Be The Few

The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven! - Matthew 21:9 This verse speaks to me in a most unusual way; even though it is a public confirmation of Jesus' messianic ministry by the people of Jerusalem, shortly after we see this same people shouting "Crucify him", instead of "Hosanna" and "Blessed is he". What could possibly have happened to those people to have them change their minds so fast? For one they were not expecting a spiritual redeemer, but a political one, since they did not understand what the old testament prophecies were really about. For two, they were interested not on a new way of life proclaimed by the messiah, named by him as 'the kingdom of heaven', a way of forgiveness, love, sharing and respect; rather, they were self-centered, interested only in the miracles he could perform, the ...

Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life? - Matthew 19:16 What the scripture is telling us today, by the story of this rich man that approached Jesus, is that there is nobody as perfect as to gain, by his own merit, however good he might be, his entrance to heaven, his ticket to eternal life. Salvation is by no means something we get by doing something; rather, it is achieved by something Jesus already did, and the only thing that's 'left for us to do' is to simply acknowledge our own faults, our incapacity of living life as God intended us to, and humble ourselves in his presence and asking him to forgive us of all sin, then receiving his son Jesus into our hearts as Lord and Savior. The problem is, though, from the start we are too proud to humble ourselves, to admit that someone else's paid the price for our salvation, and we keep on trying to do something to repay Jesus for his sacrifice, which is ...

Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. - Matthew 11:20 This text is not a novelty to me, since it announces one truth about the life of Jesus that is still valid today as it was back then: people will not be convinced of their sins, people will not repent, people will not be transformed because of miracles, no supernatural or spectacular works of anyone will turn a stone heart into flesh. We often claim that today we don't see as many miracles or supernatural as it is written in the Bible that happened when Jesus was 'around'; but to consider that assumption in order to live our lives in devotion to the Lord is to deceive ourselves, because we can see clearly in this text, as in many others throughout the scripture, that the people of Israel, and we are no different from them, back in the days of Moses, the prophets and even Jesus, even though they experienced healing, demons being cast out ...

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. - Matthew 5:14-16 There are a couple obvious assumptions to the fact that we are the light of the world: since we are it's light, the world must reside in darkness, be it moral darkness, dark nature of sin, darkness of utter absence of good, of love, of God; no light can be hidden the same way it's impossible not to see a city built on a hill, so if we are true lights, even if we didn't say anything, or didn't do anything on purpose, or to be seen, we would still be easily recognized as good-doers, because of the light that shines from our hearts bringing it's warmth into other people's lives. My prayer today is that I put th...

Every journey is accomplished one step at a time. Trials come in various categories. They may be physical, emotional, financial, relational, or spiritual. They may slip in unexpectedly and knock on the door of your business, your church, or your home. They can be directly related to our own sin, the sin of others, or not related to sin at all. James 1:2-4 says, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have it's perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." Most often, because of the discomfort, the pain, or the hardship, we try to cut our trial short - to put an end to them. Instead, James says, endure the trial; let it come to completion. When it does, you'll be a better person for it. Remember, God is fully aware of the trials in your life and two things should comfort you: First, these squalls surge across everyone's hor...

[1] The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. The shepherd takes care of his flock, and I am his flock! I lack nothing because he sees to it that I’m not in need of anything I need in order to live! [2] He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, It is not I that simply lie down for being tired or lazy, the shepherd recognizes my need of rest and chooses the best place for me to do that, a soothing place where my soul can let go of the problems of the day, and be refreshed by the living waters of his Spirit. [3] he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. It is not tap water or any other beverage that can make my thirst go away, but He himself as Jesus told the woman by Jacob’s well. I don’t go astray, He’s right there in front of me leading the way, this way I can trust Him. [4] Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort ...

See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills — to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts. Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you... - Exodus 31:2-6 I find it awesome in this passage of the scripture, the Lord himself speaking to Moses about how He had chosen men to do His work, and that He had given them the skills both technical and spiritual to do it, and that this is something that was true at that particular time of history and it remains being true even today. Does God call out the already qualified people? Absolutely. But the greater miracle is exactly how God works his way using piece...