Devotionals
With my whole heart I seek you;
let me not wander from your commandments!
11 I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:10-11
How to Learn to Live Like Jesus?
“LEARN FROM ME.” AND YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS (Matthew 11:29) Notice that, unlike us, Jesus did not suffer from fear of failure. It is because it never crossed his mind that he could not do something that his Father had already assured him he could do. And he did not suffer from fear of scarcity either. Although he lived a simple life, he was responsible for his own maintenance and that of a group of people. As it did? He prayed a lot and stayed in tune with his Heavenly Father. Therefore, he knew how to fish when the fish did not bite or find the tax money in the mouth of a fish when he needed it (yes, Jesus paid his taxes!). Maybe God does not provide you in the same way, but He has promised to take care of you (1 Peter 5: 7). Jesus is saying to you today: “Come to me” learn from me “and you will find rest for your souls [emotions and mind]”. (Matthew 11:29) Stress comes to us because of our need to know everything in advance, to be in control. Even after praying and supposedly giving the situation to the Lord, we create an “emergency plan”, in case He does not handle things as we think he should. Do you do that? You do not put the money in the bank and then you spend the night awake worrying about it, right? Well, at least have the same trust in God. Every time you enter a whirlwind of questions about what, when, how, where, give it to God. Not to that small God of your understanding, but to the great God whose deeds speak for themselves, whose fidelity never fails and who has earned the right to ask you: “There is something difficult for [me]” (Genesis 18:14) . In other words, learn to live like Jesus!
God is not in a hurry
Therefore, Jehovah will wait to have mercy on you, and therefore he will be exalted, having mercy on you; because the Lord is righteous God; Blessed are all who trust in him. Isaiah 30:18 Have you ever noticed that God is not in a hurry? It took 40 years for Moses to receive his call to lead the people of Egypt. It took him 17 years of preparation before Joseph was freed from slavery and imprisoned. It took 20 years before Jacob was free from Laban’s control. Abraham and Sarah were old when they finally received the son of promise, Isaac. Why is not God in a hurry? God called each of these servants to carry out a certain task in his Kingdom, however, He was in no hurry to carry out his mission. In the first place, He achieved what He wanted in them. We are often more focused on the results than on the process that He is accomplishing in our lives every day. When we experience his presence every day, one day we wake up and realize that God has done something special in and through us. However, realization is no longer what encourages us. Instead, what encourages us is that He is always present. Through the ages, we become more familiar with his love, grace and his power in us. When this happens, we are no longer focused on the result because the result is “the result” (forgive the redundancy) of our walk with Him. It is not the goal of our walk, but it is the by-product. Therefore, when Joseph came to power in Egypt, he probably did not care much about this. Because he had come to a place of complete surrender because of this he was not anxious about tomorrow and his circumstances. This is the lesson for us. We have to wait for God’s time and embrace him wherever we are in the process. When we find satisfaction and fulfillment in that place, we begin to experience God in ways that we never thought possible before.
How to Develop a Spiritual Discipline?
“Beware of yourself and of the doctrine …” (1 Timothy 4:16) Just talking about spiritual discipline is not going to take you very far, let alone talking about how much others need it. Describing friends he had known all his life, Scott Turow wrote: “Many years ago I met his dirtiest and most unpleasant secret: that his passion for changing the world came from the inability to change himself.” Hello! Do you talk a lot about things that you have not personally experienced, using it as a smokescreen to cover up your own superficiality? Understand this: developing a spiritual discipline is something that requires a lot of effort and is almost always done in secret, it is humiliating, and not always fun. Let’s examine it in parts: Does it require a lot of effort? Absolutely. It means being harder on yourself than you would like. It requires checking regularly your way of expressing yourself, your relationships and vital choices, and correcting them when necessary. Do it in secret? Yes; When you are striving to develop a spiritual discipline, it is wise not to talk too much about what you are doing. Talking is easy; just do it! It is humiliating? Without a doubt! Some days are like taking a step forward and two steps backwards … Spiritual discipline requires “following the path” while others move away without wanting to recognize it, or making excuses. Is not it always fun? Developing a life of spiritual discipline is an experience that gives you satisfaction, but it is not always fun. Pay attention to what Paul wrote: “… in this way I run, not as to luck; in this way I fight, not like the one who hits the air; but I beat my body and put it into servitude, lest, having been a harbinger to others, I myself should come to be cut off “(1 Corinthians 9: 26-27).
Where Is Your Hope?
This certain hope of being saved is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls, connecting us with God himself . . .
—Hebrews 6:19 (TLB)
What are you placing your hope in for the future? Your country’s government, educational system, some plan or organization? My hope is in a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ, who sits at the right hand of God. I have hope and know that I’m going to heaven. And, right here and now in this present life, I have God’s presence to help me.
Suppose we had no Bible. Suppose there were no cross, no salvation, no empty tomb. Suppose we had nothing to hang on except, “Do your best, try to patch it up, do what you can.” Oh, but we have a hope. There is a plan of redemption, a plan for the future. The New Testament is an exciting Book to read, it is so full of hope and expectancy. And God is interested in you!
Prayer for the day
Reading Your Word, my heavenly Father, makes me realize that the world and all its heartaches are so transitory. Inspire me to reach others with Your message of hope.
Love casts out fear
In love there is no fear, but perfect love casts out fear. He who fears awaits punishment, so he has not been perfected in love.
(1 John 4: 17b-18)
Love, a word that is on the lips of many and in the hearts of few. We live in a cold and violent world both in deed and in words, where love seems to have grown cold. This gloomy environment generates fear, depression and disenchantment with life.
But when we lift our eyes to see true love, not the love that movies show but the love that overcomes fear and overcomes death, all the oppression in this world is not enough to bring us down. The love poured out for God through his son Jesus is able to overcome fear and punishment. We must feed on this love and spread it. This love cannot be prohibited by law and no one is capable of taking it away.
We must perfect ourselves in this love! Yes, it is necessary, because this is a practical love. In the same way that we are fed by this love, we must share it with those who need it. In this cold and tasteless world, God’s love is the salt and warmth that everyone needs. It is up to us, as the salt of the earth, to spread this love and comfort this world. Do not be afraid to talk about this love, for this love drives out fear. It is the love of the one who loved us before all else: Jesus!
Cast away fear with love
First of all we must be aware of this love that saved the world: Jesus. Read the Gospels and immerse yourself in this love.
By relating to the Father we activate the mechanism that waters us with this love. Our God is a living God and we can have a personal relationship with him through prayer.
Practice this love! Don’t be afraid to pray for the sick or do good to those who have done you wrong. Love supports and conquers everything. When we put God’s love into practice, wonderful things happen.
For Pray:
Lord Jesus, I want to immerse myself in your love. Remove from my heart all fear of doing your will. I want to be a tree that bears fruit. I need and want your love to feed me. In the name of Jesus, amen.
Holy Week or Holy Life?
It is normal to see churches crowded with people during these days (which does not happen the rest of the year) And it is that people become more aware of their faith and behave in the best possible way during Easter days. However, God does not want us to live a correct spiritual life for a few days, He wants it to become a lifestyle for us.
It is not bad to pay more attention to the days of Holy Week, to take advantage of this time to strengthen ourselves in faith, to reconcile ourselves with the Lord, if we have been far from Him, the bad thing is that it is only on this date when we strive for live the way God wants.
We can behave well for a few days… What about the rest of the year? We cannot live a religiosity in which we pretend to be holy for only a few days. The life in holiness to which we have been called is more than a simple behavior, it speaks to us of an absolute surrender to the will and designs of God.
“But, as the one who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your way of living; for it is written: Be holy, for I am holy “, 1 Peter 1: 15-16.
