Día 18

Romanos 1:7

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7 a todos los que estáis en Roma, amados de Dios, llamados a ser santos: Gracia y paz a vosotros, de Dios nuestro Padre y del Señor Jesucristo.

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When you fly first class in an airplane, the cabin crew gives you first- class treatment.They ask you,‚"Is everything okay with you,sir?‚"They ask you what magazines you want to read. They give you a blanket if you are cold. They give you the best kinds of food. They give you preferential treatment compared to those traveling in economy class.

The grace of God is defined as ‚"undeserved, unearned and unmerited favor‚". And one of the definitions for favor is ‚"preferential treatment‚"! Today, God wants you to know that you have His favor on you. He wants you to know that He gives you preferential treatment which you do not deserve. And He wants you to depend on and take full advantage of it in your life.

God also wants you to know that His favor in your life can be increased. You can experience more of His favor from day to day. How? The Bible tells us in 2 Peter 1:2 that God's grace (or favor) is multiplied to us ‚"in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord‚". The more you behold Jesus and His love for you, the more you believe and confess that God's favor is on you, the more you will see His favor work for you.

So if you are a doctor, you will find patients favoring you and you will have more patients than you can handle. If you are a businessman, you will find people just wanting to do business with you because they like you and feel good about you. Then, you will have more business than you can handle and you will need to plan for expansion!

When the favor of God shines on your church, you will find its premises too small for the people who queue up week after week to attend the services! So when people wonder and ask, ‚"What is happening here?‚" you can tell them, ‚"It is the favor of God multiplied all over us!‚" And it is all undeserved, unearned and unmerited!

Thought For The Day

The more you behold Jesus and His love for you, the more you will see His favor work for you.

JOSUÉ 24:15

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15 Y si mal os parece servir a Jehová, escogeos hoy a quién sirváis; si a los dioses a quienes sirvieron vuestros padres, cuando estuvieron al otro lado del río, o a los dioses de los amorreos en cuya tierra habitáis; pero yo y mi casa serviremos a Jehová.

The people had to decide whether they would obey the Lord, who had proven his trustworthiness, or obey the local gods, which were only handmade idols. It's easy to slip into a quiet rebellion-going about life in your own way. But the time comes when you have to choose who or what will control you. The choice is yours. Will it be God, your own limited personality, or another imperfect substitute? Once you have chosen to be controlled by God's Spirit, reaffirm your choice every day. 

San Juan 17:4

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4 Yo te he glorificado en la tierra; he acabado la obra que me diste que hiciese.

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The Importance of Finishing

Several years ago I read a verse that caused me to weep before the Lord. In John 17:4, Jesus says, "I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do." This is saying that following God means finishing what He's called us to do.

Ever since reading that verse, it's become very important to me that I not just do what God has called me to do, but that I finish what He's called me to do.

There are a lot of people who step out and begin a journey with God, but I don't think there are nearly as many who finish it. 

The apostle Paul said, '...If only I may finish my course with joy...' (Acts 20:24).

I'm determined to finish God's call for me and enjoy every minute of it! That's what I want for you, too, to enjoy every single day of your life and finish what God's called you to do. 

But most of this is up to us. It's not all up to God. He has done His part and given us everything we need in Christ. It's up to us to keep learning, growing, and letting the Spirit of God work in us. Take time to consider the things that God has called you to do and ask yourself, "What am I doing today to finish strong what God has set before me?" 

God has great plans for you. Receive them by faith and go after them with all your heart. Today, I want you to make a commitment to finish strong. It's a commitment I know God will honor. 

Prayer Starter: God, like Jesus, I want to be able to say that I have completed the work You have for me. Thank You for working in me to give me the power and the desire to live for Your pleasure and finish my course with joy!

Día 17

ISAÍAS 53:4

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4 Ciertamente llevó él nuestras enfermedades, y sufrió nuestros dolores; y nosotros le tuvimos por azotado, por herido de Dios y abatido.

Imagine the dreadful disease leprosy eating a man alive. The poor leper in Matthew 8:2 could stand his suffering no longer, so he came out into the open to look for Jesus. He needed to know if Jesus was willing to heal him. When he saw Jesus, he fell at His feet and said, ‚"Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.‚" (Matthew 8:2) The Son of God looked at the outcast with love in His eyes, reached out His hand, touched him and said, ‚"I am willing; be cleansed.‚" (Matthew 8:3)

Perhaps you are suffering from some disease and wondering if God is willing to heal you? You are not sure if He is willing because just as you have seen people get healed, you have also seen people not get healed. My friend, don't look to people's experiences. Look to the cross! As surely as Jesus bore away your sins, He also bore away your diseases!

I want to give you a solid foundation today for believing this truth. In Isaiah 53, the chapter on our Lord's crucifixion, it says in verse four: ‚"Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows‚". Now, let's learn a little Hebrew. The words ‚"griefs‚" and ‚"sorrows‚" here mean ‚"sicknesses‚" and ‚"pains‚" in the original Hebrew text. So Isaiah was referring to physical healing.

Once, I asked a Jewish friend to read this verse in his Hebrew Bible and tell me what it means. He told me that his Bible says clearly that Jesus has borne our sicknesses and carried our pains.

If that is not enough, look at Matthew 8:16-17: ‚"... they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: ‚ÄòHe Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.'‚" Matthew quotes Isaiah 53:4, saying that Jesus took our ‚"infirmities‚" and bore our ‚"sicknesses‚". The context here refers to physical healing.

My friend, if you will just believe this truth, your days of sickness will be over. You will walk in greater health because the One who has surely borne your sick- nesses and carried your pains says to you, ‚"I am willing, be cleansed!‚"

Thought For The Day

As surely as Jesus bore away your sins, He also bore away your diseases!

JOSUÉ 1:5

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5 Nadie te podrá hacer frente en todos los días de tu vida; como estuve con Moisés, estaré contigo; no te dejaré, ni te desampararé.

Joshua's new job consisted of leading more than two million people into a strange new land and conquering it. Every new job is a challenge. Without God it can be frightening. With God it can be a great adventure. Just as God was with Joshua, he is with us as we face our new challenges. We may not conquer nations, but every day we face tough situations, difficult people, and temptations. God promises, however, that he will never abandon us nor fail to help us. By asking God to direct us we can conquer many of life's challenges.

FILIPENSES 3:10

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10 a fin de conocerle, y el poder de su resurrección, y la participación de sus padecimientos, llegando a ser semejante a él en su muerte,

Free to Be Relentless

Relentlessly pursuing God is not necessarily easy, but it's definitely worth it. However, you can't really pursue God until you've first experienced real freedom.

God is in the business of setting us free, and it's glorious to be free from guilt, condemnation, and always wondering what people are thinking of us.

We're set free from the concern of failing when we know who we are in Christ. This brings us the courage to be able to step out and pursue God's promises.

One of the greatest freedoms God has given me is the freedom to be me. For years I tried to be something I wasn't, feeling like I needed to be like this or like that, all the while knowing I wasn't like everyone else. Yet, I kept trying to be like others until I learned through my relationship with God who He created me to be. This also set me free from me, so I can focus on Jesus and reaching out to others the way He wants me to.

Philippians 3 says Paul was determined, or relentless, to have the things that Christ Jesus died for, to know Him and the power of His resurrection. I believe when we are born again, there is a spirit of determination that rises within us. We can call it Holy Spirit passion or zeal, and it's what gives us the 'oomph' we need during hard times to say, 'I will not give up on having an intimate, passionate, deep, personal relationship with God. I will not give up on being all that Christ wants me to be.'

Be relentless to stay in faith and receive God's promises. Remember, you belong to Him and He's given you a relentless spirit!

Prayer Starter: God, I want to live a new life, relentlessly pursuing You and Your promises. I trust You to help me become all You created me to be and experience true freedom.