Monthly Archives: January 2014

2014 Day 21 – James 4

21 Tuesday Jan 2014

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Do you ever feel like your prayers are bouncing off the ceiling? When we ask God for something we need to really examine our intent behind the request. James 4:3 says, When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. Wrong motives may not always be the reason why God doesn’t answer. Sometime is may just be a “wait” or a “not now”. The key is to remember our purpose in this life, which is to honor and glorify God in all we do. God is not a vending machine where we simply make a deposit and then select our reward. It is about a relationship with God so that He may be glorified and we may be blessed through His glory and service to Him.

2014 Day 20 – James 3

20 Monday Jan 2014

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We must always be a reflection of Christ. Not just in our actions, but by our speech as well. James 3:10-11 says, 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? We should not allow our mouths to reflect two different natures. We can not have the nature of Christ in us and the nature of our imperfection at the same time. None of us are perfect, but we should all strive to be like Christ in our deeds and what comes out of our mouths.

2014 Day 19 – Real Emotion

19 Sunday Jan 2014

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Jeremy Cowart is a world class photographer. I recently started following him on Twitter and a new iPhone app called OKDOTHIS he recently launched. A few days ago he Tweeted about a special moment he had with actor John Schneider (the original “Dukes of Hazard” and “Smallville”) during a photo shoot for a TV show. I was not prepared for what I was about to read. I hope you see why I think this was worth sharing. You never really know what is going in someone’s life at any moment. Click on the link below to read this special blog post:

A Rare Connection: My Photo Shoot with John Schneider

From his website: “Jeremy is a Photographer, Entrepreneur and a Humanitarian. He founded a global photography movement called Help-Portrait and recently launched an iPhone App/Social Network called OKDOTHIS. His goal in life is to use his platform, ideas and creativity to inspire and help others in need. Read his official bio here.”

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.

2014 Day 18 – James 2

18 Saturday Jan 2014

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Doing good is simply not enough. Too many people, including believers, want to work their way into God’s favor. On the other side, simply saying you have faith and choosing to not do anything is just as incomplete. James 2:18-19 says, 18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. Believing in God is the first step, but the journey does not end there. Belief in God gives us the opportunity to know Him and develop a relationship with Him. It is through that relationship where we learn to interact with God and develop our faith through our actions.

2014 Day 17 – James 1

18 Saturday Jan 2014

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Let me apologize for not posting this yesterday. Today I will post both yesterday and today’s reading separately.

Today we begin the book of James. James was the brother of Jesus and a leader of the Jerusalem church. The main purpose of the book was to expose hypocritical practices among believers and teach right Christian behavior.

The book begins with a powerful statement in verses 2-3, 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. While trials are never fun, we are to consider it joy to can use them as an opportunity to learn. God is always with us and He wants to guide us to learning through these trials. It’s not the only way He teaches, but it is effective.

2014 Day 16 – Acts 14

16 Thursday Jan 2014

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The apostles were not afraid to preach the gospel. They were so concerned about being obedient to God that they did not fear the consequences. They experienced every emotion from the people they spoke to; from thinking they were Gods, to stoning them and leaving them for dead. God never promised us an easy road with no curves, bumps, or hills. But He did promise to pick us up, dust us off, heal us if necessary, and continue to walk with us no matter what our circumstances. Trust and obey, that is all God really wants from us.

2014 Day 15 – Acts 13

15 Wednesday Jan 2014

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Today, as we begin Acts 13, the story of the early church shifts from Peter to Paul as the central figure of the book. Paul completes three missionary journeys and ends up imprisoned in Jerusalem, then transported to Rome. The book of Acts will end abruptly showing the history of our faith is not yet complete. It is important to remember that we are part of the ongoing history of the church as God continues to write the story. We should all count it a privilege to be written into His story and be used for His purpose.

2014 Day 14 – Acts 12

14 Tuesday Jan 2014

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In Acts 12 we see that no matter what happens, the spread of the gospel continues. Though we feel at times the spread of God’s word is being stifled or hindered in our present world, God is still moving His message forward and His will is still being accomplished. We must have faith in God’s power and His ability to work through any circumstance. Nothing can stop His perfect plan.

2014 Day 13 – Acts 11

13 Monday Jan 2014

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I find it interesting that this chapter mentions this is the first time the believers are called “Christian”. It is important to remember that the early church was considered a Jewish sect until much later. Our Christian heritage started here.

2014 Day 12 – Thanks Mom (and Dad)!

12 Sunday Jan 2014

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This is a commercial produced by P&G. As I watched it I could not help but find a correlation to how God works in us. No matter how many times we fall, He is right there to pick us up and help us learn from each failure. He loves us and ultimately wants what is best for us.

 

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.