Thought #21 — A hard blow

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Posted: 29 Jun 2014 08:14 PM PDT Part of the series “40 Thoughts of Jesus.” View all previous here, but first learn how the purpose works here.   You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery. But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. Matthew 5.27-29 I was a teenager when I came across this thought of Jesus for the first time. I felt like all the other men who have already read this must have felt: the worst adulterer on the face of the earth. After all, the life of a teenage boy is pretty much about looking at and lusting for every woman that is not his mother, his grandmother or Ms. Malevolent — that school teacher that not even Frankenstein wants to have as a friend. (For some reason, every school has a Ms. Malevolent. Something out of this world.) “But why?” – I’d ask, sounding like the child that would like to eat the desert before the lunch but his mother won’t allow him. I could not understand why Jesus would have to strike us men with such a hard blow. And I struggled with that for a long time. Eventually, I understood that the idea is “do not start something you can’t finish” or “do not start what will wind up in a way you’ll regret”. And that applies for both men and women, for when He elaborated on the thought, He spoke about plucking out the eye or cutting off the hand so they will not lead you into a full-blown mistake. Cutting the evil by its root is always the best strategy. If you are not going actually to go to bed with that person, then why lust for her in your heart? Just so you’ll suffer? To emotionally detach yourself from your spouse? To give birth to this desire, then actually commit adultery and finish with your marriage? Isn’t it better not to lust? Notice, though, that Jesus did not condemn looking, but rather lusting. He who has eyes, inevitably looks at and notices another person. But it stops right there. If just noticing escalades into lusting, then it is better to “pluck out the eye”, as it says. In other words, then it’s better not even to look. Application: Identify the small actions or thoughts that induce you to bigger mistakes. Cut them off by the root. What do you need to “pluck out” of your life that is inducing you into bigger mistakes? Have you ever had problems in your relationship because your partner got upset with your looks at people of the opposite sex. Leave your comments

Thought #20 — The model Family

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Posted: 28 Jun 2014 08:02 PM PDT Part of the “40 Thoughts of Jesus” series - start reading from #1 here…   The Son is not able to do anything on His own, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does these things in the same way. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him everything He is doing. John 5.19,20 A perfect family would function as the Divine Family – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In God’s Family, the Father is the example to the Son. Everything the Father does, He also shows and teaches the Son. There are no secrets. No trick under the sleeve. No motive for suspicions. The Son, on His end, aiming to be like the Father, does everything He sees the Father do. He feels so loved and safe in the love of the Father that He decides to do nothing on His own. He trusts that the will of the Father will always be better than His own will. “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.” (Matthew 26.39) The Holy Spirit fulfills the role of the Helper in every situation. His role in the Bible is the same one used to describe the role of the wife in the life of the husband — a “helper”. In the human realm, evidently, no family is perfect. However, everyone should have the Divine Family as their model. Parents should seek to be an example to their children in everything. Teaching through their own example, they can better prepare their children for life. Children must follow the good example of their parents, respect them and honor them. Husbands must be good caretakers; wives, good helpers. This kind of family is becoming rare to find because of the selfishness and the lack of God. But you may, by practicing the Thoughts of Jesus, build up your family in the image of the Divine Family — even if your family of origin has not been a good example to you. Application: Since there is no perfect family, strive to fulfill your role towards everyone else in your family, even if they do not fulfill their own. Be the image of God in your house. Where and how could you better fulfill your role in your family? If you do not live with family members, is there someone close to you that’s like family to you? Have you been treating this person well? In your shoes, how do you think that Jesus would treat your family members? Leave your comment.

Thought #19 — Did you see Superman in a miniskirt?

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Thought #19 — Did you see Superman in a miniskirt? Posted: 27 Jun 2014 08:02 PM PDT Part of the “40 Thoughts of Jesus” series - start reading from #1 here…   …they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. Mark 4.18,19 One of the things that have always intrigued me: people who are incredibly intelligent at some things who cannot understand the words of God. They understand trigonometry and algebra. They program computers. They play an instrument by ear only. They talk to plants (and some swear they can also hear them). They learn other languages​​. But they take no notice of what God says. Jesus explains why. When we pay attention to certain things, we overlook others. For example. Imagine a very busy pedestrian street. You are sitting somewhere where you can see people going from one side to the other, and you decide to count how many of them are wearing some white clothing. The girl wearing a white shirt, one. The lady wearing a white shawl, two. The boy wearing white tennis shoes, three… While you are attentive to everyone wearing something white, you become blind to all other colors and even people’s faces. At that moment, even if Superman walked past you wearing a red miniskirt and wiggling, you wouldn’t notice him. This is for real! This is that happens with the words of God. They bring power, direction, peace, strength… solution to all our longings. But as we look at which celebrity has a new boyfriend, the score of that game, or how we can get richer, more beautiful and younger, we pay no attention to what God is telling us. For example: did you notice the expression “enter in” in the Thought of Jesus above? Stop for a moment and think of what it means. There are many things entering in and choking the words of God. Hundreds. Thousands. It is up to us to choose what we are going to pay attention at. Application: See if your concerns have been dominated by the desire to keep what you have, to earn more, to feel this or that through material possessions or experiences. Replace them with time to understand and practice the words of God. Did you notice the expression “enter in” before or only after I mentioned it? Are you anxious about anything right now that is making you leave the things of God for later? How can you make the words of God win the competition for your attention? Leave your comments.

Thought #18 — Sewage coming out of the faucet

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Posted: 26 Jun 2014 08:02 PM PDT Part of the “40 Thoughts of Jesus” series - start reading from #1 here…   Why do you have such evil thoughts in your hearts? Matthew 9.4 Jesus was accompanied by some people that always thought the worst of Him. For those people, if He forgave the wrongs of someone, He was blaspheming against God. If He cast out a demon from someone, it was because He had the chief of demons with Him. If He mingled with thieves and prostitutes, surely He was stealing and sleeping with prostitutes as well. You probably know people like that. We from Universal, certainly do. Having evil thoughts in the heart is a disease. I don’t mean to say it’s possible for someone to never have a bad thought. Far from it. We’re human. We all have bad thoughts,including myself. However, the disease I am talking about is when someone constantly has evil thoughts towards others or towards himself. It has become a habit, an addiction that one has and does not even notice. Imagine opening the faucet of your bathroom sink and only sewage comes out. Then you go to the kitchen, open the sink and what comes out? More sewage. How would it be living in a house like this? Madness? Uninhabitable? Right, but this is how a person who keeps evil thoughts lives. The mind is our source of ideas, decisions, direction, and solutions. But if it is putrid like a cesspool, full of evil thoughts, what will come out of it? Do not say you cannot control your thoughts. You have the power to do it. Be vigilant over what comes into your mind through your eyes and your ears. Pay attention to what you do with what is already in there, because sooner or later, it will come out. As you progressively absorb the Thoughts of Jesus, your own are automatically being purified. Application: Be vigilant over your thoughts. Rebuke the evil ones. Make room for the good ones. Repeat the process. Do you have an issue with evil thoughts? Where do they come from? What can you do to cut off their source? If you used to have an issue with this and you were able to overcome, tell us how you did it and you will help others.

Thought #17 — The golden rule

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Posted: 25 Jun 2014 08:15 PM PDT Part of the “40 Thoughts of Jesus” series - know more about it.   Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but don’t notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself don’t see the log in your eye? Hypocrite! First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck in your brother’s eye. Luke 6.41,42 The golden rule in life! Clean up your house good before criticizing your neighbor’s house for being dirty. So obvious. So efficient. So scarcely practiced. All marital problems would have been solved if couples would only follow this one rule, plus other family problems too; and conflicts at work; and the differences between people of all classes, everywhere. But why are we so willing and eager to find fault in other people? And, why are we so blind to our own faults? It is because of our profound urge to feel we have value. Since Adam and Eve sinned and exempted themselves from fault, putting the blame on others, the human being struggles with this urge. Deep within, we know we make mistakes, we’re conscious we leave a lot to be desired, but we desperately fight for this nakedness not to be exposed. That is why it is convenient for us to point out the mistakes of others so the spotlight is put away from our own. Ironically, the beginning of self-valuing and being valued by others is recognizing our own mistakes. Try doing it and stop worrying about the speck in other people’s eye. Application: Work hard to remove the log from your eye. There are enough logs there to keep you entertained for many years. What logs in your eye need to be taken out? What would happen if you’d stop being obsessed with other people’s mistakes and would focus on becoming a better person yourself? Is there someone in your life you are always trying to “fix”? Leave your comment.

Thought #16 — The working hours of faith

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Posted: 24 Jun 2014 08:02 PM PDT Part of the “40 Thoughts of Jesus” series - know more about it.   My Father has been working until now, and I have been working. John 5.17 Jesus had just healed a man on a Saturday, the Jewish day of rest. Therefore, the religious leaders were furious. And after He expressed the thought above, they were even more enraged, determined to kill Him. Why? Because He called Himself the Son of God. Let’s understand this meaning of “My Father has been working until now”. We know that after Creation, God rested on the seventh day (Genesis 2.2). Since then, there was no mention that God rested again. In fact, the rest of God ended when man and woman fell, in Genesis 3. After that, He has never stopped working, until now, in the effort to bring human beings back to Him. Jesus wanted to show that there is no day of rest to save someone who is lost in their sufferings and sins. Even on the Sabbath, the day of rest, He and His Father were working to save someone. Every worker deserves at least one day of rest. But when it comes to salvation, whether it’s yours or someone else’s, there is no Saturday, Sunday, good or bad day, tiredness or rest, day or night. Every hour is time to take care of your soul or the soul of someone else. The day you “rest” spiritually, your soul will be lost. And obviously, the souls of others will no longer be your priority — just as it happened to those religious leaders. Working tirelessly to save others and to maintain their own salvation is a trait of true children of God. Application: Do not give rest to your faith. Always keep it active to maintain your salvation and to save others. Do you take “vacation” from God from time to time? Have you ever worked on your rest day or break to save someone? Do you know someone who is always ready, working like the Father? How about someone who is religious, ready to criticize those who are of the faith, but does not move a finger to help others? Leave your comments.

Selling water bottles for purpose of faith .(Lead by example is a must.)

Night of Salvation - Micro Chip

Thought #15 – Would you pass this test?

Posted: 23 Jun 2014 09:05 PM PDT Part of the “40 Thoughts of Jesus” series - know more about it. Woman, your faith is great! Let it be done for you as you want. Matthew 15.28 This woman, who got from the Lord Jesus this expression of joy and surprise, was a gentile, a foreigner come from Israel’s bordering lands. A mother, who sought help for her daughter who was horribly tormented by an evil spirit. The way Jesus reacted towards her was uncommon. Typically receptive and welcoming to those who’d seek Him, Jesus acted harshly and insensitively towards this woman. First, He ignored her. Then, when His own disciples asked Him to send her away, He told them His priority was the children of Israel. Then, when the woman insisted, He told her it wasn’t right to take the bread from the children and give it to the dogs. What would you do if someone in the church, a pastor or an assistant, would treat you the way that Jesus treated that woman? How would you react if, as you’d speak to the pastor, he ignored you? And what if you heard the assistants of the church whispering remarks about you saying that you’re a very irritating person and that the best thing to do would be to get rid of you? And what if the bishop of the church told you he could not speak to you because he had people to talk to who were more important than you and who came before you? You would never go back to that church again, to say the least. However, that is exactly what happened to that lady. Even so, she did not get offended or walk away. And that is why Jesus expressed what He thought about her, “Your faith is great!” But why did He treat her that way, after all? It was not because she was a foreigner, because He did not do the same to the centurion, for example, who was also a foreigner. Since Jesus never did anything without a purpose, I believe He tested the faith of that woman because He knew how she would react. This way, it would be forever recorded in history how faith can override feelings. One of today’s greatest evils is called emotional hypersensitivity. People who are hypersensitive, that are offended by anything and everything, who live much by what they feel and who are extremely worried about what others say or think about them. The faith of that woman was great exactly because she stood above her feelings. Plus, she took one offense and turned it into an advantage for her! “Yes, I am a little dog. Just a crumb that falls from the table suffices.” Application: Stand above your feelings. Take the offenses, the indifference and the rejection you get from others and turn it into strength and opportunities. Are you a hypersensitive person? Do you have a hard time forgiving someone or disconnecting yourself from an offense? How can you turn rejection or some other expression of contempt into self-strength and opportunity? Leave your comment.

Thought #14 — A new blood in your veins

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Thought #14 — A new blood in your veins Posted: 22 Jun 2014 08:06 PM PDT   Part of the “40 Thoughts of Jesus” series - know more about it.   Who are My mother and My brothers? (…)Whoever does the will of God is My brother and sister and mother. Mark 3.33-35 Despite being born of Mary and having brothers and sisters, this human kinship He had with them did not guarantee their kinship with God. Notice how misguided are those who’ve learned to pray to the Virgin Mary as their intercessor before Jesus. Mary was a virgin before she gave birth to Jesus, but after she married Joseph she had four other sons and at least two daughters (Matthew 13:55,56). How can a mother of six children remain a virgin? In the thought above, Jesus made sure not to treat His mother or His brothers with any kind of favoritism. Instead, He put those who do God’s will before them. To do the will of God’s is more powerful than the blood that runs in your veins. If you do the will of the Father, it doesn’t matter if your blood is from a noble or poor family. It doesn’t matter if you were born an illegitimate child or from a father that was present. It does not matter if the color of your skin is white, black, yellow or red. It doesn’t matter if you come from a good or bad background. If you do the will of God, that will make you a brother, sister, mother and a child of God! He will be your new family! There are those who brag about having some rich or famous relative. You see that all the time. “So-and-so, the boyfriend of the sister-in-law of the sister of that famous guy’s neighbor.” Yes, there are people who brag even about something like this. But those who do the will of God are relatives of Jesus. Do you want a new Family? Application: Do God’s will and do not trust or distrust your family background. Do you sometimes feel ashamed of the family you came from? Do you bring yourself down or feel less than, underprivileged because of that? Or, the other way around: Do you brag about and lean on the fact that you came from a well-to-do family? Do you look for people who are supposedly “better” than you to associate with so you can feel better about yourself? Leave your comment.

Thought #13 — Do you qualify to be a judge?

Posted: 21 Jun 2014 08:02 PM PDT

Part of the “40 Thoughts of Jesus” series - know more about it.

Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Luke 6.37

The world is full of judges on duty, eager to declare their sentence over any given case or person. You have already been their victim. And you have judged others too.

Once more, Jesus hits bull’s-eye in one great human weakness. It seems that as we judge other people, we feel somehow that we’re better people than they. More often than not, our observations about the “flaws” of others are made under the scope of our “virtues”.

“Just have a look at the indecent outfit she’s wearing!” Real meaning, “Look how decently I dress.”

“He is too slow.” Real meaning: “I’m quick, I get things done fast.”

“Your way aggravates me!” Real meaning: “I am not like you, my way is much better.”

A fair judge must have some qualities to judge with equity. He needs at least three things: (1) be fair with himself; (2) know the law; and (3) have all the information about the case and the person involved. So ask yourself: who is qualified to be a fair judge? Do you understand now why Jesus told us we should not judge?

Do not let this encouraging promise to go unnoticed: “You will not be judged.” By God, I mean.

One thing has to be clear, though: while we should not judge others, we should always judge between the good and the evil that are before us and make the right choices. Paul expressed this thought in this way: “test all things. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil.” (1 Ts. 5:21,22)

Application: If no one made you the judge over somebody or over a situation, don’t judge. But constantly examine everything that is before you, hold on to what is good and stay away from what is bad.

Do you see yourself judging other people sometimes? Have you been pre-judged or wrongly judged? How did you feel? Would you like to share any experience in that regard? Leave your comment.

Thought #12 Alone or in a team

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Posted: 20 Jun 2014 08:02 PM PDT Part of the “40 Thoughts of Jesus” series - know more about it. For in this the saying is true: “One sows and another reaps.” I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors. — John 4.37,38 Ah, the joys (and sorrows) of teamwork! One sows and another reaps. God created human beings, and the entire world where they live, interconnected and interdependent. Nothing and no one on this planet lives alone. The greatest scientists, inventors and discoverers of human history are commonly credited for their achievements. Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, but for such, he gathered knowledge from over twenty other inventors before him. Pelé is the King of Soccer, but he was backed by dozens of players who helped him get where he is today. The Lord Jesus is perhaps the greatest and best example of all. When He came into the world, instead of working alone, He immediately formed a team of twelve assistants. It is true that in the beginning they were helped, rather helpers… Patiently, Jesus believed in them and turned those men into leaders, though one got lost. This shows that not even God, being all-powerful and self-sufficient, chooses to work alone. All of us must learn to work in a team because there is no other option in life. Marriage, family, school, work, business, church… teams, teams and teams everywhere. This thought of Jesus teaches that it doesn’t matter if you sow and another reaps, or vice versa. No one is greater or better than the other. We must learn to appreciate the worth of each person, and be able to work in a team—as a leader or a team member. Application: Identify the teams you already belong to and see if you have contributed to them. Watch out for possible individualistic attitudes you may be having when in fact you should accept more help, teach others or learn from others. Do you work well in a team? Are you a valuable member of it? Do people miss you when you do not attend a meeting? Do you tend to do everything yourself or do you form a team to help you? What could you do when you lose your patience with people who do not learn quickly? Leave your comment.

How to conduct your relationships

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Thought #11 — How to conduct your relationships Posted: 19 Jun 2014 08:01 PM PDT Part of the “40 Thoughts of Jesus” series - know more about it. Do to others as you’d want them to do to you – this is what the Law and the teachings of the Prophets mean. Matthew7:12 Here is an excellent way to guide all your relationships — love life, family, business and even with strangers. Ask yourself, ‘what would I like this person to do for me?’ Then, take the initiative and do it for him. This thought of Jesus implicates that every human being has some sort of compass within to steer our behavior towards other people. In other words, if you ask yourself this question and answer it sincerely, you’ll know how to act towards any person. Besides, you’ll be sure that you’re acting according to everything that is taught in the Bible, thus fulfilling God’s will. Therefore, He would not leave you without a fair reward. Application: Think about the people you have a relationship with and what you would like them to do for you. Take the initiative and do it for them. How about doing it throughout the day? Maybe for a week? And, why not for the rest of your life? Pay close attention to the results.

Thought #10 You, murderer

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Thought #10 — You, murderer Posted: 18 Jun 2014 08:12 PM PDT Part of the “40 Thoughts of Jesus” series - know more about it.   “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. — Matthew 5.21,22 Jesus revealed here how God really thinks and judges. God’s court is way superior to the one of men. In men’s court, one can only be tried for murder if he has killed someone. In God’s court, a simple anger without a reasonable cause or an insult to someone is as serious as if the person had killed that someone. There are many “Christians” that like to “cut everyone a break” claiming that Jesus came to rid us of the Law (of Moses); that now we’re living in the age of the “grace” of God, where the love of Christ redeems us of all sin. The problem is that I don’t know where they gotthis idea from. Clearly, Grace is stricter than the Law, according to the thoughts of Jesus. In the Law, I am only tried if I take the life of someone. In the Grace, it only takes me to get angry without a cause or call someone a name to be liable to judgment. For me, it is obvious which is tougher. The moral of the story is that bad feelings kill just like words do. If you do not protect yourself from the grudges, anger, hate, resentment, envy, bitterness, etc. you will end up dying from within (killing yourself) and saying things that will kill other people with your sharp words. How many living-dead are walking around full of anger. How many are killing their family members, friends and enemies through their lying words, gossip and name-calling. Application: Cleanse your heart from all bad feelings against others. And cleanse your mouth, removing words of insult from your vocabulary.   Do you curse? Why? Do you spread hate or free criticism with your words? Do you have a hard time controlling your anger? How could you express your feelings and disappointments without making your heart dirty or killing with words? Leave your comment.

Thought #9 Do you want better days?

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Thought #9 — Do you want better days? Posted: 17 Jun 2014 08:13 PM PDT Part of the “40 Thoughts of Jesus” series - know more about it. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you. — John 5.14 Jesus said this to a lame man He healed from an illness that lasted for 38 years. What could be worse than spending 38 years of your life crawling around, literally? Bear in mind that at that time there were no wheelchairs or motorized devices for disabled persons like we have today. This thought of Jesus reveals two important things to us: 1. Sinning makes bad things happen to us. To sin means to miss the target—to miss it, instead of hitting it. Every time you miss the target, you waste time and energy; you miss opportunities and may even cause problems for you and for others. Behind every sorrow, there is a mistake you or someone else made. And God has nothing to do with it. 2. Worse than making a mistake is making it twice. We all make mistakes, but some people decide to use common sense and stop making them. To continue doing what only makes you and others suffer is stupidity. You may have made a lot of mistakes up until now, but you can decide to be different from now on. It is your right and your decision. Now, going back to the question, what could be worse than spending 38 years of your life crawling around? Jesus was referring to a life of mistakes that would culminate in a person missing the main target: eternal life. A lifetime of suffering here on earth is nothing compared to eternal suffering for those who will miss the biggest target of all. Application: Stop making mistakes. Learn from them and decide to do things differently.Ask for God’s help if it’s difficult to change. Do you use the phrase “nobody is perfect” as an excuse for you to continue making mistakes? Have you ever wondered how much pain your mistakes have caused yourself and others? Are you sure you will hit the target of eternal life if you die today? Leave your comments.   P.S. Has the challenge of the 40 Thoughts of Jesus helped you? How about inviting someone to join you? There’s still time… Lift someone up today! Invite them to take up this challenge—share this post with them.

Campaign of Israel 2013 - Mr Claudio ex beggar testimony

Thought #8 The Job of thinking

Don’t you understand that I am not talking to you about bread? — Matthew 16.11

One of the greatest difficulties faced by Jesus while He was here was to be understood. And believe me, He tried hard. One of the reasons He spoke through stories was to make it easier for His listeners to understand the lessons. At times, Jesus lost His cool. “You are a teacher in Israel and do not understand these things?” He said to Nicodemus, when he questioned if a person would have to go back into his mother’s womb to be born again.

I also encounter this difficulty in my job and even during this 40 Thoughts challenge. If I say, “Be involved in the affairs of the Father, and He will help you discover your purpose in this life.” Inevitably, someone will ask, “But what are the affairs of the Father? If we tell the women, “You need to value yourself”; the question will come, “but how can I value myself?”

Fine, it is the teacher’s duty to make it easier for the lesson to be understood. But the student has to think. And what we find everywhere is laziness of thought. People want the puzzle already solved. They want us to solve their problems for them. They do not want to do the job of stopping and thinking about the teaching.

If you stop and think about what are the affairs of the Father, you will quickly find out. If you stop and think how you can value yourself, ideas in that regard will soon come. You are intelligent, but someone does not want you to think (If you cannot figure out who it is, you are not thinking).

He who does not think is a slave to him who thinks. To learn the thoughts of Jesus is to learn how to think.

Application: Put your brain to work. It was wonderfully made to solve problems.

When you run into something you don’t understand, what do you do? Do you have a hard time understanding the things of God? What is better: to play the fool and ask or not ask and play the fool?​

Thought #7 - Your four strengths

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Thought # 7 – Your four strengths Posted: 15 Jun 2014 08:05 PM PDT Part of the “40 Thoughts of Jesus” series - know more about it. If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. Mark 3.24,25 If all of ourselves, all our strength, is often not enough to overcome our challenges, what hope is left if we are divided within ourselves? Jesus revealed here His thoughts about the power of unity. This power applies to everyone, from nations of millions to each single individual. A country that is divided into groups that fight each other will surely be destroyed. If a family is divided, and its members begin to fight each other, it will be destroyed. This is easy to understand. But there’s a kind of division that isn’t talked about very much: being divided within oneself. Every person is one whole, but can be divided within himself. And it is way more common to find people divided within themselves than fully at one in body, soul and spirit and mind. Your success depends on your ability to unite all your strengths in pursuit of your goal. Which strengths? Physical (body), emotional (soul), spiritual (faith) and mental (intelligence). Want to win? Gather and align these four strengths within you. Then, nothing and no one will be able to stop you. Application: See where you might be dividing your strengths and work to unite them. Which of your four strengths has been your weakest or underused? How can you strengthen it or use it more? In your relationships, do you usually seek to unite or cause division? Are you a conciliator or a bully? Are you a team player or more individualistic? Leave your comments.

Thought #6 It is not about what, but about Who

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Thought #6 — It’s not about what, but about Who Posted: 14 Jun 2014 08:07 PM PDT Part of the “40 Thoughts of Jesus” series - know more about it.   If you knew what God can give you and Who is asking you for water, you would be asking Him for a drink and He would give you living water. — John4:10 “Oh, that My people would know Me… Oh, that My people would listen to Me!” This is God’s lament, well expressed here in this thought of Jesus. He asked a Samaritan woman, who came to draw water, to give Him a drink. Moved by local prejudice, she immediately put up a barrier around her. Jews and Samaritans would not share a meal or drink from the same cup. “Why are you, a Jew, asking me for water? Are you going to drink from my pot?” When people do not know God, they are filled with prejudices. Blacks have no soul. Whites are the devil. The Germans are cold-hearted. The British are ugly. Gays deserve a good beating. Pastors are thieves. Prejudices are in fact the biggest thieves. They rob us of knowing who people really are. We are the ones missing out. The Samaritan woman was talking to the Creator, but prejudice made her see Him as a Jew full of himself and nothing more. She haggled with the Source of Living Water over a glass of water. If only she knew what He could give her… Knowing God not only cures people of all prejudice but it also makes them a fountain that gives life, non-stopping, wherever they go. Application: What God asks of you, however big it may be, is very little compared to that He has to give you. Look at Who is asking, and not at what is being asked. Have you ever experienced prejudice or been prejudiced against anyone? Tell us your experience and what it has taught you.   P.S. Has the challenge of the 40 Thoughts of Jesus helped you? How about inviting someone to join you? There’s still time… Lift someone up today! Invite them to take up this challenge—share this post with them.

Thought #5 — Acquaintance and limiters

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Thought #5 — Acquaintance and limiters Posted: 13 Jun 2014 08:11 PM PDT Part of the “40 Thoughts of Jesus” series - know more about it. I assure you: No prophet is accepted in his hometown. — Luke 4.24 The only place where Jesus could not perform many miracles was Nazareth, His hometown. Not even His brothers believed in Him. People were saying, “Isn’t He the carpenter’s son?” Acquaintance creates unbelief. That is why people who are close to us may become our greatest limiters. This thought of Jesus shows that not even God can avoid people from having this kind of behavior. They are the ones who chose to believe or not believe, have good or evil eyes, to believe or doubt the neighbor, to cheer a loved one up or bring him down. For that reason, what did Jesus decide to do? He left Nazareth and went for those who believed in Him. God did the same to Abraham when He told him to leave his father’s house. When those who are close to you do not believe in you, it is emotionally something very hard to take in. However, you can either be like them and start to doubt yourself or you can ignore them and move on with your convictions. Someone will believe in you, even if the second person who believes in you is yourself. Obviously, the first person who believes in you is God Himself. When you understand that, from the third believer in you on is just a plus. Putting it into practice: Accept the belief that God has placed in you and don’t disagree with Him in that regard. Decide to disagree with those who doubt you, not with God. Is there anyone who has been a limiter in your life? Is he or she a friend you can let go of? An environment you can avoid? And if you can’t, then how could you limit this limiter, that is, stop him (or her) from being an influence to you and bringing you down? Who could you cheer up today?

Thought #4 Closed for New Ideas

And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins. — Mark 2.22

New wineskins, old wineskins… what’s the difference? A wineskin was a kind of bag made of animal skin, usually goatskin, used for storing and transporting wine. Wine was put into the wineskin and the recipient was then closed.

After that, the fermentation process would continue, causing the skin to stretch until it lost all its elasticity. In this way, if new wine were put into an old wineskin, the skin would burst under the pressure of fermentation.

In this analogy, Jesus taught that if we remain tied to old customs, traditions and ideas, we cannot perceive or receive anything new that will help us grow.

Stagnant minds will not receive new ideas. A renewing of the mind is required to receive new thoughts. The thoughts of Jesus, despite having been in circulation for two thousand years, are in fact a new way of seeing all things. It is a new wine. For this reason, only those who have experienced the new birth can receive them.

Application: Let go of old thoughts that are no longer helpful or that have never helped you. Question your traditions, customs and habits. Become like a child, spiritually speaking, to receive new directions from God.

What ideas or ways of thinking have you defended, maybe just out of habit, that do not bring any practical results today? Do you get annoyed when someone comes up with a better and biggeridea than yours? What would happen if you allowed the thoughts of Jesus to expand your mind? Leave your comments.

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Thought #3 Rejecting the Medicine

 This, then, is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. — John 3.19

Jesus was talking to Nicodemus, a religious leader who, by fear of being seen with Jesus, came to visit Him by night. Jesus used that man’s furtive way of seeking the truth to expose his (and people’s) greatest sin.

The greatest sin is not murder, or adultery, rape, stealing, lying or any other kind of human evil. The greatest sin is unbelief; the rejection of God’s light, because unbelief holds us guilty of all the other sins. Unbelief means rejecting the medicine that heals us from all other sins.

This is the medicine: Jesus said that those who believe in Him are not condemned. Though guilty, they’re acquitted by their faith. However, those who do not believe in Him have already been tried and condemned. Who tried and condemned these people? They themselves did it, by their own choices. They loved wrong rather than right. This is a saddening truth: there are those who love the filth, the devil’s ways rather than the ways of God. They prefer the darkness because it conceals their wrongs. They hate the light because it exposes all the wrong things they do. This is their condemnation. And they will get exactly what they love: darkness. They cannot complain.

Believing is a choice that requires letting go of certain things. Not believing is also a choice and it too requires letting go — but in this case, letting go of the gift that God offers us to hold on to evil deeds.

Putting it into practice: Chose to believe. Love the light rather than the darkness. Let go of the things that separate you from God; they are not worth it.

Has it been difficult for you to let go of the practice of wrong things? What does that say about your faith, given that those who believe in Jesus do not live in the practice of wrong? What if you chose to believe right there and now? What would you have to let go of because of your belief? Leave your comment here.

 renatocardoso.com

Thought #2 Preparation and greatness

Allow it for now, because this is the way for us to fulfill all righteousness. — Matthew 3.15

These are the second spoken words of Jesus recorded in the Gospels — 18 years after the first ones. Here, at the age of 30, He is ready to execute His purpose on Earth. Notice that He waited until then, despite showing he was fully aware of His mission by the age of 12. What did He do in the meantime? There is little information about it, but what we can be sure of is that He prepared Himself throughout those years. Before execution, there has to be preparation.

Athletes go through years of preparation for a competition that lasts minutes or seconds. A neurosurgeon may take a couple hours to operate on a patient, but not before a 12-year period of learning and training. If you do not take your preparation seriously, your execution will probably be poor and come short of what is expected.

Here, Jesus was replying to John the Baptist’s objection to baptize Him. “I need to be baptized by You,” said John, recognizing Jesus’ superiority. However, the thought of Jesus was “For now, it has to be this way, because it is important to do everything the right way, as it ought to be done.”

Two lessons:

1. Doing something is good; doing it right is better. Jesus was concerned about doing it right, fulfilling what was expected of Him; doing things in the right order and at the right time.
2. Humility is the start of everything. Jesus was greater than John, but He submitted to John’s authority. Those who are great are not concerned about appearing to be small. Only those who are small are concerned about appearing to be great. Honor comes after humility.

Putting it into practice: Prepare yourself, prepare yourself, execute. Do it right. Do not worry about making sure people see you as great.

In general, do you usually overdo it when preparing yourself or you don’t prepare yourself enough? How could you achieve the balance? Do you tend to do it first and check later to see if you did it right or if it came out good? What are the advantages and the disadvantages of being like this? Do you have a hard time submitting to someone “smaller” than you? Leave your comments here.

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