God's Plan for You: A Future of Success Filled with Hope

3^rd MONTHLY STUDENTS’ FELLOWSHIP

The Fisher Valley College

C5 Annex Campus

Taguig City

22 August 2011 (Monday)

10:00am-12:00nn

SPEAKER: Marlon B. Raquel, Faculty Member

TOPIC: GOD’S PLAN FOR YOU: A FUTURE OF SUCCESS FILLED WITH HOPE

VERSE:  Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” -NIV

“I will bless you with a future filled with hope – a future of success, not of suffering.” –CEV

“Ako lamang ang nakaaalam ng mga panukalang inihahanda ko para sa ikabubuti ninyo, at para dulutan kayo ng pag-asa sa hinaharap.” –TPV

MAIN POINTS:

1. There is a presence of relationship between God and you.

When we talk of relationship, we always think of two persons understanding each other. You cannot share sensitive things to a person unless he or she is your friend, a trusted friend. Likewise, parents of our friends cannot make plans for our future. It is only our parents who think and plan for our success in the future. So when God tells you that He has plans for you, be joyful! It means that God considers you as His son or daughter. Are there times you feel like no one cares for you? Are there times when you realize that no one understands you as you go to bed? And as you leave your home, you always think that your life is going nowhere? My friend, you are one of the most privileged individuals in the world. God is speaking to you right now. He talks to you because you are important to Him. God is fully aware that there is a relationship that exists between you and Him, therefore, you must also realize that this relationship entitles you to confide to God your deepest secrets, your happy moments with your friends, your frustrations with your mother who always nags at you, or your frustrations with your studies.   Your relationship with the Lord is the most important thing you can have in this ephemeral world.

      

2. God prepares plans for you. He thinks of your future.

                God is the Lord not just in the ancient times, not just today, but of the future as well. Being his child entitles you of many benefits. It is Him Who plans for your future. God designs the blueprint to which we must follow. A captain of a ship has a compass which guides him as his ship sails in the seas. A tourist has a map which shows directions of different places. Likewise, God’s plan is your roadmap to success. No matter how you exert all your efforts doing everything to achieve success in life, if you put God aside, that would be meaningless. It is comforting to know that there is someone who is thinking of your future.

I remember few years ago when I was in my fourth year in high school, my father told me that I wouldn’t be able to enter college because of financial difficulties. I could not accept what I heard from him. I knew from my heart that my father wanted me to get a college degree but he couldn’t help me. That was the time when I started to attend Bible studies conducted in my boarding house and I started to hear the word of the Lord for the first time in my life. So I said, “Lord, if you really exist and that you really know the needs of my family, you will not forget me. You will let me enter college and get a college degree.” Alas, God heard my prayers! I had encountered a lot of trials and problems as a student but that did not hinder me from achieving my dreams. There were countless school days when I attended my classes without taking breakfasts. I deliberately skipped lunch meals just to save several pesos which I would eventually use for photocopies of my readings. It was a sacrifice but I constantly held on to the promise of God that “He will never leave me nor forsake me.” You can do the same. Why should you believe? Because God says so, and when He says a promise, I am confident that He will going to fulfil that in your life. God thinks of your future and makes plans for it. It is up to you to materialize it. It is true that God thinks and plans for our future but He needs your cooperation. Would you willing to help God fulfil His promises in your life?         

3. God’s plans are made to prosper you and give you hope in life.

                When a child asks for bread, would a parent give him a snake? No. There is no parent in this world that would do that unless the parent is crazy enough. Your parent’s plans for you are for your own good. They are designed for your success. If you question your parents, come to think of this: Why are you here in the first place? It is because your parents think of your future, plan for your future, and give you a chance to experience the goodness of life. This is exactly what God does for us. His plans are made for your prosperity, not to harm you. By making sacrifices in your studies in this institution, you are making your parents happy. Make your mama and your papa proud.    

CONCLUSION:

               

                Life is not easy in this world, no matter how we relate well with our friends and neighbours. What God promised is that every time we feel the burden and it seems that we cannot hold it any longer, He is there to carry that burden and yes, even us, He can carry. Remember the story of the footsteps in the sand.

We are who we are today because of the choices we have made in the past. We will become who will be in the future because of the choices we will make today. If we are clear with ourselves that we are students of God, then there is nothing to worry. Just as we are able to confidently share our happy moments and frustrations with our best friends without condemnation, we can share to God whatever we would like to tell Him. He has magnificent plans for our lives. These plans are made to prosper us. He is thinking for our future – the very hope of our lives.

Let us help ourselves realize these plans. If you enjoy being absent in classes or you always cut classes, stop that. Do not give your parents and your professors a headache. If you feel the urge to cheat during quizzes and exams, you better straighten yourself up. It’s better to get zero with a clear conscience than getting a perfect score by using evil means. If you see yourself as a useless man or woman, common, get your mirror and look at the reflection in the mirror. Tell yourself this way, “I am a precious creation of the perfect hands of the Lord. God is preparing for my bright future filled with hope. I will survive. I can overcome whatever onslaughts this life may bring. With God, I will soar above my dreams and expectations.”

               

And soon, we will realize how sweet it is to live.

--http://kingsrebel.blogspot.com--

When unexplainable sadness overtakes you

You're longing for something. You're looking for something you don't have. You miss someone. You think of your past experiences. You begin to ask. What on earth am I here for? You couldn't grasp meaningful thoughts and feelings about yourself but loneliness, shame, and guilt. You don't understand what's going on. You're groping in the dark. Your heart may not be totally numb, but you start to think nothing, feel nothing, do nothing.

People are people - complete with five human senses to comprehend almost everything. You have all the faculties necessary to be able to survive in this world and act rational things. You eat and sleep; you go to school and work; you attend religious obligations; you date with your boyfriend/girlfriend; you talk to your neighbors and friends; you interact with members of your family. Yet you still feel that you lack something - something that even yourself could not understand. You actually don't know what it is but the longing, real as it is, is there. There's a hole inside your heart that needs to be filled in with something. Unexplainable sadness overtakes you. Because of your quest to fill this emptiness in your heart, you begin to dig your wells. At the end of the day, you still feel your life is incomplete. Why? Why? Why? But no one seems to answer.

ANG ELEVATOR AT ANG HAGDAN

Bob Ong's Books

“Parang elevator lang yan eh, bakit mo ipagsisiksikan 'yong sarili mo kung walang pwesto para sa'yo. Eh meron namang hagdan, ayaw mo lang pansinin.” --BOB ONG--

Si Bob Ong na siguro ang pinakapaborito kong manunulat na Pilipino pagdating sa tema ng kakwelahan at kung papano nya inilalarawan ang araw-araw na pamumuhay ng karaniwang Pilipino. Ang pinakaunang libro ni Bob Ong na nabasa ko ay yong iniregalo sa akin ni Kuya Tata, kaibigan ko sa Davao. Salamat, Kuya Tata! Yong title ng libro ay ABNKKBSNPLAko?! na sinulat noong 2001. Actually, wala akong ibang libro ni Bob Ong kundi ito lang, hehehe, pero balak kong bumili ng kumpletong set. Pitong libro na ang nasusulat ni Bong Ong, yong pinakahuli ay ung Kapitan Sino, published this year lang.

Anyway, isa sa mga sinabi ni Bob Ong ay yong sinulat ko sa taas. “Parang elevator lang yan eh, bakit mo ipagsisiksikan 'yong sarili mo kung walang pwesto para sa'yo. Eh meron namang hagdan, ayaw mo lang pansinin.” Napakasimple yong sinabi niya ngunit puno ito ng makahulugang interpretasyon. Sa literature, natutunan ko na maaari mong i-interpret ang isang pyesa in at least two ways. Yong una ay yong literal na lebel ng interpretasyon at yong pangalawa ay ung tinatawag na metaphorical. Ito ang ginamit ni Bob Ong para maisalarawan niya ang lugar ng isang tao sa buhay ng iba.

Maaaring ang tinutukoy ni Bob Ong sa sinabi niya ay patungkol sa relasyon ng dalawa o mahigit pang tao. It could refer to a love triangle, pwede ring love rectangle, o di naman kaya love pentangle. Hehehehe. Person A loves Person B, but Person B loves Person C and Person C loves Person B reciprocally. And here is Person D na may lihim na pagtingin naman kay Person A. Person A is doing everything para lang mapansin ni B but to no avail. Nakatali ang puso ni B kay C. On the other hand, D has these gestures and small kinds of deeds for A pero wa epek ito sa kanya. Argumento ni Bob Ong, bakit kailangang ipagsiksikan ni A yong sarili niya sa relasyon nina B and C? Katangahan lamang ito. Bakit hindi niya pansinin si D gayong alam naman niya na may gusto ito sa kanya? Si D ang hagdang katabi lamang ng elevator na gustong sakyan ni A ngunit puno na ito at hindi na maaari pang gamitin. Masalimuot na mga relasyon ngunit nangyayari sa totoong buhay. It causes grief to both A and D. Mga pusong unti-unting dinudurog, nagbibigay ng sobrang sakit sa puso at isip.

Kaya't sumasang-ayon ako sa argumento ni Bob Ong na huwag mo nang ipagsiksikan ang sarili mo kung wala ka nang puwang sa puso ng isang tao. Masakit ngunit kailangan mong tanggapin na 'ang buhay ay weather-weather lang.' Ayon ito kay Kuya Kim. Ibaling mo ang iyong atensyon sa iba. Malay mo, ginto pala ang nasa kaliwa mo. Ayaw mo lang pansinin. At yong kinahuhumalingan mo sa kanan ay bronze lang pala, di ba?

Alam mo bang maaari din itong mangyari sa magkakaibigan?
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NEXT ARTICLE: 

INDAY JOKES PART 2

LIFE IS NOT ALL ABOUT GOOD THINGS

Life is not all about good things. Sometimes (and for others, this may happen often time) we are being "harrassed" with problems and circumstances that lead us to discouragement. We should never expect to live without worries. The main fact is we are living in a fallen world.


But this doesn't mean we will never experience good things. It is up to us to reach the things we've been dreaming for. The future is for us. It belongs to us.
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NEXT ARTICLE:

ARE YOU UNLOVABLE?

Some people are lovable
while others are not.
And one possibility exists:
I may not be a lovable person to you.

--The King's Rebel--

When can we say that a particular person is unlovable, and when can say that s/he is not? Is there any standard in which we could base our measurement? Or is there such a thing as measuring the extent of "un/lovable-ness" of a person? These are just some questions many of us would want to ponder especially by those people who are emotionally charged at almost all times.

It is my personal perception that some people are simply not lovable in relation to the people around them. Sometimes, we just wander why we don't feel good towards other people even if they haven't done wrong against us. We may be selective in friends whom we want to hang out with. I am saying this because I have experienced it and sometimes, you know, history repeats itself.

Perhaps, this is just a matter of self-perception. From the viewpoint of person who sees himself/herself as 'unlovable', focusing on other things and making ourselves busy will somehow shift his/her way of thinking from the issue. This may be temporary but it can be of help.

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NEXT ARTICLE:

ISOLATION OR NOT?

We can't understand ourselves in isolation;
we must relate ourselves to the totality of things.
It is only in this setting of total relationship
that the true significance and meaning
of your own life can be found.

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NEXT ARTICLE:

PRINCIPLES IN LOVING
--The King's Rebel--

PRINCIPLES IN LOVING

1. Love should always be mutual, i.e., give-and-take relationship. Wag magpakamartir. If you feel that your partner doesn't love you the way you love him/her, you better check your relationship immediately. There must be something wrong.


2. Don't give too much--too much of your love. Reserve energy for yourself so that in the end you will not be hurt. Remember: too much of everything is dangerous.
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BAD TRIP DAYS