5:32 AM by
JR Copreros
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Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Psalm 73:25-26, NLT
Here I am at a familiar position in my life. I can almost predict the next scene in this rerun and I know I'm not gonna like it....
But I look to You God and my day already starts to seem brighter. My life is in your hands.
8:56 AM by
JR Copreros
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Alot has happened in the past few weeks or so, many of which happened to be new and transitional. Let me list a few of them below:
- my parents have allowed me to drive again after my accident about a month or so ago
- i am currently driving a rented black galant (black being the colour i always wanted for a car)
- i attended the Encounter God Retreat last weekend which brought much needed rejuvenation, cleansing, and revival in my life
- i also drove the farthest and longest i have ever driven that weekend
- i started doing my morning running again after a 3 week hiatus
- i got a wake up call from my university midterm report telling me its time to kick things up a notch and work extra hard
- i have confirmed my attendance at my past highschool's prom (to experience something that i only used to dream of...)
- i found out that i have muscular and structural imbalance =(
- i have made up my mind to work on my parents business
- i am getting a new car soon
- as you've probably figure out by now, this is my first blog in like 3 or so weeks (hopefully on a more regular basis from now onwards
One thing I've learned in life is that you just have to be thankful and grateful to God for every moment, every discovery, every memory. Twice I've had my life almost taken away for me, and i can truly say that God is just simply amazing and His promises for me and you are tried and true. Trust me on that one.
5:41 AM by
JR Copreros
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He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
Psalm 91:1-7 (NIV)
6:46 AM by
JR Copreros
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Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. Love doesn't strut, doesn't have a swelled head, doesn't force itself on others, isn't always "me first," doesn't fly off the handle, doesn't keep score of the sins of others, doesn't revel when others grovel, takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, puts up with anything, trusts God always, always looks for the best, never looks back, but keeps going to the end.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (MSG)
But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him...
1 John 2:5 (NKJV)
I have had the undeserved privilege as a person to have been loved unconditionally. But this occurrence in itself is a demonstration of unconditional love as I am coming to understand it. Unconditional love is unconditional, and it did not matter whether I deserved it or not in the first place. What's even more amazing than the whole idea of receiving such kind love is the source of it, Jesus Christ. I believe there has been no greater account of unconditional love manifesting on this earth than in the act of Christ giving His life for me and for all on the cross. It's amazing really; almost making no sense when looked at literally: why would the God of this universe even bother to be mindful of a mess like me? There it is again-unconditional love at work. I may not be making sense right now, but as you can probably already tell, I have been pretty worked up by this ideal. This partly due to the fact that I am beginning to realize that God's unconditional love towards me has manifested and is present through the people in my life. For instance, I know that my parents, pastors, family members have always loved my unconditionally. But lately, I have just been so amazed and overwhelmed at how unconditional love is being expressed towards me in my current relationship. And for this, I am ever grateful and thankful
Lastly, a close friend of mine told me last night that you can't really love someone unconditionally unless you love yourself in such a way first. I just thought that that was a pretty interesting revelation. And yea, this entry has been a scramble-fest as you can see, but what I want to really point out is that unconditional love is no ordinary love, coming from no ordinary source-God Himself. If you and I want to demonstrate this love to the people in our lives, we have to start at the source. Unconditional love is hard...but it is not impossible. There's indeed a bit of a learning curve to it, but I assure you that it's the only kind of love you really want to be throwing around...
6:00 PM by
JR Copreros
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"Success does not lead to happiness, happiness leads to success." (Paraphrased)
-Pastor Ogie Fernandez
School's finally back! I have to admit though, that I do have mixed feelings about actually going back or not. It was three long months; even summer breaks don't last that long! Anyways, I entered this break with the mindset that God was cooking up something really good for me and perhaps had other things in mind than what I had figured out. As I look back, I can say that the break was pretty amazing, filled with many great moments and memories.
One of the things that I felt the break really enabled me to do was to really think out my academic and future aspirations. In case anyone was wondering, I'm enrolled in an undergraduate business program, which is something I've really learned to enjoy and be passionate about. However, I also developed an ever increasing passion for music, especially in using it to worship God over the years. In other words, I kind of find myself torn between the two, but I know that I just have to trust God in all this.
I just really have to keep things in the right perspective and to put my priorities in the right places more than ever before. And no matter what happens, I just want my life to be the life the God wants me to live. I know for sure that he has my best interests and desires in mind, and perhaps even better! Whatever I come to do in life, I just want to do it joyfully and happily, and I believe its gonna be something that really puts God in the center of it all. I've always been a person that was driven by success, and if success comes from the joy of living a life sold out for God, than I'm all for it...
7:13 PM by
JR Copreros
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Please lay down your arrows
For they're sure to pierce the skin
And water from a broken well
Will make you thirst again
When all things you've acquired
Are tested by the flames
And you can see them melting
Then will you call his name
It's worth it brothers
It's worth it friends
To know your maker
To lose your sin
Did you know that you are dearly loved
To the slaughters you are being led
Being told that it's a party
That this God is in your head
And every single lie
Sounds just like the greatest truth
But the one truth you're not hearing
Is that he died for you
No greater joy
No greater peace
No greater love than this
It's worth it brothers
It's worth it friends
To know your maker
To lose your sin
Did you know that you are dearly loved
8:13 AM by
JR Copreros
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For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.
- Matthew 12:34b (NIV)
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
- Matthew 5:6 (NIV)
As I read the above verse this morning, I really began to ponder on what has really been occupying my heart these days. There was a time when I would feel really bad whenever I would say something negative or degrading, whether it be on purpose or impulse, simply because I knew that they were just products of what I was holding on to within. I got sick of it and I just really longed and desired for the flushing out of these traits and thoughts from within and. Thankfully, I believe that I've really come a long way from the past me.
Now I really have to be on guard though. I just have this belief that the heart is a dwelling place that constantly needs something or someone to occupy it. As a result, I believe that when something is forced out of the heart, something or someone else needs to take its place immediately. This is where the desire and longing for God really becomes critical. I believe once He takes up all the space in one's heart, that person will tend not be subject to evil or corruption, at least not from within.
Stop for a moment and just think about the things that have been occupying your heart these days. Are they reflecting the things you say or do? If your sick and tired of the things you've been holding on to or if your simply looking to treasure and hold on to something new, God is waiting...
10:10 AM by
JR Copreros
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And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,for those who are called according to his purpose.
-Romans 8:28 (ESV)
I've encountered a blockade in my flow in life as of late. I feel so uninspired, so unmotivated. I feel as if life itself has come to a screeching halt after going really fast and hard for a really long time. This time last year I was anxious about university acceptances, working my butt off and all. Now I'm actually in one (coughs, coughs) but things haven't really gone the way I envisioned and planned them to be. I certainly would have lost it by now if not for some of the things that have been really keeping me at bay. After all, everything happens for a reason and everything works together for good right?
I have to admit that the past two years have become so redundant and repetitive. Consequently, I became comfortable and cozy with my pace and direction in life. I did not really desire for change. But change has forced it's way into my life, and most likely it was with the aid of divine intervention. I just really have a strong feeling that God is shaking things up for me—for my life, and it is of great importance that I just continue trust in Him to do His work in me at this point.
But yea, looking back, I can say that I am pretty amazed and thankful at the recent developments and changes in my life and circumstances. I finally started to drive, picked up the keys once again (taking it seriously this time), rekindled a friendship, and got excited and pumped up for God and ministry in a way that I have not felt like in a while. Perhaps even the urge to blog could be a part of this new direction and flow in life.
Still, there are many uncertainties present in my life and I'll just have to maintain a strong heart and attitude. Perhaps this is but a test, and I have to put my trust in God even more, like never before...
