MONOPOLY

Fortune tobacco and Philip Morris have agreed to merge as one company to control 90% of the tobacco and it will be called Philip Morris - fortune Tobacco Corporation. The market sharing of these 2 corporations used to be at 28 for Philip Morris which caters to the high end market while fortune tobacco which targets mostly the low end market gets 60%.

An industry to be healthy should have a lot of players involved. 2 competing corporations were already not so healthy how much worse it can be if it has merged to one. The tobacco product was in itself unhealthy they have even made it more unpalatable when they merged together to monopolize.

The Philippines is so accustomed to monopolized industries. Our petroleum industry is practically controlled by just 3 major players. They maybe different corporations but they agree altogether in pricing. They are working similar to a cartel.

A cartel is a combination of independent business organizations formed to regulate production, pricing, and marketing of goods by the members.

In the Philippine capital alone, the current provider for electricity is just single corporation. It practically controls the price of electricity and the government has little control over it.

The telecommunication industry is controlled by just 3 major players as well. Water distribution is also controlled by just 2 companies.

The purpose of a cartel is to synergize. Synergy is a good thing if they are doing it for one purpose and that is to bring together their resources to produce a better product. It is best applied to small medium enterprises that don't have so much resource to compete with big companies. A classic example of this system is the cooperative. A cooperative is relating to or formed as an enterprise or organization jointly owned or managed by those who use its facilities or services. This involves individuals who don't have the capacity to invest in large scale investment in the stock exchange but have little resource to get together and start a business.

The mistake of having a cartel is when big business band together to manipulate the market. The country has often experienced being held hostage by these large cartels so that the government would just give in to whatever demand they want. It is mostly pricing. Well, what are we in business for if not for profit as the adage goes

United States antitrust law is the body of laws that prohibits anti-competitive behavior (monopoly) and unfair business practices. Antitrust laws are designed to encourage competition in the marketplace. These competition laws make illegal certain practices deemed to hurt businesses or consumers or both, or generally to violate standards of ethical behavior. Government agencies known as competition regulators, along with private litigants, apply the antitrust and consumer protection laws in hopes of preventing market failure. The term "antitrust" was originally formulated to combat "business trusts", now more commonly known as cartels. Other countries use the term "competition law". Many countries including most of the Western world have antitrust laws of some form; for example the European Union has provisions under the Treaty of Rome to maintain fair competition, as does Australia under its Trade Practices Act 1974.

To the upcoming government, whoever wins this election come May 2010, let it be known that to better lift up the standard of business in this country, the government should have a strong hand against monopoly and instead support the small enterprises, get them together, provide new technology, open small loan facilities and offer basic financial and management training to would be businessmen. But if we still retain the same policy with regard to cartel, you will just see that the Philippines will still be controlled by just 10 or 20 families and the rest of the people are just dummies.

7 HABITS OF HOLY PEOPLE

In 1989, a book hit the shelves that was destined to become a best seller. It was gear toward giving people the tools they needed to enjoy powerful and effective living. The book is saturated with advice on leadership, life management and relationships, all centered around the “inside-out” concept that old behavior is learned, it is not instinctive. Old habits can be discarded and replaced by new and effective habits.



That book, written by Stephen R. Covey, is The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. The habits he outlined are

Initiative

Creativity

Productivity

Interdependence

Empathy

Valuing Differences

Consistency



Let me ask you a question – If you were to describe yourself in one word, what would that word be? According to Covey, If you exhibit these seven habits in your daily life, you could rightly describe yourself in the one word, “Effective” How does scripture want us to be able to define ourselves? I think Christ like sums it up pretty well. And if nothing else Christ was “HOLY”, that is separate, different, other than…I’d venture a guess that few if any in this place defined themselves as “Holy” But as Christians we are called to live a holy life. Look at 1 Peter 1:15-16 “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” BE HOLY. Why? Because God is Holy. But the question then becomes, “How can I know if I’m ‘Holy’ or not?” Just as Stephen Covey outlined the seven habits of highly effective people, tonight I want to outline for you.



THE SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY HOLY PEOPLE



These will serve as a measuring stick to help you determine the areas in your life that are in need of strengthening.



Habit #1 - Highly Holy People understand Scripture as the guide for their daily lives. Psalm 1:1-2 – “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.” Highly Holy People Love God’s word They can’t get enough of it. They base their lives on it. It is a part of them. They know that it has the power to protect them from all kinds of junk in life. Psalm 119:11 – I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

And they share it whenever possible. Col 3:16 - Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. The study and application of the Scriptures is a habit with Highly Holy People.



Habit #2 - Highly Holy People daily seek God in prayer. (Supplication) 1 Thess. 5:16 – “… pray continually” (Imperative) If our lives are to be defined as “Holy” we must be a people of prayer. Why? Because Prayer is our half of a lifelong conversation with God? It is how we develop a relationship with the creator of the universe. By a show of hands, how many here tonight have at one point or another in the course of your life, had grandparents? I’d imagine all of us. My Grandparents were holy people in the area of prayer I can still remember hearing grandma and grandpa Young practically screaming their prayers. They wept before God on behalf of my family and me. They understood the power of prayer and its necessity for everyday living. Parents and Grandparents, Let your Children hear you pray. Expose them to the discipline of prayer. They understood that Prayer is the well of life for the Christian. This church wants you to have that opportunity. Youth Singles Men Women all have set times of prayer. Because it is understood that a life of prayer leads to a life of holiness Prayer is a Habit with Highly Holy People.



Habit #3 - Highly Holy People are devoted to following Christ no matter what (Savior) 2 Tim 2:8-9a – Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. Highly Holy People realize that being a Christian is not always a cakewalk, but they do it anyway because of their devotion to Christ And because they recognize it as an association with Jesus’ suffering. They endure because they know what Christ went through and they are willing to do the same. Because they devoted to following him no matter what. But more than just enduring hardship, Highly Holy people are devoted to Christ because they understand that in him alone is an eternal reward. John 14:6 - Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Devotion to Christ springs from a desire to identify with him and then live with him eternally. Unconditional devotion to Jesus Christ is a Habit with Highly Holy People.



Habit #4 - Highly Holy People live each day guided by the Holy Spirit (Spirit) Gal 5:16,25 - 16 So I say, live by the Spirit…25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. To live by the Spirit means that our lives evidence that which defines the person of the Holy Spirit namely the Fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. A life defined by these traits is a life defined by the presence of the Holy Spirit. Further, Highly Holy people follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit even when it is contrary to their own plans. Like Paul in Acts 16 - 6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. The results of this such a willingness to follow is that the world will be changed. Following the leading of the Holy Spirit is a Habit with Highly Holy People.



Habit #5 - Highly Holy People are accountable to God’s house and His people (Saints) Hebrews 10:25 - Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another. I’ve heard it said that being in church no more makes one a Christian than being in McDonalds makes one a hamburger. That’s quite true. However, Holy people understand the benefit of being with God’s people. Paul says that the church is like a body. All of us are members of it. And how can the body benefit from an arm that sleeps in. If church is not a habit but an occasional thing, then make it a habit. Parents, if you want your kids hanging around the right kind of people, make sure they are in church. By doing so, you cultivate holiness in their lives as well as your own. Be there for everything you can. Find a place to get involved. Find your place of ministry and be faithful to it. My CMT are faithful to the singles ministry. They are accountable to me and each other and are in our services whenever possible. Besides being present be accountable to someone. Find a friend you can share with and be accountable to, pray, and study the word, and use the right kind of language and laugh at the right kind of jokes, etc. Faithfulness to God’s house is a Habit with Highly Holy People.



Habit #6 - Highly Holy People are obedient in separating themselves from the spirit of the world (Sanctification) 1 Thess 4:3 - It is God’s will that you should be sanctified. A life of personal purity is absolutely required of Holy people.

Sexual impurity is rampant, even in the church. If we are to be effective ministers of the Gospel we must crucify our flesh and work toward presenting our bodies as living sacrifices that are acceptable and pleasing to God. You cannot do that and live a life of sexual impurity. Young or old, single or married, male or female. Sexual purity is a must if we are to be defined as holy people. A holy life has been sanctified, set apart, for God’s service. It is a life that puts self to death and seeks to be pure and acceptable to God. We live in an age of godlessness, where men and women are more concerned with the immediate than with the eternal. The spirit of this world is an impure spirit of selfishness. And it is the antithesis of holiness. Separation from the spirit of the world is a Habit with Highly Holy People.



Habit #7 - Highly Holy People seek to serve the body out of thanks to God (Service) Uses Gifts to serve the Body.

2 Cor. 9:8-13 - 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written: “He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” 10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 13 Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. Every one of us has been gifted in one way or another. Some are pastors, some teachers, some evangelists. Some are hospitable, some are giving, and some are helpful. This list could go on. The point is that Highly Holy People do what they can to determine the spiritual gifts with which they have been gifted and then seek to put those gifts to use within the Body of Christ. Why? So that, “men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ.” Without that obedience your confession is hollow. It is incumbent upon the Child of God to seek out a place of service. God did not give us spiritual gifts so that we could enjoy having them but so that we could enjoy using them. Service to the Body of Christ is a Habit with Highly Holy People.



Conclusion If God did not intend for us to be holy people he would not have commanded us to be so. The fact that he gave the command is indication that he has made it possible. Part of living a life of holiness is developing habits in our lives that are holy. However, if you try to do these things on your own, you are doomed to fail. Only Christ living in our lives can make holiness a reality for sinful humanity. Because he works from the inside-out. Ezra Taft Benson said,

“The Lord works from the inside-out. The world works from the outside int. the world would take the people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people and then they take themselves out of the slums…The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human behavior.”

ATTITUDE CAN MAKE OR BREAK YOUR LIFE

There will always come a point in your life where you will all of a sudden feel a dose of emptiness within. Your enthusiasm will just depart from you and leave you with nothing but emptiness.

I have a friend who works in a routinely 8 hour job who obviously was bored of what he has been doing. He woke up one morning just after his 2 days rest to report for his first day of the week. They have an irregular schedule so therefore his first day was not the typical Monday that everybody would have. On that morning he felt the urge of not reporting for work and just simply wanted lay idle in the house.

A lady I know also who keeps on visiting her doctor for some illness that she thought she had because she keeps feeling the symptom in her body. The doctor on the other hand diagnoses her and finds nothing except that she is showing some signs of fatigue.

All these foregoing statements are feelings brought about by how you respond to a situation, how you react to certain scenario, and this response is known to be your attitude. It is the attitude of the individual which stirs one person to respond positively or negatively to any given situation. According to definition, attitude is a position of the body or manner of carrying oneself. I say it is your attitude to decide to smile in the midst of a storm or cry when everybody is happy.

Everybody is entitled to feeling inadequate at any given point in ones life. An adolescent is one classic example where this feeling of inadequacy is evidently seen. Adolescence is the age of confusion they say because this is where there are a lot of changes happening in the child's body. Emotion is much affected buy these changes. Another example of having terrible changes is when a man is in the middle of his life and undergoes the crisis of knowing what he really wants to do and where does he really want to go. A woman in the menopausal stage also undergoes difficulties adjusting to body changes.

A new born baby cries every time the baby is hungry because that is how he responds to his situation. The baby has no ability to think yet and decide what to do. The only exception to the rule where the attitude is not an issue is on the infant’s case. All the issues in preceding paragraphs are trigger points of having a bad attitude. Telling somebody that he has bad attitude may have come probably form this context.

Ones attitude in life determines his personal disposition in. A responsible person would decide how he would respond to his situation correctly. Going back to my friend who was feeling down and didn’t have the drive to work, had he really succumb to negativity, he would absent himself and worse might just resign eventually. The lady who was feeling sick and yet no diagnosis of being ill will eventually become sick because she doesn’t eat normally, she couldn’t sleep well and many other side effect of negative feeling.

A good suggestion to prime up your attitude is to have a positive activity that will give you little results and accomplishments that would contribute to your little victories in life. If you need to work on your garden and make your hand dirty working on the soil, then do it because by this simple act you get to unwind the stress building up in you. If you know a little carpentry, then hammer some and saw some just for the sake of making yourself busy, it is best if you are able to repair anything and gets it done.

Try to learn new things. If you are fond of using the computer, why don’t you learn to use a new software that will increase you know how in using it. You might just realize that you are by learning new things you will add value to yourself. Who knows you might just discover that you have a hidden talent for graphic arts or movie editing etc.

Your little victories will overshadow all your little temporary defeats. You will still be exerting the same amount of energy by sulking in the corner and complain about your miseries. All the more it is worse when you are not miserable you yet you feel like one. Smile! Cheer up! Just like what everybody says, life is too short to feel bad. Your attitude will either make your life better or may break you.

AQUINO AND HACIENDA

The Hacienda Luisita has a long story to tell, and definitely Nonoy Aquino has nothing to do with whatever is going on with this massive land that his family owns.

All we can tell was that the Spaniards,Compaña General de Tabacos de Filipinas (Tabacalera), sometime in the 1950s owned this huge track of land of more than 6,000 hectares and was obliged to sell the land because of the huk balahap rebellion during the Ramon Magsaysay regime. It was Ramon Magsaysay who asked the Cojuangco patriarch Jose Cojuangco to purchase the land for $2.1 million.
The government through the Central Bank provided the assistance for the Cojuanco's to acquire a dollar load from Manufacturer’s Trust Company New York with the understanding that the land will be distributed to the tenants as part of the Agrarian Reform program. (Dr. James Putzel did extensive research on agrarian reform in the Philippines between the late 1980s to the early 1990s. He is currently a Professor of Development Studies at the London School of Economics.)

So there started the hacienda Luisita Agrarian reform controversy. The government understanding with the Cojuanco's that land will be distributed to the poor never transpired. there was even a time when Marcos filed a case against the Cojuancos to compel them to commit what they have promised to the peasants but it was misconstrued as harassment to the Aquino's. It was also the time that the EDSA tragedy was in the offshoot which of course known to be the EDSA People Power.

The case never prospered and Ninoy was assassinated and then Cory became president. . She eventually dismissed the case that Marcos filed against her family of course with all the powers vested in her as president of the land. Cory Aquino had all the hopes of the Luisita peasant to finally be given the land reform they have always longed to have, but what they received was instead the stock options for the Luisita farmers. The Cojuancos argued that these farmers would not survive with small parcel of land with less than a hectare if it was subdivided among them. They argued further that they never new anything about management and agriculture therefore it would be more beneficial for them to be in a corporation.

Now what can Noynoy do to resolve the agrarian reform issue. He can sacrifice his family heritage and pursue the land reform as originally planned by then Magsaysay and Jose Cojuanco ( his great grand pa) or forget about invoking his parents as the catalyst of justice and truth because after all the yellow ribbon had stains of red lies on it as well.

RIGHTEOUS LEADERSHIP

The Philippines is known to be the only Christian nation in Asia. It is called so because most of the people hear are believers of Jesus Christ or at least know Christ. According to statistics, the entire population of more than 86 million, 83% is Roman Catholics, Protestant 9%, Muslim 5%, Buddhist and other 3%. If you take notice from the statistics, majority are Roman Catholics. It is the undisputed most popular religion for over a thousand years. The connotation that the Philippines is the only Christian nation is attributed to the majority of Filipinos to be having a Roman Catholic background and not because of anything else.

The present age has different point of view when it comes to Christianity. If you are a Roman Catholic, you would say you are a Roman Catholic Christian and if you are a protestant then you are a protestant Christian. Protestant Christians, which all began from the Roman Catholic lineage also has several sub denominations, we have the Baptists, the Protestants themselves, the full gospels, the evangelicals and Pentecostals, the Iglesia Ni Cristo and many more.
We can name a lot of groups who professes to be Christians but only those who teaches the bible and lifts up the name of Christ's and believes in Christ's name to be the only savior are the legitimate Christian group. The Iglesia Ni Cristo for example does not fall under this category, since they don't believe Jesus Christ to be the only savior. The Roman Catholics on the other hand do not consider themselves be plain Christians but Roman Catholic Christians, and from the real Christians’ point of view, a lot of the Roman Catholic practices do not fall under real bible Christian practices. Looking deeper into Roman Catholic association of Jesus and Mary to be ways of salvation raises the question whether it is bible centered or not.

We will not discuss the details about religiosity this time because it will always be an unending, long and winding controversy. Religion is nice topic to start an argument, and I know that you know that nobody wins an argument. You can win an argument but will lose a friend. Therefore I would rather not argue about it.

What I want to discuss right now is the claim of one of the Presidential aspirant Bro. Eddie Villanueva. He claims to establish a righteous government when he gets elected to be the 15th President of the Republic of the Philippines. True enough, the Philippines has bankrupt morality. The people have become so used with corruption in the government that the SOP (standard operating procedure) has become a byword every time you deal with government officials in business. SOP is the regular 10-30% given as commission to government officials, mayors and congressmen etc and "for the boys" to grease your business deal out to contract awarding.

Brother Eddie May have a strong potential to stand on his claim of establishing a righteous government. Although none is righteous but God alone as the bible says, but faith in God has made Abraham righteous, and your faith in Jesus Christ makes you righteous as well as mentioned in the book of Romans. From the context that Christianity in the real sense of the word as your faith in Christ would tell, I would therefore like to believe that Bro. Eddie may just be the right person to cleanse the government.

What we need right now is a God fearing man. I have mentioned in the preceding blog that the Philippines needs a disciplinarian, well, more than this one, the Philippines need God's intervention. God can only intervene in the ins and outs of the government if the leader is a God fearing man. He is a man who follows after the heart of God. He is a man who knows God's wisdom through his word - the Bible.

Brother Eddie lead his Jesus is Lord Church for over 2 decades and it is growing in numbers. There was no record that would tell that his name was tainted with corruption, immorality and all sorts of shameful conduct that we often see from many of our government officials today. We even see corruption in the guise of a legitimate business deal from one of the leading presidential contender, Manny Villar; although it needs to be proven but nonetheless his name was tainted with it, aside from the danger that he might just be Gloria's man (see game of generals). His opponents were successful in slinging mud on his name. But these dirty politics as they call it cannot even throw a mite on Bro. Eddie because they couldn't find any on Brother Eddie. Could it be that the typical crab mentality has overwhelmed the minds of these politicians to bring down Villar who is gaining the lead against them?

Brother Eddie might just be the right answer to all the Philippines predicaments. Bringing back righteousness back to its track might just be what the Philippines need right now. But similar to the transformer tandem, Villanueva's ranking in the survey needs a miracle working hand to uplift. Only God knows whether he should win or lose in the May 2010 presidential election. If he is truly the anointed one for the Philippines then so be it.

TRANSFORM THE PHILIPPINES

Taking the road less travelled is what the tandem is doing in their campaign for the presidency and the vice presidency. I am going to write something about these to fellows because as their ratings are right now, they have a slim chance of winning. Election in the Philippines is most of the time dealing with surveys and massive political ad expenses to uplift ones survey ranking. These 2 individuals are lagging behind in their political ad so therefore they lag also in their ranking. These two I am referring to are Senator Richard Gordon and MMDA Chair Bayani Fernando.

The ones leading in the surveys right now are Noy noy Aquino and Manny Villar. Aquino is leading obviously because of his last name which has already become an icon in the Philippines for democracy. The people of course would always want to think that what his parents have done will he do also. Villar on the other hand is creeping up to lead side by side Aquino because of his aggressive campaign ads. You can just imagine how kids love to sing his campaign jingle, it has I think reached the platinum if it had been recorded. It is a known fact in marketing that an advertisement repeatedly watched by anyone will have a subliminal effect to the individual. A black repeatedly advertised as white will eventually look white.

Gordon and Fernando are legitimate candidates with very strong unconventional political successes behind them. Gordon has transformed Subic to be a progressive City after the US bases have closed in the Philippines few years back. Fernando also has transformed Marikina to be the cleanest city in the Philippines when it used to be the dirtiest in the Metropolis for many years..

I am a witness to how Fernando managed move heaven and hell just to go through all people rich and poor just to send his message across - discipline. Fernando is an advocate of discipline and hard work. He cleaned the sidewalks from illegal vendors; he provided relocation to informal settlers. There was even one time when the tricycle drivers were protesting because the city ceased to renew franchises for tricycles ( I have a blog about tricycles which will explain well why I agree). No politician in the history of the Philippines has ever done such bravery going against the masses just to implement an unprecedented ordinance, to clean up the sidewalks.

Many polititians I know would cuddle these sidewalk vendors and informal settlers because these are the masses; these are where the votes are coming from. Fernando never bothered to consider their votes during that time because he was looking beyond the present. Indeed Marikina became what it is right now.

If the Philippines would really want to see a significant change in the country's political landscape, they should choose Gordon and Fernando over the others. This is maybe the only chance that the Philippines will see a better disciplined citizenry. Japan and Singapore are the epitome of discipline in Asia, therefore if we can emulate a little of their ways, the Philippines will also progress like them.

Shun the promises of these politicians that will bring health, money and food to their government because these are old rhetoric. What we need to see are proof of accomplishments and manifested leadership which have been proven effective. These transformers, Gordon and Fernando, where able to transform their old Cities to progress, therefore they should have the tool to bring progress to the ever poor Philippines.

It is just so sad that the Philippines don't see this vision. The people still cling to promises and popularity. If they win this election then I will be happy, but I don't care if they lose because it is expected anyway.

Expressing Your Love For God

There is an old gospel song that Rod Stewart sang about 10 years ago on MTV Unplugged. It goes like this: "Have I told you lately that I love you? Have I told you, there’s no one else above you? You fill my heart with gladness. Take away all my sadness. Ease my troubles. That’s what you do." And he sings the song with so much passion. And love. That when he’s done, he has to wipe the tears from his eyes.

The song connected with the public because of its heartfelt expression of love and devotion. That’s the kind of message we have here in Psalm 116. In fact, the Jews sing this psalm at the dinner table every year on the first night of Passover. We did this when I was a kid. First we sing Psalms 113, 114, and 115. Then you eat! Then you lean back in your chairs. And relax. And talk about the good old days when God delivered us out of slavery in Egypt. Then we sing Psalm 116 to the Lord: "I love the Lord, for he hears my voice. I love the Lord, for he hears my cry. I love the Lord for he hears my prayer. Turning his ear, always to me. Turning his ear always to me."

The whole psalm is an expression of love of gratitude to God. The writer is saying, "I love the Lord. Because he took time for me. He didn’t blow me off. He didn’t treat me like a second class citizen. He saved me from the living hell that my life had become. He saved me in every way a person can be saved. And because he is so compassionate and loving and good to me, I will serve Him for the rest of my life!"

It’s hard to find a more tender expression of affection than the 116th Psalm. The only thing in the New Testament that comes close is John 21. Jesus asks Peter three times, "Do you love me? Do you love me? Do you really love me?"

And Peter said, "Lord, it hurts that you’re even asking me that question. I know I let you down. I cut off a man’s ear. I denied you three times. But Lord, you know my heart! You know that deep down, I’m not really like that! That’s not who I am! You know all things! You know that I love you! I’m not lying!"

And Jesus says, "Then PROVE IT! Feed my sheep! Take care of my lambs! Don’t just tell me you love me! Show me that you love me by the way you live your everyday life."

At Chilton Village, there’s a resident there who has Alzheimer’s disease. And I noticed that every day at lunch time, there was this lady who would help him eat his food. She talked to him. She wiped his chin. She cleaned off the table. And I was impressed by how caring a staff person she seemed to be. And so I said, "I can tell you really care about your patient. I see you helping him eat every day."

And she said, "He’s not my patient. He’s my husband."

I never actually heard her say the words, ’I love you.’ But she demonstrated her love every single day. In the way she tended to her ailing husband. Even though he could no longer be at home with her. She brought a little bit of home to him.

It’s one thing to express love to someone you can touch. See. And feel. But how do you express love for someone you CAN’T touch or see or feel? How can we show the invisible, Almighty God that we really love Him? That’s what the writer of Psalm 116 is concerned about. In verse 12, he says "How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me? How can I show him how much He means to me?" The first thing we should do is to talk to God. Every day.

When Jeanne and I first started dating, we used to talk late into the night. On our second date, we came back from supper. And sat in her car outside the old parsonage. Turned off the lights so that we wouldn’t keep Jerry and Darlene up. And we talked until 3 in the morning. In fact, that was typical of the whole time we dated. There were a lot of times where we just sat on the living room floor and talked until the wee hours. You know why? Because we wanted to build our relationship on something deeper than physical involvement. Something far more intimate than physical love.

And that’s the kind of relationship God wants with us. He wants us to go beyond the superficial. He’s not only interested in your wish list. He’s interested in your companionship. Your trust. And your love. In Psalm 116, the writer senses this. And that’s why he says in verse 2: "I will call on Him as long as I live!" And Ephesians 6:17 says, "Pray in the Spirit on all occasions."

By the way, when I sit down in the office to say my prayers, before I ask for anything, the first thing I do is to tell God how much I love Him. I love Him for who He is. I love Him for how he watches over me. For all the blessings He gives me. But the greatest blessing of them all is the blessing of having Him in my life. And that’s what I tell Him. I talk to Him in plain English. Just like that. I encourage you to do the same thing.

We should also express our love for God by living for God. When Jeanne and I got married 5 years ago, I made promises before almighty God. To love her. To honor her. And to be faithful to her as long as I live. That’s what the writer of Psalm 116 is saying about his relationship to God. Two times, he says "I will fulfill all my vows to the Lord. I want everyone to know that I am a man of my word! I am going to be his servant forever. I want the whole world to know that I am going to live the rest of my life for God!"

There’s an old story about St Augustine. Early on in his Christian life, he was intensely absorbed in the writings of Cicero. And around this time, he had a dream that he had died. And now he was standing at the pearly gates. And the keeper of the gate said, "Who are you?"

And he said, "I’m Augustine."

Then the keeper said, "What are you?"

Augustine said, "I’m a Christian."

The gatekeeper said, "No, you’re not a Christian. You’re a Ciceronian!"

Augustine said, "What are you talking about? I’m a Christian!"

And the gatekeeper said this: "All souls on earth are judged by what dominated their interests. In you, Augustine, it was not the Christ of the gospel. It was the Cicero of Roman literature. You are not a Christian. You cannot enter here!"

Augustine was so startled that when he woke up, he resolved then and there to be fully committed to Jesus Christ for the rest of his life. And to live for Him.

That’s what the Bible says we’re supposed to do. Colossians 2:6 says "Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him." What concerns me is that sometimes I see people accepting Christ as their Savior. But their way of life doesn’t change. They honor the Lord with their lips on Sunday. But their hearts are far from Him the rest of the week. They still love the world way too much! Saying that you love God is a wonderful thing. But by itself, it is not enough. James 2:17 says "faith, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead! Simply saying, "I love you, Lord. And I lift my voice to worship you, o my soul," is not enough. Saying, "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name," is not enough. Matthew 7:21 says "Not everyone who says to me ’Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."

So express our love for God, we must talk to God. Live for God. And number three: Serve God. Verse 16 says, "O Lord, Truly I am your servant. The son of your maidservant." One the best ways we can show our love for God is to serve him wholeheartedly.

I read a story about a lady named Ruth. One day, she went to her mail box and there was only one letter. There was no stamp, no postmark, only her name and address. And this is what it said:

Dear Ruth,

I’m going to be in your neighborhood Saturday afternoon and I’d like to stop by for a visit.

Love Always, Jesus

Her hands were shaking as she placed the letter on the table. "Why would the Lord want to visit me? I’m nobody special. I don’t have anything to offer."

With that thought, Ruth said to herself, "Oh my goodness, I really don’t have anything to offer. I’ll have to run down to the store and buy something for dinner." She reached for her purse and counted out its contents. Five dollars and forty cents.

"Well, I can get some bread and cold cuts, at least." She threw on her coat and hurried out the door. A loaf of French bread, a half pound of sliced turkey, and a carton of milk...leaving Ruth with grand total of twelve cents to last her until Monday. Nevertheless, she felt good as she headed home, her meager offerings tucked under her arm.

Then she noticed a man and a woman huddled in the alleyway. And one of them said, "Lady, can you help us?" I don’t have a job, and my wife and I have been living out here on the street. And now it’s getting cold. And we’re getting hungry."

Ruth looked at them both. They were dirty. They smelled bad. But she was certain that they could get some kind of work if they really wanted to.

And so she said, "Sir, I’d like to help you, but I’m a poor woman myself. All I have is a few cold cuts and some bread, and I’m having an important guest for dinner tonight and I was planning on serving that to Him."

"Yeah, well, I understand. Thanks anyway." The man put his arm around the woman’s shoulders, turned and headed back into the alley. As she watched them leave, Ruth felt a twinge in her heart.

And she said, "Sir, wait!" The couple stopped and turned as she ran down the alley after them. "Look, why don’t you take this food. I’ll figure out something else to serve my guest." She handed the man her grocery bag.

And they both said, "Thank you lady. Thank you very much!"

And then, Ruth noticed that the man’s wife was shivering.

And so she said, "You know, I’ve got another coat at home. Here, why don’t you take this one." Ruth unbuttoned her jacket and slipped it over the woman’s shoulders.

Ruth was chilled by the time she reached her front door, and worried too. The Lord was coming to visit and she didn’t have anything to offer Him. She fumbled through her purse for the door key. But as she did, she noticed another envelope in her mailbox.

"That’s odd. The mailman doesn’t usually come twice in one day." She took the envelope out of the box and opened it. And this is what it said:

Dear Ruth,

It was so good to see you again. Thank you for the lovely meal And thank you, too, for the beautiful coat.

Love Always, Jesus

Matthew 25:40 says that "whatever you do for the least of my brethren, you’ve done it to me." The woman didn’t realize it at the time. But by serving two needy people in the back alleys of Chicago, she was serving Christ. By showing them love, she was showing God love.

I want to ask you this morning, "Do you love the Lord? Is it evident in the way you live your life? Is it reflected in your giving? A lot of people say they love Jesus. But like with St Augustine, when you look into their lives, it’s easy to see that they love other things more. Themselves. Their careers. Their hobbies. Matthew 6:24 says that "You can’t serve two masters." You have to make a decision. The Christian singer Steve Camp has a song called "The Gospel According to Jesus." And this what the chorus says:

To love Him more than father or mother.

To love him more than your own flesh.

To give all that you are for all that He is,

This is the Gospel According to Jesus

Make the right choice. And receive Jesus Christ as your only Lord and Savior. Say, "Your the Lord. Not me. Not my job. Not my ambitions. Only you."