21 Wednesday Aug 2013
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I saw this video yesterday and I though I would share it. It features an audio excerpt in the middle by John Piper talking about how nothing we experience in this life is meaningless. Everything we do and experience is meaningful and has purpose. I hope you enjoy it. Tomorrow we will begin reading the book of Ezra.
If you ever come across anything you’d like me to post on this blog, please feel free to contact me at dino.evangelista@gmail.com.
20 Tuesday Aug 2013
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Life is hard. Paul talks about all the pain and suffering he experienced as he worked to deliver the message of salvation. But Christ gave him comfort through His words in 2 Corinthians 12:9, But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. God’s grace is sufficient through His power to comfort us through any hardship, pain, and suffering we may experience. Peace is something we should strive for through Christ, but it is not always easy to attain. We have to let go and allow God to take the burdens away from us.
19 Monday Aug 2013
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Jesus, as the Son of God, was rich beyond measure. However, He humbled Himself for our sake. Paul describes this in 2 Corinthians 8:9, For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. Christ became poor when He became human. But by becoming poor, He made us rich with eternal life and salvation from the consequences of our sin. Praise Him for that!
18 Sunday Aug 2013
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In 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, Paul tells us, while we think we may be at the end of our rope, we are never at the end of our hope in God, 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. God never abandons us no matter how alone we may feel.
17 Saturday Aug 2013
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Today we start the book of 2 Corinthians. Verse 15 stood out to me, For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. What a great description of what we are supposed to be, an aroma to both the saved and unsaved. To the saved we to be a sweet aroma of like-mindedness and encouragement in the body of Christ. And to those who choose to reject Christ we will probably smell foul. Too often we try to make ourselves more appealing to the unsaved. It is not our job to make ourselves into anything more than what Christ has done to us and for us. We are simply to point people to Christ and be a reflection of Him; that is all. It is up to them to accept or reject His saving grace.
16 Friday Aug 2013
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Today we read the book of Obadiah. There is not much know about the man Obadiah, but his name means “servant (or worshiper) of the Lord”. The book is written to show that God judges those who harm His people. In this case, it is the Edomites who have been harassing the Jews. This shows us that while God will judge those who harm us in His timing, He will judge. We must be patient and wait on God’s timing because His timing and plan are perfect.
15 Thursday Aug 2013
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Today we finished up our reading through 2 Chronicles. After continued disobedience by the Israelites, God finally allowed the Israelites to be placed in captivity by the Babylonians. Everything they had and held sacred was taken from them. This is a lesson to us all. God does not inflict harm on us out of spite. But there comes a time when God allows the consequences of our sin to take over. We must be mindful of the consequences of our sin and turn away and look to God before it catches up to us. It is never easy, but it is what we must do.
14 Wednesday Aug 2013
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For today’s reflection, I came across another Francis Chan video that I think you will enjoy. In this one, he talks about how much we underestimate God. We have no real reference point to know God’s true self, power, and potential. Hope you enjoy it. Tomorrow we will return to our read and finish up 2 Chronicles.
If you ever come across anything you’d like me to post on this blog, please feel free to contact me at dino.evangelista@gmail.com.
13 Tuesday Aug 2013
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Psalm 109:21 is a very interesting verse, But you, Sovereign Lord, help me for your name’s sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me. The note in my Bible for this verse says the following: “A name is more than a label; it is a representation of character and reputation.” David is pleading with God to live up to His name. “For your name’s sake”, means to live in accordance with His character of both love and mercy. It is ok to plead with God for something. It is ok to call God to act in accordance with His character. Don’t be afraid to have authentic conversations with God. We will know our relationship with Him is maturing when we begin to ask as many questions as we ask for favors and requests.
12 Monday Aug 2013
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In today’s reading, Psalm 108:3-4 stood out to me, 3 I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. 4 For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. In this Psalm, David is painting a picture of how great God’s love truly is. When we think of something reaching to the sky, its an easy concept because of modern technology with planes and rockets. In David’s time, reaching for the sky was something great and difficult to conceptualize. David is describing love on a very grand scale. How can we paint the picture of God’s great love to us? What are the things that point to a love that is so grand it is difficult to describe?
Daily Devotion 