Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Celebrating the Joy of Salvation
Robin Varughese
Epiphany MTC, NY
7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been
raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you
will see him.’ This is my message for you.”
Every day has its own set of worries, its own unique pattern of the “good and bad”, its own battles and obstacles. Each day lulls us into a cycle- one that we fight so hard to break. This cycle consumes our joys, our happiness, our thoughts, and ultimately our purpose on this earth. It often deafens our ears to His calls to us as Christians and blinds our eyes from a world that is hurting right in front of us. That’s why every now and then we stop and go back to our roots, answering the question, “Why is there joy in being a Christian?”
Salvation is defined as being saved or delivered from a dire situation. This is neither a petty problem, nor a small skirmish that arose. This defines a situation when all hope is lost, and nothing by our power can save us from what’s yet to come. That defines us- our sinful nature tarnishing the purity of creation from the first sin we’ve committed till now. We were born into a dire situation that foreshadowed an eternity in the absence of God, but (thankfully) God’s story didn’t end with this. By sacrificing His Son as the atonement for our sins, the bridge between humans and God had been restored and we were delivered from hopelessness and spiritual death! But wait, it doesn’t end here! The prophecies of the Old Testament came to fulfillment with the final event of Christ’s ministry- His Resurrection. Becoming the atonement for our sins wasn’t enough, but to conquer death, overcome Hell and display the fully divine nature of Jesus Christ allows us to witness the foretold Messiah in His Splendor. We see in the passage, in verse 10, Jesus appearing before both Mary Magdalene and Mary and telling them to convey the message of good news and hope to the disciples. All that Jesus taught the disciples about the Messiah was confirmed with this message of hope of seeing them in Galilee one more time before His ascension. One can imagine the joy that filled the hearts of the disciples once they saw the risen Jesus!
So, why is there joy in being a Christian? We are able to be witnesses to the truth, to the fulfillment of prophecies, to the saving of our souls from destruction. The price of death has been wiped clean and our relationship with God is restored! In our churches, we emphasize the Easter Cross as part of our service to show how the redemption wasn’t complete in the crucifixion, but in the resurrection of Jesus. The joy in being a Christian comes from the joy of salvation, the redemption of our sins and saving from a dire situation to be free in Christ!
Every day has its own set of worries, its own unique pattern of the “good and bad”, its own battles and obstacles. Each day lulls us into a cycle- one that we fight so hard to break. This cycle consumes our joys, our happiness, our thoughts, and ultimately our purpose on this earth. It often deafens our ears to His calls to us as Christians and blinds our eyes from a world that is hurting right in front of us. That’s why every now and then we stop and go back to our roots, answering the question, “Why is there joy in being a Christian?”
Salvation is defined as being saved or delivered from a dire situation. This is neither a petty problem, nor a small skirmish that arose. This defines a situation when all hope is lost, and nothing by our power can save us from what’s yet to come. That defines us- our sinful nature tarnishing the purity of creation from the first sin we’ve committed till now. We were born into a dire situation that foreshadowed an eternity in the absence of God, but (thankfully) God’s story didn’t end with this. By sacrificing His Son as the atonement for our sins, the bridge between humans and God had been restored and we were delivered from hopelessness and spiritual death! But wait, it doesn’t end here! The prophecies of the Old Testament came to fulfillment with the final event of Christ’s ministry- His Resurrection. Becoming the atonement for our sins wasn’t enough, but to conquer death, overcome Hell and display the fully divine nature of Jesus Christ allows us to witness the foretold Messiah in His Splendor. We see in the passage, in verse 10, Jesus appearing before both Mary Magdalene and Mary and telling them to convey the message of good news and hope to the disciples. All that Jesus taught the disciples about the Messiah was confirmed with this message of hope of seeing them in Galilee one more time before His ascension. One can imagine the joy that filled the hearts of the disciples once they saw the risen Jesus!
So, why is there joy in being a Christian? We are able to be witnesses to the truth, to the fulfillment of prophecies, to the saving of our souls from destruction. The price of death has been wiped clean and our relationship with God is restored! In our churches, we emphasize the Easter Cross as part of our service to show how the redemption wasn’t complete in the crucifixion, but in the resurrection of Jesus. The joy in being a Christian comes from the joy of salvation, the redemption of our sins and saving from a dire situation to be free in Christ!
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, we
thank You for restoring our relationship with You and allowing us to experience
the fruits of salvation through Jesus Christ. As we go forth each day, let us
be reminded of this atonement and let us dwell in the joy of being free in Christ.
Let all our burdens and our mindless routines falter in the presence of this
renewed purpose as we spread the joy of this salvation to others. Amen.
THOUGHT
FOR THE DAY:
How can we break out of our routines and spread the joy of being a Christian to others?
How can we break out of our routines and spread the joy of being a Christian to others?