“I have to impact my world”. It is a very powerful statement. You know, people think about the mark they can have, how they can show that they were there. For example, I went to a restaurant in Gabon, and it happens that a few months earlier, Samuel L. Jackson had visited it. So, when I got in, I saw a picture of him in the restaurant and underneath, a tablet was saying something in the lines of “ Samuel Lee Jackson visited *name of the restaurant* on the *date*”.
When you think about it, some believe that there is absolutely nothing after death and long to have an impact on the world. Even though they are wrong about the first statement, their ambition can be understood. Is there some pride in it? Probably. But their goal should be ours as followers of Christ. It is my duty to enlighten the world with what I have. As Eli will develop it in a few lines, God gave us all talents. Things that we can use in order to give Him the glory and lead people to know Him. And these talents are meant to bear fruit. This is pretty much what Jesus explains in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30. A master gives his servants talents before they leave. Two of them get even more by investing them, the third one decides to hide it, for he is afraid of his master. When he comes back, the master gives recompenses to the first two ones but punishes the third one for his attitude. Your job is to impact the world. Using your talents to touch those around you. Bear a testimony worthy of the One who saved your life, not only in his time but for all eternity. Why this duty? Because this is your testimony, your life, your passion that will lead those who have never set a foot in a church to the idea of following Christ. Finally, there is one thing that could help you to stand up. This sentence : “Start with me”. When God wanted to speak to the world in the time of Isaiah, He asked “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Isaiah responded, willing to please the Lord “Here I am, send me” (Isaiah 6:8). The world cannot change, cannot get better if you are not acting. Bad things start with one. Good things and change can start with one. Let this one be you. Do To carry on from what Do was saying: we all can impact the world. But to be able to impact the world, I’ve had to learn two very essential things: my talent and my fears. Allow me to begin by quoting one of my favorite poems, written by Marianne Williamson. She says in her poem: “It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.” The entire poem is brilliant and I encourage everyone to read it at least once a year. It’s one of those things that gets better every year, especially when you grow spiritually. The point of the poem is to make people like you and I realize that we are talented. We have so many gifts. If that isn’t enough to remind you that you are talented, there’s 1 Corinthians 12:7-8 “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge...” What Paul is saying is that the Father gives everyone a special talent. It could be writing, drawing or anything else that He can think of. And all of these were meant to serve Him. Whenever we do so, we do more than just serve Him, but we inspire others, whether we know it or not. It’s by following Colossians 3:17 that we become a light to those around us. The light that I’m talking about is the light that Jesus talks about in Matthew 5:14 - 16. It’s one where you are the light of the world through your good deeds; where people see the Father through you. They see the person that you are and see the qualities of the righteous and the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. The Father gives us all the opportunity and the chance to inspire others. There are so many people that we can be inspired by: Oprah, Warren Bufet, Lebron James and even the late-great Chadwick Boseman. All of them are great sources, who, in one way or another, take inspiration from the greatest inspiration we can all have: Jesus Christ. Therefore, let the light of Christ shine within you and inspire the world around you. Eli
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Do you remember yours, the way I remember mine? For me, it was a moment: a flash of brilliance if you will. The drive down the lane at full speed, as the opposition chases after something they will never catch. The red blur jumping with the ball already in the air, floating casually as the fans wonder if it will go in. As a seven year old, it was majestic, seeing a guy like Dwyane Wade playing in the NBA Finals the way that he did. Watching him in 2006 inspired me to play basketball at a young age.
It did more than just inspire me to play basketball: it inspired me to do more than what I thought I could ever do. More than myself. That’s the power of being inspired by someone. As I remember clearly that moment in 2006, I remember being inspired by someone who was more than just a man. Jesus, the Son of Man. What I felt that day, as the Miami Heat defeated the Dallas Mavericks to capture their first NBA Championship, I feel ten-fold everyday, as I try to emulate Jesus. If you have never been inspired by someone, I guess it means you have never been in contact with anybody. Life inspirations and examples can be positive as well as negative. You can think “they did something wrong, and I don’t want this to happen again. I’ll avoid the situation or find a way to find myself in their position to avoid the wrong to be done again”. Or, on the contrary it can be a “They are so amazing I want to be like them and do the things the way they did to honour their inheritance, their job…” I asked the other members of the team to name one person who inspired them and why. Here’s what some of them responded:
What about me? Excellent question. There are so many people who have been so impactful in my life. But I will think about this Sunday school teacher a few years ago. She was so kind and sweet, loving and encouraging… When I told her that when I grow up I wanted to be like her, she smiled, had a small laugh and responded “You’ll be greater than me”. And even though I’m not always the best, I still long to be like her, or even follow her saying and be greater, better than her. On the other hand, I could also think about this late actor who took demanding roles even though he was very sick - Chadwick Boseman. He is the one who inspired this mini-series by his strength and courage. People around us are blessings, they inspire us to get the best out of us. There are two reasons that I think about immediately. The first one is that we want to honour them. The second one is that we want to prove some people wrong. That being different is possible. But when you think about it, who do your inspirations look like? What do they advocate? If you look at kids, they’ll very often be willing to be like superheroes, or idealize their parents to the point where their dad ends up being “the stronger” and their mom “the smarter” or the “most beautiful woman in the world”. I think that in their heart, even though they might not know Him, their goal, their role model is Christ, as He is for me and for Eli, who wrote the beginning of this article. It means a lot to be Him and to be like Him. Here’s my secret. It’s not impossible to be like Christ and to do what He did. We can even exceed the works that He did: He says it himself (John 14:12). Here it is. A very short version: if you want to be the best, if you want to be like your inspiration, no matter who that may be, work is important. But through Jesus, God can bring you to perfection. Whatever you want to do, your work has a value that no one will ever be able to contest, but God is the One who will shine your light. Your base, your goal has to be to be like Him. So, here is our invitation for this week: take note of the people who inspire you, and, given the example of the loss some of us feel, I would encourage you to take a time to thank them if you can. And then, look up to Christ in order to get better. Let Him act in your life. We can be more than the people who inspired us. All we need is Christ. Do and Eli There are so many subjects that I would like to share with you! I will assure you that the number of articles, prepared by the grace of God and by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is impressive enough for someone like, who is incapable of getting organized…
Yet again, I’m writing because the news is pushing me to do so. I do not know where you live, in which conditions or under which conditions, but I have something in my heart that I would like to talk to you about in North America. As a child, in France, I was already shocked and dismayed by the racist and criminal acts that made it to my french television. Me, a biracial child whose parents came from two different countries, two continents and two different colors. Young adult, I moved to North America that seems to be so violent to european eyes. The shock was huge. It took me more than a year for me to understand - in which there was a confinement, avoiding a global pandemic - and for my eyes to open. In my “peaceful” Canada, things are getting agitated. Our southern neighbors are the perfect examples. Violence done primarily to men of “color” is creating more and more anger within the population, asking for justice for these men, women and children whose lives have been destroyed but brutal crimes. I hope for your forgiveness if you find my discourse quite harsh. My heart is broken and here is why. A while ago now, I had an apologetic debate (to defend my faith) with someone from my school. My arguments were not excellent, my repartee far from sufficient. But one of his sentences marked "Everyone will go to heaven". Truly? I wish it were so, that we could all enter into the joy of our Creator for eternity, right now if possible. But let me draw a parallel. Police officers, 17-year-olds, men and women generally perceived to be "good" commit unspeakable crimes. That end without justice. Or with a sentence which is far from reaching the ankle of the crime. What does it lead to? Men, women and celebrities from all fields of entertainment relentlessly calling for "Justice" with hashtags such as #JusticeforX and #BlackLivesMatter. They fight on social networks, political or television platforms to remind that every life counts and that it is necessary to do justice to those which have been so violently stolen and to call on citizens to exercise all their power through votes and demonstrations. Sometimes, in outbursts of anger following the suffering of centuries of oppression and generation after generation, violence breaks out. But nothing, I say it and repeat it loud and clear, nothing justifies a murder, much less without trial and without conviction. So. What's my point? What is the direction of my thought? Heaven, paradise, is a reward for those who have lived a godly life on earth, for two who have dedicated their lives to Christ. For those who have first sought the kingdom and righteousness of God (Matthew 6:33) and who have sought to be like Jesus (1 Corinthians 11: 1), who have shown their will to be rid of sin in order to please the Father Holy, and to seize the hand that He extended in Jesus to enable us to cross the gap created by sin. We want justice for the lives sacrificed, I include myself with a determined heart, bruised and concerned for the lives of my brothers, my closest friends, my family, but also for these families with lives broken by the unjust disappearance of loved ones. I don't deny it, we need justice. However, the righteousness of God is more important. And I am saddened to announce that no, we will not all go to heaven in the holy and magnificent presence of our Heavenly Father. For this eternity in His peace is a sentence that only He can pronounce at the time of judgment. Your determination, your decision today determine your eternity. And remember that while justice on this earth is important, it is nothing like that of God. That if it worries you, that of the Three Holy Times should worry you. So? What will be your choice? This call is made with all my affection and a cry from my heart, Be abundantly blessed, Do P.S: I realize that the United States and the "colored" people there are not the only victims of discrimination. The news in other countries concerning cultural or religious minorities are just as alarming and call for prayer and popular mobilization according to what the Spirit will teach everyone. |
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November 2021
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