Ah, Humility! (The Opposite of "Argh, Humiliation!")

It was humbling for me to learn that Elder Julius G graciously mentioned this blog, in his testimony last Sunday, at church. It was made all the more humbling by the fact that I wasn't there to hear it: I was late for church.

Oops.

I dropped the wife and kids off at the front, already late and drove down Arthur Street, gone around the round-about at the very end, drove past the church again from the opposite direction so that I could park at the corner lot across from the barber shop. I managed to hear only the tail end of his testimony. And it wasn't until we were driving back home that my wife told me about it.

I'm quite sure why the LORD made me miss it: it was to keep me humble.

It's quite a challenge to keep me humble. I thought having a failed business and then being retrenched at DisneyToon would've been enough to do the job. But no... I can't imagine how much it would've gone to my head if I had been personally there to hear it. None of this makes me less sorry, though. ("Sorrow-y," I think, is where the word "sorry" came from.)

Many thanks Kuya Julius, and sorry for my being late.

Thankfully, I did not miss any more of the service: Praise God for Rev. Manuel M's message, the encouraging words from Dr. Roger F, the devotion of Rob W and the P&W Team, and of course the tireless Ate Pat C. (Daig pa ang Duracell!)

Heaps of thanks also to Elder Robert V, who has encouraged me to further explore 1) the "inseparability" of God's Grace from His Sovereignty; and 2) the need for saints' to continually grow in our realisation of utter dependency on God, for apart from Him we can do nothing--not half of something; nor 1% or even 0.5% of something: Nothing.

I'll hopefully have more on these, eh, soon. Until then...

Hannah's Prayer from 1 Samuel Chapter 2

1 Then Hannah prayed and said:

"My heart rejoices in the LORD;

in the LORD my horn is lifted high.

My mouth boasts over my enemies,

for I delight in your deliverance.

2 "There is no one holy like the LORD;

there is no one besides you;

there is no Rock like our God.

3 "Do not keep talking so proudly

or let your mouth speak such arrogance,

for the LORD is a God who knows,

and by him deeds are weighed.

4 "The bows of the warriors are broken,

but those who stumbled are armed with strength.

5 Those who were full hire themselves out for food,

but those who were hungry hunger no more.

She who was barren has borne seven children,

but she who has had many sons pines away.

6 "The LORD brings death and makes alive;

he brings down to the grave and raises up.

7 The LORD sends poverty and wealth;

he humbles and he exalts.

8 He raises the poor from the dust

and lifts the needy from the ash heap;

he seats them with princes

and has them inherit a throne of honor.

"For the foundations of the earth are the LORD's;

upon them he has set the world.

9 He will guard the feet of his saints,

but the wicked will be silenced in darkness.

"It is not by strength that one prevails;

10 those who oppose the LORD will be shattered.

He will thunder against them from heaven;

the LORD will judge the ends of the earth.

"He will give strength to his king

and exalt the horn of his anointed."