Wednesday 6 March 2024

Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. Acts 16. 31

I was 12 years old

I was born into a Christian family where reading the Bible and prayers were always a part of my life. But it was thanks to the verse “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved” that my life was transformed when I was 12 years old. We lived in Algeria, just before independence. On the evening of March 16, 1962, at the heart of the tragic events that shook the country, totally distraught, before going to bed I went to see my mother, crying. I had begged her to help me face this terrifying night. I could no longer control my tears. I was paralyzed by the fear of dying.

My mother consoled me then took out her Bible to read the verse cited, inviting me to read it aloud several times. And we prayed together : "Thank you, my God, for Jesus Christ who watches over us and over our entire family. Keep my parents, my sisters and protect us. Lord Jesus, I believe in you, I give you my heart tonight, be my shepherd forever. Amen.”

Immediately, I felt like a presence near me. This presence was Jesus Christ. This is how since that evening in March 1962, Jesus Christ entered my heart, into my life.

Some people think that it is fear and anxiety that leads us to believe in God. I tell them that I have experienced His beneficial presence. I know who I believed in that night and I still believe in him today. My name is Gilberte, I am over 70 years old and Jesus is always near me.

Source (The Good Seed)

Saturday 14 October 2023

The Eternal appeared to Abraham among the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. Genesis 18. 1 Segond Version 21

Abraham trusted in God and it was counted as righteousness to him. And he was called a friend of God. James 2. 23 Segond Version 21

The trees in the Bible (8.) - The oak

The oak has an exceptional lifespan. Some are said to be 2000 years old. It is a symbol of strength and longevity. Thus it is said of an ancient people of Palestine : "the height was equal to that of the cedars and the strength to that of the oaks" (Amos 2. 9).

Abraham pitched his tent near the oaks of Mamre. It was there, at his home, that God met him several times, that he heard God speak to him, but also that he was able to speak to God, adore him and pray to him for his nephew Lot, in danger of death (Genesis 18). This shady place where Abraham lived is thus a symbol of communion with God, of a close relationship between God and the believer.

Abraham was called a friend of God. It was not Abraham who called God his friend, but the opposite. This tells us of the infinite love of God who desires to communicate with believers. Abraham responded to this divine love by his trust in God, by his fidelity to him. This attachment led him to an ever deeper relationship with God.

Yes, Abraham still shows us today the way to become “friends of God” in our turn : to believe his word and thus become righteous through the sacrifice of Christ who died for our sins. Trust ourselves in God in all circumstances, even the most adverse. Learn to listen to Him, to adore Him and to pray for our loved ones, and even for those who don't love us. “Pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, that you may be (more than friends) sons of your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5. 44, 45).

Source (The Good Seed)

Thursday, 10 August 2023

You keep my eyelids open ; I am troubled, unable to speak. Psalm 77.5 Segond Version 21

Unload all your worries on him, because he himself takes care of you. 1 Peter 5. 7 Segond Version 21

From men worried

- Arthur Demoss, ran an insurance company. He worked 100 hours a week, overwhelmed by worries. As a Christian, he discovered that God could take care of his burdens. Instead of tormenting himself looking for solutions, he understood that he had to put God first and devote his best hours to him in prayer and the reading of the Bible. Let's listen to him : "With confidence, I place my affairs, my problems in God's hands, and even if it seems incredible, I can say that I am never weighed down by worries again."

Let's look at the reaction of two biblical characters faced with difficult situations.

- Asaph recounts his experience in Psalm 77. Worried because of the troubles his people were going through, he no longer slept, he prayed all night, but found no rest. "I refuse all consolation" (v. 3). God responds to this cry of distress : “You are my servant. I have chosen you and I do not reject you. am your God, I will strengthen you, I will help you" (Isaiah 41:9, 10).

- The apostle Paul, in prison in Rome, had reason to worry ; he risked death; but he writes : "Do not worry about anything, but in everything make your needs known to God by prayers and supplications, in an attitude of thankfulness. And the peace of God, which passes all that can be understood, will keep your heart and mind in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6,7).

Source (The Good Seed)

Wednesday 28 June 2023

The man expires, and where is he ? Job 14. 10

(Jesus says) : I will prepare a place for you. And when I have gone away and prepared a place for you, I will return and take you with me, so that where I am you may also be there. John 14. 2, 3

Her last haircut

A sailor, still in the prime of life, was suffering from worrying symptoms that could suggest a serious illness. He decided to consult a doctor, who had him immediately hospitalized, which increased his fears. Shaken at the thought of the prognosis, he went to the first hairdresser he came across. As he sat down, he told her : "Go ahead, apply yourself well. This is my last haircut before I go to hell".

The hairdresser, a Christian, tactfully inquired about the reason for this somber announcement. While doing his work, he told his client about his own faith and his future : he believed in the Savior, Jesus Christ, and would go to heaven when he died.

The sailor returned to the hospital to learn the fatal diagnosis : inoperable cancer. A few weeks later, a nurse came to inform the hairdresser of the sailor's death. She handed him a piece of paper, on which, in trembling handwriting, were inscribed these words : "Not in hell. Towards Jesus !"

If you have not yet put your trust in Jesus Christ, do it now, do not wait to find yourself on a hospital bed to think of God : "Now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6. 2). Today, Jesus saves !

Source (The Good Seed)

Wednesday 17 May 2023

(Jesus said) : How many times I wanted to gather your children, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you did not want it ! Matthew 23. 37 Segond Version 21

How precious is your goodness, O God ! In the shadow of your wings men seek refuge. Psalm 36. 8 Segond Version 21

Let's observe the nature (6) - The hen and her chicks

The role of mother hen shows itself even before the arrival of the chicks : with perseverance, she incubates her eggs for 21 days until they hatch. As soon as her young come out of the shell, the hen always looks around to make sure they are all there. when the sun shines, the chicks wander here and there. But when a cloud comes, the cold surprises them and some let out little cries. Then the mother calls them, and they hasten to take refuge under her wings.

The hen protects and defends her young. If she sees danger coming, a cat for example, she calls them with a very particular cry that they recognize. They then run towards her and take shelter under her feathers.

In the Bible, the wings of birds speak of protection, of security. The Lord Jesus uses this image of a hen protecting her chicks under her wings, to evoke care for Jerusalem (Luke 13:34). It is also a beautiful image of God's love for us ! It is up to us to take refuge under his wings. There we are safe !

Have we strayed from the Lord ? He invites us tirelessly to "return" and to "abide in his love" (John 15.9).

The hen does not run after her chicks to warm them or protect them; she calls them and it is up to them to come. If we are in danger, the Lord knows it well, and he sees it better than we do ! It's up to us to listen to him and come, or come back, to him.

(End)

Source (The Good Seed)