The Three Great Men of Israel: What We Could Learn From Them

     During my attendance at a post-encounter study of the Bible, we had a short discussion about temptations. It came to my mind the irony of how these three of the many great people of God faced decisions or choices they had made. What they did and how they managed with their trials.   Joseph, the so-called the dreamer for he had dreamt of his future and interpreted the dreams of other people including that of a Pharaoh. Samson was a man of strength that had killed a lion and three thousand men. King David, who was at a young age killed a giant with his sling and through faith in God. All these men have shown great faith in God and undergone trials that could teach each one of us a lesson.

     Joseph, son of Jacob by Rachel, his favorite among his 12 children, was sold as a slave by his own brothers. He was brought to Egypt and became a trusted servant of the Minister of defense. The wife of the minister seduced him but he knew that it was wrong in the eyes of the  Lord and he ran away from her. But then he was still instigated for the crime he did not commit. He was imprisoned, interpreted dreams, and became one of the ministers of Pharaoh. When the time came for Joseph to meet his brothers again who had sold him, he forgave them and realized that it should happen to save the people of Israel from a great famine.

     Samson, a Nazirite set apart from God since birth, was put under a special consecration governed by the Nazirite (meaning separated or dedicated) vow. No razor would ever be used in his head and great strength was upon him. God had apparently planned to provide Samson with unbelievable superhuman strength to be used against the Philistines. As Samson had grown, he seemed to lack the concern about Philistines' oppressive domination of Israel. Samson even tried to blend into their lustful and perverted society and married a Philistine much to the dismay of his disapproving parents. Sex is the bane of many a man and Samson didn’t resist its pull. He frequented harlots and seemed bent on following the destructive pulls of his flesh. One mistake after another-one loose woman to the next-that was the path Samson took during his twenty-year judgeship in Israel. He had been largely faithful to his Nazirite vow and at times made an effort to serve God, but his desire for Philistine women was his undoing. Unlike Joseph, he dabbles in the things around him, that later slipped him away from God's favor. He had revealed the secret of his strength to a woman he loved due to her frequent prodding. It was too late for Samson to realize his mistakes. The Philistines had gouged out his eyes, bind him in chains, fastened him to a grinding wheel in a dark prison, and made him grind grain like an ox, stepping in his own manure and continuous abuse from his captors.

      King David, had great faith in God. Fighting the giant of Philistine with a mere slingshot he killed it. He knew that God would help him to fight. David's faith in God caused him to look at the giant from a different perspective. Goliath was merely a mortal man defying an all-powerful God. David looked at the battle from God's point of view. But what made him fall?..he coveted the wife of one of his armies. He had caused the death of this man, Urriah the Hittite by putting him on the frontline to be killed. At his death, King David had his wife brought to his house and became his wife. The Lord was displeased with what he had done, so God sent Nathan to tell King David that he dishonored God in what he had done and that God would bring trouble into his household as a consequence of what he did. King David later asked for forgiveness for the things he did. Realizing what he had done David repented of his sin and asked God to restore him.

     What we could learn from these three great men?.. Run away from temptation, and make a stand against doing it as Joseph did. His life became a blessing for following God. The Egyptian Pharaoh had him as the second-in-command. He was able to save Israel and Egypt from the great famine of seven years. And one more thing, he forgave his brothers for what they had done. Joseph had thought that his brothers who sold him as slaves to Egypt were a purpose of God for a great job he would partake in saving His people.

     What we could learn from these three great men?.. Do not conform to the ways of the world. Seek the Lord's will, do the purpose you have been created for as Samson had not done. Always remember that sex or lust of the flesh is one of the primary sins that could take us down. Giving in to the desire of our flesh more than the desire to do the right thing might bring us to our own destruction, our miserable life, or a sad end.

      What we could learn from these three great men?.. Realize your mistakes as early as possible. It is better to be convicted by our own conscience rather than be convicted by other people. Heed what your brothers in Christ or elders are saying. To realize is not well enough if you haven't confessed and asked for God's grace and mercy to forgive you. As King David had done, he realized his mistakes right away as God sent a prophet to rebuke him, he asked for God's forgiveness, and he restored his faith and joy of his salvation unto God. Though David's wrongdoing as a consequence led to the chaos of his own household, God's grace and mercy were upon him. He was faithful to God, nonetheless, God had chosen David's line from whom HIS only Son would be born.
     In all of our trials/temptations, we could do as Joseph did, literally run away and do what was right. Though Samson was able to realize his mistakes and have his thoughts toward God before he died, he had lived a miserable life under his enemies. I am sure no one wanted to have a fall. There are consequences for everything that we do. For every temptation that we encounter, the decision is ours to make and it's better to say no. In all stances that we have fallen, God is there to forgive us, His grace and mercy can be counted on. King David, when rebuked by the prophet Nathan for the sin he had committed and as commanded by God, asked numerous forgiveness in the Scripture. Through it all, God had restored him but still, the consequences of what he did might be unbearable for a man without faith in God and King David was a man of faith. So, it's better to run away and keep our focus on the truth and the loving arms of God...

Y O U

     YOU have been my companion since I was a child in a noisy and darker place...YOU're the ONE I've been calling to save me from the wrath of my Mother... they never knew...I thought I had forgotten, but it's all coming back..maybe because of the same situation that I am going through. I was surprised to find out the reason why I had those nightmares, woke up crying calling for my father..the same nightmare haunting when I was a child..it's all coming back...they never knew...only YOU. I don't understand what is beneath. 

     Until one day, wasn't able to contain what is within..unleashing it because of anger..rage. It's a mistake, it's painful. I know I've hurt YOU, I have caused YOU pain. I left. I knew YOU never wanted me to do those things. And yet YOU never left me. YOU stay with me and I give up..it's YOUR turn now..laying all the things on what I had done, I almost lost it..the one important thing YOU have given me. 

     Now it's between YOU and me again...YOU're the only One who understands..the only One who can control me. The pain of past mistakes. The pain of losing from YOUR sight. The pain of not looking back to where I was and the memories of what YOU had done for me since I was a child. Now the nightmare is coming back...I wouldn't risk losing from YOUR sight. I am still the child YOU have known, a bit older, a bit changed for YOU. It's in YOU whom I could cry all out, I could be me. YOU know me. YOU understand. YOU love me.

Our Father..How Great is His Love

     

image credits to hallow.com

    Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name, your Kingdom comes, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.... a line of praise for our Great Father who founded the family, who gave up His Son for us to be saved.

 "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him." (John 3:16-17, NIV). 

     The heartbreak He had felt when He provided salvation for us. The decision of giving up His only Son to suffer the mocking of the crowd. Every lash and pain, every weight and humiliation of our sin, the agony of being alone and abandoned....the Father's heart was deeply pained. Yet to save us all, He let it be so that whenever we believe in the reason that His only Son had died for us and risen victoriously, we have a right to be His child and call Him Our Father.

     He is there looking at us, seeing how we grow...teaching us...He knows every bit of us...He understands...He is there waiting for us...

     

My Thinning Diet Regimen

     The summer season is the best time of the year for me to lose weight. During this time, metabolic change occurs, or rather my appetite changes because of the summer heat. Breakfast is a heavy meal for me all throughout, but it lessens as the day goes by...with some exception of course if the dinner menu is really superb. Summer's heat lessens my consumption of rice and meat but not pasta ('',). Though I love vegetables, I do love beef. Summer is also that time of the year wherein you can see different types of fruit and the mango season which I really love!

       So, how do I do my thinning diet regimen? 

     During ordinary days, I follow the after 6:00PM diet. Why after 6?  During this time, less energy is expended when relaxing at night and for bodily functions while sleeping, so any calories you consume at night go straight into fat storage according to James Hill, director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado. The 6:00 diet theorizes that calories from food consumed during the day are burned off, leading to weight loss. This kind of diet follows the age-old advice to eat more on breakfast since it is the most important meal of the day. As I have said breakfast is a heavy meal for me, I can skip lunch or dinner but not my breakfast. There goes the saying, during breakfast eat like a king, at lunch eat like a  prince, and at dinner eat like a pauper. Following that principle will lessen your weight problem as well. If it works for me, it will work for you but it requires discipline and self-control. 

     During summer days, less work for a teacher like me so I eat less and it's my time clock to eat more fruits than anything. My breakfast during this season depends on the time I wake up. If it's too early like 6 or 7 AM, I would stick to my old habit of heavy breakfast meaning more rice, bread, coffee, and fried dishes. If it's rather late I would eat sliced or diced fruits (papaya or mango or avocado or banana-lakatan, ) blended in a cold glass of milk (3-4 tbsp. of powdered milk without sugar), but fresh milk is much better. To avoid lactose intolerance, I've tried different fruit settings. So it goes the same for me the whole day with some bread though not regularly because I do indulge in some luscious meal of having veggies sauteed with ground beef.   

     Eating fruits have lots of benefits too, less fat and more anti-oxidant which is good for our skin, and I thank myself for that, I still have that supple skin at my age. By the way, I rarely drink soft drinks, just for emergencies if nothing I like is available or if there's no water. I always go for iced tea or natural fruit juices.

 #diet #thinningregimen #summer #aftersixdiet

Think Aloud

Speak out, blurt it out..talk, scream, cry...moving thoughts wanting to get out. Bursting with feeling, unknown be known. Thoughts are running on my mind..things I should have said the first time.. shouting out loud those anger and hatred and betrayal, painful tears weeping I have kept for a long time...decisions I should have done before..but is it the right thing to do?? I can't move on, my heart cries out for justice...my mind screams for the unfairness. Too many questions left unanswered..too many shortcomings remained unfilled..too many dreams unfulfilled that I have to do on my own. Those days are gone, nobody knows what happened, and no one bothered to ask how I was...Added to the pain and the insult to injury, "people" around never understand, judging me and not the culprit. How I wanted to say I was a victim once and a victim again ..they are close and yet they are not, allowing them no more the next time. Thinking...loud I will, loud I must...

Making Money Online Through Clixsense

     When I got online five years ago, I was looking for ways how to earn online. The Internet has just started to boom then, and various internet cards proliferate the market. Then came the broadband wave with some router or phone equipment and DSL until we now have a broadband stick and Wi-Fi to choose from. I have tried all these, looking for possible money online. I have found some sites offering links to become affiliates of this and that to earn. Some are free and for some, you have to invest some money. Sadly, I couldn't find one until I gave up. I almost forgot about my blog site, the blogger. 

     Two years ago I stumbled upon my own blog site when I searched my name on Google. I don't know how I could open it, it was hacked maybe. I find ways to get it back and so I did. I started blogging again, and more opportunities are available than before. Some are paid, some are free, some are for trials for a certain day, and some are links to help your blog site or website to bring readers in. As you can see on your right side, there are links to increase viewership, sponsors, adlinks, pay-per-click, etc. On the top page are banner ads. For now, I am going to tell you about Clixsense, how it works and how to earn money from it. For all of these, it won't take much of your time and it would probably only take you 10 minutes.

     Clixsense is an online advertising program. As a money-making opportunity at home, you can actually get paid for your web browsing, up to $0.02 for every website visited. Accumulate your earnings until you reach the payout amount. Visiting the site of clixsense's advertisers can give you earnings that much. Plus there are other opportunities open for clixsense online consumers. The income you earn is paid directly to you every month. The best part about the ClixSense program is that as a potential online consumer, there is no charge to register your new account and begin earning money immediately. It's FREE but if you want to level up your earnings, you are going to make funding of $17.00 for a year. Upon payment of the funding, they will give you 1000 welcome ad credits and higher commissions.

Member Benefits
• Browser Toolbar With Instant Notification of New Ads Available

• Earn Up To $0.02 /Click and Up To $0.008 / Referral Click

• Earn Even More With Our Affiliates

• Payments Via Check, Alertpay, and PayPal

• Win Daily Prizes Up To $5.0
• Unlimited Direct Referrals, guaranteed ads daily

   

    I am a member of this money-making opportunity. I am now in my one year in Clixsense.

PhilPop Music Festival

How many great Filipino songwriters does an everyday Filipino know? Chances are they only know a few.

 “The First Philippine Popular Music Festival” is a songwriting competition open to all amateur and professional composers who are Filipinos or of Filipino descent residing in the Philippines. The competition not only aims to celebrate the talent of Filipino songwriting but to glorify the contributions of songwriters and composers to the Filipino music industry.

Orchestrating the competition is no other than Maestro Ryan Cayabyab, the country’s prominent songwriter, musician, academic, and the Festival’s Executive Director. “Mr. C” plans to bring together the Filipino talents into one grand event.

The event is the outcome of Overall Chairman Manny V. Pangilinan and Organizing Committee Chairman Ricky Vargas’ desire to help revive the Philippine music industry.

 For more information click here:

If you’ve got the music, then you’ve got our ears – and 1M cash! Join the #PhilPop Music Fest! Submit entries now!

#musicfest #philpopmusic #ryancayabyab #songwriters