Another awesome original series by Team KnowGodKnowLove
Starting Tuesday, February 9, 2010.
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Joshua De Gracia (story not by me)
“Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
Deuteronomy 5:16
I’ll be the first to admit that honoring your parents is at times on the top of my “work on it” list. They brought us into this world and we should always respect and love them no matter the situation. Even if it kills us inside. Drop that pride and love. Drop that rebellious nature and be obedient. Ok, I’m done preaching. The following is a story I read a few days ago and really made my heart sore. ENJOY..
My mother only had one eye.
I hated her… she was such an embarrassment.
She cooked for students and teachers to support the family.
There was this one day during elementary school where my mother came to say hello to me…
I was so embarrassed.
How could she do this to me?!
I ignored her, threw her a hateful look and ran out.
The next day at school one of my classmates said:
“EEEE, your mum only has one eye!”
I wanted to bury myself.
I also wanted my mother to just disappear.
So I confronted her that day and said:
“If you’re only gonna make me a laughing stock, why don’t you just die?”
My mother did not respond!
I didn’t even stop to think for a second about what I had said, because I was full of anger.
I was oblivious to her feelings…
I wanted to get out of that house…
So I studied real hard, got a chance to go to Singapore to study.
Then, I got married.
I bought a house of my own.
I had kids of my own.
I was happy with my life
Then one day, my mother came to visit me.
She hadn’t seen me in years and she didn’t even meet her grandchildren!
When she stood by the door, my children laughed at her.
I screamed at her:
“How dare you come to my house and scare my children!”
“GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!”
And to this, my mother quietly answered:
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I may have gotten the wrong address”
And she disappeared out of sight.
One day, a letter regarding a school reunion came to my house.
So I lied to my wife that I was going on a business trip…
After the reunion, I went to the old shack just out of curiosity!!!.
My neighbors said that she…
Had died!
I did not shed a single tear.
They handed me a letter that she had wanted me to have…
“My beloved son,
I think of you all the time…
I’m sorry that I came to Singapore and scared your children.
I was so glad when I heard you were coming for the reunion.
But I may not be able to even get out of bed to see you.
I’m sorry that I was a constant embarrassment to you when you were growing up.
You see…
When you were very little, you got into an accident, and lost your eye.
As a mother, I couldn’t stand watching you having to grow up with one eye.
So…
I gave you mine.
I was so proud of my son who was seeing a whole new world for me, in my place, with that eye.
With my love to you…
…Your mother.”
It’s never too late to mend a broken relationship no matter how bad it may have been in the past. You don’t want to end up with guilt like this son did do you? When in doubt, love people..
Matthew 12:21
“In his name the nations will put their hope.”
Things of the world wither away but our Father in Heaven reigns forever..
So the question remains, “whom do you put your hope in?”
pic: sarah mae burdios
Joshua De Gracia
I don’t know if you noticed, but most Americans always seem on the go.
“We are often wrapped up in the problem of trying to live according to schedules. Everything is rush, rush, rush. Soon we start losing the time to have fellowship with family and friends and even the time to wait upon the Lord. Everything seems instant: instant breakfast, T.V. dinners, fast food counters-all is ready in five minutes. So when going to church they seem to pray, “Oh God, answer me. I have no time-five minutes-and if you don’t answer me quickly, forget about it.” They are not waiting upon the Lord.” – The Fourth Dimension by Dr. David Cho
While reading this passage in the book, I took a step back and literally looked at the “man in the mirror.” In the essence of my busy life, I at times am so focused on helping others that I neglect areas in my life that I need to work on. In times that I don’t have time to “stop and smell the roses,” I glad I have people that constantly speak into my life and keep me and my walk with God in check.
This is what has been spoken to me as of late: “I know how passionate you are about helping others, but don’t forget about yourself and your heart. You can only heal others hearts if your heart is healed first.” —Amen.
Proverbs 27:17
As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
Anytime we are given advice or correction of some sort, we can take it one of two ways. Either we accept it and learn from it or choose to become defensive. Our natural instincts say the second, but God calls us to humble ourselves and take everything with a grain of salt, whether the advice is good or not.
This time, I thought about what God is doing in my life and our ministry. Immediately I thought about how I tell others “you can’t help others if you aren’t healed first.” So, I had to check my heart and make sure it was in the right place. We are opening up our relationship series in about two weeks so I had to make sure that my heart was “good to go.”
This is what I’m getting at: Sometimes we need to stop and not only see whats going on outwardly in our lives, but check yourself from the inside out.
To be tough on others and lenient with yourself is hypocrisy. To be lenient with others but though on yourself is holiness. Accountabilies, continue to hold me in check. If you don’t have people to hold you accountable in your life, it’s best that you get someone.
KnowGodKnowLove808@gmail.com
Joshua De Gracia
Abandon all I am, to have you capture me yet again..
Isaiah 55:8-9
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Psalm 139:23
“ Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.”
I Abandon all I am to have you recapture me again. No matter where we are in our walk with God, sometimes we need to come to a state of brokenness. In that state, there is no better place to be than in the Father’s will. In His perfect and pleasing will.
How do you get there? By dying to yourself and reaching out to Him with all of your heart.
knowGodknowlove808@gmail.com
Team KGKL Kailene Dela Cruz
Semi redundant, but it’s true.
We as humans tend to take everything into our own hands. We try to do things our own way. But when we do things our own way, we get mixed up in the worldly things.
Let GOD.
How are we supposed to do everything?
ANSWER: We can’t. I’ve learned that sometimes you have to just give your cares unto the Lord.
“Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.”
Psalm 55:22
Coming from someone who has always tried to do things on their own, independency is a plus. BUT, I have realized over years of stressful situations, that sometimes all you have to do is pray about the small things. The small things always add up to an abundant amount running around. I’ve always attempted to single handedly do all these small things on my own. But when it comes to accomplishing them, it just adds more weight on ones shoulders. So LET IT GO.
“The LORD then said to Noah, ‘Go into the ark, you and your whle family, because I have found you righteous in this generation’…Seevn days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights…And Noah did all that the LORD commanded him.”
Genesis 7:1-5
Details to letting go.
Just like Noah, we have to let go of all the details. Sometimes we tend to be opposite and worry about the who, what, when, where and why of our situations and forget about our attitudes. Those get caught up in the emotions of it all that we don’t take into account what we become… who we become… our selfishness. We cannot control everything. We just have to do as God commanded and what God has set in front for us. OBEDIENCE NOW. BLESSINGS LATER.
Don’t be a Rebekah
If you can recall, Jacob & Esau were the sons of Isaac & Rebekah. Though, being that Rebekah had favortism towards Jacob (younger twin) than Esau, she was very driven to give Jacob birthrights of being oldest etc. She did all she had to in order to find a way to take away Esau’s birthright. What she didn’t realize was that God had a plan for her son, but because she DIDNT LET GO, she interuppted the blessings given and created consequences to Jacob’s life. He then would later be named Israel, meaning One who struggles with God. IT’S GOD’S TIME. NOT YOUR TIME. PATIENCE…
“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not wory about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Matthew 6:33-34
Just because you have and want to do things asap, don’t. Rest.
Remember: J.O.Y. : Jesus first, Others second, Yourself last.
Before we can allow God to work in our lives, we need to first let go of the past and let God take hold of our lives.
by author and fellow relationship blogger Alexandria Lanai
“but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead…”
Philippians 3:13
It’s the things you “burn” that can never come back. Have you ever burned old photos or letters or things that are attached to old memories that serve not a purpose or old ways of thinking that have been outdated? If you’ve burned stuff my friend, you can’t bring them back, you can’t hope and wait till the embers and charred reminants somehow find their way back and materialize in noticeable objects.
“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it…” –
Matthew 16:25
I admire those who with tears streaming down their face, decided to light that match and set their past on fire – cause they know that they can’t go back to it once it’s completely burned. See, relationships and lives that are bonified “God” stand the test of time and fire! Just ask Shadrach, Mishach and Abendego. The greatest test of knowing if something is “God” is to put it through the fire – purity and honor rise up to the occasion and the dross drips from the edges. Sometimes our self serving dreams and personal relationships are nothing but “dross” – but I believe that what God gives us is indeed pure and good and sometimes like Abraham, we’re needing to let go of what God gives us to bring out the best of who we are and what our dreams/relationships can become.
Dreams are important, relationships are important – but those who choose to let go for a cause greater than themselves are indeed the firey furnace walking people of our time. What an honor to be that? I have no doubt that most of you have had to let go of someone you really loved or cared about. I hope you will trust God with me and know that your best is yet to come.
so many ways to say it….
but it all comes from God..
1 John 4:7
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.”
amen..amen
knowGodknowlove808@gmail.com
chris laporga photography
Joshua De Gracia
Ever have those days where you feel like yelling at God?
You know what I mean right? Those times where you want to either roll up your car windows, go outside of your house or maybe stuff yourself into your favorite pillow and just scream your head off to God. Honestly, this is how the first two weeks or so of the new year has been for me.
Oh, did I give you a different mindset of me? Don’t get me wrong, I’m human and I make mistakes all the time. I’m simply an imperfect person doing his best to continue doing the will of our perfect Father.
Am I screaming to God because I fell into sin? No. I feel that I’ve been questioning God’s will and visions that He has given me the past few months or so. When God gives you a vision, revelation or a goal, it’s best to act upon it and obey. However, there is a perfect time for everything. The right thing at the wrong time is still the wrong thing and God won’t bless it because it’s on our timing and not His own. I need to continually remember this:
Isaiah 55:8
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.”
If you are wondering why I posted this and it makes no sense to you whatsoever, this is what I wanted to leave you with: There may be times when you don’t know what to do with your life. It may be concerning your job, relationship, goal, etc.. It’s okay to yell. Get it out of you and God wants to hear. Communication is a two way street. Now that God has heard us, we need to hear back from Him through His word and during prayer. It’s NOT okay to yell and take it out on others. It’s NOT acceptable to turn to things of the world such as alcohol, drugs, etc. during these times of frustration.
Psalm 46:10
“Be still, and know that I am God”
When we turn to things of the world, they bring us temporary happiness. The pain vanishes temporarily and then it returns with increased “hunger.” Be still and give your problems and anxiety to God. If you’re going through hell, keep going because God is right there beside you.
Through it all, I’ve really prayed my heart out and God has always given me a sense of peace. I am an imperfect person doing the will of our perfect Father and I know that God will always have my back.
knowGodknowlove808@gmail.com
Anna performing a traditional Mongolian dance at Father's Love Church. Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Team KGKL Keiko Adachi
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” –Matthew 5:8
In The Republic by Plato, there is an illustration called “The Allegory of the Cave.” In it Plato imagines a group of prisoners who are chained and spend their entire lives watching shadows on a wall of a cave cast by figures that pass in front of a large fire behind them. The prisoners can hear the figures passing behind them but due to the chains that bind them, they cannot see the actual figures that cast the shadows. Thus, the silhouettes they see on the wall in front of them are their only reality.
This is my own interpretation of the allegory, but I find that sometimes I live like those prisoners. At times, I do not live from a faith perspective, but through my own foolishly limited point of view. The shadows of circumstances tend to overwhelm me more than the reality of God’s infinite power. I have found that in many ways I remain chained to my own meager understanding of who God is, His power, and my own capabilities. Shackles of doubt and unbelief constantly try to press me down from seeing and acting upon The Truth.
This past summer I spent twelve incredible days with the people of Father’s Love Church in Mongolia. While I was there I noticed the “chains” that had restricted them to only seeing the “shadows of the cave wall” had been broken off. The eyes of their understanding have been enlightened, and metaphorically speaking, they have thrown off the shackles and turned around to trust The One operating behind the scenes. They have seen The Truth and have been transformed by the reality of His authority. I saw that the people of this church exemplify a pure, child-like faith. They live in expectancy for miracles, take God at His word and have learned to take the limits off of Him. They possess real faith that He is truly in control and able to do exceedingly abundantly above all they ask or think according to His power at work within them.
Needless to say, I left Mongolia thoroughly inspired by their zeal for the Lord, challenged to trust God at a deeper level. Let us not be ruled by the shadows on the wall, but by The All Consuming Fire that casts them.
