Word for the day by Christian Education Fourm

-
Nurturing God’s creation
Psalm 104
Katherine Philip
St. John’s Mar Thoma Church, NY
31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works—32 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke. 33 I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. 34 May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord.”


Sitting on a window seat, staring out of an airplane, it is absolutely impossible to see man walking down below. We are reminded as to how small we are in this great and magnificent world that the Lord our God has created. Our problems and worries are insignificant knowing that we are a tiny speck on this earth. Some of us work hard day after day only to complain about the little things in life when our Father made the universe within a week and saw that “it was good”. We tend to solely magnify our problems rather than marveling at the actions of God.
 
    One of my favorite documentary series is “Planet Earth” created by The Discovery Channel. Through the series, we are able to see animals and nature from all different parts of the earth that have never been filmed before. It is amazing to think how our God created it all. Watching this series is similar to reading this entire passage of Psalm. We are able to see God magnified and our problems seem to be no bigger than a grain of sand. Through this passage, we are able to keep God where he belongs, higher than every circumstance and situation.
 
    As verse 34 reads, “may my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord”. The psalmist is focusing on the wonderful greatness of God rather than the mere problems of man. We are to meditate on His’ greatness in order to please the Lord. If one spends an entire day thinking about something that may cause slight frustration, towards the end of the day, the amount of frustration that grows within will be unfathomable. No matter what issue we meditate upon, it will grow and become larger occupying our hearts and minds. Instead of continuously focusing on our insecurities and other irrelevant issues, we should continuously focus on the greatness of God. This way, we will be magnifying Him throughout the course of time.
 
    Instead of meditating on the trouble of life, what kind internal peace and happiness will arise when we meditate on the glory of God? If God was magnified in our thoughts daily, how would our faith be compared to the times in life we need faith for? When we make the wonder in our Lord’s greatness the target for meditation, we will be fruitful.

PRAYER

Dear Father, thank You for creating this beautiful universe. Help us to magnify You and to continuously meditate on You – for You are mighty and glorious. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. Psalm 104: 33

Popular posts from this blog

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
  Constant, patient and welcoming love of God   St. Luke 15: 11-32  V.21: And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ The parable of the ‘Prodigal son’ is one of the most frequently quoted parables that Jesus told His disciples. The parable contains the rich mine of human virtues and emotions. This parable is lived and re-lived in progressing civilizations from time immemorial and continuing. It brings out in vivid detail the pathetic depth of human sinfulness and the glorious heights of God’s forgiveness.      As a story of human nature, fathers are generally merciful to their children in any circumstance. They are very protective and are eager to provide for and secure the lives of their offspring. Jesus is telling this parable to underscore the superlative love of God to His children. The nature of such love is reiterated by Jesus in Matthew 7:11. Humankind wh...
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
Revelation for Liberation Acts 27:18-26 Sherine Thomas Long Island MTC, NY 20  When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest raged, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. “After winter comes the summer.  After night comes the dawn.  And after every storm, there comes clear open skies” so said a Scottish clergyman from the 1600s. It’s been said, that hope can sometimes be the most dangerous weapon.  However, it’s sometimes the hardest weapon to carry when you’re living with the loss of a loved one, something that almost feels like a terrible nightmare that’ll never go away.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry when day in and day out no one seems to hear or see those tears that are shed or silent cries that are made during a heartfelt prayer. It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you see your loved one lying on that hospital bed.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you search and seek out answers to tel...
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
PRIESTHOOD: THE ANOINTED MINISTRY Exodus 40:12-16 Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting... wash them with water. Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint him and consecrate him so he may serve me as priest (Exodus 40: 12-13). Priesthood among the people of God was a divine command and initiation. God wanted some people to be separated for the special ministry among his people. God appointed Aaron and his descendants to take up this kind of ministry among the people of God. Priests are always separated and appointed as channels that connect God with his people. All throughout the history of Israel, priests played an important role in connecting people with God and to lead and guide them in the statutes of God. But there are incidents in the Bible where the priests failed in their duties and that led the people to go away from God. So the priests have a special and significant ministry to perform in this world among his people. Two important things...
Read more