Journeying With Christ: The Coptic Month of Kiahk of the Nativity FastSýnishorn

Week 4 Theme: The Birth of St. John the Forerunner

Day 5: A Life Dedicated to God

As we continue our journey with Christ, we come to a profound moment of reflection on a life dedicated to God. In today's reading, we encounter the story of St. John the Forerunner, who was set apart from birth to serve God and fulfill his prophetic role. This serves as a powerful reminder for us to reflect on the importance of dedicating our lives to God's service and following His calling. Origen the Scholar provides insights into the significance of personal dedication and commitment to God's kingdom, inspiring us to surrender our lives to God and seek His guidance and purpose for our existence.

St. John’s life was a testament to devotion and obedience and even before his birth, the Archangel Gabriel declared that he would be "great in the sight of the Lord" (Luke 1:15). He was called to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah and his entire being was centered on fulfilling this divine purpose. Origen reminds us, to “strive to go forward and to ascend one by one each of the steps of faith and the virtues” for to live is to progress and to progress means to go forward, ever forward, with one's face turned toward God. Like St. John the Forerunner, we are called to move forward with unwavering commitment, continually seeking God's presence and aligning our lives with His will.

Dedicating our lives to God's service requires surrender—an intentional act of relinquishing our own desires and submitting to His divine plan. It is an ongoing process of seeking God's guidance and actively discerning His calling in our lives, for where we do not subject our wills, there we do not dedicate ourselves, and without dedication of ourselves, there is no service to God. St. Clement of Alexandria reflects on the topic of dedication in service to God, saying, "He who obeys the Lord and follows the prophecy given through him becomes a perfect man, since he is perfected in the knowledge of God and the love of God". True dedication begins with obediently surrendering our wills to God, allowing Him to shape and direct our paths.

Living a life dedicated to God is not limited to those in religious vocations but is a calling for all faithful. Each of us has a unique purpose and role to play in God's kingdom and as we dedicate ourselves to God, He equips us with the necessary gifts and empowers us to fulfill our calling. Every soul that wishes to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth must have at its disposal the Word of God. St. Clement of Alexandria says, "The Word of truth is the water of life, which the Lord supplies to those who thirst for the knowledge of God". Through His Word, God guides and instructs those that thirst for Him, enabling us to live out our dedication faithfully.

A life dedicated to God is marked by a deep relationship with Him and it involves seeking His presence through prayer, studying His Word, and cultivating intimacy with Him. St. John Chrysostom emphasizes the role of prayer in our dedication to the Lord, stating, "Make sure that you do not limit your prayer merely to a particular part of the day. Turn to prayer at any time. In everything they (the Apostles) did, they thought of God and lived in constant devotion to Him. This spiritual state was their unceasing prayer". It is through prayer that we are united with God; prayer connects us with the heart of God, allowing us to commune with Him, seek His guidance, and experience His transformative presence and it is in this intimate connection that our dedication finds its strength and vitality.

In our journey with Christ, let us embrace the call to dedicate our lives to God's service. Let us surrender our wills, seek His guidance, and actively discern His calling in our lives. May we grow in intimacy with Him through prayer and study of His Word and as we do so, let us remember the words of the Early Church Father St. Justin Martyr: "For, impelled by the desire of the eternal and pure life, we seek the abode that is with God, the Father and Creator of all, and hasten to confess our faith" beautifully expressing that the more we search for God and eternal life, the more we find Him and eternal life, and the more we find Him or are found by Him, the more deeply we search for Him and eternal life. The path of dedication is a journey of discovery - a continual seeking and finding of God's purpose for our lives.