Seek The Kingdom

Masked

Prayer: Erasing shortcuts

Jesus is not a priority

We hear a lot about how God needs to be our priority, the number one on our “to-do” list. But I disagree with that and I want to talk a little bit about it with you today. He is urgent! “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33 When we enter a hospital looking for care, we need to go through triage, where patients are sorted and prioritized according to their situation. If you have a headache and arrived first, you are a priority. But, if someone arrives in an ambulance after you, having suffered an accident, this is an emergency patient, and the urgency to assist him, allows him to undergo care ahead of all the people who are waiting. Jesus is not a priority in our lives. He is urgency! He doesn’t have to be number one on your “people I love the most” list, He can’t be on lists, he’s above that and before that. Putting Jesus in a ranking takes away the true meaning of urgency and pre-eminence that He has. He is everything! “And he is the head of the body, the church; he is […]

Why is discipline so hard?

I’ve heard a lot of people talking about how taking the first step in situations is difficult. But I disagree with that statement. The first step, in most cases, is the easiest because it can be given in a moment of impulse, excitement, emotion, euphoria… I believe that from the 2nd step onwards, it gets more complicated, because emotion mixes with reason and we need to be very focused on what is really worthwhile and what we really want. Strength for the walk “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” Proverbs 16:9 Have you ever tried making a decision in a moment of great joy? Or very sad? It is in this type of situation that we usually make decisions that we later regret. We get the feeling that we shouldn’t have done that or that we could have done more or otherwise. The problem is that, even following reason from the first step, thinking several times before taking any action and asking for the Father’s direction, overcoming the difficulties that exist in the next steps is completely linked to our constancy and discipline, and these are not easy things, because each day requires a different […]

Justice and righteousness

In the beginning, when God created the world and everything in it, He also laid the foundation for righteous living. He is infinite wisdom himself and recognizes the importance of us living according to His righteousness. What are? “Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you.” Deuteronomy 16:20 Justice means the quality of who has a just behavior or treatment. It is a way of perceiving, evaluating what is right, just. Righteousness has a close meaning. It means quality, characteristic or attribute of what or who is upright. The virtue of following, without deviation, the direction indicated by the sense of justice, by equity. Virtue of being in conformity with reason, with duty. Justice and righteousness are very necessary traits. We can see their importance being expressed since the first books of the bible by great prophets and leaders. Just like god “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. Love and faithfulness go before you.” Psalm 89:14 Throughout the biblical texts, we find in the nature of God teachings, through words and actions, about justice and righteousness. And He invites us to express His glory, to be […]

All spiritual blessings

“All spiritual blessings,” as written in Ephesians 1:3, is a way of describing the abundant blessings received from the Lord. They are divine favors. This term is linked to the favor and grace of God manifested in our lives. It is not something received on merit or at random. The essence of this term “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” Ephesians 1:3 Many times our mind refers the word “blessing” to something material. Like money, house, car… But God blesses us from the material to the immaterial. He blesses us spiritually and emotionally. He gives us health, family, relationships, spiritual growth, peace and resources. Receiving all spiritual blessings does not exempt us from challenges. Trials exist and difficulties can arise in some areas, even as they coexist with blessings in other aspects of our lives. The point here is that He has already blessed us and we can rely on God’s love and faithfulness in all circumstances and at all times. This awareness of God’s presence and care in our lives is sharpened as we develop intimacy with Him, not whether we […]

Gift X Fruit

For a long time I had doubts about the difference between gifts and fruits. And the meaning is so deep and beautiful. When we understand this difference, we feel part of something and it fills us with hope and identity. A good soil “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.” Matthew 12:33 What God does and pours out to us concerns the gift. Fruit is the result of what we do with the gift He has given us. If the gift is the seed that God gives, it says much more about the Lord. The fruit speaks more about the type of land in which that seed was deposited. That is, the fruit speaks about us. Everything we receive from Him must be used for the sake of the Kingdom. We are graced by Him so that we can serve each other better. Thus, we can build the path to His Kingdom in the best way. These seeds planted in our hearts, the gifts we receive from the Father’s grace, need to be watered and cultivated. Through the […]

The number of the beast

In Revelation 13 we are introduced to the number 666, “the number of the beast”, a sequence that would bring with it curse, pain, distance, war… There are many explanations and thoughts about this on different theological lines. All the ones I’ve read about make sense at specific points and teach us a lot. But there is one in particular that caught my attention. Three 6 “This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.” Revelation 13:18 I don’t know about you, but this subject scared me a lot when I was younger. The idea of a giant being, who affronts God and brings destruction, whose main objective is to distance people from the Father and generate wars, scared me. And that number? Why? If there are so many numerical combinations… The explanation that most calls my attention is in Revelation 13:16-17 that describes that only with the mark on the right hand or on the forehead, which is the name of the beast or the number that represents its name, we could buy and sell. The mark would be a precondition […]

Used or approved?

Many times we confuse God using us with approving us and we end up taking paths that are not what God wants for us. We seek to be used and do not act to move towards approval. Used by god “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” Philippians 2:13 To be used by God is to be a channel for a certain action. For example, at one point the Lord used you to say something to someone who was asking for an answer. When you minister over someone’s life, it doesn’t come from you and your knowledge, but it is an act of God through your life. And He can use anyone, any place, any situation. As in the book of Numbers, where the donkey that belonged to Balaam is used to send God’s message and guide the man in the opposite direction, where his mission would be. In many situations we seek to be used, but this is so momentary. The animal didn’t keep talking and having words of wisdom coming out of its mouth for the rest of its life. It was just that moment, and […]

God doesn’t need time

I’ve heard some people say the phrase: “God isn’t taking too long, He’s doing his best“. Yes, He is doing the best. But He doesn’t need time to do something better, in that situation you need that time… Omnipresent or busy? “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord.“ Proverbs 21:31 God isn’t like a super busy person who needs a longer deadline to do something better. As if He were telling you: “Wait just a little bit more, I just need to do this detail here“. It’s not time that changes what He gives you, it’s you who needs to change so that what He’s doing comes to you at the right time. God can give you the promise He made you in a snap of a finger, because He has the power to make the perfect in milliseconds. But you would not be ready to receive. The time it takes for you to reach that promise has to do with how much He needs to prepare you so you don’t waste it. Ripe to the Whole “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. A time […]

You only have this life

You only live once. I know this is nothing new. But that also means you only have one life to have faith and follow Jesus. This is not carried into eternity, because there is already everything. The eternity “But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.” Jude 1:20-1:21 We understand eternity as a life after our earthly death, a life that we will spend physically with God. In a paable way like never before. So we can only work on our faith and prayer while we are here. When we go there, we won’t need it anymore, as it prepares us for a life of worship in Eternity. It is here on earth that the Kingdom is prepared and has its members well aligned and adjusted. Our life here must be based on the search for closeness to God. If we are going to be living with Him, this search will no longer be necessary in eternity. But it is our pursuit here that leads us to Him there. Bring […]

Have you been dreading your call?

Do you know what your calling is? What did the Lord form you and call you for? It is important as Christians to know this, because God counts on us. Your calling won’t do anything for you if you don’t say “yes” to it. God does not suggest “He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.” 2 Timothy 1:9 It all starts with understanding that your calling is not a suggestion from God. It’s not like your life is a suggestion box, where God puts little slips of what He thinks could be better. We need to begin to understand the voice of God as a duty. Not that duty that tires us and is a boring obligation. But listening with obedience and devotion. When our obedience is activated, so are God’s graces and blessings in our lives. And it is through our calling that many of them are poured out on us. Obedience is faith “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.“ James 1:22 […]

How to know God?

Do you know what a house of prayer is for? Do we need to “consecrate” a space as a place of prayer? I wanted to bring some thoughts about the text of Isaiah 56: “For my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations”. Go to him “If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you”. 2 Chronicles 15:2 The Father’s house was not called the house of “preaching” or “mysteries”, such as miracles and prophecies, but of “prayer”. Pointing directly to a relationship with God and the way worship should be performed. Several times I come here to talk about one of our actions. That’s because a lot is heard about what He does and we already know His promises, but it’s important to remember daily what needs to come from us. Knowing God through preaching and miracles takes away our action to build a relationship with Him. Receiving is easy, watching God speaking and doing is easy. But being willing to seek Him requires a step on our part. Listen and do “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you”. Job […]

Does God punish us?

Have you understood the weight and responsibility of freedom or have you constantly tried to sign your decisions with the name of God? Have you remembered that even though everything is released to you, not everything builds your life? “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive“ 1 Corinthians 10:23 Divine punishment “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh. Father, serve one another humbly in love“ Galatians 5:13 It is normal (but should not be) to hear the phrase “God punishes” as a warning to stop acting in some way, transforming the fear we should have into God by fear, distorting the image of a loving God and merciful, placing in His hands a whip. I see that this phrase arose in the face of a difficulty that human beings have in assuming responsibility. We celebrate the freedom of choice that God gives us, but after we choose, we want Him to take the blame for our bad choices. It’s not fair to blame the tools if we are the ones operating them. The […]

Has your heart agreed with God?

God says in the bible that whatever I ask in faith will be given to me. So why have I been asking with all my strength and He won’t give it to me? Does he not hear me? This has happened to everyone at least once. Praying and waiting on God, but not receiving what was asked, thinking that the Lord is not listening to us. But that’s not true. On the opposite way “Before they call I will answer. While they are still speaking I will hear” Isaiah 65:24 The Father always hears us, His ears will always be turned towards the children. And even stronger than that, the heart of God hears our insides before we even speak. In all your prayers He was always by your side listening to every word. But He will not give you what is not linked to what He dreams for your life. God has a plan for every person even before birth. All life has a purpose, because He doesn’t do anything “just in case”, every detail has already been dreamed up. And our prayer may not be aligned with this desire of the Father, which makes us think that He closed his […]

When is the right time to pray?

When is the right time to act? To what extent is risk taking the right decision? How long should we wait for something? With each passing day, the answer to these questions becomes clearer to me. The answer is always Jesus. Who knows more “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you”. James 1:5 A while ago my car started making an unusual noise. Instead of consulting a mechanic right away to find out what that noise was and what to do, I postponed it for a few long days. The noise was coming from the damper. If I had changed it when it was defective, I would have had to change it alone. But as several days passed, the bad shock absorber ended up overloading the other 3, so I had to change them all. Conclusion: I spent more, I needed to spend more days without a car and I almost had problems with other parts of the car. If I had changed it too soon I would have thrown a still good shock in the trash and had unnecessary work. So who […]

Have you been a disciple or one of the crowd?

In the stories of Jesus we see several miracles happening wherever He went. But what most calls my attention in them is where the focus of each character was in the face of everything that happened. We can compare it to our focus on situations these days. The crowd seeks the miracle “And the people all tried to touch Him, because power was coming from Him and healing them all” Luke 6:19 The crowd followed Jesus for His works, often craving what He could offer rather than who He was. After the healings and miracles it was possible to see people worshiping Him with greater vehemence. It always leads me to think that I too am often the crowd. Who asks, begs and hopes for a miracle, but who only has that as a goal. We seek God many times for what He can do for us, and we forget to seek Him just because He is God, our Father. The Master for the crowd was often an attraction. The disciple seeks Jesus “Many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. ‘You do not want to leave too, do you?’, Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, ;Lord, to […]

Why know God’s will?

God has so many desires and dreams for your life. So many projects and accomplishments to shower on you. We constantly seek to know what these dreams are. But have you ever stopped to think about why you want to know God’s will for your life? We try to suit the Creator “But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well“ Luke 12:31 At times I found myself asking this, thinking my curiosity had to do with how much I cared about God and His thoughts about me. But I noticed that I often ask His will because I care too much about myself. We think we are seeking the Lord, but in certain situations we use Him as a means and not as an objective. We begin to see God as an amulet, to use Him as a ladder to reach places we dream of. Trying to adapt the Creator of everything to our own creation. Remember: He is Life itself In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 He is not the way for you to get something you want […]

What is your treasure?

I particularly am one of those people in love with books. I have a full bookcase and sometimes I haven’t read all the works and titles, but I keep them all neatly organized. Because of that, this week a friend lent me a book called “The Gutenberg Bible Enigma” (Maurício Zágari), which tells that one day a missionary took one of the 48 copies of the Gutenberg Bible (the first printed book) to a Brazilian Church and the book was stolen. The whole story revolves around this fact, because that Bible was extremely valuable and could not be lost in that way. That book was the treasure of that missionary, that church, and it could not be lost. The Hidden Treasure The story in this book reminded me of the treasure hidden in the field: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.” Matthew 13:44 I’m still reading the book, so I’m imagining the ending: have they found the Bible? Who was to blame? Was there really a culprit? If they found it, imagine how happy […]