Devotional for friends // Devocional para as amigas

Peace. The world seeks for peace. It has been this way ever since. Why can’t we achieve peace? Can you say that you live peacefully? Down deep in your mind, you think you can assure me that you have peace, don’t you? Do you really? Or do you always have something in your mind that makes you wake up in the middle of the night or take away your concentration because of that or that?   I know what you mean. It is a person who is jealous of you, or that promotion that seems so hard to achieve, or the debt you lost your hope to pay it. There are so many problems in our lives that it is almost impossible to talk about peace. Peace of mind, peace on the streets, peace in the world. Everything seems so foggy, so hard to see ahead. You worry about your future, your kids’ future, the environment, the climate changes, the racism, the riots, the political battles that never end. Oh, man! Life is hard, isn’t it? You always think, does it have to be this h...

  Quais outras palavras para presunção?  suposição, afronta, suposição, presunção, arrogância, pressuposição, conjectura, insolência, audácia. Presumption 1. the act of presuming 2. bold or insolent behavior or manners 3. a belief or assumption based on reasonable evidence 4. a ground or basis on which to presume To presume: 1. To take for granted as being true in the absence of proof to the contrary 2. To constitute reasonable evidence for assuming; appear to prove 3. To venture without authority or permission; dare: He presumed to invite himself to dinner. 4. To take for granted that something is true or factual; make a supposition. 5. To act presumptuously or take unwarranted advantage of something.   “For rebellion is as the sin of divination,     and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.” 1 Samuel 15:23a   Some other versions say arrogance instead of presumption. But...

We aren’t good enough. The only good one that had ever existed is Jesus. No matter how high you think of yourself, you are not good. You will never be, not by your own strength, power, or volition. The Bible says: for all have sinned (Romans 3:23). All – it means everybody. Not just a group of people, not just one age, but all.   We have been sinners since day one of our lives. Sin presents itself in several forms, shapers, frequency, size. If it is not pride, is arrogance, self-centeredness, prejudice, greed, covetousness, murder, homosexuality, hate, shame, guilt, and so many ways I cannot name them all.   There is only one way we can escape the wrath of God. Jesus said: I am the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus is the only way.   God is just. He will judge us fairly. He allows good things and bad things to happen to all of us. It is also a part of his judgment. The only way we escape God’s wrath is by the blood. The price of o...

Colossians 3:12 I grew up in Brazil, as many might know it. And I used to read the bible and find so many words that I didn’t understand properly. Only many years later, maybe when in contact with different translations and even in another language like English I came to understand better one of those words. It was long-suffering. What in English it seems pretty straight forward to me. Like something that you will endure through suffering. But in Portuguese, the word doesn’t give us any clue. So, I believe many people just know the word but don’t have any clue about the meaning of it.   Long-suffering in the website, thefreedictionary.com says patiently enduring wrongs or difficulties; patient endurance. That may clarify a little bit. What exactly Paul means when in Colossians 3:12 – 14 says 12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;13 Forbearing one anothe...

Joshua 22:10 – 34 Here’s an interesting story. And that tells us so much about us, and our anxieties and insecurities. How many of us had just assumed the worst before having all the facts? How many of us can’t even let the other explain “the beans” before we see if it is worthy or not to get into a fight? On that occasion, the Jews were so afraid of disobeying God that they couldn’t bear the possibility of their brothers (BROTHERS – not estrangers, not foreigners, not enemies, but Brothers) doing so. They arrived there condemning. Their speech is a condemnation, a death threat, before even giving them a chance to defend themselves. Luckily, at some point they allow them to speak. But that doesn’t happen often with us, does it? We sometimes are so focused on the negative because of our own insecurity that we don’t want to hear; or worst, we don’t want to be proved wrong, do we? So there it comes our pride meddling in our affairs and destroying relationshi...

“Remember, when the peacock struts his stuff the shows his backside to half the world”. Herve Wiener   Pride   I was searching on the internet trying to find something positive about pride. I found none. Yet, many people are full of it and boast about being a proud person. Why? I heard so many times: “I have my pride hurt”. I wonder, so what? Did it change you? I truly don’t understand why people are so protective of their own pride like it was a good thing.   In the bible, we find so many verses condemning pride, and yet it seems words in the wind, it seems that doesn’t sink in the heart of the people.   Here it is some verses from the bible: The LORD Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled), Isaiah 2:12 The LORD Almighty planned it, to bring down her pride in all her splendor and to humble all who are renowned on the earth. Isaiah 23:9 But he gives u...