April 28, 2022

PURSUE THESE THINGS

1 Timothy 6:11-12

But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Command with a Promise

Let's start with those things that we are to flee from: obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wrangling of men of corrupt minds, and destitution of the truth. The command is to flee from these things and to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. And what is the promise that we receive for doing this? The opportunity to lay hold on eternal life. Glory be to God!

April 27, 2022

GREAT GAIN

1 Timothy 6:6

Now godliness with contentment is great gain.

Personal Challenge

There are many things in life that many people deem as great to pursue in order to achieve contentment in life. Wealth. Health. Prestige. A following. Knowledge. And the list goes on. All of these things are fleeting and disappear with time. However, if we can grow to a point in our spiritual journey where we have godliness in our lives and we are content in that godliness no matter what the circumstances of life are going on around us, then we will have achieved great gain in our lives. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

April 26, 2022

BE AN EXAMPLE

1 Timothy 4:12

Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

Personal Challenge

I have always enjoyed using Paul's writings to Timothy to encourage the youth that I worked with. This verse, even though directed at the youth, can apply to all of us. It is our example that speaks loudest. Our words can quickly be nullified if our actions do not follow them. If we desire to be a godly example, an example that others want to follow, then we must be examples in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, and in purity. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Love, have mercy!

April 23, 2022

Saint of the Week

St. Maximos the Confessor

April 22, 2022

LABORING AND SUFFERING

1 Timothy 4:10

For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.

Personal Challenge

Jesus taught, and Paul reinforces, that if we try to live our lives for Christ, following in His footsteps, and loving as He loved, then we will be hated and persecuted. That hatred and per­secution will come from the world who has rejected Christ and sometimes it will come from those who proclaim Christ but have gone off course. But no matter what, we are still called to labor for Christ and to suffer that reproach. We do this because we trust in the living God who is our Savior. We do this because He will someday say to us, "Well done, my good and faithful child." Glory be to God!

April 21, 2022

PURSUE GODLINESS

1 Timothy 4:7-8

But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.

Personal Challenge

There is so much in our modern day that can interfere with our pursuit of godli­ness. We need to reject those teachings and practices that are actually profane and old wives tales, and spend time exercising our spiritual body. Even things like pursuing physical exercise can get in our way. if it supersedes spiritual growth. Through the pursuit of godliness we will be able to do what God calls us to do as well as be better prepared to follow and obey Him. Glory be to God!

April 20, 2022

PRAYERS FOR OUR LEADERS

1 Timothy 2:1-4

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Personal Challenge

One action that has become so prevalent in today's culture is the blatant disrespect for our elected leaders when they belong to a different party than those who are being disrespectful. That is an unchristian behavior. We are told throughout the scriptures to pray for those who are in authority over us, whether we like their actions or affiliations or not. We are told elsewhere by Paul, and earlier by Jesus, that we are no longer citizens of this world. Our allegiance should be to the kingdom of God. With this in mind then we should be praying for those whom He has allowed to be in positions of authority over us. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

April 19, 2022

LOVE FROM A PURE HEART

1 Timothy 1:5

Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith,

Personal Challenge

Paul has commanded Timothy to stand firm in his faith and to not be swayed by odd doctrines that distract from the true gospel of Jesus Christ. In his day, as in ours, there were many who were touting their own interpretations and teachings about the gospel. This was causing division in the church. Timothy, as are we, was reminded to follow Paul's commandment to teach the truth in a spirit of love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and a sincere faith. we cannot go wrong living this way. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

April 18, 2022

GOD IS FAITHFUL

2 Thessalonians 3:3

But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.

Encouraging Words

God has not called us to be His children just to abandon us and leave us to the wolves of this world. We are the sheep of His flock and He will protect us from the evil one and any harm that he would attempt to do to us. And if like the one lost sheep, we walk away from our Lord, He will pursue us until we are safely with the flock again. Lord, have mercy! Love, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

April 16, 2022

Saint of the Week

St. Irenaeus

April 15, 2022

REJOICE, PRAY, AND GIVE THANKS

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Personal Challenge

People who choose to follow Christ will often get to a place where they desire to know what God's will is for them. I have been there. Here is a passage that helps us to know that a little better, even though it may not be the guidance that we are looking for. His will for all of us is that we live our lives always rejoicing in Him, no matter what the circumstances are. He wants us to give thanks in everything, no matter how good or bad it appears to be. He wants us to pray without ceasing so that we can stay connected to Him, our lifeline. Glory be to God!

April 14, 2022

BE VERY CAREFUL

Joshua 22:5

But be very careful to do the commandments and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you to do, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to adhere to Him, and to serve Him with all your mind and with all your soul.

Personal Challenge

We have been blessed to have been born into the new covenant of our Lord. A covenant that is based upon the work of Jesus Christ, which fulfilled the law of the old covenant and destroyed the hold that death had on us. We can still learn and be blessed by the teachings in the time of the old covenant. Here, Joshua is blessing the 2 1/2 tribes of Israel as they head back to their homes on the other side of the Jordan river. They, just as we, are charged to obey and do the commandments of our God to love the Lord our God, to walk in His ways, to adhere to Him, and to serve Him will all our mind and soul. This still applies to us today. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

April 13, 2022

TAKE CARE OF THE BODY

1 Thessalonians 5:14-15

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.

Personal Challenge

Jesus and His apostles knew that there would be challenges within the church. These challenges would come from both without and within the body. Paul exhorts the Christians in Thessalonica, as well as us today, to take care of the body of Christ, the church. We are to warn those who are unruly and trying to disrupt the church. We are to comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, and be patient with all. We do not put up with any one rendering evil to another and focus on pursuing what is good for our brothers and sisters. This can be a challenge in the church of today, which may be as divided as the world around them. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy./

April 12, 2022

SLEEPING IN JESUS

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

Personal Challenge

Throughout the history of mankind we have perverted the understanding of life and death in so many ways. There is no such place as purgatory. There is no such thing as us being divided into two different natures, one spiritual and one physical, where the spiritual floats around after death looking aimlessly for a place to rest. The hope that we have in our Lord Jesus Christ and the work that He did to destroy death is the only hope that we should hold on to and proclaim. There is no sorrow in this hope. We are one nature, the human nature that God created us to be. We have a body, soul, and spirit. We have the breath of life from God within us. And when we die, we fall asleep in our Lord. We leave our bodies behind until that day that Jesus returns and we are with Him in spirit. This is why He proclaimed to the thief on the cross beside Him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Glory be to God!

April 11, 2022

ABOUND IN LOVE

1 Thessalonians 3:12-13

And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.

Encouraging Words

Paul's prayer for us is that the Lord might make our love for each other abound in our lives. He desires this for us because he knows that through this love applied toward others, our hearts might be blameless before our God. Glory be to God!

April 10, 2022

WHERE IS OUR EXHORTATION FROM?

1 Thessalonians 2:3-4

For our exhortation did not come from error or uncleanness, nor was it in deceit.

But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.

Personal Challenge

I have run into so many people who claim to be followers of Christ who have very questionable exhortations about Christianity and their faith practice. Some are zealots for what they believe and have no problem biting those who disagree as a viper bites its prey. We must remember that only God knows the true nature of everyone's heart and will judge accordingly in that day of final judgment. We must all, at least those of us who claim to be followers of Christ, watch our hearts and make sure that they remain filled with Jesus and His love, mercy, and grace. If we are truly His followers then our lives will be different than the rest of the world. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

April 9, 2022

Saint of the Week

St. Gregory Nazianzen

April 7, 2022

GRACEFUL SPEECH

Colossians 4:6

Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

Personal Challenge

How should we answer and address one another? Our speech must always be with grace, seasoned to a point that it tastes pleasing to the other. This is not always easy but it should be our goal. If we can do this in our normal day to day interactions, then it will be easier to maintain it when the pressure is on. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord have mercy!

April 6, 2022

EARNEST PRAYER

Colossians 4:2

Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;

Personal Challenge

It is so easy to get caught up in the busyness of life and let payer time slip out of our daily practice. Payer is our pipeline to God, which supplies us the fuel that we need to glorify Him. We need to keep that pipeline open and flowing through earnestness, vigilance, and a spirit of Thanksgiving. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

April 5, 2022

SERVING THE LORD

Colossians 3:23-24

And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

Personal Challenge

Living the life of a Christian, a follower of Christ, does not give us the permission to be lazy and negligent. We are called to do everything that we do heartily and is if it is something that the Lord specifically asked us to do for Him. This means everything. We serve, and represent our Lord so we must serve in a way that glorifies Him and not ourselves or others. Glory be to God!

April 4, 2022

THE ELECT OF GOD

Colossians 3:12-17

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Personal Challenge

All have been called by God to believe in His Son and to receive Jesus as their Lord, but not all have responded to that call. Those who have are His elect, His holy and beloved children. And with that response comes a responsibility to live His way. What is that way? Putting on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, and longsuffering with those that God brings into our lives. We are to bear with one another, forgiving them, letting go of our complaints against each other in that forgiveness. In all that we do, we are to put on love. We are to live our lives with the peace of God ruling our hearts being thankful. We have the word of Christ dwelling in us, giving us His riches. In His wisdom, not ours, we are to be teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with grace in our hearts. And finally, whatever we do in word or deed, we are doing it in the name of our Lord, giving thanks to God the Father through Christ. If this is not happening in our lives, then maybe it is time to do a heart check to see if we really did respond to His call or have we been just playing at being His follower. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

April 3, 2022

GOD SHALL BE WITH YOU

Deuteronomy 31:23

Then Moses commanded Joshua the son of Nun and said, “Be valiant and strong; for you shall bring the sons of Israel into the land the Lord swore to them; and He shall be with you.”

Encouraging Words

The early church fathers taught that Joshua, the son of Nun, was a foreshadow of Jesus, the Son of God. Joshua was chosen by God to lead His people out of the desert of Sinai into the promised land. Jesus was chosen by God to lead His people, the followers of Jesus, into the eternal promised land, heaven. This promised land is here and now and those of us who follow Jesus, the Messiah, can experience it as heaven on earth. Jesus was valiant and strong as He fought the evils that had infiltrated the chosen people and were bolstered by the pharisees and zealots. Jesus stood up to the enemy of God and broke down the gates of his Kingdom of hell to set us of free from death and the bondage of sin. Glory be to God!

April 2, 2022

Saint of the Week

St. Ambrose of Optina

April 1, 2022

PUTTING OFF AND THEN ON

Colossians 3:8-10

But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,

Personal Challenge

Part of dying to the world and being raised in Christ is putting off our old selves and ways, and then putting on His ways. We are called to do away with anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, and filthy language in order to cleanse and purify ourselves. We are also not to lie to one another. Once we have done this, we are to put on our new selves, which are given to us by Him and reflect Him. Glory be to God!

March 31, 2022

PUT TO DEATH

Colossians 3:5

Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Personal Challenge

If we have truly been raised with Christ into the new life that He has called us to, then we will need to continually put to death those things within us that will keep us from following in His footsteps. A list is provided in this verse of the obvious things to put to death but there are so many more, many of which are very subtle and damaging to our relation­ship with God and our neighbor. Have we become pharisaical in our false piety and our pride in how we follow the rubrics of our church? Have we become zealots in what we think is the "right" way to worship or practice our faith all the while biting our neighbor like venomous vipers? Do we manipulate and coerce those around us to see and believe our way as the right way? Following in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ means putting to death the things and ways of this world and being like Him. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!