*Long Range Planning

        Give your heart to God and let him completely take care of your soul and you are all set for eternity.

How Are You Spiritually?

        If you believe in God, do you live as if he is real and relevant? Can people tell? If you believe that nothing is impossible with God, does your faith make that clear to others? If you address God as Lord, how often do you obey him? If we are to love God with all our heart, how often do you think of him or talk to him? Last, how seriously do you follow Jesus' specific counsels and commandments and take his promises? These are some of the questions that can help you assess your spiritual condition.

**Making God Your Confidant

        Here's a way to get to know the Lord God intimately fast. Pour out everything in your heart before him. Share your deepest secrets and concerns, those you wouldn't even share with any other human or look into yourself, with him. Do not hold back your emotions either. Weep or laugh if you feel like it. Showing this kind of trust greatly pleases the Father, for it shows that you know that he knows everything about you. This will bring you great freedom and consolation, now that you have become one of his favored children.

*On Opening Up to God

        It is often not easy to start doing something for the first time, even though you know that you should. One good example is Christians having difficulty in opening themselves up to God. I believe that is because they still do not want to relinquish themselves yet. It comes down to the ego and lack of humility. All I can say is once you have opened up and tasted the new freedom, you will not ever want to go back to your old imprisonment again.

On Loss of Inner Peace

        Loss of inner peace is caused by others or yourself. If you are the cause, it indicates that you have sinned, unless you are so far from God that your conscience is already muddy. The closer you are to God, the sharper your conscience is and the more your heart experiences pain or even torture, alerting you to reconcile with God, which is a blessing. Those who already have a muddy conscience risk straying away from God even more. 

The Same God!

        God the Father brought the Israelites out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, delivering them from their bondage. God the Son came into the world 2,000 years ago to suffer and die to redeem sinners so that they might have eternal life, revealing God's greatest love for his children. And God the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles on Pentecost 50 days after the Resurrection of Jesus, sanctifying, enlightening, and strengthening the new Church. Since God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, this is the God we have inherited!   

Unknown Thrill

        People seek to experience thrills in this life, not knowing that one single moment of intimacy with God is quietly more satisfying than a thousand thrills of the world put together.

Ultimate Living

        Communion experience. It feels good to be in complete harmony with God. I picture myself sitting next to the Lord in a green meadow, relaxing together and enjoy each other's company. By submitting yourself to him, your hear his voice intimately, for he dwells within your heart. Jesus fulfills our life to overflowing. It is ultimate living!  

Joy to the Soul

        Reading 1 at Mass from Hebrews 4: The word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. No creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account. Paul uttered these words in union with God. For it is in union with the Lord that you gladly let his word (and his love) penetrate your heart to help you discern your inner thoughts and learn his ways. Such intimacy brings great joy to the soul.

God Is Hope

        At this morning's Mass, I read all these sayings from the missal that gave me so much hope in the Lord. From the Entrance: Upon a lofty throne, I saw a man seated, whom a host of angels adore, singing in unison: Behind him, the name of whose empire is eternal. The Responsory from John 6.63: Your words, Lord, are spirit and life. The Communion antiphon, Psalm 36.10: With you, O Lord, is the fountain of life, and in your light we see light. An alternate, John 10.10: I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly. The God of Christ is our shining hope, our joy, and the cause of our optimism. Trust in him with all your heart to be uplifted by him.

Prepare Now for Eternity

        If you believe in the Second Coming of Christ upon which he will judge all the living and the dead, the time of preparation is now when you are still alive. Whether the Coming happens in your lifetime or later, know that your preparation time expires at the same time you do. 

Jesus Indispensable

        Jesus is most valuable, most desirable, in fact, indispensable to us, for only he can forgive our sins as he is God. He is the way and the truth and the life. To be more specific, only he can save us from eternal damnation and lead us to heaven. He is the one we need to go after, embrace, and follow with all our heart and our might. If you reject him, I will only respect you if you can solidly prove to me that he is false in some way, that you actually know more than he, or that your are a better person than he. My belief is that those who reject him are in reality running away from him, afraid of confronting God. How foolish it is to try to avoid something that is imminent!

Putting House in Order

        Yesterday in a post I mentioned that anyone in an emotional state may lose self-control. For example, an angry person may do harm to others or a person under stress may no longer consider the consequences of his action. We all make wrong decisions when we lose inner peace and clear thinking. Similarly, when we lose God's peace in our heart, we no longer hear him speak to us and start sinning. Union with God prevents all this. It is putting your house in order, a state for the soul to cherish and enjoy.  

Freedom That's Free

        "Freedom is not free" is a popular American idiom. We owe gratitude to our military for its sacrifices in defending our personal freedoms. By contrast, I think of the freedom God is ready to bestow upon each of us. It won't cost you anything and you won't have to fight for it either. All you need to do is to submit to God and humbly ask him to set you free.

On Practicing What You Preach

        To practice what you preach is usually harder than just preaching, for it is in practice that your theory is being tested. It is also a fact that anyone in an emotional state may lose his self-control. Therefore, if you are a spiritual person, it is all the more important not to lose your inner peace in order to practice what you preach as successfully as possible.

On Fearing God

        We should fear God so that we may not sin. After we sin, we should not fear turning to God immediately to ask for his forgiveness to remove any fear of being judged by him. 

On Not Judging Others

        Reasons for not judging others: (1) We are sinners ourselves. (2) Judging is not being kind. (3) To judge is to play God. (4) Last but not least, Jesus commanded us not to judge others. 

*On Following God's Will

        Jesus came into the world to spread the good news of God's love and our salvation, knowing well that not all would welcome or believe him. Nevertheless, he went ahead with God's plan. Similarly, we strive to be holy, knowing that we would never be perfect. Nevertheless, we should not give up and must continue on, following God's will. What we can actually achieve is up to the Lord.