Devotional for friends // Devocional para as amigas

Legenda - clique AQUI Today I heard a good quote from John McArthur, it says something like this: “It costs us nothing to become a Christian, but it costs us everything to live like one”. I like that because you can ask around and many people would say they believe in God, in Jesus. Many would also say they are baptized, but how many of them live like a true Christian? Christians say that they are heading to the promised land, which is heaven, where Jesus is seated in His throne beside the Father. Do you think this is a smooth journey? The moment we accept Christ in our lives, we are supposed to be His imitators. How good are you at imitating Jesus? Because, Jesus was born like a human, grew up like a human, matured like humans, and died like a human. However, He didn’t stay dead. Death could not hold Him. That is supposed to happen to all the imitators of Christ, a.k.a. Christians. But if you are not willing to live as He did, what are ...

Three things stood out for me in today’s bible study. I didn’t comment with the women, I don’t know why… but that doesn’t matter. First thing was in Hebrews 5:2 says, “He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward since himself is beset with weakness”. What is so special about this verse?   To deal gently with the ignorant. That was a punch in my face. I have always asking God to forgive me for my arrogance, although not always I realize that I have been arrogant. Most people wouldn’t say that I am. But I know I can be sometimes. But since I don’t often realize that, I need to ask God to be humble and forgive my arrogance. I don’t feel myself better than anyone, not consciously anyway, but I don’t have too much patience with the ignorant or with the fools. I thank God to make me realize that now. Being aware of our sins is important, so we can be watchful to when we sin and immediately ask for forgiveness and try to change our behavior face to the fact. ...

Another day someone told me that the book of Numbers didn’t have any good stories to read. I disagreed. I think Balaam’s story a good one. Everybody has heard of it, but few know where it is in the Bible. So, it is in the book of Numbers from chapter 22 to 24. What happened in this story? In summary, there was this king called Balak that was worried about the Israelites coming to his land. The Israelites were so numerous that creeped him out. So, he thought he could curse them and make them go away. He called a man whose name was Balaam, who was known for divination, but for real he served the LORD. So, Balak called him and demanded him to curse the people of Israel. Guess what? He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t curse a people who The LORD had already blessed. He could only curse a people which God had cursed. Balaam had a good business going on, right? Nothing could go wrong. But Balak insisted. God told Balaam that he wouldn’t dare to go against His will and...

Well, this week I thought about writing about Psalms 90 , which I thought it has everything to do with what we have been living currently (the pandemic and all these); but the next day I read in Number 16 and 17 about the rebellion of the Israelites in the middle of the desert against Moses. What is something that happens more often than we would like to. We always think that “if he/she can do it, I can do it also”. However, the point God is making with this situation is that, no, you will do what I told you to do and be obedient because of I (God) know the plans I have for you. It doesn’t matter what you think it is better for you or what you think you can or cannot do it. I (God) determine your specific job. If you think you are not ready for that I (God) will enable you, because it is for my (God’s) glory, not yours. Do not rebel against my command. I (Hadassa) know that often we look at the neighbors’ gardens and they seem a lot more greener than ours, and we want...

Now I’m reading a book called “The cost of discipleship” and I liked this part… It is a long one…but a very good one. Then I decided to share with you. Dietrich Bonhoeffer is talking about obedience as a presupposition of faith. He states that “ obedience is a step within everybody’s capacity, for it lies within the limits of human freedom. It is an act within the sphere of the natural law (justitia civilis) and in that sphere man is free. Although Peter cannot achieve his own conversion, he can leave his nets. In the gospels, the very first step a man must take is an act which radically affects his whole existence .” “ Once we are sure of this point, we must add at once that this step is, and can never be more than, a purely external act and a dead work of the law, which can never of itself bring a man to Christ. As an external act, the new existence is no better than the old. Even at the highest estimate, it can only achieve a new law of life, a new way of liv...

How often do you ask for help? How often do you offer help? What do these questions mean? What needing and asking for help mean to you? David in Psalm 70 began like this: “Make haste, O God, to deliver me! O Lord, make haste to help me!” How dare David ask God to haste? How desperate was he when he prayed like that? According to Pr. Jerry Andrews in his last sermon, David was desperate because everybody turned against him when Absalom was tried to usurp his kingdom, so David ran away. Make haste, O God, help me! We can ask God to make haste in helping us, but sometimes we are put in some situation to ask others for help and break down our pride. How often you resist asking for help because you are afraid of looking weak or afraid about what people are going to think about it? Do you like helping others? But what about letting people help you? You like thinking about yourself as a self-sufficient or totally independent. And receiving help so...