Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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 God’s Intervention that paves the way for salvation

Romans 8:38-39

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to
separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus”. Romans 8:38-39

Starting this upcoming Sunday, our lectionary will reset to be on the path to Christmas. On Sunday we will  begin with the Gospel reading from Luke 1, announcing the birth of John the Baptist. Today’s passage from Romans 8:38-39 is a return to basics for followers of Christ. There are many times we can go about living our lives, going to church, taking part in meetings, participating in Sacraments, learning about words like Sanctification, Redemption, Resurrection, Salvation, Consecration and many other
“church” words, but if we forget about the most basic word that begins it all.. LOVE. Then we’ve missed the point!
We are entering a season which should help us remember how big God’s loves is. The very purpose of Jesus was to show the world how much God loves us. We all know the often-quoted John 3:16 “For God
so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Christmas is God’s love on display for the whole world to see. Paul in our passage from Romans describes all the systems in this world, that we think would separate us from God’s love. Many of the world’s religions emphasize how God is separate from us. Islam would tell you God is far too high up and we are far too low to be loved. They have 100 names for God, but not a single one of
those names would describe God as loving. Buddhism would tell you this life separates you from a state of peace and complete love, and only death is where you would achieve nirvana, or a complete state of peace and love. Hinduism would tell you the one that seeks God is the one that is loved by God. But Paul is saying in Christ Jesus, there is absolutely nothing that can separate us from the love of God. A famous parable describing love in the Bible is that of the Prodigal Son. The transformation of the son
happened when he recognized the loving nature of his Father. If you are too familiar with the passage you will miss an important turning point, the son had while feeding the pigs. He said “how many of my
Fathers’s HIRED hands have bread enough to spare, but here I am dying.”(Luke 15:17). The Prodigal son repents when he comes to his senses and understands the Love of the Father. The Love of the Father is
seen through his generosity with the Hired Hands. A hired hand is only entitled to a wage, but in this parable you see that beyond the wage, they also get food, and not some food but an abundance of food.
It would be like if you had a landscaper and when he arrives at your house, he is invited in and has a meal in addition to his wages. A purely transactional relationship would end at the wage for the services
offered. But real love is not transactional at all, and when that son understood that generosity it leads to his repentance.
In our daily walk with God, we need to examine whether we have come to understand this tremendous love of God. When you come to understand this love of God, it’s not something that will be hidden.
How will someone know you are a Christ follower, by how generous you are with God’s love. “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35

Prayer
Dear God help us to live a life dedicated to knowing your good and perfect will. Help me to be overwhelmed by your grace and show others overwhelming grace today. Help me today to understand
how much you love, and Lord help me to in turn love my neighbors. 
Thought for the Day
“Life is too short, the world is too big , and God’s love is too great to live ordinary “ – Christine Caine
Shibu Mathew
Epiphany MTC
        

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