Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Knowing and Doing Faith
Cyril Abraham
St. John's MTC, NY
13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot
deny himself.
One of the most incredible aspects of our faith is the perfect and awesome God that we serve. He sits enthroned in heaven and has angels and heavenly being in a constant state of fear, awe, and worship. He created the world and everything in it, from the very basic laws of nature to the most complex organisms and had them work together in harmony. He is a God so powerful and loving that he foresaw our disobedience and failures and decided to give His only son as a sacrifice for us. Just by looking at the entire narrative of the creation, fall, and redemption of man, it becomes abundantly clear that we owe God more than we can ever hope to repay. Furthermore, our daily failures and shortcomings and His subsequent grace and forgiveness seem to continuously multiply what we owe God.
It is in this context that the beauty of 2 Timothy 2:13 becomes apparent. Starting at the end of the verse, it says that “he cannot disown himself.” We may often ask why God chose to redeem our hopelessly broken selves or why He loves us enough to be intimately involved in our lives and according to Paul the answer goes back to the cross. God essentially made, what would be in another situation, one of the worst business decisions ever. He saw a failing investment and decided to keep pouring his resources into it, until he eventually had given everything. As a result we are no longer our own but a part of the body of Christ and owned by God Himself. His sacrifice on the cross is what gives us our value, not what we do and whether we succeed or fail. It is why despite our failings our God is for us and is always faithful.
One of the most incredible aspects of our faith is the perfect and awesome God that we serve. He sits enthroned in heaven and has angels and heavenly being in a constant state of fear, awe, and worship. He created the world and everything in it, from the very basic laws of nature to the most complex organisms and had them work together in harmony. He is a God so powerful and loving that he foresaw our disobedience and failures and decided to give His only son as a sacrifice for us. Just by looking at the entire narrative of the creation, fall, and redemption of man, it becomes abundantly clear that we owe God more than we can ever hope to repay. Furthermore, our daily failures and shortcomings and His subsequent grace and forgiveness seem to continuously multiply what we owe God.
It is in this context that the beauty of 2 Timothy 2:13 becomes apparent. Starting at the end of the verse, it says that “he cannot disown himself.” We may often ask why God chose to redeem our hopelessly broken selves or why He loves us enough to be intimately involved in our lives and according to Paul the answer goes back to the cross. God essentially made, what would be in another situation, one of the worst business decisions ever. He saw a failing investment and decided to keep pouring his resources into it, until he eventually had given everything. As a result we are no longer our own but a part of the body of Christ and owned by God Himself. His sacrifice on the cross is what gives us our value, not what we do and whether we succeed or fail. It is why despite our failings our God is for us and is always faithful.
PRAYER
Father God, help us to
realize our value is not in who we are or what we do but in the cross and your
love. Help us to carry your sacrifice in our hearts and have it be a light for
others. Amen.
THOUGHT
FOR THE DAY:
13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.
13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.