Servir le Seigneur (2)

Si quelqu'un sert, qu'il serve comme par la force que Dieu fournit, afin qu'en toutes choses Dieu soit glorifié par Jésus Christ. 1 Pierre 4. 11

Ceux qui ont bien servi acquièrent une bonne maturité pour eux-mêmes et une grande hardiesse dans la foi qui est dans le Christ Jésus. 1 Timothée 3. 13

Seigneur, toi qui pour nous t'offris en sacrifice,
Remplis nous de ferveur pour mettre à ton service
Nos jours, nos biens, nos corps, nos cœurs.
Aide-nous à marcher, malgré notre faiblesse,
En comptant sur ta force, et que par toi sans cesse
Nous soyons tous plus que vainqueurs.
Fais que le seul désir, plus que toute autre chose,
De tout enfant de Dieu qui sur toi se repose
Soit de t'aimer et te servir!
“Pour moi vivre, c'est Christ”: que ce soit la devise
De tous tes rachetés! Que chacun d'eux le dise,
Et que tous sachent l'accomplir.
Puisque bientôt tu vas paraître
À nos yeux,
Nous désirons, Sauveur et Maître
Glorieux,
Te servir, t'aimer, te connaître
Toujours mieux.



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Outrunning Cheetahs

When we draw near to God, our minds are refreshed and our strength is renewed. Isaiah 40:7,31

The grass withers, the flower fades . . . . But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.

The majestic African cheetah is known for reaching speeds of 112 kph (70 mph) in short bursts, but it doesn’t do so well over distances. A BBC news item reports that four members of a northeast Kenyan village actually outran two cheetahs in a 4-mile footrace.

It seems that two large cheetahs had been feeding on village goats. So the four men came up with a plan to stop them. They waited until the hottest part of the day and then gave chase to the cats, tracking them down when the animals couldn’t run any farther. The exhausted cheetahs were safely captured and turned over to the Kenyan wildlife service for relocation.

Can we see ourselves in the cheetah? Our strengths might seem impressive, but they are short-lived. As the prophet Isaiah reminds us, we are like wildflowers that soon wither under the heat of the sun (40:6-8).

Yet it is at the end of ourselves that our God offers us comfort. A surprise rises up to meet those who wait on the Lord. In His time and ways, He can renew our strength. By His Spirit He can enable us to rise up on “wings like eagles” or to “run and not be weary, [to] walk and not faint” (v.31).

Lord, forgive us for the many times that we rely on our short-lived strength. Help us see that all good gifts come from You, and that You are the never-failing source of our strength, hope, and joy.