{"id":17082,"date":"2023-05-09T21:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-10T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/retro.piorevangelho.online\/?p=17082"},"modified":"2023-05-09T21:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-05-10T00:00:00","slug":"your-cross","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/piorevangelho.online\/en\/sua-cruz\/","title":{"rendered":"How heavy is your cross?"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-vivid-purple-color has-text-color wp-block-paragraph\">Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,<br>And all these things will be added to you.<\/p>\n<cite>(Matthew 6:33 \u2013 KJA)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-justify wp-block-paragraph\">Many people, upon reading this passage, seem more interested in the \u201cthings that will be added\u201d than in the Kingdom of God and its righteousness: human beings, in their natural state, are immediate, limited, and truly selfish, wanting to obtain not only what they desire, but also...,<mark class=\"annotation-text annotation-text-jetpack-tweetstorm\" id=\"annotation-text-f79d195b-b1b7-4d70-9f5b-d42a32f35740\"> <\/mark>And on top of that, instantly\u2026 in the blink of an eye!<mark class=\"annotation-text annotation-text-jetpack-tweetstorm-line-break\" id=\"annotation-text-5bbcc288-46e7-40a6-8678-637cc70ed8e0\"><br><\/mark>And, given the contamination of their nature by sin, there is a void (which many do not want to admit) within them: life, which is known to end, seems meaningless, and no matter how much one achieves, this void remains, leading many to try to fill it with more and more.<mark class=\"annotation-text annotation-text-jetpack-tweetstorm\" id=\"annotation-text-b5f998a5-736a-436a-b420-97c126cb72c0\"> <\/mark>Social advancement, status, money, and power.<br>And the emptiness always remains, inspiring people to conquer, to obtain, to search for something to fill them, but it will never happen in this way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-justify wp-block-paragraph\">A few years ago, when journalist Luiz Carlos Prates commented on Xuxa&#039;s departure from Globo to Record, he highlighted the alleged human need to work until their last breath. In the video, he makes some basic errors, for example, by implying that work redeems humanity from original sin\u2026 but let&#039;s not even demand a truly well-founded interpretation of Scripture from someone like him, who is not a theologian.<br>That&#039;s not the point to highlight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-justify wp-block-paragraph\">What should be highlighted is his mention that work, among other things, &quot;numbs the awareness of finitude&quot;\u2014that&#039;s the crux of the matter!<br>With this statement, he exposes what most frustrates the relationship between human beings and their existence in this world: mortality.<br>And indeed, many try to achieve more and more, more and more social advancement, in order to fill the inner void they carry and, as Prates says, forget that <a href=\"https:\/\/retro.piorevangelho.online\/2021\/01\/a-lenda-do-ultimo-momento\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"One day they will have to face death.\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" class=\"ek-link\">One day they will have to face death.<\/a>.<br>Ultimately, this is what leads many people to expect things from Jesus Christ that he did not promise: the solution to their problems, the satisfaction of their desires, and personal fulfillment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-justify wp-block-paragraph\">Seeking to &quot;anesthetize&quot; themselves from the awareness of their own mortality, they feel entitled to say: &quot;I receive,&quot; &quot;I take possession,&quot; &quot;I determine&quot; when expressing their personal desires, placing them before God.<br>And when the time finally comes for them to face their own mortality, even when everything points to the end of their journey on this Earth (for example, when they are already old and diagnosed with some terminal illness), they continue to hope that, at the last moment, God will reverse the situation and heal them, even knowing that death is inevitable and will come to everyone, including them, sooner or later.<br>And that is why many end up paying more attention to the &quot;added things&quot; than to the Kingdom of God when reading the passage highlighted at the beginning of the text... and even among &quot;Christian leaders,&quot; there is no shortage of those who assume that everyone has already understood that Jesus&#039; promise regarding eternal salvation is the priority and, therefore, it is not necessary to pay much attention to this point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-justify wp-block-paragraph\">However, there is a double mistake there.<br>This is due both to the belief that God&#039;s promise of salvation has already been fully understood, accepted, and assimilated by all listeners and attendees of the meetings, and also to the belief that the &quot;added things&quot; encompass ALL THE DESIRES of those considered already converted to Christ!<br>First of all, even though Jesus uses the examples of the birds of the field and the lilies\u2014which were the object of God&#039;s care and had sustenance and &quot;garments&quot; more beautiful than those of Solomon\u2014He makes it clear, at the end of the passage, that the promise of God&#039;s care is limited to what His children NEED and not necessarily to everything they DESIRE!<br>In other words, God will provide what is necessary for the human NEEDS of those who believe, but this does not imply fulfilling all their WISHES. Check it out:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-vivid-purple-color has-text-color wp-block-paragraph\">Therefore, I tell you:<br>Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink;<br>nor about your body, what you will wear.<br>Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?<br>Look at the birds of the air: they do not sow or reap or store away in barns;<br>However, your heavenly Father sustains them.<br>Are you not much more valuable than the birds?<br>Which of you, by worrying, can add a single hour to your life?<br>And why are you worried about what to wear?<br>Consider how the lilies of the field grow.<br>They neither work nor weave.<br>But I assure you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.<br>So if God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire,<br>How much more so you, men of little faith?<br>Therefore, do not worry, saying:<br>What will we eat? What will we drink? Or even: What will we wear?<br>For it is the pagans who seek after all these things; but your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.<br>But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.<br>Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.<br>Each day has enough trouble of its own.<\/p>\n<cite>(Matthew 6:25-34 \u2013 KJA)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-justify wp-block-paragraph\">Of course, eventually God may enrich and give earthly glory and authority to one of his children.<br>This will happen when necessary, when there is a purpose for it, such as when a Christian receives authority among the powerful of the world or wealth to, in some way, help needy and\/or persecuted brothers and sisters.<br>Likewise, by grace, God may grant the satisfaction of his children&#039;s desires, provided that this does not jeopardize their faith and salvation.<br>But, as has been said, this is GRACE, not merit or achievement: God will do it WHEN, HOW, and especially IF He wants to do it.<br>God&#039;s promise to care for His children in the world is entirely tied to their needs, not their desires.<br>And in order to live, it is not necessary to be rich, famous, powerful, or to dress luxuriously; it is enough to have one&#039;s sustenance\u2026 and this is the promise given by Jesus in <strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#9b51e0\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Matthew 6:33<\/mark><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-justify wp-block-paragraph\">Paul himself was an example of what can happen to a Christian in this world for persevering in his decision to follow Christ and carry his cross to the end: he lost everything he held in the highest esteem, including all his prestige\u2014as a former Zealot\u2014among the Orthodox Jews (see <strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#9b51e0\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Philippians 3:4-8<\/mark><\/strong>), in addition to having spent five of his approximately 30 years of ministry in prison.<br>But, as he would say to Timothy, he had finished the race, kept the faith, and was not afraid of the time of his departure, because the crown of righteousness was reserved for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-vivid-purple-color has-text-color wp-block-paragraph\">As for me, I am already being poured out like wine in a drink offering.<br>The time of my departure is drawing near.<br>I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith!<br>Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day.;<br>and not to me only, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.<\/p>\n<cite>(2\u207f\u1d48 Timothy 4:6-8 \u2013 KJA)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-justify wp-block-paragraph\">So, in this case, what can we expect from Jesus when someone is converted?<br>Read <strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#9b51e0\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Mark 8:34<\/mark><\/strong> e <strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#9b51e0\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Luke 9:23<\/mark><\/strong> To find the answer, you must deny yourself, take up your own cross, and follow him.<br>In fact, as shown in an image circulating on the internet, the Gospel would not be a call for Christians to deny themselves if their purpose were to satisfy their earthly desires.<br>Denying oneself is what Paul also affirms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-vivid-purple-color has-text-color wp-block-paragraph\">And He died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves.,<br>but to Him who died for them and rose again.<\/p>\n<cite>(2\u207f\u1d48 Corinthians 5:15 \u2013 KJA)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-justify wp-block-paragraph\">From the moment of conversion, it is Jesus Christ who determines the course of a Christian&#039;s life, not the Christian&#039;s own desires.<br>Personal interests must take a back seat, or even be forgotten, since the life of someone brought to Jesus now belongs to the Savior himself, and should no longer be lived to prioritize the personal fulfillment of the convert.<br>Furthermore, there will be another aspect to consider:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-justify\">THE CROSS<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-justify wp-block-paragraph\">The cross that Jesus refers to originates from the very Christian condition of &quot;going against the grain&quot; of the world, that is, ceasing to be guided by secular parameters and beginning to obey biblical parameters, basing one&#039;s conduct on Scripture.<br>Out of love for the Savior, a Christian can no longer defend or live by many of the things that the world appreciates and defends, because that contradicts their faith.<br>On the contrary, being the salt of the earth and the light of the world (according to <strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#9b51e0\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Matthew 5:13-14<\/mark><\/strong>He must combat such things and admonish those who practice or defend them\u2026 and this will generate animosity, friction, and even persecution from the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-justify wp-block-paragraph\">Eventually, God may even place a specific cross upon the Christian for a defined purpose.<br>This was the case with Paul who, in order not to become arrogant with all the revelations he received from God, had to endure what he called a &quot;thorn in the flesh,&quot;* as he relates:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-vivid-purple-color has-text-color wp-block-paragraph\">And to prevent me from becoming arrogant because of the greatness of these revelations,<br>A thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me.<br>Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.<br>However, He declared to me:<br>\u201c&quot;My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.&quot;.<br>Therefore, I will gladly boast about my weaknesses, so that Christ\u2019s power may rest on me.<br>For this reason, for Christ\u2019s sake, I can be happy in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.<br>For when I am weak, then I am strong!<\/p>\n<cite>(2\u207f\u1d48 Corinthians 12:7-10 \u2013 KJA)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-justify wp-block-paragraph\">Paul prayed three times that God would take it away from him, but God only replied that divine grace was sufficient for him.<br>Paul, the greatest evangelist the world has ever known, had to live with a &quot;thorn,&quot; whose purpose was to prevent pride from taking over his heart and to trust that, even though it was something momentarily bad, it had a good purpose.<br>Thus, when Jesus comes to the heart of each new convert, he does not come to bring them money, power, riches, fame, prosperity, or even the promise of an easy life or healing for any illnesses: all that He brings is a cross and the promise of eternal glory, after the afflictions that all Christians face and go through in the world, which He overcame.<strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#9b51e0\" class=\"has-inline-color\">John 16:3<\/mark><\/strong>).<br>In short, what Jesus is telling you is: &quot;Carry this and follow me to the end of the journey.&quot;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-justify wp-block-paragraph\">But if God&#039;s promises are so restrictive regarding what to expect from the Christian life in this world, how can one find the motivation to follow the Savior?<br>Indeed, as Paul himself says, if hope in Christ is focused on this present life, Christians are the most miserable human beings in the world.<strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#9b51e0\" class=\"has-inline-color\">1\u02e2\u1d57 Corinthians 15:19<\/mark><\/strong>).<br>In this world, Christians cannot expect much good, because if the world hated their Lord, it will hate them too, as Jesus himself said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-vivid-purple-color has-text-color wp-block-paragraph\">If the world hates you, know that it hated me first.<br>If you were of the world, it would love you as if you belonged to it.<br>However, you are not the property of the world;<br>But I chose you and set you free from the world; for this reason, the world hates you.<br>Remember the words I spoke to you: &#039;No servant is greater than his master.&#039;.<br>If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.<br>If they obeyed my word, they will also obey your guidance.<br>However, the world will treat you badly because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.<br>If I had not come and spoken to the world, they would not be guilty.<br>But now they have no excuse for the sins they have committed.<br>He who hates me hates my Father also.<br>If I had not performed among them the works that no one else has done, they would not be guilty of sin.<br>But now they have seen and witnessed everything, and yet they have hated both me and my Father.<br>But this happened so that what is written in their Law might be fulfilled: &#039;They hated me without a reason&#039;.<\/p>\n<cite>(John 15:18-25 \u2013 KJA)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-justify wp-block-paragraph\">However, it is precisely because hope in Christ is not focused on this world, on the present order of things, that taking up the cross and following him is so worthwhile.<br>And this is precisely the point regarding the implications that need to be fully understood and assimilated by the Christian, so that the &quot;added things&quot; do not become more important to him than the Kingdom of God: any earthly conquest, however great, will have no value when life in this world is over!<br>Whether you are the richest and most powerful person in the world, or the poorest and most humble, the situation is identical:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-vivid-purple-color has-text-color wp-block-paragraph\">Because we enter this world with absolutely nothing,<br>And when we leave here, we can take nothing with us.<\/p>\n<cite>(1\u02e2\u1d57 Timothy 6:7 \u2013 KJA)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-justify wp-block-paragraph\">But the fact of being a child of God infinitely surpasses any human decoration or award, precisely because it leads to a life where pain, sadness, or death no longer exist.<strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#9b51e0\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Revelation 21:4<\/mark><\/strong>).<br>In the new life\u2014to be enjoyed by Christians in eternity\u2014their position will be superior to that of the angels themselves.<strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#9b51e0\" class=\"has-inline-color\">1\u02e2\u1d57 Corinthians 6:3<\/mark><\/strong>), reigning together with Christ over creation (<strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#9b51e0\" class=\"has-inline-color\">2\u207f\u1d48 Timothy 2:12<\/mark><\/strong>).<br>All the suffering endured by Christians in this world does not compare to what they will receive in eternity.<strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#9b51e0\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Romans 8:18<\/mark><\/strong>).<br>Therefore, even though following Christ in this world is painful and difficult, and even though the weight of the cross may bring Christians to tears\u2026 nothing is more worthwhile than renouncing everything\u2014including one&#039;s own life, if necessary\u2014in order not to lose salvation in Christ.<br>As Peter also said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-vivid-purple-color has-text-color wp-block-paragraph\">For the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God;<br>And if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?<br>And, \u201cif it is with difficulty that the righteous are saved, what will become of the ungodly, the sinner?\u201d<\/p>\n<cite>(1\u02e2\u1d57 Peter 4:17-18 \u2013 KJA)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-justify wp-block-paragraph\">In this way, may the cross be, for all Christians, the assurance that they are with Christ and are saved, so that they no longer fear the judgments of the world, which may kill the body, but never the soul.<br>Only with Christ is the Christian absolved from the judgment of the one who can cast both soul and body into hell.<strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#9b51e0\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Matthew 10:28<\/mark><\/strong>), simply awaits the eternal glory that will never be taken from him, feeling that the existential void\u2014so disturbing to people and even exposed by the words of the journalist quoted earlier\u2014is fully filled by the love of Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-justify wp-block-paragraph\">In the Bonds of Calvary<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"font-size:1.4em;padding-top:0;padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--80);padding-bottom:0;padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--80)\" class=\"wp-block-post-author has-text-color has-ast-global-color-5-color\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__avatar\"><img alt='' src='https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f4aa7919509ba61a62237ea02d8eeb70d96554016984c0a9af187ab2e3f95fc8?s=96&#038;d=mm&#038;r=g' srcset='https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f4aa7919509ba61a62237ea02d8eeb70d96554016984c0a9af187ab2e3f95fc8?s=192&#038;d=mm&#038;r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-96 photo' height='96' width='96' loading='lazy' \/><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">Eduardo Pydd Teixeira<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__bio\"><\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600\"><em><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#ffff00\" class=\"has-inline-color\">ORIGINAL TITLE<\/mark>Take up your cross.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-justify wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:0.9em\"><em><strong>PS.<\/strong> \u2014 Paul does not state what the \u201cthorn in the flesh\u201d he had to endure was, and there is much speculation surrounding its true nature: some speak of opposition from adversaries, others of epilepsy, but the most likely explanation is that Paul had some vision problem (this is because he states that the Galatians loved him so much that, if they could, they would have plucked out their own eyes to give them to him, according to...) <strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#9b51e0\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Galatians 4:15<\/mark><\/strong>).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-justify has-luminous-vivid-amber-color has-text-color wp-block-paragraph\">I can anticipate that many people will likely not understand the opening image, and I believe it&#039;s necessary to point out that the car moving ahead of the people is a typical &quot;follow me&quot; vehicle, used in airports to guide aircraft to specific parking positions or, sometimes, to takeoff... which I imagined to be the situation of those people, added to the image based on the following passage:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-vivid-purple-color has-text-color wp-block-paragraph\">Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore that person gently.<br>However, take care of yourself, lest you also be tempted.<br>Bear one another&#039;s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.<br>For if anyone thinks he is important when he is nothing, he deceives himself.<br>But each individual should evaluate their own attitudes.,<br>And then you will know how to be proud of yourself, without constantly comparing yourself to other people.<br>Therefore, each one must carry their own burden.<\/p>\n<cite>(Galatians 6:1-5 \u2013 KJA)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-justify has-luminous-vivid-amber-color has-text-color wp-block-paragraph\">The &quot;follow me&quot; vehicle doesn&#039;t have the power to make aircraft take off, but its function is to guide them to the point where the pilot can decide whether to take off or not... that&#039;s why I discreetly added the logo of The Worst Gospel to the vehicle!<br>The &quot;visibility conditions&quot; are worsening every day as governments and media conspire against the Lord: it seems that the end times are approaching ever more rapidly, and before the Lord returns like a thief in the night, we can already observe signs of the prophesied reign of the Antichrist consolidating not only in Brazil, but throughout the world!<br>In the 2023 phase of &quot;The Worst Gospel,&quot; I decided to use new formats in the hope of helping to increase the reach of content related to the Scriptures\u2014stories, videos, shorter texts, guest authors\u2026\u2014and this publication, which I took the liberty of revising and illustrating, is part of that project.<br>Thank you for reading this far.<br>I still need all the help I can get: comments, shares, and reactions help spread this content, which was entirely produced with the intention of contributing to the edification of the Body of Christ in the world.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Buscai, assim, em primeiro lugar, o Reino de Deus e a sua justi\u00e7a,e todas essas coisas vos ser\u00e3o acrescentadas. (Mateus 6:33 &#8211; KJA) Muitas pessoas, ao lerem essa passagem, parecem ficar mais interessadas nas &#8220;coisas que ser\u00e3o acrescentadas&#8221; do que no Reino de Deus e em sua justi\u00e7a: o ser humano, em seu estado natural, \u00e9 imediatista, limitado e deveras ego\u00edsta, querendo obter n\u00e3o apenas o que deseja, mas, ainda por cima, de forma imediata\u2026 num piscar de olhos!E, dada a contamina\u00e7\u00e3o de sua natureza pelo pecado, existe um vazio (que muitos n\u00e3o querem admitir) em seu interior: a vida, que sabidamente acaba, n\u00e3o parece fazer sentido e, por mais que se conquiste, esse vazio permanece, levando muitos a tentar preench\u00ea-lo com mais e mais ascens\u00e3o social, status, dinheiro e poder.E o vazio sempre continua l\u00e1, insuflando as pessoas a conquistar, a obter, a buscar por algo que os preencha, mas isso jamais vai acontecer desta forma. H\u00e1 alguns anos, quando o jornalista Luiz Carlos Prates comentou a sa\u00edda de Xuxa da Globo para a Record, destacou a alegada necessidade do ser humano de estar trabalhando at\u00e9 o seu \u00faltimo suspiro. No v\u00eddeo, ele comete alguns erros prim\u00e1rios ao, por exemplo, dar a entender que o trabalho \u00e9 que redime o ser humano do pecado original\u2026 mas n\u00e3o vamos sequer cobrar uma interpreta\u00e7\u00e3o realmente fundamentada da Escritura de algu\u00e9m como ele, que n\u00e3o \u00e9 te\u00f3logo.N\u00e3o \u00e9 esse o ponto a se destacar. O que deve ser destacado \u00e9 sua men\u00e7\u00e3o de que o trabalho, entre outras coisas, &#8220;anestesia a consci\u00eancia da finitude&#8221; \u2014 eis o cerne da quest\u00e3o!Com tal afirmativa, ele exp\u00f5e aquilo que mais frustra a rela\u00e7\u00e3o do ser humano com sua exist\u00eancia neste mundo: a mortalidade.E, de fato, muitos tentam obter mais e mais conquistas, mais e mais ascens\u00e3o social, a fim de preencher o vazio interior que carregam e, tal como diz Prates, esquecerem-se de que um dia ter\u00e3o de encarar a morte.No fundo, \u00e9 isso que leva muitas pessoas a esperar de Jesus Cristo coisas que ele n\u00e3o prometeu: a solu\u00e7\u00e3o para os seus problemas, a satisfa\u00e7\u00e3o de seus desejos e a realiza\u00e7\u00e3o pessoal. Querendo &#8220;anestesiar-se&#8221; da consci\u00eancia da pr\u00f3pria mortalidade, sentem-se no direito de dizer: &#8220;Eu recebo&#8221;, &#8220;Eu tomo posse&#8221;, &#8220;Eu determino&#8221; ao manifestar seus desejos pessoais, colocando-os diante de Deus.E, quando afinal chega a hora de encararem a pr\u00f3pria mortalidade, mesmo quando tudo aponta para o fim de sua jornada nesta Terra (tipo, quando j\u00e1 est\u00e3o com idade avan\u00e7ada e s\u00e3o diagnosticadas com alguma doen\u00e7a terminal), continuam a esperar que, no \u00faltimo instante, Deus vai reverter a situa\u00e7\u00e3o e cur\u00e1-las, mesmo sabendo que a morte \u00e9 inevit\u00e1vel e chegar\u00e1 para todos, inclusive para eles, mais cedo ou mais tarde.E \u00e9 por causa disso que muitos acabam por dar mais aten\u00e7\u00e3o \u00e0s &#8220;coisas acrescentadas&#8221; do que ao Reino de Deus ao lerem a passagem destacada no in\u00edcio do texto\u2026 e at\u00e9 mesmo entre as &#8220;lideran\u00e7as crist\u00e3s&#8221;, n\u00e3o falta quem parta do pressuposto de que todos j\u00e1 entenderam que a promessa de Jesus em rela\u00e7\u00e3o \u00e0 salva\u00e7\u00e3o eterna \u00e9 a prioridade e, por isso, n\u00e3o \u00e9 necess\u00e1rio dar muita aten\u00e7\u00e3o a esse ponto. No entanto, ocorre um duplo engano a\u00ed.Tanto por se achar que a promessa de Deus em rela\u00e7\u00e3o \u00e0 salva\u00e7\u00e3o j\u00e1 foi plenamente compreendida, aceita e assimilada por todos os ouvintes e frequentadores das reuni\u00f5es, quanto por se tamb\u00e9m acreditar que as &#8220;coisas acrescentadas&#8221; abrangem TODOS OS DESEJOS dos considerados j\u00e1 convertidos a Cristo!Em primeiro lugar, ainda que Jesus use os exemplo das aves do campo e dos l\u00edrios \u2014 que eram alvo do cuidado de Deus e tinham sustento e &#8220;vestimentas&#8221; mais belas do que as de Salom\u00e3o \u2014 Ele deixa claro, ao final da passagem, que a promessa do cuidado de Deus se restringe ao que seus filhos NECESSITAM e n\u00e3o necessariamente a tudo que DESEJAM!Em outras palavras, Deus prover\u00e1 o necess\u00e1rio \u00e0s NECESSIDADES humanas dos que cr\u00eaem, n\u00e3o implicando em atender a todas as suas VONTADES. Verifique: Portanto, vos afirmo:n\u00e3o andeis preocupados com a vossa pr\u00f3pria vida, quanto ao que haveis de comer ou beber;nem pelo vosso corpo, quanto ao que haveis de vestir.N\u00e3o \u00e9 a vida mais do que o alimento, e o corpo mais do que as roupas?Contemplai as aves do c\u00e9u: n\u00e3o semeiam, n\u00e3o colhem, nem armazenam em celeiros;contudo, vosso Pai celestial as sustenta.N\u00e3o tendes v\u00f3s muito mais valor do que as aves?Qual de v\u00f3s, por mais que se preocupe, pode acrescentar algum tempo \u00e0 jornada da sua vida?E por que andais preocupados quanto ao que vestir?Observai como crescem os l\u00edrios do campo.Eles n\u00e3o trabalham nem tecem.Eu, contudo, vos asseguro que nem Salom\u00e3o, em todo o esplendor de sua gl\u00f3ria, vestiu-se como um deles.Ent\u00e3o, se Deus veste assim a erva do campo, que hoje existe e amanh\u00e3 \u00e9 lan\u00e7ada ao fogo,quanto mais a v\u00f3s outros, homens de pequena f\u00e9?Portanto, n\u00e3o vos preocupeis, dizendo:Que iremos comer? Que iremos beber? Ou ainda: Com que nos vestiremos?Pois s\u00e3o os pag\u00e3os que tratam de obter tudo isso; mas vosso Pai celestial sabe que necessitais de todas essas coisas.Buscai, assim, em primeiro lugar, o Reino de Deus e a sua justi\u00e7a, e todas essas coisas vos ser\u00e3o acrescentadas.Portanto, n\u00e3o vos preocupeis com o dia de amanh\u00e3, pois o amanh\u00e3 trar\u00e1 suas pr\u00f3prias preocupa\u00e7\u00f5es.\u00c9 suficiente o mal que cada dia traz em si mesmo. (Mateus 6:25-34 &#8211; KJA) \u00c9 claro que, eventualmente, Deus poder\u00e1 enriquecer e dar gl\u00f3ria e autoridade terrena a algum de seus filhos.Isso ocorrer\u00e1 quando for necess\u00e1rio, quando houver algum prop\u00f3sito para tal, como quando algum crist\u00e3o recebe autoridade entre os poderosos do mundo ou riquezas para, de alguma forma ajudar aos irm\u00e3os necessitados e\/ou perseguidos.Igualmente, por gra\u00e7a, Deus poder\u00e1 conceder a satisfa\u00e7\u00e3o dos desejos de seus filhos, desde que isso n\u00e3o incorra em risco para sua f\u00e9 e salva\u00e7\u00e3o.Mas, como foi dito, isso \u00e9 GRA\u00c7A, n\u00e3o m\u00e9rito e nem conquista: Deus o far\u00e1 QUANDO, COMO e especialmente SE quiser faz\u00ea-lo.A promessa de cuidado de Deus para com os seus<\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":17136,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","iawp_total_views":5,"footnotes":""},"categories":[464],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17082","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-apologetica"],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":464,"label":"Apolog\u00e9tica"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/piorevangelho.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/followme-1024x576.jpg",800,450,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Eduardo Pydd Teixeira","author_link":"https:\/\/piorevangelho.online\/en\/author\/eduardo-pydd\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":464,"name":"Apolog\u00e9tica","slug":"apologetica","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":464,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":96,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":464,"category_count":96,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Apolog\u00e9tica","category_nicename":"apologetica","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/piorevangelho.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/followme.jpg",1920,1080,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/piorevangelho.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/followme-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/piorevangelho.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/followme-300x169.jpg",300,169,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/piorevangelho.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/followme-768x432.jpg",768,432,true],"large":["https:\/\/piorevangelho.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/followme-1024x576.jpg",800,450,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/piorevangelho.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/followme-1536x864.jpg",1536,864,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/piorevangelho.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/followme.jpg",1920,1080,false],"trp-custom-language-flag":["https:\/\/piorevangelho.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/followme.jpg",18,10,false],"mailpoet_newsletter_max":["https:\/\/piorevangelho.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/followme.jpg",1320,743,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Eduardo Pydd Teixeira","author_link":"https:\/\/piorevangelho.online\/en\/author\/eduardo-pydd\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Buscai, assim, em primeiro lugar, o Reino de Deus e a sua justi\u00e7a,e todas essas coisas vos ser\u00e3o acrescentadas. (Mateus 6:33 &#8211; KJA) Muitas pessoas, ao lerem essa passagem, parecem ficar mais interessadas nas &#8220;coisas que ser\u00e3o acrescentadas&#8221; do que no Reino de Deus e em sua justi\u00e7a: o ser humano, em seu estado natural,&hellip;","acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/piorevangelho.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17082","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/piorevangelho.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/piorevangelho.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/piorevangelho.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/piorevangelho.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17082"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/piorevangelho.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17082\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/piorevangelho.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/piorevangelho.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17082"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/piorevangelho.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17082"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/piorevangelho.online\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17082"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}