HE NEVER CHANGED

A cynic once remarked that nothing is permanent except change. We live in a world of change. Everything from ladies’ shoes to legislation, from automobiles to art, from furniture to finances... styles and customs and conditions change overnight. World events seem to tumble over each other with barely enough time to happen.

In such a breath-taking age men look here and there for a point of permanence.

a) Some rely upon financial investments, but money only serves to purchase more change.

b) Others seek to endure through fame, honors, and position; but how soon are the famous forgotten.

c) Some rely upon friends, but too many friends, like shadows, follow only in sunny weather...and even the best of friends are sometimes called away.

Thousands seek to escape life’s boredom through modern fads and isms. Someone has said: "The religion of China is Confucian: the religion of America is confusion." Men wander in a wilderness of cults seeking lasting satisfaction.

My dad used to tell of a man who bragged that he had been a Methodist and Presbyterian and was now thinking of leaving the Baptist work to become a Charismatic. My dad wished him luck. The man seemed puzzled, thinking his pastor would fight for his membership. Dad explained that he didn’t see any harm in changing labels on an empty bottle.

I rejoice that "I have an anchor that keeps my soul, steadfast and sure while the billows roll; fastened to the rock which cannot move, grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love." That is the Jesus that I want to talk about today.

JESUS CHRIST THE SAME.

What marvelous satisfaction we can take in these four words.

A. Your health will leave you.

B. Your circumstances in life will not remain the same.

C. All too often we find that those around us cannot be counted on.

D. Since all this is true, what a relief it is to turn from these changing scenes to Jesus Christ, the same. Here is One Who never fails the heart that leans on Him for rest.

1. Health may fail us -- but His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

2. Adversity may crash upon us -- but He draws closer than a brother and whispers, "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

3. Friends may desert us, so that we end up saying with Paul, "No man stood with me." -- But we can also say with him in the next verse, "Notwithstanding, the Lord stood with me."

4. And even when death draws near He assures us, "I am the resurrection and the life."

E. I take great comfort in knowing that my Savior is referred to in Isa. 9:6 as "the everlasting Father" and as One with whom is no variableness or shadow of turning.

JESUS CHRIST THE SAME YESTERDAY.

A. There is an eternity locked up in these words. In fact, eternity stands on either side of the Christ of today.

B. Strictly speaking, there is no past tense with the Lord Jesus Christ.

1. (Jn. 8:58) - "Before Abraham was I AM"

2. Jn. 1:1-2

3. We must never neglect to acknowledge the eternal pre-existence of Jesus.

C. But what of the Jesus of modern history?

1. Born in another man’s stable, buried in another man’s tomb.

2. Living in a little land less than half the size of Arkansas.

3. In His public ministry, never over a hundred miles from home.

4. He wrote no books, led no armies, left His truths with a few plain and unpromising disciples.

5. Died the death of a criminal.

6. Yet that life stands alone. What He said and did proves who He is. (Matt. 16:16)-"Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God."

D. But the Jesus Christ of yesterday did not end in a sealed tomb. Christians are not living on a memory.

E. In the midst of despair Jesus appeared to His disciples as the eternal King; victorious over death, hell, and the grave. Then not many days after that He empowered His church to continue in His name.

F. Jesus Christ of yesterday is the Eternal Son from everlasting with the Father, sharing with Him in creation.

1. Jesus Christ of yesterday is the Word made flesh, taking the form of a servant, made sin for us.

2. Jesus Christ of yesterday is the risen and glorified Christ, living His life in millions of lives through 2,000 years.

JESUS CHRIST THE SAME TODAY.

A. Many Christians find themselves getting upset with God because Christ is not working to suit their own private agenda and timetable.

B. Christ is doing exactly what He purposed to do in this age, and His program is following the Father’s schedule.

1. The blind are seeing, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the Gospel preached to them.

2. You say, "Yes Jesus did that then, but He is not doing it now." Consider the working of Christ in this age.

a. Eyes blinded by the god of this world are still being opened by the light of the world.

b. Those crippled by sin are walking in the newness of life thanks to the great physician.

c. Modern-day Naamans dip in the fountain filled with blood and lose their spiritual leprosy.

d. Ears are being opened to the music of heaven.

e. Those who are dead in trespasses and sins are being quickened to eternal life.

f. And the world over, the Gospel is being preached to the poor.

3. The Lord Jesus Christ is still the same today as He was yesterday. He is still doing mighty works...and if He is not doing them in your life it may be because -- while you hold the Jesus of yesterday in high regard, you have not experienced the Jesus of today. [See Matt. 13:54-58]

JESUS CHRIST THE SAME FOREVER.

A. It would not be enough that He is the same yesterday and today if somewhere down the road He should cease to be. [ (I Cor. 15:19) - "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable."]

B. But the best is yet to come.

1. He has promised to come for us.

2. We will see Him as He is and we shall be like Him. Then we will rule and reign with Him.

3. Sorrow will be removed...sickness will be vanquished...sin will be conquered...and...death will be destroyed.

C. And in the middle of all this is Jesus Christ.

So, in this changing age, rejoice in a changeless Christ.

1. He is the same yesterday, and because of who he was yesterday, the Son of God dying for the sins of the world, He meets the problem of our yesterdays, our guilt before a holy God.

2. He is the same today, and because of Who He is today, our Lord and our Advocate, He meets the problem of our today’s, He directs our lives and pleads our cases before the Father.

3. He is the same forever, and because He is, He meets the problem of our tomorrows, He assures us of life eternal and a home with Him.

By Howard Parrell

COMMUNIST PARTY 41ST ANNIVERSARY

The Communist party of the Philippines is now 41 years in the Philippines. We understand that the principle of communism is equality for everybody. Communism is the doctrine of the conditions of the liberation of the working class.

The communist party (CPP) continues to struggle to achieve these objectives even if it will costs them so much. They will continue to pursue communism even if it will cost them their lives. Revolution as they call it.

The working class originated in the industrial revolution, which took place in England in the last half of the last (18th) century, and which has since then been repeated in all the civilized countries of the world. It all began when the steam engine was invented and other manufacturing equipments that would require manual labor to operate. The existence of industry has replaced the practice of slavery but retained the division of classes between rich and poor. This division is called the division between the capitalist and the proletariat or the working class.

The difference between the working class and the slaves is that slaves have no freedom from their masters while the working class are free but often controlled by their employers and the industry practice. The industry is often accused of manipulating the economy to increase capitalist returns while the working class remains always at the mercy of the industrialists. The working class just gets what is minimum wage, often set by the industry, while the capilists enjoys huge returns. There is not much of a difference after all.

If we look back to the history of communism, it all started in Russia. Russia was ruled by a monarchy that wielded absolute power over the people: the Romanov Dynasty. Czar Nicholas II and his wife resisted the shift toward democracy that much of the world was making. The members of Russia's lower classes had long suffered in poverty. These two factors, combined with the huge losses suffered during World War I, made the czar very unpopular. In addition, he and his family were living in luxury while their subjects struggled for basic necessities.

A famine broke out during the world war I in Feb 1917 which brought Russia in chaos. Czar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate his throne. The Russian Provisional Government was set up to take his place, effectively ending the Romanov Dynasty. Vladimir Linen who opposed to war was leading his communist party, got the support of the people and thereby overthrew the Russian provisional Government.

Manipulation also existed even in communism just to get the message across. Lenin was aware that the upper class wouldn't willingly give up land or wealth, so he created the New Economic Policy (NEP) to legislate redistributing land -- taking it from the nobility and giving it to the poor. Upholding the necessary phases that Marx outlined, Lenin initiated the Red Terror, a threatening fear campaign led by the Bolsheviks. His goal was mass murder, which he accomplished through three main methods.

Man-made famine was Lenin's most successful tool. He knew that if he could break the peasantry, he'd have full control. Lenin engineered famines by requiring peasants to sell their crops to him at virtually no profit, using the rationale that he needed the crops to support his army. The peasantry was so indignant that they reduced crop production drastically, leading to a full-scale civil war. The exact numbers vary, but tens of millions of people starved and millions died.

Lenin also instituted slave labor camps. Anyone who disagreed with Lenin's rule was sent to work at one of these camps, where millions more suffered and died. And, he executed his detractors to silence their voices. During the Red Terror, hundreds of thousands of detractors were put to death.

There is the beginning of communism. Communist Russia began to be aggressively expanding in its neighboring countries toward Europe after World War II which was evidently halted by the creation of NATO. Since military process is deemed easily recognizable like what happened in Afghanistan during the 1988-89 Rassian invasion, the communist resorted to underground movements where it supports clandestine activities that are geared to destabilize existing democratic fronts.

Communists supports these movement financially. You will not wonder now why these left leaning groups in the Philippines are able to sustain massive demonstrations, mobilizing a huge crowd without draining organizational funds for a long period of time.

41 years of extensive revolt is no ordinary endeavor. We know capitalist America has had its lessons learned in the recent financial crisis, but communist Russia progressed by opening their market to capitalism. We are certain that communism therefore cannot be an answer to the plight of the Filipino people. It may look promising but Some schools of thought insist that communism is simply unsupportable on a large scale.

Therefore, the decline of the USSR was inevitable so will Philippine communist movement. Like the old school Lenin approach of creating a scenario to influence people to buy their idea, manipulating his way to achieve his communistic vision, we can relate that these local communist leaders are also buying their time to ride on peoples' misery, win them to believe and follow a losing proposition.

THE MAN BEHIND CHRISTMAS

Luke 1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

It’s a wonderful thing, Christmas.... It’s wonderful for many reasons. It’s a time of sharing with friends and family. It’s a time to show love for our fellow man. It’s a time to celebrate the miraculous event that is the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus.

This morning I want us to focus on exactly what it is that makes this a special day.... You see, two thousand years ago in a common stable with hay and straw and manure and dirt and probably rodents crawling around, the King of all kings was born....

The angel of the Lord called Him a Savior, the Son of the Highest and said He would be called Jesus.....

This tiny little infant would come to be known by more people than anyone else in the history of mankind....

He would become known in a personal way, not merely the knowledge of, but really known by men and women all over the world... this tiny little baby.

What do you think was the first thing that Mary did after Jesus was born, before she wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in the manger? If she was anything like most mothers I’ve talked to she counted his fingers and toes to make sure He was all right....You see, the scripture says Jesus was born of a woman so He was completely human. But, the Holy Spirit caused Mary to be with child when she had never been with a man so he was also completely God.

Now, even more than most women, I believe that Mary simply had to want to make sure that Jesus was all right, so I feel sure she counted His fingers and toes.... Now that’s not in the scripture, but we’re talking about a human Mom here.

It’s interesting to note also that nowhere in the Bible does it say anything about Mary being sinless... She wasn’t... After all she was descended from Adam just like we all are and had a sinful nature.... Nowhere in the Bible are we told that we are to worship Mary.... We are told merely that she had found favor with God.

Now, if Jesus was born of a woman then that shows His humanness.... Can you imagine being there in that dirty, smelly stable with your new baby? Scripture doesn’t tell us, but since they were in a stable where there was a manger I feel sure that there were other animals there as well.... Probably donkeys, maybe goats.... But I’m sure that Mary didn’t mind, because she had just delivered a perfect little baby boy....

What do you suppose it was like to see Jesus smile for the first time? You know, that sweet little smile that only a baby can produce.... Do you think He had hair when He was born? What color do you think it was?

These are human aspects of Jesus.... So was that day a few months later when He took His first steps.... He probably wobbled a bit and then plopped down on His bottom, just like all the other human babies in the world do when taking their first steps....

What do you think it would have been like to watch Him waddle around after Mary as she was doing her chores a year or so later?

Can you imagine what Jesus might have looked like when He was 5 or 6 years old and had lost all His front baby teeth? What kind of games do you think He might have played with the other children as He grew up? Can you imagine Him running to catch up with the other boys and perhaps tripping and falling and skinning His knee? I bet He did.... You see He was a human little boy...

But I bet He was also different from the rest of the children in some ways.... I bet He was obedient, I bet He never talked back to His mother or Joseph....

Can you imagine the other boys coming over and asking Mary, "Can Jesus come out and play"?

Do you ever suppose she told them He wasn’t there, but was at the synagogue? I bet that happened a lot...

Jesus was a special child for sure.... When He was twelve years old and He and His parents went to Jerusalem and He became separated from his family and they found Him in the temple where He was amazing the elders there with His insight, remember what He said when they chastised Him for not coming with the family?

Luke 2:46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. 47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. 48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. 49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?

He said, "Don’t you know that I must be about my Father’s business....?" Jesus was truly a special child.... a human child.... But He was also God...

And even though the scripture doesn’t talk about Jesus again until He is thirty years old, He lived His life and did the things that He needed to do to make a living and care for His mother and family....

He picked up the family trade of carpentry.... Do you ever suppose He got a splinter in His hand from the wood? How about hitting His finger with a mallet? Did He sweat when He worked? Do you suppose He worked up an odor like the rest of us when we work out in the heat and sweat while we work?

I think He did..... He was human.... He was as human as you and I are today... He had the same bodily functions, He got hungry, thirsty and tired. He felt loneliness, sadness, joy...

I also think he had a sense of humor... Can you see Him laughing? I can.... especially when He’s surrounded by children... The children that always seemed to want to come to Him... Have you ever noticed that children don’t like to hang around grumpy people? Jesus experienced everything that you and I experience as a human being because, while He was God, He was also man. He knows what we face day in and day out... He’s been there too...

But Jesus didn’t come to Earth so that He could experience what it’s like to be human.... Since He is God in man’s form and He knows all things, He already knew what we go through as mere humans.

The reason He came to Earth is so that we could come to know what God is like.... In the form of man, Jesus let us see into the nature of God... We got to see the love that God has for each and every one is us... We see the wisdom that God has... We have only to look at Jesus to know God....

What did Jesus tell Thomas? John 14:6 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

Athanasius, who lived from 295-373 AD said this about Jesus, "He became what we are that He might make us what He is."

Jesus also came in order to save us.... On our own all of us would be doomed to an eternity of suffering without God. We would be cast into the lake of fire... But WITH Jesus, all that simply fades away.... It’s not in the future for those who believe.... Praise God for sending His Son for the likes of me!

That’s what Christmas is all about... It’s more than a baby being born in a stable and being laid in a manger...

It’s more than shepherds in a field and wise men making a journey.... It’s more than giving gifts and spending time with family....

It’s all about God loving us so much that He took on the form of a lowly man, an insignificant being, in order that He might save us from ourselves and our sinful natures....

Psalm 8:3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; 4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him?

Imagine the love that God must have for us that He would come down from on high as one of us in order to save us and to give us a chance to be with Him one day!

Joseph Damien was a nineteenth-century missionary who ministered to people with leprosy on the island of Molokai, Hawaii. Those who had leprosy grew to love him for the sacrificial life he lived out before them.

One morning before Damien was getting ready to lead daily worship, he was pouring some hot water into a cup when the water spilled out and fell onto his bare foot.

It took him a minute to realize that he hadn’t felt any sensation. He was gripped by the sudden fear of what this could mean. He poured more hot water on the same spot. No feeling whatsoever.

Damien immediately knew what had happened.... As he walked to deliver his sermon with a tear on his cheek....

At first no one noticed the difference in his opening line.... He normally began every sermon with, "My fellow believers." But this morning he began with, "My fellow lepers." He had known that he might contract leprosy himself, but he chose to minister to those forgotten people anyway...

In far greater measure than this Jesus came into this world, knowing what it would cost him. He took on the burden of our sins that we might be made pure.

"For this I came into the world," he said in John 18:37.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta Said this about Christmas. "It is Christmas every time you let God love others through you . . . yes, it is Christmas every time you smile at your brother and offer him your hand." Yes, Christmas is much more than a baby being born... Christmas is hope and infinite joy and reaching out to others and love.... Mostly love...

Christmas can be summed up in these words...For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

This man Jesus who felt all the same things we do felt the nails go into His hands on the cross... He felt each and every blow of the hammer when they nailed His feet to the tree.... He felt the pain of our sins as He died in order that we may live...

This man who bled just like we do was more than a man, much more... This man was Our God, Our Lord and Savior... He gave His life as an atonement for our sins...What are you willing to give Him this morning?

"A GIFT FOR JESUS"

What can I give Him,

As poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd,

I would bring Him a lamb;

If I were a wise man,

I would do my part;

Yet what I can I give him?

I’ll Give my heart!

Give Him your heart and you will find that He has already given you His.... Offer Him your heart and see if He doesn’t fill you with His love.

May God grant you:

the light of Christmas, which is faith;

the warmth of Christmas, which is love;

the radiance of Christmas, which is purity;

the righteousness of Christmas, which is justice;

the belief in Christmas, which is truth;

the all of Christmas, which is Christ. Amen

by Roger Wilson

ELECTION FEVER PHILIPPINES

On May 2010, the People of the Philippines will be selecting their next president. Just recently, the Commission on Election has disqualified quite a number of aspirants and left 8 candidates to proceed with their candidacy. Those who were disqualified were barred due to their inability to sustain the rigors of the campaign period, the Comelec educed. It is understood that the Philippine campaign setting is physically and financially draining.

One presidential aspirant once said that running for president in the Philippines would need one to have 1 Billion pesos ($2 Million ++). That leaves one to think that running for office in the Philippines is like investing in business big-time. therefore we still cant get away with the notion that the presidency is only for the rich.

The answer to this setback should be the party system. Anybody with strong capacity to run for office should be under a party to get support. It is in the party that these candidate get all the logistics they need. The party system should take care for the financial concerns of the candidate all throughout the campaign period. It is in the party where apply the principles behind the political system.

Political system in which individuals who share a common set of political beliefs organize themselves into parties to compete in elections for the right to govern. Single-party systems are found in countries that do not allow genuine political conflict. Multiparty and two-party systems represent means of organizing political conflict within pluralistic societies and are thus indicative of democracy. Multiparty systems allow for greater representation of minority viewpoints; since the coalitions that minority parties must often form with other minority parties to achieve a governing majority are often fragile, such systems may be marked by instability.

In the party system, they plan for what is best for the country. Everybody contributes for the achievement of that goal and they pool resources together to become strong. Pooling of resources includes financial contribution so that this party is really a party for everybody. Raising the Php 1 million ($2 Million ++) is not a question therefore for any candidate to run for the presidency if he belongs to one party.

The Philippine political party system doesn't work this way. The political party is mostly ran by the rich and powerful, controlled by one or very few individuals. Political party leaders often woo businessmen to support there candidate; and we do not have limits to the financial support that they provide. More often than not, they finance almost all of the presidential candidates campaign needs thereby making their candidates their subjects who obsequiously submit to their whims and caprices after winning the election.

Running for the presidency is like investing in business big-time, indeed it looks like it is. With no cap for financial support therefore means there is no cap for financial return. They will definitely get back what they have invested if indeed we are talking of 1 Million bucks investment.

This is the reason why every time there is someone interested to run for president and they have someone to back him up then he can create a political party. Package himself well to be advertised like a fresh product. If he wins, then we have a new president that easily.

This is also probably the reason why you will notice that many of the ad campaign that these presidential candidates do are market driven. They market themselves by getting what the pulse of the masses would be and not based on what the political party's platform. and the needs of the nation are. It is only in the Philippines where popularity is the basic requirement to run for office. A lot of actors are running for political office, boxing icon Pacquiao is seeking congressional seat as well. You will be ahead of the rest if you have popular candidates in your slate no matter how inutile they may become for as long as you get your return so quickly.

Because it is likened to an investment, then their basic platform is to get the return of investment the shortest possible time. Ofcourse this doesn't apply to everyone.

The party should establish a platform of government and cascade this to the people. We always get these general approaches in most campaigns, food, clothing and shelter, nothing else is new. Everybody knows that these are the things people need, but on how to do this, these parties don't have an inkling on what to do.

Look at how many presidential candidates do we have, 8 candidates for president. If we have only 12 Million voters, therefore he only needs 2 million votes to bag the presidency if votes are shared equally. It means that there will only be 2 Million people who will decide for the more than 80 Million Filipinos. If the political party system in the Philippines is streamlined, we would have lesser candidates and the votes should be the real voice of the people. if the parties are also well placed with the right perspective, they wouldn't have allowed mediocre candidates to take the place of the more capable one.

GOD IS LOVE

There’s an old song that says, “Love is many-splendored thing.” The very concept of love is one of the most permeating themes in the world today. The Beatles sang about in the sixties. Their message to a hurt and frightened world was, “love is all you need.” According to Amazon.com, there are at least 32,507 books currently in print with the word “love” in the title (over 145,000 that deal with the subject of love) and over 11,000 popular albums/CDs with “love” in the title. If you were to do a google-search on the internet, you’d discover at least 121,000,000 web-sites that that use the word “love” as one of their key words. It’s deniable, how important love is to our culture—to any culture really.

But with all this information available, love has become a very confusing subject. When I watch TV, check the internet, or scan magazines in the checkout lines, it’s clear that our society has a very poor understanding of love. Not long ago, I heard about a single mother with two school age children. This mother had a busy social life—too busy, in fact. When the children got in the way of her fun, she loaded them up with cough medicine. With the kids drugged to sleep, she and the boyfriend of the day were free to do whatever they wanted. Now, I venture to say that if the authorities were to intervene to rescue those children, that woman would protest, “I love my children!” But is that really love? With humanity so confused about love, who is to say what love is?

The answer is—God! One of the simplest and yet most profound definitions of love is found in 1 John 4:8. John, who by the way was known as the apostle of love, wrote, “God is love.” Those three little words ought to fill our hearts with warmth and hope. If those words are true, it makes all the difference in the world! But we need to understand this rightly. “God is love” does not mean that “love is God.” In other words, love does not define God; rather, God defines love. Much of what we call “love” in modern America bears no resemblance or relationship to the holy, spiritual love of God. So it is important that we dig a little deeper into this passage to discover what God’s love really is. In this chapter, John indicates four characteristics of God’s love for you and me, the first of which is that God’s love is a personal love.

• A PERSONAL LOVE

John begins this section of Scripture by saying, “Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:7-8 NLT).

I think the overriding impression of these two verses is that the love of God is personal. God’s love causes us to know Him, and Him to know us. I think that A.W. Tozer said it best: “The love of God is one of the great realities of the universe, a pillar upon which the hope of the world rests. But it is a personal, intimate thing too. God does not love populations, He loves people. He loves not masses, but men.” Powerful messages that we can take to people today is that God loves them. Every individual person is important to God, and He loves each one. G.K. Chesterton understood this truth when he said, “All people matter. You matter. I matter. It’s the hardest thing in theology to believe.”

When teaching His disciples, Jesus said, “Aren’t five sparrows sold for two cents? God doesn’t forget any of them. Even every hair on your head has been counted. Don’t be afraid! You are worth more than many sparrows. I can guarantee that the Son of Man will acknowledge in front of God’s angels every person who acknowledges him in front of others” (Luke 12:6-7 GWT). Isn’t that amazing!? There is not a single bird that falls from the sky without God’s notice; and how much more important are we than a few birds? So much more import that God even knows every hair on your head.

While some of us may have a few more hairs than others, the message the same: God loves you and He knows everything about you. God’s love for us is personal. Jesus illustrated this again when He said, “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep” (John 10:14-15 NLT). The image of shepherding is lost on many American’s today, but when Jesus walked the streets of Jerusalem, shepherding was as common as farming is in this part of the country. One of the outstanding characteristics of good shepherds was that they knew each one of their sheep by sight and often by name. And so Jesus says, “I know My own.”

God’s love is universal, but it is also individual. As Augustine put it, “He loves each one of us, as if there were only one of us.” The first characteristic of God’s love is that it is personal. But also, God’s love is a proven love.

• A PROVEN LOVE

In the next couple verses John says, “God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins” (1 John 4:9-10 NLT).

God’s love for us was “manifested” (NKJV), or proven to us, through the life and death of Jesus. You see, love is a verb; it requires actions, it’s demonstrated through behavior—and the love of God is no exception. The Bible says, “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8 NLT). Have you ever heard the parable of the pit? There are a few variations of it, but someone once put it this way:

A traveler fell into a deep pit and couldn’t get out. Several people came along and saw him struggling in the pit. The sensitive person said, “I feel for you down there.” The reflective person said, “It’s logical that someone would fall into the pit.” The interior designer said, “I can give you ideas on how to decorate your pit.” The judgmental person said, “Only bad people fall into pits.” The curious person said, “Tell me how you fell into the pit.” The legalist said, “I believe you deserve your pit.” The IRS agent said, “Are you paying taxes on this pit?” The self-pitying person said, “You should have seen my pit.” The Zen Buddhist said, “Just relax and don’t think about the pit.” The optimist said, “Cheer up! Things could be worse.” The pessimist said, “Be prepared! Things will get worse.” Jesus, seeing the man, took him by the hand and lifted him out of the miserable pit.

The point is—it doesn’t do any good to talk about love and compassion without demonstrating it. God demonstrates His love. He’s proven His love for us.

There is an old story about a man by the name of John Griffith, who lived in Oklahoma in 1929 and lost all he had in the stock market. He moved to Mississippi where he took a job as bridge tender for a railroad trestle. In 1937 he was involved in a horrific accident. One day his 8 year-old son, Greg, spent the day with his Dad at work. He poked around the bridge-tender office and asked a myriad of questions. Then a ship came through and John opened up the draw bridge. After a moment or two he realized his son wasn’t in the office and as he looked around, to his shock, he saw his son climbing around on the gears of the draw bridge. He hurried outside to rescue his son but just then he heard what he knew was a fast approaching passenger train, the Memphis Express, filled with over 400 people. He yelled to his son, but the noise of the now clearing ship and the oncoming train made it impossible for the boy to hear him. And all of a sudden John Griffith realized his horrible dilemma. If he took the time to rescue his son the train would crash killing all aboard, but if he closed the bridge, he would crush his son within the gears. He made the awful decision, pulled the lever and closed the bridge. It’s said that as the train went by, John could see the faces of the passengers—some reading, some even waving, all oblivious to the sacrifice that had just been made on their behalf.

So many of us do the same thing to God. We wave as we pass Him by, never give a second thought to the sacrifice He made on our behalf. Like John Griffith, God allowed the jaws of death to close in on His Son. And thousands go by oblivious and indifferent. But there is one tremendous difference between the two. Unlike the Memphis Express that caught John Griffith by surprise, the sending of Jesus was not a panic move; it wasn’t a spontaneous decision. It was planned. Jesus’ death was not the result of jealous Jews or hard hearted Romans. It was the result of a loving God, who in His wisdom, said there was no other way. Jesus chose the nails, to demonstrate just how far he was willing to go to win your heart.

First, God’s love is personal. Second, God’s love is proven. Third, God’s love is a perfection love.

• A PERFECTING LOVE

The Apostle of Love goes on to say, “No one has ever seen God, but if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is made perfect in us” (1 John 4:12 NCV).

Since God’s love is already perfect, the phrase “His love is made perfect in us” actually has to do with perfecting us. Another translation says, “But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us” (NLT). the word translated perfect actually means maturity or completion. In other words, God’s love completes us; it makes us whole, and gives significance to our lives. Without the love of God, we would never be complete. There would always be something missing. God’s love—as with all true love—is meant to foster the personal growth and development of the one He loves. That also tells us that God’s love is not selfish; He is genuinely looking out for our best interests.

One of the most powerful and hope-filled promises of the Bible comes from Romans 8:28, which says, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28 ESV). God wants good things for us. Everything that God does in your life and mine is for our own good. That’s what agape love is all about—wanting and doing what is best for another person. And remember, God’s goal for your life is to make you like Jesus, to give you a heart like His, and transform you into the best possible version of yourself. And that’s what God’s love does when we let it into our lives—it changes us from the inside and makes us better than we ever could have ever imagined.

When I was a teenager I worked at a local Showplace Theater. I was part of the cleanup crew, so I saw the last five minutes of every movie that came out that year about a hundred times. One in particular that always stood out was the 1996 movie, Jerry Maguire, which became famous for one particular line at the end of the movie, where Tom Cruise makes this impassioned plea to Renée Zellweger. Finally, he tells her what she’d been waiting the whole movie to hear: “You complete me.”

It’s one of my favorite scenes from any movie. It gets me every time; but, it’s misleading. In reality there is no other relationship we can have on earth that will truly make us complete; none other than the love of God.

George Matheson knew all about that. He was only fifteen when he was told that he was losing what little eyesight he had. Not to be denied, Matheson immediately continued with his plans to enroll in the University of Glasgow, and his determination lead to his graduation at age nineteen. But as he pursued graduate studies in theology for Christian ministry he did become completely blind. His sisters joined ranks beside him, learning Greek and Hebrew to assist him in his studies. He met a beautiful girl and asked her to marry him. He pressed faithfully and optimistically.

But his spirit collapsed when his fiancée, unwilling to be “chained” to a blind man for the rest of her life, broke their engagement and returned his ring. He never married, and the pain of that rejection never totally left him. Years later, as a well-loved preacher in Scotland, his sister came to him announcing her engagement. He was happy for her, but his mind drifted back to his own heartache. He comforted himself by thinking of God’s love which is never limited, never conditional, never withdrawn, and never uncertain. In that moment he wrote the hymn, O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go.

O love that will not let me go,

I rest my weary soul in thee;

I give thee back the life I owe,

That in thine ocean depths it flow

May richer, fuller be.

Truly, God’s love never lets go. It gently lifts us out of the muck and mire of sin, to reach unimaginable spiritual heights. But lastly, God’s love is a preserving love.

• A PRESERVING LOVE

Finally, John announces: “And furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now tell all the world that God sent his Son to be their Savior” (1 John 4:14 TLB).

God did not send His Son to die on the cross just to prove that He loves us, but to save us. God’s love for us is one that wants to preserve us—to save us and give us life. Jesus, driven by his limitless love, came into this world to become our Savior!

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NIV). Because of God’s love (and only because of God’s love), our lives can be preserved for all eternity.

S.L. Bastian once wrote about a certain kind of spider that builds its nest in the branch of a small tree or bush. Within this delicate enclosure the baby spiders are hatched. If the nest is disturbed in any way, the little spiders will rush out in fright. Immediately, the mother goes to their side, but she is alerted to their potential danger in a most unique way. Each of the young ones has a thin silky strand attached to it, and all of these strands are joined to the body of the mother. When the babies are threatened by an enemy, they naturally scurry off, giving their lines a sharp tug. This is instantly felt by the adult spider, and within seconds, she pulls them back to the nest where they are protected from harm.

Long ago, the prophet Hosea said that we are linked to God with cords of love, cords that cannot be broken (Hosea 11:4). The gentle cords of His eternal love bind all our hearts and hurts to Him. When we are ready to flee from the dangers of sin and Satan, our God, our Father, will be right there, ready to save us from death and give the gift of eternal life.

Conclusion:

With so many different concepts of love—so many different takes on this powerful four letter word—it is comforting to know that Christians need not be confused: “God is love.” God’s love is personal, proven, perfecting, and preserving.

Invitation:

If something’s been missing in your life, or you sometimes feel unloved, Jesus invites you to experience the soul-changing love of God. It is only by the love of God that this life takes on real meaning, and we can find purpose in living. So wherever you are in life, know that God’s love is available to you.

by Scott Bayles

MARTIAL LAW IN MINDANAO 2009

Every Filipino is aware that Mindanao has rally been a restless place since civilization began in this land. We cannot look back any farther through history because resolving it and understanding would have prevented the declaration of martial law at all. There were many attempts to comprehend but we never did and never will we understand it for a long time.

On November 23 of this year, a gruesome massacre happened in Maguindao, one of the major provinces of Mindanao. The government acted upon it not only because it involved media people but also because it involved killing 58 people in one time.

The reason of the killing was all political. The victims were to submit a certificate of candidacy for one of the governor aspirants and they were stopped by armed men and were massacred. The perpetrators were believed to be members of a strong family clan with strongholds in every corner of the provincial government. It is believed that this clan holds a strong private army which makes them so formidable in this part of the country. The suspects are the Ampatuan family.

These private armies were suppose to be civilian volunteers to help the government in suppressing rebellion. They have created these groups so that local government can manage to defend and protect their constituents against the atrocities of rebellion that have been going on there for almost half a century. These private armed group are hired by the local government, funded by the local government and trained by the military. The only loophole behind this set up is that these armies who are supposed to be civilian volunteers have their loyalties dissuaded from the central government. And these are the same armies whom everyone suspects to be the people used to massacre the innocent civilians in Maguindanao.

The Armies' help have now become a pain in the neck. The local government lead by the governor himself has gone out of bounds with their civilian volunteers, the civilian volunteers were supposed to be there to quell the rebellion but instead they were used by their leaders to lord over their constituents thereby making them instruments of terror.

Now the massacre came about and the investigation has rolled. The civilian volunteers, a government brainchild, has turned out to be lost command which caused for the declaration of martial law.

A lot of people are questioning the logic behind the declaration of martial because according to the constitution there has to be rebellion and there has to be an invasion in order for it to be declared. In the case of the Maguindanao situation, it appears to be that the rebellion and invasion are just the military's apprehension that it might happen thereby martial rule has to be declared. It was a preemptive move which is unconstitutional. there was no rebellion and invasion at all even up this writing.

The pursuit for the Ampatuans, the primary suspects for the massacre was relatively smooth, There were no untoward resistance from the civilian volunteers and in fact the present governor himself was interviewed openly on tv appealing for sobriety on their issue, but it seemed that the government is bent on going ahead with martial rule.

The military have unearthed a lot of high caliber weapons suspected to be owned by the civilian volunteers controlled by the Ampatuans. The military reported that there was a build up of forces in the vicinity but so far as the news coverage is showing there was none. What the government could have done was to implement the law accordingly, arrest people if necessary and never to pussyfoot on suspects territory specially in enforcing the law.

In the 1972 martial rule then under President Marcos' regime before he became so engrossed with power to become a dictator, a fearsome atmosphere was sowed over the land and instilled in the minds of the people that martial rule was legitimate. Martial law he declared, then came the history of abuses and corruption in the Philippines that lasted 20 years. I say sow terror because the fearsome scenarios were just a concoction by the Marcos hooligans to justify the declaration of Martial Law.

Only a few liked the martial law years and we will never allow it to happen again, but it came at the present through the backdoor in the guise of an imagined rebellion and invasion. Could be that history is repeating by itself? Watch out Philippines - -