T.R.U.S.T.

TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND LEAN NOT IN YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING. IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM AND HE WILL MAKE YOUR PATHS STRAIGHT. 

–PROVERBS 3:5-6

T- Total surrender to God's will

MARY – (Luke 1:38).  I am the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to your word..

Mama Mary accepted, submitted and surrendered herself to God.

If you want to follow me, you must deny yourself and pick up your cross...

We give our total dependence to the will of God in all aspects of our life, in studies, in service and in relationships. We deny ourselves to the point of regarding others as more important than ourselves. 

Mary though young, humbled and submitted herself to God. Knowing that it's going to be difficult she surrendered it all to God without doubts but will total faith and trust.

R- Rest in His embrace 

David (2 Samuel 11:1-5/ 2 Samuel 12:16)

In his sinfulness and shame, He chose to repent and finds comfort from God’s forgiving embrace. He trusts the Lord and draws strength from Him.

Today, when we sin, we turn away from God, our Father. We choose evil. Then we feel unhappy and sad because we offend God who loves us so much.  We begin to see that we have been bad. But Christ wants us to repent (act of penance) and be reconciled with Him (absolution of the priest) through the sacrament of confession. Christ willed that His church should continue his work of healing and salvation. Confession is a continuing obligation of every Christian.

God wants us to repent after committing mistakes. He doesn't want us to be lost. He wants us to come to him. Imperfect as we are, we tend to run away from Him but what He wants is that we run toward Him. It's ok to commit sin but it should not always be a reason to keep doing it. We should learn to accept and correct them and even avoid committing it again. When we sin our thoughts become clouded and makes us vulnerable to different temptations. God wants us to be near Him so as to change the things we do and become better in His eyes.

U- United in His Love

Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:4-10)

Jeremiah is a young prophet who was chosen by the Lord and was given the authority over the nations. Though he was young, He trusted that the love of God will bring him through wherever God leads him to.

Just like him, as young as we are, we are called to serve and become leaders in our areas. In spite of our weaknesses and rejection, we find our security, assurance and completeness in God’s love.

We are bound and united in His LOVE. That is how we are connected to one another.. God first loved us. Our next task is to give and share the love to others. And being a blessing to the lives of others is a factor. When all else fails, rest assured that God is love and He is all what we need. We can put our trust in His unfailing, unconditional and undying love. :-) A love worth fighting and dying on the cross for the sake of our sins. Thank you Lord for saving me and being nailed to the cross because you loved a sinner like me.

S- Silent in His Presence

Jesus Calms the storm (Luke 8: 22-25)

In the midst of the storm, Christ exudes inner peace. In his heart He completely trusts the Father and remained calm.

For us leaders, our members looked up to us, and they see us as role models. In any activities that we may encounter difficult times, we should keep our calmness or poise and be confident that the Lord is in control.

Being silent gives you a chance to listen more. In the silence of our hearts is where God speaks the loudest. We must listen to it and learn to understand what He is saying. Find a place where you can communicate to Him freely and be yourself before God. Only with Him can we find rest and peace. Only with Prayer and scriptures can we be secured and that we can feel His presence in us.

When faced with difficulties, learn to be silent. Learn to pray and entrust it all to God. Being silent means thinking a better strategy and asking for God's knowledge and wisdom for your actions. Smile and show them how God taught you to be, Like Christ.

T- Thankful and grateful in His faithfulness

Job (Job 1:21)

An inspiring story of Job tells us of the many trials and test of faith, and yet be thankful and grateful for God’s faithfulness and promise. In whatever situation, we see it as an opportunity to grow and an opportunity for God to prepare and mold us according to His greater will.

The greatest form of worship comes from a person who is enduring/suffering. It's never easy to praise and thank God when you're in the midst of a trial or pain. Nevertheless being able to do so makes you humble but great. It just shows how strong your faith for Him is. It is actually easy to praise and thank Him during joy and happiness without the feeling of sincerity unlike when you're during the trial. The feeling and emotions are felt and expressed to the highest level.

WORSHIPPING GOD during the trial will be the most difficult of all. It's easy to praise and glorify Him during happiness but praising Him during trials, problems, struggles and challenges is a bit hard. God wants to feel the sweetness of our prayers. God tests us to see how strong we are. He wants to see how we overcome the challenges that pass by us. He wants us to feel the pains that we are going through and assures us that it's all worth it and a reward is waiting for us on the other side..