2014 Day 26 – Never Stop Growing

26 Sunday Jan 2014

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I saw this picture yesterday and I just needed to post it. You see, I have been waiting on God to show me what I need in order to be truly happy. I keep looking for what I need in my life to reach the place where God can bless me and use me fully. The truth is captured in the picture below; we never reach the top and we never stop learning and growing. It is all about the continuous relationship building we have with God. Instead of being frustrated in that thought, I should celebrate that God will always give me more.
Growing-Dailid

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 25 – Galatians 1

25 Saturday Jan 2014

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Today we begin the book of Galatians. This book was written by Paul and is meant to refute teachings to the Galatian gentiles that they must follow Jewish law in order to be saved, calling all believers to faith and freedom in Christ. Galatians 1:10 says, Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. Paul would not have gone through all he had if he simply wanted to please men. Life was easier when Paul lived for the approval of Jewish leaders and did not have to face their persecution. When we seek God’s approval we must be prepared to face the disapproval of man. We see it today even in the way other believer sometimes disapprove of each other. Our obedience to Christ is not meant to be understood by anyone else but Him. Our reward comes from God and not by the approval of men.

2014 Day 24 – Acts 16

24 Friday Jan 2014

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In today’s reading, as we see God with Paul and Silas in prison, we see Him reassuring them that He is capable of releasing them from their pain and suffering whenever He chooses to act. This is such a great reminder to me. God can release me from my pain and my suffering whenever He wants. He does not leave me in my pain for His pleasure, but in all things God must be glorified. Paul and Silas were released ultimately for God’s glory and not simply to comfort them, though in the end God was glorified and these men were released, justified, and cared for by God.

2014 Day 23 – Acts 15

23 Thursday Jan 2014

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It is interesting to read about the things the early church struggled with. Especially whether to following the law or not. It is interesting because we still struggle with the same issue. As a modern church we still try to emphasize working to become more like Christ. Christ does not want us to change first, He wants a relationship that changes us. We must remember to keep this in the right order.

2014 Day 22 – James 5

22 Wednesday Jan 2014

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Patience is tough. Waiting on someone else’s timing can be excruciating. But when we wait on God’s timing it is always worth it. James 5:7 uses a great analogy, Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. Just as a farmer knows the wait will  be worth it, so should we know how much better God’s timing is than ours.

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.