19 Saturday Oct 2013
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I love reading John’s words in 1 John 5:5, Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. By believing that Jesus is the Son of God we overcome this world through His saving power and grace. While obedience is rarely easy, we can rely on the fact that Jesus saves us and allows us to conquer the destructive power of this world.
18 Friday Oct 2013
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Today we begin the first letter of John the Apostle. The letter was written to no church in particular, but to all Christians to encourage them in their faith and to counter false witnesses. It was written around 85-90 AD.
One of the false lies we like to tell ourselves is that we do not have sin as bad as the next guy. The truth is our sin, in God’s eyes, is the same no matter how big or how small. In 1 John 1:8 it says, If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Let us not deceive ourselves or think we are deceiving others, including God, with our own delusional perceptions of our righteousness. None of us can claim to be better than anyone else. Our only boast is in the knowledge of Christ’s saving grace.
Another thought from today’s reading comes from 1 John 3:18 where it says Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. We can say kind words and tell those around us how much we love them, but if our actions do not match what we say, it is meaningless. I have heard it said many times, Love is a verb. Let us love others with our actions instead of our prideful words.
17 Thursday Oct 2013
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God is God! He created us and brought our lives into existence. Who are we to question His sovereign will for our lives and the lives of those around us. Isaiah 29:16 says, You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, “You did not make me”? Can the pot say to the potter, “You know nothing”? Our job is to obey and be available for His calling on our lives. He ultimately has what is best for us in His mind. We must trust that even if it is not in this lifetime, His will, in the end, will save us. Lamentations 3:22-23 says it best, 22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. God’s faithfulness never fails. It is our faith in Him that we should be concerned with most.
16 Wednesday Oct 2013
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Today we begin the book of Lamentations. The author is Jeremiah and it was written shortly after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians along with the killing, torture, and captivity of the people of Israel. The purpose of the book is to teach people that disobedience only leads to disaster. It also shows how much God suffers when His people suffer.
15 Tuesday Oct 2013
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Today we finish up the book of Jeremiah. While it has not been an easy book to read, we must remember this book is not just about God’s judgement, but about God’s control over everything. When we think the whole world is falling apart around us, we must acknowledge that God is not surprised by any of it.
It is also important to realize that Jeremiah was unsuccessful in the eyes of everyone around him. He prophesied the destruction of the nation of Israel and yet no one listened to him. But in the end, his prophesies came true and he did exactly what God asked him to do. While the world’s definition of success may not show our lives as successful, we must look to God and His definition of success for our lives.
14 Monday Oct 2013
Posted in Reflection
For today’s reflection post, I wanted to share a video about Theologian Dwight Peterson and the power of shared faith as a community of believers. Unfortunately, I am unable to embed the video, so I have to share the link for the page where it exists.
http://www.theworkofthepeople.com/losing-my-faith
The following is the synopsis about this video: Theologian Dwight Peterson on the story of the healing of the paralytic in Mark 2 and how others hold our faith when we don’t have any and doubt is prevailing. Dwight has been on hospice (at home) since July 16, 2012, due to deterioration and infection of his hips and pelvis, secondary to the paraplegia he has lived with since 1979. Hospice is for people who are probably in the last six months of life, so no one expected Dwight to still be around now. We’re glad he is.
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.
13 Sunday Oct 2013
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Even though there is punishment for sin, God still mourns when it happens. In Jeremiah 48:36, God shows sorrow (lament) for Moab “So my heart laments for Moab like the music of a pipe; it laments like a pipe for the people of Kir Hareseth. The wealth they acquired is gone.” God’s desire is not to punish us, but he is just and requires righteousness. We can rest assured it breaks His heart to see us suffer. His desire for us is to live a life of peace.
12 Saturday Oct 2013
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The people of Judah failed to learn from their mistakes, which in turn, assured they would fail again. In Jeremiah 44:9-10 it says, 9 Have you forgotten the wickedness committed by your ancestors and by the kings and queens of Judah and the wickedness committed by you and your wives in the land of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem? 10 To this day they have not humbled themselves or shown reverence, nor have they followed my law and the decrees I set before you and your ancestors. When we fail to learn lessons from our failures, we risk repeating our mistakes. Your past is your school of experience. Let your past mistakes point you to God and His righteous path.
11 Friday Oct 2013
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10 Thursday Oct 2013
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No wonder Judah was in so much turmoil. The king basically listened to everyone and agreed with everyone. First he listens to Jeremiah, then he listens to officials about killing Jeremiah, then he rescues Jeremiah. Jeremiah 38:4-5 said, Then the officials said to the king, “This man should be put to death. He is discouraging the soldiers who are left in this city, as well as all the people, by the things he is saying to them. This man is not seeking the good of these people but their ruin.” 5 “He is in your hands,” King Zedekiah answered. “The king can do nothing to oppose you.” When we have issues to resolve there is only one voice we should listen to. It is the voice of God through the Holy Spirit. Sometimes the voice is not perfectly clear, but if we do not ask for direction and truly listen for an answer, we will never know what God really wants us to do.
Daily Devotion 