Seeing What's Beautiful

        God is beautiful. Having faith in God is beautiful. If you see both, God has made you beautiful.

On Viewing Others Correctly

        I just talked to one contractor who came out to look at some repair work that needs to be done on my house. He was a smooth talker, trying to impress me with his knowledge and experience ~ I knew that he was prepping me for receiving a high bid. As he started to turn me off, I sensed Jesus' love for him and instantly, I felt sorry for the man. I was saved from turning him off by the Lord! As most of us meet so many people in our lives, all the more we need to practice viewing others with compassion as Jesus does until it becomes our second nature.  

Before We Die ...

        It's common that after someone has died, some family member would be remorseful that he or she hasn't cared enough about the deceased. If I were dying now, I would certainly hope that I have already straightened out all my relationships with others. Therefore, when we are still alive, it's good to go over the list of people whom we have not forgiven, have not gotten along well with, have not loved enough. Then with God's help we can set all those relationships right, so that when the time comes, we may leave this earth in peace and with freedom. All for the glory of God.    

Safeguarding Our Soul

        Our soul is the most precious part of us. To safeguard it, we must give it to God because whatever belongs to him will be safe. If you do not belong to God, you probably have already sold part, if not all, of your soul to the devil. I do not mean to sound harsh, but God and the devil are really the only ones trying to capture your soul.

Thoughts Matter

        Those who contemplate the Lord continuously are free souls while those who think about themselves only are prisoners in their own cell.

Christ Alone Suffices

        Once one has Christ fully, he no longer desires sympathy from anyone else when he's in sorrow or trouble.     

Doing What Matters

        Doing God's will should be our intention in every thing we do ~ no exceptions. Then everything we do becomes important, relevant, and meritorious. Otherwise, we simply waste our time on earth.

As God's Conduit

        In everything I do, I must get out of the way of God. In loving others, it's not me loving but God loving through me. I am merely his conduit through which everything that comes from him flows freely.        

Know Christ First

         Sad news today: A twin-suicide bombing outside a church in Peshawar in Pakistan has killed at least 75 people, in one of the worst attacks on Christians in the country. Two bombers blew themselves up as worshipers were coming out of the city's historic All Saints church after attending Sunday Mass. Militants linked to Pakistani Taliban have said they carried out the bombing in retaliation to US drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal northwest. 

       We all worship the same God. Through Christ we know that God is love and he showed that by laying down his own life for all of us. Then how can believers in the same God do the exact opposite? The true victims in this tragedy are those who do not really know Christ yet. If you don't know him, you don't know what God is truly like. Lord, have mercy on all the victims. Christ, have mercy on all the victims.

Hidden in Jesus

        One sign you are living hidden in Jesus: you share all your joys and sorrows with him alone.

Lopsided Love

        When someone offends us, we easily get upset, feel angry, become hateful and unforgiving, and even want to retaliate. Then over seven billions of us offend God every day nonstop, so how does that make him feel? It dawned on me that since he is infinite love, he does not and cannot react the way we do: even though most grievously hurt, he remains pitying and compassionate toward us. How fortunate we have such a loving and merciful Father! 

The Sin of Omission

        It's easier to be aware that I have sinned in what I have done than in what I have failed to do. I am talking about the sin of omission. For example, I do not offend my guest, but I fail to treat him as a friend. What we should do is just as important as what we should not do. If we truly want to imitate Jesus, we must not omit the sin of omission.

Spiritual Revival

        Today's Communion experience. Spiritually, Jesus totally revived me!

Made for Each Other

        Today is the Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and evangelist. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 9, Jesus declared that he did not come to call the righteous but sinners. Since we are all sinners, he is for all of us. Therefore, we are all to respond to him. God and us are perfectly made for each other.

Guarding the Tongue

        It's so easy to say anything that comes to our mind. Often what comes out of our mouth is sensitive to how others feel. We don't mean to hurt anyone, but we end up doing just that. Of course, sometimes we get misinterpreted too. This can happen easily at home with your own family. I see this as a form of self-indulgence. What can help is to see Christ in every person. Such an awareness keeps us from saying anything that might provoke or offend others.

We Are Special

        As I was taking an early morning walk, I saw how small I was in this immense, perhaps even infinite, universe, yet God loves me and wants me to spend eternity with him after this brief life ~ how special we must be to him! It's impossible not to feel elated when you realize this truth.     

Jesus Our Key

        Today I see Jesus as the key. We have all become my own slaves, trapped in the prison we've built for ourselves. Jesus, being true God, is the only one who can enter my hearts and unlock the door of our prison to free us. There is not another guru, master, teacher, or prophet who can possibly do this!

No Place for Self-Importance

        http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24131917 ~ go to this link to see some of the best astronomy images of the past year, then wonder why we think we are the center of the universe and why we still don't get along with each other.