Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Making of the Faithful 


Alvin Varghese
Chicago MTC, IL 

11. But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness.12 Fight the good fight of the faith;
There is a verse in Psalms that goes like this: ​You will eat the fruit of your labor, blessings and prosperity will be yours (128 v.2)… Nowadays, ​the fruit of one’s labor is generally tied to some temporary material possession, like receiving an award, either on a financial basis or of fame and immense recognition.  The best basketball player in the world is on track to have the largest salary of any athlete in the world.  A highly renowned surgeon operates on a wage that is far beyond the imagination of most people.  But is this the true meaning of prosperity the Psalmist mentions?  Does our faith have any connection with the fruit of our labor?
In this context, Paul is warning Timothy that ‘love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (v.10).’  It is clear that when we were  created by God, we came to the world with nothing and we can not take anything with us when we leave.  Our faith or complete trust in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is the only thing that matters.  Our hope is in God, who provides us with everything we need.  When we confess our sins, we receive forgiveness and redemption: we also receive eternal life.  We will be caught up with Him at His second coming and live with Him forever.  Paul is warning Timothy to leave the desires of worldly possessions and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.
Choose to live a life with God at the center, and it will be the greatest thing we can do.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank You for blessing us with another day.  We pray that You help us stand steadfast with You forever.  Help us to deepen our roots in You and strengthen our faith in You. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Why work so hard for mortal possessions when trusting in the Lord leads you to eternal life? 

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