Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Sabbath: Leading to perfection of Creation
Isaiah 65:17-25
Vs 17 - Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth.  The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind

Genesis chapter 2 begins with an account of day seven bringing creation week to a close.  Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it. The seventh day is unique. It is an exalted day because God blessed and sanctified it.
The entire work of creation was complete and perfect.  There were no loose ends to tie up. There were no problems to fix.  Every-thing was good and perfect (Gen. 1:31). Scientists know that our planet is precisely the right distance from the sun to benefit from its heat.  More closer or farther would have met with devastating destruction. The intricate physical, chemical and biological interactions that comprise the whole creation bear the imprint of a sophisticated and perfect Designer.
Throughout the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, God is referred to as perfect.  In addition, the ways of God are perfect - in His being and in His actions (2 Sam. 22:31).  In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus commands, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matt. 5:48).”  In order for His children to be perfect t, they are to keep the covenant relationship with strict obedience.
However, the journey towards perfection is not an individual accomplishment, rather a gift from God driven by His Spirit.
We read in Isaiah 65:17, “Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth … .”  Jesus said to Nicodemus, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again (John 3:3).”  So, perfection needs a transformation. Apostle Paul repeated it, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17).”
Lord Kenneth Clark, internationally known for his television series ”Civilization”, lived and died without faith in Christ.  In his autobiography he wrote about an overwhelming religious experience he had while visiting a church on a Sabbath day. Lord Clark wrote,
“My whole being was radiant by a kind of heavenly joy than anything I had known before.  Unfortunately, ’the flood of grace’, as he described, created a problem for him. If he allowed himself to be influenced by it, he knew he would have to change from his old ways.  So he concluded, I was too deeply embedded in the world to change course.” What a tragedy!!

Eternal life is not an event that begins after your death.  It begins when you invite Jesus, the Perfector, into our hearts right here on earth. When we do it, we are blessed here on earth and throughout eternity.
PRAYER
Gracious Father, help us not to conform to the ways of the world but to walk in the strength and adequacy of Your Spirit.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Christ is the only bridge that crosses to eternity.

Daniel Thomas, Orlando MTC, Florida
Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church

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