Daily Devotionals

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also
eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ”
– Philippians 3:20 –

The information identified Orlando as a dream city. Among the reasons for the ongoing attraction are Universal Studios, Disney World, the Kennedy Space Center, beaches, museums, parks, sport fishing, and adventure sports. Thousands of visitors seek rest and pleasure in some of its entertainments. It takes sixty-seven eight-hour days to take in all the highlights. Of course, visting this city is not something available to everyone.

In contrast, there is another true dream city, and it is available to everyone. When Paul referred to this city, he said that it is where our citizenship is, promised by the One who said He was going to prepare a place for us (see John 14:1-3).

It is a unique city, with foundations, whose Builder and Maker is God. It is clean, safe, healthy, perfect, eternal, and available to anyone who believes in Him. The amusement, healthy entertainment, rest, pursuit of knowledge, space and special travel will not be sporadic and only for a few people. Everything will be permanent and for everyone.

That city and dream life are the reason for our hope. We know that, as Aristotle said, “Hope is the dream of a waking man.” This hope is not based on poems, philosophies, or assumptions, but on the sure and powerful word of Jesus.

This citizenship makes us new inhabitants of a new environment. God will restore what Adam and Eve lost. It is the same city that the ancient patriarchs longed for and we wait for according to His promises. All memories and scars of a world of sin will be the wonders of God’s universe.

“And the years of eternity, as they roll, will bring richer and still more glorious revelations of God and of Christ. As knowledge is progressive, so will love, reverence, and happiness increase” (The Great Controversy, p. 678). A new life, a new city, a new citizenship in the dream city of God: The New Jerusalem.

Are you getting ready? Are you dedicating time, resources,
and commitment? Are you inviting others and encouraging
their decision to make the trip? The dream city is ready,
the visa is approved, the reservation is made, the price is paid,
and the Maker is waiting for us.

God bless you…

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,
by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption”
– Ephesians 4:30 –

Paul says to do nothing to “grieve” the Holy Spirit. Summarizing a presentation by Pastor Wilson Endruveit, we will show some habits that jeopardize our redemtion with quoties from Ellen G. White.

1. Inappropiate amusements. “Amusements are doing more to counteract the working of the Holy Spirit than anything else, and the Lord is grieved” (Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, p. 281).
2. False Christianity. “The Spirit od God is grieved because many are not right in heart and life; their professed faith does not harmonize with their works” (Testemonies to the Church, vol. 4, p. 247).
3. Covetousness. “Ananias and Sapphira grieved the Holy Spirit by yielding to feelings of covetousness” (The Acts of the Apostles, p. 72).
4. Mistrust in the love of God and His promises. “When we seem to doubt God’s love and distrust His promises we dishonor Himand grieve HIs Holy Spirit” (Steps to Christ, p. 118).
5. Not controlling the imagination. “You have will power, and you should bring it to your aid. You have not done this, but have let your highly wrought imagination control reason” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 310).
6. Fear and complaints. “Jesus is their friend. All heaven is interested in their welfare, and their fear and repining grieve the Holy Spirit” (Gospel Workers, p. 261).
7. Disunion, contention, and selfishness. “The Spirit of God will not abide where there is disunion and contention among believers in the truth” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p. 221).
8. Slacking in observance of Sabbath. “When your temporal circumstances seem to require attention, you violate the fourth commandment without compunction. You make the keeping of God’s law a matter of convenience, obeying or disobeying as your business or inclination indicates. This is not honoring the Sabbath as a sacred institution. You grieve the Spirit of God and dishonor your Redeemer by pursuing this reckless course” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p. 247).
9. Hardness of heart. “While standing over the dying bed of my husband, I knew that had others borne their part of the burdens, he might have lived. I then pleaded, with agony of soul, that those present might no longer grieve the Spirit of God by their hardness of heart” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 67).

Sometimes we are saddened by what we believe God did or did not do for us.
Today I want to invite you to take care not to grieve God’s heart.

God bless you…

“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good
for neccessary edificatoin, that it may impart grace to the hearers”
– Ephesians 4:29 –

In some countries, a popular expression is used: “His tongue must be connected to his foot because every time he speaks, he sticks his foot in his mouth.” This implies that speaking badly is connected to acting badly.

In today’s text, Paul says no corrupt words (i.e. something spoiled, worthless, or smelling bad) should come out of your mouth. Words do not oroginate in the mouth. Jesus Himself said that “out of the abundance of the heart speaks the mouth” (Matt. 12:34). Christ’s grace changes the whole person, even your way of speaking.

The sinner has a closed mouth with regard to God. The believer has an open mouth that praises, testifies, and glorifies God. Paul knew this from his own experience, when he went from speaking threats and deaths against Christians to opening his mouth to clearly proclaim salvation in Christ. We go from rotten words which sicken and kill, to mature words which heal and give life.

Peter was identified as a disciple and had to curse anf utter words to show that he had nothing to do with the crucified one.

There are many who are influenced for good or for evil as a result of everything we express. Considering this, Robert Wong recommends these steps: Think, Observe, Listen, and only after, Speak. We have a mind to think, eyes to observe, ears to hear, and a mouth to speak. Then, and only then, are we in a position to convey something meaningful.

To think is to meditate, pray, and communicate with God. To observe is to be attentive to the things that happen both in the world, and where you live, and their relationship to the prophecies in the Bible. Listening is paying attention to what God says through His Word. This allows us to understand, comprehend, and enables us to speak with meaning and significance. Only then are we able to speak, with substance, science, mind, and heart.

The remedy is that the heart be filled with the love of Christ. Words have power, either for good or evil. Paul states that we should speak in such a way that what we say builds up others.

With Christ, our words can heal rather than hurt, bless instead of curse,
build instead of destroying, and comfort rather than accuse.
Always speak words of life, and connect your heart
with God’s heart and your tongue with your heart.

Be blessed…

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope
of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and one Father of all, who is above all, and through all,
and in you all”
– Ephesians 4:4-6 –

Unity must be centered on Christ and His Word. If it is doctrine that divides us and love is what unites us, why do we not set aside doctrine, and rejoice in the bonds of love? Why are we not more open? You hear about couples in “open relationships,” where every one lives out their love in their own way, when they want, and with whom they want. Is that love?

Love is a principle and is faithful. Otherwise, it is not love. Unity based on something other than biblical truth is not sustainable. Paul presents the seven basic spiritual realities of the unity Christ prayed for.

1. One body. The body of Christ of which every believer becomes a member from the moment of conversion.
2. One spirit. The Holy Spirit dwells in every believer, therefore we belong to each other in the Lord.
3. One hope of your calling: The Lord’s return to take His Church to heaven. When the bride and groom, the Lambe and the Church, they will be married for eternity.
4. One Lord. God made flesh, crucified, risen, who today intercedes for us and who will soon return, who died, lives and will come back for us. Recognizing the Lord-ship of Christ is the basis of the unity.
5. One faith. Christ granted His truth to the church. We are a pillar and bulwark of truth, but we do not legislate that it is truth; just as we do not make bread. Bread is made, we eat it and share it. The early chuch recognized a group of doctrines which they taught, lived, and shared together.
6. One baptism. The Bible says that sinful man needs to be born again, by the Word, by the Spirit, and by water. Baptism is the gateway to the body of Christ that is the church.
7. One God and Father of all. Paul emphasizes recognizing God as a Father. That provides us with a family. He’s one father, not many fathers. Jesus taught us to pray saying our Father, not my Father. We are childrenn of the same family, who love and serve the same Father, so we must be able to walk in unity.

These seven pillars safeguard our unity.
Like the spokes on a bicycle tire, the closer to the center we get,
the closer we are to each other.
And so, united to Christ and His Word, we reach true unity.

God bless you all…

“Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called
in one hope of your calling”
– Ephesians 4:3-4 –

All of Paul’s writings present the relationship between doctrine and duty in a balanced manner. The first three chapters of Ephesians deal with doctrine, illustrated as the riches of Christ, under the slogan of “walking in.”

People tend to consider as wealthy those who have great resources and assests. But then there are those who are rich in affection, in health, in friendship, and in integrity… and they are truely wealthy.

Dr. Emilio Mira y López defines in his book the “four giants of the soul” as the basic emotions that govern life and which, through four cardinal points, guide and propel us. They are the black giant of fear, the red giant of anger, the white giant of love, and the colorless giant of duty. The latter is colorless because it dresses in the color of the giant which is strongest, whether it be fear, anger, or love.

In Paul’s vision, it is love that produces the fulfimment of duty. Without love everything is a heavy and vile task, with love, the faithful fulfillment of duty enhances and blesses both the one who offers it and the one who receives it. If wealth allows you to have something, it would be your duty to benefit from using it. What’s the use of having something and not using or using correctly?

The better we know doctrine, the richer we are, and will be in better condition to live those doctrines anf fulfill duty. But this is not automatic, so the world is full of knowers and empty of practitioners.

Paul says that if we have accepted Christ’s call to be part of His body (Ephesians 1), then we must fulfill the duty to “walk” as is worthy of the calling, living in the unity of the body of Christ (Ephesians 4). If Christ resurrected us from death in our sins (Ephesians 2), don’t stay swapped in funeral cloths; take them off and live in robes of purity (Ephesians 4). If we are riche because we are reconciled (Ephesians 2) do not live like you are estrangled. Fulfill your duty to walk in harmony and communion (Ephesians 5). If Christ overcame satan (Ephesians 3), you have a duty in Christ to overcome him too (Ephesians 6).

“Satan trembles and flees before the weakest soul
who finds refuge in that Mighty Name” (The Desire of Ages, p. 103).
The “rich in Christ” fulfill the “duty to walk like Christ.”

May the Lord be with you today…

“With all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering,
bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity
of the Spirit in the bond of peace”
– Ephesians 4:2-3 –

Being together just for the sake of being together? Or being together for a purpose fulfilling Jesus’s prayer? Ecumenical or united?

“Ecumenical” refers to all who work for the global unity and cooperation of all Christian churches. C. Stanley Lowell points out that there are two facets: “The first facet refers to the cooperation among Christian bodies in their work. The other facet is an effort for Christian unity which aims to bring together all churches under one big ecclesiastical tent.”

Those who seek unity are all those who seek to unite believers in Christ and His Word. Paul says that Christ came to tear down the dividing wall and to make the two groups, Jews and Gentiles, one people (Eph. 2:14).

This unity is not a social, political, or solidarity issue.
It is complete unity in the doctrine of the Lord.
Unity is not uniformity.

Unity comes from abive and from within and is a spiritual virtue, while uniformity is the result of external pressure. Paul, in both 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4, used the human body as an illustration of Christian unity. Each part of the bocy is different from the others; however, they all make up a single body and work together for the good of the body.

• To perserve the “unity of the Spirit,” according to Paul, we need humility to place Christ first, others after, and ourselves last.
• For its partm “meekness” is not weakness; it is power kept under control. Moses was a meek man; Jesus Christ was meek and humble of heart (Num. 12:3; Matt. 11:29). However, Jesus cast out those who traded in the temple. Meekness is related to patience, which is enduring affliction without returning evil. We cannot bear and overcome without experiencing love. It is unity in the Spirit that makes it possible to walk with Christ.
• There must also be a concern, or eagerness, to keep the unity of the Spirit.
• The last virtue Paul mentions is peace.

Ecumenism seeks to unite organizations, with concessions and flexibility; unity puts Christ and His Word at the center, and above all else.

Let us be protagonists of true unity, remembering that unity
is protected by faith, quenched by prayer, nourished by the Word,
cleansed by forgiveness, and multiplied by testimony;
and it becomes eternal with the love of God.

May God bless you…

“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk
worthy of the calling with which you were called”
– Ephesians 4:1 –

Chapter 4 of Ephesians contains a lot of excellent practical advice from the apostle Paul. Let us look at the main ones:

1. God called us to be His sons and daughters; therefore we must live in a dignified was as one who lives as the son and daughter of the King of the universe: with humility and kindness to others.
2. The church is the body of Christ, and our behavior must contribute to the unity of the body of Christ.
3. God granted gifts to His sons and daughters; and these gifts serve for the perfection of church members.
4. When we apply our gifts and develop ourselves, we become more and more mature and steadfast in faith.
5. If we are sons and daughters of God, we must not live as Gentiles, that is, as ones who do not know God.
6. We must practice truthfulness; always telling the truth and fleeing from the lie.
7. We have the right to be angry and outraged at things that are wrong; but we don’t have the right to sin or mistreat people because of our anger.
8. Our words should be used to bless and edify people, and not to mistreat or humiliate.
9. We must live in harmony with everyone, practicing forgiveness.

“Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love,
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be uderstood as to understand,
to be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life” (Franciscan prayer for peace).

Being a Christian is a serious matter. Being a Christian is more
than just saying “I believe in this” or “I believe in that.”
The sons and daughters of God must give daily,
full-time testimony that they are children of the King of the universe.

Do you know who you are? God bless you…

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all
that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations,
forever and ever. Amen”
– Ephesians 3:20-21 –

Paul says that we all have a before and an after. His encounter withChrist changed the apostle’s life forever and can also change ours.

Before, we were dead in our crimes and sins. We were under the wrath of God, anger that which is not anger but justice. In addition, we followed and listened to the opinions of the world with its follies and inconsistencies. We were satan’s salves, so we followed our sinsful desires and thoughts.

After having our own Damascus, an experience that must be renewed every day, we are revived by Christ and His Word. We accept God’s mercy, which is manifested for our salvation. We are made children of God and become faithful witnesses and messengers for Christ and His truth.

We cease being slaves to sin to become prisoners of Christ, which makes us free. Every day we are resurrected in order to love, serve, and do His will.

For this reason, Paul says that God’s aundance is much more aundant than we ask for. That is why we will give Christ glory forever: “To Him who by means of His power working in us is able to do so much more than we can ever ask for, or even think of: to God be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for all time, forever and ever!” (Eph. 2:20, 21)

A great and well-known writer expressed her joy with these words:

We can come to God in faith and humility, and plead with Him until our souls are brought into such close relationship with Jesus that we can lay our burdens at His feet, saying, “I know whom I have believed” (2 Tim. 1:12). The Lord is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think. Our cold, faithless hearts may be quickened into sensibility and life… Let us follow in the footsteps of the Son of God” (Medical Ministry, p. 203).

Renowned evangelist Dwight L. Moody (1837-1899) was never a polished or prominent speaker. He had little academic training and had never attended high school. However, he was a powerful preacher and the most famous soul-winner of his day. He was once asked what the basis of his power was, and he replied, “The Lord has all that is in me.”

It is inexplicable that while the Almighty and Infinite
wants to give us more abundantly, the fragile and finite
intends to overcome with less and less of that divine power.
How much of your “everything” will you give to God?

May God guide and protect you, today and every day…

“For this reason, I bow my knees
to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”
– Ephesians 3:14 –

It is not wrong to ask for the needs of the body, but Paul pleads for the inner man. It is not worng to ask for personal needs, but Paul prioritizes praying for the church and mission.

The first thing he does is bend his knees; he postrates his body and soul. He directs his prayers to the Father, a personal and intimate way to refer to God. There is a relationship and belonging, and a sense of trust and dependence.

The apostle presents four requests in chapter 3, all linked to each other.

1. He prays for power (v. 16). This power comes from the presence of the Holy Spirit, which the Lord sent to us after His departure as our Comforter.
2. He prays for depth (vv. 17-19). The apostle uses three verbs in these texts: dwell, rooted, and grounded. “That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power… to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all fullness of God”

“Dwelling” is “settling down and feeling at home,” according to Kenneth Wuest. God did not feel at home in Lot’s home, but He felt at home in Abraham’s tent or walking with Enoch.

“Rooted” links us to agriculture. A good tree has deep roots in order to obtain food, stability and produce many fruits.

“Grounded” is a term of architecture. It refers to the base on which we build, which is as important as the building. Building on sand is not the same as building on the firm rock of Christ and His Word. Only being strongly and deeply founded in Christ could sustain them during the severe trials of life.

3. He prays for understanding (v. 18). By clinging to the vast and boundless expanse of God’s love, Paul wants us to know personally the love of Christ that exceeds all knowledge. There are many dimensions, but the cannot be measured.

4. He prays for fullness (v. 19). Many believers compare themselves to others to argue that they are not “so bad.” Many are content to get second place or tie with others. Why? We can be winners!

What we do now prepares us for eternity, when we will glorify Christ forever.

He is powerful to do all things;
all things abundantly;
all things more abundantly;
all things much more abundantly!

God bless you…