Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-

 

Celebrating God's faithfulness

Bible Reading: Ezra 6:19-22

Key Verse : With joy they celebrated the festival of unleavened bread for seven days  for the Lord had made them joyful. Vs 22

DEVOTION

 19 On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles celebrated the Passover. 20 The priests and Levites had purified themselves and were all ceremonially clean. The Levites slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their relatives the priests and for themselves. 21 So the Israelites who had returned from the exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the unclean practices of their Gentile neighbors in order to seek the LORD, the God of Israel. 22 For seven days they celebrated with joy the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because the LORD had filled them with joy by changing the attitude of the king of Assyria so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God, the God of Israel.
Celebrating for seven days continuously, in any scenario, sounds excessive. But, if we understood what these Israelites had gone through in their recent history, it makes sense. These were the same people who were held captive under pharaoh’s rule in Egypt. God had saved them and delivered them to the Promised Land. They lost their way; lost sight of God and found themselves exiled to Babylon, suffering under the rule of King Nebuchadnezzar. Often times, we experience our own highs and lows within our walk with God. We aren’t perfect people – we stumble and make poor choices. We live in a world that’s constantly changing and there are plenty of things commanding our attention away from God. Though we waver, we must remember where our help comes from. We must remember the God we serve is an everlasting, omnipotent God. Regardless of where we are in our faith journey, whether we feel distant from God or if we’ve never felt closer, it’s important that we keep moving forward. We plan our course in our hearts, but the Lord determines our steps (Proverbs 16:9). So when God delivers us from our oppressors and into the Promised Land, let’s do as the Israelites and celebrate. Let us have a heart full of gratitude and remind ourselves how incredible is the God we serve!

   PRAYER

Lord, even though we stumble and lose our way, we pray that your hand continues to guide us, uphold us and deliver us. Amen

Thought for the day

Because of the Lord's great love  we are not consumed; for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness.

Joash Mathew
St. John's Mar Thoma Church

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