Devotional for friends // Devocional para as amigas

Bible Project Podcast Redemption episode   The Bible Project podcast has lately dedicated itself to the theme of Redemption. We all have a plain idea of what redemption in the Bible means, or not. It isn’t an easy subject to talk about; nevertheless, they chose to expand their knowledge and pass it on. I love it. So, the whole Bible talks about redemption. But what does redemption mean? Well, sometimes, we get a coupon, and then what do we do with it? We redeem it, right? We use this word mostly in this sense. We exchange, we give something in place for something else. Back in Genesis, Abraham and Sarah got tired of waiting for God’s timing; they got worried and decided to fulfill God’s promise by their own means. Meaning, they used and abused a foreign slave (an Egyptian slave - ironic: where did they end up being slave?). Remember, God sees all, and no one stays unpunished. What happened after the child was born? Sarah got pregnant. Ops!...

  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)   I was listening to Tim Mackie’s podcast about Matthew 26. He was talking about how big a failure we all are. It doesn’t matter what we say that we will do, because in the end, we will fail, if we start counting on ourselves, our strength, or counting on other people to get anywhere. Jesus in the garden for one moment didn’t want to go through with the plan; he knew what was coming for him. He freaked out. Who wouldn’t? Were the disciples paying attention to what was going on with Jesus at that moment? No, they weren’t. They were tired and their eyes were heavy, they couldn’t stay up.   So yeah, we get tired and we fail. Did that cause Jesus to give up on them? Jesus knew who would betray him, and he knew that all of them would run away when the persecution arrived. Did Jesus get angry at them? No, he didn’t.   What did ...

  Have you noticed that every bad thing that any person does is either hidden or in the darkness? Although nobody wants to live in darkness nor hidden, people still hate the light. The light shows them their flaws, their unrighteousness, every bad thing. I asked myself several times the same question. I know the answer, but it is irrational if you stop to think about it. Your hate for Christianity. Have you asked yourself why you hate Christians that much? Is it because Christ is the Light and in Him there is no darkness? Everything gets exposed with Christ. You must confess all bad deeds that you have done, and you will know that you’ll very likely do them again and again. Is it because your pride is too big? You are too good to need God in your life. Right? Or are you too bad and think that God wouldn’t like you, or He will reject you? (In fact, every and any reason you come up with for hating Christians, you know, isn't good e...

  I come from a church tradition that doesn’t really like many things. It seems to me that that purpose of teaching those things was just to differentiate from another church tradition.   Lately, I have come to understand a few things about one thing. The very and most important thing about Christianity. The cross.   After I moved here to the U.S., especially to this church I go to now, I noticed people wearing cross jewelry. I started liking it. Then I decided to adopt it.   People from my old tradition don’t really like it. It got me thinking. Why? Isn’t Christianity about the life and death of Christ on the cross and his resurrection?   I asked myself why I was wearing it. What does it mean to me? What does the cross mean to me? There is this hymn “…so I cherish that old rugged cross”. Yes, every Christian sings this hymn. It is beautiful. Without the cross, there is no Christianity.   The...

  Sea of Galilee As usual, I was listening to the Bible Project podcast, a series of teachings about the gospel according to Matthew. Really good. I can’t recommend it enough. It has been incredibly enlightening for me. Today, he was talking about when Jesus said the woes against those three cities (Corazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum). I have to admit that this passage was a little confusing to me, now I know why. Geography and History. I am starting to understand that when we don’t understand something in the Bible it is for pure ignorance about geography, history, and culture. Well, those three cities were next to each other and kind of looking up to a mountain. That mount was a place where the Zealots had their headquarters. Zealots were known for their rebellious ways, very violent, or as Tim Mackie said, they were following their natural instinct which was violence when you are oppressed, and Israel was being oppressed by the Romans for a few d...

  In Mark 10:21 Jesus is talking with a rich guy who thought being righteous. He indeed obeyed the Law and its commandments. Why then Jesus told the guy that he needed to sell everything he had, give to the poor and follow him? You see, it isn’t enough to be obedient or morally right, pay your taxes and not kill anybody, or steal or be an adulterer. Yeah, neither of us should be doing that. Pretty much we can see ourselves through our own lenses that we are good people and “deserving” of heaven, isn’t that right?   There are people who will only think about that right before death. When they realize that whatever they believed or not believed during their lives, when death knocks on the door they will have “that flash of their lives passing through their eyes” and probably they will have a glimpse of what comes next. Many repent and they will be saved if they truly believe. Many more will not have that chance or want that chance. They’...