Tag Archives: Obedience

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 200 – 1 Chronicles 27-29, Song of Songs 5

19 Friday Jul 2013

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As we come to the end of 1 Chronicles, we see just how much God has blessed David. He has set up the nation of Israel to be powerful and to prosper. And while we know David wasn’t perfect, he was obedient to God and prepared Israel for a powerful succession to Solomon. None of us are perfect. But we are all called to be obedient and to acknowledge God’s leading role in our lives. Never lose sight of our purpose in life, which is to follow God and allow His will to be accomplished through our lives.

2013 Day 197 – 1 Chronicles 18-20, Song of Songs 2

16 Tuesday Jul 2013

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As we continue to look at David’s life in our reading today, we see how blessed he was by God. While we know David was not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, we do know that God called him a man after His own heart. God does not expect perfection from any of us. He expects us to have a real relationship with Him. We are redeemed by God’s grace and He does not expect perfection in order to lead us and bless us. We must look to God’s guidance in our lives and act according to His leading. Perfection has never been and never will be the goal.

2013 Day 196 – 1 Chronicles 15-17, Song 0f Songs 1

15 Monday Jul 2013

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Sometimes doing the right things does not feel good to those around us. Sometimes doing the right things actually offends others. David is a great example of someone who does the right thing despite what those around him may think. When David rejoiced and looked foolish in the eyes of his wife, he knew it was more important to please God than to please anyone around him. When we make our choices, we should always make them to please and glorify God no matter what the consequences may be.  

2013 Day 194 – 1 Chronicles 12-14, Ecclesiastes 12

13 Saturday Jul 2013

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Today we finished the book of Ecclesiastes. While I have read this book a few times, this time it seemed to grab my attention. In the end, the last couple verses summed it up. Verses 13 and 14 say, 13 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. We may be successful in hiding our sin from the rest of the world, but God knows all that we have done in this life. By committing our lives to Him, we dedicate all we are to serving Him. Thank God for His grace and forgiveness, but let us not kid ourselves that He doesn’t see our sins. Let us work to live lives that honor God instead of a life that disappoints Him. Anything else we dedicate time and energy is meaningless.

2013 Day 192 – 1 Chronicles 5-8, Ecclesiastes 10

11 Thursday Jul 2013

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In today’s reading, Ecclesiastes 10:15 actually made me laugh, The toil of fools wearies them; they do not know the way to town. Fools become weary from doing what is inherently simple and right to a normal person. I always wonder why criminals spend so much energy to live evil lives when they could spend half the energy just getting a normal job and making an honest living. If we simply spend our time doing the right things we will not be as wearied through our efforts.

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 181 – Duck Commander Phil Robertson – How It All Started

30 Sunday Jun 2013

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I know most people have heard of the Duck Dynasty show. I love the show for several reasons. First, because it is entertaining. Second, because they are unafraid to share their lives as believers in a time when being called a “Christian” is not very popular. This short video shows how doing the right thing in the eyes of God is what is important.

 

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 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 174 – 2 Kings 15-18, Psalm 89:19-52

23 Sunday Jun 2013

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Up until now we have read about the Kings of Israel and how the majority either rebelled against God or chose to not follow Him fully. After all this rebellion, God finally allows the nation of Israel to be carried off into exile. It is important to realize that the Kingdom is divided, Israel and Judah, with completely separate rulers. In 2 Kings 18 we begin to read about the kings of Judah. While Judah also lapses into their own sins, we start by reading about King Hezekiah who tries to do what is right. In the long run we will read about kings who do not sustain what King Hezekiah is able to accomplish. Unfortunately, we are like this as well. Sometimes we do not learn from the examples of sin and foolishness around us.