God And Faith

Breaking Down Abraham’s Attempted Homicide and Faith

November 25, 2022 By Sean Leave a Comment

It’s been a tough slog for me these past couple of months. It’s the first time I’m experiencing a year where we lost more than we made. I guess a 12-year winning run is something to be super thankful for but it doesn’t make things easier when you experience your first year where there’s no growth in revenue.

The economy is not looking good is what I keep on hearing. Ironic as the markets are opening and we are at the tail end of the pandemic.

But I guess it’s a slew of different factors with the wars and rumors of war going on in our world today. Prices are soaring and the world is changing at an unprecedented pace.

I was about to join my execom meeting when I asked God this question “How can I show that I have faith in you when I feel so down because of what’s happening?”

Then God’s Word came to me through Abraham’s story. He was supposed to slay his own son – his only son – without really knowing why.

“Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”
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The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about.” – Genesis 22: 2 – 3

Abraham didn’t seem to flinch. He didn’t seem to waste any time because he got up very early to venture out to sacrifice his son.

He didn’t seem to feel down or broken or dismayed because when his son who he was about to slaughter asked him about who the sacrifice was going to be, Abraham did not break down – he just answered.

^“Isaac turned to Abraham and said, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“We have the fire and the wood,” the boy said, “but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?”
“God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham answered. And they both walked on together.” – Genesis 22:7-8

Losing a son is one thing. Having to kill your own son is another.

What kind of faith did Abraham have? How can I have that kind of faith where my obedience to God and my trust in Him is unwavering all the way to how I feel?

I can’t help but wonder if Abraham felt sad or dismayed or perhaps a bit angry because of this seemingly absurd, irrational command from God. And yet if he did feel these things, it did not show.

All that showed was Abraham’s faith and obedience and fear and love of God.

“This is what the Lord says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that ¹⁷I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants^a] beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies. ¹⁸And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.” – Genesis 22:16-18

And because of this, the whole world is blessed and the whole world is saved because Jesus came from Abraham’s line.

Perhaps I do not see the purpose why this hard time came upon me. But someday looking back, I know that God will connect the dots for me.

Just as He did with Abraham.

That command is not born out of nothing. Perhaps God wanted to see if a human being will be willing to sacrifice his one and only son for God. Because someday right beside that same mountain, God will sacrifice His one and only son to save humanity.

At the end, God blessed Abraham immensely. And God’s blessings have been poured out into your life and mine as well through Abraham’s obedience.

I realize all I have to do now is trust God completely and keep on obeying His Word.

How to Handle Life’s Disappointments

June 22, 2022 By Sean Leave a Comment

As a business owner, I could not express just how many times I have been personally disappointed by people – whether it’s clients, employees or suppliers – disappointments are just a part of life. I’m sure that even outside of business and work, we have disappointments that we have to deal with.

This time when great amounts of resignations happen is specifically disappointing for a lot of business owners. I’ve talked with more than a handful that have expressed their sadness and frustrations about employees that they have helped and sacrificed for during the pandemic – and just up and left them when they needed people in their team to help the most.

I do believe to a certain degree that all businesses have had to deal with this in the past 3 years as the pandemic rolled over. I had to struggle and wrestle with the fact that some people are just more self-centered than others and will not have that attitude of gratitude towards you no matter how much you have helped or sacrificed for them.

Then I came across this story in the bible again during our morning bible study.
“For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”– Romans 10:11 (NASB)

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And I thought “Wow” if this is true then my faith is too small because I let some disappointments linger in my thoughts and emotions. But if I really believe in God being sovereign above everything that happens, then I shouldn’t be disappointed. I should be hopeful and excited about the good thing that will come out of disappointing situations.

God Already Knows how we Feel (God Loves Us)

Here’s what I know and I’m sure of – God loves us. In fact, He went through all the pain and suffering of the cross to take our place and save us from our own supposed future in hell.

To be honest, if I was God and I knew there was no other way to save humanity except for me but to suffer and die for the people who I created, I would rather press a ‘reset’ button and delete everything and redo it all over again. I would not object myself to go through all the pain and suffering that Jesus Christ went through.

That means that God loves us SO MUCH – in a mind-blowing, incomprehensible way that He actually went through all the trouble, pain and suffering just to make sure we get a shot at spending eternity in heaven instead of hell.

What does this tell us?

This tells us that God went through all that trouble – and now is God going to give us disappointments in life that mean nothing?

God’s Wisdom is Out of this World

There is no way we can even fathom the wisdom that God has. He knows everything and more! Things beyond our brains can handle!

This is evident in the event in the Bible when a dear friend of Jesus named Lazarus was sick and dying.

“Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” – John 11:1-3

What did Jesus do? Could Jesus have healed Lazarus? Absolutely! He didn’t even have to go back to where Lazarus was to heal Lazarus. He could have just prayed and Lazarus would have gotten better. But there was a plan bigger than just a miraculous healing that God wanted all of us to realize.

^“When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” – John 11:4-6

Jesus deliberately did not go to see and heal Lazarus. Instead, Jesus waited for Lazarus to die.

God’s Timing is Different from our Timing

There are so many times that we only wish that God would have acted and made a miracle in our lives – from our test scores in school, to our closed deals and opportunities in business.

And we think “IF ONLY God…..”

That’s exactly the line of thought that Lazarus’ sisters communicated to Jesus.

“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” – John 11:21-22

^“When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” – John 11:32

We limit God’s power and miracles to our own timelines. We think that because God did not act during the time we think we needed it the most, that God would not act at all!

But then Jesus proceeds to visit the corpse of Lazarus.

^“Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

^“Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” – John 11:32-40

After all the disappointments that the sisters have expressed with Jesus not being there on time to heal Lazarus, Jesus responded that we should put our faith and trust in Him then amazing things would happen. We will see the glory of God!

God’s Power is Limitless

Martha told Jesus that Lazarus’ corpse has been rotting four days and it probably had a bad stink. Sometimes we’d rather let something rot and stink in our lives than believe in God’s power to restore it back to life.

All Jesus had to do was call Lazarus out in order to bring his corpse back to life again.

^“When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. – John 11:43-44

Some scholars say that if Jesus did not specifically call the name of Lazarus that all the corpses in the tombs nearby would come back to life. That is how amazing God’s power is!

I realize now that my disappointments are temporary and perhaps some of them are necessary for me to go through. But if I put my trust and faith in God then it turns into anticipation of God’s glory and power instead of a rotting, stinking frustration in the tomb of my mind and heart.

This is how I deal with disappointments today. If you are experiencing disappointments in your life or work, I hope this has shed light to you today.

Leading in Despair and Desperation

February 2, 2022 By Sean Leave a Comment

Imagine coming home one day after a 3-day business trip to find that your house was burned down because an evil person decided to do you harm – then he proceeds to kidnap your spouse and children. How would you feel?

Desperate, angry, hopeless – in despair. You will probably lose the will to live at that moment.

This is exactly what happened to king David and his men when their enemies burned down their city.

^“When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.” – 1 Samuel 30:3

Faced with the immense shock of their lives, what did they do? They wept like real men.

“So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. “ – 1 Samuel 30:4

To top it all off, all David’s loyal soldiers and companions were talking of killing him because of this unfortunate event.

“David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.” – 1 Samuel 30:6

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Everyone else wanted to blame someone and kill someone for their loss – except for David. He put his trust in the Lord. He knows that God can deliver and God was David’s strength during that time of utter despair.

As the CEO and Founder of SEO Hacker, I have been faced with difficult situations. None so grave as king David’s situation was – but bitter situations nonetheless.

I have learned much from reading God’s Word and I look at how David led himself and everyone under his charge during a desperate, hopeless situation.

The first thing David did was put his trust in the Lord. He made God his pillar of strength and even when he had no real answers, David knew God will deliver their wives, children and possessions back.

The second thing David did was inquire of the Lord. He asked God what he should do.

“and David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” he answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.” – 1 Samuel 30:8

When you read back a little bit and gain even more context of where David and his men was, they just finished a 3-day journey from the Philistine battle lines back to their city of Ziklag. They were tired and exhausted. And now they were in shock and desperate and hopeless – nothing could be worse than that.

And now, tired as they are, God is asking them to pursue their enemy who destroyed their home – the Amalekites.

Here is how tired they were: even when God promised them that they would overtake their enemies and succeed in the rescue, one-third of their army were too exhausted to continue the pursuit and stayed behind.

“David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Valley, where some stayed behind.Two hundred of them were too exhausted to cross the valley, but David and the other four hundred continued the pursuit.” – 1 Samuel 30:9

The third thing that David did in his time of desperation and exhaustion – is to obey the voice of God. No matter how tired he was and no matter how distressed he was. He still went and led the charge in spite of his exhaustion.

In the end, David and his 400 men overtook the Amalekites and fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day (they probably fought a lot of Amalekites – way too many for just a small 400 men). Even so, 400 young Amalekites escaped as they rode on camels to flee.

David and his men recovered everything – their wives, children and all they owned. And they also took all the plunder the Amalekites took from other cities they raided.

True, they still lost their city and their home Ziklag (which is a city in the Philistine territory as David defected to the Philistines when he ran from king Saul of Israel). But God had a great reason for that too – for in a few days time, David would be crowned king of Judah and he had to move to Hebron in the territory of Israel.

There are going to be tough times in life – perhaps desperate times and hopeless times. And in those times, you have no idea why bad things are happening to you. But put your strength in the Lord, then ask God what He wants you to do, then obey – and you will see looking back someday that it was all for a great plan that God has in store for you.

Pouring out my Soul

January 12, 2022 By Sean Leave a Comment

It’s my 14th time to read through the Bible. I usually read from Genesis to Revelations. Right now I’m in the book of 1 Samuel – easily my favorite book because it’s like reading the beginnings of a superhero movie.

I have been going through a rough, difficult patch in SEO Hacker’s time. We are shedding skin yet again – and it’s always a struggle going through this phase. It’s when the growth of the organization has outgrown some of its parts and it needs to renew itself.

It is the phase in an organization’s life when stability is absent, change is inevitable (hence some people leaving) and the work need to be done is a lot – on top of growing your organization’s processes, partnerships and leadership cap.

Don’t get me wrong, I have a ton to be thankful for. We have grown a mind-blowing amount from 2020 to 2021 in our client-base. But our workforce has not been able to catch up. I’m unsure of what has happened to the talent pool we usually tap into – or perhaps it’s because we really only aggressively tried to hire 4th qtr of 2021 already – but it seems as if we are struggling to find the right people who fits our culture.

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During my quiet time yesterday, I stumbled upon the super short story of Hannah in 1 Samuel chapter 1. She was one of the two wives of an Israelite. And she had no children.

During that time, when you are a wife and you cannot bear children to your husband, it was considered a shame and a curse. So the other wife kept on provoking her – embittering her soul.

Then she cried out to the Lord and she says in verse 15 “… I have poured out my soul before the Lord.” And when she did so, it says in verse 18 “…her face was no longer sad.”

I meditated on this – and did the same. For my spirit was heavy that day. After I prayed, God’s peace started working its way in me. My countenance did not lift immediately – but I believe in my core that if I did not pray and put my faith in God, I would have been downcast up to now.

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippines 4:7

Pouring out my heart to God is not something new – but my quiet time gave me a good reminder that it is the best way to deal with life’s heaviest problems. I could not understand how God’s peace can calm my spirit in spite of the many problems and turmoil still present around me – but it does.

I hope this post has encouraged you somehow and helps you to do the same.

Trust it Won’t Break

December 27, 2021 By Sean Leave a Comment

I’ve been into car camping recently with my family. We’ve had tons of fun doing it and I’ve had tons of fun trying out builds and gear for my 20-year old, but recently acquired LC100.

We camped out at The Beach Garage Campgrounds in Lian, Batangas. The super typhoon (Rai) that hit a significant part of our country has just passed. The water level in the beach garage is uncomfortably high now. The ocean actually ate a huge – and I do mean HUGE – part of the campsite.

I’m not even sure how long this campsite will last if the landmass of this campsite gets pummelled away by the sea at this rate. For now, we are thoroughly enjoying God’s creation and just being here at this moment.

The first night seemed ok. It was raining and our tent, awning, annex- almost everything got wet as we set things up.

We finally finished up and had a simple dinner and then went to bed.

Scary Winds

The wind is not usually much feared. When there are strong winds, we sometimes enjoy basking in the breeze. But when you’re camping and your awning and tents are out and set-up, it’s a bit terrifying to think that it can destroy and rip through your setup.

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I woke up numerous times in the frequent, disturbing and flapping sounds of our gear being blown by gales and gales of wind. And I can’t help but think to myself “Are our stuffs broken already? Is it holding on?” We are talking around 40KPH of wind slamming through the gear and creating some scary noise.

And then I realized that there’s pretty much nothing I can do about it. Who holds the wind?

“Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Whose hands have gathered up the wind? Who has wrapped up the waters in a cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is the name of his son? Surely you know!” – Proverbs 30:4 (Emphasis mine)

“He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth— the LORD God Almighty is his name.” – Amos 4:13 (Emphasis mine)

So I said a prayer to God to watch over our gear and ourselves and to give me peace that night so I can finally get a good night’s rest.

And just like that, I got to sleep soundly.

The morning after, I was called by my wife, Apple. She was telling me that the awning has ripped. I was a bit surprised that it did – considering it’s a high quality awning. Apparently awning vs 40kph winds, the awning will rip.

Ultimately, the tear wasn’t so bad but I’m not sure if I can have it repaired. I’m not experienced in awning stitchings.

We wrapped the awning up before more of it would tear but I was warned that there was a storm coming later. I’m now thinking if we should pack up and go home before the timed storm forecast arrives.

I guess I’m just writing this down here to remind myself in the future and to share with you, my reader – that things may break even if you ask God for help – but the peace you receive from Him is priceless.

How to Strengthen your Faith in God

April 17, 2021 By Sean Leave a Comment

Numerous people profess that they are Christians but have very little knowledge about the Bible – let alone faith. Sometimes ‘life’ hits us dab smack on the face and we seem to ‘lose it’ and question everything – anything – something. Sometimes we question existence, sometimes we question God, sometimes we question ourselves – whatever it is, the root is the lack of faith.

“And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” – Colossians 2:6-7

When we put our roots to grow on material things, the nutrients our soul gets is nothing. Because materials can provide no food for our spirit.

When we put our roots to grow in Christ, the source of all things, our soul grows. Our spirit grows and our faith grows as well.

This discipline of allowing our roots to grow in Christ deals with His Lordship over our lives. Is Jesus really your Lord? Or is He only an insurance ticket to heaven?

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Do you really follow what He says just like you would follow a government leader/lord who tells you to do something?

How much Lordship you give to Jesus is how well your roots are placed – and your faith is better and feeds your spirit more.

Learning From Failed Startups

April 16, 2021 By Sean Leave a Comment

Follow the Podcast on iTunes and Spotify

Excerpt

Sean:

Tell me about the idea. Where did that come from? What did your journey look like?

Jacqueline:

Sure. Well, you know, right out of high school, I started my professional career in real estate, so that had an element of sales and marketing. And, and one day I was doing, well, my sister wanted to do a photo shoot at one of the listings we had.

So we let her come in and with the crew and I started directing the shoots and getting involved and I loved it and I was like, Oh, maybe we get to a calendar or, Oh, let’s do a magazine. And the idea to create a magazine was born. And this was in around 2008 when the market in the United States was crashing. Like we were just entering the recession. It couldn’t have been a worse time to start really any business.

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But then again, that’s not necessarily true, I think then. But perceivably, it was a bad time. So we started the first magazine and we decided we would just fund it and just use sales and from our promotions to try and build the company. But it failed because we failed to establish a very clear business plan from the get go. So on that, we learned what not to do.

Then I decided to start a second magazine, a digital flip book online by myself, separate from the family, just to forge my own independence and find myself, as an entrepreneur in my own right. And that one also failed. But it, I was able to build the magazine and kind of learn the elements of creating an online magazine, but it never reached a level of financial success that I had hoped for, dreamed of. And then rewind during the recession and during the process of the first magazine and the failure of that one.

You know, I also reached a point of personal failure. Like I was like, Oh, not fulfilled. I was making wrong decisions. My personal relationships were also failing. Like I just, I just wasn’t succeeding and I wasn’t living the life that I knew that in my heart that I could. And I went to God, Sean. I cried out to the Lord and I asked for guidance and instruction. And I asked for forgiveness. It was like a cry of repentance. I needed God’s help.

I was just meeting disappointment and running into walls at every turn. And I couldn’t break through on my own, no matter how much I tried. And I went to Him, I really went and sought God. And you know, my life started shifting from that point on. I started getting supernaturally guided by God. God started giving me dreams. And I, to this day, I do my dream analysis every morning and I really get God’s instruction and guidance.

And it was from that point where my life started taking a whole new direction in a whole new dimension and a new trajectory of possibility. God put it on my heart to look for Beverly Hills magazine, the trademark. And I went and looked it up. I mean, I had no money. I wasn’t living in Beverly Hills. Starting Beverly Hills magazine was so impossible and so out of my realm of possibility at the time. That this was an impossible dream.

And the trademark was available. I couldn’t believe it. And I realized at that point, Oh my gosh, this is from God, because this is a miracle. This is an opportunity that I get to build what God has given to me. And I know it was going to be a tremendous walk of faith because I had zero. Zero. I was starting from absolutely nothing to create this.
I knew it was going to be a tremendous walk of faith, which it was. And every day I continued to seek God through prayer and through reading His word and just draw near to Him to get kind of a supernatural inducement of wisdom and instruction. And He has guided my life every step of the way and supernaturally brought the right people, the right provision, and the right wisdom and guidance for me to create the magazine to where it’s a thriving business and making money and only continuing to grow.
So, I’m really grateful.

How to Never Run Out of Food and How I Almost Went Bankrupt

September 7, 2019 By Sean Leave a Comment

Somewhere in my third year of doing business, I found myself at the end of my rope. With not enough money to pay my employees back then. I went to my room, knelt down with a broken heart and I prayed to God.

I asked Him for help.

I did not turn to my family to borrow money, nor to friends, nor to the bank. Even though these thoughts came to mind, I turned to God first.

Then the phone rang that day. A referral came in from a high school friend.

Turns out the referral was good, the deal closed, we got paid a hefty sum and I was able to pay my employees in full.

It was nothing short of a miracle.

I had my quiet time today and even though 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel is in my top 5 list of favorite books in the Bible, I still find myself hoping that the bad things that happened in those books, all the way in the books of Kings would have not happened.

Yet it did. King David slept with Bathsheba, got her pregnant and then murdered her husband, enabling him to legally but not lawfully steal her as his wife.

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Solomon married many foreign women. And in all his wisdom and seemingly impenetrable and undefeatable mind, these women were able to steal his heart away from God. It was a downhill ride from there as the prosperity of Israel made the people overconfident in their wrong decisions – worshiping other gods and turning their heart away from God.

So today I was already in the book of 1 Kings. The start of the story of the prophet Elijah.

Just like I was during that time when I had no idea how I was going to be able to pay the salary of my employees, the Widow at Zarephath also did not know how she was going to live on. All she had was a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug.

^“Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the Lord came to him: “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”

“As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.” – 1 Kings 17:7-12

Talk about desperation!

And yet here, was how God told Elijah to respond:

“Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’” – 1 Kings 17:13-14

Wow! How can that happen? An infinite amount of flour in a little jar and an infinite amount of olive oil in a little jug? How long can it last? It’s impossible!

I would be hard-pressed to sacrifice my supposed final meal to a stranger especially if my son was going to eat from that final meal as well. But the widow obeyed.

“She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. ¹⁶For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.” – 1 Kings 17:15-16

This entire story reminded me of how faithful God is in providing for us. A lot of people worry about what tomorrow will bring and how much they will lack. But the truth is, God is in control and we need not be anxious about it.

We only need to have faith that God loves us and will take care of us. Then we need to obey and see God’s miracles in our lives.

A little jar and a little jug that will never run out.

How do you Know when you are Giving Enough?

November 4, 2013 By Sean 4 Comments

There was this conversation I had with my fiancee wherein we were talking about knowing how much we should give. Sure, tithing is giving a tenth of your income to God but what about offerings? What about giving to missionaries? To a noble cause? Here’s how we concluded to give to others.

Giving til it Hurts

If you don’t need it, it doesn’t cost you anything to give it. If it’s extra, it’s something you’re not set on keeping. Giving til it hurts is giving something that costs you. It’s giving away something you want. Something that still means something to you.

Often when we give, we give when it’s comfortable. When we have a little extra. A buffer, if you would.

It’s not hard to tithe when you’ve got more than what you need. But what if giving means that you’d have to give up one good meal a day?

“No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.“ – 2 Samuel 24:24

If you’re not giving til it hurts, you’re not giving enough.

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The Poor Widow’s Offering

We all know that story from the Bible where there was this poor widow who had a few copper coins. Perhaps in these days it’s equivalent to a few centavos. Nothing big. But it’s all she had to live on. Without those few copper coins she had left, she’ll face the coming weeks in hunger.

She could probably imagine herself famished in a few days. All her logic and emotions were probably telling her that it was unwise for her to give her few copper coins away.

She probably saw the more fortunate people on the other aisle giving a few silver and gold coins here and there. She could’ve thought to herself that her copper coins wouldn’t make a dent of a difference.

But she gave it anyway.

Jesus saw it.

“Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” – Mark 12:41-44

That is a picture of total life surrender. Giving all you have to live on in faith that God will see it – and bless you for it. Chances are, that widow never went hungry again. God has His ways of blessing you when you give – especially when you give back to Him.

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” – Malachi 3:10

This is an amazing verse simply because God challenges His people to test Him. It is a challenge that was made during those days but it still applies even today. I’ve given back to God really just because He has blessed me immensely. I am content and grateful with what God has blessed me with in my life and because of this, I just really want to give back to Him.

God doesn’t need my tithes and offerings but He appreciates my intention and my gratitude.

I Started Tithing

When I was 13 years old. I went to VCF’s youth service and they encouraged us to tithe even with our allowance. Looking back, it was that foundational mindset that made it a discipline for me to tithe on a monthly basis even if my allowance then was a measly amount. My allowance is 200php a day – which makes for 4,000php a month. I’d give 400php to the church whenever it was time for me to give.

Today, I’m earning more than just 4,000php a month – but it has become a habit for me to give to God. I used to go hungry when I was in the latter years of my college life – going on crackers for lunch and dinner. Still, I would give – at least 10% of my monthly income.

I’ve never known hunger since then. God has blessed me immensely.

Today, I’m running an awesome business. I’m blessed with a great team of 16 people. I’ve got my own fully-paid, 2nd hand Mazda 3 in really good condition. Most of all, I’m blessed with a soon-coming wedding that I’m very much looking forward to.

I’ve never imagined being blessed with my own car at 25 years of age. I’ve never imagined being blessed with 16 people. I’ve never imagined all these things – and yet, God, in His great grace, gave it.

I’m not saying that all of these happened because of giving back to God. These things happened with hard work, patience, skill, guts – and everything in between. But without giving back to the Lord, I sincerely believe there wouldn’t have been any ‘impossible’ clients just suddenly popping up on our financial crunch time. SEO Hacker would’ve been dead in the water by now.

I can say, it was all pure luck or it was all God’s intervention. Since I don’t believe in luck, I’m banking on the latter.

Tithing is a financial act of faith in God’s Character and role as your ultimate provider. The best thing about it is, God is an awesome rewarder!

Test it out!

What you Say is just as Important as How you Say it

October 11, 2013 By Sean 1 Comment

We talk to people everyday. We talk to ones we know and don’t know and ones we know and know us; sometimes even better than we know ourselves. And because they do, at the slightest change of tone in our voice, they are affected.

This article was inspired by Dr. Eggerichs, ‘Love and Respect’ book and my everyday conversations with family and loved ones.

Being born and raised in a Chinese family, shouting and tone raising was quite a norm especially when proving a point. This was normal for me until I grew more mature in the Christian faith.

I realized that tone raising and being defensive on what you think is correct may be right, but it may not necessarily be kind. And because of this, it doesn’t really make you right.

When we see our parents having conflicts, usually the one raising his/her tone seems to be the one arguing as compared to the one being shouted at or the one listening. Am I right? And the one listening may not necessarily understand what the other is saying because he/she is either distracted, hurt or disrespected by the tone of voice.

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“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” – Proverbs 18:21.

I have mentioned in some of my articles how Sean, (and most men) tends to stonewall and be quiet once he feels disrespected. And I believe that though conflicts are inevitable, they don’t have to be hurtful.

In my quiet time, God also spoke to me through this verse,

“Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.”-1 Peter 3: 1-2 (emphasis mine).

By God’s grace, in a few months, I will soon be wed to a God-fearing, kind man. We don’t normally shout at each other but when in conflict, I remember decibels rising. Particularly mine. It’s not very easy to obey this verse. But in my relationship with Sean, this verse proves to be true.

You see, when women are upset, most of us express it by talking about it in order to let it out and hear our partner’s side of the story. However, it is also very probable that we say things that may offend and come across as disrespectful to our partner. In effect, they don’t feel respected, thus they keep quiet. Consequently, us women, see it as our partner not wanting to work this out; thus feeling unloved.

Going back to the verse, women are asked to trust in God and in the love of their husbands towards them and pray. We are asked to win our partners by our behavior and character. Hard? Impossible? YES! AGREED!

But not with God’s help.

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” – Gal. 2:20.

There have been times when I was not able to practice this verse with Sean or my father (men in general). And it grew out of proportion. Don’t get me wrong ladies, I am not asking you to sulk it in, or martyr yourself. What I’m saying is, how big is you GOD? Do you trust your Creator enough with your heart? Remember, He was the one who gave you life, who ordained your days, activities everything. Do you trust your spouse? Remember your vows to each other and how you were so very in love.

I’m saying: FAITH in GOD’s WORD.

Learn from me. I’ve made my mistakes in saying the”right” things my way. And I ended up regretting them. Learn from your past. I’m sure you’ve also said some things you wish you can take back.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” –Phil. 4:13.

Excerpt

Sean:

Jacqueline:

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