Bilingual Bible Blog

Book giveaway

2012-01-19T19:01:00.000-08:00

Head over to Marc Cortez's blog and enter to win Reading Scripture with the Reformers by Dr. Timothy George.

http://marccortez.com/2012/01/19/book-giveaway-reading-scripture-with-the-reformers/

What a Difference Christ Makes -- Qué Diferencia Hace Cristo

2011-10-14T06:19:00.000-07:00

This morning my Bible reading plan had me in Numbers 18. Verse 7 jumped out at me, especially the last sentence:

But only you and your sons may serve as priests in connection with everything at the altar and inside the curtain. I am giving you the service of the priesthood as a gift. Anyone else who comes near the sanctuary must be put to death.

What a difference Christ makes in our approach to God! Before, anyone besides the priests or Levites who came near the dwelling place of God had to be put to death. But now, through the indwelling Holy Spirit, we are the dwelling place of the Lord. We are the temple. The very jars of clay that once would have been destroyed for coming too close to God's presence, are now the bearers of God's presence to the world.

And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. Ephesians 2:22.

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Esta mañana mi plan de lectura bíblica me tenía en Números 18. El versículo 7 me llamó la anteción, especialmente la última frase:
Pero sólo tú y tus hijos se harán cargo del sacerdocio, es decir, de todo lo referente al altar y a lo que está detrás de la cortina. A ustedes les doy de regalo el sacerdocio, pero cualquier otro que se acerque a las cosas sagradas será condenado a muerte.

¡Qué diferencia hace Cristo en cómo nos acerquemos a Dios! Antes, cualquier persona que no fuera sacerdote o levita que se acercaba a la morada de Dios tenía que ser matado. Pero ahora, a través del Espíritu Santo, nosotros somos la morada del Señor. Nosotros somos el templo. Las mismas vasijas de barro que hubieran sido destruidos por acercarse demás a la presencia de Dios, ahora son los portadores de la presencia de Dios al mundo.

En él también ustedes son edificados juntamente para ser morada de Dios por su Espíritu. Efesios 2:22

Before opening mouth, engage brain

2011-07-27T10:23:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 29:20
Do you see a man who speaks in haste?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.

Some people have an opinion about everything, and they make sure you know what it is. Even if they haven't studied the issue or taken time to consider all the options, they're quick to get their word in (I won't say "speak their mind" because that would imply they actually think about what they say). This has become more noticeable in this age of immediate feedback and instant communication, where it's so easy to comment on a FaceBook status, tweet something on Twitter, or fire off an e-mail before we've had time to even process the full meaning of what we're reacting to.

When asked what you think about something, don't feel pressured to respond right away. Some people feel that if they can't give an answer on the spot, they will be perceived as uninformed or unintelligent. But you actually look more foolish when you blurt out the first thing that comes to mind, instead of taking time to formulate an informed opinion.

Sometimes, our first thought is a great zinger or one-liner. And we want to get it out there before we forget it. But after we let it fly, we realize how biting and hurtful it was, and wish we could take it back. But the damage is done, especially online. Even if we go back and delete our comment, it may have already been seen by dozens, or even hundreds, of people. We might can erase it from FaceBook, but the damage to our reputation has already occurred.

So don't be so quick to speak. Slow down. Investigate. Evaluate. Then speak with measured words, making sure you are saying what you mean to say.

Don't react -- respond thoughtfully.

Points of Light / Puntos de Luz

2011-07-21T09:54:00.000-07:00

This morning, part of my Bible reading had me in Philippians chapter 2. Even though I had spent a few months earlier this year memorizing Philippians, today this one verse really caught my attention.

Philippians 2:15 --
so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe

No one wants to go outside at night and look up at black emptiness. The thing that draws people outdoors at night isn’t the darkness of the night sky, but the shining points of light breaking through that darkness. The countless stars shining down make us realize how big and great the God who created the universe is.

Is my light shining? Am I standing out in contrast to the darkness of the world? Is there light in my life that makes people think about the greatness of God? Or am I so well-adjusted to the culture around me that I fit into it without even thinking (Romans 12:2, The Message)?

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Esta mañana, parte de mi lectura bíblica me tenía en Filipenses capítulo 2. Aunque había pasado unos meses este año memorizando el libro de Filipenses, hoy este versículo me llamó la atención.

Filipenses 2:15 –
para que sean intachables y puros, hijos de Dios sin culpa en medio de una generación torcida y depravada. En ella ustedes brillan como estrellas en el firmamento,

Nadie quiere salir afuera en la noche para mirar hacia arriba a un vacío negro. Lo que llama la gente afuera en la noche no es la oscuridad del cielo nocturno, sino los brillantes puntos de luz que rompen esa oscuridad. Las estrellas inumerables enviando su luz hacia abajo nos hacen reconocer lo grande y maravilloso que es el Dios quien creó el universo.

¿Está brillando mi luz? ¿Estoy marcando un contraste con la oscuridad del mundo? ¿Hay luz en mi vida que hace la gente pensar en la grandeza de Dios? ¿O estoy tan ajustado a la cultura alrededor que encajo en ella sin pensarlo (Romanos 12:2, The Message)?

Win Bill Mounce's TNIV/NLT Greek/English interlinear New Testament

2011-06-30T11:03:00.000-07:00

You can enter here: http://westernthm.wordpress.com/2011/06/09/book-giveaway-from-bill-mounce

But hurry, the drawing is on July 1, 2011

Angels or impostors?

2011-04-20T03:55:00.000-07:00

Back in January, I was at a multi-church “Holy Convocation.” The guest preacher was a pastor from California. I don’t remember his name or the name of the church he pastors.

In the Friday evening service, he told a story about one time when he was in the Philippines. He was taking a cab to the Manila airport to fly back to the U.S. The taxi driver asked if he was by chance a pastor, and he said yes. The driver told the minister he had been praying all day for God to send a pastor to ride in his cab, because his daughter was very ill in the hospital and he wanted someone to pray for her. He asked if the pastor had a few minutes to spare to stop by the hospital on the way to the airport and pray for his child.

The pastor agreed, and they drove to the hospital. I don’t recall if the pastor said the man took him to the girl’s room, or just told him the room number and waited in the cab. But the pastor went in and prayed for the girl, who may have been in a coma (I don’t recall, it has been almost 3 months since I heard this story). In any event, after he prayed for her, she got better (awoke from the coma, or her vitals went to normal, or the fever left and she said she felt OK – I don’t recall).

A woman walked in and asked the pastor what he was doing there. He said that his cab driver, the girl’s father, had asked him to come pray for her, and had brought him to the hospital. The woman identified herself as the girl’s mother, and asked the pastor to describe the cab driver. He gave a physical description, and the mother said that it matched the girl’s father, but that he had died several months prior. When the pastor left the hospital, he couldn’t find the taxi or driver, and had to call for another cab to get to the airport.

As we were driving home after the service, someone who was riding with me told me about an experience he had as a child. This took place in Veracruz state in Mexico.

When “Juan” was small (7 or 8 I believe he told me), he was out riding his bicycle in the evening and had an accident that left a huge gash in his knee. He made it back to his house and called for his mother, who rushed him to a clinic she knew of nearby. They weren’t sure if it would be open at that hour, as it was already dark when they arrived (probably between 8 and 9 at night). They could see a light on and went to the door the light was coming from. A nurse who said her name was Laura took a look at Juan’s knee, then led them down the hall to a room where she proceeded to clean the wound and suture it. She sent them home with instructions to take him to see a doctor at the main hospital in a couple of days to get the stitches out.

When they went to the hospital a few days later to have the sutures removed, the doctor asked who had put them in. They told about going to the clinic and finding one nurse still working late, and that Laura sutured the knee and had told them to come to the hospital in a few days to get them out. The doctor called in some other people to hear the story, and asked them to describe the nurse. It turns out that the clinic they went to had been closed for several months, and that the description they gave of the nurse matched the description of a nurse named Laura that had worked with them at that clinic, who had died two years prior to Juan’s accident.

This is where my theological questions come in. I don’t know if I’m being overly analytical, but I feel my concern is valid. I believe we must submit every experience to the rule of Scripture.

If this cab driver and nurse were angels of God, why would they falsely identify themselves as specific deceased persons? I know there are many Biblical occurrences where angels appear in human form (the two men in white clothing in Acts 1 is one that immediately comes to mind) without the whole shining-light-making-people-fall-on-their-faces bit. But I don’t know of any instances where they impersonated specific human beings – they were always John Does. The only thing I can think of that comes close would be what I heard of as a First Century Jewish belief that each person had a guardian angel, that would appear in the physical form of that person if and when the angel manifested himself physically (I’ve heard this as an explanation for the gathered believers saying it must be Peter’s angel that Rhoda saw outside Mary’s house in Acts 12).

Or could these have been fallen angels, masquerading as angels of light (doing something good like taking a pastor to pray for a sick child, or stitching up a cut knee) with the purpose of getting people’s interest sidetracked into angelic apparitions? I know there have been many cases of people getting their focus off Christ and onto angel feathers, gold dust, and even supposed angels showing up in services (I’m specifically thinking of Todd Bentley’s claim that he was accompanied by the same “angel” that followed William Branham).

Your thoughts?

Whose image is on it? ¿De quién es la imagen?

2011-04-11T16:54:00.000-07:00

Luke 20:20-25

20 Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be honest. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. 21 So the spies questioned him: “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 22 Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” 23 He saw through their duplicity and said to them, 24 “Show me a denarius. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?” 25 “Caesar’s,” they replied. He said to them, “Then give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

In the Sunday School class I attend, we’ve been working our way through the Gospel of Luke. This well-known passage was part of what we covered this week.

Most of the discussion centered around the Christian’s obligation to respect the civil authorities and obey the law (see also Romans 13). But as my friend Kevin was making a comment and mentioning the image of Caesar on the denarius, the thought of imago Dei (that’s the Latin theological term for “image of God”) came to my mind. Genesis 1:17 says that man was made in the image and likeness of God. Just as the emperor’s image was stamped on the coin Jesus was looking at, God’s image is stamped on us.

I’ve always understood the “and to God what is God’s” to basically mean giving God our worship, service, reverence, etc. And that’s definitely part of it. But the light bulb that came on Sunday was that Jesus was saying here that we should give to God that which has God’s image imprinted on it – namely, ourselves. Of course, that is not a new concept, because we all have heard Paul say in Romans 12:1 that we should present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God. And when we give God all of ourselves, our worship, service, reverence, and everything else that flows from us is part of that giving back to God what is rightfully His because He made it and stamped the imago Dei on it.

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Lucas 20:20-25

20 Entonces, para acecharlo, enviaron espías que fingían ser gente honorable. Pensaban atrapar a Jesús en algo que él dijera, y así poder entregarlo a la jurisdicción del gobernador. 21 —Maestro —dijeron los espías—, sabemos que lo que dices y enseñas es correcto. No juzgas por las apariencias, sino que de verdad enseñas el camino de Dios.22 ¿Nos está permitido pagar impuestos al *césar o no? 23 Pero Jesús, dándose cuenta de sus malas intenciones, replicó: 24 —Muéstrenme una moneda romana.[a] ¿De quién son esta imagen y esta inscripción? —Del césar —contestaron. 25 —Entonces denle al césar lo que es del césar, y a Dios lo que es de Dios.

En la clase de Escuela Domincal a la cual asisto, hemos estado estudiando el Evangelio según San Lucas. Este pasaje bien conocido fue parte de nuestro estudio esta semana.

La mayoría de la plática se centraba en la obligación del Cristiano de respetar las autoridades civiles y obedecer la ley (lea también Romanos 13). Pero mientras que mi amigo Kevin estaba hacienda un comentario acerca de la imagen del césar en la moneda, la idea del imago Dei (el término latín para la imagen de Dios en el ser humano) vino a mi mente. Génesis 1:17 dice que el hombre fue hecho a la imagen y semejanza de Dios. Como la imagen del emperador fue impresa en la moneda que Jesús estaba mirando, la imagen de Dios es impresa en nosotros.

Siempre he entendido la frase “y a Dios lo que es de Dios” como refiriendo a nuestra adoración, servicio, reverencia, etc. Y definitivamente éso es parte del significado. Pero el foco que se prendió el domingo fue que Jesús aquí estaba diciendo que debemos rendirle a Dios aquello que lleva la imagen de Dios – es decir, nosotros mismos. Claro, eso no es un concepto nuevo, porque todos hemos escuchado las palabras del apóstol Pablo en Romanos 12:1, que debemos ofrecer nuestros cuerpos a Dios como sacrificio vivo. Y cuando le damos a Dios todo lo que somos, nuestra adoración, servicio, reverencia, y todo lo demás que procede de nosotros es parte de ese regresarle a Dios lo que por derecho le pertenece, porque Él lo hizo y lo selló con el imago Dei.

God's lavish grace

2011-03-17T14:25:00.000-07:00

Last night at church, we started a group study of Ephesians. We covered chapter 1 last night. As we were reading the text and discussing it, the follownig passage got my attention:

⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. ⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace ⁸ that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

The one thing I really noticed here was God's generosity toward us. God's grace has been freely given to us in Christ. We experience redemption, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of God's grace, that He lavished on us.

God is not stingy. He's not waiting for us to perform at a certain level before He'll talk to us. We don't have to earn the right to come before Him -- as if we could ever be good enough on our own to do that. He freely extends the offer of salvation, and he completely wipes the slate clean when we respond in faith to Christ's sacrifice for us.

Oh what a Savior!

You give them something to eat -- Denles ustedes mismos de comer

2010-12-21T13:49:00.000-08:00

This morning in my daily Bible reading, one of the passages I read was Luke 9, which tells the story of the feeding of the five thousand, the only miracle (apart from Christ's resurrection) that is recounted in all four canonical gospels. One thing that has drawn my attention many times, and really jumped out at me today, was verse 13:

He replied, “You give them something to eat.”

The disciples were expecting Jesus to send the crowds away so they could buy food in the neighboring towns. But Jesus told His apostles to feed them. Once the disciples brought the five loaves and 2 small fish from their provisions, Jesus multiplied it so that everyone ate their fill. But Jesus didn't make the food appear out of nothing, nor did He turn stones into bread. He took what the disciples brought and made it more than sufficient.

When I come upon someone who is spiritually hungry and thirsty, what do I do? Do I just tell them to read the Bible, give them the number of pastor they can call, suggest they pick up the latest Christian best-seller, or encourage them to go to church next Sunday? Or do I take the time to really listen to them, and then do I give them something to eat? Do I make room in my schedule to share spiritual food with them?

But if I'm going to give them something to eat, I have to have food that I can share. For me to feed others, I have to regularly visit the storehouse of God's Word, and I have to be producing spiritual fruit that will nourish others. If I haven't been consistently collecting food through prayer and Bible study, I won't have anything to share with those who are hungry. But if I have something stored up and am willing to share it, presenting it to Jesus so He can use it, the Master will multiply it to meet the need of the hungry soul.

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Esta mañana en mi lectura Bíblica diaria, uno del los pasajes que leí fue Lucas 9, que cuenta la historia de la alimentación de los cinco mil, el único milagro (aparte de la resurrección de Cristo) que se recuenta en los cuatro evangelios canónicos. Un punto que me ha llamado la atención muchas veces, y que realmente se saltó de la página hoy, fue el versículo 13:

"Denles ustedes mismos de comer" les dijo Jesús.

Los discípulos esperaban que Jesús enviara las multitudes a los pueblos cercanos para que comprasen algo de comer. Pero Jesús les dijo a sus apóstoles que les alimentaran. Cuando los discíuplos trajeron los cinco panes y dos pescaditos que había en sus provisiones, Jesús lo multiplicó hasta que todos se saciaron. Pero Jesús no creó la comida de la nada, y tampoco convirtió piedras en pan. Él tomó lo que trajeron los discípulos y lo hizo más que suficiente.

Cuando me encuentro con alguien que tiene hambre y sed espiritual, ¿qué hago? ¿Simplemente les digo que lean la Biblia, les doy el número de un pastor que pueden llamar, sugiero que compren el nuevo libro cristiano de más ventas, o les animo a asistir a la iglesia el siguiente domingo? ¿O tomo el tiempo para realmente escucharles, y después les doy yo algo de comer? ¿Hago espacio en mi agenda para compartir alimento espiritual con ellos?
Pero si les voy a dar algo de comer, primero tengo que tener comida que puedo compartir. Para que yo alimente a otros, tengo que visitar regularmente el almacén de la Palabra de Dios, y tengo que estar produciendo fruto espiritual que pueda nutrir a los demás. Si no he estado consistentemente colectando comida a través de la oración y estudio de la Palabra, no tendré nada para compartir con los hambrientos. Pero si tengo algo almacenado y estoy dispuesto a compartirlo, presentandolo a Jesús para que Él lo use, el Maestro lo multiplicará para saciar el alma hambrienta.

NLT Giveaway

2010-12-20T14:41:00.000-08:00

I wanted to fill you in on an exciting contest that is currently being run and sponsored by the New Living Translation. We’re highlighting three ministries, Wycliffe Bible Translators, Oasis International, and The Dream Center, (click on the link to learn more details about these ministries) and by voting for one of these ministries you’ll be entered to win one of many prizes.

To enter, visit the NLT Facebook page by clicking here.

There are several levels of prizes you can win, here are the details:

With the Give the Word Bible Contest and Giveaway:

• Ministries win: Each time the NLT Facebook Page reaches a fan count milestone, votes will be tallied and the three ministries will receive cash donations from the New Living Translation and Tyndale House Publishers.

• Everyone wins: Everyone who enters on the Bible Contest website wins a free download of Matthew West reading the Christmas story.

• Daily NLT Study Bible winners: Vote on the NLT Facebook page and you will be entered to win two NLT Study Bibles—one to keep and one to give away. A new winner will be chosen every day.

• Weekly Give the Word Locally winners: Tell us about a deserving local ministry on the NLT Bible Contest website and they could win five NLT Study Bibles and $250 worth of NLT products.

• One Grand Prize winner will enjoy a unique trip customized just for them and their family (or three guests of their choice), to Wycliffe Bible Translators world headquarters and the WordSpring Discovery Center where they will experience firsthand the exciting world of Bible translation. The Grand Prize winner could also choose to donate the value of the trip--$2000--to Wycliffe instead.

When Good Snakes Become Bad Snakes

2010-07-30T14:16:00.000-07:00

Shortly after a group of us from North Little Rock First Assembly returned from a trip to Southeast Asia in February 1997, Alton Garrison, our pastor at that time (now Assistant General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God) preached a sermon entitled "When Good Snakes Become Bad Snakes." A couple of months ago, I read the same passages Brother Garrison used in my Bible reading, and decided to write my own messsage, using his title.

This message was delivered on Sunday, June 27, at Centro Cristiano Hispano in Little Rock. It was presented in English and Spanish, but because of technical issues, the MP3 audio did not record properly. My apologies to my Spanish-speaking readers.

Debido a problemos técnicos, el audio de este mensaje no se grabó cuando fue predicado. No he tenido tiempo para escribir la traducción, así que pido disculpas a mis lectores hispano-hablantes.

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When Good Snakes Become Bad Snakes

The title of my message this morning is “When Good Snakes Become Bad Snakes.” Now I know what some of you are thinking. You’re saying to yourself, “This brother is crazy. There’s no such thing as a good snake to begin with.” But you must remember, God created all the animals with a purpose, and when He had created them, He saw that they were good. If you talk to a wheat or corn farmer, they’ll tell you there are some snakes they like having around their farm.

You see, farmers have problems with rats and mice trying to eat their corn and wheat they have in the barns. King snakes, corn snakes, and rat snakes help protect the crops by eating the rats and mice. Some snakes, like the speckled king, will even kill other, poisonous snakes, and thus help protect the farmer’s family and other animals. But if these good snakes stop killing rats and mice and start eating the eggs or killing the farmer’s rabbits and chickens, they turn into bad snakes.

Something that started out good and beneficial turns into something bad and damaging.

There’s a story in the Bible about a good snake that became a bad snake. Turn with me to the book of Numbers, chapter 21, verse 4.

4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!"

6 Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us." So Moses prayed for the people.

8 The LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.

Now turn with me to II Kings 18, verse 1.

1 In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother's name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. 3 He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done. 4 He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.)

Something that had started out as a blessing, as something God had used to set His people free from the venomous serpents, had become an idol, something that enslaved the people of God.

So this morning, I want to talk about the good things God gives us that can become idols. Things that aren’t evil in themselves, but they can turn bad when we make them more important than they should be.

Material possessions

The first area where good snakes can become bad snakes is the most obvious: material possessions. My house, my car, my clothes, my computer, my baseball card collection. Now remember, none of these things are bad in themselves. We all need a house to protect us from the rain, the cold of winter, and the heat of summer. In some larger cities, like New York or Chicago that have massive public transportation systems, a car isn’t that necessary, because the subway or the bus can get you anywhere you need to go. But here in Little Rock, having your own vehicle is a necessity, because public transportation will only get you so far. And everybody needs clothes and shoes, to cover our bodies and protect our feet. A computer is very useful for schoolwork, business, and even recreation. And things like baseball card collections and other hobbies are nice ways to relax in our free time.

But these good things can become idols when we make them more important than God designed them to be. When we spend more time playing computer games or talking to friends on Facebook than we spend thinking about God and praying or reading the Bible, then the computer has become a bad snake. When we have to take a second or third job to make the payments on the new car, and no longer have time to gather with our brothers and sisters to worship the Lord, then that blessing has become a curse.

When we can never be content, when we can never find happiness because we have to have just one more thing, or we have to have the newer model of the iPhone because the one we got just last year is now “old,” or we have to have to get a newer car or a bigger house because our friends now have a better one than ours, then things have become an idol. In fact, in Ephesians 5:5 and Colossians 3:5, the Apostle Paul equates greed with idolatry. When we decide that what God has provided for us isn’t enough, but we just have to have a little bit more to be happy, then we are placing things above God, turning our possessions into idols. We have a snake problem.

People

A second area where good snakes can become bad snakes is the area of people and relationships.

I’ll start off talking to the young people. I know a lot of you want to be in a relationship with someone of the opposite sex. The girls want to have a boyfriend, and the guys want to find a nice girlfriend. But as nice as it is to be in a dating relationship, and as much as God can bless us through that relationship, helping grow as a person in how we deal with others, you have to be careful not to let a good thing become the main thing. If your whole life starts to revolve around the person you’re dating, instead of around God, then you have a snake problem.

Some of the older young people aren’t just looking for someone to date. They’re looking for someone to marry. They’re ready to settle down and start a family. And let me tell you, being married is wonderful. But if you’re looking to marriage to make you happy, watch out. If you say to yourself, “If I can just find the right person and get married, then my life will be complete,” then the idea of marriage has become an idol. You’re expecting another human being to do what only God can do – provide fulfillment and purpose for your life.

Once you finally get married, pretty soon you start feeling the desire to have children. And kids are great. Pardon my bias, but I have the two greatest daughters in the world. I can’t imagine life without them. The Bible says that children are a blessing from the Lord. But even with this tremendous blessing from God, we have to be careful not to let a good gift turn into an idol. We can’t let our children become the center of our universe – that position is reserved for the Almighty God. We can’t take time and resources that should be given to God and spend them on our children.

All of us – children, young people, young adults, older adults, and senior citizens – want people to like us. The person who says he doesn’t care if anyone likes him is a liar. God created us with a desire for friendship and being together. But we can’t let a good thing – friendship, respect, and the admiration of our family, neighbors, and coworkers – turn into the main thing in our lives. If we do, we can easily end up compromising our Christian principles to get people to like us. It may be going out for drinks after work to fit in with our coworkers. It may be going to an R-rated movie with friends so they won’t think we’re “religious.” Or it may be failing to witness to a family member because we don’t want to feel rejected. But any time we hold back from doing what God wants so we can please another person, we’ve made that relationship an idol.

When we depend on another person to give meaning to our life, instead of finding our significance in God, everybody loses. We get let down, because no human being can give us what only God can provide. The other person gets hurt, because we’re putting demands on them that they were never meant to fulfill. And God is robbed of the honor that He deserves, because we’re expecting someone else to do what only God can.

Religious experience/activity

A third area where a good snake can turn into a bad snake is the area of our faith. Yes, there are religious snakes. You may even call them “Christian” idols. And these can be the most dangerous, because they start out as not just something good that God gives us, but something that has to do with God Himself. So we have to be really careful.

Let me give you a few examples of “Christian” idols.

It may be a television preacher, a Christian writer, a teacher in the church, or even the pastor. If we wonder what that teacher or preacher says about a certain topic before we ask what God thinks about it, we may be putting that person’s opinion higher than God’s Word on the matter.

If we allow a prophetic word someone gave to substitute for our relationship with Jesus, or we depend on the words of a prophet to tell us what decision to make, rather than seeking God in prayer for ourselves, then we have made that person an idol. If we rely on the pastor, a spiritual mother or father in the congregation, or anyone else to hear God for us, and don’t seek Him directly, we have a snake problem.

It may be a certain style of music, a certain way of praising God, or a certain type of preaching. If we refuse to join in worship because the music isn’t the kind we like, then we have made an idol out of our preference, and we’re worshiping a music style instead of worshiping God. Or if we judge someone else’s relationship with God because they don’t react like we do, because they don’t jump and dance like we do, then we are saying that our way is the only correct way, elevating the way we like things done to the position of God.

I believe we need to do everything in the church with excellence. God deserves the best, and His people deserve our best effort. But we can even let our desire for excellence become an idol. If we’re thinking more about how the musicians missed a note, or about the misspelled words on the screen, or about how the pulpit isn’t in the exact center of the platform, than we are focusing on worshiping God, then excellence has become a bad snake. I like having everything done with excellence, first class. And I have to confess to you and to God that sometimes I find myself thinking about all the little details that aren’t right when I should be focused on how great God is.

I must stop at this point and congratulate this church on not letting the good thing of being comfortable turn into a bad thing. You don’t mind being squeezed in this sanctuary like sardines. The past few weeks, while we’ve been fighting air conditioning problems during this hottest June in over 10 years, you haven’t let the heat cool down your desire to worship God. You’ve pressed on and entered into God’s presence in spite of the heat and discomfort. I’m proud of you.

Another good snake that can become a bad snake may be an experience we had with God in the past. Maybe God revealed Himself in a certain way. It was a marvelous experience in God’s presence. But if we keep waiting for Him to make us feel the same way we did in a previous encounter with His power, we may be worshiping our experience with Jesus rather than Jesus Himself.

If we’re depending on the correctness of our doctrine for our salvation, instead of relying on the grace of God to save us, we have elevated doctrine -- which in itself is a good thing – to the place of God and made it an idol.

For those of us in leadership, there are some especially dangerous areas. We can let good things, like church growth, become idols. If we preach a softer message in order to get more people in the door, then we have made the good objective of growth more important than the truth God has called us to proclaim, and that good thing becomes a bad thing. Or we can let trying to maintain peace keep us from confronting a situation that needs to be dealt with. We can even let tradition, the way we have always done things, become an idol that keeps us from letting God do something new with us.

Destroying our Idols

So how do we fix this problem? First we have to identify our idols. We can identify our idols by looking at how we spend our time, how we spend our money, and how we react to unanswered prayer.

Saint Augustine said that “Idolatry is worshiping anything that ought to be used, or using anything that ought to be worshiped.” If we’re worshiping God’s gifts, or if we’re just using God for what He can give us, then we have an idol problem.

With all these good things I’ve talked that can become bad things when we let them become the main thing, I’m sure all of us have identified at least one area where we have an idol, or where we’re very close to letting a gift become more important than the One who gave us the gift. So now that we’ve identified our idols, what’s next?

First, we have to repent of our idolatry. We have to come to God and confess that we have let something else take His place.

Then we have to tear down the idol. How do we do that? We get our focus back on God. We spend more time and energy thinking about Him and His holiness and majesty, than thinking about what we can get for ourselves by serving God. We worship Him instead of using Him.

Finally, we have to need to fill the place the idol occupied with the love of Christ. If we take out an idol, even pulling out the roots, and don’t replace it with the love of Christ, it will find a way to grow back.

Call to action

Maybe you’re here today, and you haven’t been worshiping God at all. You’ve been living for yourself. Your own desires have been your god. But today you realize that living for yourself is a dead-end street. You’re ready to let God have the place of honor and authority that He deserves. If you want to surrender your life to God and trust in Jesus Christ to save you from your sins and from yourself, raise your hand.

Or maybe you’re here today, and you’re a Christian, but like the ancient Israelites, you’ve started setting up idols in your life beside your devotion to God. You’ve been depending on possessions or people to do what only God can do. You’ve allowed your sense of worth to be based on what you have or on a relationship you’re in, rather than it being based on Christ’s work on the cross to save you. If you’ve allowed something good that God has given you to become more important to you than the God who gave it, lift your hand.

Go and Make Disciples

2010-06-08T08:14:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday morning I was asked to fill the pulpit at Centro Cristiano Hispano for missions Sunday while Pastor Molina and his family are in Colombia. I took the classic missions text, Matthew 28:19-20, and focused on the words make disciples, emphasizing that conversion isn't the goal -- discipleship is.

You can listen to the audio here (right-click and Save Target As to download)
or copy this URL and paste in your browser
http://www.foxrunimages.com/media/2010-06-06-MakeDisciples.mp3

Bilingual sermon: Letter to the Church in Laodicea -- Carta a la Iglesia de Laodicea

2010-05-17T21:48:00.000-07:00

This is the first time I've had an audio post on the blog. I was given the opportunity to preach yesterday morning at Centro Cristiano Hispano in Little Rock. Following is a link to the MP3 file of my message in English and Spanish. I hope it's a blessing to you.

Sermon Audio

Esta es la primera vez que pongo audio en este blog. Ayer me dieron la oportunidad de predicar en el servicio de la mañana en Centro Cristiano Hispano de Little Rock. El enlace arriba es para el archivo de audio MP3 de mi mensaje. Espero que sea de bendición para su vida.

Three Steps to God's Will -- Tres Pasos Hacia la Voluntad de Dios

2010-04-17T15:52:00.000-07:00

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

People are all the time talking about trying to find God's will for their lives. To hear some people talk, you'd think the will of God was some well-guarded secret kept in a vault somewhere, that only a select few have the code to open it. I think where most of us go wrong in seeking God's will is that we want Him to give us a 5-year plan with progress markers every six months.

I think the will of God is not supposed to be that complicated. We're supposed to have simple, childlike faith in our heavenly Father. When I was growing up, I didn't need my parents to tell me everything that was coming in the next year, 3 years, or 5 years. I just needed to know, "What am I supposed to do today?"

This verse gives us three basic steps for doing the will of God. I don't mean basic as in simplistic. because they're not always easy. I mean basic as being the base, the foundation.

Be joyful always

As followers of Christ, our lives should be marked by joy, which is part of the fruit of the Spirit that will be exhibited in those who are born again. Even when we're going through hard times, we can display the joy that comes from knowing who we are in Christ, and knowing the future glory that is awaiting us.

Pray continually

This step is key. It's impossible to know what God wants us to be doing if we're not communicating with Him. When we submit our desires and plans to God's desires and plans, we can trust that His divine providence is aligning our circumstances so that we will naturally do His will as we walk by His side along the road of life. In the garden, man was created to have communion with God. That was his original purpose. So when we maintain a continual channel of communication through prayer to our Father, we will be fulfilling God's initial will for humankind.

Give thanks in all circumstances

I don't think there's anything that bothers me more than a whiney Christian. Someone who has had their sins forgiven and been granted eternal life should be thankful. We so easily forget how blessed we are, and only see the negative things in our lives. Instead of showing gratitude that we have food to eat and money to pay for it, we gripe about it not being cooked just right, or not being as good as the last time we ate there. Instead of being thankful that we can freely gather to worship God in a church building, we complain about it being too hot or too cold, or too loud or too crowded.

Now I'm not saying we shouldn't bring these issues to the attention of the waiter or the person who controls the thermostat or the sound system. If there's a problem, they need to be made aware so they can improve (I certainly want to know how I can do things better). But we should address the issue with the responsible person, then let it go without continuing to complain. Next time your steak isn't cooked just the way you ordered it, think about the kids in the slums of Calcutta who dig through garbage cans behind restaurant looking for anything to take the edge off their hunger.

I've heard Christian students complain about how they are persecuted at school by other kids that make fun of them for their beliefs. And they talk about how hard it is to face that. What a contrast to the early church. In Acts 5, the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council, had the apostles flogged, and then ordered them not to speak any more in the name of Jesus. Then Peter, James, John, and the gang went back and had a pity party about how badly they were treated. Right? No! The Bible describes them as "rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name."

So what is God's will for your life? For my life?

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances. I believe that if we do these three things that are commanded of all believers, God will see to it that His specific will for each of us is accomplished.
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Estén siempre alegres, oren sin cesar, den gracias a Dios en toda situación, porque esta es su voluntad para ustedes en Cristo Jesús. 1 Tesalonicenses 5:16-18

Hay gente siempre hablando de encontrar la voluntad de Dios para su vida. Escuchando a algunos, pensarías que la voluntad de Dios es un secreto bien guardado en una boveda en algún lado, y que son muy pocos los que tienen la clave para abrirla. Yo creo que el lugar donde la mayoría de nosotros nos equivocamos en buscar la voluntad de Dios es que queremos que El nos dé un plan de 5 años con marcadores de progreso cada seis meses.

Yo creo que la voluntad de Dios no debe de estar tan complicado. Debemos de tener una fe sencilla, como la de un niño, en nuestro Padre celestial. Cuando yo estaba creciendo, no necesitaba que mis padres me dijeran todo lo que iba a pasar en el próximo año, o tres, o cinco. Sólo necesitaba saber, "¿Qué debo de hacer hoy?"

Este versículo nos da tres pasos básicos para hacer la voluntad de Dios. Y con básicos no quiero decir simples, porque no siempre son fáciles. Digo básicos en el sentido de ser la base, o los cimientos.

Estén siempre alegres

Como seguidores de Cristo, nuestras vidas deben de estar marcadas por gozo, que es parte del fruto del Espíritu que se mostrará en todos los que hayan nacido de nuevo. Aún cuando estemos pasando por tiempos difíciles, podemos demostrar el gozo que procede de saber quienes somos en Cristo, y la futura gloria que nos está esperando.

Oren sin cesar

Este paso es clave. Es imposible saber qué es lo que Dios quiere que hagamos si no estamos en communicación con Él. Cuando sometemos nuestros deseos y planes a los deseos y planes de Dios, podemos confiar que su providencia divina está alineando nuestras circunstancias para que naturalmente hagamos su voluntad mientres que caminemos a Su lado por el camino de la vida. En el huerto de Edén, el hombre fue creado para tener comunión con Dios. Eso fue su propósito original. Así que cuando mantenemos un canal abierto de comunicación con nuestro Padre a través de la oración, estaremos cumpliendo la primera voluntad de Dios para la humanidad.
Den gracias a Dios en toda situación

No hay nada que me molesta más que un Cristiano quejón. Alguien a quien se le hayan perdonado sus pecados, y se le haya dado la vida eterna, debe de estar agradecido. Que tan fácil se nos olvida lo bendecidos que somos, y solamente vemos las coas negativas en nuestras vidas. En lugar de demostrar gratitud que tenemos comida sobre la mesa, y el dinero con que pagarla, nos quejamos porque no está cocida precisamente a nuestro gusto, y porque no está tan sabrosa como la última vez que fuimos a ese restaurant. En lugar de dar gracias que podemos reunirnos con libertad para adorar a Dios en el templo, nos quejamos porque está demasido frío o caliente, o el sonido está demasiado fuerte, o está demasiado lleno y nos tenemos que sentar apretados.

Entiende, no estoy diciendo que no debemos informar al mesero, o a la persona encargada del clima del edificio, o al técnico de sonido, que hay un problema. Si hay algún problema, necesitan saberlo para que pueden remediarlo. Pero debemos de tratar el asunto con la persona indicada, y dejarlo en sus manos sin seguir quejando. La próxima vez que tu bistéc no está cocido justo como lo pediste, piensa en los niños de los barrios de Calcutta, que buscan en los basureros detrás de los restaurantes por cualquier cosa que les apaque la hambre un poquito.

He escuchado a estudiantes Cristianos quejarse de como son perseguidos en la escuela por otros niños que se burlan de ellos por su fe. Y hablan de que tan difícil es enfrentar eso. Que contraste con la iglesia primitiva. En Hechos 5, el Sanhedrín, el concilio gobernante de los Judíos, mandó azotar a los apóstoles, y les ordenó no hablar más en el nombre de Jesús. Entonces Pedro, Jacobo, Juan, y los demás regresaron a su lugar y se la pasaron sentiendo lástima por como los habían tratado. ¿Correcto? No. La Biblia los describe como "llenos de gozo por haber sido considerados dignos de sufrir afrentas por causa del Nombre."

Entonces, ¿Cuál es la voluntad de Dios para tu vida? ¿Para la mía?

Estén siempre alegres, oren sin cesar, den gracias a Dios en toda situación. Yo creo que si hacemos estas tres cosas que son requeridos de todo creyente, Dios se va a encargar de que se realize la voluntad específica que tiene para cada una de nuestras vidas.

First Things First -- Lo Primero, Primero

2010-04-14T14:12:00.000-07:00

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33

This verse comes near the end of a passage where Jesus is telling His disciples that they shouldn't worry about temporal needs. He talks about how the birds don't plant or harvest, yet God provides food for them. And aren't the disciples worth more than the birds? Jesus tells His followers that the pagans live for clothes, food, houses, and land. But Christ-followers don't have to be preoccupied with those issues, because their heavenly Father knows what they need, and like any good father, He will take care of them.

Jesus says, rather, that His disciples should seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness. How do we do that? Where is the kingdom of God, and how do we seek it? Are we supposed to get out a map and look for the directions to Godlandia?

Every kingdom has a king, a sovereign, who rules over it. So the kingdom of God is that realm where God is in control.

Now, we all know that God is in ultimate control of the universe. So in one sense the whole of creation is God's kingdom. But I don't believe this verse is talking about the Creator's reign over his physical creation.

I think in this verse, seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness means seeking to submit myself to God's rule over my life, and seeking to follow His righteous ways. Looking to be part of God's kingdom, His dominion, by living life under His reign following His rules.

When we are living in that kind of obedience, then our King takes care of providing for the daily necessities of His subjects, whom He adopts as His children.

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Más bien, busquen primeramente el reino de Dios y su justicia, y todas estas cosas les serán añadidas. Mateo 6:33

Este versículo viene cerca del final de un pasaje donde Jesús está diciendo a sus discípulos que no deben de preocuparse por sus necesidades temporales. Habla de como los pájaros ni siembran ni cosechan, sin embargo Dios provee alimento para ellos. ¿Y no son los discípulos más importantes que los pájaros? Jesús dice a sus seguidores que los paganos viven por ropa, comida, casas, y terrenos. Pero seguidores de Cristo no tienen qe preocuparse en esos asuntos, porque su amoroso Padres celestial sabe lo que necesitan, y como todo buen padre, cuidará de ellos.

En cambio, Jesús dice que sus discípulos deben de buscar primeramente el reino de Dios y Su justicia. ¿Cómo hacemos eso? ¿Dónde está el reino de Dios, y como lo podemos buscar? ¿Debemos sacar un mapa y buscar las direcciones para llegar a Dioslandia?

Todo reino tiene un rey, un soberano, quien reina sobre ello. Así que el reino de Dios es aquel reino donde Dios tiene el control.

Ahora, sabemos que Dios tiene control de todo el universo. Así que en un sentido, toda la creación es el reino de Dios. Pero no creo que este versículo está hablando del reino de Dios sobrea su creación física.

Pienso que, en este versículo, buscar el reino de Dios y Su justicia significa buscar someterme al reinado de Dios sobre mi vida, y buscar seguir sus caminos justos. Buscar ser parte del reino de Dios, Su dominio, a través de vivir la vida bajo Su reinado y siguiendo Sus reglas.

Cuando estamos viviendo ese tipo de obediencia, entonces nuestro Rey se encarga de proveer por las necesidades diarias de Sus sujetos, los cuales ha adoptado como Sus hijos.

I Can Handle It -- Puedo Soportarlo

2010-04-02T07:10:00.000-07:00

I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13

You've probably heard the conversations.

"I'm going to have the high score in the basketball game."
"But you never get more than 2 minutes of playing time. You're third string."
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

"I'm going to be President of the United States some day."
"That's a long shot."
"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."

I could create dozens of such exchanges, but you get the picture. Philippians 4:13 is probably one of the most mis-quoted verses in the Bible. Instead of giving it the meaning that its context gives it, people use it as a power of positive thinking one-liner.

We have to remember that chapter and verse numbers are not part of the original manuscripts written under divine inspiration. They were added in the early 13th Century to make it easier to refer to a particular passage. So to understand the real meaning of this verse, we need to read it in its context.

"I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

Looking at the entire passage that this verse is a part of, we find that the real meaning of this verse is not "I can do anything I set my mind to, because Jesus gives me the power to do it," but rather, "I can handle any situation life throws at me because Christ is the source of my strength." If Paul was in financial difficulty, he could deal with it because Christ gave him the strength to trust God for provision. If things were going well, Paul could rejoice in it without getting puffed up, because recognizing his strength came from Christ kept him humble.

Like Paul, we can be content in any circumstance because we know that God is working all things together for our good, and God will not let anything come our way that He won't give us the ability to handle. When we are listening to the Holy Spirit and letting Him direct our steps, there is nothing that can come our way that we won't be able to deal with through the strength that comes from being in Christ.

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Todo lo puedo en Cristo que me fortalece. Filipenses 4:13

A lo mejor has escuchado las conversaciones.

"Voy a lograr la apuntación más alta en el partido de baloncesto."
"Ni siquiera te da el entrenador 2 minutos en la cancha. Estás en la última línea del equipo."
"Todo lo puedo en Cristo que me fortalece."

"Algún día voy a ser presidente de los Estados Unidos."
"Pero no naciste en este país. No calificas."
"Todo lo puedo en Cristo que me fortalece."

Podría yo inventar docenas de ejemplos parecidos, pero creo que ya agarraste la idea. Filipenses 4:13 es probablemente uno de los versículos bíblicos que se usa equivocadamente con más frecuencia. En lugar de darle el significado que tiene en su contexto, la gente lo usa como una mantra del poder del pensamiento positivo.

Tenemos que recordar que los números de capítulos y versículos no son parte de los documentos originales escritos bajo la inspiración del Espíritu Santo. Fuero agregados en el siglo trece para hacerlo más fácil encontrar un pasaje específico. Para entender el verdadero significado de este versículo, necesitamos leerlo en su contexto.

"Me alegro muchísimo en el Señor de que al fin hayan vuelto a interesarse en mí. Claro está que tenían interés, sólo que no habían tenido la oportunidad de demostrarlo. No digo esto porque esté necesitado, pues he aprendido a estar satisfecho en cualquier situación en que me encuentre. Sé lo que es vivir en la pobreza, y lo que es vivir en la abundancia. He aprendido a vivir en todas y cada una de las circunstancias, tanto a quedar saciado como a pasar hambre, a tener de sobra como a sufrir escasez. Todo lo puedo en Cristo que me fortalece."
Mirando el pasage entero de lo cual este versículo es parte, encontramos que su verdadero significado no es, "Puedo hacer cualquier cosa que propongo en mi mente, porque Cristo me dará el poder para hacerlo," sino que, "Puedo soportar cualquier situación que la vida me presenta porque Cristo es la fuente de mi fuerza." Si Pablo estaba en dificultades financieras, lo podía aguantar porque Jesucristo le daba la fuerza para confiar en la provisión de Dios. Si las cosas iban bien, Pablo podía regocijar sin inflarse el ego, porque reconocer que su fuerza venía de Cristo lo mantenía humilde.

Como Pable, podemos estar contentos en toda circunstancia porque sabemos que Dios está obrando todas la cosas para nuestro bien, y Dios no va permitir que nos venga algo sin primero darnos la capacidad para aguantarlo. Cuando estamos escuchando al Espíritu Santo and dejamos que El dirija nuestor pasos, no hay nada que nos pueda pasar que no vamos a poder sobrevivir a través de la fuerza que viene por estar en Cristo Jesús.

Win a free book!

2010-03-01T14:25:00.001-08:00

Read a review of Trevin Wax's book Holy Subversion and sign up for a chance to win a copy at http://pastorslibrary.blogspot.com/2010/02/review-and-giveaway-holy-subversion-by.html

The Great Commandment -- El Gran Mandamiento

2010-02-12T18:00:00.000-08:00

Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' ” Matthew 22:37-39

Love the Lord your God with all your heart…

The heart has to do with desire. When we love someone with all our heart, that person is the object of our strongest desires. The same applies with loving God with all our heart. We want to be with Him all the time. We want to make Him happy. We want what He wants; His desires become our desires.

…and with all your soul…

I think of the soul as having to do with our essence. The Spanish NIV uses the word for “being” instead of the word for “soul.” So we’re talking about the core of who we are – not just our emotions, not just our intellect, but what is really at the center of our being – our will. When we don’t feel emotional love, when we can’t find a rationale to love, we love out of sheer will because God merits our love.

…and with all your mind.

God is a rational God, who created rational beings in His image. While our mental capacities were damaged in the fall in Genesis 3, when we are born again, not only is our spirit brought to life, but our minds regain their ability to think correctly. We are to study the Word of God (2 Timothy 2:15). We are to think about (meditate on) what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). While I don’t believe one has to have an advanced degree in theology to serve God, I do feel that every believer should go as far in Biblical and theological study as their God-given intellect permits. Being a Christian doesn’t mean you have to turn off your brain. God wants us to use our intellect, He just wants it to be guided by His Word. Jesus died to take away our sins, not our minds.

And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

I read a few months ago that the Greek word used here is ὁμοίως - homoios – which means likewise, equally, in the same way. Equally, love your neighbor as yourself. In the same way, love your neighbor as yourself. It’s not a matter of “Well, I love God with everything that is within me, so I can let that loving my neighbor thing slide.” The two commandments are joined at the hip. You can’t love God without loving your fellow man. (1 John 4:20). And you can’t truly love your fellow human beings if you don’t love God and have His love working in your own life.

In closing, I want to dispel a common myth about loving your neighbor as yourself. Many people say that this verse means that before you can love your neighbor, you have to love yourself. They even will say that this is a command to love yourself. The Greek word for “love” here, αγαπησεις, is a form of agape, which is characterized as love that seeks the highest good of the person loved, regardless of the cost to oneself. Jesus is assuming here that we already love ourselves – that we already seek our own good. He is commanding us to seek the well-being of others the way we already seek our own well-being. Philippians 2:3 puts it this way: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” Put others’ needs ahead of your own well-being, just like Christ put our need for a Savior ahead of His own comfort and ease.

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“Ama al Señor tu Dios con todo tu corazón, con todo tu ser y con toda tu mente” le respondió Jesús. “Éste es el primero y el más importante de los mandamientos. El segundo se parece a éste: "Ama a tu prójimo como a ti mismo." Mateo 22:37-39

Ama al Señor tu Dios con todo tu corazón…

El corazón tiene que ver con deseo. Cuando amamos a alguien con todo nuestro corazón, esa persona es el objeto de nuestros deseos más fuertes. Es igual cuando se trata de amar a Dios con todo nuestro corazón. Queremos estar con El todo el tiempo. Queremos agradarle. Queremos lo que El quiere; los deseos del Padre se convierten en nuestros deseos.

…con todo tu ser…

Esto se trata de nuestra essencia. Estamos hablando del centro de quienes somos – no solamnete nuestras emociones, no solamente nuestro intelecto, pero lo que hay en lo más profundo de nuestro ser – nuestra voluntad. Cuando no sentimos amor emocional, cuando no encontramos una razón lógica por la cual amar, amamos de pura voluntad porque Dios merece nuestro amor.

…y con toda tu mente.

Dios es un Dios racional, quien creó seres racionales en Su imagen. Aunque nuestra capacidad mental fue dañada cuando la humanidad cayó en Génesis 3, cuando nacimos de nuevo, no solamente cobra vida nuestro espíritu, sino que también nuestra mente recupera su capacidad de pensar correctamente. Debemos de estudiar la palabra de Dios (2 Timoteo 2:15). Debemos de pensar (meditar) en lo verdadero, respetable, justo, puro, amable, digno de admiración, excelente, y lo que merezca elogio (Filipenses 4:8). No creo que uno tiene que tener una carrera avanzada en teología para servir a Dios, pero sí siento que cada creyente debe de ir lo más lejos posible en estudios bíblicos y teológicos que se les permite el intelecto que Dios le cocedió. Ser un cristiano no significa que tienes que apagar tu cerebro. Dios desea que usemos nuestro intelecto, sólo queire que sea guiado por Su palabra. Jesús murió para quitarnos nuestros pecados, no nuestras mentes.

El segundo se parece a éste: “Ama a tu prójimo como a ti mismo.”

Hace unos meses leí que la palabra griega usada aquí es ὁμοίως - homoios – que significa igualmente, de la misma manera. Igualmente, ama a tu prójimo como a ti mismo. De la misma manera, ama a tu prójimo como a ti mismo. No es un asunto de, “Bueno, amo a Dios con todo lo que hay en mí, así que puedo descuidar un poco eso del prójimo.” estos dos mandamientos están atados como gemelos siameses. No puedes amar a Dios sin amar a tu prójimo (1 Juan 4:20). Y no puedes verdaderamente amar a otro ser humano so no amas a Dios y no tienes Su amor obrando en tu propia vida.

Para cerrar, quiero desmentir un mito común acerca de amar a tu prójimo como a ti mismo. Muchas personas dicen que este versículo significa que antes de que puedas amar a tu prójimo, tienes que amarte a ti mismo primero. Hasta dicen que este es un mandamiento para amarse a uno mismo. La palabra griega para “amar” aquí, αγαπησεις, es una forma de agape, que es caracterizado como un amor que busca el supremo bien del amado, sin importar el costo a uno mismo. Aquí Jesús está asumiendo que ya nos amamos a nosotros mismos – que ya buscamos nuestro propio bien. El nos está ordenando que busquemos el bien de otros de la misma manera que ya estamos buscando nuestro propio bien. Filipenses 2:3 lo dice así: “No hagan nada por egoísmo o vanidad; más bien, con humildad consideren a los demás como superiores a ustedes mismos.” Pon las necesidades de los demás por encima de tu propio bienestar, justo como Cristo puso nuestra necesidad de un Salvador por encima de Su propia comodidad.

Be Strong and Courageous -- Sé Fuerte y Valiente

2010-02-11T14:19:00.000-08:00

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

This one really hits me where I live. I’m a pretty rational guy. My favorite TV character growing up was Mr. Spock on the original Star Trek series. In my second grade school picture I even had the blue Starfleet uniform shirt like Spock wore. Logic. Reason. That’s my game.

But sometimes God asks us to do things that aren’t rational to the human mind. Imagine how Joshua felt when he was put in charge of leading the people of Israel. Sure, he had some military experience from many battles against hostile nations during the forty years in the desert. But being a general and being the equivalent of a president/general/prophet all in one are two different things. He couldn’t see what was ahead.

But in the face of uncertainty, when I don’t know what lies ahead, when I don’t have all the data to make a complete analysis of the situation before taking action, God still calls me to be strong and courageous. I don’t have to be afraid. God, who is perfect love, has promised to be with me. And perfect love casts out fear.

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Ya te lo he ordenado: ¡Sé fuerte y valiente! ¡No tengas miedo ni te desanimes! Porque el Señor tu Dios te acompañará dondequiera que vayas. Josué 1:9

Este versículo me pega precisamente entre los ojos. Soy un tipo bastante racional. Mi personaje favorito en la tele cuando era niño era Spock en la serie original de Star Trek. Hasta me puse la camisa azul del uniforme como él llevaba para mi foto de la escuela en segundo año. Lógico. Razón. Este es mi tierra natal.

Pero a veces Dios nos pide cosas que no tiene razón para la mente humana. Imagínate como se sentía Josué cuando recibió el cargo de liderar al pueblo de Israel. Claro, tenía experiencia militar a través de muchas batallas con naciones hóstiles durante los cuarenta años en el desierto. Pero ser un general, y ser el equivalente a un presidente/general/profeta todo junto son dos cosas muy diferentes. El no pudo ver qué estaba por venir.

Pero cuando enfrento la incertidumbre, cuando no sé que está a la vuelta de la esquina, cuando no tengo todos los datos para hacer un análisis completo de la situación antes de tomar acción, Dios aún me llama a ser fuerte y valiente. No tengo que temer. Dios, quien es amor perfecto, ha prometido estar conmigo. Y el amor perfecto echa fuera el temor.

Fly Like an Eagle - Volar Como una Aguila

2010-02-05T09:59:00.001-08:00

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. (Isaiah 40:31)

It’s so easy to get caught up in the busy-ness and concerns of our jobs, family activities, studies, and ministry responsibilities. It’s easy to lose our focus, and instead of keeping our eyes on the goal, which is Jesus, we end up looking at our circumstances. Like Peter, when we take our eyes off the Saviour and rely on our own abilities and understanding, we feel like we’re drowning.

When I find myself not knowing what to do, feeling like there’s no hope for my situation, I need to trust in the Lord. I need to slow down, take a deep breath, and then use that breath to sing praises to God. When I wait for God’s timing instead of trying to do things according to my own plans, He will lift me up and restore my strength.

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Pero los que confían en el Señor renovarán sus fuerzas; volarán como las águilas: correrán y no se fatigarán, caminarán y no se cansarán. (saías 40:31)

Es tan fácil envolvernos en los asuntos y preocupaciones de nuestors trabajos, actividades familiares, estudios, y responsabilidades ministeriales. Es fácil perder nuestor enfoque, y en lugar de mantener nuestra mirada en la meta, que es Jesucristo, terminamos mirando a nuestras circunstancias. Como Pedro, cuando quitamos nuestros ojos del Salvador y contamos con nuestras propias fuerzas y entendimiento, sentimos que nos ahogamos.

Cuando me encuentro en una situación que no sé que hacer, sintiendo que no hay esperanza para mí, necesito confiar en el Señor. Necesito tomar mi tiempo, inhalar profundamente, y usar ese aliento para cantar alabanzas a Dios. Cuendo espero el tiempo de Dio en lugar de tratar de hacer las cosas segûn mis propios planes, Él me levantará y restaurará mis fuerzas.

If my people -- Si mi pueblo

2010-01-22T14:04:00.000-08:00

2 Chronicles 7:14
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

First off, let me start by saying that we have to be careful how we apply Old Testatment promises given to national Israel to modern-day situations. I’ve heard of people seeing a house they would like to buy, and walking all around the yard because they believe that “every place the sole of their foot touches” will be theirs. That was a promise to the nation of Israel as they were carrying out the God-ordered occupation of the Promised Land. It isn’t a prescription for a ritual we are supposed to perform to get the house (or even the church property) we desire. It was not a command for all time, like “you shall not have any gods before me” is. It was a specific instruction for a specific people group at a specific point in history.

2 Chronicles 7:14, on the other hand, does have modern application. We just have to be cautious in how we interpret and apply it.

“If my people, who are called by my name” does not refer to the United States or any other political entity. The people “called by my name” in the New Covenant are Christians. Literally, when you become a follower of Jesus, you take on His name. In the First Century, groups of Roman soldiers were often called by the name of their commander, with the Latin or Greek equivalent of “ian” added on. So when the believers were first called Christians at Antioch, they were being identified with their ruler, Jesus Christ.

So the modern application of this verse isn’t a call for America to repent. It’s a call for the church, those who bear the name of Christ, to humble ourselves, pray, seek God’s face, and turn from our wicked ways. We are His people, called by His name. Instead of calling out for America to repent, we need to first look inside ourselves and ask God to search our hearts. Then we need to make sure our churches as corporate bodies are seeking God and walking in His ways. We have to let God clean up our own house (which is really His house).

When the unbelieving world actually sees a difference in how Christians live (not just in how we talk about what we believe, or how we preach about right and wrong), then we will be carrying out Christ’s command to be salt and light. And when there is actually a difference between the Church and the world, then many will say, “I want that in my life.” And when their lives are transformed, and their friends and family see the difference Christ makes, then the cycle will repeat itself.

The early church went from being a small band of Jewish believers in Christ to making up, by some estimates, fifty percent of the population of the Roman Empire by A.D. 300. They didn’t achieve that by having political power or controlling the news and entertainment media of their day. They did it by living in sacrificial, Christlike love, led by the Spirit. If we live like that, we can see healing in our families and churches, and through a healthy Church, God can heal a nation and the world.

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2 Crónicas 7:14
Si mi pueblo, que lleva mi nombre, se humilla y ora, y me busca y abandona su mala conducta, yo lo escucharé desde el cielo, perdonaré su pecado y restauraré su tierra.

Primero, déjenme decir que tenemos que tener cuidado en como aplicamos promesas del Antiguo Testamento, que fueron dadas a la nación de Israel, a nuestra situación actual. He escuchado de familias que encuentran una casa que quisieran comprar, y van y caminan todo el terreno de la casa porque creen que “cada lugar que pisa la plant de sus pies” será suyo. Eso fue una promesa a la nación de Israel mientras llevaban a cabo la ocupación de la Tierra Prometida bajo la dirección de Dios. No es una fórmula para un ritual que debemos seguir para obtener la casa (o terreno en caso de una iglesia local) que deseamos. No fue un mandato para todos los tiempos, como “No tengas otros dioses además de mí”. Fue una instrucción específica para un pueblo específico en un tiempo específico en la historia.

En cambio, 2 Crónicas 7:14 sí tiene aplicación moderna. Sólo tenemos que tener cuidado en como lo interpretamos y lo aplicamos.

“Si mi pueblo, que lleva mi nombre” no refiere a los Estados Unidos, México, Honduras, ni nigún otro entidad política. El pueblo que “lleva mi nombre” en el Nuevo Pacto son los cristianos. Literalmente, cuando te conviertes en un seguidor de Jesús, tomas su nombre. En el primer siglo, grupos de soldados romanos con frecuencia fueron llamdos por el nombre de su comandante, con el equivalente latín or griego de “iano” agregado. Así que cuando los creyentes fueron llamados cristianos por primera vez en Antioquía, estaban indentificados con su líder, Jesucristo.

Por lo tanto, la aplicación moderna de este versículo no es un llamado para que América se arrepiente. Es un llamado para la iglesia, para los que llevan el nombre de Cristo, nos humillemos, oremos, busquemos a Dios, y abandonemos nuestra mala conducta. Nosotros somos Su pueblo, llamdo por Su nombre. En lugar de estar clamando que América se arrepiente, primero necesitamos buscar dentro de nosotros mismos y pedirle a Dios que escudriñe nuestros corazones. Después necesitamos asegurar que nuestras iglesia como entidades están buscando a Dios y caminando en Sus caminos. Tenemos que dejar que Dios limpie nuestra propia casa (que en realidad es Su casa).

Cuando un mundo incrédulo pueda mirar una diferencia real en como viven los cristianos (no solamento en como hablamos de lo que creemos, o como predicamos acerca de que es correcto y que es pecado), entonces estaremos llevando a cabo el mandato de Cristo de ser sal y luz. Cuando hay una verdadera diferencia entre la Iglesia y el mundo, entonces muchos dirán, “Yo quiero éso en mi vida.” Y cuando sus vidas son tranformadas, sus amigos y su familia verán la diferencia que Jesús hace, y el ciclo se repitirá.

La iglesia primitiva creció de un grupo pequeño de Judíos que creían en Cristo hasta formar, según algunos historiadores, cincuenta por ciento de la población del imperio romano antes del año 300 d.c. No lograron esto a través del poder político o controlando los medios de noticias y entretenimiento de su época. Lo lograron a través de amor sacrificial, viviendo guiados por es Espíritu Santo. Si nosotros vivimos así, podemos ver sanidad en nuestras familias e iglesias, y a través de una Iglesia saludable, Dios puede sanar una nación y un mundo.

For God so loved -- Porque tanto amó Dios

2010-01-14T11:30:00.000-08:00

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

It's kind of hard to say anything new or fresh about what for most people is the first Bible verse they ever learned. So instead of trynig to be innovative or profound, I just want to break this verse down and look at each phrase.

For God so loved the world
God isn't some angry old man up in the sky waiting to throw lightning bolts at us when we mess up.

that he gave
True love gives. You can give without loving (out of a sense of obligation or guilt), but you can't love without giving. He's a loving God.

his one and only Son
God gave the most precious gift he had to give, his own Son.

that whoever believes in him
Anybody -- rich or poor, young or old, slave or free, black or white, Asian or Hispanic, illiterate or with more degrees than a thermometer -- anybody who believes in him (not just intellectual assent, but entrusting your life to him) can be part of this.

shall not perish
In Romans 6:23 the Bible says that the wages of sin is death. When we put our trust in Jesus Christ and the sacrifice he made on the cross, we no longer have to suffer that separation from God.

but have eternal life
The gift of God is eternal life. Not just life after death and going to heaven, though that's part of it. But real life, starting the moment we place our faith in him. God places his eternal Holy Spirit in us, so we have living in us the eternal One, the Alpha and the Omega. We become truly human, the way we were designed to be in the Garden of Eden.

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Juan 3:16
Porque tanto amó Dios al mundo, que dio a su Hijo unigénito, para que todo el que cree en él no se pierda, sino que tenga vida eterna.

Es difícil decir algo nuevo y fresco acerca del versículo que para muchos fue el primer texto Bíblico que aprendieron. Así que, en lugar de tratar de decir algo profundo o innovador, sólo quiero analizar cada frase.

Porque tanto amó Dios al mundo
Dios no es un gruñón viejo sentado en el cielo esperando que nos equivoquemos para que nos puede mandar un rayo. Es un Dios amoroso.

que dio
El amor verdadero da. Puedes dar sin amar (por un sentir de obligación o de culpa), pero no puedes amar sin dar.

a su Hijo unigénito
Dios dio lo más valioso que tenía -- su propio Hijo.

para que todo el que cree en él
Todos -- rico o pobre, joven o viejo, esclavo o libre, negro o blanco, asiático o latino, analfabeto o con más títulos que una biblioteca -- todos los que creen en el (no solamente aceptar intelectualmente los hechos, sino confiando en él, encomendándole nuestras vidas) puede participar en esto.

no se pierda
Romanos 6:23 dice que el pago del pecado es muerte. Cuando ponemos nuestra confianza en Cristo Jesús y su sacrificio en la cruz, ya no tenemos que sufrir esa separación de Dios.

sino que tenga vida eterna
El regalo de Dios es vida eterna. No solamente vida después de la muerte e ir al cielo, aunque éso es parte. Pero es vida verdadera, empezando el momento que pongamos nuestra fe en él. Dios pone su Espíritu Santo en nosotros, así que tenemos el Eterno, el Alfa y el Omega, viviendo en nosotros. Por primera vez somos verdaderamente humanos, como Dios diseñó y ordenó que fuéramos en el Edén.

Trust in the Lord -- Confia en el Señor

2010-01-06T17:00:00.000-08:00

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and lean not on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

My paraphrase:
Put your total trust and confidence in God,
and don’t put too much stock in your own limited perspective.
In everything you do, do it God’s way,
and he’ll smooth out the bumps in the road.

I have to trust God in everything and with everything.

I have to trust him in every situation and circumstance that life brings. I can’t trust God with the salvation of my daughters but turn around and tell Him that I’ll handle my career path on my own.

I have to trust God with everything that is in me. I can’t just trust Him up to a certain point, and then start worrying because the situation is bigger than I think God can handle. Also, I can’t start out trusting in my own abilities, and only start trusting God when I get to the end of my rope.

I can’t lean on my own understanding. I can’t think that my human viewpoint, limited by time and space and a sin nature, has all the imformation that there is concerning what I’m facing. I like the way the Spanish NIV says it: “…and not in your own intelligence.” No matter how smart I am, my intelligence is still infinitely small compared to God’s knowledge of the truth of things. I have to trust in God’s knowledge and wisdom, knowing that He has the eternal perspective on things, that He is looking at the big picture.

In everything I do, I have to acknowledge God. Not just acknowledging the fact that He exists, not just kind of looking over to the side and ackowledging His presence, saying, “Hi, God. Glad You’re here.” But acknowledging that He is God, that He is the King of the universe, that He has supreme knowledge, that His way is best. And I can best show that I acknowledge that His way is best by doing things His way.

When I trust God completely in every area, when I don’t rely on my own limited understanding of things, and when I ackowledge God’s greatness by doing things His way, then He will make the path straight and plain. In the Spanish NIV, the verb used here is “allanará”, which is the word used to describe leveling the ground to make it smooth, like leveling a lot before beginning construction on a building. I’m not claiming that as disciples of Christ we won’t encounter obstacles, trials, and speed bumps in our path. But when we follow the Word of God given in these verses, we don’t have to worry about them or fear them, because we know God will get us over, around, or through them. He’ll give us the grace and faith to serve as “shock absorbers” to deal with those potholes and speed bumps.

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Proverbios 3:5-6
Confia en el Señor de todo corazón,
y no en tu propia inteligencia.
Reconócelo en todos tus caminos,
y él allanará tus sendas.

Mi paráfasis:
Pon tu confianza total en Dios,
y no tanto en tu propia perspectiva limitadad.
En todo lo que haces, hazlo en la manera que Dios manda,
y El hará los topes en el camino más suaves.

Tengo que confiar en Dios en todo y con todo.

Tengo que confiar en El en cada situación y circunstancia que la vida me trae. No puedo confiar en Dios para la salvación de mis hijas, solo para dar la vuelta y decirle que voy a manejar mi carrera yo mismo.

Tengo que confiar en Dios con todo lo que hay en mí. No puedo solamente confiar en El hasta cierto punto, y después empezar a preocuparme porque las circunstancias parecen ser más grandes de lo que you creo que Dios pueda manejar. Igualmente, no puedo comenzar confiando en mis propias habilidades, y sólo empezar a confiar en Dios cuando llego al final de mis recursos.

No puedo poyarme en mi propio entendimiento. No puedo creer que mi punto de vista humano, limitado por tiempo y espacio y una naturaleza pecaminosa, tiene todos los datos que hay relacionados a lo que estoy enfrentando. Me gusta como la NVI en español lo dice: “…y no en tu propia inteligencia.” No importa que tan inteligente soy, mi inteligencia es infinitamente pequeña comparada con el conocimiento que Dios tiene de la realidad. Tengo que confiar en el conocimiento de Dios y Su sabiduría, sabiendo que El tiene una perspectiva eterna de las cosas, que El está mirando el retrato grande.

En todo lo que hago, tengo que reconocer a Dios. No es solamente reconocer que El existe. No es mirar a un lado y reconocer Su presencia, diciendo, “Hola, Dios. Me alegro que estás aquí.” Es reconocer que El es Dios, que El es Rey del universo, que El tiene conocimiento supremo, y que Su manera es mejor. La mejor manera en que puedo reconocer que Sus caminos son mejores es a través de hacer las cosas a Su manera.

Cuando confío en Dios plenamente en cada area, cuando no me apoyo en mi propio entendimiento limitado de las cosas, y cuando reconozco la gradeza de Dios a través de hacer las cosas a Su manera, entonces El hará que mis sendas seans derechas y planas. “Allanará” es el verbo que se usa para nivelizar un terreno y hacerlo plano, como antes de comenzar construcción de un edificio. No estoy diciendo que como discipulos de Jesucristo que nucan vamos a enfrentar obstáculos, pruebas, y topes en nuestro camino. Pero cuando seguimos la palabra de Dios que encontramos en estos versículos, no tenemos que preocuparnos por ellos ni temerles, porque sabemos que Dios nos levantará encima de ellos, nos enseñará como sacarles la vuelta, o simplemente nos tomará de la mano mientras pasemos por ellos. El nos dará la gracia y la fe que sirven como amortiguadores para lidiar con esos pozos y topes.

Hopefully this will help me blog more consistently / Ojalá esto me ayudará a escribir con más frecuencia

2010-01-06T11:02:00.000-08:00

My home church is in a series called “10 for Life”, where we’re working through 10 key scriptures that every Christian should know by memory and what their implications are for our daily walk. I plan on using each week’s verse as a jumping-off point for a blog post. You can find out more about the series at http://www.tenforlife.com/ or http://www.scripturefight.com/.

La iglesia principal a la cual asisto está en una serie llamada “10 por Vida” en la cual estamos estudiando y memorizando diez pasajes claves de la Biblia que cada cristiano debe de saber. Mi plan es usar el versículo de cada semana como un punto de embarcación para escribir este blog. Puedes aprender más de la serie en http://www.tenforlife.com/ o http://www.scripturefight.com/ .

The Least of These

2009-11-20T17:30:00.000-08:00

Luke 9:46-48
46 An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest.
47 Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him.
48 Then he said to them, "Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all—he is the greatest."

We hear a lot about childlike faith, about needing to become like a little child to enter the kingdom of God. But I don't think that's necessarily what this passage is referring to. I think it's referring once again to Jesus' directive to love and serve others disinterestedly, without thinking about what we can get out of it.

Jesus says, "Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me." Most of the time, a little child can't give us anything, certainly not anything material. Little children demand a lot of our time -- they can't feed themselves, they can't take care of themselves, they're constantly asking questions. When our own kids demand this of us, we're usually ready to help -- after all, they're our flesh and blood, and it's in our own self-interest to see that they are cared for.

But what if we expand the idea of "this little child" to include other children in the community (who perhaps live in a single-parent home, and that parent maybe works extra shifts to keep food on the table, leaving the child deprived of parental attention); the homeless, who don't have anything beyond a backpack and sleeping bag to call their own, much less anything they could give us; the developmentally disabled, who can't take care of themselves like others of their physical age can; and the senior citizen living on a fixed retirement who can't work, and needs some extra help to make ends meet. Am I willing to give of my time and resources to serve these "little ones" that often get overlooked, without anyone but my heavenly Father noticing? Will I give to those who can't give anything back to me?

The world's system says, "Look out for yourself. Sure, go ahead and help others, just as long as there's something in it for you."

But Jesus, the King of the upside-down kingdom, where the least is the greatest, says, "Give without expecting anything in return. Go the second mile. Love your enemies." He calls us to sacrifice ourselves for others, just as He sacrificed Himself for us.

Why do you call me good? -- ¿Por qué me llamas bueno?

2009-11-05T14:24:00.000-08:00

Mark 10:17-22

17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

18 "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'"

20 "Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."

21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

22 At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

When Jesus asked the rich young ruler, “Why do you call me good? No one is good – except God alone,” He was giving this man an opportunity to declare who Jesus was. This man had a chance to proclaim, “But You are God, therefore I am correct in calling You good.” He had a chance to make a declaration on the level of Peter’s proclamation in Matthew 16:16: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

But he missed it. He didn’t recognize that it was the fullness of God standing before him in Jesus Christ. And because he didn’t recognize that Jesus was God, he took His instructions to sell all he had and give to the poor as just good advice, as something he could take or leave. It didn’t carry the force of a divine command, because he didn’t see Jesus as divine.

We see the same thing today. Lots of people believe Jesus was a good teacher, a spiritual guru, a great moral example we would do well to imitate. Jesus is “cool” as long as He’s just a nice guy who offers advice on how to be a good person. But they don’t want to admit that He is God, because then they would be obligated to do what He says. If we come face to face with Christ’s deity, then we are no longer dealing with advice, wise counsel, or good ideas that we can accept or reject, then go ask another person for their opinion. We’re dealing with instructions – commands – from the Creator of the universe. And the issue becomes obedience.

But how do I – as someone who says I believe Jesus is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity – measure up? Do I sometimes deny the deity of Christ by ignoring His instructions, or by rationalizing that this isn’t first century Palestine, and things are different now? Or do I declare, like Peter, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” and then proceed to follow His instructions out of loving obedience?

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Marcos 10:17-22

17 Cuando Jesús estaba ya para irse, un hombre llegó corriendo y se postró delante de él.
—Maestro bueno —le preguntó—, ¿qué debo hacer para heredar la vida eterna?
18 —¿Por qué me llamas bueno? —respondió Jesús—. Nadie es bueno sino sólo Dios.
19 Ya sabes los mandamientos: "No mates, no cometas adulterio, no robes, no presentes falso testimonio, no defraudes, honra a tu padre y a tu madre."
20 —Maestro —dijo el hombre—, todo eso lo he cumplido desde que era joven.
21 Jesús lo miró con amor y añadió:

—Una sola cosa te falta: anda, vende todo lo que tienes y dáselo a los pobres, y tendrás tesoro en el cielo. Luego ven y sígueme.
22 Al oír esto, el hombre se desanimó y se fue triste porque tenía muchas riquezas.

Cuando Jesús perguntó al jóven rico, “¿Por qué me llamas bueno? Nadie es bueno sino sólo Dios,” él le estaba dando la oportunidad de declarar quien era Jesús. Este hombre tuvo un chance de proclamar, “Pero tú eres Dios, así que tengo razón en llamarte bueno.” Tuvo la oportunidad de hacer una declaración al nivel de la de Pedro en Mateo 16:16: “Tú eres el Cristo, el Hijo del Dios viviente.”

Pero la perdió. No reconoció que frente de él estaba la plenitud de Dios en Cristo Jesús. Y porque no reconoció que Jesús era Dios, tomó sus instrucciones de vender todos sus bienes y dar a los pobres como un buen consejo, como algo que podía seguir o dejar. No llevaba la fuerza de un mandamiento divino, porque no vio a Jesús como divino.

Podemos ver la misma actitud hoy en día. Muchas personas creen que Jesús era un buen maestro, un guru espiritual, un maravillosos ejemplo moral que nos convendría imitar. Jesús está “chido” mientras que sea solamente un buen tipo que ofrece consejos acerca de como ser una buena persona. Pero no quieren admitir que él es Dios, porque entonces estarían obligados a hacer lo que él dice. Si nos encontramos cara a cara con la deidad de Cristo, ya no estamos tratando con sugerencias, consejos sabios, o buenas ideas que podemos aceptar o rechazar, y después ir y pedir la opinión de otra persona. Ya estamos tratando con instrucciones – mandatos – del Creador del universo. Y el asunto se convierte en uno de obediencia.

Pero, ¿cómo salgo yo – como alguien que dice que cree que Jesús es el Hijo de Dios, la segunda persona de la Trinidad – en este asunto? ¿A veces niego la deidad de Cristo a través de ignorar sus instrucciones, o haciendo el argumento que no estamos en Palestina del primer siglo, y las cosas están diferentes ahora? ¿O declaro, como Pedro, “Eres el Cristo, el Hijo del Dios viviente,” y después seguir sus instrucciones, actuando en amor obediente?

Where is your faith? -- ¿Dónde está su fe?

2009-10-02T14:51:00.000-07:00

Luke 8:22-25
22 One day Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's go over to the other side of the lake." So they got into a boat and set out. 23 As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. 24 The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!" He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25 "Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him."

Jesus told His disciples they were going to the other side of the lake. They were with Jesus, doing what He had asked them to do. Yet when the storm beat down on them, they feared for their lives. They thought they were going to drown.

Jesus said, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” He didn’t say, “Let’s see if we can get there.” He knew they would make it across. He knew the storm would come, but that they would reach their destination anyway.

The disciples had something of an excuse for their fear. They didn’t have the benefit of hindsight, looking back at the cross and the resurrection. I, on the other hand, claim to have full knowledge that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. So where is my faith?

If I’m walking with Jesus, doing what He has called me to do, why do I still fear? Or why do I hesitate to go where Jesus asks me to go, if He has promised He will never leave me and will always be with me (Deut. 31:6, 8; Heb. 13:5; Matt. 28:20)? Why do I worry about what might happen?

Jesus is with me. As long as I’m walking by His side, following where He leads, I shouldn’t worry about what happens. If everything goes smoothly, praise God for fair weather. If I find myself in the middle of a storm, Jesus is there in the boat with me. He may calm the wind and the waves or he may just calm me as I ride out the storm clinging to Him, but He will see to it that I get to where He wants me to be.

Lord, help me to have radical faith in You. Help me to believe Your promise to always be with me, and to follow wherever You lead, even if it means going through a storm.

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Lucas 8:22-25
22 Un día subió Jesús con sus discípulos a una barca. “Crucemos al otro lado del lago,” les dijo. Así que partieron, 23 y mientras navegaban, él se durmió. Entonces se desató una tormenta sobre el lago, de modo que la barca comenzó a inundarse y corrían gran peligro. 24 Los discípulos fueron a despertarlo. “¡Maestro, Maestro, nos vamos a ahogar!” gritaron. Él se levantó y reprendió al viento y a las olas; la tormenta se apaciguó y todo quedó tranquilo. 25 “¿Dónde está la fe de ustedes?” les dijo a sus discípulos. Con temor y asombro ellos se decían unos a otros: “¿Quién es éste, que manda aun a los vientos y al agua, y le obedecen?”

Jesús dijo a sus discipulos que iban a ir al otro lado del lago. Estaban con Jesús, haciendo lo que El les había pedido. Pero cuando empezó la tormenta, temían por sus vidas. Pensaron que se iban a ahogar.

Jesús dijo, “Crucemos al otro lado del lago.” No dijo, “Vamos a ver si podemos llegar.” El sabía que iban a cruzar. El sabía que iba a venir la tormenta, pero también sabía que de todos modos llegarían a su destino.

Los discípulos tenían una excusa para su miedo. Ellos no tenían el beneficio de estar mirando hacia atrás, como nosotros, viendo la cruz y la resurrección. En cambio yo digo que tengo conocimiento completo de quien es Jesús. Entonces, ¿dónde está mi fe?

Si estoy caminando con Jesús, haciendo lo que El me ha llamado a hacer, ¿por qué todavía temo? ¿Por qué me quedo parado, en lugar de ir adonde El me pide que vaya, si El ha prometido que nunca me dejará y que siempre estará conmigo (Deut. 31: 6, 8; Heb. 13:5; Mat. 28:20)? ¿Por qué me preocupo por las cosas que podrían suceder?

Jesús está conmigo. Mientras que estoy caminando a Su lado, siguiendo donde El me guia, no debo preocuparme por lo que va a suceder. Si todo sale facil, gloria a Dios por vientos agradables. Si me encuentro en medio de una tormenta, Jesús está allí en la barca conmigo. Puede ser que El va a calmar los vientos y las olas, o puede ser que simplemente me va a calmar a mí mientras me aferro a El, pero El va a asegurar que yo llegue adonde El quiere que esté.

Señor, ayúdame a tener una fe radical en Ti. Ayúdame a creer Tu promesa de siempre estar conmigo, y a seguirte dondequiera que Tu me guies, aunque significa pasar por una tormenta.

God doesn't play games / Dios no juega con nosotros

2009-09-18T12:50:00.000-07:00

I’ve heard many times during my life that we should be specific when praying to God for something. And there’s some merit in that idea. But sometimes the advice to “pray specifically” is based on faulty reasoning. For example, “If you’re praying for God to send you a mate, and you have a preference for blue-eyed blondes, be sure to mention that in your prayer, or God may send you a someone else, and you won’t be as happy as you could be because you didn’t ask for your heart’s desire.” It’s like they think God is sitting up in heaven saying, “Well, I know Susan really likes dark-haired guys, but since she didn’t put that line-item on her prayer list, I’ll send her this red-haired Irish guy. If only she’d been more specific, I could have given her a better answer to her prayer.”

That sounds more like Zeus or one of the other Greco-Roman gods than it sounds like the God of Israel. The pagan deities were well known for their capriciousness and game-playing. If you didn’t do things just to the letter, they would respond like Alex Trebek on Jeopardy: “Sorry, you didn’t phrase your reponse in the form of a question.”

But the God of the Bible isn’t like that. He’s a good Father. Matthew 7:11 says, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (NIV) God will give us what He knows is best for us, what we really need. We don’t have to worry that He is going to give us a second-rate answer to prayer just because we weren’t specific enough in our request.

So then, is there any value in praying specifically? I believe there is. Praying specifically forces us to really think about what we are asking God to do. It can lead us to examine our motives behind what we’re asking for. Also, I think sometimes when we pray in general terms, we don’t recognize the answer when God sends it, because it looks too much like the way things just naturally played out. But when we pray specifically, and our specific request is in agreement with the will of our heavenly Father, then when He answers our prayer to the smallest detail, we have to recognize that it was God answering, because there’s no way things happened that way on their own.

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He escuchado varias veces en mi vida que debemos de orar específicament cuando le pedimos algo a Dios. Y la idea tiene algunos méritos. Pero a veces el consejo de “orar específicamente” está basado en razonamiento errado. Por ejemplo, “Si estás orando a Dios para mandarter tu cónyugue, y tu preferencia es aspecto güero con ojos azules, asegúrate de mencionar eso en tu oración, o tal vez Dios te va a mandar otra persona, y no vas a tener la felicidad que hubiera sido posible porque no pediste el anhelo de tu corazón.” Es como si creyeran que Dios está sentado en el cielo diciendo, “Pues, yo sé que a Susana le gustan los muchachos de pelo oscuro, pero como se le olvidó meter ese detalle en su petición, le voy a mandar este irlandés con pelo rojo. Si solamente hubiera sido más específico, pudiera haberle dado una mejor respuesta a su oración.”

Eso suena más como Zeus u otro de los dioes griegos o romanos que el Dios de Israel. Los dioses paganos se conocían por sus caprichos y juegos. Si no hiciste las cosas al pie de la letra, respondían como el animador del programa Jeopardy: “Lo siento, no pusiste tu respuesta en forma de una pregunta.”

Pero el Dios de la biblia no es así. Es un buen Padre. Mateo 7:11 dice, “Pues si ustedes, aun siendo malos, saben dar cosas buenas a sus hijos, ¡cuánto más su Padre que está en el cielo dará cosas buenas a los que le pidan!” Dios nos dará lo que El sabe que es mejor para nosotros, lo que realmente necesitamos. No tenemos que temer que nos va a dar una respuesta inferior a nuestra oración porque no especificamos suficiente la petición.

Entonces, ¿hay algún valor en orar especificamente? Creo que sí. Orar específicamente nos obliga a pensar con detalle de lo que estamos pidiéndo a Dios. Nos lleva a examinar los motivos detrás de nuestra petición. También, creo que a veces cuando hacemos una oración general, no reconocemos la respuesta cuando Dios la envía, porque parece que las cosas simplemente sucedieron naturalmente. Pero cuando levantamos una oración detallada, y nuestra petición específica está de acuerdo con la voluntad de nuestro Padre celestial, entonces cuando nos responde en cada detalle, tenemos que reconocer que fue Dios contestándonos, porque no hay manera que las cosas hubieran sucedido así por su propia cuenta.

What's your pleasure?

2009-04-17T04:00:00.000-07:00

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 (NIV)

Too often I hear this verse used as some sort of a "magic key." Just delight in the Lord, and He'll give you whatever your heart desires. Want a 52-inch plasma HDTV? Just spend time in prayer and worship. Want a new car? Study God's Word more, and He'll reward you for it with a new ride. Hoping that "special someone" will ask you out/agree to go out with you? Volunteer to help with the homeless outreach, and God will pay you back. It often borders on the pagan practice of manipulating their gods by performing certain rituals or spells that are prescribed to achieve certain ends.

But is that what "delight yourself in the Lord" really means? To "delight in" means to draw one's pleasure and satisfaction from, to find one's joy in. When I delight in the Lord, I make Him the source of my fulfillment, joy, satisfaction, happiness, etc. The more I delight in Him, the less important other things become. Christ Himself becomes my passion -- the desire of my heart.

So when I truly delight myself in the Lord, He is the desire of my heart, and He will not withhold Himself from me, but will reveal Himself to me (John 14:21).

Oh Lord, help me make You the desire of my heart. Help me to seek You above all else, and to find my joy in You.

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Deléitate en el Señor, y él te concederá los deseos de tu corazón. Salmo 37:4 (NVI)

Muchas veces escucho este versículo usado como una "llave mágica." Sólo deléitate en el Señor, y El te dará cualquier cosa que desea tu corazón. ¿Quieres un televisor plasma de 52 pulgadas? Sólo pasa tiempo en oración y adoración. ¿Quieres un auto nuevo? Estudia la palabra de Dios más, y El te va a premiar con un modelo del año. ¿Esperas que ese "alguien especial" te invite a salir o acepte tu invitación? Apuntate para ayudar con el ministerio a los que viven en la calle, y Dios te lo pagará. A veces está casi al bordo de las prácticas paganas de manipular a sus dioes a través de rituales o hechizos que promoten ciertos resultados.

¿Pero es eso lo que significa "deléitate en el Señor" en verdad? "Deleitarse en" significa recibir placer o satisfacción de, o encontrar gozo en. Cuando yo me deleito en el Señor, hago de Dios el fuente de mi llenura, gozo, satisfacción, felicidad, etc. Cuanto más me deleito en El, lo menos importante se vuelven otras cosas. Cristo mismo se convierte en mi pasión -- el deseo de mi corazón.

Así que cuando verdaderamente me deleito en el Señor, El es el deseo de mi corazón, y El no va a negarme relación con El, sino que se me va a revelar (Juan 14:21).

Señor, ayúdame a hacerte a Ti el deso de mi corazón. Ayúdame a buscarte por encima de todo lo demás, y encontrar mi gozo en Ti.

Homothuma-what? -- Homothuma-¿qué?

2009-04-01T13:21:00.000-07:00

During February and March I was reading The Holy Spirit: A Pentecostal Perspective by Dr. Anthony Palma for a class at the Arkansas District School of Ministry (AR-SOM). Right now I'm reading Dr. Stanley Horton's commentary on Acts for this month's class. A word that keeps appearing in both books and grabed my attention is homothumadon, the Greek word meaning "with one purpose." I thought it would make a cool name for a church or other ministry; it would certainly make people stop and ask questions about what it means.

But the more I think about homothumadon, the more important I see it as being.

In the church of Jesus Christ, we're all different. We come from different cultural backgrounds. We have different life experiences that form our character. We have different talents and gifts. We like different styles of music, and have different styles of worshipping God (from quiet contemplation to jumping and shouting).

But if we want to see a move of God in our midst, we must have one purpose.
It's not about seeking our own benefit, but the good of others.

It's not "Look how big our church is." It is "Look how many people still need to encounter the love of God in Christ?"

It's not "How many people see what I do for God?" It is "How can I help build up others?"

Ministry means "serving." Specifically, serving God by serving others, not self-serving. I can't do ministry with a personal agenda. I can only have one agenda -- our Lord's -- that all should come to repentance.

It's not about what I can get out of it. It's about what I can give to others from what God has given me. God doesn't give us spiritual gifts for our personal benefit, but for the building up of the church, the body of Christ.

Homothumadon. With one purpose: to lift up Jesus Christ so He may draw all men to Himself.

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Durante Febrero y Marzo estaba leyendo The Holy Spirit: A Pentecostal Perspective por Dr. Anthony Palma para una clase en la Escula del Ministerio del Districto de Arkansas de las Asambleas de Dios (AR-SOM). Ahora estoy leyendo el comentario del Dr. Stanley Horton para la clase de este mes. Una palabra que recurre en ambos libros y me llamó la atención es homothumadon, la palabra griega que significa "con un propósito." Pensaba que sería un nombre padre para una iglesia u otro ministerio; por lo menos haría que la gente parara y preguntara ¿qué significa?

Pero cuanto más pienso en homothumadon, más importancia veo en ella.

En la iglesia de Cristo Jesûs, todos somos diferentes. Venimos de distintos transfondos culturales. Hemos vivido diferentes experiencias que formaron nuestro carácter. Tenemos diferentes dones y talentos. Nos gustan distintas clases de mûsica, y tenemos diferentes estilos de adorar a Dios (desde contemplación silenciosa hasta saltar y gritar).

Pero si queremos ver un mover de Dios en medio nuestro, debemos tener un propósito.

No se trata de buscar nuestro propio beneficio, sino el bien de los demás.

No se trata de "Miren que grande es nuestra iglesia." Sí se trata de "¿Cuántas personas todavía necesitan encontrarse con el emor de Dios en Jesucristo?"

No se trata de "¿Cuántas personas ven lo que hago yo para Dios? Sí se trata de "¿Cómo puedo edificar a otros?

Ministerio significa "servir." Especificamente, sirviendo a Dios a través de servir a otros, no por servirnos a nosotros mismos. No puedo ministrar con una agenda personal. Sólo puedo tener una agenda -- la de nuestro Señor -- que todos lleguen al arrepentimiento.

No se trata de lo que yo puedo recibir. Se trata de lo que yo pueda dar a otros de lo que Dios ya me ha dado. Dios no nos da dones espirituales para nuestro propio beneficio, sino para la edificación de la iglesia, el cuerpo de Cristo.

Homothumadon. Con un propósito: levantar a Cristo Jesûs para que Él puede atraer a todos a sí mismo.

Where are you headed? ¿Adónde te diriges?

2009-02-26T13:17:00.000-08:00

The other day I was listening to an MP3 download of a 2003 sermon by Dr. George Wood, general superintendent of the Assemblies of God. The title was "Getting from Here to There." You can download it here. It discusses the story of the beginning of Paul's second missionary journey in Acts 15:36-16:25. In the third point of his sermon, Dr. Wood made the following statements:

Not knowing where you're going doesn't mean you're going nowhere.

Keep going as far as you can see, and when you get there, you'll be able to see further.

Sometimes in our Christian walk we want to be used by God, but we may not have a clearly defined road map. God doesn't always give us a nicely detailed list of 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year goals. Sometimes we only know the next step, but we're stubborn and refuse to move without knowing the final destination.

That's walking by sight, not by faith. That's living backward.

When God told Abram to leave Haran, He didn't give him GPS coordinates for his final destination. The Lord just told him to pack up and leave. He went to Egypt, then came up to the Negev, the southern part of Canaan. Throughout this whole time, Abram didn't know where he would finally settle. He just moved when God told him to.

When Paul and Silas started their journey, they didn't sit around waiting for a divine Expedia itenerary to be revealed. They started out in Syria and Cilicia, then went to Derbe and Lystra, where Timothy joined the team. Paul wanted to go into the province of Asia, but they were kept by the Holy Spirit from going there, so they went to Phrygia and Galatia. Next they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they moved on to Troas, where Paul had the vision of the man from Macedonia calling for help.

Paul and his team didn't have a whole route laid out that they were going to stick to at all costs. When they wanted to go one place but were prevented by the Spirit, they switched gears and went on to the next available city. They were sensitive to what God was doing. Paul didn't receive the call to preach in Macedonia until he was in Troas, a port city where he could board a ship to get there. If he had received the call earlier, he might have thought he was supposed to go straight to Macedonia, and missed out on ministering in other cities.

Sometimes we can get so focused on where God wants to use us in 5 or 10 years that we fail to let Him use us right here and right now. And I think that may be one reason why God doesn't often reveal the whole picture to us when we ask for His guidance. Instead, he gives us the next step to take. Once we get from point A to point B, we can see more clearly what is waiting at point C. But if we try to jump from A to M, we can find out that we're not prepared for M yet, because we skipped out on learning the things God had for us at B, C, and D through L.
So don't be discouraged if you don't know where you'll be or what you'll be doing five years from now. Just worry about being faithful where God has you at the moment, because faithfulness and obedience today opens the door to God's direction for tomorrow.

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El otro día estaba escuchando un MP3 de un sermón que predicó el hermano Dr. George Wood, superintendente general de las Asambleas de Dios, en 2003. El sermón se titulaba "Llegando de acá hacia allá." Puedes bajarlo en inglés aquí. Habla del comienzo del segundo viaje misionero de Pablo en Hechos 15:36-16:25. En el tercer punto de su sermón, el Dr. Wood hace las siguientes declaraciones:

El no saber adonde vas no significa que no vas a ningún lado.

Sigue caminando hasta donde puedes ver, y cuando llegas allá, podrás ver más lejos.

A veces en nuestro caminar cristiano queremos ser usados por Dios, pero no tenemos una dirección bien definida. Dios no siempre nos da una lista bien detallada de metas para 3, 5, y 10 años. Muchas veces sólo sabemos el próximo paso, pero somos tercos y no queremos mover hacia adelante sin saber el destino final.

Eso es caminar por vista, no por la fe. Eso es vivir al revés.

Cuando Dios le dijo a Abraham que saliera de Harán, ne le dio coordinados GPS para su destinación final. El Señor sólo le dijo que empacara y saliera. Fue a Egipto, y luego subió al Neguev, la parte sur de Canaán. Durante todo este tiempo, Abraham no sabía en donde se iba a establecer al final. Simplemente se movía cuando Dios se lo ordenaba.

Cuando Pablo y Silas empezaron su viaje, no se quedaron sentados esperando que se les bajara un itenerario completo desde el cielo. Comenzaron por Siria y Cilicia, luego fueron a Derbe y Listra, donde Timoteo se unió al equipo. Pablo quería entrar a la provincia de Asia, pero el Espíritu Santo no les dejó, así que continuaron a Frigia y Galacia. Luego trataron de entrar a Bitinia, pero el Espíritu de Jesús no se lo permitió. Así que fueron hasta Troas, donde Pablo tuvo la visión del hombre de acedonia pidiendo ayuda.

Pablo y su equipo no tenían toda una ruta preparada, a la cual iban a seguir fuera lo que fuera el costo. Cuando querían ir a un lugar pero el Espíritu no les dejaba, cambiaron la ruta a la próxima ciudad disponible. Estaban sensibles a lo que Dios estaba haciendo. Pablo no recibió el llamado a predicar en Macedonia hasta que estaba en Troas, un puerto donde podía abordar un barco para llegar a ese lugar. Si hubiera recibido el llamado antes, tal vez hubiera pensado que debía de ir directo a Macedonia, y perder la oportunidad de ministrar en las otras ciudades que visitó antes.

A veces podemos estar tan enfocados en cómo Dios quiere usarnos en 5 o 10 años que no le dejamos usarnos donde estamos hoy. Creo que tal vez esa es una razón por la cual Dios muchas veces no nos revela todo el cuadro cuando pedimos su dirección. Simplemente nos enseña el siguiente paso que debemos tomar. Una vez que lleguemos de punto A a punto B, podemos ver con más claridad que está esperando en punto C. Pero si tratamos de llegar de la A directamente hasta la M, nos damos cuento que no estamos preparados para M todavía, porque brincamos las lecciones que Dios nos tenía preparadas en B, C, y D hasta L.

No te desanimes si no sabes dónde vas a estar o qué vas a estar haciendo en 5 años. Sólo enfócate en ser fiel donde Dios te tiene en este momento, porque fidelidad y obediencia hoy abren la puerta a la dirección de Dios para mañana.

A one-two punch to beat temptation

2008-11-07T13:15:00.000-08:00

Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. (Matt 26:41, NIV)

While with His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus gave them these instructions. These words weren't just for Peter, James, and John on the eve of Christ's crucifixion. They're useful for every believer across the ages.

If we want to overcome temptation, the first key is to watch. Now, this isn't watching in the manner of viewing a sporting event or enjoying a movie. It's watching in the sense of a night watchman, or a military guard. It's being on the lookout, alert, watchful for any intruder that would try to break in and defile the temple of the Holy Spirit.

A security guard can't let himself get comfortable or fall asleep. Neither can we in our fight against sin and temptation. When we start getting too comfortable regarding the sin that surrounds us in society, and start laughing at it or accepting it instead of being grieved and bothered by it, then we're getting comfortable, thinking everything is OK. Pretty soon we fall asleep, and the enemy of our souls is able to walk right in without our noticing. Or we get self-assured and cocky, thinking we have it all under control because we haven't fallen to a particular temptation in some time, and we let down our guard and start to let things come closer than we should. In either case, when we fail to be vigilant, it's like leaving the car door open with the keys in the ignition. We're just asking for the thief to do his work.

We also need to be watchful for temptations to which we've fallen before, and circumstances under which we're more prone to falling. When we sense that we're in a similar situation to one where we've failed before, we need to raise our terrorist alert level a couple of notches. Satan usually attacks again where he's had success in the past. Why bother spending his creative energies on a new, exotic temptation when it's much easier to hit us where he caught us the last time? But if we recognize the specific things we're vulnerable to, and the specific circunstances under which we're more exposed, we can be prepared.

The second key is to pray. We need to pray that God will help us to recognize the attacks when they come, since Satan usually disguises sin in nice-looking clothes. We need to pray for God to strenghten our faith, which is our shield to deflect the fiery darts being thrown at us. We need to pray for him to make our feet swift so we can flee from evil. We pray for God to reveal to us the way of escape that He has already provided, and to help us to walk through that emergency exit.
With this one-two punch God has provided us, we can knock temptation down and walk away victorious in Christ.

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Estén alerta y oren para que no caigan en tentación. (Mateo 26:41, NVI)

Estando con sus discípulos en el Jardín de Getsemaní, Jesús dio estas instrucciones. Estas palabras no eran solamente para Pedro, Jacobo, y Juan la noche antes de la crucificción. Son útiles para todos los creyentes en todos los siglos.

Si queremos vencer la tentación, el primer paso es estar alerta. Es el trabajo de un agente de vigilancia, o de una guardia militar. Es estar atento, alerta, buscando cualquier actividad de un intruso que intentaría entrar y deshonrar el templo del Espíritu Santo.

Una guardia de seguridad no puede dejarse estar cómodo o quedar dormido. Tampoco nosotros en nuestra lucha contra el pecado y la tentación. Cuando empezamos a estar demasiado cómodos en cuanto al pecado que nos rodea en esta sociedad, y empezamos a reirnos de ello o aceptarlo en lugar de que nos moleste o que lloramos por ellos, entonces nos estamos poniendo cómodos, pensando que todo está bien. Muy pronto nos dormimos, y el enemigo de nuestra alma puede entrar con libertad sin que nosotros nos demos cuenta. O nos sentimos muy seguros y orgullosos, pensando que tenemos todo bajo control porque no hemos caido en cierta tentación por mucho tiempo, y bajamos la guardia y dejamos que cosas se acercan a nosotros más de lo que deben. En los dos casos, cuando somos negligentes en vigilar, es como dejar la puerta del carro abierto con las llaves puestas. Estamos dando una invitación al ladrón a entrar y hacer su trabajo.

También necesitamos estar vigilando para tentaciones en las cuales hemos caido antes, y para circunstancias donde estamos más propensos a caer. Cuando sentimos que estamos en un situación similar a una donde hemos caido antes, hay que subir la alerta de terrorismo un par de colores. Satanás usualmente ataca otra vez donde ha tenido éxito en el pasado. ¿Para qué gastar su energía creativa inventando una nueva, exótica tentación cuando es tan fácil golpearnos en el punto donde nos hizo tropezar la vez pasada? Pero si reconocemos la cosas específicas a las cuales somos vulnerables, y las circunstancias precisas cuando estamos más expuestos, podemos estar preparados.

El segundo paso es orar. Oramos pidiendo a Dios que nos ayude a reconocer los ataques cuando vienen, porque el diablo usualmente disfraza el pecado en ropa bonita. Necesitamos orar para que Dios aumente nuestra fe, que es nuestro escudo para apagar flechas encendidas que son lanzadas en nuestra dirección. Debemos orar para que el Señor nos dé rapidez para huir del maldad. Oramos que Dios nos revele la vía de escape que él ya ha provisto, y que nos ayude a caminar por esa salida de emergencia.

Con esta combinación uno-dos, podemos noquear la tentación y salir victoriosos en Cristo.

Why bother? It's hopeless.

2008-11-04T13:11:00.000-08:00

While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," they said. "Why bother the teacher any more?" (ark 5:35, NIV)

Your spouse is no longer willing to work on your marriage. You might as well just look for an attorney.

You've tried praying and reading the Bible, but you just can't shake the depression. You might as well end it all.

You've gone to a support group, been in rehab, and you still can't shake that addiction. Might as well just quit fighting.

You've sought counseling and prayed, but you still have those desires for illicit sexual activity.
Why not just live that lifestyle? After all, it seems to be an inescapable part of who you are.

But let's read the next verse: Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, "Don't be afraid; just believe." And just a few verses later, Jesus steps into the middle of a hopeless, impossible situation and restores hope by showing that all things are possible with God.

Don't give up. Keep plugging away and doing your part. Don't be afraid; just believe. You'll be surprised at how the impossible becomes possible when Jesus steps into the room.

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¿Por qué seguir? No hay esperanza.

Todavía estaba hablando Jesús, cuando llegaron unos hombres de la casa de Jairo, jefe de la sinagoga, para decirle: —Tu hija ha muerto. ¿Para qué sigues molestando al Maestro? (Marcos 5:35, NVI)

Tu conyugue ya no está dispuesto(a) a trabajar para que funcione el matrimonio. Mejor buscarte un abogado.

Has orado y leido la biblia, pero no puedes deshacerte de esa depresión. ¿Por qué no terminarlo todo?

Has asistido a un grupop de apoyo, has estado en rehabilitación, y todavía no puedes escapar de la adicción. Más vale rendirte.

Has buscado consejo y orado, pero no se te quitan esos deseos sexuales. ¿Por qué no aceptarlo y vivir ese estilo de vida? Después de todo, para ser parte de como fuiste creado.

Pero leiamos el siguiente verso: Sin hacer caso de la noticia, Jesús le dijo al jefe de la sinagoga: —No tengas miedo; cree nada más. Y unos cuantos versos después, Jesús entra en medio de una situación imposible y sin esperanza, y restaura le esperanza demostrando que todo es posible con Dios.

No te rindas. Sigue esforzándote y poniendo de tu parte. No tengas miedo; cree nada más. Te sorprenderás como lo imposible se vuelve posible cuando Jesús entra en el cuarto.

Does God Speak Through Fortune Cookies?

2008-09-08T13:10:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed Mark Batterson's book In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day, so last Friday I picked up his newest, Wild Goose Chase. I took it to church with me Sunday, figuring I would start reading after service, since my wife, being the bookkeeper at the Spanish church, usually has to hang around for a while to deal with office stuff. After I got Briana and Abby in the van, I grabbed the book and started reading.

Chapter 1 starts with a quote from Helen Keller: Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.
For lunch, we went to a new Chinese buffet with some friends to celebrate their daughter's 9th birthday. At the end of the meal, I got my fortune cookie and craked it open. Want to guess what was on the little slip of paper? Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.

Now, I realize that most sayings in fortune cookies are nice platitudes that can apply to almost anyone. I can't think of a single cookie slip I've read that I couldn't apply to myself in some aspect. But out of the hundreds of quotes they put in those cokies, and out of the 30 or so that were in the bowl I grabbed it from, for that to be the one I opened -- to read the same message twice in under 3 hours. You may call it coincidence. But it's been my experience that God is very skilled at setting up "coincidences" in our lives.

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¿Dios hablará a través de una galleta de fortuna china?

Disfruté mucho el libro In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day, escrito por Mark Batterson, así que el viernes pasado compré Wild Goose Chase, su nuevo libro. Lo llevé conmigo a la iglesia el domingo, pensando que lo empezaría después del servicio, porque mi esposa es la contadora de la iglesia hispana a la cual asistimos, y normalmente tiene que quedarse un rato con asuntos de la oficina. Después de subir a Briana y Abby a la camioneta, agarré el libro y comencé a leer.
El primer capítulo arranca con un dicho de Helen Keller: O la vida es una aventura atrevida, o no es nada.

Fuimos a un nuevo buffet chino para almorzar y celebrar el cumpleaños de la hija de unos amigos. Al terminar la comida, agarré una galleta de fortuna y la abrí. ¿Quieres adivinar que decía el papelito? O la vida es una aventura atrevida, o no es nada.

Reconozco que la mayoría de los papelitos en las galletas chinas son dichos que se pueden aplicar a cualquier persona. No recuerdo nigún papelito que he leido que no podía aplicar a mi propia vida en algún aspecto. Pero de los centenares de dichos que meten en las galletas, y de los 30 o más galletas que estaban en el plato de donde la agarré, para que la que yo abrí dijera eso -- para leer el mismo mensaje en menos de tres horas. Tal vez tú lo llamas casualidad. Pero es mi experiencia que Dios es muy hábil para arreglar "casualidades" en nuestras vidas.

Training Camp

2008-08-15T13:08:00.000-07:00

Today I read I Cor. 9:24-27 because it was referenced in a book I'm reading. It just so happens that the Summer Olympics are in full swing at this time. So it was kind of fitting.
24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

I want to focus on two words: strict training. So many times, we live as if a good Christian life is something that will just happen. We expect God to just take care of everything because we said a prayer and were baptized at some point. But just like our bodies can't stay healthy withour proper food and excercise, our spiritual man won't have the endurance to finish the race if we only feed him junk food (pop-psychology books instead of God's Word, or entertainment over renewing our minds) and never put into practice what we claim to believe.

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Hoy leí I Cor. 9:24-27 porque era una de las referencias en un libro que estoy leyendo. Resulta que los Juegos Olímpicos están pasando en estos días, así que fue apropiado para estas fechas.
24 ¿No saben que en una carrera todos los corredores compiten, pero sólo uno obtiene el premio? Corran, pues, de tal modo que lo obtengan.25 Todos los deportistas se entrenan con mucha disciplina. Ellos lo hacen para obtener un premio que se echa a perder; nosotros, en cambio, por uno que dura para siempre.26 Así que yo no corro como quien no tiene meta; no lucho como quien da golpes al aire.27 Más bien, golpeo mi cuerpo y lo domino, no sea que, después de haber predicado a otros, yo mismo quede descalificado.

Quiero enfocarme en dos palabras: muchas disciplina. Muchas veces, vivimos como si una buena vida cristiana es algo que sucede por su propia cuenta. Espreamos que Dios se encargue de todo porque rezamos una oración o fuimos bautizados. Pero como nuestros cuerpos no se pueden mantener saludables sin los alimentos correctos y ejercicio, nuestro hombre interior no va a tener la capacidad para terminar la cerrera si sólo le damos comida chatarra (libros populares en lugar de la Bibla, o entretenamiento en lugar de renovar nuestras mentes) y nunca ponemos en práctica lo que decimos que creemos.

It's All in Your Head

2008-06-06T13:00:00.000-07:00

Romans 8:5, NKJV For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

It all has to do with what my mind is focused on. If I’m filling my mind with junk, I’ll be fleshly. If I fill my mind with things that are true, lovely, pure, praiseworthy, etc. (Phil. 4:8), I’ll live life in the Spirit. I can’t just focus on not sinning, because that keeps the idea of the sin in the forefront of my mind. I have to actively think about right things.

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Romanos 8:5, NVI Los que viven conforme a la naturaleza pecaminosa fijan la mente en los deseos de tal naturaleza; en cambio, los que viven conforme al Espíritu fijan la mente en los deseos del Espíritu.

Todo tiene que ver con las cosas en las cuales mi mente está enfocada. Si lleno mi mente con mugre, voy a ser carnal Si lleno mi mente con cosas que son verdaderas, amables, puras, dignas de elogio, etc. (Filipenses 4:8), viviré según el Espíritu. No es suficiente enfocarme en no pecar, porque éso mantiene la idea del pecado en primer lugar en mi mente. Tengo que activamente pensar en las cosas correctas.

Payday

2008-05-29T11:58:00.000-07:00

Anyone who's been in church very long, or who's even been presented the Gospel using the "Roman Road" plan, has heard Romans 6:23 -- For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Most of the time, people talk about this verse in the context of final results, of the death of eternal separation from God after this mortal life has come to an end. But in my recent study of Romans, I saw this verse in a new way. Sin's payday isn't just in the far-off future with eternal torment in hell. We start collecting the payment of death as soon as the sin is committed. Stealing causes our honor to die. Sexual immorality causes self-esteem to wither, and healthy relationships to die. Gossip and uncontrolled tempers kill friendships. The seeds we sow don't just produce their fruit when our life is "harvested" by the reaper, death. Sin produces immediate death: death of purpose, death of dreams, death of relationships.

The second half of the verse isn't reserved for the afterlife, either. When we accept God's gracious gift of salvation, purchased by the blood of His Son Jesus Christ on the cross, we don't only get to go to heaven when we die -- we get to start really living now! God is eternal -- with no beginning or ending. Eternal life is the life that comes from Him. It's His life working in us. Sin caused my spirit to die -- to be cut off from God. God's marvelous gift of salvation restored the lifeline, the umbilical cord if you will, and allows God's life to restore life in my spirit. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me (Galatians 2:20). Christ, the Eternal One, the Ancient of Days, is living in me! That's eternal life, letting Christ live through me and conform my character to His own.

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Cualquier persona que ha estado en la iglesia por aún el más mínimo tiempo, o ha sido evangelizado con el plan "Camino de Romanos," ha escuchado Romanos 6:23 -- Porque la paga del pecado es muerte, mientras que la dádiva de Dios es vida eterna en Cristo Jesús, nuestro Señor.

La mayoría del tiempo, la gente habla de este versículo en el contexto de resultados finales, de la muerte de separación eterna de Dios cuando esta vida mortal se haya acabado. Pero en mis estudios receientes del libro de Romanos, vi este versículo en una nueva luz. El día de pago del pecado no es solamente en un futuro lejano con tortura eterna en el infierno. Empezamos a cobrar el cheque del pecado el momento que se cometa el pecado. Robar hace morir a nuestro honor. Inmoralidad sexual hace marchitar nuestra auto-estima y nuestras relaciones saludables. El chisme y la ira matan amistades. Las semillas que sembramos no solamente producen su fruto cuando "el segador", la muerte, viene a cosechar nuestra vida. El pecado produce muerte inmediata: muerte de propósito, muerte de sueños, muerte de relaciones.

La segunda parte del versículo tampoco se reserva para la vida después de la muerte. Cuando aceptamos el regalo divino de la salvación, comprada por la sangre del Hijo de Dios, Jesucristo, en la cruz, no solamente recibimos una entrada al cielo al morir -- ¡podemos empezar a verdaderamente vivir ahora! Dios es eterno -- sin principio y sin final. Vida eterna es la vida que proviene de El. Es la vida de El trabajando en nosotros. El pecado hizo morir a mi espíritu -- lo cortó de Dios. La dádiva maravillosa de la salvación restauró la línea de vida, el cordón umbilical si quieres decirlo así, y permite que la vida de Dios restaure vida en mi espíritu. He sido crucificado con Cristo, y ya no vivo yo sino que Cristo vive en mí (Gálatas 2:20). ¡Cristo, el Eterno, el Anciano de Días, vive en mí! Eso es la vida eterna, dejando que Cristo viva su vida a través de mí y que conforme mi carácter al suyo.