Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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“The Siege is lifted”
“So they got up and fled in the dusk and abandoned their tents and their horses and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives.”
One of the most popular bible verses, Philipians 4:13 says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  Oftentimes we as humans are too fixated on the overwhelming odds against us.  We rationalize that we cannot accomplish something and talk ourselves out of doing something before even trying.  The success rate of those who never try will always be 0.  Yet, in this chapter as we see all throughout the Bible, God empowers the unlikeliest of heroes to fulfill His will.  Some of the Bible’s most heroic deeds are done by those one would assume was miscast for the role and put in such impossible positions.  David defeats the giant Goliath.  Moses, a man who couldn’t bring himself to speak in public and once thought to be a prince of Egypt saves the Israelite from under Pharaoh’s cruel reign.  Joseph, a man disowned by his very own brothers and left to die, becomes the second most powerful man in Egypt.  Saul, a bounty hunter of Christians, becomes the Church’s most powerful ambassador.  The Bible is filled with tales of impossible heroism done by the least likely of characters.
In 2nd Kings chapter 7 vs. 3-9, despite having convinced themselves that death is the only outcome, the four men with leprosy find a deserted camp where the Arameans resided.  With the camp empty, they help themselves to all the treasures their hearts desired.  Yet in that moment, these four men born with a disease that radically set them apart from normal society during those times, chose not to keep this gift to themselves.  They wished to share in the riches and plunder the Arameans had left. 
It is amazing how in this story alone, God’s favor both, shines on and through the least of society.  He reinforces in us the idea that God shows the strength of his love through the weakest of mankind.  God also reminds us that it is important to not keep his blessings to ourselves, that for the sake of His kingdom we must do all in our power to share them with everyone.  If ever we are down and find ourselves battling with self-doubt, it is important to remember that the Bible is filled with the tales of many who were thought too small, or too weak to accomplish a task yet found God’s favor and performed miraculously.  It is in our weakest moments that God makes us the strongest.  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Prayer: Loving God, You make impossible possible. We thank you for your intervening presence in our impossibilities, Amen.
Thought for the Day: ‘Nothing is impossible to God’
Swithin Titus, St Johns MTC, NY
Theme for the week: Passion to Evangelize


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