Archive

Archive for June, 2009

Election - 1 Thessalonians 1:4

June 24th, 2009

(ESPANOL EN SEGUIDA)

knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God. (1Th 1:4 )

election is the providencial act of God in the salvation of the believer.  Many people think that this idea degates the concept of free-will but it does not.  If we want to understand the concept of election (sometimes confused with predestination) we simply need to take an honest unbiased look at the scriptural description.  Romans and Ephesians provides the best explanation of this doctrine.

  • For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.  (Rom 8:29)
  • elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied. (1Pe 1:2)
  • just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love (Eph 1:4)
Our election is centered around Christ.  Those that God foreknew would receive the free gift of salvation are His elect and He exerts (through the Holy Spirit) His providencial influence in the lives of humans to direct these people to saving grace.  DO NOT GET THIS CONFUSED WITH PREDESTINATION.  God did not predestine us for salvation, repentence and is a clear act of free-will, but rather he predestined those who would be in Christ for santification and glory.  Predestination always follow election in the Bible.
We are the elect of God due to His foreknowledge and all those in Christ are predestined to be holy and without blame, conformed to the image of His Son and sanctified by the Spirit.

Sorry for the little sidetrack into 1 Thessalonians, we will be back in Psalms shortly.

Devotional Ramblings, General Information, Spanish , , , , ,

Correction - Psalm30:5

June 22nd, 2009

(ESPANOL ABAJO)

For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning. (Psa 30:5)

The fact is that as a Christian you will make mistakes and be corrected by God.  Do not be discouraged by these events as they are a testimony to the fact that you are a child of God.  I don’t expect my children to get through their childhood without messing up and we should understand that the Lord assumes the same.  This is the very reason we need grace, because we are screw-ups and incapable of achieving anything without the help of His Spirit.  “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
(Gal 2:20)

Stop being discouraged and look to the Lord for His encouragement.  “My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.” (Psa 5:3)

————————————————————————–

Porque un momento será su furor; Mas en su voluntad está la vida: Por la tarde durará el lloró, Y á la mañana vendrá la alegría. (Sal 30:5)

El hecho es que, como Cristiano, vas a cometer errores y vas a ser corregido por Dios.  No seas desanimado por estos castigos porque son testimonio del hecho de que eres hijo de Dios.  Yo no espero que mis hijo puedan pasan por su juventud sin equivocarse y necesitamos entender que  el Señor espera lo mismo.  Esta es la razón precisa que necesitamos la gracia de Dios; porque somos tontos e incapaz de lograr cualquier cosa  sin su Espíritu.  “Con Cristo estoy juntamente crucificado, y vivo, no ya yo, mas vive Cristo en mí: y lo que ahora vivo en la carne, lo vivo en la fe del Hijo de Dios, el cual me amó, y se entregó á sí mismo por mí.” (Gal 2:20)

No te desanimes; busca al Señor por Su apoyo “Oh Jehová, de mañana oirás mi voz; De mañana me presentaré á ti, y esperaré.” (Sal 5:3)

Devotional Ramblings, Spanish , , , , , ,

Give Him what is His - Psalm 29:2

June 19th, 2009

(ENGLISH BELOW)

Tributad al SEÑOR la gloria debida a su nombre; adorad al SEÑOR en la majestad de la santidad. (Sal 29:2)

Dios no pide mucho de nosotros.  Nos creyó, nos amo, vino a la tierra y murió para nosotros y solo quiere que nosotros lo demos la gloria debida a su nombre.  Da el Señor lo que pide hoy; adóralo el la majestad de la santidad.

Por consiguiente, hermanos, os ruego por las misericordias de Dios que presentéis vuestros cuerpos como sacrificio vivo y santo, aceptable a Dios, que es vuestro culto racional. Y no os adaptéis a este mundo, sino transformaos mediante la renovación de vuestra mente, para que verifiquéis cuál es la voluntad de Dios: lo que es bueno, aceptable y perfecto.” (Rom 12:1-2)

—————————————————————————

Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. (Psa 29:2)

God does not ask much of us.  He created us, He loved us, He came to the earth and died for us and all he asks in return is the glory due His name.  Give the Lord what He calls for today; worship Him in the beauty of holiness. 

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Rom 12:1-2)

Devotional Ramblings, Spanish , , , , , , ,

The sufficiency of Christ - Psalm 28:1

June 17th, 2009

(ESPANOL ABAJO)

To You I will cry, O LORD my Rock: Do not be silent to me, Lest, if You are silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit. (Psa 28:1)
 
Don’t fool yourself, the Lord is the only thing keeping us from the pit.  Isaiah said it clearly when he declared “we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.” (Isa 64:6)  Don’t lose focus on the independence and sufficiency of the work that our Lord Jesus accomplished on Calvary almost two thousand years ago.  Nothing can be added and nothing can be taken away from His work.  There is peace and rest in that knowledge and we are called to “be diligent to enter that rest” (Heb 4:11a)

If you are burdened, overwhelmed and stressed out today, remember the words of Jesus:   “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Mat 11:28-30)

———————————————————————-

 A ti clamo, oh SEÑOR; roca mía, no seas sordo para conmigo, no sea que si guardas silencio hacia mí, venga a ser semejante a los que descienden a la fosa. (Sal 28:1)

No te engañes, el Señor es la única cosa guardándonos del la fosa.  Isaías lo dijo claramente cuando declaro “Si bien todos nosotros somos como suciedad, y todas nuestras justicias como trapo de inmundicia; y caímos todos nosotros como la hoja, y nuestras maldades nos llevaron como viento.” (Isa 64:6) No pierdes el foco en la independencia y la suficiencia del trabajo que cumplió nuestro Señor Jesus en el monte Calvario hace dos mil años.  Nada se puede agregar ni sacar de su obra.  Hay paz y descanso en ese conocimiento y Dios nos quiere “Procuremos pues de entrar en aquel reposo” (Heb 4:11a)

Si estés sobrecargado, abrumado o acongojado hoy en día, recuerda las palabras de Jesus: “Venid á mí todos los que estáis trabajados y cargados, que yo os haré descansar. Llevad mi yugo sobre vosotros, y aprended de mí, que soy manso y humilde de corazón; y hallaréis descanso para vuestras almas. Porque mi yugo es fácil, y ligera mi carga.” (Mat 11:28-30)


Devotional Ramblings, General Information, Spanish , , , , , ,

Waiting - Psalm 27:13-14

June 16th, 2009

(ENGLISH BELOW)

Psa 27:13  Hubiera yo desmayado, si no hubiera creído que había de ver la bondad del SEÑOR en la tierra de los vivientes.
Psa 27:14  Espera al SEÑOR; esfuérzate y aliéntese tu corazón. Sí, espera al SEÑOR.

Algunos dias son mas dificiles que otros.  Vemos los signos claros de la venida del Senor pero a veces parece que los dias siguen su camino sin venir El.  David lo dijo perfectamente cuando declaro “Hubiera yo desmayado, si no hubiera creído“.  Aunque murio David sin ver la primera venida del Senor “en la tierra de los vivientes no se perdio de experimentarlo.  David y todos los santos del Antiguo Testamento que esperaron la venida del Mesias fueron liberados tanto como los que estaban vivos en aquel dia en el monte de Calvario.

El Senor es fiel;  ya ha cumplido la mayoria de sus promesas y cumplira, sin duda, los que le quedan.  Paciencia y fidelidad son frutos del Espiritu segun Galatas capitulo 5 y entonces animo a todos nosotros de “permaneced en El, para que cuando se manifieste, tengamos confianza y no nos apartemos de El avergonzados en su venida.” (1Jn 2:28)

————————————————————————-

Psa 27:13  I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living.
Psa 27:14  Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!

Somedays are harder than others.  We see the signs of the Lord’s return clearly but it seems the days continue on endlessly without the Lord’s return.  David says it perfectly when he declared “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed“.  While David died before seeing the coming of the Lord “in the land of the living” he didn’t miss out on experiencing it. David and all of the Old Testament saints that looked forward in faith to the coming of the Messiah were liberated in the same way that the rest of the living world was that day on Calvary. 

The Lord is faithful; He has fulfilled many promises already and will, with out a doubt, fulfill those promises that remain.  Patience and faithfulness are fruits of the Spirit according to Galatians 5 and so I encourage all of us to “abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.” (1Jn 2:28)

Devotional Ramblings, General Information, Spanish , , , , , , , ,