Moments with my First Love [UNDER REVISION]

MOMENT 63: Call and Be Saved

"Mahihirapan kang himinga pag sa puao mo, marami ng basura. Maglinis ka."
(You'll be having difficulties with breathing if in your heart, there are so much trash. Clean it up.)

Dwelling verse:
But I call to God, and the Lord will save me. Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complain and moan, and He hears my voice. He redeems my soul in safety from the battle that I wage, for many are arrayed against me. -Psalm 55:16-18

Maybe you are that someone who have heard in preaching or read in Facebook status, google pictures, Twitter/Instagram post the phrase "those who call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved." Or maybe you have read it personally in your own Bible. Maybe you are familiar with this, or maybe this is just the first time that you encountered this.

But that is TRUE and you can RELY ON THAT. Everyone who calls upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.

Question is, will you be just needed to be saved whenever you only have an impossible problem? Will you just be needed to be saved by the Lord whenever you only have a struggle?

There are things in our life that we don't consider as problem. But we are unaware o we don't classify it as a problem today which will be your great problem in the future if you didn't do something about it today while it is still small.

What are those?
- triggers to commit sin
Example: You hated your brother today, this is just small. But as the time goes by that you get to hate him more and more, it becomes anger. Until you become furious to him without realizing it.

This happened to me when my trust towards my sister-in-Christ became tainted. I didn't notice it at first, but as the time goes by, it becomes hatred until I became furious towards her. Have you ever experienced being so irritated just by looking at the face of someone even if she is not doing something wrong? That's what happened to me.

Another, you became interested with worldly stories in books or movies. Remember when the serpent caught Eve's interest about the forbidden fruit? That's how it is. Your interest will be caught first, until you became drowned unto it. You will become addicted if you didn't overcome it from the very beginning. You'll be more attached with the world that you now neglect the things you do to deepen your faith and relationship with God.

And the list goes on and it'll be up to you. What are the things that you didn't notice today that takes you away from God? Come think about it. You need to be saved, NOW.

Let's go back to the verse. In Psalm, it says, "But I call to God and the Lord will save me..."

In other translation "will" is "shall"

Shall
- an assurance
- referring to something that you intend to do or when you are referring to something that you are sure will happen in the future

God intends to save you when you call to Him. You can be sure that God will save you when you call unto Him!

Look at this: The Bible says that 1000 years of humans is only 1 day to God.

Didn't you know? Your now is your calling to God and your future is God's saving!

God can save you in just 1-minute after you call! (future)

God can save you in a ONE CALL AWAY!

DON'T HESITATE TO CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD.

How should you call to Him? (based on the verse)
- EVENING, MORNING AND AT NOON (This means that you must have a TOTAL DEPENDENCE to God)

In every second, minute, hour, day, and even year of our lives-Let God be involved! Why did we even accepted Him as the Lord of our lives if we will not make Him involved with our lives? Right?

We should not just call upon Him when there is a problem, we should always call to Him every single day. God doesn't want us to complain to Him, He wants us to utter our complain to Him. (That's different. I will explain this later.)

Uttering complains to God does not necessarily mean you're faithless or you're lack of faith. Minsan akala natin 'pag nag-utter tayo ng mga hinanakit at nararanasan natin sa Diyos ay mali 'yon, na dapat hindi gano'n or masama 'yon. Actually, the Bible is encouraging us to become transparent with God.

Remember: There is a faithful way to complain and faithless way to complain.

Faithful way- "Lord, I am tired. I think I cannot do this anymore. I didn't know what to do."

Faithless way- "Lord, why did you let this happen? I thought You care for me? I thought You love me? Then why didn't You do something for me right now?"

See the difference? In short, faithless complaining is when you are accusing God of doing wrong. Faithless complain is called grumbling in the Bible. And Jesus said in John 6:43, "Do not grumble among yourselves."

But, Faithful complaining is an honest expression of what you really feel and experience

Fact: 1/3 of Psalms are faithful conplains about writer's sorrow, anger, fear, longing, confussion, disappointments, depression, confesssion and repentance.

God wants you to pour our your heart of complains to Him as well and tell Him your troubles. He wants you do it privately (in your private time with Him) and corporately (it means you can also tell your sisters or brothers in Christ about your struggles because one Christian author said "God made us a relationship-being")

Three points that I will leave with you:

1. When problem comes, know that you are not alone ('Pag may dumating na problema, tandaan mong hindi ka nag-iisa.)

1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.

The word all in the verse means all possible. Cast all the possible things that you can on Him. Don't leave any single thing.

2. When you're given a burden, don't collect it. ('Pag binigyan ka ng pasanin, 'wag mong iipunin.)

Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me all you are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

3. Don't just call to God for help when you cannot carry your burdens anymore, even if you still can, call to Him immediately. ('Pag hindi mo na kaya, 'wag ka lang doon tumawag sa Kanya. Kahit kaya mo pa, tumawag ka na!)

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths.

The words your understanding means those things that you just thought. You thought you can, but it's just your thoughts.

In all your ways—you really can with your own strength (you already can even those times that you didn't know Him yet) but still acknowledge Him. In other translation, it means submit to Him.

So I'll ask you again, what are the things that you didn't notice in your life today that makes you far away from the Lord? That is your problem. Call unto Him right now.

Shalom!
Glory be all to God! :)