Motivação
Motivação verdadeira vem de Deus. A Bíblia nos inspira a correr a carreira da fé com perseverança, sabendo que o Senhor fortalece, guia e recompensa os fiéis.
Força do alto
Tudo posso naquele que me fortalece. Deus dá poder aos fracos e renova a força dos cansados — Ele é a fonte de toda motivação.
I am able ◄to cope with/to handle► every situation because Christ gives me the strength to do that.
He strengthens [DOU] those who feel weak and tired.
Even youths become faint and weary,
and young men will fall when they are exhausted.
But those who trust in Yahweh will become strong again;
it will be as though they will soar/fly high like [SIM] eagles do.
They will run for a long time and not become weary;
they will walk long distances and not faint.
I greatly rejoice because of what Yahweh has done!
I am happy,
because he has saved me and declared that I am righteous;
those blessings are like [MET] a robe that he has put on me.
I am as happy as [SIM] a bridegroom in his wedding suit,
or a bride wearing jewels.
You are able to do these things, since God himself causes you to desire to do what he wants you to do, and he also enables you to do what he wants you to do.
Correr para o alvo
Prossigo para o alvo, para o prêmio da soberana vocação de Deus em Cristo Jesus. A corrida da fé exige disciplina e foco.
My fellow believers, I certainly do not consider that I have already become completely like Christ. But I am like a runner. A runner does not look backward [MET]. Instead, he leans/stretches forward as he runs straight toward the goal in order that he might win the race and get the prize. Similarly, I do not think about what I have already done. Instead, I concentrate only on continuing to become more and more like Christ right up to the end of my life [MET]. As a result, because of my relationship with Christ Jesus, God will call/summon me to receive a reward from him in heaven.
When people run in a race, they all run, but only one of them wins the race and as a result gets a prize. You certainly know that [RHQ]. So, just like runners exert themselves fully to win a race [MET], you should exert yourselves fully to do the things that God wants you to do, in order that you may receive the reward that God wants to give you. All athletes exercise their bodies strenuously in many ways. They do that in order to receive a wreath as a reward to wear on their heads. Those wreaths fade, but we will receive a reward that will last forever [LIT]. For that reason, I try hard to please God [MET], like a runner who runs toward the goal [LIT]. I try hard to accomplish what God wants me to accomplish, like a boxer tries hard to hit his opponent, not to miss hitting him. I beat my body to make it do what I want it to do [MET], as slaves obey their masters, in order that, after I have proclaimed God’s message to others, he will not say that I do not deserve to receive a reward.
Since we know so many people with faith like that, we must put aside anything, especially sin, which hinders us, and we must strive to achieve God’s will and concentrate on Jesus.
We know about many people like that who showed they trusted in God. They are like a crowd of spectators who are cheering for us inside a stadium [MET]. Knowing that, we must put away all the things that hinder us, as a runner puts aside everything that would hinder him because they are heavy [MET]. Especially we must put away sinful actions that hinder us, as a runner sets aside clothes he does not need, clothes that would entangle him [MET]. Let us wholeheartedly strive to achieve what God has planned for us, as someone in a race wholeheartedly runs the course that is before him [MET]. And let us keep our minds on Jesus, as a runner keeps his eyes on the goal [MET]. Jesus is the one we should imitate in the way he perfectly trusted God. When he died on the cross he endured it as he suffered greatly [MTY], instead of thinking about the things he would rejoice about later. He disregarded being disgraced by dying that way. He is now sitting at the place of highest honor [MTY] at the throne where God rules.
Do not become discouraged when you are suffering as you struggle against evil.
Jesus patiently endured it when sinful people acted so hostilely against him. Try to act the way he did, so that you do not give up trusting God or become discouraged.
Whatever work you do, work wholeheartedly. Work wholeheartedly, like those who are working for the Lord Jesus. Do not work like those who are working merely for their masters,
Propósito e missão
Deus tem planos de esperança para nós. Cada dia é oportunidade de fazer a sua vontade e avançar com confiança na missão.
I, Yahweh, know what I have planned for you. I am planning to cause things to go well for you, not to cause you to experience disasters. I am planning to give you many things that you confidently expect to receive in the future.
And whatever you, using my authority, ask me to do, I will do it, in order that I can show you how great my Father is. Anything that you ask my Father to do, anything that you ask with my authority [MTY], I will do."
So go, and using my authority, teach my message to people of all ethnic groups so that they may become my disciples. Baptize them to be under the authority of [MTY] my Father, and of me, his Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember that by the Spirit I will be with you always, until the end of this age."
Be brave and confident. Do not be afraid of those people. Do not forget that it is Yahweh our God who will go with you. He will always help [LIT] you and never abandon you."
Whatever you are able to do, do it with all your energy, because some time you will die, and in the place of the dead where you are going, no one works or plans to do anything or knows anything or is wise.
Even if 1,000 people fall dead alongside you,
even if 10,000 people are dying around you,
you will not be harmed.
Do not always be concerned about having enough to eat and drink, and do not be worrying about those things. The people who do not know God are always worried about such things. But your Father in heaven knows that you need those things, so you should not worry about them.
Remember that when we were there with you, we kept commanding you that if any fellow believer refuses to work, you should not give him food to eat. We are commanding the same thing again now, because someone has told us that some of you are lazy and not working at all, just interfering with what other people are doing!
We command those fellow believers who are not working to support themselves by settling down and working.
We command those fellow believers who are not working, and urge them by the authority [MTY] of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they settle down and ◄support themselves by working/work to earn money to buy what they need►.
You others, do not stop doing what is right because you are discouraged.
Fellow believers! Do not ever get tired of doing what is right!