Inferiority (Part II)

"Six days thou shalt labor" Exodus 34:21

II - Economic Inferiority - a feeling of instant subordination by the poor to the rich or by the poorer to the less poor.

Causes of Economic inferiority are:
1. By depending on the Person's Gifts or Help and
2. Misguided Values

Solutions of Economic Inferiority are:
1. Don't Be Dependent, Work With Dignity - Work with your own hands within 6 days. "6 days thou shalt labor" (Exodus 34:21). No Work No Eat. "That if any would not work, neither should he eat" (2 Thessalonians 3:10). There is always a time for leisure and laziness.
2. Be Contented and Happy With What You Have - Realize that you really don't need much. "But Godliness with contentment is great gain" (1 Timothy 6:6). Sleep in simple bed, take a bath in simple bathroom, eat simple foods. Bear in mind that "all of these will pass away too."
3. Don't Treat Poverty As A Reason For Inferiority - "A dry crust eaten in piece is better than steak every day with argument" (Proverbs 17:1).

III - Mental Inferiority - is caused by actual mental deficiency or handicap like over dose of drug resulting to memory loss, malnutrition and conditioned brain.

Solutions for Mental Inferiority are:
1. "If any of you lack wisdom, let Him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; it shall be given him. " (James 1:15).
2. Nothing is impossible when you trust God because God is a God of impossibility. God is not interested in our ability but in our availability.

Inferiority (Part I)

"I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." Psalm 139:13-16

Inferiority - is a burdensome master that enslaves us all. This means situated lower or of lower rank or degree, less importance, value or merit, weakness and inhibition of person's productivity. There 3 types of inferiority: 1. Physical Inferiority . Economic Inferiority and 3. Mental Inferiority.

I - Physical Inferiority - is caused by beauty standards that society or individuals believe or impose upon themselves. Society decides the standards of physical characteristic of an individual. The Bible tells us this solutions for physical inferiority:

a.) Don't Be Slave of Worldly Standards - "and be not conformed to this world" (Romans 12:2).

b.) Don't Pay Exaggerated Attention to the Human Body - cosmetics are nothing because the Bible said "we will return to dust." We feel inferior because we always measure ourselves against the measurement of the world. Don't follow the song of Madonna "because I'm living in a material world, and I am a material girl." The truth is the human body grows old everyday.

c.) Thank God and Appreciate Your Body - Don't you dare call yourself ugly because God doesn't make any ugly creation. No matter what beauty company you have, God perfectly made you. God does not create rubbish. Accept yourself for what you are.

d.) Improve Your Looks in a Right Place - This means not only beautifying your self but your spirit. "Present your bodies a living sacrifice." Always be clean, fragrant and always smile. Wear a modest apparel in Church.

e.) Excel in Other Areas of Life Rather Than Physical Looks - Former UN Secretary General Carlos P. Romulo said "A man's height is not always measured by inches." Develop and nourish your skills and talents.

f.) Draw Inspirations From Great Men Who Were Not Exactly Beautiful - Apostle Paul was a short rugged man and full of scars but in his weakness his body was offered to God. "Jesus Christ was of no beauty that we should desire Him." (Isaiah 53:2) Jesus was not attractive in the eyes of the Lord. This made Jesus easily blend with the crowd because he looked very ordinary. God uses ordinary people and ordinary things.

(From Rev. Teofilito A. Rufon's Sunday Worship Messages at Odiongan Baptist Church)

Moses You And Me

"His grace is sufficient for all our needs" (2 Corinthians 12:9)

I - God Called Moses When His Schedule Was Busy - Moses was tending a great flock when He heard God's call. Does your schedule seem too full? God calls us when we are busy. Peter was also called while fishing. The lesson here is no appointment, no business activity, no program, no dignitary or emissary is more important than the time spent in the presence of the creator of the universe. How we spend our time is a reflection of what is important to us. If Jesus is our all-consuming passion, job security and achievement will come second. We are pulled away from devotion to Jesus by many pressures in our performance-oriented, action-packed world. Life is filled with pressures: work, school, kids, shopping, clubs, outings - when the day comes to an end and we feel spiritually empty, we know that our priorities are out of alignment.

Who rules your life? Putting God first is not a one time event but a way of life. We must walk in the fear of the Lord. This means that we must hate, what God hates. Satan calls when we are idle. But God is calling us from wasted years. God is calling you.

II - God Calls Moses When The Situation Was Bleak - "I have seen the affliction of my people" (Exodus 3:7). The lesson here is on the darkest days, God makes a way. Dark days in our home, marriage, children, business, job, no peace, tears are our affliction...but God knows all of these! God said "come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). Jesus understands and cares. He offers strength! "They should run and not be weary like an eagle" (Isaiah 40:31). This is an invitation to emotional rest. Emotion drains our strength. Worry makes us tired. "Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you" (1 Peter 5:7). "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27). Our souls never rest until we find rest with Jesus.

III - God Called Moses When His Previous Efforts Had Been Barren - Moses previously tried but he failed. The lesson here is, it is easy to dwell on yesterday's failures. The lessons we learned from failures should make us better able to handle the same situation the second time around. Our lessons from failures are: confess our sins, refocus on God, deal with the problem and move on!

(From Rev. Pastor Teofilito A. Rufon's Sunday Worship Messages at Odiongan Baptist Church)

Regret

"......forgetting those things which are behind." Philippians 3:13

Regret is to be sorry for something, for anything. It is a sorrow caused by circumstances beyond one's control or power to repair.

I - Examples of Regret - Losing a loved one, losing good opportunities, trusting wrong person, physical injuries, are examples. How many of us are suddenly possessed by regret for what could have been but did not? Whenever we look back especially those of us who are already advanced in years, we fantasize about what could have been but weren't able to because of negligence, laziness, or careless mistakes on our part.

II - Freedom From Regret - Recognize sin in our lives. "I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid, I said , I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord" (Psalm 32:3-5). Repent. God will remove the heaviness from our hearts in forgiveness. Only those who repented are forgiven. Confess to the person we have wronged. Ask forgiveness to those whom you have hurt. "Confess your faults to one another...and pray one for another, that ye may be healed" (James 5:16). We must change what could still be changed. Accept your present condition as an inevitable consequence of your past and resolve to improve from there. Make the most of out of present and future opportunities. Stop from looking backward. Look forward. Lost opportunities are lost. "Stop crying over spilled milk" as the saying goes. Stop using two deadly words "If Only." Replace them with these two beautiful words "Next Time."

It is the work of Satan to always remind us about our terrible past. But no matter how terrible the past is, it was already washed by the blood of Jesus Christ. Look backward only to be reminded of what should not be repeated. Whatever it is that you have regretting and crying, give it to the Lord. Let the blood of Christ cover the past and all its sad memories. Ask God to give you a heart full of spirit and anticipation for the good things to come.

(From Rev. Pastor Teofilito A. Rufon's Sunday Worship Messages at Odiongan Baptist Church)

The Marks Of The Winner

"In this world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" John 16:33

Satan wants people to be losers. Who are losers? Losers are persons who allow Satan to steal what God has given to them. They allow Satan to destroy what they have built, and what they can still build. They allow Satan to kill their potential for greatness.

But the Lord is a winner. That is why it is expected that His children should be winner. How could we be winners?

I - Winners Know Their Right Place - The Lord set all things into right places. Our place should be in Christ otherwise God will be far from us. We must operate according to our giftedness and our natural talent so that we will shine in our area of specialty and become winner. But if we are in a wrong place, we will always be on an uphill struggle.

II - Winners Plan - God should manifest in our plans. We should give the plan to the Lord. According to His Masterplan- the Bible. "May He give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed" (Psalm 20:4). All our plans should be moral and legal. We must seek Godly counsel not worldly counsel. Ask for Bible-based advisers. Fortune telling, feng shui, spiritism, card reading are worldly advisers. Let God be the final say. We fail when we fail to let the Lord determine our steps. "A man's heart deviseth his way; but the Lord directeth his steps" (Proverbs 16:9).

(From Rev. Teofilito A. Rufon's Sunday Worship Messages at Odiongan Baptist Church)

What Do You Mean When You Say "My God?"

"But I trusted in thee, O Lord: I said, thou art my God" Psalm 31:14

For David, "My God" meant one great enough to cover his entire life. For Paul, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain."

I - God Will Never Leave Us - Troubles will still come our way, but God will supply the strength and resources we need (Philippians 4:19). Christianity is not how to escape from life difficulty but how to face it. Nothing can happen to us that God cannot handle. "I have not seen the righteous forsaken." (Psalm 37:25).

II - God Will Never Allow Anybody To Break His Rules - "The law of the Lord is perfect" (Psalm 19:7). The law of gravitation has not yet been repealed. If man breaks God's law, trials will follow because men destroyed the rules of God. Sometimes, we don't want to be bound by the laws of God. Instead of living up to God, we reduce God to the level of our living. We push Him aside and make our own laws and choose our own paths. But God is like a loving father. God keeps control over us though we break His rules. To every sorrow there is a reason. There is no education like adversary. "In studying, we know the word of God; in suffering we know the God of the word."

In agriculture, "pruning is not pleasant, but it is productive." In our lives, God punishes us of many things. A believer can never be the same after passing through suffering. This is the reason why we have problems. God afflicts us purposely. There is no such thing as "good weather" and "bad weather". There are just different kinds of good weather. We need sunshine as well as rain! According to an Arabic proverb: "All sunshine and no rain makes a desert." God will never permit any trouble to come unless he has something better for us. God afflicts us compassionately. "The Lord pitieth His children" (Psalm 103:13). Pain and suffering are not necessarily signs of God's anger; they may exactly be the opposite. "The Lord separates the sin that He hates from the sinner whom He loves." "Life is not a series of accidents, it is a series of appointments." Appointments created by God! "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." God turns MESS to MESSAGE, TEST to TESTIMONY, TRIALS to TRIUMPH, VICTIM to VICTORY. God will always hold our hand.

(From Rev. Pastor Teofilito A. Rufon's Sunday Worship Messages at Odiongan Baptist Church Inc.)

The Great Day

" It is He which ordained of God to judge the quick and the dead." Acts 10:42

I - When Will It Be? - Because He hath appointed a day, in which He will judge the world. (acts 17:31).

II - Who Will Be The Judge? - Jesus Christ will come to judge the living and the dead (John 5:22).

III - What Is The Purpose? - To show God's majestic authority in such a way that the whole universe will acknowledge Him. God will also show His wrath, anger, justice and holiness. God will also show His amazing love.

IV - Who Will Be Judged? - All humanity and even "fallen angels" will be judged. Each of us will give an account for himself and receive sentence from God.

V - What Will Be Taken Into Account? - Our words, our deeds, our thoughts, the good we fail to do, our character, and all the things we have hidden.

VI - Verdicts - There will be no postponement, no adjustment, righteous children will be heirs of kingdom, unrighteous will go eternal punishment. In one moment executions will be done, no appeal, no motion for reconsideration, no temporary restraining order.

The lesson here is we must prepare to meet thy God (Amos 4:12).

(From Deacon Harry Fetalsana's Mid-Week Worship Messages at Odiongan Baptist Church Inc.)

Can You Sleep Through The Storm?

"Even the wind and the sea obey Him?" Mark 4:35

I - The Storms In Our Lives - Difficulties, inconveniences, accidents, death of loved ones, sickness are storms in our lives. Like a typhoon, these may suddenly develop without warning or reason.

II - Our Boats - What are our boats? These may be our profession, studies, love life, emotions, which is being shaken by sickness and problems or storms in our lives, and you have no one to turn to. But while we are riding in our boats, Jesus is sleeping on a pillow! Why is Jesus sleeping? The lesson here is many people has many problems because they go near the problem. Jesus during the storm was sleeping at the safe place of the boat. The disciples are riding on the unsafe place of the boat. We must go away to getting the problem.

III - Security and Safety - The Lord's assurance is "we will reach to the other side". Jesus did not say that we will go to the bottom of the lake of Galilee. But the problem is the disciples were not listening! The disciples did not hear God's message. Like us, we are sometimes not listening to God's message. We tend to listen to our "boats." But God assured us that "He will never leave us." We together with Jesus will reach the safe and secured "side" of our lives so stop worrying. Like Jesus, sleep on your own pillow and claim God's promise .