𝐏𝐇𝐂𝐂 - 𝐒𝐚𝐧 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐳𝐨

05/12/2024

A Belief Stronger Than Death

Imagine: Your brother has been dead for four days. The grief is so overwhelming that every part of you feels numb. Your tears have run dry, but the pain is far from gone.

Then, Jesus—your friend, the one thought to be the prophesied Messiah, the Savior of the world, the one who’s been doing astonishing miracles—shows up. Only … He wasn’t there to stop your brother from dying in the first place.

But then He does something that’s completely unexpected: He tells your dead-for-four-days brother to come out of his grave … and your brother listens. Lazarus walks out—alive.

Jesus knew that the raising of Lazarus was merely a foretaste of what was still to come. He’d eventually conquer death—for good. In the end, the grave would not have the final say. Those who believe in Him will never truly die, but go from this broken world to something much better.

That’s why the same words Jesus spoke to Lazarus’ sister, Martha, just before Lazarus’ miraculous moment are the same words Jesus would speak to you…

“I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this?” ‭‭
John‬ ‭11:25-26‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Martha probably had a billion questions and possibly just as many doubts. But she had been with Jesus, she had seen His power, and she couldn’t deny His love. And that’s why Martha responded with:

“‘Yes, Lord,’ … ‘I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.’” ‭‭
John‬ ‭11:27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Though our earthly bodies will die, God has more in store than we can dare to fathom.

Do you believe this?

Let us echo Martha’s heart—to believe that the Lord is exactly who He says He is. Let’s trust God with more than what our eyes can see. Let’s have the faith to follow Him to the end.

04/12/2024

Needy by Default

Jesus healed people who were sick and fed people who were hungry. Because of that, great crowds were following Him.

But He wanted them to know that who He was was greater than what He had to offer…

“Then Jesus declared, 'I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.'"
‭‭John‬ ‭6‬:‭35‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God could have hardwired us to need nothing, but instead, He made us dependent on things like food, water, oxygen, sleep, sunlight—and Him. He designed this world intentionally, with specific needs and certain limitations.

We are needy by default.

Just as food and water are essential for human life, everyday realities point us to spiritual truths…

We need Jesus even more than we need the essentials of life.

We can search for fulfillment in our work and relationships, as well as in money, fame, power, s*x, achievement, and adventure. But it all results in emptiness. It’s all like chasing after the wind.

So let’s not just follow Jesus merely for what He has to offer, but for who He is. Let’s realize that this world will never satisfy, but we already have access to true nourishment.

We can come to Him to be filled because He is the bread of life.

Photo: ctto

18/08/2024

20/03/2024

‭‭Lucas 1:49 APD‬‬
[49] tungod sang makatilingala nga mga butang nga ginhimo sa akon sang gamhanan nga Dios. Balaan siya nga Dios!

08/09/2023

𝐈𝐒 𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐀 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐑 𝐀 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏?
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At first, I really loved the quote, “Christianity is a relationship, not a religion.” until I realized it’s really baseless and misleading. Naging practice na ng maraming modern churches ngayon na ilarawan sa negatibong paraan ang salitang “religion” to the point na kadikit na nito ang mga ideyang “legalism,” “man’s own effort to earn God’s favor,” “by law rather than grace,” “keeping rituals,” at marami pang iba. The goal in saying this is to make Christianity more marketable to the audience. Less boring. More relatable. Less strict. More personal.

What is religion, by the way? The simplest definition, according to Oxford English Dictionary, is that it is “a particular system of faith and worship.” Merriam Webster has a similar meaning, “a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices.” Kung pagbabatayan ang kahulugan na nabanggit pati na rin ang pagkakaunawa ng lahat, walang duda na ang Kristiyanismo ay isang relihiyon dahil ito ay binubuo ng mga paniniwala at kaugalian na nakaugat sa pananampalataya, just like Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, etc. To assume that it is never a religion is to deny reality, for one must first invalidate all the Christianity’s history, beliefs, and practices, in order to support that idea. For the record, “religion” is not entirely a bad thing; even the Bible itself speaks of a “religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father” (James 1:27).

Kung ang Christianity ay isang religion, ibig sabihin ba hindi na ito relationship? Hindi naman. Actually, hindi ko alam kung sinong nagpauso na kailangang mamili tayo sa dalawa. So yes, Christianity is both! The religious and personal areas of Christianity are both sides of the same coin. Sa totoo lang, a personal relationship with Christ which is not guided by the religious aspects of Christianity is questionable and most of the time not even genuine. The rituals, doctrines, beliefs, and other religious features direct and safeguard believers’ intimacy with God. Kung aalisin mo ang mga ito, kanya-kanyang trip na lang tayo kung paano sambahin ang Diyos at ang ending kanya-kanya na lang din tayo ng pagkakakilala kung sino ang Diyos ---wala nang tama, wala na ring mali.

This is also true: religious acts and professions of faith are all nothing but empty outward performances if a believer fails to cultivate a personal relationship with Christ. ‘Yan ang problema ng mga religious leaders sa panahon ni Jesus, who honor God with their lips but their hearts are far from Him (Matt 15:8). Dahil wala silang sincerity, wala rin sa kanila ang approval ng Diyos.

Let's always remember this: Christianity is more than a religion, but never less. It is a relationship, but never an ordinary one. Stay Curious!

08/09/2023

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
Revelation 4:11 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/rev.4.11.ESV

07/06/2023

Karon makasiling kita nga ang tawo magatuo lang kay Cristo kon makabati siya sang mensahi parte sa iya. Kag ining mensahi mabatian lang kon may ara nga magtudlo sini.
Roma 10:17 APD

Karon makasiling kita nga ang tawo magatuo lang kay Cristo kon makabati siya sang mensahi parte sa iya. Kag ining mensahi mabatian lang kon may ara nga magtudlo sini.