Devotional for friends // Devocional para as amigas

  Lent. Some people choose to fast for some type of food or some entertainment or whatever. But during this time of the year, I have learned that it is important to think about the last days of Jesus as a human on earth.    Can we identify ourselves in our current time with that time? If we were to go back in time and find ourselves in that time in Jerusalem, where do you think you would be? Who would you be friends with? This morning I realized that our current world hasn't changed much since then.   We still find people doubting Jesus, mocking and spitting on him (if they could literally), and trying to bring down everything that He represents. Do you see these people?   Imagine if what happened then were happening now? if today were the day Jesus was on the earth walking just like you and me? If today were the day where people were gathered shouting "crucify him", where would you be? Right in the middle together with the crowd or running away as fast as you could to no

  There has always been something that has bothered me a lot. Talking, in general, is what people assume. People have this bad habit of thinking they know why people did what they did, or they assume they know what is best for everybody, they assume mostly the worst in other people. People assume they know what the other person was thinking. Isn’t an absurd? You see, it is really easy to assume especially when you have something against the other person. Guess what? It will always be the worst thing, and they can’t even imagine how wrong they can be, sometimes they don’t accept they had assumed wrong.  In the bible, there was this time when people assumed and almost, they started a war because of a wrong assumption. How many times have we gotten into a “war” with somebody because of some misunderstanding? Tell me, isn’t it terrible that the more you try to explain yourself the uglier the things get? It is like you are sinking into the mud, more like a quicksand. Then .. we give up and

Let’s talk about a taboo in the church today. There are these times that I have had some discussions with Juan, my husband, about polemic subjects. Usually, we don’t get to any conclusion. But it is a good moment of reflection. So, last time we talked about suicide. Yes. Most people think that suicide is a sin without forgiveness because once you’re dead how a person can repent and ask for forgiveness. It is a good point though. However, we find 7 people in the bible that committed suicide and there is no account of condemnation for them. (By the way, the only sin that the Bible says that there is no forgiveness is the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit because He is the one who convinces us that we have sinned. Without Him, we can’t even ask for forgiveness. No other sin without forgiveness is mentioned in the bible.)   Who are those people who chose to kill themselves? So, because of that should we consider suicide for ourselves as a way out?

Psalm 34 is a very beautiful Psalm to meditate on. There are so many promises in this psalm. It teaches us how the Lord loves and cares for us. And how he loves a humble and grateful heart.   Psalm 34: 1. I will honor the Lord at all times. His praise will always be in my mouth. 2 My soul will be proud to tell about the Lord. Let those who suffer hear it and be filled with joy. 3 Give great honor to the Lord with me. Let us praise His name together.   When we are happy and life goes as planned is easy to be grateful. But if we make being grateful a part of ourselves, a habit or a feature of our character, when the times of trouble come it won’t be that hard to be grateful even when we think we have nothing to be grateful for. Being grateful for everything, good and bad, means that we know what kind of God we serve. The God who provides for our needs, we see His providence and later we understand his purposes to work in us through a d