Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Notre Pain Quotidien - Guérir des coeurs


Lisez : Matthieu 5.1‑16 | La Bible en un an : Jérémie 9 – 11 et 1 Timothée 6

Vous êtes la lumière du monde. (Matthieu 5.14)

Il n’y a pas très longtemps, je suis allé faire modifier des vêtements chez une couturière. En entrant dans son atelier, ce que j’ai vu sur les murs m’a encouragé. Un panneau disait, en anglais : « Nous pouvons réparer vos vêtements, mais Dieu seul peut réparer votre coeur. » Tout près une toile illustrait Marie de Magdala pleurant d’angoisse tandis que Christ était sur le point de se révéler à elle. Un autre panneau disait, toujours en anglais : « Besoin de prière ? Permettez‑nous de prier pour vous. »

La propriétaire m’a dit qu’elle exploitait sa petite entreprise depuis quinze ans : « Nous nous étonnons sans cesse de toute l’oeuvre que le Seigneur a pu accomplir par les énoncés de foi que nous avons affichés en divers endroits. Il y a un certain temps, quelqu’un a accepté Christ comme son Sauveur ici même. C’est extraordinaire de voir Dieu à l’oeuvre. » Je lui ai alors révélé que j’étais aussi chrétien et je l’ai félicitée de ce qu’elle parlait de Christ dans son milieu de travail.

Ce n’est pas donné à tous de faire preuve d’une telle audace dans son milieu professionnel, mais nous pouvons néanmoins trouver de nombreux moyens créatifs et pratiques de témoigner aux autres un amour, une patience et une gentillesse inattendus partout où nous sommes. Depuis que je suis sorti de cet atelier, je réfléchis à tous les moyens que nous avons de vivre l’affirmation de notre Seigneur : « Vous êtes la lumière du monde » (MT 5.14).

Dieu déverse son amour en nous de sorte qu’il coule en d’autres.

© 2016 Ministères NPQ

Night Light for Couples - “I Choose to Forgive”


“Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Colossians 3:13

C S. Lewis pointed out that “forgiving does not mean excusing… if that were so, there would be nothing to forgive.” The people of Paducah, Kentucky, understood this. A few years ago, fourteen‐year‐old Michael Carneal opened fire on a group of students who had gathered in prayer. In seconds, ten were wounded, three fatally. Yet the students and people from the community showed a remarkable willingness to forgive. Placards appeared at the high school reading, “We Forgive You, Mike.” Kelly Carneal, Michael’s sister, was not only embraced by her peers, but was also asked to sing in the choir at the slain girls’ funeral.

During the town’s annual Christmas parade, the people lifted up a moment of silent prayer on behalf of Michael and his family. One young girl said it best: “I can hate Michael and bear the scars of what he did for the rest of my life. But I choose to forgive him and get beyond it.”

Dr. Arch Hart, a Christian psychologist says, “Forgiveness is giving up my right to hurt you for hurting me.” Forgiving is a decision, not an emotion. In our marriages we’ll often need to choose to have a right attitude before our wounded heart has healed. Even when we can’t control how we feel, we can determine how we act and what we do with our pain.

Just between us…
  • How did Jesus model forgiveness for us?
  • Is there someone in our family, our community, or our circle of acquaintances who has committed a widely known injustice?
  • How can we show this person forgiveness?
  • Is it necessary to forget in order to forgive?
Lord, thank You for showing us how to forgive. May we choose to forgive in our marriage—even when we don’t feel like it. We trust You to bring healing in our feelings and memories in Your time. Amen.
  • From Night Light For Couples, by Dr. James & Shirley Dobson
    Copyright © 2000 by James Dobson, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Daily Readings for October 25, 2016


Ecclesiasticus 24:1-12
Wisdom praises herself, and tells of her glory in the midst of her people. In the assembly of the Most High she opens her mouth, and in the presence of his hosts she tells of her glory: "I came forth from the mouth of the Most High, and covered the earth like a mist. I dwelt in the highest heavens, and my throne was in a pillar of cloud. Alone I compassed the vault of heaven and traversed the depths of the abyss. Over waves of the sea, over all the earth, and over every people and nation I have held sway. Among all these I sought a resting place; in whose territory should I abide? "Then the Creator of all things gave me a command, and my Creator chose the place for my tent. He said, 'Make your dwelling in Jacob, and in Israel receive your inheritance.' Before the ages, in the beginning, he created me, and for all the ages I shall not cease to be. In the holy tent I ministered before him, and so I was established in Zion. Thus in the beloved city he gave me a resting place, and in Jerusalem was my domain. I took root in an honored people, in the portion of the Lord, his heritage.

Revelation 11:14-19
The second woe has passed. The third woe is coming very soon. Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign forever and ever." Then the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, singing, "We give you thanks, Lord God Almighty, who are and who were, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. The nations raged, but your wrath has come, and the time for judging the dead, for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints and all who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying those who destroy the earth." Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple; and there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

Luke 11:27-36
While he was saying this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, "Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!" But he said, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!" When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, "This generation is an evil generation; it asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be to this generation. The queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here! The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here! "No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar, but on the lampstand so that those who enter may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light; but if it is not healthy, your body is full of darkness. Therefore consider whether the light in you is not darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be as full of light as when a lamp gives you light with its rays."

Morning Psalms

Psalm 45 Eructavit cor meum
1   My heart is stirring with a noble song; let me recite what I have fashioned for the king; my tongue shall be the pen of a skilled writer.
2   You are the fairest of men; grace flows from your lips, because God has blessed you for ever.
3   Strap your sword upon your thigh, O mighty warrior, in your pride and in your majesty.
4   Ride out and conquer in the cause of truth and for the sake of justice.
5   Your right hand will show you marvelous things; your arrows are very sharp, O mighty warrior.
6   The peoples are falling at your feet, and the king's enemies are losing heart.
7   Your throne, O God, endures for ever and ever, a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom; you love righteousness and hate iniquity.
8   Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows.
9   All your garments are fragrant with myrrh, aloes, and cassia, and the music of strings from ivory palaces makes you glad.
10   Kings' daughters stand among the ladies of the court; on your right hand is the queen, adorned with the gold of Ophir.
11   Hear, O daughter; consider and listen closely; forget your people and your father's house.
12   The king will have pleasure in your beauty; he is your master; therefore do him honor.
13   The people of Tyre are here with a gift; the rich among the people seek your favor."
14   All glorious is the princess as she enters; her gown is cloth-of-gold.
15   In embroidered apparel she is brought to the king; after her the bridesmaids follow in procession.
16   With joy and gladness they are brought, and enter into the palace of the king.
17   In place of fathers, O king, you shall have sons; you shall make them princes over all the earth.
18   I will make your name to be remembered from one generation to another; therefore nations will praise you for ever and ever."


Evening Psalms

Psalm 47 Omnes gentes, plaudite
1   Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with a cry of joy.
2   For the LORD Most High is to be feared; he is the great King over all the earth.
3   He subdues the peoples under us, and the nations under our feet.
4   He chooses our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves.
5   God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of the ram's-horn.
6   Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7   For God is King of all the earth; sing praises with all your skill.
8   God reigns over the nations; God sits upon his holy throne.
9   The nobles of the peoples have gathered together with the people of the God of Abraham.
10   The rulers of the earth belong to God, and he is highly exalted.


Psalm 48 Magnus Dominus
1   Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised; in the city of our God is his holy hill.
2   Beautiful and lofty, the joy of all the earth, is the hill of Zion, the very center of the world and the city of the great King.
3   God is in her citadels; he is known to be her sure refuge.
4   Behold, the kings of the earth assembled and marched forward together.
5   They looked and were astounded; they retreated and fled in terror.
6   Trembling seized them there; they writhed like a woman in childbirth, like ships of the sea when the east wind shatters them.
7   As we have heard, so have we seen, in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God; God has established her for ever.
8   We have waited in silence on your loving-kindness, O God, in the midst of your temple.
9   Your praise, like your Name, O God, reaches to the world's end; your right hand is full of justice.
10   Let Mount Zion be glad and the cities of Judah rejoice, because of your judgments.
11   Make the circuit of Zion; walk round about her; count the number of her towers.
12   Consider well her bulwarks; examine her strongholds; that you may tell those who come after.
13   This God is our God for ever and ever; he shall be our guide for evermore.


New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The New Revised Standard Version Bible may be quoted and/or reprinted up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, provided the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible or account for fifty percent (50%) of the total work in which they are quoted.

Girlfriends in God - Be a Joy-Giver (Part 1)


Today's Truth

The prospect of the righteous is joy (Proverbs 10:28). 

Friend to Friend

We all want to live a joy-filled life - right? But it seems that everyone has their own definition of joy and their own plan for how to experience joy.

A pastor told the story of a lesson he learned when he casually wished one of his older church members a good day. The man remarked, “They’re all good days, Pastor. It’s what we put in them that determines the amount of joy we experience.”

Joy is the deeply rooted confidence that God is in control. When our life is under the control of God, priorities fall into place, life is simpler, and we can experience true joy.

Proverbs 10:28 tells us, "The prospect of the righteous is joy." In this verse the word “prospect” means to view or to anticipate. The word "righteous" refers to those who have given their lives to Jesus Christ – fully devoted followers of God. To experience joy, God must be the Lord or the boss of our life. As our Lord, He produces joy in us and funnels that joy through us into the lives of others.

Over the next two days, we will examine the life of Paul and the letter he wrote to the church at Philippi. Paul was a simple man, but one who profoundly understood and experienced joy in its truest sense. Paul wrote his letter to the church in Philippi while he was experiencing brutal circumstances that were anything but joyful. He was in prison, awaiting trial, and facing his own execution. Paul was old, alone, almost blind and in poor health, having suffered severe and constant physical abuse because of his faith in God.

To me, Paul had no earthly reason to be joyful. But here's the deal. Joy is not an earthly treasure. Joy is a heavenly gift from a loving Father who is committed to the joy of His children. Joy is a "God-thing."

I love the story of the little girl who misquoted her favorite Bible verse, John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son so that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have ever-laughing life." Exactly! Jesus not only came to give us eternal life, but He also came to give us a life saturated with joy here on earth.

If you are like me, there are many times when I look at myself and wonder how God could possibly love me and why my joy is so important to Him. That thought just rocks my world because He does love me and He does want me to live a life filled with His joy. And He loves you the same way. Why?

The first reason is simple. Jesus loves us - not because we are so lovable - but because He is love.

However, there is a second and just as important reason - to give His joy away.

God wants us to be joy-givers. Most of the time, we are focused on what will bring us joy when we should be focused on how to share God's joy with others. The paradox is that the more joy we give – the more joy we will receive.

Paul was a joy-giver. Paul gave to the church at Philippi, and while he was there for a visit, the church at Philippi gave back to him. In Philippians 4:15, Paul says, "You people in Philippi remember when I first preached the Good News there." Paul is basically writing a "thank you" note for their gift to him, but more importantly, Paul is thanking them for being "joy-givers" in his life.

To experience joy, we need to stop and remember what we have been given. We tend to think first of temporary things when our true wealth lies in eternal things such as the miracle of knowing Christ personally and having our sins forgiven. A personal relationship with God brings purpose and meaning to life because His very presence produces joy. You cannot give what you do not have. To be a joy-giver, you must first have joy.

Joy is not an emotion or feeling. Joy is a deliberate choice to enthrone Jesus Christ as Lord. When I make that choice, I experience the peace and confidence that God is in control - no matter what life looks like today. I don't always understand the way God works, but I do understand that His ways are higher than mine, and His heart is filled with incomprehensible love for me. And that is enough.

Let's Pray

Father, I want to be a joy-giver, but I sometimes find it hard to encourage others when I am so down myself. Please teach me how to choose Your joy instead of trying to create it on my own. I want to know You more and experience the joy that only You can give. Today, please teach me how to be a joy-giver.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen.


Now It's Your Turn
  • Make a list of the things in your life that bring you joy.
  • How many of the things on your list are earthly treasures?
  • How many are eternal?
  • Read 1 Thessalonians 5:16. How does this verse compare to your understanding of joy? What do you think "always" means in this verse?
More from the Girlfriends

Do you have some giants in your life that are stealing your joy? Enroll in Mary’s weekly Online Bible Study, Light for the Journey, and have access to all 2016 lessons. The current topic is Taking Down the Giants in My Life.

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Standing Strong Through the Storm - THOUGH NONE GO WITH ME


"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law - a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.' Matthew 10:34-36

In the early morning of July 20, 1992 handicapped Pakistani Christian, Tahir Iqbal, died a martyr’s death at age thirty-two in prison. He was charged with slander of the prophet Mohammed and desecration of the Koran. His death occurred under mysterious circumstances. According to fellow-prisoners Tahir vomited blood before he died which could point to poisoning or another form of violence. His stepmother declared, “Allah never forgives those who blaspheme against his holy prophet. Tahir received what he deserved.”

When Tahir Iqbal, a direct descendant of the prophet Mohammad, became ill and paralyzed from his waist down as a young adult, his family abandoned him. It would be a foretaste of things to come. Christians befriended him and he gave his heart and life to Jesus.

Tahir was quite bold about his new found faith and this stirred up the anger of the imam at the mosque. The imam started a slander campaign against Tahir, which resulted in a Police rescue on December 7, 1990 when a crowd of Muslim extremists were out to murder him.

In order to protect Tahir he was transferred to the prison. He would never leave it. Tahir was under continuous pressure to return to Islam. “They want me to say that I was forced to change my beliefs, that it was because of money, or for a good job, or to get a wife. They must know that I only changed my faith because I did find the Truth.”

His most famous statement when threatened with death was, “I’ll kiss that rope but I’ll never deny my faith.”

When his pastor was notified of his death, he went to the prison. It turned out that Tahir’s stepmother had already arrived to claim the body. Members of the church inquired the next day and to their shock they were informed that Tahir had been buried already. His stepmother had received and taken the body without a post-mortem. In less than 36 hours after his death Tahir received an Islamic burial ceremony performed by the same Muslim cleric who had demanded the death penalty.

Now he praises his Savior in heavenly glory, where all tears have been wiped away.

RESPONSE: Today I reaffirm my commitment to follow Jesus even if none go with me.

PRAYER: Lord, be with my brothers and sisters suffering unjustly in Pakistan today under the blasphemy law.

Un Dia a la Vez - Jesús y la ira


Si estás presentando tu ofrenda en el altar y allí recuerdas que tu hermano tiene algo contra ti [...] ve primero y reconcíliate con tu hermano. Mateo 5:23-24

Le damos gracias a Dios por este cuarto día donde le hemos pedido que nos hable y toque de una manera especial.

En esta parte de la Biblia, Él nos habla de no estar enojados con nadie, de arreglar las cuentas con todos, aun antes de dar una ofrenda en la iglesia.

Es más, Dios desea que nuestras relaciones con amigos y familiares sean saludables. También nos recuerda que juzgará nuestros pecados de la misma manera que lo hace con el que comete un crimen, como el que le dice necio a su hermano.

Nosotros los humanos somos los que clasificamos los pecados. Creemos que es más pecador un adúltero que un mentiroso. Sin embargo, para Dios todos los pecados son iguales.

Hoy mi invitación es a ponerse a cuentas con Él. Asimismo, debemos pensar que tú y yo no sabemos hasta cuándo viviremos en este mundo y es mejor estar siempre a bien con Dios. ¿Cómo lo logras? Lo puedes hacer solo a través de una oración y un corazón arrepentido de verdad.

Dios es el único que ve tu corazón y en su Palabra nos dice que no rechaza un corazón que se arrepiente.

Verse of the Day - October 25, 2016


Ephesians 5:19-20 (VIV) speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Read all of Ephesians 5

The Daily Meditation for October 25, 2016

From Forward Day By Day
Written by Scott B. Hayashi

Luke 11:27-28 (NRSV) While [Jesus] was saying this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!”

I would bet that Jesus appreciates what the woman says about Mary, his mother. But Jesus wants to emphasize that hearing God’s word and obeying it are more important than how nice his mama may be. The praises offered by this unnamed woman are about the past, as far as Jesus is concerned. His pronouncement about the Word of God is rooted in the present, even all the way to 2016.

Jesus is concerned about the now. What counts for him—and for all of us—is this present moment. Each day, each moment brings a new opportunity to hear God and to act upon what we hear.

When you finish your devotional time for today, take a moment and dedicate your whole day to God.

Today I give myself to you. Give me eyes to see your hand at work and empower me to assist you. Quicken my spirit to love others and see in them the face of Jesus. Amen.

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