Elusive God

One world reknown christian apologist said, and I quote ” Is it really possible that God made HIMself so elusive that you need a degree in theology or doctorate in philosophy to find out whether HE exist? - Ravi Zacharias.

I could not agree more!  

In my years of hearing sermons after sermons,often, preachers tend to put boundary conditions in defining GOD, what He has done, what He is capable of and what can He do to people’s lives in the future.  And the most powerful messages often boils to ’believe and accept HIM to enjoy salvation and eternal life’.  The message is great. The challenge is how that message is received and acted upon by men and women who have heard.  And people are always on the lookout for traces or evidence of a changed life in the messenger or preacher.

Often too,  I observed, or at least reasoned, that people are looking for ‘big bang events’ or encounters with God  in a preachers life in order for the message to be powerful.  But, the challenge lies for messengers whose life with Christ is marked with small and incremental changes yet focused on the goal of servitude and boldness for evangelism. 

Does one need to undergo extreme faith challenges in order for people to accept the message?

Personal Mission Statement

Personal Mission:

I have only 1 life to live. Therefore, with God’s help and guidance, I will be a Christian Husband, Family Man, and Businessman. I will use every resource God provides me to carry out His work on earth as set forth below.

1.  CHARACTER : Continuously shape and mold my character and be soaked in the WORD, so that I can influence others, encourage the lost, inspire the young and lead those close to me to live a fruitful life.

 

2.  GIFTS: Use my God-given spiritual gifts, skills and talents, including my resources, to create positive change in people’s lives.

 

3.  HABITS: Continuously rid my life of destructive habits, consciously cultivating new, good and positive ones.

 

4. OTHERS: Focus on others, look things at others point of view, be a friend and role model for my kids, immediate and distant family members.

 

All men die. But not all men live – Braveheart – William Wallace

Pastor at Work

This testimony from an author mirrors my own story. The way he fashioned his message is very inspiring. And so I thought it best as my initial salvo to this freshly minted blog of mine – to chronicle my newly crafted role in our overseas society.

SCRIPTURE: “For Christ also suffered… that he might lead you to God…” – 1 Peter 3:18

“So many people tell me that I’ve succeeded so much in my life. And everything I’ve set my mind on happens. But then people only see one chapter of the entire story. Here’s something they don’t know: my other dreams that have nose-dived and crashed to the bottom of the sea. I can write a 30- volume encyclopedia entitled The Failures of Bo Sanchez. And that’s just the index. When I failed, people didn’t mince words. I was criticized, ridiculed, lambasted, fried, roasted, grilled, baked, sautéed, stewed and eaten alive. But God knows how to use failures. He has mastered the art of recycling flops like me. We are all wounded. But wounds are necessary for His healing light to enter into our beings. Without wounds and failures, frustration and defeats, there will be no opening for His brilliance to trickle in and invade our lives. Failures in life are courses with very high tuition fees. So I don’t cut classes and miss my lessons: on humility, on patience, on asking others for help, on listening to God, on trying again. All these, I know, will lead me to do better what God has tasked me to do in my life. Bo Sanchez