But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:5).

“Whoever does not have a godfather is not baptized”

A long time ago I heard this spanish saying that, despite how little I like it, is terribly accurate.

There is a lot of talk about how we are in a society of meritocracy, that it doesn’t matter so much who you are or the degrees you have, but what you are able to do with what you have, and blah, blah, blah.

But the truth is that if you look at those who are at the head of many companies, entities or organizations, the decisions they make, or the statements they make, you have no choice but to question all of the above.

Some examples.

If you want something to sell well, you have to get the celebrity to promote it. If you succeed, it won’t matter whether the product is good or bad. The point is that it will sell, at least for a while.

In electoral campaigns, it is not important the quality or solvency of the political program, but to give a good image in front of the camera, and to get the support of the right people.

And if you don’t want to be messed with, try to make friends with someone important. Because if you have good allies, no matter what you do, they will always find a way out for you. Unless you steal more than you should.

So, unfortunately, in this society, those who do not have a godfather is not baptized, and those who have a godfather is.

This is the terrible message that is being transmitted to society and that is permeating to the bone.

Is God a father or a godfather?

And this is causing even those who believe in a God to see that God as something similar. So they come to think that, if they manage to win God’s favor, they will be able to live their lives in their own way and at ease.

This is what, in a way, Greeks and Romans did at the time of Christ. They presented offerings to please the gods so that they would be propitious to them. Or at least to leave them alone and not pursue them with calamities.

Then they would go back to their usual lives to do what they thought best.

And as I was saying, there are those who think that the same can be done with God. They give more or less substantial donations, show up at a church from time to time, and that’s it. With that they already believe they have earned heaven.

God is holy

But there is a problem. God is Holy. And nothing that is not holy will be able to stand in his presence.

If we go to the Old Testament we will see that the offerings that had to be presented to God had to be perfect, otherwise they would be rejected.

And since there is no such thing as a perfect human being, no one will be able to stand in the presence of God by his or her own efforts.

Well, there was indeed a perfect human being, someone who stood before God and took the punishment for our sins and the payment for our deliverance: Jesus.

Let’s see what the book of the prophet Isaiah tells us, in chapter 53 and verse 5:

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Christ paid the price for our peace

There is nothing we can do to earn God’s favor. There is no gift large enough to pay the “fine” for our offense to God, nor any action so high that it can make us forget our sin.

The only one who could pay the price was Christ. And He did it for love.

And if we accept Christ’s sacrifice, die to ourselves and begin to live for God, we have the certainty that God’s hand will always be upon our lives.

In this way, their guidance, care and protection will accompany us throughout our days. And we will have the confidence that, whatever we live, it will always be God’s perfect plan for us.

Christ paid for our rebellions and assumed our sins. This is the only thing that opens access to God. No one who is not justified by Christ will be able to remain in his presence for all eternity.

But, in addition, Christ won God’s peace for us and we were healed by Him.

This implies that the days we live on this earth we can live secure and confident, in spite of the circumstances, and with the certainty that our days here will not end prematurely, no matter how much attack our adversary launches against us.

Christ is the example of true meritocracy. If today we can live in peace with God, it is because Christ won it for us through his surrender and death.

So, we no longer need godparents, because in Christ we are made children of God, and now we have a Father who loves us.

God bless you.

Cover photo by Ben Allan on Unsplash

En el Valle de Sombra de Muerte

A lo largo de nuestras vidas, todos vamos a pasar por valles de oscuridad y dolor.

Pero la Palabra de Dios da ánimo, y nos muestra cómo seguir adelante en dichos momentos, y vencer.

Quiero saber más

La entrada The punishment that brought us peace was on him se publicó primero en David Gómez.

Have you ever been approached on the street by a stranger to congratulate you and give you a gift?

But a real gift, not one of those promotions whose objective is that you end up buying something from them.

For me, at least, no.

Nor is it usual for someone with whom you have a terrible grudge to approach you to give you gifts. And if it does, before you open them you x-ray them. Just in case.

And that happens because we give gifts to people we love and know.

People who have helped or taught us in a selfless way. People who have granted us the privilege of their friendship, their time, or even their resources.

It is these people whom we honor with gifts, and whose achievements we congratulate and recognize.

But the rest of the population often remains invisible to our eyes. Because we understand that they have done nothing for us, nor are they anything for us.

At most, we make a donation to an NGO. But sometimes it is more out of remorse than out of true altruism.

And this is so because, by nature, we are selfish. Even, in some cases, these gifts are a way to “maintain a relationship” that, perhaps, we are neglecting.

However, Jesus shows us the true nature of the attitude of giving. Thus, in the Gospel of Luke chapter 14 Jesus speaks about a wedding, and tells his host that when he holds a celebration he should not invite friends, but the poor and needy.

Because friends could return the invitation and repay the favor. But the needy could not, and that is what God would value and reward.

In fact, that is what God did with us.

Although God loves us, for many He was a perfect stranger. At most someone we had heard of, but with whom we either had no relationship at all, or our relationship was one of hatred or contempt. But, in all cases, we lived outside their ways and their will.

And in spite of that contempt, God gave us the best of gifts.

Let’s see what Luke’s Gospel tells us, chapter 2 and verses 10 and 11:

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

God had no obligation to us.

We had done nothing to reciprocate.

In fact, we had earned his back.

And yet, his love for us, a genuine and selfless love, impelled him to give us redemption and eternal life.

He paid the price for our sins, for our rebellions, for our indifference against Him. And in Christ he gave us eternal life, granting us the right to be his children.

It doesn’t matter what our attitude toward God is. He looks at us through His mercy and wants us to recover the perfect relationship that we human beings had with Him at the beginning of Creation.

And that is why he sent Christ to rescue us. No strings attached, no fine print. A gift of love.

But like all gifts, you can only enjoy this one if you accept it and unwrap it to use it.

So this Christmas I invite you to accept the gift that God offers you, because no other gift will transform your life as Christ will.

And if you already have it, remember to share it with everyone else, known or unknown.

Because, as valuable as the things you can share are, Christ is the only gift that will bring them life.

God bless you.

And a very Merry Christmas.

Cover photo by Gareth Harper on Unsplash

La entrada The best Christmas gift se publicó primero en David Gómez.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23).

Almost any human activity is regulated by rules and laws.

The law establishes which lane you should drive in and at what speed, how you should be hired and how you should be fired, what rules should govern wills, where you can make noise and up to when, and where you cannot. It even established where one could catch Covid-19, such as on public transportation, and where one could not, such as in a movie theater or restaurant. I hope the virus also read the decree.

The fact is that our lives are governed by codes of rules, regulations, decrees, laws, customs?

Have you ever wondered why?

Well, basically because humans tend to follow the two commandments that have been universally considered the most important.

And sadly they are not the commandments of Jesus: love God above all things and your neighbor as yourself.

The commandments or laws that mankind has applied most universally are the following two: the law of the strongest and the law of the funnel.

That is why it is necessary to establish an infinite number of norms and rules that attempt to curb the excesses produced by these two universal laws.

Laws whose consequences are known to all: jealousy, fights, robberies, wars, insults, racism, pride…

Consequences that have led us to become true masters in the “art” of building weapons or in the arts of killing, long before in the art of repairing or healing.

The problem is that, no matter how advanced a society may be, at the slightest opportunity the impulse to follow the law of the strongest appears.

If my opponent looks weaker, why shouldn’t I take advantage of it?

If I can make things difficult for my competition and ruin them, why not do it?

Of course, if it is your opponent who tries to do it to you, you apply the law of the funnel: I do it because we are in a market of free competition and the customer must be able to choose freely, but my opponent cannot do it because if he damages my business he would be violating free competition and the customer’s freedom of choice.

Although we are in the 21st century and we have the laser beam, we have reached Mars and we have found cures for many diseases, however, we continue killing ourselves in infamous wars or making life impossible for those around us.

This is the fruit of a selfish life far from God.

And in the face of this, what does God propose to us in his word?

The answer is found in the book of Galatians, chapter 5 and verses 22 and 23:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

God wants us to be able to enjoy life in community and make the best of it.

Companionship, collaboration, synergy, and improvement are the result of a common life in which God’s values are put to work.

Bearing one another’s burdens, supporting the weak and loving one another are the results of letting Christ into our lives..

Because when Christ takes your life your whole value system is transformed.

You understand that the important commandments are not those of the world, those that are limited to trying to avoid excesses.

You understand that the most important commandments are those of Christ, those that impel you to seek the good of your neighbor.

And the consequences of letting the Holy Spirit renew your mind and soul lead you to act with your fellow men in such a way that makes any kind of law unnecessary.

You will respect those who think differently, even if you do not share it; you will not take advantage of your strengths, or the weaknesses of others, to harm them; you will love everyone, even those who “dislike you” or those who are different from you.

This is the result of a transformed life, one in which the fruit of the Spirit can develop.

And all this because you understand that you are not superior to anyone.

And you understand this because you may have tried to do it on your own before, and found that it was impossible.

But when you live for God you discover the certainty of Jesus’ words: what is impossible for men is possible for God.

For what you cannot attain, God has attained for you.

God bless you.

Cover photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

La entrada The fruit of the Spirit se publicó primero en David Gómez.

…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Amen (Matthew 28:20)

It has been almost 2000 years since Christ left us to return to the Father.

A long time, but during which the church, with its lights and shadows, has been fulfilling the Great Commission that He entrusted to us: to go into all the world and preach the Gospel, baptizing and teaching to keep His commandments .

A duty, undoubtedly, far beyond our capabilities and skills. And that would be impossible without the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, it is not surprising that, when God calls us to serve Him, in whatever service, our first response is: “no”.

And, under a false sense of humility, let us reply like Jeremiah or Moses, “Lord, I am useless, please send someone else”.

Curious humility that leads us to reply to God to tell him that he does not know what he is doing when he asks us to do this or that.

It is not humility, it is fear of failure that leads us to answer this way.

The fear of screwing up and being laughed at by others, or that God Himself will throw our uselessness in our face.

It is pride that makes us answer God: “No”.

For if we were truly humble, we would obey Him without grumbling.

It is true that lack of experience leads us to doubt our capabilities.

But what we have to remember is that in God’s ways the capacity does not depend on us. It is not of him who wills or of him who runs, but of him on whom God has mercy.

That is why we all can and should commit ourselves to the task of serving God wherever He needs us, to make the message of the Gospel grow in the midst of this earth.

When Jesus committed the Great Commission to the disciples, they faced the same fears.

They knew their weaknesses. They had fled when Jesus was arrested. Even after his resurrection, He had to call them back because they had returned to their old professions.

If Jesus was not going to be with them, who would continue to perform the miracles and wonders that attracted so much attention? Or who would silence the enemies of truth with words of power and wisdom?

That is why Jesus, when he gives them the witness of the task ends with these words that we find in Matthew chapter 28 and verse 20: And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Yes, it is true that He physically left us almost 2000 years ago, but the truth is that He has never left us alone.

His Holy Spirit has been with us since Pentecost, and since then nothing and no one has been able to stop His church. And nothing can stop it as long as He is with us.

They may persecute us, they may try to silence us, they may even kill us, but as long as there is a church the Gospel will always continue to run. For we have the promise of Christ that his presence will be with us until the end of the world.

As Peter said when he healed the paralytic, our services are not done by our power or virtue, but by faith in Christ and the grace of God.

Whatever God calls you to, forget your pride, say yes to God, and start working.

If you have to train, train, and if you have to mature, do it. But don’t wait until you’re perfect, because then you’ll never do anything but whine in the corners.

Whatever you have in your hand at any given moment is what you must give to God so that He may bless and multiply it.

For even with only five loaves and two fish, physical or spiritual, God can lead you to feed a multitude.

And the fact is that life, and victory, belongs to those who say yes to God, to those who dare to put their hand to the plow and, in the name of Christ, go forward.

Until the finish line.

Because Christ is and will be with them.

God bless you.

Cover photo by Ellaby on Unsplash

En el Valle de Sombra de Muerte

A lo largo de nuestras vidas, todos vamos a pasar por valles de oscuridad y dolor.

Pero la Palabra de Dios da ánimo, y nos muestra cómo seguir adelante en dichos momentos, y vencer.

Quiero saber más

La entrada And surely I am with you always se publicó primero en David Gómez.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

This is often a classic question in selection processes.

It is used to assess whether a person knows how to set goals, or whether he or she is ambitious, farsighted or a planner. And, by the way, to see how he handles unforeseen events and pressure. Because it is not a question that many people ask themselves.

And it’s interesting, because when you do it you can realize what’s in the other person’s heart.

They usually tell you that they want to progress professionally or academically, that they want to be responsible for a team, that they want to take on new challenges and the like.

But what is important is what they do not say.

Hardly anyone tells you that they want to learn to work in a team, that they want to start a family, that they want to increase their collaboration in an NGO or a church, or that they want to be a better person.

Perhaps for fear that they might think that all this will take up your time or that you are acknowledging that you are not a “good person”.

But the truth is that what it shows is that you are your own goal.

That you do things thinking about your own interests and what benefits you.

Your goals clearly reveal who you serve, who controls your heart and mind.

When we live apart from God we have a heart full of desires, and our mind full of rebellion against Him. First me, then me, and later me, and then, maybe… but better me too.

And yet, none of this ends up giving us true happiness. Because when something fails, and it will fail, or when another “I” takes what we consider ours, we are filled with resentment.

Therefore, one of the first things God does, when we accept him as Lord of our lives, is to transform our own nature, so that we can live a full life at his side.

Let us see what the apostle Paul tells us in the second letter to the Corinthians, chapter 5 and verse 17:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

The new is here

When the Holy Spirit enters our lives He changes our old approaches to life, and our values are changed by the life and freedom that God gives us.

And when this happens, our goals will also change. Goals that will now focus on fulfilling God’s will.

And mind you, I am not saying that a Christian cannot have goals in his natural life. But they must take into account what God has for your life.

Because we have changed our Lord. We no longer have a heart full of desires, but of gratitude.

For our sins have been forgiven, and all the old things, our old way of being, have gone, have been forgotten.

We no longer have a mind full of rebellion against God, but our thoughts seek Him continually.

Of course all this is a process, that our old self must gradually die.

But it is something in which we must put all our efforts, since we have changed our kingdom and this implies a change of essence.

If you do not become a fish, you will drown, but if you allow yourself to be transformed, a new world will open up before you.

God bless you.

Cover image by Dawid Zawiła on Unsplash

La entrada The old has gone se publicó primero en David Gómez.

During Franco’s dictatorship, evangelicals in Spain were second-class citizens.

So we were discriminated against in cemeteries, in jobs, in the army, in social life in general.

Many times they closed our places of worship with any pretext; and this discrimination was so evident that Spain was excluded from access to some international aid for this reason.

In this context, the natural thing to do would be to try to maintain what is called a low profile. Do nothing and wait for better times.

However, this is not what happened.

It is true that large signs were avoided in the churches, and multitudinous activities were not carried out. Despite this, however, the premises were attacked or closed by the authorities. And many times they had to meet clandestinely in the houses.

But they dared to point out themselves in the midst of a world that discriminated and rejected them.

And God was faithful to that faithful church. Because of this, the church grew, and a lot, during that time. And despite all the difficulties, God used them to lay the foundation upon which the church of today stands.

But they have not been the only ones. Throughout the Bible, with characters such as Daniel, Rahab, Nehemiah, or the prophets, as well as throughout history, we have the example of many other servants and handmaids of God who took on similar challenges.

And don’t think that they were special people, endowed with great character or an overwhelming personality. The vast majority were simple people, whose only strength was their love for Christ.

My paternal grandmother was a simple woman. And yet he organized clandestine prayer meetings in his house, even though his neighbor downstairs was a colonel in Franco’s army.

There have been many, because if there is one thing we must be clear about, when we decide to follow Christ and live for him, it is that we are going to face many and great oppositions. But God will always be with us.

And the apostle Paul knew this well.

Therefore, when Paul writes his second letter to the young Timothy, who is following in his footsteps in God’s work, the first thing he tells him is to hold tightly to the Holy Spirit in order to overcome all the trials he will have to face.

Thus, in that second letter to Timothy, in chapter 1 and verses 7 and 8 Paul tells him: For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore do not be ashamed to bear witness for our Lord, nor for me, his prisoner, but share in the afflictions for the gospel according to the power of God.

When we submit our lives to God we receive the wonderful gift of salvation. But with it also comes a great responsibility: to be witnesses of Christ so that others may also come to his feet.

And for this we need the power of God. Power to know how to be still, and power also to act.

For it is true that we have been called to be meek and to know how to keep our impulses under the control of the Holy Spirit. But meekness does not mean cowardice, just as humility does not mean that we remain silent in the face of injustice.

That is why God has left us the Holy Spirit. A spirit of power to face situations and people without fear. For we will not go in our own strength, but we will be channels of God’s power.

But it is also a spirit of love, to reach out to those who suffer and to those who persecute us and to manifest to them the message of salvation and hope.

And it is a spirit of self-control, which will strengthen us not to give in to our natural impulses and selfishness, but will help us to keep our eyes focused on the cross of Christ and the will of the Father.

So now you know, from the first moment you lay your life at the feet of Christ you will suffer opposition and persecution from our adversary, so that you will not carry out God’s plan in your life.

But like all those who have gone before us, you too will have that same spirit of power, love and self-control that God generously gives us, and that will make real in your life the words we find in the 2nd Epistle to the Corinthians, chapter 2 and verse 14: But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ Jesus, and through us manifests in every place the fragrance of his knowledge.

God bless you.

Photo by Tim Marshall on Unsplash

En el Valle de Sombra de Muerte

A lo largo de nuestras vidas, todos vamos a pasar por valles de oscuridad y dolor.

Pero la Palabra de Dios da ánimo, y nos muestra cómo seguir adelante en dichos momentos, y vencer.

Quiero saber más

La entrada For God has not given us a spirit of cowardice se publicó primero en David Gómez.

Rites, norms, liturgies. Some of them are undoubtedly useful, others have lost all meaning with the passage of time.

However, many of the latter are still imposed on people with the same force as the fundamental dogmas of Christianity.

And the only thing they achieve is that we have gone back to the times of the scribes and Pharisees whom Jesus reproves because “they tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.” (Matthew 23:4), and because “their teachings are merely human rules” (Mark 7:7).

In the face of this we find the message of Jesus. A message that preserves all the essence of faith, but adapted to the needs of human beings.

The whole Law of God can be summed up in two short sentences: love God above all things, and love your neighbor as yourself.

This supposes that our life must be guided by the love that God has manifested to us. Our service should be a natural consequence of the love with which God loves us. And our relationship with others must be permeated with his holiness and that love, with firmness about our faith, but with respect and mercy.

It is truly an easy yoke and a light burden, especially when we have the help of the Holy Spirit.

But how sad that the leaven of the ritualism of the scribes and Pharisees continues to infiltrate the Church!

So it is not surprising that when you present the Gospel, people do not see freedom, but oppression and restrictive rules (and many times, arbitrariness).

Perhaps this happens because we have been more concerned with living religion than with living Christ.

We have placed more emphasis on accusing than on loving and presenting the Good News of Salvation. In talking more about hell than heaven.

As if our message were addressed to stubborn apostates and not to lost, tired and hopeless people.

Therefore, let us not impose on the lost any burden other than that of drawing near to God.

The rest of the burdens were carried by Christ on the cross.

Cover photo by Ben White on Unsplash

La entrada For my yoke is easy and my burden is light se publicó primero en David Gómez.