Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Our Lord Reigns
Isaiah 56:1-8
 Vs.1 Thus says the Lord: Maintain justice, and do what is right, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed. 
  Yesterday, we looked into how our Lord reigns with His second coming. In keeping with this theme, we must be given certain guidelines on how we should conduct ourselves before His second coming. Upon first glance at these eight verses, we get a sense of community from what the Lord was telling Isaiah.
    But, why does God stress community to us? As we’ve come to know in the Gospel, when Jesus saves us, He makes us a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Jesus did not come to this world to create more division, He came to give us a new community amongst ourselves. God’s reasons in sending His Son was to connect us to Him, with Jesus being at the center of it all. By God asking us to a life of “justice and righteousness” means living a life that is in line with God’s character, His personality.
    Christianity is not about following a specific dress code, or a style of music, but it’s about following Jesus. We may all have different lists of what a community of believers should look like. But, a community based and rooted in the Bible is one that is bound together in a hope for Jesus. Its pillars should be a life of justice and righteousness, as God states.
    Community can be defined by a shared or popular characteristic within a group of people.  When a person is saved by God’s grace, they are not the same, rather they are a new creation in Christ. Our prayer should be that God enables us as a community of believers to share one common goal: Jesus.
 PRAYER
Father, we thank You for the words that You have spoken to us today. May we use them to live a life that is pleasing and acceptable in Your sight. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
 THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. - Hebrews 10:24-25

Jessie Samuel, St. Andrews MTC, NY
Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church

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