Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Easter: Celebration of Salvation through Christ
Psalms 118:1-4, 14-17
Vs 14 "The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation”
We are passing through a crisis. The world is in the midst of a pandemic. The news we hear every day is very depressing with no hope for tomorrow. But as Christians, can we boldly say that the love of our Lord endures forever? Can we thank God in all situations? Can we have a new life in him?
Psalms 118 begins with “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever”. This verse reminds us of our God’s unconditional love towards us. This Psalm inspires us with God’s power, compassion, preservation, reliability, graciousness, redemption, and salvation. In the first four verses, The Psalmist calls upon three groups to repeat the phrase, “His love endures forever.” They are, Israel - call to the nation as a whole; the house of Aaron - a call to all the priests; and all who fear the Lord - a call to all His people to praise God.
We go through many trials in our life. It may be a health issue, a financial crisis, infected with COVID 19 or whatever it may be. No matter what the trial is, our eyes should be upon our Lord, who is our all in all. Don't let go of God’s hand. We should give thanks in all situations because his love endures forever. No matter how dark the situation may be, He is the light in the dark. Only when going through these tough times we can grow spiritually and depend on him for all our needs. Our God will not leave us nor forsake us. He knows how weak we are. He will walk beside us. Nothing is hidden from his all-seeing eyes and nothing is impossible to our Lord. He loved us so much that he sacrificed his life on the cross for us. In Christ we have the victory. In Christ we have a new life. So we his people depend on his love and mercy forever. Once you accept him as your Lord and Savior, you are a new person who has a new life to start.
Verse 14 says, “The Lord is my strength and song, and he has become my salvation”. This is also the expression of a believer when they come out of their trials. Like the Psalmist, we can also say, “God is our refuge, our strength and salvation”, and we must thank him for every day. We as believers in Christ are His people, His chosen possession. Because of this we get to live a life surrounded by grace and love that endures forever. We have the hope of the Lord, which is the anchor of our souls. He is our hiding place and is our saving grace.
By faith, we believe that Christ took our sins on the cross and died for us so that we may be saved. And that is Salvation. God sent us his only son to pay the price for our sins. When we encounter Gods salvation, he becomes our strength and our song. God’s deliverance fills us with joy and this joy of salvation continuous to our family and everywhere we go. So when Gods family as whole experience salvation there is great happiness in that home. Our trust must be in God at all times.
The psalmist associates his success to “The Name of the Lord” and His “right hand”. He proclaims that the Lord is his power and everything. He has trusted God in every situation of his life. This psalm has to be applied to our everyday life because it’s very encouraging psalm. We see the list of the blessings from God to his people. We are to trust in him alone.
So finally in the midst of all the things going around us, cry unto the Lord with full confidence for he is trustworthy. His love endures forever, His mercies are everlasting and he hears us. Our victory is in Christ alone. He has already won the battle; are we on his side?
This Easter let us begin a new life in him by reminding ourselves every moment that Christ bore our sins, died on the cross for us, resurrected and came alive for you and me. Approach his throne of grace at all times for mercy and love.
Psalms 118 begins with “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever”. This verse reminds us of our God’s unconditional love towards us. This Psalm inspires us with God’s power, compassion, preservation, reliability, graciousness, redemption, and salvation. In the first four verses, The Psalmist calls upon three groups to repeat the phrase, “His love endures forever.” They are, Israel - call to the nation as a whole; the house of Aaron - a call to all the priests; and all who fear the Lord - a call to all His people to praise God.
We go through many trials in our life. It may be a health issue, a financial crisis, infected with COVID 19 or whatever it may be. No matter what the trial is, our eyes should be upon our Lord, who is our all in all. Don't let go of God’s hand. We should give thanks in all situations because his love endures forever. No matter how dark the situation may be, He is the light in the dark. Only when going through these tough times we can grow spiritually and depend on him for all our needs. Our God will not leave us nor forsake us. He knows how weak we are. He will walk beside us. Nothing is hidden from his all-seeing eyes and nothing is impossible to our Lord. He loved us so much that he sacrificed his life on the cross for us. In Christ we have the victory. In Christ we have a new life. So we his people depend on his love and mercy forever. Once you accept him as your Lord and Savior, you are a new person who has a new life to start.
Verse 14 says, “The Lord is my strength and song, and he has become my salvation”. This is also the expression of a believer when they come out of their trials. Like the Psalmist, we can also say, “God is our refuge, our strength and salvation”, and we must thank him for every day. We as believers in Christ are His people, His chosen possession. Because of this we get to live a life surrounded by grace and love that endures forever. We have the hope of the Lord, which is the anchor of our souls. He is our hiding place and is our saving grace.
By faith, we believe that Christ took our sins on the cross and died for us so that we may be saved. And that is Salvation. God sent us his only son to pay the price for our sins. When we encounter Gods salvation, he becomes our strength and our song. God’s deliverance fills us with joy and this joy of salvation continuous to our family and everywhere we go. So when Gods family as whole experience salvation there is great happiness in that home. Our trust must be in God at all times.
The psalmist associates his success to “The Name of the Lord” and His “right hand”. He proclaims that the Lord is his power and everything. He has trusted God in every situation of his life. This psalm has to be applied to our everyday life because it’s very encouraging psalm. We see the list of the blessings from God to his people. We are to trust in him alone.
So finally in the midst of all the things going around us, cry unto the Lord with full confidence for he is trustworthy. His love endures forever, His mercies are everlasting and he hears us. Our victory is in Christ alone. He has already won the battle; are we on his side?
This Easter let us begin a new life in him by reminding ourselves every moment that Christ bore our sins, died on the cross for us, resurrected and came alive for you and me. Approach his throne of grace at all times for mercy and love.
PRAYER
Loving and ever living Father, help us to realize your enduring love to each one of us. And I just want to say thank you for everything.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
2 Corinthians 5:17
Shyla Varghese, St. Thomas MTC, New York
Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church
2 Corinthians 5:17
Shyla Varghese, St. Thomas MTC, New York
Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church