March 30, 2016 Wednesday

It's been a while. I'm going to do shifting schedule starting on Friday, now that it's the Refinery's turnaround. That's 12 hours of work every day. I won't be going home for the whole of April.

H- asked if I'm courting L-. Told her it's a no, and for the same reason I didn't court C-. I'm not courting anyone yet. Didn't proceed to do so with S- too.

I talked this over with T- actually, and somehow I'm thinking I might be acting improperly toward her, as a friend. Anyway, the thing is I don't know what I want to do for life; how should I look for a life partner?

So much for that! I've been learning a lot and still underperforming though. Not sure I'm cut out for this xD oh well I'll just do my best; while avoiding overtime of course

February 20, 2015 Saturday

It's been a long, long while!!! I don't have a good internet connection in Bataan, not to mention I'm rather busy with extracurriculars. I tried badminton and table tennis for a few days but lately I've been spending time learning karate from master. I'm not going to forsake arnis, of course, it's just that this is more accessible at the moment. In fact, I'm going to bring my two sticks to Bataan tomorrow.

That said, we've been doing modules and a few errands as PE trainees. And I've been having fun so far.

Anyway, last Feb 13 S- texted me first. I have been texting every saturday for a few weeks and decided not to specifically on Feb 13, but voila! We'll also meet on Feb 25.

Will I court her? I don't know. Maybe. But recently my mind has been cleared up (thank God!!!). I know now what I'm looking for in a wife: someone to serve the Lord with. I knew this a few years ago but apparently it got muddled up after talking to C- for the last time. If I find that quality in S- then I might go for it. To be fair, I haven't seen that in anyone yet. I find people endearing and interesting, and I imagined myself serving C-, but I've never pictured myself standing side by side someone. Of course, service and love are part of romance but partnership; that's a different thing.

As I've been reading Sex and the Supremacy of Christ, I realized that these emotional attachments of mine (the summer moon, T-, and L-) are going to be a problem. I think it best to fix them before moving forward. But I am not really sure about that. In any case, it's more or less okay. I mean, I don't think it's a problem on their side anymore; it's more about my attitude toward others of the opposite sex.

Also the issue about Manny Pacquiao, I whipped up that note in a few minutes. I think it's good. Haha. N- dm'd me on twitter last night about it so I decided to write.

Of Homosexuality

I slightly touched on this topic on When Love is Wrong, but I want to clarify a few things about our take on homosexuality. It’s simple: Humans have rights, and humans are sinful. May karapatan, makasalanan.

I would like to ask both camps to please stop cherry-picking. And more importantly, it’s not about taking Manny’s side or not.

Yes we believe it’s a sin; go read Romans 1:22-31. Homosexuality is a sin along with “unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:" Although during that time the context might have been about male prostitution (I am not saying that it is), the apostle condemns the very act. It was more a side comment after talking about idolatry. (Go read the text itself, not Facebook posts, please. Read and see and think for yourselves, since you take so much pride in that.) Verse 27 “for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another.”

Atheists/unbelievers will say homosexuality is natural. Please note that we also believe that creation has been cursed, and natural doesn’t necessarily equate to good. I know you do not believe the Bible, but that is another issue. Let us be civil, just as you take so much pride in yourselves to be, and have some respect here.

Now to fellow Christians: that’s not the point at all. It is not just homosexuality. Notice that the apostle placed a greater value on the issue of lust. The standard is much, much higher. “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” “Be holy, for I am holy.”

We do not downplay sin, for “the fear of the Lord is to hate evil.” “But those who are outside God judges. Therefore ‘put away from yourselves the evil person.’” Not only that of others’, but also of ourselves. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” We are all a sexually broken people, in one way or another. Don’t we also get caught up in the romances of this world and desire girlfriends and boyfriends and love life and sex and marriage more than God? These are means to worship, but in a sense we also have “worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator.” Do not cherry-pick.

“Those who are outside God judges.” That is not for us. I am for LGBT rights’ on marriages. Humans are sinful, but humans have rights. It is not the law that they need. They need the Christ, just as much as we do. Are we not free from the law? Then why do we impose it on others? Did not Moses create laws for divorce? Yet the Christ says “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.” No, it was not this way from the beginning. But “God gave them up into vile affections.”

If you are bothered by this, remember that these things must happen. “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as [they were] from the beginning of the creation.”

Yes, homosexuals have rights. And yes, we believe that homosexuality is a sin. Thankfully that is but the first chapter of Romans. We do not end there. At the beginning of bad news is good news. We might have been born this way or that way, but thankfully we can be born again. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” We look at sin in all its filth, so we can see the blood of Jesus in all its purity.

PS I salute you Manny for standing for what you believe in. I do hope that you tell the remainder of the story: that you tell the good news, for what has been quoted from you is only a distorted half-truth.

PSS Elections is a different matter

January 30, 2016 Saturday

Today is the last day here at home. I'll be coming back during weekends but of course it's not the same.

Mom meddled again with my money, and so I lost the P100 bill that lola gave me. She even had the guts to say "sulatan mo na lang uli." I hate that. No matter, she'll grow old and she'll realize what she's done.

I know this is not a good way to part but I think in the back of my mind I've always resented them for all the "don'ts" (ehem Alaminos). I've been looking forward to this freedom, and I think I know what responsibility it entails. I'll see it myself on Monday, but I really want to do things on my own for a while now. A really, really long while.

Of course I've forgiven them but the effect of 21 smothered years is very hard to change. I mean, it's rather ingrained in me now, this... forgiven resentment. Which means I need to work on it. I think I've been a good son in general but I just don't know why they prefer my brother who's more disobedient.

They do a lot of good things to me, I know, and I appreciate that. It's just that everything has always been on their terms. They give what they think is good, and never consider mine. That's why I've given up on saying what I want for a long time now. They would always ask, yes, but if I answer, they'd say what they think and then argue that theirs is better. And so we always go with their decision, even in personal things like eating or whatever. I don't like it that I always have to argue with them in order to get what I want. God has convicted me to obey my parents. And at the very least, what I did is pleasing to Him.

Ask and you shall receive. To God perhaps yes, but not here in the house.

Of course it's a different issue at work. I need to assert myself since it's only I who will look after myself. Let's be realistic; the company will only always look after itself.

The bottom line is I'm looking forward to freedom and responsibility. This is to remind myself of the precious freedom, whenever I find it hard to bear those responsibilities.

January 29, 2015 Friday

Today I could not go to Alaminos. I asked quite a number of times for it but my parents still won't allow me. I mean, I don't usually ask for things, but when I do it's turned down. And I think that's sad: sadder than not being able to go to Alaminos with my friends.

They say I'd get tired, but then if I always reason that out then I'd never get to travel. What kind of reason is that?

Well, no matter. Once I start working I won't have to ask permission. I won't even tell them. (There's no point in doing so)

There has been an issue about my co-scholars ranting on fb about the HR. They're all true, actually. But then this supervisor butts in and says it's not proper to say that and all. I think that's stupid, because they do not listen to criticism properly. What kind of employer is that? No wonder everyone is leaving. Granted, it's not a proper platform too. But the supervisor did not address that either; it's more of a power struggle. He simply asserted that "you owe us."

As for me, I will work as if working for the Lord, and not for men. That does not mean I will treat them as if they were God, for there is only one God and one Lord over all: Jesus the Christ. It only means that I will do my best, act justly, love mercy, walk humbly, and pray unceasingly to God that He will satisfy my thirst for righteousness. Commit all vengeance to Him, for it is His alone. It is not the Christian's job to avenge.

I believe that He will bring justice it swiftly.

And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?

Anyway, remember that "You [Pilate] could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above." This of course applies to any authority. And should they also abuse and deliver me to the cross, God can raise me up from the dead and glorify me, just as He did to Jesus. I'm speaking figuratively of course, but it also works literally. (I am telling this to myself, obviously. There's no one to talk to here.)

It is a good thing that recently I have been constantly in reading the Bible and reducing time in useless things like LoL. This is all by the grace of God. I need to be even more committed and dedicated to the Word when I stay there alone.

The Sovereignty of God

“Why are you doing this, Cain?” It was not a question of curiosity. Neither was it a question of a prey stalling for time, looking for escapes. Huddled in a corner, he knew that no one could save him from that pointed gun.

“You can still turn back,” he continued. It was the question of a man trying to convince his brother.

“No, I can’t,” Cain replied.

“Yes you can,” he pleaded.

“The author made me this way,” Cain’s void, callous eyes stared back at him.

“You don’t know that.”

“Yes, I do. I chose to.” Cain pulled the trigger.

---------------------------------------------

It’s been a while since I’ve last pondered about this, so long ago that I have lost the awe of this great realization. Recently, a very good thing has happened to me and I would like to go back to this. If you are struggling with this idea then I suggest you still think about this on your own, since it’s always so different when you realize it yourself.

If you are a theologically-inclined person then you would first probably ask, “are you a Calvinist or an Arminian?” And to that I answer, “I am a Christian; I would rather not be called by another name.” But with regard to doctrine, I agree with Calvin. Some would say it is a pointless thing to argue about these things because they’re not ‘fundamental,’ but personally this has probably been my greatest source of awe and comfort.

What are Arminianism and Calvinism? There are five main points of each camp and you can just read what they mean here if you want: http://www.fivesolas.com/cal_arm.htm

Anyway, comparing and contrasting these two thoughts has a danger of exclusivity (that is, excluding one idea from the other, or saying that they cannot coexist). But the general train of thought is this:

Arminianism – Humans choose whether to believe God or not. God predestines to heaven those He foreknew will choose Him. Consequently, if one loses faith then they lose their salvation.

Calvinism – Christ’s death on the cross is not for everyone, but only to those who are and will be called by the Holy Spirit. God predestines who will believe and who will not, for reasons that are known only to Him. Since God predestines who will believe, then consequently one cannot lose their salvation.

(There are a lot more things than that, but this is the shortest summary where I can show the conflict.)

Depravity

Now at first glance Arminianism makes much more sense. Wouldn’t that be a cruel God, to send humans to hell? That would be so unfair of Him, to send some to heaven and damn others to hell!

Perhaps this is the greatest objection to the sovereignty of God. But it is a funny thing to say, to measure God with human standards. But there is an underlying assumption here; that humans don’t deserve hell. And that is where Christians differ. Humans don’t deserve heaven. You would hear it over and over again; in the beginning of good news is bad news:

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

“There is no one righteous, not even one”

(Here’s John Piper on it http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/piper/depravity.html if you want more verses haha)

Of course, this doesn’t mean that everyone is so evil like they’re on drugs all the time and killing children and raping women and robbing banks and all that. It means that even “our righteous acts are like filthy rags” in God’s sight. When I am terribly hungry you can give me a donut and I as a fellow hungry man would think that what you did is good. But even the purest acts of kindness like that look wicked in God’s sight. God is holy, and that holiness is very difficult to grasp in our modern relativistic world.

Election

Humans have freewill. But on his own, man will never choose God. “There is no one righteous, not even one... There is no one who seeks God.” Jesus himself says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them.” Humans don’t deserve heaven; left on their own they will never choose God. Even if God sent everyone (including me of course) to hell He wouldn’t have been wrong.

Now I know that this is an extreme assertion: that man, left alone, is totally depraved. After all, we would rather believe that children are tabula rasa. But we have no way of proving that, although it might interest you to read up on the very rare cases of feral children. So again, it boils down to whether you believe in the Bible or not.

Yet God gave heaven Himself. Christ died on the cross. In the same chapter (John 6) the Christ says, “Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” And the beauty of it all: “whoever comes to me I will never drive away.”

Who then, does the Father draw near? Does He call everyone, or only a chosen few? How does He choose them? In Romans 9 the apostle Paul quotes, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.” Then he takes it to its natural conclusion: “Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.”

Responsibility

God hardens whom he wants to harden. He sends to hell those he wants to send to hell. And He sends to heaven those He wants to send to heaven. What a whimsical God! The apostle knew this, and so he continued, “One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?”

To this the apostle Paul says, “But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God?... Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?” He has every right to do whatever to His creation.

“What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath... What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy?” What ifs. Even Paul could not comprehend the depth of God’s reasons.

Sovereignty and Free Will

Is God Sovereign? Does He control everything?

And not one of them [sparrow] falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.

The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.

If He controls everything including our choices, then is it really our choice?

http://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/is-god-sovereign-over-my-free-will

No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.

Yes. And our choices have consequences. We have free will, but we are slaves. Once slaves to sin, and now to righteousness.

8

January 23, 2015 Saturday

Today I remembered something! I forgot that there's YBF today and also have not informed david of feb 1. I need to fix my scheduling. It's a shame really.

Well I remembered that I liked S- even before in elem especially in grade 6 and I texted her when I got a phone and ended up using all the initial load (apparently I had the wrong number). It all faded away soon, childish things. Haha. And then I remembered that I want someone who is not proud/can listen. I still haven't checked my old posts.

I played LoL and lost because of PLDC.

I am going to start a reading plan. I also need to fix my life.