As he neared Damascus, on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”, “Who are you, Lord” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied- Acts 9:3-5

The light proved to be a life-changing experience in Paul’s live.  Of course, this wasn’t just any light, it was The Light: Jesus. A man that was previously full of knowledge, but moving in the wrong direction, was immediately impacted by the light shone on his life. The difference: a direct experience with the light. After that experience Saul came to be known as Paul, the greatest missionary of his time.

If we did a poll the result will probably show that most people think the same way as Saul. The truth is that we were all moving in the wrong direction until we experienced the light. Not a light provided by the knowledge of the Bible, but a light provided by experiencing a life-changing relationship with Jesus.

What about those who haven’t experience the light yet? We need to be the light for them. Some might say “I am not Jesus”, but if Jesus is in you, as he promised to his followers, the light is also in you.

I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father – John 14:12 (Recommended reading John 14:12-27)

If there are so many believers in the world, why aren’t more people experiencing the light? There might be many answers to this question, but I would like to consider some answers with the purpose of raising awareness among believers, so we all engage in the changes required to be successful witness of Jesus.

• Darkness is taking control over the earth, and some believers don’t see to be so concerned. It looks like everything is fine as long as there is light on our own path. A light that does not serve its purpose is like no light at all.
• Unfortunately, some people that consider themselves believers are living their lives in a way that spread darkness instead of light.
• Some believers are living their lives in such a way that is looks that they are shining light using an energy-efficient bulb. The world needs believers shining their light at full power.
• We are expecting institutions, or even the government, to shine light on the world. Shining the light is not the responsibility of organizations, but of each member of the Christian church.

This reminds me of the movie Antz. This movie is about an ants colony where each ant had a specific function, and the colony survival depended on every ant fulfilling its purpose.  There is a part of the movie where the worker ants were required to get together and form a ball, so the ants obediently responded to the need and each one decided to ‘be the ball’.

We can apply the lesson learned from this movie to our lives. The world needs light. So, it is the time for each one of us to be what we need to be: let’s be the light.

Sometime we face “fires” (problems)  in our lives. To extinguish those fires it is required to follow similar strategies as those used in aerial firefighting. As these aircrafts fly down in order to pick up the water, we need to humiliate ourselves before God in order for Him to provide us with guidance to solve our problem.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.  – 1 Peter 5:6

When we humble before God there is a imminent result: we will be lifted up. When our time be lifted up comes, then we will be able to do as the aircrafts used in aerial firefighting: fly over our fires and face them with confidence.

Are you facing fires in your life? Don’t wait any longer, humble yourself before God…

As time passes there are no automatic changes. If we want changes in our lives we need to purposely pursue them, otherwise we wont get anything new,except getting older.

It is natural to desire new things: a change for the better. I think that the desire of change comes as a result of a desire to achieve satisfaction. So, we buy new clothes, get a new hair style, change jobs, buy a new car, move to a new house, lose weight, get esthetic surgery, change our priorities, or even move to a new church. But it looks like even after getting what we wanted we don’t achieve the expected satisfaction.

These changes may produce in us some level of satisfaction, but as time passes by the resulting satisfaction seems to fade away. The reason for this is simple: we were created to live forever, so nothing on the earth can really satisfy us.

And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” – Genesis 3:22

We were created to live forever, but sin brought us death. But don’t let this make you lose hope, since in Jesus we can recover eternal life.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16

The only change that brings something really new and satisfying to our lives is a relationship with Jesus.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! – 2 Corinthians 5:17

Through him we receive new strength (Isaiah 40:31), new compassions (Lamentations 3:22-23), joy (Luke 2:10), and peace (Ephesians 2:17), among other things. And eventually everything will be new:

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” – Revelations 21:5

Do you want new and truly satisfying things for your life in this new year? Purposely engage in a relationship with Jesus. He promises that everything will be new, and as He promised it will done.

Sometimes people have similar experiences with their lives.  At some point we notice that something is wrong with our lives and realize that we need a change. Then we begin to look for ways to change our lives, but fail again and again. Why? Because we can’t change our lives. Trying to change our own lives is like trying to clone a corrupted hard drive.

Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again…I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. ” – John 3:3, 5

Like the disk drive that required to be reformatted, our lives need to be reformatted by our creator. We need to be born again. We can’t be physically born again, but when we come to Jesus He gives us a new life.  What is the difference between this new life and the previous life? Without Christ everything we did was guided by our instincts. With Christ our lives are guided by the creator of the universe through the Holly Spirit.  We were guided by our imperfect and limited perspective. Now we are guided by God’s perfect and eternal perspective.

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever the Spirit of truth… for he lives with you and will be in you … will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. – John 14:16-17, 26

When I look back at the problem I had with my computer’s hard drive I am happy that I had it. Why? Now the computer has four times the original storage capacity and it is running much faster than before.

Nobody likes problems, but when they come it makes us think about the direction of our life, and if we really look for a solution, we will find out that only Jesus can make a real change in our lives. And the good thing is than when we get there, we will look back and be thankful for the change: we will be able to live our lives in full capacity, and we will be able to live forever with Christ.

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. – John 10:10

Are you ready for a change?

When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”  Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region. – Matthew 8:28-34

In this history Jesus casted out the demons that were oppressing two men.  This is probably the worst condition that can affect a person. This condition affected not only these men, but the people of the region as well since “they were so violent that no one could pass that way.” So, what Jesus did was for the benefit of these men and all the people living in the region.  However, what shall have caused happiness and gratitude turned into a petition for Jesus to leave the region.

Apparently these people outweighed the economic impact of the pigs lost over the benefit of being liberated from the possibility of being beaten by demon possessed men. Maybe their though was: “what else could we lose if Jesus casts out more demons or heals people?”

What happened to these people? How come Jesus received more respect from the demons (whom recognized him as the Son of God) than from the people that received the benefits of this miracle?

Our nation has been blessed by God in many ways.  However, it looks like more people are following the path of the Gadarenes by asking Jesus:

• please leave our schools
• please leave our government
• please leave our courthouses
• please, don’t tell us how to define morality
• etc.

Serving Jesus has its cost, but it is priceless. No matter what we could loss as a result of serving him, nothing will be compared to the eternal benefits of following Jesus.

I have decided to plead Jesus to stay with me forever. What will you plead Jesus?

I was recently praying for my children and was wondering, how shall I pray for them?

• For God to protect them from diseases
• For God to save them from problems
• For God to save them from people who could harm them
• For God to help you in their studies
• For God to help them make good decisions
• Etc.

Some of these requests seem selfish because, who goes through life without ever becoming sick? Who goes through life without having any problems? Who goes through life without ever been treated badly by someone?

So, what is the best thing I can wish for them? What is the most important prayer that I can do for them?

At some point during my prayer I was illuminated (thanks God for His Holy Spirit!) and understood that there is no better prayer for my children than to ask God to make them his children.

Long ago a woman named Ana prayed God for a son and vowed to devote him to God. (1 Samuel 1:9-11, 19-20). God heard her prayer, and granted her request. The result: the birth of Samuel the prophet, a great man of God. Why would a woman without a child vow to return the child to God (vow she kept after she weaned him – 1 Samuel 1:22)? Wasn’t it easier to promise something else like “I will take my son to the temple every week and teach him your word? But this woman knew that the best thing she could wish for her child was for him to serve God. And she was right.

What could be better than devoting our children to God? What wish could be better for them than loving God with all their heart? If they belong to God anything that happens to them will eventually result in blessing.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. – Romans 8:28

Yes! There will be problems, diseases, conflicts, etc. Just read about bible characters who loved God to understand that even they went through problems, and some of them extremely difficult (Abraham, Moses, Daniel, Pedro Stephen, Paul, etc.). Yet in the midst of their problems they decided to love God.

consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. – Romans 8:18

When we “fix our eyes on Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2) problems can not blur our purpose which is “to press on toward the goal” (Philippians 3:14): to reach the celestial city.

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country-a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.- Hebrews 11:13-16

Certainly when I pray for my children I still pray for different things, but my biggest request is for them to love God with all their heart.

This is my wish for my children. This is also my wish for you.

Hope:

1. To wish for something with expectation of its fulfillment.
2. One that is a source of or reason for hope
3. The theological virtue defined as the desire and search for a future good, difficult but not impossible to attain with God’s help.

The inauguration of the new president of the United States of America has meant for many people resurgence in the hope that things will change for the best. The choice of an unconventional politician, along with the changing attitudes of voters, leaving behind racial prejudices and electing the first black president, have increased expectations that a change process desired all around the world is about to begin.

The global economic situation, the environmental problems, the danger of nations with nuclear weapons capability, and the increasing tension in the relations between the United States and Russia, among other things, forces this feeling to become from a hope into reality.

Even with the best intentions of our new president and the success that the implementation of his policies may have, even if the whole nation joins in a genuine effort looking for a change, even if the nations of the world join seeking a solution to the common welfare, this would not be sufficient to achieve the change that the world needs.

Regardless of what we hope for, we can do nothing without God.

apart from me you can do nothing – John 15:5

Through the ages, many nations have been involved in reform processes in the hope of achieving necessary changes. Some of them have achieved some degree of success, but in the long run these changes are no longer effective and the reform process is required again. It’s like an endless cycle.

When a computer needs repair we take it to a technician with knowledge and experience in repairing computers. When a car needs repairs we take it to a mechanic with knowledge and experience in the repair of such car. We do not bring the computer to the car mechanic, or bring the car to the computer technician. That would be foolish.

In the same way the problems of humanity can only be solved by the one who created us: God. It was he who designed us, and he is the only one that knows every aspect of our being. This is why despite the best intentions we could have and the best effort we could make, we will never be able to solve our problems if we don’t seek the help from the only one that can help us.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. – 1 Peter 1:3-5

In contrast to the hope that we can have on a man or on a nation, only Christ gives us a living hope. Through Jesus, our victory is reserved.

Let us pray God to give wisdom to our new president, and help him in the difficult task that he is about to face, but do not forget to put your hope in Christ, our hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).

The woman in the crowd

As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” – Luke 8:43-48

Only one woman among all those in the crowd could get something. This was because she approached Jesus with expectations of receiving Jesus’ power in her life. She realized her need and recognized that only Jesus could fulfill them. She could not afford to miss the opportunity so she did the need what she needed to approach Jesus and get her miracle.

Saul

As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” – Acts 9:3-6

Saul’s experience is much more impressive. Even though he had completely different expectations (persecuting christians), he experienced the presence of the Lord and decided to get the most out of his experience. At that time there was no analysis of what has just happened, he just decided to become a follower of Jesus. His life shows the significance of this experience for him. After his experience he didn’t stop and said: “WOW, What a beautiful experience! That was so good that I want to fall to the ground every day!” No. Paul decided to move forward.

We must have our spiritual eyes open so we are able to detect the daily opportunities that we have to experience God’s presence in our lives. Not like those who were near Jesus, but were unable to experience his presence, but like those who knew how to seize every moment with Jesus.

What shall we do?

• This is not only about spending long time with Jesus and seen great miracles, as the apostles
• This is not only about walking at His side as the disciples from Emmaus
• This is not only about being at the right place and the right time as Saul’s companions
• This is not only about being so close to be at the point of pressing him as the crowd
• This is not only about knowing all the bible promises as the religious leaders

This is about a desperate desire to obtain His blessing at any cost (as the woman in the crowd).

It depends on us. No more being close without having any experience. No more being there and not being.

Decide to seize every moment with Jesus to experience the fullness of each opportunity He offers to us. Lets choose to be.

Most of us have experienced in one way or another being present at the site of a major event and still missing it.

• Being in a baseball game and missing the most impressive play of the game while buying soft drinks.
• Missing when our kids said their first words or took their first steps.

Today’s lifestyle leads us to increasingly lose the major events that occur around us. But even sadder is being with Jesus without enjoying the great things that He has for us every day.

Being with a person without enjoying his presence is like not being with that person at all. It’s like being next to a great personality. If you were not able to share with this person, you were just at his side, but we were not with him. The same happens with Jesus.

We can mention some biblical characters that had this experience:

The Apostles

They spent more than three years with Jesus, listening to his teachings, and seeing his miracles, but were not able to fully understand the great going on before their own eyes. It was not until the resurrection, and even until Pentecost, when they were able to fully understand.

The disciples of Emmaus

Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles^] from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” …When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. – Luke 24:13-31

These disciples were so focused in the negative things that were happening that they were not able to experience the event that was being revealed before their eyes.

The religious leaders

These had the Law and the Prophets. They had listened to witnesses. Everything was ready for them to get what they were waiting for (the messiah), but they were not able to see God’s promises being fulfilled.

The men traveling with Saul

The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. – Acts 9:7

The spiritual blindness of these men did not allowed them to see the big event was happening before their eyes.

In the second part of this teaching we will see some cases of biblical characters who knew how to seize the moment they spent with Jesus.