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.
16 Saturday Nov 2013
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One of the most comforting verses in the Bible to me is John 16:33 “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.” While we will always face trouble in this imperfect world, God will always walk with us through it. Jesus says plainly that we will face trouble, but because He has overcome it, we can find His comfort.
09 Saturday Nov 2013
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Love, Peace, Power, Protection
We have finally come to the end of the book of Ezekiel. The book started by describing the holiness of God that the people of Israel had grown to ignore. God’s presence left the temple as a result of their rebellion. In the end, the book details visions of the new temple in a new city and new people, all of which continues to describe God’s holiness. Our imperfect lives may cause us to lose focus on God and only see the here and now. But we must always return to God’s presence in our lives. If we let Him, God will never let us feel alone. When things are at their worst, always remember God is with us.
31 Thursday Oct 2013
Posted in Reflection
Through Christ we can thrive under pressure. When we realize our weakness, we look to Christ for our strength. I hope this video encourages you and helps you see how God’s strength can give us everything we need in our weakness.
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.
29 Tuesday Oct 2013
Posted in Reflection
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Compassion, Love, Peace, Trust
Three years ago this past Saturday, my dad passed away from a relatively short battle with cancer. While both of my parents have always meant a lot to me, I always credit my dad for making me the man that I am today. The memory of his life is always one of respected and honor. But the memory of his last year with us is painful. To watch this man suffer and experience the tremendous amounts of pain he endured burns sadness in my heart.
The day before the anniversary of his death, I came across a post on Facebook with the following article. It painted, in pictures, the journey one man took watching his wife succumb to breast cancer. In the three years since my dad’s death, I have never found a closer representation (though far from exact) of what we went through watching my dad suffer. The author warns of the last three pictures, not because of anything graphic, but because he said “the last 3 photos destroyed me”. It destroyed me too.
This Guy’s Wife Got Cancer, So He Did Something Unforgettable. The Last 3 Photos Destroyed 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.
22 Tuesday Oct 2013
Posted in Daily Reading
Today we begin the letters of the Apostle Peter starting with the book of 1 Peter. The letters were written to encourage Christians who were beginning to suffer for their faith. One of the ways Peter encouraged believers was to remind them of the everlasting power of salvation through Jesus Christ. He reminded them, no matter what happened to them on earth, their salvation was forever. In 1 Peter 1:24, Peter quotes a verse from Isaiah 40:6-8 reminding them that the thing of this world will fade but God and His ways are permanent, For, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever. Let this be a reminder to us; while our sadness, pain, and suffering may feel overwhelming at times, God’s grace, mercy, and peace are always available to us.
13 Sunday Oct 2013
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Even though there is punishment for sin, God still mourns when it happens. In Jeremiah 48:36, God shows sorrow (lament) for Moab “So my heart laments for Moab like the music of a pipe; it laments like a pipe for the people of Kir Hareseth. The wealth they acquired is gone.” God’s desire is not to punish us, but he is just and requires righteousness. We can rest assured it breaks His heart to see us suffer. His desire for us is to live a life of peace.
08 Tuesday Oct 2013
Posted in Daily Reading
Even though we are sometimes led through dark times in our lives, God is able to restore us and lead us back to a place of restoration. In Jeremiah 32:42 it says, “This is what the Lord says: As I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will give them all the prosperity I have promised them.” Through disobedience the Israelites experienced calamity, but God knew it would not be forever and there would be healing. God knows we can not experience pain and suffering without being wounded. We require healing and and He is there to provide it for us if we trust in Him. Jeremiah 33:6 says, “Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.” Over time and through the power of God in us, we can experience true healing and health. We must never think we are unable to be completely healed. We must ask for it and trust that God can provide because He is able to heal us and ultimately bring us peace.
16 Monday Sep 2013
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As we continue to read in Job we begin to see Job growing weary in his suffering. In chapter 24 Job seems to be arguing with his friends and begins to question if it is his lack of righteousness that is at fault for his suffering. We all have these thoughts at times, that it is our fault we suffer. Sometimes our suffering comes due to the consequences of our sin. However, sometimes suffering comes simply because we live in a fallen world. All we can do is look to God and ask Him for comfort, peace, and protection. It is easy to kid ourselves into thinking it is possible to get through this life without pain, but we are all destined to experience pain and suffering. Thankfully we have God at our side; loving us through it all. Lean on Him and He will guide you through.
11 Wednesday Sep 2013
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In today’s reading, Job’s friends once again assume his suffering comes from sin in his life. It’s a common assumption we have all probably made, however we must always remember what our role should be in the lives of our friends, especially in their suffering. We must also remember that our friends are not where we should find comfort when we suffer. In our reading today in Psalm 121:1-2 says, 1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. Our help and comfort can only come from the Lord. Only God can bring stability and peace in difficult times because He is the only one who truly understands what we are going through and has the power to either walk us through it or fix it.
Daily Devotion 