A Bible study group I attend is reading through 1 Thessalonians.
A great book! It's like a long-lost friend.
Speaking of long-lost friends.. .. ..
________________
Mes amis européens
(ceux qui habitent en Europe)
- des versets pour vous:
Nuit et jour,
nous le prions avec une extrême ardeur
de nous permettre de vous voir,
et de compléter ce qui manque à votre foi.
Que Dieu lui-même, notre Père,
et notre Seigneur Jésus,
aplanissent notre route pour que nous allions à vous!
Que le Seigneur augmente de plus en plus parmi vous,
et à l'égard de tous,
cette charité que nous avons nous-mêmes pour vous,
afin d'affermir vos coeurs
pour qu'ils soient irréprochables dans la sainteté
devant Dieu notre Père,
lors de l'avènement de notre Seigneur Jésus
avec tous ses saints!
1 THESSALONICIENS 3, 10-13
________________
This post is in honour of the people I miss, who are far away in Europe (while I'm stuck here in the southern hemisphere until further notice):
Claudia*, Mia*, Liat*, Miriam*
Avi*, Jonah*, Kade*, Jonty*, Matthew*, Asher*
(semaine ADN pseudonyms)
..and..
Anna, Delphine, Mariele, Nari, Rachel, Raphaèle, Sara, Stephanie, all the British brothers
(semaine Nouveau Départ - real names!)
I wish I could be certain we'll meet again before the day of Christ.
L/T.
29 October, 2009
25 October, 2009
Mise en colère
Current mood:
Trying very hard not to be extremely angry about stuff that happened today. (Not in the après-midi or soir.)
Current Bible verses it is really hard to sit still, to listen to & obey:
JACQUES 1, 19-21
1 Corinthiens 13, 4-7
Éphésiens 4, 1-3 & 17-27
Colossiens 3, 5-8
But if Jesus is really the Lord, and I am His servant.. .. ..
Matthieu 18, 21-35
La vie n'est pas facile.
L/T.
Trying very hard not to be extremely angry about stuff that happened today. (Not in the après-midi or soir.)
Current Bible verses it is really hard to sit still, to listen to & obey:
JACQUES 1, 19-21
1 Corinthiens 13, 4-7
Éphésiens 4, 1-3 & 17-27
Colossiens 3, 5-8
But if Jesus is really the Lord, and I am His servant.. .. ..
Matthieu 18, 21-35
La vie n'est pas facile.
L/T.
19 October, 2009
Souffrances - petites ou grandes
Thanks to the job-searching - which involves some hand-writing and mountains of typing, my right arm and elbow are in significant PAIN. Small suffering, compared to that of the people around me - or even those outside of my country.
Speaking of suffering, in this post I'd like you to meet my friend Job.
Can't say I know him as well as my prophet buddies Isaiah (son of Amoz), whom I just love, or Daniel (called Belteshazzar by people from ancient Babylon), whom I've only gotten to know better recently, but Job is the kind of friend I really should spend more time with!
Leçons du livre de Job
Job was human, just like us. A rich, respected and well-loved rural gar. In fact, in his day "this man was the greatest of all the people of the east" (JOB 1:3).
Until he lost virtually everything:
~ livestock (camels, donkeys, oxen, sheep);
~ most of his servants;
~ all but 1 member of his family
(a wife who felt he should "curse God and die", cf. JOB 2:9);
~ support and understanding of friends
(based on what 3 of them are recorded as saying to him!).
Yet in the midst of his suffering, he understood life was not just about being happy; he understood God was still good & worthy of praise in spite of all he had lost:
"The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised."
(JOB 1:21)
Des autres conforts: Job
Here are other things Job said - as he was grieving his losses - sayings which have also been a comfort to me in the past.
"I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end He will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!"
(19:25-27)
"If I go to the east, He is not there;
if I go to the west, I do not find Him.
When He is at work in the north, I do not see Him;
when He turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of Him.
But He knows the way that I take;
when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold."
(23:8-10)
It's easy to be friends with Job when you feel you've suffered like him.
I know I have. Before going to France & other places in June this year (where I got a bit of sanity back), I had been hurting, quite a lot, for quite a while - April 2008 to June 2009 (14 months). Thank you to anyone who prayed for me & fussed over me in that period!!
My friend Job had it worse than me, I have to say. That's why in the past I've found retracing his steps so helpful. I hope, if you're hurting right now, that you find it helps too.
Thing is, the greatest Friend we have went through even worse suffering than Job did. And this Friend suffered for us - not while we were His friends, but in fact while we were His enemies (ROMAINS 5:10).
"And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings,
because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
perseverance, character; and character, hope.
And hope does not disappoint us,
because God has poured out his love into our hearts
by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
You see, at just the right time,
when we were still powerless,
Christ died for the ungodly.
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man,
though for a good man
someone might possibly dare to die.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Since we have now been justified by his blood,
how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath
through him!
For if, when we were God's enemies,
we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son,
how much more, having been reconciled,
shall we be saved through his life!
Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God
through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have now received reconciliation."
{ROMAINS 5:2(b)-11}
What a Friend I have in JESUS,
All my sins and griefs to bear,
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer.
{Quoted from hymn - text by Joseph M. Scriven, 1820-1886; music by Charles C. Converse, 1832-1918.}
L/T.
Speaking of suffering, in this post I'd like you to meet my friend Job.
Can't say I know him as well as my prophet buddies Isaiah (son of Amoz), whom I just love, or Daniel (called Belteshazzar by people from ancient Babylon), whom I've only gotten to know better recently, but Job is the kind of friend I really should spend more time with!
Leçons du livre de Job
Job was human, just like us. A rich, respected and well-loved rural gar. In fact, in his day "this man was the greatest of all the people of the east" (JOB 1:3).
Until he lost virtually everything:
~ livestock (camels, donkeys, oxen, sheep);
~ most of his servants;
~ all but 1 member of his family
(a wife who felt he should "curse God and die", cf. JOB 2:9);
~ support and understanding of friends
(based on what 3 of them are recorded as saying to him!).
Yet in the midst of his suffering, he understood life was not just about being happy; he understood God was still good & worthy of praise in spite of all he had lost:
"The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised."
(JOB 1:21)
Des autres conforts: Job
Here are other things Job said - as he was grieving his losses - sayings which have also been a comfort to me in the past.
"I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end He will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!"
(19:25-27)
"If I go to the east, He is not there;
if I go to the west, I do not find Him.
When He is at work in the north, I do not see Him;
when He turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of Him.
But He knows the way that I take;
when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold."
(23:8-10)
It's easy to be friends with Job when you feel you've suffered like him.
I know I have. Before going to France & other places in June this year (where I got a bit of sanity back), I had been hurting, quite a lot, for quite a while - April 2008 to June 2009 (14 months). Thank you to anyone who prayed for me & fussed over me in that period!!
My friend Job had it worse than me, I have to say. That's why in the past I've found retracing his steps so helpful. I hope, if you're hurting right now, that you find it helps too.
Thing is, the greatest Friend we have went through even worse suffering than Job did. And this Friend suffered for us - not while we were His friends, but in fact while we were His enemies (ROMAINS 5:10).
"And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings,
because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
perseverance, character; and character, hope.
And hope does not disappoint us,
because God has poured out his love into our hearts
by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
You see, at just the right time,
when we were still powerless,
Christ died for the ungodly.
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man,
though for a good man
someone might possibly dare to die.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Since we have now been justified by his blood,
how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath
through him!
For if, when we were God's enemies,
we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son,
how much more, having been reconciled,
shall we be saved through his life!
Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God
through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have now received reconciliation."
{ROMAINS 5:2(b)-11}
What a Friend I have in JESUS,
All my sins and griefs to bear,
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer.
{Quoted from hymn - text by Joseph M. Scriven, 1820-1886; music by Charles C. Converse, 1832-1918.}
L/T.
15 October, 2009
La Folle des Boulots
(misquoted title of French stage-play: "La Folle de Chaillot")
Traduction: The madness/mad lady of jobs.
Or rather, the madness of searching for them!
Once again I've been sucked back into the swirling muck of job-seeking under C'link.
Plus: They pay me a fortnightly unemployment benefit.
Minus: I have to apply for and record details of 10 employees contacted each fortnight.
Which gets nightmarish once I have casual days of work!
And the rejection letters just keep rolling in, it seems.
Not because I'm unimpressive; I get interviews, and they result in casual work. But when (as with CAS school Knox), your application is 1 out of 80 that flood in, being knocked back quite quickly is just what happens to most people like myself. Especially in the midst of a crise financielle.
Am I considering drastic changes over the next 2-4 years?
Sometimes - when I have the time. All it feels I ever do these days is jobsearch, apply, record, blah, blah, do I need to go on?
I need time to sit still and pray more about where life appears to be galloping.
I need time to listen to God more about how He wants me to treat Him and others as we gallop on.
I need time to say thank you, too!
________________
If you pray, please pray for that kind of time:
To be still and know that God is God;
to play my part in exalting Him among the nations (hmm!) and in the earth (PSA.46:10);
and to know what on earth that should look like for me.
Bises,
L/T.
Traduction: The madness/mad lady of jobs.
Or rather, the madness of searching for them!
Once again I've been sucked back into the swirling muck of job-seeking under C'link.
Plus: They pay me a fortnightly unemployment benefit.
Minus: I have to apply for and record details of 10 employees contacted each fortnight.
Which gets nightmarish once I have casual days of work!
And the rejection letters just keep rolling in, it seems.
Not because I'm unimpressive; I get interviews, and they result in casual work. But when (as with CAS school Knox), your application is 1 out of 80 that flood in, being knocked back quite quickly is just what happens to most people like myself. Especially in the midst of a crise financielle.
Am I considering drastic changes over the next 2-4 years?
Sometimes - when I have the time. All it feels I ever do these days is jobsearch, apply, record, blah, blah, do I need to go on?
I need time to sit still and pray more about where life appears to be galloping.
I need time to listen to God more about how He wants me to treat Him and others as we gallop on.
I need time to say thank you, too!
________________
If you pray, please pray for that kind of time:
To be still and know that God is God;
to play my part in exalting Him among the nations (hmm!) and in the earth (PSA.46:10);
and to know what on earth that should look like for me.
Bises,
L/T.
03 October, 2009
Dans le monde, cette semaine
It's all happening in the world this week.
Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam:
A typhoon called Ketsana causes severe flooding, leading to the death of hundreds and the homelessness of hundreds-of-thousands. Another, named Parma, is shortly expected to strike.
And how many of these who died do you think trusted in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour?
~
Indonesia:
In Padang, on the island of Sumatra, an earthquake results in over 1000 lives lost.
Again I ask, how many of the dead had put their trust in Jesus?
In a nation such as this where practical Islam is on the rise?
~
Italy:
A mudslide on the island of Sicily takes another 13 lives for certain, more not yet reported.
How many dead, but with hope in Jesus, in this culturally Roman Catholic nation?
Oh, sure, the death toll's nowhere near that of our Asian neighbours, but don't you think God cares about the death of every human being made in His image who will not acknowledge Jesus as Saviour and Lord and the judge of all humanity?
~
Samoa and Tonga:
A tsunami ensures the death of over 100 people in the Pacific. Including two Australian females. My own countrywomen.
How many who died did not truly perish but have eternal life - because of believing in Jesus the Son whom God gave out of His love for the whole world?
________________
My heart is sad and wonders why it isn't sadder.
Why am I still here in this rich, resourceful, reasonably trouble-free and tragedy-free nation?
While unsaved people in other nations SUFFER and DIE in natural and other disasters?
..And, moreover, since they face God's judgment for rejection of Him, with no hope in the risen Lord Jesus Christ to save them from eternal condemnation?
(HEBREWS 9:27 and JOHN 3:36.)
Oh, yes, I can give money as aid to the regions/peoples affected. Even when unemployed. That's easy.
Yes, I can ask God to intervene so that in spite of 9 months' unemployment, a here-and-there CV and a chronological age of 32 years + 2 weeks, I might get a job, start earning a regular income again and be enabled to give even more money as aid. That's still pretty easy.
Yes, I can pray for the survivors, begging my God and Father to sustain His fallen and groaning creation. Still somewhat easy.
But surely there is more I could be doing to draw people out of spiritual darkness and into the wonderful light of Christ - towards the precious blood of Christ, the only thing which makes any human right before God, acceptable to Him, and rescued from the coming final judgment? ..no matter whether they live or die? Tragically or at a ripe old age?
People all over the world - not just in the nations mentioned - need to know the good news of Jesus. Otherwise they are LOST.
Who is going to tell the lost among the nations about Jesus, if we all just stay here in the English-speaking West?
Why do we wish, advise, demand, that our children (Christian and assured of salvation and eternal life) stay here and continue to pursue successful working careers and a comfortable, financially secure future?
Why do we refuse to let them go, to let them tell those who are perishing in their rejection of God the Son about the hope and the future God the Father has planned for them (JEREMIAH 29:11) if only they trust in the Lord Jesus?
"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life;
whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life,
but the wrath of God remains on him."
(JOHN 3:36)
I live in relative comfort and security, and with full assurance that God is mine and I am His, because of the Lord Jesus my Saviour who shed His blood for me His enemy.
While outside of this country, hundreds, thousands, millions of others DIE and are eternally condemned because they have so little knowledge or hope in Jesus, God's chosen Judge and King.
I can hardly bear this. It brings me to tears.
Let me weep.
And let me GO!
L/T.
Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam:
A typhoon called Ketsana causes severe flooding, leading to the death of hundreds and the homelessness of hundreds-of-thousands. Another, named Parma, is shortly expected to strike.
And how many of these who died do you think trusted in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour?
~
Indonesia:
In Padang, on the island of Sumatra, an earthquake results in over 1000 lives lost.
Again I ask, how many of the dead had put their trust in Jesus?
In a nation such as this where practical Islam is on the rise?
~
Italy:
A mudslide on the island of Sicily takes another 13 lives for certain, more not yet reported.
How many dead, but with hope in Jesus, in this culturally Roman Catholic nation?
Oh, sure, the death toll's nowhere near that of our Asian neighbours, but don't you think God cares about the death of every human being made in His image who will not acknowledge Jesus as Saviour and Lord and the judge of all humanity?
~
Samoa and Tonga:
A tsunami ensures the death of over 100 people in the Pacific. Including two Australian females. My own countrywomen.
How many who died did not truly perish but have eternal life - because of believing in Jesus the Son whom God gave out of His love for the whole world?
________________
My heart is sad and wonders why it isn't sadder.
Why am I still here in this rich, resourceful, reasonably trouble-free and tragedy-free nation?
While unsaved people in other nations SUFFER and DIE in natural and other disasters?
..And, moreover, since they face God's judgment for rejection of Him, with no hope in the risen Lord Jesus Christ to save them from eternal condemnation?
(HEBREWS 9:27 and JOHN 3:36.)
Oh, yes, I can give money as aid to the regions/peoples affected. Even when unemployed. That's easy.
Yes, I can ask God to intervene so that in spite of 9 months' unemployment, a here-and-there CV and a chronological age of 32 years + 2 weeks, I might get a job, start earning a regular income again and be enabled to give even more money as aid. That's still pretty easy.
Yes, I can pray for the survivors, begging my God and Father to sustain His fallen and groaning creation. Still somewhat easy.
But surely there is more I could be doing to draw people out of spiritual darkness and into the wonderful light of Christ - towards the precious blood of Christ, the only thing which makes any human right before God, acceptable to Him, and rescued from the coming final judgment? ..no matter whether they live or die? Tragically or at a ripe old age?
People all over the world - not just in the nations mentioned - need to know the good news of Jesus. Otherwise they are LOST.
Who is going to tell the lost among the nations about Jesus, if we all just stay here in the English-speaking West?
Why do we wish, advise, demand, that our children (Christian and assured of salvation and eternal life) stay here and continue to pursue successful working careers and a comfortable, financially secure future?
Why do we refuse to let them go, to let them tell those who are perishing in their rejection of God the Son about the hope and the future God the Father has planned for them (JEREMIAH 29:11) if only they trust in the Lord Jesus?
"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life;
whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life,
but the wrath of God remains on him."
(JOHN 3:36)
I live in relative comfort and security, and with full assurance that God is mine and I am His, because of the Lord Jesus my Saviour who shed His blood for me His enemy.
While outside of this country, hundreds, thousands, millions of others DIE and are eternally condemned because they have so little knowledge or hope in Jesus, God's chosen Judge and King.
I can hardly bear this. It brings me to tears.
Let me weep.
And let me GO!
L/T.
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