Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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 Sharing the Good News

1 Thessalonians 3:6-13

 Vs.6: But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you.

Paul grew increasingly concerned about the church of Thessalonia as they were facing a rising tide of persecution. The beginning of this chapter talks about Paul sending Timothy to the Thessalonian church and the verses that follow describes the 'sharing of the good news' by Timothy that in spite of its suffering, they were continuing in faith and love.

Recently during one of our fellowship meetings, a question was asked - If we are held at gunpoint and asked to deny Christ, what would we do? The response was mixed but the only thing we could conclude was to pray to God that none of us are put into a similar situation and even if we are, we pray to God to give us the grace to overcome the situation victoriously by not being afraid of death but being hopeful of the after-life. Only our conviction in the afterlife can help us traverse such situations with faith.

Life on earth will end for all of us, yet most of us are afraid to face situations of our death. But it was the righteous and perseverant life of Paul that gave him the conviction to say that 'For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain'. Let us strengthen our own faith as well as the faith of the community we are a part of to believe that to die for Christ is also gain as much as it is to live for Christ. Let us together share the Good News and take up the different responsibilities entrusted to each one of us to restore the Kingdom of God here on earth - the Kingdom guided by the principles and values of the King of kings our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Prayer

Lord, help us and fill us with your grace to spread the Good news to everyone around us. Guide us and protect us where we need you the most. Give us the courage to speak the truth and uphold our faith like the Church of Thessalonia. Amen

Thought of the Day

"Christianity is not a religion at all but a way of life, a falling in love with God, and through him a falling in love with our fellows."
John Bertram Philips 
(English Bible translator, author, and Anglican clergyman)

Dr. Elizabeth Jacob
The Mar Thoma Church, Staten Island


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