2014 Day 256 – Matthew 3

13 Saturday Sep 2014

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We all allow distractions to pull us away from God’s true purpose for our lives. John the Baptist is one of the most impressive characters in the Bible to me personally. Through his singularity of mind and discipline, he was able to fulfill God’s plan exactly as He intended. John the Baptist was not distracted and was always focused on God’s plan for his life, never wavering away, right up until his death. John knew his part and even questioned his worthiness to baptize Jesus. In Matthew 3:14 John tries to talk Jesus out of it, “I need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?”. Even so, in his humility, John consented to Jesus’ command.

This is a powerful example for us in a couple of ways: 1) We allow too many distractions that take our focus away from completely serving God and fulfilling His purpose in and through our lives. 2) Even though we feel unworthy to participate in God’s great purpose, He can always use us if we are simply willing to follow His lead.

2014 Day 255 – Luke 2

12 Friday Sep 2014

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Today we continue to read about the early life of Jesus in Luke 2. As I read this chapter I could not help but think about how interesting it was that Jesus’ earthly parents were repeatedly astonished by all that happened around Him. But then I reminded myself that I do the same thing. As much as I read the Bible and understand who God is more and more each day, I am still surprised when He comes through for me. It should come as a no-brainer that God loves me and wants nothing but what is best for me according to His will. Praise God for that!

2014 Day 254 – Matthew 2

11 Thursday Sep 2014

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What struck me in today’s reading is the number of times prophecy was fulfilled. Three different times in this chapter Matthew identifies things that were mentioned hundreds of years before. First, where the Messiah would be born, which Matthew quoted from Micah 5:2. Second, was the fulfillment of the killing of children from Jeremiah 31:15 Then third, though the Old Testament prophets never specifically said “Nazarene”, scholars believe Matthew is referring to Isaiah 11:1 where the Hebrew word for “branch” is similar to the word Nazarene or maybe he is referring to a prophecy which is not recorded in the Bible. None the less, Matthew paints the picture of Jesus as the true Messiah, announced by God through the prophets, who came from humble beginnings just as the Old Testament predicted.

2014 Day 253 – Matthew 1

10 Wednesday Sep 2014

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Today we continue the chronological view of the Gospel of Christ in Matthew 1. What struck me was the perfect genealogical balance from Abraham to David to exile in Babylon to Jesus, which is laid out in Matthew 1:17, Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, Fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ. It is often difficult to see God’s plan when we are in the middle of the journey, but when we look back, we are able to see more clearly the orchestration of God’s plan. We must trust God as He leads us through this life and know we are part of His perfect plan.

2014 Day 252 – Luke 1

09 Tuesday Sep 2014

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Today we begin to read the story of Jesus Christ in chronological order through the Gospels. From now through the last day of the year, we will skip throughout the different books of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) as we cover Christ’s birth through His crucifixion and resurrection.

We begin this journey in Luke chapter 1 with the incredible account of all God prepared for the coming of the Messiah. The most powerful verse to me in today’s reading is Luke 1:37, For nothing is impossible with God. From Elizabeth becoming pregnant with John the Baptist in her old age, to Mary’s virgin pregnancy, God was able to orchestrate His plan which ultimately leads to the perfect sacrifice for the atonement of our sins.

I hope you enjoy the journey over the next 3 1/2 months as we read the story of our Savior Jesus Christ.

2014 Day 251 – Psalm 136

08 Monday Sep 2014

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Psalm 136 sums up the story of God’s love for His people. Bottom line… His love endures forever.” God’s love contains aspects of love, kindness, mercy, and faithfulness. His love is a well that will never run dry.

2014 Day 250 – Alice Cooper

07 Sunday Sep 2014

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I grew up listening to hard rock and Alice Cooper was always a guilty pleasure. While I enjoyed his music, it always felt weird to listen to him because it seemed so far from the influences I should allow in my life. A few years ago I heard Alice Cooper was a believer and my first though was, “what? How?”. But then it became clear to me that God can change anyone. Turns out that Alice Cooper grew up in a Christian home and is a great example of the “prodigal son”. I hope you enjoy this video for our reflection day.

 

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 249 – Psalm 118

06 Saturday Sep 2014

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God’s love is greater than anything we could ever experience. Love from another human being pales in comparison to the great love He has for us. Psalm 118:1 says, Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. We must always remember to be thankful for the love He has and the fact that His love will never end. God wants nothing but what is best for us. Even when things are at their worst, His plan is perfect.

2014 Day 248 – Psalm 137

05 Friday Sep 2014

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In todays reading we are in Psalm 137. The overall chapter comes from the weeping of the people in captivity and while no one verse specifically jumped out at me, this reading reminded me of how difficult it can be to find joy when we are going through struggles. However, God is still in control even when everything feels completely out of control. God never promised to make it easy, but He did promise to never leave us.

2014 Day 247 – Psalm 84

04 Thursday Sep 2014

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Psalm 84:10, Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. We have all heard these lyrics written by Matt Redman sung a hundred times by other Christian artists and in worship at our churches. This verse reminds us that being in God’s presence is more important than anything we could ever want or imagine. Let us all invest our time and energy in the things that matter instead of the things that leave us empty and longing for more.