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Utang na Loob

OPM (Original Pinoy Mindset) Series: Utang na Loob (Debt of Gratitude).

Utang na loob or Debt of Gratitude is defined as returning a favor in an acceptable manner.

The Pinoy Utang na loob culture originally dates back in the pre-hispanic times, in direct association to hospitality and gratitude, qualities which Filipinos are widely- known to possess. Sociologists say that 60% of our values is hinged on hospitality and gratitude. However, during the colonial times, because of the Filipinos’ need to survive, provide for their families, and as a means to get ahead, this culture has evolved into an extension of a favor to earn something in return.

There are two facets of Utang na loob: The Giver and the Receiver. The Giver expects something in return, while the Receiver is trapped with the feeling of wanting to return the favor.

The book of Ruth offers a different perspective on Utang na loob:
(Read Ruth 2:1-12.)

“Boaz replied, ‘I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband- how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge” Ruth 2: 11-12.

Naomi is the widow of Elimelech, a man from Bethlehem of Judah who went to live in Moab with his wife and children during a time of famine. Elimelech and his sons died, leaving their wives behind. Naomi traveled back to Bethlehem with Ruth, one of her daughters-in-law who was determined not to be separated from Naomi at all cost.

Boaz came from the tribe of Elimelech. He was a kinsman redeemer, a relative who would marry the widow of a relative. Naomi knew of Boaz’s relation to her husband and has sent Ruth to pick up leftover grain at one of his fields.

Boaz recognized the favor that Ruth has extended to Naomi (Ruth 2:16; Ruth 1:16), his response was “May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge” Ruth 2:12.

This means that:

1. God will be the one to repay us when we are compelled to give. Boaz extended favor toward Ruth out of a heart of generosity.
2. It is God whom we must depend on for trust, security, hope, and for our future and refuge. Boaz gave to Ruth without expecting anything in return.
   

“and lend to them without expecting to get anything back” Luke 6: 35b.

“So when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” Matthew 6:3.

When we do not have the biblical perspective of generosity, in our time of need, our tendency is to find our security in the people that we’ve helped instead of depending on our God.

Joseph made a mistake of depending on the cupbearer whom he had helped for his freedom from imprisonment and injustice (Genesis 40:14-15). He ended up spending two more years in prison.

“And be thankful” Colossians 3:15.

As Receivers, the bible urges us to always be thankful. However, we must learn to draw the line of thankfulness. If we are to compromise our values, belief system, sidestep legal, ethical, and moral boundaries, or if we are to thread in the line of sin, it is no longer being thankful, but a FALSE BURDEN (Genesis 4:27).

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” Luke 6:36.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” John 13: 34.

“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” Proverbs 23:7 AMP.

Let us change our mindset on Utang na loob from Indebtedness to Gratitude. The good that we do to others must be a reflection of the good that God has done for us. As Receivers, we must understand that there are certain favors that cannot be quantified, and we leave to God to repay those who have blessed us, while we remain thankful.

WE MUST DEPEND ON GOD AND NOT MAN, WHETHER WE ARE THE GIVER OR THE RECEIVER.**

Crab Mentality

OPM (Original Pinoy Mindset) series: CRAB MENTALITY.

“ For as he thinks within himself, so he is” Proverbs 23:7a (NASB).

A person’s mindset dictates the way he behaves. This behavior brings about actions which in turn, bring about consequences. Every mindset has its spiritual implication.

CRAB MENTALITY is a trait common of many Filipinos. This concept is a metaphor of a bucket of crabs usually found in wet markets wherein the crabs pull each other down and trample each other to be able to escape. Crab Mentality is an unfriendly competition among individuals that involves slandering, back-biting, and trampling on another to get ahead. It is a trait that dates back to the Spanish colonization wherein the Filipino Indios heavily depended on the favor of the Spanish Insulares and made ways to damage each other’s reputation to be able to step up.

The bible tells of the story of how an encounter with God has brought about the transformation of one of its greatest characters: Jacob.

The name “Jacob” literally means deceiver or supplanter (One who wrongfully holds the place of another).

The Stages of Jacob’s Crab Mentality.

1. UPBRINGING.
   When Jacob was born, his hand was grasping his twin brother Esau’s heel who came out before him (Genesis 25:26). This assumingly indicates that even from the womb, Jacob did not want his brother to get ahead.
   Growing up, Jacob’s father, Isaac, favored Esau more than Jacob. Esau was a skillful hunter and was an outdoorsman, wherein Jacob, who was white-skinned and was more adept indoors, won the favor of his mother. This may have, somehow, brought about a mindset in Jacob that God’s resources are limited.
2. BIRTHRIGHT. Genesis 25: 29-34
   The eldest son’s birthright gives him the authority to manage everything that the family owns. Jacob capitalized on Esau’s hunger and need for food to acquire for himself his brother’s birthright.
3. STEALING OF BLESSINGS.
   When Jacob and Esau were still in their mother’s womb, the LORD said to Rebecca that there were two nations in her womb (Genesis 25:23). Instead of praying and hanging on to God’s promise, Jacob hung on to what man can give him. In connivance with his mother, Jacob tricked his father Isaac on being given him the blessings that was intended for Esau (Genesis 27:19-23).

The effects of sin are: Poverty and Greed. Poverty says, “I don’t have enough,” while Greed says, “I want more.”

THE TRANSFORMATION OF JACOB.
1.First Encounter with God (Genesis 28:12-16).
Jacob fled to Haran to escape the wrath of his brother, Esau. On his way to his uncle Laban’s house, God gave him a picture of heaven in a dream. Through the dream, God blessed him just as he had blessed Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 28:15).
Jacob’s perspective was changed. “When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, ‘Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it’" Genesis 28:16.

Many times, we are more conscious of what God is doing in other people’s lives that we miss out on God’s faithfulness in our own.

2.Second Encounter with God.
After the initial encounter, Jacob’s blessings followed him. He was blessed with a wife he loves (Rachel), he was blessed with children (Genesis 29), he was blessed with properties, and God appointed a time for the restoration of his relationship with his brother, Esau.
On his way back to his father’s house, a servant informed him that his brother Esau was coming to meet him with 400 men. Jacob was distressed, reminded of his past sins. God reminded him again of His promises in his life through another encounter (Genesis 32:24-28).

“Then the man said, ‘Let me go, for it is daybreak.’ But Jacob replied, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’ The man asked him, ‘What is your name?’ ‘Jacob,’ he answered” (Genesis 32:26-27).

Jacob wrestled with God. When God touched his hip, Jacob never walked the same way again. When Jacob uttered his name when he was asked, it was an act of surrendering to God, an admission that he has been doing things his own way.
In Genesis 46, God reminded Israel (Jacob) of his promises again. God acted on Jacob’s behalf. Ultimately, it is the faithfulness of God that will promote us.


CRAB MENTALITY VS GOD MENTALITY
1. Crab Mentality: Motivated by selfish ambition.
God Mentality: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3).

2. Crab Mentality: Damaging other people’s reputation.
God Mentality:“Consider others better than yourself” (Philippians 2:3b).

3. Crab Mentality: Born out of envy and jealousy.
God Mentality:“Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the
interests of others” (Philippians 2:4).

HOLD ON TO GOD, NOT MAN. Crab Mentality is grabbing on to what man can do for you, but God-mentality is looking to what God can do for you.

“No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame. (Psalm 25:3)”

“The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? (Psalm 118:6).”

“Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven.

The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. Psalm 85:11-12.”**

Uncommon Life

UNCOMMON SERIES: UNCOMMON LIFE.

READ Isaiah 6:1-8.

“Then I heard the voice of the LORD saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” Isaiah 6:8.

Everyone has a calling of his own. We have an Uncommon GOD, giving us an Uncommon call, and He expects us to live Uncommon lives. God has called us to live extraordinary lives.

HOW TO LIVE EXTRAORDINARY LIVES.

1. Remember your IDENTITY. We are created different from the rest.

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” Genesis 1:27.

From the beginning, God has created us to be different. He has created us to be extraordinary. The word “Image” means to mirror or to reflect the real thing. We have an extraordinary God who created us in His own image.

And He has caused everything that has to do with him to be separated from the rest. When God led the Israelites from Egypt, He separated them. God separated a special tribe, the Levites, to serve Him as priests.

2. Know your DESIGN. Our design is to stay right there beside Him. We are called to live close to Him.

Our God is a holy God and He calls us to be like Himself: To be holy, just as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16).

We are called to BE holy, NOT to DO holy. We do not do good so we can be holy.

Through the years, the concept of the word SAINT has been misused as a term for people who cannot do wrong, the righteous, ones with spiritual powers who can talk to the demons, and ones with extraordinary faith. However, Paul referred to ordinary, imperfect people: Philippians, Corinthians, Galatians, etc., as saints. In fact, when he addressed them as such, he was rebuking them for legalism, sexual immorality, and others.

We are the Saints. We are holy, not because of what we do, but because of who we are. We are holy because of what Christ did on the cross for us. While we were sinners, God moved ahead of us so we can have access to the Father and be atoned (“at one”—16^th century definition) with Him. Our holiness is a manifestation of the holiness that God has given us in His love for us.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5:8.

3. Remember that we REPRESENT Him.

“Then I heard the voice of the LORD saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” Isaiah 6:8.

We serve an extraordinary God. When we encounter a holy God, a beautiful God, we will keep coming back for more and we will tell others about it. God is looking for people who will represent Him. We are holy, therefore, we are the ones qualified for the task.

The LORD is sending us, instead of the angels, because the angels do not understand the concept of grace. They do not understand the concept of forgiveness and how it is to fail God, be picked up by a holy God, be restored, and be sent forth again to serve Him.

Isaiah’s response to the call of God to live an uncommon life is “Here am I, send me!” (v 8). Here I AM speaks of location, while Here AM I says, “my entire being I give to You” (Romans 12:1).

Our response is to live holy lives in the lives that we live. If we are students, housewives, or a businessmen, we should let our lives speak about the Lord, so that they will be attracted to our message (Matthew 5:16). BE HOLY AS GOD IS HOLY. God will bring us places, all we have to do is stand on His grace. When we serve a holy God, we are assured that He will take care of all our needs.

“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future’” Jeremiah 29:11.

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” Isaiah 53:5.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear” Matthew 6:25a.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” Ephesians 3:20.**

Busy Enough?

BUSY ENOUGH? COUPLES’ WORKSHOP, A NIGHT TO REMEMBER!

Dim lights, lucent carded cotton billowing to an ambient breeze, candlelight on every table, and live strains from a piano completed an aroma of romance! Busy Enough?, the second chapter of Victory Alabang’s 4-part Couples’ Workshop held last September 19, was a night of extravagant surprises as couples enjoyed a mouth-watering Rigatoni dish prepared by top chef, Len Calayan and took home free magazines courtesy of Poch & Doris Bermudez. Lucky participants received prizes distributed by BG & Jhoey Hernandez. Artist entrepreneur, Margot Uy was in charge of the event design.

Attendance of the said event had an estimated 30% more participants than the first part held last month. Pastor Chico Pena and wife, Mary Anne, shared the platform with another of Victory’s most formidable couples, Ardy and Vera Abello, as they addressed issues on priorities and the magnitude of spending time together as a couple. “Para kang sinagasaan ng pison!,” Elmer Buscado, one of the participants appreciatively exclaims as he puts his arm around his wife, Leah. Another couple, Hector and Shirley Lim agrees, “kami kasi, puro work work, work!”

More to look forward to as Victory Alabang gears for the 3^rd part of the series, Common Cents, on October 27, 7pm, Friday at the Victory Center, 4^th floor, Filinvest, Festival Mall, Alabang. For Inquiries and Reservations, contact (02) 771-1212.

Uncommon God

UNCOMMON: UNCOMMON GOD.

We are commonly interested in the extraordinary, the unusual, or the uncommon. The bible teaches us that we must be able to recognize the common from what is not.

“You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean” (Leviticus 10:10).

We serve an uncommon God, but because of religiosity, we have reduced Him to stone idols and other misrepresentations of who He is. The 20^th century Christians treat God with utmost lack of reverence, lack of awe and with disrespect, referring to Him as the “Man upstairs” or “My bro, Jess!” We fail to recognize the holiness of God. To serve a holy God, we must first understand His holiness.

“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:

‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;

the whole earth is full of his glory’” (Isaiah 6: 1-3).

1. GOD IS SOVEREIGN.

“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple” (Isaiah 6:1).

The vision given by God to Isaiah in the temple came in a time of grief for Isaiah and the land of Judah. King Uzziah, their king for 52 years, died, and Judah was in distress at the loss of their ruler.

Isaiah, as he shared the vision, referred to God as Lord, which means Adonai (Hebrew) or sovereign ruler. In a time of crisis, God showed Himself sovereign.

2. GOD IS A HOLY GOD.

“Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory’” (Isaiah 6:2-3).

God was gracious to give the seraphs 6 wings, with two that will cover their feet, for these are reminders that they are merely creations of God and are unworthy to stand in His holy presence.

In Exodus 33:20-23, Moses was so consumed of who God is that he asked that he see His face. God said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” He put Moses in a cleft of a rock and passed by him, covering Moses’ face with His hand until he has passed him by. He then removed his hand and allowed Moses to see his back. Even upon just seeing the back of God, Moses’ face shone, causing fear and trembling among the Israelites.

Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, offered unauthorized fire before the LORD contrary to His command and they died before God. God spoke to Aaron through Moses, “Among those who approach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored”(Leviticus 10:1-3).

God finds it irreverent when we go to him in our own strength. He wants us to depend on Him. God struck Uzzah down when he tried to save the ark from falling when the oxen stumbled (2 Samuel 6:6-7). In the new testament, Ananias and his wife, Sapphira fell down and died upon lying in the presence of God (Acts 5:1-10).

3. GOD IS LORD.

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory’” (Isaiah 6:3b).

While in the first verse, Isaiah referred to God as Lord, or sovereign Ruler, in verse 3, He referred to God as LORD. LORD in Hebrew means YHWH (YAHWEH), the name of God. LORD speaks of God’s essence and nature that is transcendent— one that goes beyond what is rational; exceeding usual limits.

In Hebrew times, scribes use special pens to write the name YHWH; after which, these pens are discarded and can no longer be used for it has been used to write the HOLY name of God. No other word is worthy to be penned by the ones used to inscribe the name of God.

In the days of the bible, something is given emphasis through repetition. (e.g. John 1:51; John 5:25; John 16:23, etc.). This can be likened to the current times when we use markers to highlight words that we feel are important to be remembered. The word HOLY is only attribute of God that has been given the emphasis of being repeated three times: God is HOLY, HOLY, HOLY.

God is holy but He is never distant. In Matthew 27: 50-51, the curtain at the temple was torn when Jesus gave up his spirit, allowing us to come before God in all His holiness, and in all our unworthiness. The only thing we can offer God is a pure heart and our unadulterated worship (Malachi 1:14).**

Unfinished Business

THE UNFINISHED BUSINESS: OUR ROLE IN THIS UNFINISHED BUSINESS.

Have you ever started anything that you did not finish? We all start something in life that we don’t finish for many different reasons; We discontinue reading a book, quit on our music lessons, or stop going to the gym because we got busy, we’ve lost interest, we got bored, it got too expensive, or sometimes, we just stop for no particular reason. But there are things that have major consequences if we quit, such as our marriages, our contractual obligations, and unresolved conflicts that can result to casualties as far as our relationships go, if we give up.

The Great Commission is an unfinished business. God has given every believer, every Christian, and every church, to go to every nation and preach the gospel so that every person in the world will have the opportunity to respond to it.

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’ (Matthew 28:18-20)”

When we stop making disciples of all nations, even when we have reached our families and friends, we still have not completed the mandate of God. The unfinished business of world missions has serious, eternal consequences.

3 out of 10 people do not recognize the name of Jesus, and everyday, 66,000 people die into a Christ-less eternity. The Great Commission is about people. People that Jesus paid the same price he paid for with us: His suffering on the cross. How can they respond if we don’t tell them about him?

Jackie, one of the most influential Every Nation pastors in China, had to open his dictionary to know the meaning of the words God and Jesus when he heard the gospel for the first time in an accidental meeting with a Christian missionary. It only takes 1 Jackie to reach families, to transform a community, to impact a generation, and to see changed lives. One life can make a difference in the world.

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14)”

Jesus will come back when the Great Commission has been fulfilled.

A group of Filipino missionaries in Afghanistan who have been giving medical assistance to Talibans, and laying their hands on them, praying for them in the name of Jesus, have been announced targets for killing by the village Imam. They have put their trust in the promise of Jesus that he will be with them to the very end of the age. One of them was a flower arranger who has become one of the most radical missionaries to the muslims, having learned the afghan language and has been preaching the gospel to the people in their language. These people who go on missions are ORDINARY PEOPLE who are WILLING and AVAILABLE.

There are 3 ways to get involved in the Great Commission:

1. Pray.

“And as he taught them, he said, ‘Is it not written: My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations?’” (Mark 11:17a).

Pray for open doors. Major things can happen through prayer.

2. Give.

Give to send out and support missionaries to preach the gospel all nations.

3. Go.

Go out in obedience to the Great Commission. No race, language, or culture raise an obstacle for every person to hear the gospel if we just OBEY

A biblical church is a global church. We must ultimately be in the same vision that God has for all nations.

Princeton University, originally established in 1746 to train Presbyterian ministers and was the finest school for evangelists, had a dictum: If you want to follow Jesus Christ, you must follow him to the ends of the earth, for that is where he is going.

God has already gone ahead and has prepared the hearts of people. We just need to go and help make disciples of all nations.

“After this, I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb” Revelations 7:9a.**