September 24, 2018

EXERCISING FOR GOD

1 Corinthians 9:24

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.

Personal Challenge

Why do athletes put themselves through what looks like torture to the rest of us? Why do professional musicians spend hour after hour after hour practicing? All of this is done to develop the discipline to perform at one's highest potential. This is why we, as followers of Christ, choose to follow ascetic practices in our lives. Practices such as prayer, fasting and giving of our possessions to the church and those in need. We do this to develop the discipline needed to make it through this life striving to be the image of Christ. We do not do this to earn any favor, or position, or our salvation. We do this to strengthen, tone, and train our spiritual body and soul to live for Christ and to win the battle over sin and self-sufficiency. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

September 22, 2018

Saint of the Week

St. Isaac the Syrian

September 21, 2018

RESPECT OTHERS

1 Corinthians 8:8

But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse.

Personal Challenge

Paul reminds us that the spiritual practices that we do in our lives are not to be used to separate us from our brothers and sisters in Christ. As Orthodox Christians, we practice fasting. This is not a way of earning salvation, but a way of learning how to bring our body under our control. It is a way to develop discipline. Doing this is part of our personal journey with Christ. We do not use this practice to set us apart from others or to put them down or to lift us up. This is always a challenge as we go through Lenten periods. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

September 20, 2018

WHO?

Zechariah 4:6

And he answered and spoke to me, saying, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by mighty power nor by strength, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.”

Encouraging Words

The one question that continually comes up in Christian, as well as non-Christian lives, is, "Who can help me through this...?" We are all finite. We are all limited in our capabilities, our understanding, and our resources. And so often we are confronted with issues that seem so far beyond us. Yet our Lord has created us with the innate desire to overcome these issues. Maybe He did that so that we will continually be confronted with trying to find Who is greater than us that can help us overcome. That Who is our God who reminds us that it is not our power or strength, nor the power or strength of any other earthly entity that will help us to overcome, but God alone that will take us through every issue, challenge, or confrontation that this fallen world may throw at us. Glory be to God and... Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

September 19, 2018

SHARED AUTHORITY

1 Corinthians 7:3-4

Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.

Personal Challenge

The scriptures are very clear, marriage is a relationship where the husband and the wife choose to live the rest of their lives as servants to the other person. Neither one has any more authority over the other, but both submit 100% to the other. This is so contrary to the way that the world wants marriage to be, but it works. The Orthodox Church captures this in their marriage ceremony with the crowning ceremony, which recognizes that the husband and wife an now living as joint martyrs for each other and for Christ. Glory be to God!

September 18, 2018

IN HIS PRESENCE

Zephaniah 3:17

The Lord your God is with you. The Mighty One shall save you. He shall bring gladness upon you and will renew you with His love. He will delight over you with joy as in a day of feasting.

Encouraging Words

We are never alone. We may feel pretty lonely at points in our life. We may feel abandoned and as if we must fight all of our struggles on our own. But that is not the truth. The Lord our God is always with us. We are always in His presence. He is the Mighty One and He has already saved us for eternity. He is the one that will fill our lives with gladness and His love. He is the One that delights over us. It is never Him that withdraws from us so that we feel lonely. It is us who withdraw from Him and create our own loneliness. He is still present and waiting for us to call out to Him. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

September 17, 2018

A LIVING TEMPLE

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

Encouraging Words

Most, if not all, of the world religions, other than Christianity, leave it up to the individual to do the works necessary to measure up to some standard. They have to do it on their own. Christianity, however, proclaims that when Christ becomes the Lord of our life, we are given the Holy Spirit to dwell within us and guide us through our journey of life. Our body becomes a living temple that is the home of the Holy Spirit and we can choose to either listen to Him or resist Him. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

September 16, 2018

GLORY IN THE LORD

Habakkuk 3:18-19

Yet I will glory in the Lord;
I will rejoice in God my Savior.
The Lord God is my strength;
He will direct my feet to the end;
He will set me upon high places,
So to conquer by His song.

Encouraging Words

No matter what is going on around me, whether good or bad, I can always rejoice in my God and Savior. He is so much bigger than anything that this world can ever conjure up. He is my entire and only source of strength. His strength sees me through both good and bad times. He will direct my steps even when I choose to get off of His path. He is there to direct my steps back to Him. He continually sets me up in high places above the floods of life. It is His song that conquers all. Glory be to God!

September 15, 2018

Saint of the Week

St. Nektarios of Aegina

September 14, 2018

FREE TO LIVE FOR HIM

1 Corinthians 6:12

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

Personal Challenge

Paul is reminding us through this letter to the Corinthians that we are no longer bound by the law because Jesus fulfilled the law. The law was given so that we might recognize how much we need Jesus. However, just because I have been freed from the constraints of the law, that doesn't mean I should live a lawless life. Living this way quickly puts me under the control of my passions, which will pull me away from my God. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

September 13, 2018

STEPPING OUT ON FAITH

Habakkuk 2:4

If any man should shrink back, My soul will not be well pleased in him; but the righteous shall live by My faith.

Personal Challenge

Habakkuk was having to deal with a similar issue to what Paul had to deal with many years later. The problem was those followers of God who were putting more value and credence into practicing the law than living a life of faith in God, driven by faith and a heart focused on Him. Paul's challenge was the Judaizers that were trying to pull the new Christians back to practicing the law. God wants us to live by faith in Him. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

September 10, 2018

NO LONGER WHAT WE WERE

1 Corinthians 6:11

And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

Encouraging Words

Paul reminds us that before we became children of God through the work of Christ we were living vile and contemptible lives. Through our baptism into Christ, the dirt of this world was washed off of us. Through our chrismation, we received the Holy Spirit and were sanctified. Through the faith of Jesus and the faith that He gives us, we are becoming justified. We are no longer what we were. Glory be to God!

September 9, 2018

GOD KNOWS

Nahum 1:7

The Lord is merciful to those who wait on Him in the day of affliction, and He knows those who reverence Him.

Personal Challenge

God knows everything, especially that which we think is hidden in our hearts. Even after knowing the true nature of our hearts, He still shows us mercy, because He loves us unconditionally. How much more could we encounter His love and mercy in our lives if we were to strive to wait on Him and reverence Him the way that He deserves? Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

September 8, 2018

Saint of the Week

St. Mark the Ascetic

September 7, 2018

TO JUDGE OR NOT TO JUDGE

1 Corinthians 5:12-13
For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”

Personal Challenge

For some reason, many Christians have determined that is their responsibility to judge the world for its sins and errors. Paul reminds us that the only time that we have the right to judge another is when that person is a brother or sister in Christ and their behavior is impacting the body. Even then, we are admonished to treat our brother or sister in a loving and Christ-centered way. We must always be careful to remember that we have our own sins and faults that we can be judged for. When it comes to those outside of the body of Christ, we are commanded to love them as we love ourselves so that we might win them over to Christ. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

September 6, 2018

FROM THE BELLY OF HADES

Jonah 2:3

and (Jonah) said:
“I cried out in my affliction to the Lord, my God,
And He heard my voice;
Out of the belly of Hades, You heard the cry of my voice.”

Encouraging Words

Sometimes the afflictions of our lives make us feel like we have been cast into the very pits of Hades. Even in these situations, we can hold on to the hope that our Lord will hear our voice as we cry out and He will lift us up from the pit of despair. There is no place, no point in time, no situation, that can prevent our Lord from being there and applying His grace and mercy in our lives. Glory be to God!

September 5, 2018

FOOLS FOR CHRIST'S SAKE

1 Corinthians 4:10

We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored!

Personal Challenge

Paul, as well as the rest of the apostles, considered themselves to be fools, weak, and dishonored, in their position with Christ. The closer one gets to Christ the more humble they become. The closer one becomes to Christ, the more they understand their sinfulness, their insigni­ficance, and their need for Him. A prideful Christian needs to check their relationship with the living Christ. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner?

September 4, 2018

BETWEEN THE PORCH AND THE ALTAR

Joel 2:17-18

Between the porch and the altar, the priests of the altar, ministering to the Lord, will each be weeping and will say, “O Lord, spare Your people; do not give Your inheritance to reproach, that the Gentiles should rule over them, lest they should say among the Gentiles, ‘Where is their God?’ ”

But the Lord was zealous for His land and spared His people.

Encouraging Words

Up to this point, Joel has been writing about the challenges that his people have been facing and the practices of the church. The altar is where the priest would prepare and offer up the sacrificial lamb for the people of the land. This was a blood sacrifice. The porch is where the people would stand in their sin, sickness, and death, waiting and hoping on the sacrifice. The priest stood between these two worlds filled with death. At this point in the text, Joel turns to the future, the coming High Priest, who would offer up the final and ultimate sacrifice that would bring salvation to His entire creation. Jesus is both this High Priest and the Sacrificial Lamb. Glory be to God!

September 3, 2018

WISDOM?

1 Corinthians 3:18

Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.

Personal Challenge

We, as a modern and "enlightened" society, act as if we are so wise. Apparently, the people of Paul's day did the same thing. We act as if we have all of the right answers. We condemn others who not believe or behave the way that we expect. However, Paul reminds us that the wisdom that we confess and praise is the wisdom of the world, which pales in comparison to God's wisdom and the wisdom that He will bestow upon us when we are willing to become fools in this world for Him. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

September 2, 2018

OUR WHOLE HEART

Joel 2:12-13

Now says the Lord your God, “Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting and wailing and with mourning; rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for He is merciful and compassionate. He is longsuffering and plenteous in mercy and repents of evils.

Personal Challenge

As long as we continue to live in our physical bodies, we will be tempted to sin. Sometimes the temptation comes from the outside, from the fallen and corrupt world. More often, though, the temptation comes from within. It may be a thought that we hold on to for an extended time until it festers into a sinful act. It may be a passion or a desire that we have not yet mastered by turning it over to our Lord, It may be the one thing in our life that we hide deep within our heart refusing to let go of. Joel reminds us that in order to reap the gifts that our Lord wants to pour out upon us, we must turn to Him with our whole heart, we must accompany that with actions such as fasting, wailing, and morning, which are all acts of repentance. He wants our heart, which then drives our actions, given in repentance. Then we will see His mercy and compassion and forgiveness. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

September 1, 2018

Saint of the Week

St. Porphyrios the Kapsokalyvite

August 28, 2018

KNOWING GOD

1 Corinthians 2:9

But as it is written:
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Encouraging Words

We have a saying in the Orthodox Church. "The more I know God, the less I know Him? No matter how much I study about God, how often I go to Him in prayer, or how much I participate in the liturgy and other church events, I will never be able to understand the depth and breadth of my Lord's love for me and His greatness. Our journey through eternity will never give us enough time or experiences to truly know Him. Glory be to God!

August 27, 2018

MERCY

Micah 7:18
Who is a God like You, removing wrongdoings and passing over the ungodliness of the remnant of His inheritance? He does not keep His anger as a witness, for He delights in mercy.

Encouraging Words

God is merciful and passes over our ungodliness because He loves us. Not only does He delight in mercy, He is mercy. And He desires that we be merciful.

August 26, 2018

FOOLISHNESS OF GOD

1 Corinthians 1:25-29

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.

Personal Challenge

From a human perspective, it often looks like God does everything backward. But that is the point, isn't it? The human perspective is finite, or limited. The human perspective is biased and conditional. Gods' is none of these. God is eternal all-knowing, so doesn't it make more sense for us to submit to God and His way of doing things? If we were to see God's most foolish thing, it would still be immeasurably wiser than any wise person in the existence of mankind. If we were to see God's weakest aspect, it would still be far stronger than anything that mankind has ever summoned. God chooses to use the foolishness and weakness of humankind to build His kingdom so that ALL of the glory points to Him and not to us. Glory be to God, and God alone!