Food is something that lots of us take for granted. We have it so easily that we don’t worry about it. We might complain about the prices, about the quality, but worrying about how to get food for the next meal is not the reality for most people reading this post. But it is the reality for millions of people in our world today.

According to the latest Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) statistics, there are 925 million hungry people in the world and 98 percent of them are in developing countries. Almost 1 billion people!

In the Horn of Africa alone, a region that is experiencing the worst drought of the last 60 years, 13 million people are in desperate need for food. Thirty thousand children died in the first 3 months of the drought. It is beyond tragic.

The good news is that you can make a difference in those people’s lives. Let me say it again: YOU can make a difference. And it’s easier than you might think.

A few days ago, I read a tweet from a pastor about a public person that had recently died. He suggested that that person, who was not a Christian, was now in the presence of the devil. It seems that he intended it to be a smart joke, but it bothered me profoundly.

I have to be honest. I know that it is clear in the Bible what determines every person’s eternal destination: whether they have accepted Jesus as their Savior or not. But it bothers me when a Christian, who is called to love everyone, suggests that a person went to hell.

So I responded to the pastor’s tweet, but he insisted that he had made no judgement, he had just affirmed that the person had a meeting with the devil but he didn’t say what the outcome was. Based on the Bible, there is no such thing as a meeting with the devil after someone dies.

As I told you before, I have recently quit my job and I am now taking a “sabbatical” in order to find out what is God’s will in my life, what He wants me to do.

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The decision to quit my job was at first a crazy thought that crossed my mind. Then God talked to me through Scripture, books and articles and that crazy idea became more and more a real and valid option, then it became my choice – and I believe it was God’s will.

The first time that I seriously thought of such a radical change was when I was reading through the New Testament, and I got to the episode when Jesus sends out the twelve disciples in a mission to preach the Gospel to other cities. What caught my attention was this specific part of His instructions:

“Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts — no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep.” (Matthew 10:9,10)

Can you imagine preparing for a trip and not taking anything with you? I’ve traveled a lot, mainly for business, and I can’t think of making a trip without taking at least some money.

Most of you are familiar with the episode when Peter and John (Jesus’ disciples) heal a lame beggar at one of the gates of the temple (Acts 3).

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The Bible says that the man was lame from birth (Acts 3:2), so he depended upon people’s charity to live. He even depended upon them to carry him to the temple gate, he couldn’t do it himself.

That was probably one of the best spots in town for a beggar. Lots of people coming and going to the temple, and religious people were probably more inclined to help a beggar.

It started as just another regular day. When the beggar saw Peter and John passing by, he did what he was so used to do, he asked them for money. He never thought that his life would never be the same again.

Peter, full of boldness from the Holy Spirit, looked at him and said:

“Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” (Acts 3:6).

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot (Ecclesiastes 3:1,2)

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As the wise Solomon once said, there is a time for everything in life. Every season that starts one day will end. We will only enjoy “eternal” when this life is over and we meet our Creator. In the meantime, everything that we can see and touch has an expiration date on it, one day it will end.

And I am now in-between seasons in my life. One season has just ended, and a new one is about to begin…

I have already shared my difficulties with the high demands of my job and how I had been exhausted lately. I’ve been praying for a long time about it, and God responded with an answer I didn’t see coming.

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

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Picture this: a prison with lots of prisoners locked inside. People who killed, robbed, raped, lied, cheated, and did all sorts of wrongdoings. They were all deprived of a free life. They were paying the price for their crimes and their mistakes.

One day, they heard this news: someone else had been arrested for the crimes they all were condemned for, every single one of them.

They knew that it couldn’t be right, because they knew they had committed those crimes. Whoever it was, he was innocent.

They heard that this guy was sentenced to life, and he was going to be executed soon.

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.
“Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
Jesus wept. (John 11:33-35)

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A few days ago my family went through a very tough time. We had to say goodbye to a beloved member, my uncle. He passed away due to complications after a heart surgery.

At his wake, the sadness was almost tangible. He was a loving person and everyone there was going to miss him very much.

Although most people there believed that one day we would meet him again in a much better place, we knew that we would all miss him until then, mainly his children. Although they are all married with kids, he was part of their everyday life. A part that will always be missed.

In the midst of the sadness, I remembered when Jesus Himself faced a similar situation (check John chapter 11 for the full narrative).

Moses answered them, “Wait until I find out what the Lord commands concerning you.” (Numbers 9:8)
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. (Psalm 27:14)

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Life is about making choices. Throughout one single day, we make dozens of choices. From simple ones, like choosing our clothes in the morning or what to have for breakfast, to more significant ones, like choosing which job to apply for or which proposal to accept.

There are choices that change the course of our lives. When it comes to making an important decision, timing is also very important.

We might think we need to take action now, we can’t wait. But sometimes, waiting is a valid option that you must seriously consider.

It was December 1995, almost two years after I (truly) accepted Jesus as my Savior. I was working at the IT department of a government hospital and I decided to look for another job.

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Before I started sending out copies of my résumé, I prayed to God and asked Him to choose which company I should work at. I told Him that I knew I would never make as good a choice as Him, so I asked Him for a sign: I told Him I wanted to be contacted by one company only (in spite of dozens résumés I planned to send out) – then I would know that it was the one, the one that God chose.

I asked one more thing: my salary was very low, I could hardly make it to the end of the month just by paying for food and bus and subway fares. So I asked God to double my current salary. I really needed it. And God knew it. But I didn’t consider this a ‘must-have’, just a ‘nice-to-have’ item.

I’ve been gone for a while enjoying my vacation. I was very tired and stressed out, I was eager to be able to enjoy some time out to get some rest and recharge.

Years ago, I’ve learned one (or should I say another) interesting lesson about my relationship with God: He also loves to be a part of my time out, my moment of relaxation, my vacations, from planning to execution.

So what I learned to do is to allow God to tell me what should I do, if I should travel, where should I travel to, when, how, etc. I also ask for His guidance on choosing the flight, hotels, etc.

You’re probably thinking that I turned God into my travel agent, but it’s not like that. It’s like two friends planning a trip together. The difference is that I know that His suggestions are always better than mine.