My Failures Made Me Stronger

I have commited lots of mistakes in the past and most of them made me numb as a person until I found Jesus.

I admit that my life are filled with insecurities, worries, regrets, and pains — which leads me on being alone thus being lonely. Some of the people I have treated as my friends left me, maybe because I let them or maybe they just wanted to — Some also left me because they just don’t need me anymore. That’s how my insecurities grow inside of me. My heart is numb, and it is difficult for me to show the emptiness in me to others. Its hard because most of the time, they are the ones who asked me for an advice but as for me, I don’t have anyone to share with my own problems, not because I don’t have to… but because I have build up my strong reputation to take care of.

Another trait that manifested on me, that made me hate myself, is being a hot-tempered person, but that is way back 2005. My friends have known me as a calm person since I always rationalized things. Not until 2005, I started to show the other side of John Paul, a hot-tempered one filled with pride and arrogance, that even I was afraid of myself.

I have burned many bridges with my colleagues, treated them like a dirt, just because my past, it mold me that way, and I let it. My life is a failure then, I used to spend most of my time drinking with my friends and having fun badly.

My life then was crushed… I was broken…

But then, I have found Jesus. He never left me at all eventhough I was the one who left him, it made me whole once again, he molded me into a better person, he made me realize that my failure is my strenght to live on, run and finish my race.

I firmly believed that no matter how our failures destroy us, our hope and faith tested us, God is still there, He will never leave us.

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the Love of god that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (NIV) Romans 8:38-3

(posted February 22, 2007)

Confessions of a 7-month old Christian

Born-again Christian… Say what??? One of my many reactions about Christian faith. IT was during the time when I do not know of what is being a Christian. I grew up studying on a Catholic School(I don’t have any intention of disrespecting the Catholic faith) and was raised by a Catholic Family, that is why during these time, I do have a closed-mind with regards to any religions. Look where I am right now… I’m a proud Christian Believer.

As the phrase would say “Everything happens for a reason” I was brought here on my faith today not by an accident. I started attending a Christian service July 2006, and was invited by a friend, and did you know that i have encountered 3 situations that for me, it was a sign from which God is calling me to be a Christian believer? The first thing was during my 1st year college days @ San Sebastian College, where during a dinner with my friends, I saw a group of student having fun beside the place on where we are eating. I don’t have any idea of what they are doing but I already have a feeling that I want to join them, which surprisingly it was the VCF-UBelt Church that I only found out and remembered that incident only last month. The second incident was on my multiply account from where I created it 2 years ago, that I posted on my profile that I was a Christian and not a Catholic (It’s not a big deal though). And lastly, my other friend had been inviting me to VCF-Ortigas since 2003, but during that time, I was too busy leading a school organization then.

Nonetheless, as for me, Catholic and Christian faith shares in one ideology and also differs from many ideologies. Anyway, I’ve only been here for 7 months and since my 1st month, I’ve made a decision to continue this faith that made my perspective of life, even myself, CHANGE…

I never thought that Christian faith would make a big difference in my life and made me a better person today. Above all, amidst of all the trials in life, I’m here standing firm knowing that God is the true master of my life.

As a Christian, I have learned;

> that Jesus is Lord
> that God has a plan for us to prosper
> to respect myself
> to deal things in a good manner
> to wait
> that we are saved
> to learn more as I continue receiving the gift of eternal life.

(posted February 6, 2007)

The Greatest Love Of All

As we are celebrating the love month, I made a special treat for everyone.. This time, let’s talk about love, a different kind of love.

“The greatest love of all is easy to achieve, learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all” sounds familiar right?, it’s an excerpt from W. Houston’s “Greatest love of all”, I definitely agree to the first line of the song’s chorus that the greates love of all is very much easy for us to achieve, we actually got it even before we were born. But, I totally disagree with the second line stating the the greatest love of all is loving only yourself, what I mean is, loving your self does not necessarily mean you’ve already found it. It is only one of the key in finding the greatest love.

Now, what really is the greatest love? who gave it? and where do we find it?

As I’ve said, the greatest love of all is just there, you don’t need to find that special feeling as the lovers do, but rather you need to seek the one who gave it to you. If you take a look at the bible, there you will find many verses that talks about different kinds of love. The love of mankind to each and every creatures of the earth, the love of a father to his prodigal son, the love of a mother, brotherly love, the love that leads to marriage, and the love of God. Now I’m making sense, and did I say “the Love of God”? Bingo!, I’ve already given you the answer, the greatest love of all is God’s love. Why? Let’s take a look then at John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (NIV). This verse only shows that God our Father gave His son, Jesus, to us for us to be saved and proclaim His glory to mankind.

Ok wait! I’m gonna divide the verse into two section. First, God gave his Son, Jesus. If you take a look at Luke 1:28-31, an angel appeared unto Mary and brings her a good news, she will conceive the Son of our Lord. But, there’s more that God do, God allowed his Son to die on the cross for us to claim the gift of salvation. I mean, who would have thought of letting his Son suffer and die for us to be saved? Only God!

For the second part of the verse, it clearly states there that we are saved and have received the gift of eternal life, as what I have always been telling you. As the bible states “…whoever believes in him shall not be perish…” and as Jesus proclaim it on John 14:6, “… I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes through to the Father except through me”(NIV). Jesus is the only way for our eternal life, He died on the cross for us to receive this wonderful gift.

Now to sum it up, the greatest love of all is the unfailing love of God, and for us to achieve that love, is for us to have faith and believe to his plans for us and to confess that Jesus is Lord, the Prince of Peace, and the only way for our salvation.

Take time to read the bible and then you will find many ways on how God shows His love for us. But remember to reflect God’s glory to others, it’s not about us… IT’S ALL ABOUT HIM!

To God be the Glory!

(posted February 22, 2007)