Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-

 Love – The Foundation of Unity

Bible portion: Numbers 11:23-30

But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit on them!” Numbers 11:29

In the beginning verses of Numbers 11:23-30, it is seen that Moses is a bit frightened by the fact that he has to lead a significant number of Israelites. He shares his burden with God, who replies “Is the Lord’s arm too short?”. He begins by questioning Moses’ faith because he ultimately knows what will happen. So Moses decides to go out and tell the people what the Lord said. He gathered seventy elders and had them stand around the tent. The Lord came among them and put His Spirit on all seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they started to prophesize. However, there were two men who decided to stay in the camp rather than going out to the tent. These men were named Eldad and Medad, and the surprising thing about them was that they also began to prophesize. Although these men were part of the seventy chosen, they didn’t go out to the tent but were still prophesying. This surprised Joshua, son of Nun, who decided to tell Moses about these two men. He told Moses to stop them because of their odd behavior. Moses responded by asking Joshua if he was jealous for him, and that he wished everyone would cry aloud for the Lord. 
    This passage reflects upon the fact that the coming of the Holy Spirit was not an act by Moses but an act by God. If all the men were in Moses’ presence and began to prophesize, then many may have interpreted it as an act performed by Moses. However, it was a clear demonstration of God working for His people. Joshua believed that Eldad and Medad weren’t supposed to prophesize because they weren’t at the tent with Moses, and when he approaches Moses to tell him, Moses tells him to stop being jealous for him. Moses responds by saying that he isn’t concerned about his authority, and that he would rather have more people calling upon the name of the Lord. This displays Moses’ humility and how he didn’t care about his own power. Instead, everything that he did was for the sake of the Lord. By way of His Holy Spirit, God empowers us, His children, to take control of our lives and to do good for His kingdom  PRAYER                                    
 Heavenly Father, please strengthen us, Lord, to call on you daily. Please give us the strength to tell others of all your wonderful works and bring them closer to you. Give us understanding to not reflect upon our own powers or abilities, but rather focus on succeeding for your kingdom. Allow us to be like Moses, who was humble and ready to serve you. In Jesus’ most precious name we pray. Amen
                     
  Thought for the Day

 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. James 4:10

Jason Mathew
Epiphany MTC, New York

Popular posts from this blog

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
  Constant, patient and welcoming love of God   St. Luke 15: 11-32  V.21: And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ The parable of the ‘Prodigal son’ is one of the most frequently quoted parables that Jesus told His disciples. The parable contains the rich mine of human virtues and emotions. This parable is lived and re-lived in progressing civilizations from time immemorial and continuing. It brings out in vivid detail the pathetic depth of human sinfulness and the glorious heights of God’s forgiveness.      As a story of human nature, fathers are generally merciful to their children in any circumstance. They are very protective and are eager to provide for and secure the lives of their offspring. Jesus is telling this parable to underscore the superlative love of God to His children. The nature of such love is reiterated by Jesus in Matthew 7:11. Humankind who are evil by nature, give good gifts t
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
PRIESTHOOD: THE ANOINTED MINISTRY Exodus 40:12-16 Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting... wash them with water. Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint him and consecrate him so he may serve me as priest (Exodus 40: 12-13). Priesthood among the people of God was a divine command and initiation. God wanted some people to be separated for the special ministry among his people. God appointed Aaron and his descendants to take up this kind of ministry among the people of God. Priests are always separated and appointed as channels that connect God with his people. All throughout the history of Israel, priests played an important role in connecting people with God and to lead and guide them in the statutes of God. But there are incidents in the Bible where the priests failed in their duties and that led the people to go away from God. So the priests have a special and significant ministry to perform in this world among his people. Two important things
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
Revelation for Liberation Acts 27:18-26 Sherine Thomas Long Island MTC, NY 20  When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest raged, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. “After winter comes the summer.  After night comes the dawn.  And after every storm, there comes clear open skies” so said a Scottish clergyman from the 1600s. It’s been said, that hope can sometimes be the most dangerous weapon.  However, it’s sometimes the hardest weapon to carry when you’re living with the loss of a loved one, something that almost feels like a terrible nightmare that’ll never go away.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry when day in and day out no one seems to hear or see those tears that are shed or silent cries that are made during a heartfelt prayer. It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you see your loved one lying on that hospital bed.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you search and seek out answers to tell a child as to why they’ve been a
Read more