pause and pay attention

last sunday, i let laziness get the better of me. i rationalized that i was too tired to go to church because i rendered overtime that saturday. but truth be told i got distracted by a movie. if you follow my other blog or you're a friend, you know that i very much admire abraham lincoln. steven spielberg directed a movie called "lincoln". when i heard of it, i couldn't wait for the movie to be shown here in the country (roughly a year or more). after working OT that saturday, i hitched a ride to go to SM, and then my co-worker don chose to park at the cinema level. naturally, i passed by the theater, and saw movie posters of titles currently being shown. one of the titles was lincoln. what happened next was obvious. instead of going home to my parent's house as i initially planned, i ended up buying a movie ticket and went home past 12 midnight.

OK. why this introduction?
i chose to divulge the story on laziness because today at worship service a thought keeps running in my head, "vet, GOD has so many beautiful messages you fail to receive every time you decide to skip church." honestly, i had another bout of laziness this morning. i thought of skipping church again, but changed my mind at the last minute. good thing, I DID. today's message was too beautiful, that i was very grateful that i chose to move my butt and left mactan to go to marriott hotel and attend ccf's 2nd worship service.
at today's service, the one who gave the message was an invited guest from the church's main office, ccf st. francis: edric mendoza. bro. edric mendoza also happens to be an anchor of anc's on the money. quite honestly, my first thought was: what could a good looking guy possibly say about jesus, and was he for real? more than a pretty face and having good diction, bro. edric mendoza couldn't have delivered the message more wonderfully. it's not only biblically-based, but also time-bound and super relevant.
his message started off with him laying what is essentially the problem in today's society: BUSY-ness and DISTRACTION in this "screen generation" age. everywhere people tend to be task-oriented. he characterized people as those who chase one task to another: busy all the time, and seem to be reactive to every screen available to mankind from cellphone, TV, to the big screen that is the movies. we are basically in a society now that places high premium on "being BUSY."
the enemy is an ultra intelligent creature who will use all the distractions available in the world, to keep people away from GOD.

if being busy gets in the way of your relationship with the lord, then you are letting the enemy win.
so, with all our busy schedules and distractions everywhere what do we have to do? what can humans do in order not to succumb to the temptations of the enemy?
it's at this point that bro. edric mendoza turned to the bible and offer the ways people can actually beat the temptation. he reminded the church goers to go learn from david through the psalms, and from jesus' himself. he initially engaged the audience with a little play on etymology for the word: selah. apparently, this word "selah" appears 71 times in psalms and 3 times in habakkuk. for fear that i may mess up the meaning of the word, let me direct you to this site instead for an explanation. but for purposes of getting directly to the point, let me just share what he said during service: that "selah" means "pause, and pay attention." his entire message generally boils down to two concepts: two simple commands, or if you may, two simple guidelines on what to make of life, or how to go about life.

PAUSE. when should people take a pause?

when making major decisions

one of jesus's major life works was the selection of his 12 twelve disciples. but did you know what he did prior to taking on this major task? luke 6:12-13 answers that

"12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. 13 When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles. (NIV)

when facing emotional distress

matthew 14:13 points to what jesus did upon hearing the news of john the baptist's death.

13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.(NIV)

when life gets demanding

more often than not, life can sometimes be so demanding that we sometimes lose our breath. the bible, however, tells us what we should do in times like these. we only have to emulate jesus as described in luke 5:15-16

15 Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. (NIV)

what the above tell us, is the need for a "purposeful pause" as we go through life - at whatever or wherever we are in our lives right now. just pray and seek GOD. but for someone who's new to being a christian, praying and seeking GOD's help is something to work hard on - but much like any struggle in life - the only way one can win is to not give up and continue to ask for god's grace and mercy.

PAY ATTENTION. what should people pay attention to? just two things: God's character and our own character

GOD's character

1. GOD is a burden-bearer.(psalm 68:19)

19 Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.(NIV)

2. GOD is a protector. (psalm 32:7)

7 You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. (NIV)

3. GOD is a giver.. of our heart's desire. (psalm 21:2)

2 You have granted him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. (NIV)

4. GOD is a forgiver. (psalm 32:5)

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin. (NIV)

5. GOD is a rescuer.(psalm 81:7)

7 In your distress you called and I rescued you, I answered you out of a thundercloud; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. (NIV)

ponder. if we hold on to this truth, how could we go wrong? if we have a Father who is everything and has all those characters, what then are we waiting for? why continue to miss on getting to know GOD? you're sinful? fallen? well, my friend - we all are, but the amazing truth is - there's NO SIN, that GOD is unable to forgive. that's how much love HE has for HIS children, the struggling and the fallen, most especially.

Our character. God's prescribed character for us.

1. SIN no more. GOD hates SIN. (psalm 4:4)

4 Tremble and[a] do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.(NIV)

2. be humble.(psalm 39:5)

5 You gave me only a short life. Compared to you, my whole life is nothing. The life of every human is like a cloud that quickly disappears. (ERV)

3. be grateful. (psalm 44:8)

8 In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever. (NIV)

4. be trusting. (psalm 62:8)

8 Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. (NIV)

selah. pause, and pay attention. we should all try it. to GOD be the glory!!!