Jesus, I Trust
in You

If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed,
because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God,
is resting on you. 1 Peter 4:14

Here I am Lord, it is I Lord
I have heard You calling in the night
I will go Lord, if You lead me
I will hold Your people in my heart

Speak Lord, Your servant is listening!
The secret of life is love; live it every day!

What is life?

According to John Lennon, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

The key to life is to love what God made you good at and to do what you love. It is easy to spot those who have not forgotten what God made them good at ... they are the happy ones! They are the ones who have smile wrinkles instead of frown wrinkles.

"Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in His holy place? Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully." Psalm 24:3-4

"I call you by name, I surname you, though you do not know me. I am the LORD, and there is no other." Isaiah 45:4-5

In 1949 John L. Bell said, "Lord, your summons echoes true when you but call my name. Let me turn and follow you and never be the same. In your company I'll go where your love and footsteps show. Thus I'll move and live and grow in you and you in me."

How does God want us to live?

"Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls and will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not sighing -- for that would be harmful to you." Hebrews 13:16-17

"See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18

Life is a beautiful, wonderful ... one of a kind ... journey; live it with passion and pursue your heartfelt dreams with conviction! Philosophically speaking, life is a journey from the womb to the tomb or, depending on your point of view, from the nursery to the grave.

Each of us have a responsibility to plan this journey, to make it as memorable as possible, for ourselves and our loved ones. We have to do our part, love unconditionally and leave the rest to God!

All of life comes down to a few special moments. Remember the moment when you first saw your spouse? The moment of the first kiss? The moment you first saw each of your children? Sometimes, without realizing it, we really live only for those special moments.

Every moment is special! Partly, because each one will only happen once in your lifetime and mostly because each one has the potential to affect the rest of your life.

Always remember this, no matter what anyone out there says ... this is a perfect world and you have a perfect life! To claim otherwise could be viewed as condemning the work of God. Please do not do that!

"I don't think I've had that hard a life. I think I've just had a life which has had a few rocky points to it, and I've managed to weather through when it has been rough, knowing that it would get better and having faith in myself that it would get better.

The glory side of it, the good side of it, the honest side of the faith, is really fulfilling. When you see it in people who practice it, it really is just love and kindness." Pierce Brosnan aka James Bond

"After all that I'd been through, after all that I'd learned and all that I'd been given, I am going to do what I had been doing every day for the last few years now: Just show up and do the best that I could with whatever lay in front of me." Michael J. Fox

I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:10-11

You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask Him in my name. John 15:16

I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life. John 8:12

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life. John 3:16

I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! Psalm 27:13-14

When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the cripple, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.Luke 14:12-14

Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that He has promised to those who love Him?James 2:5

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back. Luke 6:38

When asked "Doctor, why are we here?" Albert Einstein replied "We are here to serve other people."

We must support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:35

To all those who have, more will be given and they will have an abundance; but for those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. Matthew 25:29

From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.Luke 12:48

How does this apply to you? Do you feel as if you have or have nothing?

In the past, I used to feel as if I had nothing. But now, I know that I have a God who loves me so much that he was willing to die for me. He also gave me so many gifts including my life, without which I would be nothing.

He gave me a body, which is far superior to any thing made by man. He blessed it with good health and five senses - the ability to see and smell and hear and taste and feel. Thanks to God, I know what it is like to get up in the morning feeling well instead of feeling sick.

He gave me my family, my parents, my brothers, my relatives and my friends. The ability to read and write and walk and talk. And, as you know, this list could go on and on and it applies to you as much as it applies to me.

When was the last time you heard this? "I cried because I had no shoes on my feet and then turned around and saw someone without feet". Does this help to put things in perspective for you?

God is not asking us to be someone else. God is only asking us to live up to our full potential - to make the most of our gifts and our talents. In the end, God is not going to compare us to anyone else. He is simply going to ask us if we have done the best with what we have been given.

Someday, I'll ... Many of us continue to use these infamous words over and over again, especially in conversation with our loved ones. Sooner or later, we will realize that there are fewer somedays left to ponder; they will all have become yesterdays!

Yesterday is gone and tomorrow is a promise; the only reality is now. Treasure the past, indulge in the present and entrust the future to God! Begin by praying like this ...

Lord Jesus, I confide my past to Your mercy, my present to Your love, and my future to Your providence. I place my will in Yours and surrender myself without reserve into your loving hands. May your eternal plans for me be brought to perfect completion. Amen.

You may have heard many of the time tested questions and statements about life e.g. Man does not live by bread alone! [More]

Interestingly, most of us prefer to speak about life instead of death but ... as my grandfather once said, "life is incomplete without death." Unfortunately, too many of us are tiptoeing through life so we can reach death safely. We should be praying like Tony Campolo, "If I should wake before I die help me to ...! Life can get away from you. Don't be satisfied with just pumping blood."

Many great men and women have marched through time and gone before us marked with the sign of peace. The infinite list includes Abraham, Moses, Joshua and many others. This is all the more reason why you and I need to be prepared to leave this blessed world.

He is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to Him all of them are alive.
Luke 20:38

As the old saying goes, "None of us came here to turn into stone." We were sent here for a specific purpose and for an allotted time. We need to make good use of every moment of every day. Carpe diem! The only thing that we will take with us when we leave this world is a record of how much love we gave away. Our life will be measured in giving, not in taking!

The life of every person will some day come to an end. Catholics have traditionally prayed for a "happy death". There are two intentions attached to such a prayer. The first is that we will die in a state of grace and attain eternal salvation. The second is that the physical aspects of death will be peaceful and consoling. The dying should be given care and attention to help them live their last moments in dignity and peace.

For our dearly departed that we may entrust to God, our brothers and sisters who once ate the Bread of Life with us, knowing that neither death nor life could separate us from them or the love of Christ. We pray to the Lord.