2014 Day 266 – Luke 3

23 Tuesday Sep 2014

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I just realized I doubled last week’s reading with this week, so that means we are reading last week’s chapters again this week. Good thing these chapters are filled with information we can learn from.

This time around in Luke 3, the last sentence in verse 16 stood out to me, He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Baptism with fire symbolizes the work of the Holy Spirit in bringing God’s judgement on those who refuse to repent. While God offers salvation freely, He does require us to repent and realize we cannot do it without His saving grace.

2014 Day 265 – Mark 1

22 Monday Sep 2014

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It is always so comforting to read about Jesus’ compassion and how willing He was to love and heal the brokenness in people. Mark 1:41 shows a great example of this, Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Just like the man with leprosy, Jesus never turns His back on any of us. He is always there standing by our side and never leaving us. We are the ones who fail to recognize His presence and willingness to be there for us.

2014 Day 264 – Derek Jeter

21 Sunday Sep 2014

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Most people who know me know I am a huge New York Yankees fan. I was born in New York City and have loved the Yankees my whole life. While I know the attached video is not a spiritual one, it shows Derek Jeter, who is retiring this year, as a man and player who is highly respected by anyone and everyone who loves baseball no matter how you feel about the Yankees. God can change any man or woman to be more like Him. And it takes special people like Derek Jeter to be examples of what it means to be a good man. I don’t know where Derek Jeter is spiritually, but I thank God that He puts men like him to show others what it means to be good. I hope you enjoy the video. #Jeter #Re2pect

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 263 – John 1

20 Saturday Sep 2014

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Today we read about John’s account of the start of Jesus’ ministry. What stood out to me the most was the first two verses, John 1:1-2 says, 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. What struck me is how John makes a point to show Christ’s deity by saying He was there in the beginning with God. It shows Jesus as both fully human and fully God. Pretty amazing when you sit down and let it sink in.

2014 Day 262 – Luke 5

19 Friday Sep 2014

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In today’s reading there is a lot of great information. The big thing that always stand out to me in Luke 5 is verses 31 and 32, 31 Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” The Pharisees, like many modern day Christian elite, thought the Messiah was coming for them only. God sent Jesus for people who recognize how broken they really are. No one, no matter how long you walk with Jesus, is perfect. We all need God’s grace and forgiveness for our sinful nature on a constant basis. I saw a sign the other day on social media that said, “God does not remember the sin in our lives we cannot forget.” Praise Him for that!

2014 Day 261 – Luke 4 – 1,000th Post!!!

18 Thursday Sep 2014

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Today is our 1,000th post. We have posted every day for almost three years and it has been a blessing to know there are people who follow along and get something out of reading God’s word together. A special thanks goes out to Brian Manning who helped start this endeavor and to Sarah Muncell who helped push through a big part of these posts. Here’s to the next 1,000!

For today’s reading, we see the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in His hometown of Nazareth. But even Jesus was not accepted in His hometown. Luke 4:24 says, “I tell you the truth,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown.” Don’t be surprised when the people who are closest to you do not understand how God is changing and working in your life. Just be faithful to God’s call and obedient to His commands and He will be glorified.

2014 Day 260 – Matthew 4

17 Wednesday Sep 2014

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For today’s reading, I found it interesting and surprising to see Jesus being tempted by Satan. We have to assume the devil knew Jesus was the Son of God, but somehow believed he could convince Jesus to give into temptation due to His weakened human physical condition caused by fasting and praying for 40 days. Ultimately I believe Jesus allowed Himself to be tempted as an example for us. Temptation is around us every moment of every day and we are faced with the choice to either fight temptation on our own or look to the one who knows exactly what we are experiencing each day. God never leave us alone to face our struggles, but we must look to Him to find the strength we need to conquer them.

2014 Day 259 – Luke 3

16 Tuesday Sep 2014

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As we read today’s passages in Luke 3, we once again we see John the Baptist working through his singular mission of preparing the way for Jesus. John was so focused that he never minced words and when asked a question, he answered directly. When he saw a wrong, including Herod for taking his own brother’s wife, John did not hesitate to expose the truth even though it would eventually cost his life. Part of obedience is taking on the confidence of God to do all he commands and expects us to do for His glory and according to His will.

2014 Day 258 – Mark 1

15 Monday Sep 2014

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Today, as I was reading, it struck me how the demons were so aware of who Jesus was. In Mark 1:34 it says, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was. The awareness of Jesus as the Son of God was very clear to the demons. More over, Jesus had authority over them to keep them quiet. While God has authority over all things, including demons, He allows us to have free will to choose to follow, listen, and obey Him. God has already chosen us, it is up to us to choose Him back.

2014 Day 257 – Justice & Mercy International – Amazon

14 Sunday Sep 2014

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This past summer I had the privilege of spending 8 days in the Amazon jungle with an organization called Justice & Mercy International. While I spent most of my summers in Brazil as a youth visiting family, this is the first time I visited Brazil in over 20 years and it was a life changing experience visiting and working with the forgotten people of the Amazon. One of the greatest privileges was bringing my oldest daughter with me and sharing this experience with her. These were some of the most beautiful, loving, and gracious people I had ever met and we are both looking forward to our next visit.

The below video shows an overview of the ministry.

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.