Devotional for friends // Devocional para as amigas

  The book of the prophet Haggai tells something interesting that I hadn't noticed before. The main message here is: first, you repent, then work in God’s work. Otherwise, your work won’t be accepted by God.  What matters most to God? Our heart.  What does that mean? It means that He sees even deeper than we see what is going on within ourselves—our thoughts and intentions. We can’t bargain with God. He won’t fall for it. We cannot have both ways with God. In the book of the Prophet Haggai, God calls out to his people that they were more interested in their business than God’s. Later on, God called out on them again, saying, ‘Right, you guys are working in my business now, but your hearts are not in it; you must repent before doing my work'.  God cannot accept anything from us if we are harboring something God disagrees with.   It doesn’t matter if you see yourself as a good person because everything you do is lawful, yet your heart is full of greed, envy, ...

  Advent. I have learned that this season precedes Christmas. What is Christmas? It is the celebration of Jesus. Therefore, Advent is the waiting room for the arrival of Jesus, The Messiah.  And what does that mean? The Messiah? From Hebrew mashiaḥ, “anointed,” in Judaism, the expected king of the Davidic line who would deliver Israel from foreign bondage and restore the   glories of its golden age. However, the prophets prophesied that the Messiah would come like a servant, and he needed to die. It is written in Isaiah 52:13 – 53. “…because  he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.”   So, who are the transgressors that Jesus had to die for? We are.  “out of the anguish of his soul, he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities....

  It is Advent time. I didn’t observe Advent until recently; it just wasn’t in my culture, although we celebrated Christmas.   It is interesting to spend time reading and thinking about the first coming of Jesus (Christmas for us) and wait for his second coming, like the hymn “Joy to the World the Lord is come”; most people (like myself) have never thought about this hymn as a hymn about the second coming; we always think this hymn is about the first coming. Sorry to disappoint you.   Christmas is about Jesus coming down from heaven. We learn that Jesus is the face of God. Jesus is the Prince of Peace.    Some people who don’t know the real reason for this celebration might wonder why it is such a big deal.   First of all, Christmas is not about trees or Santa Claus or even gifts. Christmas is about the birth of a Savior. Why do we need a Savior? Some might ask. Well, do you think you are a good person? But you are not. You must agree that it is easier to b...

What are you afraid of? Death? Bankruptcy? Starvation? Darkness? Embarrassment? Shame? Loneliness? The death of a loved one? There are so many things that we can be afraid of. Fear of the unknown, right? Everybody fears what we don’t know. We resist. Sometimes, we even resist the things we do know too.  What do you do when you are afraid? Who do you call? Mom? Dad? The police?  But there are things that we are afraid of, and apparently, there is no one that can help us, isn’t there? I know one thing that everybody is afraid of, I mean, almost everybody. Because I am not afraid of it. I see it as a door to be in a better place with Jesus, of course. Who else were you waiting for me to say? Let’s say you resist this fact. And you are afraid of death. Let’s rationalize a little bit here. Have you thought about why you are afraid of death? Is it because you don’t know what is on the other side? Is it because you haven’t done everything you wanted? Or because you aren’t ready? What...

I liked a lot this text from a devotional that I have been doing these last few days. That I decided to share it with you.   The Power of Prayer in Thanksgiving By Danny Saavedra   "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)    In life, there will always be things to worry about, things that cause anxiety. There is no shortage of troubles in this world. And despite the English translation of this verse, Paul did not tell the Philippians that they were prohibited from caring about worldly matters, that they couldn't be concerned with things like providing for their families, preserving their property, or any trial they may be experiencing. Instead, what the Greek word (merimnate) expresses is that we should not be so overly anxious that we fall apa...

  What can you be thankful for? Look around, don’t you see anything? I’ll tell you what I am grateful for.  None of these would be possible if God did not provide for us, all of us, for free.   Thank you, Lord, for the sun and the rain; without them, the crops wouldn’t grow, and I wouldn’t have food on my table. Thank you, Lord, for the air I breathe. Thank you, Lord, for the body you have given me; with it, I can walk, I can work. And most of the time, I take it for granted. Thank you, Lord, for the birds that make me smile every time I see them flying and playing in the air. Thank you, Lord, for the moon and stars that make my nights worthy of looking at. Besides the gravitational force that makes everything possible on Earth.  Thank you, Lord, for the 4 seasons. With them, I have learned that everything has an appropriate time to come, and everything also goes. With them, I can appreciate the beaches, the flowers, fruits, and vegetables, the colors of the fall, an...

  What is the good news that every Christian talks about? Well... I am a Christian, and sometimes I wonder about it myself. Why? Well, I guess because I am not Jewish and have always been taught about Jesus' teachings, which is good news. But... what exactly is the Good News of Jesus? What did Jesus do so differently that it is called Good News?   If you are in jail, the good news is that you are free. Jesus makes you a free person. But let’s understand why Jesus came.   So, God had given his people, called  Israelites, the Law.  This Law was and is what makes the Israelites a different people. They differentiate from everybody else because they uphold the Law, let’s say, very tight. And that was (and is) very burdensome. Because the Law is massive and had a lot of things, they (I guess) couldn’t possibly remember them all.  Which means that they were (are) constantly breaking the Law. And they always seek forgiveness even when they don’t know what the...