Category Archives: English

Inside out

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There once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless—a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil. Job 1:1

What a great introduction! The credentials of Job preceded him. Blameless – a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil, a combination of devotion and practical living. Can we be called blameless and of complete integrity? The thought of it makes me wonder. You see, I know myself. I know what I think and I know with what I struggle. When I approach this subject, I do it with caution. I want to be called by God and by men, blameless.

But how do I achieve it? The story tells us that Job feared God. He had a devotion that was known to The Creator. The hidden life developed day after day when nobody was watching, the inside life. In Samuel 16:7, when Samuel was looking to anoint a new king, God told him “…People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart,” so don’t look at the outward appearance. It clear stated, that for God, was is not seen is more important than what is.

But, what is seen is also important. If you read carefully in the verse from 1 Samuel, it clearly states that, ”…People judge by outward appearance…” That means that everyone around you will judge by what they see, it’s just human nature. Think of it as a shirt. In order to know who made it, what is made of and what size it is, you have to look at the label inside. If it fits, it will look nice and represent you well on the outside. What will people see in the interior label of our life? Is your life reflecting what you claim is your label? The interesting part of this is that when we take care of our devotional life, our inside life, and we guard our heart, the outside will take care of itself.

We all want to be blameless and it is not too late for that. God is the God of new beginnings. He has made everything new for us when Jesus died in the cross for our sins, changing us from the inside out. It is a process that we cannot do alone. No matter how much we try, in order to be called blameless by God, we need to seek Him and surrender our lives to Him.

Only then will the world around you will see the transformation that begun, from the inside out.

“BREATHE expectantly, LIVE confidently and MOVE Boldly”

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© Copyright Danny Maldonado, 2012
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

In your generation

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This is not a reference to David, for after David had done the will of God in his own generation, he died and was buried with his ancestors, and his body decayed. – Acts 13:36

The writer of the book of Acts, makes the distinction so it is evidently clear to whom the psalm is referencing to. He is not talking about David, but about Jesus. And by differentiating them, it made it clear that each had a specific purpose in life.

David did the will of God in his own generation. In other words he succeeded in doing that for which he was created. I could say, and this is my personal perspective, that David fulfilled the dream of God for his life. This would suggest that like a puzzle, we all have a unique part in the world. Why am I here? Will I succeed in fulfilling my purpose?, Will I be happy? Is it too late for me? These are all questions we have made to ourselves from time to time. And the reality is that God gives us this short period on earth to affect our generation. Moreover, to affect our eternity and make a dent in the universe.

What are you doing with what you’ve been given? Where have you directed your eyes? Where have you turned your steps? These should be questions you should ask yourself if you want to make a change in your life and in your generation. It is possible, you can understand the purpose for which you have been given the gifts and abilities that you have and use them extraordinarily.

So what’s holding you? Performing God’s will in your life doesn’t always mean having a public performance or a visible platform. Performing His will, is understanding who we are and who we are not. Being content with who we are but not where we are. This is were we get lost sometimes, thinking that having more “things” is what defines us. We forget that what defines us, is who is HE in us. That is a powerful thought in itself. When we lean on God’s counsel, everything changes and we change as well.

You might be the one your lineage has been waiting for, that decides to be the tipping point for generations to come. You have not settled for normal, you decided to excel in your part of the story, because the future depends on it. Whether it’s raising your family, caring for the needy, fighting for those without a voice, being a mentor, or building a company and many more, the titles are all different, but God sees it all the same; fulfilling His dream for your life.

Don’t hesitate, it can be done and you can do it, all in your generation.

“BREATHE expectantly, LIVE confidently and MOVE Boldly”

A great resource to help you find your purpose in life can be found in the following: www.chazown.com

Want this inspiration of coffee by email every morning? Enter your e-mail to subscribe at the top right of this page under the box for “Subscribe”. Like this writing and want share it? Just add your comment below on “Leave a Reply” or share it on Facebook, Twitter, or by email using any of the buttons next to “Share this:”

© Copyright Danny Maldonado, 2012
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Come to the well

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She was thirsty. More than she really knew or wanted to admit. Her broken heart was pounding in her chest faster and faster. She could not understand why she felt the way she did. So she sat at the table. Her eyes glancing to nowhere, but her mind traveled back in time, wondering, wishing. She questioned everything. What was it that made her the way she was? Was it the lack of love created by the constant rejection of her parents? Could it had been that the religious teachings ingrained in her past, created this void? Rules, restrictions and no relationship? She had learned about love in the way many others had, but no true love. Perhaps the lack inside was the force that had her looking for acceptance in all of the wrong places. The pain resurfaced as she realized that she had searched for love in all of the dry places.

Suddenly, the voices from the road snapped her out of this inside glimpse. So she looked out the window, making certain that everyone had already returned. Her shame had refrained her from venturing out to the well. In a corner, the empty waterpot, the utensil she had depended on so much. And then the road to the well, the road she knew by heart. That path mimicked the story of her life; always wanting, always needing more and more but at the end, an unquenched soul remained. “There is no point,” she said to herself, “this will never end”. As she left, the door made a squeaking sound as it closed behind her, and with very step came a memory, and with every memory came more pain.

Every unsuccessful attempt in her life to be loved, to be filled and to be accepted, would end today. This day would be remembered for ever. Love was waiting by the well. Life was waiting just for her. It was that day where her soul spoke the words she had wanted to say all of her life. The words that would changed her life finally came out like a prisoner set free: “Please, sir, give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.” That day she left her waterpot behind because, she left a life of emptiness and rejection because she went to the well.

Today your life can be changed too. That embrace you have been longing for is at the well. The man from Galilee that walked on water, raised the dead and defeated sin, is waiting for you with his arms wide open. He will quench that deep thirst you have inside you and no matter what you have done, all will be new.

This is the day, just come to the well.

“BREATHE expectantly, LIVE confidently and MOVE Boldly”

You can purchase a beautiful song called The Well or the album Come to the Well, written and perfumed by Casting Crowns following this link.

Want this inspiration of coffee by email every morning? Enter your e-mail to subscribe at the top right of this page under the box for “Subscribe”. Like this writing and want share it? Just add your comment below on “Leave a Reply” or share it on Facebook, Twitter, or by email using any of the buttons next to “Share this:”

© Copyright Danny Maldonado, 2012
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Real friends

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When everybody else shuns you, real friends run to your side – DP

A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24 NKJV

“BREATHE expectantly, LIVE confidently and MOVE Boldly”

Surrounded

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Those who trust in the LORD are as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever. Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, both now and forever. – Psalm 125:1-2

As I searched information about Mount Zion, the Mount of God, many amazing facts came alive. For example, it is really three peaks of almost equal height which form the mount. Many significant events happened here also such as the Transfiguration of Jesus, the declaration that his church would be edified over “this rock”, meaning himself and many more.

But Mount Zion is much more than a piece of land. It is a visual reminder to us of the faithfulness of God. Because when we look at a mountain, we have this mental picture that it is unmovable, strong. Wind, water and the elements will make its mark on the face of the Mount over time so the landscape might change, but the foundations will never be removed.

Such is our life, as the elements we endure every day will change us and leave its mark in us, but if we trust the Lord we will endure them. It is in our trust (the firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something) in Him, that hinges this promise. He will surround us and guard us. From time to time, some of the “elements” in life might get to us, but we will not be defeated. When we are insufficient, He is sufficient. When we are weak, He is strong. When we are fearful, He is courageous. When we are inconsistent, He is constant. When we are unlovable, He loves us to the end. When we are shunned, He opens his arms. When we are dead, He gives us life. And when we are threatened, He surrounds us both now and forever.

Yes, there is always lessons to be learned by our own mistakes that will help us everyday. It may be that these mistakes had put you in a place you would rather not be and today you might feel you have been sieged to the point of defeat. But remember that those who trust in the LORD are as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever, so when we trust in His Word we can be confident that it is firm, because every word God has given will always come to pass.

Don’t fret, He is near and he is with you. And when you are under attack, he has you both now and forever, Surrounded.

“BREATHE expectantly, LIVE confidently and MOVE Boldly”

Want this inspiration of coffee by email every morning? Enter your e-mail to subscribe at the top right of this page under the box for “Subscribe”. Like this writing and want share it? Just add your comment below on “Leave a Reply” or share it on Facebook, Twitter, or by email using any of the buttons next to “Share this:”

© Copyright Danny Maldonado, 2012
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Staying Awake

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Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens – Mark 4:27

It is a little embarrassing but I cannot refrain of telling you the first lesson I learned in the wee hours of the new year. Last night after a full day of activities, we returned to the hotel to get prepared for the New Year’s celebration. We were going to find a spot to see the fireworks and enjoy the show. I was hungry, and tired. You can tell I was hungry because I wanted to eat pizza, which is not my favorite, but that I’ll get to that in a moment. So at the hotel I took a bath and got half dressed and lied down on the bed reading some news and waiting for everyone else to get ready. My daughter was complaining because she didn’t want to go out again and was already in her pajamas and went on to change. I know I saw my wife changing and getting prepared for the night. Then everything started to get blurry. I can vaguely recall hearing her saying, “we are not going”, and I can hear in the distance, even when it was happening right there in my room, my daughter saying, “We are not going anywhere, and I have to get changed again”. Yes, it happened; I fell asleep.

At 2:36 a.m., I opened my eyes and in disbelief I realized that I had missed that moment and I had slept through it. Immediately a small still voice in my heart spoke to me saying, “Don’t sleep through the important moments in life, stay awake.” It might not be a big deal for you, but to me it was important. In life we are so consumed in achieving, succeeding, impressing, and so many more things that we get tired along the way wasting energy in things that are temporal and of questionable significance. And when the important moments come along, we fall asleep, and it is in those moments where life is made, were bonds are tighten and love is nurtured. These are the important moments in life where we cannot go by dozing out on them. We cannot sit down and ask, how was it? It will never be the same as experiencing them. Back to the pizza. I woke up with an empty grumbling stomach and I found two untouched, cold pieces in the fridge. I can assure you that they would not taste the same as when they came a couple of hours before when they were hot and fresh, just like the moment that I had missed.

Just as the farmer in the parable does not understand how the seed he has scattered grows, wether we are awake to the moment or not, life continues to happen to all of us. We will plant seeds this year even if we realize it or not. And that seed will grow, night and day. So what seed will you scatter? And more importantly will you be awake in the moments that matter to see the seed sprout? I was told that my wife kissed me, and yet I didn’t feel or remember it.

Don’t miss the moments that matter. I know you don’t want to find cold pieces of pizza and be the only one asking how it tasted when it was fresh. My new year’s resolution and yours should be as well: Staying Awake

“BREATHE expectantly, LIVE confidently and MOVE Boldly”

Want this inspiration of coffee by email every morning? Enter your e-mail to subscribe at the top right of this page under the box for “Subscribe”. Like this writing and want share it? Just add your comment below on “Leave a Reply” or share it on Facebook, Twitter, or by email using any of the buttons next to “Share this:”

© Copyright Danny Maldonado, 2012
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Beginnings

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The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. – Lamentations 3:22-23

Beginnings: It means different things to different people. For some, it is the reluctant reality that they need to accept after a failed event in their life. It is not necessarily embraced or welcomed. Not because what it represents, but by how it presents itself. Like the soul that is devastated by a divorce and needs to find strength to pick up the pieces of his or her life as it was known. Or the companion that has left this life on earth and has skipped into eternity leaving an empty space in the hearts of love ones; or the job or the business that is no more. All of these are endings and many of them very painful. So an ending is a beginning in disguise. Beginnings usually come after an ending.

For others, beginnings transpire as the emotion of hope, of the possibilities, of what could be. For these, endings are embraced, welcomed and expected, because a beginning is in sight. Two opposite points of view, but with the same ending; to begin.

It is a thought that can transform your life completely, if you choose. You might be at either side of the coin in your viewpoint, but the fact remains that something in your life has ceased to be, something has ended and something new must take its place and fill the void. These are the curves that life brings and we must know how to handle them in order to continue to thrive, to live and to begin again. And we are confronted with our human fragility and believe that the end is just that, the end. We think that there is no future, no hope no new things in our life will ever happen and that there is no point of knocking on the same door of unfulfilled dreams over and over again. But God who is rich in mercy knew and knows how we are prone to go astray of his ways and from our path. So He is constant. His love never ends, even when ours does. His mercy never ceases even when judgement is warranted. And then we read this refreshing truth that brings hope for the future in our lives, his mercies are fresh every morning. Every day a new beginning, no matter what has happened before, that in itself is a transformational thought. And who better to talk about beginnings, but God himself: He is the Beginning and the End. He started everything from nothing and he has created you and me in his likeness.

If something has ended in your life, a relationship, a job, a business, a loved one’s life or even the desire to continue to press on, remember that God is the God of beginnings and his plans and thoughts for you are plans for good. So no matter what is going on now in your life, this ending is a moment for a great start, for a great beginning. His mercies are new and fresh every day.

A new and blank page is waiting for you, so go ahead and write the new chapter of your life, starting today. You might want to call it: To begin.

“BREATHE expectantly, LIVE confidently and MOVE Boldly”

Want this inspiration of coffee by email every morning? Enter your e-mail to subscribe at the top right of this page under the box for “Subscribe”. Like this writing and want share it? Just add your comment below on “Leave a Reply” or share it on Facebook, Twitter, or by email using any of the buttons next to “Share this:”

© Copyright Danny Maldonado, 2011
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

His words never fail

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by DP

“For no word from God will ever fail.” Luke 1:37

This day is filled with meaning for many; for some joy and for others not. Life happens to all of us. It is very interesting that on the months leading to this day we celebrate, a young girl, a teenage girl, had not only a visitation of an angel but was confronted with her new reality; she was going to be a mom. I can only imagine how many thoughts went through her mind. What will everyone think? How would she be treated by her family? We can only imagine and probably guess what happened and how she felt. She could have been confused. And as that confusion took place, it was eased by the words of the angel when he said: “For no word from God will ever fail.”

We have the benefit of some hindsight today. We all know how the story unfolded. But Mary, and then Joseph, did not have that vantage. They had to endure life and rely every step on a word given to each of them separately, a word that they were the only ones who witnessed it. The words said to Mary on Luke 1:37 (TNIV), are a clear message for us today. That no matter how grim or difficult your place in life is today, no word from God will ever fail. And when I whisper these words to my soul, I feel that there is hope for me and for you. God made it clear, by giving these words to Mary, that we never forget his promises.

When everything else fails, or seems failing before our eyes, he doesn’t. Knowing this, brightens my day immediately. And it is palpable to know that Jesus himself is called The Word. His mere essence is truth and unmovable reliance of what he says He is and or will do. There are not many in this world you can say, that will always uphold their promises. Even the most noble and respectable people we know, have failed us. So how marvelous it is to know, He will not.

In spite of your personal circumstances, your feelings and above what anyone else says. He will not fail you, ever. His proof comes in the manner of a child, born in a manger that years later would change the destiny of this earth with his life. He would walk on water, heal the sick, defend the poor, resuscitate the dead, defeat sin, death and fear, and will always love you and me, unconditionally.

So on this holiday season and in every season, remember that …, no word from God will ever fail.

“BREATHE expectantly, LIVE confidently and MOVE Boldly”

Want this inspiration of coffee by email every morning? Enter your e-mail to subscribe at the top right of this page under the box for “Subscribe”. Like this writing and want share it? Just add your comment below on “Leave a Reply” or share it on Facebook, Twitter, or by email using any of the buttons next to “Share this:”

© Copyright DP, 2011

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, TODAY’S NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 2001, 2005 by Biblica®. Used by permission of Biblica®. All rights reserved worldwide.