Kaloob ng Isang Nagpapasalamat
John 12:1-8
May isang missionary na nagpatayo ng maraming simbahan. Sa totoo lang, ang lahat ng kanyang ari-arian ay ginagamit niya sa paglilingkod sa Panginoon. Kapag tinatanong kung bakit ginagawa niya ito, lagi niyang sinasabi, "Ito ang pagkakataon ko upang magpasalamat sa Diyos."
Ang kwento sa ating pagbasa ngayon ay ang pagbabalik ng Panginoon sa Betania, mula ng buhayin niyang muli si Lazaro, ang kuya ni Maria at Martha. Ibig sabihin, mainit-init pa ang balita tungkol sa ginawa ng Panginoong Jesus tungkol kay Lazaro.
Hindi natin alam kung paano nagpasalamat si Maria kay Jesus noong buhayin ng Panginoon si Lazaro. Ngunit ngayong bumalik na si Jesus sa kanilang tahanan, malinaw na ang nasa puso parin ni Maria ay kung paano niya patuloy na pasasalamatan ang Panginoon.
Ang mga taong marunong tumanaw ng utang na loob ay ganyan. Kung nakagawa tayo ng kabutihan sa kanila, makikita mo silang mababalisa kapag bumisita ka sa kanilang bahay. Ito ay tanda na nais nilang magpasalamat.
Ang Laki ng Pasalamat ni Maria
Isa sa mga awit ni Matt Redman, ang "I Will Offer Up My Life" ay may ganitong lyrics,
Jesus what can I give, what can I bring
To so faithful a friend, to so loving a King
Savior what can be said what can be sung
As a praise for your name, for the things you have done,
Oh my words could not tell, not even in part,
Of the debt of love that is owed,
By this thankful heart.
Marahil katulad ni Maria, ang sinumang tumanggap ng malaking pagpapala mula sa Diyos ay maghahanap ng malaking bagay na ipagkakaloob sa Diyos bilang tugon sa kabutihan ng Panginoon. The size of our thanksgiving reflects the size of blessings that we received from God.
Why That Much?
Isa pang Papuri song ang aking paborito, ay ang "Paggising sa Umaga", at sabi ng awitin, "Lahat, lahat ay aking ibibigay,ibibigay pati aking buhay,upang purihin siya."
Ang pabango na binuhos ni Maria kay Jesus ay imported perfume from India noong time na iyon. Nagkakahalaga ito ng 15,000 dollars sa ating panahon!
But why would Mary offered so much to the Lord? This is the reason why Mary offered a costly offering, because she received a costly blessing from God. She was so blessed to be among the first witness of that resurrection miracle. She was so blessed to have his brother once again.
Mga kapatid, kaya nga ba nating bayaran ang Diyos sa mga kabutihan niya sa atin?
So if you will count your blessings from God today, how many will they be? And with a desire to thank God, how much are you willing to give to God in response?
A good friend of mine, once blessed me so much, and he came to visit me, so we went to relax in a spa and I immediately paid. He argued that he will pay. So here is a very generous friend, who is not even bothered to do great things for me when I needed his support. And now it is my opportunity to thank him. So I insisted to pay, and promised to do more good things for him, not to repay him but as my humble way of saying "thank you" to him for what he did for me.
1. Giving to God is our humble way of saying "thank you" to the Lord Almighty.
How much Mary gave looks costly. But in exchange of his brother's life, that perfume costs nothing! There is no such amount that may suffice in exchange to the life of a beloved brother. Our gifts if to be compared to God's gift for us, our gifts costs nothing.
After Jesus gave his life for us, everything that we intend to give to him, I am sorry to tell all of you, our gifts costs nothing if it will be compared to what God has given us! Ang lahat ng ating kaloob, ikapu at maaring mga pangako, ay pawang pasasalamat lamang sa kabutihan ng Diyos. Hindi natin matatalo ang Diyos pagdating sa pagkakaloob. Laging mas marami ang kaloob ng Diyos para sa atin, kaysa kaloob natin para sa Kanya.
So if you really what to thank God in response to his generosity, better give God your whole life, and serve him only. St. Paul, is reminding us that, "We ought to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to God, holy and acceptable to God." This is the right way to offer sacrifice whenever you worship God. (Romans 12:1)
2. Mary grabbed her greatest opportunity to offer the best to Christ.
Sa tagpong ito, nagreklamo si Judas at ang sabi niya, "Sayang ang pabango." Pero sayang nga po ba? Sabi ng Panginoon, "Hindi ito sayang! Ito ay isang napapanahong pagkakaloob!", dahil si Jesus ay hindi nila makakasama sa lahat ng pagkakataon.
There are times when opportunity knocks at our doors, and one of this big opportunity that may come before us is to give God the best that we can give. May kakilala akong pastor, at noong ipinatatayo nila ang kanilang simbahan, hinamon niya ang mga miembro na magkaloob na sila ng malaki-laki. Sabi niya, "Mga kapatid, pagkakataon na ninyo ito upang magbigay! Ang hindi magbibigay, ay hindi magiging kabahagi ng makasaysayang pagtatayo ng templo ng Diyos. So do not miss this opportunity."
Kaya mga kapatid, kapag mayroon kayong maibibigay na malaki-laki naman sa Diyos, habang may maibibigay kayo, samantalahin ninyo ang pagkakataon. Baka po kung kailan simot na yung laman ng ating pitaka doon tayo umaasam na magbigay ng malaki, kung kailan wala tayong ibibigay.
May kwento tungkol sa isang lalaki na may maliit na kinikita. Dati nagbibigay po siya ng tithe, na 50 pesos a week sa kinikita niyang 500. Sa kanyang katapatan, pinanalangin siya ng kanyang pastor na kumita ng mas malaki. Pinapagpala po siya ngayon ng Panginoon. Sa kinikita niya ngayon, dapat ay 5,000 pesos a week na ang kanyang tithe! Dahil kumikita na kasi siya ng 50,000 pesos a week! Pero ngayon, ayaw na niyang mag-tithe, malaki na raw kasi ang halaga ng 5k. Nahirapan siya ngayon kaya humingi siya ng payo sa kanyang pastor. "Pastor, nabibigatan napo akong magbigay ng tithe. Malaki na kasi ang halaga nito, mabuti papo noong maliit lang ang aking kita." Sabi ngayon ng pastor, " O sige idadalangin ko Diyos na lumiit nawa ang kinikita mo kapatid."
So if you find an opportunity to offer the most to God, grab the opportunity.
3. To Bless God is our Christian duty.
Bless the Lord Oh my soul and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
How should we bless God? The Bible sets an example, "all that is within me!" Not a part of me, not a part of what I have! But ALL that I am, ALL that I have. Because God is entitled to receive the best offering that we can give.
Judas was complaining because he was seeking for things that he can get out of that offering. That is the problem with Judas. He is always looking for what he can get, and not on what he can give.
That is the reason why he was not blessed all his life. Because he failed to listen to Jesus when the Lord says, "It is blessed to give than to receive." True blessedness comes from giving, not from receiving - especially, giving to God!
So listen to Jesus' comment about the offering from Mary, "She will be remembered for what she did for me." So dear friends, let us leave a mark in history. I would like to challenge everyone, let us leave a mark in our churches, let us give our best service offering to God while we still possess that gift.
So let us check the way we offer to God. Pabigat pa ba sa inyo ang pagkakaloob sa Diyos? Nahihirapan pa ba kayo sa pagbibigay ng ikapu o mga pangako sa Diyos?
Let us give the best offering to the Master. Sa Diyos na nagbigay ng ating buhay. Sa Diyos na nagbigay ng kanyang buhay para sa atin.
John 12:1-8
May isang missionary na nagpatayo ng maraming simbahan. Sa totoo lang, ang lahat ng kanyang ari-arian ay ginagamit niya sa paglilingkod sa Panginoon. Kapag tinatanong kung bakit ginagawa niya ito, lagi niyang sinasabi, "Ito ang pagkakataon ko upang magpasalamat sa Diyos."
Ang kwento sa ating pagbasa ngayon ay ang pagbabalik ng Panginoon sa Betania, mula ng buhayin niyang muli si Lazaro, ang kuya ni Maria at Martha. Ibig sabihin, mainit-init pa ang balita tungkol sa ginawa ng Panginoong Jesus tungkol kay Lazaro.
Hindi natin alam kung paano nagpasalamat si Maria kay Jesus noong buhayin ng Panginoon si Lazaro. Ngunit ngayong bumalik na si Jesus sa kanilang tahanan, malinaw na ang nasa puso parin ni Maria ay kung paano niya patuloy na pasasalamatan ang Panginoon.
Ang mga taong marunong tumanaw ng utang na loob ay ganyan. Kung nakagawa tayo ng kabutihan sa kanila, makikita mo silang mababalisa kapag bumisita ka sa kanilang bahay. Ito ay tanda na nais nilang magpasalamat.
Ang Laki ng Pasalamat ni Maria
Isa sa mga awit ni Matt Redman, ang "I Will Offer Up My Life" ay may ganitong lyrics,
Jesus what can I give, what can I bring
To so faithful a friend, to so loving a King
Savior what can be said what can be sung
As a praise for your name, for the things you have done,
Oh my words could not tell, not even in part,
Of the debt of love that is owed,
By this thankful heart.
Marahil katulad ni Maria, ang sinumang tumanggap ng malaking pagpapala mula sa Diyos ay maghahanap ng malaking bagay na ipagkakaloob sa Diyos bilang tugon sa kabutihan ng Panginoon. The size of our thanksgiving reflects the size of blessings that we received from God.
Why That Much?
Isa pang Papuri song ang aking paborito, ay ang "Paggising sa Umaga", at sabi ng awitin, "Lahat, lahat ay aking ibibigay,ibibigay pati aking buhay,upang purihin siya."
Ang pabango na binuhos ni Maria kay Jesus ay imported perfume from India noong time na iyon. Nagkakahalaga ito ng 15,000 dollars sa ating panahon!
But why would Mary offered so much to the Lord? This is the reason why Mary offered a costly offering, because she received a costly blessing from God. She was so blessed to be among the first witness of that resurrection miracle. She was so blessed to have his brother once again.
Mga kapatid, kaya nga ba nating bayaran ang Diyos sa mga kabutihan niya sa atin?
So if you will count your blessings from God today, how many will they be? And with a desire to thank God, how much are you willing to give to God in response?
A good friend of mine, once blessed me so much, and he came to visit me, so we went to relax in a spa and I immediately paid. He argued that he will pay. So here is a very generous friend, who is not even bothered to do great things for me when I needed his support. And now it is my opportunity to thank him. So I insisted to pay, and promised to do more good things for him, not to repay him but as my humble way of saying "thank you" to him for what he did for me.
1. Giving to God is our humble way of saying "thank you" to the Lord Almighty.
How much Mary gave looks costly. But in exchange of his brother's life, that perfume costs nothing! There is no such amount that may suffice in exchange to the life of a beloved brother. Our gifts if to be compared to God's gift for us, our gifts costs nothing.
After Jesus gave his life for us, everything that we intend to give to him, I am sorry to tell all of you, our gifts costs nothing if it will be compared to what God has given us! Ang lahat ng ating kaloob, ikapu at maaring mga pangako, ay pawang pasasalamat lamang sa kabutihan ng Diyos. Hindi natin matatalo ang Diyos pagdating sa pagkakaloob. Laging mas marami ang kaloob ng Diyos para sa atin, kaysa kaloob natin para sa Kanya.
So if you really what to thank God in response to his generosity, better give God your whole life, and serve him only. St. Paul, is reminding us that, "We ought to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to God, holy and acceptable to God." This is the right way to offer sacrifice whenever you worship God. (Romans 12:1)
2. Mary grabbed her greatest opportunity to offer the best to Christ.
Sa tagpong ito, nagreklamo si Judas at ang sabi niya, "Sayang ang pabango." Pero sayang nga po ba? Sabi ng Panginoon, "Hindi ito sayang! Ito ay isang napapanahong pagkakaloob!", dahil si Jesus ay hindi nila makakasama sa lahat ng pagkakataon.
There are times when opportunity knocks at our doors, and one of this big opportunity that may come before us is to give God the best that we can give. May kakilala akong pastor, at noong ipinatatayo nila ang kanilang simbahan, hinamon niya ang mga miembro na magkaloob na sila ng malaki-laki. Sabi niya, "Mga kapatid, pagkakataon na ninyo ito upang magbigay! Ang hindi magbibigay, ay hindi magiging kabahagi ng makasaysayang pagtatayo ng templo ng Diyos. So do not miss this opportunity."
Kaya mga kapatid, kapag mayroon kayong maibibigay na malaki-laki naman sa Diyos, habang may maibibigay kayo, samantalahin ninyo ang pagkakataon. Baka po kung kailan simot na yung laman ng ating pitaka doon tayo umaasam na magbigay ng malaki, kung kailan wala tayong ibibigay.
May kwento tungkol sa isang lalaki na may maliit na kinikita. Dati nagbibigay po siya ng tithe, na 50 pesos a week sa kinikita niyang 500. Sa kanyang katapatan, pinanalangin siya ng kanyang pastor na kumita ng mas malaki. Pinapagpala po siya ngayon ng Panginoon. Sa kinikita niya ngayon, dapat ay 5,000 pesos a week na ang kanyang tithe! Dahil kumikita na kasi siya ng 50,000 pesos a week! Pero ngayon, ayaw na niyang mag-tithe, malaki na raw kasi ang halaga ng 5k. Nahirapan siya ngayon kaya humingi siya ng payo sa kanyang pastor. "Pastor, nabibigatan napo akong magbigay ng tithe. Malaki na kasi ang halaga nito, mabuti papo noong maliit lang ang aking kita." Sabi ngayon ng pastor, " O sige idadalangin ko Diyos na lumiit nawa ang kinikita mo kapatid."
So if you find an opportunity to offer the most to God, grab the opportunity.
3. To Bless God is our Christian duty.
Bless the Lord Oh my soul and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
How should we bless God? The Bible sets an example, "all that is within me!" Not a part of me, not a part of what I have! But ALL that I am, ALL that I have. Because God is entitled to receive the best offering that we can give.
Judas was complaining because he was seeking for things that he can get out of that offering. That is the problem with Judas. He is always looking for what he can get, and not on what he can give.
That is the reason why he was not blessed all his life. Because he failed to listen to Jesus when the Lord says, "It is blessed to give than to receive." True blessedness comes from giving, not from receiving - especially, giving to God!
So listen to Jesus' comment about the offering from Mary, "She will be remembered for what she did for me." So dear friends, let us leave a mark in history. I would like to challenge everyone, let us leave a mark in our churches, let us give our best service offering to God while we still possess that gift.
So let us check the way we offer to God. Pabigat pa ba sa inyo ang pagkakaloob sa Diyos? Nahihirapan pa ba kayo sa pagbibigay ng ikapu o mga pangako sa Diyos?
Let us give the best offering to the Master. Sa Diyos na nagbigay ng ating buhay. Sa Diyos na nagbigay ng kanyang buhay para sa atin.