One of the biggest lessons I had to learn in the recent years of my life, it’s making sure that my dreams are bigger than my memories! No matter how beautiful or painful our memories might be, the past is past and we just cannot redo it! It’s only the future that we can build, by being confident that it will be much better and brighter than our past. God Himself has promised it: “I know the plans I have for you”, says the Lord, “they are plans of peace, and not to harm you, but to give you hope for the future” (Jeremiah 29:11).

The word of God does not say that our path ahead is like the setting of the sun, but rather that it’s “like the light of the dawn, which shines more and more unto the perfect day” (Proverbs 4:18)! In fact, it promises that God, “who has begun a good work in us, will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6)!

Your future is as bright as the promises of God! You can look forward to “greater works” (John 14:12).

Your past is most likely made of lights and shadows, successes and failures, things done well and also errors, wounds that were suffered as well as inflicted, things you would like to forget, but continue to surface every now and then, especially when you meet people and situations that are part of that past. Those memories will drain your energy and remind you how weak and fallible you are. They will try to scare you and tell you that “you cannot fool yourself thinking that you can be successful after your scores of the past” …

My friend, let me tell you something: your past does not have to write your future! It’s time to erase those painful memories of the past, because your future is bright as the promises of God! It’s time to reformat your hard disk and reprogram it with the Word of God, which tells us to “be transformed by the renewing of our mind, that we may prove what is the good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2).

Five years ago, at the end of 2006, after a year marked by successes, but also by some failures and defeats, I was completely discouraged and at the end of myself, thinking that my best was behind me and that there was no longer a future for me. On the evening of New Year’s Eve 2007, I asked the Lord to give me direction and He answered me with a scripture: “Remember not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert”(Isaiah 43:18-19).

That year was a real turning point in my life, as I started to leave the past behind and look confidently towards the future, recognizing the new thing that was about to spring forth in our new ministry of “Healing Broken Hearts”.  I don’t have to list all the new and greater things the Lord has done in recent years, because most of you who have been following us, even from afar, know how good the Lord has been to us!

However, sometimes those memories will try to resurface and divert your attention from all the new things the Lord is doing in your life, especially when you meet people and situations that remind you of your past, and that’s why it’s important that we turn the page and move forward into our future! The Lord Himself said “Remember not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold the new thing that I will do for you” (Isaiah 43.18)!

Jesus also said: “Remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:32), referring to what had happened a few thousands years earlier, when “Lot’s wife turned to look back and became a pillar of salt” (Genesis 19:26), getting stuck there forever! What was her mistake? She turned to look back, instead of looking forward! Don’t let it happen to you, your future is ahead of you!

Your best is yet to come! Do not look back, but do like the apostle Paul who, after having done great things in his life, said: “This one thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus “(Philippians 3:13-14)

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Would you like to make this year a turning point in your life, by leaving the past behind and advancing towards a brighter future? Why not consider the possibility of a new beginning starting even from right now? Before the end of this month of January we will begin a new session of our “Biblical Life Coach Training” that could change your life forever!

Check it out and sign up today! http://www.coursearea.com/europe
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It’s like crossing a bridge and leaving the past behind, as we move into our destiny! As the old year comes to a close, we can look back at where we have been, what we have done, etc. But then, as we move into the new year, it’s time to turn around and look forward at what’s ahead, at what life still has to offer. Our past has brought us where we are today, now it’s time to cross that bridge and move forward with faith! Life has so much more in store for us!

History is full of examples of people who crossed rivers to claim their promised land. Those who crossed it with faith, “being fully persuaded that, what God had promised, He was able to perform” (Rom. 4:21), received their inheritance! Those who doubted and looked back, got instead stuck in a desert for years. Don’t let that happen to you!

Cross that river with courage and claim what’s yours by faith! God is only waiting on you to take a step of faith in the direction He’s showed you to go, in order to meet you there and do great exploits for you. Look at what He did for the children of Israel, when they crossed the Jordan river with faith and saw the walls of Jericho coming down! He gave them the land that He had promised them and enlarged their borders to make them a great nation.

“Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever” (Heb. 13:8). What He did for them in the past, He can do for you today, and He promised that “greater works than these shall ye do” (John 14:12). We know that’s true because “He’s not a man that He should lie” (Nu 23:19). His word is an incredible foundation to have, a solid rock upon which to build a house that is able to withstand the storms to come!

That’s what we did, as we moved into this New Year 2012! We crossed our bridge into our destiny, leaving the past 15 years of our lives behind and moving 600 km away from where we have lived, into a new area where we have never lived before, simply because God told us to do it, and now we are excitingly waiting to see the walls of Jericho come down for us!

We know that the Lord has led us here and we expect Him to do greater works than what we have seen before, because our God is awesome and He’s never failed us in the past! He’s always done something greater and more exciting for us, every time we stepped out in faith to do what He told us to do, and that’s because we know “Who” our God is!

“Know therefore that our Lord is the faithful God, which keeps covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations” (Deut. 7:9).

Do you know Who God is? Do you know that He loves you, and that He has great plans up ahead for your life? His word says: “I know the thoughts I think toward you, said the Lord, they are thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future” (Jer. 29:11)!

Your best is yet to come! No matter where you are presently in life, or what you might have experienced in the past, God is faithful and He has a better and greater future for you up ahead, you just need to step out in faith and claim what He has promised you!

The future is as bright as the promises of God!

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If you have been blessed by the words you have been reading while visiting this site, would you please consider clicking on the “donate” box (here on the right column) and sowing a seed of blessings in our Healing Broken Hearts ministry?

God’s word promises that “whoever sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully” (2 Cor. 9:6). We pray that He will bountifully bless you and help you reap “abundantly above all that you can ask or think” (Ephes. 3:20)! We love you.
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Just think, as we consider these last few days of 2011, we are not counting the years from the onset of a powerful nation or worldwide empire, or from man’s appearance on the earth, but from the birth of a “babe, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger” (Lk. 2:12) in the town of Bethlehem, an event which marked the beginning of a new era for mankind!

The birth happened in a “Silent Night, a Holy Night …”, and was witnessed only by a few “shepherds abiding in the field and keeping watch over their flock by night” (Lk. 2:8)! Yet, in that silence of the night, “a multitude of the heavenly host was praising God, and saying: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and good will toward men” (Lk. 2:13).

Are you personally partaking, here on earth, of that peace and good will toward you?

This is what God offers you at Christmas! If you knew the depth of what that means, you would not be wasting precious time in shopping malls, but you would stop by to see Jesus and receive your personal gifts of “peace and good will”!

Click here and listen to this song …

In the Bible, the word “peace” means much more than a simple state of mind. It often has a broader meaning, like what people in the Middle East wish each other, when they greet with either a “Shalom”, or “Salaam”, depending on their language or religion. Shalom Aleichem (“Well-being be upon you“) is the Hebrew expression used to greet others, and is similar to the Arabic greeting: Assalamu Alaikum. The appropriate response to such a greeting is “Upon you be well-being” (Aleichem shalom), actually wishing others not only peace, but wellness, wholeness and prosperity!

It sums up the best benediction you can desire from God:

“The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you shalom” (Numbers 6:24-26).

In other words, when the angels proclaimed “peace and good will toward men” that night, God’s favor and blessings were offered to man as a gift, through the birth of baby Jesus.

Jesus is God’s ultimate Christmas gift to us! It offers us the favor and blessings of God, starting with the restoration of our personal relationship Him and continuing with a blessed and “abundant life” (John 10:10), not only in the world to come, but even here on earth! As it was proclaimed: “On earth peace and good will toward men” (Lk. 2:13).

What a Christmas gift! And it’s ours, if we can receive it! As I wrote last year at this time, we just need to “Stop running and make room for Christ!”

As you move into this next week, preparing for your Christmas party, I want to encourage you to take time to meditate upon the meaning of the “peace and good will toward men” that was proclaimed by the angels on the hills of Bethlehem and is being offered to you. There might be much more in it for you, than all the Christmas shopping you can do!

The best Christmas gift you can ever receive is what Jesus is offering you here and now: peace and good will toward you! Just open you heart and receive it. Repeat after me:

Jesus, thank you for your Christmas gift. I open my heart to You and receive it by faith. Please forgive all my sins and fill my life with Your peace and good will. Amen.

Merry Christmas!

Renato and Patrizia Amato

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We want to thank all those of you who have been praying for us and supporting our ministry of Healing Broken Hearts! The Lord has answered your prayers and we have now found a beautiful house by Lake Garda, where we will be moving at the beginning of the upcoming New Year 2012. The house has extra room for visitors and for those of you who would like to visit us there. You are welcome! Please continue to pray for us, that we can now find there, as we have here, those open to receive God’s healing balm of love.

Remember that “God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which you have showed toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister” (Heb. 6:10) to us with your prayers and support. If you would like to send a Christmas gift to support our ministry of Healing Broken Hearts, please click the Donate button on the right column of this site, or write to us so we can let you know how. Anything you give will be a seed that will reap great rewards and will be greatly appreciated. God bless you!

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No one can boast of tomorrow, because “you know not what a day may bring” (Prov. 27:1). Overnight, the economic situation can collapse and those who have “built their house on the sand” (Matt. 7:26) can suddenly see it being swept away by floods and winds that are able to hit even places considered secure. It’s not enough to hide behind closed doors and “trust in uncertain riches” that can vanish away! How much better to build our life on solid grounds and “lay up in store a good foundation against the time to come” (1 Tim. 6:17-19).

How do you interpret life? The Bible exhorts us to “look not at the things which are temporal, but at those that are long lasting” (2Cor 4:18), in order to “inherit substance and be filled with treasures“ (Prov. 8:21) and “fullness of joy along the path of life” (Psalm 16:11).

There are few treasures that can be taken away, when moving beyond human existence, and one of these is friendship. There’s an Italian saying, translated as: “Whoever finds a friend, he finds a treasure”. That might not be in the Bible, but it’s an absolute truth! Since we moved in this area (near Rome, Italy), after returning from our last foreign mission field in 1996, our life has been enriched with friends that have added real value to our existence.

During the past 15 years, hundreds (and perhaps thousands) of people have experienced with us the joy of being filled with God’s love, through His Son Jesus, and have become our dear friends. We have seen broken hearts being healed and lives being transformed, which in turn dedicated themselves to bring healing to others. The seeds planted have grown and multiplied, and now there are open homes and worship meetings scattered throughout the whole land, simply because from the beginning of our ministry we decided to obey the Lord and open our doors to those who were hungry and thirsty for truth …

It was a chain reaction! Within a few weeks we had a house full of young people who were hungry and thirsty for God’s Word, just as it’s written in Amos’ prophecy: “Behold, the days come, said the Lord, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord” (Amos 8:11).

As our living room, and then our garden, was filled with thirsty souls searching for an oasis in their desert, we became witnesses of miraculous changed lives! “They cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and He healed them, and delivered them from their destructions” (Psalm 107:19-20).

Among these, there were many who felt God’s call to follow our sample and dedicate their lives to share His love with others, so our place soon had no more space to house them all. It was then that we moved to a larger farm house, where a new community of hearts (the MELODY Mission) was birthed and today all those who ever lived there have become “light of the world” and “salt of the earth” (Matt. 5:13-14), scattered abroad to give flavor and value wherever they are. “The Spirit was poured on us from on high, and the wilderness became a fruitful field, and the fruitful field was counted for a forest” (Isaiah 32:15).

Now that these groups are able to grow and multiply on their own, the Lord has shown us that it’s time for us to leave this area and move to the northern part of Italy (600 km away), in order to be closer to my wife’s parents, who are in need our physical presence. “Honor your father and mother is the first commandment with promise; that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth” (Ephes. 6:2).

The decision has been taken and at the beginning of the coming New Year we will move to the north of Italy! It’s not easy for us, because of the deep ties that we have built over the years, but we know that true friendship will last forever. The physical distance will not separate us from our friends, because our souls are knit, just like the souls of David and Jonathan in the Bible (1 Sam. 18:1).

“Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it” (Song of Sal. 8:7).

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Please pray that we find the right house, with enough room to welcome those who need the love of the Lord, who “heals the brokenhearted” (Psalm 147:3) and “saves such as be of a contrite spirit” (Psalm 34:18). If you can also help us with a donation to start a new ministry of “Healing Broken Hearts” in that area, it will be a seed that will reap great rewards and will greatly be appreciated. Those wishing to help, please click the “Donate” button on the right column of this site, or write to us directly, so we can let you know how. God bless you!
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It all depends on what voice it’s paying attention to! Is it listening to selfish desires? Or is it listening to the voice of God’s wisdom, which is offered “to all man liberally” (James 1:5)? If your heart is filled with God’s Spirit and tuning to God’s voice, He will tell you what to do and where to go, and “you will hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk in it, when you turn to the right hand, and when you turn to the left” (Isa. 30:21).

Otherwise, the Bible reveals that: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9). In fact, it says that in since the very beginning “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually, and it grieved him at his heart” (Gen. 6:5)!

That’s because in our heart is where we have our self-talk, where our inner conversation is constantly going on and where we debate in our selves the things that are happening to us each day and moment of our life! Things are always happening to us, whether good or bad, and we process all the emotions that these events cause in our heart by a personal debate within ourselves! If we are self-centered and think that the world owes us everything, we will often be disappointed by the events of life and will usually tend to nurture hate, resentment and bitterness in our heart, which can easily be transformed in horrible behavior and can really take us down a very troubled road in life!

Whereas, if our heart is turned towards God and we are truly seeking for His perspective and guidance in life, He is  able to speak to our inner being and tell us what to do or where to go, and we can certainly trust God’s voice in our heart! Not exactly the voice of our own heart, but the voice of the Holy Spirit who’s speaking to our inner being and “directing our path” (Prov.3:6) to fulfill our destiny!

Let’s be honest with ourselves! If we are only desirous of gratifying our own selves, can we really trust the thoughts and intents of our heart? What is our heart telling us? Is it telling us to love and forgive the person that has hurt us, or to pay him back in double measure? Is it telling us to prefer the other person and give them a chance to prosper and grow, or to take advantage of whatever opportunity we have to get ahead of them and to leave them behind?

It really depends on what are we sowing into our heart … seeds of love, or seeds of hate? Seeds of forgiveness, or of resentment?  Seeds of kindness, or seeds of covetousness? The Bible tells us that “whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap” (Gal. 6:7)!

What is the message that our heart is constantly hearing? What are we feeding it? Are we “hiding God’s Word in our heart, that we might not sin against Him” (Psalm 119:11)? Are we feeding on Gods’ Word and letting it be “the joy and rejoicing of our heart” (Jer. 16:16)? Or are we spending more time watching TV and letting whatever it broadcasts be sown into our heart? The competition is fierce as to what is getting our attention and what messages or seeds are landing into our heart! That’s why the Bibles exhorts us to “Keep our heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Prov. 4:23)!

We must be careful about what is being sown and growing in the garden of our heart, because that’s the fruit that we are going to reap in our life! Jesus said: “Either make the tree good and its fruit will be good; or else make the tree corrupt and its fruit will be corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit … for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. (Matt. 12:33-35).

Can you really trust your heart? You can, if you’re having a regular intimate conversation with God in your heart and listening to what the Spirit is telling you! That’s why the Bible constantly reminds us: “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying …”
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If you are not sure whether you are listening to the right voice in your heart, or whether you can really trust what your heart has been telling you, contact me and I will be happy to be your mentor and take you through a 4 steps program on: “How to hear the voice of God!”
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The quality of life is more important than its length! If we were able to appreciate and enjoy every moment of life as the most important one we live, it would gain immeasurable value and a true significance that would fill our hearts with joy unspeakable! This is not a chimera, but a reality! Some of us know it, but unfortunately many have lost sight of it! They are too busy trying to fill up their lives with goods to be able to appreciate the good of life, and that’s why they feel “empty”, no matter how much they own!

Joy is a reality, and everyone can find! It is not far from us, but much closer than we think. Unfortunately we can only see what we are actually looking to, and often our eyes are turned elsewhere. It would be enough to turn our eyes to what really matters to make our life worthwhile and give it meaning! You don’t have to resign yourself to a life without value and a reason for being, but you can experience its full wealth and learn to appreciate every facet of it. You are here for a reason, and it’s your job to discover it and live it “to the full”!

What would it mean for you to experience the joy of living each day, knowing that you are here for a special purpose? There is a magnificent destiny that awaits you, a wonderful plan to discover and fulfill every day, but you have to make choices and take decisions! There is no reason to feel “victim” of circumstances, because we all have the ability to choose and to change our reality. It only depends on what we believe is possible!

“If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes“! This is not just another powerful sentence of a skillful motivational speaker of modern days, but a truth carved from thousands of years in what we recognize for good reasons as Holy Scriptures (Mark 9:23). These are words that for centuries have empowered the minds and hearts of those who desire to add true meaning to their existence! Whether or not you are certain of the divinity of Christ, the truth remains the truth, and there is no doubt that His words have given life and truth to some of the greatest men of history, and they continue to offer it to us today!

By stating that “all things are possible to him who believes“, Jesus offers us a life view of unlimited possibilities and reaffirms the principle of our “majesty of choice”!  We are each able to make choices that can change our life, but we first must believe that it’s possible! If we think that it’s not, then we will resign ourselves to live our life just as we have until now!

And you? Do you believe you can change your life for the better? Do you think you can build a better future? The past is past, and you cannot change it! But you can certainly change your future, by making wise choices that you will get you moving in the right direction!

Stop! Look! Listen to what your heart is telling you, and open yourself to life! Let the Spirit who created you, and put you here for a purpose, become part of you and open your eyes to the way to follow! If you do, you will find that the amazing place where you can find peace and joy in life every day, is not that far from you, you just need to look in the right direction!

It is a process of awareness and discovery of the true values of life! Once you are aware of the purpose for which you are in this world, you will have a clearer vision and healthy goals for your life, and you will wake up every day with excitement at the opportunities available! You will start walking the path where you will experience the joy of living each day!

P.S.: We all need someone to walk with us along the path of life, someone who believes in us and will cheer us up when we fall and need the courage to start moving forward again! If you are in a place where you need a life coach, someone who will be your cheerleader and will help you get up again, and even walk with you for a distance on the road ahead, do not hesitate to contact us and find out how to join a “walk of life” with us.

To find out more, click here: http://www.biblicalcoachingonline.com/about-coaching
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There is a beautiful song, entitled “The Impossible Dream” and made famous by a musical movie made in 1972, “Man of La Mancha”, which really impacted my youth. It depicted the incredible difference that a man, thought crazy by his relatives, made in the life of people who had stopped believing in themselves, because they had been trampled upon by others! They were totally transformed by his faith in them (See Video Clip at the end of this article).

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star

I believe God placed within each one of us all we need to achieve our “impossible dream”! We were created to live out the full potential that is within us and give the best of ourselves in this life, but often people resign themselves and accept a life of mediocrity that is boring and getting nowhere, mainly “because of unbelief” (Matthew 13:58)! Do not let this happen to you! There is only one life that will soon be past! Only what’s done for Christ will last!

Are you giving the best of yourself?
Are you chasing the impossible dream?
Are you reaching for the unreachable star?
Or have you settled into a boring routine that is making your life sad and miserable?
God wants to fill your life with joy! Jesus said: “These things have I spoken to you, that your joy might be full” (John 15:11).

I don’t believe in the type of religion that teaches you that one has to suffer through this life, in order to rejoice in the afterlife, and that we can only hope to one day be happy in Heaven! I believe that God wants to fill our present lives with joy, if we can only receive it! Jesus said it repeatedly: “Ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24).

The dictionary definition of “Joy” is: Intense and exultant happiness, contentment, pleasure.

Therefore, joy is a victorious state of mind with which we can face life and overcome any and all obstacles we find in our path! We must simply believe it and, with faith, everything can be overcome! “All things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23).

The problem is that some people think that, in order to live better and achieve your dreams, you have to be selfish and think only about yourself, but it’s not true! The Bible teaches that “what a man sows, that shall he also reap” (Gal. 6:7). “For with the same measure that you give, it shall also be given to you” (Luke 6:38).

We were not destined for an unhappy life, but as God’s children we have the right, that was granted to us by our Creator, to fully enjoy life! In the parable of the Good Shepherd, Jesus said: “The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy, but I have come that you may have life, and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

The “thief” is the negative religious thought that tells you that you don’t deserve to be happy, that “you must pay for your sins, that you will never amount to anything because you are not worth it, therefore you must resign yourself to your fate and bear your own cross in life… “, but that’s not true! Jesus carried the cross and died for you, to set you free from sins and give you back the fullness of joy and living in the grace of God!

If you have been listening to destructive thoughts in your mind, feeling guilty for your past mistakes, recognize the voice of the “thief”, who has come to “steal, kill and destroy” your dreams by filling your mind with lies, and realize that Jesus came “that you may have life” and He wants you to “have it more abundantly” (John 10:10)!

Do not allow that “thief” to rob you of the joy of living, which is your right as a child of God, but “take the shield of faith, with which you can quench all fiery darts, and the sword of the Spirit” (Eph. 6:16-17) to silence those negative thoughts and claim God’s promises for you!

“I know the thoughts that I think toward you,” says the Lord, “plans of peace and not of evil, to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).

The Lord is not a tyrant who plans evil for you, but He want to give you hope and a future in which your “impossible” dream can come true! Simply take it out of where you have hidden it, claim God’s promises and start building it! Your future is glorious as His promises!

“Delight yourself in the Lord: and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your judgment as the noonday” (Psalms 37:4-6).

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For more Reflections, Click here: http://renatoamato.com/en/soul-care/reflections/
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It’s the difference between living alone as a single, when we are not accountable to anyone of the way we live or what we do, vs. deciding to share our life with the one we love and, therefore, not only thinking of ourselves anymore, but seeking what can make both of us happy! I think this might be a simple but clear answer to anyone asking what difference can the presence of Christ make in someone’s life … it’s really like being in love!

A friend of mine was living for years as a single, and he could not understand why someone would want to marry and lose the freedom to decide by themselves the way to live or what to do, until he fell in love with someone! Suddenly he could hardly wait to share his life with her and started making decisions that he never would have considered before, being willing to make incredible sacrifices in order to spend more time with the person he loves!

Those who have been in love do not find it difficult to understand this type of behavior, no matter how “irrational” it might seem to others. In fact, what’s rational about being in love? It’s something that you feel inside and makes you do things that might seem strange to others, but which are perfectly normal for you, simply because you see them through the beautiful lens of love! How wonderful that is! Who would not want to be in love?

Yet, when one falls in love with Christ, often those around begin to worry and sometimes they even want to put them in a psychiatric clinic, because they think they have lost their mind! Don’t worry, it’s the most common thing that can happen! Often, when one has a personal encounter with Christ, they fall in love with Him and start doing things they never did before, which seem “irrational” to those who don’t understand and don’t feel the same love, but which are perfectly normal for anyone who has ever been in love with Jesus!

When we fall in love with Christ, our life really turns around and starts to change! And it changes for the better, because it’s a mutual love! “We love Him because He first loved us” (1John 4:19). Jesus loved us before we even realized that He was there for us! He waited patiently to share our life with us, and to help us overcome all our difficulties with His presence!

Once we decide to accept His love in our hearts and to devote our lives to Him, it’s really like being married! Suddenly we realize that we are no longer alone in this world, but we have someone who will never leave us and who will be with us at each step of life, sharing all our joy and pain, as would one who truly loves us and wants to only see us smiling … That’s the difference between life before and after Christ!

Last week we were  invited to a wedding and were asked to publicly pray for the brides … two souls who had decided to pronounce their “yes” before God and men, declaring their determination to share everything in life, joys and pain, health and sickness, abundance and lacks, and to be there for each other! And so it is with Jesus! He has already pronounced His “yes” to you on the cross … what about you? Have you pronounced your “yes” to Him?
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When trying to pinpoint any event in History, people all over the world have to date it either BC (Before Christ) or AD (Anno Domini, meaning “Year of the Lord”), according to whether it was before or after Christ, placing the birth of Jesus at the very center of man’s history! You might argue that it was just some powerful man in the past that simply forced the world to accept his way of dating History, but I have a feeling that beyond it there might have been a divine touch, because the destiny of mankind, and of every one of us, really does revolve around the appearance of Jesus Christ, both into the world, as well as into our lives!

Think of it, even the first book ever to be printed when the press was first invented, which has been a bestseller ever since, read by a large majority of people all over the world and recognized even by its worst critics to contain some of the oldest manuscripts of History, is divided into Old and New Testament! The Old referring to historical events that happened before the birth of Christ, and the New to the first few decades after His birth!

What’s interesting about it is that the Old Testament contains recounts of ancient History that have guided archeologists to uncover some of the most treasured historical sites that still today are visited by tourists from all over the world! Likewise, the New Testament has inspired the artists of the Renaissance to create some of the most appreciated pieces of arts that are also being visited by millions of people all year long!

Like powerful magnets, these historical sites and pieces of arts have been attracting entire generations of visitors from all over the world, of all cultures and religions, both believers or non, to travel across the nations in order to marvel at their sight. Millions of these every day look at them and have to think back to the appearance of Christ into the world as the major catalyst that separates the old from the new and its placed at the core of man’s History!

What makes it so? What separates the old from the new? What has Jesus Christ ushered into our world? How did His appearance make a difference in History, but more importantly how can it do so even in our own life? To answer some of these questions, there might be those who think of the social conditions, ideas and values that prevailed in ancient times, comparing them to those that today’s civilizations have universally embraced since Jesus Christ appeared and taught us to “love our neighbor as ourselves” (Mar. 12:31), but I think it goes so much deeper than that!

When I say deeper, I think of a “surgical operation” that God did in the core of the universal laws that governed the destiny of mankind, replacing what was called the Old Testament, a divine document that had been “written on tables of stone by the finger of God” (Ex. 31:18), with the New Testament, a “better covenant” (Heb. 8:6) that has since been “written by the Spirit of the living God; not on tables of stone, but in the tables of our heart” (2 Cor. 3:3).

Just changing the ideas and values of mankind is not enough, as we can see by the horrors that still today continue to be perpetuated by those who have not yet been changed in the core of their beings! But God promised to change our hearts, when He said: “A new heart will I give you, a new spirit will I put within you: I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26).

That’s what makes a difference, not only in History, but especially in our lives! That’s what changes the old into new! The Bible says: “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (1 Cor. 5:17).

Not only History, but even our lives can be dated BC or AD, Before or After Christ! What about you? What are you referring to, when you think of your life? Are you bound by some “old covenants” that keeps you stuck in the past, or are you are willing to let go of the old and receive the new that God is offering you? He says: “Remember not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing … I will make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:18-19)!

If you turn your life to Jesus, and let His Spirit write God’s new covenant of grace in your heart, you will start moving towards your destiny and fulfill the purpose for which you have been created. His Word says: “I know the thoughts that I think toward you, said the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you a hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:12)!

Let go of your BC, and move into your AD! That’s what will make a difference in your life!
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God’s word tells us that, “for the joy that was set before Him, Jesus endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). The temporary shame of the cross was despised because of a greater vision and “joy that was set before Him”, the ultimate purpose of His sacrifice, which was to spend eternity with us “in the Father’s house”, where “there are many mansions “(John 14:2).

In a detailed ancient prophecy about the passion and death of the Messiah that would come centuries later, it was written: “When you shall make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied” (Isa. 53:10, 11). In other words, what would give Him the strength to bear the cross, and the satisfaction of knowing it was worth it all, would be to “see the seed” and fruit that will come out of the travail of His soul and become heir of the Kingdom of God.

Just like a mother in labor knows that her sacrifice is not in vain, because of the fruit that will come out of it, Jesus was led by a vision and passion that helped Him overcome the temporary shame of the cross by looking forward to the day of resurrection! Not only His resurrection that would take place a few days later, but the “resurrection of the righteous” (Luke 14:14) that will take place when “the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air and ever be with the Lord ” (1 Thess. 4:16, 17).

Jesus was driven by a vision and passion that was greater than the momentary suffering and shame of the cross, and that’s what we each must have to overcome the obstacles and difficulties of life, and be able to fulfill our destiny!

“Without a vision the people perish” (Prov. 29:18)! That’s the risk of going through our life without a vision and purpose for living: to reach the end of it without hope for a better life! That is why the Apostle Paul, in that same chapter, exhorts us “not to be ignorant, brothers, concerning them which are asleep (and rest in peace), that you sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him “(1 Thess. 4:13,14).

The vision that Jesus had of a better world that would come out of His sacrifice is the same that can give meaning to each of our lives! You too can become part of that eternal vision, simply by asking His Spirit to fill you and by putting His instructions to practice!

In that vision He saw a world of people who would learn to love one another as He loved us! The night before He was arrested, tortured and slain on the cross, Jesus told His disciples: “Yet a little while I am with you … I say to you: a new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love one to another.

If you want to be a disciple of Jesus and embrace His eternal vision, you can ask His Spirit to come in your heart and give you the ability to love others as He loved you. His word says: “Hereby perceive we the love of God , because He laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 Jn. 3:16). It’s not an utopia, as “Jesus said: If you can believe, all things are possible to him that believes” (Mark 9:23).
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