Daily Devotion August 7, 2017 "Rest for the Weary!"

You know, one of my favorite verses in the Bible is Isaiah 40:30-31...

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

By Rev. Dr. Gregory Seltz, Speaker of The Lutheran Hour



"Rest for the Weary!"

August 7, 2017

The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall not do any work -- you or your son or your daughter, your male or female servant, or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you.

~ Exodus 20:10 (ESV)

You know, one of my favorite verses in the Bible is Isaiah 40:30-31 where it says this: “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Weariness is a malady that’s common to humanity, but its cause is not so much being overworked and underpaid; it’s not having the weight of the world on your shoulders. The root cause of our weariness is that we’re disconnected from God, the God who loves us. We’re disconnected because of our sin and our guilt. That dislocation from the One who loves us, who strengthens us, empowers us, who cares for us, who guides us -- dislocation from Him -- leaves us to our own sinful devices. And like Isaiah reminds us, even the strongest get overwhelmed, eventually.

But the God of heaven who created us, created us to be at rest with Him -- not at odds with Him. He created us to be in harmony with Him -- not out of tune, totally on our own. And weariness itself when it hits us in life -- it’s a sign that something must be done to fix things, and we don’t have the power to do it.

The Sabbath rest in Genesis is a reminder that rest and harmony were the way God wanted things to be for us: rest, harmony, not weariness. Oh, and by the way, such rest doesn’t mean idleness. A non-wearied life was meant to be lived -- that kind of life in God who created you and redeemed you to be His own. It means a sense of balance, strength, in the middle of work, as well.

You know, a few years ago, we did this event called “Run with the Rev.” Yeah, the Rev was me. We ran a half-marathon together -- several people who had trained with me online for 12 weeks. On race day we gathered, put on our running shoes and our T-shirts on, as well. And guess what verse we chose to have on the back of those shirts? You guessed it, Isaiah 40. That verse propelled each runner with a Sabbath-rest confidence in the middle of a grueling half-marathon.

And here’s something else we found at that day: there were other runners out there, many of them not Christian, either. And they saw that verse on the back of our shirts as they were running. And many of them came up to our group at the finish line and said, “Thanks for the verse. It was so encouraging to see the words, and to see you running with that mindset. It helped me get to the finish line. Thanks again.”

You see, in the middle of the race then, rest for the weary when they’re overwhelmed and rest power in the middle of living your life in Christ for others. That’s what it’s all about. When you are in harmony with God because of Jesus Christ’s work on your behalf you can face the issues of the day. You can whip worry in His Name.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, give us a sense of Your rest, a harmony that comes through faith in Jesus, and a knowledge of Your life-giving Word. Let that rest compels us to live life boldly as Your people for others. Amen.

Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin!  Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).

CPTLN Devocional de 07 de Agosto de 2017

Alimento Diario

Todo lo hace bien

07 de Agosto 2017

Te alabo porque tus obras son formidables, porque todo lo que haces es maravilloso. ¡De esto estoy plenamente convencido!

~ Salmo 139:14 (RVC)

Cuando éramos niños, a la mayoría de nosotros nos gustaban los dibujos animados. Incluso ahora, aunque no nos guste confesarlo, algunos no resistimos la tentación de abrir, antes que nada, la página de la tira cómica del periódico.

Si recuerda algunos personajes favoritos de los dibujos animados, notará que tienen algo en común: casi todos estos están dibujados con tan solo tres dedos y un pulgar en cada mano.

Recientemente conversé con un viejo dibujante, quien dice haber trabajado para Disney, y me comentó que esos personajes fueron dibujados así por dos razones: una, porque le ahorra tiempo al dibujante, y otra, porque la omisión pocas veces es notada por la audiencia.

Es una muy simple, honesta y obvia respuesta, pues la humanidad siempre trata de encontrar la forma más simple y fácil de hacer las cosas.

Al escribir esta devoción me doy cuenta que estoy muy agradecido a Dios porque no siguió el ejemplo de la humanidad. La mayoría de nosotros hemos sido bendecidos con cuatro dedos y un pulgar en ambas manos, tanto en la derecha como en la izquierda.

Dios no escatimó esfuerzos al hacernos, aunque bien podría haberlo hecho. Después de todo, él es Dios, pero él no obra de esa forma. Cuando Dios hizo el universo, lo llenó con un inmenso espacio sin poblar y una multitud de galaxias en rotación.

Y porque Dios no escatima esfuerzos, podemos decir que todo lo que hace lo hace muy bien. Cuando nos creó nos hizo perfectos, y cuando envió a su Hijo al mundo para que se sacrificara por nosotros, su sacrificio también fue perfecto. Tan perfecto, que derrotó el pecado, la muerte y el diablo.

La próxima vez que vea dibujos animados con personajes con tres dedos, recuerde que Dios, a diferencia de nosotros, todo lo hace bien.

ORACIÓN: Padre celestial, gracias por habernos creado. Continúa sosteniéndonos en tus manos hasta que, gracias a la salvación obtenida por Jesús, nos sostengas en el cielo. En tu nombre. Amén.

De una devoción escrita originalmente para "By the Way"

© Copyright 2017 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. ¡Utilice estas devociones en sus boletines! Usado con permiso. Todos los derechos reservados por la Int'l LLL.

The Daily Readings for SUNDAY, August 6, 2017 - The Feast of the Transfiguration

The Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Opening Sentence

Behold, the dwelling of God is with mankind. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them, and be their God. Revelation 21:3

Sunday Morning Prayer

Open my eyes, gracious Lord, as I turn to your word. I long to know you, to understand life, and to be changed. Examine me, Lord, by the floodlight of your truth. Amen

Confession and Forgiveness

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent, for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

~ Episcopal Book of Common Prayer

Today's Readings

The First Reading is taken from Exodus 34:29-35

Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them. Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face; but whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he would take the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

Psalm 99 Dominus regnavit
1   The LORD is King; let the people tremble; he is enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth shake.
2   The LORD is great in Zion; he is high above all peoples.
3   Let them confess his Name, which is great and awesome; he is the Holy One.
4   O mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.
5   Proclaim the greatness of the LORD our God and fall down before his footstool; he is the Holy One.
6   Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among those who call upon his Name, they called upon the LORD, and he answered them.
7   He spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud; they kept his testimonies and the decree that he gave them.
8   O LORD our God, you answered them indeed; you were a God who forgave them, yet punished them for their evil deeds.
9   Proclaim the greatness of the LORD our God and worship him upon his holy hill; for the LORD our God is the Holy One.

The Second Reading is taken from 2 Peter 1:13-21

I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to refresh your memory, since I know that my death will come soon, as indeed our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things. For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased." We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain. So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

The Holy Gospel is written in Luke 9:28-36

[The Transfiguration] Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah"-- not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

The Apostle's Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen

Prayer of the Day

O God, who on the holy mount revealed to chosen witnesses your well-beloved Son, wonderfully transfigured, in raiment white and glistening: Mercifully grant that we, being delivered from the disquietude of this world, may by faith behold the King in his beauty; who with you, O Father, and you, O Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Prayer for the Unfortunate

God of love, you see all the suffering, injustice, and misery which reign in this world; have pity, I pray, on whom you have created; in your mercy look upon the poor, the oppressed, the destitute, and all who are heavy-laden. Fill my heart with deep compassion for those who suffer, and hasten the coming of your kingdom of justice and truth; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for Mission

Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen.

Nearer My God to Thee
by Londonderry Boys Choir

Let us bless the Lord. Alleluia!
Thanks be to God! Alleluia!

Closing Prayer

Let me not forget my prayers as I go out into the world. Holy Spirit, be with me, and let me praise you and remember you in my every action and thought, for the entire week to come. In Christ's name I ask this, Amen.

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The New Revised Standard Version Bible may be quoted and/or reprinted up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, provided the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible or account for fifty percent (50%) of the total work in which they are quoted.

“Transforming with Christ” The Sermon for SUNDAY, August 6, 2017 - The Feast of the Transfiguration

Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah"-- not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

~ Luke 9:28-36

"Transforming with Christ"
by Jeffrey Sims
Coy United Methodist Church
Preston, Mississippi

We read in the text today about Jesus and three of His closest friends, Peter, James and John having a prayer meeting on the mountaintop.

Jesus took these three up the mountain with him and as he prayed a change came over him. His facial expression changed and his clothes turned as white as white could be.

What an experience this must have been for Jesus' three friends.

What an eye opener! They probably had experienced mountaintops before but not like this! I’m sure that not only did Jesus have a transformation that day but I suspect His three friends did as well. There is no way that they could have been in the heavenly presence of our savior and not have transformed or experienced change in their life.

Think about it, anyone who has been in the presence of Jesus in some way, shape, form or fashion has been transformed. When we bow before the savior we are all transformed. Not only do we change the look on our faces as Jesus did, we experience a change in attitude and we experience a change in our lives that others see.

We get a smile on our face, a spring in our step, we begin to develop a new attitude and it shows and the people we come in contact with us see it, and most of the time want some of it.

Sometimes it’s a slow subtle change and sometimes it’s BAM!!!

Y’all know what I’m talking about, we have all seen people that have been changed people who have been transformed by walking up that mountain with Jesus Christ, and we see ‘em but it’s hard to believe that it’s them. It’s like when you see the schoolyard bully at your 20th class reunion and he has done a 180 and is now the nicest guy in town.

When I started going back to church after a long stint of running from God and walked into church for the first time in several years, let me tell you something, I was shocked by some of the people that I saw! I’m not kidding, My jaw dropped when I saw some of the folks sitting in the pew and singing in the choir. I had worked with a few of these people on the fire deptartment and had not seen or spoken to them in a while.

When I saw them and the initial shock wore off, I could tell they had changed and that they had experienced something in their lives. It was obvious to me that a transformation into a person much different that their old self had happened. I could see it on their faces and in their actions.

One of these guys left the department because of failing his drug test one too many times. Addiction to alcohol and drugs had taken over his life the last time I had seen him, but let me tell you something the man I saw that first day when we walked in that church was changed he had been changed and transformed in a way that could only be done by a walk up the mountain with a man called Jesus. He was smiling and praising God and loving life. He now goes on mission trips spreading the word of Christ sharing the Gospel with people in Honduras and Costa Rica anything he can do to give glory to God and benefit His Kingdom.

Another guy that I saw there was a surprise to me as well. I had been around him when he would open a half gallon bottle of whiskey and throw the top away. Now he also goes to Central America to spread the love of Christ. He hasn’t had a drink in more than 17 years. He loves his family and spends more time with them than he ever did. A transformation had taken place a change had come. He went up that mountain with Jesus and came back transformed into someone else, a better man, a better person with the love of Christ in his heart.

You see that’s what happens when we walk with Christ. When we put our trust in Jesus we change, we transform. We get opportunities to go to the mountaintop! We all have times in our lives that are mountaintop experiences, our baptisms, our first child, getting married, sometimes we have them at spiritual retreats. All of these things can transform us all of these can change our lives and shape us and mold us into someone better.

You know I tell you about these guys being so far from God and being changed, the truth is I was no different than them. I had my share of problems and issues, but praise God I walked up the mountain with Jesus.

You see I used to have a pretty big problem with my temper and a little problem with my attitude at times. I held a lot of resentment and hate in my heart. Some things had gone on in my childhood and teenage years that I just could not let go of. I just kept holding on to the past and doing that affected my attitude my demeanor and many other aspects of my life. I was driven by money and success because I thought that is what really mattered and that the only three people I could truly depend on in life was me, myself and I.

Living with me wasn’t a cakewalk. This was going on even after I had already made significant changes in my life and had reaffirmed my life to Christ and became a regular churchgoing Christian.

I was working on these issues but the problem was I was working on them in the natural and should have been letting Jesus fix me in a supernatural way.

These things changed when I went up the mountain with Jesus. It was at a spiritual retreat that I didn’t want to go to or be at when I experienced this change. As a matter of fact I almost turned around a few miles from our destination because of an incident at a fast food restaurant that made me so mad that I couldn’t even eat the food I ordered and I wasn’t very nice to the person who had caused my temper to get out of shape. It’s hard for me to believe that I would get bent out of shape over an order of fries and a hamburger. I was in a place where I needed peace and no-one could give that to me but Jesus.

Well I’m here to tell you that weekend I went to the mountaintop with Jesus I went there and transformed. I truly had a mountaintop experience. I turned loose of all that resentment and problems that I had been carrying around for most of my life and I had a transformation. I was a changed man. I had a smile on my face, forgiveness in my heart, less stress in my life than ever before. Not only did I know that I had changed other people noticed it to.

See you can’t have a mountaintop experience with Jesus without others being able to see the change. You can’t go up the mountain with Jesus and be transformed without others seeing the results.

Peter wanted to build three temples. He wanted to give equal status to Moses and Elias. Don’t we do that at times? We try and take the credit for our mountaintop experience. We try and say hard work or money got us there that we are self-made. God came down with a cloud and when the disciples looked there was no one there but Jesus. We don’t get there on our own or by anything we do Jesus takes us their.

But that’s what we need to see. We can’t go up that mountain alone and expect to change; we can’t do it on our own. To truly be transformed to truly have a transfiguration from the natural to the super natural, to transform from the worldly to the spiritual, to go from the sinful to the righteous, to go from the unforgiving to the forgiving and forgiven we must go there with the King, we must go there with the Risen Savior we must go there with Jesus Christ. We can’t do it by ourselves we must travel with Jesus.

I’m reminded of the story of the preacher who moved to his new church. This church didn't have a lawn mower so he was looking for someone to either mow the lawn or sell him a used lawnmower. One day he saw a young man going by pushing a lawnmower. So the preacher asked him, "Hey, looking for a job?" The young man said, "Sure." It turned out that he was mowing yards and trying to earn enough money to buy a bicycle. This preacher was kind of young and didn't mind mowing the yard so he told the young man, "Look, I've got a 10 speed bicycle that I never ride any more. What do you say we trade the bicycle for the lawnmower?"

Well, the young man was ecstatic. They swapped and the young man took off on the bicycle. He rode around the block and came back to see the preacher standing in the same place wiping sweat off his brow. The preacher waved the boy over and said, "Hey, I've pulled on the rope a half a dozen times and this lawn mower just won't start."

The young man said, "Preacher, I hate to tell you this but it's a special kind of lawnmower. You have to cuss it to get it to start."

The preacher looked at him and said, "Well, I've been in the ministry so long I don't think I can remember how to cuss."

The young man grinned and said, "Pull on the rope some more and it'll come back to you."

Let me tell you something while we are on that mountain we can't forget the valley. We can’t forget where the Lord has delivered us from. I hate to tell you this but you can’t stay on the mountaintop all the time. We all want to stay there, we all want to be there all the time but we can’t. We want to stay there because we feel so close to the master, we like it on the mountain because we feel closer to Jesus. But friends, let me tell you something. Jesus is there in the valley to. Jesus is with you in the valley of pain, Jesus is with you in the valley of suffering, and Jesus is with you in the valley of fear. My friend if you have been on the mountain with Jesus rest assured he is with you in the valleys. He is always with you no matter what is going on in your life the good and the bad. Jesus is there.

Don’t forget the valley. That’s where Jesus nurtures us and feeds us and helps us grow strong in spirit. That’s where we are really the closest to Christ. So when you’re on the Mountaintop don’t forget the valley below, don’t forget the savior who is leading you always.

Our lives are full of valleys and mountaintops, this life is a cross country marathon not a 100yd dash. Our walk with Jesus doesn’t end at the top of the mountain but continues down the other side and into the fertile valleys.

We can’t forget where we come from, and there will be times we can’t see where we are going so we just need to rest assured that in the present, in the here and now, that Jesus is leading us to another mountaintop.

Amen.

Seeking God?
Click HERE to find out more about how to have a personal
relationship with Jesus Christ.

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The New Revised Standard Version Bible may be quoted and/or reprinted up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, provided the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible or account for fifty percent (50%) of the total work in which they are quoted. Sermon shared by Rev. Malcolm Rogers on Apr 23, 2016. Contributed by Jeffrey Sims on Sep 24, 2016.

The Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Today the church remembers The Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus had been seen by thousands, had taught and ministered to many, and was known intimately by a few. He was a very perplexing young man, especially to those who knew him best. He spoke as one with authority and he healed many. Who was he? Was he the Messiah? Was he even more? Prior to his terrible humiliation and suffering, he called three of his closest friends "Peter, James, and John" aside and it was revealed to them who he was.

Moses and Elijah were seen speaking with Jesus as one whom they knew, and the voice of the Father was heard to proclaim, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). Jesus' relationship to the Old Testament prophets and his divine nature were thus revealed to these three disciples. His face shone with a glorious light and they were astonished, falling on their faces and glorifying God.

Most of the world was by no means ready for this revelation. Indeed, the first reaction of the three disciples indicated that they had very little comprehension of what Jesus was about. The days ahead would clarify much. Yet, even today we stand before his glory astonished, puzzled, and bungling in our response to him.

Change us when we behold your presence, Lord Christ, that we may be ready to take up our cross and follow you. Amen.

Read the Wikipedia article here.

O God, who on the holy mount revealed to chosen witnesses your well-beloved Son, wonderfully transfigured, in raiment white and glistening: Mercifully grant that we, being delivered from the disquietude of this world, may by faith behold the King in his beauty; who with you, O Father, and you, O Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Prayer of the Day for SUNDAY, August 6, 2017 - The Feast of the Transfiguration

O God, who on the holy mount revealed to chosen witnesses your well-beloved Son, wonderfully transfigured, in raiment white and glistening: Mercifully grant that we, being delivered from the disquietude of this world, may by faith behold the King in his beauty; who with you, O Father, and you, O Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Verse of the Day for SUNDAY, August 6, 2017

Psalm 119:160 (NIV) All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.

Read all of Psalm 119

Listen to Psalm 119

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Exploring the Parables with Cap'n Kenny - The Parable of the Growing Seed

Mark 4:26-29
26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

THINK ABOUT IT
This powerful parable appears only in Mark. The slow and hidden kingdom certainly challenged the desire for dramatic, divine invention found in most apocalyptic thought in the first century. Jesus did not deny a judgment day, but he did reinterpret its timing (see Joel 3:13).

TALK ABOUT IT
Why is patience important?

In Jesus,
Cap'n Kenny

Seeking God?

Click HERE to find out more about how to have a personal

relationship with Jesus Christ.

New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Un Dia a la Vez - La obediencia a los padres

Padres, no exasperen a sus hijos, no sea que se desanimen.

~ Colosenses 3:21 (NVI)

Este día quiero honrar a los padres que hacen una buena labor enseñando, educando e interviniendo en la vida de sus hijos.

La relación con nuestros hijos no siempre es fácil. Pasan diferentes etapas en sus vidas en las que es casi imposible penetrar.

Dios quiere que tú y yo vivamos el modelo que Él estableció como Padre.

La violencia y la agresión no nos llevarán a nada bueno con ellos.

Lo que siempre escuchamos es verdad: La violencia trae más violencia.

Necesitamos tener una magnifica relación con Dios y pedirle que nos ayude en esta difícil tarea de ser padres. Aunque ya lo he dicho en otros devocionales, en el Manual de Instrucciones encontramos la manera adecuada para educar a nuestros muchachos.

Sin embargo, recuerda que nuestro ejemplo, lo que ven y lo que aprendan será lo que guarden como un estilo de vida.

Empieza por respetarlos, diles cuánto los amas y lo especiales que son para ti.

No los compares con otro hijo o hijo de algún amigo.

Siempre reafírmales su corazón.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón

Standing Strong Through the Storm - FOUR-STAGE PROCESS OF PERSECUTION

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.

~ Proverbs 31:8 (NIV)

Jesus’ basic communication theory in Matthew 12 is that people speak and act from the overflow of what is in their heart. Jeremiah and others remind us that the heart can be exceedingly wicked. One of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s famous statements is “The line of good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.”

Christian persecution within a country or state rarely happens suddenly or in isolation. It is most often a process. Some years ago Rev. Dr. Johan Candelin, who headed the World Evangelical Alliance’s (WEA) Religious Liberties Commission recognized this and devised a three-stage process of what happens leading up to persecution becoming entrenched in any society. He labeled the three stages of downward spiral as disinformation, discrimination and persecution. Dr. Candelin later expanded it to a six-stage process with each of the three having a passive, then active, aspect.

Dr. Jim Cunningham and I included this process in the first edition of Standing Strong Through the Storm (SSTS) and in our seminars. 

Some academicians and wordsmiths found it problematic to label the third stage with the same word as that of the process. So we began to wrestle with this issue from a sociological, historical and biblical perspective. We found interesting academic parallels. For example, in 1996, Professor Gregory Stanton, President of Genocide Watch, proposed an excellent model of an eight stage process of genocide. There are interesting similarities between this downward spiral and what psychologist John Gottman has labeled as the four most likely predictors of divorce.

When we accepted Jesus’ four verb definition of persecution in Luke 6:22, we then found four clear biblical steps in understanding the downward spiral in the process of persecution: opposition, disinformation, injustice and mistreatment. We will look at these four steps forming the acronym ODIM individually over the next four days.

Why is this important to you and me? Just today I read again the poignant words of German theologian Martin Niemoller written after he had been imprisoned for eight years in concentration camps as the personal prisoner of Adolf Hitler:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.

And then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

RESPONSE: Today I will speak out for the rights of those who have no voice to speak for themselves.

PRAYER: Help me, Lord, to be aware of the forces of evil that conspire against Your Kingdom.