​A lot of civil servants are still in their respective jobs, not much due to the honorarium they receive but because of their love and dedication to it. We know some of them, through CRFV’s training and seminars, being in the service for many years and have no plans of stopping until the age of mandatory retirement. An agency is truly blessed to have dedicated men and women of unwavering service. Such a breed of people have “the willingness to give a lot of time and energy to something because it is important,” defines Cambridge Dictionary on dedication.
 
One significant reason why we have to be dedicated to our work or task is that what we do is an act of worship. The Scripture says, “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ”. Accordingly, worship is not only through prayer, Bible reading, and attending mass or church activities. But also in doing our duties and responsibilities in the field, office, and home. With this,  we ought to exercise dedication.  
 
In the course of carrying out our work, there comes a time when we get exhausted, we are tempted to quit, and we get less to no recognition at all. In such situations, our dedication is tested and forged in fire. Nonetheless, a dedicated person will weather it through and continuously offer his time and energy because he recognizes that his role and what he does is valuable. In addition, a dedicated person knows why he does what he does. It is a worship to his creator God. Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president of the United States, said: “The man who builds a factory builds a temple, that the man who works there worships there, and to each is due, not scorn and blame, but reverence and praise.”
 
Dedication to work must be exercised consistently. One way is by getting to the workplace before time. This means arriving 15 to 30 minutes before the work formally starts. Two, quality work - wherein outputs were excellently done thus needless to redo by colleagues or higher-ups. Three, take initiative. A dedicated person offers help to his peers though beyond his work sphere and working hour. In such a manner, a dedicated person is productive, and a valuable asset to his field of service.  

 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, He looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

Spirituality is defined by the quality of life generated and nourished by the Spirit of God, in which believers experience the power and presence of God in their lives. True spirituality comes from living under the control of the Holy Spirit and is evidenced by the fruit of the Spirit, spiritual maturity and growth in holiness. It is more than knowing the Almighty God but it’s encountering the Divine that drives us to believe and move us towards a divine purpose. Encountering the holy God causes us to turn from our wickedness towards His righteousness. All of our desires would be anchored in pursuing a life that is pleasing to Him: a righteous life with no compromise. We shift from our filthiness towards purity and holiness. We allow the divine to change us - our hearts and minds.

Living a life of true spirituality is seen beyond what is seen by the naked eye. It is inward, which radiates on the outside of us. A divine shift! We no longer desire for our own self-gratification but to please the righteous God. Zacchaeus desired to encounter Jesus that brought Him into something spiritual, a life-changing experience! It was his decision; it was his choice with no external compulsion to repent from his wickedness and change. Our desire to live a life anchored on the value of spirituality starts with our firm decision to encounter the Divine Who enables us to move towards righteous lives. Are you desiring for a divine shift? Decide now! Have a genuine divine encounter through a genuine prayer like the Psalmist and David prayed:

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you. Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 
 
 

Excellence is the general description for outstanding, beyond average, or anything supreme. It is a value that is applicable to character and work output or services. It is expected among public servants and workers in the corporate world. The Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public officials and Employees requires that public officials and employees shall perform and discharge their duties with the highest degree of excellence, professionalism, intelligence and skill. In the same manner, employers of business enterprises expect their personnel to do their best in the performance of their duties in order to generate desirable profit.

Excellence, however, cannot be consistently demonstrated without possessing excellent nature on the inside. Any excellent act or work is the natural outcome of the exceptional character of a person performing such act or work. If a person is internally good, it is expected that he or she will do well outwardly. How then can a person be excellent on the inside? He or she must allow God to work on the inside of him or her because God is the source of all goodness and beauty.

The above proposition is derived from the Scripture itself. In one of the accounts of Jesus Christ, there was a rich young man who ran up, knelt before Him, and asked “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replied, “Why do you call Me good?  No one is good except God alone.” Thus, God alone is good. But while He alone is good, He also intended to share His good nature to us. That is the reason why He created us according to His image and likeness. Having been created in the image and likeness of God, we, therefore, have the potential to become good and excellent as He is. Every time we fail, we just need to surrender our lives to Him that He will dwell in us and supply us the grace to be excellent.

The need to be excellent nowadays is needless to state and is obvious under present circumstances. It is a must especially in the Philippines because the nation has been ripped-off of its beauty due to lack of excellence. The lack of discipline among us creates widespread and lasting devastation in the country. The poverty that we suffer now and the disservice to the public are simply the results of imperfection and continuing negative practices. We, ourselves, create our own disaster. While we plan well technically and financially to address any form of disaster that may happen, we devoid all these preparations due to poor implementation of established policies and programs. The ill effects of substandard projects alone make the innocent populace vulnerable to risk and hazards.
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Excellent, thus, should not only be a value but a goal to achieve in every field of endeavor. It is a short-term goal that once we have achieved it, we will likely attain and fulfill our long-term goals. It is like dealing first with the root cause of the problem in order to realize a lasting solution. In short, pursuing excellence is pursuing our dreams and visions. 

“Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.”

Happy new year everyone! We welcome the year 2023 filled with hope and in faith. We desire to see an acceleration in the manifestation of what we have been working on in our respective agencies, communities and families. The transformation of our nation through values by raising value-laden individuals to be a people movement in influencing others towards their own transformation. The transformation of our nation and rebuilding of our societies become the supreme evidence of our noble deeds as we remain true to our mandate and call. God intends that nations become our legacy; the inheritance we’ll have and be passed on to generations. He’s already given us the nation and it will always be our responsibility to safeguard her. He already gave us tools to restore and build her through Values Restoration Programs. In living the values, we actually lay down our own selves and become selfless to exercise our authority and influence in every domain that also should stretch to the ends of the earth.

Our national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal once said, and we quote: “I wish to show those who deny us Patriotism that we know how to die for our country and convictions.” We are looking at an angle that our national heroes fought and died for the people and generations to receive a freed country as their inheritance. Technically, an inheritance will only be received by the heir once the testator dies. As for us in our own time, in living the values, we die to ourselves and be freed from the bondages of lawlessness that are equivalent to selfish interest nature. The 10 social illnesses that deny us patriotism are eliminated and we do can declare that we know how to die for our country and convictions. This is the spirit of patriotism that dwells within us.

The nation, as our inheritance, is calling and the answer to her cries is in the spirit and knowledge that God has placed in the inside of us. We have a value-laden life to live and a testimony to declare; that the power of a changed life can restore, rebuild and free a nation. It is God who wants that the moment we step into our respective agencies, communities and families, any negative principality, adversarial power and corrupt culture in that place bow in acknowledgement of the fact that we, a child of the Almighty God that obeys His commandments, living a noble and regal lifestyle has stepped on that ground. This is the spirit of patriotism that is at work within.

Today, as we entered the new year, our earnest prayer and desire as we move towards receiving the promised heritage- a Nation transformed and built in righteousness, peace, justice and truth, we hold on with fervent faith and living hope that it may come to pass and in fulfillment. That on this day of the year, we enter into heavenly blessings in Christ Jesus by an immediate act of faith in behalf of the nation- this is the power of the spirit of patriotism. Also, through the spirit of sonship, we surrender to God and acknowledge His will. With the Spirit of sonship and patriotism, we truly lay down our lives for the people. We pray that all of us will receive supernatural strength to persevere in seeking justice, upholding truth, showing mercy and practicing righteousness. By the divine strength at work in Patriotism, we altogether get out of the turbulent times and from this great and terrible wilderness, and come into our inheritance- a freed, peaceful, progressive and righteous Nation. This is the inheritance that God has given us to enjoy in the finished work of Christ Jesus, who was once proclaimed by a supreme religious leader that it is more expedient for the people that one man should die for the nation and not the whole country should perish. Jesus Christ died not only for a person “but for the nation and for the rest the nations.” This heritage, upon which we are now looking down from the summit of our faith.

Again, Dr. Jose P. Rizal said: “I die without seeing dawn’s light shining on my country, You, who will see it, welcome it for me, don’t forget those who fell during the nighttime.” As Filipinos with the spirit of patriotism, may we realize our completeness in the Almighty God through His Son Jesus Christ this day and cease from the wanderings of fear! It is time to enter our rest and take back our inheritance. We take possession of that goodly heritage which God has made our own as He worked through our forefathers. We rise in the spirit of patriotism to go over and take possession of our inheritance. Above all, we welcome a transformed Philippines that will always be a haven of peace, hope, progress, prosperity and life.