Actividad devocional para niños, con una tarjeta/historia por día.
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Devotional activity for children, with one card/story a day.
¿Alguna vez han puesto un tallo de apio en agua con colorante? El apio empieza a cambiar de color a medida que absorbe el agua por el tallo. Tarda unos días apreciar el cambio, pero con el tiempo el tallo del apio toma el color del agua. Con esa misma facilidad el apio absorbe venenos y pesticidas que pululan en el aire y en la tierra.
Nuestro espíritu actúa también así. La fuente de nuestro alimento o de los datos que absorbemos, lo que sea a lo que nos exponemos, influye en nosotros para bien o para mal. Nos vemos continuamente asediados por información, ya a través de la internet, ya a través películas, música, libros y por supuesto de las personas con las que interactuamos. Sin embargo, la manera en que nos influyen no siempre es tan notoria como el efecto del agua en el apio.
Parte de esas cosas de las que nos alimentamos parece inofensiva, hasta buena, pero puede terminar causando un efecto negativo. Otra puede disfrutarse sin inconveniente y quizá sea inocua. Incluso puede llegar a alimentarnos intelectualmente e incrementar nuestros conocimientos y competencias. Así y todo, es posible que no proporcione a nuestro espíritu el sustento que precisa para desarrollarse con fuerza.
Por eso Jesús nos instruye a permanecer en Él, nos dice que hagamos de Él nuestra fuente. Nos ofrece el agua de vida, la única que saciará para siempre nuestro espíritu. Salmo 1:3 expresa que los que se deleitan en los caminos y la Palabra de Dios son «son como árboles plantados a la orilla de un río, que siempre dan fruto en su tiempo. Sus hojas nunca se marchitan, y prosperan en todo lo que hacen».
Plantemos nuestras raíces firmemente a orillas de esos ríos de agua viva.
Text courtesy of Activated magazine. Image 1 designed by brgfx via Freepik. Image 2 designed by Matt Cole/Vecteezy. Image of Jesus © TFI.
Have you ever put a stalk of celery in colored water? What happens is that the celery starts to change color as the water is soaked up through the stem. It takes a couple of days to see the change, but soon the celery stalk will take on the color of the water it’s in. Celery also very quickly absorbs any poisons and pesticides in the air or in the soil.
Our spirits work in this way, too. The source of our nourishment or input, and whatever we expose ourselves to, will influence us, for better or worse. We’re constantly flooded with input—through the Internet, movies, music, books, and of course, through people we interact with. However, how those things influence us isn’t always as obvious as the effect of water on celery.
Some things seem harmless, or even good, but they can end up having a negative effect. Other things may be perfectly enjoyable and be harmless—they may even feed our mind and increase our skill and knowledge. But they may still not feed our spirit the sustenance that it needs in order to thrive.
That’s why Jesus tells us to abide in Him, to make Him our source. He offers us the water of life—the only water that will never leave our spirit thirsty. Psalm 1:3 says that those who delight in God’s way and His Word “are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.”
Let’s plant our roots firmly by the rivers of living water!
Text courtesy of Activated magazine. Image 1 designed by brgfx via Freepik. Image 2 designed by Matt Cole/Vecteezy. Image of Jesus © TFI.
Actividad devocional para niños, con una tarjeta/historia por día.
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Art by Didier Martin.
¡Pasar ratos con el Señor rinde tantos beneficios! Él puede ayudarnos a resolver nuestros problemas, responder a nuestros interrogantes, aliviar nuestras penas, consolarnos cuando estamos tristes, alegrarnos la vida, transportarnos al Cielo y muchísimo más.
La oración cambia las circunstancias. Es uno de los medios de los que se vale Dios para satisfacer las necesidades y deseos de Sus hijos, siempre y cuando lo que le pidan sea beneficioso para ellos y para los demás. «Todo lo que pidáis en oración, creyendo, lo recibiréis»1.
El tiempo que dedicamos a la reflexión nos proporciona una fortaleza interior que nos ayuda a superar las etapas más difíciles de la vida. «El día que clamé, me respondiste; me fortaleciste con vigor en mi alma»2.
Cuando nuestro espíritu flaquea y se nos turban los pensamientos, la oración nos proporciona descanso y nos renueva. «Venid a Mí todos los que estáis trabajados y cargados, y Yo os haré descansar. Llevad Mi yugo sobre vosotros, y aprended de Mí, que soy manso y humilde de corazón; y hallaréis descanso para vuestras almas; porque Mi yugo es fácil, y ligera Mi carga»3.
Una vez que hemos encomendado un asunto a Dios en oración, podemos tener la certeza de que Él se hará cargo del mismo conforme a Su voluntad. «Sabemos que a los que aman a Dios, todas las cosas les ayudan a bien»4.
La oración nos consuela en los momentos de tristeza; nos infunde ánimo cuando estamos abatidos y valor para seguir adelante cuando ya no podemos más. Jesús nos ayuda a ver nuestras dificultades objetivamente —como las ve Él— y nos da sosiego. «Él sana a los quebrantados de corazón, y venda sus heridas»5. «En medio de las preocupaciones que se agolpan en mi mente, Tú me das consuelo y alegría»6.
A medida que vamos aceptando y aplicando lo que el Señor nos indica, adquirimos sabiduría. «Si alguno de vosotros tiene falta de sabiduría, pídala a Dios, el cual da a todos abundantemente y sin reproche, y le será dada»7.
Jesús nos conduce por el laberinto de la vida. Nos indica qué hacer en situaciones de apuro, cuando nos enfrentamos a decisiones difíciles. Ha prometido darnos instrucciones, aclararnos los pensamientos y guiar nuestros pasos. «Reconócelo en todos tus caminos, y Él enderezará tus veredas»8.
Otras veces nos inspira ideas geniales. «Clama a Mí, y Yo te responderé, y te enseñaré cosas grandes y ocultas que Tú no conoces»9. También nos evita complicaciones poniéndonos sobre aviso, o nos da las soluciones a nuestros problemas. «El que me oyere, habitará confiadamente y vivirá tranquilo, sin temor del mal»10.
Por medio de la oración podemos curarnos de nuestras dolencias físicas. «La oración de fe sanará al enfermo y el Señor lo levantará»11.
Por ella también podemos obtener el perdón de las faltas que cometemos. «Dije: “Confesaré mis transgresiones al Señor”; y Tú perdonaste la maldad de mi pecado»12.
La oración nos sirve para adquirir un conocimiento más profundo tanto del mundo natural como de la dimensión espiritual. «Cosas que ojo no vio, ni oído oyó, ni han subido en corazón de hombre, son las que Dios ha preparado para los que le aman. Pero Dios nos las reveló a nosotros por el Espíritu; porque el Espíritu todo lo escudriña, aun lo profundo de Dios»13.
Al orar nos beneficiamos de la energía divina, de modo que logramos mejor rendimiento y se nos facilitan las cosas. «Él fortalece al cansado, y acrecienta las fuerzas del débil. […] Los que confían en el Señor renovarán sus fuerzas; volarán como las águilas; correrán y no se fatigarán, caminarán y no se cansarán»14.
La oración potencia la paz interior. «Por nada estéis afanosos, sino sean conocidas vuestras peticiones delante de Dios en toda oración y ruego, con acción de gracias. Y la paz de Dios, que sobrepasa todo entendimiento, guardará vuestros corazones y vuestros pensamientos en Cristo Jesús»15.
Por medio de la oración le recordamos a Dios que satisfaga nuestras necesidades materiales. «Pedid, y se os dará; buscad, y hallaréis; llamad, y se os abrirá. Porque todo aquel que pide, recibe; y el que busca, halla; y al que llama, se le abrirá»16.
Jesús nos abre los tesoros de Su Palabra cuando se lo pedimos, como lo hizo el rey David: «Abre mis ojos, y miraré las maravillas de Tu ley»17.
Podemos obtener asistencia divina aun cuando no sepamos qué pedir. «Qué hemos de pedir como conviene, no lo sabemos, pero el Espíritu mismo intercede por nosotros con gemidos indecibles»18.
1 Mateo 21:22 (RV95)
2 Salmo 138:3
3 Mateo 11:28-30
4 Romanos 8:28
5 Salmo 147:3
6 Salmo 94:19 (DHH)
7 Santiago 1:5
8 Proverbios 3:6
9 Jeremías 33:3
10 Proverbios 1:33
11 Santiago 5:15 (NVI)
12 Salmo 32:5
13 1 Corintios 2:9,10
14 Isaías 40:29,31 (NVI)
15 Filipenses 4:6,7
16 Mateo 7:7,8
17 Salmo 119:18
18 Romanos 8:26
There are so many benefits to spending time with God. He can help you solve every problem, answer your every question, heal all your heartaches, comfort you when you’re sorrowful, give you joy, and bring you closer to heaven. The list is endless.
Prayer changes things. It’s one means by which God gives His children what they need or want, as long as it’s good for them and others. “Whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”1
Time spent in quiet reflection builds inner strength that will carry you through life’s toughest times. “In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul.”2
You will find rest and renewal when your spirit is sagging and your mind is troubled. “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”3
Once you have committed a matter to God in prayer, you can have the assurance that He will take care of it as He knows best. “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God.”4
You will find comfort in times of sadness and grief, reassurance when you’re down, and courage to go on when you think you can’t. Jesus will help you see your troubles in proper perspective, as He sees them, and give you peace of mind. “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”5 “In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul.”6
As you receive and apply the things the Lord shows you, you will become wiser. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”7
Jesus will guide you through the maze of life. He will help you know what to do when you face problems and tough decisions. He has promised to instruct you, establish your thoughts, and guide your steps. “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”8
He will inspire you with good ideas. “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”9
Jesus will prevent some problems from happening by warning you in advance, and give you solutions to others. “Whoever listens to Me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil.”10
You can be healed physically. “The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.”11
You can be forgiven for wrongdoing. “I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.”12
You will gain insight into the natural world as well as the spiritual realm. “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.”13
Prayer draws on the power of God, so you will be able to accomplish more, and do so more easily. “He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. … Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”14
You will have greater peace of mind. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”15
You can claim God’s supply of your material needs. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”16
Jesus will open to you the treasures of His Word if you will pray, as King David did, “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.”17
You can get the Lord’s help even when you don’t know what to ask for. “We do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us.”18
1. Matthew 21:22
2. Psalm 138:3
3. Matthew 11:28–30
4. Romans 8:28
5. Psalm 147:3
6. Psalm 94:19
7. James 1:5
8. Proverbs 3:6
9. Jeremiah 33:3
10. Proverbs 1:33
11. James 5:15
12. Psalm 32:5
13. 1 Corinthians 2:9–10
14. Isaiah 40:29,31
15. Philippians 4:6–7
16. Matthew 7:7–8
17. Psalm 119:18
18. Romans 8:26
In the course of the eighteenth chapter of the book of Matthew, the apostle Peter brought up the topic of forgiveness, asking:
“Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:21-22)
Some Bible versions translate this as “seventy times seven,” which is also a legitimate way to translate the original Greek. Jesus either said His disciples should forgive someone 77 times or 490 times. In any case, Jesus’ point was that His followers are always meant to forgive others. This conversation is followed by theparable of the unforgiving servant.
The parable starts with:
The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. (Matthew 18:23-24)
This is a fantastical opening because ten thousand talents represented an astronomical amount of money. A talent was a measure of weight used in those days, probably about thirty kilograms (about 66 pounds). When referring to monetary value, it was more specifically a weight of either silver or gold.
If Jesus was referring to talents of silver, one talent would have had the value of about six thousand denarii (a silver coin of the time). One denarius was considered a day’s wage for a laborer. So one talent of silver (six thousand silver coins) was worth about 20 years of work. Ten thousand talents, or sixty million denarii, was clearly an absurdly huge debt.
And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. (Matthew 18:25)
The servant’s inability to repay such an immense loan meant that he and his family were to be sold into slavery until the debt was paid. In 2 Kings we read of an example in biblical times of children being sold until a debt was paid:
The wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD, but the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” (2 Kings 4:1)
So the servant fell on his knees, imploring [the king], ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. (Matthew 18:26-27)
The servant was asking for an extension of time so that he could pay the debt, but the king went well beyond the request and completely freed him from having to repay it at all. What an act of magnanimity! He forgave a debt of three hundred thousand kilos of silver. Imagine the shock, relief, and gratitude of the indebted servant.
Jesus continued the story:
But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. (Matthew 18:28-30)
The servant who had been forgiven his own debt—which amounted to sixty million denarii—was owed one hundred denarii by another servant, the equivalent of four months’ wages for a common worker. The ratio between what the servant had owed the king and what the fellow servant owed his coworker was 600,000 to 1.11
The man who had been forgiven the astronomical amount responded not with the compassion which had been showed to him, but with violence and judgment. The indebted servant acted in the same manner as the forgiven servant had, by prostrating himself before the one he was indebted to and begging for patience, while promising to repay the debt. However, the response was the opposite. Instead of giving his fellow servant more time to pay or compassionately cancelling the debt, the unforgiving servant sent the man to jail.
When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. (Matthew 18:31)
While it might have been legitimate at the time to send someone to prison for nonpayment of debts, this act showed a serious lack of compassion under the circumstances. The other servants, appalled at the unforgiving servant’s heartlessness and harshness, informed the master of this injustice.
Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. (Matthew 18:32-34)
The king was rightfully furious, calling the servant wicked. He referred to the huge amount of debt that he had forgiven because the servant had beseeched him for mercy; yet he, who had been forgiven so much, was unwilling to forgive another. Having been shown such abundant mercy, the servant should have done the same for others. But he didn’t, and he was going to be judged for it. This unforgiving servant was condemned until all his debt would be repaid—which, due to the massive amount, meant he would die in prison suffering.
After telling this parable, Jesus addressed the listeners with a deeply unsettling statement:
So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart. (Matthew 18:35)
This parable dramatically portrays how serious it is to not forgive others, and it aligns with Jesus’ teachings about forgiveness elsewhere in the Gospels. When teaching His disciples to pray, He included the phrase:
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. (Matthew 6:12)
He also taught:
If you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:14-15)
This parable puts these teachings into story form in order to help us recognize how important it is to forgive others. It illustrates the necessity of human forgiveness as a condition for divine mercy.
When God passed before Moses on Mount Sinai, He described Himself by saying: “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.” (Exodus 34:6-7) One of God’s attributes is forgiveness, and as Jesus illustrated through this parable, as God’s children we are meant to imitate Him by forgiving others—just as He has forgiven us.
Text adapted from the series “The Stories Jesus Told”
Las antiguas civilizaciones idearan una pintoresca mitología para explicar la desaparición del Sol. Entre sus fábulas figuran ranas, lobos o perros de fuego que se comían al Sol. Hay quienes acusaban a la Luna de querer robárselo. Ciertos habitantes de Togo creían que el Sol y la Luna estaban de pelea y que la única forma de conseguir que dejaran de combatir era hacer las paces con sus enemigos. Algunos acusaban al Sol de intentar robarle a la gente los ojos, o creían que era un mal augurio que una mujer embarazada saliera de casa durante un eclipse. Los indios de la tribu navajo de Norteamérica creían que un eclipse formaba parte del orden natural y se quedaban en casa ayunando y cantando.
Hoy en día, entendemos lo que ocurre durante un eclipse. El sitio web science.nasa.gov afirma: «Un eclipse solar total ocurre cuando la Luna pasa entre el Sol y la Tierra y tapa completamente la cara del Sol. El cielo se oscurece como si fuera el amanecer o el atardecer».
En estos tiempos de sombra y oscuridad espiritual y social que vive el mundo quizá nos parezca imposible ver la mano de Dios en acción. Pero así como sabemos que el sol seguirá siendo sol y que el eclipse pasará, podemos tener la certeza de que nuestro Dios nunca cambia ni deja de tener dominio sobre nuestra vida.
Durante un eclipse el Sol y la Luna parecen del mismo tamaño. La verdad es que el Sol es 400 veces mayor que la Luna y está 400 veces más lejos de nosotros, lo que explica por qué la Luna puede eclipsar completamente la visión de nuestro gran cuerpo celeste. Del mismo modo, las cosas que a menudo nos impiden ver a Dios son las que están más cerca de nosotros. Si recordamos eso y lo apreciamos en su justa dimensión, podemos seguir confiando en Dios, aun cuando no podamos verlo.
Image 1 in public domain. Image 2 designed by brgfx via Freepik. Text adapted from Activated magazine.