My only Hope

God’s glory is the sum total of who God is and what He does. According to the founder of Dallas Seminary in Texas, “The glory of God is all of His attributes added together and multiplied over and over again to the nth degree.” Attempting to depict or describe the glory of God is, in fact, out of our league. But it was never His intention to hide under the shroud of mystery, thus He reveals His glory in many ways:

I. The revelation of God’s glory: God has spoken. “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways…” (Hebrews 1:1). He has communicated to a number of people to deliver His message. Thus, the Bible contains prophecies which are infallible, most of which have already been fulfilled in very precise detail without a single error. Of these, 300 prophecies have been made about Jesus several centuries before He actually came. None of these could have happened by chance or by accident. He is the fulfillment of the Messiah spoken about by the prophets of early civilization. So unique, unparalleled and unsurpassed is Jesus in His message, claims, miracles and influence! The prophecies and actual events jibe together and fit perfectly in Christ’s persona, from His birth (Isaiah 7:14/Luke1:26-35); to birthplace (Micah 5:2/Luke 2:4-7); to triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Zechariah 9:9/Matthew 21:2-10); to betrayal (Zechariah 11:12/Matthew 26:14-15); to His trial (Isaiah 53:8/John 18:38-39; John 19:4, 6); to His crucifixion (Psalm 22:14-18; Isaiah 53:9/John 19:34; Matthew 27:38-44); to His resurrection (Psalm 16:10/Acts 2:27-31; Luke 24:5-6), just to cite a few. Accurate prophecy belongs to God alone. God’s standard of perfection sets His prophets apart from the ordinary seer. When the ordinary man predicts, it is highly improbable, but when God speaks, there’s 100% certainty. Therefore, it’s really not a gamble to trust in the Word of God; it’s the only correct choice.

II. Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory: God has spoken through Jesus:

• Jesus is God. “…in these last days [God] has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom He also made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power…” (Hebrews 1:2-3). Jesus is the expressed image of God, God in substance, “the Light of the world” that has dispelled the darkness and the lies of Satan. He is more than a teacher, a prophet or religious leader. Jesus, who is none other than the Son of God, shares the same divinity and Deity as God the Father. Whoever has seen the Son has seen the Father.
• Jesus is Savior. “When He had made purification of sins…” (Hebrews 1:3). Have you ever thought about God’s greatest work? What was more difficult: to create the universe, or to save man from sin? In creation, God spoke. In redemption, He bled. The Blood that was shed on the Cross became the payment for our sins. Through Christ, we have forgiveness of sin and cleansing from sin.
• Jesus is King. “…He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…” (Hebrews 1:3). When Christ’s work on earth was finished, He ascended into His kingdom to take His place of honor. He is now seated on His throne, sovereign over all. Jesus is King of all the movers and shakers, and opinion makers throughout the world, and holds all the powers in the heavenly realm. Every knee, even the mighty, proud and stubborn, will one day bow before Him, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. If a great luminary were to walk into this room, we would gasp and applaud in admiration. But if Christ were to appear before us, we would all fall prostrate in worship, for He is King of kings and Lord of lords.

III. The response to God’s glory: God has spoken through Jesus to us. God’s radiant glory has been revealed to us through Jesus Christ, and this calls for a response:

1. Perceive it. Cellphones, i-pods, MP3’s or MP4’s, internet, cable TV – these can sometimes interfere with our spiritual radar. With all the entertainment and distractions, it is difficult to pause long enough to do as God says in Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God.” In Elijah’s case, he perceived God’s glory, not in the wind, not in the earthquake, not in the fire, but in a gentle whisper. “For this reason we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it” (Hebrews 2:1). We need to be still to know God. “This is eternal life, that we may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3). “…that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (Philippians 3:10). As Habakkuk says, “Let all the earth keep silent before the glory of the Lord.” As God’s beloved children and co-heirs of Christ, our desire to know God should be of utmost importance and priority.

2. Promote it. God said, “I am the Lord, that is My Name. I will not give My glory to another, nor My praise to graven images.” Anyone who glorifies himself is a usurper of God’s glory. How foolish it would have been for the donkey on whose back Jesus rode as He entered Jerusalem to think that the adulation and fanfare was for him and not for Jesus. When we come right down to it, there are only two religions: the first worships God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; the second worships I, me, myself. When we practice the tenets in I Corinthians 10:31: “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God,” we are attributing the glory due God in everything we do. By our good deeds, we bring honor to God. "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). By testifying about what God has done in our lives, by proclaiming the Gospel, and by serving Him through His strength, we are promoting God’s glory. “Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances of God; whoever serves, let him do so as by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 4:11).

3. Protect it. Joseph, who was the victim of sexual harassment by Potiphar’s wife, never once caved in. His concern for God’s reputation made him say with firm finality: “How can I do this and sin against God?” For artist Leonardo da Vinci, anything that would detract from God’s glory is sacrilegious. After applying his last brushstroke on his masterpiece titled “Last Supper,” he asked his friend to act as critique, who marveled at the exquisiteness of the chalice. Before the friend could proceed further, da Vinci marked the chalice with an “X,” reasoning that anything that would steal the limelight from Jesus would denigrate the objective of His work. To protect God’s glory is to stay away from bad stuff, not just because it would hurt us, but more so because it will hurt our Father.

For us to revel in God’s glory, let us pray: Lord, I want to perceive Your glory, to know it. Help me bring stillness back into my life. Lord, I want to promote Your glory, to show it. Help me worship You and You only. Lord, I want to protect Your glory, to care for it. Help me to fear You, to avoid anything that would detract from Your glory. In Jesus’ Name, for Your glory! Amen.

What is our attitude toward God’s will? Rebellion? Indifference? Reluctance? Delight? Our answer is a measurement of how well or how poorly we know God.

Aside from omnipresence, the omniscience of God is another attribute that defines His Deity. He sees everything and therefore knows everything. He is matchless in knowledge, wisdom and intelligence. God made man in His likeness. God gave man intelligence and what man does with this intelligence and how he uses it either affirms or belies his knowledge of God. The atomic bomb and other weapons of mass destruction are products of bright minds, but certainly not what God would approve. It is, therefore, beneficial for us to understand God’s omniscience:

1. God knows everything perfectly. "Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure…’” (Isaiah 46:9-10). From beginning to end - past, present and future, God has full and perfect knowledge. He sees both the micro and macro view of all things. His wisdom is far above us, His mind and ways are beyond question or reproach nor does He make mistakes (See Romans 11:33-34; Isaiah 40:13-14; Isaiah 55:8-9). Many people wonder how a loving, omniscient God can allow suffering. However, much of our suffering is self-inflicted. God knew man would sin against Him, through the first man, Adam, who thought he could look after his own interests by charting his own destiny independent of God. God specifically gave a command for man’s own protection, but Adam trusted his own instinct and did otherwise. Consequently, because of sin, man and his environment have to bear the consequences; thus the suffering, sickness, death, hard toil, calamities, global warming, etc. (See Genesis 3:17-19). But prior to Adam’s disobedience, God’s redemptive measures had been put in place well in advance. He knew Jesus would suffer and die for the salvation of the world (Acts 2:23; 3:18). While we may have to endure suffering in this present world, we can take heart that this is only temporary, and is nothing compared to the future glory that awaits us. Pretty soon, the face of the earth will be made new, and all things will be made right (See Romans 8:18-19). When God says something, we can stake our very life on it. His Word and His prophecies are true and trustworthy. Take the case of Edom in the Old Testament. Its inhabitants were a stiff-necked people, and in arrogance refused passage to the Israelites on their way to the Promised Land. This made God angry, so the Lord pronounced a curse upon it. Edom now stands desolate with no one residing in it, as a testimony that God’s Word will surely come to pass, and is proof of His foreknowledge of future events (See Jeremiah 49:15-18). If we don’t understand everything that’s happening, we should lean not on our own understanding, but trust Him who knows everything perfectly (Proverbs 3:5).

2. God knows us intimately. “O Lord, Thou hast searched me and known me. Thou dost know when I sit down and when I rise up; Thou dost understand my thought from afar. Thou dost scrutinize my path and my lying down, And art intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, Thou dost know it all. Thou hast enclosed me behind and before, And laid Thy hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it. Where can I go from Thy Spirit? Or where can I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend to heaven, Thou art there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Thy hand will lead me, And Thy right hand will lay hold of me. If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night," Even the darkness is not dark to Thee, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to Thee. For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Thy works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from Thee, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. Thine eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Thy book they were all written, The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. How precious also are Thy thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with Thee” (Psalm 139:1-18).

God sees all our activities from our rising up in the morning to our lying down at night. God can read our thoughts and knows what we’re going to say even before we can open our mouths. He can dig into our souls and lay bare the contents of our hearts and minds. Our ways, our feelings, our attitudes, our behavior – He is intimately acquainted with all of them. It was He who formed every part of our body. Inside out, body and soul, He is familiar with us. The date of our birth and of our death have been marked even before our conception. No secret can be hidden from Him, not even our very private sins (See also Psalm 90:8).

He knows the skeletons in our closet, He knows all our weaknesses, faults and flaws, yet He still gives us His unconditional love and unqualified acceptance. The ugliest, most obnoxious side of us does not repulse God. People shy away from intimacy for fear of rejection. What God thinks of us, however, is more important than what people think of us. Impressing people or putting up false fronts should not be our preoccupation. Make no mistake about playing games with God, either. He accepts us as we are, but His love will not allow us to remain the way we are. His plan is for us to grow in character and in holiness (See Ephesians 1:4). Our security is not that we know God, but that He knows us completely. In spite of ourselves, God took the initiative to choose us and love us. With Him, we can relax and be ourselves.

3. God knows what is best for us. If, indeed, we believe God knows what is best for us, we would not only seek God’s will, but will also take pleasure in doing it. More often than not, we are not too keen on following God’s will because we do not trust God’s omniscience that knows what is best for us. King Zedekiah, although He consulted God through the prophet Jeremiah, turned a deaf ear. He, therefore, suffered defeat, witnessed the killing of his family, was tortured, and met his own death in the hands of his Babylonian enemies. (See Jeremiah 38:14-23; 39:1-7).
Just how often do we miss out on God’s will because we do not believe He knows what’s best for us? “’For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. ‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. And I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile’” (Jeremiah 29:11-14). If only we will listen, trust and obey.

God does not want us to be destroyed for lack of knowledge and understanding. Since God knows everything perfectly, knows us intimately and knows what’s best for us, we must trust His omniscience and choose to be in the center of His will.

Decisions of state presidents can be vetoed by the Congress and the Senate or overruled by the Supreme Court. Many times, these leaders’ hands may even seem tied because of the influence of interest groups. “But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases” (Psalm 115:3). No one except God can do whatever He wants and get away with it. God has the ability and power to bring to pass whatsoever He pleases, when He pleases, only as He pleases and always as He pleases, for He is the Most High Lord of heaven and earth: absolutely independent, subject to none, influenced by none, answerable and accountable to no one.

However, because God is holy, perfect in righteousness, we can be sure that whatever He does at His pleasure is good. Satan will always attempt to wrest control of the world and inflict harm on us. In these circumstances we find it difficult to believe that God is in control, and thus we worry.

God, however, “is never in a panic, nothing can be done that he is not absolute Master of, and no one in earth or heaven can shut a door he has opened, nor open a door he has shut. God alters the inevitable when we get in touch with him.” By worrying and fretting, we are wasting precious energy. We want God to bless us, and yet we do not allow God to be God. By finding out God’s plan for our life, submitting to His will and cooperating with Him, we are doing ourselves a favor. He has the right to do what He wants with our life. "And all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, ‘What hast Thou done?’” (Daniel 4:35). With Him as the Potter, and we, the clay, we can never question how He molds us or how He wants to use us (Romans 9:19-21). We cannot intimidate Him or force decisions upon Him in our favor. But praise God for His sovereignty, for in His own free will, He decided to die on the cross to save us. Nobody forced Him to love unworthy sinners like us, but He did.

The Almighty God, POWER Himself, does not need an army to sustain Him. He delegates power, but His power is never diminished. Open the sea, make the sun stand still, walk on water, make the dead come back to life, overcome human will, override errant human judgments all these and more of the impossible things, the omnipotent God can do.

Because of God’s omnipotence and sovereignty, we can relax and trust Him fully. While God does His part, however, we too have our part: not to worry, but to bring our cares to the Lord in prayer, do what is within our power, and leave what is outside our control to Him. In doing so we allow God to act on our requests based on what He thinks is best.

The omnipotent, sovereign God can do all things without anyone’s help, but God wants us to get involved in what He’s doing because He wants us to be His partners, not wanting for us to miss His blessings. When we serve Him, we are not doing Him a favor; we are actually doing ourselves a favor. We are where we are at this time in history because God wants to accomplish His purposes through us. Do we allow Him to work through us?

In the Bible’s Book of Esther, God’s name never once appeared, but throughout the story, God’s hand is everywhere. Esther, keeping her nationality a secret, was crowned queen by the king of the Persian Empire–not by accident but by God’s sovereign will, for He had plans to use her position for His purposes. Mordecai, Esther’s stepfather, was also in the king’s court. But when Haman, a trusted aide of the king was promoted to the highest post among all the nobles, Mordecai refused to comply with the king’s command to kneel down and pay homage to Haman. The royal officials reported this to Haman, along with the information that Mordecai was of Jewish heritage. Haman was enraged–not only with Mordecai, but with the entire Jewish population in their land–that he devised a scheme to annihilate all the Jews living there. He put the Jews in a bad light in the eyes of the king, and went so far as to bribe the king with a sizeable amount of silver into issuing a decree to destroy the Jews in his kingdom. The king gave his approval, and all the king’s men were mobilized to announce the new law.

Naturally, Mordecai was distressed when he learned of the edict. However, he did what he could: he sent word to Esther, giving her an account of all that had transpired leading to the signing of the law, together with a copy of the edict. He urged her to use her connection with the king, to enter the king’s throne room to plead for mercy for their people and for the king to overturn his decision. Esther, however, was scared to approach the king without any invitation, for according to the law, anyone who appeared before the king without being summoned was put to death. Mordecai’s words made Esther reconsider: "Do not imagine that you in the king’s palace can escape any more than all the Jews. ‘For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?’” (Esther 4:13-14).

Esther turned to fasting and prayer and called on all the Jews in the land to do the same, showing her dependence on God and confidence in God, not in her position as queen (see Esther 4:15-16). But her faith in God, after fasting and prayer, emboldened her to do her part by taking the risk of appearing before the king to raise her plea. God touched the king’s heart, hence, Esther found favor in his sight. She was not only able to bring up her concern, but she was also able to disclose her nationality for the first time, and she and the rest of the Jews were spared from destruction (See Esther 5:1-5). God’s Word proved to be true: “The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes” (Proverbs 21:1).

Meanwhile, before Haman could carry out his evil plan to hang Mordecai in the gallows, God intervened (See Esther 6:1-10). On a sleepless night which God orchestrated, the king was prompted to order the royal records to be read to him. When they came to the part about Mordecai’s heroic act of saving the king’s life from the eunuchs’ assassination plot, it also came to the king’s attention that Mordecai had not been properly honored for it. The king had forgotten about this incident, but God made sure Mordecai was remembered. Learning that Haman wanted to get rid of Mordecai, the king gave an order for Haman to be executed in the gallows he intended for Mordecai. As Proverbs 26:27 (Living Bible) says: “The man who sets a trap for others will get caught in it himself. Roll a boulder down on someone, and it will roll back and crush you.” Not only was Mordecai honored, but he was given Haman’s office as well: second to the king. The entire Jewish race gained the favor of the Persian Empire. Its inhabitants feared the Jews and treated them with respect and honor (Esther 8:8, 16-17; 9:1-4; 10:3).

As we can see, God is faithful to do His part, but we must also faithfully do ours. Men may forget to honor us for our good deeds, they may fail to recognize us for the work we do, but God is faithful; He never forgets. According to our deeds, God judges justly (see Revelation 20:12). He honors us for the good we do, but brings down those who do evil. God comes to the aid of His people when they put their trust in Him and call to Him for help. He is never late; He is always on time. And God causes all things to work together for good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

If we believe in the omnipotent, sovereign God, we will do our part and let God do His part. We will give God the opportunity to work and allow Him room for vengeance (Romans 12:19). We will step out in faith, willing to take risks, surrendering to God our fears and limitations, and doing what He requires. Are we faithfully doing our part by praying and preaching the power of God’s Word unto salvation?

On our way to do work for the Lord, let’s not just pass by the people we meet along the way. We may be immersed in an un-reached tribal group doing missions work or be pre-occupied with medical, dental, or evangelistic missions, but that doesn’t mean we neglect the community where we actually belong. Yes, we need to spread far and wide to an unbelieving world to scatter the Word of God, but let’s not forget our brethren. It’s not either or but both ends!

Paul appeals in Romans 12:1 to “present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” As our body is offered to God, He decides how He wants to use us and where He wants us to go to glorify Him. Serving others in service to the Lord should spring from a love that is pure: “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality” (Romans 12:9-13).

This love, to begin with, is to be sincere, without pretense — love in action, as pointed out in 1 John 3:18: “Let us not love with word only, but in deed and truth.” This kind of love has several aspects:

1. Sincere love includes hatred. Romans 12: 9b says, “Abhor (hate) what is evil.” Love with hatred? An oxymoron! Can they really go together? Yes, because loving God means loving righteousness and hating wickedness. God’s Word says: “Hate evil, you who love the Lord” (Psalm 97:10). “Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated wickedness” (Psalm 45:7). Yes, because we are to love the sinner but hate the sin. If, indeed, we hate what is evil, do we steer clear from sin? If we hate what is evil do we, in love, and with love, correct those who fall? Have we acted as a peacemaker to feuding parties? Does poverty, injustice, corruption, and lawlessness stir our hearts and raise indignation? What are we doing to pluck the street-kids from their high-risk environment? Are we doing something, or are we turning the other way? Are our actions outward expressions of hatred of evil?

2. Sincere love is good. Romans 12:9c says, “Cleave to what is good.” “Cleave” is a term used in the Bible, which means to be “glued.” Goodness should cling to our very nature. It’s not just lip service or mere good works, but our heart – our motives - should be clothed with goodness that permeates our life. When people look at us, they should be able to say, “Hey, that’s one good person!”

Though we may have righteous anger against evil, we must partner it with goodness, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21). Street children who are exposed to petty crimes and prostitution at a young age eventually go on into bigger crimes. But if we can get them off the streets for restoration and rehabilitation through Christ, they could eventually get a degree and become a productive member of society so that they will in turn, help and influence those who are still in the streets. But who will shoulder their school tuition? How about the 41,000 pastors in the Philippines with no education and no background in leading and administering a church? Setting aside some amount to sponsor someone to a retreat or a camp, or to help send a youth to school, or to provide books for the equipping of a pastor, could go a long way. But that doesn’t mean we forsake the CCF Building Project. Consider, too, a school in Tondo of 300 students under only one teacher; volunteers can definitely share the load. “…in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified” (Titus 2:7). Compassion is the key to hating evil yet doing good.

3. Sincere love is devoted. Romans 12:10 says,“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.” To practice love within the body of Christ is to obey God’s command: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). Love moreover affirms our position in Christ and is the evidence that we have been saved and have received new life united in Christ. "We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death” (1 John 3:14). We are on display as living proof of God’s Word when we love and do good. “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith” (Galatians 6:10). Love that is devoted has the following goals in mind for others: Rebirth – sharing the Gospel with others; Relief – sharing what God has given us with those in need; and Rehabilitation – sharing our time to disciple and rebuild lives. Love and compassion should spur us to assist our brothers and sisters to become all they should be in Christ.

4. Sincere love is humble. Romans 12:10, “Give preference to one another in honor.” Christians are to lead the way in humility, regarding others with more respect and importance than we would give ourselves. “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself” (Philippians 2:3). Do we associate with people regardless of race, culture, intelligence quotient, position, or socio-economic status? The Bible says: Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation” (Romans 12:16). “…all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5).

Pride has many faces: pride of mind and intellect, race, rank, power, nation, but the worse of all is spiritual pride. Some manifestations of spiritual pride are: Complaining against or passing judgment on God (Numbers 14:1-4, 9:11; Romans 9:20); Lack of gratitude in general (2 Chronicles 32:25); Being consumed with what others think (Galatians 1:10); Lack of service (Galatians 5:13; Ephesians 2:10); Lack of compassion (Matt. 5:7; 18:23-35).

5. Sincere love is Zealous. Romans 12: 11 “Not lagging behind in diligence.” To be zealous means: a) We are not to be lazy (lag behind) in our spiritual life. But we are to diligently study the Word of God, pray, fellowship, and grow in grace and knowledge of God; b) We are not to be lazy in seeking to fulfill the Great Commission. 70% of the people who have ever lived in history are living today. We, therefore, have an opportunity to make an impact in history. For Christ, we need to reach out to others around us and beyond us.

6. Sincere Love is Fervent. Romans 12:11 “Fervent in spirit, serving the Lord!” “Fervent” literally means to be “boiling hot” for the Lord. Jesus rebuked the church in Laodicea because they were neither cold nor hot, just lukewarm. As Christ’s workers, our service for the Lord must not fall short of boiling point. God is looking for those who will serve Him with red-hot passion. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Our prayer should be for God to kindle in us the intensity to serve Him through love in action, that we may make a difference, not only for the Philippines, but for the nations, for the glory of God!