It is believed that courage is the most admirable among the human virtues. Possibly because of the huge impact courage creates and not all people have the same degree or level of it. Courage is closely related to bravery. However, the two have differences in essence. It is said that “Courage involves the presence of fear, while bravery never acknowledges any fear or hesitations. Courage entails a cause, most commonly love, passion, compassion, and concern. Bravery maintains its essence even without a cause.”
 
 In the Scripture, Joshua succeeded Moses as the leader of a great nation in Israel. He is to lead and bring the Israelite people to a place called Canaan or “The Promised Land.” Despite Joshua’s  skills and experiences, unavoidably, he would go through discouraging and fearful circumstances in which he might fret. Therefore, God said to him: “This is my command - be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  Like Joshua, each one of us has assignments - in our homes, in the government, or in our workplaces to carry out and carry through. We do such out of love, passion, compassion, and concern. It also entails courage to do whatever is necessary and move towards success because fear and discouraging people and circumstances would cross our path, one way or another. Nevertheless, the God who entrusted us with the assignment would make us strong and courageous as we carry it out for His glory and the good of His people.
 
Each time we want to accomplish a noble aspiration, we have to exercise courage. Courage to defeat the odds, courage to overcome the fear and failure we might come across, and courage to push through until we reach or achieve such a noteworthy cause. We are men and women of courage not because of our education, position, skills, and experiences but because the Lord our God is with us as we commit and submit to Him.
 
Finally, as we continue with our lives and service that is full of challenges, surprises, and blessings, let us be guided by these words of a former atheist Kirk Cameron, “faith in God... produces character; character will produce courage, courage to face the challenges of the day.” Each challenge, whether great or small, is surmountable because of our God-endowed courage, and for the Lord is with us. Let us be strong and courageous in life and service!
 
 

At 08:43 AM Philippine Standard Time (PST) of 27 July 2022 (Wednesday), a major magnitude (Mw) 7.0 earthquake shook the provinces in northwestern Luzon and adjacent areas including Metro Manila. It stirred fear and grief to those who felt the shaking and brought us to our knees for our safety and for those who were severely stricken by this calamity - praying that no more aftershocks will happen. In times like these, when our faith is being shaken by uncertainties and tragedies around us, most of us recognizes the importance of having Someone who is superior and all powerful. Someone who is able to save and protect us, greater than the strongest and firmest people, equipment, gadgets, structures and the like. These facts shall bring us to our knees and will allow us to utter prayers towards Him who saves.

For those who felt and were stricken by the earthquake, it was a moment of fear, anxiety and grief. It was a moment that no one ever desires to be in. It is a dark situation where we suffer in all or some aspects of our lives. We face a lot of seasons in our lives and we can’t deny the fact that we, in one way or the other, face dark moments that we can’t run away from. We need to face it head on. Some of us tried to avoid it by relying on our own strength and ability but found ourselves failing and has worsened the situation. Failures that deepens our longing for solutions, interventions, protection, favors and answers. We get desperate that leads us to the last resort --- on our knees.

Through prayer, we align our hearts with the fact that we can’t do it on our own. It brings us to humility and we recognize His existence. It is where we distinguish that He is Omnipresent, Omnipotent (All-powerful) and Omniscient (All-knowing).

 The One whom we call on when we pray is an Omnipresent, ever-present, Father. He will never miss a moment in our lives. He sees us every second, everywhere and anywhere - may it be rejoicing or grief. He sees even that things that we don’t let others see, may it be hidden tears, even hidden sins, all the secrets we have, He sees everything. He knows what we feel and who we are. He sees us and cares for us.   Knowing He is everywhere reminds us that we have an ever-present help in times of need. By praying we acknowledge His presence over our lives that we are convinced that He understands and that He is with us.

The one whom we call on when we pray is also an Omnipotent, All-powerful, Father. It is where we recognize that He is mighty to save.  Nothing is too hard for Him. We might feel that we can’t fix our situation but He is able. Through prayer we feel secure knowing that Someone who never sleeps and slumbers, is able to save and deliver us from anything.

The one whom we call on when we pray is not only Omnipresent, Omnipotent but also an Omniscient, All-Knowing, Father.  David Jeremiah, an Author, said in one of his write up on Prayer that the truth is that in His infinite love and wisdom, God always knows what to give us in answer to our prayers. Prayer does not always change our situation, but it should always change us. In prayer, we bring our anxieties to an all-wise, all-loving and all-sovereign God, and we ask Him why these things have happened and how we can cope. His answer never changes: This world and its answers will never be enough. Only He is enough.
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Knowing that He is always with us, in joy or in pain, we pray. Knowing He is mighty, in uncertainty, we all the more pray. Knowing that His ways and plans are higher than ours, we get on our knees and pray. Prayer is a lifestyle that brings us to a peace that no one could ever bring us in whatever season we are in.

Sense of responsibility, from the term itself, is being sensitive or mindful to responsibility. It is being conscious to a certain task or endeavour with the determination to complete or finish it excellently on time. It is setting aside other unnecessary tasks and distractive forces in order to focus on the work at hand. It is doing one’s duty without any outside stimulus and the ability to police oneself in order to be productive. A person who has sense of responsibility is willing and ready to sacrifice worldly pleasures in order to prioritize what is deemed to be more important.

The value of sense of responsibility has many applications. It is expected from a person to practice it towards someone or something to whom or to which he or she owes allegiance to. A Filipino citizen, for example, is expected to render services to the country in whatever manner, not only to defend our constitution and sovereignty, but as well as to become a good steward of it. Just like Adam and Eve, God placed them in the garden to tend and keep it. It is the same with us as Filipinos, God put us in this country to look after it and protect it. Lamentably, there are a lot of us who are exploiting and destroying the beauty of our country due to selfish interest and personal satisfaction. Some even steal the wealth of this country for personal gain that deters its economic growth and progress.

The truth is – there are a lot of Filipinos who are oblivious of their responsibility under the Preamble of our Constitution. It states that we are to build a just and humane society and establish a government that shall embody our ideals and aspirations, promote the common good, conserve and develop our patrimony, and secure to ourselves and our posterity, the blessings of independence and democracy. By assessing our present situation, are we truly building a just and humane society? Are we establishing a government that embodies our ideals and aspirations, promotes the common good, conserves and develops our patrimony?

Observing the real scenario in our country, there is still a large proportion of our population, as well those entrusted with authority, who are doing things other than what has been mandated in our Constitution. Their abusive behaviors retard the building of a just and humane society.  Their unlawful or illegal acts defeat the achievement of our ideals and aspirations. Instead of promoting the common good, it is fostering unequal distribution of wealth and benefits. Instead of conserving and developing our patrimony, they are misusing and abusing it. As our new President mentioned in his first State of the Nation Address, “these must come to an end”.
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We should be inspired of the fact that we are given only once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build our country well. If we are in a strategic position of leadership, we are entrusted with responsibility and a chance to prove ourselves. What we have started, we must be committed to finish it. What we have promised to our constituents, we must endeavour to fulfil it. What we have sworn prior to our appointment, we must be ready to take on the responsibilities adhered to it. Sense of responsibility is a norm in the Philippines. Having been known as hardworking people in the world, idleness has no place in our turf. 

Righteousness is an indispensable attribute of our Almighty God. It is of “being” (not just becoming) that literally means “One who is right. Possessing righteousness consequently is “right standing before God.”  It is the only living standard that is suitable for us to stand before the Father. For “in the way of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death”. It is believing and living according to God’s design for our lives, thus doing away with sin.

When we talk about living in righteousness, some people think that it had more to do with behavioral modification than heart transformation. To produce righteousness, one has to practice outward appearances of acts of goodness, kindness and holiness. These things mattered more to some people rather than Spirit-filled change. While those are good works and are commendable, rediscovering what God says about righteousness will let us realize that we fell short of understanding. Righteousness actually produces those works, not the other way around. The prophet Isaiah says that “we are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.” Our attempts to produce righteousness on our own are repulsive in the eyes of God. We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like polluted garments.

Even when our good deeds seem to be performed from the purest of motives, unless that motivation is to glorify the name of Jesus and the centrality of what we are doing is He, those deeds are completely self-righteous and sinful. As Saint Paul expressed that “the righteousness of God has been clearly and completely revealed apart from the Law and traditions, though it is actually confirmed by the Law and the writings of the Prophets; this righteousness of God comes through faith in Jesus Christ for all those those who believe, trust in Him and acknowledge that He is the Son of God. There is no distinction, since all have sinned and continually fall short of the glory of God.” If we are to modify our behavior, the motivation is to please God above all, coming from the conviction of the Holy Spirit and not simply to appear, even without comparison, that we are more holy than others.

With these thoughts, we start to ponder and realize that we needed to repent and lay all of this at the feet of Jesus. We are completely incapable of changing our own hearts and have righteousness. Only God can do that. When we stop trying to produce our own righteousness and begin to simply trust in the Holy Spirit to change our hearts, He will make us righteous. First, we confess our sins, then He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Only the perfection of Christ and His finished work on the cross could accomplish and complete righteousness in us. Only Jesus, who lived as a Man on the face of the earth with a perfect, obedient, and sinless life can satisfy the requirements of God’s righteousness that must be seen in us.
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The scriptures are firm and clear that we have to seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness and pursue it; and yet we have fallen short and unable to produce it. So where do we get it? Again, our righteousness is imputed from Jesus through the atoning work that He accomplished on the cross. We can’t produce it, Christ produced and lived it for us. So, as we “learn to recognize and treasure what is excellent in identifying the best and distinguishing moral differences; we start to acknowledge and believe Christ that we may be pure and blameless until the day we actually see Him manifesting and living in us that lead and inspire others away from sin; being filled with the fruit of righteousness which also comes through Him, to the glory and praise of the Almighty God so that His glory may be both revealed and recognized.”

Pursuing righteousness is pursuing God’s character. We turn away from sinful desires and yield to Jesus Christ. As we allow Him to live and work in us, we are changed from glory to glory, and our new nature will become more according to His image and likeness. Thus, when God looks at us, He doesn’t see our sin or filthy garments. Instead, He sees us clothed in the righteousness of Christ. He sees us instantly and completely justified through that righteousness. As it was declared, “I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has covered me with a robe of righteousness,”  We are transformed from within possessing His nature. And through obedience, it will be considered righteousness for us, that is, again, right standing with God, as we are careful to observe all His commandments. It follows that the land is also blessed. God outlined so many rewards because of righteousness that affects the entirety of the nation. From fullness of life to fruitfulness, safety and security- oh, the Nation is blessed.

We can rest in the fact that God sovereignly works everything for the good of His people, including restoring us through the righteousness of His Son. Our righteousness began in Christ and is completed in Christ. Follow Him and pursue it daily.

The conclusion of the matter, as righteousness restores a person, so is a nation. For righteousness exalts a nation. As we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, we are proclaiming that His government shall be established within the system of ours because righteousness is the foundation of His throne. Therefore, where His throne is, His sovereignty resides and His Lordship manifests.

“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
 
“The act of forgiving someone who offended us” may seem a sign of weakness unto others. But on the contrary, as Mahatma Ghandi, an Indian lawyer, once said, “Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong”. A weak person cannot genuinely forgive an offender but a person who forgive understands that pardoning an offender can only be done upon the surrender of oneself unto God which requires a willing act of strength of the heart and strength of the mind. It is not indeed an easy thing to do in the human plane.
 
However, Jesus Christ, while in the likeness of man, demonstrated to us that human weakness is not a hindrance to forgiveness. While at the cross, He mentioned, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing”. He immediately released forgiveness to the Roman soldiers who spitefully battered Him. We can see here that it was easy for Him to forgive. It must be because He was able to look into the end result or to the benefits of forgiveness rather than on the magnitude or the graveness of the offense. How many of us then do the same thing? Do we put a greater weight to the positive effects of forgiveness rather than capitalizing on the wrongs committed against us?
 
It is always best to be free from all sorts of emotional pain because it will not only make us strong spiritually but it will also keep us physically healthy. All forms of grudges or bitterness in our hearts are garbage that will poison us ultimately. They are also undue excess baggage that will deter our rapid movement towards the finish line. It will cause us to linger on things and distract our focus. It will also destroy our accurate perspective of things. We will have unfounded negative prejudices to people. Therefore, we should stay clean and pure in our hearts and minds by practicing the value of forgiveness.
 
We should pray, thus, the prayer taught to us by Jesus Christ. Forgive our sins as we forgive those who sinned against us. It was subsequently written that we should forgive others their trespasses so that our sins will also be forgiven because if we do not, then we cannot expect ourselves to be forgiven. It is a command that we should obey, otherwise, we will reap the adverse consequences. We must not let the offense imprison us any longer. We should set ourselves free. As the renowned theologian Lewis Smedes said, “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” We should not therefore prolong the state of our imprisonment when we have been given the choice or opportunity to free ourselves.
 
A Gospel preacher also said in his sermon: “Forgiveness protects and frees us from the prison of self-righteousness and self-condemnation”. This statement should be a compelling challenge to forgive and any unwilling person can be said to be filled with pride. Thus, we should have a humble attitude if we are to observe the value of forgiveness. Just as we have been forgiven, we must learn to forgive. It is in giving that we receive. 

“Success in not about your lack of resources, it’s about being resourceful with what you have.” These words came from Harvey Mackey, a seven-time New York Times best-selling author of inspirational business books. These past two years have been both VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) and BANI (brittle, anxious, nonlinear, and incomprehensible). But in the midst of these kinds of environments, a resourceful person always rises to the occasion, and so the need for resourcefulness to be part and parcel of all modern leaders.

Resourceful people possess an excellent mindset. When confronted with challenges, barriers, or hindrances, their minds are open to possibilities. Their positive mindsets overtake the uncertain “what ifs”. Resourceful people are not confined in a box and always find ways to make things work. Sometimes, what hinders people from exploring the possibilities is their scarcity mindset or poverty mentality. People with a scarcity mindset or poverty mentality think that they always lack things, or what is available is not enough. They could not fully accomplish the task because they are barred by the thought that the resources are scarce. Remember the boy with five loaves and two fishes who offered it before Jesus to feed the five thousand? He could have thought that the loaves and fishes he had were not enough to feed the many, and he could have stepped backwards. But his mindset is different. If Jesus could heal the sick, and cast out demons, nothing is impossible for Him. The boy’s mind tapped on the possibility, and he was able to witness one of the greatest miracles in history.

In times of difficulties, resourceful people solve problems in innovative ways. Resourceful people account what they have, come up with a plan, and start on what is there until they accomplish the task. They just don’t easily give up but are firm that, “Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”  Remember MacGyver who always finds a way to escape from his antagonists and from dangerous situations? By using the things around him coupled up with his knowledge and skills, it allowed him to survive and thrive wherever and whatever situation he is placed in. He always sees the opportunities in the midst of adversity. It’s like sailing a boat where you use the wind and the waves to work with you and not work against you. They use the circumstance to come up with brighter ideas or better ways of doing things.

Resourceful people have foresight. They are not confined in the now but also prepare themselves for the future. Having the foresight, they upskill themselves for whatever will come their way. They are prepared to meet the opportunity so that for every eventuality, they have the set of tools to properly assess, diagnose, and solve, making them ever-ready in every situation. Have you read the story of Joseph on how, under his governance, Egypt was able to overcome the famine? Having interpreted the dream of Pharaoh, he was able to maximize the years of plenty to answer for the future scarcity. Resourcefulness does not only come into play in times of difficulties or scarcities but also even when all are calm and are abundant. Joseph even during the years of plenty, saw to it that whatever they have is multiplied, saved for the future, and to be used in the future. He portioned the harvest to what amount can be eaten, what can be saved, and what can be planted. In that way the present and the future needs can be addressed.

Lastly, resourceful people are not only confined to their own needs but look after the needs of other people. As the saying goes, “Necessity is the mother of invention” and whatever innovations or inventions there are, they are for the benefit of the people. Looking at the many examples of what we have today, these innovations or inventions were created in the midst of the needs of time, but were not created just for one person’s use but for the use of humanity.
We may experience rapid changes, chaos, or uncertainties now or in the future, but with resourcefulness innate and ingrained in us, we shall overcome.
 

​In the film “Braveheart,” William Wallace, a late-13th century Scottish warrior, portrayed by Mel Gibson, spoke courageously before the distraught Scottish Army. He said, “I am William Wallace, and I see a whole army of my countrymen, here, in defiance of Tyranny. You’ve come to fight as free men, and free men you are. What will you do without freedom? Will you fight?… Fight and you may die. Run, and you’ll live...at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days, from this day to that, for one chance – just one chance – to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives but they’ll never take our freedom!”
 
Freedom is such a precious word! It is a noteworthy aspiration that many people in subjugation desired and fought for in order to attain and experience it. It was the compelling reason our heroes - Andres Bonifacio, Sultan Kudarat, Diego Silang, just to mention a few, shed their blood. While they, including the unsung ones, lost their lives, it was worthwhile because it paved the way for the Philippines to gain the independence we now enjoy in this modern times.
 
Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”. This passage of the Scripture is being quoted by some politicians and members of the judicial body as pertains to the surfacing of a fact or of what really lies behind a case or circumstance. However, in this verse, Jesus is offering Himself for people to attain and experience genuine and lasting freedom. He is the Truth He’s pertaining to. The Truth who would set people free from the power of satan, sin, and self. He is the truth who would set free those who are living in the bondage of shame, fear, and guilt. Jesus knew that though people may be living in freedom outwardly they are not inwardly.
 
Many people, regardless of age, life status, and gender, live in such a way of being physically free but deep within - incarcerated. Consequently, let us allow the Truth - Jesus Christ, to enter our lives and take control of it. Surrender to Him our fears and failures. Entrust to Him our dreams and future. And live a life that pleases and glories Him. Freedom is not only living a life free from tyranny or conquistadors but a life that is free from the power and bondage of satan, sin, self, and shame. Dwight L. Moody, an American publisher, said “If you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ you are free.” Rightfully, you will know the Truth and He will set you Free. That, ladies and gentlemen, is freedom. 

Born free in a free country then suddenly becoming a slave by foreigners is such a great misfortune or difficulty. Our independence along with our beliefs were suddenly suppressed until that great day where our conviction can no longer be subdued and our desire to break free from slavery in body and mind was birth out. With great courage and conviction, our ancestors fought with all their might to the point of death and on June 12, 1898, they took back our freedom and raised our own flag. The joy of being free from oppression is overwhelming that the nation celebrated and is still commemorating our day of independence to this day.  However, our nation couldn't have reached freedom if not for the strong determination and resolve of our heroes.

Fulfilling a great mission and assignment does not only entail emotion but it demands that we take action. It necessitates great courage to go against the norm. In this present age, the world is bound to carnal ideologies and acts.  We ought to have great conviction to stay firm to our beliefs.

We have become passive believers of righteousness where we knowingly allow misconducts in the name of false peace. We compromise our convictions, allowing it to be trampled on just to avoid offending the majority and we become silent accomplice of such malicious acts. In doing so, we suppress our voices and watch the majority fall into deeper slavery of wickedness. We have abandoned our mission to become the light of the world - tolerating and enduring the darkness around us. We have fallen into the sin of omission. The gospel of Matthew says that we should correct a brother who commits a mistake.  We have compromised, conformed, and tried to stretch whatever  there is to stretch and in doing so, our relationship with our Lord has suffered.
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The early saints stood by their conviction to the point of death and championed many fights of faith. With great passion, they fought against the ideologies and the powers of the world. In doing so, they have brought a great number of people at the foot of the cross. Many miracles were performed and those beyond reach and philosophers stood in awe at the greatness of the Creator. They acted strongly on their convictions that historically brought change and moved the world.  
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It is high time that we become firm on our faith. Let us take our stand and not allow the sacrifices of our forerunners of faith come to waste. Now is the time to hold firmly and act with passion as the rest of the world is sinking into an uncertain depth of darkness. As children of the Living God, let us act on our convictions and be clear of our mandate. Let us hold firmly to what is right and abstain from every form of evil. In this unstable world, let our convictions stay immovable.    
  

For the past three years, the Philippines has been shaken by the health and economic crisis that transpired coupled with the sudden increase of oil prices as a result of the arm conflict in the western world. Weathering against these troubles takes a strong leadership to lead this country out from this dark era. This nation is weary of leaders whose only agenda is to serve their personal interest. This country is in need of statesmen and stateswomen, more than mere politicians. As James Freeman Clarke, an American theologian and writer, said, “A politician thinks of the next election; a statesman of the next generation”.

It is a fact that some vie for promotion for fame and personal aggrandizement. This gives them a wrong perspective of leadership. They consider it as a position rather than a function. This drives them to kill their opponents in the election arena, cheat during the conduct of election, or do everything it takes, by hooks or by crooks, in order to achieve their desired positions. Only few wanted to become leaders in order to serve the public well. The moment they acquired the position, they do not function appropriately.

An ideal type of leadership is arrayed with esteemed characteristics. It appears prestigious and highly enticing but behind the colourful and admirable appearances are serious and crucial tasks. This makes leadership a value because of the responsibilities and sacrifices that go with it. Leadership is tough. Heavy loads are upon those who assume such functions. Accountability is attached in every decision that a leader makes especially in critical situations. Their decisions signal movement of operation. Without leaders who decide, the subordinates are at a loss. They are prepared to take the risks or answer for the consequences of their actions.

Moreover, any flaw, lapse, or mistake committed by a subordinate may make a leader liable under the principle of “respondeat superior” where an employer may be held responsible for the actions of his employees, when the actions are performed in the course of employment. The same is true with parents over their children’s actions or teachers over their students’ conduct under the principle of vicarious liability where the parents or teachers are held responsible of the damages caused by their children or students under their watch.

Leaders are also expected to lead by example or to model what they teach. Many eyes are looking at them and many lives are depending on them. If they fail, others may fail too; but if they succeed, others may also succeed. As a result, they cannot misbehave. They are expected to be dependable and reliable. They are obliged to perform accordingly. They cannot afford to relax or let their guards down. As they overcome one obstacle after another, their skills are honed and they grow into maturity. Leaders of this kind bring an entire generation into their destiny. As they assume their posts, they become the answer to prevailing problems of society.  
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The challenge now is – are we ready to be the leaders that this nation is looking for? The Philippines awaits us.