Monthly Archives: February 2016

2016 Day 40 – Mark 9

09 Tuesday Feb 2016

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It is never a question of Jesus’ ability to do anything, it is a question of will. When the man asked Jesus to heal his son, he asked Jesus “if you can’. In Mark 9:23 Jesus replies to the man, “‘If you can’?”  Jesus said. “Everything is possible for him who believes.” Jesus can do anything, without exception. But we must always remember it has to be a part of God’s will. We must look to be within the will of God and then we will see if the desires of our heart lines up with His.

2016 Day 39 – Matthew 17

08 Monday Feb 2016

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In today’s reading Matthew 17:22-23 stood out to me because of the Disciple’s limited understanding of why Jesus came, 22 When the disciples came together in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. 23 They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief. The disciples were upset because they did not want Jesus to be betrayed or to suffer, but they missed the bugger picture of the resurrection. Jesus came to earth for one reason and that was to save us. Jesus did this in the most difficult of circumstances, but He did it anyway because He loved us all so much.

2016 Day 38 – Reflection Day

07 Sunday Feb 2016

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Hope everyone has a great day of reflection and worship. This is a great day to catch up on reading and spending time with family and friends.

Be thinking about Lent this week, which starts this Wednesday, February 10th and runs until Easter Sunday, March 27th. While some would argue there is no direct Biblical basis for Lent, I have found it to be a great way of making more room for God by giving something up for 40 days and allowing something much better in my life. This is just something to consider and by no means a directive.

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.

2016 Day 37 – Luke 9

06 Saturday Feb 2016

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When we choose to follow Jesus, we must be singularly minded on Him. Luke 9:62 says, Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the Kingdom of God.” You cannot move forward in a relationship with God and worry about what you left behind.

2016 Day 36 – Mark 8

05 Friday Feb 2016

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Nothing, including our own lives, compares to what we gain with Christ. In Mark 8:35 Jesus says, For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. Holding onto this life does nothing for us. What we gain from it is temporary and, in the end, it all burns. The only things that matter is what we do that impacts eternity and the Kingdom of God.

2016 Day 35 – Matthew 16

04 Thursday Feb 2016

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Jesus was concerned with His disciples, as He is with us today, about their willingness to follow Him in both the good and bad times. Matthew 16:24 says, Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” When Jesus talked about taking up their cross, the disciples knew what he was talking about. Crucifixion was a common form of execution in Roman times and the accused were forced to carry their crosses to the execution site. Being willing to follow Jesus requires our willingness to show everyone who we are and what we believe until the very end.

2016 Day 34 – Mark 7

03 Wednesday Feb 2016

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We have a tendency to become very caught up in what we absorb into out bodies. This goes for physical, mental , and spiritual consumption. But in Mark 7:15 Jesus says what comes out of us is what matters, “Nothing outside a man can make him ‘unclean’ by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him ‘unclean.'” This doesn’t mean we can take in anything we want because it will affect what comes out. But in the end, what comes out of us is what ultimately matters. If friendship make us angry, then we need to let go of the relationship. This goes for anything we allow in and in turn can’t control what comes out.

2016 Day 33 – Matthew 15

02 Tuesday Feb 2016

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In Jesus’ day the Gentiles, right or wrong, they were considered no more likely than dogs to receive God’s blessing. In today’s reading a Canaanite woman (Gentile) came asking for a miracle from Jesus. Matthew 15:25-28 was their interaction, 25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. 26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.” 27  “Yes, Lord,” she said, “but even dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” 28 Then Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour. While this interaction may seem very derogatory, it was the view at the time. But the woman was willing to take her perceived status in the society for the sake of healing her daughter. For us, we are no more than dogs in comparison to what God expects us to be. But when we humble ourselves and realize we deserve little more than crumbs off the Master’s table, we receive so much more.

2016 Day 32 – John 6

01 Monday Feb 2016

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Jesus talked a lot about the “Bread of Life” today. Most of the religious leaders and people in general had a hard time understanding what Jesus meant by this. In John 6:27 Jesus says, “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” It was hard to grasp what Jesus was saying because most of them thought He was speaking literally. But Jesus was talking about the sacrifice of His life to provide eternal life for all of us. We simply have to believe and accept His gift of His life as the sacrifice that gives us “food that endures to eternity”.