Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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 God’s people to be prepared for witness

Zephaniah 3: 17-20
The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing (Vs.17 )

The book of Zephaniah describes God’s fiery anger against Jerusalem due to the people’s reliance on idol worship and infidelity to God. However, this fiery anger is not merely a flame of destruction, but a flame of purification to refine the people’s faith. God intends to let Jerusalem be destroyed but promises to watch over the remnant that remain faithful to Him. In verse 17, we see that this remnant of good witnesses, are promised a reconstructed Jerusalem where they will be honored and praised by God. The verses we meditate on today describe the reward of being a good witness. But what does it mean to be a witness, let alone a good one? 

In court, a witness is someone who testifies about a case based on their experiences. The mark of a good witness is their ability to testify truthfully and consistently about the case at hand. Similarly, a Christian witness’ purpose is to testify about our experience with our faith, with God and with Jesus. Moreover, to be good witnesses we must be truthful or wholeheartedas well as consistent or steadfast in our faith and testimony. But how exactly do we testify to others about our Christian experience and about our faith? 

We find an answer to this question in Matthew 5:16, which says, “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good worksand give glory to your Father who is in heaven”. As we see here, the foundations of properly testifying lie in being wholehearted and steadfast in our faith, by living our lives in the example of Christ, and by being willing to offer our faith and support to those who need it. 

As we enter the road to recovery from COVID, the need for Christian witness is continually increasing. We, like the Jews in the time of Zephaniah, find ourselves in a time of chaos. However, as we see in Zephaniah 3:19-20, when we stand as good witnesses for God, He rescues and unites us from every land and will restore our fortunes before our very eyes. Although COVID divided and destroyed many families and lives, our faith and ability to witness has allowed us to unite virtually across the world and through the vaccine the world is slowly returning to normal. It’s hard to be a good Christian witness when cross-examined by worldly desires and problems, but if we focus on the Bible and put God first in our lives, He will give us the strength to be good witnesses.
 
Prayer
“God, we pray that You watch over us in this time of great suffering, purify our faith and allow us to be good witnesses for You. Watch over us as we go out into the world and guide us with the Holy Spirit so that we may live our lives in the example of Christ.”
 
Thought for the day
“The strength of the church is not the strength of its institutions, but the authenticity of its witness” – Leonard Sweet
 
Paul J Isaac
Carmel MTC, Boston

Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church

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