Word for the day by Christian Educan Forum
Overcoming Life’s Problems with God’s Solutions
“…be strong in the Lord
and in his mighty power.” (Ephesians 6:10)
As life can present a number of
challenges and obstacles, society presents us an equal amount of solutions to choose
from in order to address them. We all would like quick and easy fixes for the
problems that we have in our lives, and all too often we choose the wrong
solutions. As Paul advises in his letter to the Ephesians, it is only by
submission to God and equipping ourselves with His armor of truth,
righteousness, and faith, can we truly be ready and able to respond to the
challenges and obstacles that we face on a daily basis (v. 13). As our church
commemorates Senior Citizens Day, we can look at the faith journey of the first
generation members in our Diocese as an example of how their hope and trust in
God’s guidance allowed the church to be the solution in overcoming their
challenge of being spiritually nourished while living in a foreign land.
As we look at the armor of God as Paul
describes in his letter to the Ephesians in the context of the first generation
members, we can see how each element played a significant role in the
establishment and growth of the community that makes up our Diocese over the last
25 plus years. While in a different place, we can observe a different
culture with its own morals and values, which may be very different that ours.
By putting on the “belt of truth”, first generation members were able to hold
onto the Christ-centered morals and values (v.14), regardless of the different
ideas encountered during that time. The “breastplate of righteousness” allowed
them to embrace the importance of being part of an
active worshiping community that is set apart for God’s glory.
This also enabled a readiness to faithfully respond to other challenges that
they faced with the reassurance of God’s gift of salvation (v. 15). This is
especially evident at the time of crisis, how faith and hope play a significant
role in the way our community responds. Another key aspect of the faith journey
of the first generation members is importance given to the Word of God, the
“sword of the Spirit” as Paul refers to it in verse 17 and the power of prayer,
both in the context of the church community and in family prayer (v. 18).
As second and third generation members
of the church, we are faced with a different set of challenges and obstacles in
our faith journey. Though the challenges and obstacles are different, we must
recognize that the solution that our first generation members took is the same.
Submitting and trusting in God’s guidance, equipping ourselves with His armor,
while ensuring that His Word and our prayers are central aspects of the church
community and family life, will allow our lives to be spiritually enriched and
our Diocese to continue to flourish and be a blessing for many years to come.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, we thank you for providing us a living testimony
to your Grace and Mercy through the faith journey of the first generation
members of our Diocese. Help us to always remember that you have the solutions
to the challenges and obstacles that we face.
Thought
for the Day: Why not solve our problems with God’s
solutions?
Ashley George, St. Peter’s MTC, NJ
Theme for the week: Old age: with hope in God