Heart

What is the Heart? Heart is one of the most important body parts in the Human Anatomy. The Heart is also considered as a vital part of our Soul, it is where our Mind(thoughts),  Emotions(feelings) and Will is. It is where the intangible joys are found, the heart broken feeling resides.


"No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person's heart.

-John 2:25"

Earlier while I was reading the scripture, a passage in John 2:25 NLT somehow made me think about the Heart. It says Human Nature, and what was in each person's heart. I wonder what it is?

Interestingly, Jeremiah 17:9 says the Human Heart is the most deceitful of all things and desperately wicked!!! how bad could that be? Now, I wonder if my heart is playing tricks on me. Is it lying with how I really feel? Is it misleading me from the will of God?

Now, if there is one thing we do not want to do, that is get side track from God's will and plan for us. Given the definition of the Heart, praise God as there are instructions found in the Bible in how we'll deal with our Heart. and one of them is found in Proverbs 3:5-6.

Trusting the Lord with ALL your heart and lean not on your OWN UNDERSTANDING is so much easier said than done. Why? Cause it's hard to trust when you don't understand! I've been there, I bet you did too. But Jesus works in ways we could never understand. walking in water is an example, how about feeding thousands of people with a boy's lunch? and there's a lot more but you get my point right?  His ways and thoughts are way higher than us. Thank God, that the Word promises we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. Thus by the Grace of God, we can trust in Him and lean not on our own understanding.

Just like in the earlier verse, Jesus knew what was in the Human Heart. That is why He wants us to trust Him with all of it, He wants us to walk in His plans and to live in His promises.

Guard your heart above all the Word says, for it determines our course in life. To think of it, I have an idea of our Heart as a steering wheel that where our heart turns, there we go also. No wonder God wants us to trust Him only and trust him with ALL our Heart. The Word says, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard and mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him." and another verse says that "For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord. They are plans of good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."  Knowing His promises, He wants to lead us in His plans.

To reflect on all of this, I concluded on this one thing. God loves us and simply wants the best for us. Our Heart, sees our reality and we are affected by it. It's either we jump for joy because of high grades or salary increase or we crash to the ground and get crazy inside due to huge bills to pay, fear to lost someone, anxieties at work or getting rejected. Above all the mixed realities of life, we must learn to focus on Jesus. to let him take control of our steering wheel irregardless of what we feel or in whatever season we are in, as long as he is in charge and the Captain of our lives, may be it in laughter or in sorrow, we are always bound to somewhere better. What place can be better than God's will for our lives?

Lessons from Dolce Amore

It's been more than a week since it ended, but i still have a hangover with Dolce Amore. the suspense, the action, the drama and of course the kilig moments. who would forget Tenten and his hardwork that eventually turned to a story of rags to riches? or Serena searching for her childhood friend(penpal)? though i've never imagined Giancarlo becoming a maniac(sorry for the term, but websters described it accurately), i've expected a more chivalrous type of rivalry between him and Tenten.

even though the story has already ended, the lessons learned are simply too good to ignore. here are three things that we could learn from the show.

1. Family

We love each other because he loved us first. - 1 John 14:19

it's not that hard to miss it as Tenten and Serena's world revolves with them. Family is one of the most important treasures that we have. Back in the day when my Lolo was still alive, i was with him at the hospital and we were sharing a room with another patient. my aunt was chatting with the other patient's relative and a part of that conversation is still on my mind. "Ang Pamilya iisa lang yan, hindi mo na mapapalitan yan. pag nawala na ang tatay mo, wala ng papalit dun, iisa lang yun. ang asawa pag nawala(namatay), pwede ka magpakasal ulit, ang kaibigan madami sila pero ang pamilya, ang mga magulang sila lang yan"(paraphrased). those words were etched in my heart and realize that family is an irreplaceable treasure. Tenten's character is about doing everything just to support his family and hey He was able to meet the love of his life because of that (though i dont mean that you need to be a "call boy" to meet your future wife.)

2. Forgiveness redeems the time

Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. - Colossians 3:13

Let's face it, truth hurts. and when we got hurt because somebody did something wrong, most of the time our tendency is to protect our self. so we either retaliate to the person who wronged us or we break apart and feel bad about it because the person who've hurt us is somehow important. though some people have another option, and that is forgiveness. i love how the dictionary describes it.

Forgive : to stop feeling anger toward (someone who has done something wrong) : to stop blaming (someone). : to stop feeling anger about (something)

i still remember those episodes where Tenten finds out who his real mother is. he was mad, and for those who watched that episode you know how intense he is! (nawawalan na nga siya ng boses kakasigaw sa sequence na yun). if we're in the same situation i bet we'll feel the same thing. there are so many lies that you don't know which is the truth, because even the truth feels like a lie. and i just love what the script writers did, right after that sequence when Tenten's parents (Tatay Dodoy and Nanay Taps) found out the truth thru Viviane, (yes they cried and were confused and angry as well.) as parents they know that their adopted son needed them, and the first action that they did was they prayed. no matter how great the problem is, God would still be bigger than your problems. it is a good example for us to follow,  when reality strikes and we are knocked down by problems. our first move should be to pray. prayer should not be our last option.. right after praying they were able to encourage themselves and encourage Tenten as well. 

Now you might be asking what is the connection between prayer and forgiveness? to be able to forgive, we need to be strong. A man is at his strongest when he forgives. it takes boldness and courage to forgive a person who doesnt deserve it. and that is the role of prayer, it gives us strength and confidence. prayer helps us to remember who our identity is, who we are in God's sight. 

Forgiveness enabled Tenten to be a better person. it helped him to moved forward. if you are in the same situation and in need to forgive someone, think about this : Forgive not because the person deserves it, but because you deserve your peace. hate steals our joy and our time, but forgiveness redeems it. at the end of the story we were able to see the fruit of forgiveness in the life of Tenten. a Happy ending.

3. If it's meant to be it's gonna happen anyways

"...all the days ordained for me were written in your book

    before one of them came to be." - Psalm 139:16

if you are going through a bad chapter in your life, i've got good news for you. it will be alright. if your still waiting patiently for the right one, no worries, you'll meet that person in the right time.  SerTen's story go through ups and downs and way more down before getting the deserved happy ending.  people and events tried to separate them. even in the last episode they thought of not getting married nor the idea of being together because of what they've gone through but if it's meant to be, it's gonna happen anyways.  

"You can make many plans, but the LORD's purpose will prevail. - Proverbs 19:21"

" For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." - Jeremiah 29:11

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard and no one’s heart has imagined all the things that God has prepared for those who love him.” - 1 Corinthians 2:9

If it is the plan of God, no matter what we do, it'll still gonna happen. nothing can prevent it, our actions may delay it by choosing the wrong things but there's no way to change what God has predestined for us. we cannot disqualify ourselves from the will of God. The Bible says that : He is Faithful, His Mercy are new every morning. if sin abounds in our lives His Grace abounds much more. Nothing can separate us from the Love of God. 

God's plan in our lives is not based in our action, it is based in His goodness, that is why we couldn't disqualify ourselves from it. David was promised to be a king, he did go through ups and down, and there was a point that everyone wants to kill him(1 Samuel 30) but God's plan prevailed, he became king after a couple of chapters. Joseph was in the same situation, he was sold by his brother and became a slave but God's plan still prevailed and we knew what happened in Egypt. Saul was killing Christians but Jesus intervened with him and from a Christian killer, he turned to Paul the missionary and wrote the 2/3's of the New Testament

If you are in a bad part of your life today, know that God is Faithful and Able to turn things around and His good plan for you will prevail. if you are still waiting, He has the Best Blessing for you. everything would be alright and it will be worth it.

Who Am I?

one of the most unpopular questions that we ask, who am i? what's my purpose? what am i living for? what's the purpose of me living when in the end im gonna die anyways?

these questions rarely arise especially when we enjoy our lives and get caught in the happiness that is around us, i bet we only ask this when we ourselves are in a difficult situation in life or maybe just wondering what we are really living for? for me i asked these questions to myself when the pressure is great, the weight of the world in your shoulders are too heavy, those times that you just want to shout and die for a moment just to escape the reality even for just a couple of seconds, maybe for a couple of more minutes.

the reason im writing this blog is because i believe some people might be in the same situation as i were. the situation where the things you always wanted wont satisfy you anymore, the things you get used to doesnt have the same feelings you have with it before, the feeling where something is lacking, the time where you look for life's own meaning and purpose because you are tired of the way things around you works.

the Bible says we are a mist that appears for a little while then vanishes. if that is what we are, then what is the reason why we are here?  i've pondered this thought for a while, did a lot of foolish things, things that they said are fun but deep inside me im not enjoying it. i hanged out with my friends, joined their activities, thinking i can find what im looking for with them. i get into a relationship, lots of them(trust me, it may sound cool, but im not proud of it). i compromised to look for that thing i believe can complete me, stayed late at work, hoping its rewards might be the one im looking for. all those things, didnt even come close to what i was looking for.

the world shows us what's cool, it tells us what seems right. it tells us who we are. but deep inside it all feels so wrong.

IDENTITY. that was the word i am looking for. who am i? knowing who you are reveals your purpose. a Doctor heals, a Soldier protects, a Mother takes care, does identity leads to purpose? are we identified by our achievements? by what we do? what if we fail? what if i make a mistake? are we still as valuable as before?  are we identified through our loved ones? by our friends? what if they were gone? what if they dont like us anymore? what will be our identity then? who are we? why is identity so important?


Identity leads to purpose. there are many ways to establish your identity, who you think you are is who you will be. again, it's who you think you are NOT what other people think of you.what others think of you wont affect the way you see at yourself UNLESS you allow them to. identity is one of life's foundation. our personality, the way we do things, it is all influenced by our identity. who do you think you are? i remember a friend of mine told me, "you become who you worship".
well, for me worship is a big word but if you gave time to think of it, its quite true. a fan always adores and imitates his or her idol. they want to be like their idol, from looks, to clothes, dont they?


now, im going straight to the point. our real identity is found in God's Word. the Bible says, we are fearfully and wonderfully made, that we are God's Masterpiece. this is what i learned in my life and what i want to share to you right now, an identity based on the world is unstable, always changing, never satisfying but an identity based on God's word is stable and never ending. the word says we are God's children(1 John 3:1-2), we are loved(John 3:16), that He chose us even before the world began(Eph.1:4), that you belong to Him(2 peter 2:9). that he sacrificed himself so that you will be redeemed that you are a new creation! all the things you did before, it is all good with God.(2 Cor. 5:17;21). He is not mad with you anymore!( Isaiah 54:10). and he has plans for you(Jeremiah 29:11). if you read the Word of God, there are still a lot of things to know. all he wants is for you to come back home. come back to Him, just like the prodigal son, he admits that he sinned and we know what happened next, his Father forgive him. i want to tell you that you are forgiven, how bad your sin may be, how worse might be your past, God forgave you he cares for you. you might be abused before, God will restore you. whatever it is that happened on your life, God will definitely redeem you because He loves you. if you haven't accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior i encourage you to do so, your life will definitely change for the better. a simple prayer of confession and accepting him as savior will do.


whatever may be the challenges that you will face in the future, knowing your identity in Christ and how much he loves you, you'll get through it i am certain, he never failed before, He is our Rock in which we stand.

we have different specific purpose in life, let's ask God what's his will and purpose for us. and let us thank Him and Worship Him for who He is. the reason we are here is because we are made to worship (1 Colossians 1:16)