Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Discipleship as Witness


Steven Tom
St. James MTC, Hillburn, NY

38 “Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”


    How often do we look to God for answers when we are lost and in trouble? The first step is declaring ourselves as sinners and repenting to God for forgiveness. As said by Billy Graham, “The wonderful news is that our Lord is a God of mercy, and responds to repentance.” It is the responsibility of each and every one of us to spread this good news to the world so that we can all come together and worship God for His mercy and forgiveness. We must become God’s disciples and devote ourselves to Him and focus on Him alone. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2: 42). As we begin to serve God and doing His work, it is important that we continue to stand strong in our faith and fellowship with other believers.

    As we see in the passage, the believers that were following Peter and the Apostles devoted themselves to God. “All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” (Acts 2: 44-45). Like the believers, it is important that we do not put our own personal needs above others. We must turn away from our worldly possessions and strive for heavenly treasures instead. We live in a world of temptations and we must focus on God to avoid falling into sin. As Peter said to the crowd of believers, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation” (Acts 2: 40). In order to become true disciples of God, we must devote ourselves to His great commission in Matthew 28: 16-20. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28: 19-20). Through God alone can we accomplish all things and live a life worthy of the calling we have received.

PRAYER

Father God, thank You for being a merciful Lord and giving us the strength to stand firm in our faith. Help us to be devoted to You and to spread the good news to others. Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
“I believe if you keep your faith, you keep your trust, you keep the right attitude, if you’re grateful, you’ll see God open up new doors.” - Joel Osteen

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