In all fairness and singleness

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Yeah, I know. There is no such thing as Valentine's Day for God. God IS love & love IS God and I believe He wants us to spread the love beyond February 14. But then I noticed that Valentine's Day was like specially "packaged" for couples. Chocolates & flowers are suddenly in demand in the market, restaurants and malls have their valentine's promos fit for couples & TV programs have their valentine's specials, too.

Victory- UBelt

Valentine season is also very appealing to the youth so it's really a great time to appeal to them! We have this February series in our church for our youth services named, "Weird Love". It was really UH-MAY-ZING because on our week 1, we already have 6 overflow rooms filled with young people! Before the service starts the line even reached outside the building! :D GOD is BIG! ;))

Today, February 14, 2012 is my Sabbath day for the week! ;) Not that I did this on purpose but it just so happen that I don't have any appointment on this day. :) I'm just taking it easy today & not pressured to go out for the sake of this "season".

As I mentioned above, there is no Valentine's day for Him. Every day is a love day & we also should live and walk in love (Ephesians 5:2, 2 John 1:6). But honestly this morning, I prayed to God about this. (Haha! Not that I'm not happy being in this season but seeing & hearing love & hearts all over the place can make you pray such prayers! ;P)

Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. Mark 4:27-28 (NIV)

I may not know how He works but I just believe that God is working in the background. I don't know how, when & where, but like the verse say "...the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how..." I may not see it but God says something is happening... though I do not know how!

Some of you (single people in the house specially the ladies!) who are reading this might need to know, or at least be reminded of this: God is working in the background. Maybe you've been sowing seeds of prayers. Night & day believe that those seeds are starting to sprout & grow even if you don't know how. I can honestly say that I'm enjoying this season. When you are filled with God's love, you will not be looking for love from any place or any thing or from anyone. Instead, love will be overflowing from you that it should be shared! ;))

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In all fairness & singleness! Let's just enjoy the season that we are in! Practice excellence, love God & love people, do great things for His Kingdom that you can do as a single, etc... As we work for the things that matters to God, He will work on the things that matters to us. And in the first place, it is God who put that desire in our hearts. :)   

That should be my prayer too!

Last Sunday's Word was about "Love at first sight", the first part of our February series, "Love Different". The gist was, don't focus on the external (the looks, the fame, the money, etc.) but on the internal (the character, the calling, the heart) of the person. Because the external will eventually fade, but the internal will stay. :) Love at first sight will not last because a "better sight" will always come along. There will be someone who is more good-looking or more fragrant or sexier, etc. But then this doesn't say that we should "abandon" our looks, instead we should just invest more on our character-building and spiritual growth. :)

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On our way home, my sister told us this story that was sort of a "love at first sight"...but that was God-ordained. Hmmm! (She is currently on missionary training so she got a lot of real-life faith stories that are really awe-inspiring! ;P) There was a man who prayed to God & asked Him to "blind" his eyes from all the pretty ladies. He prayed that he will just see the beauty of the woman the Lord purposed for him.

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To cut the story short, God granted his request. He never dated because he was not attracted to anyone or got interested to any ladies he met or know. People thought that he was a handsome snob. Then his friends set him up for a blind date & after all the urging he reluctanly gave in to it. When the day came for their blind date his friends told him to pick her up in her church where she was practicing with their church's music team then. As the man entered the church and saw the woman whom his friends set up for their blind date, the "scales from his eyes" came off (while my sis is telling us this story I exclaimed, "Wow! It's like Saul's conversion! Haha! ;P) and saw her very beautiful. He said to himself that she's the one whom he will marry & eventually they tied a knot. :)

Well, I don't know but I realize I should be praying the same prayer. It's true that the heart is deceitful above all (Jeremiah 17:9), but I believe that our eyes contributes to that deceitfulness. ;) Not all that are pleasing to the eyes are really, well... pleasing! I remember Eve and the forbidden fruit in this!

It's like a "love at first sight" story, but then what is remarkable is how the man surrendered it all to God and how God delivered. :) Who got all the glory? The King of Glory, Himself! :D

PS. And I also pray that the man for me will also pray the same prayer. Reserved & preserved. BOOM! :))       

An on-going courtship

"Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert & speak tenderly to her... "In that day," declares the Lord, "you will call me 'my husband'; you will no longer call me 'my master'. -Hosea 2:14 & 16 (NIV)

Courtship stage. This is when the man pursues the woman that he desires to be with. It is the man in pursuit of winning the woman to have her & be with her. It can be also taken as a getting-to-know-you stage where both parties can be more familiar with each other: their likes and dislikes, how they behave and know their families and circle of friends. People who are close to them can also be taken as their accountability folks. :) And courtship should be done with an intent of developing a more intimate relationship that will eventually lead to marriage.

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That's the definition of courtship, well at least for me. But I will not be writing about courtship that only involves a single man & a single lady. I realized that we, the Church, is also in an on-going courtship stage with the Lord. This revelation came to me during the seminar that I attended for our Kids Church last Saturday. We can be called as His people, His servants, or His children, but we are His bride, too! Actually in all of our lives as long as we are still living here on earth, until our Lord is not calling us home or not coming back for His glorious wedding with the Church--we are in the courtship stage with Him.

"Let us rejoice & be glad & give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, & His bride has made herself ready." -Revelation 19:7 (NIV)

Personally, before really knowing God & taking Him seriously, I realized that He was "courting" me. He's been good and gracious and sweet, but I wasn't just mindful or didn't care much of His "moves" to win my heart. But now after I decided to have Him in my life by saying "Yes" to Him, He is still "courting" me! Even we already have said "Yes" to God, He is still on the works of wooing us and pursuing us! He is still on the works of making us fall in love with Him more as we grow with our healthy relationship with Him. Interestingly, the more we know God, the more we will know ourselves. And in saying "Yes" to Him, we should also have in mind of being with Him now and forever! :)

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Our relationship with God through Christ is like an all-purpose flour or... a swiss knife! Haha! ;) It's all rolled into one! He's our Father, He's our Lord, He's our Friend, He's our Counselor, He's our Savior, our Teacher, etc.! But He is also our Groom! No wonder apostle Paul wrote to the husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church. All of the pruning & sanctifying that we are going through in our lives is for us to become holy & blameless Bride (Church) for our Groom (Christ).

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church & gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, & to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy & blameless." -Ephesians 5:25-27 (NIV)  

So yes! If you are in Christ Jesus, whether you are single, in a relationship or married... Even if you are a man, you are in an on-going courtship stage with the Lord! :))