My Rock Foundation
Dearest Father, thank You for the word that You have planted in me and is able to save my soul. As written in the Gospel Antiphon today.
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Today's Readings
First Reading: Genesis 2: 18-25
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 128: 1-2, 3, 4-5
Alleluia: James 1: 21bc
Gospel: Mark 7: 24-30
Reading 1, Genesis 2:18-25
Genesis 2:18-25 GNBDK
[18] Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to live alone. I will make a suitable companion to help him.”
[19] So he took some soil from the ground and formed all the animals and all the birds. Then he brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and that is how they all got their names.
[20] So the man named all the birds and all the animals; but not one of them was a suitable companion to help him.
[21] Then the LORD God made the man fall into a deep sleep, and while he was sleeping, he took out one of the man's ribs and closed up the flesh.
[22] He formed a woman out of the rib and brought her to him.
[23] Then the man said, “At last, here is one of my own kind — Bone taken from my bone, and flesh from my flesh. ‘Woman’ is her name because she was taken out of man.”
[24] That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united with his wife, and they become one.
[25] The man and the woman were both naked, but they were not embarrassed.
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 128:1-2, 3, 4-5
R. (see 1a) Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Blessed are you who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways! For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork; blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the recesses of your home; Your children like olive plants around your table.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Behold, thus is the man blessed who fears the LORD. The LORD bless you from Zion: may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Alleluia
James 1:21bc
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you
and is able to save your souls.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel, Mark 7:24-30
Mark 7:24-30 GNBDK
[24] Then Jesus left and went away to the territory near the city of Tyre. He went into a house and did not want anyone to know he was there, but he could not stay hidden.
[25] A woman, whose daughter had an evil spirit in her, heard about Jesus and came to him at once and fell at his feet.
[26] The woman was a Gentile, born in the region of Phoenicia in Syria. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.
[27] But Jesus answered, “Let us first feed the children. It isn't right to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs.”
[28] “Sir,” she answered, “even the dogs under the table eat the children's leftovers!”
[29] So Jesus said to her, “Because of that answer, go back home, where you will find that the demon has gone out of your daughter!”
[30] She went home and found her child lying on the bed; the demon had indeed gone out of her.
Dearest Father,
Thank You for the word that You have planted in me and is able to save my soul. As written in the Gospel Antiphon today.
James 1:21c GNBDK
Submit to God and accept the word that he plants in your hearts, which is able to save you.
Your Word has been my guiding principle since I've come to know You as my personal Lord and Savior, Jesus.
I've learned to base all my major decisions in life based on Your Word.
As Jennie’s (of Blackpink) song Mantra said:
This them words I'm living by.
And indeed, Your words - this them words I'm living by.
The very first time I felt the Lord spoke to me through His word was in college. I wasn't even following Him personally then.
I was a freshman bored in class. I didn’t want to listen to my boring teacher, so I looked for something I could read instead.
I didn't find anything in my bag so I took out the bible that I had only because it was a requirement in my Religious Education class.
I cut open the bible and where did my eyes land?
Proverbs 23:12 GNBDK
[12] Pay attention to your teacher and learn all you can.
So I returned my Bible to my bag and paid attention to my teacher.
I'm amazed how God seemed to know what I was doing and told me exactly what to do.
When I gave my life to God, I began to hunger for His word.
I read teen Christian magazines and I was quite amazed that in every advice they gave about living life, they always refer to verses in the Bible.
I didn't know that the words of Scriptures could really guide your life and living.
I started buying a daily reflection guide for Catholics every year. It was called Didache.
It's pretty much a reflection guide from the Daily Catholic Mass Readings. Like what I'm doing here in SpeakChrist Diaries.
I would read it everyday and reflect on the words that powerfully spoke to me, writing them in my journal like a love note to my Father in Heaven.
I didn't know it then but I was establishing Pillar 3 of the RichLife in Christ - Rock Foundation.
Your words, Father, really became the words I’m living by.
When praying whether or not I should go work and live abroad as a nurse, You gave this word:
Isaiah 8:11-13 GNBDK
[11] With his great power the LORD warned me not to follow the path which the people were following. He said, [12] “Do not join in the schemes of the people and do not be afraid of the things that they fear. [13] Remember that I, the LORD Almighty, am holy; I am the one you must fear.
At that time, nursing was very popular in my country and people expected a nurse to go abroad to work there so they could earn much.
In fact, that's exactly why I became a nurse so it's easy for me to go work and then live abroad.
So while most of my classmates and friends went abroad, I stayed behind, attracting the ire of my papa who did not speak to me for 6 months.
But I was stepping out in faith to follow Jesus and His words.
I learned that it takes courage to follow what He says but following Him really brings in blessings without compare.
Fast forward 20 some years and my father got his double heart bypass and abdominal aneurysm repair surgery that would have caused us 2 million for 50% off and his team of surgical doctors that would have caused 300k for free just because I was a nurse in one of the top 3 hospitals in the city where the Lord led me to work years before and it was easy to have him enrolled in our charity program.
When I was looking to buy my very own place to live in the city and it seemed impossible for me to have one because I only had 15k per month salary, the Lord gave me this word:
Genesis 28:13 GNBDK
[13] And there was the LORD standing beside him. “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham and Isaac,” he said. “I will give to you and to your descendants this land on which you are lying.
After months of trying to look for my own house and lot, with a lot of mistakes and we even lost thousands when a real estate deal failed, I surrendered everything to the Lord with the assurance from this word that God will give me my own land.
Soon after, I had lunch together with a colleague of mine who, it turned out was also a part-time real estate agent. She suddenly shared with me that there was a newly opened condo for sale, ready for occupancy, if I was interested.
A condo wasn't even on my radar then cause I was looking for a house and lot, plus I believed condos were more expensive. But I felt an excitement in my spirit so we went to check it out.
It was just enough for me who's single and living alone with enough space for my family to come visit and stay every once in a while.
3 months later, I was staying there and it had been mine for 9 years now.
It was the same condo that got foreclosed recently and I won back through miraculous ways just because God said in His word:
Job 22:28 AMP
[28] You will also decide and decree a thing, and it will be established for you; And the light [of God’s favor] will shine upon your ways.
Your Word had guided me and still keep on guiding me.
For a time, I felt I was bisexual and was drawn and attracted to both men and women but leaning more on women.
I dreamed of being married to someone, but for a time I dreamt of that someone being the woman of my dreams.
I know what God says about only a man and a woman being in a romantic relationship.
I just figured that God is a loving Father and will not punish His child because the child fell in love with the wrong gender.
I even claimed this verse, in the Responsorial Psalm today, for my future family:
Psalms 128:3 GNBDK
[3] Your wife will be like a fruitful vine in your home, and your children will be like young olive trees round your table.
But I've long surrendered this desire to God.
I want a relationship that glorifies God and if it should be a man and a woman as His word says in the first reading, so be it.
Genesis 2:18, 22-24 GNBDK
[18] Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to live alone. I will make a suitable companion to help him.”
[22] He formed a woman out of the rib and brought her to him. [23] Then the man said, “At last, here is one of my own kind — Bone taken from my bone, and flesh from my flesh. ‘Woman’ is her name because she was taken out of man.” [24] That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united with his wife, and they become one.
Why complicate life? Being with a woman and building a family is so much more complicated than having it naturally with a man as God intended.
I know God will help me guard my heart and will not let me fall in love with anyone that he did not intend for me, be they a man or a woman.
My mama believes that I'm too old to get married.
But one of the promises of God that I'm holding on to regarding my desire of having a family is this:
Hebrews 6:14 TPT
[14] So he said, “Have no doubt, I promise to bless you over and over, and give you a son and multiply you without measure!”
How clear is that?
Even in my “old age” (turning 50 this year), I will have a son just because God said so!
I also claim this for my spiritual family, the RichLife Club that I'm now starting to build. I claim 1.3 million this year and eventually, at least 1 billion people living the RichLife in Christ, now and forever, with me, everyday.
Because why not? You said You will multiply me without measure.
This is how I've always operated in life. I stand on the word of God no matter what my circumstances are or what the people around me say.
And I've always proven that God is faithful and will always do what He says, doesn't matter how long it takes for what I'm claiming to manifest.
His word is my Rock Foundation.
When my parents were building our house, my papa was so angry that the engineer used up 200k of his budget, just for the foundation!
But the engineer was not intimated. He said I needed the foundation of this house to be deep and strong so it would not easily break. His name and reputation were on the line and he would not build something with a weak foundation!
That's how important our Rock Foundation is.
If you want to go as high as God wants you to go, you must dig deep in your foundation towards bedrock, like a skyscraper.
Jesus is our Rock Foundation. Dig deep in your relationship with Him by knowing Him in His word.
Build this pillar and you will not easily break with the pressures of life, and you will never get swayed by the flawed and changing opinions of the world.
That's why I started SpeakChrist Diaries. To help you start and get going with the word of God every day.
One of the things Jesus showed me about having my impossible dreams and living the rich life in Christ is to remain in Him and let His words remain in me.
I was walking one day and imagining my big impossible dreams.
I knew they were impossible but when I was about to feel despair, telling Jesus, will these really happen, Lord?
I came upon a white delivery truck with this big red bold verse printed in front: John 15:7.
I hurried to the Blessed Sacrament so I could search for the verse from my bible app on my phone.
It says:
John 15:7 NASB2020
[7] If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
Wow. It's like being given a blank check!
I can just ask whatever I want or wish and it will be done for me.
I don't have to work for it. It will be done for me.
I only have to remain in Christ and His words remain in me.
That's why I've memorized most of God's promises given to me. So that I can just murmur it whenever I can especially when doubts arise. This way, His words remain in me and I naturally remain in Him.
Then I'm assured everything I want is already done for me.
Thank You, Father, for my Rock Foundation that is Jesus Christ and Your word.
I know I can take Your word to the bank, so to speak.
Do in me what You must in order to do through me what You will.
I love You.
So build this Rock Foundation, Pillar 3 of the RichLife Playbook, if you want to live the rich life in Christ, now and forever. I show people how to implement it in the RichLife Club. Join me.
Live the rich life in Christ today:
Jesus is the Word that God plants in your heart and is able to save you.
He is Your Rock Foundation.
Build your life in Him.
Accept Jesus, the Living Word, as your Rock Foundation.
You'll never be shaken.
James 1:21c GNBDK
Submit to God and accept the word that he plants in your hearts, which is able to save you.
Now Your Turn
(Questions to ask yourself when scripture journaling)
What verses spoke to me strongly and powerfully from the scripture readings?
What is God saying to me in these verse or verses?
What does God want me to do today?
Journal prompts of the day:
Is Jesus, the Word of God, your Rock foundation?
How will you start building your Rock foundation?
Will you start living your life according to the Word of God?
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