Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
We Worship in the Triune God
Bently Joseph
St. John's MTC, NY
6 If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are
walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; 7 but if we walk in the
light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and
the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
“What you are is God's gift to you, what you become is your gift to God.”- Hans Urs von Balthasar
“One Nation under God”, is it merely a phrase or something more? Since we have been little we have heard it over and over again during the pledge of allegiance. We see it today on many historical landmarks and even on our currency. But when we look at this nation is it truly one nation under God?
In recent studies the membership in churches have been on a sharp decline, the divorce rate has increased and the amount of adults getting married have decreased. What once was known as rigid Christian values have been transformed into loosely defined guidelines that we can change to fit our understanding. The reason all this is mentioned is because we sometimes get so involved with ourselves we don’t really see what’s going on around us.
God is light and to be without God is to be without the light and the absence of light means to be in the dark. It is a simple yet complex statement altogether. What does it mean to walk in darkness? Many of us interpret this as meaning every time we sin we walk in darkness. But that is not the case, sin does not only put us in the darkness but walking in the darkness causes us to sin. Majority of Americans know who God and Christ is yet when you look at the statistics how is it possible for so many to know Christ and yet witness this decline in faith and church? But John answers this perfectly in verses 6-7. People claim to be in fellowship with God and know who he is yet we lie to ourselves and walk a path without God. As you can see it’s not a rare problem but a very common problem Christians face today.
So now the question comes to why do we walk in darkness? Darkness is the absence of light which in turn means an absence of God. We ignore the scripture, allow the needs of others to fall on deaf ears, allow idols to become our God and never examine ourselves. Are we better than the person we were yesterday? How have we grown since a year ago? As the apostle Paul says, “examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you”(2 Corinthians 13:5). There is no limit to the growth of a Christian. We continue to evolve and grow in faith. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Mathew 5:6).
The individual growth is important but fellowship and growth with other believers is important as well. A serious problem that we face as Christians today is that we never admit if something is wrong, we keep it to ourselves and put on a mask making it to make it seem we are alright. To share with others our struggles and ask prayer allows to grow in strength within ourselves as well as with others. Through this we become living testimonies to others showing the love and mercy of God in our lives.
God has given us the gift of life, what we are is God’s gift to us. The talents we have been given, opportunities we have been given along with the family and community we were born into and the friends we have. What we do with these numerous blessings and the person we become is our gift to God. To become living examples of God’s people and show this nation what a Christian is than what is set forth by stereotypes. The people we become in God’s eyes is one of the truest forms of worship than we can give him.
“What you are is God's gift to you, what you become is your gift to God.”- Hans Urs von Balthasar
“One Nation under God”, is it merely a phrase or something more? Since we have been little we have heard it over and over again during the pledge of allegiance. We see it today on many historical landmarks and even on our currency. But when we look at this nation is it truly one nation under God?
In recent studies the membership in churches have been on a sharp decline, the divorce rate has increased and the amount of adults getting married have decreased. What once was known as rigid Christian values have been transformed into loosely defined guidelines that we can change to fit our understanding. The reason all this is mentioned is because we sometimes get so involved with ourselves we don’t really see what’s going on around us.
God is light and to be without God is to be without the light and the absence of light means to be in the dark. It is a simple yet complex statement altogether. What does it mean to walk in darkness? Many of us interpret this as meaning every time we sin we walk in darkness. But that is not the case, sin does not only put us in the darkness but walking in the darkness causes us to sin. Majority of Americans know who God and Christ is yet when you look at the statistics how is it possible for so many to know Christ and yet witness this decline in faith and church? But John answers this perfectly in verses 6-7. People claim to be in fellowship with God and know who he is yet we lie to ourselves and walk a path without God. As you can see it’s not a rare problem but a very common problem Christians face today.
So now the question comes to why do we walk in darkness? Darkness is the absence of light which in turn means an absence of God. We ignore the scripture, allow the needs of others to fall on deaf ears, allow idols to become our God and never examine ourselves. Are we better than the person we were yesterday? How have we grown since a year ago? As the apostle Paul says, “examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you”(2 Corinthians 13:5). There is no limit to the growth of a Christian. We continue to evolve and grow in faith. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Mathew 5:6).
The individual growth is important but fellowship and growth with other believers is important as well. A serious problem that we face as Christians today is that we never admit if something is wrong, we keep it to ourselves and put on a mask making it to make it seem we are alright. To share with others our struggles and ask prayer allows to grow in strength within ourselves as well as with others. Through this we become living testimonies to others showing the love and mercy of God in our lives.
God has given us the gift of life, what we are is God’s gift to us. The talents we have been given, opportunities we have been given along with the family and community we were born into and the friends we have. What we do with these numerous blessings and the person we become is our gift to God. To become living examples of God’s people and show this nation what a Christian is than what is set forth by stereotypes. The people we become in God’s eyes is one of the truest forms of worship than we can give him.
PRAYER
God our Father, we thank
you for the gift that is the breath of life that you have put into each and
every one of us. We live in a world where we get distracted from your word and
the effects are ever present. We ask that you guide us and help us to examine
ourselves in faith. To use our gifts and abilities to glorify your kingdom.
Help to realize that a life with you can only satisfy our desires. Give us the
strength and courage to walk the path you have set before us and know that we
are never alone. Amen
THOUGHT
FOR THE DAY:
“God has given us his eyes to examine ourselves and the needs of others, let us not become blind but see what God sees which is the potential of His people”
“God has given us his eyes to examine ourselves and the needs of others, let us not become blind but see what God sees which is the potential of His people”