Talk
BRO. BO SANCHEZ:
WE’RE in Talk 3 of our series Dear Prodigals on the book of Deuteronomy.
And we’re going to read this passage together — it reveals God’s heart. Moses was giving like a History Class from Chapters 12-16. What we’re going to talk about today is it is as though he’s giving a Worship Seminar.
In Deuteronomy 11: 13-15, we read:
Imagine that we are now living in an agricultural society during ancient times– no modern massive dams, no modern irrigation systems, everything dependent on rain. And so, here is the promise of God, saying the rain is going to come: “…the early and late rains—so you can bring in your harvests of grain, new wine, and olive oil. He will give you lush pastureland for your livestock, and you yourselves will have all you want to eat… Be careful to obey all my commands so that all will go well with you and your children after you because you are doing what is good and pleasing to the Lord your God.
Today, I’m going to preach this message:
God is committed to your well-being.
He really is. And this is an original vision of God. You go to the first book of the Bible, to the first story, God’s Creation: God wanted us to be in Eden and He wanted us to eat from the Tree of Life and He wanted us to eat the abundance of the Garden.
And the reason God has given us these laws and commands is He wants us to be brought back to the Garden.
My dear friends, this is God’s plan: He wants us back in His Garden.
How many of you want to go back to the Garden? A representation of all that is good. He wants your well-being.
Now, I need to say this because people misunderstand: “Bro. Bo, really?
God is committed to my well-being? Bakit hirap na hirap ako sa buhay? Why do I have problems? Why do I have struggles, and difficulties, and storms, and earthquakes, and tragedies in my life? Why did I lose a loved one? Why am I going through so much hardship financially? Bakit nahihirapan ako sa trabaho ko? If God is committed to my well-being, why am I not well?
May I give you an answer?
The Answer
God is committed to your well-being, not your comfort. Chew on that. If you’re as old as I am, you have already accepted the fact that if you want to have well-being, you’re going to have to suffer… And if you have not yet accepted that, you’re going to be in a lot of distress because you’re going to have false expectations about what life is.
God is committed to your well-being, not to your convenience. You’re going through a lot of inconvenience to experience well-being in your life. You can’t even become healthy if you won’t go through discomfort, and pain, and struggle, and suffering. You cannot even have a beautiful, wonderful marriage if you will not go through a lot of pain—a lot of dying, a lot of self-donations, a lot of generosity that will cause struggle in your life.
And so, friends, I just wanted to share this with you before we go into it.
This is just a little intro. Before we talk about Worship, and the laws of Worship, and Moses, we’ll talk about that. We need to establish this: Why is God giving all these laws? Because He is committed to your well-being.
If He’s not committed to your well-being, God will tell you, “Bahala ka sa buhay mo. You do what you want to do. You’ll be greedy and you’ll be lustful, you’ll be proud, and you’ll be selfish. I don’t care!”
No. God says, “I’m committed to your well-being— here is how to do it…”
Put your hand over your chest, and Everybody say:
Father, I thank you for being committed and working for my well-being. Thank You. I receive this commitment, this relationship with You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Two Revolutionary Lessons on Worship
So, Moses started talking about Worship in five chapters. And you will be surprised at what comprises Worship in the mind of Moses and in the mind of the author of Deuteronomy. What you would not think as Worship somehow ends up in this Worship Seminar by Moses.
And so, there are two very important lessons that we need to learn about this and after reflecting on the five chapters, I came up with these two lessons that I’m going to share with you.
Worship is relational. Worship is not doing something. Worship is relating to someone.
Worship is God saying, “I want to have an exclusive relationship with you.”
We modern people, we look at that and we say, “Why? Why does God want me to have an exclusive relationship with Him?”
And maybe, a part of us will think, “Hmm, maybe God is insecure. He doesn’t want any competition. I don’t know, maybe He’s power-hungry. “Ako lang.
Ako lang.—Me. Only Me.”
Why is God like that? None of the above.
God—He is the only One who is committed to your well-being. The other gods, they’re not. They are either indifferent to your well-being or they’re committed to your destruction. Those are the false gods that we have.
Many years ago, I was talking to a young pretty woman, 26 years old. Let’s call her Carol. She told me how her boyfriend was two-timing her. The boyfriend actually left her without talking to her. And she was crushed. Later on, she found out that her ex was with that other girl. And she told me a very humiliating situation. There were many times where she wanted to end it all because she was so devastated. She really loves this guy.
And she told me a scene: That one time, she was talking with her ex and when the ex left his office, she rushed to him and in a busy intersection in front of many people, she knelt down in front of her ex-boyfriend and said, “Please, I cannot live without you. Bumalik ka sa akin. Come back to me!”
I thought these things happen only in the movies, right? No. Reality is stranger than fiction and she was like (singing), “How can I live without you? I want to know. How can I live without you? If you ever go…”
Worshipping Another God
It was so humiliating. Imagine that picture. What do you call that? Worshiping false god. We can make human beings as our false god.
I was talking to this girl and I was telling her, “You’ve got to turn to the Lord.”
She said, “Bro. Bo, araw-araw akong nagdadasal… na sana bumalik siya.
I pray every day that he will come back to me.”
And I said, “Not that prayer. You’ve got to let go and you’ve got to let God.”
If I’m going to use the language of this talk, if I just came from giving this talk, then I would talk to her like this: “Your ex does not care for you. Only God is committed to your well-being.”
Friends, we have a problem. We make human beings our gods. And it’s crazy because we make the other person the core of our identity, the core of our meaning, the core of our purpose. And when that person leaves us, when that person departs, when that person is unfaithful, when the person is not true to his promise, what happens is we get hurt and we get devastated.
Because here’s the thing: That happens when we expect from other people what we should expect only from God.
When we expect from another human being what we should only expect from God—perfect love, perfect faithfulness, perfect friend…
If you do that, you are worshiping another false god who is not committed to your well-being the way God is committed to your well-being. They are either indifferent or you are worshiping a demon that is committed to your destruction.
God is saying, “Guys, let’s have an exclusive relationship. Worship me alone because I’m the only one who’s on your side completely, one hundred percent. I’m willing to die for you on the Cross. I’m the only One who’s going to do this!
If you’re going to worship money, if you’re going to worship power, if you’re going to worship fame or worship another human being, a human being cannot do that. Only Me. If not, you and your existence will be in danger…”
My dear friends, human beings are not very good deities. We are too broken for that lofty position. Have you made another human being your god? I pray that you and I, all of us, will repent.
Why Destroy the Idols
If you make another human being your god, you’ll be frustrated. But not only that– if you make that one person your god, you will be toxic to that person and you will load up expectations too high for that person’s fulfill.
So, God is telling you, “No. You worship me. Let’s have an exclusive relationship.”
There’s another lesson about these entire chapters on Worship that we need to learn from and it’s in Deuteronomy 12:2-4:
Why bother? Let’s just worship God alone. Why do we have to destroy these idols and altars that don’t belong to the Lord?
Two Reasons:
No. 1: You want to decrease temptation.
You left the altar of Baal there, and you left the altar of another god there. You know, they lived amongst people and nations and tribes that worship so many gods.
The Canaanites, for example, they worshiped 234 deities. The Egyptians have more. Depending on the list that you will look at, they have 700-2,000 gods and goddesses.
Israel, only One. Only one. Boring. The other gods were more alluring, colorful, captivating, and all these dramas of fighting, having step-gods. It’s just so colorful — all their envy, and jealousy, and battles.
And sometimes, I think it’s tempting when we all have these foreigners– especially the foreigners who are worshiping these false gods– they are richer, they are more powerful, they have an army and they’re conquering this land.
Only One God
The little Israelites, they have only one God. And they were weak, smaller, and probably envy would hit them and They would ask, “What’s wrong with us?”
And so, Moses said no, choose our One True God and destroy these idols. Because you don’t want to be tempted– you don’t anymore see the temptation there of you worshiping another god.
I have a confession to make. I was a junky. I loved chichirya for decades. And then my wife, I want to thank her, she changed our chichirya to something healthier– but it was still chichirya.
But you see, if you want to remove the temptation and you want to decrease junk food, all you do is this: Go to your pantry where you store all your food and get a box and get all the junk food from the pantry, and go get your phone. Look at your phone and all the people there and find a friend that you least like.
And you say, “I have a gift for you.” I’m just kidding… J
And you give that box away. It’s common sense! Decrease temptation and rid of the stuff.
No. 2: You want to increase protection.
This is the theology of the sacraments, the sacramentals. Why do we believe in holy water? The holy water is holy because it opens us in the Presence of God that manifests through the medium of water. We believe in that.
So, spiritual power, I repeat– good or bad– manifests through symbols.
So, you could go into an obsessive pursuit of stuff in your life or objects in your life that you think are evil and get rid of them.
But I think, in our modern age, the most powerful symbols are in media.
You want to get rid of symbols of evil in this world by being more choosy of what you watch, and what you listen to, and what you read– because those power, they open your mind.
I just need to read you 1 Peter 5:8, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
Moses, he wanted the Israelites to get rid of the idols because it’s possible that they were used for evil.
Getting Rid of Idols
I’ll give you an example: Molech. The practice of worshiping Molech was so evil at that ancient time that they would take their babies and throw them crying into an open pit of fire in the belly of this idol made of iron. It’s evil!
Or the Asherah gods where there would be a temple with prostitutes and it is part of their cultic worship to have sex with prostitutes. Evil!
And so, Moses was getting rid of them. And in our life, we need to be aware that we can either worship gods that are indifferent to our welfare or we can slip into being subjected to demonic forces that are committed to destruction. And you don’t want that.
Two More Messages:
First, please be aware that there is an enemy that prowls around you. He wants to steal away your joy, your marriage, your relationship, and you need to be aware. There is an enemy and you need to be careful.
Second, instead of fear,
I want you to trust in God who is working on your well-being and He is mightier than your enemy. Don’t fear. Just trust in the God who is committed every single day of your life, working hard for your well-being.
Baby being offered to Molech.
Next, Alvin Barcelona!
BRO. ALVIN BARCELONA:
The second lesson on Worship:
Worship is transformational.
Moses in his continuing lecture on Worship in Deuteronomy, powerfully reminds the Israelites—and us today—that real Worship should always change you.
When I was in my 20s—about three years ago J– I was sort of an actor.
So, I attended an Acting Workshop.
Our directors taught us that in acting, when you are playing a character, you should be that character. That’s called internalization.
So, for example, if your character is a mad person, you should be convincingly insane. Right?
But this is what’s important that I learned from our directors: When the director says, “Cut!” You go back to your original, real self.
Might be that even as the scene is already done, you’re still insane.
You internalized the role too much.
That’s why we have workshops where you give your all to portray the character. But when the director says, “Cut!” the scene is done.
Your role onstage, or in front of the cameras, is different from your real life.
That’s what I will never ever teach in Worship. Because in Worship, there is no “Cut!”
No “Cut!”
When you’re here worshipping, you’re so holy— “Oh, Lord, Lord…”
That’s okay.
But after The Feast, when you go to the parking lot and get into your car, some driver cuts you and, pissed off, you growl at him, “Hey, didn’t you see me?”
And the guy says, “We were together worshipping at The Feast…”
And you’re like, “Iba ‘yon! —That’s different!” J
I know someone, his hands used in worshipping, raising them as he sings, “I love You, Lord…” are the same hands he uses to hit his maid when the maid errs: “Why is this soup not hot?…”
If that happens, what you did at The Feast cannot be called Worship. It’s called
Acting… Because here there was a “Cut!”
In Worship, there’s no “Cut!” What you do here, at The Feast, continues outside.
That’s why in our highest form of Worship—the Mass—what does the priest say at the end?
“The Mass is ended.” But, “go in peace to love and serve the Lord.”
The Mass is already done, but you continue to love and serve – especially outside the church. Amen.
That’s why our life as preachers is difficult. Because we’re always seen here onstage—so, we’re like fish in an aquarium. So, we have to be careful with what we do outside.
Like… okay, this is gross. Long time ago, I had this bad habit of spitting just about anywhere… Then I became a preacher… I’m glad I overcame that habit.
Because what if I am spitting, and Alden, a Feaster, comes and greets me, “Bro. Alvin!”
So, I quickly switch to, “Oh, hi, Alden, Praise God!”
Doing It Like Elvis, or the BTS
Well, I am also always saying, don’t look up to us preachers all the time.
We teach everyone to look up to God…
But it’s difficult to separate being a preacher and being your true self.
And that’s not just for us. It’s for all of us.
Later, when you go eat in a restaurant, your order is delayed, and you snap at the waiter, “O, why is my order late?”
And the waiter smiles, “Ah, you’re the preacher at The Feast earlier…”
So, at once, you’re like, “Ah, okay… We can wait… Love, you, Brother…” J
Yes, it’s difficult. Our Worship should be our Life.
What Bro. Bo said earlier is beautiful—we always hear this:
You become like the God you worship.
That’s why we are compared to God because God is not just here. He is God there up to the outside. We bear Him with us.
I am glad about what Bro. Bo said: “We may not be aware of it, but sometimes we make human beings our gods.”
Well, in Entertainment, it’s not morally, intrinsically wrong. But look: we copy our movie idols. During my father’s time, Elvis Presley was the fad. During that time, all the men had sideburns, big collars, imitating the way he walked.
Remember the movie Ghost starring Demi Moore? All the women then imitated Demi Moore’s short haircut—even if the style didn’t suit them.
Today, K-Pop. The teenagers now, they look like the BTS (boy band)—trying hard to have singkit—narrow– eyes, and violet, purple, or green hair.
Idol!
We become the gods we worship. Of course, I’m not saying that it’s intrinsically wrong. We also do the same. But sometimes, we become not just our human idols…When our life goes around one idol…
Fr. Quesadas said we love our pets. It’s okay. But there are some individuals whose life is centered on their pet. So, they become the spitting image of their pet. Hey, they even smell like their pet.
Here, in Filipino, what do we say? Well, money is not bad—we preach that money is important. But when you turn your back from everything for money, what do we call that in Tagalog? Mukha ka nang pera. – You look like money. At least in dollars J.
That’s why, we look like the gods we idolize. So, let’s watch out.
Sometimes, even in songs… I’m a singer, songwriter. The lyrics, actually are simply poetic. But during the time of my grandpa and grandma… You know the singer Pilita Corales, right?
She belted out: Pag-ibig ko, kapantay ay langit, hirang…
That’s saying your love for a human being is as the level of Heaven. Oh, don’t, blame Pilita. She just sang that…
Then, came Rico Puno, with his version: Pag-ibig ko, kapantay ay langit, baby…
Added baby to Heaven.
When I was in high school, a friend—he’s still my friend up to now—
Rey Valera, he had beautiful songs. But he had one song which I want to ask him about if we see each other, if he’s serious about its meaning: Sinasamba kita… Higit sa ‘yong akalang iniibig lang kita… I worship you much more than you think that I just love you…
All of Me…’
Beautiful, poetic lyrics. But is that how we really love? We’re worshipping the one we love? Isn’t it, Bro. Bo said, if your life centers on one idol. Like even around your spouse, if that person dies—and really, one of you will go ahead—
if your spouse is being buried, you’d be like, “Ay, sasama ako, sasama ako! I will go with you!”
When you see people crying out like that, push them into the grave! Let’s see if they don’t panic.
Tell them, “You said you wanted to go with your spouse. Then go…” J
O, Millennials, you also have a song: All of me, loves all of you…
Well, that’s not really bad. I also sing that song…
You see, for songwriters, that’s style. They are using metaphors. But for those hearing those lyrics, they take them seriously. Imagine, All of me loves all of you? You gave everything to each other… But then, what if you didn’t end up officially together? He exchanged you for another!?
So, you’d be wailing, “I gave everything to you…!”
Well, why did you give everything? You should have left a bit with you.
So, let’s be careful. Because, you know, our Worship rubs on to our lifestyle. What did Moses say?
In Deuteronomy 12:31:
That’s why we hear this: Why does God want that we worship only Him?
Is He ego-tripping? Is He insecure?
No. God wants that you worship only Him – for you. Our Talk title is correct.
God wants you to worship Him with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul, with all your strength because He is committed to your well-being.
Those who gave their life to celebrities, will soon regret it when the celebrity dies, or already has-been –anyway, everyone will fade away.
Or, if you give your life to money, you know money knows no other word but goodbye.
Even the powerful, the wealthy you idolize, they will vanish.
That’s why God does not want that you to be frustrated… If you gave away everything, and you lost everything, you will be lost too.
But if you give everything to God, He won’t vanish. He’s always there—all of your life, all of the time. So, since you’re putting your life at stake, you might as well bet it on Him all your life.
The ancients, they bet on false gods whose culture was death, violence.
God does not want those. Because you’ll be simply lonely. You’ll be frustrated.
But if you worship Yahweh who always gives us Life, you end up creating Eden for others.
Beautiful. Bro. Bo said, it’s a Call– for us to go back to Eden. Why? Because Worship is much more than rituals.
Again, it’s amazing that we sing Worship songs here, that we’re all immersed in God’s Presence. That’s fantastic.
But as I said a while ago, Bro. Bo said, Worship goes beyond singing. If it’s based only on that, it stops. And, as we said, Worship should not have “Cut!”
Because look at the structure of Moses’s lecture:
What’s interesting there is tithing— giving, freeing slaves, cancelling debts— is worship?
Yes. We talked about this when we discussed Leviticus. Let’s go through it because it is again mentioned in Deuteronomy 14: 22-28; 15:29:
What is this saying? Let’s give to our spiritual family.
The Levites, they are the ones serving in the Temple – they’re the musicians, they’re the gatekeepers, the guardians, the Temple officials. Moses said you give to them. And that continues until now. That’s why we invite you.
We call you to give to your spiritual family.
That’s very much part of your worship in the Lord. Why? Because as you give, we are able to continue what we do.
And then, Moses says, give to the foreigners. Today, those are the migrants.
Or to the fatherless, the orphans.
Our Worship should be connected with helping those in need.
Cannot be separate.
Mercy Ministries
That’s why our Feast gatherings are beautiful. But connected to these, we have our Mercy Ministries. It’s not enough if we just
sing and pray– and not living our Worship and translating it into action.
That’s why we have Anawim Home for Abandoned Elderly.
We have Grace To Be Born (for unwed pregnant women in crisis so that they won’t resort to abortion). We have Jeremiah Foundation for abused minor girls.
We have He Cares Mission for street children. We have a ministry for cancer patients—Jesus Christ Cares for Cancer. We have the LOJ Prison Ministry.
We’ve got to put our Worship into action. Our faith into action. Look at Deuteronomy 15: 1-7, 8 (top) and
Deuteronomy 15:12.
What are these verses saying? Our Worship should overflow to radical generosity to the poor.
Kailangan makita sa gawa— sa kawanggawa. — Our Worship must be seen in what we do, in our mercy.
We always hear that: The Church has a preferential option for the poor.
That’s where it will be seen if we are changed when we worship God.
Look, even debts are cancelled, the slaves are set free.
Because in God’s mind, Worship and Justice are one. That’s why it can’t be that you are a worshipper but at the same time, you’re an oppressor. It doesn’t match when you’re a worshipper but you take advantage of the weakness of your fellowman.
I remember, do you know Yano? (Filipino folk/punk band formed in 1993.) They have a song that goes: Banal na aso, santong kabayo… Natatawa ako… Holy dog, saintly horse… I couldn’t help laughing, Hi-hi-hi…
The song says a woman, riding in a jeepney, prayed and prayed the Rosary… But then she wanted to get off at a place where unloading was not allowed— the driver told her so, and pissed off, she cursed and cursed…
They don’t match…Prayer and Unkind Words…
That’s why sometimes, Bro. Bo and I, we were discussing long time ago— I even asked Bishop Lagdameo: Why are we, a Christian country, one of the Catholic countries in the world, or in Asia, we are No.1, but we still have many social problems, we still have many below the poverty line. Is there a mismatch between our being Christian and the way we live?
Because when I’m abroad—for example, in Japan, or in Europe, I see their pedestrians strictly following traffic rules. Like, when there are people crossing on the pedestrian lane, the drivers, even they’re still far from the lane, stop their car and let the pedestrians pass. You know, they are said to be atheists—they don’t believe in God. But they follow the traffic laws.
Here, in the Philippines, I remember, if you’re crossing the street, it’s like you’re racing with Death! A jeepney would swipe you, and the driver simply growls at you, “Hey, are you crazy? Stay on the sidewalk, you crazy you!”
Then in the jeepney, there’s are images of the Sto. Niño, Divine Mercy, Mama Mary.
Mismatched, right?
Wood and Fire
When I was in Japan, I saw sidewalk stalls with no one watching them.
One time, I wanted to buy a newspaper. But no one was minding the newsstand.
I asked someone how do I buy a newspaper.
The guy said, “You just put your money on the table, and get the paper.”
The money doesn’t get lost.
Then, they’re saying these people don’t believe in God.
Here, we have stalls right near the church…Or even inside the church, during Communion, we are told, “Before you go for Communion, secure your things, they might get lost.”
Don’t you think there’s a mismatch there? Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle once told me, because Christianity has a code, we’re okay with the code, we’re okay with the ceremonies, we’re okay with the Catechism– but the Code of Life must be seen in one’s life.
That’s why, as we worship day by day, we should be more like Christ. Our name is Krist-iyan-o — Kristo, Christ-ian—Christ. So, we should be more like Christ. We should end up being committed to the well-being of others too.
That’s why, when we worship our One True God, we become like Him. We don’t become gods but we can be like Him, being committed to others.
I like the analogy of this wet wood. If you let it just pass over fire, nothing will happen with the wood. If you let the wood stay longer on the fire, about several seconds, it will become hot. But if you put it out of the fire, the wood will become cold again.
Sometimes, we are like that. We are cold when we go into the church… Then, we warm up with the Lord… But when we go out, we’re cold again.
But if you really want the wood to be one with the fire, immerse it into the fire.
You know what happens to the wood? It will change in structure, in its chemistry—so that the wood and the fire become one.
Ultimate Worship
And that’s what God is saying: We will be Eden. Because God and man will dwell as one and man will dwell with others in harmony.
That’s God’s dream for us. As we worship, we create
Eden and Heaven here on Earth.
Sometimes, our Worship becomes self- centered culture– we judge a Worship session by our feelings.
Because when we worship, and we don’t feel it, we are like, “Ay, I didn’t feel the Worship— the songs were wrong, the sound system didn’t work.”
Even the Mass: “I didn’t feel the Mass because the priest…”
We are dependent on what the Worship will do for us. We want the Worship to satisfy us. We want God to satisfy us.
Looks like the reverse.
In Worship, we satisfy God.
Just like Jesus our Lord. It can’t be that Worship is always good feeling.
How did Jesus worship His Father? He gave His life for Him. Is that feel-good?
Being nailed on the Cross? Try it and see if it’s good.
But Jesus embraced that– because this is His Ultimate Worship to the Father— giving His life. He wanted to satisfy the Father.
I’m going to end with the story that I will continue from where I left off during last Grand Feast.
Remember my story about Renniel James Jabagat? During the last Grand Feast, I told his story. We passed by him at the sidewalk in Cagayan de Oro, making his assignment there near 7/11 where there is light– because there was no electricity in his family home.
Renniel dreams of becoming a soldier so he can rise from poverty and fend for his younger sister. That’s because their parents abandoned them already. To earn money, he was also working as “watch-your-car- boy” – watching owners’ cars parked near the sidewalk.
We became friends and we even gave him a cell phone so he could finish his school work. I told him, let me be the first you’d text when you finish your grade. And he finished– Grade 10, Junior High.
Joy!
After three days, I received a text message from him, saying, “I’m done with my work, Kuya Alvin. Favor: I’m graduating, no one is coming to my graduation. If it’s okay, can you stand as my parent on my Graduation Day?”
I left that story hanging because our Grand Feast was on Sunday and the next day, Monday, was his Graduation Day…
Here’s the next story…
(From a video on Renniel’s Graduation Day: Bro. Alvin was able to go to Cagayan de Oro Junior High School. He was able to attend Renniel’s graduation. Renniel didn’t know Bro. Alvin was attending his graduation so he was pleasantly surprised.)
Above, Renniel happily receiving his diploma and Bro. Alvin presenting Graduation Medal on Renniel.
Renniel’s Story: Part 3 and Part 4
This is just a wild guess, bold guess: That God sees me when I give talks. And God sees me when
I preach, and when I sing. But I guess, God sees me more when I start being more like Him, when
I commit myself to others—especially to those who need Him most.
I perceive I become more like Jesus when I am serving as His embrace to those who need Him.
Actually, this story has Part 3 and Part 4.
Because it’s not just I who committed to Renniel. This is not just a one-time thing—we give, then leave him. No.
That night, I introduced Renniel to The Feast Cagayan de Oro City. And Feast CDO adopted him. The Feast will journey with him and support him until he finishes Senior High and fulfill his dream of becoming a soldier.
Actually, since I’ve been presenting his story—I’m committed to this, but I can’t afford to help Renniel through and through. We should unite to help him.
Two Sundays ago, at the Aliw Theater where we held our Feast, somebody approached me.
He said, “Bro. Alvin, I saw your video on Renniel. I want to help him in his dream to become a soldier. Tell him, he might want to be in the Air Force— because I am the general of the Mindanao Air Force. So, tell him, just finish his Senior High, and we will make arrangements to fulfill his dream and put his life in order.”
Maybe, God isn’t really asking that we be committed to the entire mankind— that’s His mission. Most of the time, God calls us to be Jesus to just a few people – to our families, to our officemates in our job, our work, to our spiritual family.
But I guess He’s also inviting us to commit ourselves to even one person who may be able to change and make a difference in this world.
I believe that when we worship our God who is committed to us, we express that more by committing ourselves to love others too.
Commitment
If it’s okay with you again, can you just lift up your hands as a symbol of us surrendering to God, and worshipping our One True God with all our heart, with all our mind, with all our soul, all our strength. And we lift up as well our dreams, for our family, for our health, for our finances, for our personal dreams, believing that we worship our God who is committed to us.
Come, let us commit ourselves to Jesus Who committed His all to the Father as we also commit our life to others. This we pray, in the Mighty Name of Jesus, we declare, we proclaim: God I am Yours. Forever, I’m Yours!
So, come, let’s worship God.
And let’s give our all to Him. As we also give our all to others. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen!
