered 

and drenched by kindness,

that kindness will be second nature to you, 

making the fruit of kindness evident in your life as you grow up.

You will be kind in your thoughts, 

in your perception of others, 

in your words, and in your deeds.

You will be a minister of kindness in the life of others, 

for the glory of God.

Much love always,

Nana

The Way to Eternity

"I am the way

and the truth

and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through Me."

- John 14:6




For by grace you have been saved through faith,
and that not of yourselves;
it is the gift of God, not of works,
lest anyone should boast.

- Ephesians 2:8-9

Today my third grandson Joyful One turns seven months old.

The name of God I have chosen for my blessing is shown in the photo above.

It has often been said that it doesn't matter what one believes, as long as one is sincere in his belief.

Such a statement indicates that there is no absolute truth to believe in, only subjective truth. Everything is relative. The act of believing is more important than the "object" of one's belief.

But what the world fails to understand is that what we believe in is very important.

When Jesus called Himself as The Way, The Truth, and The Life, He was making a crucial point.

No one comes to the Father except through Me.

He is the only Way to Heaven ... 

He is the absolute Truth... 

He alone is the Life.

And what's more, absolute truth does not require that I believe it in order for it to be established as truth.

He alone is the way to eternal life, whether we believe in it or not.

Today as Joyful One celebrates his seventh month of life, I pray that he will grow up knowing Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

As the day of Christ's return draws near, how my heart longs for many of my friends to know Him as their true Lord and Master. Indeed, I must be more bold in telling them about this truth. 

For fear of offending others, I prefer to leave this topic out of our conversations.

But it really is a matter of supreme importance, for what one believes will determine his eternal destiny,

There is one song I always sing, Were It Not For Grace, that makes me so grateful that Jesus my Lord has revealed Himself to me, and has led me to Himself as the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

As I think of my dear grandson on this special day, I pray fervently that early enough in his young life, God will give him the grace to turn the reins of his heart over to Jesus as his Lord.

Were It Not For Grace

Time measured out my days, life carried me along

In my soul I yearned to follow God 

But knew I'd never be so strong

I looked hard at this world 

To learn how Heaven could be gained

Just to end where I began, where human effort is all in vain

Were it not for grace, I can tell you where I'd be

Wandering down some pointless road to nowhere

With my salvation up to me

I know how that would go, the battles I would face

Forever running, but losing the race

Were it not for grace

So here is all my praise, expressed with all my heart

Offered to the Friend who took my place

And ran a course I could not start

And when He saw in full just how much His love would cost

He still went the final mile between me and Heaven

So I would not be lost

Were it not for grace, I can tell you where I'd be
Wandering down some pointless road to nowhere
With my salvation up to me
I know how that would go, the battles I would face
Forever running, but losing the race
Were it not for grace

Possess Your Souls

But the fruit of the Spirit is 

love, joy, peace,

longsuffering, kindness, goodness,

faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

Against such there is no law.

- Galatians 5:22-23

Luke 21:19 is one of my favorite Scripture passages. It says, "By your patience possess your souls."

It is right smack in the middle of Jesus' discourse about the signs of the end of the age:

"Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and, 'The time has drawn near.' Therefore do not go after them. But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately."

Then He said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven. But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake. But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But not a hair of your head shall be lost. 

By your patience possess your souls.

But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men''s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 

Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.


There can be no doubt about it, we are already in the end of the age that Jesus talks about in this passage.

There are wars, and rumors of wars...

earthquakes, famines, and pestilences...

signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars...

These are neither easy nor comfortable times for us to live in.

Nevertheless, we are powerless to change the course of events. All Jesus is asking of us is to remain steadfast, and to endure.

And to trust the words that He will put in our mouths when the time comes for us to speak up.

By your patience possess your souls.


My fourth grandchild Peaceful One turns three months old today, too young to understand what is going on in the world around her.

She belongs to Generation Z, the generation of children born after 2000.

As her grandmother, I belong to the Baby Boomers Generation, the generation born during the post WWII "Baby Boom" - from 1946 to 1964, when the world was naturally making up for all the people lost during the last world war, and there was a so-called "baby boom." Born in postwar hardship  this generation eventually recovered and experienced prosperity through hard work, creativity, educational advancement and technological discovery.

The Generation X children, those born from mid 1960s to early 1980, are shaped by global events such as the Vietnam War, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the end of the Cold War, and are more open to diversity. They are better equipped to tolerate religious-cultural differences.

My own children belong to Generation Y, those born in the early 1980s to the year 2000. This generation is aptly called The Millenials. A generation largely shaped by the technological revolution, they are a powerful group of young people who has technology built into their DNA, so to speak. This is a generation of iPhones, laptops, and tablets - social network connection is the language they speak and the milieu in which they operate.

Generation Z babies are born to Generation X and Y parents, so we can just imagine the kind of spiritual potential these children have.

Joel's army spoken of in the book of Joel will be comprised of Generation X, Y, and Z children.

This is also definitely the generation that will see the return of Jesus Christ.

So, the Biblical admonition By your patience possess your souls very much applies to this generation of young people.

Understandably, Generation X, Y, and Z children are impatient.

They have no patience for slow movement. They live in the age of fast food, space travel, and microwaves. Instant gratification. They do not understand the value of delayed gratification, which was what their grandparents, the Baby Boomers, knew very much about.

But not this generation. They think they know what they want, and that they can have it at the click of a mouse, or by simply pressing a button.

Internet banking.

Online shopping.

Everything within reach.

They live in today's cyberworld of increased knowledge.

But increased knowledge doesn't necessarily mean increased understanding.

Understanding only comes with patient endurance.

Longsuffering  or "long-tempered" is the Old English word for patience. It connotes the idea of being willing to suffer long.

That is how spiritual understanding comes, and that is also how inner character is built.

By the willingness to endure, to hold fast, and to wait patiently.

That is the only way by which we will save our lives, or win our souls, as some translations put it.

By patient endurance gain your life.

My dearest granddaughter,

You may be too young to understand what patience is, but today as you turn three months old, I speak to your spirit...

that you will be a child who will grow up with patience, willingness to wait, and ability to endure.

I decree and declare that a rich spiritual deposit of steadfastness will be a part of your DNA.

You live in an environment when it is so easy to lose your soul, so easy to allow the world's ungodly standards define you.

The world says, "It's okay to be intolerant."

The name of the game is "I can have what I want right now."

To be impulsive is normal.

But I pray that contrary to the ways of the generation to which you belong, you will be a young person willing to go against the tide of compromise and self-centeredness.

Your heart will be protected by patience.

By patience you will gain spiritual insight, understanding, and wisdom.

By patience your heart will be prepared for the tribulation and lawlessness against which you need to stand in these last days.

By patience you will be safe against the deceptive schemes of the evil one, and you will be ready to welcome the imminent return of Jesus Christ and bow before Him as your King, Lord and Savior.

This is my deep desire, and fervent prayer for you, my dearest Peaceful One, on this your third month of life.

Love,
Nana

Here's a song that my children used to sing when they were little:

Patience (Fruit of the Spirit, The Music Machine)

There was a snail called Herbert
Who was so very slow
He caused a lot of traffic jams
Wherever he would go
The ants were always getting mad
And the beetles they would fume
But Herb would always poke along
And sing this little tune

Have patience, have patience
Don't be in such a hurry
When you get impatient
You only start to worry
Remember, remember
That God is patient too
And think of all the times
When others have to wait for you

When Herbert was much younger
He often got in trouble
Forgetting that he was a snail
He did things on the double
He'd crash through every spider web
And with crickets he'd collide
'til one day Herbert's father
Took his speeding son aside

Have patience, have patience
Don't be in such a hurry
When you get impatient
You only start to worry
Remember, remember
That God is patient too
And think of all the times
When others have to wait for you

As you can well imagine
There's a moral to this tale
Some of you may find yourselves

Behind a creeping snail

So if you get impatient

And you're easily disturbed

Think about this little song
And take a tip from Herb

Have patience, have patience
Don't be in such a hurry
When you get impatient
You only start to worry
Remember, remember
That God is patient too
And think of all the times
When others have to wait for you