Stepping Away from the Ledge - Dr. Russell Moore

"Then the Devil took Him to Jerusalem and set Him on the highest point of the temple, and said to Him, "If you are the God's Son, throw yourself down from here. For the scripture says, 'God will order His angels to take good care of you.' It also says, 'They will hold you up with their hands so that not even your feet will be hurt on the stones.' But Jesus answered, "The scripture says, 'Do not put the Lord Your God to the test.' When the devil finished tempting Jesus in every way, he left him for a while." -Luke 4: 9-13

No one is exempt from fear, especially the fear of not being protected. In the wilderness, the devil tempted Jesus with the same kind of fear that we all face. Jesus identified with us fully in his experience and humanity and triumphed over these temptations.

Temptation of Verification

• for this to be a legitimate temptation, the devil had to offer something Jesus wanted. Satan is asking Jesus to test by sight what God has asked Him to test by faith. In other words, the devil was tempting Jesus to prove that God was faithful.
• the devil says the same to us. He tempts us to test (or verify) by sight what God has asked us to test by faith. At times, the devil tempts us to demand proof and evidence that God is faithful.

Temptation to Vindication

• Jesus was also tempted to prove that He was the Anointed One, the Son of God, if he will throw himself at the pinnacle of the temple, the angels will bear him up and prove that he was in the right.
• We are tempted the same way. We want to prove ourselves right. We want to clear our name of blame or suspicion. We want to protect our reputation.
• Jesus rejects vindicating himself. He knows that in the coming years of his ministry, he will be mocked, ridiculed, reviled, sinfully judged, cursed, rejected, called fraud, and killed. But Jesus also knows that on the third day after his death, he will walk out of the grave and validate all that God declared, "You are my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased."

There is something freeing about walking away from the edge of a cliff, you don't need to prove anything. You can walk back from the ledge and say it doesn't mean that I am out of danger. You can say that "I am carrying the cross and I don't have anything to prove because I am singing. I'm singing my lament, I'm singing my sorrow. I'm singing my anger and I'm singing my pain. But I'm also singing with Jesus in the fact that the word I heard is true and true for me." And as you say that, remember, "Jesus is singing back."

Listen here.

Share Joy, Half the Sorrow

Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow. There is no need for you to do it alone. There are people who love you, and who are ready to give you much needed support. There are even more, - way more than you can possibly imagine, people who CAN love you if you give them a chance. Make "share joy, half the sorrow" your motto for today. :)

Hold On

Hold on to what is good, even if it's a handful of earth. Hold on to what you believe, even if it's a tree that stands by itself. Hold on to what you must do, even if it's a long way from here. Hold on to your faith, even if it's easier to let go. God is there for you to hold on.

Sometimes it may feel too hard to do it alone. Sometimes it may seem like you can't figure it out by yourself. Sometimes will and strength and courage are not enough. Sometimes in your life you will need to call out for help.

Call on God.

God will be there.

Strength in the Broken Place -Harold J. Sala

To all who mourn in Israel he will give; beauty of ashes; joy instead of mourning; Praise instead of heaviness. For God has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for His own glory. -Isaiah 61:3 TLB

Ernest Hemingway once said: "The world breaks everyone, and some get strong in the broken places." In this, he was right. Ours is an imperfect broken world. your wife tells you that you are not the father of your son. The doctor breaks the news that you have an inoperable cancer. your son is arrested for shoplifting. The promotion that you deserved went to a less qualified colleague.

Everyone is broken eventually, but only some mend stronger because of it. "Out of the process of pain", wrote A.B. Simpson, "Comes the souls best wine. The eyes that have shed no rain, can shed but little shine."

When Amy Carmichael became an invalid, the result of a fall, she spent the next ten years of her life bedridden. She considered those years which she spent immobile some of her best as she wrote, counseled the unending stream of people who came to her, and prayed for India and the world.

When Amy Carmichael felt the crushing , unexpected blows of life, she turned to God and found solace and strength. To those who suffer, God promised "Beauty for ashes; Joy instead of mourning; Praise instead of heaviness. For God has planted them like strong and grateful oaks for His own glory." (Isaiah 61:3 TLB)

Nothing that happens to you can happen apart from God's knowledge and God's will, and nothing which life throws at you can carry you beyond His grace and care. God doesn't fix everything, but He gives grace for everything. That can help make you strong in your broken places.

Tired & Broken?

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." -Matthew 11:28


weary - exhaust or tire through overuse or great strain or stress.
burdened - bearing a heavy burden of work or difficulties or responsibilities.

During my Christian walk, dumating ako sa point na nahihiya na akong lumapit kay Lord. Feeling ko kasi nagiging pabigat na ako sa Kanya. Feeling ko kaya ko naman i-solve yung mga problem ko because I was too confident that He is just beside me. True enough, hindi naman talaga Niya ako iniwan. His help is always ready. but the word is "ALWAYS READY", nandyan lang anytime na kailanganin mo. Nandyan lang Siya, nag-iintay na tawagin mo. The Lord has given us free will. Either we will turn to Him or not, it is our choice. He gave us the options.

And during those times na kinakaya kong mag-isa yung pagod at sakit, dun Niya pinarealize sakin na hindi ko talaga kaya. That I need to call Him right away kasi kung hindi, ako din ang kawawa sa huli. Dapat tanggapin ko sa sarili ko na kailangan ko yung tulong Niya. Nahihiya kasi akong lumapit sa Kanya kasi feeling ko palagi na lang akong humihingi ng tulong. Naisip ko kasi, kung sating mga tao yun, magsasawa tayo. Nag-assume ako na baka magsawa sakin si Lord pag palagi akong humihingi ng tulong sa Kanya. Nakalimutan ko na gustong gusto nga pala Niya yun. Na iba ang pagmamahal Niya para sa atin na mga anak Niya compared to the love of our friends here on earth. Gustong gusto Niya na lumalapit tayo sa Kanya at nagsasabi ng nararamdaman natin.

Sabi Niya nga sa Jeremiah 33:3 "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." tawagin daw natin Siya. At hindi lang Niya tayo sasagutin, parang sinasabi Niya din na: "Wait! There's more! :)" sabi Niya "I will tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." Anak, marami pa Akong ituturo sayo.

Every time na mababasa ko ang Jeremiah 33:3, I can't help myself but be amaze with God's love for His people. Palagi Siyang may nakahandang tulong at pagmamahal para sa atin. Basta tumawag lang tayo.

Prayer is not the privilege of the spiritual elite. Prayer is not for perfect people. Prayer is for people who have a need and a relationship with God that can fill that need.

i feel bad. i don't feel okay.

but whatever it is that i am feeling right now, i still choose to trust You because i know that Your plans are far better than mine. i love You Lord.

Lord, when I lose hope because my plans have come to nothing, help me to remember that Your love is always greater than my disappointments and Your plans for my life is always better than my dreams. Amen.