The Daily Readings for SUNDAY, February 25, 2018 - Second Sunday in Lent (Reminiscere)

Reminiscere

Sunday Readings

(Revised Common Lectionary Year B)

Opening Sentence

Rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing.

~ Joel 2:13

Prayer of the Day (Collect)

O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astry from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Confession and Forgiveness

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.  If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true;  but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

~ 1 John 1:5b-8

Most holy and merciful Father, We confess to you and to one another, that we have sinned against you by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart and mind and strength. We have not fully loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not always had in us the mind of Christ. You alone know how often we have grieved you by wasting your gifts, by wandering from your ways. Forgive us, we pray you, most merciful Father; And free us from our sin. Renew in us the grace and strength of your Holy Spirit, for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Savior. Amen

The Lessons

Old Testament: Genesis 17:1-7, 17:15-16
1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. 2 And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.” 3 Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, 4 “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 15 God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16 I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”

The Response: Psalm 22:22-30 Deus, Deus meus
22 Praise the Lord, you that fear him; *

stand in awe of him, O offspring of Israel; all you of Jacob's line, give glory.

23 For he does not despise nor abhor the poor in their poverty; neither does he hide his face from them; *

but when they cry to him he hears them.

24 My praise is of him in the great assembly; *

I will perform my vows in the presence of those who worship him.

25 The poor shall eat and be satisfied, and those who seek the Lord shall praise him: *

"May your heart live for ever!"

26 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, *

and all the families of the nations shall bow before him.

27 For kingship belongs to the Lord; *

he rules over the nations.

28 To him alone all who sleep in the earth bow down in worship; *

all who go down to the dust fall before him.

29 My soul shall live for him; my descendants shall serve him; *

they shall be known as the Lord'S for ever.

30 They shall come and make known to a people yet unborn *

the saving deeds that he has done.

The Epistle: Romans 4:13-25
13 For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation. 16 For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”)—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18 Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become “the father of many nations,” according to what was said, “So numerous shall your descendants be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. 20 No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 Therefore his faith “was reckoned to him as righteousness.” 23 Now the words, “it was reckoned to him,” were written not for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.

The Gospel: Mark 8:31-38
31 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” 34 He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 36 For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37 Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 38 Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Here ends the Lessons

Click HERE to read today's Holy Gospel Lesson message

The Apostle's Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen

Closing Prayer

Almighty God, who does freely pardon all who repent and turn to Him, now fulfill in my contrite heart the promise of redeeming grace; forgiving all my sins, and cleansing me from an evil conscience; through the perfect sacrifice of Christ Jesus our Lord. And turn my heart to your will at every moment, I pray. Amen.

Blessing

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.

~ Numbers 6:22-27

The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel lessons are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. The Collects, Psalms and Canticles are from the Book of Common Prayer, 1979.
Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. (Mark 8:31)

"Heaven Is For Losers" Sermon for SUNDAY, February 25, 2018 - Second Sunday in Lent (Reminiscere)

"Heaven Is For Losers"

31 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” 34 He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 36 For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37 Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 38 Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

~ Mark 8:31-38

Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen

Fill in the blank. “___________ is for losers.” Someone who drives a BMW might say: “Fords are for losers.” A burly football player might say: “Soccer is for losers.” And a foodie might say: “Frozen pizza is for losers.” Even if those comments are offered in jest, they would still rankle wouldn’t they? No one wants to be thought of as a loser. That’s why we try to keep up with the latest fashions and technology, or at least do our best to fake that we are keeping up. But our sermon text today teaches that being a loser isn’t a bad thing. In fact it’s essential. That’s because heaven is for losers, and for losers only. That was Jesus’ surprising claim in our sermon text this morning. Let’s take a closer look at it.

Our text takes place just after the Apostle Peter had said of Jesus: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Mathew 16:16). Peter and the other disciples had come to believe that Jesus was divine, but there was another lesson they still had to learn. They had to learn what it meant that Jesus was the Christ. That title tells us that Jesus was appointed for an important mission: to save the world from God’s anger over its sins. Jesus told his disciples that he was going to accomplish his mission like this: “…the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again” (Mark 8:31).

We’re used to hearing how Jesus had to suffer and die to pay for sins, but this was the first time the disciples had heard Jesus speak so plainly about his upcoming death and they were shocked. They must have felt like the homeowner who seeks a quote to fix his leaky roof. Since it’s just one spot that leaks, the homeowner supposes that it won’t cost more than a few hundred dollars to patch up. But the quote he receives is for $20,000! Why? Because to properly fix the problem the rotten timbers and worn out shingles all need replacing.

Because the disciples did not yet really understand Jesus’ mission or how bad the problem of sin was, they didn’t suppose Jesus would have to go to such lengths – to suffer and die – to fix the problem. And so Peter tried to dissuade Jesus. There was no need for this loser talk. Suffer and die? No! That wasn’t the way for a king to think. But when Peter took Jesus aside to make this point, the savior rebuked him and said: “‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
³⁴ He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ³⁵ For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. ³⁶ For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?’ ” (Mark 8:33–36)

By insisting there was no need for Jesus to suffer and die, Peter had unwittingly become one of Satan’s minions. At the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry, Satan had offered the same temptation when he told Jesus that if he wanted to rule the world, he just had to bow down to him. There was no need for Jesus to suffer and die and in that way receive all glory and power as the God-man.

But Jesus didn’t even entertain Peter’s suggestion. Is that the way we deal with temptation? No. We often mull it over until we’ve convinced ourselves that to commit the particular sin is OK. And so we bad-mouth our classmate because we’ve concluded that they deserve it for being so mean. Or we ignore the obvious help our parents need around the house because, well, we’ve already put in long hours at school.

Not only does our text remind us to rebuke temptation immediately, like a tennis player rushing over to slap the ball back over to the other side of the net, our text also illustrates how temptation can come from well-meaning friends. Maybe it comes from the girlfriend who suggests that you move in together to cut down on living expenses. Or it comes from your spouse who suggests that you’ve been too focused on others lately and that you have to spend more time thinking of your own needs. These are the temptations that are the most dangerous because they come to us from those we trust. So be on your toes. Remain ready to reject temptation even when it comes from a trusted source.

But now what did Jesus mean when he said to Peter “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ³⁵ For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it” (Mark 8:34-35)? Our sermon theme is meant to answer that question. Heaven is for losers. What that means is that heaven is for those who have despaired of themselves, who know that God shouldn’t want to hang out with someone like them. And so heaven is for the pastor who trembles every time he thinks of the responsibility God has given him to feed his flock the bread of life. On one hand it’s such a simple task, but on the other it’s impossible to do without thoughts of pride or to go through the motions. Heaven is for the child who can’t figure out why she keeps dishonoring her parents by the curt responses she gives to their simple questions. Heaven is for all those who have lost pride in themselves and know that they daily and consistently fail God and the people around them.

While heaven isn’t for those who simply brush away those sins, as if they’re just bothersome flies, neither is it for those who despair over their sins and refuse to be comforted by Jesus’ promise of forgiveness. I realized this week that Jesus never said, “Take up my cross and follow me.” Jesus’ cross is different than ours. With his cross Jesus let himself be ground into nothing by God’s blades of righteous anger. He did that so we wouldn’t have to go through the same thing. In other words, there is no need to keep beating yourself up over your sins. Yes, confess them, be sorry for them, and stop living in them, but don’t continue to dwell on them as if God could never forgive you for what you have done. He did! That’s what Jesus accomplished at the cross. And he doesn’t ask us now to carry his cross. So put it down in thankful relief, just as you’d gratefully put down the snow shovel when you learn that a Bobcat has already been contracted to clear the snow!

Jesus doesn’t ask us to carry his cross, but he does say that we need to carry ours. We sometimes think that our cross is anything that is unpleasant, like cancer or lack of employment, but it isn’t. Taking up your cross means denying every desire to put yourself before others. It means pinching yourself whenever you say, “If I were in charge, I would set things right.” Maybe you would, but if God hasn’t put you in charge of the family, of your company, or of your church, then he’s put you in a position to support and encourage. If he has put you in charge, your cross then is to use your position to serve, not to see how much you can get others to serve you.

The world, on the other hand, wants power and idolizes those who have it. That’s why we’re fascinated by the annual list of the top ten wealthiest people and wish we could be on it. But did you catch Jesus’ warning in regard to such thoughts? He said, “What’s the point of gaining all the power and all the riches in this world if you end up losing an eternal life of happiness?” If a teacher said to you, “You can spend an hour in math class and have the rest of the day free to do what you want, or you can spend an hour doing what you want, but then have to sit in math class the rest of the day,” which would you choose? My apologies to all you math lovers out there but I would choose the one hour of pain as I wrestle with numbers in math class so that I can enjoy the rest of the day in freedom!

I’m not suggesting that following Jesus is a pain, like sitting through math class. It often feels painful as we daily take up our cross and deny our will so that we can serve others. But it’s the kind of “pain” a mother endures when she spends an afternoon baking favorites for her family. She will get tired, she will make a mess, but she’s happy to do it for the family she loves. It’s that kind of joyful service we will be happy to give others because Jesus continues to joyfully serve us.

Heaven is for losers. Aren’t you glad? After all, what do you have that God needs? You don’t have anything that isn’t tainted by sin. So despair of yourself and then deny yourself as you take up your cross daily. Let go of your “right” to be angry and brusque with others. Say no to the urge to put yourself first. And don’t make it your goal to fill your arms with the riches and accolades of this world. Sure, the world might think you’re a loser for acting like this, but that’s a good thing because heaven is for such losers. Amen.

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The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel lessons are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. Sermon contributed by Daniel Habben on Mar 1, 2015.
Today's lesson remind us to rebuke temptation immediately and how temptation can come from well-meaning friends.

Prayer of the Day for SUNDAY, February 25, 2018 - Second Sunday in Lent (Reminiscere)

O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astry from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen

Verse of the Day for SUNDAY, February 25, 2018

Mark 8:34-35 (NIV) Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.

Read all of Mark 8

Listen to Mark 8

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Un dia a la Vez - No estás en derrota

No estás en derrota

Levántate [...] Ya brotan flores en los campos; ¡el tiempo de la canción ha llegado!

~ Cantares 2:10, 12 (NVI)

Darnos por vencidos en la vida es cerrarles las puertas al cambio. Un divorcio, una enfermedad, una pérdida, un despido repentino de un trabajo, un hijo que se va de casa, tener un familiar en la cárcel o, más aun, en las drogas… ¡Qué terrible!

Sé que muchos de los que hoy leemos este libro hemos pasado al menos por una de estas penosas situaciones. Y sabes que la misma frustración de lo que estamos viviendo no nos permite ver, mucho menos creer, que después de la tormenta viene la calma.

En ocasiones dudamos que hasta Dios, que es el dueño de nuestra vida, pueda estar interesado en tal problema y que nos dé en algún momento la salida o una solución.

Sin embargo, necesitamos conocer a Dios en medio de estas crisis. En esos momentos tenemos la oportunidad más maravillosa de entregarnos por completo en sus brazos y decirle: «Estoy cansado… He luchado en mis fuerzas y ya no puedo más».

Sabemos que no existe prueba tan grande que tú y yo no podamos soportar. O sea, Dios conoce tu capacidad de dolor y sabe cuánto puedes resistir.

Recuerda, a Dios sí le puedes creer.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
Darnos por vencidos en la vida es cerrarles las puertas al cambio.

Standing Strong Through the Storm - SUFFERING CAN MAKE OUR LIVES MORE HOLY

SUFFERING CAN MAKE OUR LIVES MORE HOLY

Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.

~ Hebrews 12:10 (NIV)

Christmas is a time of peace and joy for those who are fortunate enough to celebrate the birth of their Saviour in freedom. For Marko and his two fellow believers it was the fifteenth Christmas that they had to celebrate behind the bars of a prison cell in a Muslim country.

The next day some colleagues felt they had to visit Marko and his friends as an encouragement and confirm to them once again the love of Immanuel—God with us.

Even though they often heard the saying that a prison cell in the Middle East is the closest to hell that you will experience on earth, nothing prepared them for the sense of hopelessness that they experienced in that waiting room of despair.

As the prisoners entered, it was not difficult to recognize Marko and his two friends. Beaming eyes and smiling faces immediately assured them Marko and friends knew they had not been separated from the love of God.

Tears flowed freely as they shared how lonely they were on Christmas day and how joyful they were to know that they were not forgotten.

“It was so difficult yesterday.” Marko spoke softly. “Apart from being Christian prisoners in a Muslim prison, it was also a fast day of Ramadan. We were not allowed out of our cells and we were not allowed to talk to anyone. Fortunately, a week ago the three of us got hold of pieces of a cake and we hid them underneath our cushions especially for Christmas day. Yesterday, when the fast was broken, we simply walked to one another, held the slices of cake together and said “Merry Christmas!”

The visiting hour flew past and soon it was time to say goodbye. Before being marched back to his prison cell, we looked at Marko and asked him a final question. “What are you going to do when you get to your cell and are once again all alone?

Marko smiled and answered, “I will simply spread the wings of my spirit and fly to Jesus.”

RESPONSE: Today I will seek to understand the biblical principle that suffering makes our lives more holy.

PRAYER: Lord, help me, like Marko, to keep my eyes fixed on You regardless of my circumstances.

Standing Strong Through The Storm (SSTS), a daily devotional message by SSTS author Paul Estabrooks. © 2011 Open Doors International. Used by permission.

LHM Devotion - February 25, 2018 "The Image on a Coin"

Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

"The Image on a Coin"

Feb. 25, 2018

Read Mark 12:13-17

And He said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" ...

~ Mark 12:16b (ESV)

Here again we have the leaders trying to trap Jesus in His own words. "Does God want us to pay taxes to Caesar or not? What does His Law say?" They knew very well that if He said, "Pay them," He would be in trouble with the people, who hated the Roman taxes, yet if He said, "Don't pay them," He could be executed by the Romans for rebellion. And Jesus knew very well what they were trying to do with their question.

So He cuts to the heart of the matter and asks him whose name and image are on the tax coin. Oh, Caesar's, you say? Well, then, give Caesar what belongs to him. But more important, give God what belongs to Him. Give God your whole heart and mind, body and soul together -- because you yourself carry the image of God.

What He said to the leaders, He says to us today: "Give to God what belongs to God." Give yourselves, because God has created you in His image and has placed His Name upon you in Baptism. You are not your own, you belong to the Lord.

And to place that fact beyond the shadow of a doubt, Jesus is on the way to Calvary -- to carry away your sins and mine, to remove every possible claim the devil might have on any human being as a result of our wrongdoing. His suffering and death cleared away any liens the devil might have on us. And now that He has risen from the dead, He promises us that we who believe in Him will also rise to everlasting life -- new, freshly minted, with the image of God glowing and perfect on us. Because we belong to Jesus.

THE PRAYER: Father, You have put Your image upon me, but I have marred it in many ways. Forgive and restore me in Jesus Christ, Your Son. Amen.

Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
What kinds of things do you "render to Caesar," whether you want to or not?

Devocional del CPTLN de 25 de Febrero de 2018 "LA IMAGEN EN UNA MONEDA"

ALIMENTO DIARIO

"LA IMAGEN EN UNA MONEDA"

25 de Febrero de 2018

Leer Marcos 12:13-17

Él les dijo: "¿De quién es esta imagen, y esta inscripción?"

~ Marcos 12:16b (RVC)

Otra vez nos encontramos con los líderes religiosos tratando de atrapar a Jesús con sus propias palabras: "¿Es lícito pagar tributo al César, o no? ¿Qué dice la Ley de Dios?" (Marcos 12:14b). Sabían muy bien que, si decía que lo pagaran, todo el pueblo se iba a poner en su contra pues odiaban los impuestos de Roma. Pero, por otro lado, si decía que no, podía ser ejecutado por los romanos por rebelión. Pero Jesús sabía muy bien lo que estaban tratando de hacer al hacerle esa pregunta.

Así es que corta por lo sano y les pregunta de quién es la imagen y qué nombre dice en la moneda. Ah, ¿dicen que el de César? Bueno, entonces denle a César lo que le pertenece a él. Pero, más importante todavía, denle a Dios lo que le pertenece a él. Denle a Dios su corazón y mente, su cuerpo y alma, porque ustedes llevan en sí la imagen de Dios.

Lo mismo que Jesús les dijo a los líderes religiosos de su tiempo, nos lo dice también a nosotros hoy: "Den a Dios lo que es de Dios". Dense ustedes mismos, porque Dios los ha creado a su imagen y les ha dado su nombre al bautizarlos. No pertenecen a ustedes mismos, sino que pertenecen a Dios.

Y para no dejar lugar a dudas, Jesús está camino al Calvario donde quitará nuestros pecados y todo posible reclamo que al diablo se le ocurra hacer por causa de nuestros errores. Allí, en el Calvario, su sufrimiento y muerte aclararon todo gravamen que el diablo pudiera tener contra nosotros. Y gracias a resucitó de entre los muertos, Jesús nos promete que nosotros también vamos a resucitar a la vida eterna... hechos nuevos, con la imagen de Dios brillando perfecta en nosotros. Porque pertenecemos a Jesús.

ORACIÓN: Querido Padre, de muchas maneras he enturbiado tu imagen en mí. Perdóname y restáurame en Jesucristo. Amén.

© Copyright 2018 Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones. Que a través de estos devocionales, la Palabra de Dios te refresque en tu diario caminar.
¿Es lícito pagar tributo al César, o no?

Notre Pain Quotidien - En sécurité dans le Seigneur

En sécurité dans le Seigneur

Lisez : Ésaïe 33.2-6

La Bible en un an : Nombres 12 – 14 ; Marc 5.21-43

Tes jours seront en sûreté ; la sagesse et l’intelligence sont une source de salut ; la crainte de l’Éternel, c’est là le trésor de Sion. (V. 6)

Pendant de nombreuses années, des gens de notre ville ont bâti et acheté des maisons situées dans des zones sujettes aux glissements de terrain. Certains en connaissaient les risques, alors que d’autres n’en avaient pas été avisés. On a négligé d’expliquer ou de faire respecter « les mises en garde que des géologues et la municipalité avaient mises en œuvre depuis quarante ans afin de veiller à ce que l’on bâtisse des résidences sécuritaires » (The Gazette, Colorado Springs, 27 avril 2016). Nombre de ces résidences avaient une vue imprenable, mais le sol ne demandait qu’à se dérober sous elles.

Dans l’Antiquité, de nombreux Israélites ont fait fi des mises en garde du Seigneur en se tournant vers des idoles plutôt que vers lui, le seul vrai Dieu. L’Ancien Testament nous rapporte les conséquences désastreuses de leur désobéissance. Pourtant, avec le monde qui s’effondrait autour d’eux, le Seigneur a continué de tendre la main à ses enfants en leur offrant un message de pardon et d’espoir à la seule condition qu’ils reviennent à lui et le suivent.

« Tes jours seront en sûreté ; la sagesse et l’intelligence sont une source de salut ; la crainte de l’Éternel, c’est là le trésor de Sion » (ÉS 33.6).

Comme à l’époque vétérotestamentaire, Dieu nous donne de choisir la fondation sur laquelle bâtir notre vie. Nous pouvons suivre nos désirs ou adhérer à ses principes éternels révélés dans la Bible et en la personne de Jésus‑Christ. « Sur Christ, le rocher inébranlable, je me tiens – toute autre fondation n’est que sables mouvants » (Edward Mote).

Le Seigneur même est notre sécurité parfaite dans la vie.

par David C. McCasland

© 2018 Ministères NPQ
Pendant de nombreuses années, des gens de notre ville ont bâti et acheté des maisons situées dans des zones sujettes aux glissements de terrain.