Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Mission as Sharing Christ
1 John 5:1-12
“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves His child as well.” (Verse 1 NIV)

If we take this point a little deeper and believe that our God is our Holy father we can understand that all human beings are our brothers and sisters and have a common bond, which is God. When God created man in His own image we have to believe that every person we meet and are
involved with, whether friends or foes, is part of God. Every person in this world is a symbol of God because each is made in the image of God.
In the Bible God tells us to love one another and to love God. He is literally telling us that every person in the world is a child of God DNA of God is within all of us. God has a purpose for everyone and the challenges and struggle we have are there for a reason. Just like we support our own family in times of crisis, we are to be there physically and emotionally for each other. If we can help them in any way we must go out of our way to provide such help. Sure when we are facing struggles we do not understand why we have to go through it, but many have realized after wards that the experience has made them stronger in our love for God and also to know who our true friends and family are.
Mathew 5:43 clearly gives us instruction on how we have to treat each other. It is said that you have to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute (mistreat) you. Who can do this? I certainly cannot, and most people are not able to do this either. If we can all take this Bible verse along and follow it we will see the violence rates to go down. All the violence is about not loving each other as God wants us to. All children of God have a purpose and to fulfill the purpose we must start with the basic. The basic being loving your parents, siblings, your family, your neighbor, the beggar on the street, the murderers on death row, and those who mistreat you. How can you we do this? Most people have a hard time even loving people with a different opinion within their own family and here I am requesting you to love a murderer or some who mistreated you or your family. The reason being the murderers are also children of God. This is a monumental task that is asked of all of us. Unfortunately we fail to love one another in the capacity that God has asked us to do. We must spend more time learning the word of God and understanding what is asked of us. I am as guilty as anyone when it comes to loving and caring for others who do not care for me but I am trying hard to do so. It is difficult to be true Christians, but we must try every day to be Christ like because God made us in His own image.

Prayer: Merciful Lord, help us all to accept each other, as different as we are, and to love each other unconditionally. In your precious name.... Amen.

Though for the Day: When we pass a poor person begging in the street let us think of God and that God has decided to take the form of a beggar for that day. Simply, love all persons unconditionally.
             

Shibu P. Thomas, Staten Island MTC

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