Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
Led by the Spirit
Ezekiel 36:24-36
Katherine Philip

St. John’s MTC, NY
26 A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances.
 
As Christians, there is a lot that we can learn from the passages of Ezekiel. At the time, the people of Israel knew about the wonders of God through their beloved ancestors. They knew about God’s faithfulness throughout all trials and tribulations. They even knew that they were God’s chosen people. The people of Israel were even able to witness God’s judgment when they were taken from the promised land and made captive in the city of Babylon.
    Yet, these chosen people were lost – lost in the world of their own sin. They were exiled from God’s Kingdom and this was represented by the exile in Babylon. These people relied on themselves rather than putting their complete trust in God. Instead of working persistently to please God, they were working persistently to please themselves and man. Instead of loving God, they were loving themselves. With the exile in Babylon, it was God’s way of warning His chosen people that they were lost. However, the people of Israel simply did not comprehend this. Why? In verse 26, we are able to see that these people had a heart of stone. Hearts that were so cold and hard that no matter what God was trying to portray, it was simply not understood by the people. They were not able to receive or absorb any of these concepts.
    Similarly, we are the people of Israel when it comes to our Christian lives. When we have fallen, we are no different from the people of Israel in comparison. When tragedy strikes, our immediate response is to solve the solution in the fastest way possible. We try our best to find a way that will help us recover. However, it may not  go the way we thought it would or intended. A better solution is to place it in God's hand. We are called to place our trust in Him, to call upon His name, to lift His name on high during the best and worst of times. When we place our lives in His hands, God will place a new spirit within us. God will always fight our battles for us, big or small. As a child of God, we have to remain in Him because the most precious gift we could ever receive, the gift of eternal life, cannot be achieved on our own.

PRAYER

“Dear Father, as we conquer our day, help us to walk beside You and  to realize that  You are in control.  Create in us a clean heart and give us a heart of flesh. In Jesus’ name, Amen”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

Popular posts from this blog

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
  Constant, patient and welcoming love of God   St. Luke 15: 11-32  V.21: And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ The parable of the ‘Prodigal son’ is one of the most frequently quoted parables that Jesus told His disciples. The parable contains the rich mine of human virtues and emotions. This parable is lived and re-lived in progressing civilizations from time immemorial and continuing. It brings out in vivid detail the pathetic depth of human sinfulness and the glorious heights of God’s forgiveness.      As a story of human nature, fathers are generally merciful to their children in any circumstance. They are very protective and are eager to provide for and secure the lives of their offspring. Jesus is telling this parable to underscore the superlative love of God to His children. The nature of such love is reiterated by Jesus in Matthew 7:11. Humankind wh...
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
Revelation for Liberation Acts 27:18-26 Sherine Thomas Long Island MTC, NY 20  When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest raged, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. “After winter comes the summer.  After night comes the dawn.  And after every storm, there comes clear open skies” so said a Scottish clergyman from the 1600s. It’s been said, that hope can sometimes be the most dangerous weapon.  However, it’s sometimes the hardest weapon to carry when you’re living with the loss of a loved one, something that almost feels like a terrible nightmare that’ll never go away.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry when day in and day out no one seems to hear or see those tears that are shed or silent cries that are made during a heartfelt prayer. It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you see your loved one lying on that hospital bed.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you search and seek out answers to tel...
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
PRIESTHOOD: THE ANOINTED MINISTRY Exodus 40:12-16 Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting... wash them with water. Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint him and consecrate him so he may serve me as priest (Exodus 40: 12-13). Priesthood among the people of God was a divine command and initiation. God wanted some people to be separated for the special ministry among his people. God appointed Aaron and his descendants to take up this kind of ministry among the people of God. Priests are always separated and appointed as channels that connect God with his people. All throughout the history of Israel, priests played an important role in connecting people with God and to lead and guide them in the statutes of God. But there are incidents in the Bible where the priests failed in their duties and that led the people to go away from God. So the priests have a special and significant ministry to perform in this world among his people. Two important things...
Read more