Is God Responsible For Everything That Happens?

 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.  Ephesians 1:11

"There is a divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we will," wrote William Shakespeare some 450 plus years ago.  The Bard of Avon was not new in his contention that God has a will in the affairs of men and women—which puts to rest the idea that things happen by chance or by fate.

Naturally, if there is no God, or if the God of creation turned His back on His work and went back and shut Himself up in Heaven, then fate or chance might have a philosophical basis, but the writers of the New Testament clearly denied the premise that some things "just happen" for the Christian.

If you contend that there is no such thing as chance or fate, does that make God responsible for everything that happens?  Does it make Him vulnerable for your flat tire (especially when your tire is as bald as an eagle's head) or responsible for the typhoon that sweeps across the South China sea?  The Bible does tell us that some things are hard in life as the result of original sin (that is, when Adam and Eve chose their way rather than God's way) and man has to earn his living by the sweat of his brow.  It also means that nature itself is hostile to us, producing typhoons, tornadoes, snow storms and all sorts of related difficulties.

In a very real sense, some of my problems in life are the result of a hereditary flaw that goes back to Adam --just like I can blame my parents for a balding pate and bifocals.  I inherited the tendency or disposition towards these, just as some of life is tough because of the curse from the fall.

At the same time, I recognize some of my problems are the result of my own failure, for which I can blame neither Adam nor my own father.  For instance, you run those tires into the cord and sooner or later (probably sooner) you are going to have a flat tire or a blow-out and probably at the very worst time, say, when you are late to an important appointment or on your way to your daughter's wedding.

For troubles like that, along with marital difficulties, personal failures and a host of other things, we have to accept responsibility.  If there is such a thing as fate, it is the product of our own failures.  However—and it is a big however—the Bible contends that God is still in control.  There is a limit, a boundary which He has drawn beyond which nothing can happen apart from His will.  The irony of the situation is that God often uses evil men as well as difficult circumstances for which He is not responsible to do His will in our lives.

Remember Joseph's brothers who sold him into slavery?  "You meant it for evil," says Joseph to them years later, "but God meant it for good" (Genesis 50:20).  Paul alleged the same thing when he wrote from a prison cell, "The things which have happened to me have resulted in the furtherance or the progress of the Gospel" (Philippians 1:12).

For the child of God there is no such thing as fate, for we belong to our heavenly Father and He has a special will for us.  God's children will walk through the fire and face the flood as well as the heat of battle and the edge of the surgeon's scalpel, but in them all he will not be burned or overcome (Isaiah 43:1- 2).  What a liberating truth!

Resource reading: Ephesians 1:1-23

https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/is-god-responsible-for-everything-that-happens/

ORAS NG HIMALA - DECEMBER 07, 2020

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Duterte proclaims San Jose del Monte as a highly-urbanized city – Bulacan solon

President Rodrigo Duterte has proclaimed San Jose del Monte in Bulacan as a highly-urbanized city, San Jose del Monte Rep. Florida Robes announced on Saturday during the inauguration of the San Jose del Monte Convention Center in Barangay Sapang Palay.

“I am very honored to announce that President Rodrigo Duterte has declared our beloved city a highly-urbanized city,” Robes said.

“We have long waited for this and we will work more to make us truly deserving of this proclamation for the people of San Jose Del Monte,” she added.

According to Robes, Duterte issued Proclamation No. 1057 declaring San Jose Del Monte as a highly-urbanized city “subject to ratification in a plebiscite by qualified voters in the city.”

Robes said the President could declare a city highly-urbanized within 30 days after it had reached a population of 200,000 0r more, as certified by the Philippine Statistics Authority. It should also have an income of at least P50 million as certified by the city treasurer.

San Jose del Monte had achieved both qualifications – as “verified and attested to by the Philippine Statistics Authority and the Department of Finance – Bureau of Local Government Finance, as Duterte pointed out in his proclamation.

Duterte issued the proclamation on the request by the city government through a resolution.

“[I]t is a declared policy of the government to support the initiatives of local governments to attain their fullest development as self-reliant communities, and make them effective partners in the attainment of national goals,” the President stated in the proclamation.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1368691/duterte-proclaims-san-jose-del-monte-as-a-highly-urbanized-city-bulacan-solon

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ABS-CBN, POSIBLENG MAGBALIK HIMPAPAWID NA — ATIENZA

Magbabalik na umano sa himpapawid ang TV network giant na ABS-CBN sa ilalim ng liderato ni House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco.

Ito ang kinumpirma ni House Deputy Speaker at Buhay Partylist Rep. Lito Atienza kasunod na rin ng pagpapalit ng liderato sa Kamara.

Kumpiyansa si Atienza na pagbibigyan muli ni Velasco na makabalik sa plenaryo ang usapin hinggil sa franchise renewal ng ABS-CBN.

I am really confident, justice will prevail by next year. They were maltreated, they were maltreated, they were eventually assassinated, so they should be given justice. Ako, I am just giving the new Speaker time to settle. Hindi naman natin puwedeng biglain, major battle, kauupo lamang niya. But I am not shying away from the responsibility and for the opportunity to come – that I’m working on – para maibalik natin ‘yung floor discussion. Hindi ‘yung special firing squad ang pumataysa ABS-CBN, firing squad eh”, paliwanag ni Atienza kung saan ang firing squad ay ang patukoy sa ginawang pagbasura agad sa komite level ng franchise renewal application ng giant network at hindi na ito na isa lang sa House Plenary.

Magugunitang sa botong 70 pabor, 11 tutol at isang abstain, matagumpay na naibasura ng house committe on legislative franchises ang aplikasyon ng ABS-CBN para mapalawig ang kanilang prangkisa.

Pero ayon kay House Minority Leader at Abang Lingkod Partylist Joseph Stephen Paduano, maaari na muling maghain ng aplikasyon ang ABS – CBN pagpasok ng 2021 alinsunod na rin sa rules ng Kamara.

(UPDATE) Sa isang pulong tungkol sa pagbabalik sa himpapawid ang TV network giant na ABS-CBN, ilan dito:

• Sa "sign-on" at "sign-off" sequences, ang 2013 na bersyon ng Lupang Hinirang na ipinalabas bago mawalan sa ere ang network noong Mayo 5, ipinalit ang digitally remastered and restored version ng 1998 Centennial Version ng National Anthem, kasunod

https://www.dwiz882am.com/index.php/abs-cbn-posibleng-magbalik-himpapawid-na-atienza/

Robes: SJDM proclaimed highly-urbanized city

Rep. Florida “Rida” Robes on Saturday announced the proclamation of San Jose del Monte as a highly-urbanized city by President Rodrigo Duterte,

In her State of the District Address and on the occasion of the inauguration of the City of San Jose Del Monte Convention Center in Barangay Sapang Palay, Robes said the President, through Proclamation No. 1057, declared SJDM as a highly-urbanized city subject to ratification in a plebiscite by qualified voters of the city.

Robes also led the inauguration of the convention center, the first of its kind in the city. She said the modern facility is part of President Duterte’s Build, Build, Build program.

It is expected to promote investment, tourism, culture, education and spur economic growth not just for the city but the whole of Bulacan, according to the SJDM representative.

https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2020/12/06/robes-sjdm-proclaimed-highly-urbanized-city/

San Jose del Monte now a highly-urbanized city – Robes

President Rodrigo Duterte has proclaimed San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan as a highly-urbanized city, according to San Jose Del Monte City Rep. Florida Robes.

The congresswoman made the announcement during the inauguration of the City of San Jose Del Monte Convention Center (CSJDM) in Barangay Sapang Palay.

Robes said that the President, through Proclamation 1057, declared San Jose Del Monte as highly-urbanized city subject to ratification in a plebiscite by qualified voters in the city.

Robes, together with her husband, SJDM Mayor Arthur Robes, also led the inauguration of the CSJDM Convention Center, the first convention center in the city, which is part of Duterte’s Build, Build, Build program.

It is expected to encourage entrepreneurship and give full play to the development of more micro, small and medium enterprises in the city and at the same time attract more investments in commerce and industry to create more jobs.

“I am very honored to announce that President Rodrigo Duterte has declared our beloved city a highly-urbanized city. We have long waited for this and we will work more to make us truly deserving of this proclamation for the people of San Jose Del Monte,” Robes said during the inauguration.

She also delivered her State of the District Address (SODA) to appraise the city of the programs and plans they have been in place to help the city cope with the Covid-19 pandemic and other development projects for the city.

Robes, during her SODA, said the city is on its way to development with the implementation of inclusive, sound and sustainable programs to improve the lives of the people of San Jose Del Monte. “Our end-goal, of course, is to improve the quality of life of the people of San Jose del Monte. We have laid the groundwork for that and we are seeing the fruits of our hard work,” she said.

“We are now a city on the rise and I believe that we can push our city further forward through the help and support of our beloved San Joseno,” Robes said.

https://centralluzon.politics.com.ph/san-jose-del-monte-now-a-highly-urbanized-city-robes/

2007 Southeast Asian Games veterans

Two years after Manila hosted the Southeast Asian Games, A 591-strong Philippine contingent will try to defend the country’s overall crown in the 24th Southeast Asian Games set in three venues in Thailand in December.

Beijing Olympic qualifiers Ryan Arabejo, Miguel Molina and James Walsh of swimming and Tsomlee Go of taekwondo lead the list of Thailand-bound athletes named by the SEAG POC-PSC Task Force yesterday.

Filipino athletes will compete in 44 events in the 10-day sports spectacle opening Dec. 5 at the Nakhon Ratchasima Stadium.

Three hundred fifty-six male and 235 female athletes comprise the delegation which could have their hands full defending the championship they won at home turf in 2005.

Arabejo, Molina and Walsh spearhead the swimming team that includes Daniel Coakley, Nikita Dacera, Ernest Lorenzo Dee, Ronald Guiriba, Kendrick Uy, Denjylie Cordero, Anna Celina Gonzales, Jaclyn Pangilinan, Nicole Santiago and Erica Totten.

Go banners the taekwondo squad including Mike Alejandrino, Alexander Briones, Jeffrey Figueroa, John Paul Lizardo, Ernesto Juan Mendoza, Carlos Jose Padilla, Manuel Rivero, Kathleen Eunice Alora, Kirstie Elaine Alora, Loralie Catalan, Veronica Domingo, Mary Antoinette Rivero, Maria Criselda Roxas, Sabrina Simbulan and Esther Marie Singson.

Doha Asiad gold medalist Joan Tipon leads the 17-strong boxing team that also include Delfin Boholst, Junel Cantancio, Maraon Golez, Joegen Ladon, Wilfredo Lopez, Albert Pabila, Orlando Tacuyan Jr., Junie Tizon, Bill Vicera, Annie Albania, Alice Kate Aparri, Jouvilet Chilem, Annaliza Cruz, Josie Gabuco, Mitchelle Martinez and Renijen Sofla.

The RP Davis Cup team of Cecil Mamiit, Eric Taino, Johnny Arcilla and Patrick John Tierro seeks to sustain its romp in the games. The women’s team is composed of Czarina Mae Arevalo, Maureen Diaz, Denise Dy and Diane Matias.

Basketball, football, futsal, lawn bowls, rugby football submitted names subject to final confirmation.

Curiously, Filipino-Am Alex Crisano, barred in the PBA due to lack of documents, is in the tentative men’s basketball lineup that also includes UAAP MVP winner Jervy Cruz and NCAA recruit Pong Escobal.

The ladies team named 12 players plus two alternates. In the list is US NCAA product Victoria Brick.

Athletics has the largest delegation with 40 followed by softball with 34, futsal and traditional boat race with 28 each, basketball and fencing with 24, baseball 22, football 20, cycling 19, shooting 17, taekwondo 16 and sepak takraw 15.

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ORAS NG HIMALA - DECEMBER 05 2020

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Why Our Tendency To Label People Is Wrong

 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." John 8:7

Philip Yancey tells how he once visited a prison, and observed that the men who were incarcerated there were caged like animals behind doors of steel, but what left the lasting impression on him was that over each door was a sign stamped in large black letters which read: Murderer, Rapist, Armed Robber, Child beater, and on and on.  The strange thing about human nature is that we all try to package and label people, and in so doing, we trap them inside a box as certainly as though we slammed the steel door shut, pinning the sign overhead.  Was that not the same rationale when a sign was affixed to the cross in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew reading, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews"?

There are hundreds of labels: political labels such as Socialist, Communist, Republican, Democrat, Activist, Radical and others.  There are religious labels too: Calvinist, Armenian, Reformed, Dispensationalist, Charismatic, Orthodox, Neo‑ Evangelical, Fundamentalist and a few dozen more. It's almost as though we could take a person, put a label on him, and cram him into a neat little package‑‑usually one which we would just as soon misplace.  There are social labels too‑‑Liar, Cheat, Drunk, Thief, Hooker, Lesbian, Queer, Swinger and so forth.  One mistake or failure‑‑especially if you are not too fond of a person‑‑and he is labeled.

Did you ever hear anyone say, "What else could you expect from him‑‑he's always been a cheat."  I have heard parents try to excuse their children, or rather to single one out from the others, saying, "She always reacts like that...she's been a liar since she was a child...you can never believe what she says."  The tragedy of labels‑‑especially in the social category‑‑is that our labels often tend to produce the kind of behavior we disdain and abhor.  "He's got bad blood in him‑‑gets it from his father's side."  One woman told me this; speaking of her son as though some inherent tendency to do evil had been transmitted genetically.

I am not sure where we homo sapiens got our tendency to label and box other people, but it most certainly was not from Jesus.  In His three years of public ministry Jesus encountered all kinds of people‑‑prostitutes, oppressed minorities, rural fishermen, businessmen, housewives and government officials.  Yet in every case He accepted them on their own merit and received them each as a person of dignity and value, realizing that His power could make each person into a different individual.

To Matthew, Jesus said, "Follow me;" He didn't say, "You filthy tax‑thief, come follow me and I'll straighten you out."  He could have rejected the prostitute at the well of Samaria‑‑after all, others did‑‑but instead He forgave her.  Today's devotional is two‑fold: For you who feel labeled, realize that God forgives you and accepts you as you are now.  He does not demand a do‑it‑yourself improvement program and then take you on after you have succeeded; but rather He says just "Follow me."  When a baby comes into the world, he bears only the label "created in the image of God," and when we come into His presence, God sees no labels, only a child who needs forgiveness and healing from the Father.

The second thing is: be careful how you label and package people. Your label may be an iron‑clad strait‑jacket keeping somebody in the very slot that you disdain. Labels seldom really fit. As Phil Yancey says, "When I meet a person, I can either box him in by labeling or free him up by looking for the person of worth inside. The choice is mine."

Resource reading:  John 4:1-29

https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/why-our-tendency-to-label-people-is-wrong/

Amid back-to-back crises, ABS-CBN thanks artists who ‘chose to stay with us’

ABS-CBN President and CEO Carlo Katigbak opens the ‘Star Magic Shines On’ media event with a speech thanking Kapamilya stars.

At a media event held by the network’s talent agency, fittingly titled “Star Magic Shines On,” ABS-CBN president and CEO Carlo Katigbak and newly appointed Star Magic head Laurenti Dyogi each thanked Kapamilya stars who continue to be part of the company.

The event saw eight current Star Magic artists — Kim Chiu, Jane de Leon, Enchong Dee, JM de Guzman, Andrea Brillantes, Kira Balinger, Joseph Marco, and Robi Domingo — sign exclusive contracts with ABS-CBN.

It also introduced new Star Magic talents — the ABS-CBN-trained P-pop groups BINI and Star Hunt Academy Boys — who similarly inked contracts with the network.

“Ang hirap-hirap po ng taong 2020,” Katigbak said in a speech opening the event. “But ABS-CBN has always been at its best in its most difficult times. This year is no exception.”

Compounding the halt of showbiz due to the coronavirus pandemic, ABS-CBN was denied a fresh broadcast franchise by the Duterte administration, forcing it off free television and radio, and resulting in the retrenchment of thousands of its workers.

“Our commitment to serve the public is the foundation of our company,” Katigbak said. “And so, even without everything that we’re used to, we have not stopped finding new ways to be in the service of the Filipino.”

(From left) Star Magic artists JM de Guzman, Enchong Dee, Kira Balinger, Kim Chiu, Jane de Leon, Andrea Brillantes, Joseph Marco, and Robi Domingo each signed an exclusive contract with ABS-CBN on Friday.

Katigbak then addressed the stars, whom he said “represent ABS-CBN to the world outside.”

“Kayo po ang nagbibigay ng liwanag at ligaya sa ating mga Kapamilya,” he said, referencing the recently released ABS-CBN Christmas ID.

“Thank you for choosing to be part of our mission. Thank you for believing in our company. And thank you for supporting us in our most difficult moments.”

Over the months since ABS-CBN’s free-TV and radio broadcast were forced shut, many of its stars, both homegrown and long-time contract talents, rallied behind the network through social media and by joining demonstrations.

Among them were the eight Star Magic artists who formalized being an exclusive ABS-CBN talent on Friday.

“I hope you believe, as we do, that working in ABS-CBN is not just a career move, it’s not just a job; it’s a calling to serve.”

Newly appointed Star Magic head Laurenti Dyogi welcomes new artists to the talent agency on Friday.

Katigbak ended his message by introducing Dyogi as the new head of Star Magic, succeeding founder Johnny Manahan and Mariole Alberto.

“Thank you to Mr. M and Mariole, Star Magic is known to produce, to hone, and to manage the brightest and most talented stars in Philippine show business,” Dyogi said.

“Today, we continue this legacy and tradition.”

Dyogi, known in showbiz as Direk Lauren following his visible stints as “Star Circle Quest” judge and “Pinoy Big Brother” director, is also head of ABS-CBN’s entertainment production.

“As we welcome new artists to the Star Magic family,” he said, “we also want to express our deepest gratitude to the Star Magic artists chose to stay with us, as we continue to rebuild and explore new opportunities.”

https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/12/04/20/amid-back-to-back-crises-abs-cbn-thanks-artists-who-chose-to-stay-with-us

ORAS NG HIMALA - DECEMBER 04, 2020

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Is There Such A Thing As Fate?

 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  Romans 8:28

Is there such a thing as fate, or is fate simply the whipping-boy of human experience, a catch-all for what we cannot explain?  The Mirriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary defines fate as "that which remains destined to happen."  Our English word comes from the Latin fatum which meant something ordained from the gods.  It grew out of a story from Greek mythology which involves three goddesses.  The first, Clotho, or the Spinner, was supposed to weave the thread of life while the second, Lachesis, or the Disposer of Lots, determined the length of the thread.  It was the third in the trilogy, Atrophos, or the Inflexible One, who allegedly cut the thread of life causing fate to strike its sinister blow.

Today it is common for people to blame fate for all kinds of things over which we have no control, whether it is a bolt of lightning or the assassination of a world leader.  Is there such a thing as fate or chance?  If there is a sovereign God who directs in the affairs of mankind, fate is not a viable option.

The Bible, and in particular the writings of the New Testament, tells us that God intervenes in the affairs of humanity, that all history is moving towards a fixed point of reference when time is absorbed by eternity and life as we know it comes to an end.  But what of our personal affairs?  How emphatic is God's intervention in the everyday affairs of life and living?

First, the New Testament says it is not Atropos or fate who cuts the thread of life.  Hebrews 9:27 (KJV) says, "It is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment."  Paul addressed the issue of fate for the child of God when he wrote to believers at Ephesus saying that God " works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will," (Ephesians 1:11).  The book of Romans says very clearly there is no fate for the child of God who walks according to his Father's will.  Remember the comforting words, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).

Sounds good, right?  But does it translate into life when things go wrong?  Is God likewise responsible for wrong things as well?  When something happens which doesn't quite fit into the scheme of things as I think it should, I ask three questions:

Question #1:  "Is Satan opposing me?"  And there are times when clearly he has hindered the work of God.  If Satan hindered Paul from coming to the Thessalonians when he wanted to do so, why shouldn't he be able to hinder us today?

Question #2:  Has God allowed this difficulty as discipline in my life to bring me back into his will?"  (Please make a note of Proverbs 3 and Hebrews 12, which tell us it is because God loves us that He disciplines us just as a father does his children.)

Question #3:  "Is this simply a combination of circumstances which are the result of the fact that Satan has cursed our Earth, for which there isn't any particular deep spiritual significance—say, a flat tire or an appliance which has worn out?"  Naturally these irritations try our patience, but I can't really see the intervention of either God or the devil in some things, though God can use everything to shape us and bring our lives into conformity with His plan.

How did you answer that question, "Is there such a thing as fate?"  For God's children, the will of the Father rules out chance, fate, or even luck.   That's a fact.

Resource reading: Romans 8:19-39

https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/is-there-such-a-thing-as-fate/

ORAS NG HIMALA - DECEMBER 03 2020

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