Devotional for friends // Devocional para as amigas

So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away—look, what is new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17) Portanto, se alguém está em Cristo, é nova criação. As coisas antigas já passaram; eis que surgiram coisas novas! (2 Corinthians 5:17)   Do you see this picture above? Ok, I cleaned it. Do you know what it is? I suppose you do, but to be clear, this is some sort of grill that came with my “fancy” electric ninja foodie pan, I love it and I use it a lot, but it got dirty with grease. There have been some days since I had said that I would clean it, but I was relying on my memory to buy the thing that cleans aluminum stuff. Guess what? Of course, I never remembered it. So, I decided to get creative and clean it. I got a piece of aluminum foil, made it a little ball, and rubbed it onto the grill with a drop of dish soap. It worked! I was proud of myself.   As I was cleaning, God was bringing to my memory that some days ago I was asking him to teach m...

  Be intentional.   You know when I look at my past and I remember that there were uncountable times when people had said something and few moments later they’d say “I was just joking”, “It was a joke Hadassa, why are you always so serious?” But I wasn’t always serious, I can say jokes too, but my jokes don’t sound like something that would hurt somebody or even something I wouldn’t say directly so choose to say “jokingly” to minimize the effect of the rudeness behind. You know what I mean, right?   If you want to say something good, just say it. If you want to criticize something or someone, choose the right words (a hard task I’d say) and the right moment, but likewise say it. Especially if it is something that will help the person or the thing grow, move forward, and get better. If it is something that will edify the person or the thing.  Don’t hold back something that not only through your eyes but through common sense will bring something good out of it. Bu...

  Sometimes things seem tough. Like life. Like elections! I am not going to talk about that. Bad example. Jesus sometimes had some hard words for his disciples and they could not get their heads around what Jesus was talking about. Later on... I mean… later on after some long time I dare to say the Holy Spirit could open their eyes in understanding so they could finally get what Jesus had talked about.    I’ve just read the passage when Jesus said, “our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep”. As he did later, he could just say that Lazarus had died. When he said it plainly so they could understand what he meant by “fallen asleep” he added, “for your sake, I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe” (John 11:14). Ouch! Lazarus was his friend, right? It would sound weird if I told my friends that one of my friends had died and I was glad I wasn’t there. At first, anyone would think, wow that was very insensitive on his part. Why not think that? Because at first, it ...

Venha e Veja   Two verses stood out for me this morning. John 7:17-18 and 7:24.   “ Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.   18  Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.” John 7:24 “ Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”   That was Jesus talking.  I lately heard that some people with vast knowledge of the Bible (we all want to believe) are being led astray through the vain doctrines of this world. Meaning, that some church leaders or people have earned the people's trust by telling them lies about the teachings of the Bible. People seek their own popularity by agreeing with the lies the world has offered them.  I have seen churches with flags and teaching doctrines that the Bible condemns. They have twisted the ...

" Better be slapped with the truth than kissed with a lie" Russian proverb. (Melhor levar um tapa com a verdade, do que um beijo com uma mentira" Provérbio russo.) Can’t handle a little of the law?  Lately, people are so sensitive about everything. Everybody needs to think twice before saying a word so people won’t get offended by it and threaten to sue anyone who disagrees with them.   I was wondering about these people and the Bible. They hate the Bible because it is written in it that God doesn’t approve of their promiscuous behaviors. God didn’t force anyone to follow His law. He gave his law so people who loved God and had seen his deeds could live a life He had planned for them.    For example, a drug dealer lives a life that any law condemns. However, the police are after him because of the life he chose to live. It is up to him now. Unlike the Law of God. God gives an opportunity to turn away from the life God condemns and once the person decides to give up h...