Author: AdminYearGrace3405 (Page 18 of 25)

Psalm 56:1 – Be merciful to me, my God,
for my enemies are in hot pursuit;
all day long they press their attack.
² My adversaries pursue me all day long;
in their pride many are attacking me.

³ When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
⁴     In God, whose word I praise—
in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?

⁵ All day long they twist my words;
all their schemes are for my ruin.
⁶ They conspire, they lurk,
they watch my steps,
hoping to take my life.
⁷ Because of their wickedness do not let them escape;
in your anger, God, bring the nations down.

⁸ Record my misery;
list my tears on your scroll—
are they not in your record?
⁹ Then my enemies will turn back
when I call for help.
By this I will know that God is for me.

¹⁰ In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise—
¹¹ in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can man do to me? (NIV)

We all face fears in life. What do you fear?  We may fear the loss of health, the loss of a job, the loss of a loved one.  We may fear for family and friends who are facing hardships.  We may fear economic hardships.  Whatever it is, we all have fears in life.  The Bible is filled with stories of men and women who feared, but it is also filled with stories of men and women who trusted in the Lord to see them through those times.  Psalm 56 was written by David during a difficult time in his life. We should note that David had many warriors who were loyal to him, and who would have laid down their lives for David.  When David faced difficulty, the very first place to which he turned was to God.  He wrote in verse three: “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”

Where do we turn first when we are afraid?  Where do we seek security?  Many people, when they are fearful of the days ahead, turn to destructive behaviors, chemicals, and addictive behaviors.  They claim that they find comfort in such things.  None of those things last and are of no benefit.  When we are afraid, we should turn to God.  In verse four, David said that he would turn to the Word of God, which he would praise.

Today, when we face fearful moments, let us turn to God’s Word.  Let us praise the one who knows us better than we know ourselves.  Let us trust God and no longer be afraid, for what can anyone do to us when God is for us?

Posted by Ramón Torres

Luke 4:1 – Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, ² where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. ³ The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” ⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”

⁵ The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. ⁶ And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. ⁷ If you worship me, it will all be yours.” ⁸ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”

⁹ The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. ¹⁰ For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you
to guard you carefully;
¹¹ they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

¹² Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”  ¹³ When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. (NIV)

Today’s reading is the familiar story of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness.  We must resist our own temptation of reading too casually the familiar stories of the Bible.  There are, indeed, many lessons to learn from this short passage, but let’s focus on two.

First, we cannot escape temptation.  We can pray to God, praise and worship God, read God’s Word, and be at church every time the doors are opened, but we will still face temptation.  If God in the flesh faced it, there is no escaping it for us.  It’s a given – we will be tempted.

This leads us to our second point for today. What should we do when we face temptation?  We should do the same thing that Jesus did – we should turn to God’s Word.  When Jesus was hungry and tempted to turn a stone into bread, he turned to Deuteronomy 8:3.  When he was tempted to use his power for worldly fame, he turned to Deuteronomy 6:13.  Even when the devil used Scripture to tempt Jesus (he quoted from Psalm 91:11-12), Jesus responded with Scripture (Deuteronomy 6:16).

Perhaps, I am preaching to the choir, since those of you reading this are studying Scripture, but today’s reading teaches us that we must be grounded in God’s Word.  We don’t have to be able to quote chapter and verse, but we should be familiar enough with Scripture so that when we need it, we can recall what we need.

Today I thank you for your faithful reading and studying of God’s Word, and I encourage you to persevere even when the Scriptures are difficult to understand. 

Posted by Ramón Torres 

Acts 19:11 –  God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, ¹² so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.

¹³ Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” ¹⁴ Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. ¹⁵ One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” ¹⁶ Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.

¹⁷ When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. ¹⁸ Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. ¹⁹ A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. ²⁰ In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power. (NIV)

Some of the stories from the Bible seem so strange, and so far removed from us, that we often overlook them.  When we do this, we are in danger of failing to apply biblical truths into our own lives. Today’s reading may have some seemingly strange happenings, but there is a great truth to be learned.

In this reading we encounter some individuals who were trying to call upon the name of Jesus, but they had no real relationship with Jesus.  They had seen other’s who had a relationship with Jesus do mighty works, but they were unable to do anything in Jesus’ name.  The name of Jesus is not magic!  We need to have a relationship with Jesus in order to receive from Jesus what Jesus supplies: certainly salvation, but also strength for daily living.  I have known some people, who when facing difficult times in life, pray fervently.  However, they often had not prayed, nor had they read God’s Word, since the last time they faced difficulties in life.  This type of behavior simply will be of no benefit to us.  Our difficulties may simply remain, as if they were to say to us: “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?”

Any relationship needs to be nurtured, and it is no different in our relationship with Jesus.  The Good News for us today is that the Bible is filled with wonderful stories of people who were able to overcome difficulties in their lives because they nurtured their relationship with God.  Today, let us do what we can to grow in our relationship with God through Christ, so that our own faith – not the faith of someone else – will see us through life’s difficulties.

Posted by Ramón Torres

Acts 15:1 – Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” ² This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. ³ The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. ⁴ When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.

⁵ Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”

⁶ The apostles and elders met to consider this question. ⁷ After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. ⁸ God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. ⁹ He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. ¹⁰ Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? ¹¹ No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

In today’s reading we find that there have been disagreements within Christianity since the beginning.  The first major debate within the Church was over the question,  “What must we do to be saved?”  In the early years, there were some Christians who had previously been Jewish, and they claimed that one must be circumcised to be saved.  While the debate on circumcision has long since passed by, Christians have found plenty of other things to put in its place.  There are Christians who maintain that one must speak in tongues; Christians who maintain that one must be baptized, and by a certain method; Christians who claim that one must belong to a certain church; and the list could go on and on. 

Christians from every era tend to forget that Jesus came to proclaim Good News.  In Luke 4:18, while quoting from the prophet Isaiah, Jesus proclaims:  “He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.”  What we must realize is that Jesus was referring to the people who were held in religious bondage, who could not see the truth, and who were under a heavy burden.  Speaking to such people, Jesus said:  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Friends, today let us remember these words of Jesus, and the words of Paul who wrote: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1).  What we need is to have faith in the grace of a Savior, and that Savior is Jesus the Christ!  Let us stand firm today, knowing that we do not need to adhere to a set of rules, but rather we need to have a relationship with Jesus.

That was Good Stuff two thousand years ago, and it still is today! 

Posted by Ramón Torres

John 4:19 – “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

²¹ “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. ²⁴ God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” (NIV)

Today’s reading comes from the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman that he met at a well in Sychar. It’s a great story, with much truth to be found, however, we will focus on just one small part.  The verse I would like to focus on is verse twenty-three: “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.”

Did you ever think of God as seeking worshipers? Does God really need us to worship God, will God benefit from our worship?  I don’t believe that God benefits from our worship, but I still believe God seeks worshipers, and in particular, worshipers who worship in Spirit and truth.  If not for God’s own benefit, then why does God seek worshipers?  God seeks worshipers because God loves us, and worship benefits the one worshiping.

How does worship benefit us?  Worshiping God strengthens our minds and puts a right spirit/attitude within us.  Worshiping God drives away fear and allows faith to grow in its place.  Worshiping God reminds us of what our true and proper priorities should be.  Worshiping God allows us to feel God’s presence and strengthens us for life. 

Therefore, we should worship continually.  1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 tells us: “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit.” 

Let us not quench the Spirit!  Worship God today!  Worship in Spirit and truth, and may you be blessed as you feel the presence of God!

Posted by Ramón Torres

Isaiah 46:1 – Bel bows down, Nebo stoops low;
their idols are borne by beasts of burden.
The images that are carried about are burdensome,
a burden for the weary.
² They stoop and bow down together;
unable to rescue the burden,
they themselves go off into captivity.

³ “Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob,
all the remnant of the people of Israel,
you whom I have upheld since your birth,
and have carried since you were born.
⁴ Even to your old age and gray hairs
I am he, I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

⁵ “With whom will you compare me or count me equal?
To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?
⁶ Some pour out gold from their bags
and weigh out silver on the scales;
they hire a goldsmith to make it into a god,
and they bow down and worship it.
⁷ They lift it to their shoulders and carry it;
they set it up in its place, and there it stands.
From that spot it cannot move.
Even though someone cries out to it, it cannot answer;
it cannot save them from their troubles. (NIV)

In today’s reading we find God speaking to the Jews who were in exile in Babylon.  In verse one, we are told that Bel and Nebo stoop low.  Bel is Baal, one of the chief gods of Babylon.  Nebo was also a chief god, and was known by several names, including Nebuchadnezzar.  We are told that these idols were being carried away.  This would refer to King Cyrus’ army.  The idols would have been made of gold and would have been valuable to the new government.  In verses three and four, God reminds them that God alone is their maker and sustainer throughout their entire lives.  Unlike an idol that could be carried away, God would never abandon them.

We are told in verse six that some poured out gold and silver to make an idol.  This was referring to the Jews, not the Babylonians.  Many of the Jews adopted the worship of the Babylonian and freely participated in their religious practices.  I believe that this speaks to us in our modern world, as well.  What idols do we create?  What do we worship more than God?  Do we adopt the practices of unbelievers with whom we live in our own land? 

These are questions that we can only answer for ourselves, but they are questions we must address.  We should continually examine our lives so that we don’t drift from the One who has cared for us ‘since we were born’ (verse 3).  Only God can save us from our troubles (verse 7).

As we pray this day, let us examine our lives.  Let us put God before everything else, and trust God for God’s continuous care and guidance. 

Posted by Ramón Torres

Acts 7:51 – “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! ⁵² Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him — ⁵³ you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.”

⁵⁴ When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. ⁵⁵ But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ⁵⁶ “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” ⁵⁷ At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, ⁵⁸ dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

⁵⁹ While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰ Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. And Saul approved of their killing him.

Today’s reading is the martyrdom of Stephen. Stephen is stoned to death after preaching the Gospel.  Throughout history, many people have not only rejected God’s truth, but they also reject the messenger who brings God’s truth.  Even today, Christians are martyred for preaching the truth.  We don’t think about this often, but the fact is that it is believed that worldwide as many as 90,000 Christians per year die for their belief in Jesus.  This is a staggering statistic! 

In our country, many Christians are hesitant to just invite someone to church for fear of being rejected.  How sad it is to think that across the globe thousands are dying for their faith, and many Christians in our country won’t even live for their faith.

Some may not know this about me, but I am where I am today because somebody invited me to church.  When I was a young man, my wife and I (and our two children) were not attending church.  I was a Park Ranger, and one high school senior, who liked to hunt and fish, would always ask me if I wanted to go to church with him.  He never pressured me, and we struck up a friendship.  Eventually we attended his church, and the rest, as they say, is history. 

I urge you to live out your faith this day.  You will encounter many people today who don’t have a relationship with Jesus.  If you nurture a relationship with them, you just might become the influence that they need to move towards Jesus.  Let’s live out our faith! 

Posted by Ramón Torres

Ephesians 5:8 – you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) ¹⁰ and find out what pleases the Lord. ¹¹ Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. ¹² It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. ¹³ But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. ¹⁴ This is why it is said:

“Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”

¹⁵ Be very careful, then, how you live —not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. ¹⁸ Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (NIV)

Ephesians is one of my favorite books of the Bible.  I love its challenging call to live differently than the world.  This has been an emphasis of mine as a pastor and as a preacher.  I suppose pastors – like all people – have certain things that they emphasize.  Some pastors emphasize missions, others salvation, while others focus on evangelism.  All of these are vital to the Christian life, but my emphasis has always leaned toward our call to live in ways radically different than the world.  No one can discount the unmeasurable worth of salvation, but grace is not cheap, and we must not lessen its value by ignoring the biblical call to holy living (sanctification).

In this passage, Paul reminds us that we are to be light to the world.  Jesus told his followers the same in Matthew 5:14.  Paul gives us an imperative in verse eight: “Live as children of light.”  We must give careful consideration to our actions.  Our words and our behaviors should be a witness to the light that lives within.  Verse fifteen tells us to be very careful in how we live.  In the Greek, the word we translate as ‘careful’ literally meant to be accurate.  As we seek to live holy lives, we must be sure to be accurate – we must ‘hit the mark’.

Today, let us examine our walk and our witness.  Are we hitting the mark?  Does our life accurately depict the life of a disciple of Jesus? 

Posted by Ramón Torres

John 10:1 – “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. ² The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” ⁶ Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.

⁷ Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸ All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. ⁹ I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.^[a] They will come in and go out, and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. ¹¹ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (NIV)

For a number of years, a Church that I pastored was involved with a mission in Mexico.  This particular mission involved reaching out to a small community in the northern Mexico desert.  We called it a desert, but those who lived there called it home.  To look at the land, we at first did not believe that anything could live there, as there were only small shrubs, and very little water.  It looked like a hard place to live. 

As we became more and more involved with the people of the community, we began to see shepherds leading large flocks of goats into town. After a few days, in which some of the goats would be sold, they headed back out of town, and into the desert.  This truly aroused our curiosity!  How could anything live out in that desert?  We learned that quite a bit lived in the desert, including wolves that would prey upon the goats.  The shepherds were experts at leading their goats.  They knew where the water was, and where they could find vegetation.  The really good shepherds were able to keep the wolves at bay, and would always safely bring their goats back.  I asked a shepherd how he kept his goats safe, and he replied, “I never really sleep, and I always watch my flock.”

Jesus is our good shepherd.  We are always under the watchful eye of our Lord, and it’s a good thing because sometimes our world is a hard place to live!  Oh, sure we have more than enough food and water, but sin is always ready to devour us.  Our shepherd protects us from sins power.  Our shepherd has laid down his life for us, so that we might live.

Today, as we begin our week, let’s take a moment to celebrate our Good Shepherd. 

Posted by Ramón Torres

Luke 22:31 – “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. ³² But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.” ³³ Peter said, “Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you.” ³⁴ But Jesus said, “Peter, let me tell you something. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.” (NLT)

Mistakes, bad judgment, or just doing the wrong thing for the wrong reasons – we’ve all been there.  Take heart, the greats of our faith have been there, too!  In today’s reading, Peter (Simon) is being told by Jesus that he will deny Jesus three times.  We are all familiar with the story of Peter’s denial.  We are familiar with our own mistakes, and even with our own denials of Jesus.  What is important for us is what Jesus told Peter in verse thirty-two:  “So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”  

Jesus was matter of fact with Peter – “you will deny me.”  He was also matter of fact about what Peter should do when he came to repent of his behavior.  He was to use the experience to strengthen others.  It’s been said that good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment.  We should recognize our mistakes and bad judgment for what they are – opportunities to learn and grow, and opportunities to teach and strengthen others, as well.

We know that Peter did, indeed, go on to become a great leader of the early Christian faith.  He wrote two letters in the New Testament that bear his name.  Many biblical scholars also believe that he had a large part in the writing of the Gospel of Mark.  Peter’s influence over the centuries has been profound.  If we were to judge him on his early repeated denial of Jesus alone, we would not hold him in very high regard.  God, however, redeemed Peter.  God redeems us, and our actions, as well.

Today, let us learn from Jesus’ words to Peter.  Let us learn from our mistakes and use those experiences to strengthen others. 

Posted by Ramón Torres