To my dear friends in Christ;
Greetings!
May the peace and love of Christ be with each and everyone of you. I hope that you are all in fine condition and in good health. At the time that I wrote this letter, it was the start of the cold season in Saudi Arabia and talaga namang it’s so cold to the bones. It feels as if the aircon was turned at full blast with the thermostat set to the coldest setting. Kulang na lang snow. It’s like this in deserts, the climate is at extremes.
And speaking of deserts, did everyone of you hear or read the first letter I sent you? I hope you did and if you haven’t yet, just read it from the blogspot or from the website. That letter talked about personal “deserts” and how we should overcome them in our lives. Let me continue that topic in this letter.
Have you heard of this story? Jesus was about to give a special “Gift” to one particular person? The Gift was something precious, but it was too slippery and difficult to hold, and would require both hands to handle it. However, the man was carrying too much on both hands, leaving no room for the Gift to be received. He had to let go of these things to receive the Gift – if he wanted to.
Like that man in the story, this Gift from Jesus is offered to all of us. But do we also have too much on our hands, some of which are also holding us in bondage – that we can’t let go? What if this offering from Jesus is the Gift of Eternal Life? We’ll miss the chance because we could not, or will not let go.
I read a book sometime ago written by Stephen King entitled “The Stand”. It was an apocalyptic book, set in a post-modern period where 90% of the world’s population died from a super-virus, while those who were miraculously immune were the only ones who survived. It was a colossal story of a battle between good and evil, with religious overtones that I did not expect from a Stephen King novel. In the climax of the story, four men were chosen from the good guys for the final confrontation with the leader of the bad guys. These men were just ordinary guys who have had a remarkable transformation in their lives, and their faith. And they realized these changes in their lives during their final journey towards this confrontation, wherein they have to pass through a wide desert. When they realized these changes, one of them remarked :
“ When you empty out the vessel, you also empty out all the crap floating around in there. The additives. The impurities. Sure, it feels good. It’s a whole-body, whole-mind enema.”
From Stephen King’s “The Stand”
We are these vessels. In order for Christ to fill it up, it must be emptied out with it’s contents first. Let’s remove the “crap” floating around in our lives, some of which are keeping us in bondage. Let me identify a few :
a) Excessive partying and/or drinking : (Hello Boys!!!)
I didn’t say that these are bad in itself, if these are done in moderation and at the proper time. But if these keep us away from Christ – then it is not good. Think. Have you ever cancelled your attendance to an activity for the Lord, wherein you already gave your commitment to attend beforehand – because of some “biglaang gimik”? Ouch!!!
b) Sexual desires or lust (Do I need to explain?)
c) Too much affection and attention for a girlfriend or a boyfriend that all your time is spent on them – neglecting your other duties to your family and Church.
d) Overwork (12 to 16 hours on the job!!! )
e) Fear (of anything). Do you know that the only fear that is considered “good” is the Fear of the Lord? Others are from the evil one.
f) and others that’s keeping us away from the love of Christ. If a particular aspect of your life is doing just that – then it’s considered crap. You have to delete it permanently (don’t put it in the recycle bin, for you might retrieve it again, okay?)
This month, the Muslim people is observing Ramadan, which is a month of fasting. They will not eat nor drink (not even their laway!) from 3AM to approximately 5:30 PM. And they are required to strictly observe the 5x prayer a day at appointed times. This is considered a cleansing experience for Muslims, similar to our Lenten Season (but most of us are not observing the prayer and fasting part, don’t we?)
As I’ve mentioned in my earlier letter, during my length of stay here in Saudi Arabia, I’ve learned to experience these changes, while going through my own personal “deserts”. I have learned to pray more diligently daily, and read the Bible more. I have taken advantage of the lack of distractions here in KSA. There are no gimik places. No beerhouses nor night clubs (may beer din dito, NAB nga lang – non-alcoholic). My only libangan here is reading, painting and writing (and sometimes playing basketball, Playstation and watching VCD movies, hehehe, but these are only during the weekends.)
What keeps me going is the love of my family that I feel through their calls, text messages, and letters; and the constant presence of Jesus Christ in everything I do.
You can do that too, my friends, just remove the “crap” from your lives and fill your vessel with something new – branded JC!!!
I hope to hear more from you soon. That would be a great joy for me! Please pray for me, as I’ve been praying for you. Pray for your elders, and share whatever blessings you receive from the Lord with other members of your community. And may the Lord bless you and keep you, and provide you with everything you need, in Jesus Name!
Yours in Christ,
Brod. Pete
“Letters from my Sojourn”
© 2008 by Peter Allan C. Mariano
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“ Turn my heart towards Your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your Word.”
Psalm 119 : 36-37
