March 31, 2021

GOD'S REVELATION

Matthew 11:25

At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.”

Encouraging Words

As part of our fallenness we have made it good to always be in the pursuit of knowledge. The world believes there is power in knowledge. There has been, and still are, heresies that believe the path to God is through knowledge. The problem with the pursuit of knowledge is that it puts us in control. Jesus often reminded us that God reveals Himself to those who are babes, who put all their trust in their creator. He will hide His truths, His knowledge, from those who have puffed themselves up with the pursuit and acquisition of knowledge. If we want a fruitful and righteous life we need to know God not know about Him. Glory be to God!

March 30, 2021

LOSING OUR LIFE

Matthew 10:38-39

And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

Personal Challenge

Jesus quickly follows the challenge to us to proclaim Him as our Lord with the challenge to be willing to give up our lives for Him. He was willing to carry His cross and be sacrificed for us. Are we willing to do the same for Him? He was willing to give up His place in heaven in order to be incarnate and save us. Are we willing to lose our life for Him. He does not present this as an option, but as an expectation. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

March 29, 2021

CONFESSING CHRIST

Matthew 10:32-33

Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

Personal Challenge

Are we really ready to confess Christ fully before our fellow man and woman? Are we willing to stand firm on His teachings and precepts even though they may cause conflicts with the systems and people around us? Jesus is not asking us to just say that we are His followers and then do what everyone around us is doing. This is the ultimate form of hypocrisy. He is asking us to proclaim Him as our Lord with our lips and our actions. To demonstrate to the world around us that we desire to follow in His footsteps by walking in His footsteps. Living a life that confesses Jesus as our Lord will create a life that sets us apart from the world and therefore create conflict with the world. Are we ready to live this way? Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

March 27, 2021

Saint of the Week

St. John of Krondstadt

March 26, 2021

PROPER FEAR

Matthew 10:28

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Personal Challenge

It is so easy to get caught up in the things that are happening around us in our world and to let that begin to drive us into a state of fear and apprehension. When we get to this state we either cower in our homes or begin to embrace conspiracies in order to explain it away. As followers of Christ we have nothing to fear. Even our death, which is guaranteed to happen sooner or later is in His hands, as are the life after that death. If we fear anything it should be a fearful respect for our God, who holds our eternal and temporal lives in His hands, and continually pray for His forgiveness and mercy. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

March 25, 2021

MOVED WITH COMPASSION

Matthew 9:36-38

But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

Encouraging Words

It is always encouraging to see in the Scriptures how much God loves and cares for His people. We see it throughout the Old Testament and Jesus consistently shows it in His compassion for those whom He comes in contact. It is no surprise that one of the two commandments that He gave to us was to love our neighbor. If all of us who proclaim Jesus as our Lord were to love our neighbor and have compassion for them, could you imagine how much this world would be changed? Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

March 24, 2021

RIDICULE

Matthew 9:24

He said to them, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him.

Personal challenge

What makes us think that if we proclaim Jesus as our Lord that everything and everyone will be well with us. Even Jesus, after performing many miracles, was ridiculed and mocked. If we are following in His steps, should we not also expect to be ridiculed and mocked. The way of Jesus very contradictory to the way of the world. This contradiction leads to conflict for there is a constant spiritual battle in flight. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

March 23, 2021

THEIR FAITH

Matthew 9:2

Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”

Encouraging Words

One of the things that struck me in a positive way when I starting looking into the Eastern Orthodox Church was the focus on "we" and "us" rather than "I" and "me". We are the Church of Christ, a body comprised of many parts, many people. When one of us sins, all are impacted. When one of us feeds a hungry person, all are touched. When we pray for one, we pray for all. We do not go through our journey to theosis alone. Thinking this way makes me accountable to all. It makes it important for me to care about my brother or sister and how their needs might be met. Just as the faith of the friends of the paralytic contributed to his healing, so can our faith lead to the healing and restoration to our fellow members of the body of Christ. Glory be to God!

March 22, 2021

A GREAT TEMPEST

Matthew 8:23-27

Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”

But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

Personal Challenge

One of the errors that many who proclaim to be Christians makes is the assumption that now that I am a follower of Christ, everything in life will be smooth and glorious. We still live in a fallen world. We still sin and so does everyone around us. This fallenness and sinfulness causes bad things to happen. Even Jesus had storms swell up around Him. If we are truly His followers then we will be looking to Him in both the good times and the bad. Our faith in Him needs to grow to the point the we don't even recognize the storms because we know that we are in His care, in His boat. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

March 21, 2021

TRUE BELIEF

Matthew 8:13

Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.

Encouraging Words

True belief in Jesus and the work that He has done and continues to do is not just evidenced in our actions. We have come to a place in our modern Christian thinking that a person's belief in Jesus is seen in how often they attend church or the things that they do for their church or the money they give to the church or the books about Christianity that they read. Even though these things may be evidence of our love for God and our belief in Him we do know that even non-believers do these things as well. Jesus reminds us in this account of the centurion and the healing of his servant that the evidence of his faith had nothing to do with any of the things above but in the unfaltering belief that Jesus could heal his servant right where He was just by His spoken word. Our belief is not measured by God on our actions or words, but on that which is in our hearts. Do we entrust everything in our lives to Him? Do we live by faith that God will meet our every need? Do we live as if there is nothing, and we are nothing, without Him? This is the measure of our belief. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

March 20, 2021

Saint of the Week

St. Seraphim of Sarov

March 19, 2021

FOUNDED ON THE ROCK

Matthew 7:24-25

Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

Personal Challenge

Jesus wants us to know that our Christian life does not stop on Sunday after we attend church and hear His words taught. That is just the beginning. We are to be putting His teachings into action every moment of every day. It is also important that everything that we think, do, and say, be founded on Him, our rock. Glory be to God!

March 17, 2021

SAYING OR DOING

Matthew 7:21

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

Personal Challenge

Christianity is quickly becoming a label that we apply to ourselves because we find it easy and beneficial for us. Jesus makes it clear here that we are not His followers just because we proclaim it so. We are His followers if we follow Him. We must be doing the will of His Father, which will almost always be contradictory to the things of this world. If we are not loving our neighbor and caring for those in need, then we are not following Him. If we are doing whatever we want, whenever we want, and not submitting to Him, then we are not following Him. He wants us to practice what He preaches, not just preach it. Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on are, the sinner!

March 8, 2021

FALSEHOODS

Matthew 7:15-16

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?

Personal Challenge

We are warned by Jesus to be on our guard for those who will come into our churches and seek to disrupt them for their own gain. We often take this warning to be talking about major false prophets who are obvious in their attacks on the church, however it is those who take on little aspects of the church and attempt to change them to their own liking that are the more dangerous ones. They are more subtle in their approach, which easily deceives those who do not keep up their guard. We are to be on our guard at all times and to be careful not to fall prey to these perverters of the truth. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

March 7, 2021

ASK, SEEK, KNOCK

Matthew 7:7-8

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Encouraging Words

Jesus is not proposing a prosperity gospel here as many are in the habit of proclaiming about this passage. If we have chosen to follow Christ and are sincerely pursuing Him with the intent to be like Him, then we will be in the process of being transformed in respect to our desires and wants. We will not want the things of this world, but we will want the the things of His Kingdom. We will be asking for those heavenly things, seeking Ham and His Kingdom, knocking on His doors in pursuit of Him and His righteousness. These are the things that will be given to us, that will be found, the doors that will be opened, and that which will be found. Glory be to God!

March 6, 2021

Saint of the Week

St. Theophan the Recluse

March 5, 2021

WHAT SHOULD WE SEEK?

Matthew 6:31-34

Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Personal challenge

Why is it that we so often seek the wrong thing in life. We focus so much on the things of this world, food, drink, clothing, basically, stuff. God wants us to seek Him and His Kingdom. He is the one who will provide for our true needs. He is the one who gives us life. Glory be to God!

March 4, 2021

TAKEN CARE OF

Matthew 6:30

Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Encouraging Words

Every one of us has basic needs that have to be taken care of to survive. Beyond those needs, everything else becomes a want. Jesus is telling us here that God knows what our needs are and He will provide for those needs. Where the challenge comes in is when my definitions of those needs are different than His definition. The more that we can align with God and how He chooses to meet our needs, the more I will be satisfied with what He is providing. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

March 3, 2021

FORGIVENESS

Matthew 6:14-15

For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Personal Challenge

Only God can fully forgive sins. However, the degree to which we experience His grace and mercy in our lives because of His forgiveness, is truly impacted by how much we are willing to forgive those who have trespassed or sinned against us. If I hold on to their trespasses and do not free them as I am capable of doing, those acts of unforgiveness will come between God and me as He forgives me of my trespasses. We are to behave like Him if we want to be like Him. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

March 2, 2021

BE TRUE

Matthew 5:37

But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

Personal Challenge

Our modern world has become so comfortable with ambiguity. This is the kind of world that makes it easy to promulgate falsehoods as if they are the truth. This then makes it easy for people to lie and cheat because they can always find something out there that supports their sin. Jesus made it very clear to us that there is no room in the Christian life for pursuing falsehoods. We are to be true to His calling and true to those around us. We must always speak in such a way that people know that they can trust us to stand by our words and our beliefs. Anything else is from the evil one. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

March 1, 2021

RECONCILIATION

Matthew 5:23-24

Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

Personal Challenge

As I read through this expectation set by Jesus, it appears to me that He is describing reconciliation is truly a one-sided event. If there is something amiss between my brother or sister, whether they are at fault or I am at fault or we are both at fault, if I want to be able to effectively worship my God, then I must go to that person and initiate reconciliation. There is nothing said about the other person choosing to be a part of that reconciliation: It is my duty, my responsibility, to seek and pursue reconciliation. This is hard to do because our pride kicks in and tells us that the other person needs to contribute, if not be responsible for the reconciliation. Jesus never said that being a Christian was easy! Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!