Fresh Start Daily

Ijust finished doing my workout. The fitness instructor on the video said something that stuck with me. She said that if we aim to build and tone a specific body area, we must not aimlessly do it.

If we live without a purpose, we are headed nowhere. Being fit and healthy is not easy. Exercising is a discipline. I don’t always feel like working out and I sometimes have to literally drag my body. Today is one of those days. I’m not motivated. I don’t know why but I feel tired this week. I didn’t even feel like working. I was pondering on whether I should exercise or not but when I thought about the diseases that I could get from a sedentary lifestyle, I got on my feet!

Then I had an epiphany. It’s the same with our walk with God. We must not follow Him aimlessly. We must follow God ablaze for a crown. Our pastor said in one of his sermons that we should not be content just to enter heaven. We must desire to receive a reward from the Lord. It also says in 1 Corinthians 9 that we must strive for a crown.

vv. 24-27 “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

We must live and not just exist—thrive and not just survive. We are not born in this world to just eat, drink, sleep, make money, have a family, etc. We have a purpose and we must seek God to find it. There is a reason we are here.

It’s my first time to make a pie. I’ve been meaning to make a pie for a while now but it’s only now that I’ve got the time. I’d been hesitant also because I was not sure I could make it well. I looked for recipes on YouTube and found these two:

Pie crust recipe (Paula Haney)

Pie filling recipe (Food Wishes)

PIE CRUST

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tbsp. sugar
1 1/8 sticks (9 tbsp.) butter, cold (from the freezer)
5 tbsp. butter, cold (from the freezer)
1/2 c cold water
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Method:

• Mix the flour, salt and sugar.
• Add the first part of the butter (9 tbsp.) to the flour. I mixed it using a whisk until the texture is sandy.
• Add the second part of the butter (5 tbsp.) to the flour and mix it.
• Combine half a cup of cold water and 1 tbsp. of apple cider vinegar. Put 5 tbsp. of this mixture to the flour and combine them. (This avoids the gluten from forming. I learned that too much gluten hardens the flour.)
• Knead the dough on the work surface until it comes together in a ball. I put it in the fridge while I did the filling.
• Butter and flour the pan, then transfer the dough into the pie plate.
• I baked the crust for a few minutes (about 15 minutes) before I put the filling because I wasn’t sure it would hold the filling.
• This recipe makes 2 pie crusts.

PIE FILLING:

Ingredients:
4 cups pumpkin puree, fresh
4 eggs
1/2-2 cups condensed milk
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
a pinch of five-spice
1 1/2 tsp. of grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp. salt

Method:

• I baked the pumpkin in the oven for 50-60 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then I scooped it out and mixed it with a whisk.
• I added milk, the eggs (2 whole eggs and 2 egg yolks) and the spices.
• I mixed them all together but I did not mix too much because I like the texture in the pie.
• I put the filling in the pie crust and baked it at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes then at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-35 minutes.

Many say the nCoVid-19 is not yet an end-time sign. However, whether we are living in the last days or not (I believe we are living in the last days), we should be watchful. We should live as if Jesus is coming today because we don’t really know when He will return.

“There you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (v. 40)”

We tend to slack off when we know it’s not yet the deadline. I used to cram for an exam when I was still in school. I would take my review seriously when the exam day/week is near and it did not always yield good results. I feel relaxed when I leave the house early because that means I will arrive in the office early even if I have to face heavy traffic. However, when I leave the house later than usual, I feel tensed because I could be late for work.

We should not focus on the corona virus. Of course we have to take the necessary precautions. However, we can die anytime even without contracting the virus. We can die even without leaving the house. We do not need to wait for the last days to get right with God. (I am preaching to myself also.) The verses I read this morning reminded me to always be ready.

Another thing that stuck with me is verse 48. It says there that those who do not know about the Lord’s second coming cannot escape the punishment for their sins. Though it’s not as severe as those who know about Jesus’ return, they will still be punished. Ignorance is not an excuse. The Lord is truly holy, righteous and just.

“But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more. (v. 48)”

Last night after work (I work from home now because of the community quarantine), I got my gratitude journal and wrote down things I’m grateful to God for and then I got my prayer request journal.

I was going over the items and I was on the 6th page when I started feeling really sleepy. I lied down on the bed to rest for a while and the next thing I know, the sun is up! I woke up earlier than usual today. I know God woke me up early for a reason and that is to finish praying. I took my prayer request journal and picked up where I left off.

I am just amazed by how God is aware of everything in our life. He knows it’s my desire to fast and pray last night and since I was too sleepy (I slept around 1:30 a.m.), He woke me up early today and gave me enough time to actually finish praying.

I am reading Luke chapter 8 about the demon-possessed man that Jesus healed. I underlined verse 35 with my pink pen and flipped to see if the ink is seen on the back page. As I flipped, I read “Jesus is coming” on the page next to the back page of the one I wrote on. (I’m not finished reading yet. I just want and have to document this. I’m having goosebumps as I write this.)

Only that sentence was highlighted and the words around it were blurry. It was very clear. I checked several times to find that sentence again but I could not find it. It was not there anymore. I know what I saw. Hindi ako namalikmata.

I always ask God for answers when there are major decisions I need to make but He never spoke to me that way before. He would always lead me to verses that I need the most in specific times but not this way. Was it a vision?

I’m not surprised to know that Jesus is coming because I believe we are living in the last days and He could come any moment now. I am surprised by how He revealed it to me.

I remember praying to Him a while ago asking Him to speak to me audibly again but I also know that we cannot dictate Him. His ways are higher than ours. He speaks to us differently every time and He always leaves us in awe.