Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Renewal Based on Scripture   


Rev. Thomas K. Mathew
Diocesan Secretary
Chengannur – Mavelikara Diocese
 3 The king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to follow the Lord, keeping his commandments, his decrees, and his statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. All the people joined in the covenant.

Renewal or Revival, in the spiritual life of a person in Christ, needs to be a daily activity. This is made possible only when the scripture is given the due priority and space. The more we move away from the scripture, the less we renew ourselves.

King Josiah, the lead character in our passage this morning, leads the whole community “from the least to the greatest”, to the temple and to the Book of the Covenants found in the temple and reads it aloud to them. Josiah is enabling the people for a joint engagement with God in the hearing of the scripture. He is willing to subdue himself and his authority before the Living God and he is encouraging the people to do the same.

Renewal by the scripture leads us to break away from the destructive powers of the evil which is looming upon us day and night. Jesus said “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

The life, that God has blessed us with, has a zillion combinations of choices and decisions. But each one of these choices and decisions can lead us to varied life situations and hence the challenge for the child of God is making the right choices. Right choices will lead to the right decisions. This is only possible when we allow ourselves to be in tune with God at every moment. The initiative, that King Josiah took, was to get reconnected with the Living Word of God which helped him and his people to break away from everything that kept them away from the Life of the Scripture. The reformation in the Malankara Church in the 19th century was the result of reviewing the faith and practices based on the scripture.

St. Paul exhorts us in Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect”.

Let us be open to the word of God and allow it to transform us according to the will of God


PRAYER


Dear Lord, help me this morning to be renewed by Thy word which strengthens me to break away from the powers of the evil one in my journey this day. Bring me back to thy feet each day so that I will remain within Thy grace

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
The blessing of being renewed in the scripture is that we will discern the will of God which is good, acceptable and perfect.
  

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