November 25, 2018

A CHEERFUL GIVER

2 Corinthians 9:7-8

So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

Personal Challenge

God desires the best for us. He desires that we receive His love and mercy in the abundance that He is willing to give it to us. He also desires that we be willing to give from that abundance to those in our lives who have a need. However, He wants us to give cheerfully and not grudgingly. If we desire what we have too much to give it away freely then He would rather that we not give at all. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

November 24, 2018

Saint of the Week

St. John Chrysostom

November 23, 2018

QUENCHING OUR THIRST

Isaiah 55:1-2

“You who are thirsty, go to the water, and all who have no money, go and buy wine and fat, and eat and drink without money and price. Why do you value at the price of money, and give your toil for what does not satisfy? Listen to Me and eat good things, and your soul will delight in good things.”

Encouraging Words

When the Messiah comes and sets up His kingdom there will be no need for money, for our Lord will meet our every need. He will feed us what is good for us and satisfies completely. In Orthodoxy we believe that Jesus established His kingdom when He became incarnate. We also believe that every time that we partake of the eucharist, that we are partaking of the flesh and blood of our Lord, and that our every need will be met by Him. Glory be to God!

November 22, 2018

THANKSGIVING

A prayer from the Didache, a first-century writing of the church.

And after you have been filled, give thanks as follows:We thank you, Holy Father, for your holy Namewhich you have made to dwell in our heartsand for the knowledge and faith and immortalitywhich you have made known to us through Jesus your Servant.Glory to you forever!You, Almighty Master, created everything for Your Name’s sake;You have given food and drink to men for their pleasure,so that they might give you thanks.and to us you have graciously given spiritual food and drinkand life eternal through Jesus your Servant.Most of all, we thank you because you are mighty.Glory to you forever!

November 21, 2018

SOWING

2 Corinthians 9:6

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

Personal Challenge

God has blessed us with so much. He has given us our health, our wealth, our time, and our abilities. Everything that we have comes from Him. His desire for us is that we use these blessings to build His kingdom. Whether we sow these seeds of our time, of our money, or of ourselves, the more that we sow, the more blessings that our God will bestow upon us so that we can sow even more. This is not some kind of prosperity gospel, it is the gospel of giving away what we have so that we can have more to give away. Glory be to God!

November 20, 2018

SEED OF THE CHILDREN

Isaiah 45:25

All the seed of the children of Israel shall be made righteous by the Lord, and glorified in God.

Encouraging Words

The children of Israel were those who had descended from Israel, the bloodline of the Jewish nation. The seed of these children were the apostles and the church that sprang up from Jesus Christ. We are the seed of the children of Israel and we have been made righteous through our Lord Jesus Christ and given the task of glorifying our God. Glory be to Him!

November 19, 2018

AMAZING GRACE

2 Corinthians 8:9

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.

Encouraging Words

We often speak of grace as a gift given to someone who does not deserve it. This is indeed a true aspect of grace, especially God's grace given to us while we were yet sinners. This verse speaks of another aspect of grace. Through the process of giving a gift, the giver is passing on to the recipient something that is theirs and of importance to them. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that is bestowed upon us comes at a price to Him, the giver. He was rich. He was in the presence of His Father in heaven. He relinquished His position on His throne so that He could become one of us, His creation by His own hands. He became poor so that we might become rich through His grace, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner and a recipient of your blessed grace!

November 18, 2018

THE PAST HAS GONE

Isaiah 43:18

“Do not remember the former things, nor reason about the things of old.”

Encouraging Words

In this part of Isaiah the people of Israel are being told of the coming Messiah and how He will restore them to the glory that He had in store for them. As part of this encouragement, He is telling them that they will be able to walk away from their years of captivity and exile and look forward to their future with the King, the Messiah. He tells them to forget their hard times and to remember them no more. This is a message that could also apply to us today. Our Messiah has come, He has set us free from our exile on this sinful world. We can look to Him, and our future with Him, and not remember former, sinful lives, for He has forgiven us and made us new. Glory be to God!

November 12, 2018

RECONCILED

2 Corinthians 5:20-21

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Personal Challenge

"As though God were pleading through us". What is Paul telling us here? What does an ambassador do? They represent their home country to a distant, foreign country. Part of that representation is to speak on behalf of the leader of the country that is their home. As Christians, God is speaking through us, pleading with the lost of the world to come home to Him. This is why we must first be reconciled to God before we can call others to be reconciled to Him. This is why He made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that we can be reconciled to Him and become righteous in Him. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner?

November 17, 2018

Saint of the Week

St. Ignatius Brianchaninov

November 14, 2018

NOW IS THE TIME

2 Corinthians 6:2

For He says:
“In an acceptable time I have heard you,
And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”
Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Encouraging Words

Our Lord has made it clear that now is the time of our Lord, the time of our salvation. We do not have to keep looking for some future date when we will be saved, or some future kingdom of heaven to arrive. Because of Jesus, our salvation is now and the kingdom of heaven is among us. It is up to us to seize this day. Glory be to God!

November 13, 2018

REDEEMED

Isaiah 43:1-2

And now, thus says the Lord God who made you, O Jacob, and who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I redeemed you. I called you by your name, for you are Mine. If you pass through water, I am with you; and the rivers shall not overflow you. If you pass through fire, you shall not be burned up, nor shall the flame consume you.

Encouraging Words

Not only have we been made by God, but even after we reject or ignore Him, He still redeems us. He calls us by our names because we are His, whether we admit it or not. But He does not stop there, with our redemption. No matter what trial or tribulation we encounter in our lives, even those of our own making, He will be with us, protecting us, loving us, and bringing us through unscathed. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

November 11, 2018

OUR HOPE

Isaiah 42:1-4

“Jacob is My Servant; I will help Him. Israel is My chosen; My soul accepts Him. I put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, nor cause His voice to be heard outside. A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench; but He will bring forth judgment in truth. He will shine forth and not be broken until He establishes judgment in the earth; and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”

Encouraging Words

Jesus became a man so that we can be completely united with God as His children. As a human being Jesus became a servant and a chosen one and through Him, we have been brought into the family of God. He has become our judge but He will not judge us harshly. He will not break us for He knows that we are already bruised. His judgment will be truthful, loving, and merciful so as to bring us closer to God. He is our only hope in which unity with God is possible. Glory be to God?

November 10, 2018

Saint of the Week

St. Isaac the Syrian

November 9, 2018

A NEW CREATION

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Encouraging Words

Jesus issued in a whole new creation when He became incarnate. He was there in the beginning when all that we know and all that has existed before us was created. It was His pre-incarnate, physical image that we were all created in. Then it was all soiled by the sin of Adam and Eve, the sin of putting our own desires before God. When Jesus joined Himself to humanity, and all of creation, when He became incarnate, He made all things new. We can, therefore, die to the things of this world and become alive in Him as new creations. Lord Jesus Christ Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

November 8, 2018

FEAR NOT...AGAIN

Isaiah 41:13

For I am your God who holds your right hand, saying to you, ‘Fear not.’

Encouraging Words

God does not just send us out into the harsh world as His ambassadors by ourselves and expects us to make it on our own. He promises to be there with us at all times, holding our hand, and helping us. This is why He can say to us, "Fear not.", for we are not alone. Glory be to God!

November 7, 2018

COMPELLED

2 Corinthians 5:14-15

For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

Personal challenge

So, what are we compelled to do because of the love of Jesus? We are compelled to stop living our lives just for ourselves and to live them for God and our neighbor. Why? Because we embrace that Jesus died for us, and not just for those of us who profess Him as our Lord and Savior, but He died for all of mankind. Because of this, we are compelled to die to ourselves and to live for others. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

November 6, 2018

FEAR NOT

Isaiah 41:10

Fear not, for I am with you. Do not go astray, for I am your God who strengthens you; and I will help and secure you with My righteous right hand.

Encouraging Words

We have nothing to fear for we have been promised by God that He will be there to help and secure us. Glory be to God!

November 5, 2018

CONFIDENCE

2 Corinthians 5:6-8

So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

Personal Challenge

For those of us who choose to follow Christ, our desire is to be present with our Lord. However, this means separation from our physical body. Since God, in His infinite wisdom, keeps us here in our physical body, we can go through each day with confidence that He will be here with us every moment of everyday. We are confident in His love, His mercy, and His grace. Glory be to God!

November 4, 2018

HE GIVES

Isaiah 40:29-31

He gives strength to the hungry, and sorrow to those who do not grieve. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the elect shall be without strength. But those who wait on God shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not hunger.

Encouraging Words

This has become my favorite passage in the entire scriptures. I have grown to a point where I claim this as my life verse. Why? Because it is all about God, our loving, merciful, and giving Father. He gives us all so much and asks for nothing in return. But if we do give back to Him what little we have, He blesses it and gives us all the more. He renews our strength, especially if we spend it living for Him. He raises us up to the heights of the soaring eagles, especially if we do what He desires of us. We will not be weary or hungry as He fills us with Himself. Glory be to God!

November 3, 2018

Saint of the Week

St. Anthony the Great

November 2, 2018

THIS TENT

2 Corinthians 5:1

For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

Encouraging Words

It almost looks like I planned this verse to go with yesterday's, but I did not. So to continue this theme of our bodies today and our bodies after we are resurrected, God has promised us that our physical bodies are just temporary dwellings. Our real homes, our resurrected bodies, will be so much more than we can ever hope for. They will not perish. They will not grow old, feeble, tired, and full of pain. They will be able to be fully used to glorify our God and to serve Him with no hindrances or obstacles. This is what we hope for and this hope is what helps us through each day. Glory be to God!

November 1, 2018

FOREVER

Isaiah 40:7-8

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God abides forever.

Encouraging Words

We all know that the physical world around us is subject to decay or fading away. Our homes, cars, and other possessions slip into disrepair. Our bodies wither with time. All in this physical world will some day be gone. But God does not. He is always the same, whole, complete and perfect. It is because of this that we have hope. We have hope in the eternal, living God. We have hope in His Word, our Lord Jesus Christ. We have hope that even though our physical body will wither and fade, we will live on through eternity in the new bodies that He will give us. Glory be to God!

October 31, 2018

RENEWAL

2 Corinthians 4:16

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.

Encouraging Words

There was a day when I felt invincible. There was nothing that I could not do if I put my mind to it and pushed through. However, as I am growing older, my body is telling me that this is not so. My outward man is perishing, day by day. We all grow older and encounter the results of aging. Paul, however, reminds us that even though our bodies are deteriorating, our inward man, that which has been renewed by our loving Lord, is constantly being renewed, day by day. He continues to pour himself into us and lead us on our journey to theosis, which is growing in His image. God does not leave us alone but invests Himself in us every moment of our lives. All of this is part of our salvation. My Orthodox Study Bible describes our salvation in Christ as the following:

The Orthodox Faith teaches that salvation in Christ includes: 

1) a passage from death to life, from darkness to light (John 3:1–6; Colossians 1:13, 14), through repentance, faith, and baptism (“I have been saved”); 

2) a process of spiritual growth and maturation (2. Peter 1:2–8) through ongoing repentance, faith, and communion, often called deification (“I am being saved”); and 

3) a promise of eternal life (2 Corinthians 5:9–11; John 14:1–6), calling us to perseverance and righteousness (“I shall be saved”).

It is this second element, the process of our salvation, that Paul describes here, saying that our inner life is being renewed day by day.

How encouraging it is to know that God loves us this much. Glory be to God!

October 30, 2018

WHY?

Isaiah 35:10

and those gathered by the Lord shall return and come to Zion with gladness, and with everlasting gladness over their head. For praise and exceeding joy will be on their head, and gladness shall possess them. Pain, sorrow, and sighing fled away.

Encouraging words

This past Sunday, I asked my high school class, "Why are you a Christian?" The response caught me off guard. The response was a room full of blank stares. So, lesson set aside, we dug into that question. My objective as a high school church school teacher is to engage these youth in a way that causes them to be independent thinkers who apply Gods' truth in everything that they do. They cannot make it through college and adult life with their parents' Christianity. It has to be their own. God does not have any grandchildren, only His own children. Needless to say, we will be continuing to dig into this, "Why?" question more. Isaiah gives us one of the many answers that we Christians can give when asked why we follow Jesus. Hope! Because of Jesus, we hope for that day when there will be no more pain, sorrow, or sighing in our lives. We believe that Jesus will bring us into His Kingdom, His Zion, and this will be the result, a place filled with gladness, everlasting gladness, filled with praise and exceeding joy, and yes, a place with no more pain, sorrow, and sighing. Come, Lord Jesus, come!

October 29, 2018

EARTHEN VESSELS

2 Corinthians 4:7-10

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.

Encouraging Words

Once again we are reminded that our specialness, the greatness that comes from us, is not something that we do or are. We are only clay pots made from the dirt of the earth. What makes us special and good in the sight of our Lord is that which He has put in these vessels. First of all, He breathed His image into these clay pots. Then He became a clay pot Himself as Jesus became incarnate. Finally, He fills us with His Holy Spirit when we became His children through our baptism and chrismation. It is because of Him that we can withstand the pressure from the world around us and not feel despair or the feeling of being forsaken or destroyed. Glory be to God!

October 28, 2018

LORD OF LORDS

Isaiah 33:13-16

Those afar off will hear what I have done; and those near will know My strength.” The lawless in Zion departed; trembling will seize the ungodly. Who will tell you a fire is burning? Who will tell you about the eternal place? He who walks in righteousness and speaks uprightly, he who hates lawlessness and wrongdoing, who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes, he who stops his ears from hearing the judgment of blood, and he who shuts his eyes from seeing wrongdoing. He will dwell in a high cave of a mighty rock. Bread will be given him, and his water will be plentiful.

Personal Challenge

There will come a day when no one will be able to deny that Jesus is the Lord of lords and King of kings. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess who He is. And at that time, those who have denied Him will tremble in fear and regret for not seizing the opportunity to proclaim Him earlier in their life. My challenge is to proclaim Him at all times as my Lord and my King in my thoughts, my actions, my desires, and my words. Glory be to God!

October 27, 2018

Saint of the Week

St. John Chrysostom

October 26, 2018

MINISTERS

2 Corinthians 4:1

Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart.

Personal Challenge

We are all called to be ministers and priests for our Lord Jesus Christ. We all have opportunities to have a positive and lasting impression on someone else. We should not lose heart in this responsibility for we have received mercy from our God and He will provide for us as we follow His calling. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!