Children Are A Heritage From God, But Train Them

Job, the man of God in the Old Testament said, “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither”; (Job 1:21 KJV). He is emphasizing that we can’t bring our material riches in heaven. All of these material riches that we have on earth shall be left behind when we die. In fact, a time is appointed in the future when “the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare” (2 Pet. 3:10) and “That day will bring about the destruction of the heaven by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat (vs. 11). So, why do people strive or work hard to be rich? The answer is simple: to enjoy those riches while living on this planet earth.

The Bible teaches that there will be a new heaven and a new earth, and some people will be fortunate to be able to enter this stage of life which is eternal - - without end. How? For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16 KJV). “Believe in the LORD Jesus, and you will be saved…” (Acts 16:31 NIV). Simple, but difficult to achieve. For most people, to see is to believe, but the trouble with God is that He merely tells us now in words, we can see later when we reach there! This is what the Bible calls FAITH. Faith in Jesus (God in the flesh or person). No faith in Jesus/God, sorry no heaven.

Blessed were those who saw personally and spoke to Jesus in person and who witnessed the miracles He performed, the first being the turning of six jars of water into wine during a wedding ceremony in Cana (John 2:6 & 9). They did not have a hard way of believing that Jesus is God, for it is obvious that no one can perform the miracle unless He is God or God is with Him.

However, many of us, I said US because I include myself, are like the Old Testament people who were fed with manna (bread from God out of heaven, or from nothing for 40 years); they crossed the red sea on dry ground; in the New Testament era, the feeding of five thousand excluding women and children out of only two fish and five loaves of bread (Mark 6:30-44); when Jesus walked on the water (Mark 6:45-51); and the other miraculous events too numerous to enumerate, but yet somehow when they were faced with difficulties in life, they doubted the awesome power of God. Jesus said, “with God nothing is impossible” or “with God anything and everything is possible” (Luke 1:37; 18:27).

This brings us to the meaning of FAITH. The Bible itself defines FAITH in this manner: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Heb. 11:1 NIV). In the King James version, NOW is capitalized to emphasize the fact that although we do not yet see with our own eyes, yet we are already SURE of what we are still hoping for (like to be in heaven, a place reserved by God for all BELIEVERS in Christ [God in the flesh or person] partly described as follows:

^“1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.

² I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.

⁴ He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

^“1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb

² down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

³ No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.

⁴ They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.

⁵ There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.” (Rev. 21:1-4; 22:1-5)

How does faith work for our salvation? The Bible gives an account of Jesus Christ being anointed by a sinful woman in Luke 7:36-50. At the conclusion of the story Jesus said to the woman: Your FAITH has saved you; go in peace” (vs. 50).

The best example of a man of faith in the Old Testament was Abraham. He believed [had full faith in God and His promises], so he is among those we will find in heaven, when and if we reach there. Not only Abraham but also his descendant Isaac, and the “wise” (Like most of us some or most of the time) Jacob. In Tagalog, “may pag-asa pa tayo” (There is still hope for us).

But there is a riches we can bring with us to heaven. The souls of our children, if they are properly brought up by us in the admonition of the LORD God. The Bible says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6 KJV).

I have proven the truth of this Bible passage personally. Being then, in my younger days as a lawyer, handpicked by the late Rev. Veronico T. Suan, then the Mindanao District Supervisor of the Foursquare Gospel Church in the Philippines, to be the President and Chairman of the Board to succeed him, at the Thompson Christian School, a religious school founded and organized by the late Dr. Evelyn Thompson with her husband, Rev. Arthur Thompson. 60 years ago, the founders of the Foursquare Gospel Church in the Philippines right here in Davao City. Our city is one among the three largest and most progressive cities in the Philippines in terms of income and population, and the largest city in terms of area, so it is reputed. It may even produce a President of the Philippines by this coming Presidential election in 2016. Only God knows.

By the way, our illustrious Mayor Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte was used by God in raising funds to build a three-storey fully concrete edifice of the Thompson Christian School through the donations of business people in Davao City, he had gathered one time in April 22, before his daughter Sara took her oath in April 30 of that year to succeed her father. To God be the glory! In his honor and as an everlasting legacy from him, the school named the third floor as the “R. R. Duterte Hall”. The “R.R.” is very significant because his daughter Sara also became a Mayor, right after the various donations were made, so to make sure that “honor to whom honor is due” shall be accorded, I personally made sure that the “R.R.” before the name Duterte was made of bronze and be embedded in the wall at the entrance of the hall – a legacy to last for eternity.

Many years back, being then the President and Chairman of the Board of the school, I saw to it that our four children were enrolled in the school so they will be “trained in the way he (they) should go, and when he (they) are old, he (they) will not depart from it”. Praise God, Susan, the eldest became a lawyer, having garnered, by the grace of God, the 9^th place in the Bar Exam for lawyers in 1991; my Junior who placed 12^th place in the Mechanical Engineering Board Exam who graduated with honors in law degree became a lawyer too; Neil an Electrical Engineer became a lawyer too, having passed the Bar examinations with a grade of 86%; and last but not the least Vilma, who became a Registered Nurse in the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand and the United States of America, and right now serving as Department Head in a specialized hospital in California, U.S.A. Susan, the bar topnotcher, after an intervening term from my term as President and Chairman of the Board of the school, was elected to the same positions. She holds the positions up to this day, while I remain a member of the Board.

Lest I be misunderstood, I relate these achievements of our children not to brag but to prove the truth that when we train our children in the way they should go, the blessing of God will necessarily follow as night follows day. It is good to send our children to a Christian school where true Christian values are made part of the curriculum.

Children are our wealth or heritage from God, provided we train them in the fear and admonition of the Lord.

The Only Way To Prosperity

The normal dream of any man is to prosper in life. For this reason, some pursue professional courses like medicine, law, engineering and such other courses which they believe will enable them to earn more money in the hope that if they have an abundance of money or if they become wealthy, they will become prosperous in life. To many people acquiring a degree in education is the key to material prosperity.

Our national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal, pursued a medical degree in Spain, then a progressive country in the world. Was he a prosperous man? Yes and no. Yes, because he enjoys the title of being the national hero of the Philippines. No, because he was not able to build a business empire where he could be wealthy materially like that of the Ayalas, Aranetas, Cojuancos, Madrigals, etc. He was not able to build a hospital or even a medical clinic of his own. His only outstanding accomplishment on historical record as a medical doctor was his successful operation of the cataract of his own mother. Of course, there is no dispute that he ignited and revolutionized the Filipino people to obtain their independence from the Spanish regime, and through his extraordinary talent in writing he authored two wonderful books. The Noli Me Tangere and the El Filibusterismo in which he exposed the abuses of the Spanish government particularly the clergy who were then the powerful forces in government, which eventually led to the overthrow of this foreign power. Had he organized a Foundation to pursue and manage the gain of his writing talent even after his demise, Rizal and his heirs or successors-in-interest would be very rich in royalty of his writing talent but not as a Doctor of Medicine, or by his educational achievements.

The Bible relates to us a man who prospered not only materially, politically, socially and spiritually – the man JOSEPH of the Old Testament. The Bible tells us, “ And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man, …” (Gen. 39:2 KJV). The Bible continues, “Because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.” (Gen. 39:23 KJV).

Who makes us to prosper? The LORD God Almighty. How? The LORD must be with us. Thus, the Bible instructs us, In Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all the things you have need of shall be added unto you.” It continues, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and Only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. This is true prosperity, not only materially, physically or socially, but more importantly SPIRITUALLY which is ETERNALLY - - and it is forever.

The question to ask is: How do we seek God? Pray and read the Bible. Memorize important passages which will automatically come to our mind when the need arises. Hear the Word of God from “Men of God” who teaches and preaches the WORD of God without adulteration, and do what the Word says or instructs. In other words, be a follower or disciple of Jesus (God in person) in thoughts, in words and in deeds. This is very difficult to do - - to be Christlike, but it is the only way to be successful and prosperous and a guarantee that our name will be written in the book of life (Rev. 20:12 & 15 KJV) like our specimen character Joseph of the Old Testament. Surely, the name of Joseph is not only written in the Bible but also in the Book of Life.

But before that, Joseph underwent hardships and sacrifices, physically, emotionally and spiritually - - almost unbearable, if not for the grace of God upon him. He did not give up but rather went through trials patiently with the various testing of his faith and in his life, such as his being persecuted by his own blood brothers and imprisoned though he was innocent and guiltless. So, like Joseph, let God be with us and be our Shepherd; let us be patient, don’t give up. God will never leave us nor forsake us (Joshua 1:5; Heb. 13:5). Add to these characteristics, diligence which according to Solomon, the wisest man whoever lived said, “The hand of the diligent maketh rich; but the slothful (lazy) become poor” (Prov. 10:4 KJV), and he added, “Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor” (Prov. 12:24 NIV). The only way to have eternal prosperity, materially and spiritually and to be with Jesus (God in the flesh) in earth and in heaven is to follow the way - as Jesus has declared “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father (to heaven) except through me” (John 14:6 NIV).

Retirement in God's Service

 Retirement is always associated with old age. It usually means physical decline and weakness, loneliness, and a retreat to inactivity. Some retired people just sit and think, and sit and think. . . and sometimes just sit. That’s getting old in the worst way – – ceasing to live before one dies.

In Philippine setting, the retirement for the military and police is fifty-five or thirty years service whichever comes first. This is rather too young an age to retire. But considering the nature of work of soldiers and policemen, studies show that this is just the right age for them to retire. Many military men who use their common sense and are smart especially those who graduated from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), apply to become executives of large corporations and earn and enjoy more their life after their retirement.

Gen. Douglas MacArthur was already a retired General of the US Army serving as the head of West Point Military Academy, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt recalled him to active duty during World War II. Thereafter, having proved his genius as a military commander both in World War II and in the Korean War in the 50’s, he served in various capacities in the U.S. government, the last of which was his assignment in Japan as the Occupation Military Commander of that country to whom the emperor of Japan reports. He rebuilt Japan economically. The industrial economic success and stability of Japan today is an eloquent proof of the genius of Gen. MacArthur even in his old age. He was compulsorily retired by President Harry S. Truman at age 74 due to conflict of strategy in handling the Communist expansionism in the world. He served well the U.S. government for fifty-two years!

History records that many people made some of their greatest contributions to society after the age of sixty five. The Earl of Halsburg, for example, was 90 when he began preparing a 20-volume revision of English law; Goethe wrote Faust at 82. Galileo made his greatest discovery when he was 73. Sir Winston Churchill became Prime Minister of England at the age of 77.

On the religious world, at 69, the respected missionary Hudson Taylor, was still vigorously working on the mission field, opening up new territories in Indochina. In Old Testament times, when Caleb was 85, he took the stronghold of the giants (Josh. 14:10-15). Moses, the acclaimed great leader of Bible times was eighty years old when he was commissioned by God to liberate the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt, then the World Power of all nations of the known world. He served for forty years until the Lord took him at age 120 and buried him with God’s own hands (Deut. 34:6).

God never intends for us to retire from spiritual activity at an early age. Instead the Bible tells us:

^“12 The righteous (believer) will flourish like a palm tree,  they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
¹³ planted in the house of the Lord,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
¹⁴ They will still bear fruit (souls or spiritual fruit) in old age,
they will stay fresh and green,”

(Ps. 92:12-14 NIV)

Even as Jesus kept the “best wine” for the last at the wedding in Cana (John 2:10), so God seeks to gather the most luscious clusters of the fruit of the Spirit from the fully ripened harvest of our lives. The best of life is yet to come in our old age!

We can be sure God would not keep us on this work-a-day world of tears and joy if He did not have a worthwhile ministry for us to accomplish like in the case of Moses, Joshua, Abraham and the other great men-servants of “God (Jesus in person) who is the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8). So let us keep on serving the Lord! Remember, the older we become, we acquire valuable experiences in life. “Experience is the best teacher”. Be like Moses, serve until God himself retires us.

It is worth quoting the adage favorite of Capt. Remy Celeste, our oldest FGBMFI member, “Age is a matter of the mind; if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”

I Talked With God

 It is a rare privilege for anyone to be able to talk to, and have a handshake, with the highest official of our land or country.

When I was a new lawyer, a bosom friend and client, and the son-in-law of then Governor Paciano Bangoy of Davao Province when Davao was yet a single province, invited me to the Governor’s residence so I can meet my “idol,” the 1939 lawyer-bar topnotcher whose 98% grade is unsurpassed up to this day, who was then the Senate President and who was campaigning for the Presidency of the Philippines, the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos. I was excited beyond words could express to meet him personally. Being accompanied by the son-in-law of the Governor, breaking protocol, I was brought directly to Senate President Marcos. In his golden baritone voice, as I was introduced to, and had a handshake with him, he said to me, “How are you?” Oh, the indescribable joy in my heart, especially because he was subsequently elected President by a landslide vote.

In my later years as an active practitioner, in my capacity as President and later Chairman of the Board of the most prestigious organization of businessmen, professionals and politicians in Davao City, the Davao City Chamber of Commerce & Industry, now with more than 500 members, I have had handshakes with the succeeding Presidents of the Philippines, like President Joseph Estrada, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, except, perhaps by pure coincidence, the incumbent one, President Noynoy Aquino and his late mother, President Corazon C. Aquino.

But the privilege of having a handshake or talking to the President of our country is nothing. While I know them as all of us know them, I am sure, they don’t remember having handshake with me or me having talked to them, should, by God’s grace, we meet later in heaven.

But everyday, morning, noontime, evening, every and any moment, I can always talk to God in prayer. There is no protocol with God. We do not need anyone else to introduce us to Him or any special occasion to talk to our God as He himself taught us, we can directly pray, “Our Father which art in heaven…” Then, we can proceed to ask and tell him anything, and according to His perfect will, what we ask for will be granted to us as gift without spending a single cent. And we can do this anywhere at anytime. Only “Ask and it shall be given to you, seek and the door shall be opened to you” (Matt. 7:7). And God remembers us because the Scripture says, “Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matt. 10:30). That is how sharp the memory of our God! Imagine, God knows even the number of our hairs! How wonderful! But are we availing of this wonderful opportunity and privilege of talking to God (Jesus Christ in the flesh) personally any moment everyday? Let us do so for our own good and for the glory of God.

What makes it more wonderful is that we do not have to be a professional, businessman, wealthy, high politician, brilliant, or a friend to someone close to God. Any one can talk to God through prayer. “The Spirit and the bride (Jesus Christ) say, “Come’, And let him who hears say, ‘Come’ Whoever is thirsty of (God, the Love of God), let him come, and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life” (Rev. 22:17 NIV).