Thursday, September 1, 2011

INTO DEEP WATER

The good news of our salvation which was obtained for us more than 2000 years ago by Jesus Christ on the cross is still being proclaimed to this very day. There is no way we can deny the truth for heaven and earth will fade but God's words will remain. We have to trust, hope and rely on God rather than our own power. Let's face it we sometimes rely too much on ourselves and too little on God. We are troubled about a lot of things when sometimes there's really no cause for it. There are levels of anxiety. Exaggerated anxiety and discouragement are one of the greatest obstacles to holiness. There is a level of anxiety that we just have to trust in God's Grace and Goodness. We should not disturb our inner peace not even momentarily. Life on earth is a great struggle indeed for God's Kingdom. A lot of things can bother and bring us down but we do not have to stay that way. We have to exercise our minds and wills to put our confidence in God. He is the one whom we can totally trust and depend on to save us. God's faithfulness and steadfast love know no boundaries. Amen. Hallelujah!

Colossians 1:9-14.
Therefore, from the day we heard this, we do not cease praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding to live in a manner worthy of the Lord, so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with every power, in accord with his glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light.

No one should ever claim that they haven't heard or known about God since it is our prime duty to spread and make it known throughout the whole world. There is no denying to the truth that all of us are given the chance to know who our God is and it is also our duty and responsibility to take part in this mission of spreading the good news and make known to everyone to the best of our ability the saving power of God. We should consider each day as an opportunity to know and learn more about our God. Whether it be an ordinary or special day in our life nothing should be amiss and should be spent in giving glory to God our Savior and Master. We can never ever deny the greatness of our God even just by looking at the simplest part of God’s creation like the tiniest grain of sand to the largest ocean in the world. As in Jeremiah 5:22, “Will you not tremble before me who set the sand as limit to the sea, as an everlasting barrier it can not pass? Its waves may toss but not prevail, they may roar but can not pass beyond.” We ask ourselves how in the world can a tiny grain of sand hold the vastness of the ocean in the same way we know that we have a God whose saving power is known throughout the earth. It is our duty to us to aim for the ultimate good which is the will of God in our lives. This is not something that we still have to search and look for. It is already programmed in us and made known to us by the Lord. If by any chance this is not the case especially for those people who have not heard or known about our Lord Jesus since birth then the Lord Himself knows how to deal with them in accordance to His Divine Wisdom and Mercy. For us who have been blessed and endowed with the privilege of hearing and knowing about Jesus, this is coupled with a responsibility. The principle that to those who have been given much, much is also expected definitely applies to it. We have a responsibility in our hands to make known to everyone we meet about this vital truth that could spell the difference between life and death. Nothing else matters than the truth that we are all loved by God and given the privilege of taking part in His great kingdom in heaven. No one can deny the fact that to all God has been gracious and loving with no exception at all. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4
R: All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
1 Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds; his right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm. (R) 2 The LORD has made his salvation known in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice. 3 He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel. (R) All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God. 4 Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands; break into song; sing praise.

We are all called by the Lord for a mission and we ought to follow no matter how daunting the task may seem to be. We must not be dissuaded, discouraged or deluded by our situation. If things do not look very encouraging and convincing just like the way it was when Jesus summoned Simon Peter to "put out into deep water" then all the more should we "press on". We are not to rely on outward appearances and other factors. The circumstances surrounding Peter at that time in today's gospel point to a logical response which is not to follow. He and his companions according to him had been working hard all night and caught nothing. This passage is not only a matter of logic and reasoning but a case of who commanded it. God gave us the 10 commandments and there are instances when we come up with various excuses and justifications just to get away with what we've done. If we are truly aware of who Jesus really is then we've got to have the conviction in ourselves that what the Lord commands is the most logical thing to do. Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 5:1-11
...“Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Simon said in reply, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.” 6 When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing.


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