The Lord is good

Have you doubted the Lord's promise? Have you sought guidance from the world rather than God?

During the good times, its easy to praise and worship God. However, most of us doubt God's power in the bad times. How can we be consistent in our walk with God? 

Whether we are in the highs and lows in our lives, we should always remember the promise of God. In Psalm 100:5, it says:

"For the Lord is good, his mercy is everlasting and his truth endures to all generations."

Clearly, God is consistent. He is the same yesterday today and tomorrow. We should never doubt His goodness and mercies. 

Always remember that the Lord is good!

CCF Online Dgroup with college classmate Loudilee llanos-Kendall

 

Share your blessings

Source: https://ofhsoupkitchen.org/share-your-blessings

Are you contented with what you have? Is it enough? Do you want more? If you have more, can you share?

Whether its material things or sharing our knowledge to someone, giving cheerfully is a mission we christians are innate with. But how can we continuously give what we have to others even if our glasses are empty. Can we give more than what we have? How can we fulfill God's mission to us? 

I remember the time that my eldest daughter was in the nursery ICU after giving birth in 2008. I was already discharged and my baby was still in the ICU because of observation from possible infections. I did not have money to pay for the ICU expenses since we only prepared for the birth alone and did not expect it to happen to our first child. However, despite this challenge,  I prayed to God and ask for His guidance. I asked God for possible strategies and solutions to my problem. I thought of ways to solve the problem.

Back then, my salary was only 6,000 pesos a month and it can't barely feed my growing family. I needed 10,000 pesos to pay the hospital bills. At that time, I don't have that large amount of money. I thought of listing down my friends who can lend me some money. I know that they are also minimum wage earners, so I thought of the amount that they are willing to lend. I put myself to their shoes, what is the amount that I am willing to give if someone asked me for money. After thinking, 500 pesos was on my mind, because at this amount its okay that a person who borrowed is not pressured to pay right away, and the person who will lend the money will not be pressured because of the small amount. 

So I came up with a strategy, I listed 20 of my friends, who I think is willing to lend 500 pesos to me. If I collect 500 pesos each, I will have 10,000 pesos total. That amount is not that big for them to resist giving me. I started to contact my friends and indeed I was right, every person that I asked really lent me that 500 bill without hesitation. Luckily, I did not need to ask 20 people, I only asked 7 people. Why? Because most of them are willing to lend me more than 500 pesos and told me I do not need to pay them right away. God is good! I thank God for the people who helped me at that time. 

This moment of my life taught me an important lesson. If someone is really in need and if you can offer something , even if it is small, then do not hesitate to help that person. Because for me, at that time and moment, God is using us to be an instrument of blessing to a person who greatly need help. We are tasked by God to be a beacon of hope to someone. 

In 2 Corinthians 9:7 (NASB 1995), Paul says:

"Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

Source: https://www.bible.com/verse-of-the-day/2CO.9.7/49541?version=100

Paul reminds us to always pay it forward. Share your blessing no matter how small it is in monetary terms, because it always counts. The heart of giving is more important than the quantity you offer. It is the thought and love that always count not the physical aspect of it. 

We are blessed. We do not need to desire something that we do not have. But we should be contented of what we already have. Let us share the blessings to others everyday. We should be instruments of God's blessings to other people. God always guards us and send people to us in times of our troubles.  Let us always commit all that we have to the Lord.

Never hesitate. Share your blessings.

Lean not on your understanding

 

Are you navigating life on your own terms? Have you asked guidance from others? 

When we navigate ourselves to a new place, we need a map to direct us to the right direction. In life, where do you seek guidance in you daily decision making? We do not know if our present decisions will result to success. We have doubts and worries. But at the end of the day, once every thing is done, we cannot do anything about the results anymore. 

We can always ask God for guidance in our daily decisions. But how? Simple! We just need to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. For by grace we have been saved through faith in Him. We are sinners, but Jesus in our bridge to God. We can directly talk to God through Him. We do not need another person to represent ourselves to God. We can directly talk to Him anytime and anywhere. We just need to have a quiet time with the Lord. Pray and meditate on His words.

In Proverbs 3:5 (NASB 1995) it says: 

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding."

When we have challenges in our lives, we are not alone to solve them. Let us not rely on ourselves alone when dealing with problems. Let us lean on God's words. Ask for guidance in making decisions and He will answer us at the right time and place. God is not too early and not too late. God always answer at the right time. Trust the Lord always.

In God's perfect time. When we pray to God, we receive three answers. A "yes", "no" or "not yet". If ever we have a "no" or "not yet" answer from Him. Do not lose hope. It is a sign that God is redirecting you to a greater path more than you asked for. Sometimes we feel alone in times of trouble. But no. God is carrying us in every problem we encounter. He is always present yesterday, today and tomorrow. Always trust God in every aspect of your life.

Always align yourself to God's word. Do not lean on your own understanding.

Women 2 Women CCF South Korea - Women Leaders of the Bible: Deborah, A Woman of GRIT

We have learned a lot during our women leader series. Deborah, a leader in a patriarchal society, emerge to be one of the inspiring leaders of her time. She showed great perseverance and compassion in leading her people to victory. Truly a woman of grit! Let us embody the Deborah in us every day! 

 

Growing in knowledge

Do you feel that you are ignorant? Know nothing at all? How can you gain wisdom?

We can always work on improving ourselves to be better. I am a testament to that. Growing up, I am not really good in talking spontaneously in class. I am afraid to to be called during class discussions. I am not good in speaking. I am quite shy and a silent student in the corner. I was not confident to speak and I was conscious. I thought that I will utter wrong words and I don't want to be embarrass in front of a lot of people.  To reduce the risk of getting wrong, I just kept silent and passive.

When I began working in the academe, I always have the opportunity to speak and render a simple message during programs. Sometimes these speeches are impromptu and I do not know what to say. Then, I came across an organization called Toastmasters International. At first I thought its all about being a host in programs. But when my former colleagues in Davao Chamber shared about it. I was curious and attended my first meeting last May 2019.

After my first meeting, I was amazed by the positive vibes and the learning environment. Members of the club value lifelong learning. They were very eager to learn despite the status of their careers. They are a group of professionals i.e. CEOs, doctors, engineers, pharmacists, accountants and etc. Despite their status, they are humble and enjoy learning and accept constructive comments from their peers. 

For over 6 years being a member of the club, I came to realize that its not all about being able to harness my public speaking and leadership skills. Toastmasters taught me the right attitude to have discipline in time in attending meetings and delivering speeches. Aside from that, it also taught me to be humble and resilient. I was able to let go of pride and ego, when a peer evaluates me. I am not disappointed or angry with their comments. It also taught me to deliver an assessment to my peers without insulting them but by doing it in a diplomatic way. 

If we love something, we can always find ways to learn and withstand any obstacle in our way. This is also what Paul emphasize in his letter to the Philippians:

"I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding." - Philippians 1:9

We have the opportunity to learn and increase our knowledge and understanding in all things we are interested in. I was not afraid to admit that I do not know all things. And its okay. I do not to pretend to know something that I am not really sure of. It gives me freedom and released me from the burden of pressure to know everything, to be expert about everything. After all, we only have one college diploma and my knowledge is only in that realm. However, we can always expand our knowledge and understanding by studying and reading the word of God. Its never too late to grow in our walk with God.

Start your journey today!

Toastmaster Meeting - May 27, 2025

 

Training for godliness

 

Are you physically conscious? We always want to look good because it makes us feel better when we present ourselves to other people. Do you want to be physically well to please people more than God?

By nature, we are attracted to humans who are physically attractive. We draw our attention to them at the moment we saw them. But when we get to know the them. We value them more than what we physically see outside. If we want to be physically strong, we need to train our bodies right?  The more we exercise and eat healthy foods we can also build up muscles and become stronger physically.

Can we also train our mind and soul to train for godliness? Off course, we can!

In 1 Timothy 4:8, it says: "Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and the life to come." 

Aside from physical training in our bodies, our mind and soul should also be trained. We can do that by reading the bible everyday. Reflect and meditate on God's words everyday. Pray everyday.  Have fellowship with believers. Share the gospel to others (non-christian). As we value physical strength, we should not also forget valuing our spiritual and mental health. After all, we need to have a balanced life. 

Are you ready to take on the challenge? Training for godliness? Don't delay. Do it now!

We are heirs of God's Kingdom

 

Are you alone and you felt like being neglected? Are you trap in a cycle of poverty? Are you tired of your work? Feeling hopeless?

You are not alone in you daily battles. God is always present yesterday, today and tomorrow. When we accepted Him as our Lord and Savior, He is our Saviour and Redeemer. He is our shepherd. We are the sheep who are always gone astray.  But we are always directed to the right path. He is our Father. We are his children. 

In Galatians 4:7 (NASB 1995), it says:

"You are no longer a slave, but a child of God; and since you are his child, you are made also an heir."

We are no longer slave from sin. We have a shepherd who always guide. We have a father who always takes care of his child. We lack nothing because Gods always provides our needs. God gave us His Kingdom and we are all heirs to the throne. God has a promise. He will never forsake us and leave us. 

When you feel down and lonely, do not be consumed by loneliness and despair. Always lift all your worries and cares unto the Lord and all your plans shall be established. Thank Him everyday for all the blessings you had received and claim the future blessings He prepared for you in the future.

Remember, we are heirs of God's kingdom!

Korean Class Sunday Program last May 25, 2025

 

Kangwon National University statue symbolized unity in seeking truth

The Kangwon National University (KNU) statue on its Chuncheon campus likely symbolizes the university's core values and founding spirit. It's often a statue of the university's mascot, Gomduri (a blue bear), or a more abstract design representing KNU's motto, "Seek the truth from reality" (Sil-Sa-Gu-Si). 

Finally! My first Q1, Scopus and Web of Science (ESCI) journal publication

 

https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/jadee-10-2024-0353/full/html 

Exploring the beauty of Singapore