Simple Lang

(This is my first official entry. The first two articles are prologues.)

Maraming nagsasabi na ang pagiging Kristyano ay kumplikado. Maraming bawal at dapat gawin. One slightly wrong move and we sin. It’s pretty hard to be holy, kaya why bother.

Living as a Christian for almost three years, led by the Spirit of God, I realized that Christianity is first, not a religion at all. Pangalawa, simple lang dapat ang pagiging Kristyano.

Para mas maintindihan natin kung bakit, magbigay tayo ng sampol.

Kunwari from house, pupunta ka ng mall. A very simple situation. You just need to go to the mall. Kunwari may kotse ka.

Then you suddenly thought, paano kaya kung nawalan ako ng gasolina on the way, edi malaking problema. Teka pagasolina muna kaya ako. Dala ko ba lisensya ko? Teka, tigil muna ako sa tabi para i-check. Mahirap na, baka mamaya may gutom na pulis. Saan nga ba yung pinakamalapit na gas station? Asar, ang trapik pa. Dapat siguro mas maaga pa akong umalis para hindi matrapik. Nako, uulan pa ata! May dala ba akong payong? Nako, wala yata. Alam ko may jacket ako sa likod. Check ko mamaya. Naisara ko ba yung plantsa sa bahay? E yung kalan?

Pagdating mo ng mall, kamukha mo na to.

Same with Christianity. Napapagod ang mga kristyano dahil sa isip nila, kelangang ganito, kelangan ganoon, bawal ang ganito, bawal ang ganoon. Kelangan magbasa ng bible. Kelangan magdasal ng maraming beses.

We forget the very essence of Christianity – Christ.

Who is Jesus? What did He do? What role does He play in my life?

Christianity is simply this: having a love life with Jesus Christ. As plain as A,B,C. It is all about Jesus. Straight to the point!

This simple definition, etong mga ss. ay automatic na:

· Knowing who He is and believing Him

· Letting Christ manage your life by trusting Him and surrendering you’re all

· Living a life dedicated to Him (doing what pleases Him and stop doing what displeases Him with the help of His own Spirit)

I like to make things complicated. Naging hobby ko yan. Even when I am just beginning my christian life, I complicated the simple meaning of Christianity.

Siempre there are times that I forget this fact. Kaya nga sinulat ko ‘to – to remind myself in times that I feel my life with the Lord is becoming complicated. (I’m sure there will be times like that in the future.)

Kung mapapansin mo, whenever we are out of focus, things get complicated. Sa buhay, lalo na. They say that life is complicated. True, if in the first place you don’t have something to focus on but yourself and what’s happening around. Those two things (yourself and your situations) are actually the ones that make things complicated.

Kaya nga sinabi ni Lord na without a vision, you will perish. You are going nowhere because you don’t have a stable point to look at.

Ika nga e the shortest way from a point to another point is a straight line. E ang problema, paano kapag walang another-point? Or yung inaakala mong another-point e will lead you further to confusion…

As a Christian, that another-point is always God (Stable, True, Faithful, Peace) . It is a love life that is Jesus-focused. At eto pa ang ikinaganda: wala kang ibang gagawin kundi mahalin siya. Ang trabaho na gagawin natin ay maniwala. Kaya nga we are called believers.

Di ba, the shortest way from a point to another point is a straight line. As I am writing this article, na-realize ko na I am neither point A, point B or the straight line! It’s all God. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. He is responsible for bringing you back to Himself. All you need to do is believe in Him.

Christianity is basically love for Christ. Any definition that is beyond love is a deception.

Di ba kapag mahal mo ang isang tao, you spend time together to know each other. Kapag malalim na ang pagkakakilala ninyo sa isa’t-isa, lalong tumitindi ang pagmamahalan. Kasi ang pagmamahalan, laging nagsisimula sa pagkilala.

Ano nga ba ang kailangang gawin ng isang lalake o babae para makilala niya nang lubusan yung pinopormahan niya? Ganito ba?

Di’ba hindi? Ang alam ko kailangan niyo lang mag-usap at mag-spend ng time together. It’s that simple.

Ganun rin with God. Get to know Him first. Kasi si Lord, He knows us very well. Tayo ang dapat kumilala sa kanya. Kaya ang ibang Kristyano napapagod e dahil ganito:

why not simply like this

Ngayon sabihin nating nakilala mo na yang kapartner mo, at mahal mo siya. Diba automatic nalang na gawin mo ang ikasasaya niya?

Dahil nga mahal mo siya, at alam mong ikasasaya niya ang pinapagawa niya sa’yo, diba automatic na yun na gagawin mo? At kahit pagod ka nang mag-tumbling tumbling, you don’t mind, mapasaya mo lang siya.

Ganun rin naman kay Lord. Kapag unti-unti mo siyang nakikilala at minamahal, automatic nalang na susunod ka sa sinasabi niya, na you will go to Church every Sunday, na laging magdadasal at magbabasa ng Bible. Hindi diyahe! Hindi nakakapagod! Kasi natural eh.

When you grasp the true meaning of Christianity, you will walk in holiness without wearing out. Eto na yun, ang tunay na ibig sabihin ng pagiging Kristyano. And when we die, we will not be asked kung anu-ano yung mga ginawa mong mabuti sa mundo. Tatanungin ka kung close ba kayo nung Anak ng May-ari ng langit. Kasi kung hindi, lam mo na where you will go.

Simple lang. Straight to the point. Falling in love with Christ! Like you, sa araw-araw kong buhay, kinikilala ko si Lord para mas maging close pa kami. I am not pushing myself to do good works, kusa siya. And when I make mistakes, my beloved Jesus brings me back up and strengthens me more.

This is my love story with Jesus. You can start that too!

Tara, pray this with me:

Father God,

I’ll go straight to the point. I want to build a relationship with you. I never thought that being a Christian is simply having a love life with you that is totally focused on you, Lord Jesus. Kala ko dati, I need to do so many things in order to get right with you, to the point na halos masakal na ako. I want to begin something with you again. Lord God, I want to know you more through your Word. I want this intimate relationship with you, Lord. Help me on this.

This I pray in Jesus’ name.

Amen