The Real Score: Not Envious

At last week's Feast, people went home so much blessed and inspired! The Feast, being moved on it's new schedule every Saturday, started with an anticipated mass. The Gospel taken from Matthew 18:21-35. According to Rev. Fr. Charles Luis Jaime, the mass celebrant, when Jesus said that we must forgive seventy-seven times He means ALWAYS.

After the mass was the talk proper of "The Real Score" series. Bro. Buddy, quoting again 1 Corinthians 13, put emphasis on the verse, "Love does not envy". He narrated the story of Cain and Abel from Genesis 4:6-8. Both brothers offered a sacrifice to God but Abel's sacrifice was accepted. Because of this Cain, envied his brother Abel, and this envy moved him to kill his brother.

However sad, the reality is that the spirit of Cain continues today. Because of envy, we harm others with our hurting and offending words. Envy is as common as the cold, but deadly as cancer. Actually, it's like a mental cancer that destroys your life, your relationships, and your happiness. Envy is one of the most destructive thing on planet Earth.

Bro. Buddy gives the 2 Phases of Envy:

PHASE ONE. Why don't I have what you have? Envy once nurtured, always comes with a shame, and shame always kills the spirit.

PHASE TWO. If I don't have any, you shouldn't have any too. This is when envy becomes cruel and destructive not only to yourself but to others.

Bro. Buddy stated that many times we don't know that we are envious because we are usually blind with our own envy so he has 3 questions to know if you have Phase 2 envy.

1. Is there anyone that I don't like?
2. What does this person have that I don't have?
3. Will I be secretly delighted if he fails?

Like all problems, going to the source is the key to solution. Envy is just a symptom. Its root is emptiness. Envy is always about a deep dissatisfaction with yourself. A person who is happy with himself and profoundly satisfied with himself cannot envy others. The feeling of emptiness and insecurity comes from fear of worthlessness. The antidote to envy is gratitude for God's love.

Bro. Buddy shared 2 Powerful Steps to Get Rid of Envy.

1. Celebrate Your Abundance - Focus on your blessings and thank God for all of it.
2. Celebrate Their Abundance - Be genuinely happy for other people's successes. Share in their joy, share in their victory, not just be happy when it happens but pray that it happens.

Bro. Buddy shared a secret which we must all know. It says, "If you envy he blessings that other people receive, you're driving away those blessings from your life. But if you're genuinely grateful for the blessings other people receive, you'll attract those exact same blessings into your life more easily."

Bro. Buddy ended his talk by illustrating the abundance mindset. When your friends are blessed it doesn't lessen your chance of being blessed. In God;s Kingdom, there is no scarcity of blessings. The universe is a giant bucket of blessings that will never run out.

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!