20 Sunday Apr 2014
Posted in Reflection
Happy Easter! He is RISEN!!!
The Skit Guys always produce some of the most amazing videos. This video does a great job of showing what it is all about. Remember, though Christ died on the cross through grace for our sins, it is all for His glory.
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.
19 Saturday Apr 2014
Posted in Daily Reading
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Today we begin the book of Ephesians. This book is another letter written by Paul to the church at Ephesus and the main purpose of this letter was to encourage and strengthen believers their faith. As I was reading, and since tomorrow is Easter Sunday, Ephesians 1:7-8 stood out to me, 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. The events on Easter give us the redemption and forgiveness of our sins. But there is another part to this passage which was brought on by the resurrection and is mentioned in verse 8; wisdom and understanding, which can only come with the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
18 Friday Apr 2014
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Today we read the relatively short book Philemon. This book is actually a letter written by Paul to Philemon who was probably a wealthy leader of the Colossian church. The purpose of the letter was to try and convince Philemon to accept and forgive his runaway slave, Onesimus, and to hopefully accept him as a brother in Christ. While Paul does not condemn slavery in any of his writings, he does make a bold statement when when he calls Odesimus Philemon’s brother in Christ. No matter what our status in life, whether financial or social, we are all equals in the body of Christ. More importantly, as a body of believers we must be intentional in our acceptance of all people no matter where they are in comparison to us individually.
17 Thursday Apr 2014
Posted in Daily Reading
Today we finish up the book of Acts. While it is strange how the book ends abruptly, it is important to know this book is not the story of Paul, but the story of the spread of the Gospel. The book of Acts deals with the early history of the Christian church and it’s expansion beyond it’s beginnings in Jerusalem. It was not necessary to have an additional book or story written because at the end of Acts the gospel had finally reached the center of government and world trade. From there the Gospel would spread to the rest of the world. Because of these early beginnings, we are the beneficiaries of the sacrifices of these early believers. When things seem difficult or painful, it is important to remember God’s plan is perfect and He sees the bigger picture when we can’t.
16 Wednesday Apr 2014
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Today we read about Paul’s journey to Rome as a prisoner. The story is one of the most suspenseful and interesting in the book of Acts. The use of the pronoun “we” in the first verse of the chapter stood out to me. This indicates Luke, the author of Acts, accompanied Paul on this journey and had a firsthand account of the events described in this chapter. The main theme to me in this chapter was Paul’s leadership. Even though he was a prisoner, he was still a leader in many ways. For starters he was able to warn the centurion who was able to keep the sailors from escaping in the middle of the storm. He was also an encourager to the men on the boat and reassured each of them of their survival. Ultimately, Paul showed us that we can be leaders and influencers even if we are in a position of weakness. As a prisoner, Paul’s status was among the lowest on the ship, but he was still able to lead and influence the positive outcome for everyone on the ship. No matter what our circumstances may be, God can use us for His glory if we simply trust and obey Him in all we do.
15 Tuesday Apr 2014
Posted in Daily Reading
No matter what the timing, Paul’s ultimate goal was to bring people to the saving knowledge of Christ. Paul was not sneaky or coy about it, he simply told the facts and even King Agrippa realized how direct Paul was being. He took every opportunity to preach the gospel no matter what the circumstances may be. Acts 26:29 says, Paul replied, “Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.” Paul knew exactly what he was called to do and he did it at any cost.
14 Monday Apr 2014
Posted in Daily Reading
Today we continue to read about Paul and the Jewish leader’s false accusations to the Roman authorities. While they could not prove any wrongdoing, they were able to create lots of distraction around the truth. This is an example of how the truth gets distorted today. While the truth around the gospel cannot be disproved, distractions around different beliefs and individual sins tend to take us away from what really matters; that God loves us and there is nothing more we can do to deserve His forgiveness than what Christ has already done for us on the cross.
13 Sunday Apr 2014
Posted in Reflection
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I came across this video a few days ago and thought it would be a good reflection post. The story has no direct spiritual message (in fact, it is a life insurance commercial for a company in Thailand), but it shows the power of selfless service to others. While the Thai man in the video is most likely Buddhist, his actions are good example of Christ and how we should show His love to others. I hope you enjoy the video and maybe makes you think.
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.
12 Saturday Apr 2014
Posted in Daily Reading
In Acts 24 we read about Paul’s defense to the Roman governor Felix in regard to the false accusations made by the Jewish leaders. While Paul was unsuccessful in securing a timely release from prison, he was still fully used by God by sharing truths with the Governor during his detainment. Being in those circumstances must have felt daunting at times, but Paul still seized the opportunity to serve God’s purpose. For us, there are times where we feel as though we are in prison because of our circumstances, but these are the times when God has the ability to use us the most if we allow ourselves the be open to His leading in our lives. We must never discount the circumstances that lead us to an opportunity to serve God where we are if we are simply open to His call in our lives.
11 Friday Apr 2014
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In today’s reading we see how much protection God provided to Paul. Even though there was a secret plot to kill him, God provided a way to spare Paul’s life. While we may not always understand God’s plan, as we’ve said many time before, His plan is perfect. Go was not yet finished with Paul’s ministry and He knew there was more to be done. We must always trust in God’s sovereign plan, because He wants us to be a part of it. We just need to trust and obey His leading.
Daily Devotion 