Mensagens de Esperança
Jacson Ollmann
Mensagens de Esperança - Hora Luterana |
Posted: 21 Jan 2014 05:30 PM PST Há momentos na vida em que desejamos ficar escondidos. Os perigos, os medos, os constantes ataques de inimigos, as ameaças, as incertezas na família, as lutas contra vícios e pecados e a insistente ausência de bondade nos fazem pensar em um lugar de abrigo, para, pelo menos, termos um momento de paz. Deus é este “lugar”. O salmista confessou: “Em tempos difíceis, ele me esconderá no seu abrigo. Ele me guardará no seu Templo e me colocará em segurança no alto de uma rocha” (Sl 27.8). Deus ama você e nunca abandonará você. “Esconda-se” em Deus e viva em segurança, sempre. Oremos: Deus, meu Senhor, cuide de mim. Preciso do lugar de refúgio que só você pode dar em Jesus Cristo. Diante de tempos difíceis, esconda-me sob sua proteção e graça. Amém. Leia em sua Bíblia: Salmo 27 ou http://sbb.org.br/interna.asp?areaID=71 |
Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
"A Little Help, Please!"
January 22, 2014
So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. Galatians 6:10
Early on in my ministry I figured that older folks don't like to go out a lot when it's dark. This I discovered when our church began to offer afternoon Advent and Lenten services. The seniors loved it and turned out in force.
Now it is possible that some of them just didn't want to miss a favorite Wednesday evening television show. Me, I think they were being honest when they said, "I don't see so well when it's dark, and I'm not as sure on my feet as I used to be when I'm walking on snow or ice. Pastor, thanks for the service."
I'm not alone in discovering this fact about seniors.
Ligonier, Pennsylvania, has a pizza place called Fox's Pizza Den. Tom Wynkoop, the owner of the Den, has come to a similar conclusion about older folks. Indeed, it occurred to him that the bad weather the town had had was causing some serious inconveniences for the town's elderly.
So do you know what Wynkoop did? Go ahead; take a guess.
No, don't bother. You'll never get it.
What Wynkoop did was go public and say that his pizza delivery folk would pick up and deliver prescription medicine and other necessities for the town's elderly. In order to get this service all the folks had to do was buy, well, they didn't have to buy a thing. All they had to do was make a phone call and tell Wynkoop what they needed.
As Scripture encourages, Wynkoop had tried to do good to everyone.
Now I suppose those who have a pessimistic point of view will say he has gleaned a ton of goodwill and free advertising. No doubt that is true. If so, great! A fellow should be complimented for trying to do the right thing.
I wish there were more folks out there like good, old Tom. Indeed, I wish I was more like good, old Tom.
This really takes me to the point of this brief devotion. It occurs to me that we, who have experienced the Savior's love and enjoy His ongoing assistance, ought to try and reflect that care and compassion to others.
When we are afforded an opportunity to do good to someone, let us do so. Understand, I'm not encouraging you to spend thousands of dollars in doing good. I'm not asking you to go out and comb the countryside for opportunities to do good. I'm not even asking you to be heroic in the things you do; (although you certainly may do those things if you wish).
What I'm urging, what the Lord wants is this: when we are given a choice between doing good and doing nothing for others, let's choose the good.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, my Savior came into this world and did wondrous and miraculous things. I am not a miracle-worker. Even so, I do have the ability to do some things. When You give me a chance to help someone, Lord, let me see that chance and make use of it. In the Name of my Savior. Amen.
Jacson Ollmann
Posted: 22 Jan 2014 05:30 PM PST O que muda no dia do seu aniversário? Alguns presentes, bolo, algumas “curtidas” no Facebook e felicitações, talvez um agrado diferente da família? E a rotina prossegue, afinal, a vida é vivida segundo a segundo, um dia de cada vez. Um dia, no entanto, mesmo a rotina de aniversários mudará completamente. Quando Jesus voltar, todo dia será de festa, de alegria, de abraço, de “curtidas” eternas. E até lá? “Cristo vai conservá-los firmes até o fim para que no dia da volta do nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo vocês não tenham culpa de nada” (1Co 1.8) Aproveite todos os dias, não só o dia do seu aniversário, para agradecer a vida que Deus oferece a você em Jesus Cristo. Aproveite o dia de hoje para louvar a Deus pelo presente que se renova dia a dia: a salvação. E se vierem sofrimentos e angústias, não se preocupe: Cristo vai conservar você firme. Tenha mais um excelente dia sob a graça de Deus! Oremos: Amado Jesus, hoje é mais um dia especial porque hoje você está novamente ao meu lado. Em seu nome. Amém. Leia em sua Bíblia: 1 Coríntios 1.1-9 |
Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries |
"How Good Are You?"January 23, 2014
I know all you Daily Devotion subscribers are good people. The question before you today is just how good are you? |
(Jesus said) "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." Matthew 6:13Jacson Ollmann
Posted: 23 Jan 2014 05:30 PM PST O medo faz parte da nossa vida. Você tem medo do quê? Muitas podem ser as causas do medo. Há pessoas que têm medo de Deus. Normalmente este medo é causado pelo desconhecimento da personalidade de Deus ou pela culpa de saber que fez algo que não agrada a Deus. Há uma boa notícia para você: Deus gosta muito de você! Não tenha medo dele. Ele inclusive pode ajudar você a ter menos medo em sua vida. Deus não quer castigar você, e sim, perdoar. Ele já fez isto. Cristo já pagou o preço dos seus pecados. Confie nele e lembre-se: “Eu pedi a ajuda do Senhor, e ele me respondeu; ele me livrou de todos os meus medos.” (Salmo 34.4) Oremos: Como é bom, Senhor, saber que eu não preciso ter medo de ti. Sei que me amas e por isto não tenho medo de ti e de tua Palavra. Ajuda-me a vencer os medos que ainda me assombram. Em nome de Jesus. Amém. Leia em sua Bíblia o Salmo 34 ou http://sbb.org.br/interna.asp?areaID=71 |
Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
"Jesus Commands Us to Make Disciples"
January 24, 2014
(Jesus said) "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
The salvation story of Jesus Christ reaches around the world. So that the readers of our Daily Devotion may see the power of the Savior on a global scale, we have asked the volunteers of our International Ministry Centers to write our Friday devotions. We pray that the Spirit may touch your day through their words.
In Christ, I remain, His servant and yours,
Kenneth R. Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
In Ghana when someone is dying or leaving his or her people, the last words they receive from him or her are regarded as being of great importance.
The words which serve as this devotion's text are Jesus' final words to His disciples before He ascended into heaven. As such, Lutheran Hour Ministries has always regarded those words as being precious. Motivated by those words we are proud to say, "We bring Christ to the nations and the nations to the church."
Since its beginnings in Ghana, The Lutheran Media Ministry has made great strides in reaching people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, based on the command to make disciples. Personally, I have been listening to LMM messages for the past 20 years.
In 1999 while on a visit to the Daboase area in the Western Region of Ghana, I met a man who was a mechanic, a fellow who specialized in repairing motorcycles. After sharing the Gospel with the man, he was brought to faith. His was a faith which responded well to the Lord's love. He and his family offered their residence to be used for a church. This offer I shared with our head office of Media Ministry in Accra. They supported me and the work with materials that proved invaluable.
Knowing faith comes by hearing, we started with Bible studies. This was done using tapes of Scripture, which had been recorded in the native language. The studies were done outside with the people sitting on benches. Our gathering soon attracted the attention of those who passed by. Soon many of those folks joined us so they could listen to the Gospel in their native tongue.
The number increased each week, and as a result we started church services on Sunday and Bible studies on Wednesday. Daboase now has a church and a pastor shepherding the flock.
In the same year, a cassette supplied by LMM was introduced to the Sekondi prisons. It was our desire to provide God's Word so the inmates might hear the Gospel. I give thanks I am able to share there was a great impact on the inmates, and many of them were brought to faith by the Holy Spirit.
Along with the tapes of the Bible, we also introduced our Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC). Those inmates who completed the BCC were awarded certificates and their very own Bible. While in prison some of the inmates requested permission to do their communal labor around the church in Takoradi. When they have finished their sentences, a large percentage of the inmates have visited and joined our churches.
Today I give thanks that so many of you have followed the Savior's last words to make disciples. In my country it makes a great difference.
THE PRAYER: Lord, by Your Holy Spirit, help us heed Your Word to make disciples. This we ask in the Name of the Savior who gave His life so we might have life. Amen.
Jacson Ollmann
Posted: 27 Jan 2014 05:30 PM PST “A mensagem da morte de Cristo na cruz é loucura para os que estão se perdendo; mas para nós, que estamos sendo salvos, é o poder de Deus” (1Co 1.18). Um Deus que se encarna? Loucura. Um Deus que dirige a história? Loucura. Um Deus que se humilha para salvar a criatura rebelada? Loucura. Em um tempo que a simples ideia de existir um Deus parece cafona e não inteligente, crer é loucura. Mas loucos salvos são alvos de um poder transformador: da morte para a vida! Louca mensagem, maravilhosa, em Jesus Cristo. E “Deus tem mostrado que a sabedoria deste mundo é loucura” (1Co 1.20). Seja louco: creia! Afinal, “aquilo que parece ser a fraqueza de Deus é mais forte do que a força humana” (1Co 1.25). Em Cristo, loucos, salvos, verdadeiramente livres. Oração: Salvador Jesus, obrigado pela loucura da fé, por seu Espírito Santo transformar minha mente e coração. Em seu nome. Amém. Leia em sua Bíblia 1 Coríntios 1.18-31 ou http://sbb.org.br/interna.asp?areaID=71 |
Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
"A Dangerous Attitude"
January 28, 2014
I acknowledged my sin to You, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord," and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Psalm 32:5
Sirgiogio Clardy is a man who appreciates the law.
Mr. Clardy has good reason for this perspective. Right now he is serving a 100-year sentence in a jail in Oregon. That sentence is based on three different events that took place during the last few years. First, Mr. Clardy robbed a man. Second, he beat up an 18-year-old woman, and third, he stomped repeatedly on the face of a fellow who owed him money.
But as I say, Mr. Clardy appreciates the law.
That appreciation has caused Mr. Clardy to sue Nike tennis shoes for selling dangerous weapons. You see, Mr. Clardy was wearing Nike shoes when he stomped on that man's face. Mr. Clardy figures that if he had stomped on the man with his bare feet, the damages to that individual would have been less, and he then would have received a lesser sentence.
To rectify the situation, Mr. Clardy wants Nike to label their shoes as being dangerous weapons and pay him $100 million for his unfairly long prison sentence.
Mr. Clardy is a fine representative for humanity. He, like most folks, doesn't want to admit he has done anything wrong. He, like most of our species, wants to blame someone else. In the Garden of Eden, Adam blamed Eve for sin and Eve blamed the snake. Today we hear of school shooters who murder their classmates because they were teased. At a lesser level, every policeman can give a laundry list of excuses he has heard from speeding motorists. The common denominator in those excuses is "It's not my fault."
Such an attitude doesn't sit well with our perfect Lord.
He sent His Son into this world to carry and pay the price for all of humanity's sins. This Jesus did through His life, suffering, death and resurrection. Now, by God's grace and Holy Spirit-given faith, all who believe on Jesus as their Savior are forgiven and saved.
But when people get proud and haughty, when they say, "I'm not to blame" or "It's not my fault" or "Someone else is responsible" that causes a problem. The Lord wants us to know if we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves. More than that, if we make such a claim, then we are also saying, "I have no need of a Savior or His forgiveness or His help."
We are saying, "I can take care of my salvation on my own."
Well, we can't.
Far better for us to join with the Psalmist and say, "I acknowledged my sin to You, and I did not cover my iniquity. I confessed my transgressions to the Lord, and He forgave the iniquity of my sin."
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, may I be truthful to myself and repentant before You. I am a sinner and need the Savior. I give thanks He has come to save me from myself. In Jesus' Name I give thanks. Amen.
Jacson Ollmann
Posted: 28 Jan 2014 05:30 PM PST Quer ser feliz? Sente-se aos pés de Jesus. Ouça o Salvador e, confiando nele, saiba-se pobre espiritualmente. Chore. Seja humilde. Tenha fome e sede de fazer a vontade de Deus. Aja com misericórdia. Tenha um coração puro. Trabalhe pela paz mesmo que seja perseguido por fazer a vontade de Deus. Vivendo assim, o Reino do Céu é seu. Deus consolará você, enxugando as lágrimas. Ele dará a você o que tem prometido, deixará você completamente satisfeito e terá misericórdia de você. Sim, você verá a Deus pois será tratado como filho dele. Aos pés de Jesus, o Reino do Céu é seu. Aos pés de Jesus, a felicidade. Oração: Jesus, Salvador, que em mais este dia eu confie completamente em Ti, fonte da alegria e felicidade eternas. Em teu nome. Amém. Leia em sua Bíblia Mateus 5.1-12 ou http://sbb.org.br/interna.asp?areaID=71 |
Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
"Am I Forgiven?"
January 29, 2014
Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:13-14
Among the notable deaths of 2013 has to be that of Mikhail Kalashnikov, an inventor who passed away at the age of 94, on December 23.
If you are not acquainted with the name, allow me to share: General Kalashnikov was the inventor of the AK-47, the most common machine gun in the world. With a reputation of simplicity and near indestructibility, the gun became the weapon of choice for many nations as well as numerous terrorist groups.
When confronted about the number of lives his weapon had taken, Kalashnikov replied, "I have no regrets and bear no responsibility for how politicians have used it."
Those are pretty bold words. They are also words which Kalashnikov may have regretted saying.
Reports have come out of Russia which say shortly before his death, the general wrote to Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church. In that letter he said, "The pain in my soul is unbearable. I keep having the same unsolved question: if my rifle took away people's lives, then can it be that I am guilty for people's deaths, even if they were enemies?"
Various news articles report that the patriarch answered Kalashnikov's question. It is my prayer that when he passed from this world to the next his conscience had been given peace.
I have a similar prayer for each of us.
Although we may not feel responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, almost all of us have sins tucked away in the back of our minds and in the dark corners of our hearts. These sins, usually private or forgotten by others, give us great grief any time they come to the surface of our thoughts. Like Kalashnikov we say, "The pain in my soul is unbearable. Am I guilty?"
St. Paul, himself a participant in persecution and murder, offers to each of us this assurance: "sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under the law, but under grace."
Redeemed by the Savior, washed clean of our sin in His innocent blood, our sins are forgiven.
Period.
End of reading.
Today I encourage you, be assured: the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. Be assured, be at peace, and glorify your Savior who has made this peace possible.
Jacson Ollmann
Posted: 29 Jan 2014 05:30 PM PST Quando Deus nos toca, nos transforma com sua palavra e nos dá salvação gratuitamente em Jesus Cristo, a vida muda. Somos seus filhos queridos, trazidos para a luz. Por isso, sob a luz e orientação do Espírito Santo, lutamos para fazer o que é certo, levando uma vida correta. Inclusive, diz o salmista sobre aquele que está em aliança com Deus: “Ele não fala mal dos outros, não prejudica os seus amigos e não espalha boatos a respeito dos seus vizinhos” (Sl 15.3). Em tempos de muitos reality shows, de muitas revistas sobre celebridades, de discussões intermináveis sobre a vida dos outros, como é bom saber que Deus nos orienta a buscar o caminho da paz, e do bem do outro. Afinal, olhando sinceramente para nós mesmos, certamente não mereceríamos bons comentários de Deus. E o que ele faz? Nos protege, perdoa e cura. Proteja os outros você também! Oração: Deus, conhecedor do meu coração, ajude-me a produzir bons frutos a partir da fé em Jesus. Amém. Leia em sua Bíblia o Salmo 15 ou http://sbb.org.br/interna.asp?areaID=71 |
Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
"Mutts"
January 30, 2014
The grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 1 Timothy 1:14-15
Many of our Daily Devotion subscribers currently have, or have had, a lovable pet. Dogs, cats, birds, fish and, in the case of my grandson, Keenan, a leopard-lizard named, "Freddie." Now if I have left out your favored sloth or sheep, please don't be offended. The omission was a matter of space not personal distaste.
That's the good news. The bad news is if you are a dog owner, make that a "mutt" owner, for 137 years your pet has been banned from the Westminster Dog Show. That's right. For over a century and a quarter, Westminster has refused mixed breeds and catered only to the blue bloods, the elite of dogdom.
Now, more good news. This year Westminster is allowing mixed-breed competitors. No, these mutts can't take "Best of Show," but they will be able to compete in the agility trials. Those who are avid fans of Westminster say this is a very, big deal.
So, there you have it. The good and the bad news concerning what is happening in the world of dogs.
But that is hardly the end of this devotion. This devotion wishes to share the best news of all. That best news is this: God loves you and has sent His Son into this world to redeem you.
Jesus lived His life, died His death, and rose from the dead not just to save those who are rich and famous. He gave Himself not just for the purpose of rescuing those who had a title in front of or behind their names. He didn't come to redeem only those who could trace their family lineage and coat of arms to some remote ancestor.
Jesus came to seek and save the mutts of humanity. By that I mean people who are relatively obscure and of little interest to the reporters of the news. Jesus Himself said so. He said He had come to seek and save those who were ill in spirit; He had come to seek and save the lost. The apostles agree. Paul said Jesus had come to save sinners, even the chief of sinners like himself.
Now you may think you know that already, and it is quite possible you do.
Still, it is something worth remembering when you are feeling nobody cares about you and life is passing you by. It is something to hold on to when you think you are neglected and "if it weren't for bad news in your life, there would be no news at all."
At such times I pray you will recall how God's Son left the high throne of heaven and became one of us. Here He spent every moment of His life doing that which was necessary to rescue you from your sins and make sure you would have aforever home in heaven.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, there are times when I feel life is against me, and there is nobody who cares whether I live or die. At such moments may I rejoice in the Good News that says You care. You cared enough to send Your Son to save my soul. For that best news may I find hope and happiness. In Jesus' Name. Amen.