Devotional for friends // Devocional para as amigas

  Kindness That Reflects Christ A Bondade que Reflete Cristo Scripture Focus: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” — John 13:34 Foco das Escrituras: “Um novo mandamento lhes dou: Amem-se uns aos outros. Como eu os amei, vocês devem amar-se uns aos outros.” — João 13:34 Jesus calls us to love one another, not only with our words but through the kindness we show in daily life. His example invites us to answer others with gentleness, patience, and love. Jesus nos chama a amar uns aos outros, não apenas com nossas palavras, mas por meio da bondade que demonstramos no dia a dia. Seu exemplo nos convida a responder aos outros com mansidão, paciência e amor. Kindness is not weakness. It is a choice to answer hurt, rudeness, and pride with the love Jesus taught and lived. When kindness is rooted in love, it becomes more than good ma...

  I recently finished listening to a BibleProject  podcast about the Ten Commandments. Tim Mackie explained that a more direct translation from the Hebrew would be “the Ten Words.” Isn’t that beautiful? These were not merely rules handed down from a distant God. They were words of life—words spoken by God to form His people, to teach them how to live in harmony with Him and with one another. Each word carries deep meaning. And when we continue reading, we see more than a short list of commands. We see examples, case studies, and real-life situations that help us understand what God had in mind when He spoke to Moses. He was not simply giving Israel a legal code. He was revealing the way of life. The purpose of God’s law is not death, but life. It is not meant to crush a community, but to protect it from disorder, violence, and destruction. Good laws help preserve harmony. When we obey them, we are not only protecting ourselves; we are al...

  In case you can't read, but can listen. Click here.  Reflection Em caso de não poder ler, mas pode escutar. Clique aqui.  Reflexao Buying Peace with Holy Things Recently, I found myself thinking about something in the history of Israel and Judah that I had never fully considered before. Many times, in the Bible, kings took gold, silver, and consecrated things from the temple and used them to buy peace with their enemies. At first, it can look like a simple political decision: they had a problem, they used what they had, and they found temporary relief. But when I thought more deeply about it, I realized how serious it was. What Belongs to God To consecrate something means to dedicate it to God. It is set apart for Him. When a person consecrates their life to the Lord, they are saying, “My life belongs to You.” In truth, our lives already belong to Him, but consecration is a surrender—a vow of devotion and trust. So when the king...

  The Moabites and Ammonites, with some of the Meunites came to wage war against Jehoshaphat. Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the Lord in the front of the new courtyard and said: “Lord, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? (…) Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”   Then the Spirit of the LORD  came on Jahaziel (a Levite). He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem ! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of th...