Word for the day by Christian Christian Education Forum

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 God Our Helper and Redeemer

1 Peter 5:6-11
v7 - “Cast all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you”.

A new year brings lots of questions: will our health hold? Will our children get admission in the right school for the right course? Will the economy improve? Will I live to see the end of the year? Will this Covid19 get under control? Will the life be getting on back to normal or need to continue with this new normal? Our God, the creator of the universe says us, “don’t be afraid, and don’t be discouraged”. What happens in this coming year is not left to chance, but with knowledge and control of the good Lord. Lord our God will be with us all, where ever we go. That is the reason we can wish each other a “Happy New Year”.
We have entered in to a new year, the year of 2021. Let us begin this year by trusting the promise of God that His presence will be with us from the beginning till the end of the year. So we can cast all our worries and anxieties unto Him, He will strengthen us.
Let us look in to the fivefold advice which is given to Christians by Peter in this passage.

  1. Garment of Humility: This is the exhortation to be humble before God. Christians must humble himself under the mighty hand, the hand that will deliver us from all evils and bondages of life. God’s mighty hand is on the destiny of his people, if they will humbly and faithfully accept his guidance.
  2. Be sober:  This is the encouragement to find serenity in God. The Christian should cast all his anxiety upon God. As the psalmist says in Psalm 55.22, “Cast your burden up on the Lord”. Let us not be anxious about the future, but trust in the Lord and be sober all the times. We can be certain that, since God cares for us, life is not out to break us but to make us. With that assurance, we can accept and face the New Year.
  3. Be vigilant:  We should be vigilant and watchful. God will be with us, as per his promise, but we should be watchful and put all our efforts to lead a Christian life in the days to come.
  4. Resist the devil in faith: The devil is ever out to see whom he can ruin.  The devil will be after us like a roaring lion to destroy us. We can stand against him with the presence of Christ and power of the word of God.
  5. Prepare for the suffering of this world for a little while. Finally, Peter speaks about Christian suffering. As our Lord says, “you have troubles in this world, but I have overcome this world” and we have the presence of this Lord who has overcome all these sufferings. Through suffering, God can restore and strengthen his people.

2020 has passed from us and 2021 is ahead of us with anxiety and uncertainty. Only certainty we have is the promise and presence of God. Let us evaluate our past year or years. Even though we failed to follow our Lord and His ways, He protected us from the worldwide pandemic covid19. As the Gardner requested the mercy of the Owner in Luke 13.8b”Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it”. We got one more year, a second chance, to produce fruits, by the mercy of our good Lord.

PRAYER
O God grants us a clear sight to see the path we ought to take this New Year, courage and perseverance to follow it till the end. Help us to honor our families, to be loyal to our friends, to be conscious in our works, to be brave in dangers, to be strong in temptations, to be cheerful in disappointments, to be humble in prosperity and to remain hopeful in adversities. Amen

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
“Let us close the gate on yesterday’s failure by God’s forgiveness and our forgetfulness.”

P. T. Mathew, Mar Thoma Church of Dallas, Farmers Branch.
 
Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church

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