Victory - Be Strong & Immovable!

1 Corinthians 15:57

⁵⁶ For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. ⁵⁷ But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁵⁸ So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

Feel like encouraging someone out there today. Say this: "So you dropped the ball? You missed the mark? Quit beating yourself up! Quit wallowing in your mistake (sin)! Get up again and go on (confess and repent)! You have VICTORY in Jesus Christ. Be strong and immovable. Work hard everyday trying to be the best at what you do and be disciplined to do the right thing. Everything you do for Jesus will be beneficial and rewarding!"

Have a great day! God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana

Change Your Vantage Point

Luke 19:1-6

¹ Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. ² A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. ³ He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

⁵ When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." ⁶ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

Zacchaeus by the world's standards lacked nothing. He was living the life! He may have been hated by the people he cheated but he lived the life he wanted. However, curiosity got a hold of him the day Jesus walked through Jericho. He wanted to see who Jesus was but being "a short man" the crowd obstructed his view. Zacchaeus was not like the rest of the crowd who pressed in close to Jesus. He did not need a miracle. He did not need a financial breakthrough. He was already a wealthy man. Figuratively speaking, Zacchaeus in his own eyes had climbed to new heights in his career but even at that position he was found lacking. He was lost! A truth from this story is that no matter how much money or success you have, you will still be found lacking if your view of Jesus is obstructed.

Change your vantage point to get a clear view of Jesus today. Look to Him as the author and finisher of your faith.

Have a great day! God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana

Stay Focused!

Hebrews 12:2

² Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Amplified Bible)

"Stay focused!" How many times have we heard this statement? We thought about how in sports we would hear our coaches yell out, "Stay focused! Keep your head in the game!" It was a reminder to center all of our attention on the specific task we were engaged in. Think about all of the elite athletes in the world that have achieved some level of success. How focused do you think they have to be to achieve their goals? Or, how about the cardiothoracic surgeon who performs a delicate bypass to help restore blood flow to the heart? Do you think he has to stay focused? I would hope so, especially if you or someone you loved were the patient. If you stay focused on the task at hand, you will get to where you need to be.

Today, stay focused on Jesus! Remember all the things He endured to get to where He needed to be. He is "now seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

Have a great day! God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana

"Keep Your Eyes On Jesus...That Will Shoot Adrenaline Into Your Souls!"

Hebrews 12:1-3

^1-3 Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! (The Message)

After taking last week off from posting a blog, we realized how much fun it is to post our thoughts. Here's today's thoughts:

As we live our lives day in and day out, we have realized that there are many distractions that can hinder us from running "the race that is set before us." When we read the above passage, we felt like we were receiving one of those great pep-talks a coach gives his team when the game is on the line. We thought we would share it with you in The Message translation and hope it "shoots adrenaline into your souls" to keep living your life with your eyes focused on Jesus.

Have a great day! God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana

Making Sense Of My Senseless World, Part II

Colossians 2:6-7 6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

What do you do when you go through a difficult time in life and find yourself in a place where you don't want to be? How did you get there? How about this, maybe it's the road you need to walk to get you back to where God wants you to be? There's a story we recalled this morning about Elijah the Prophet in 1 Kings 19 where Jezabel had threatened to kill him. Elijah was seized with fear and ran for his life into the desert. He was in so much despair that he prayed to die. He said in verse 4, "I have had enough, Lord... Take my life." He grew very weary and fell asleep under a tree. An angel of the Lord appeared, touched Elijah, and woke him up. The angel had prepared something for him to eat and drink. He told him to "Get up and eat." Elijah ate a little, then laid back down. The angel came back a second time, touched him and said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you." Finally, Elijah got up to eat and drink and was strengthened by the food. It strengthened him so much that he was able to travel forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. Elijah found his way up the mountain and spent the night in a cave. Elijah positioned himself alone in a dark place. To him it was a safe place, hidden from his enemy. It was here God found him and where a powerful wind, a violent earthquake, and a blazing fire preceded the "gentle whisper," (a still small voice) of the Lord asking, "What are you doing here?" How about God's answer after hearing Elijah's reasons for running for his life? He said, "Go back the way you came..." The Lord gave him direction to go back to continue his work as a prophet. Jezabel never killed Elijah, in 2 Kings 2 we find that he was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elijah ran because he was afraid of being killed. He ran because he felt alone. Fear paralyzes you. Loneliness isolates you and keeps you from engaging in the assignments God has for you. Fear and isolation try to cut off your roots of faith and trust in Christ. God's "gentle whisper" redirected Elijah back from where he came. Sometimes the only way through a difficult time is by simply GOING THROUGH! Elijah had to face his fears and come out of isolation to get through this difficult time even if it meant putting his life on the line. God will make sense of your senseless world when you remain firm in your faith in Christ and stay "rooted and built up in Him." The original Greek word for "rooted" in Colosians 2:7 is rhizoo. It means to render firm, to fix, establish, to cause a person or a thing to be thoroughly grounded. Are you going through a difficult time in life and find yourself in a place where you don't want to be? No matter how afraid or alone you feel, stay rooted and built up in Him. Find safety, security, protection and peace in your situation by running to God not away from Him. Allow God's "gentle whisper" to strengthen and lead you as you simply GO THROUGH this time. Have a great day! God bless you. Louis & Elisa Quintana

Making Sense Of My Senseless World

Colossians 2:8

"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ."

Ever go through a time in your life where nothing seems to make sense? You even begin to doubt your way or the path you have chosen for your life. What is right and what is wrong? Who is right and who is wrong? There are too many voices in the world telling you which way to go.

The question: So, how do you make it through a time of doubt, indecision, or confusion?

The answer: Remain firm in your faith in Christ Jesus.

So where do you begin, how do you remain firm in your faith in Christ?

Colossians 2:6 says, "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him..." If you are going through a time of doubt, indecision, or confusion right now, remind yourself of your salvation. In verse 6, the word receive in Greek is paralambano. It means to join to one's self, not to reject, not to withhold obedience. When you receive Jesus Christ as Lord you are joining yourself to Him to willingly obey His words, His teachings, and His ways.

The second part of Colossians 2:6 says, "continue to live in him." The original Greek word used here for "continue to live in" is peripateo. It means to walk, to make one's way, or progress. In order to make sense of your life right now, don't stop believing! Continue to make your way in Him. In John 14:6a Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life."

Today be reminded that there is no better way to live than to live your life in Christ. He will make sense of your senseless world!

Have a great day! God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana

The Father's Voice

John 10:27

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me."

When our eldest daughter was three we took her to a popular fast food restaurant. They had an indoor play area with a large, hard plastic maze made up of multicolored tubes, squares, and rectangles that led to a ginormous slide! She was very glad to be eating out but most of all she could barely contain her excitement as she focused her attention on getting into the play area.

As we sat and ate, I (Louis) noticed her watching the other children playing. She watched them enter and climb through the maze, then eventually shoot out the end of the slide. After she had eaten all she could, we left Mommy and baby sister in the dining area. I led her over to the play area, removed her shoes, and watched her begin her ascent to the top of the multicolored maze. There was no inhibition on her part. She had watched the other children do it and now it was her turn.

As the other children played loudly, her excitement dulled their voices as she led herself quickly to the top of the maze in search of the opening to that incredibly huge slide. All of a sudden, I heard a nervous, anxious cry and recognized a tiny voice say, "I can't do it Daddy!" Fear had seized her little mind and the loud play of the other children stopped her dead in her tracks. She found herself confused in the middle of the multicolored tubes with different openings and did not know which way to go.

My parental instinct kicked in so I rushed to the opening of the maze but just before I was about to enter, I stopped myself and called out to her, "You can do it, just listen to my voice!" She cried out again, "I can't do it Daddy!" So I called out louder, "You can do it, just listen to my voice!" I really wanted to rush to the top to rescue my little girl from her fear but as I stood back I could see her tiny shadow through the tubes and knew she was O.K.

I moved to the end of the slide and calmly yelled out directions to her, "Do you see the yellow tube in front of you?" At age three she had already mastered her primary colors so I knew she could follow my directions. I heard her tiny little voice echo through the end of the slide, "Yes." I said, "You need to go through that one." Again, I heard her nervously respond, "The yellow one?" I responded very calmly and spoke into the end of the slide, "Yes, the yellow one." She replied, "O.K." I responded, "Daddy is at the end of the green slide, just follow my voice, I will tell you which way to go." Her assurance in my voice calmed her enough so she could take her first step. I slowly prompted her to move through the maze by saying, "Now go through the blue tube...now the red tube...now do you see the green tube?" She replied excitingly, "I see it Daddy, I see it!" I responded, "That's the slide. Can you hear me?" She replied, "I can hear you Daddy!" I responded, "Now sit down and slide. I'm waiting for you at the end." I could hear heavy, dull clunking on the plastic tubes as she positioned herself to slide down. I heard her say one last time, "I'm coming Daddy!" I stood back and saw her shoot out of the bottom of that long green tube and right into my arms. She was no longer crying but smiling and saying, "I did it Daddy, I did it! I listened to your voice!" I hugged her as tight as I could and cried right in the middle of that play area. At that moment, I realized that I was not only teaching my daughter how to overcome her fears but God was teaching me how to listen to His voice to overcome my fears.

When we feel lost, confused, and do not know which direction to go, He will lead us if we listen to His voice and follow His direction.

Have a great day! God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana