Month: November 2024

Psalm 136:1 – Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
² Give thanks to the God of gods.
His faithful love endures forever.
³ Give thanks to the Lord of lords.
His faithful love endures forever.

⁴ Give thanks to him who alone does mighty miracles.
His faithful love endures forever.
⁵ Give thanks to him who made the heavens so skillfully.
His faithful love endures forever.
⁶ Give thanks to him who placed the earth among the waters.
His faithful love endures forever.
⁷ Give thanks to him who made the heavenly lights—
His faithful love endures forever.
⁸ the sun to rule the day,
His faithful love endures forever.
⁹ and the moon and stars to rule the night.
His faithful love endures forever. (NLT)

This week we celebrate Thanksgiving, a national holiday.  In our country, as in others, the original thanksgiving observances were harvest festivals.  Many pilgrims of Plymouth Colony had already succumbed to disease and starvation.  Indeed, the colony lost 45 of the 102 settlers during their first winter.  Given the circumstance, I imagine that the feeling of thankfulness and gratitude must have been felt deeply by those of Plymouth Colony, for without a harvest many more would most likely have starved.  Very few of us, if any, have or ever will know of extreme hunger, much less starvation.  Living with plenty has a way of moving us away from a spirit of thankfulness, and we begin to take things for granted.

It is good for a nation to pause and give thanks.  Even though our nation experienced rising inflation this year, we still live with plenty.  While it is good for a nation to give thanks, as Christians we should seek to live thankfully every day.  Indeed, in his letter to the church in Ephesus, the Apostle Paul told them to be careful in how they lived.  He then told them: “And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20). 

Like those Christians in Ephesus long ago, we should be careful in how we live.  Let us start our days by giving thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever! 

Posted by Ramón Torres

Matthew 5:13 – “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. (NLT)

Today’s passage is part of Jesus’ most famous sermon – his Sermon on the Mount.  When we think of the Sermon on the Mount, we often think of the Beatitudes.  The Sermon on the Mount is much more, and this short passage is quite powerful.  Essentially, this passage is telling us that we should be making difference in the world.  

Jesus tells us something quite profound about ourselves, but first let’s consider what Jesus said in John 8:12 “I am the light of the world.” I think we can all say Amen to what Jesus says in that verse, but now consider what Jesus tells us in verse fourteen above: “You are the light of the world.”  How can Jesus be the Light of the World and you and I also be the light of the world?  We go back to John 8:12 and look at the entire verse:  “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

We can easily affirm that Jesus is the Light of the world, but as followers of Jesus we have Jesus’ light within us.  We do not receive that light to keep to ourselves, and this is what Jesus shares in the Matthew 5:16.  We have received the Light for the very purpose of letting other people see Jesus in us.  In essence, Jesus is telling us that Christians should be seen and heard.  Our presence should be noticed by the world.  We should be making a difference.  Our good deeds should be seen by all people – not just by a few of the people who know us, but by all!

I find this challenging, and it is a challenge that I know I cannot live up to on my own power.  It is the very presence of Jesus within us that makes this possible.  I often ask church members this question: “How much Jesus do you really want?”

Today, let’s seek the very presence of Jesus in our lives, so that others may know something of Jesus.  You may very well be the only way someone may come to know Jesus.  Challenging?  Of course, but Jesus has called us to be Light, so let’s shine!

Posted by Ramón Torres

Matthew 5:43 – “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. ⁴⁴ But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! ⁴⁵ In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. ⁴⁶ If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. ⁴⁷ If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. ⁴⁸ But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. (NLT)

Hollywood spends a lot of time and money entertaining millions of people with love stories.  Most of these love stories would teach us that we can only become complete as a human when we find our one true love.  Today’s passage teaches us just the opposite, we can only become complete when we truly love others as God loves all. 

In this passage, Jesus speaks about loving all people, not just those who love us.  Then, in verse forty-eight, Jesus says: “you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Almost every English translation out there has the word ‘perfect.’  I’m not a big fan of translating the Greek into ‘perfect.’  First, it confuses many Christians, for we are taught that no one is perfect but Jesus.  Second, I think we miss the richness of the word. 

The Greek word that we translate as ‘perfect’ is τέλειος,{tel’-i-os}.  The word literally means: 1) brought to its end, finished;  2) wanting nothing necessary to completeness.  Loving others unconditionally completes us.  Perhaps, this is human perfection, but it does not mean we live without sin, for we have plenty of Scripture that teaches us otherwise – and we know all too well from our own experiences!

Today, let us love all others.  We don’t have to approve of everyone, or even enjoy their presence, but let us love.  Let us be complete!

Posted by Ramón Torres

Isaiah 43:1 – But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
O Israel, the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
² When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.
³ For I am the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom;
I gave Ethiopia and Seba in your place.
⁴ Others were given in exchange for you.
I traded their lives for yours
because you are precious to me.
You are honored, and I love you.

⁵ “Do not be afraid, for I am with you.
I will gather you and your children from east and west.
⁶ I will say to the north and south,
‘Bring my sons and daughters back to Israel
from the distant corners of the earth.
⁷ Bring all who claim me as their God,
for I have made them for my glory.
It was I who created them.’ (NLT)

When we understand that ‘Jacob’ and ‘Israel’ were terms used to address the people of God, we should come to realize that they address us today.  With that understanding, what does this passage tell us today?  It tells us that ultimately, we have nothing to fear, for God has ransomed us (verse 1).  We know that the ransom paid for us was the life of Jesus. 1 Peter 1:18 – “For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. ¹⁹ It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. ²⁰ God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but he has now revealed him to you in these last days.”

What exactly have we been ransomed from?  We have been ransomed from the power of sin.  Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:56 – “For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. ⁵⁷ But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

Sin separates us from God, a death far more horrible than the loss of our earthly life.  Sometimes we lose our ‘eternal’ perspective on life.  While we all want a comfortable life here and now, the truth is that we were created for something greater than life here and now.  We were created for eternity, and the price for that privilege has been paid.  An existence of no pain and no suffering is promised – but not in this life. 

This passage encourages us not to fear what this life will confront us with, for this life is fleeting.  The Good News is that God will get us through this life.  Notice verse three – we are told that ‘when we go through’, and ‘when we walk through’ no harm will come to us. God does not promise us that difficult times in this life will disappear, but God does promise to be with us, and to bring us through the difficult times.

The greatest promise of this passage – for me – can be found in verse five: “Do not be afraid, for I am with you.” This is our promise for this day, for all our days to come, and for all eternity.  That is good stuff! 

Posted by Ramón Torres