Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
The Great Privileges, but warning
But God was not pleased with most of them, so they died in the desert (1Cori:10:5)
St. Paul quotes the past experience of the Jewish people here, and wants to instruct the believers of Corinth how alert they should be in the growth of faith and life. Past experiences are the learning experiences in the spiritual journey. If we do not learn from the past experiences we will also end up in dangers.
The apostle sets before them the example of the Jewish people. They were by a miracle, led through the Red Sea, where the pursuing Egyptians drowned. It was to them a typical baptism. The Manna on which they fed was a type of crucified Christ, the Bread that came down from heaven, which whoever eats shall live forever. Christ is the Rock on which the Christian Church is built; and ‘of the streams that issue there from, all believers drink, and are refreshed’. Christ is central to all of redemptive history. The Birth of Jesus was an incarnation, not His beginning. He was behind the miraculous source of Manna and water in the wilderness. This typified the sacred influences of Holy Spirit, as given to believers through Christ.
Today also, God has given authority to the Church for this redemptive work. The Church has the responsibility to teach the pilgrim people to set themselves apart from all the works of flesh and dead deeds which deter them from entering Eternity. We should examine ourselves how we are engaged in attaining Spiritual maturity within the Church rather than material growth.
But ‘let none presume upon their great privileges, or profession of truth, these will not secure heavenly happiness’. We should not consider the Church as a material resource for our worldly needs but should accept Christ as the ‘Spiritual Rock’ in our lives and be ready to enter into Eternity.
Prayer: Dear Lord, Give us a heart to recognize the Hands of Christ in each and every experience of the wilderness. Help us to discern your engagements in our wilderness experiences. Amen
Thought for the Day: How is Jesus Christ revealed in my life today ?
Rev. Jacob Varughese, MTC, Randolf, NJ