Leadership = Service

Why do we follow leaders who are so different from the example and teaching of Jesus? Let's change the paradigm: But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them.  But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant,  and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.  For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:25-28 NLT

It Doesn't Matter When

It doesn't matter if you came late to the kingdom of heaven, your prize is the same as that received by all, no matter when they come. Jesus explained it this way: “For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard.  He agreed to pay the normal daily wage and sent them out to work. “At nine o’clock in the morning he was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing.  So he hired them, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day.  So they went to work in the vineyard. At noon and again at three o’clock he did the same thing. “At five o’clock that afternoon he was in town again and saw some more people standing around. He asked them, ‘Why haven’t you been working today?’ “They replied, ‘Because no one hired us.’ “The landowner told them, ‘Then go out and join the others in my vineyard.’ “That evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them, beginning with the last workers first.  When those hired at five o’clock were paid, each received a full day’s wage.  When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day’s wage.  When they received their pay, they protested to the owner,  ‘Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’ “He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage?  Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you.  Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?’ “So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.” Matthew 20:1-16 NLT

You're Good For Nothing

You're good for nothing: In a garage sale there were many things on sale and among them was a sewing machine that had a note: needs repair. A friend of mine who is a Dressmaker and an espert in sewing machines, didnt see any problem with it and as it was sold for a very low price, she bought it. When she got home found that the machine was in excellent condition and with just a few adjustments, it worked perfectly fine. However, the person who had the machine before, thought it was damaged, because it stopped working and decided to sell it. Experience makes the difference. And you how are you? Do you need repair? Perhaps you feel rejected and think you have no value. If that's the case, look for the evaluation of "Expert". God knows you well and know that you are in excellent condition. Trust your heavenly Father and allow Him to make small adjustments to display your true value. That's why the Bible says: God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.

Is Frustrating To Make Decisions?

Is frustrating to make decisions? When we were kids we wanted to have several professions and we often changed the profession we wanted to have when we grew up. But growing up, we felt the need to choose a profession where we would make a career. However, many times this profession we select in our early adulthood, was not where we finally made our professional careers. The problem is that in the process of "assessment and selection" did not have enough quality information and our focus was wrong. This process is frustrating because it makes us stop a path already initiated and start a new one. The right approach for evaluating and selecting, is also vital to choose your couple, partners, friends and the entire portfolio of options that life presents us. But do not get frustrated, God has a plan for each one of us. So the important thing is to know the purpose and plan of God, so that our focus is very accurate and we can select the profession, the couple and the life God has for us. Talk to Him today and do not get frustrated.

Don't Keep Trying. Do It!

Don't keep trying. Do It!: For a long time, we tried to teach our son to ride a bike and never made it, because our son had some learning difficulties. We knew how to ride a bike, but we were not able to teach our own son. Then someone recommended to us an organization dedicated to teaching children with learning difficulties, to ride a bike in five days, using special equipment and methods. We decided to enroll our son in one of their programs and in 5 days our son learned to ride a bike. What was impossible forcus for years, experts made it possible in a few days. So it is with learning how to live life, which is much more difficult than learning to ride a bike. The fact of being alive does not mean we know how to live, much less that we can teach how to live, because we all have learning difficulties in life. However, God is the great specialist of life. Enroll in His "Programs", and what has been impossible, will be made possible, in a supernatural way. Do not keep "trying", seek God and do it.

Do You Want Forgiveness?

Did you know that if you do not forgive from your heart who sins against you, God will not forgive you your sins?: Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven! “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him.  In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars.  He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt. “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’  Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt. “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment. “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded.  But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full. “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened.  Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me.  Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’  Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.” Matthew 18:21-35 NLT

So Now What's Your Excuse?

So now what's your excuse?: At a birthday party, my friend Marta played guitar with great skill and ability, making us have a great time. I always dreamed of being able to play the guitar and in fact I bought one and I even bought a course to learn to play. Many times I have started to practice with the course that I bought, but there are always circumstances that prevent me from continuing. The surprising lesson of this story is that Martha was born without her two hands, but she did not considered this circumstance to be an obstacle and with a lot of perseverance she learned to play the guitar with her feet. In my case, any little circumstance was a good excuse for not continuing. Attitude and perseverance make the difference. It's like people who want to know God and have a personal relationship with Him, but they do not persevere and any circumstance excuse them for not following the road and walk away from their heavenly Father. This is why Jesus said: By standing firm, you will win your souls.

Security

Julia was a little sloppy and she often forgot to close and lock the windows of her house when she went out, until one day when a thief entered her house and stole some of her valuables. Just as Julia should have been careful about the security of the house where she lived, God has asked us to be careful with the security of the house where He wants to live and where He places the heavenly treasures that He gives us. That is our heart. The information on how to keep our heart safe, is in the Word of God, in the Bible. If we do not care for the safety of our heart, the great thief can enter and steal the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, hope and self-control, that are valuable treasures that God has given us. Watch the treasures that God gave you, keeping your heart safe.

Congratulations

Congratulations. Welcome to our team!: Joseph received a letter inviting him to join the football team of his city. Joseph was happy and proud to have been selected, because that was his dream. This same joy, is what we all feel when our dreams are fulfilled and we are invited to be part of a team. It could be a professional, corporate, academic, political, or any kind of team. And that is fine, because it represents the achievement of a goal and a dream come true. What is sad, is that very few people dream about belonging to the Kingdom of God's team, do not show interest in participating and even though "we are all" invited, it does not cause joy or pride. God wants everyone to be part of His Team, and is always sending messages to get us involved in his Kingdom. Being part of God's team is one of the most exciting experiences in our lives and has the best plan of benefits both on earth and in heaven. Benefits that no man can offer. I hope you feel happy and proud to have received this message, it is best one you'll get in your life.

Your Ransom

Who would pay your ransom if you are kidnapped?: Priscilla was shopping and when she went to her car to go home, two people kidnapped her. She lived for three days one of the most unpleasant experiences of her life, not knowing if she would leave alive or dead from that situation. On the third day, her family paid the ransom and she got free. Similarly, our dear heavenly Father knew that all human beings had lost our freedom and paid the ransom for our life. God wants us to be free, and that nothing and nobody, kidnap our hearts, our minds, our dreams, or our lives. For that reason, Jesus Christ paid the price of our redemption, with his life on the cross. With Him and through Him, we are free of all that binds us and keeps us from being free. If we invite Him to live in our hearts, we can experience total freedom in all areas of our life and have eternal life.

Healthy Love

To be healthy, eat balanced, do exercises and love much. Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa and many others, understood that the best way to defend against enemies, is love. By nature, people tend to respond with hate to hate and therefore taught the old school: an eye for eye, a tooth for tooth, that is, aggression by aggression. But Jesus taught us to turn the other cheek and love our enemies rather than hating them, and that is a very different answer. According to the teachings of Jesus, perfection is to respond with the love of God, rather than yield to human instincts. It is also healthy because it is medically proven that hatred makes you sick and love heals you. If during your life you have fueled the hatred in your heart, it is time to change and God created love as the only medicine to cure hatred. God wants for you, a life full of love, healthy and ... eternal.

Happy Father's Day

Today is a special day to show gratitude first of all, to our Father in heaven and also, whom He chose as our father here on earth. Barnabas was abandoned by his father when he was young and when he grew up, he decided to look for him. After much trying, he finally found the address. Barnabas was excited before the meeting with his father, but when they met for the first time, to Barnabas was not the best experience, because the expectations he had of his father, were superior to reality. It's good to want to have a good relationship with dad here on earth, but the only way that would work is having first a personal encounter with our Father God. Because when we have God within us, He heals our hearts and we can see our dad here on earth, not with human expectations, but with the eyes and the love of God. If we have a good relationship with our Father God in heaven, we can build a good relationship with our dad here on earth. Happy Father's Day.

No Waiting

Do you like "no waiting" express service?: Raul had to go to the doctor for health problems and went to his office, but the Doctor had gone to attend an emergency. Raul did not mind waiting, because he was worried about his health and wanted a medical examination, because he believed the Doctor could heal him. If we are willing to wait as long as is necessary for treatment by a specialist, how much more should we be willing to wait as long as necessary, when we look to God for guidance and help in all our needs. If we care about our problems and we believe that God can guide and help us, why not have the patience to wait for Him to act in His Time? Because we have a bad attitude within us that makes us believe that God is in our service and He is like the 911, that must respond immediately. Tear that bad attitude off you and acknowledge that He is God Almighty, Lord of the Universe and your Father who loves you. Humble yourself before Him and wait for Him in His perfect time.

The Strength Is In The Union

If you want real success, do it as a team with other people, because the strength is in the union. This is what Jesus Taught: If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector. I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven. I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you.  For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them. Matthew 18:15-20 NLT

Why?

Why did she have to die now? A child asked his dad: Why did God take my mother, if I need her here by my side? The dad in the midst of his own pain, didn't have the answer his son needed, and no one else in the family had a clear answer to the haunting question the child had. We may not have answers to the questions about death, illness and adversity, life presents us sometimes. The answer lies in two principles: First, we do not own anything. Everything we have, including life, is provided by God. Second, God is in control of the whole universe and He takes decisions that are for the comprehensive and universal good of all. As a result of these two principles, everything that happens, even if it hurts and we do not like it, is for good. Not necessarily good and nice to me. But good for "all of us" in the eternal and ever-present time of God. We enter into conflict in the face of adversity, because we want everything right, here and now, from the human perspective point of view. Then, if adversity comes, it hurts you and you have to suffer, always trust in God, because your fate is in the hands of a good God who loves you. Though you do not understand it at the time, if you trust Him, He will comfort you and make you understand His Eternal Purpose.

Don't Drag It

Don't drag it anymore, let it go!: My friend Irma talk much about her past and when she does, it seems as if she were still living it. The fact is that she always ends up in tears and that's not allowing her to enjoy and take advantage of opportunities offered by the present. My friend needs to forgive and leave the past behind. This problem hurts a person, a family or a community, as the weight of the past doesn't allow you to go forward or take advantage of all of what the present offers, because dragging the weight of the past with us, everywhere we go, drains our energy . Never believe in political propaganda phrases relating to "do not forget". God invites and motivates us to live each day like a new day and tells us that old things must pass to enjoy new things every day. With God you must let go of everything that hurts you from your past and enjoy the good news of God for your life today.

Don't Worry

Did you get lost or had an accident, no one can help you and you can't move? Do not worry, because help is on the way. In life we often get lost and have all kinds of accidents. For example, we may have health, family and financial accidents. But God is looking for you to save you. Listen to his voice, because he's close to you. Jesus told us this passage: If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost?  And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away!  In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish. Matthew 18:12-14 NLT

To Be More Important You Have To Be More Humble

To be more important you have to be more humble. What? How? All my life I have been taught otherwise!: About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.  So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. “And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me.  But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea. “What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting.  So if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand or one foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet.  And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. “Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father. Matthew 18:1-10 NLT

Will You Deliver?

Will you deliver?: On a vacation trip we made, some friends asked us to take some things for relatives who lived in the city where we traveled. At first, it seemed to us that it was hard to do and considered saying "no". But, because they were our friends and for the love we felt for them, we change our thinking and did them the favour. They did well with their family and we did well with our friends. There is another kind of tasks we do, not because we like it or because we feel confortable doing it, but because our loving God is asking us to do it and we decide to obey Him, although we have no relationship at all with the people whom we serve in His Name. We do it because we have a personal relationship with the Lord and obey Him out of love. This is the principle behind "love your neighbor" and "Christian service". We will never be good enough to do so on our own initiative, we do it for love and obedience to our heavenly Father.

With Faith Anything Is Possible

With faith "anything is possible": You can't do what you want for lack of faith. With faith "nothing is impossible". At the foot of the mountain, a large crowd was waiting for them. A man came and knelt before Jesus and said, “Lord, have mercy on my son. He has seizures and suffers terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. So I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn’t heal him.” Jesus said, “You faithless and corrupt people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.”  Then Jesus rebuked the demon in the boy, and it left him. From that moment the boy was well. Afterward the disciples asked Jesus privately, “Why couldn’t we cast out that demon?” “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible." Matthew 17:14-20 NLT

Do You Understand What He Says?

Do you understand what he says?: We were invited to a meeting where the speaker did not speak our language and although I struggled to understand what he said, it was hard to understand. The conference was interesting but not knowing the language was very limiting for me. In the world there are many languages and for two people to communicate, it is essential that they are both fluent in the language used. However, God is totally different, because the language of God is unique and universal. The language of God is unique because there is no need to study it to understand it and is universal because anyone can understand just by wishing it. Impressive, right? The point is that to understand the language of God, you must believe you can really communicate with God and wish to converse with Him to know His will and follow His transformative, restorative and healing instructions.

A Question Of Vision

A question of vision: Are you seeing things from a human point of view, or from God’s? From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead. But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!” Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.  If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.  And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?  For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds.  And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.” Matthew 16:21-28 NLT

It Is Never Too Late

It is never too late: I heard an interesting story of an elderly couple, both widowed, who met in a nursing home. What happened was that they fell in love and decided to marry. Despite their advanced age, they decided to enjoy together the years they had left. It is never too late to start or rebuild a relationship, and in the same way, it is never too late to rebuild or start your love relationship with God. It doesn't matter if you are surrounded by sadness and loneliness, God is always willing to share His Love with you, if you are seeking Him and want His Company, regardless of what life stage you are in, when you seek Him. Today is a great day to start your relationship with your Heavenly Father who loves you deeply and who is the God of the Universe.

Jesus Only Cares About Your Heart

Jesus doesn't care about religious traditions, He cares about what is in your heart.: Some Pharisees and teachers of religious law now arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus. They asked him, “Why do your disciples disobey our age-old tradition? For they ignore our tradition of ceremonial hand washing before they eat.” Jesus replied, “And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God?  For instance, God says, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’  But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’  In this way, you say they don’t need to honor their parents. And so you cancel the word of God for the sake of your own tradition.  You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’ ” Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “Listen,” he said, “and try to understand.  It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.” Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you realize you offended the Pharisees by what you just said?” Jesus replied, “Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be uprooted,  so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch.” Then Peter said to Jesus, “Explain to us the parable that says people aren’t defiled by what they eat.” “Don’t you understand yet?” Jesus asked. “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.  But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you.  For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander.  These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.” Matthew 15:1-20 NLT

Seven Days In Utopia

Seven Days in Utopia (2011) http://imdb.com/title/tt1699147/

Little Red Wagon

Little Red Wagon (2012) http://imdb.com/title/tt1614430/