What I have found to be truly amazing in fulfilling the assignment to write these little meditations is that in the process I am led to think and reflect upon my own faith again and again. This in itself cannot be considered a bad exercise, in fact, just the opposite, for I am led to reflect more deeply on what it is I believe. Anytime we can take time to delve deeply into what we hold to be true biblically is a good thing. It’s called spiritual growth.
This week I came across a little verse that has been used as a popular wedding reading; from the teacher of Ecclesiastes who wrote; “a cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (NIV, Ecc. 4. 12b). Certainly a person trying to make it on his/her own is not as strong as a person with a loving mate, and certainly neither can stand as strong as two people with Jesus Christ as one strand on their cord. This cord is just about unbreakable when it comes to the test and stress of life.
Speaking of stress, recently I read an article which told of the Church of England as having church buildings all around the country which look like centers of power and authority. Yet, for the most part, they have fewer people attending than ever before. The church believes it needs to be filled with people to be strong. This thinking is what most believe, the more people, the more alive it is. But, to make any church strong and alive does not need more people, it needs more of Jesus Christ, the One who brought The Church into the world. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God–!” (Eph. 2. 8) In reading God’s Word how often I have found that our salvation is the result of God’s love. As we have all heard so many times, we have the gift of eternal life salvation not through our own doing but God’s wonderful loving mercy. I am sure you have discovered as many of us have that God’s love for all mankind has no end. We are saved by God’s grace because of our faith.
Loving heavenly Father, our God. How wonderful and marvelous is your loving gift; we are saved not by our works, but by your grace. We pray through Christ your Son, our Saviour. Amen.