July 24, 2022

A LIVING HOPE

1 Peter 1:3-5

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Encouraging Words

Every major religion in this world relies upon the life and teaching of one human being. Christianity is the only one whose person is still alive, 2000 years after He walked and taught on this earth. Jesus is our Living Hope. He is the one who resurrected from the dead showing us our future. He is the one who showed us an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away that we will be participants is. He is the one that made it clear that there is a place in heaven that is reserved for those who believe and follow Him. Glory be to God!

July 23, 2022

Saint of the Week

St. John Chrysostom

July 22, 2022

CONFESSION AND PRAYER

James 5:16

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Personal Challenge

Living in America we have all pretty much embraced the mindset of independent individualism. On our own accord we can do anything. In Christianity, however, we are taught that we need each other in the body of Christ to grow in His image. Part of that community comes in confession of our trespasses to one another and praying for each other. This is part of our journey to becoming righteous. Glory be to God!

July 21, 2022

PRAYER OF FAITH

James 5:13-15

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

Encouraging Words

Faith is such an important part of our Christian journey. In faith, we pray while we are suffering, expecting God to be there with us and help us to be cheerful in that suffering. In faith, we sing psalms when God answers our prayers and even when He doesn't. In faith, we call upon God to heal those who are sick knowing that God knows best what they need. In faith, we petition God for the forgiveness of our sins and rejoice in His mercy and grace. Glory be to God!

July 20, 2022

BE PATIENT

James 5:7-11

Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

Encouraging Words

This passage presses us to be patient in all that we do and in our anticipation of the return of our King. In today's culture, which is all about instant gratification, it is difficult to slow down and be patient. But in that patience we can find peace that our God desires for us to experience His compassion and mercy As we exercise patience with those around us we experience Gods' blessings and are able to endure that which is going on around us. Glory be to God!

July 19, 2022

SIN OF OMISSION

James 4:17

Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Personal Challenge

We often get all caught up in focusing on the sins that we commit and forget that there are also sins of omission. There are things around us that need to be done in the name of our Lord and we ignore or reject them. We are asked to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, take care of the widow and the orphan, and love our neighbor. When we do not do these things when the opportunity arises, that is a sin. It may be something as simple as speaking a kind word or as complex as getting all dirty helping someone out of the mire that they are in. These are the sins that can easily separate the sheep from the goats. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

July 18, 2022

WE ARE NOT JUDGES

James 4:11-12

Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?

Personal Challenge

Ultimately, when the great day of judgement is upon us, every single one of us will be judged by our creator. It is not for us to judge another. Whether the other person is a Christian or not, only God knows their heart. This is always a difficult thing to do. People hurt us. They abuse us or take advantage of us. They exercise their free wills in ways that harms those around them. However, as we are called to love our neighbor, we are also called to not speak evil of them or judge them. I know that this is an area of my life that I still need to work on. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

July 16, 2022

Saint of the Week

St. John Chrysostom

July 15, 2022

BE HUMBLE

James 4:10

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

Command with a Promise

Are we in a relationship with God? If so, are we humbling ourselves before Him? We cannot stand upright in our pride for anything before our God because He is the one who has given us everything. He is due our love, respect, and worship. If we humble ourselves before Him, He will lift us up to be with Him. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

July 14, 2022

DRAW NEAR TO GOD

James 4:8-9

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.

Personal Challenge

We need God to be the center of our lives. No matter what is going on around us, whatever the pressures of life that are bearing down on us or pushes us to consider doing, we need to seek God for His guidance and mercy. This means that we cleanse ourselves of our sins through repentance, working diligently to purify our hearts, and to stop being double-minded with one foot in the heavenly realm and one here in this earthly realm. We must lament and mourn when we sin and turn to God, drawing near to Him. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

July 13, 2022

THE WAR WITHIN

James 4:1-7

Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?

But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:

“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Personal Challenge

Even in the early, first century church, there were divisions and disagreements. Why? It all comes from personal desires and expectations. Some want the music to be their way...more contemporary, more traditional, more like we hear it on the radio. Some want the design of the church to be what they think is right. Some want the older people to step aside so that the younger people can take over and make the church new and modern. Why do we take thriving and effective churches and break them down to be something totally different and destroy the legacy and the relationships in the process. We do this so that we can satisfy our own personal desires and passions. We do this because we are more aligned with the world than we are with God. We do this because of our pride. By doing this we must be prepared for God's resistance because He prefers humility over pride. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

July 12, 2022

WISDOM FROM ABOVE

James 3:17-18

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Encouraging Words

We have been blessed, and cursed, to live in the information age. We have all sorts of information available at our fingertips. Unfortunately, all too many people, including many Christians, believe that access to this abundance of information makes us wise. Many thrive on the number of websites that they peruse or the quantity of books that the read. They proclaim to be wise on their own accord. However, true wisdom comes from above, from our God, outside of all this man-created information-based wisdom. This is the wisdom that we should be seeking and cherishing. With this wisdom in our lives we will be makers of peace. Glory be to God!

July 11, 2022

THE TRUTH

James 3:14-16

But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.

Personal Challenge

The truth should always be upheld and defended. It is not something that we can twist to feed our own envy of others or drive our desires to be ahead of others. Truth, true wisdom, comes from God and not any earthly sources. Those powers that drive people to twist the troth are earthly, sensual, even demonic. Not only should we defend the truth but we should also flee from the presence of those who do not Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

July 10, 2022

Saint of the Week

St. Mark the Ascetic

July 8, 2022

FAITH AND WORKS

James 2:26

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Personal Challenge

None of us can separate our spirit from our body. They are both needed for us to be alive. It is a similar, synergistic thing that exists in the life of a Christian with faith and works. Our journey as a Christian begins with our faith in Christ. Christ is the only source for salvation. That faith is then shoved up by the works for God that it draws us into. The works do not save us but they do help us to grow even stronger in that faith as well as helps to build the Kingdom of God. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

July 7, 2022

EVEN THE DEMONS BELIEVE

James 2:19-20

You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?

Personal Challenge

Here is where the rubber meets the road. It is easy to say that we believe in God, that we trust in Him, and many other faith-based statements. However, our enemy, Satan, and his demons also believe in God - and tremble. That belief must be transformed into action in our lives for it to be real. Are we different than we were before we proclaimed our belief in God? Are we different than the world around us? Are we loving our neighbor and taking care of those in need? A true belief in God incurs a true change within us and a desire to do His good works. Glory be to God!

July 6, 2022

DEAD OR ALIVE

James 2:17

Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Personal challenge

James continues to drive home the point that we must have works for God in our lives in order to demonstrate that we have put our faith in Him. Followers of Christ cannot be Christian couch potatoes We do these works out of our love for our Lord. If we do not do His work whenever we can, our faith begins to wain and die. If we do His works then our faith stays alive and thrives. Glory be to God!

July 5, 2022

NO PROFIT WITHOUT WORKS

James 2:14-16

What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?

Personal Challenge

A big difference in Eastern Christianity and Western Reformed Christianity is how faith and works are dealt with. In both faith practices it is agreed to that all are saved through the work that Jesus did and our faith in Him. Eastern Christianity goes on to express that our salvation gets worked out, or grows, within us by our desire and willingness to do the good works of our Lord. We must be doing His good works. We do not stop with a profession of faith but follow it with actions. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

July 4, 2022

NO PARTIALITY

James 2:1-4

My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,” have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

Personal Challenge

In the Old Testament we have the story of Samuel, the prophet, who was asked by God to seek out the king of Israel that would be replacing Saul. Samuel, like so many of us today, looked at the stature and outward appearances of the sons of Jesse to determine who he thought God had chosen. Then God told him that none of his choices were correct because He had already chosen David, not for his looks, but for the state of his heart. How often do we treat those who appear to be more important in our lives, especially our churches, with higher esteem than those whose appearances offend us? Are we not sinning in this behavior? God demands that we treat the lowly, the dirty, the poor, the sinner, the alien amongst us, the scared pregnant girl, the uneducated, etc., with the love of Christ. We are to set them above the glamorous, the wealthy, the prestigious, if we are to be honoring God. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

July 2, 2022

Saint of the Week

St. Paisios of Mount Athos

June 30, 2022

HEARERS OR DOERS

James 1:22-25

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

Personal Challenge

It is not hard work to be a hearer of God's word. Carve out a few hours per week to go to church, sit in your designated seat, and listen up. This is important for all of us to be a part of a community. Where the real challenge comes in, the hard work, is to put what we have heard into action. Are we lovingly reaching out to those who we are worshiping with and encouraging them to also be doers? Are we reaching out to those who are missing and checking in to see if they are okay? How about when we leave that couple of hours of listening behind us and we go into the world? Are we showing the love of God to our neighbor, to those in need, to those who are different than us? Are we giving of our resources, our time, our dollars, our love to those around us? If we are not living this way then we are deceiving ourselves. Lord, have mercy!