Wednesday, 11 Mars,
2015
Verse of the Day: «Sache donc que
c'est l'Eternel, ton Dieu, qui est Dieu. Ce Dieu fidèle garde son alliance et
sa miséricorde jusqu'à la millième génération envers ceux qui l'aiment et qui
observent ses commandements.» Deutéronome 7.9
Quote of the Day: “Man, unable to solve death,
misery, ignorance, resolved that in order to be happy they should just not
think about it.”—Blaise Pascal
«Les homes, n’ayant
pu guérir la mort, la misère, l’ignorance, se sont avises pour se rendre
heureux de n’y point penser.»—Blaise Pascal
French Fun Fact:
The Eiffel Tower is painted every 7 years. (confessedtravelholic.com)
What’s Really
Happening Over Here:
Weather – Clear,
Precip. 0%
Temperature – 57⁰F,
high of 59⁰
News – Boy killer
in latest Isis video 'is French citizen' (thelocal.fr)
More News – http://www.francetv.fr/
A Day In the Life:
Now that I have a little more time on my hands, I have been
able to step up my time with the ball. I missed her. Those of you who know me
know that I have never had a girlfriend, but also that I have never been single
– I am part of the bride of Christ, but I’m also in love with my soccer ball,
and I’m committed to both. In today’s society, that’s all it takes, “love” and “commitment”,
regardless of the object of the “love” or “commitment”, and divorce is kind of
a “when you feel like it” type thing. So with that in mind, to everyone who
doesn’t understand the gravity of a man and a woman leaving their fathers and
mothers and becoming one flesh, as well as to those who think it’s okay to just
throw a vow and covenant before the God of the universe out the window when you
feel like it because you don’t “feel” anything anymore, a God who takes His own
covenants so seriously that He is willing to die Himself if He breaks it (which
He never has and will do…part of what makes Him God); thank you that I can say
without shame that I am in a serious dating relationship with a soccer ball.
Actually it’s probably more serious than most marriages are today. I mean I’m
not married, but I know that the vows say something about “for better, for
worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness, in health…till death do us part”.
God knows that every morning that I have woken up here, it’s gotten a little
harder to get out of bed, but I am committed to a dream, and just because I don’t
“feel” like doing it doesn’t eradicate my promise to Him to sharpen and use the
gifts He has given me. And God knows that if I ever am blessed with a wife, by
His strength I will take my covenant seriously, because I take Him seriously.
At least that’s my prayer every single day. (Sorry if this turned out to be a
rant, it wasn’t going to be a rant, but it ended up being a rant.)
To be clear, I’m not condemning or looking down on those in
a struggling marriage, I’m sure it can be more difficult than you imagined or
feel you can bear at times. I’m just saying that difficulty and pain are not an
excuse. In fact, according to Jesus, the only legitimate reason for divorce is
adultery. If you divorce for any other reason, He still sees you as married –
and if you remarry (if you divorced for a reason other than adultery), He
considers that adultery (Matthew 19:3-12). Scripture takes covenants before God
seriously. I’ll leave you with this:
Ecclesiastes 5:2-6 2 Don’t talk before you think or
make promises to God without thinking them through. God is in heaven, and you
are on earth, so don’t talk too much. 3 If you keep thinking about something,
you will dream about it. If you talk too much, you will say the wrong thing.
4 God doesn’t like fools. So don’t be slow to keep your
promises to God. 5 It’s better not to make a promise at all than to make one
and not keep it. 6 Don’t let your mouth get you in trouble! And don’t say to
the worship leader, “I didn’t mean what I said.” God can destroy everything you
have worked for, so don’t say something that makes God angry.”
Luke Warm and
Loving It
Francis Chan is a very gifted speaker, whose emphasis in all
of his sermons seems to be the holiness and greatness of God. The author of
Crazy Love, he is the lead pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley,
California. In this sermon, he attacks the comfort zone of the “luke warm”
Christian, and explains why it is so dangerous – and why in fact a “luke warm”
Christian cannot exist. His speaking style is effective because he is not
afraid to confront what needs to be confronted as the shepherd of his flock,
called to do just that. I hope this challenges you in your faith as it did me.
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