The Daily Readings for SUNDAY, May 13, 2018 - Seventh Sunday of Easter

Daily Readings

SUNDAY, May 13, 2018 - Seventh Sunday of Easter

(Revised Common Lectionary Year B)

Opening Sentence

Christ has entered, not into a sanctuary made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.

~ Hebrews 9:24

Prayer of the Day (Collect)

O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. 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

Dear Heavenly Father, we lower our heads before you and we confess that we have too often forgotten that we are yours. Sometimes we carry on our lives as if there was no God and we fall short of being a credible witness to You. For these things we ask your forgiveness and we also ask for your strength. Give us clear minds and open hearts so we may witness to You in our world. Remind us to be who You would have us to be regardless of what we are doing or who we are with. Hold us to You and build our relationship with You and with those You have given us on earth. Amen.

The Lessons

The First Lesson

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26
1:15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (together the crowd numbered about one hundred twenty persons) and said, 16 “Friends, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus— 17 for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.” 21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection.” 23 So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed and said, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen 25 to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” 26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.

The Response

Psalm 1 Beatus vir qui non abiit
1 Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked,

nor lingered in the way of sinners,
nor sat in the seats of the scornful!

2 Their delight is in the law of the Lord,

and they meditate on his law day and night.

3 They are like trees planted by streams of water,
bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither;

everything they do shall prosper.

4 It is not so with the wicked;

they are like chaff which the wind blows away.

5 Therefore the wicked shall not stand upright when judgment comes,

nor the sinner in the council of the righteous.

6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked is doomed.

The Epistle

1 John 5:9-13
5:9 If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son. 10 Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
Epilogue
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

The Gospel

John 17:6-19
Jesus Prays for His Disciples
17:6 “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; 8 for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11 And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15 I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. 16 They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.

Here ends the Lessons

Click HERE to read today's Holy Gospel Lesson message

The Apostle's Creed

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

We 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.

We 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.

Benediction

Now the God of patience and consolation grant to me, and to all who pray in the name of Christ, to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That we may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Blessing

May God the Father bless us; may Christ take care of us; the Holy Ghost enlighten us all the days of our life. The Lord be our defender and keeper of body and soul, both now and for ever, to the ages of ages. Amen.

by Æthelwold, Bishop of Winchester, 958 A.D.

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.
Jesus prays, “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word...”

"Reflection Upon Easter" - Sermon for SUNDAY, May 13, 2018 - Seventh Sunday of Easter

"Reflection Upon Easter"

by Rev. Ronald Harbaugh

St. John's Lutheran Church (ELCA)

Greenville, Pennsylvania

17:6 “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; 8 for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11 And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15 I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. 16 They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.

~ John 17:6-19

Grace be unto you and peace, from God our Father and from our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

I believe that our Gospel lesson for this morning is quite fitting, as we bring to a close the season of Easter. This past Thursday was the Day of Ascension, in which our Lord’s first disciples witnessed the crucified and risen Jesus return to his heavenly Father, thus bringing to a close his resurrection appearances. For forty days, Jesus had revealed himself as having risen victoriously over sin and death. The disciples were now on their own, to ponder and try to grasp the significance of what they had experienced.

And if we are to join the first disciples in reflecting upon the significance of what had occurred through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, I can’t think of a better place to turn, than to our Lord’s high priestly prayer, as recorded in John’s Gospel. This prayer, of which our text is but a snippet, could provide fuel for hundreds of sermons. Yet, as a snippet, I can’t cover it all in one sermon. I have chosen just a few verses.

If the life death and resurrection of Jesus is to be comprehended in faith, we need to truly grasp the significance of verses seven and eight. Here, Jesus prays, “Now they [his disciples] know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I have come from you; and they have believed that you sent me.

As I have often stated, in John’s Gospel, the word “truth” often carries the meaning of “faith” or “faithfulness.” What Jesus is saying here in his prayer for the disciples, is that he has spoken God’s Word to his disciples, and that they have received God’s word in faith. More than this, Jesus says that the disciples have in faith come to understand that Jesus had come from God, and believed that God had sent him.

Herein lies the challenge, according to Dr. William H. Willimon, for the Christian Church in this 22nd century. He says, in two separate articles, and I quote: “From the earliest days, Christians believed that, in Jesus the Christ, they had seen the fullness of God; they had seen as much of God as they ever hoped to see on this earth. They believed Jesus was God, not God as God may be in God’s totality, but as much of God as we mortals hope to see or comprehend.

In the first four centuries the church fought the Christological heresies, in which the great creeds of Christendom were developed. The great heresy, which the church seemed to be fighting in these controversies, was the fact of Jesus’ humanity.

“Was Jesus really a human being?” “Yes!” said the church. He was born of a human mother, he suffered, bled, and died as human beings suffer, bleed and die. As a result, the church claimed that Docetism, the belief that Jesus only appeared to be human, was a heresy.”

Dr. Willimon then concludes his remarks with these words. “Don’t you find it interesting that in our own day our great challenge seems to be to believe that Jesus is divine? Oddly, it has become a threat to modern people to think that Jesus might just possibly be – an inspiring person, a great thinker, a noble human being, one of the greatest prophets – but also God. That which was almost a non-issue in the church of the first several centuries has become hotly contested today. I wonder what that tells us about us?” End quote. [Pulpit Resource, Logos Productions, Inc. 2009]

As we come to the close of the season of Easter, we return to Christmas, and assert that it is not just some humble and noble man who gave his life on the cross for us. We assert the truth of the incarnation, that in Jesus, God was present to us, that the incarnate Son of God, his holy Word that took part in creation, came among us. In Jesus, God revealed himself to us, and offered himself to atone for our sins, that we might have the hope of eternal life. This is not a philosophical principle! Jesus was truly human and truly divine.

Secondly, let us turn to verse eleven. Here Jesus prays, “And now, I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.”

To realize the truth of the incarnation, to embrace Jesus as truly human and truly the Son of God, this petition of our Lord’s priestly prayer drops me to my knees. Here Jesus prays, the night before he is nailed to the cross and gives his life in atonement for my sins, praying for his disciples, for you and for me. He prays that we might be protected from those who would persecute us. He prays that we might be protected from those who would discourage us in faith, and our belief in the revelation of God’s Word that he has given to us. But more importantly, he prays that we may be one, as he and the Father are one.

As a country, we pause this weekend to remember and honor those who have fought to maintain our freedom and especially those who have given their lives in sacrifice, that we might continue to enjoy our life as citizens of this great nation. Having served in the armed forces, although never serving overseas, I, like many of you who have had family members serve in defense of our country, feel a debt gratitude to those who have. Even if we have not had a family member serve during a time of war, we still may feel gratitude for those who did. After all, these people fought to preserve our nation and their families from tyranny, and the forces of evil that would destroy what we believe and hold dearly as our human rights.

But this is not the cause that Jesus embraced. Clearly there were those who wanted to see Jesus take up the sword and fight to free Israel from their captivity by the Romans. But Jesus resisted that direction. Even though I believe that Jesus was sympathetic to those who were oppressed, his mission and goal was centered on a higher plane. Jesus, as the Son of God, proclaimed a New Kingdom, in which all who came to believe and have faith in him, might be one with God, as he was one with God.

I am so humbled by these words of Jesus in his prayer, on the eve of his execution, that he gives his life so that we might be one with God, as he is one with God. Only the Son of God, only the incarnate Word of God could make such a claim. Jesus is praying, that he is willing to lay down his life, to die to protect those who have come to believe and have faith in him – those who came to understand that he had come from God, and that God had sent him – to be counted as God’s own children.

Of course, there is no way that you or I could ever contemplate being one with God, as Jesus was one with God. I certainly don’t feel a need to stand up here in this pulpit and enumerate all of my sins, just to prove this point. I am, like you, and Peter who denied knowing Jesus, or James and John, who wanted special privilege, all persons who have failed to realize the tremendous gift of God’s grace present to us in Jesus the Christ, who gave his life for our redemption. And he gave his life, so that we might be embraced as a child of God.

On this weekend that we remember and honor the sacrifices of the men and women who have given their lives to maintain our freedom, may we also remember the ultimate sacrifice given by Jesus, who gave his life that we might become a child of God.

Finally, let me refer to verse 18. Here Jesus prays, “As God has sent him into the world, so Jesus sends us into the world.” If we are able to grasp at all, in the very least, the importance of the Easter message, then we must humble ourselves, and confess that we have too easily heard the Gospel message proclaiming our deliverance from sin and death, but too easily dismissed our responsibility to proclaim that message to those around us.

Now I’m not a fundamentalist, and I don’t believe in a lot of the tactics of the “church growth movement,” but I do believe that our primary mission as a member of the family of God, of being one with God as Jesus was one with God, is to proclaim that fact. On our own, that may seem like a tremendous burden. But we are not left to our own resources. Through our baptism into Christ’s death and resurrection, we have been given the power of God’s Holy Spirit, which, if we open our hearts to its presence, will give us the power we need to fulfill this petition of our Lord’s prayer for his church.

As Jesus gave himself to sanctify us, may we give ourselves, in witness to his redeeming grace, that his church might grow and be sustained.

Let us pray: Almighty God, Creator of the universe, we give you thanks that you came among us in the person of your Son, Jesus the Christ, to reveal you grace and truth for our lives, and to redeem us from sin and death. Through the power of your Holy Spirit, open our hearts and minds to the truth of your living Word, inspire us to deepened faith in your incarnate Son, and empower us for witness. This we as in the name of our crucified and risen Lord. Amen.

Seeking God?

Click HERE to find out more about how to have a personal

relationship with Jesus Christ

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 Rev. Ronald Harbaugh on May 23, 2009.
I believe that our Gospel lesson for this morning is quite fitting, as we bring to a close the season of Easter.

The Morning Prayer for SUNDAY, May 13, 2018 - Seventh Sunday of Easter

Almighty God, Creator of the universe, we give you thanks that you came among us in the person of your Son, Jesus the Christ, to reveal you grace and truth for our lives, and to redeem us from sin and death. Through the power of your Holy Spirit, open our hearts and minds to the truth of your living Word, inspire us to deepened faith in your incarnate Son, and empower us for witness. This we as in the name of our crucified and risen Lord.

Amen

Verse of the Day

John 17:14 (NIV) I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.

Read all of John 17

Listen to John 17

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 - El Rey de nuestra vida

El Rey de nuestra vida

¿Qué Dios hay como tú, que perdone la maldad y pase por alto el delito del remanente de su pueblo? No siempre estarás airado, porque tu mayor placer es amar.

~ Miqueas 7:18 (NVI)

Muchos de los asuntos que nos alejan de nuestra relación linda con Dios es el amor a otras cosas. Quizá preguntes: «¿Por qué? ¿Qué hay de malo en amar otras cosas que no sean Dios? ¿O es que acaso no puedo amar a mi cónyuge?».

Todas esas preguntas tienen una misma respuesta y es aplicable para otras no mencionadas. Tú y yo podemos decir: «Bueno, mi amor está puesto en…».

Lo preocupante de llevar a extremos esos amores está en cuando le damos un trono y se convierten en el rey de nuestra vida: El dios dinero, el dios de tu esposo, el dios de tus hijos, del trabajo. Estos dioses nos roban el primer y único lugar en el que debe estar Dios.

Atiende esto, nada debe ser más importante en tu vida que Dios. Ni siquiera el amor a la obra, a la iglesia, ni a tu llamado. Nada debe ser más importante que Dios en tu vida.

He aprendido que, en ese sentido, Dios es un Dios celoso y no va permitir que tú y yo hagamos reyes a nada ni a nadie. Además, Él sí que es especialista en derrumbar esos reyes, esos altares y esos dioses.

Rinde en este día ese rey que has levantado, dile a Dios que te perdone y comienza por darle a Él su lugar.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzó
¿Qué hay de malo en amar otras cosas que no sean Dios?

Standing Strong Through the Storm - BLESSINGS FOR PARENTS AND CHILDREN

BLESSINGS FOR PARENTS AND CHILDREN

He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents…

~ Malachi 4:6a (NIV)

ManFu’s parents are key leaders in a house church network—his father serves as a regional pastor in one of the largest cities in China, and his mother is a Bible teacher. They travel constantly, preaching and teaching at a different congregation almost every weekend. Their little pre-school daughter goes along, but it’s not a stable environment for ManFu, their teenage son, to keep up with his studies. So they enrolled him in a boarding school in his father’s home village, so he could spend weekends with his grandfather.

They pledged to telephone him every Saturday night, but for itinerant pastors in China, Saturday nights are busy, demanding times. ManFu’s parents would sometimes get so caught up with ministry that they missed their weekly call to their son—sometimes three in a row. And even then, they often cut off what he was telling them with a hurried barrage of questions which felt critical and unloving to their son. Although their questions were rooted in concern for his welfare, to ManFu each conversation felt like an interrogation, and he began to wish they would stop calling. His parents became frantic as to how they could effectively reach out to him.

Brother Samuel, an Open Doors trainer, suggested they begin by writing a letter to their son, pouring out their hopes and love and prayers for him. “Share about the struggles you have and how much you long for him to be by your side. Help him to see all that is in your heart. Kneel before the Lord and pray before you begin this letter. Don’t mention the past. Whenever your son thinks of you, he will take the letter out and read it and know his parents are praying for him.”

Accepting their mentor’s assignment, they went home to write to their first-born, hundreds of miles away. Unknown to the parents, their letter never arrived. But by the time they found out, they told Samuel, it didn’t matter anymore. Their phone conversations had been transformed week after week, as the parents focused on sharing their love and prayers for ManFu. Although the letter itself was lost, its contents had been written in their hearts—and ManFu felt their love.

When ManFu’s summer school vacation approached, Samuel advised the anxious parents to set aside special family times to do things together. “It doesn’t matter where you go – to the park or for walks – but you must take a family photograph,” he advised. “Then take one photograph and write on the back of it for your son to take back to school with him. Whenever he looks at it, he will be reminded of his parents and that you love him.”

When Samuel shared this testimony with pastors in other regions, many admitted that they also had strained relationships with their children. Confused how to resolve the guilt they were experiencing, they had simply given up—until they heard how God worked in ManFu’s family.

“It’s amazing to see parents being set free and healed from their feelings of guilt, to see them turn to God and experience His love,” Samuel said. “And this in turn blessed their children.”

RESPONSE: Today I will work on communications with family members to assure them of my love.

PRAYER: Pray for mentors like Samuel who strengthen pastors and their families in China’s unregistered church through balanced, holistic ministry.

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

LHM Devotion - May 13, 2018 - R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

"R-E-S-P-E-C-T"

May 13, 2018

(Jesus said) "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

~ Matthew 5:16 (ESV)

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

In 1967 Aretha Franklin sang about respect and how she wanted some. I guess most of us hope to receive respect and a great many of us are disappointed when we don't get it. Maybe that's because most of us are better at getting respect than we are at giving it.

Of course, I wouldn't want you to say that to Shimar Davis, Shimon Davis, Edward James, Brandon Burton, Quindon Burris, Stacy Ard, James Bickham, Avant Money, Malachi Martin, and Kalarrian Dillong of Franklinton, Louisiana.

Let me tell you their story.

It begins with the funeral procession of Velma Kay Crowe. In that cortege of cars were two sisters, Lynn Bienvenu and Johanna Stroud. They were mourning the death of cousin Velma. As the vehicles wended their way to the cemetery, they passed by a school's basketball court: a court occupied by the young people I mentioned above.

The sisters spotted the players just about the same time the players recognized the funeral procession.

What happened next is where that respect comes into play.

The player who had the ball put it down. Then he, along with all the others out on the court, stopped and knelt down until the procession had passed. This they all did without an adult barking orders or some coach telling them what to do.

It was just a group of young people showing respect for someone they didn't know.

The sisters in the procession paused their car for just a second, snapped a picture, and then went to the cemetery. After the funeral, they posted the picture on Facebook and told how the gesture of the teenagers had meant a great deal to their entire family.

The photo went viral and soon many others were adding their voices to applaud these teens.

Now at this point our devotion can go many different ways. We could talk about showing respect at a funeral; we could talk about how many people don't show respect, or we could even speak of how we ought to say thank you when somebody does something right.

I'm not going to talk about any of those things.

Instead, I would like to point out that life is composed of many small, almost inconsequential, actions and expressions. Like these young folks, we never know how what we do and say is going to affect others; we never know how the Lord can use the seemingly trivial to touch and move others.

In short, being a Christian is a full-time job.

It is a job we believers take seriously, knowing the life of gratitude we live to honor our Savior may be used by the Spirit to touch people we don't know and reach people whom we will never meet.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, may we not only respect the Savior for winning our salvation, may we also respect Him enough to live so others might be won for You. This I ask in the Savior's Name. Amen.

The above devotion was inspired by a number of sources, including one written by Jennifer Earl for Fox News on April 24, 2018. Those who wish to reference that article may do so at the following link, which was fully functional at the time this devotion was written: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/04/23/louisiana-teens-stop-basketball-game-kneel-out-honor-for-passing-funeral-procession.html

Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
In 1967 Aretha Franklin sang about respect and how she wanted some.

Notre Pain Quotidien - Des trésors dans le ciel

Des trésors dans le ciel

Lisez : Matthieu 6.19-21

La Bible en un an : 2 Rois 17 – 18 ; Jean 3.19-36

Car là où est ton trésor, là aussi sera ton coeur. (V. 21)

Quand j’étais enfant, mes deux sœurs et moi aimions nous asseoir ensemble sur le grand coffre de cèdre de ma mère. Ma mère y rangeait nos pulls de laine, ainsi que les broderies et les ouvrages crochetés de ma grand‑mère. Elle accordait de la valeur au contenu de ce coffre et elle comptait sur l’arôme forte du cèdre pour décourager les mites de le détruire.

Les insectes et la rouille peuvent facilement détruire la plupart de nos biens matériels, qui risquent aussi de nous être dérobés. Matthieu 6 nous encourage à nous centrer davantage sur ce qui a une valeur éternelle que sur ce qui a une durée de vie limitée. À la mort de ma mère, alors âgée de 57 ans, elle n’avait pas accumulé beaucoup de biens terrestres, mais j’aime penser aux trésors qu’elle s’était amassés dans le ciel (V. 19,20).

Je me rappelle combien elle aimait Dieu et le servait avec discrétion : en prenant fidèlement soin de sa famille, en enseignant aux enfants à l’école du dimanche, en se liant d’amitié avec une femme que son mari avait abandonnée, en consolant une jeune mère ayant perdu son bébé. Et elle a prié… Même après avoir perdu la vue et avoir été confinée à son fauteuil roulant, elle a continué d’aimer les gens et de prier pour eux.

Notre véritable trésor ne se mesure pas à ce que nous avons accumulé, mais à ce en quoi et à ceux en qui nous investissons notre temps et nos passions. Quels « trésors » amassons‑nous dans le ciel, en servant et en suivant Jésus ?

La vraie richesse réside dans ce que l’on investit pour l’éternité.

par Cindy Hess Kasper

© 2018 Ministères NPQ
Notre véritable trésor ne se mesure pas à ce que nous avons accumulé, mais à ce en quoi et à ceux en qui nous investissons notre temps et nos passions.