Tag Archives: Faith

2013 Day 201 – Hosea 1-4, Song of Songs 6

20 Saturday Jul 2013

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Today we begin the book of Hosea, which was written during a prosperous time for Israel, though it was morally declining. The book was written to illustrate Israel’s unfaithfulness to God when Hosea is commanded to marry a promiscuous woman named Gomer. Hosea’s relationship with her, her adultery, and their children became living prophetic examples to Israel. As I read this book I am amazed by Hosea’s obedience to God, but then I am reminded of God’s faithfulness to me. This story illustrates my relationship to God and how I stray from my faithfulness to Him. I read this book reminded of how my relationship to God must change and how it must grow for me to be more faithful to Him.

2013 Day 191 – 1 Chronicles 1-4, Ecclesiastes 9

10 Wednesday Jul 2013

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Today we start reading in the book of 1 Chronicles, which from a chronological order, mirrors 2 Samuel. By tradition, 1 and 2 Chronicles were written by the prophet Ezra. The main purpose of the book is to trace the Davidic line. Much of the information will seem familiar since we just finished reading through much of the same history.

In our reading in Ecclesiastes 9, verse 11 stood out to me today, I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. It doesn’t matter whether you are swift, smart, or wealthy; we are all limited in time and having the right breaks in life to end up where God intended. In the end, we all end up exactly where God’s perfect plan meant for us to be.

2013 Day 185 – Luke 19-21, Ecclesiastes 4

04 Thursday Jul 2013

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There is so much information in today’s reading in Luke. The important things, and often overlooked, is the information Jesus gives about the future of Jerusalem in chapter 21. Some information that is interesting to me comes from Jesus’ comments in verses 5 and 6, 5 Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, 6 “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.” The temple the disciples are talking about is not the original temple built by Solomon. That temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in the seventh century B.C. This temple was built by Ezra in the sixth century. The temple was desecrated by the Seleucid Empire in the second century A.D., then reconsecrated soon after by the Maccabees. Herod the Great expanded the temple over a 46 year period into a beautiful structure. As Jesus said, the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. by the Roman army in the Siege of Jerusalem. While the history is fascinating to me, the importance of it shows Jesus’ ability to speak with authority about the future. Jesus did this on several occasions and shows us the information He shared with us is accurate and can be trusted.

2013 Day 184 – Luke 16-18, Ecclesiastes 3

03 Wednesday Jul 2013

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I love the first eight verses of Ecclesiastes 3:

1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,

4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, 

8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

These verses represent the importance of experiencing every season with God. The secret to perfect peace is understanding that God’s plan is perfect. We must learn to  appreciate God’s perfect timing in all we do and to learn to not resent or doubt God’s perfect timing.

2013 Day 180 – Hillsong NYC Baptisms

29 Saturday Jun 2013

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Baptisms are one of my favorite things to witness in another believer’s life because they are the outward expression of what God is already doing inside of a person’s heart, mind, and spirit. I came across this short Hillsong NYC video they produced about their baptisms. The reason why I love this video is because it is so genuine. When baptism is done in an authentic way, it is simple and yet so powerful. I hope this video moves you the way it moved me.

 

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.

2013 Day 179 – Luke 7-9, Psalm 94

28 Friday Jun 2013

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In today’s reading, Jesus once again praises John the Baptist for fulfilling his purpose in life better than anyone. In John 7:28 Jesus says, “I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” I was confused by that last part of the verse, but the notes in my Bible explained that everyone who comes after John the Baptist is greater because they have a greater knowledge of who Christ was and His real purpose on earth. John was the last to function like an Old Testament prophet because he was the last to prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah. But even John did not fully understand Jesus Christ’s true purpose and and the actual function of the Messiah.

2013 Day 169 – 2 Kings 1-4, Psalm 86

18 Tuesday Jun 2013

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In 2 Kings chapter 2 we see the end of Elijah’s ministry and the beginning of Elisha. I love Elisha’s boldness in verse 7 when he asked Elijah, “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit.” Without a measure boldness we limit God’s ability to perform miracles in our lives. We should all look to God to bless us beyond what we think is possible. The creator of the universe is so much more capable than our simple existence. If we allow God to work through us with His capabilities we will be surprised by what He can do through us.

2013 Day 165 – Skit Guys: Fatherhood

14 Friday Jun 2013

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For today’s reflection post I thought I would share this simple Skit Guys preview video (I don’t think they will really mind…). This Sunday I hope all you dads remember the importance of your role in your families. May God lead you and bless you in all you do!

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.

2013 Day 160 – 1 Kings 4-6, Psalm 78:40-72

09 Sunday Jun 2013

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In today’s reading we see Solomon building the temple of God. I always find it interesting to know that God would not allow David to build a temple because of the amount of blood on David’s hands. While David shed the blood of others out of necessity and obedience to God, it still kept him from being able to build the temple. The lesson here for us is to always remember that obedience to God is always intended for His glory, not ours. God may ask us to do something we are not comfortable doing. While I doubt He will ever ask us to do something immoral, unethical, or illegal; we may be ask to do something uncomfortable or that may cause us to be rejected by people around us. Our comfort here on this earth is not guaranteed by God. Our comfortable lives are a blessing, not a promise. If we are obedient to Him in all we do, our reward is in heaven and that is the only promise he has given us.

2013 Day 158 – Prayer

07 Friday Jun 2013

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PowerOfPrayer

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.