And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment -Hebrews 9:27

Everything in life will have an end.  There’s a beginning and there’s an end. In any game – basketball, soccer, baseball, volleyball – there is always an end. When the announcer says “last two minutes,” what does that mean? It means that time is almost up, and there will be no extension unless there is need for overtime. But the point is to be ready because play is not indefinite. There will come that point when time is up.

The same thing can be said of life.  Whether we like it or not, there is going to be an end. We die once. There is no reincarnation. There are only two possibilities at the end of your life: either you are ready or you are not ready.

God does not want us to be foolish. That is why He gave us the Bible to teach us His truth, His wisdom. Don’t be a fool, God warns us. “This very night your soul is required of you” (Luke 12:20). We may not know when our time is up, but that time will most certainly come.

Let our prayer be that we remain faithful to the end. And when Jesus comes, we will welcome Him and say, “Lord, thank You. It has been good serving You.”

I want to be ready
To cry out His name
To lay up in His arms
Delight in His fame
I want to be ready
To be embraced by His love
Before Thee Almighty
To take me up above

-Shawn Mcdonald

When my life will be done, only You can know. But this I ask, that You keep me faithful through both the rough spots and the times of light. For I know that all of this is for my testing, for an everlasting life with Thee.

*This Devotional was taken from Ptr. Peter Tan-chi’s message delivered at CCF Ortigas last June 26, 2005

Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” -Luke 19:8-10

Why was Jesus going to Jericho? He was going for the purpose of preaching the gospel of salvation to Zaccheus, “to seek and to save that which was lost.” When Zaccheus espied Jesus, he climbed up a tree to get a better view. He also let go of his pride. The principle here is Jesus knows exactly where we are today. And He takes us just as we are and transforms us into what He wants us to be.

Have you had a personal encounter with Jesus? Jesus loves you, and He is out there looking for you. He will reach out and go wherever you are because He knows your hurt, your needs, and your pain.

You may be hiding or running away from Jesus because of guilt, shame, failure. You may even be ashamed of being with God. You cannot hide from Jesus because He knows exactly where you are especially when it comes to your relationship with Him. He is not out to condemn you but to console and embrace you and bring joy into your life.

We all fall short of God’s perfect holiness, and we can never measure up to His standards regardless of good works, religion, or philosophy. That is why “the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

- John Newton

*This Devotional was taken from Ptr. Joby Soriano’s message delivered at CCF Ortigas last July 10, 2005

The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.-1 Peter 4:7

We need to be aware of the second coming and live lives of “sound judgment and sober spirit?” because the second coming of Christ is the single most powerful motivation for Christian living. But why does God not tell us when He is coming? God wants us to live expectantly always ready for Christ’s return.

Everyone will die but nobody knows when. If we believe we will be in the presence of God within six months, how will that thought impact our lives? When we face the reality of meeting the Lord, will we not begin to see things differently? If we expect to see God very soon, doing nothing about it is tantamount to not believing at all.

God is telling us that the end of all things is at hand. Examine your relationship with the Lord, with one another, and your service to one another. Do you have a right relationship with God? Is your prayer life a declaration of dependence and trust in the Lord? What about your relationship with other people? Have you chosen to love and forgive especially those who are imperfect and unlovable? Are you living a life in service to God and to others? Are you using your special God-given gifts to help one another?

It is not too late to appreciate the reality that sooner or later we will see God. Therefore it is important to reconcile the reality of Christ’s second coming with the certainty that we will have to give Him an accounting of our lives. In prepping for the end, it would be wise and prudent to always be ready.

Behold he comes, riding on the clouds
Shining like the sun, at the trumpet’s call
So lift your voice, It’s the year of Jubilee
And out of Zion’s hill, salvation comes.

-Robin Mark

*This Devotional was taken from Ptr. Peter Tan-chi’s message delivered at CCF Ortigas last August 29, 2004

Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it.” 31But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us.” -Numbers 13:30-31

Are you a positive person or a negative person? There are only two types of people, the negative and the positive. Biblically, positive attitude is called the attitude of faith. Your attitude is very important. It affects your life.

Most Christians practice the spiritual disciplines of quiet time, reading the Bible, and prayer. These are wonderful! But what about the discipline of your attitude?

You know many children today are not trained properly. No wonder many grow up having a negative and critical attitude. In our family we don’t allow grumbling, murmuring, or any negativism. We always try to practice faith attitude even in our conversations and in our remarks toward each other. We try to encourage and affirm everyone in the family.

In facing problems we also need to practice faith attitude.

Why is God allowing us to have problems? Very simple. History has shown that great men are never developed in times of prosperity. Men are developed in times of adversity. Study history. All successful people have gone through adversity.

Many years ago. if you look at the Harvard Business Review, you will see how they interview people. When they interview people, they say, “Alright, let me see your resume.” And then if they detect failures, let’s say they ask you, “Have you failed?” and if you tell them you have failed somewhere, in all likelihood, they will not hire you. You know why? They think this guy is a failure.

Today, the situation has changed. When they interview people, they still want to find out if you have failed. If your answer is, “I have never failed”, they will not hire you. Why? Because only people who have experienced failure becomes strong. You learn resiliency. You learn to flex.

I qualify because I have failed many times. But I don’t see myself as a failure. Failure is an event. It does not describe the person. Just because you fail does not mean you’re a failure. And people who do not walk by faith, who don’t have a faith attitude are always afraid to fail. So they don’t want to try new things. You know why they don’t want to try new things? They’re afraid to fail. That is negative attitude! Practice the attitude of faith and don’t be afraid to fail.

Are you going to face the new year with the attitude of faith or will you be grumbling, complaining when you have problems?(PTC)

I’m taking a step,
Walking out on the promises God made
Taking a giant leap in the air
Stepping out on nothing and finding something there
Telling the doubt to wait,
I’m taking a step of faith
-Carman

“I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.-John 17:14

In the 17th chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus prays for His followers because the world does not necessarily relish their company.

Let me give you an example. Do you know this lady by the name of Miss Carrie Prejean? She was the former Miss California. This year she almost made it to Miss USA. She was a runner-up. Do you know what happened to her? Many people believed she should have been Miss USA if not for her answer in the final question. The judge asked her, “Vermont recently legalized same sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit? Why or why not?” This lady is a follower of Jesus. I met her pastor. In the past she wasn’t a committed follower of Jesus but by this time she already is. Do you know her answer? She said, “I respect people’s opinion. I respect people’s choices. But if you ask me I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman.” Nice answer, isn’t it? But the media lambasted her! The Bible says, “The world will hate you.” If you stand up for the values of God it is dangerous.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XMvviFbkf0&feature=player_embedded)

I remember somebody who made a stand in his school. He was the president of the class. Everybody was cheating and since he was a follower of Jesus he wanted to put a stop to cheating. Do you know what happened to him? They wanted to impeach him. He said, “It’s okay. Let us have a re-election. I don’t have to be the president of this class.” They had a re-election but believe it or not he was re-elected again.

My point is this: You need to stand up for honesty, integrity and truth and some people will not like it. But you need not worry because Jesus is praying for you. (PTC)

Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
the strife will not be long;
this day the noise of battle,
the next the victor’s song.
To those who vanquish evil
a crown of life shall be;
they with the King of Glory
shall reign eternally.
-George James Webb

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” -John 16:33

We will face opposition whenever we do the right thing. Jesus Himself made this very clear when He said, “In the world you have tribulation.” Opposition will come in many forms: criticism from other people or difficult circumstances. The bottom line though is we have a spiritual enemy.

It is important to know the enemy’s tactics. Discouragement is one of his most powerful weapons. He also entices us to lose our self-control and tempts us to panic or fly off the handle. He wants to immobilize us to the point of paralysis whenever we refuse to make a move for fear of making a mistake. He leads us to the brink of spiritual defeat and poverty rendering us useless in the Kingdom of God.

But Jesus has told us to take heart because He has overcome the world! How should we therefore respond to opposition? Knowing the enemy’s tactics, we must prepare ourselves because opposition will undoubtedly happen. We must also pray and press on not only for the glory of God but also for our sake and that of the people around us. By the grace of God, we will be able to infuse new hope into the hearts of depressed, disheartened, and disillusioned people simply because we continued to press on.

Yes, it is true we will face opposition, but the battle is the Lord’s and Jesus is the Victor!

When the power of darkness comes in like a flood,
The battle belongs to the Lord.
He’ll raise up a standard, the power of His blood,
The battle belongs to the Lord.- Jamie Owens-Collins

*This Devotional was taken from Ricky Sarthou’s message delivered at CCF Ortigas last NOCtober 21, 2007

“This I command you, that you love one another.” John 15:17

We’ve heard it said time and again. Love is not a feeling. It is a commitment directed towards imperfect people to seek their highest good which often requires sacrifice.

C. S. Lewis in Mere Christianity says, “Do not waste your time bothering whether you love your neighbor – act as if you did. As soon as we do this, we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.”

Have you ever heard the story, “The Frog and the Princess?”  Sometimes we are kind of like the frog.  Frogs feel slow, low, ugly, puffy, drooped and pooped.   The frog-feeling comes when you want to shine, but you feel down.  When you want to share, but you are selfish, when you want to be thankful, but you feel resentment, when you want to be great, but you are small, when you want to care, but really you are indifferent.   At one time or another each of us has found himself on a lily pad floating down the river of life, frightened, disgusted, we are just too froggish.  Once upon a time, there was a frog, only really he was not a frog.  He was a prince who looked like a frog.  A wicked witch cast a spell on him.  Only the kiss of a beautiful maiden could save him.  But since when did cute girls kiss frogs? There he sat, the unkissed prince in frog form.  One day a beautiful maiden gathered him up and gave him a great big smack.  “Crash, boom, zap.“  There he was, a handsome prince.  You know the rest, “They lived happily ever after.“  So what is the lesson here? What is the task of the church?  Kissing frogs, of course.  Did you ever kiss a frog? Is not that what Jesus was saying?  “Love one another.” The kind of love that we share with people even though if they are frogs can transform them into a prince.  He has done with you and me.  Think of how much the Lord has loved me, and how much more should I love others.  Only He can give us the power to do this.  (MS)

We are called to take His light
To a world where wrong is right;
What could be too great a cost
For sharing life with one who’s lost?
Through His love our hearts can feel
All the grief they bear;
They must hear the Words of Life
Only we can share. -Ray Boltz

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” -John 15:7

God wants to bless you and give you the desires of your heart, but you better not dictate to Him. If you do, you are in for a let-down.

Are you driven by faith or by expectation? Therein lays the difference. Faith is believing that God can do anything; there is nothing He cannot do. Expectation tries to dictate what God should or should not do. Even our Lord Jesus Christ, and everyone else in the Bible who loved the Father, gave very specific prayer requests, after which they stepped back and said, “Whatever You want is what I want.”

We need to ask ourselves three basic questions to help keep us from having an unbiblical expectation of our God:

Am I letting God define the words? Whenever you attempt to manipulate God’s Word, He issues a warning that your thinking is flawed and nowhere close to where He wants to bring you.

What is my ultimate goal? What do you really want out of what you are asking God? Know your heart’s desire because He can give you a treasure greater than any you can ever imagine. God guarantees prosperity, but it is He who defines prosperity. Your ultimate goal will make a difference.

How much do I trust God? Do you give the Almighty God the right to define the meaning of His words simply because you believe He knows what is best for you? Do you trust your Lord and Savior?

Come oh Lord and fill up my life
with the light of Your presence
This is my heart’s desire
Oh Father, come and let Your spirit abide
I long for Your presence
this is my heart’s desire
-Newsboys

Lord, into Your hands, I surrender myself. I know that You want only what is best for me, and Your best is what You always give me.

*This Devotional was taken from Nathan Leigh’s message delivered at CCF Ortigas last November 10, 2003.

“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 13:35

I had the privilege of spending time with my father. My father has moved in with me because his house was flooded. You know the water in Pasig area. It’s a privilege for me. I was seated with my father. He’s 91 years old and sometimes, he remembers, sometimes he does not remember. But I was just looking at him. And he just stares at me. I said, “Lord what a privilege for me to be able to take care of my father. What a privilege for me just to be able to sit beside my father.” We don’t have to say anything; we just look at each other.

And my friend, the mark of a true follower of Jesus is love. You have to learn to love, because love is a commitment; it is towards imperfect people; it is to seek their highest good, but you’ve got to be prepared to pay the price because love may require you to sacrifice. And you know, if you begin to love people, you know what is going to happen? The Bible tells us: “By this, all men will know you are My disciples.” Based on what condition? You want to witness for Jesus? Before you use your words, before you talk about Jesus, show them you love them. The best way to witness for Jesus is to love people. So I want you to do something. I want you to consider practicing loving like Jesus at home. The hardest people to love are the family members, because you are with them all the time. You see their mistakes. You see, to love strangers is easy. For example, this week, I went to the flooded area. I gave goods to people I don’t know. That’s easier, because I don’t know them. But to love people who are in your family, you see them every day and they make mistakes. Some of them make mistakes every week, every time they see you, they make mistake. I don’t know, but these are the people you have to love. Love your people at home. Show them the love of Jesus. (PTC)

Give of your best to the Master;
Give Him first place in your heart;
Give Him first place in your service;
Consecrate every part.
Give, and to you will be given;
God His beloved Son gave;
Gratefully seeking to serve Him,
Give Him the best that you have.
(Howard B. Grose)

“Immediately after this, Jesus told his disciples to get into their boat and cross to the other side of the lake while he stayed to get the people started home… Night fell, and out on the lake the disciples were in trouble. For the wind had risen and they were fighting heavy seas.”-Matthew 14:22, 24 [Living Bible]

Some of you are not happy with God. Because you have obeyed Him, and after obeying Him, your expectations are not met. Those people, who are disappointed with God, usually are not excited to worship God. Many of them are the last to come in for worship and they sit at the back. These are the people who are not so happy with Him. They attend worship out of obligation. ‘I have no choice, I come.’ And when they sing, they don’t sing to the Lord. They don’t sing with their hearts. You know why? Because in their minds, they are thinking ‘God, you are not good to me. After I’ve given you my life, you are still giving me so many problems.’

But the truth is, you will be tested. The disciples obeyed Jesus but as they obeyed, found themselves in trouble and struggling to survive in the middle of the raging sea.

When you obey God and trials come, your security lies in the fact that “God is with you.” The truth is this, if you follow God or don’t follow God, will you have problems? Do you think only Christians have problems? No. When you don’t follow God, you also will have problems. But can I tell you something? In the midst of your problems, you may be alone if you don’t follow God. But because we follow God, when there are problems, what do we say? “Lord, I am excited.” Can you say that? Why do you say you are excited? Because problems and adversities are opportunities for His grace and goodness to be revealed.

God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind
So when you don’t understand
When you don’t see His plan
When you can’t trace His hand
Trust His heart

-Eddie Carswell and Babbie Mason