Praying the Jabez Prayer

The day before Valentine's Day, I was listening to Bruce Wilkinson speaking on the Jabez Prayer. Convinced, I prayed the Jabez Prayer. I haven't prayed this in a very long time; over 3 years to be exact. The Jabez prayer sounds very selfish because of it's focus--"Me" and "My". Yet, Jabez was more honorable than his brothers because of what he prayer for. With a pure motive, I prayed that God would bless me a lot!

On Valentine's Day I took my wife for a dinner. Our friends from church, Allyn and Regie, were kind enough to take the kids home for sleepover. It's kind a give-and-take scenario as the night before, their daughter was at our house for sleepover as well. The point is that such relationship bring blessings one way or another. 

Levi's shirt received after service.

On Sunday after service at PPC, a Filipino couple opened their bag and began selling clothes. There's a shirt I wanted to buy but it was already taken. Allyn, who just bought two shirts gave me one of hers for free. I said, "Thank You." While having our lunch, I got a call from Allyn and was told that Regie, her husband will be bringing something to the house. In few minutes, Regie came and brought one big Bangus (milk fish), cookies, seasoning, and spaghetti sauce. I said, Thank you." Yesterday, I made sinigang na bangus for lunch. There are lots of Bangus in my country but not in Cambodia. This is the first time we've eaten sinigang na baggus in Cambodia in 11 years. 

Stuff received. Unfortunately, I didn't take a photo of the bangus

On Sunday evening, my family and I went to a birthday party. After the party, someone gave us a lift home. I said, "Thank You."

Yesterday at around 5:00 in the afternoon, Seyla Phorn, one of the men from our dorm who just returned from home recently, brought 19.5 kilos of rice. This would last for two to three months. I said, "Thank you."

At 6:00 PM as I was preparing to cook rice I realized that our rice bucket is empty. Had the young man didn't bring rice I would have nothing to cook that night. 

Empty rice bucket.

19.5 Kilos received.

While I was as putting the rice in the bucket, it dawned on me. Didn't I just prayed the Jabez Prayer lately; that God would bless me a lot?

I understand that materials things do not define blessings exclusively. Blessings come in many forms. It could be health, spiritual insights, relationships, peace, and many other things. But these last two days, God had blessed me materially, and blessed me a lot! 

I have the feeling that His blessings will flow continually in many other forms in the days to come. 

Principles for Finding Your True Love

The majority of PPCers are singles; about 90 percent, I'd say. Thus on February 15, I started a teaching series on Biblical Principles for Finding True Love. True love is for life not for a season. It is true love only if it results in marriage. Love that does not result in marriage is not true love. Singleness is a good thing and does not mean you should get married if you don't want to. Some people say that celibacy is a gift, but I found that it is mostly a choice. If you are reading this and not married, the tendency is because you've chosen not to. You could have been married long time ago had you chose to marry just anybody. You didn't because you have some ideals, the kind of person you are looking for. The only exception of course when nobody pursued you or courted you and that's why you have no option other than being single. 

In this series I am covering what I call the P.E.A.C.E Principle based on a 3 love stories in the Old Testament, namely, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachel, Boaz and Ruth. These principles are simple and easy to remember.

P-The Principle of Providence
E-The Principle of Exposure
A-The Principle of Attraction
C-The Principle of Compatibility
E-The Principle of Endurance. 

As I began to meditate on the passage and also on the principles, I thought maybe I should write a booklet based on these principles.