The Real Score: Patience

At last week's Feast the Gospel reading was taken from Luke 4: 31-37. The mass celebrant was again the lively Rev. Fr. Charles Luis "Cha" Jaime. According to Fr. Jaime, Jesus' authority can tame the demon in us and drive them out. In driving out those temptatio
ns of our evil tendencies in us we need God to strengthen us in our fight. We need God's grace because alone we can do nothing.

Last week we started a new series entitled "Real Score." Talk 1 is all about

"Patience". Bro Buddy said than on Judgement Day, God will not ask how much money you have earned, how many certificates you had, or if you finished a degree, but God will ask you how much have you loved

In 1 Corinthians, 13, the first description of this greatest thing on earth -Love- is patient. He said that impatience means you lack trust in God. Many times, you're impatient because you take matters in your hands. If you want to be patient, learn to take matters into God's hands.

Bro. Buddy pointed out that patience is an internal problem. Circumstances don't cause impatience, you cause your impatience. Impatience comes from your desire to control things that you have no control over. According to him, God has given us the power to control over a few things only. Many times you can't control the stimuli around you but you can control the response o those stimuli. At the end of the day, you can only control one thing and that is yourself.

In Colossians 3: 13 it says, "Make allowance for each other's faults..." You can't control people's faults but you can control your response to those faults. Expect imperfections, learn to live with their imperfection and your relationship will be happier.

Bro. Buddy shared 3 important ways you need to do to become a patient person.

1. Stop - In James 1: 19-20 it says, Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. The important thing is to stop what your anger wants you to do at that precise moment.

2. Look - Look for God in the difficult situation, specifically look for God's love. Look for Him loving you at those moments of testing. Look for His presence in this irritating situation or annoying person.

3. Listen - Listen to God's instructions. Ask the big question, "What is the wisest thing to do?"

Many times, subconscious fear is the fuel of our impatience. And our greatest fear is the fear of worthlessness. The antidote of impatience is deep trust in God's love.

Brothers and sisters when you know you're totally, completely, and absolutely loved by God, you know there's nothing else to prove.

The Force: Finish Strong

Last week's Feast began with a Holy Mass celebrated by Rev. Fr. Charles Louis "Cha" Jayme.

"God's grace is received by the lowly and the truthful. The humble sees God and His mercy but the hypocrite see themselves", were the words of Fr. Cha on his homily. The Gospel was taken from Mathew 23: 23-26 which talks about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Fr. Cha said that we have to focus more on the purity and cleanliness of heart and not just with the exteriors. As what Jesus said in the Bible, "Blessed are the pure of heart, they will see God."

After the mass was a lively worship led by our worship leaders, Bro. Oscar Alino and Bro. Stephen Nellas. During the ministry time, the congregation was given special cards. Bro. Buddy Tan, our most beloved Feast Builder, ministered and exhorted them to write on the card the mountains that they want to move, the territories they wanted to expand and the harvest they wanted to increase.

God's holy presence was deeply felt by everyone especially when the congregation was led to surrender their mountains singing the song "Through Christ" which the lyrics puts it so well: "I can do all things through Christ, I can move a mountain if you are the strength of my life." Bro. Buddy encouraged everyone to hug each other. Truly, God's love, healing, and restoration were seen.

To end the service, the LOJF music ministry sung a part of the beautiful and inspiring lyrics as follows:

We'll be faithful to our calling,

For You are able to keep us from falling

And in Your Presence we will trust

We'll be faithful to finish the work You Began in us.

Brothers and sisters. God will finish the work he has begun in us. We are all God's work in progress. Let us finish strong because,

WE CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS US!

The Force: Increase Harvest

Just last week, The Feast Cebu was pruned. It was quite different from what we were accustomed to. It was and will continue to be held at Sacred Heart Center in Jakosalem St., Cebu City, a timely change in accordance with last week's talk.

We started with a mass, followed by a blessing of the venue and the congregation, presided by Rev. Fr. Brian Brigoli. The gospel was from Matthew 18:1-5,10,12-14, "Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." From the homily of Fr. Brian, "Humility is realizing the greatness in you and that greatness is Jesus."

All these changes, as explained by Bro. Buddy's talk - "Increase Harvests", were God's pruning. In John 15

:1-2, it says "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." God is our gardener. Because Jesus said, "I have come that you might have an abundant life," not simply an adequate one. But abundance comes with a price - pruning.

If you want all that God wants for you - to reap abundant harvests and to fulfill God-sized dreams, then submit yourself to God's pruning.

However, some things in your life must be sacrificed. God prunes what destroys you and what distracts you because good things can steal away your attention from the great things. There will be times when you will experience failure, sickness, retrenchment, separation; but look on the bright side, there'll be more space in your life for newer and better things. Just remember that God's focus isn't on removing but on adding because after pruning comes abundance.

Yes, pruning is painful but pruning doesn't kill you. Growth

usually happens through pain. From the letter of St. Paul to the Romans, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." Brothers and sisters, while we are going through pruning, let us not focus on the pain, let us focus on the prize!