Thursday, August 12, 2021
This Is How To Find Comfort In The Midst of Crisis
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their struggling. Psalm 46:1-3
A few years ago, when Planet Jupiter took a hit by a comet which left a crater larger than our own planet, people began to wonder, “Could the same thing happen to Planet Earth right here?” Others, though more pragmatic, said, “Forget Jupiter. I’m getting direct hits right now that make the chances of getting swept into space by a stray comet seem nothing!”
They say, “My marriage has taken a hit!”
“My health has taken a hit!”
“My job is about to play out on me, and I don’t know how I can feed my family!”
Forget the comet from outer space; it’s space in which I live which has gotten dangerous. Our space is crowded by disasters waiting to happen. How do you get through the problem which faces you now? Having never been at the bottom of a 100-foot well, I can’t tell you this with certainty, but I’ve heard that someone at the bottom of a well can actually see stars in the daytime. But I do know one thing for sure. If I were at the bottom of a well, I wouldn’t be interested in astronomy, I’d be more concerned with getting out of the well.
We tend to think of space as “something out there” when our problems are personal, up-close, right-here sorts of things—the challenges we go to bed with and get up with, and wrestle with in the long hours. They’re the things that cause our hearts to cry out, “God, where are you when I need help?”
Scores of people can say, “My life was in shambles, and I called out to God. He touched my life and met me at the point of my pain.” But some say, “Maybe that works for them, but I don’t know if it would work for me.”
For centuries people thought that way. Then a babe was born in Bethlehem. It was no ordinary birth, and no ordinary child. In His youth, He astonished the learned intellectuals of His day. He did what no other one has ever done as He healed the sick with a word, and commanded evil spirits to depart. He brought healing and joy wherever He went. Eventually, He upset the religious “status quo” and was crucified just as the prophets of old had foretold.
Death could not keep Him. He rose again the third day, and it was this act—without precedent or repetition—that set Him aside from all others who ever lived. Jesus Christ was the link between a loving, Almighty God and the pain and need of my personal life.
What He did validates everything that the writers of this grand and glorious book, the Bible, say about my pain and my need in relation to God.
The bottom line, simply put, is that what happens to you is of concern to God, and you have two choices: 1. Struggle with your own life—which inevitably ends in failure, or 2. Surrender your heart to Him who loves you and can put the broken pieces together again. No matter what kind of a hit you have taken, there is help and hope. He still says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
There is refuge in the Almighty. It’s the only solution to some of the unplanned and unexpected challenges of life. Three thousand years ago the Psalmist wrote, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear…” (Psalm 46:1-2). It’s still true today. He is your refuge and strength. Flee to Him!
Resource reading: Psalm 46:1-11
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/this-is-how-to-find-comfort-in-the-midst-of-crisis/
Olympic athletes, coaches receive total of P40.5M from MVPSF
The country's triumphant Olympians and their coaches have already received incentives from the MVP Sports Foundation (MVPSF), an amount totaling to P40.5 million.
Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, the first Filipino to win an Olympic gold medal, has already received her P10-million incentive while silver medalists Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam received P5 million. Bronze medalists Eumir Marcial received P2 million.
The incentives were released to the athletes two days after the Tokyo Games were closed.
"It's a breakthrough and a milestone event for Philippine sports, as we've had our best medal haul, including our first-ever gold," said MVPSF chairman Manny V. Pangilinan.
"It is only right for the nation and the athletes to celebrate what has been achieved," he added.
Also receiving rewards were the victors' coaches, with the MVPSF allotting P11 million for them.
"The MVPSF knows that it takes a village to win a medal in the Olympics. It takes combined efforts from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), and the private sector to help our athletes succeed," said MVPSF president Al Panlilio.
"The coaches also sacrificed as they were away from their families as much as the athletes so they should also be compensated for their athletes' success," he added.
The 15 Filipino Olympians who did not win medals will receive P500,000 each, with the MVPSF releasing P7.5 million to the POC through its president, Rep. Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino.
Pangilinan stressed that the work continues as the country is now looking forward to sustaining the athletes' gains in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Before the next Summer Olympics, they will also compete in the world championships of their respective sports, as well as the Southeast Asian Games and Asian Games.
"Once the celebration settles, we go back to work," said Pangilinan.
"Much more will be expected from us in Paris," added Ricky Vargas, member of the MVPSF Board of Trustees and the president of the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP).
"After giving our athletes enough time to celebrate and rest, the athletes will be preparing for the upcoming Southeast Asian Games and the Asian Games," Vargas added.
The cash incentives were given to the Olympic athletes and coaches net of taxes.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/08/12/21/olympic-athletes-coaches-get-p405m-from-mvp-foundation
Sakto | Teleradyo (12 August 2021)
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