Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-

Visit of Mary to Elizabeth: Sharing the Good News and Having Faith in God’s Promises
Gal 3:15-22

Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” - Luke 1:45

When Mary hears from the angel Gabriel that she is going to give birth to Jesus, she has complete faith in God’s vision for her life. Mary runs to tell Elizabeth the good news of Jesus to which Elizabeth responds with the above verse. Through the stories of Mary and Elizabeth, we see God’s infallible ability to bless and fulfill His promises to those who are faithful to Him. Both Mary and Elizabeth have circumstances that should prevent them from conceiving a child, but hearing God’s promise to them once is enough to convince them to demonstrate their faith by sharing the good news they have received with each other. While Mary and Elizabeth were promised children, all of us as believers in Jesus, are also beholden to God’s promise. But what is this promise and how can we follow in the example of Mary and Elizabeth in sharing the good news of this promise with others?
In Galatians 3:15-22, Paul talks about the covenant that God makes with Abraham in Genesis and analyzes the words in Genesis to show that we as Christians share in this covenant through our faith in Jesus. In discussing “the law”, Paul demonstrates to us how our laws and or our own promises to each other pale in comparison to the consistency and power of God’s promises. When we as Christians make promises to God to be more obedient or spend more time in prayer, we often backslide into our old ways and are unable to fully fulfill our promises to Him. However, God never fails to fulfill His promises. As Paul says, it is faith in Jesus, the blessed seed of Abraham, that makes us inheritors of God’s covenant. Through baptism, we are born again through Jesus and welcomed into God’s grace through our faith in Him. We, like Mary and Elizabeth, are recipients of a monumental promise through our faith, yet many of us choose not to share this news. We hide our faith and often when forced to choose between the world and God, choose the world. As we go about the rest of our lives, let us remember the magnitude of God’s promise to us through Jesus and be inspired by Mary and Elizabeth to proclaim our wholehearted faith in this promise by shaping our words and deeds in the example that Jesus has given us.

Prayer
Dear God, we thank You for all that You have done, do, and will do for us. As we go about our lives, help us to remember the promises You have made with us and better fulfill our promises to You. Help us be filled by the Holy Spirit to share the good news of Jesus and everything You have given us through our words and deeds. In Your name, we pray, Amen.

Thought of the Day
God’s promises to us are everlasting. Through faith in them can we find the strength to better fulfill our own promises to God and obey His commands.

Paul Isaac
Carmel MTC, Boston, MA

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