Nov 20

  • joealvarado
    joealvarado added a text contribution faithless distractions
    Paul certainly had a lot of evil people with no faith that where definitely against him continuing his ministry for sure. He risked so his life and well being so much after his conversion to Christ. I also think however that because of the day and age he lived in and it being a time of strong persecution we often read these scriptures and don’t apply them as easily to our daily lives. We don’t think to ourselves about all these evil people trying to stop us from going to church or sharing wit… Read more »

Nov 19

  • joealvarado
    joealvarado added a text contribution encourage me God
    One of the reasons that the Word of God is so important is that we can be encouraged by it daily. There is always something to be learned to be reminded of and to get corrected on. I think so many times when we get away from a daily nourishment of God’s word we began to seek out encouragement in others. Now there is nothing with that as we are instructed in scripture to ‘encourage one another.’ However if I am not careful with God’s Word in my own daily life I will seek out dependency in oth… Read more »

Nov 18

  • joealvarado
    joealvarado added a text contribution who’s intimidating who?
    I love Nehemiah’s response to the false prophet. Here you have a false messenger sent to try and even use the temple as a cover to and an excuse to stop doing what God had put in his heart to do and rebuild the temple. He was trying to intimidate (vs13) and scare him into stopping progress. But Nehemiah recognized this for what it was and knew that if someone was meant to take his life not even the temple would be a safe place. He had his orders from God and hiding at the place of worship woul… Read more »

Nov 17

  • joealvarado
    joealvarado added a text contribution a natural love
    One of the things that we may or may not realize when we give our hearts to God is that the image He created us in get’s revealed or enhanced even more. We go from broken to saved and begin our restoration process as we grow in Him. We start to love people in a way that we never have before and it’s not anything that we had to learn but it’s a natural response to God’s love. It’s what happens when the relationship that was once broken becomes fixed and starts to mend itself. We just see peop… Read more »

Nov 12

  • joealvarado
    joealvarado added a text contribution stay alive
    It’s so amazing to think that God’s plan for our lives keeps others alive. Because of the fact that God had a specific purpose for Paul to stand before Cesar all of those who were with him were saved as well. Just because Paul was going through trials didn’t mean that those around him lost the benefit of being rescued and saved through Paul’s life. As a follower of Christ and a church leader I will go through trials and sufferings but God’s plan will always remain. And those who he has by my… Read more »

Nov 10

  • joealvarado
    joealvarado added a text contribution when I was called
    As Paul stood before the King who had the power to do with Paul wanted he wanted; Paul stood true to what he believed and to who called him. He knew that on that day when Jesus revealed himself on that road to Damascus, God completely changed his life and gave him a new purpose and direction for what He wanted Paul to now do. I love that fact that when Paul was asked why he is doing what he is doing he always refers back to the time God called him. This was a staple a life changing time that… Read more »

Nov 9

  • joealvarado
    joealvarado added a text contribution avoid the truth
    It’s interesting to observe that God was speaking to the governor’s heart (Felix) the conviction her had felt as Paul shared with him about life in Christ. Felix was already well acquainted with ‘the way’ (Acts 24:22) and even wanted to keep learning more from Paul. However when the conviction of God’s truth got to close to the contradictory lifestyle that he had he would motion to Paul to stop sharing. The Word reveled too much about his life so much to the point where he became afraid. Ins… Read more »

Nov 5

  • joealvarado
    joealvarado added a text contribution not my miracle
    This is an amazing episode in scripture as we have already seen God free prisoners from jail in a miraculous way before when the Angel of the Lord came and freed peter and John in Acts 4. So naturally as we read this we think this is a happening again but in the form of an earth quake and to Paul and his followers must have thought the same; God has caused this to free us. Even the jailer thought that all the prisoners would have left and figured he might as well kill himself because that woul… Read more »

Nov 4

  • joealvarado
    joealvarado added a text contribution effective communication
    What a job the new church leaders had to go into a synagogue and teach that Jesus was who He said He was a debate the religious leaders of the day to re-think what they currently believed. It was for this reason that they needed to communicate effectively in order to help them understand with the help of the Holy Spirit the truth of God’s plan in Jesus. This passage also reminds me that there will always be those whose hearts are closed to the truth but I must be ready to give it my best and… Read more »

Nov 3

  • joealvarado
    joealvarado added a text contribution developing a plan
    This one scripture outlines how God comes and transforms our lives and gives us a new direction for it. It’s amazing to think that when we fill trapped by what the enemy uses for evil, God is in the background using it for His will. Israel was a slave nation yet God was using that time to organize their wealth and prepare them for their departure to out of Egypt and to one day the Promised Land. There are so many times in my life where I have felt like a slave or even trapped by circumstanc… Read more »

Nov 2

  • joealvarado
    joealvarado added a text contribution we speak He works
    It’s amazing to think that God will work as we speak His truth through what we are saying. He takes our best attempts at communicating His eternal truth and changes lives. Those who listen to the Holy Spirits voice have the opportunity to allow God to forever change their destiny. Their eternity can forever be turned around and life will never be the same all because I have shared the truth of God’s word with that person or group of people. I know what it is to feel God’s Holy Spirit speak to… Read more »

Oct 31

  • joealvarado
    joealvarado added a text contribution the more fear I have
    After Saul’s conversion the church had finally enjoyed a time of peace from persecution and was strengthened. They were no longer living in a fear of who was after them to hurt them scatter them lock them up or shut them down. They had another fear and it was the fear of God. It was a time of peace and to revere to mighty and Holy God which they served. The Holy Spirit encouraged them and spoke to their hearts and convicted them to fear an awesome God. This scripture reminds me to not let m… Read more »

Oct 30

  • joealvarado
    joealvarado added a text contribution scattered
    This was a time in the life of the early church were persecution was taking place and Saul (Paul) was attempting to destroy the church that Jesus gave His life for. But what those who were trying to stop the church by scattering them didn’t realize was that they were actually helping the gospel get further. The more they spread out the more the gospel got out into the known world. This scripture reminds me of where God has scattered me. What do I live where I live or why did I go through som… Read more »

Oct 29

  • joealvarado
    joealvarado added a text contribution stiff-necked
    Stephen is letting the religious leaders of the day have it! He reminds them of all the mistakes they made missing out on the prophets God sent to speak to His people even persecuting them. He calls them stiff-necked people, implying that they ignored God’s voice and His plan in there’s lives. They refused to even turn their head and look towards the one true God for their salvation which makes sense why he also tells them that their heart and ears have yet to be circumcised. Their ears have… Read more »

Oct 28

  • joealvarado
    joealvarado added a text contribution refreshed
    This scripture is such a reminder to me of what God did the day I gave my life to Him. He wiped out all of my sins and viewed my as spotless and worthy to go before Him in the context of a personal relationship. Now each day this scripture takes on a new meaning as I go before the Lord not for a repentance of salvation and sins but for a repentance of sins and a daily refreshing and renewing of my walk with Him. For the rest of my life I will never stop being amazed at God and His willingness… Read more »

Oct 20

  • joealvarado
    joealvarado added a text contribution a never ending love
    Just as the Jews’ where about to celebrate the history of their freedom from being slaves in Egypt, Jesus knew that His time had come to give his life for the world’s freedom. An opportunity for the whole world to experience that same freedom and celebration that the Jews had celebrated for so long. But it didn’t end there; Jesus invested three years of his life into his disciples and performing countless miracles so that world that he loved so dearly would believe why he came. Now it was abo… Read more »

Oct 19

  • joealvarado
    joealvarado added a text contribution I am yours
    When Jesus said this it was just after some Greeks approached Philip to ask him if they could see Jesus. Jesus knowing that the Greeks did in fact love their lives and bodies told them the facts about what it took to follow Him. He made it plain to them that no matter what we do, have or how we look at the end of the day we all die. We will lose what we have gained and worked so hard to maintain because this life is so temporary. But those that would say I recognize this and I am giving my li… Read more »

Oct 15

  • joealvarado
    joealvarado added a text contribution living water
    When Jesus was on this earth He desperately wanted people to believe in who He was; after all He created us, He was there when the relationship between God and man was broken way back on the garden on Eden. He knew that the Holy Spirit was soon coming after His death, resurrection and ascension back to heaven. The Spirit of God which would enable us to have full access to a personal relationship with God and to become empowered to be His witnesses. These scriptures remind me today of what a p… Read more »

Oct 14

  • joealvarado
    joealvarado added a text contribution other options
    After Jesus had got done laying down some more details about what it meant to follow Him some of his disciples left because they felt like it was too hard of a teaching to follow after. However when Jesus asked his original 12 if they were going to leave to their response, “to whom shall we go?” said so much about how much they believed in who Jesus said he was. Every day I am confronted with decisions that tell a lot about what I believe. As one I heard someone once say, “How you live determ… Read more »

Oct 12

  • joealvarado
    joealvarado added a text contribution everything about me
    Not only do people turn to Jesus when they see a difference in our lives but when we meet Jesus he already knows everything about us. He knows where we have been, what we have done and even where we are going. This story mentions that Jesus knew the dirt about her past history in relationships in and outside of marriage. But I can’t help but think that Jesus told her so much more about her life as she uses the word ‘everything’ when she tells others about her experience. Not all of us would g… Read more »

Oct 2

  • joealvarado
    joealvarado added a text contribution imperfect work conditions
    I love how Paul not only knew who he was called to reach but he recognized that God trusted him to do the work. We also know that from other passages in scripture Paul clearly knows that he himself struggles and is imperfect, (I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. Romans 7:15 TNIV). It’s so hard to believe that a perfect and Holy God would trust me to help others know who He is. I know that even with all of my struggles and inconsistencies he s… Read more »

Sep 30

  • joealvarado
    joealvarado added a text contribution nothing means noting
    We use words like ‘always’ ‘never’ and ‘nothing’ all the time in our vocabulary discounting the true definition of the words. But this man on the cross used the word ‘nothing’ in its truest definition to describe who and how Jesus lived a sinless life. Nothing “no part, no trace, no share, something that is nonexistent.” Not only did he describe the perfect nature of Jesus but recognized the need for justice to be served for the rest of us who are imperfect and have committed sin before God.… Read more »

Sep 29

  • joealvarado
    joealvarado added a text contribution the next time
    In these two verses alone Jesus outlines why He came to earth. He was about the eat with His disciples what would be the last passover meal signifying the freedom and salvation from Egypt long ago. He was ready to give himself as the finally sacrifice for the sins of the world once and for all. He knew that this event would change the course of history and man (should we choose to put our faith in Him) would one day celebrate the victory over sin and death with Him and forever be in His presenc… Read more »

Sep 28

  • joealvarado
    joealvarado added a text contribution choose a side
    Because of the fact that the religious leaders of the day didn’t all believe Jesus was who HE claimed to be they wanted to know where He thought that He got His authority from. Jesus knew where HE came from and why he was here but He wanted to them to make a choice pick a side if you will. He asked what they thought about John’s Baptism being from heaven or of human origin. After talked among themselves they thought that the safe answer would be to not answer to not pick a side but to stay neu… Read more »

Sep 26

  • joealvarado
    joealvarado added a text contribution take me by surprise
    First of all it’s so amazing and such a sharp contrast to our world today that the worst of sinner’s would be even interested in seeing Jesus and hearing what He had to say. But word was spreading quickly that Jesus was a friend of the sinner. Never the less I still don’t think that Zacchaeus expected Him to call his name, speak to him much less invite himself over for dinner. I think that Zacchaeus was definitely interested in seeing Jesus and maybe deep down wanted Jesus to acknowledge him o… Read more »