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Chapter 50

50 WHAT PLEASES GOD

Hebrews 13:16

And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Ayaw ng Panginoon ng mga sakripisyong walang katuturan. “Hindi ako kakain ng ganito para matuwa ang Dios. Hahampasin ko ang aking sarili. Pahihirapan ko ang sarili ko. Aakyat ako ng bundok. Maglalakad ako nang paluhod.” Ano ang napala ng Dios kung tayo’y nasaktan o nagutom o napagod?

Subalit may mga sakripisyong kaibig-ibig sa kanya. Isa dito ang pagbibigay sa mga nangangailangan. God is the best mathematician of all. God is the best accountant. God is the best auditor. God is the best bookkeeper. So dapat ang buhay natin ay balanced as far as God is concerned.

Ngayon pag parang hindi balanced yung buhay natin, like you have more than what you need, dapat tayong mag-isip-isip. Para sa atin ba talaga yun? O iniabot lang sa atin para iabot naman sa iba?

How can God give fresh and new blessings in your hands when your hands so selfishly cling to stale and old blessings that should have been passed on to others while they were fresh? Merong mga tao palabigay ng ulam kung panis na. Magbibigay ng damit kung kelan wasak-wasak na at hindi na nila kailangan. Kasi namumrublema kung saan itatago o kaya ay gusto nilang lumuwag-luwag ang storage. Hindi pagbibigay yun. Such people must never imagine that they can get away with it. Hindi yun nakakalusot sa Dios.

Ang tunay na pagbibigay ay yung masakit. Real giving is giving away what you would rather keep.

Chapter 51

51 WORK

2 Thessalonians 3:10

For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”

Maliban na lang kung ang isang tao ay sobrang bata, sobrang matanda at sobrang masasakitin, hindi siya dapat pakainin kung hindi siya nagtatrabaho. The people of the Lord must have dignity. We earn what we eat. Hindi tayo mahilig magpalibre. At kung may ibinibigay sa ating libre, lagi tayong magsusukli. Magbigay tayo ng kahit isang simpleng service o isang thoughtfulness.

To whom will you give food, to the needy or to the deserving? Kung talagang needy at wala na talagang magagawa, tulungan mo na. Pero dapat you should be just. You should give it to the deserving. Paano kung meron kang deserving na empleyado tapos meron ding needy na laging absent at tatamad-tamad, doon mo pa rin ba ibibigay?

We teach that salvation is free, but the work in the church must be done by the people of the Lord so that the church can feed them spiritually also. Alangan namang attend lang tayo nang attend. “Bakit hindi pa on ang aircon? Bakit walang toilet paper?” Meron pa ngang ibang nagtatanong, “May libre ho ba kayong gamutan sa church ninyo? Kasi kung meron, doon na ako magchu-church.” Yun lang pala ang gusto—ang makakabig! And if every member would do that, one week pa lang patay na yung church kasi lahat kumabig at walang natira.

Once in a while, it cannot be helped that we become part of the church’s problems, but as Christians, it is more appropriate that we become part of the solution.