Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
The Redeeming Christ
Acts 16:25-34
Vs 31 “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”
Acts of the Apostles is one of most important books of the bible for any Christian because it shows such a beautiful example of what it means to live as witnesses to the Gospel. Often times we find ourselves lost in a sea of doubt and confusion regarding what the church should look like and what Christian life truly embodies. The apostles set such a bold example of what it means to be slaves to the gospel and this passage shows just that.
Paul and Silas were in the darkest moment of their lives: shackled in a prison cell, awaiting torture and death. But in spite of the fear and hopelessness of their situation, they stayed faithful. They knew that the God they served was stronger than the chains that bound them and the bars that kept them imprisoned. Even in the moment that they were freed, Paul and Silas prioritized sharing the gospel to the jailer over making their escape.
Our current situation reminds me a lot of the situation that Paul and Silas were in. A global pandemic has shackled us with fear and worry. Our neighbors are sickened, our economy is struggling, and the future looks bleak. In such a moment of darkness, what would it look like if our attitudes and actions reflected the victorious gospel that has given us true freedom?
We as believers are called to fight this pandemic with the faith that our God is bigger than sickness and bigger than any force of the world that shackles us. Whatever the world has in store with us, live with the knowledge that we have been freed once and for all. Pray for each other. Show kindness to each other. Look out for everyone’s health and well-being. Support our healthcare workers and carefully follow government instruction. Let’s put to work the Gospel that set us free.
Paul and Silas were in the darkest moment of their lives: shackled in a prison cell, awaiting torture and death. But in spite of the fear and hopelessness of their situation, they stayed faithful. They knew that the God they served was stronger than the chains that bound them and the bars that kept them imprisoned. Even in the moment that they were freed, Paul and Silas prioritized sharing the gospel to the jailer over making their escape.
Our current situation reminds me a lot of the situation that Paul and Silas were in. A global pandemic has shackled us with fear and worry. Our neighbors are sickened, our economy is struggling, and the future looks bleak. In such a moment of darkness, what would it look like if our attitudes and actions reflected the victorious gospel that has given us true freedom?
We as believers are called to fight this pandemic with the faith that our God is bigger than sickness and bigger than any force of the world that shackles us. Whatever the world has in store with us, live with the knowledge that we have been freed once and for all. Pray for each other. Show kindness to each other. Look out for everyone’s health and well-being. Support our healthcare workers and carefully follow government instruction. Let’s put to work the Gospel that set us free.
PRAYER
Dear Lord, as we go through the most difficult times in our life, we pray that would have mercy and deliver us. Deliver us from this sickness. Redeem us from any selfishness on our part. In Jesus' name, Amen
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Prayer moves the hands that moves the world.
Jerryl Abraham, St. John’s MTC, New York
Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church
Jerryl Abraham, St. John’s MTC, New York
Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church