WHERE ARE: MARY, MOTHER THERESA AND YOU?

WHERE ARE: MARY, MOTHER THERESA & YOU?!

BY DR MERVYN ABREO

The reason I have chosen the first two persons is because:

 Mary represents faith (with good works).

 Mother Teresa represents good works (with faith).

MARY, THE MOTHER OF JESUS: 

          Mary is in heaven because she accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior.

           In the house of Elizabeth Mary sings a song of praise: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,” (Luke 1: 46, 47).

Please note: If you say that her praise was directed to God the Father then you believe in the existence of three Gods. (Please read the article: Understanding the mystery of the Trinity).

MOTHER TERESA:                                                       

          The world glorifies her because of the work she did with the poor.

           But will all this good she has done take her to heaven? Definitely not!        “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesisins 2:8).

          Therefore firstly, she was a Christian saved by grace through faith. And it was only then, that the love of Christ flowing through her, enabled her to reach out to the needy.

          But once filled by the Holy Spirit, she by put her faith into action.

 For the Bible says: “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? (James 2:14 ).

RIGHT NOW WHERE ARE YOU?!!!                                                  

          Have you committed your life to Jesus and made Him your Lord and Savor? If not do so right now without delay!

           Then think in the ‘spiritual’, and not in the ‘natural’, by saying: “I am a spirit being, who has a soul, which lives in a body.”

          Believe the following verses: Lord Jesus Christ said: “Rejoice that your names are in the Book of Life.” (Lk. 10:20).

          The name plate on the door indicates the identity of the resident.

 Similarly our names in the Book of Life indicate where we really are.

 Further confirmed by: “Our citizenship is in heaven.” (Phil.3:20).                                           

 The following declares who you are, which determines where you are:

          “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter.2:9).

          And thus declares Peter: “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.” (1Peter 2:11).

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Dear friend,

          I look forward to getting your feedback. Do write in to me at:

                                        drmervynabreo@gmail.com

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DO TO THE LEAST OF MY BRETHREN

 DO TO THE LEAST OF MY BRETHREN

BY DR. MERVYN ABREO

There is a beautiful hymn which goes like this:

Whatever you do to the least of My brethren,

That you do unto Me!

When I was hungry you gave Me to eat,

When I was thirsty you gave Me to drink.

Now come into the house of My Father.

          And good hearted folks go and perform good deeds hoping to attain salvation.

          They contribute heavily to different charities, build orphanages, old age homes, and do just about anything in order to worm their way into heaven. But to no avail!

          The Bible is full of allegories.

          And what the good Lord is saying, when He talks about food and drink, is to give the people, is nourishment for their spirits.

           He is the bread of life and He is the wine at the Last Supper, and every supper for that matter.

          And He is talking essentially about…….. EVANGELISM!!!

          So go ahead and evangelize!

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Dear friend,

          I look forward to getting your feedback. Do write in to me at:

                                        drmervynabreo@gmail.com

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KINDNESS - MEEKNESS - GENTLENESS

 KINDNESS – MEEKNESS – GENTLENESS

 FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

BY DR. MERVYN ABREO

                    I can think of no better example than that given by Jesus, Who, being the King of kings, and Lord of lords, humbling Himself and washing the feet of His disciples.

THE OBVIOUS SUPERFICIAL REASON: Throughout His life Jesus taught about humility, Himself living a humble life, subservient to the Father. (Servant hood).

           “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9: 33-37).

          And our very salvation depends on it: “For the Lord takes delight in His people; he crowns the humble with salvation.’’ (Psalm. 149:4).

  THE DEEPER/HIDDEN REASON:

          In the Gospel of John, Jesus is preparing to wash the disciples’ feet.

          He comes to Peter, who is confused, because the same Lord, Who had drilled the importance of humility in them, now wants to wash their feet, rather than the other way around.

          So Jesus assures him. “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

          What was it that Peter and the disciples could not understand at that juncture, but would comprehend later? Was it a lesson in humility? Definitely not! Jesus’ stand on humility was clear, not hidden in parables that needed explanation. And when later? He was heading for the cross.

          But in spite of Jesus reasoning with him, Peter still refuses to allow the Lord to wash his feet.

          Therefore Jesus warns Peter: “Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me.” (‘Wash’ allegorically meaning a spiritual cleansing).

          Strong words! An emphatic warning is being given by the Lord. And just before His crucifixion. At this last stage, Jesus was not concentrating on character building (servant hood), but rather on something of much greater importance and significance.

          Instead of focusing on the actions of the Lord, which gives us the impression that He is giving them another lesson in humility, focus instead on the reaction of the disciples. And the reason for their reaction.

            They did not want to be served was not because they were humble.

        Rather because they were proud. And their actions stemmed from pride.  And that is exactly what Jesus wanted them to realize, understand and learn: to truly humble themselves, realize their helplessness, and let Him serve them.

           His ministry and life were soon coming to an end. He was heading to the cross. And He had to teach them the last and most important lesson of their lives: to learn to be served by Him, not only in the natural, by having their feet washed by Him, (which was an allegory for something deeper), but in the supernatural, by allowing Him to wash their sins by His blood, which He would shed for them, and for us, on the cross.

          And they, and we, would have to humble ourselves and unconditionally accept His blood, and His free gift of salvation. And not try and attain it on our own by our good works, which are like filthy rags in front of Him.

          And that was the lesson he was teaching His disciples, and us, just before His death.

          And therefore, we now see the above Scripture (Psalm.149:4), in a completely new light: “For the Lord takes delight in His people; He crowns the humble with salvation”.

           We receive His free gift of salvation by humbling ourselves and unconditionally accepting His provision for salvation.

AN EXAMPLE IN OUR OWN LIVES:

          The pastor or priest is unwell and has to be looked after by Church members. They readily come and do the chores and whatever else is necessary.

          Now what happens if a poor member of the Church is in the same situation, and the pastor or priest have to minister to this poor brother or sister? How uncomfortable would this poor soul be?

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Dear friend,

          I look forward to getting your feedback. Do write in to me at:

                                        drmervynabreo@gmail.com

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LOVE -- AS CHRIST LOVES

LOVE -- AS CHRIST LOVES

LOVE  PART III

BY DR. MERVYN ABREO

          Christ loves us with an Agape love. And we too can love others with this love. It’s ours for the asking!

          THE THREE TYPES OF LOVE:

 

 PHILIAL LOVE: The love people have for each other: parents for their children and children for their parents, brotherly and sisterly love etc.

EROTIC LOVE: It is a sensual and lustful love.

AGAPE LOVE: This is the highest form of love and is not human but Godly.

          It can only be ours when Lord Jesus pours His love through us. 

       One of the best times it comes alive is when we love our enemies.

HUMAN BEINGS ARE MADE UP OF: A spirit, a soul and a body.

The soul itself has:  intellect, will and emotion.

Lord Jesus has said: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Mathew 5: 44).

It’s an order! He gave the order. We obey!

ACTIVATING AGAPE LOVE: Jesus has said, ‘love’, which is a verb.

We are to act on it: So go ahead and love your enemy.

 But first forgive them!

HINDRANCES TO FORGIVING OTHERS: (Especially our enemies).

          The first hindrance is our emotions. We are deeply hurt. And feel that if we forgive our enemies, they will not be made to pay for their wrong doings.

FORGIVING IS NOT PARDONING!

           Be rest assured that those who have hurt or harmed you, will definitely not escape punishment, because God is a just God. When we forgive them, we are obeying God. If we do not, then we ourselves incur God’s wrath for disobeying His direct order to forgive.

           And what about their fate?

           Leave them to the Lord: “It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” ( Hebrews 10:31).

FORGIVE INTELLECTUALLY, AND NOT EMOTIONALLY!

           We thus overrule our emotions and, using our intellect (mind), we decide (will) to forgive, and then to love them. Emotionally we may still ‘hate’ them but as we continue loving them God gradually heals us.

 AGAPE LOVE: It has to be experienced to be appreciated!

FORGIVE AND LOVE YOURSELF: Use the same methodology with yourself as you did with your enemies.

          And then use it on others.

LOVE AND LIVE HEALTHY: Unforgiveness and lack of love is the main underlying cause of mental diseases, arthritis, heart ailments, cancers etc. to name just a few.

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Dear friend,

          I look forward to getting your feedback. Do write in to me at:

                                        drmervynabreo@gmail.com

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LOVING OTHERS -- OVERCOMING THE TRICKY PART

LOVING OTHERS – OVERCOMING THE TRICKY PART

LOVE  PART II

BY DR MERVYN ABREO

          Here are simple, practical steps on how to love yourself, your neighbor, your Lord and Savior, and most important of all, your enemies!

          There is a difference between ‘loving’ and ‘liking’ someone.

          ‘Liking’ a person more and more does not necessarily lead to ‘love’. And conversely, you can love someone without liking anything about him or her.

          This helps when attempting to love even your most hated enemy, while circumventing the impossible task of trying to like the person.

LOVE: The most wonderful and powerful of all human emotions was introduced into the heart of man by the Christian God, Lord Jesus.

          For not only does He love, but He Himself is love. Love is His very basic intrinsic nature.

          Some have even claimed that the expression ‘God loves’ can only be found in the Bible!

LOVE YOUR ENEMIES (Mathew 5:44):

            The reason why we find it difficult, if not impossible, to love others, is because we just cannot stand them or their ways, or what they have done, to you or to others, in the past.

                               

          But the Bible does not tell us to like others. Tolerate them, yes, but not like them. The Bible tells us only to love others, especially our enemies; because it is so easy to!

MY OWN PREDICAMENT:

          There was this one person in our prayer group that I just couldn't love. I prayed about it, but just couldn't forgive this person. And what was even worse was that the Lord had told me that He had not only forgiven that person, but that He loves the person. It took me a long time, but ultimately I not only forgave, but also was able to love that person.

          That person was me!

          Lord Jesus has said: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mathew 19:19).

          Laugh if you can see the humor in this.

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Dear friend,

          I look forward to getting your feedback. Do write in to me at:

                                        drmervynabreo@gmail.com

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MUCH 'LIKE' IS NOT LOVE!

MUCH ‘LIKE’ IS NOT LOVE!

LOVE – PART I

BY DR. MERVYN ABREO

          LIKE and LOVE are radically two different emotional states!

          God said: love your enemies.

          He never said anything about liking them! 

                                                     

          There is a difference between ‘loving’ and ‘liking’ someone.

          ‘Liking’ a person more and more does not necessarily lead to ‘love’. And conversely, you can love someone without liking anything about him or her.

          Loving your enemies: This helps while attempting to love even your most hated enemy, while circumventing the impossible task of trying to like the person.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ‘LOVE’ AND ‘LIKE’:

          This was a scene from a movie. A young man approached his future father-in-law and asked him: “Sir, I would like to have permission to marry your daughter.” Their romance was known to all in the community.

          The girl’s father asks the young man, “Do you like my daughter?”

          “Like her?!” exclaims the lad. “Why, I love her! I’m crazy about her.” And goes on to say, “I am ready to swim the seven seas for her, climb the highest mountain or even sacrifice my life for her!”

          “I am sure that you truly love her, and will do all that you said, and even more. But I still ask you: Do you like her?

          The wise father-in-law knew that this young man had fallen in love with his daughter. But he also knew that it would take a lot of ‘like’ to sustain their marriage in the ensuing years.

          ‘Like’ is usually controlled by emotion. Using your act of will, you will be able to love everyone, especially your enemies. And as you practice this more and more, you will gradually become more and more like the Lord!

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Dear friend,

          I look forward to getting your feedback. Do write in to me at:

                                        drmervynabreo@gmail.com

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CIRCUMCISION - A MUST FOR EVERY CHRISTIAN

CIRCUMCISION – A MUST FOR EVERY CHRISTIAN!

BY DR. MERVYN ABREO

          Before you run to the kitchen to grab a carving knife, or phone your favorite butcher, please read this article very carefully!

WHAT IS CIRCUMCISION?    It’s the removal of the foreskin of the penis.

WHY IS IT PERFORMED? There are several reasons.

          In adult males it is performed because in a condition called phimosis, the foreskin of an erect penis cannot be fully retracted.

          It can also be performed for hygienic reasons because smegma, a residue which collects under the foreskin, is carcinogenic.

ABRAHAM and CIRCUMCISION: In the Bible, the ceremony of circumcision was initiated with Abraham, at God's command!

           He and his wife were too old to father a child. But when God told him that he would not only produce an heir from Sarah, his wife, who was past the child bearing age, but also father offspring more numerous than the stars in the sky, he believed the Lord. And the Lord credited it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15: 4 - 6).

          God therefore made a covenant with Abraham, and instructed him thus: That he and every male had to be circumcised. (Genesis 17: 9, 10).

          Circumcision was the seal of the covenant!

ITS SIGNIFICANCE: Like the blood sacrifices in the Old Testament, it was a ‘type’ of the ‘anti-type’ to come, i.e. the sacrifice stood for, or reflected the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ!

           Therefore circumcision symbolically represented Christ’s redemptive work on the cross.

JEWS and GENTILES: The Jews were the descendants of Abraham, and salvation first came to them. Therefore Jesus was born a Jew. All Jews were required to be circumcised!

           Since it symbolized the cross, it was an absolute prerequisite for salvation!

          The Lord speaks of ‘death to the uncircumcised’. (Ezekiel 28:10).

GENTILES: They were uncircumcised and separated from Christ………..excluded from citizenship of Israel, foreigners to the covenant of the promise, without hope and without God. (Ephesians 2: 11-12).

             But they had a choice, whether to accept Jesus! Or reject Him!

          Gentiles, who accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, became believers!

          And like their counterpart, the Jews, they too got saved!

          "But now in Christ Jesus the Gentiles (believers), who were far, have been brought near by the blood of Christ". (Ephesians 2: 13).

          Therefore the Gentiles who worship by the Holy Spirit of God, who glorify in Christ Jesus………are the circumcision! (Philippians 3:3).

THE CRUX OF THE MATTER: Before and after the crucifixion!

           What it ultimately boils down to is your spiritual standing with God.

          Circumcision is an outward sigh of an inward change.   Therefore, if you have the former without the latter, then the whole process is meaningless!

BEFORE THE CRUCIFIXION.

          During the period of the Old Testament the circumcised Jew was admonished: “So circumcise the foreskin of your [minds and] hearts; be no longer stubborn and hardened. (Deuteronomy 10:16). [The Amplified Bible].

AFTER THE CRUCIFIXION.

Did the Gentiles need circumcision?

          When the circumcised Pharisees (the Jews) had become believers, they wanted the uncircumcised believers (the Gentiles), to undergo circumcision!

          But Peter challenged this on the grounds that, the Gentiles’ hearts had become purified by faith. And by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, had been saved (by being circumcised in the heart), just as the circumcised Jewish believers, now Christians, had been saved. (Acts 15: 5 – 11).

          In fact, Paul, quite irritated that some falsely accused him of still preaching circumcision, told them that they should go the whole way and emasculate themselves. (Galatians 5:12).

Believers definitely need ‘circumcision’!

           “In Him you (believers) were also circumcised……not done by the hands of men (surgically)……but done by Christ (spiritually).” (Colossians 2: 11).

          Therefore there is no circumcised or uncircumcised but all in Christ and Christ in all (Colossians 3: 11).

AND THE PLEASANT SURPRISE:

           “The circumcised believers (the Jews who had converted to Christianity) were astonished to see that the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles”. (Acts 10: 44 - 46).

          Just like circumcision, baptism without faith is only a ritual and serves no purpose.

IN CONCLUSION: Irrespective of the group, sect, church or denomination you belong to, if you are a Christian, then you need to circumcise your heart and your mind. 

           And walk in faith! Paul, in his letter to the Romans, admonishes them that it is not just sufficient to be circumcised, but it is essential to walk in the footsteps of faith (Romans 4:12).

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Dear friend,

          I look forward to getting your feedback. Do write in to me at:

                                        drmervynabreo@gmail.com

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