Tag Archives: Trust

2015 Day 211 – Ephesians 6

30 Thursday Jul 2015

Posted by in Daily Reading

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

Today we read one of the strongest and most encouraging passages in the Bible; The Armor of God. In this passage, Paul gives us all the tools we need to do battle against the forces that are against us in this world. In Ephesians 6:13-18 Paul describes what the Armor of God looks like, 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. 

2015 Day 207 – Strong Enough

26 Sunday Jul 2015

Posted by in Reflection

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

,

One of the beautiful things about being a child of God is we don’t have to be strong enough to handle all things. When it all seems hopeless, He is right there by our side taking care of us, even when it all seems hopeless. I thought this video by Matthew West did a good job of expressing this notion.

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.

2015 Day 206 – Ephesians 2

25 Saturday Jul 2015

Posted by in Daily Reading

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

God created us for Him to do great things through us. In Ephesians 2:10 Paul says, For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. We are His great works of art and we are to treat ourselves and others as such. We are to respect and love one another as God intended and we are to serve each other as well. We have everything we need through all God has provided to us.

2015 Day 202 – Acts 27

21 Tuesday Jul 2015

Posted by in Daily Reading

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

Paul has been through it all; persecution, beatings, imprisonment, and now being shipwrecked. But through it all, he is thankful to God and His provision. In Acts 26:35, Paul urges the other men on the ship to eat something, After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. Even in the midst of a literal storm, Paul finds the ability to thank God. Paul is a great example of what servant leadership looks like.

2015 Day 185 – Romans 9

04 Saturday Jul 2015

Posted by in Daily Reading

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

God’s mercy, along with His plan and will, are perfect. When He decides to have mercy it is for His purpose and for His glory, not ours. In Romans 9:18 Paul reiterates his quot of Exodus 9:16 in Romans 9:14, Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. It is God’s will that matters, not our understanding of why He chooses to do anything. We are to be thankful He has chosen us to be in His will and to be used for His service. Our ability to comprehend the full picture of God’s plan is not possible. We must trust, obey, and have faith in His love and perfect plan for us.

2015 Day 180 – Romans 4

29 Monday Jun 2015

Posted by in Daily Reading

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

In Romans 4:8 Paul quotes David in saying, “Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.” David, while characterized as a man after God’s own heart was not without sin. In fact, he had a few big ones including adultery and murder. But that did not exclude him from becoming everything God intended him to be. By God’s grace our sin is not counted against us. When we think we cannot be used by God because of our imperfection, let us all be reminded that God’s grace has purified us and we are able to be fully used by Him.

2015 Day 177 – Romans 2

26 Friday Jun 2015

Posted by in Daily Reading

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

God’s grace, along with our acceptance of His grace, is sufficient. When we seek to serve Him in every way, we are blessed. We may not feel the blessing at times, but our reward is clear through the gift of eternal life. In Romans 2:6-8 Paul clearly states 6 God will give to each person according to what he has 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. Paul is clearly comparing the outcomes of the believer versus the non-believer. Those who believe and accept Christ’s gift of eternal life through His sacrifice will be blessed according to that grace. But those who choose to reject Christ, and in turn seek selfish endeavors, will be condemned.

2015 Day 173 – 2 Corinthians 12

22 Monday Jun 2015

Posted by in Daily Reading

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

As humans, we love to complicate everything. We like to make things harder than they need to be. In the beginning of 2 Corinthians 12:9 Paul says something very powerful, But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Nothing can be simpler than knowing what this passage implies… God already knows we are imperfect and weak; this is not a surprise to him. He created us and saw first hand what we are capable of since the beginning of time when Adam and Eve first sinned. God’s expectation of us is not perfection, but acknowledgement that we need Him. The harder we work towards perfection, the further it pushes us from God. It is not until we seek His perfect grace that we finally realize all we really need is Him. More importantly, God doesn’t need or want our good works, He wants our humility and a real relationship with us; nothing more.

2015 day 140 – Acts 19

20 Wednesday May 2015

Posted by in Daily Reading

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

In today’s reading we see a lot of turmoil between the new believers and the Greeks of Ephesus. Because the “Way” (this is what the early Christian sect was called) was such a new and disruptive faith, people felt threatened. Especially those who made a living by selling people false hope and deceit. This chapter sets the stage for the majority of Paul’s letters to the early churches of the region. Most of these churches experienced tremendous amounts of pressure and persecution because of their faith. It is important to realize there are still Christians around the world that face similar persecution. The hope of Jesus is no less disruptive than it was 2,000 years ago. While we have allowed this message to be watered down in the United States, there are many believers in other parts of the world that still experience persecution. Let us not forget them and be in prayer for their strength, safety, and peace as they remain faithful servants of Christ.

2015 Day 136 – 2 Thessalonians 1

16 Saturday May 2015

Posted by in Daily Reading

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

In this second letter to the Thessalonian church, Paul wanted to clear up confusion about Christ’s second coming. Many of these believers in the church thought Christ would be coming soon because of the amount of persecution they were facing. But Paul reiterated the time of His coming was unknown and not necessarily imminent. Paul simply encourages these early believer to trust that God is in control. In 2 Thessalonians 1:8 Paul says, God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you. It is not our job to judge others or retaliate when we feel persecuted. It is our job to be obedient and listen to God’s leading through the Holy Spirit in our lives. We are to life boldly, but we are also to live lives that are under control and obedient to God’s will and purpose.