Monthly Archives: March 2013

2013 Day 80 – Self Worth: Where are you?

21 Thursday Mar 2013

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Today for our reflection day, I was inspired by a friend’s blog post that I read this morning to find something that related to our story and how it relates to our relationship with God. I came across this video and thought it was worth sharing. I’ll be honest, I am not sure of its origin and I hope its OK that I have chosen to ignore it in order to look to the message it delivers. In Psalm 139:14-15 it says, 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. This is the importance of the message, that we are made for a purpose and to take part in the wonderful story of God which continues on to eternity. I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think in the comments section below.

 

If you ever come across anything you’d like me to post on this blog, please fee free to contact me at dino.evangelista@gmail.com.

2013 Day 79 – Deuteronomy 1-4, Psalm 40

20 Wednesday Mar 2013

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Today we begin the book of Deuteronomy. Much of this book is a summary of where the Israelites have been. God uses Moses to remind the Israelites of all the blessings He has provided and to encourage them to rededicate their lives to Him. God also uses this book to give assurances to the people that He will be with them as they take possession of the promised land. This is a good reminder to us and we should review all the things God has done in our past to lead us to where we are today. Whether it is good or bad our experiences, blessings, and trials are what have shaped us into who we are today. Be thankful for your past and use it as a reminder of God’s provision for the future.

2013 Day 78 – Galatians 4-6, Psalm 39

19 Tuesday Mar 2013

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Today’s reading was packed with information. We covered the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Which is extremely important for us as believers to understand and allow ourselves to experience as spontaneous works of the Holy Spirit in us. These are character traits found in the nature of Christ that the Spirit produces in us. We then read in Galatians 6:9, Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. When we allow the Spirit to work through us, we are to do it with no expectation of reward. We are to recognize the Spirit working in us and realize there may not be an earthly reward, and yet we are not to grow tired. This is much easier said than done, but if we truly recognize where this comes from, and that our reward is in heaven, we can be more accepting of our reward in the end.

2013 Day 77 – Galatians 1-3, Psalm 38

18 Monday Mar 2013

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Today we begin the book of Galatians. Paul, as the author of this book, was clear in his purpose for writing it, which was to refute the teachings of the Judaizers (who taught that Gentile believers should obey the Jewish law in order to be saved). Paul explains his position in Christ very clearly in Galatians 2:20-21, 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” No matter how hard we may try to fix ourselves by following a bunch of rules, we cannot attain salvation without accepting God’s grace through Christ’s sacrifice. When we try to make ourselves better for God’s acceptance of us, we throw God’s gift back at Him. While we should always strive for righteousness, it is not righteousness that saves us. Righteousness is a product of salvation, not the other way around.

2013 Day 76 – Numbers 34-36, Psalm 37:23-40

17 Sunday Mar 2013

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We finally made it through the Book of Numbers! While it was tedious at times, there was plenty of great information and even some drama and action. Ultimately, the book of Numbers is about provision. Throughout the book, God ensures His people are taken care of; they are fed, protected, and are prepared to take possession of their promised land. The lesson from this book is that God is more concerned with us than we are of ourselves. The moment we realize how much He wants to do what is best for us, the better off we will be. The book of Numbers, along with the rest of the Bible, should remind us of God’s perfect plan for our lives.

2013 Day 75 – Numbers 31-33, Psalm 37:1-22

16 Saturday Mar 2013

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I honestly did not get a lot out of today’s reading, but I did gain more respect for Moses and his relationship with God. God blessed him immensely with the personal relationship they shared. God even went so far as to tell Moses when he would be taken up to heaven. Moses knew, because of a previous disobedient act, that he would not see the promised land, but God still blessed him with the knowledge of where his limits would be. We should all strive to have the same type of close relationship Moses had with God.

2013 Day 74 – Number 28-30, Psalm 36

15 Friday Mar 2013

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The reminder of the importance of our vows in Numbers 30 was very powerful to me this morning. I think we have become a society of “best effort” individuals with a lack of real commitment. We worry more about our personal happiness over making a true commitment to tough it out when things get a little sour. This is not to say there are not reasons to break off relationships at times under the proper circumstances, but I do think there needs to be more of an effort given to things, such as marriage, when we stand before God and make a commitment. Thankfully, I am blessed beyond measure with my wife of 17 years, but I would like to think I would do everything within my power to keep the vows I’ve made to her under any circumstance.

2013 Day 73 – John Piper – Why Memorize Scripture?

14 Thursday Mar 2013

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Today I want to share a short video with John Piper talking about a topic that hits very close to home in convicting me. While I have become very proficient over these last few years at spending time in God’s word every day, I am not good at memorizing His word. This video is a great reminder of why we should be memorizing scripture. I hope you enjoy it. Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.

 

If you ever come across anything you’d like me to post on this blog, please fee free to contact me at dino.evangelista@gmail.com.

2013 Day 72 – Numbers 25-27, Psalms 35

13 Wednesday Mar 2013

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In Psalm 35 you can hear David’s cry for vindication. He is begging God to step in and help him to punish his enemies. This can be very confusing to think it is ok to ask these things of God, but the reality is God is the only one who can step in and judge and punish our enemies. It is never our place to do it. What surprised me was how freely God allowed David to make his petition for exacting revenge. I think this shows that anger is an acceptable emotion, but we must be careful to understand that vengeance is God’s right, not ours.

2013 Day 71 – Numbers 22-24, Psalm 34

12 Tuesday Mar 2013

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You can’t help but laugh a little when you read the interaction between Balaam and his donkey in Numbers 22:28-33, 28 Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?” 29 Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.” 30 The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?” “No,” he said. 31 Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown. 32 The angel of the Lord asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me. 33The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared it.” The lesson for us in this reading is that God will open up our eyes when necessary, but we need to be aware of the way situations open and close for us. When there is a blocked path in front of us and all we want to do is plow through it, we should pay attention to why it is there. We need to trust in God’s leading no matter how much it may not make sense to us.