Declaring His Devoted Tenderness, Exalting Jesus

God Bless the Philippines

Bro. Eddie Villanueva

Peace and blessings to all!

If there is one love that can be the closest approximation of the love of God here on earth, I would say it is the love of parents. And because this month is when we celebrate motherhood, I would like to especially honor them who wake up the earliest and sleep the latest, who squeeze in caring for the house, the children, and the husband while working, and who make the most comforting meals and hugs and advice: our mothers.

Because even while I myself am a father—and a father who wants nothing but the best for his children—I would have no hesitations in saying that it is our ‘ilaw ng tahanan’ who makes our house a home. Because no matter how strong a father one may try to become, he still needs the warmth that comes from a mother’s heart.

Therefore, this May, remember to thank God for the life of your mother, your wife (if you have one), and, even, those women who inspire and encourage you. Show them how you appreciate them—their outer and inner beauty, their efforts and sacrifices, their whole person. Finally, give them gifts and tokens, bring them to a restaurant, treat them to a vacation, or, simply, say “I love you.”

Because, for all their selfless love, efforts, and sacrifices, our mothers and wives deserve these—and more. As Proverbs 31:31 has put it, “Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.” This, even when we are certain that they do all those out of sheer love, without expecting anything in return.

In the same way, as we honor our dear mothers, let us also take the time to pay tribute to the mother in whose lands we are rooted: our Inang Bayan.

As this month is also election month, and as this national election seems to be one of the most crucial and controversial in our country’s history, I believe that now more than ever should we, Christians, fulfill our role of standing in the gap between God and the Philippines. In the words of British-Irish statesman Edmund Burke, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

What should we do, then? 2 Chronicles 7:14 says let us humble ourselves and pray. Therefore, let us pray for a clean and honest elections. Let us pray for peace and unity to prevail. Let us pray for the right people to be elected. Finally, let us pray that, in the end, it is God and our country who will be declared the real champions.

Moreover, aside from praying, let us also cast our vote—for God and country. This is our role as Christian citizens. More than a right, this is our responsibility.

Finally, let us not forget to honor the mother in whose riches we have found air, water, food, and more: our Inang Kalikasan.

Because we are not just citizens of the Philippines, we are inhabitants of our planet Earth. It is one of God’s wonderful creations—and He gifted it to us. But we must also remember that He entrusted it in our care.

Therefore, it is our obligation to preserve our environment, even in actions as simple as disposing our waste properly, conserving water, protecting and caring for animals, lessening the use of harmful chemicals and substances, preserving energy, or using alternative energy sources.

If we would watch the television or read the news, we would see the many repercussions neglecting the environment has caused us: floods, pollution, depletion of the ozone layer, global warming, and so much more. Let us not wait for that day when this earth we inhabit is destroyed beyond salvage. This is the littlest we can do to say thank you to God who created this world.

In the end, be it our mothers, our country, or our environment, it really is all about that one word we have been mentioning: HONOR. This is the best we could do to the mother who bore us in her womb, the mother who took us in her soil, and the mother who nurtured us in her bosom.

Shalom! Shalom!

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