In an effort to reflect on the importance of faith and obedience to God, Manny Pacquiao, the Filipino world champion boxer and politician, is touring the Holy Land along with his wife, Jinkee Pacquiao.
During his four-week trip to Israel, the 36-year-old fighter has shared several pictures on social media revealing how the experience has affected his faith.
In an image posted on Instagram on Thursday, Pacquiao is shown sitting in an area that was once visited by Jesus Christ.
"Sitting in the place where Jesus taught the people everyday. Reminding me that we must be faithful and obedient to Him and enable us to be save," (SIC) he captioned the photo.
"We must follow Him thats how we can really say we believe God. John 8:47 [47] Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."
In another image, Pacquiao visits Capharnaum, known as "the town of Jesus," along with the Mt. of Beatitudes where Jesus delivered the sermon on the mount.
"Nice to be in the Mt. of Beatitudes and Capharnaum the town of Jesus, to know more about God ..., " Pacquiao wrote before quoting Scripture. "Luke 8:10 NIV[10] He said, 'The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.'"
On Friday, the fighter posted another photo, this time with his tour guide: "Thank you Lord for allowing us to enjoy this time and for our tour guide @beholdisrael," he captioned the image.
Pacquiao, who is the only pugilist to have won ten world championship belts in eight weight divisions, often speaks openly about his Christian faith - even naming his youngest son "Israel" after the Holy Land.
"Jinkee, myself and our family, our four other children, thank God for the safe delivery of baby Israel, who we hope to raise as a good Christian, having been named after the Holy Land, which is the birth place of our Lord Jesus Christ," Pacquiao said on the night of the boy's birth last May. "Like our four other children, baby Israel will be well taken care of, and, as he reaches his school years, will be enrolled in top notch schools so he will become a good citizen of our beloved country and an asset to society."
"Definitely, baby Israel will be an additional inspiration for Jinkee and myself to further serve our people as government servants and Christianity as servants of our faith," he added.
As reported by the Gospel Herald, Pacquiao decided to forego doctors and rehabilitation programs after undergoing surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff last May in order to rely on God and the sea for healing.
"I'm fine. It's God's work," Pacquiao told The Philippine Star of his recovery process last summer. "I never saw a doctor. I never did rehab. All I did was to swim in the sea as often as I could. The salt water healed my wound."
Eric Pineda, Pacquiao's business manager, also credited the fighter's faith for his miraculous progress only a few months after surgery.
"Manny has strong faith," Pineda told The Philippine Star. "God did it. And all that swimming in the sea helped. Now, there's talk of his comeback fight."
