Month: November 2010

Cuando Miro Mi Vida


Cuando miro a mi vida; las cosas malas que he hecho y las buenas que me he negado a hacer; cuando miro el fango en el cual celebraba y encontraba entretención; cuando recuerdo todas las veces que Dios me llamó mientras yo volteaba mi rostro en su contra; cuando miro esta y tantas cosas y eventos de mi vida, no puedo más que llorar; no con llanto de tristeza, mas con llanto de alegría porque ha Dios le plació salvarme; porque le plació llamarme a ser ministro de su Evangelio.

            Aunque el mundo haga eco al mensaje del diablo que me recuerda quien fui; aunque me sienta tan descalificado, Dios ha puesto un manto único sobre mí y ha abierto mi boca para declarar su verdad. ¡Dios ha sido bueno conmigo! Contra tormentas, contra huracanes, contra volcanes, contra terremotos, contra mis propias limitaciones y contra el sufrimiento que derrite mi alma. Hoy me levanto para gloria y para honra de Cristo. Hoy me levanto para declarar su amor, su misericordia, su gracia y para decirle al mundo que la esperanza de la realización  de su propósito santo no ha muerto.

            Mi lenguaje no me alcanza para poder describir la emoción de mi alma cuando pienso en mi amado Dios. Al pincel le falta el talento para dibujar con certeza la belleza de Su ternura. No encuentro canción y las notas musicales no le hacen justicia a lo que mi Rey se merece. Concluyo que soy mugre, un simple vaso de barro, pero la diferencia es que llevo en mí la gloria del Rey de Reyes, del Señor de señores, de mi Redentor, de mi pronto auxilio, de mi Fortaleza, de mi Castillo y del que nunca arrancara su amor por mí de Su corazón.

¿Cuál es la Causa de tu Arrogante Palabrería?


¿De qué te las Echas?

 

            En la vida siempre vamos  encontrar personas abiertamente pedantes y cargadas de soberbias palabrerías. Mas, y ¿Qué de aquellos que son excelentes en lo que hacen en áreas verdaderamente importantes y respetadas en nuestra sociedad? ¿Habrá justificación para su pedantería? Jeremías 9:23 nos enseña:

“Así ha dicho Jehová:
    No se alabe el sabio en su sabiduría,
    ni en su valentía se alabe el valiente,
    ni el rico se alabe en sus riquezas.
     Mas alábese en esto el que haya de alabarse:
    en entenderme y conocerme,
    que yo soy Jehová,
    que hago misericordia, juicio y justicia en la tierra,
    porque estas cosas me agradan,
    dice Jehová.”

 

            Dios no nos da permiso para alabarnos o, como dicen en Puerto Rico, “echárnoslas” de sabios, de valientes ni de la cantidad de dinero que tenemos en el banco. Si te las vas a echar, échatelas de que entiendes y de que conoces a  Dios más allá de tus misas de domingo y más allá de lo que dicen los pastores. Échatelas de que si aún no entiendes, por lo menos conoces a Dios lo suficiente como para descansar en la realidad de que El es bueno y de que en Dios puedes confiar todos los días de tu vida.

            Échatelas de Sus misericordias; de cómo tuvo piedad de ti cuando  merecías la cárcel y más que la cárcel, el castigo eterno. Échatelas de cómo te sacó del hoyo en el cual te encontrabas, de cómo te sacó de un camino de muerte, putrefacto, del laberinto de las drogas y el alcohol. Échatelas de cómo salvó tu vida aún cuando los disparos llovían alrededor tuyo. Échatelas de su amor tan grande, de sus juicios perfectos y de la justicia que hace en la tierra. Échatelas de cómo te guardó bajo las sombras de sus alas cuando perdiste a ese ser que tanto querías; cuando el divorcio te arrebató el aliento; de cómo te salvó de las manos del suicidio; de cómo arrancó de ti la depresión y te dio esperanza de vida. Si te las vas a echar, échatelas de cómo levantó tu frente delante de los poderosos, de cómo arregló esa situación tan crítica y de cómo hizo el milagro cuando ni tú mismo creías. Entonces hermano, hermana y amigo ¿Cuál es la causa de tu arrogante palabrería? ¿De qué te las echas?

El Clamor de un Puertorriqueño en la Distancia


Puerto Rico, Dile que no a la mediocridad y a la violencia. Es tiempo de mirar para arriba; para los montes, de donde viene tu salvación y traer a ese Dios tan grande al centro de tu corazón. Puerto Rico, la sangre de tus hermanos acecinados por tus propias manos en las calles de la Isla del encanto, clama justicia a los oídos de Dios. Puerto Rico, entrégale tu ira a Dios y camina en la paz que sobrepasa todo entendimiento. Puerto Rico, dile que no a la mentira de las drogas que seducen a nuestra juventud y destruyen nuestra generación futura, con una alegría pasajera y con la pesadilla de las cadenas de una adicción segura que te separa del mundo, que te separa de ti y te lleva al dolor de tus seres queridos en tu propio velorio. Puerto Rico, tu esperanza no está en el PNP, ni en los populares, ni en los pipiolos; todos se olvidan de ti cuando se visten del poder del hombre. Tu esperanza está en Cristo, El que te ama como nadie nunca te podrá amar, el Alfa, el Omega, el Principio y el fin, El Rey de reyes y Señor de señores, El que es Fiel, Verdadero y el que dio su vida por ti. Puerto Rico,  en los ojos de Dios se ven las lágrimas de su dolor por ti. Aún la naturaleza gime por la manifestación del potencial tan grande que tienes. Puerto Rico, ¡Cristo te ama! Regresa a los tiempos en donde tus oídos estaban inclinados a la voz del Padre y obstruye el paso de las mentiras de la mentalidad de “ganga”, de los que tienen guille de ganstercitos de barrio y caserío, de disparos y de vulgaridad en las calles. Puerto Rico, la muerte duele cuando nos arranca a nuestros hijos, a nuestros padres, nuestros sobrinos, nuestros niños, nuestros vecinos y nuestros amigos. Puerto Rico, amémonos los unos a los otros, como en un tiempo lo hicimos; tiempos en donde en los hogares que comían cinco, había alimento para diez. Puerto Rico,  ¿a dónde se fue el pedido de “La bendición”? ¿A donde se fue el “Dios te bendiga”? ¿A dónde se fue el respeto del Don y el honor de la Doña? Puerto Rico, abre tus ojos. Juventud, muestra tu fortaleza; trae tu reggaetón, trae tu energía, trae tu pasión, trae tu inteligencia, tu inspiración y aún tu dolor, oh juventud que me escucha y declárale guerra al diablo. Dios te hará justicia Puerto Rico, por la humillación del Indio Taino, por la esclavitud inhumana en contra del africano y por la arrogancia del español, Dios te hará justicia. Yo voy a ti Puerto Rico; tierra de campeones mundiales, de los soldados más valientes, en donde hasta las piedras cantan, en donde el coquí no se rinde con su canto, en donde las montañas y el mar adornan nuestras costas. Tierra de poetas, de lindos palmares, preciosas playas y de incomparables seres humanos. Ámate a ti mismo Puerto Rico y manifiesta tu amor respetando la vida. Busca de Dios, edúcate y verás como los puertos de nuestras almas serán ricos otra vez; no como nuestros ríos en el pasado con el oro que nos robaron; pero con una riqueza que no podrá ser nunca arrebatada de nosotros. Te amo Puerto Rico, aún en la distancia… ¡En el nombre de Jesús! Este el clamor de un puertorriqueño en la distancia. ¡Amén!

The Battle against God’s Will


“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Matt. 7:21)

As we take a closer look at eight aspects of God’s will and its constant resistance; it is my prayer that the Word of God will give you an even deeper revelation concerning this crucial and at times ignored and misunderstood topic.

1.  The center of our prayers must be for God’s will to be done “on earth as it is in heaven.”

“And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.” (Luke 11:2)How can some preach that the Kingdom of God is already here; that we are in the millennium years when the will of God has not even been established among His own people? We still find ourselves arguing with God as our will continues to stand as rebellious monuments before God. I am not talking about God’s permissible will or any other kind of will, Jesus is telling us to pray for God’s will to be established on this planet exactly as it established in heaven. In heaven, even as the angels also have free will; no other will is acceptable, but the will of God; there is no arguments there. How I know, ask the devil and all the angels that believed his lie.2. Jesus is our example; we must do God’s will even if it costs us our own lives.  

“And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him. And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” (Luke 22:39-42)

 We must understand that the part of Jesus that did not wanted to die was his flesh. In Jesus’ case it was not only the fact that He was going to be killed and not only the way He was going to be kill (The cross), but all that was to take place before He even got on the cross; the beating, the crown of thorns, the mental abuse, etc. etc. etc. No flesh wants to volunteer to such death. It was not Jesus’ will to die that way, however; and this is where He gives us one of His greatest examples, Jesus surrendered to the will of the Father as he says: “…Nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done.” This is our problem; this is where we find ourselves arguing with God; we pick and choose what part of His will we will do and don’t do according to our feelings and wants. But Jesus trusted the Father and the Father’s will not only resurrected His Son, but many of us were resurrected with Him also. God’s will always serves a greater purpose, a purpose that goes beyond ourselves.

 3. Our love for the world and our unchanging mind-set stands as obstacles to God’s will

  “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2)

 The world has a way of sounding and looking so smart and attractive. It is almost like we believe the lie that following Jesus is having to “miss-out” on the fun. The world continues, just as the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, to look very pleasing to the eye. So we go after the world; the worlds ideas of entertainment: Hollywood, the TV Shows, the Clubs, the music we sing, the music we dance, the fashion, the way we talk and the list goes on and on. The world teaches us what we should have and what we should do; so we get in debt to get and to do. As our mind and thought process’ dance with the world, the things of God seem less and less attractive; never mind that Jesus actually came to give us life in abundance (John 10:10). We are offered top quality Sea Food and Meats, but we glorify hotdogs and pork skin. We have trillions of dollars at our disposal, but we continue to insist that a hundred dollars a week is the life.

 4. The great deception of the world; it is all and forever will be and unfinished Tower

 “And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” (1 John 2:17)

 This is just like the devil; so deceptive! The world that we so much adore will pass away. Even the lust that many have for the world will also come to an end. Only the will of God is the ticket that we have been freely offered to stand when all have gone down all around us. The will of God is the victorious team, the winning side, the side of the champions, the more than over-comers, the ones that conquered where the fun really is and where the real party takes place. Believe when I tell you, the world has nothing on God; we do not miss out when we follow God, the world tragically does.

 5. Run away from the fornication factor

 “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification that ye should abstain from fornication.” (1 Thessalonians 4:3)

 Here we can see that God is specifically telling us to abstain from fornication. The danger against fornication is mentioned almost in every book in the New Testament. Why so? Because fornication leads to relationships from hell! I don’t know about you, but I have been in some ungodly relationships and it is, without a doubt, one of the easiest ways of getting God’s people off track. An ungodly relationship is, in my opinion, one of, if not the greatest, weapon the devil uses to kill the will of God in us. Fornication will rob us of our relationship with God; our prayer life. Our meditation on the things of God will be quickly vanished from our minds. This is without counting the damage that it causes to the others involved and in many cases even the children born out of the sanctity of marriage. There is also a strong connection between fornication, drugs and alcohol addictions and domestic violence.

 6. It is God’s will, no matter what we are going through, to be thankful to Him

 “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

 Why it is that thanksgiving is so important? Psalm 100:4 gives us the answer: “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” Beloved, without thanksgiving, we will never be able to even enter the manifested presence of God. A thankful heart focuses on what God is doing and not in what is taking place in the world. A thankful heart focuses on God’s power and not in the challenges of this life. A thankful heart focuses on God’s blessings and not in the vanity of this world. So we are encouraged, in every “thing,” to give thanks to God. A thankful heart is full of love; full of faith; and it is the greatest weapon against the ministry of discouragement and the constant agitation for giving up.

 7.  In order for us to experience the promises of God we need to do the will of God; in order to do the will of God we need patience 

 “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” (Hebrews 10:36)

 No doubt that every person I know wants to enjoy the promises of God (The good stuff!) But many of us are dying every day without ever experiencing the promises that God had for them; why…because they live a life according to their own gospel and their own will and not according to the will of God. Many try to do God’s will and that is where they mess-up. They will of God is not to try like you try everything else; we must surrender to His will, blindly. That is why another ingredient is necessary in this journey of doing God’s will and that is: “Patience.” Patience is defined as: “The ability to endure waiting, delay, or provocation without becoming annoyed or upset. or to persevere calmly when faced with difficulties.” The New King James Version uses the word “Endurance.” The word endurance also has a lovely definition: “The ability or power to bear prolonged exertion, pain, or hardship.” So, in order to do God’s will, we need both patience and endurance because all the darkness of hell will come against you. You may already be thinking that it is hard to do God’s will. It is not hard my friends, it is impossible without the power of God. However, as Elder Phil Hartland taught me, “Doing God’s will is hard, but the end-result is easy. Walking according to our will is easy, but the end-result is hard.” Yes! We must pray for patience as patience is the endurance needed to fight this fight and finish this race.

 8. If you are going to fake something until you make it, fake doing His will, even as you don’t feel like it.

 “For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.” (1 Peter 2:15)

 Our behavior or, what others see us doing, is important for God. God desires changes from the inside, out. However, we must strictly watch the way we behave in front of others as well as in our secret place. Our “well doing” is the greatest weapon to silence the ignorance of people that hate God and His ways. We must watch what we do beloved! The idea that we can walk around doing whatever we want and at the same time be careless for a lost humanity and young Christians is irresponsible and un-loving. There are things that at times I am sure many responsible Christians feel like doing, but for the sake of others, they don’t; that is love. In First Corinthians 8:13 the Apostle Paul tells us: “Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.” I am afraid that many of us have acted as silent foolish men with our un-Godly behavior. May the Lord help us all to see the deception of the ways of the world and the vanity of our minds; may we welcome Jesus not only as our Savior, but also as our Lord. May all stop arguing against the ways of God!

 

 

Dealing with the Issues of the Flesh


 

“For as much then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.” (1 Peter 4:1-2)

 

 

 

I have news for you guys today; perhaps this is old news for some or this could be a new revelation for many. I am, of course, writing to Christians. It amazes me how surprised and judgmental we react when someone is caught in an act of the flesh. It is almost like, at the moment someone else is caught in a shameful behavior we instantly either forget or we actually view ourselves as being perfect. In case you have not noticed yet, we all carry around our flesh; so when dealing with the issues of the flesh we are also dealing with you. Nobody is exempt to the desires and the undisciplined ways of the flesh. Our un-holy desires should not surprise us at all.

 

 

From over-eating problems that results in weight issues, to bad relationships we engage into; from spending money we don’t have, pride, sexual immorality, etc. all is a direct result of people guiding these particular areas of their lives by the commands of the flesh. Our flesh, our deceitful hearts and the devil are our worst enemies. This particular trinity is designed to destroy us and it will indeed destroy us if our soul is ruled by them. We desperately need an understanding of the way the flesh operates. Understanding the ways of the flesh will help us understand one another and perhaps it is the understanding that we need in the Body of Christ to help us kill our judgmental ways.

 

Let’s see together some peculiar characteristics of the flesh that applies to all of us:

 

 

1. The works of the flesh are obvious: “Now the works of the flesh are evident…” (Galatians 5:19) It is very, very possible that even as you can’t see your mess, somebody else can. It is not hard to see the issues in others; the challenge is to see our own mess.

 

 

2. The flesh is our sinful nature and it opposes the Spirit of God:  We can’t wait until we feel like doing the right thing because the flesh will never feel like doing the right thing. The flesh resists the Will of God for our lives. “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.” (Galatians 5:17)

 

 

3. The flesh opposes the soul: “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul…” (1 Peter 2:11) Without the soul we can’t experience life, for our soul is the life of our bodies. The soul is that part of us that must decide which way to go every day.   

4. Our flesh is filthy: The desires of the flesh are filthy; there is nothing good about our flesh as even what seems to be good becomes filthy because of the motives of our hearts. “…beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2 Corinthian 7:1)

 

 

5. We have the responsibility to do our part as it refers to putting away fleshly behaviors: 2 Cor. 7:1 tells us “…let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh…”Even as before the Father we are already clean because of the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ by His blood, we must do our part. Walking in the flesh or in the Spirit is a choice. (Deut. 30:19) This is a daily, moment-to-moment commitment of choosing to put away fleshly behaviors and grabbing a hold of our divine nature so that, in Christ, we can walk this holy life. Much of what we call mistakes is not really mistakes; they are choices.

 

6. We must engage in a walk where we are constantly perfecting holiness: (2 Cor. 7:1) The way of perfecting the manifestation of holiness in our lives is by walking in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16) Again, none of this has anything to do with feelings; it has to do with a daily and constant mind-set of walking in the way that is pleasing before our Father.

7. The end-result of walking in the flesh is death: Nothing good will manifest as the end-result of walking in the flesh; some understand this Biblical principle quicker than others. “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” (Romans 8:13)

Perhaps you find yourself arguing with God and still idolizing your flesh. I pray that soon you find yourself face-to-face with the reality of an empty and deceitful way of life that can’t ever be compared to the quality of the life that our Lord offers. Many spend their existence in search of the American Dream. The American Dream is summed-up by having a spouse, children, a nice house, good jobs, good cars, etc. Many achieve these things and much more, but still find themselves so far away from the life that God has for them. See, all these things can be attained in the flesh. The Way of God is simply indescribably better. That is why the wisdom of God cries out and constantly sounds the trumpet that our destruction is coming if we continue in our fleshly paths. That is the wisdom of God for us; to know that His ways are not our ways and that in His ways we are able to find the abundant life that we all long for.

El Poder de la Humildad


Cuando hablamos de personas humildes, no asociamos las mismas con características coligadas con poder y autoridad. Nos imaginamos a las personas humildes caris-bajos en su caminar y en su hablar. En este artículo observaremos algunos puntos básicos que nos mostrarán claramente, la inmensa autoridad que los humildes cargan aún en esta dimensión de vida. ¿Qué es pues la humildad? “La humildad describe a una persona sumisa, obediente, respetuosa, reverente y modesta.” La Escritura establece claramente en Mateo 5:5 que son los humildes los que “…recibirán la tierra por heredad.”  Mas este es un verso con implicaciones futuristas. ¿Y qué del humilde en esta dimensión de vida? Estudiemos entonces a Santiago 4:6-7.

“Pero él da mayor gracia. Por esto dice: Dios resiste a los soberbios y da gracia a los humildes. Someteos, pues, a Dios; resistid al diablo, y huirá de vosotros.”

            Sin lugar a dudas que Dios resiste a los soberbios. Dos palabras que nos ayudan a describir a la persona soberbia son las palabras: “Altanero” y “Arrogante”. Aunque la persona altanera es la que casi siempre asociamos con poder y autoridad, lo cierto es que todo lo concerniente a este tipo de persona es un engaño y una falsa y hueca imagen. La persona arrogante es resistida por Dios. A continuación veamos juntos cinco puntos importantes y básicos sobre el poder de la humildad:

  • La persona humilde disfruta de una relación más intima con Dios.  Así como Dios resiste a los orgullos, El es atraído por los humildes. La humildad es un indicativo de lo dispuesto que estamos a morir al “yo” y el rendirnos a Cristo.
  • La persona humilde disfruta de una mayor porción de la gracia de Dios. La gracia de Dios es, en su forma más elemental, el favor inmerecido de Dios para con nosotros. Esta realidad Bíblica es suficiente para que nos tiremos de rodillas al suelo y le pidamos a Dios que cree en nosotros un corazón humilde.
  • La humildad es el preámbulo a un corazón dispuesto a someterse a Dios. Si en nosotros no hay humildad, seguiremos tratando de hacer las cosas nosotros mismos sin pedir la intervención divina. Sin humildad seguiremos por el mundo defendiéndonos y siempre buscando el tener la razón. Para someternos a Dios necesitamos la humildad necesaria para confiar en Su justicia y sabiduría.
  • Después de dicha sumisión a Dios, encontraremos la unción necesaria para resistir al diablo. La palabra Resistir significa “Dar el pecho, poner resistencia, hacer cara y salir al encuentro.” Esta definición describe a una persona llena de mucha valentía en Cristo Jesús; uno que no se deja pisotear por el diablo; uno que dice: “Tu vienes contra mí con espada, lanza y jabalina; pero yo voy contra ti en el nombre de Jehová de los ejércitos…” (1 Samuel 17:45) ¡Hermanos, esa valentía es producto de la humildad! 
  • La humildad nos da la victoria que provoca la huida del diablo. La humildad no tiene ni un pelo de débil. En la humildad hay poder y en la humildad hay victoria.

 

 

¿Estás Seguro de que has Perdonado?


“Cuatro Puntos Claves Sobre el Perdón”

            Sí, ya sé, nos creemos que lo sabemos todo en lo que se refiere al perdón; pero en realidad sabemos muy poco. Muchos andamos con tantos resentimientos en nuestros corazones y, o ni lo sabemos, ni nos damos cuenta o nos las pasamos ignorando nuestra condición.

            El perdonar es clave en nuestra fe Cristiana y clave para nuestro crecimiento en Cristo. Cuando somos ofendidos, automáticamente nos duele en el corazón. Mientras más cariño le tengamos a la persona, más duele. Aún en nuestras mismas congregaciones, tenemos gente que con sus labios declaran que han perdonado, mas Bíblicamente es obvio que no. A continuación te voy a dar cuatro puntos claves para que tú mismo de evalúes y concluyas si has perdonado o si cargas ya raíces de amargura:

  1. Para perdonar tienes que llegar a la conclusión de que tú también necesitas perdón, No hay nadie perfecto. Si no tienes esta revelación pídele a Dios que te dé entendimiento del Salmo 130:3.
  2. Si continúas recordándole a la persona que te ofendió  su falta y usas su culpa como una carta que sacas cada vez que te sientes acorralado con esa persona; no has perdonado. Nuestro ejemplo es Dios; nadie ha sido más ofendido en la historia y nadie hay que se compare a su santidad. (Jeremías 31:34 Hebreos 10:15-17)
  3. No hay límite en el perdón; no importa lo que nos hagan, ni cuantas veces nos ofendan, nuestra obligación delante de Dios es el perdonar. (Mateo 18:21-22)
  4. El perdonar nos lleva a la reconciliación. El decir “Te perdono” no es suficiente, tenemos que buscar el restaurar la relación. Tenemos que buscar el volver a comunicarnos, a amarnos y a confiar el uno en el otro. (2 Corintios 5:18)

 

Entonces la pregunta sigue siendo: ¿Estás seguro de que has perdonado?

Caminando en la Luz


Recuerdo hace unos años atrás, mi querida hija Jubilee tenía un proyecto en la escuela. Dicho proyecto consistía en plantar tres semillas en tres tiestos diferentes. La maestra dio instrucciones muy interesantes; nunca pensé que dicho proyecto, que pareciera tan sencillo, ministrara a mi vida de la forma que lo hizo. Mi hija, siguiendo las instrucciones de la maestra, colocó un tiesto en un closet obscuro de la casa; otro tiesto en posición de recibir la luz normal de nuestra sala y el otro tiesto al lado de la ventana recibiendo la luz directa del sol. La semilla en la obscuridad pareció crecer seca y muerta. La semilla que recibía la luz regular de nuestro apartamento pudo crecer, mas no creció mucho ni parecía tener tanta fuerza ni brillo. Por otro lado, la semilla que recibía la luz directa del sol creció fuerte, brillante, preciosa y su tamaño casi triplicó la planta que creció en la luz de nuestra casa.

            ¿Qué mensaje sentí que Dios me daba con este pequeño proyecto de mi hija?

  1. Los que caminan en la obscuridad nunca crecen; ya que están a ciegos, dirigidos por el que se manifiesta en la obscuridad; Satanás, la serpiente antigua y padre de las mentiras. En la obscuridad guardamos nuestros secretos y nuestros pecados más vergonzosos. En la obscuridad estamos a la merced del diablo.
  2. Los que reciben la luz creada por los hombres son los que aparentan que todo anda bien, mas son débiles y   aunque han crecido no hay brillo ni fuerza en sus vidas. Estos existen, pero no viven la vida en abundancia prometida por Cristo.
  3. Mas los que reciben la luz directa de Dios son los que pasan tiempo con Dios, los que tienen una vida de oración, los que escuchan del Padre. Estos son los que crecen, los que son fuertes en Cristo y los que brillan para la gloria de Dios.

 

Por otra parte, lo que les escribo es un mandamiento nuevo, cuya verdad se manifiesta tanto en la vida de Cristo como en la de ustedes, porque la oscuridad se va desvaneciendo y ya brilla la luz verdadera.
el que afirma que está en la luz, pero odia a su hermano, todavía está en la oscuridad. el que ama a su hermano permanece en la luz, y no hay nada en su vida que lo haga tropezar.

(Juan 2:8-10)

            Hermano, hermana, ven a la luz de Cristo… Pasa tiempo con Dios en oración y ama a tu hermano, no permitas que la obscuridad te robe la vida y no permitas que la luz de hombre te robe el brillo y el crecimiento en Cristo.

The Assurance of a Young Man by my son Angelo


Oh Angelo, I knew you before I created your planet; your every failure, struggle, temptation, thought and victory.  Still today I am by you, in you, and around you. I was there, ensuring your coming into this world. I watched you, and protected you, even to this day. When you began to fall, I watched, waiting for the day of your return; and you came. I love you my son, so much, more than your words can ever describe. Every stone set beneath your feet, every animal and plant that you ate, every atom that you touched, I destined. I have been sitting by your bed side every night, watching everything, speaking to you, willing you to listen and answer. I protected you from everything that can kill you. And so you rise in the morning, and I made you a sky to remember me, and a sun to inspire you. I provide you with shelter and safety. I watch you as you choose what to dress, and I love it when you take my advice. You then clean yourself. When you walk out the door, I remind you that I have many warriors fighting for Me, protecting your family. Still today, they are alive and safe. They are healthy and strong, just as you are. You take the bus and I keep the traffic flowing safely. None of your peers have attempted any attack. The bus then drops you of at your school, and you continue on your day, as I walk by you in the hallways, and stand by your side as you sit. When you take those tests, I help you with the answers, and when you get tired, I give you strength. When temptation comes, I remind you who you are and who I Am. As you come home, I love it when you spend time with Me. I love it when you sing to Me. Angelo, I give you life, family, the fulfillment of needs. I Am the Answer to all you problems and concerns. I Am your Comforter, your Healer, your Inspirer, your Provider, your Protector, your Redeemer, your Savior, your Light, your Friend, your Mom. When you need Me I Am here, when you want Me I Am here; I will never forsake you, forget, you, stop loving you. You are Mine, I bought you at a price so that you can be free from the chains of evil; by blood I saved you. You were a slave to this world and all its death, impurities and lies. You were deceived, left to die, robbed, out casted; and yet I revealed the truth, picked you up from the side of the street, reimbursed you, brought you back home. Everything I do is for good, for I Am Good. My Will be done; I gave your people choice, and I Will that you will choose the logical path, for even you have discovered that My Way is the only way. With this, I also Will that the time will come when I will finally say, “YOU ARE WELCOME, good and faithful servant.”

YOU ARE WELCOME By: Ileana Jubilee Casiano


              How do you feel when you give someone something and they say thank you? You feel pretty good that your gift has blessed someone else. But, it’s not like I am just going to hear that and be like “ok have a blessed day.” Come on, that doesn’t make any sense, that is why three separate words were made in response to “thank you.” These words are “you are welcome.” I love to hear those words come out of people’s mouths with smiles on their faces.

            This very much relate to our relationship with the Lord. It’s like we have a system of the way we do things with God. It goes a little bit like this: We ask, we receive, we use what we asked for and then we ask again for something else. That’s not the way it’s supposed to go. It’s supposed to be like this: We ask, we receive, we thank God for our blessing and in return we show him how much we are grateful by pursuing, listening, loving, and praising him. That, my friends, is how we say thank you. In return, God has a way to say “You are welcome” and that is by continuing to bless you over and over again.

            I am not promising you that you will be given gold and riches all the time, because that is most likely not going to happen. God will bless you starting with things we take for granted, just to see if you treasure them. God has a way to see if you can handle the little things before he gives you the big things. Although you must be careful with how you ask for things; if your motives are wrong you most likely are not going to receive what you are asking for. This is plainly stated in James 4:3 “you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” So just make sure that when you ask you ask with a pure mind and heart or don’t ask at all.

 

            Also, be careful not to make asking the only thing that you talk to Jesus about.  If the only time you went to your friend was to ask for something, how do you think they would feel? If you are always asking how you can ever hear the Father say, “YOU’RE WELCOME.”