Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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 “New Sunday: Jesus Christ our Lord and God”

2 Thessalonians 1:3-12
v11,12 “With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ”

            In Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians, he writes to them commending them on their growth and perseverance in faith. Since the time Paul had established the church in Thessalonica the group of believers have been steadily growing in their faith and knowledge. But it was not an easy road, the early churches were persecuted harshly and yet in the middle of this, the Thessalonians held fast to their faith in Christ. As Paul has mentioned the church has kept growing in the midst of their trials and tribulations. This situation can be similar to what we see in our lives today, Christians face similar trials and hardships today, but do we have the same faith of the people of Thessalonica to keep enduring and hold on to the promise God has for us? The Thessalonians were probably a lot like us and were afraid of what God was calling them to do, but they kept firm in the promise of Jesus Christ and knew that God is redemption and His grace would be glorified through them. Paul answered them with the reassurance of his prayer in 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12.
            To some people this is the toughest part about being a Christian, is following the call. For many of us our dreams have changed a lot over time, constantly redefining what our future is supposed to look like. But there is one moment in all lives where we know what we want our end goal to be and what we want our future to be like. We work hard to reach that finish line because when we get to that moment it will all be worth it. We pray constantly for God work with us and help us accomplish our dreams. Sometimes God answers back with a “yes”, but other times he answers back with a “no”. It is in these moments that we are filled with anger, worry, anxiousness, and fear along with a whole host of other emotions. Events happen in our lives that changes its course forever, and we ask God why don’t you want what’s best for me. We ask God just let me continue down my path and at the end when I reach where I want to then I’ll go where you take me, just let me reach my goal. It’s the hardest thing when we feel like our prayers have gone unanswered, its harder to have faith in the answer God gives us. But it is not in the here and now of the answer that we see God’s work but later down the line when we see the bigger picture of what God was setting up for us. We must have bravery and courage in the answer God has for us. We see the one single thing that went wrong we forget to see the million other things God is doing in the background to make our lives better and fulfilled. We do not need to fear His plan for the Lord says in Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”. 

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.”—Chuck Swindoll

PRAYER
Heavenly Father, help us to open up our hearts and souls to you so that we may glorify your kingdom in all that we do. Help us to understand we do not face today’s challenges alone and know your presence is with us.

B Joseph, St. Johns MTC
Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church

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