thegoodfellas/blogset-br huggingface dataset:
I've once listened to a song that said something like this: "If I find in myself desires nothing in this world could satisfy, I can only conclude that I was not made for here".While I was reflecting about this deep paradoxal verse (that sometimes seems to be easy to be reached or understood, but sometimes seems to be so distant andutopical), I remembered that the Bible says God has put the desire for the eternity into the man's heart. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)This eternity that was so close to Adan and Eve, but it was taken away from them, when their desire to be like God appeared.Sometimes I think in the ancient phrase "there is an empty space in our souls that only can be fulfiled by God", many people think it's only an impact phrase, something really metaphorical, an evangelical jargon.But I'm sure this phrase true, and as we had seen a few minutes ago, it's biblical correct ! (Ecclesiastes 3:11)If we think a little about the constant and endless human souls' desires (happiness, money, love, pleasure, self accomplishment, acknowledgement, friendship, success...), WE WILL DEFINITELY SEE THAT THEY COULD NEVER BE COMPLETELY FULFILED, Doesn't matter how rich you are, you may want something more, and if you are already happy, you may want money and success. Who could ever say that has achieve all his dreams and projects?and if there is such person, ask him how he would like living an extra 500 years life bonus...So this person would keep desiring more and more, never achiving full inner peace.Maybe that is why the Bible says:"What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. "(James 4:1-3)Are we so dumb and stubborn to not understand that we could never fulfil the desire for the eternity with cars, houses, and other material stuff, earthly dreams and empty projects ?This empty space in our souls is way to big to be fulfiled with temporary thrash !Avoiding it will only cause discouragement, fatigue, hopelessness and frustration...The sooner whe realize that " my soul thirsts for the Lord", the sooner we will give up fight like a man beating the air, trying to quench an eternal thirsty with the temporary water of human hope, dreams and desires.Jesus once said: "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him" (John 7:37-38)Biologically speaking, the human body perish and dies without water, Spiritually speaking, the problem is the same...Our souls need the streams of living water !Let the rivers of the Holy Spirit flow in your life.If we guide our lives by the lens of the eternity, how realized,
full of purpose and joy it will be !But if we let the earthly vision guide us, and the pride, the greed, the carnal pleasures say what our priorities are, it will turn us into human flesh sinful-minded puppets, fulfiled with all the rot things of this world, really miserables !Do you wanna start putting your life in the eternal domain ?So, let's start: Imagine this: "On 1000 years, Will it matter how much money you got, how rich you were, and how famous you were ?"Ok, you think 1000 years is way too much time ? So just think that from the day you die, you will begin to see what was worthy and how temporary things have no value after death...That's because after dead you enter in the eternity domain, and you may be way too poor there, even if you were the richest man on earth. Do You want to know what the essence of seeing life through eternal lens is ?Death is the most undeniable truth in the world,and it can't be avoided for anyone (rich or poor), and it will automatically lead you to eternity.You better be prepared for that !Jesus said: "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26)May God bless you in Jesus' name !
Yesterday,While I was meditating on the Word of God, I read a verse I really like and God blessed me a lot.It was Romans 12:12, That says: "Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying".While I was reading this text, I was thinking about the big importance it has in the christian's Life, specially what it means to me.I believe hope is something very close to faith, or even a part of it, because the bible says: "And this hope is what saves us. But if we already have what we hope for, there is no need to keep on hoping." (Romans 8:24)We also learn that Salvation is by faith (Ephesians 2:8).So, they are really close to each other.We also can see hope and faith together in this passage: "Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." (Romans 4:18).So I came to the conclusion that hope is the element that has the power to keep our faith alive, For it not only helps us to believe as it also help us to keep believing.So we can see the reason why many people say they have faith, but the stop believing, that's because they had no hope, a little one, or they totally lost their hope." We must hold tightly to the hope that we say is ours. After all, we can trust the one who made the agreement with us".(Hebrews 10:23)Yep, only hope can save us when the situation of our life is the opposite to what we believe.Just because of hope you keep believing, because You hope God is going to bless you, just the way He said he would do, Because He is Powerful and faithful.We keep believing in hope, and our faith is kept stronger, alive, based in the things that we can't see yet, but we are sure that they exist.Once I heard someone saying something like this: "It's in the midst of troubles that our faith is proved, because when everything is calm, it seems to be sleeping, but when our boat is shaked by the big waves of life we have to awake our faith and it will keep us strong".That sentence reminds me of a very wise proverb written by Solomon : "If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. " (Proverbs 24:10)Yes, That's the opposite of what habakkuk used to do, we can see it clearly: " Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat, the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls-- yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength; and He will make my feet like hinds' feet, and He will make me to walk upon
mine high places."(Habakkuk 3:17-19)In English the word hope is both a verb and a noun, but in Portuguese the verb 'Hope' means to wait and the noun is "Esperanca", that can be translated as having good expectations.Sometimes that we have to accept is that our expectations not always are like the ones God has to us...Because His expectations for us are greater and more excellent that we have always imagined for ourselves.We want good things, but we can't look to the future and see if they really were the best things we could have or at least as good as we thought they would be.If we gather all the material goods, money, and properties of the whole world, We will definitely see that they can't be compared to the grandeur of God's plans to us and also his precious and eternal salvation that He have already prepared to us.We should never exchange the certainty of God's eternal plans for us by the pursuit of personal happiness.So if they come into conflict, choose God!It's like what Jesus said "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?"(Matthew 16:26)We can see that waiting is the essential aspect of faith and hope, because We know that something good happens if we believe, but we have to wait patiently..."I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry."(Psalm 40:1)Hope brings joy and helps us to keep believing, it's because of Hope we can wait patiently.It makes us believe that we are waiting for something that is worthy, and we'll not be disappointed."And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."(Romans 5:5)To remain strong in hope, we'll also need endurance, which we receive day by day when we wait patiently.Yes, We need perseverance, and being patient we can reach it !"You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised." (Hebrews 10:36)The last part of the verse talks about prayer and the necessity of never give up praying.We don't need to see things to pray, but we need to keep believing.So we can see that the invisible things are spiritual ones, or in another words, things that still don't exist here (in this natural world)...Through Prayer we'll ask God to bring this things to the existence, to make them appear here.You may not see your dreams yet, but you have to believe that God is preparing it to you, and in the right time He'll give it to you.We have to take our eyes off the problems and put in in God, Who is powerful to change any situation.It's Like Abraham did " Abraham, against all hope, believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, "So shall thy seed be." (Romanos 4:18).When we receive
a promise from God, we have to believe, to let hope gives us joy and to keep patient in faith, and we'll be blessed.When we gather faith, hope, joy and endurance, Do you know what we will have ?P-E-A-C-E !And through this peace we can be patient and remain strong in the midst of troubles, and we certainly will be blessed !So, Never give up your dreams, Persevere in prayer, keep believing, never give up.And you'll see that it was good to believe, because when you receive the blessing you're waiting for, you'll be very happy.And you will forget the times you cried, for the happinnes will be bigger than that !"At night we may cry, but when morning comes we will celebrate."(Psalms 30:5b)May God bless you so much !
Yesterday I was thinking about the way God shows his glory, love and mercy in the moments we got frustrated for we were expecting Him to act in a different way with his providence and power to change our lives.I saw that He always is right and has a defined purpose when we doesn't bless us the way we wanted Him to do.Just like a father, that wants nothing but the best for his son, God knows when we really need something or we just desire that and we certainly could wait some more time.He knows the right time to bless us, and even if we aren't so ready to receive this blessing as we think we are.Do You remember that Jesus said that a good father won't give a scorpion to his kid (who was thinking it was an egg) ?So, God doesn't give us things He knows that won't be good to us (even when we really ask that, thinking it will be the best thing we could ever get) ! For example, what father would be insane to give a car to his 10 years old son ?Or What father would allow his son to use drugs (just because all his friends say it's cool) ?So, the Lord showed me that He always proves that "In all things He Works for the good of those who love him" (Romans 8:28)Knowing these, wouldn't we be wise if we always rely blindly on His grace, endless mercy, eternal love for us, his care for our lives, his always good plans for us ?People, God loves us ! He is Faithfull !That must be the reason that Paul the Apostle said: "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:11-13)Trusting this way in God, he could say:"We live by faith, not by sight."(2 Corinthians 5:7)This is the big faith, the one that allows you to keep believing even when things are not good or at least not they way we expected it to be.When will we ever learn that our faith isn't an instrument that we can use to manipulate God in order to receive what we want ?Are we believing in God or in an invisible Genius of the Lamp ?Is Faith just a Lamp for us ? People say "I have faith I'll get anything I need".Oh, really ?!? Does the Lord HAVE to Bless you ? Just because you believe ? Who is the Lord: God or you ?Faith is a way of salvation and providence in time you need, not a way to receive money, power, good jobs, status...If You say you have faith when things are good, just wait for the troubles
and tribulations to see if you really have it... This is the way our faith should be: " Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights. ."(Habakkuk 3:17-19)May God Bless us and help us to keep believing no matter what happens !
and Martin would say: "I have a dream",and all other dreamers would say "SIM !" ...but the pessimists would start mocking,poor guys,What do they know about dreaming ?Reality is cold and tough, that ain't easy !but the dreams can cure wounds,with a dose of comfort and some honey and peace,and sooner the pains go away, making you new, ready to run in the fields !The mind wander far away and contemplate the possibilityof overcoming the obstacles imposed by reality,and it rejoice with an image of future: the fruit of believing and persevering !Planted with Tears, watered with hope,mocked so many times, considered by many as madness, fool Ilusion !But what was only a relief, ended up becoming a rote for the solution !*PS: Sim is 'Yes' in Portuguese. In the last months We have seen how fragile the economy structure of this world is, and how it really has frightened a lot of people. Although we enjoy all the benefities of living in a globalized world, we can't deny that globalization gave the economic crisis the status of an international disaster, almost like a plague to the whole world.While the richest men on earth just got a little less rich, the average men lost (or are really afraid to loose) their jobs, and the poor's situation is even worst.I don't know what caused all these problems, neither I intend to talk about economy.I just want to reflect (and guide people to do the same) about faith, trust and hope.First of all, I can see this crisis as an opportunity to people to think about where they have put their trust: In God in the money (and financial stability) ?That reminds of the words of Jesus Christ about this (Matthew 6:24), do you remember that ?Who are you serving: God or mammon (money) ?If you answered mammon, you are really honest, and you may want to change this situation or you really don't care about it.If you serve mammon and don't care about God at all, you'll have to accept this whole situation (like a puppet), as a slave of something you thought you were the master.And I'd like to tell you one more thing: No matter how rich you are, eventually you are going to die and no money on earth could save you from it.You chose to live a life without hope and faith, so do you know what can happen to you ?A- You could turn into nothing (as you believe so) and someone else will spend all your money, and in a few years no one will remember of you.B- You are going to hell unless you repent from your life of independence and rebellion against God.As Blaise Pascal once said: " Either Christianity is true or it's false......If you bet that it's true, and you believe in God and submit to Him, then if it IS TRUE, you've gained God, heaven, and everything else.If it's false, you've lost nothing, but you've had a good life marked by peace and the illusion that ultimately, everything makes sense.If you bet
that Christianity is not true, and it's false, you've lost nothing.But if you bet that it's false, and it turns out to be true, you've lost everything and you get to spend eternity in hell."For those who said that serve God, Why are you so afraid of this crisis ?Isn't the Lord your Shepherd ? (Psalm 23:1)So He takes care of you ! (Matthew 25:32)I could only talk about the necessary hope for waiting for the better days to come, but I don't think it would be enough to describe hope, for it's way beyond this.The true hope exceed the limits of this life !The Word of God says: " I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God." (Romans 8:18-21) And about Hope, The Lord says in His Word that " For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." (Romans 8:24-25)So I'll finish this reflection exhorting you to keep believing in the Lord, not only for the provisions and needs of this life, but waiting for the eternal life.Trust in the Word of God and not on the rumours that only have been causing fear and which the main purpose is to shake people's trust, Because The Lord says: " Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap." (Luke 21:33-34 )Don't Forget that Jesus said: "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:33)Make sure you built your life on the rock and not on the sand ! (Matthew 7:24-27)May the Lord bless you in the name of Jesus !
Last week I was reading the bible when I saw a very interesting passage in the book of psalms and it made me think really seriously about the way we've been guiding our life. The text was Psalms 49, and the part that got my attention was this:" 16 Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases;17 for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him.18 Though while he lived he counted himself blessed and men praise you when you prosper-19 he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of life .20 A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish."This text made me think about the great amount of people that are living under the "Gospel of the Prosperity" nowadays...And I also thought about the modern 'pursuit of fame' fever, which can be seen in the great amount of people willing to participate on reality shows, wanting to be actors, singers, or simply 'famous for at least 15 minutes'...I was thinking about this and I got to the conclusion that in 100 years it won't matter how rich you were, how famous or acknowledged by your accomplishments you were, it won't help you at all..." No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him- the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough - that he should live on forever and not see decay."(Psalms 49:7-9)Do you want an example of it ?Solomon !He was a very rich, wise and famous man, but he saw it was not enough..."I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind."(Ecclesiastes 1:14)So, Do You think your happy ?Good, but remember that your happiness doesn't mean your saved !You're rich ?Don't rely on your money to save you !Salvation is something that only can be achieved by faith...And faith alone in Jesus Christ !And this faith have to be strong enough to persevere even when things are difficult, when you're not being very happy, when you're financial situation isn't going well... " Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God MY SAVIOR." Habakkuk 3:17-18I pray that we can say like Paul (the apostle said):"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.I can do everything through him who gives me strength."(Philippians 4:12-13)May God bless you in the name of Jesus Christ ! On this Autumn, when I was looking to
the effects of this season in the trees, I suddenly realized that the same happens to us when the problems and tribulation come to our lives.All that green appearance vanish away slowly: the leaves fall and everything start to get gray and sad, so different from the life we used to see before, with the colorful Spring look or the happiness found in the Summer.From this moment, we know that the Winter is coming soon, right after this Autumn and the things may get a little bit worse.We always knew that problems and tribulations make people lose their hearts and became apathetic, drawn, weak, but now we start to feel it !In spite of everything getting so cold and dead, there is still some powerful hope: As the Winters always have an end, these problems also will have one soon.If you are in the valley, dont let the dryness that comes from the incredulity and conformism kill you slowly, be strong in the hope that soon the wind who gave live to those dry bones in the valley will blow upon your life (Ezekiel 37), and the winter will finally end.If you continue looking to your life with carnal eyes, the problems will continue being dry and dead bones, nothing else !The secret is to look by the eyes of the One who is the most interested in blessing and changing lives !WE HAVE TO LIVE BY FAITH IN THE POWER, LOVE AND MERCY OF OUR HEAVENLY FATHER !ENOUGH OF SUFFERING ALONE AND STRUGGLING BY OURSELVES, ENOUGH OF USING THE PROBLEMS AS KNIVES AGAINST OURSELVES !WHY SHOULD YOU REAFFIRM ON AND ON THAT YOU ARE UNEMPLOYED, LONELY, WITH PROBLEMS IN YOUR MARRIAGE ? THAT DOESNT CHANGE ANYTHING, START WALKING AND LIVING BY FAITH !GOD WANTS TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE, TO TAKE YOU OUT OF THE VALLEY OF THE DRY BONES, WIPE AWAY THE TEARS FROM YOUR FACE, CALL YOU HIS SON AND SAY: DIDNT I SAY TO YOU THAT IT WOULD WORTH TO BELIEVE THAT I WOULD NEVER LET YOU DOWN, BECAUSE I REALLY LOVE YOU ?" GOD IS READY TO BLESS YOU, ARE YOU READY TO BELIEVE AND TAKE SOME STEPS BY FAITH ?FAITH IS TO BELIEVE IN THE UNBELIEVABLE, TO SEE THE INVISIBLE AND RECEIVE THE IMPOSSIBLE !May God bless you !