Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Jesus Christ- the hope of salvation
“Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not
acknowledge Jesus Christ”
In
the early 90’s, my parents took me to a dedication ceremony at our Diocesan
Center in Long Island, NY. One of the presenters at the ceremony was our Metropolitan
Thirumeni. During his talk, he spoke about his recent visit to see his
mother in Kerala. In the morning, Thirumeni awoke and went into the
kitchen. As he entered, Thirumeni’s mother asked him if he had prayed and
read the Bible. Thirumeni shared that he was “taken back” and was annoyed
at his mother for asking him if he had prayed and read the Bible. After
all, not only is he the “Thirumeni” but is also a 60-year old adult capable of
making his own decisions.
Naturally
Thirumeni said that he had prayed and had read the Bible prior to entering the
kitchen in the morning. He also went on to talk about how his mother had
every right to question him regardless of his stature or age. The reason
this story stuck with me all these years is because, my mother as well as all
our mothers have, without fail, questioned us and continue to question us about
our prayer habits.
Long
ago, our forefathers made a commitment to follow Jesus Christ. Through
faith, they believed that Jesus had come into this world to uphold God’s
commandments and to show that through Him one can attain eternal life.
Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me” (John 14:6). He also said, “I am the gate;
whoever enters through me will be saved” (John 10:9).
God
offers a choice, “I have set before you life and death...Now choose life so
that you and your children may live” (Deut: 30:19). Our forefathers chose
life by following Jesus Christ. They chose to enter His gates because it
is the right one and the only gate of life. All other gates are
deceptively decorated by the evil-one and lead to death and destruction.
God
also instructed his people to pass on his word, statutes and standards to the
future generations. We need to be keenly aware of this fact and listen to
the voices of our ancestors and dedicate ourselves to Jesus Christ, our Lord
and Savior whom our forefathers chose to follow.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, Thank you for showing us the way of life. We thank you for
our parents and our ancestors. Without their commitment we would not have
known you. Lord, teach us to pass on your word to our children and to
remain steadfast in our commitment to you. Amen.
Bobe Simon, Carmel MTC, Boston, MA.