I think I've waited a really, really long time for this article. It's a long time after writing that it will be published and I really don't know where it will go, to be honest. I just know that at some point it becomes very important to really talk about the church.
I have heard sermons about it. Surprisingly, more than I could think of. More than I could count. There are songs about it, we added one to the playlist we started building in September. My youth pastor made this a quick pre-worship message for our teens. I could tell you about my experience with the church since my childhood. But I would like to study a church of the Bible. She is quite "famous". It is normal, one could say that it is the first of a long series, of a large number. It is the "primitive" church. The one we are told about in the book of Acts. I believe this church is essential. The one who has no interest in movements and theories, but who preaches the truth of a God who loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son so that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life. The church that proclaims the death and resurrection of this Son, Jesus Christ. The church that recognizes that we are sinners and need a Saviour. The church that calls to follow God in His commandments. Acts 2 tells us that each day the Lord added those who were saved to the church. And we're not talking about two or three people. We are talking about Peter, the same one who denied Jesus, who announced the truth of Jesus dead and risen to a large number of people, among whom about 3000 were converted. I am talking about the church that has chosen to forget its needs and take care of its members, selling its goods and sharing the products among all as needed. A church that neglects what it believes is necessary to put God, its King and Lord, first, as Acts 2:44 shows us. A church that behaves like a family. Who takes care of each other. Sorry for the bad news, but I believe that, at some point, this church is gone. It is probably very difficult to find a gathering of people who would sacrifice themselves for you. In addition, I have not yet spoken of one of the essential elements of the Christian life, but I will come to it in a few lines. Coming back to what I was saying, don't expect to walk into a church and find yourself facing the situation I described. The disagreements started in the generation that saw the risen Christ. So it is unfortunately not tomorrow that everyone will be able to agree absolutely. The church must stand in prayer to know God more. Do you know many Christians who pray consistently every day? I'm not accusing anyone! I have a hard time doing it on a regular and consistent basis. But the work of the church is to edify and encourage itself in the most difficult habits of the Christian life. I told you, nothing very easy there ... And less and less common. So why encourage yourself to join a church? I could, and probably should, explain this to you. We will see if the Lord allows me. But I would like to answer you simply. The church is supposed to be the people of God. The people He chose to spend eternity with Him. And according to the letters present in the New Testament, its place, its role is to encourage in times of difficulty, and to correct you when you are wrong. Despite all the will of the world, our ears can choose to remain deaf to the Holy Spirit. And when that happens, God can choose to speak to a brother or sister to touch you. My youth pastor once described the Church of Acts as a church that shares a word, takes time in praise, and prays for its members. The one who encourages in times of difficulty. And this is what we must aspire to experience. And that's the pattern the Bible shows us. Walk in truth, correction and sanctification. Ready for the adventure? If you don't have a church yet, I strongly advise you to look for one that you can join to help you in your walk. The condition is that she seeks the truth of the Word as a priority. If you have a church, find out what you can do, along with The Father, to help it grow according to His will. Be blessed, Do
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To all of you who have grown up in the church, can you identify with this? Since I was very young, one aspiration I had was to serve in church. I guess you can understand it: these adults who serve and inspire you are all around you. Being very young, I spent almost half of my evenings at church because my mother played there an instrument of praise to accompany the times of songs. On Sunday mornings I saw these adults who were teaching us so passionately about the Bible in Sunday school. Not to mention those who sang so wonderfully in the "service of adults" to lead the worship and those musicians so skilled and talented ... I dreamed of inspiring children like me the way these adults did for me.
In short, for me to serve in the church in the eyes of all was a goal. I wanted from the bottom of my heart to become like them. They were so "perfect" to me. And then life moved on, and these people who were role models have become adults who repeat themselves in their stupidities and in their myths. Serving always seemed so attractive, because I wanted people around me to see me, to recognize that I had talents, abilities. And finally, Jesus entered my life. He came to turn everything upside down. And to be honest? It didn't take two months for my whole concept of service to change again. I no longer wanted to be seen, to be recognized for my work, even if sometimes a thank you was good, I just learned to give of myself without expecting anything in return. It was then that I began to serve in church. And everything I've done so far has given me so much. So what happened? Why did I decide to let go of all my thought patterns to humiliate myself? At the time, when I was 13 or 14, I don't think I had a clue. But here is what I have learned and which has marked me to this day. The Bible says we love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). The report ? Serving God is a sacrifice. Giving my life to Him is a sacrifice. And Jesus sacrificed himself because He loved us. That's all He could give us, and He gave it to us to give us eternal life. The rest, the blessings of everyday life, I would like to say that is a bonus. Of course, it strengthens our faith, allows us to bear a greater witness, but what matters most is what happens after we step through the door that leads us to eternity. So, sometimes I lost my direction. And here is what a friend said to me "your reward, you will have it in the sky". And it marked me! I serve God because I love Him, I serve in His church, I serve His people because I love them and because I have chosen to give my life to Him. In addition, it allows me to testify. Who would dare to do something for no reason to do it? My reason is to serve the One who changed my life. Basically, if you think about it, I might decide to just tell the world that I have faith. And James 2:26 tells me that "... faith without works is dead." So so I prove that I have faith. Let me ask you: do you think you are serving God in your life? If so, what is the reason you are serving? If not, have you ever thought about doing it? Here is my advice for this week: remember why serving God is important, find out why you are serving. And remember: - I serve because Jesus became a servant - I serve because I believe in God who offers me eternal life through my faith in the sacrifice of Jesus - I serve because I want to bear witness to my faith - I serve because I love God and his people Comments or questions on this? Do not hesitate to let us know in comments or by email! Be blessed, and we'll talk to you in two weeks! Do I know, the title of this article is pretty close to last time's, and that's okay! Around two years ago, I went to a youth camp that lasted a week. During one of the services, the pastor spoke about the trust issues we can have with God when everything is supposed to be quite "simple" since He is our Father. And it was there that he began to develop the difficulties of our relationship with God our Father: our landmarks and earthly models of "father" can be very disappointing. Eli brought it up two weeks ago, and it was when he told me what he wanted to talk about in his article that it occurred to me to expand on it. Certain points will be close, but it seems necessary to me to spend some time on this concept. This preaching just resonated in my heart and although I will be unable to transcribe it to you exactly as it was delivered, I will do my best. Since I have few problems with my father, I had to go online to find out what problems are quite common in a parent-child relationship, and especially between a father and his children (I admit, this is one of the problems of taking preaching notes on different mediums, haha). An absent father. I cannot explain why, this is the first example that came to my mind. For many reasons, a father can be absent in a lifetime: incessant work, distance, ignorance, denial or abandonment. The reasons may be many, but the result is the same: huge disappointment and emptiness in the heart. So necessarily, presenting you God as your Father will not be able to make you want to know Him. But here is what the Bible says about it in Psalm 145: 8: "The Lord is near to all who call on him, To all who call on him with sincerity". If you call Him, He will answer you without a doubt. A manipulative father. It is very destructive. An oppressive and manipulative relationship is bad for humans. It hurts to be used to serve some other person's plans or goals, and when that person turns out to be a parent, the pain is even worse. I'm not a professional, but I have an idea of the impact this must have on the mind. However, God is not a manipulator, He cannot be tempted by evil (James 1:13) and we are the habitation of his Holy Spirit, which means that the Spirit teaches us the heart of the Father ( 1 Corinthians 3:16)! In addition, God does not keep it a secret if we choose to be close enough to Him to listen to Him. This is what one version of Psalm 25:14 tells us, “The secret of the Lord is to those who fear him, to make known to them his covenant.” So the chances that He will choose to manipulate us are ... nonexistent! A silent Father. A bit like what I developed in the first point, we can think of a father who is physically present but silent. Who does not give advice, who keeps his advice and opinions to himself. The Bible says that a father corrects his children, following God's pattern (Proverbs 3:12), and God Himself speaks to His children because He has plans for them. as a verse that we love very much in the team puts it so well: Jeremiah 29:11. These passages also show us that God is not a "lax" father who lets his children go, a model that a good parent has a duty to follow in raising their children in the manner of the Heavenly Father. A "heartless" father Some parents may believe that a strict upbringing goes hand in hand with a loveless upbringing. The child thus grows up in an almost unhealthy fear of his parents. Once again, I am far from being a professional. But what I do know is that it seems even plants need love. So how much more a child! It is with love that God wishes to teach and educate us. And here is not one or two but four verses that show us the love and mercy that the Father wants to show us. Psalm 103: 13: “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.” James 1:17: “Every excellent grace and every perfect gift come down from above, from the Father of lights, in whom there is neither change nor shadow of variation.” Luke 6:36: “Be therefore merciful as your Father is merciful” Romans 5: 5: “Now this hope does not deceive, because the love of God is poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” So, I realize that our human parents are not perfect. And if they are nearing perfection, there is certainly one thing that may have disappointed you and caused you not to want to trust God, or to have difficulty understanding why to see Him as a good Father. But today, I invite you to see it differently; see the Father differently. Do Hi everyone, it's Eli.
I don't write as much here due to time and a million other constraints from life, which is sad. I love what we have here and what we are doing here. It truly gives me joy to know that this is a space where we can share and love the Father, God. That's through praise, worship, reading and music. I love it all and truly consider myself to be edified by the articles that I am fortunate enough to read and help translate. I just felt touched to talk to you all today of a specific thing that I saw and that has caught my eye. I've applied it to my life and would love to share it with you all here. But to understand, I need to bring you all to the book of Matthew 6:5 - 15. For the eagle-eyed believers who remember every Bible-verse, you know exactly what's going on. For those of you who are like me, still learning, it's the prayer that we call the "Our Father". To give you a brief understanding of what is going on, Jesus is being asked how to pray. In true godly fashion - something that is rebellious in today's culture - He starts by saying what not to do. Don't be hypocrites that cry out your random sentences for prayers, but be private in your faith by seeking God in your room, away from people while speaking from the heart. Then He gives us the Our Father. But that's the part I want to focus on: He's our Father. Jesus, in all of His infinite love and wonder, doesn’t tell us to call the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth, the Alpha and the Omega anything other than “Father”. That means a lot. A good father gives their child their name and a legacy. They teach their child to be just and right; respectful to all and loving in strength. While we may not of all have had amazing father figures in our lives, we can all at least understand what a Father is supposed to do, and that’s a deep and innate feeling we all have. By calling God “Father”, we are communicating a deep and personal connection that He wants with us. It’s why He tells us later on in the book of Matthew to call no other man Father: it’s so you keep that connection with God The Father as holy and sacred as possible (Matthew 23:9). Those who follow Jesus in truth and in spirit are told to call God Father, for we are His children. I like to think of Jesus as being the ultimate older brother as He doesn’t just tell us what to do: he does it as well. As Jesus died for our sins, he called upon the Father, saying: Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do [...] Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit. (Luke 23:34, 46) Remember how I told you that Jesus told this to His disciples and to His followers? They didn’t take His words lightly. They continued to preach the good news to all of the nations, proclaiming God as The Father. The Apostle John would say “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” (1 John 3:1). Even Paul, who never saw Jesus during His time on earth, would continue by saying in 1 Corinthians 8:6: “Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” And now there is you. I’m going to encourage you to follow Christ in the way that you pray and address the God that loves you so much. Call Him the Father and continue to foster the personal relationship that you have with Him. I encourage you to make him more than just the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but make Him your Father and your one true God as well. Sincerely yours, may the Father bless you, Eli P.S: Writing this article made me think of the song "How Deep the Father’s Love for us" we shared a while ago in the playlist. Feel free to go back and listen to it! During my first year of college, and even during my first week, a teacher asked a question during one of our tutorials. The room remained silent. Out of shyness or lack of knowledge, I won't be able to tell you. So, insisting and asking the question over and over, the teacher asked us, "So what are you waiting for? Do you think you are getting the answer from the Holy Spirit? Look in your notes!" The Holy Spirit, what a big word ... It was at this point in my life that I realized that we have probably all heard of it, at least as a myth or a story from the past ... He is at the source of major divergences between several Christian movements, while He is a fundamental point of our existence. So who is He? And what is His role? I am far from having perfect knowledge in the topic of the Holy Spirit: my times of intimacy with Him allow me to discover Him more and more, but I would like to share with you what He puts on my heart. My church is part of a movement called "Pentecostal". Why? Because we rely on Acts 2, which describes the first arrival of the Holy Spirit on a large number of people. And we believe it still happens today. Its manifestation is usually through speaking in tongues, it is this moment that we call the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Many may disagree with me about what I'm going to share with you, and you may be one of them. So I simply suggest that you open your mind and heart to these possibilities and leave comments or contact us if you have any questions, comments or even objections. My goal is that we can all grow, based on the first foundation of the Bible. The Holy Spirit is in direct contact with the Father (whom we generally call God) and therefore is the One who transmits to us what He has to say to us. He knows His thoughts, for He is His spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:11) It is present everywhere, therefore omnipresent. There is no place where He is not. It does not mean that He is honored everywhere, but simply that wherever we go, He is present with us. Hiding from Him is impossible, and yet David thought about it! (Psalm 139: 7). He can do anything (Romans 8:26) He allows us to live, His breath gives us life (John 6:63). He is the truth (1 John 5: 6) He is and gives wisdom (Isaiah 40:13 and Isaiah 11: 2) He is God (Acts 5: 3-4) To summarize, I invite you to read John 16: 13-15 with me: “When the Comforter comes, the Spirit of truth, he will lead you into all truth; for he will not speak on his own, but whatever he hears he will speak, and will tell you things to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and tell it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take of what is mine, and will tell it to you. ” So the Holy Spirit was very present for the writing of the books of the New Testament but He was also very present in the life of Christians after the end of the writing of the Bible. Indeed, by listening to Him, many have been initiators of spiritual awakenings, in their region or country, or powerful tools by which our Heavenly Father has shown His power. Even today He is active, and is ready to use us to manifest the glory of God to those around us. So this week and even for longer, I invite you to let Him influence you in your walk, guide you in your decisions and do what will glorify God each day. Be blessed, Do P.S: Here's the song that inspired me to write this article. I hope you'll like it. The translation will be up soon. I had an invasion of flies in my house. But let me tell you the whole story. It started with one. A fly that was walking in my room. I told myself that she didn't bother me too much. One day she was bothering me, and I killed her. The next day, it's another one that I see appear. I kill her immediately. I find no more than two in my kitchen that I decide to kill immediately, in order to prevent them from landing in my food. After a week, there are several coming out of I do not know where each day. I decide to kill them all one after the other, because they are already starting to drive me crazy. But every day more are coming back. So I contact my owners, because there is no way to kill them with what I have in my possession.
The owner sprays an insecticide. But I realize the next day that the flies are back. They look drugged and don't know how to fly, but also hyperactive, which makes them impossible to kill. I wait a week, thinking that the other products used will be able to destroy the nest where the eggs are laid. But nothing to do. So I contacted the owners again. At this point, more than 15 flies are coming out of the same place every day. After another conversation with the owners, I hope to have peace soon. But, very busy with all the things they have, they forget about me. A little annoyed, I contacted them telling them that I needed the vacuum cleaner (we live in the same house, but on different levels, and they had kept it in their house) and that this invasion of flies requires regular maintenance. So the owner takes him down to me and knocks on my door. When I open, she sees the state of the walls and is scared that I haven't reminded them of my problem. That same evening, they treated my entire room with a product, covered the opening that gives access to my room with a plastic bag and ... peace ... for 3 days. The flies have returned. New conversation with the owners, and they helped, telling me what to do to get rid of it. I followed the protocols as patiently as possible. Here we are today, at the time of writing, with a phenomenal number of flies probably coming out of holes made in the plastic covering the entrance. From morning to night, it doesn't matter how many I kill during the day. And the straw that broke the camel's back? While I need my owners because the situation is worse than before, they went on vacation. Why this story? What does this have to do with the title? I think sin is like this invasion. He starts off small, doesn't bother too much. Sometimes it can even be fun, or become a game (like my willingness to kill flies in one hit or not to leave traces on the walls). But sin multiplies if you allow it to grow. Paul will even draw a parallel between sin and the leaven which makes all the dough rise (1 Corinthians 5: 6-7). So what to do to get rid of it? I tried to kill the flies on my own, I guess given they disappeared only when winter came it didn't work. Likewise, your own strength will not help you. You can try to talk to more experienced people, but if they advise you to hide it, believe me it will not work. The Bible says that what is done in the dark will be revealed in the light. Just like the flies probably had to pierce the plastic covering the entrance. The book of Proverbs adds "He who hides his transgressions will not succeed, but he who recognizes them and forsakes them will be compassionate" (Proverb 28:13). So, believe me, your best bet is to speak with the One who is able to solve the problem, an expert in the matter. In my case of an invasion, it would be to call a plumber. In the situation of sin, it is Jesus Christ. The One who bore our sins when He died. Of course, the help of other Christians is essential, for the effects of sin on your life and on the rest of the church are like dead flies on white walls: it is disgusting. But sin also impacts the church. Faithful Christians will help you walk in the light of the Father, with His truth and His conception of sin as a benchmark so that you do not sin against God (Psalm 119: 11). I hope this article has encouraged or motivated you to come out of sin. I am aware that this is not a funny subject, but I know that it is fundamental, because the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life (Romans 6:23). Be blessed and have a great week, With all my love, Do Sometimes, I wake up in my bed and look around my room. There’s my high school diploma and a few things from my childhood, but nothing major. It doesn’t take a while to remind myself that I am an adult. It’s weird to say and weirder to write; I don’t know if I’m alone here on that.
As I look back on my childhood, I could say that I had a good one. I was bullied and the occasional problem here and there, but it was nothing that was huge. As an adult, I now understand how much parents prayed for me when I was a kid and how much of an effect it had on my life. They were both involved in the church and both are still very deep in the faith. For that, I could never thank them enough. But I wanted more as a kid, and still want more. As I read my Bible, I will sometimes fall on verses about parenting, even though I am not a parent. I guess I’m learning for a potential future? Some of the verses include Psalm 127:4 “Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one's youth” and Deuteronomy 6:6 - 7, which reads “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” They’re great verses that I understand now that I’m an adult. Sometimes, I sit back and wonder what my life would’ve looked like if my parents had sat me and my siblings down regularly to talk about the Bible. Maybe I would be able to remember bible verses better? Maybe I wouldn’t have hidden my sins, but been more willing to talk to them and understand how to avoid them entirely? I could never tell you, but I wish that I had had that connection with them. Therefore, to the parents that sit down with their children to read and understand the Word of the Father together, I applaud you. I congratulate you and encourage you to do so. Through your action, these children receive proper instruction and teaching, which will become graceful garlands and pendants (Proverbs 1:8-9). What about me now? My parents are alive and we do share the word more regularly now. It’s the routine on Friday nights, when everyone is free, we share the word of the God who gave us His love and Grace. I learned to forgive my parents for all of those nights spent having questions and being forced to answer them myself. I accepted the fact that the past was the past and that I couldn’t change it. It had to be done for me to grow with Christ. But, weirdly enough, me now, wasn't important. I was graced with the opportunity to get to know the Father for who He is on my own. It was a journey with its ups and downs, but it's mine. I am certainly flawed, but I will try to take what I’ve learned and what my parents taught me for the next generation. I hope to be able to share the word regularly with my kids whenever the day comes; to train them up in the faith (Proverbs 22:6). They’re heritage from the Lord (Psalms 127:3) and should be treated as such. I hope that my testimony helps you understand how powerful it is to share the word with your family. If you have the opportunity, I pray that you do. Whether it be through articles like these or small sermons that the children prepare once a month; the power of the Word of God can bring families closer to one another and closer to Him. Sincerely yours, may the Father protect you, Eli Father, My only desire is to get to know You, to get closer to You and build up our relationship. I know You are a loving God, a benevolent God even when I feel disappointed in the situations I face. There have been rocky moments between You and I, but I know that what You've done was only for my good. Because You love me, I know that nothing was done with the intention of hurting me. I know the times in the desert can be hard and hurt, But I believe that the outcome will bring You glory. You are the one who brought me so far, You are the one who will bring me through. Because in the storm, my only need is to worship You, Because in the storm, my only desire is to see You. Because you are the God who loved me, created me and brought me here You know what you wanted for me and from me when all of this happened, You know what You want as I am facing this wall, And that You will show me where to go. These are the steps where faith takes me, These are the ways where you, My Lord, want me, A child’s faith, a trust that does not move when the winds blow. A faith that is absolutely depending on the way and not on the destination For the way prepares me for the one I will be in the end. Every step was meant to make me the one You want me to be, And I trust the process of the Potter, the Lover, the Saviour. In times of doubt only Your word remains, In times of wanders, only Your light can guide, In times of horror, only Your peace reassures. Because You are my strength, Because You are my comfort, Because You are with me. The One whose word never changes, The One whose peace surpasses understanding, The one whose presence is worth more than any kind of fantasy My God’s love is true, My God’s word is real, My God lives in me, My God lived in me My God’s ways are better than any other This is why I love You and why I will follow You, In Jesus’ precious name I prayed, Amen, Hey! This is absolutely different from anything you may have read on this blog, but I’ll admit it’s a part of what I like to do: something new.
Today, I really thought about how I could share with you some things that happen in my life, This prayer is far from being what people usually pray. But that’s the way! There is no way nor formula to pour out your heart at the feet of the Father. The experiences we face are different, even though they can seem a little similar sometimes, but the Word of God is the same for all. It does not change, does not move but fits to every single situation you can face. This is what I tried to show you with this message, I hope you felt blessed and encouraged, Sincerely, Do. 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 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 |
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November 2021
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