Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
Promise of the Holy Spirit
Acts 1: 1- 8
v8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”.
God’s greatest love to mankind is radiated through the promise of the Holy Spirit given through Jesus Christ.  Jesus, with love and compassion, promised his disciples, just before his ascension, the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Only thing they were asked to do was to wait patiently and prayerfully for the appropriate day to receive that priceless gift.  Jesus had been training them all these years to become deserving recipients of the Holy Spirit, and thereby to become His true witnesses in the world.
In today’s world when the human race is confronted with the fatal problem of corona virus, the need of the believer for acquiring the gift of the Holy Spirit is extremely immense.  For this, one must equip himself or herself with certain qualities.  We are bound to accept Jesus Christ as our lord and savior.  Our body, mind, and soul need to be pure.  The Lord’s prayer begins with this acceptance of purity as a hallmark. It is only through our purity of existence that we can make His name purified.  Thus, we become witnesses of Christ.  There are umpteen examples in The Bible.  Apostle Paul declares without any shadow of doubt that, ‘For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain’.  All the disciples of Christ lived with purity.  That was why they were able to spread the gospel throughout the world.  St. Thomas is another example.  He was instrumental in making us Christians.
A Christ centered life is necessary.  From now on ‘Jesus must live in us, not ourselves’.  The Holy Spirit invites us to be a part and parcel of the life of Christ.  Cross shows the path.  To obtain The Holy Spirit let us incessantly seek and pray with pure hearts ‘the fruit of the Spirit’ thereby owning ‘love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control’(Gal.5: 22).  To get away from the clutches of temptations and other worldly desires is very difficult. It is only with the help of The Holy Spirit that we can overcome them. May the Holy Spirit enable us to be the true warriors of Christ.
PRAYER
God Almighty, we are sinners and weaklings.  We are not fit to be called your children.  But through Christ you redeemed us. We beseech You to help us to live a life of purity, so that we may also get the grace to obtain the Holy Spirit.  Make us your children and help us to be your true witnesses in this suffering world. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
God is great.  He wants us to be His witnesses. He loves us.  He wants us to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  Let us succumb ourselves to the will of God. Through us God’s great plan of redeeming the world can be fulfilled.  We should be clay in the hands of the great Potter.  Allow Him to mold us.

Prof. Elias Abraham- Mar Thoma Church of Baltimore, Maryland
Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church

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