Monthly Archives: May 2017

How to Pray When Life Doesn’t Make Sense? (Part 2)

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“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

 -Romans 8:28 NIV   

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If we choose and pray to live in God’s will, we must understand that sometimes God allows us to struggle and suffer not only to change us, but also to prepare us for His future plans.  In Matthew 26: 36-42 (Refer to Part 1 of How to Pray When Life Doesn’t Make Sense [Part 1]), Jesus went with his disciples to the Gethsemane to pray. Jesus knew it was God’s will for Him to lay down His life to pay the debt for our sins. Jesus “… prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”  -Matthew 26:39 NIV When Jesus prayed this prayer, He awaited the greatest pain and suffering to ever exists, the crucifixion (the ultimate sacrifice for humankind). Twice, Jesus prayed for God’s will to be done and not His own will. In the same way, we are to pray. The lyrics to a song sang by Hillary Scott are as follows: “I’m so confused I know I heard you loud and clear/ So, I followed through/ Somehow I ended up here I don’t wanna think/ I may never understand/ That my broken heart is a part of your plan/ When I try to pray/ All I’ve got is hurt and these four words/ Thy will be done…” When we pray for God’s will, we must have the right attitude.  “We could pray this prayer in an attitude of defeat. You don’t say it because you want to but because God is stronger than you. You can also say it with bitter resentment and in smoldering rage towards God. However, God wants us to pray it in complete love and trust because we know God only has our best interests at heart…. Before we can be in perfect harmony with God’s will…, we must be tuned to His perfect will in loving submission.” ((Solly Ozrovech, A Season of Hope, p. May 14)

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.  Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;  perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” -Romans 5:1-5 NIV 

Romans 5:1-5 reminds us that there is purpose in suffering. Suffering not only gives us more compassionate hearts for those around us, but teaches us to trust God more and remind us of the hope of eternal life we have in Jesus Christ. Just as God allows the caterpillar struggle on it’s own to emerge from the cocoon a butterfly, He also allows us to endure hardships to emerge the people, that He predestined us to become. 

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“Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.” -C.S. Lewis

“People often draw up their own agenda for Jesus and then expect nothing more from Him. His work extends far beyond what any one of us could think or dream of.” -season of Hope  But, we need to be willing to allow God to take away our simple plans and supplant His divine plans, even if means sacrificing our dreams and/or taking a more difficult path.

Here are more of the lyrics to Thy will sang by Hillary Scott: “I know you’re good/ But this don’t feel good right now/ And I know you think/ Of things I could never think about/ It’s hard to count it all joy/ Distracted by the noise/ Just trying to make sense/Of all your promises/ Sometimes I gotta stop/ Remember that you’re God/ And I am not/ So/ Thy will be done… I know you see me/ I know you hear me, Lord/ Your plans are for me/ Goodness you have in store..Like a child on my knees all that comes to me is/ Thy will be done…”

Dear Lord Jesus, please give us hearts that are always willing to submit to Your will. Amen. 

 

Solly Ozrovech, A Season of Hope. Vereeniging: Christian Art, Print.

How to Pray When Life Doesn’t Make Sense? (Part 1)

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“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”   

-Romans 8:28 NIV

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“Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” …Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” -Matthew 26:36, 38-42 NIV

In Matthew 6, Jesus instruct His followers on how to pray.  Within the first two lines of the Lord’s prayer, He instructs us to pray for God’s will. “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” -Matthew 6:9-10  In Matthew 26: 36-42, Jesus sets the perfect example for us of what it means to pray for God’s will and submit our will to God’s will. But, it’s not always easy to pray for God’s will. Theologian and scholar, C.S. Lewis wrote, “We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.” – C.S. Lewis  Like C.S. Lewis, sometimes we are afraid of God’s will. Perhaps, we fear that to live out God’s will for our lives, we may need to suffer. We may need to sacrifice our dreams, go to faraway places, go through difficult times, lose loved ones, be broken, and ultimately changed.  But, experiencing pain and brokenness changes us. Christian songwriter, Jason Gray,  wrote, “Nobody wishes for this Nobody is looking for heart-ache But I know sometimes that’s just how it goes I wasn’t asking for easy, I didn’t want the hard way either But I guess that’s what You thought I needed most If my life never would have got broken  Then my hands would have never been open.” Pain and suffering change us, by opening our eyes to the hurts of world around us and opening our hands to help those in need. Pain and suffering can be used by God to give us more compassionate hearts and a greater sense of empathy towards others. Just God allows the caterpillar to struggle against its cocoon to transform it into a beautiful butterfly, He also allows us to endure pain and suffering to transform our hearts into the hearts with a greater capacity to love.

Dear Lord Jesus, please give us hearts that are always willing to submit to Your will. Amen.

¿Qué Significa ser Perfeccionado?

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“porque con una sola ofrenda hizo perfectos para siempre a los santificados.”

 -Hebreos 10:14 RVR1960 

graceJesucristo pagó el precio más alto por nuestra libertad, haciendo que el sacrificio por nosotros en la cruz y sólo ocurrió una vez. Una vez fue suficiente para lavar nuestros pecados para siempre, porque Él es el hijo de Dios. Desde el momento en que aceptamos la salvación, nuestros pecados son lavados para siempre, y somos hechos perfectos en Cristo. ¿Qué significa ser hechos perfectos en Cristo? Creo que significa que su gracia es suficiente para cubrir a nuestro pecado en totalidad .

“Y me ha dicho: Bástate mi gracia; porque mi poder se perfecciona en la debilidad. Por tanto, de buena gana me gloriaré más bien en mis debilidades, para que repose sobre mí el poder de Cristo.” -2 Corintios 12:9 RVR 1960

¿Significa esto que ya no peques más? No, pero significa que todos nuestros pecados han sido cubiertos por la sangre de Cristo. Ya no estamos viviendo bajo la ley, sino por la gracia. Efesios 2: 8-9 RVR 1960 dice: “Porque por gracia sois salvos por medio de la fe; y esto no de vosotros, pues es don de Dios; no por obras, para que nadie se gloríe.”  Isaías 64 : 6 RVR 1960 dice: “… todas nuestras justicias como trapo de inmundicia; y caímos todos nosotros como la hoja …” No podemos hacer nada. No se puede ganar nuestro entrada  al cielo. El precio ya se ha pagado una sola vez, por nuestro UNICO Rey, Jesucristo. Optamos por tratar de no pecar después de la salvación, porque Él mora dentro de nosotros y que ve todo lo que hacemos de primera mano. Por lo tanto, nosotros sabemos cuando él no está satisfecho con nuestras acciones y no queremos pecar, porque se pone en el camino de nuestra relación con él. Aún así, nuestras buenas obras de ayudar a los demás no nos meten en el cielo- son simplemente nuestra manera de adorar y expresar gratitud a Cristo. Y, aunque pueda parecer injusto, el precio de cada uno que elige la salvación está ya pagado, sin importar si se salvaron 3 minutos antes de su muerte o a los 6 años, pero, los que vienen a Cristo tienen la bendición de estar en una relación (comunicación) con Él durante toda su vida. Sin embargo, nadie es merecedor de la salvación o puede obtener la salvación de las buenas obras o tratar de vivir una vida sin pecado. Como seres humanos, es imposible para nosotros vivir una vida sin pecado.

  • “Porque la paga del pecado es muerte, mas la dádiva de Dios es vida eterna en Cristo Jesús Señor nuestro.” -Romanos 6:23 RVR 1960
  •  “por cuanto todos pecaron, y están destituidos de la gloria de Dios, siendo justificados gratuitamente por su gracia, mediante la redención que es en Cristo Jesús…” -Romans 3:23-24 RVR 1960
  • “Pero por la gracia de Dios soy lo que soy; y su gracia no ha sido en vano para conmigo, antes he trabajado más que todos ellos; pero no yo, sino la gracia de Dios conmigo.”  – 1 Corintios 15:10 RVR 1960
  •  “No que lo haya alcanzado ya, ni que ya sea perfecto; sino que prosigo, por ver si logro asir aquello para lo cual fui también asido por Cristo Jesús.”  -Filipenses 03:12 RVR 1960

Somos salvos por gracia solamente. Y, es gracia que trabaja a través de nosotros para llevar a cabo la obra de Dios. La gracia es lo que nos hace lo que somos ahora, pero la gracia no ha terminado con nosotros todavía. Amén.