Sula Costa Daily NYC

2Pe 2:20-22 Porquanto se, depois de terem escapado das corrupções do mundo, pelo conhecimento do Senhor e Salvador Jesus Cristo, forem outra vez envolvidos nelas e vencidos, tornou-se-lhes o último estado pior do que o primeiro. Porque melhor lhes fora não conhecerem o caminho da justiça, do que, conhecendo-o, desviarem-se do santo mandamento que lhes fora dado; Deste modo sobreveio-lhes o que por um verdadeiro provérbio se diz: O cão voltou ao seu próprio vômito, e a porca lavada ao espojadouro de lama. 

Cães e porcos eram animais impuros segundo a Lei dada aos judeus, portanto aqui representam pessoas em seu estado natural que não foram regeneradas, isto é nunca nasceram de novo e nem creram verdadeiramente no Senhor Jesus. Por isso elas voltam para as mesmas impurezas que continham antes de terem ouvido falar da verdade. Em sua carta Pedro faz alusão a Provérbios 26:11 que diz "Como o cão torna ao seu vômito, assim o tolo repete a sua estultícia".

O cão que volta ao vômito e a porca que volta à lama de onde saiu nos falam da apostasia, que é o abandono da verdade por aqueles que apenas a professam sem nunca a terem incorporado realmente. Nem o cão, nem a porca foram transformados em ovelhas pois continuaram com a mesma velha natureza sem terem recebido uma nova. Seu final será inevitavelmente voltar às origens. É por isso que muitas vezes ouvimos falar de pessoas que "se converteram" e depois se tornaram ateias ou passaram a combater a fé cristã. Elas nunca haviam se convertido de verdade, apenas se comportaram como cristãs durante algum tempo.

A passagem mostra que pessoas que têm contato com a verdade podem ser separadas exteriormente da corrupção que há no mundo pelo conhecimento de Cristo (conhecimento intelectual apenas), porém mostra também que pessoas assim, que nunca se converteram, ficam piores do que antes quando não tinham qualquer contato com a verdade e nem a professavam. Com o conhecimento vem também a responsabilidade e as penalidades são maiores, como explicou o Senhor:

Luc_12:47-48 E o servo que soube a vontade do seu senhor, e não se aprontou, nem fez conforme a sua vontade, será castigado com muitos açoites; Mas o que a não soube, e fez coisas dignas de açoites, com poucos açoites será castigado. E, a qualquer que muito for dado, muito se lhe pedirá, e ao que muito se lhe confiou, muito mais se lhe pedirá. 
Isto vale para indivíduos e também para nações. Por isso os povos ocidentais cristianizados serão mais responsáveis no juízo do que os povos que nunca ouviram o evangelho. Sabemos pelas profecias bíblicas que as terras do Ocidente, onde a cristandade floresceu e cairá em apostasia, ficarão vazias e devastadas durante os mil anos do reinado de Cristo sobre a terra, enquanto as terras do Oriente Médio e Ásia, tradicionalmente fechadas ao evangelho, florescerão no milênio juntamente com Israel.

Four years ago today, I stood with my colleagues in the White House Rose Garden watching President Obama announce a new action to make our immigration policies smarter and more representative of our values as a nation. This action, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy, establishes an avenue for young people who were brought to the United States as children to request temporary relief from deportation on a case-by-case basis if they can demonstrate that they meet several criteria. As the President said that day, the young people impacted by his announcement "are Americans in their hearts, in their minds, in every single way but one: on paper." We knew standing there that DACA would be impactful, both for the people who would come forward, and for the rest of us who are their families, friends and neighbors. Even so, the impact DACA recipients have had on their families, communities, and our nation can only be described as extraordinary. They are students, educators, doctors, and lawyers; close to 730,000 DACA recipients are aspiring Americans, each with a unique story. On the anniversary of DACA, it’s worth checking out these stories of DACA recipients who are doing so much to inspire. They know, perhaps better than anyone, that for all of its impact, DACA is not a permanent solution to our nation’s immigration problems. Far from it. We still need Congress to do its job and fix our immigration system. But the promise I see in the eyes of DACA recipients I meet renews my hope in what’s possible, and offers a glimpse of what we might achieve for the country when we finally achieve legislative reform. I think of David Uriona, who graduated from Cornell University in 2014 with a degree in Biology and Society and joined Teach for America. As David said, "It was important for me to give back to my community and to connect with kids who needed to see someone like them; to make sure that these kids who were in similar situations knew that they could achieve their dreams." There are so many stories of the positive impact these individuals are having in their communities and in their country. I encourage you to take a moment and savor these stories to learn more about how much has changed and how much is possible.

During my basketball career, I thought I was strong enough to take on anything that came my way -- that there was nothing I couldn't just put some ice on and play through. Until I got diagnosed with a rare kidney disease.

During my basketball career, I won the NBA Finals and an Olympic Gold Medal. I thought I was strong enough to take on anything that came my way -- that there was nothing I couldn't just put some ice on and play through. Then, in 2001 I was diagnosed with a rare form of kidney disease called focal glomerulosclerosis and was told that I needed a kidney transplant. It doesn't matter who you are, organ failure can affect any one of us. I was fortunate enough to receive a transplant from a family member, and never had to be on an organ waiting list, but many others are not so lucky. After I was diagnosed, I received a letter from a girl named Molly, a 17-year-old student form New Jersey. Molly wrote to me that her mother was suffering from a kidney disease, the same one that Molly's grandmother had died of. While I was in the hospital recovering, I used Molly's letter as a bookmark -- as a reminder that we all needed to be doing more to help those who weren't as lucky as I was. There are more than 120,000 Americans currently on the organ transplant waiting list, and 22 of them will die every day if they don't receive that vital organ. The need is particularly pronounced in communities of color and disadvantaged populations, and we all need to do our part to help. Today, the White House hosted a summit to highlight initiatives that help reduce the organ waiting list. One day, research investments like those announced today will end the organ shortage crisis forever. But it's not enough to sit and wait for science to solve the problem. There is something we can all do, right now: become an organ donor. One reason that the waiting list for transplants has become so long is that, even though 95 percent of Americans support organ donation, only a fraction have actually signed up as donors. Registering takes less than a minute. You can also tell the world by proclaiming on social media, "I'm an #OrganDonor" so that your loved ones know you're willing to donate, and you can also inspire others to join the cause. Three years after my kidney transplant I won an NBA Championship with the Miami Heat. If not for my donor, I would have been hooked up to dialysis machines and may not have even survived. Each of the 120,000 people on the waiting list has great things to accomplish in the future ahead of them. And there's something each and every one of us can do to give them a chance to achieve them. Find out how you can help.

Join the President and the First Lady along with Oprah Winfrey, Kerry Washington, Amy Poehler, and many more.

Here's why we're talking about the #StateofWomen today: Women are increasingly serving as leaders throughout industry, civil society, and government -- but we know that we cannot rest until we tackle the critical issues that still prevent women and girls from reaching their true potential. That's the whole idea behind today's main event: The United State of Women Summit in Washington, D.C. It's a large-scale effort to celebrate our great strides toward equality while addressing the challenges that remain. We're bringing together experts, advocates, grassroots organizers, and business leaders on issues that affect women and girls, including special guests like Nancy Pelosi, Gloria Steinem, Shonda Rhimes, and Connie Britton. Here's how you can join us: Watch the Summit live -- You can watch events from throughout the day, from President Obama's remarks, to Vice President Biden's remarks, to First Lady Michelle Obama's conversation with Oprah Winfrey. You'll also hear from extraordinary women and men who are sharing their stories and ideas for the future, including Amy Poehler of Parks and Recreation, Kerry Washington of Scandal, Reshma Saujani of Girls Who Code, and many more. Join the conversation online -- We'll have digital Q&As and conversations with Summit participants happening all day on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram and more -- so be sure to join us online using the hashtag #StateofWomen. Hope you're excited for what is sure to be an empowering and inspiring day -- I know I am.