“Then the LORD gave special strength to Elijah. He tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab’s chariot all the way to the entrance of Jezreel.” – 1 Kings 18:46 In former times, and still today in some Eastern countries, kings and nobles used to have their chariots preceded by runners, who were tightly girded for this purpose. The prophet, like the Bedouins of his native Gilead,
“Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.” – Luke 1 : 30-31 At this stage, don´t we need peace on earth for humanity? Don´t we need the appearance of the angels, a sudden joy of the shepherds and hope,
“And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.” – 2 Corinthians 5 :18 Approaching Christmas, we prepare ourselves to celebrate the glorious birth of our Savior. It´s a day where the impossible becomes possible, where redemption comes up and reconciliation rises at the horizon. Thus, during this year´s Christmas, whatever your actual circumstances may
“He must increase, but I must decrease.” – John 3 : 30 Christmas is synonymous with nativity. And this nativity gives a start-up for dramas of nativity. Who knows who was the first having the idea of putting in scene the birth of Christ, but this first passage gave birth to several inspiration of other people. Even if every single one of those had his own style, all of
“Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel.” – Isaiah 7 : 14 Today, I would like to suggest to go down to Bethlehem, and together with the amazed shepherds and to mages in adoration, to contemplate the one who is the king of the Jews and to sing: “A child is born and a son has been given to us”. Jesus is
“For he has broken the gates of brass, he has broken the bars of iron.” – Psalms 107:16 I am writing to you from the beautiful island of Madeira where we have just had a glorious meeting at the Forum of Machico. According to several sources, for several years, on this island, there has never been a big meeting of evangelization in unity with several churches. In the afternoon, having
“The LORD rewarded me for doing right; he restored me because of my innocence.” – 2 Samuel 22:21 The song contained in this chapter is the same as Psalm 18. This inspired or was manifestly the effusion of a mind glowing with the highest fervor of piety and gratitude, and it is full of the noblest imagery that is to be found within the range even of sacred poetry.
“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish” – John 10 : 28 A Christian should never think or speak too lightly about unbelief. Indeed, when one of God’s children mistrusts His love, His truth, and His faithfulness, I think that God does not appreciate this at all. Not trusting the father is one of the greatest injustices that exist because God is the worthiest of
“And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.” – Luke 17 : 5-6 The subject of faith has sometimes become some kind of complicated for us being Christians.
“Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore.” – Psalm 105 : 4 To seek the presence of God is a commandment, a necessity, and a privilege. Without the presence of God in our lives, we only stir the air and flap our wings. The human being works in a perfect manner in his original conception when he is in the presence of God. Even if we can
“And he said, go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was
“God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” – 1 Corinthians 1 : 9 I have always felt a certain difficulty and confusion, perhaps due to my youth, in trying to discern my calling. What does God desire that I do for Him? What is my destiny? Am I an evangelist because I enjoy sharing my testimony and talking about
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” – Proverbes 3 : 5-6 This well-known biblical passage in the book of Proverbs reveals to us the heart of God for our daily life. Sometimes, we think that the Lord is interested only in the fireworks of our Christian march, the
“Looking unto Jesus” – Hebrew 12:2 It is always the job of the Holy Spirit to turn our eyes away from ourselves and turn them upon Jesus. But the work of Satan is exactly the opposite; he continuously tries to make us turn our eyes upon ourselves instead of turning them upon Christ. He insinuates: “Your sins are too big to be pardoned, you do not have faith; you
“Go up on a high mountain” – Isaiah 40 :9 Our knowledge of Christ is nearly like the ascent of a Swiss mountain. When you stand at the bottom of the mountain, you do not see a lot: the mountain seems to have half of its actual size. Situated in a small village, you may notice nothing other than the small streams of water flowing down into the stream at the
“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: In thy presence is fulness of joy; At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” – Psalm 16 :11 Have you ever wondered why God, our Creator, at the origin of creation, placed Adam and Eve in a garden called Eden? What were His plans, His desires, and above all, why a garden? After all, He could very well have chosen
“Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation” – Psalm 51:12 After much research and study, scientists and psychologists have found out the importance of joy for the emotional growth of a child. Indeed, little babies develop their emotional capacity only if their parents and other adults show them glimpses of love and make all kinds of grins. We have all tried to make a baby laugh or smile by
“For the joy of the Lord is our strength” – Nehemiah 8:10 As the end of time approaches and the world continues to sink in wickedness and iniquity, I think that there is a Christian virtue, forgotten and abandoned for a long time, which will return to the surface of our churches and our lifestyle. I do not talk about love, nor patience, nor peace, but indeed about joy. Oh,
