Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

 Dignity of Labour and Divine Commissioning

 Acts. 18:1-4
 Vv. 1-2a “After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome.”
 
Paul had left Athens because there were many issues with him preaching there. Tired of waiting for Athens' ruler to allow him to preach, Paul decided to go to Corinth instead. There he met Aquila and Priscilla, who had to flee from Rome. 
 
The main focus of this passage is in verses 3-4, which states that “And he went to see them, and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks”.
Paul's relationship with Aquila and Priscilla grew not just from their common trade of being tentmakers but through faith as well. The author of this chapter, Luke, is basically pointing out that Paul's ministry and his occupation are not one in the same but rather his occupation allows him to facilitate his ministry in preaching to others. In our lives, we tend to see church, work, and school as different categories that can never overlap but if we follow Paul's example, we can find ways to incorporate our own personal ministries into our everyday lives. It could be talking to someone that you work with that shares the same faith and even reaching out to others that are struggling. 
 
 

 

Prayer
Dear Lord, give us the strength to go out of our comfort and be able to reach out to others who may be struggling or going through distress that may need us. We thank you for all the opportunities, talents, and blessings that you have bestowed upon us and we pray that we can use them to portray your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
 

Thought of the day

Let us not stand back, or be afraid, but rather stand tall and be courageous in our faith and let God give us strength to work towards his ministry.

Mr. Bradly Varughese
Epiphany Mar Thoma Church, NY

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