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Monday, July 11, 2011

Daily Bible Reflections

July 10, 2011
ROOTS

“The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the Word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time.” – Matthew 13:20-21

In the industry I’m in, time is of the essence. Working 10-12 hours a day is normal. That leaves me eight hours of trying to put myself to sleep and four to six hours of enjoying the company of my beautiful wife, eating, serving in community, exercising and all the other activities I need to do. Of course, the weekends are bliss for me.
The one thing I realized is when I don’t pray for a day, everything else falls apart. It’s not enough to just read the Word and reflection of the day. If I stop at that, trials and anxieties soon take over and I find myself back to square one.
The strength I need for the day only lasts by getting power from God. I need roots — the roots of prayer. I need to constantly be in fellowship with the One who gives us true joy. Danny Maglutac (dannym@catholic.org)

10
REFLECTION:
How much time do you spend in prayer?

Lord, give me a holy hunger for Your presence.

Daily Bible Reflections

July 9, 2011
EA RTHQUAKES

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” – Matthew 10:29-31

First was the Haiti earthquake. Then the one in Chile, followed by another one in China. There was one that I experienced firsthand while I was at work, and while it didn’t do a lot of damage, it was enough to freak me out.
We’re not really strangers to earthquakes with what happened to Baguio in the ‘90s. I was too young to remember that, and honestly, I’m glad that I was spared from the trauma. All these earthquakes and speculations of when one would hit the country is nothing but scary. I wonder if I would be able to handle another big one when I feel like I already had enough with my typhoon experiences.
But who says I had to go through that alone? I take comfort in the fact that God knows all my fears, and He promises that He is stronger than any earthquake. I can only do so much, and in the end, God really has the final say (just as He always does). Having faith means believing that God is enough, and He will enable me to make it through whatever life throws my way.Tina Matanguihan (tina.matanguihan@gmail.com)
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REFLECTION:
“Our ‘safe place’ is not where we live; it is in whom we live.” (Tom White)

May I always remember that You, Lord, are my sure foundation.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Daily Bible Reflections

July 8, 2011
CASSANDRA SYNDROME

“You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved.” – Matthew 10:22

Cassandra is a tragic character in Greek mythology. She is so beautiful that the Greek god Apollo falls in love with her and grants her the gift of prophecy. But she doesn’t requite Apollo’s love. So he places a curse on her so that no one would ever believe her predictions. Thus, we have today the term Cassandra Syndrome — applied in situations in which valid warnings or concerns are disbelieved.
Cassandra’s situation reflects the tragic condition of man. Like her, we are favored by God yet we seem powerless in the face of our many trials. But reflecting on today’s readings, I say that we really have nothing to complain about. Jesus was also favored by God. But unlike Cassandra, He returned God’s love. Still He suffered persecutions.
The Good News is there’s a big difference between Greek myth and the true story of our Christian faith. The suffering of Jesus forecasts our own persecution when we stand up for God. That’s why in Matthew 10:22, Jesus warns us: “You will be hated by all because of my name.” But I like what follows: “Whoever endures to the end will be saved.” And this is no Cassandra Syndrome. Cynthia Santiago (boses2go@gmail.com)
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REFLECTION:
What are God’s promises that you live by?

Lord, may I always remember that Your promises are true and are eventually being fulfilled in me.

Friday, July 8, 2011

CHOOSING THE RIGHT BULL

By: Francis Kong

A young man wished to marry the farmer's beautiful daughter. He went to the farmer to ask his permission. The farmer looked him over and said, "Son, go stand out in that field. I'm going to release three bulls, one at a time. If you can catch the tail of any one of the three bulls, you can marry my daughter."

The young man stood in the pasture awaiting the first bull. The barn door opened and out ran the biggest, meanest-looking bull he had ever seen. He decided that one of the next bulls had to be a better choice than this one, so he ran over to the side and let the bull pass through the pasture out the back gate. The barn door opened again. Unbelievable. He had never seen anything so big and fierce in his life.

It stood pawing the ground, grunting, slinging slobber as it eyed him.

Whatever the next bull was like, it had to be a better choice than this one. He ran to the fence and let the bull pass through the pasture, out the back gate.

The door opened a third time. A smile came across his face. This was the weakest, scrawniest little bull he had ever seen. This one was his bull. As the bull came running by, he positioned himself just right and jumped at just the exact moment. He grabbed... but the bull had no tail!

Life is full of opportunities. Some will be easy to take advantage of, some will be difficult. But once we let them pass (often in hopes of something better), those opportunities may never again be available. So always grab the first opportunity.

Most people seek the path of least resistance. And this is why they never grow.

Go to the gym. I learn a lot lf lessons there.

Get into those exercise gear and by the way, just finding time to exercise is already a major accomplishment in my busy schedule. Skip the machines and go straight to the department of dumbbells and weights. Pick up the lightest one because it’s the easiest one to do and you know as well as I do that this is a waste of time. Burn those muscles. Feel the heat. Go to the limits and you leave the gym tired but satisfied and the results for the next few days will show you that your decision to do the hard ones have been correct.

Same principle in life.

Many people refuse to accept challenges because of fear.

But you hear them say things like:

I’m not accepting the new assignment because I have other priorities in life.
If at first you don’t succeed try something else.
I’ll get around to doing it once I find the time.

And then the opportunity passes and they wonder why nothing good’s happening to their lives.

Success people have always been turned off with the path of least resistance because they have always chosen the path of great perseverance.

This is what life is all about.

Get out of your comfort zone.

Learn new things. Explore the world. Stretch yourself.

Meet new friends. Learn from people.

And why not go into the diligent study of God’s Word.

Accept His Call and go out and change the world.

Love God with all of your heart, soul strength and mind and be ready for that brand new life adventure you’ve always been looking for.

Don’t go for the thin and scrawny bull with no tail, choose the biggest one and the fiercest one. Nothing ventured nothing gained.

In other words, attempt great things for God and be sure to give Him the Glory.

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