Fresh Start Daily

Zacchaeus had such a humble heart. There were so many people wanting to meet Jesus but since he could not see Him amidst the crowd because he was short, he climbed a tree. He recognized Jesus’ authority. He sinned but his repentance led him to return the money that he embezzled fourfold (he was a tax collector) and give half of his possessions to the poor.

When Jesus told him that He will go to his house, he immediately climbed down the tree and welcomed Jesus with joy. This resulted in the salvation of his household.

“And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.’” v. 9-10

When I got home around 1:30 a.m. yesterday from work and opened my Messenger, I saw the groom’s message that said “collapsed”. My heart sank when I read it and saw the photos (below). Apparently, the icing melted and they didn’t have a fridge in the wedding venue to save it.

Questions like, “Did the best man drive carefully?”, “What was the temperature inside the car?”, etc. flooded my mind. The wedding was in Antipolo and the cake came all the way from Quezon City. I thought maybe it was the hilly roads that caused the icing to melt and the big flower on the first tier to fall.

To be honest, the worst thing I thought could happen was for the cake to fall. I didn’t think the buttercream would melt because the recipe I used was really sturdy. I used buttercream before and we had no problem with it. I am completely embarrassed by the whole thing! I don’t know if they even put it on the table.

Suddenly, I remembered the groom’s excited face when I presented to make their wedding cake months ago. In a split second, I imagined the frustrated and disappointed look on their faces when they saw it. It wasn’t just any cake… It was their WEDDING CAKE!!!

Thoughts like, “I shouldn’t have presented to make their cake”, “Why did I even volunteer?”, “Did I hear wrong from you, Lord?”, “I won’t serve in Sunday school anymore (because the bride and groom also serve in Sunday school)”, etc. ran through my mind. I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it up to them. It’s something they will remember for the rest of their life. Que horror! I sent my apologies to the groom.

I picked up the gum paste flowers (from Gum Paste Philippines) yesterday before going to work. The 2 pieces in the middle were given to me for free because of some misunderstanding. My instruction was to color only the center of the flower but they included the rest of it. They decided to give them to me for free because they didn’t want to throw them away. It was a good thing because I was able to use them. 😊

The cake board I used for the top tier was 9 inches. It was supposed to be 8 inches but I realized it late so I just covered it with buttercream. 😔

The bride and groom wanted a textured frosting so I did my best to do just that. It’s my first time to do a textured buttercream frosting. I had a hard time crumb-coating it because it’s chocolate cake. The brown crumbs kept showing on the surface. 😞

I volunteered to make the wedding cake of one of our level coordinators in Sunday school. The cake was picked up by the groom’s best man around 5:30 this morning. I worked on it right after I got home from work last night. I haven’t slept yet but it’s okay. Thank God the cake turned out well somehow. I wanted to stack the other tier but I didn’t have enough time. I was praying the whole time that I would be able to deliver. I hope it would make it to the wedding in one piece. 🙏🏻

I learned that for the cake not to form a dome, I must put a damp katsa (unbleached muslin cloth) around the cake pan. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to look for one. Sayang din kasi ang cake scraps kapag ni-level na.

I just finished baking, filling, and doweling the chocolate cakes. I haven’t got any sleep yet but it’s okay. I’m relieved they’re done. I am making a three-tier wedding cake (5 x 11, 5 x 8, and 6 x 6 inches). I will coat, stack, and decorate them after work tonight.

“He counts the stars and calls them all by name.” – Psalm 147:4

I read chapter 147 of Psalm today for my devotion and verse 4 spoke to me. If God knows the number of the stars and if each star has a name, He definitely knows each and every one of us. I suddenly thought of the old woman that sells candies and cigarettes on the side of the street two blocks from where I live, unmindful of the pollution and the heat of the sun at midday.

I remembered the man I saw lying on the curbside half-naked on my way to work. I stared at him long enough to check if he was still breathing and was relieved to know he still was (I saw his diaphragm rise and fall). He seemed to be sleeping. He probably passed out from drunkenness. Other people just passed by him. I remembered the cuckoo man who sleeps on the street at night near here. I remembered the taxi drivers who drove me to work.

Faces of people I see every day crossed my mind and I uttered under my breath, God knows them. He is God. He created all of us. He created me. He breathed life into me. He allowed me to wake up this morning. He allowed me to read His Word and ponder on it. Many times I wonder why God takes notice of me, why He loves me.

I recently attended a retreat in our church. The facilitator asked all of us at the table if it makes sense to us that God loves us. I answered, “To be honest, it doesn’t make sense to me”. It’s true. It really doesn’t make sense to me that God—the God who created the universe—takes notice of me and loves me. It doesn’t make sense to me but I’m grateful because I am loved.

God knows us. He knows us by our names! It says in Luke 12:7, “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” He even told Jeremiah that He knew him before He formed the prophet in his mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:5). It amazes me that despite the number of the people in the world, no one slips His mind. He knows us and our struggles, our complaints, our desires… He sees us. He sees our smiles and our tears… ❤️

My parents and I went to a restaurant in Tagaytay (Gabriela – Nurture Wellness Village) today for lunch. It was quite a challenge to find the place though because it’s secluded. I thought it’s just along the main road but getting there was like getting through a maze. However, the food was worth the travel. I’m happy because it did not disappoint. Two thumbs up also for the good service. I thought it would be nice to take my parents there because of the green ambience and the healthy food.

Anyway, I want to spend as much time as I can with my parents. I’ve been noticing the increasing number of white hair on their head. I always ask the Lord to give them long lives so we can spend more time together and enjoy each other’s presence. I’m learning to really appreciate them as I get older. They say that you appreciate your parents more once you become a parent but I believe we don’t have to be one to see our parents’ worth.

They are God’s gift to me and I am beyond grateful to and for them. They are not perfect like me, but God has been teaching me to honor them despite their imperfections. More than having a long life, I pray that my parents will grow more in the Lord and be confident of their salvation. I want to see them–my whole family–in heaven. I don’t want to be in heaven alone. When I pray, I always picture us meeting Jesus in the clouds when He returns.

One time in Sunday school, I heard some girls in my group arguing. Two girls were calling another girl a liar because she wouldn’t tell them the name of her teddy bear. The only response of the teddy bear’s owner was, “Jesus is in my heart.” It’s amazing to know that at a young age (5 years old), she already knows that her identity is not found in other people’s opinion of her but in the Lord. Even though the two girls called her a liar, she brushed it off because she knows who she is in Jesus.

There will always be people who will write us off because they don’t understand us, but if we know and believe what God says about us, our heart, mind and soul will be at peace. That is why reading the Word of God (the Bible) is important. If Satan knows the Word of God, we should know better. Satan is a destroyer (John 10:10). He likes to remind us of our previous sins, makes us doubt our worth in Jesus, shatters our confidence, and makes us lose hope. He hates God and therefore, hates God’s children, too. He continually accuses us through negative thoughts and people. He bombards us with lies until we become weak and can no longer worship God.

“For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.” – Revelation 12:10

God’s truth is our shield. It is our protection.

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints…” Ephesians 6:11-18

“His truth shall be your shield and buckler.” Psalm 91:4

“The spirit of a man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all the inner depths of his heart.” – Proverbs 20:27

When I read this verse, I envisioned people who are genuinely committed to God with hearts lit up. I imagined God looking at the earth from a distance and knowing those who are His because their hearts aglow with the fire of the Holy Spirit. I want that. I want my heart to light up for Jesus. It’s comforting to know that God’s children will never be lost because God sees the glow in their hearts radiating from the earth.

I always pray that God will make my heart clean for it to be a vessel of that light. God is still working on me and I believe He will continue to work on me until He calls me home. The other day I remembered a friend who, every time I looked at her, seemed to glow differently. I couldn’t put my finger on it then but now I understand it’s God’s glory shining through her. She told me during one of our many fellowships that she is beautiful because God created her.

Her confidence does not rest on her physical attributes but on the Word of God. That’s God-confidence! It’s easy to feel down when we hear people belittle us because of our physical shortcomings, lack of abilities, etc. However, when we are deeply rooted in Christ, no matter what other people say about us, we won’t be swayed because we know who we are in Christ. We know that it’s not about what we do but about what Jesus did for us. It is God who defines us, not people. In the same chapter I read my devotion from this morning are the verses below:

“Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, but who can find a faithful man?” – Proverbs 20:6

“Who can say, ‘I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin’? Diverse weights and diverse measures, they are both alike, an abomination to the LORD.” – Proverbs 20:9-10

We often hear people say, “Oh, he’s a very good man” or, “She is so kind”. Sometimes we even hear others say about themselves, “I am a good person” or, “I help other people so I’m a good person”. However, we as Bible-believing Christians know that we are all filthy rags before God. We have nothing to boast before a holy God. The goodness of all the people in the world combined is nothing compared to the goodness of God.

A co-worker told me one time that she described me to her friend as “super bait”. She actually always tells me that I’m kind. I told her that I’m not perfect. Without God, I’ll probably always be in a fight mode when someone strikes a nerve, or I’ll give the silent treatment for good. It’s easier to be annoying and annoyed than to be holy. God is my leash, my pacifier, my sedative… I am nothing without HIM. If there is any goodness in me, it’s because of God.