Saturday, August 18, 2018
Romans 1:16 [The Gospel] is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION -- A RECURRING MIRACLE
According to one poll, 82% of Americans believe miracles still happen today. The 82% are correct. Every day, perhaps without ever realizing it, we are witnesses to amazing miracles of God's power.
For example, at this time of year many of us have been harvesting vegetables from our garden. A tiny seed is pushed into the ground. It germinates and grows into a plant. In the weeks that follow, the plant absorbs light and heat from the sun and drinks in water from the earth. In a miraculous way that one seed is multiplied--sometimes a million-fold!
The same is true of what has to be one of God's greatest miracles. Quietly, without fanfare and hidden from sight, God continues to perform a miracle deep within human hearts. The miracle? Faith. The means? His Gospel. The outcome? Not mere temporal good, but eternal gain that actually defies description.
This is why Christian education is really about miracles--not the flashy kind that draw attention and make headlines, but rather the quiet and unassuming miracles that affect eternity.
Sometimes people wonder whether the time and expense of providing a program of Christian education are worth the while. It costs money to operate a Christian Day School. It takes a lot of volunteer time and dedication to run a Sunday School. It even takes a determined effort to conduct regular devotions at home.
Are these things really worthwhile? Put it this way: If Jesus would be visibly present to bless your children every Sunday, or school-day, or evening at the supper table, you'd want them there, wouldn't you? Well, Jesus is present. He is in the midst of those gathered in His name. He is there to touch hearts and to bless lives through His Word. It all seems so natural, but when we think carefully about it, it is a miracle!
One day we'll recognize that the results too are nothing short of an absolute miracle.
-- From the "Lutheran Spokesman"
