| ProfilSomeone specialPhotosBlogListes |  Outils  Aide |
|
24 décembre Finally settledAfter 3 months of moving and so on, we're finally settled. It has not been easy for us. The last days on the Island were very exhausting and disappointing. There are still people who owe us money and things like that. It's a shame to see how some people treat you, even though you're always putting your trust in others. But thank God I'm not somebody who'll lose their faith in people and I'm very optimistic about such things. It's just how I look back on the time when we left.
When we arrived we had a tough period looking for a place to stay. But as ususal God led us in the right directions and even though you normally have to wait 5-7 years to find a house to rent, we found a temporary place within 1 month. Praise the Lord!
There have been some ups and downs, my husband lost his job, found another job, and at least found an even better job than the first one (for which we actually came here!). The kids have been ill because of the changing of weather (we too). The first day we came here I got a call about one of my applications, the next day I was hired. I bought my first car (at Ebay, hahaha, really!), and I'm very happy with it.
Though I can see God's guiding hand in our lives, I feel ashamed, because I have the idea that I don't give much 'feedback.' I blame it on the litlle time I have now, because of my fulltime job, 2 little kidz to raise, household, administration and so on... But I hope God knows He still has a special place in my heart and that He's still my number one in life. Because without Him none of this or anything would be possible! BirthdayDear loved ones, I want to share something with you. As many didn't invite me to their party, I will have my own celebration, a grandiose party that no one has ever imagined, a spectacular party. FamilyF A M I L Y
I ran into a stranger as he passed by,
"Oh excuse me please" was my reply.
He said, "Please excuse me too;
I wasn't watching for you."
We were very polite, this stranger and I.
We went on our way and we said goodbye.
But at home a different story is told,
How we treat our loved ones, young and old.
Later that day, cooking the evening meal,
My son stood beside me very still.
When I turned, I nearly knocked him down.
"Move out of the way," I said with a frown.
He walked away, his little heart broken.
I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.
While I lay awake in bed,
God's still small voice came to me and said,
"While dealing with a stranger,
common courtesy you use,
but the family you love, you seem to abuse.
Go and look on the kitchen floor,
You'll find some flowers there by the door.
Those are the flowers he brought for you.
He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue.
He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise,
you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes."
By this time, I felt very small,
And now my tears began to fall.
I quietly went and knelt by his bed;
"Wake up, little one, wake up," I said.
"Are these the flowers you picked for me?"
He smiled, "I found 'em, out by the tree.
I picked 'em because they're pretty like you.
I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue."
I said, "Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today;
I shouldn't have yelled at you that way."
He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay.
I love you anyway."
I said, "Son, I love you too,
and I do like the flowers, especially the blue."
FAMILY
Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company
that we are working for could easily replace us in
a matter of days.
But the family we left behind will feel the loss
for the rest of their lives.
And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more
into work than into our own family,
an unwise investment indeed,
don't you think?
So what is behind the story?
Do you know what the word FAMILY means?
FAMILY = (F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER (I) (L)OVE (Y)OU 17 septembre A vision of the Sabbath CommandmentThe seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall not do any work; you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your os, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your manservant and your maiservant may rest as well as you.
~ Deuteronomy 5:14
Jesus stood by the ark, and as the saint's prayers came up to Him, the incense in the censer would smoke, and He would offer up their prayers with the smoke of the incense to His Father.
In the ark was the golden pot of manna, Arron's rod taht budded, and the tables of stone, which folded together like a book. Jesus opened them, and I saw the ten commandments written on them with the finger of God. On one table were four, and on the other six. The four on the first table shone brighter than the other six. But the fourth, the Sabbath commandment, shone above them all; for the Sabath was set apart to be kept in honor o God's holy name. The holy Sabbath looked glorious - a halo of glory was all arond it...
And I saw that if God had changed the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day, He would have changed the wriing of the Sabbath commandment, written on the tables of stone, which are now in the ark in the most holy place of the temple in heaven; and it would read thus: The first day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. But I saw that it read the same as when written on the tables of stone by the finger of God, and delivered to MOses on Sinai, "But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lor thy God." I saw that the holy Sabbath is, and will be, the separating wall between the true Israel of God and unbelievers; and that the Sabbath is the great question to unite the hearts of God's dear, waiting saints.
I saw that God had children who do not see and keep the Sabbath,. They have not rejected the light upon it. And at the commencement of the time of trouble, we were filled with the Holy Ghost as we went forth and proclaimed the Sabbath more fully.
- Life sketches of Ellen G. White, pp. 100, 101 5 septembre PrayerDear Lord, I would like to thank You for all the good things You've done lately for me and my family. You gave us a new opportunity in life and we can see your workings hands all around us. We rely on You, because we know You have a special plan for our lives.
Please help us not to waste too much time worrying about earthly things, but give us the ability to seak treasures that will not perish.
I am thankful and happy with the family You gave me, with the circumstances I live in, because I know that if I were born some place else I might not have such an easy life like I have now. I don't know how long I will be able to enjoy it, but if time of trials and tribulations will come I will be looking forward to a heavenly home even more.
Lord, I love you with all my heart. Please take care of my family and friends.
I also pray for the people I don't know, who might be reading this, or other people who need you so badly right now.I just want them to be saved and I want them to know that they can rely on You, Who is willing to help them and give them the expectancy of a better life after this one.
This all I'm praying in Jesus' name, Amen 12 août Today's testimonyAt this moment my family and I want to move to another country.We have 2 options, so we sent some applications to one country, which is nearby, and some the other, which is far away from where we live now. We just prayed to God to show us the way He wants us to go. Most of the applications from the country nearby returned with the answer that they don't have vacancies at this moment, only 1 is still in progress. The country far away has already send 2 invitations for application conversations.
We keep praying for a clear answer, because we still have some doubts about the one which is still in progress. We decided that that's the last chance we'll give that country nearby, if it turns out negative or if my husband will be applied in the other country we'll just take our chances and travel all the way to the far away country.
Many times God's ways are not our ways and He can see into the future and put us in positions which we at first may not understand. But in the end we migh come to understand why. So I try not to worry about where we're going, because I know that as long as God is our Guide, I have nothing to fear. He'll take care of everything! 1 août Dear visitor,I hope you will take the time to read this blog completely, because I would like to explain something important to you . But therefore I want you to lay down your preconceptions, be open and willing to try to accept it. I believe there is a God, and that this God has created heaven and earth and all that lives on it (Genesis 1:1). I believe that God is an almighty ‘mysteric’ Someone in heaven (Matthew 6:9). I believe that God has a special plan for all humankind. The human being is a special creation, because we don’t live according to an instinct, like the animals, but we can think. God gave us a free will. He did that because of love, so that we’re not obliged to love Him, but we can choose to really love Him from the heart. Because love comes from God, because God is love (1 John 4:8). God has created people. In the beginning the people were good (said God Himself in Genesis 1:31). To occur that people would die, God forbid them to eat from one certain tree. That was the only commandment in the beginning. God also made heavens and angels. Now there was one angel who was jealous of God (Ezechiel 28:13-19). He wanted to be just like God, or even better (Isaiah 16:13,14). That’s why God threw him on the earth. This angel (Lucifer, Satan, the devil) is now trying to destroy everthing God has (1 Peter 5:8; Ephesians 6:11). God deserves, as our Creator, to be honored, but the devil tries –undeserved– to receive all honor for himself. I must admit that this story sounds a bit like a fairytale. But it’s the only and true exlanation for the origin of evil, sin and the controversy of good and evil, which is still going on. The only ‘problem’ is, that people don’t believe it, because they can’t see it. But every person is searching for a reason of life, though they’re actually searching for God (Acts 17:27). The only people who find the answer are the people who believe. God is invisible, but His creation and his works are visible. We only have to realize and admit that it’s the work of God; by believing. Eventually God will destroy all evil (Openbaring 20:14,15), including the devil with his company. He made this clear to him. But still the devil stayed too proud and refused to praise God. At this last chance, the devil was cast out of heaven with one third of the angels, which he had misled (now called demons). When God had made people and gave them this one commandment, it was a chance for the devil to destroy God’s work. With a trick he seduced them to do what God had forbidden. The devil (the serpent) said that they would NOT die if they would eat from the tree, but God had said that they would certainly die. Eventually Adam and Eve died! Because of this first sin all decendands have ‘inherit’ the consequences of sin. We are all born in sin and doomed to die. There would be no more hope for us to be saved from this cyclus. We know what sin is, because of the 10 commandments God gave us, which we keep breaking. But God is love and in the Old Testament He promised many times that He would send a Savior, in order to give us another chance to receive eternal life. In the old days God had given people this rule, that if they had sinned, they had to sacrifice an animal to be forgiven. But God’s plan was to give people the opportunity to be forgiven by one sacrifice: His Son Jesus Christ. Can you imagine that if not so, we still would have to keep sacrificing animals… God sent His Son to leave us an example of how we should live (according to His law), but also to die for our sins. Jesus sacrificed himself, so that we could be saved. In our life on earth we are in the battle between God and the devil. God wants to save the people, but the devil tries to secude, mislead and confuse people. But we have to make the choice (Mat. 6:24). The devil is smart and tries to keep people busy so that they don’t even have time to search God, so that they can’t work on their salvation. Or he tries to confuse them; that’s why there are so many religions which all think they have the truth. The best lie he makes people believe is that he doesn’t even exist, so they don’t know and don’t worry about the battle between him and God, or the destruction that he leads them to. But God loves His children and His Son has died for everyone of us, so that every person has the posibility to receive eternal life and to live together with Him in heaven. All we need to do is believe (John 6:47) ann Jesus says in John 6:47 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.…” and Jesus also says in John 3:3 “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”, here He is talking about baptism. Jesus, our example, was also baptized by (Matthew 3:13-17). Another important thing is to live according God’s law. In Matthew 5:17 Jesus says that He didn’t come to destroy the law, but to fulfil it (to live according it, as an example how we should live)! We will be judged by the 10 commandments, and that includes the 7th day Sabbath. Most Christians have no problem with nine of the ten commandments. But if you mention the importance of the Sabbath they will quickly say that we are under grace, not the law. And by the way, Sunday is not the Biblical Sabbath day simply because it is the first day of the week, not the seventh (count them again if you like in the first chapters of Genesis, notice especially Gen. 2:2,3). Don’t forget it’s the work of the devil to change times and laws (Daniel 7:25). In John 6:40 Jesus says: “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”Jesus was ressurrected after His death. I believe that when a person dies, he rests (sleeps) in the grave (John 11:11). After certain things that will happen (as described in Matthew 24), Jesus will return. The sleeping death will then be ressurrected and God will judge all people according to their works (Revelation 20:13). I don’t know when I will die. But because I believe that I will ‘sleep’ in the grave, until Jesus will return and wil ressurrect the death to life, to be judged, I have until my death to prepare for that judgement. So I try to be ready anytime; I try to live like that. But I’m worried about your salvation as well. I don’t want you to be destroyed, but I want you to be in heaven too. Now I don’t want to forse you or oblige you anything. All I can do is let you know how I think about this all. I pray that God will send His Holy Ghost to work in you and will give you wisdom to understand that what I’m trying to explain, is the gospel, the good news that God wants everybody to know: that Jesus lived for us, died for us, was ressurrected and will return for us! I don’t know when it’s a person’s last day on earth, but I believe that as long as you live, you still have the opportunity to make that choice, to give your life on earth to God, so that He can give you eternal life in heaven. With that thought it’s really not that difficult or hard to keep the 10 commandments, you will do it with love. And whenever it goes wrong, and you realise that you have sinned, you can sincerely ask forgiveness through prayer and God will forgive you. Because He is faithful and just to forgive every sin (1 John 1:8,9)! God has so many love for people, that I think He will give everyone at least one chance to know His truth. Everyone must have heard about God. He sends His messengers to tell other about Him, but everyone has the choice to whether believe it or not. So nobody can ever say He didn’t give them that chance. It’s a crazy idea to think that the first humans made a mistake, but God sends His Son to repair it, so why would we reject? Everyone is a child of God and He loves all people. And He wants to save us. And if we respond to that call, He will help us in the battle against the evil (Romans 5:15; 8:26; Hebrews 1:4-14). And the people who are willing to dedicate their lives to Him, He will reward them with eternal life in heaven with Him. How can we and why would we refuse such an offer? I hope I don’t sound desperate, because I only want to make clear that just like God called me and guides me through life, He is willing to do the same for you too. And I want you to be saved, to go to heaven. That’s why I’m investing my time writing this to you. I don’t expect anything, I just hope this is a reason for you to think about it to open yourself for God’s love and to accept Him. That’s all you need to do, and He will do the rest! 23 juillet Not to be ashamedIn my first entry I told about how I was ashamed to confess I believed in God. Today I read something interesting about this topic:
"Eventually Jesus' command changed from 'Don't tell anyone' to 'Go tell everyone.'
Jesus said, 'Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven' (Matthew 10:32,33).
Jesus said, 'If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels' (Mark 8:38).
Jesus said, 'But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth' (Acts 1:8).
Remember Thomas - the one we often label 'doubting Thomas'? The fact is, he was more courageous and more trusting than we sometimes think. Late in Jesus' ministry, when the Lord boldly headed back to the vicinity of Jerusalem, his disciples knew that going there meant great danger (for Jesus had so many enemies in Jerusalem). But Thomas said, 'Let us also go, that we may die with him' (John 11:16).
At the Last Supper, THomas asked Jesus, 'Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?' His dear question resulted in a famous answer from Jesus' lips: 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me' (John 14:5,6).
Thomas demanded firsthand evidence of Jesus' resurrection before he would believe. In Thomas' defense, he wasn't with the other disciples the first time Jesus appeared to them after the Lord rose from the dead (John 20:24). Plus, the other disciples reacted with doubt as well when they first heard reports that Jesus was alive (luke 24:9-11). Needing to be sure about something as important as the resurrection. Thomas declared, 'Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it' (John 20:25).
Jesus met the challenge. A week later he stood next to Thomas and said, 'Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.' And Thomas responded with one of the shortest but most profound confessions of faith in all of Scripture. Firmly convinced, with doubts erased, he reverently said to Jesus, 'My Lord and my God!' (John 20:27,28).
Up-close with Jesus, Peter and Thomas embraced the Truth. Then they devoted their lives to telling the truth, problaiming Jesus as Lord to believers and unbelievers alike. As Peter put it, 'We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard' (Acts 4:20).
What about you? Are you willing to state publicly and without shame that you believe in CHrist? Someday, God declares, 'at the name of Jesus every knee should bow... and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father' (Philippians 2:11).
Eventually we're all going to acknowledge that Jesus is Lord. Why not begin now?'
~ Embracing the Truth, David Faust, pp.40-42 21 juillet Our thinking is affected by our eating"I have been instructed that flesh meat has a tendency to animalize the nature, to rob men and women of that love and sympathy which they should feel or everyone, and to give the lower passions control over the higher powers of the being. If meat eating was ever healthful, it is not safe now. Cancers, tumors, and pulmonary diseases are largely caused by meat eating.
We are not to make the use of flesh meat a test of fellowship, but we should consider the influence that professed believers who use flesh meats have over others. As God's messengers, shall we not say to the people, "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God"?" ~ Ellen White 20 juillet Lord of our desiresThis week's study is called 'Lord of our desires.' It talks about how we should submit our will to the will of God, that includes our desires, thoughts and appetites. Now that last thing could be a crucial point for me as I looove unhealthy food. Not that I chose it because it is unhealthy though... Guess I should be ashamed of myself when I say that I actually almost always eat something whenever I feel like it.
Now in the Bible we find in the very first story how Satan, in form of a serpent, used Eve's appetite to seduce her and disobey God. In a similar way he tried to tempt Jesus. Jesus was in the wilderness and had fasted forty days, so like it says in Matthew 4: 1,2 'he was afterward an hungred.' This might even be a bigger temptation than in the Garden of Eden! But, however, Jesus did not make the same mistake.
Even in this time, Satan can try to use our appetite as well as a tool to draw us away from God. How? If we stick to a healthy diet, our bodies and minds can function optimal so that we can serve God best. And besides, we should not allow ourselves to just go after all our desires. We should try to keep them under control.
There is a simple diet that we teach in some sort of 'health message.' It's called God's Plan (or New Start):
G odly Trust N utrition
O pen Air E xercise
D aily Exercise W ater S unshine S unshine P roper Rest T rust in God L ots of Water A ir A lways Temperate R est N utrition T emperate For a short explanation, visit my other space at http://spaces.msn.com/members/godlovesyou4-ever
I learned this with my last job in a vegetarian shop. These truly are 8 ways to health. If you'd like more information about it, just contact me! 18 juillet Welcome/My testimonyHi there, welcome to my space. I've been thinking a long long time before I began to write this blog, but I still don't know how to say what I want to say. I want to say a lot, but I just don't know where to start. Oh well, let me tell you a little about me.
I was born 21 years ago in Haarlem, Holland. I have one little sister, Nikita, who is 4 years younger than me. My mother is from Surinam, an enthusiastic little woman who can cook delicious. My father is from Holland, music is his passion, and he always worked very hard to make sure we could have a good life.
My mother taugt me about God ever since I was a little girl. At christmas and easter we went to church and at school I learned stories from the Bible and religious songs. Back then, my father never really made it clear to us what he thought about religion, my mother was a Catholic, but she was also very interested in other teachings and religions, such as Tao and Buddism.
In my teens I experienced the influence of the media (teen-magazines about popstars, also contain a lot of other information...),as well as the different viewpoints of Christians, Tao, Buddism, but also the occult. I heard and read stories about reincarnations, ghosts, spells etc. etc. Nowadays those things seem very common, but I think a lot of people have no idea what they're dealing with.
Though I had everything I could wish for, I was very unhappy as a teenager. Looking back, I still don't know exactly why, but in those days I felt like it was me against the world. Afterwards I feel sorry for my parents, I wouldn't know what to do either with such a child ;) I used to spend a lot of time alone in my room (doesn't the average teenager?) or with my friends. Though I guess I got pretty good through that period, I felt like something was missing in my life.
I remember one lesson in class, when the teacher asked how many of us believed in God. I did, but I also knew that all the other kids did not. There was one other girl in class who was known for her faith and the other kids were always making fun of her for that. So I decided not to come forward that I believed in God. When I think about that day I feel like another 'Peter' (Mark 14:66-72).
One of those days I was shopping with a friend of mine. Suddenly 2 women came to us and asked if they might ask some questions. They asked me what I think would happen when I die, and other questions like that. They did not reject my answers, they just listened. After that they asked my permission to pray for me. So they prayed for me, I only remember that they asked God's guidance in my life and that I might find my way to Him. Soon after that I totally forgot what happened.
A few years later I met the man I married. I was working at McDonalds (summerjob!) along with his sister. So he came to visit her with a friend, and that's how we met. How romantic...
 On our first date, after we went out for dinner and walked along the beach, he asked me to be his girlfriend. And I don't even know why, but before I answered him, I asked if he was 'a believer.' And he answered 'yes.'
He was a Christian too, but unlike me, He went to church every week and read the Bible. I only knew the stories like Joseph, Moses and Jesus. But He taught me about lifelessons and promises I never heard about. I thought after death we would go straight to heaven or hell or maybe we would reincarnate and come back to earth (this was still unsure and confusing for me as a result of the different religions I had learned about).
After a while he invited me to go to church with him, so I did. I must admit that it took some time for me to get used to going to church every week. Nowadays it seems very weird to talk about stuff such as 'salvation' and 'forgiveness' or even 'Jesus' and 'God.' But when I learned more about it, began to read the Bible, hear more about it, it became normal to me.
After a biblestudy I baptized. I can't really say that I inmediately experienced a big change, like some people say (which of course is beautiful, if so). But after a while, especially when we moved from Holland to Aruba, I did. I became more aware of the importance of believing. I suddenly realized that it's a matter of life and death. And the more I read about it, the more I wanted to tell other people. I thought, what if I don't tell them, than they won't be saved. I can't think about going to heaven while other people I know are not. But I was and still am too shy or scared for people's reaction. That's why I don't talk much about it, but I will try to inform them, and others, through this space.
Though it's still a bit strange to me to 'talk' about these things, I will do my best to make it as clear as possible what I think is important. It's about being willing to change, to have a hope for something better than this life, to experience what it is to have Someone who cares about you, no matter what. Who unconditionally loves you. And who prepares us for the future through His Word, the Bible.
I hope and pray that you, no matter who you are, are willing to give it a try and believe. Take this journey with me, visit this space as many times as you want. I will try to keep it up to date with my thoughts, concerns, prayers, explanations of the plan of salvation, and lessons I've learned; hoping that my testimonies will lead at least someone to God. 'For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.' ~ John 3:16 |
|
||||
|
|
