1 Thessalonians 1

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 

1 Thessalonians 5:11

At the beginning of his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul thanks the Lord for them. What does he mention?

1- your work produced by faith

2- your labour prompted by love

3- your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus-Christ!

This epistle gives us lots of information about Paul's life and his 'mission' when he was with them. 

Dear visitors and friends, don't hesitate to leave a comment, I will contact you! 

Let us rejoice because ....

 

Titus 3:4

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,because he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Ever felt that everything you do does not satisfy, you are looking for something more exciting, fulfilling however you've tried everything under the sun and still you feel empty and hurt. Why don't you consider Jesus? 

Jesus went back to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and as usual he went to the meeting place on the Sabbath. When he stood up to read from the Scriptures, he was given the book of Isaiah the prophet. He opened it and read,

“The Lord’s Spirit has come to me,
because he has chosen me
to tell the good news to the poor.
The Lord has sent me to announce freedom for prisoners,
to give sight to the blind, to free everyone who suffers,
and to say, ‘This is the year the Lord has chosen.’ “

Jesus closed the book, then handed it back to the man in charge and sat down. Everyone in the meeting place looked straight at Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, “What you have just heard me read has come true today.” Luke 4:16-21

Click here to read more

Living in France!

I'm settling down in France slowly but surely. In September I started teaching in a secondary school in Angouleme and I love it. What is demanding is driving there from where we live in Civray (Vienne) because I need to be there just before 8 a.m. three days a week. I need to live our house at 6:30 to get there for 7:30 and I usually find a parking place in the Parking blanc. 

So I welcome the holidays! I am going to be able to sleep a little more in the  morning instead of getting up at 6 a.m. I might also go to bed later than 11 p.m. without feeling exhausted in the morning. 

The last day of term at our school was great. We were all gathered in the court yard at 11 and listened to every year presentation on different themes. Students expressed what they felt about the main Christian themes: Joy, Love, Hope, Peace in different ways. The most poignant was the Year 7 call to stop the persecution of Christian in Aleppo and to help the Syrian refugees.

At lunch time I went in town for lunch with four colleagues and had a cheesy omelette with Gruyere.   

On the Thursday, it is customary for the English teachers to set up a Christmas market in the préau. It was well attended. The kids loved it, they could buy two different kins of mince pies, small and normal size, crackers, and plenty of other artefacts that my colleagues managed to order a month ago!

Wednesday afternoon, Steven and I managed to have some quiet time in St Macoux. There is a restaurant by the side of a étang and we had a drink and a place of chips. Not many birds in sight though because it was cold!

Hope in the name of Jesus!

Anchor of our soul

Even youths (teenagers) grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 

but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary, 

they will walk and not be faint. 

Isaiah 40:30-31

God’s Chosen Servant

15 Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill.

 16 He warned them not to tell others about him.

 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
18 “Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
the one I love, in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
19 He will not quarrel or cry out;
no one will hear his voice in the streets.
20 A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,
till he has brought justice through to victory.
21 In his name the nations will put their hope.”

Matthew 12:15-21

Who goes to heaven and who goes to hell?

Because sin is a deceiver, many have been misled into thinking that they can save themselves by their own good works. 

In a recent survey in three cities of America, the question was raised: Who goes to heaven and who goes to hell?

The typical answer in every city was: 

those who are good go to heaven and those who are bad go to hell.

But the Bible clearly teaches that “by observing the law [trying to be good], no one will be justified [declared righteous]” (Galatians 2:16). Paul repeats the same statement in Romans 3:20, and then adds, “Through the law we become conscious of sin.”

The Jews of Christ’s day made the tragic mistake of believing that they could be saved by keeping the law alone. For this reason, in the beginning of his ministry, Jesus invited these sincere Jews who desperately tried to work their way to heaven, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened [very discouraged], and I will give you rest” [Matthew 11:28].

Let us depend on Jesus's shared blood, the word of God and the Full help of the Holy Spirit, these are what the grace of God is all about.

The GRACE teaches us to CHOSE AND DO WHAT IS RIGHT AND ACCEPTABLE TO GOD Titus 2:11-15

1. God’s grace brings salvation to all people (2:11).

When Paul writes, “For the grace of God has appeared,” he is referring to the embodiment of grace in the person of Jesus Christ, who was “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). It is not that God’s grace is missing from the Old Testament. No one was saved in the Old Testament apart from God’s grace. But as John 1:17 states the contrast, “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.” God rightly could have sent His Son to condemn us and judge us. But instead (John 3:17), “For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”

2. God’s grace trains us who are saved in godliness (2:12-14a).
The word “instructing” means, “child-training.” It includes teaching, but also, correcting and disciplining. It is a process that begins at salvation and continues until we stand before the Lord. 
But, note that grace does not mean, “hang loose and live as sloppily as you please.” Rather, grace trains, disciplines, and instructs us in godly living. 

Paul mentions three ways that grace trains us:

A. GRACE TRAINS US TO DENY UNGODLINESS AND WORLDLY DESIRES (2:12A). means, living in a self-controlled manner, not yielding to various passions and impulses.

B. GRACE TRAINS US TO LIVE SENSIBLY, RIGHTEOUSLY, AND GODLY IN THIS PRESENT AGE (2:12B). This refers to a life of integrity and uprightness in your dealings with others. It means conforming to God’s standards of conduct, as revealed in the commandments of His Word.

(3). GRACE TRAINS US TO LIVE GODLY.This refers to holiness and devotion to God, beginning on the heart level. It means to live a God-ward life, knowing that He examines your heart. You confess sinful thoughts to Him and live in the love and fear of God. As Paul expressed his concern (2 Cor. 11:3), “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.”

C. GRACE TRAINS US TO LIVE IN GODLINESS BY LOOKING AHEAD AND BEHIND (Titus 2:13-14)
The forward look is toward the second coming of Jesus Christ. The backward look is toward the cross and its implications on our lives.

(1). LOOK AHEAD TO THE BLESSED HOPE OF CHRIST’S SECOND COMING (2:13).
God’s grace instructs us to look “for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.”
If your focus is set on the hope of Christ’s return, you will purify your life from every known sin (1 John 3:2-3).

(2). LOOK BACK TO THE SUPREME DEMONSTRATION OF HIS LOVE, WHICH REDEEMED US FROM SIN AND MADE US HIS OWN POSSESSION (2:14A).
“Who” refers back to “our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.” None other than He “gave Himself for us”! If that thought doesn’t grip your heart, you’re in deep spiritual trouble. Paul shows that this past grace that was shown to us produces godliness in us.

Christian Time Management - Life, Hope & Truth

What God wants us to learn from time management

God wants us to become His children—to be like Him (Hebrews 2:10; 1 John 3:1-3)!

To become more like God, we need to learn to have His priorities. We need to learn to use those priorities to produce a plan for improving our lives and aligning them to God’s plan. And we need to put those plans into action. God’s priorities and plans always produce results, and so can ours.
Priorities

God reveals to us what is truly most important in life. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).

The Kingdom of God is the perfect government of God that will bring peace and plenty to this earth when Jesus Christ returns. We must be preparing for that time now. Seeking God’s righteousness means striving to live the right way—obeying God’s beneficial laws that are based on God’s love. (Study more about these priorities in our article “Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God.”)

The end of Matthew 6:33 reveals an amazing thing about God’s priorities. If we put what God says is important first, the other things we need and want will be added to us as well!

Read on, follow this link here. I found this interesting website: www.lifehopeandtruth.com . Have a blessed evening my friends. N.

Perseverance

By perseverance the snail reached the arch - Charles Spurgeon

This is so reassuring to hear this quote. I'm reading a very encouraging book by Janet Thompson. 

Have a blessed evening. N.

Friendship is a blessing ...

 Today I went to EMA airport to pick up our French friends 

coming from La Gironde. They brought us a lovely weather,

 it was sunny all day. After the chef Etienne bbq, 

we went for a walk by the canal and Shugborough. 

They found the bridge there quite quaint and different! 

The birds were devouring the seeds happily.

Tomorrow, we are off to Birmingham for a change of scenery, 

from the quiet rural place where we live to a busy and hectic town. 

I told them that I know a vintage place not far from the centre and 

hopefully they will find some souvenirs to take back to their loved ones.

I am glad that Oceane has accepted to be a translator too! 

You can guess who is the one not bothering speaking French at all! lol

Have a blessed evening. N.

An evening prayer

In Jesus-Christ, amen.

This morning, I asked my form to think about a topic of discussion and these are two of their answers: their concern about the disappearance of the Malaysian plane and one word, heartbroken. Sometimes just a key word. We talked about the causes of the disparition of the plane and the suffering of the families who have lost their loved ones.

Father, when we don't understand what's going on and we are upset, we come to you and lay our fears, our burdens at the feet of Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. May you bless and comfort all the families who want to know what happened in this tragedy. We know that You are awesome and just, and that you have a special plan for each of us. Bless us Lord as we go about our business this week. May you guide us and surround us with your love. In Jesus-Christ. Amen.

What is love?

 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror;then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

In the book of 1 Corinthians

Welcome on my blog. I believe that if you are on this site, this is not sheer coincidence so do explore and be ready to find maybe answers to your questions or find out radically astounding truth because whenever it is quoted, I believe that the Word of God is powerful and life-giving. 

Love is patient,

 love is kind.

 It does not envy,

 it does not boast,

 it is not proud.

 5 It does not dishonor others,

 it is not self-seeking,

 it is not easily angered,

 it keeps no record of wrongs.

 6 Love does not delight in evil

but rejoices with the truth.

 7 It always protects, 

                                                        always trusts,

                                                        always hopes, 

                                                              always perseveres.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

The passage continues:

Everyone who prophesies
    will stop,
and unknown languages
will no longer
    be spoken.
All that we know
    will be forgotten.
9 We don’t know everything,
and our prophecies
    are not complete.
10 But what is perfect
    will someday appear,
and what isn’t perfect
    will then disappear.

11 When we were children,
we thought and reasoned
    as children do.
But when we grew up,
    we quit our childish ways.
12 Now all we can see of God
is like a cloudy picture
    in a mirror.
Later we will see him
    face to face.
We don’t know everything,
    but then we will,
just as God completely
    understands us.
13 For now there are faith,
    hope, and love.
But of these three,
    the greatest is love.

This passage is just awesome. I have just been reading a post about faith, hope and love written by a missionary called Nick Gambrell, and I'd like to share it with you. Click here. ...how faith played a part in the lives of those I met in Rwanda this past summer.I stayed in an Orphanage, as I showed you this morning, where 9 boys lived. Literally, one of the first things that I noticed was that in the kitchen, or even of the bathrooms that was supposedly storage, there was no food. I wondered, what did they eat? On top of that, I wondered, where do they cook this seemingly imaginary food that they eat?

I soon realized that there was no supply of food. They lived day to day. What food they did get each day came in the form of one meal often cooked by one of the older boys over a fire behind the orphanage. This is living by faith...

I invite you to join us in prayers for all our brothers and sisters in Christ who do not have enough food, water, a bed to sleep, clothes, basic material resources. 

Do let me know if the link does not work.

Have a blessed evening. N.

On the road to Emmaus

Of all the accounts made by  the different witness who met Jesus after he resurrected, this passage is my favorite. Both Mark and Luke mention this emotional scene. 

Luke 24:13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem.14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.

17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19 “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.
30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him,and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” 33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.

If you are interested to have this passage reenacted for a school assembly or a youth club, you can download an excellent script on Nige's Christian drama. Have a blessed day, your sister in Christ. N.

To you O Lord I lift up my soul!

To You O Lord I lift up my soul
In you I trust O my God
Do not let me be put to shame
Nor let my enemies triumph over me

No one whose hope is in you
Will ever be put to shame
That's why my eyes are on you Oh Lord

Surround me, defend me
Oh how I need you
To you I lift up my soul
To you I lift up my soul

Show me your ways and teach me your paths

Guide me in truth lead me on

For you're my God, you are my Saviour

I bought a CD of Graham Kendrick a while ago and then thought I'd listen to it in the car. So this is one of my favourite. If you want to listen to it, click on the link http://www.youtube.com/embed/nG8wchDPa8I 


Blessings.N

I am a leper, does your God really love me?

A few days ago, I received 'Send', the Gospel for Asia news magazine. 
You can read amazing and true stories of how God heals, saves, forgives and sets people free from all kinds of bondage. Also, when those people meet Jesus through pastors or  friends, they do not keep it secret, they spread 
the Good News. get together to read the Bible and tell everybody else!
I was also shocked to read that there are still so many lepers there: 133, 717. I quote: 'They live with a curse they believe cannot be cured. Their society casts them out, calling them unlovable and of no worth. But Gospel for Asia-supported workers are taking the love of Jesus to these people.' Can we imagine the NHS refusing to treat people with a particular disease! Read more, click here
Everytime I read Send, I want to praise the Lord and thank Him for his blessings on our brothers and sisters in Christ. If you feel disheartened and lost, why don't you read the magazine on line. 
I  thank the Lord for all the blessings he provides generously and freely everyday. 

Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. Luke 9:26

Swapping clothes..

Saturday night Imo and I met up with our friends Trena and Lizzie in town. We had a curry quite early, we were sitting in the restaurant at about 5:15  the reason being we were going to a 'swapping clothes' event starting at 7:30 in the Christian Elim Centre! We had a lovely time in the restaurant and then we moved to the centre. Everybody invited (ladies mainly only) brought a bag of clothes and then we were given a number of tickets corresponding to the number of items.
While we were having tea and muffins, Mrs. Comfort Owusu Otchere, the Schools Coordinator for International Needs Ghana told us about this Christian organisation where she has worked for 17 years. One of their success stories is how they managed to rescue young children at risk while working for fishermen, children as young as five. If they'd drown while repairing the nets or the boats, nobody would report them.  A high percentage of them managed to attend one of the schools provided by IN, International Needs. They also provide healthcare and have an anti-slavery programme.
Do you want to help too or do you wish to find out more? Click on this link:  http://www.innetwork.org.gh/
Let us pray for the churches, the church planters and their families, and everybody involved in the organisation. May the Lord gives them strength and guidance for the success of their projects. In Jesus-Christ. Amen. Also here is the link of their 'gifts of compassion' shop : http://ineeds.mimegraphics.com/index.php?education We had a fantastic evening. Blessings.

Gospel for Asia

Have you heard of this organisation Gospel for Asia. Tonight, I thought i'd share an article of their newsletter and the following video shows one of their missionaries in action in a slum there. Please click on the arrow to start the film!



Here is the article:

A personal message from Gospel for Asia President K.P. Yohannan

The photo was shocking. There, on the front page of the Indian Express, my eyes were drawn to a picture of a small boy—he couldn’t have been more than five years old—lying on a sidewalk next to the busiest street in Mumbai (Bombay), India.

This nearly-naked boy was lying next to a dog—a female dog. And as I looked closer I could see that this little skinny, ragged child was drinking the dog’s milk!
My eyes moved from the photo to the caption below it, which read, "This dog is his mother."
Horrified, I began to read the article that accompanied the photo, and it laid out the grim reality that was so vividly portrayed in that picture. It talked about the 100,000 kids walking the streets of Mumbai—a city of nearly 15 million people. These kids will never know their parents. The article also talked about the government trucks that come around in the early dawn hours to haul off the bodies of those people—mostly the children—who died during the night.
As I read this article, my heart was breaking, because I knew that these homeless children were but a fraction of those who make up the horrifying human equation in India. Mumbai also has the unfortunate distinction of having one of the world’s largest slums. With five million residents, there are as many people living in makeshift shacks in the Mumbai slum as there are living in Chicago and Houston combined!
And I know that this overwhelming problem isn’t exclusive to Mumbai. In South Asia alone, more than 90 million children go to bed hungry every single day; another 134 million children between the ages of seven and 18 have never been to school. India alone has as many as 150 million child laborers, the largest number of any country in the world! That amounts to one in seven children over the age of five forced into child labor in India. Just think about these children working 12 to 18 hours a day for only a few pennies. No wonder this little boy I saw in that newspaper picture was taking comfort in a mama dog. It may have been the only time he felt that someone truly cared for him. Find out what you can do to help a child in South Asia
Here is their link :
http://www.gfa.org/slum-dog-boy