Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-

Boasting in the Cross

Galatians 6:11-16

VS. 14 May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

 Paul's letter to the Galatians is a perfect depiction of how Christ came to fulfill the essence of the law. Paul encourages the Galatians by explaining that the essence of Christianity is not the legalistic aspects of the law, but the principle of grace and mercy found through the sacrifice on the Cross that unites God to man again. The cross allowed for the justice of God to merge with the grace of God which ultimately allowed for us as humans to be in communion with Him. It made a way for us to be a new creation - a creation that is pure, holy and blameless because we are covered by the blood of Jesus In fact, there is nothing else that can unify us to God.

 So where does the law play into all of this? C. S. Lewis states in his book Mere Christianity:

“[To have Faith in Christ] means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a new way, a less worried way. Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already. Not hoping to get to Heaven as a reward for your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of Heaven is already inside you.”

 How often do we define our Christianity by where we hang out on Sunday mornings? How much do we measure the depth of our relationship with Christ by the duration of our family prayers? Christianity is not a set of rules that we follow "because the Bible says so". Christianity is striving to love like Christ with the full understanding that we cannot reciprocate His love enough. Christianity is pointing people to Christ because we want the world to know a sacrificial love that is deeper than anything anyone can experience aside from Him. This love that is so immense that it fills us with the peace required to withstand the trials of this world and promises us of a glorious eternal life in the world to come. This is a love that creates a new person within us because the truth of the gospel fills our souls.

PRAYER

Father God, help us to boldly boast about the love that you showed us through the cross in every aspect of our life. Help us to rest on the grace that you gave through the cross and show this grace towards others so that they are drawn to you. Amen

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Let us focus the essence of Christianity on the love shown at the cross.

Pearl Rajan, St. Paul's MTC, Dallas, TX
Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church

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

-
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

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