Tag Archives: Grace

2013 Day 124 – Romans 1-3, Proverbs 20:1-15

04 Saturday May 2013

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Yes, we are saved through grace. Yes, Christ’s sacrifice atones for all our sin. But we are still called to be a reflection of Christ and to be changed by His mercy and grace. In Romans 2:6-8 it says, 6 God “will repay each person according to what they have done.” 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. We must be persistent in doing good because it honors God and glorifies Him.

2013 Day 123 – Judges 19-21, Proverbs 15-29

03 Friday May 2013

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We finished the book of Judges today. I don’t have a lot to say about the reading, but I do have a couple of observations. First, God requires total righteousness. The mistake comes in thinking we can achieve righteousness on our own without the saving grace of Jesus. In the book of Judges, they had to be righteous on their own and relied on the sacrifices by the priest. We are fortunate and blessed that we have Jesus’ to sanctify us from our unrighteousness. The second observation comes from the very end of the book where the author talks about the fact that Israel had no king to rule over them. As we progress in the Old Testament and begin to read about all the Kings of Israel, it is important to realize that God never intended Israel to have an earthly ruler. He gave Israel a ruler because they wanted it, but God was supposed to be ruler of His people. The same goes for us when we look to earthly leaders such as pastors. While pastors are ordained to shepherd God’s people, we must never forget where their authority comes from. God is our authority and we should always make Him the ultimate guide for our lives.

2013 Day 113 – Matthew 23-25, Psalm 67

23 Tuesday Apr 2013

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As Jesus is preparing to become our savior, He seems to be more direct with everyone around Him. It is very methodical and at times a bit harsh. But that is exactly what God requires of us. He demands boldness and directness. As we get pushed as believers, we tend to shy away from conflict at first. God doesn’t want us to be shy and He does want us to be loving and we can be both. Being direct about our beliefs does not mean we should be jerks, but it also does NOT mean we need to be soft about boldly telling people who we are, what we believe, and what God has done to us through His grace and mercy.

2013 Day 111 – Real Beauty

21 Sunday Apr 2013

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Today, as I was searching for a video to share for our reflection day, I came across this Dove advertisement. It was one of those videos that show up before the one you selected and you have the ability to skip it after a few second. For some reason I decided to watch the whole thing. It was a powerful video about the differences in the way we view ourselves and the way others view us. It immediately made me think about how God views me in comparison to how I view myself, especially in the light of His saving grace. I challenge you to watch this video and think about how God views you. I guarantee He has a more beautiful view of you than you could ever have of yourself. It is even more powerful when you finally accept it even if you don’t fully believe it. I hope you enjoy it.

 

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 107 – Matthew 8-10, Psalm 62

17 Wednesday Apr 2013

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There is so much information to digest in today’s reading. The biggest thing that stood out to me was in Matthew 9:12-13, 12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” We as believers are consistently working to make ourselves better for God. We work hard at sanctification and righteousness for God. The problem is what God wants most from us is to be a reflection of His mercy to those who need it most. No amount of righteous living makes up for God’s real desire from us, which is to bring people to the saving knowledge of His grace and Mercy.

2013 Day 97 – Tenth Avenue North – Worn

07 Sunday Apr 2013

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I had a friend this past week who called me up and said they were struggling and were simply worn out with the grind of this life. A few hours later when I was reading through my Twitter feed I came across someone who posted this video with the caption, “If you are feeling worn out, I hope this help.” I immediately sent my friend the link. A few minutes later they responded and said this song expressed exactly how they felt. If you are feeling worn out, I hope this helps you too.

 

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 77 – Galatians 1-3, Psalm 38

18 Monday Mar 2013

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Today we begin the book of Galatians. Paul, as the author of this book, was clear in his purpose for writing it, which was to refute the teachings of the Judaizers (who taught that Gentile believers should obey the Jewish law in order to be saved). Paul explains his position in Christ very clearly in Galatians 2:20-21, 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” No matter how hard we may try to fix ourselves by following a bunch of rules, we cannot attain salvation without accepting God’s grace through Christ’s sacrifice. When we try to make ourselves better for God’s acceptance of us, we throw God’s gift back at Him. While we should always strive for righteousness, it is not righteousness that saves us. Righteousness is a product of salvation, not the other way around.

2013 Day 70 – Numbers 18-21, Psalm 33

11 Monday Mar 2013

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In Numbers 20 we see an example of how much obedience God requires of us. Even Moses, who God earlier described as someone He spoke with directly, was required to obey God fully. And even Moses, a man who exemplified a faithful servant of God, was not perfect. When Moses struck the rock, it showed how much we need God’s grace because no one is perfect. The point is not for us to reach perfection in the way we act, the point is we realize how much we depend on God for everything, especially salvation through the forgiveness of our sins. Let us be reminded that God requires a relationship with Him through trust, obedience, and faith that He is the provider of grace and, in turn, forgiveness of our sins.

2013 Day 68 – Numbers 11-14, Psalm 31

09 Saturday Mar 2013

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Two verses stood out to me in today’s reading. The first was Numbers 11:23, The Lord answered Moses, “Is the Lord’s arm too short?, you will now see whether or not what I say will come true.” How often do we not trust in The Lord and act as though He is unable to reach the problems we face in life. Let us not act as though God is unable and begin to understand that sometimes God is unwilling because He ultimately knows better than us.

The second verse that stood out to me today was Numbers 14:18, ‘The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’ God is very slow to anger. While God is merciful and shows us grace for our imperfect lives, continued rebellion will eventually lead to consequences. God will always forgive us, but He will never allow us to blatantly continue disobedience of Him.

2013 Day 62 – Hebrews 7-10, Proverbs 26

03 Sunday Mar 2013

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It’s amazing to have just gone through Leviticus where the Laws were established and to now go through the book of Hebrews. We better understand how Christ became the ultimate sacrifice. In Hebrews 9:14 it says, How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! We must pay special attention to the last part of that verse where it says “so that we may serve the living God!” It does not say “so we can do whatever we want”. The purpose of our salvation is to give us the freedom to serve God without the baggage of a sinful life. As a side not, I also see too many people who become believers only to dwell on their past and how far they have come. While it is important to recognize how much the Lord has blessed us, our salvation should free us to move forward and serve a loving God who freely gave us mercy and grace. Our sinful past should no longer be the focal point of our lives.