21 Saturday Mar 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
No matter how out of control our lives may feel, God has it all under control. In John 14:1 Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me.” When we place our trust in God and our Lord and Savior Jesus, our path is secure. We are simply told to trust and obey.
20 Friday Mar 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
Tags
I love reading the Gospel of John. There is a certain intimacy between John and Jesus that you do not sense in the other Gospels. John is self-described as “The one who Jesus loved”. In John 13:23-25 we see the interaction between Peter, John, and Jesus, 23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. 24 Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.” 25 Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?” While Peter was not one to be timid about speaking his mind, he knew how close John was to Jesus (almost like the favorite child), so he asked John to ask the hard question of Jesus. The relationship that John has with Jesus is an example of what I want with Jesus; someone who is not afraid to lean on Jesus and know He has all the answers and loves me wholeheartedly regardless.
19 Thursday Mar 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
In today’s reading one of the things that struck me was during Jesus’ arrest, when a disciples cut the ear off one of the men in the crowd and Jesus healed the man. He did this in front of all the men in the crowd. You would think these men would recognize who Jesus was based on this alone, but they still proceeded to arrest Him. This was not an accident and was done to fulfill God’s ultimate plan. God’s will does not always lead down the easy path, but it is still perfect. We must trust His will and know His plan has a purpose that impacts the entire Kingdom, not just our personal existence.
18 Wednesday Mar 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
One of the things I love reading is how Jesus was both man and God. Jesus knew His role and purpose, yet He did not look forward to His human suffering. You can hear these two forces as He prayed to God in Mark 14:36, “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” God never promised our lives would be easy, but He did promise our lives would be fulfilling if we follow Him. We must all remember this life is simply a moment in the light of eternity. Living it to the fullest will not always be easy, but we have the opportunity to impact the world greatly if we listen and are willing to be used by Him.
17 Tuesday Mar 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
Jesus never denied who He was or the fact that He was the Son of God. In Matthew 26:64 he says to the religious leaders, “Yes it is as you say,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” By this, Jesus declared His royalty in no uncertain terms. By calling Himself the Son of Man, Jesus claimed to be the Messiah and knew His declaration would cause His death. Even so, Jesus was calm, courageous, and determined to do what He had set out to do; to be the Savior of the world.
16 Monday Mar 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
Serving God is more than just praying and reading His word, it is about being available to be used by Him to impact others and reflect the love of Christ. In Matthew 25:35-36 Jesus speaks about how it should be when we see Him at the end of our earthly existence, 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. We all hope these are the things Jesus will say when we see Him at the end of our life. When we look at others, we should see them as if they are Christ Himself and treat them accordingly. What are we doing today to make this a reality?
15 Sunday Mar 2015
Posted in Reflection
Tags
I came across this video last week while I was watching “CBS Sunday Morning”. It struck me as so special that two men wanted to make a difference in the world in what some would call a small way. But to one man, it made all the difference in the world. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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.
14 Saturday Mar 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
Jesus has been around since the beginning. And while we all tend to focus on the destruction of morals in our society, we forget this is no surprise to the creator of the universe. When this world burns away, He will still exist and be unchanged by any of it. In Matthew 24:35 Jesus says, Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. You cannot change the truth. You can try to deny or ignore it, but truth remains forever.
13 Friday Mar 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
I think many believers spend too much time worrying about Christ’s second coming. While I am not saying it’s not important, what I am trying to say is that it is more important to focus on reflecting Christ’s love for others more than warning them about condemnation. In Mark 13:33 Jesus is clear about what He feels is important, Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. Notice the emphasis on being on guard and alert. Some people think this means we should use all our energy looking for signs, but I believe Jesus is talking about focusing on being obedient to what God has called us to do; Love God and love others.
12 Thursday Mar 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
Tags
Jesus has been here since the beginning and He is not going anywhere. Luke 21:33 says, Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. No matter how hard things become for us, there is one thing we will always be able to count on; God’s presence in our lives. This life as we know it will be long gone but God will be around forever. This is a great reminder that good and bad days will come, but there is always tomorrow and God is always there.
Daily Devotion 