31 Saturday Jan 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
Tags
Jesus is everything to us. Few verses in the Bible state it more clearly than John 6:35, Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” While Jesus can provide for our physical needs, when we have a personal relationship with Him, He satisfies our spiritual needs completely. For this reason Jesus called Himself “the bread of life”.
26 Monday Jan 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
Tags
People can deny the existence of God, but the truth is apparent even to the demons. In today’s reading Jesus encounters a legion of demons who have possessed a man and even they know who Jesus is. Mark 5:6-7, 6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7 He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won’t torture me!” Later on in the New Testament in James 2:19, James states, You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that–and shudder. Belief in God or the denial of His existence does not matter. We can intellectualize reality all we want, but the truth will never change; God exists today and He is working all around us through Jesus Christ His Son and the Holy Spirit in our lives.
10 Saturday Jan 2015
Posted in Daily Reading
Tags
As I read Mark 2:23-24, I thought about modern day Christians in comparison to the Pharisees in the time of Christ, 23 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grain fields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” As I get older and I read and study more about Jesus’ life, I have come to the realization that modern day “Christians” represent more of the life of the Pharisees than Christ Himself. We have become more comfortable holding onto rules and beliefs that have little or nothing to do with the saving grace of Jesus’ sacrifice and more to do with our own attempts to present a righteous life. While living a pure and righteous life is admirable, and is typically a reflection of changes brought by the presence of the Holy Spirit, the truth is it has very little to do with the grace and mercy Jesus provided through His sacrifice on the cross. As believers we must remember to meet people where they are and not require them to be where we think they are supposed to be. This can only come through an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ our Savior.
18 Thursday Dec 2014
Posted in Daily Reading
Tags
God knows the life we lead on this earth is not easy. But we can still have peace because we know His ultimate purpose. In John 16:33 Jesus tells His disciples, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus does not abandon us to our struggles no matter how alone we may feel. Our peace does not come from an easy existence, but from a life with Jesus in our lives.
09 Tuesday Sep 2014
Posted in Daily Reading
Today we begin to read the story of Jesus Christ in chronological order through the Gospels. From now through the last day of the year, we will skip throughout the different books of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) as we cover Christ’s birth through His crucifixion and resurrection.
We begin this journey in Luke chapter 1 with the incredible account of all God prepared for the coming of the Messiah. The most powerful verse to me in today’s reading is Luke 1:37, For nothing is impossible with God. From Elizabeth becoming pregnant with John the Baptist in her old age, to Mary’s virgin pregnancy, God was able to orchestrate His plan which ultimately leads to the perfect sacrifice for the atonement of our sins.
I hope you enjoy the journey over the next 3 1/2 months as we read the story of our Savior Jesus Christ.
06 Sunday Jul 2014
Posted in Reflection
Tags
Where would I be without Jesus? That is a question I often ask myself. The video below by Shane and Shane reminded me how empty my life would be without Him. In the end, I could have it all and still have nothing if not for His saving grace and the Holy Spirit’s presence in my life.
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.
27 Tuesday May 2014
Posted in Daily Reading
Because of Christ, the work is done for our salvation through His perfect sacrifice. Hebrews 9:14 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 are no longer expected to work and go through the work of sacrifices through priest for the atonement of our sins. Christ was the perfect sacrifice once and for all. We must learn to live in that state of cleared conscience He has provided us.
30 Monday Dec 2013
Posted in Reflection
It’s not about being a good person. It’s about being like Jesus. This video challenges each of us to reflect on and examine how we live each day… and how we love others.
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.
25 Wednesday Dec 2013
Posted in Daily Reading
Merry Christmas everyone! May you have a blessed day. While the words we are reading may seem heavy, they are the culmination of what we celebrate today. What began in a simple manger will ultimately lead to complete victory in Christ.
17 Tuesday Sep 2013
Posted in Daily Reading
Tags
As we begin chapter 26, we arrive at several chapters where Job speaks his final words to his friends. Job continues to maintain his innocence to his friends and stands with a clear conscience. In Job 27:5-6 it says, 5 I will never admit you are in the right; till I die, I will not deny my integrity. 6 I will maintain my innocence and never let go of it; my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live. Job is able to defend his integrity and maintain his innocence. We too are able to stand with a clear conscience because of the righteousness we can only receive from God. When Satan tries to remind us of our past mistakes and of our imperfection, we are able to stand on the purity we received from salvation through Jesus Christ. We do not need anything else. He is sufficient to give us the confidence we need.
Daily Devotion 