Posts

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

  Worship: In God's Presence, For God's Purpose  Bible Reading: Acts 2:42-47  Key verse :   42 
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. DEVOTION Luke is unique among scripture writers as the only gentile contributor. Luke is also distinct in writing a two-volume sweeping history of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ (Gospel of Luke) and the Early Church (Book of Acts). Acts 2 is a pivotal chapter that records the birth of the Church—Jesus’s ekklesia—with the following sections: (i) The Coming of the Holy Spirit (v.1-13); (ii) Peter's Sermon at Pentecost (v.14-41); (iii) The Fellowship of the Believers (v.42-47). The devotional passage (Acts 2:42-47) is drawn from section (iii), depicting a special time in the life of the Early Church, on The Fellowship of Believers. The Church was born on the he Day of Pentecost, 50 days after Jesus’s resurrection, marked by a sudden sound like a "...

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

  Worship in God’s Presence for God’s Purpose Bible Reading: : Isaiah 6:  1-8 Key verse :   8 8. “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” (Isaiah 6:8) DEVOTION The vision of Isaiah in chapter 6 teaches us that true worship is not merely singing songs or attending religious gatherings. Genuine worship begins when we enter the presence of God and behold His holiness. Isaiah saw the Lord seated on His throne, high and exalted. The seraphim cried, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty." In the light of God's holiness, Isaiah became aware of his own sinfulness and cried out, "Woe to me! I am ruined!" Worship always leads us to humility and repentance. When we truly encounter God, we see ourselves as we really are. But God's presence is not meant to condemn us; it is meant to transform us. One of the seraphim touched Isaiah's lips with a burning coal and declared that his guilt...

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

  Worship in God’s Presence Bible Reading: :  Psalm 100 Key verse :   4  4. “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name”. DEVOTION Psalm 100 is a joyful invitation to worship God with our whole hearts. The psalmist calls all people to “make a joyful noise unto the Lord,” reminding us that worship is not merely a religious duty but a celebration of who God is. When we come into God’s presence, we come before our Creator, Shepherd, and Savior. True worship begins with gratitude. The psalm encourages us to enter God’s gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Gratitude shifts our focus from our problems to God’s faithfulness. No matter what challenges we face, we can worship because God remains good, His love never fails, and His faithfulness continues through all generations. Worship also requires humility. Verse 3 reminds us, “Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His.”...

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

  Call and Commission to be Christ’s disciples Bible Reading:  Matthew 4:17–22 Key verse :   19 
 19. “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  DEVOTION When Jesus began His public ministry, His first message was simple yet powerful: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Verse 17). Immediately after proclaiming this message, He called ordinary fishermen, Peter, Andrew, James, and John to become His disciples. These men were not religious leaders or scholars. They were hardworking fishermen engaged in their daily routines. Yet Jesus saw in them the potentials to become instruments for God’s kingdom. His call was not merely an invitation to learn but a summons to a transformed life and a new purpose. In scripture, it says that they “immediately left their nets” and followed Him. Their obedience was prompt and wholehearted. They left behind security, familiar routines, and personal ambitions because they recognized the authority and worthine...

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

  Worship in God’s Presence for God’s Purpose Bible Reading: :  1st Chronicles 16:23-36 Key verse :   34   " Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His steadfast love endures forever"(1st Chronicles,  16:34 ) DEVOTION This verse is a universal call for all nations on earth to acknowledge His mighty presence. Everyday gives us a chance to reflect on God's grace. It is an expression of gratitude and a sharing of hope with fellow Christians. On a personal note, every single day begins with the words: " Thank you Lord Jesus for giving me one more day to live". This one-line prayer takes different turns and twists as the day progresses but the core theme remains the same: acknowledge, celebrate and adore the presence of the Almighty in one's life. It is a daily lifestyle of gratitude and a powerful catalyst for leading a Christian life in consonance with Christian ethics and values. A personal testimony here would not be out of place. An ailment t...

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

  Creation Speaks of God Bible Reading: :  Acts  14:11-18 Key verse :   15 “We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them." — Acts  14:15 DEVOTION When Paul and Barnabas healed the crippled man in Lystra, the people of Lystra were amazed.  They believed Paul and Barnabas were gods and prepared to offer sacrifices to them. Instead of accepting the praise, Paul and Barnabas were deeply distressed. They immediately pointed the crowd away from themselves and toward the living God, the Creator of heaven and earth. This moment exposes a truth about the human heart: We often seek visible heroes and celebrates people for remarkable achievements and are often slow to recognize the invisible hand of God. The Lystrans weren’t evil; they were simply spiritually misdirected. They saw power and assumed divini...

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

  Creation Speaks of God Bible Reading: : Luke 12:24-27 Key verse :   24   “…yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are…. “(Luke 12:24) DEVOTION Every day at a self-set time, four baby ducklings along with their mother Duck visits us in our back yard. All of them stand in a row, lifting their neck, quacks to let us know that they have come and they need something to eat. They wait patiently, persistently quacking till they get something. Once while looking at our ducklings, a question sparked inside me. “How do they get their food when I am not there?  Bible gives the absolute answer, “…yet God feeds them…”.  God added another answer to my same question, which I often take it for granted in my busy daily schedules, “it is not just the provisions that I have for you, but the value that I hold for you”.  Let us ask God persistently, wait patiently and thank Him unceasingly for the provisions of time, talents, money, strength and above al...