By: Atty. Marlo T. Cristobal
I wrote the following piece sometime ago to a few high school friends. I am reproducing its message here for Banateros’ viewers for its essential biblical lessons that can help nourish and give rest to our soul, if only as a means to momentarily deviate from our present darkness so biblically described as the “perilous times” which we Filipinos have to endure due to the abject wickedness of our political leaders who are overwhelmingly “lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, … ungrateful, unholy,…
unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” (2 Timothy 3:2)
My dear friend Ligaya, l am recuperating from flu which caught me from last week yet. Proof that indeed we men of senior age have weak immune system, weak in defense against bacteria and virus. I spoil myself with the best nutritious food available and wide variety of tablets of vitamins from A to Z, name it, and yet l still get victimized by these pernicious virus and bacteria. Paul of the Bible was accurate when he said that as we age, the external man in us, the flesh and bones, is certain to get weaker, but the internal man in us, the spirit of wisdom and knowledge, flourish in more power and strength as we age. Our aging external body that is totally vulnerable to infirmity must just have to rely on the ultimate healer — God, who works through, or simply rejects, men of science for our healing or sinking (Please find time to read Deuteronomy 32:39, Jeremiah 30:17, Psalm 41:3).
Sometime ago you posted this message below on our high school batch Facebook in reaction to my previous post:
“True sa ating mga señior enjoy enjoy n lang ntin ang natitirang buhay ntin.
Life is short. Hindi ntin alam kung kelan tyo kukunin n Lord.
Ako my pleasure is serving d Lord & share blessings to d poor once a month after I rec’d. my pension. I gave my 10% to d church where I’m serving.
Everyday after my service to r church I go to SM ikot ikot pagnagutom kain. Yon lang happiness s life. GOD IS GOOD ALL D TIME. ALL D TIME GOD IS GOOD.”
I wish to zero in on your statement that, “my pleasure is serving d Lord & share blessings to d poor once a month after I rec’d. my pension.” This virtue of mercy is the hallmark, the ultimate act of true Christianity that God will definitely consider in your favor on judgment day, and, of course, on your life here on earth (please find time to read, Luke 10:33-37, Proverbs 11:17, 19:17, 3:27, Matthew 25:35-46, and Proverbs 11:31).
But pardon me my friend Ligaya, if l speak out some truths in the Bible relative to your statement:
“I gave my 10% to d church where I’m serving.
Everyday after my service to r church . . . .”
If you are giving 10% of your resources to your church out of the voluntary dictate of your heart, then you are perfectly in attuned to the will of God in supporting your church. But if you are giving 10% because you are being obligated to contribute this much in the concept of a tithing, that is 10% of your income is compulsorily exacted by your church as your donation, then there is violation of God’s laws. Tithing was God’s law under Moses, under the Old Testament. But when Jesus came, there was a change in priesthood, from Moses to Jesus. With the change of priesthood also came the change of laws from Mosaic law to Jesus law, otherwise known as the New Testament, which we are obligated to obey as Christians (Please find time to read Hebrews 7:12 and Acts 13:38-39, to confirm the truth of my statement). Jesus changed substantially the law of Moses, among which is the Old Testament law on tithing that Jesus superseded with His law on giving only according to your heart happy, voluntary desire, not Moses law of compulsory exaction of a fixed amount (“fixed price” as others derisively term it). (Please find time to read 2 Corinthians 9:7). Of course, it goes without saying that you can still do tithing now if that’s the happy and free dictate of your heart in the spirit of being “cheerful giver,” that Jesus ordains, but not in the spirit of compliance of a mandatory exaction of your church.
Meanwhile, your practice or ritual of everyday attending your church services may be helpful but not as essential and crucial as to putting in practice God’s law in your daily life. Faithful obedience to all God’s laws in all our ways is our genuine ticket to the third Heaven, the Paradise Jesus promised to the enlightened thief to His right when physical death was about to strike them both.
Ligaya, please do not misunderstand me. It is never my intention to offend your religious feelings or sensibilities. If you are, my deep apologies in advance. I am just motivated solely to state in the open the facts and truths in the Bible which l find it absolutely relevant as we proclaim it as the very foundation of our faith. It is my duty to God to do so. If we don’t believe in the Bible, then so be it, for this brings about a different story, a different plane, on which l would not spare any time debating with anyone. The truth of the Bible is outrightly appealing to one’s wisdom, but never to polemic lawyer’s or philosopher’s or plain individuals’. But in all these disagreements about the Bible, l am absolutely consoled by its precept that the voice (God’s words set forth in the bible) of the Shepherd is immediately hearkened to and cognizable by His flock and impels its wholehearted obedience to Him as He leads it to a life of grace. This Bible precept reverberates in my heart and mind, for its deep wisdom sends me the goosebumps resulting from a deep awe of the Lord!
