Emotional trauma, family crisis, corruption, violence, destruction of this planet and fear of death: this is the current scenario. But “while there is life there is hope.” Hope is what upholds the human heart during the most difficult times.

That is why the message from these pages is one of optimism. It is a message of faith and confidence in the future, because God is already there. Beyond the dark clouds, the silver lining of heaven is awaiting you.

Those were the darkest 102 minutes in the history of the United States. From the impact of the first plane and the North Tower of the World Trade Center (WTC), on September 11, 2001, until the second tower crumbled, it seemed as 102 eternal minutes ticking by while the entire world seemed to have lost its breath.

“A plane collided with the WTC, there is fire, a lot of smoke, but don’t be afraid,” stated Tony Rocha to his wife, Marylin Marques, before the telephone went dead. In 1994, when he finished a degree in Business Administration, Tony and Marylin got married. Besides being a good husband and father, he became a respected bond broker on Wall Street for Cantor Fitzgerald Securities, whose offices were located in the in the WTC North Tower. Cantor lost 700 of its 1,000 employees, among them Tony, who besides his wife, left behind two small children.

When we travel by bus, subway or plane, we encounter many people. Some immerse themselves in books or newspapers; others look out the window indifferent toward the passenger beside them. Lost glances of lives that come and go. So many emotional traumas: sadness, disillusionments, broken dreams, tragedies, longing! Who doesn’t carry around some of these things with them? How many Marylins drag along through life without their Tonys?

But the truth is that the greatest part of life is not generally made up of uncommon disasters or joys. Actually the opposite is true; we are almost always experiencing a routine of common events. It is during these times that we should prepare ourselves to face the traumas and the tragedies. But how? First, it is good to know that God wants to free you from a past of painful experiences, curing your traumas and restoring your emotional balance. In this way, you can look to the future with hope, even knowing that there will be difficult experiences. A constant relationship with God in “the good times” is what strengthens us for the storms of life.

Additionally, it is good to remember that according to Fernando Sabino, a well-known Brazilian writer, “in the end everything works out right; if it still hasn’t worked out that’s because the end has not yet arrived”. That’s right. The Bible guarantees that this world will have a happy ending for those who believe this – the end of tragedies, the end of pain, the end of death. Jesus promised in more than 2,500 Bible texts that His return is certain and that this event will be the solution for all human problems. And the Master never deceived.

It is as if we could hear the Lord saying: There is fire, a lot of smoke, but don’t be afraid. “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things [including peace] shall be added unto you. Take therefore not thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.” (Matthew 6:33, 34). “Casting all your care upon [Me]; for [I ] careth for you.” (1 Peter 5:7). “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:1-3).
Never forget that beyond the clouds of tragedies and sadness many times surrounding our life, there is the sun of hope. This sun has a name and that name is Jesus.

Michelson Borges

Marcela could not hold back the tears. There seemed to be no explanation for the fact that her marriage had gone up in smoke. Mother of three children, a successful business woman, respected among her work colleagues and neighbors, she always believed that the differences she had with her husband were nothing more than harsh words and passing discontentment. Suddenly, her world crumbled. Carlos, her husband, thought that he needed time to “think”. One of her children began to hang out with friends who were a bad influence and the other children were not doing well in school. Because of these problems, he decided to leave the family. “How did I get into this situation?” he asked.

Family relationships, currently, are under great pressure and conflict. This crisis that affects parents is reflected and expanded in our children, who are caught in the cross-fire. Violence among children, substance abuse and teen rebellion are some of the consequences. When family relationships are in crisis, everyone is affected. It becomes difficult to act rationally. Feelings become uncontrolled, causing anguish, fear, anger and depression. Perhaps the scenes described above are nothing new and portray part of the pain that you are suffering.   

The family is the only place that can give us security. However, when these relationships fail, the result is pain, suffering and sadness. The wounds opened in the family can bleed for a whole lifetime.
In the midst of such a dark and discouraging scene, how is it possible to find the key to happiness in the family? Is there hope for family crises?

In distress, Marcela listened to the advice of a friend and sought strength and help in God. She began to attend a church near her home and asked her husband to forgive her. He came back home and soon the whole family began attending church. “God saved my family and changed me. Now, even my relationship with my children has changed,” states Marcela.

The Bible mentions that God is not only concerned with each person individually, but also with our family life. For this reason, at creation, He established two important institutions: the family (Genesis 2:23, 24) and the Sabbath as a day of rest (Genesis 2:1-3). The family is the basic nucleus of society, the place where we should feel loved and happy. The Sabbath is a day in which family members should be together to worship and honor the Creator (Isaiah 58: 13, 14). God knows very well what we need to be happy. “I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.” (Isaiah 48:17). In spite of our mistakes, He loves us continually, always desiring the best for our family. “Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee.” (Jeremiah 31:3).
God will never leave us. We should seek Him with all of our strength. “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart,” affirms the Lord (Jeremiah 29:13).  

After a study held among thousands of couples, researchers discovered that in marriages where the spouses pray to God and dedicate time to read the Bible together, there is a 90 to 95% survival rate for the marriage.

However, the greatest hope for you and your family is found in the soon return of Jesus to this world and the New Earth that He has promised, where “we [shall] ever be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). There God’s great family reunion will be held, and all the His family members will live forever in perfect harmony.

Marcos Blanco

Evaluate your Family
1. How would you rate the communication among your family members?
2. Do my spouse and I agree on the way we educate our children?
3. What are our strong points?
4. In what aspects do we need to improve?
5. Do we know how to forgive each other?

The title of this text is in today’s newspapers, it was on news broadcasts yesterday and is there whenever you listen to the news. Easily you are going to remember recent facts or ones from longer ago, some incidents took place close to you, others far away. Communication today is so easy and involving that it does not permit anyone to be unaware of what is happening, especially shocking things.
In the end, we have to agree with Konrad Lorenz, who classified the disappearance of the most noble qualities and facultities of the human being as an “apocalyptical process”. We are all hostages of fear, surrounded by vices, watching all types of degradation and destruction.

Humanity is in danger. The idea of getting everything as quickly as possible (whether on an individual level or among people groups) is reducing human relationships to a savage condition.

After the murder of the little six-year old boy, João Hélio, in Rio de Janeiro (he died as a result of being drug through the streets of the city, confined by a seatbelt, after robbers had stolen the family car), the ethics specialist Peter Singer, from Princeton University in the United States declared “When supposedly normal people commit cruelity like this, it is a sign that society has lost control of itself and people no longer have the notion of right and wrong.”

If we were to focus only on problems, we would have more than enough reasons to reach a conclusion that there is no solution for humanity. However, the good news is that there is hope for our diseased society. The solution comes from outside of us. Provisions were made by God. The plan is explained in the Bible, and it is the reason for our hope.

This is the main objective of the Word of God, according to what is written in Romans 15:4: “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” In this same chapter, the Apostle Paul reaffirmed, “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” (Romans 15:13).

This same apostle summarized the strategy for redemption in a clear manner: “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13, NKJV).

As you have noticed in the verse above, the point of departure is faith, or in other words, depending on God and accepting an inconceivable plan of salvation that is absolutely real and effective. The objective is loving God and one another. And the point between these two virtues is hope. But the Bible affirms that above any and all hope in relation to the future of this world is the “blessed hope” (Titus 2:13), in other words, the Second Coming of Jesus. He promised, “I will come again” (John 14:3). 

Márcio Dias Guarda

Suggestions
1. Nurture the flame of hope. An interesting manner of doing this is through studying the Bible. There, as in no other source, the history of humanity is not only summarized, but adequately supplied with the provisions already made by God and also with clear and trustworthy information regarding the final and conclusive, divine solution for human problems.
2. Participate. Since you have priviledged information regarding the future, God’s plans, promote and participate in acts that improve social conditions in your community and help to prepare it for the future.
3. Don’t despair. You are not alone in this mission. The most important part has already been accomplished. God, angels of good, and millions of people are involved in tasks that converge upon the same objective. And soon, very soon, our hope will be made known.

It is present, even though we do not always notice. Those who practice it do everything possible to hide it; however, sooner or later, the effects appear.

Unfortunately, it is part of the society in which we live. Frequently, the means of communication disclose scandals that break out in governmental or business spheres, blemishing the image of institution leaders. At times, we ourselves confirm the painful reality of corruption in our own experiences.

According to the Global Corruption Barometer 2007, elaborated by International Transparency, the perspectives are not encouraging. This public opinion poll that heard sixty thousand people in sixty countries reveals the increase of this tragedy in practically every continent. Approximately one in every ten people throughout the world has paid bribes last year. The practice of bribery takes place especially in interactions with the police, the judiciary system and registry and permit services.

According to the poll, half of those interviewed – a number significantly higher to that of four years ago – foresees that corruption in your country will increase in a short time. Additionally, the same percentage of interviewees feels that the efforts of their governments in the struggle against corruption are inefficient.
Corruption has destructive effects. It shocks institutions, corrodes ethics, depreciates justice, hinders supporting social/economic development and weakens the validity of the law.

Is there hope in the face of this wave of corruption? Corruption has its origin in the selfishness of the human heart. To eliminate it, the transformation of the individual is necessary, and only God can do this. Only Christ can forgive the evil that we have practiced in the past, fill us with his self-denying love and help us to live to serve our fellow human being. All that He asks is that we repent from our sins, confess them humbly before Him, giving our life to obey Him from now on.

God can grant us strength to be honest in all circumstances, even when the majority is doing the opposite. His transforming power is available to us, with the purpose of substituting our egoism and our ambition for His sympathetic love.

Unfortunately, not everyone accepts this power, because not everyone wants to change. God respect the freedom of the human being and does not obligate anyone to live honestly. Finally, a time will come, however, when justice will be served, because “God is a just judge” (Psalm 7:11, NKJV). Jesus promised that He will return to Earth in glory and majesty, “and then he shall reward every man according to his works.” (Matthew 16:27).

The Second Coming of Jesus will put an end to corruption, because it will destroy those who prefer to live with selfishness and for this reason refuse the divine offer of forgiveness and transformation. At the same time, the Lord will gather together those who have accepted His salvation and will take them to the Eternal Kingdom of God, where justice shall reign.

The increase of corruption shows us the nearness of Christ’s Second Coming. The Apostle Paulo warned that, “In the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous” (II Timothy 3:1, 2).

You do not need to be discouraged, even if impunity reigns momentarily. Stay steadfast on the side of what is correct and wait patiently for the coming of the Lord. Christ will soon return!

Carlos A. Steger

In the past years, the entire world has begun to talk environment and “ecology”, a word created in 1869 by the German scientist Ernst Haeckel. Currently, the topic is on magazine covers, in TV news programs, the theme of artistic events, books, films, documentaries…
However, interest in the topic not only has to do with a new level of awareness. The question is that the planet has begun to present innumerous problems as a response to the aggression it has been receiving. If some individuals thought that that media was using sensationalism, phenomenon like globlal warming leaves no doubt that something serious is happening.

Without appealing to the chaos discourse, we should pay attention to the warning signals that indicate everything is not well. Among these signs are the greenhouse effect, global warming, acid rain, glacial melting, the water crisis, the revolt of nature, the destruction of biodiversity, unbalanced consumption, air pollution and the increase of desertification.

In the face of the situation, what have you done? An advance has been made in terms of documents and global action, since global problems require global solutions. Nations and companies are becoming more environmentally responsible. However, each individual can offer his/her contribution. The fact that you cannot do everything does not mean that you should not do anything.

As good citizens, we should preserve the planet for future generations. And as Christians, we are called to promote the principle of cosmos and not chaos, offer protection and not destruction, care for and not harm. After all, the individual who destroys creation is going against divine action. Therefore, as John says in Revelation 11:18, the time is coming for God to destroy “those who destroy the earth”. If you want to continue living on the planet in the future, you have to learn to preserve it now.

The good news is that, in addition to our “green” initiatives, we can count on essential help. In a recently published book, American environmentalists Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger suggest that the salvation of the planet is in technology. In part, they are correct. However the greatest hope comes from another source.

The Bible presents the dream of a new world with pure air, life-giving and inexhaustive water, exuberant nature, a perfect environment. The Earth will be recreated. Nevertheless, the One who is going to do this is God, and not the human being. God is the true hope for the crisis the planet faces.

In Genesis, the first book of the Bible, we see the concept of a garden prepared to offer na exceptional quality of life. The entire environment conspired toward well-being. With their sensorial capacities, Adam and Eve were to enjoy the delights of paradise and live forever. Things went wrong, as we know. However in Revelation, the last book of the Bible, we once again see the promise of a perfect environment with free access to the source of life.

There are many ways to read Revelation. One of them is through the vision of ecology. In the book, two systems are presented through the symbolism of two cities: Babylon (Rome) and the New Jerusalem. One city is an exploiter, oppressive and unjust; the other is a pacifier, liberator and just.

In Revelation 21 and 22, the New Jerusalem is portrayed as a glorious capital, where the categories originated by sin shall never more enter. There is neither human exploitation nor damage to the ecosystem. The urban landscape, enriched by a splendid architecture, is embellished by exuberant nature, including the tree and the river of live. The essential things for life are offered freely. The eternal city promotes reconciliation, justice and cure.

This incredible world is for you, and you are a part of God’s dream.

Marcos De Benedicto

Every long weekend joy and sadness are spoken of. Joy, because of being reunited with friends and family members; sadness because of the high number of accidents that kill, injure and mutilate people who were anxious to enjoy the good things in this life.

It is interesting to observe that in 75% of accidents with fatal victims, the driver was under the influence of alcohol. A preventive attitude can avoid turning one innocent holiday into a battle field, where hundreds of people say farewell to life.

At the same time in which we perceive through the practices of many populations the disregard for life, a cry echoes from the laboratories that study longevity: “Living longer and better, if possible, not dying.” Aubrey De Grey, geneticist at Cambridge University, is one of the greatest defenders of the thesis that it is possible for the human being to live more than one thousand years. For De Grey, “at some time in the future, with medicine becoming more forceful, we will be capable to treat aging with the same efficiency that we currently treat many diseases.”

While science races to find a vaccination against death, imprudence, genetics, or lack of prevention will continue to destroy the lives of people we love, and us as well. Can we do something to extend our own life a little longer? Of course: cultivate good humor, love of fellow human beings, worry less, choose healthy food, drinking clean water, refrain from consumption of alcoholic beverages, eliminate smoking, sleep earlier, practice physical exercise and place our life in the hands of God.

In any manner, when death comes to someone who you love dearly, remember that God has an excellent plan to heal your pain. This plan is better than placing a dead body in a tube and freezing it to minus 196 degrees to wait for the day when physicians resurrect it. The divine plan was revealed in the words of Jesus Christ: “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25).

Jesus Christ was resurrected on the third day after His death on the cross, and this has implications for our life. “And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.” (1 Corinthians 6:14). The belief in the resurrection of the dead is essential because “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.” (1 Corinthians 15:19, NKJV).

Believing in the resurrection brings comfort. “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, [John 11:11], that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him, … and the dead in Christ shall rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:13,14,16).

Living a little longer, as everything indicates, depends a lot upon us. However, what awaits us at the end of 10, 20, or 30 more years that we are able to add onto our calendar of life? The darkness of death? Woody Allen, an American filmmaker, reacted rudely when he was told that his films would immortalize him, “I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work… I want to achieve it through not dying.”

Do you also want to be immortal? Only Jesus Christ can offer a full life, without limits: “And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.” (John 11:26). You only need to believe in Him as your Savior and accept him as the Lord of your life and of your hope. This attitude guarantees eternal life when Jesus returns and the certainty that “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain.” (Revelation 21:4).

Francisco Lemos

The virgin Mary learned through an angel that she would be the mother of the Messiah and she prepared herself spiritually for His arrival. Singing a gentle song, she expressed her feelings of joy for the blessed assurance, “And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. My soul magnifies the Lord” (Luke 1:46, 47).

She hoped that Jesus, in the quality of personal liberator, would bring joy to all those who paid attention to His words (John 2:5). Maria knew that the Savior would relieve suffering, He would cure the sick, He would encourage the sad and He would restore life. He, himself declared the purpose of His mission: “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10).

“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:17). Therefore, the Son of God did not come with the objective of judging, pointing out faults, or to condem and throw sinners in the a lake of fire and torment. He came to save the world.
The death of Christ on the Cross gave you the opportunity to be happy, so open your eyes to the perspective of a better future. You can leave the cocoon of your genetic and acquired limitations and be able to accomplish the greatest dreams of your heart.

While He was here, with charisma Jesus atttracted many people. Multitudes wanted to be near the Savior to obtain life. Although Christ had fed, cured, and resurrected human beings, in time, hunger, disease, and death returned to those people. Life on Earth continues to be under the effect of sin; for this reason, He promised to take us away from this place:

“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:3). Be assured that He is not going to delay: “For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.” (Hebrews 10:37). And more: “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, (Revelation 1:7).

Living with God is the guarantee that you can have to enjoy life without the harmful consequences of sin. This promise has the greatest hope for humanity: “God will dwell with them…. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” (Revelation 21:3, 4).

The Bible says for you to face the situation with determination: “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. ” (Titus 2:11-14).

Just as Mary joyfully celebrated and made spiritual preparation for the first coming of Christ, the time has come for you to follow her example in relation to the return of the Savior of the world. It is worthwhile to believe in the fulfillment of the greatest hope and say with optimism: “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:21).

There is only one condition for you to have this hope fulfilled in your life: accept Jesus as your personal Savior. He is anxious to transform your life and to take you from this world filled with violence, corruption, and insecurity.

Therefore, prepare yourself for the most sensational trip of all times, because Jesus will soon come to this dark planet to lead you to “a new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” (II Peter 3:13).  

Paulo Roberto Pinheiro