26 Wednesday Nov 2014
Posted in Daily Reading
Tags
An interesting and often misconstrued verse is Matthew 21:22, If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer. When Jesus spoke these words He was not giving us a blank check. Our requests must be in line with God’s principles and ultimately bring glory to Him. The best way to ensure this is to grow closer to God so that we can be more in line with His will when making requests of Him.
24 Monday Nov 2014
Posted in Daily Reading
When Jesus spoke about the difficulty of a rich man getting into heaven, He was talking about the difficulty of surrendering completely to God’s will. When we put our trust in our own accomplishments we will eventually fail, but not when we trust in the power of God. Mark 10:27, Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” When we give up on our own abilities and trust God, we give into the possibility of experiencing more than we ever thought possible.
22 Saturday Nov 2014
Posted in Daily Reading
It is easy to get caught up in the craziness of this life and feel completely out of control. But when things feel the most chaotic, we can have comfort in knowing that out of chaos God leads and makes all things possible. Matthew 19: 26 says, Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Our faith should lie in the knowledge that the creator of the universe has it all under control. When we feel the least empowered, we can rest assured that God is neither surprised or intimidated by it.
21 Friday Nov 2014
Posted in Daily Reading
God asks very little of us and at the same time He asks a lot. Faith is simple and yet incredibly complex. In Luke 17:6 Jesus says, He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.” Through our faith we can accomplish great things through God’s power. We simply need to trust and obey Him and know He has the power even if we do not.
20 Thursday Nov 2014
Posted in Daily Reading
There is, of course, an eternal upside to following Jesus. But there is also a cost. Whether it is the increasing level of criticism and persecution we face in this country or the actual threat of death others face in theirs, we must understand there are potential dangers in following Jesus. In John 11:16 we read, Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” Thomas was merely saying what the rest of the disciples were already thinking. They knew the dangers of returning to Jerusalem, but out of obedience and loyalty to Jesus, they went anyway. Regardless of the dangers we may face, and because we know of the eternal impact, we must always be prepared to follow Jesus no matter the actual or potential consequences.
14 Friday Nov 2014
Posted in Daily Reading
When God blesses us with much, He expects us to fully utilize the blessings He has given. In Luke 12:48 Jesus says, But the one who does not know and does things deserving of punishment will be beaten with few blows. For everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. The more resources and talent God gives us, and the more understanding we have of who God is, the more we are responsible to use what He has given us fully and effectively.
12 Wednesday Nov 2014
Posted in Daily Reading
There is nothing greater than a loving and engaged father except the love of God the Father on us. Luke 11:13 says, “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will you Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” God is capable of giving us more love and protection than we are even capable of comprehending. God loves us beyond anything we could ever experience from earthly sources. We must trust in Him and know He wants nothing but what is best for us and brings glory to His kingdom.
10 Monday Nov 2014
Posted in Daily Reading
My favorite passage in today’s reading was the healed blind man’s response to the religious leaders about not knowing who Christ was because they did not know where He came from. The man’s response is found in John 9:30-33, 30 The man answered, “Now this is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” This is a pretty obvious assessment of the situation, especially coming from a seemingly uneducated man. Sometimes the obvious is simply the right answer. We tend to complicate things too much. If we simply trust in God and listen for His “voice”, we will know the things that are from Him and those that are not.
09 Sunday Nov 2014
Posted in Reflection
As most of you know, I am a big fan of Francis Chan. He is one of the most real pastors I have ever heard and he seems to have a grasp on the realities of the life of a believer. In this video Francis Chan begins by talking about spending real time with God. He asks the question, “How can you pull off following God in our culture, in our world, without time alone with God?” The ultimate goal for ourselves, friends, and family is to become “independently dependent on God.” When we learn to love God through the truths found in the Bible, we learn to fully trust in Him and know that this life will not be perfect, but it will be fulfilling by following Him.
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.
08 Saturday Nov 2014
Posted in Daily Reading
There is no question who Jesus claimed to be. We either believe who Jesus claimed He was, or we do not. In John 8:58 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” Not only did Jesus claim to exist before Abraham, but He also applied God’s Holy name, “I am”, to Himself. There is no doubt about His claims, the only doubt is in a person’s faith and choice to believe in Him.
Daily Devotion 