Hello! It’s been a while since I’ve been thinking about this article! But, I completely forgot to write it. I’m going to take full responsibility here, haha. But we are finally here. So far, it seems as if it will be the last article in a series dealing with love that we started quite a while ago. With that being said, allow me to present to you the song “Reckless Love”. It has inspired this article and I told myself that it was worth you knowing. The chorus is: Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God Oh, it chases me down, fights 'til I'm found, leaves the 99 And I couldn't earn it I don't deserve it, still You give yourself away Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God La parabole à laquelle je pense, c'est celle de la brebis perdue. Je vais considérer que tu ne la connais pas. Personnellement, j'ai grandi dans l'église et a fait partie de ce que je connaissais le mieux dans la Bible! If you grew up in the church, you probably understand the reference. Jesus, when He was on earth, spoke to his followers in parables. These parables were the way that Jesus used to make others understand the message that he was relaying. The parable that I am thinking about is that of the lost sheep. I am going to imagine that you don’t know it. Personally, I grew up in the church and is one of those stories that I know very well in the Bible! 3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. I’ve always liked this story. But, the problem is that I am a city girl - well of a suburban countryside that wants to act like it’s a city, if that’s not too complicated. Anyways, it’s been a while since someone told me something that had never hit me before about this story. This is it: Jesus said He’d abandon 99 sheep in the DESERT to go and look for one that is now lost! If I can say it better, this shepherd found that one’s sheep security more important than all of the money that he can make from the 99 others. It’s counterproductive and against what would’ve been standard at that time! The logical answer to Jesus’s question is No. But He said that He would do it. He would have an entire party and celebration for a single sheep. He’d put 99 “in danger” to save one. That’s where I get to my point on love. The love of God is countercultural. He chose to sacrifice Himself on the wood to save us, we who are imperfect. He chose to leave His heaven of glory to offer us eternal life by His side, as long as we submit and give our lives to Him. He chose to carry the burdens of our sins on His shoulders to reconcile us with the Father. The God who is holy, holy, holy. Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps! It’s intimidating! But in the end, what’s so beautiful, is that what cost the Father everything doesn’t cost us anything. It’s a gift. It’s up to you to accept it or not. I’m going to let you think about it; hopefully we will get to see you soon on our social media pages and back here! Sincerely, Do
0 Comments
It’s a new year. So many things, both good and bad, have happened during the last 366 days. Amongst others, we’ve had the COVID-19 pandemic: something that will probably stay in our memories forever. We don’t know how things will turn out, and as I’m writing to you right now, I can tell you that I may be more confused than you. Another article that I am writing well before it’s release date, and so many things can change between now and publication. But I know that my message has a purpose and that that will not change, no matter what we will face.
I’ve already written a bit about new resolutions two weeks ago. Therefore, I would like to know: have you been able to keep those resolutions that you made on January 1st 2021? Have you seen progress, or did they fall into a pit of despair? I posted a poll on my Instagram story not too long ago concerning the confinement that we were living through. I asked if the people following me felt as if they had evolved or regressed during this period. Few responded. But during the twelve hours that the story was up, the result leaned towards a feeling of regression. And there. No matter what you lived in 2020, no matter what you had to experiment or live through. What you lived through, or even the reasons that pushed you to abandon those resolutions, it is not too late. It’s not too late to try again and to start again. When the world - or at least the province in which I lived in - started a slow crawl towards normalcy and I got to return to church, my youth pastor proposed that we do something different than what we had done for the last year and a half and different from what we had to do to stay in fellowship with the rest of the group during times of confinement. He offered to reassess our relationship with God. And to find out how God wants us to live our relationship with Him. No magic formula, no one above one or the other. Of course, we get an education every week, but we all learn. We all submit to the same diet. And we study not only the Word of God but our own lives according to it. Why am I telling you this? Simply because, believe it or not, this is what I have decided to do so many times during these months spent locked in my house. Every time I read the Bible or prayed, I had this will to really hold onto what the Word was saying. I have reorganized my prayer schedule, tried to be regular, and as of this writing I am still struggling with all of this. But all of a sudden, I was no longer the only one with new challenges. I wanted to use the time of isolation to make a fresh start. Earlier in the year, I wanted to use my facility in a more personal place to make a fresh start. Whenever something changed around me, it was time to make a new decision, to ask myself "so, what now?" And each time it was a failure, after which I braced myself for the next opportunity to start over. Without telling me that today could be the time for change. You may have the same mentality. I don't necessarily know you, but I would like to give you some encouragement: don't wait for THE next starting point. Don't wait for THE next opportunity. Now can be one. Now wherever you are, you can make a fresh start. The Bible, in 2 Corinthians 6: 2, tells us that now is the day of salvation. So you don't have to wait. In privacy today you can make the decision to give your heart to Jesus and to abandon your situation of sin. And if it's already done, that doesn't mean the new beginnings are over. Maybe there is something you need to sort out, an aspect of your relationship with Him that you need to improve? Don't wait for tomorrow, don't wait for a new opportunity. You can do it now. And you can pray like David "O God create in me in pure heart, renew in me a willing spirit, renew in me a willing spirit" (Psalm 51:10) Here is my invitation today: do not wait another day to make a fresh start. The opportunity is today. Be blessed, Have a wonderful week, Do |
AuthorSAt So What Now? we have a plethora of authors that all give us their exciting perspectives on Christ and life, including Do, Little Feet and Eli! Archives
November 2021
Categories |