Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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FAMILY AN EXPRESSION OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD

    1 JOHN 2 :7-17

Key verse: Vs 17 .   And the world is passing away and the lust of it, but he who does the will of God abides forever.

Devotional text.
Our meditation today is based on the apostle John’s epistle where he focuses on the family relationship and structure and compares it the Kingdom of God.  Mainly he concentrates on three themes in this passage   and let us meditate on these three themes in this morning.
1.The Commandment of Love.
Verses 7-11 focuses on the great teaching of our Lord and one of His great Commandments that is Love one another. A complete faith and love of God is the essence of the kingdom of God and as followers of Christ we are called to love another and help each other. The principles of love, care and support apply to the kingdom of God and if want to be the shareholders of this kingdom we have to abide by these rules. Love binds us together as a family and it overcomes all barriers of race, gender, nationality and social status. When we strive to love unconditionally putting our brother’s needs first in our families the kingdom of God will flourish there and peace and happiness will dwell there.
2.The call to Holiness.
In verses 12-14 John addresses different stages of spiritual growth among believers, Children young men and fathers. We all have to play a big role in the Kingdom of God, and we are all; part of the same family. We all follow and are disciples of the one and only Christ who is our Lord and savior. He has put a standard of holiness that each believer must have in his or her life to be a member of this kingdom. We are the temple of God, and no sort of abuse is permitted in His standards. Just as a family supports and encourages one another we too must provide a nurturing conducive environment for spiritual growth within the body of Christ.
3. Warning against worldliness.
In verses 15-17 John the believers about the allure of worldly desires and glitters, the list of the eyes. The lust of the flesh and the pride of life. . There will be temptations that can take away from our goals as members of the kingdom of God. We shall not be pursuing earthly treasures and pleasures rather our aim in life shall be to seek the kingdom of God  and His righteousness.
Our priorities shall be aligned with the kingdom values focusing on eternity rather than the temporary earthly treasures and its glitters, As a family we have a responsibility to see that we are accountable and help each other in our pursuit of goals. We shall not be falling into the pitfalls of worldly desires.
Our families shall be a powerful expression of the kingdom of God and let us abide by the rules of the kingdom so that we all be victorious.
 

Prayer
Lord helps us to partakers of your kingdom promoting kingdom values in our lives. Let our families be a place of love, care, support and encouragement and care of one another. Amen
 
Thought for the Day

Everyone who practice righteousness is born of Him.

Dr Thomas K. Jose

The Mar Thoma Church Staten Island. 

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