Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Renewal of the church - Children Expectation of God


Shruti John 
CSI Jubilee Memorial Church, NY

“Because the boy is to be a Nazirite dedicated to God from the womb, he will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of Philistines”.

Nazirite is the one who chooses to make a special vow by dedicating himself to the Lord, and by dedication we mean Separation. It is not an act of mere self-discipline but of total devotion to the Lord.
Mike aged 16 says “I smoked my first cigarette when I was eleven, I never wanted to but all my friends used to smoke and hence I started as I wanted to be in the group. Once I started smoking, I was addicted, I knew it was wrong and now I regret”. Mike wanted acceptance from his friends so that he was not left out. We all want to be in the world and not out of the world.
When we look into the law of becoming a Nazirite, one had to show implicit obedience by separating himself from wine and other fermented drinks.  Secondly, one had to completely submit to the Lord not only physically but also spiritually.
Samson was dedicated as a Nazirite by his parents before he was born , but Samson never could separate himself from the pleasures offered by the world and at the end we see him leading himself into self-destruction.
When we ponder upon our lives God has given us the Freedom of Choice just as He gave to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. We have to choose how we want to lead our lives either we can dedicate our lives as the young boy Samuel or we can go after the world and its beauty like Samson leading us to failure.
Let us question ourselves where do we stand today as a child of God and is this what God wants us to be.  By submitting ourselves to the Lord means renewing our life in Christ. In conclusion let us look at  this verse from 2nd Corinthians 5:17 “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation the old has gone and the new has come”.

PRAYER

Father in heaven, we come to You with our sinful natures as unworthy as we are, but You are the merciful, loving and forgiving Lord. Help us to renew ourselves so that we may lead our lives according to Your path. In Your precious name, we ask. Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Mathew 18:3

 

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