Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Sanctity
of Mutuality
John 15:1-11
John 15:1-11
"Remain
in me, and I will remain in you. No branch on bear fruit by itself; it must
remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me".
(John 15:4)
(John 15:4)
When
we think of the environment, do we realize how interdependent we are with the
environment? Specifically, do we recognize that though we are stewards of the
environment most of us do not take proper care of the environment? Without
oxygen, plants, water, etc. can we survive? Similarly, our relationship with
Christ is such that we cannot survive without abiding in Him.
Abide In Him — a relationship of inter- dependence in nature: Our portion today reminds us of the mutual relationship Christ has with us His children. As we are reminded throughout the gospels, Christ expects us to bear fruit for His kingdom. However, in this passage, we are reminded that Christ is the true vine and for a vine to truly flourish, its branches must bear fruit, and the fruit it produces must multiply. The kingdom of God cannot grow without His children abiding in Him, growing in Him, and spreading His gospel so that every knee will bow down, every tongue will confess He is God. Thus, we must use the talents and gifts we have to glorify Him and that cannot occur until we realize that we are nothing without God. It is by God's grace that we have talents and blessings given to us to use for His Kingdom and His Kingdom alone. Similarly, our relationship with the environment is the same way. Though we were made stewards of the environment and given dominion over the land, we must realize that the privilege of being a steward was given to us by God for us to realize our interdependence with the environment.
Each according to his need- a principle to preserve the future: The best example of this relationship is manna and quail while the Israelites were wandering in the desert after freedom from Egyptian rule. The Lord specifically told them to only gather the quantity they needed for five days, twice as much as they needed on the sixth day, and rest on the seventh day. Any extra manna they gathered went to waste. This historical example teaches us that though God gave us everything we we often take more than we need from the environment and we spoil the environment as well as spoil it for future generations. So as we celebrate environmental Sunday let us remember that without a well preserved environment we cannot survive. Without limiting our pollution, taking more than what we need and by not maintaining all the species that God created, we are only harming ourselves. Let us treasure what God has given us dominion over and ensure that we return it to Him in a similar manner.
Abide In Him — a relationship of inter- dependence in nature: Our portion today reminds us of the mutual relationship Christ has with us His children. As we are reminded throughout the gospels, Christ expects us to bear fruit for His kingdom. However, in this passage, we are reminded that Christ is the true vine and for a vine to truly flourish, its branches must bear fruit, and the fruit it produces must multiply. The kingdom of God cannot grow without His children abiding in Him, growing in Him, and spreading His gospel so that every knee will bow down, every tongue will confess He is God. Thus, we must use the talents and gifts we have to glorify Him and that cannot occur until we realize that we are nothing without God. It is by God's grace that we have talents and blessings given to us to use for His Kingdom and His Kingdom alone. Similarly, our relationship with the environment is the same way. Though we were made stewards of the environment and given dominion over the land, we must realize that the privilege of being a steward was given to us by God for us to realize our interdependence with the environment.
Each according to his need- a principle to preserve the future: The best example of this relationship is manna and quail while the Israelites were wandering in the desert after freedom from Egyptian rule. The Lord specifically told them to only gather the quantity they needed for five days, twice as much as they needed on the sixth day, and rest on the seventh day. Any extra manna they gathered went to waste. This historical example teaches us that though God gave us everything we we often take more than we need from the environment and we spoil the environment as well as spoil it for future generations. So as we celebrate environmental Sunday let us remember that without a well preserved environment we cannot survive. Without limiting our pollution, taking more than what we need and by not maintaining all the species that God created, we are only harming ourselves. Let us treasure what God has given us dominion over and ensure that we return it to Him in a similar manner.
Prayer:
Father, Let us not take this world that you have given us for granted. Let us lovingly take care of your world, the way you take care of us. In Your most precious name, we pray. Amen.
Father, Let us not take this world that you have given us for granted. Let us lovingly take care of your world, the way you take care of us. In Your most precious name, we pray. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
The
more we understand the wonders of God's creation the less shall we
destroy it.
Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar
Thoma Church