Presents Or Presence?

Presents Or Presence?

December 5, 2009 — by Julie Ackerman Link   

Oswald Chambers once wrote: “It is not God’s promises we need, it is [God] Himself.”

At Christmastime we often say, “God’s presence is more important than presents.” But the amount of time and effort we spend on shopping for gifts may indicate otherwise.

In certain parts of the world, people give gifts on December 6. By doing so, they have the rest of the month to focus on Jesus and the wonder of His birth, God’s perfect gift to us.

When we say we want God’s presence more than presents from others, perhaps we’re being truthful. But how many of us can honestly say that we want God’s presence more than His presents?

Often we want gifts from God more than we want God Himself. We want health, wealth, knowledge, a better job, a better place to live. God may indeed want to give us these things, but we can’t have them apart from Him. As David said, “In Your presence is fullness of joy” (Ps. 16:11). Presents may make us happy for a time; earthly gifts from God may make us happy temporarily, but fullness of joy comes only when we remain in a right relationship with God.

***

So, what would Christmas be like if we truly celebrated God’s presence? ;)

 

Questions of Revelation

"Why is the world such a mess?"

"Why do undeserving people sit on the crown of glory?"

"How do the innocents get so helpless?"

"Why do I feel like the world just doesn’t get it?"

"Where do I go from here?"

"What can I get out of this?"

"What's my direction in this world?"

"What's waiting for me next?"

"How come I feel so tired in the things I do?"

"What would make me fulfilled?"

"Why do I constantly search for purpose in every single thing I do?"

"What do I truly want?"

'"Why was I created with such thoughts and perspectives?"

"What's the purpose of my life?"

 * * *

"WHY do you think about the world?"

"What's in it that's not in ME?"

“Why so busy finding yourself in this world?”

"Why search for temporal things that FADE?"

"Why not SEEK for MY WILL?"

“Why not LOSE yourself for Me to give you LIFE?”

"WHY WORRY too much?"

"Are MY PLANS for you so vague?"

"Or are you so FAR that you cannot see?"

"Why do you constantly question Me?"

"Do you even KNOW EVERYTHING YOU SEE THAT YOU QUERY FOR THE UNSEEN?"

“Why doubt MY UNCONDITIONAL LOVE and GRACE?

“Don’t you TRUST My plans I have for you and everything else?”

"WHY focus on what you can get?"

"Why not center on what you can DO?"

“HOW do you plan to live your life?”

"As many as it is, it's still MY PURPOSE that PREVAILS"

"I HAVE raised you that I might show you MY POWER"
 

"Be STILL and KNOW that I'M GOD"

A Love Letter

A love letter.. We used to write that to our loved ones especially during times of wonderful occasion, filled with love in the air :) ..Strong emotions with overpowering words of affection.. And as a reader, we can't help gushing out our joy and delight!  I do have with me a box full of treasured letters from diff kinds of people in my life :) Below is a love letter that expresses how deeply we are loved by The One =)

My Child,

You may not know me,
but I know everything about you.
Psalm 139:1

I know when you sit down and when you rise up.
Psalm 139:2

I am familiar with all your ways.
Psalm 139:3

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered.
Matthew 10:29-31

For you were made in my image.
Genesis 1:27

In me you live and move and have your being.
Acts 17:28

For you are my offspring.
Acts 17:28

I knew you even before you were conceived.
Jeremiah 1:4-5

I chose you when I planned creation.
Ephesians 1:11-12

You were not a mistake,
for all your days are written in my book.
Psalm 139:15-16

I determined the exact time of your birth
and where you would live.
Acts 17:26

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Psalm 139:14

I knit you together in your mother's womb.
Psalm 139:13

And brought you forth on the day you were born.
Psalm 71:6

I have been misrepresented
by those who don't know me.
John 8:41-44

I am not distant and angry,
but am the complete expression of love.
1 John 4:16

And it is my desire to lavish my love on you.
1 John 3:1

Simply because you are my child
and I am your Father.
1 John 3:1

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could.
Matthew 7:11

For I am the perfect father.
Matthew 5:48

Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand.
James 1:17

For I am your provider and I meet all your needs.
Matthew 6:31-33

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope.
Jeremiah 29:11

Because I love you with an everlasting love.
Jeremiah 31:3

My thoughts toward you are countless
as the sand on the seashore.
Psalms 139:17-18

And I rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17

I will never stop doing good to you.
Jeremiah 32:40

For you are my treasured possession.
Exodus 19:5

I desire to establish you
with all my heart and all my soul.
Jeremiah 32:41

And I want to show you great and marvelous things.
Jeremiah 33:3

If you seek me with all your heart,
you will find me.
Deuteronomy 4:29

Delight in me and I will give you
the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4

For it is I who gave you those desires.
Philippians 2:13

I am able to do more for you
than you could possibly imagine.
Ephesians 3:20

For I am your greatest encourager.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

I am also the Father who comforts you
in all your troubles.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4

When you are brokenhearted,
I am close to you.
Psalm 34:18

As a shepherd carries a lamb,
I have carried you close to my heart.
Isaiah 40:11

One day I will wipe away
every tear from your eyes.
Revelation 21:3-4

And I'll take away all the pain
you have suffered on this earth.
Revelation 21:3-4

I am your Father, and I love you
even as I love my son, Jesus.
John 17:23

For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed.
John 17:26

He is the exact representation of my being.
Hebrews 1:3

He came to demonstrate that I am for you,
not against you.
Romans 8:31

And to tell you that I am not counting your sins.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19

His death was the ultimate expression
of my love for you.
1 John 4:10

I gave up everything I loved
that I might gain your love.
Romans 8:31-32

If you receive the gift of my son Jesus,
you receive me.
1 John 2:23

And nothing will ever separate you
from my love again.
Romans 8:38-39

Come home and I'll throw the biggest party
heaven has ever seen.
Luke 15:7

I have always been Father,
and will always be Father.
Ephesians 3:14-15

My question is…
Will you be my child?
John 1:12-13

I am waiting for you.
Luke 15:11-32

Love, Your Dad
Almighty God

Universe's Most Distant Object Spotted

The approximate location of the most distant known galaxy is shown in yellow in an older Hubble picture.

Hubble image courtesy ESA/NASA

(National Geographic)

WASHINGTON – Astronomers believe they've found the oldest thing they've ever seen in the universe: It's a galaxy far, far away from a time long, long ago.

Hidden in a Hubble Space Telescope photo released earlier this year is a small smudge of light that European astronomers now calculate is a galaxy from 13.1 billion years ago. That's a time when the universe was very young, just shy of 600 million years old. That would make it the earliest and most distant galaxy seen so far.  (Yahoo News)

(..Amazing! Science really never ends! I'm so much enlightened with many discoveries and Astronomy is one of the things I'd like to feature as of the moment. More pictures below:)

The Carina Nebula, located 7,500 light-years away from Earth, in an image taken by the NASA Hubble Space Telescope in February 2010.
Photo: Reuters/NASA/Handout 

(National Geographic) 

 Cygnus Loop Supernova 

  This 1991 image shows a small portion of the Cygnus Loop supernova remnant. The formation shown here marks the outer edge of an expanding blast wave from a colossal stellar explosion that occurred about 15,000 years ago. The blast wave slams into clouds of interstellar gas, causing it to glow and revealing information about the composition of the gas.

(National Geographic) 

 

 

 

Something Old, Something New

Two star clusters caught in a single image from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, mission are providing astronomers with a study in contrasts. Released April 23, the picture features the Coronet cluster, a small grouping of about a dozen young stars, nestled in a wispy cloud of dust about 420 light-years from Earth.

 Image courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA

(National Geographic) 

Martian Ice Exposed

Exposed ice glints inside a recent impact crater in a newly released picture from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The HiRISE camera aboard the orbiter caught sight of the roughly 66-foot-wide (20-meter-wide) crater inside a dark, half-mile-wide (800-meter-wide) blast zone in March.

This crater, caused by an unknown body, is one of only seven discovered by the HiRISE team that shows the planet's subsurface ice. Even though about half of Mars is thought to have buried ice, such craters are hard to find. That's because the camera most easily spots craters in dusty regions, where the impact blows out a wide swath of dark material that stands out against the bright surface.

Image courtesy NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

(National Geographic) 

 Small revelation: I never had the chance yet to peek in a telescope.. One day I'll do.  And I can feel that it'll be one of the most magnificent sights I''ll ever witness :)

What A Beauty!

October 16-17, 2010, went up to Baguio for our store visitation.  On our way up, i can't help but stay awake immersing myself with the beauty of nature.  I was once again inspired by God to create a poem glorifying His majestic creations everywhere :)

Natural Creations

Oh Lord, how wonderful it is,

Having to See all these creations,

From the blue skies and highest valleys,

To the vast lands and green plantations.

Oh Lord, how pleasant it is,

Having to Smell all these creations,

From midnight wind and rainforest leaves,

To defensive skunks and distinctive scents.

Oh Lord, how excellent it is,

Having to Hear all these creations,

From the rumbling thunder and tossing waves,

To the chirping birds and hooting owls.

Oh Lord, how awesome it is,

Having to Taste all these creations,

From citrus fruits and red hot chilis,

To brewed coffee and chunky sirloins!

Oh Lord, how magnificent it is,

Having to Feel all these creations,

From the sun's heat and warm breeze,

To the calming raindrops and cold seasons.

Oh Lord, how marvelous You are,

The Source of myriad existences.

Infinite Creator of all, thus far,

From and To with Your perfect presence.

>Ü<

 

Early Eagle

Someone once preached,

That you can't soar like an eagle if you surround yourself with chickens.

My ways of time I have breached,

Away from being a sleepyhead chick to the early eagle's season!

:))

  

"Peeve Factor"

It's 10:48pm and i'm lying down on my bed ready to rest for the day.  No matter how tired i am, something inside me kept whispering, urging me to write down my thoughts.  Well, here it goes.. Let me tell you about today.

My day started out fine.  Woke up 7am, morning routine, reached the office, mingled a bit, spent almost 8 hours with researches and analyses of work related stuffs.  Clock ticks 6pm, packed up, rode the train, got home, petty relaxations, night routine fast forward to now lying down on my bed typing these things on my qwerty phone. Sounds typical right? Not until you dig between the lines.

Have you ever encountered someone that annoys you? People who think independently without considering truly the whole perspective.  Have you perhaps encountered situations that bothers you?  Like walking along edsa and got irritated by the massive air pollution, or was witnessing how people open their water faucets as if they're doing laundry when in fact they're just washing their slim hands.  Does being in a crowded area bug you on how you can't walk straight towards your destination because people don't want to yield?  Or better yet, how traffic jam peeves you because of that!  Well, feel free to insert those between the lines.

On the other hand, it got me thinking on how it's really hard to go together in our tainted society.  We can't please everybody, and everybody can't please us.  It got me wishing on how my days would be if it would revolve around predictable situations (talk about a saccharine culture).  Imagine the comfort in that zone!  However, I know that's not the thought to be settled in.  We are all different in the way we see things, how we handle situations, how we perceive factors that affect our daily lives.  What we carry out would affect not only ourselves but also the people around us, whether a friend or a stranger.  Even to the slightest idea that we thought is meaningless, for the others it may mean a thousand things.

So what now, you may ask.  Well, there goes the challenge!  Everyday is a challenge to show who we truly are in this distinctive surroundings, a challenge to be assertive in the right way, to subside the overrated statements of life and live in a Godly standard.  A challenge to make a stand in this little planet of ours, wherever we go, carrying the best image that God has created us to be.  It might be hard, but then again, where's the challenge without hardship?  Where's the success without perseverance? And where's the testimonial of faith without making a stand?

11:20pm is the approximate time i finished typing my thoughts.  I was uncertain last night if i should be posting it or not.  Turns out i did.  And turns out i added few more thoughts to my composition last night hehe! 

*Signing off. .

A Creation for My Creator

"Poetry - any communication resembling in beauty or the evocation of feeling" (~WordWeb).  An art in my life.  Writing has been one of my interests since I was still a child.  I used to have journal of essays and poems with various instances occurring.  I even wrote a poem for my first dog who passed away!  Lately did I just realize that I've been writing about all the temporal things like reviews around the Metro, features for our school paper, well, the eminent disposition of love, so and so.

Below is the first poem I wrote inspired by A Being who has been continually changing my life for the better towards His glory =)

A Creation for My Creator

 There's something I feel inside of me,

   A great wonder beyond what the eyes can see.

Amidst the chaos in a crowded scene,

   Appeared an image of lightness so serene.

My heart hushed down to the beauty of it's rays,

   There within was a Man of such power and grace.

Near He came, reaching out for my hands,

   As I felt the warmth of His loving presence.

 I desired to draw near but something kept me,

   Obscurity behind like shadows of frailty.

Enchained, I was, with my mischief scars,

   With the bind of failures, I struggled for hours.

 I was led nowhere with my own might,

   Until a small voice whispered in delight.

"Be still, My child, I'll never forsake you,

   Surrender to the Highest, be free and renewed."


Before I knew it, my chains were gone,
For guidance from above has long begun.
My soul found rest in my God who spoke,
Fear was conquered and I was reborn.

Then and there, I felt love so real,

   An unconditional gift more than once revealed.

Now I choose to see, to believe, and follow Thee,

   To love You back as You've always love me.. :) 

 * * * 

To God be the Glory!

How to Recover From a True Test of Faith
By Leslie Musoko
Author Of Spirituality/Christianity
Divinity Dawns & Eli

Many of us say we are on the path to righteousness because we believe in God. Many of us say our faith is wholesome, cannot be shaken and will stand the test of time. The fact is unless we have been tested these are merely words. In real faith there is humility because we recognize that passing these tests are not down to us but the love of God for us. It is not by our will but by his will whether we are chosen to succeed or not. Below are some of the ways we can find our path back to true worship once we have been put through these tests.

 Understanding Chastisement
Without understanding why we are being tested it is impossible to recover our faith. God tests us for several reasons. He tests us to make us stronger and refine and direct our faith towards him. He tests us to grow in him and with him. He tests us to take us away from the things of the world and focus on spiritual things. That said the real reason why God tests us is simply because he loves us. By the same token that we love our children, we use discipline to teach them right from wrong. From the child's perspective this is unpleasant until they understand our reasons. This is the same way our heavenly father lets us grow. If we understand that it is for love that we need to endure then we can recover easily from these tests.

The little things
During the hardest of times it is the little things that matter. Let's face it a true test would be on something that means a lot to us. Something that we never envisaged could happen. It could be on something that demoralizes us completely. This could knock us down for days, months and even years. The fact is if we start by looking at the little things that surround our daily lives and watching ourselves succeed in those then we shall see that victory is not too far for the bigger things. As the Lord our savior Jesus Christ teaches us, 'He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.' These words should be a point of reference for our recovery.

The past
One thing to remember on the road to recovery is how we fared when faced with tribulation in the past. Scripture also teaches us that God would not let us face a situation beyond our means. If that is the case then we are qualified to face this test. This must mean that we succeeded before in other tests of the past. If we recognize this then we should have no doubt that we are capable of handling the present and future by his grace.

Time
Scripture also teaches us that everything in life has a time and place. There is a time for mourning and a time for joy, a time for laughter and one for tears. This cycle is repeated constantly in our lives until we die and rise in spirit. If this is the case then we must know that as winter passes and spring takes over so shall sadness pass for joy to replace it. We must allow for this time in our lives.

Prayer
Prayer without ceasing is the true answer to recovery. Prayer without ceasing strengthens us from within. If we can fast during this time it would even make us stronger as we pray. God knows our wishes and desires. He knows that as man we need this to survive. He knows our thoughts long before we make our requests. However he also knows what's best for us. He also recognizes our frailties in life. For this reason and to ensure that we are peaceful with our desires he must make certain that we can keep them. Prayer can enlighten us, strengthen our understanding and give us hope that as we have asked so shall we receive.

Sincerest prayer for Ahya Mike..

Guidelines for Living
By: Dr. Harold Sala

29 July 2010

SO YOU KNOW WHAT LOVE IS, DO YOU?

 

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:1-2

When I was doing research for my book, Joyfully Single in a Couples’ World, Guidelines conducted a survey of singles from a wide range of cultural and economic backgrounds.

Of those who responded, 93% said they would not marry someone they did not love.  What shocked me was the 7% who said they would!  For money, security, or better connections they admitted that they would marry someone whom they did not love.

Love is a decision, a commitment to care--not simply an emotional state of mind caused by raging hormones.  For the next few minutes, think about the following ten assumptions and then rate them as true or false.

1.  The most important thing, when it comes to love and happiness, is picking the right partner.  Answer:  False.  Picking the right partner is only one factor.  Being the right partner is even more essential.  Most problems in marriage are not with the other person but with yourself.  Most people want the other person to change but are unwilling to bend themselves.

2.  Few people agree on what love really is.   Answer:  False.  A study of more than 1,000 young men and women demonstrates that love means the same thing to most of us.

3.  Being intelligent is a handicap to love.  Answer:  False.  Studies indicate that individuals with intelligence have a greater capacity to change and adapt to the circumstances of a relationship.  In simple terms, they are secure enough that winning every argument is not that important.

4.  Absence makes a heart grow fonder.  Answer:  False.  The reality is that absence causes the heart to wander.  Being together is vital to resolving differences and to growing more intimate with each other.  Separation makes communication more difficult and a relationship more strained.  Absence tends to foster romantic notions but in reality doesn't help a relationship to grow.

5.  People who believe in romantic love are more apt to be emotionally unstable.  Answer:  False.  Studies at a major university show that individuals with little sense of romance tend to be "rigid, inhibited individuals."  But people who can enjoy a walk in the moonlight, or are willing to spend some money on perfume or flowers, are better adjusted and more willing to contribute to a relationship.

6.  Men are more willing to let their heads rule their hearts than women are.  Answer:  False.  The fact is that having said, "I do!" women are far more interested in material considerations such as a nice home and furniture, a good car, and social status.  

7.  The strong, silent male is more likely to be a great lover than the outgoing verbal one.  Answer:  False.  The American Institute of Family Relations studies show that the fortunes of love "strongly influence the man who is most fluent in expressing his feelings.  A ‘strong, silent’ disposition was found to be a definite handicap."  The bottom line:  the strong silent male is apt to have real trouble in expressing his love.

8.  There are two periods of life--teen years and in your early 40s--when you are most apt to fall in love.   Answer:  True.  For men, however, this occurs a bit later.  

9.  If you really love someone, success is pretty certain in marriage.  Answer:  False.  Much more than love is necessary to make a marriage work.  Love is only one of the ingredients. 

10.  To be happy in a loving relationship, you need to put your best foot forward.  Answer:  False.  Being completely honest and vulnerable is vitally necessary if you are to know and really love the other person. 

Resource reading: 1 Corinthians 13.