Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
Caring and Accepting the Elderly

Jessie Samuel
St. Andrews MTC, Yonkers, NY

Verse 7: For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

 This is one of my favorite passages in the Bible. Paul consistently prayed for Timothy, his friend, and a strong leader in the Christian church. Although the two men were separated from each other, their prayers were a source of encouragement. We too should pray consistently for others, especially for those who do God’s work. Who’s on our prayer list?
 
    Verse 7 speaks volumes. Timothy was experiencing great opposition to his message and to himself as a leader. His association with Paul and his leadership had come under fire from believers and nonbelievers alike. Yet, Paul urged him to be bold. When we allow people to intimidate us, we neutralize our effectiveness for God. The power of the Holy Spirit can help us overcome our fear of what some might say or do to us, so that we can continue to do God’s work.
 
    In this passage, Paul mentions three characteristics of a Christian leader: power, love and self-discipline. These are available to us because the Holy Spirit lives in us. In this time of persecution, Timothy may have been afraid to continue preaching the Gospel. While Paul told Timothy to expect suffering, he promised him that God would give him strength and that he would be ready when it was his turn to suffer. Even when there is no persecution, sharing our faith in Christ can be difficult. Fortunately, for us, we can rely on the Spirit to give us courage.
 
    When we are facing difficult situations, let us follow Paul’s advice to Timothy and look back at our experience. Who is the foundation of our faith? How can we build on that foundation? What gifts has the Holy Spirit given us ? Are we using the gifts we  have been given?

PRAYER

Father God, thank You for Your gracious hand that is upon our life. We give You glory today for all You have done in our past, all that You are doing today, and all that You will do in our  future. Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
We can praise God so much more in the sunshine if we  have practiced praising Him in the rain.

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 who are evil by nature, give good gifts t
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

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 tell a child as to why they’ve been a
Read more