Sunday October 31, 2021

There is always time !

Searching the Scriptures

While the promise to enter into his rest still stands, let none of you seem to have come too late [...] God fixes a day again, today [...] Today, if you hear the voice of God, do not harden your hearts. Hebrews 4.1 to 7

We all have loved ones who have not yet accepted the Lord or who have moved away from him. Years go by and we can be gripped with anguish and discouragement as we earnestly pray for them. But don't we say : "As long as there is life, there is hope" ? Rather see !

In his latest newsletter, evangelist Timothy Paton recounts a curious encounter during his honeymoon. In a public garden, an elderly lady strikes up a conversation with the young couple and tells them that she was born in 1921 to a Protestant father and a Jewish mother. Discerning a divine appointment, the two lovebirds share the Good News with him and begin to sing : "If you want happiness, true happiness, let Jesus enter your heart..."

What follows is extraordinary : "Grandma Marcelle decides to let Jesus enter her heart. With her hands joined, aloud, this old lady of over 100 years confesses her sins and her faith in the work of Jesus on the cross."

I was also deeply moved when I read, in Rencontres avec Marcel Pagnol, the last moments of this famous man's life. Jacqueline, his daughter, says : "For two years, dad has been thinking a lot about God. He asks himself many questions about the afterlife. Norbert, a Christian friend who came to his bedside, after having" called on the Holy Spirit" , said to him : "Marcel... The Good Lord loves you. He is your friend. You wrote it : his mercy swallows up all miseries. We are all sinners, me like you... Do you want that together We asked him for forgiveness ?" Marcel recollects himself. Without waiting he confesses his faults... Through his eyes filled with tears, the gaze of grace rushes into him as far as the eye can see."

Maybe one of you still hasn't got your life right with your Creator. Why put off until tomorrow what can be done the same day ? Who knows what tomorrow will bring ? "For what is your life ? You are a vapor which appears for a little while, and which then disappears" (James 4:14). Today is the day of salvation.

Listen the voice of God

Let’s take the time to listen to what God means. Is there a person that God asks you to pray for, to say words of encouragement, or to talk about the love of Jesus ?

Praying is easy. Talk to God as you would your closest friend. God loves you and he can hear everything. Here is an example of a prayer : "Lord, I thank you for these testimonies which encourage me. Help me to persevere in the prayer for the salvation of those who do not know you yet."

Praise God

To praise God is to show him our gratitude. What are your subjects of recognition today ? Take a time to thank the Lord.

Act today

Now dig deeper into what you have received. What can you do to apply what God has told you ? Write down the concrete actions you can take.

Honor the Lord

Our route for the day ends. Let us pray together to honor our God.

"Thank you, Lord, for the forgiveness of my sins and eternal life. Yours be the reign, the power, and the glory, amen !"

Catherine Gotte Avdjian

Source (The Thought of the Day)