Dear friends,

There were 7 of us that traveled on May 27, 2017 from Banga, Aklan to Iloilo City via Jamindan, Capiz. In a downhill area outside Lambunao, our vehicle suddenly shuddered. I thought it was a flat tire. Upon closer inspection, I saw that out of the five bolts, only two bolts remained that attached the left rear tire. Two were broken, and one was disfigured. It was only by the mercies of God that we did not have an accident. The vehicle also broke down in an area where there is a nearby auto shop, and a motorcycle driver who helped us find the spare parts.

In this ordeal, one statement repeatedly popped in my head — “Be rest assured.” That phrase reminded me that what is promised by God will surely be fulfilled.

In relation to the Ascension Day celebration the other day (40 days after Resurrection Day), what can we learn about the assurance of the Scriptures that Jesus will come again.

What does it mean to be REST assured?

R – Ready ourselves for the coming of the Lord. Ready or not, Jesus will come again. We do not know the dates nor should we speculate about it. Our attitude is that we must always be ready.

E – Expect the coming of the Lord with joy and not with fear. Although Jesus will be a judge when He comes again, let us not dread it. It should be a joy to give an account of ourselves. You will only be afraid if you are doing evil things.

S – Serve the Lord through the church while waiting. We must not be idle while waiting. Jesus told His disciples before He ascended that they must be His witnesses to the whole world. This is our mission too. We must use our God-given gifts in spreading the Gospel.

T – Trust in the promises of God for He is faithful and just to fulfill it. We can rest from our fears and worries because we are rest assured of God’s faithfulness. Our near-accident experience taught us that we can be confident of God+s assurances.

May God bless us all!

Sincerely,

Rev. Francis Neil G. Jalando-on
Acting Director
Office of Communications
Central Philippine University