February 28, 2023

PETER WEPT

Mark 14:72

A second time the rooster crowed. Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And when he thought about it, he wept.

Personal Challenge

Earlier in the ministry of Jesus, Peter had proclaimed that he would never forsake Jesus, that he would die for Him. Now, when the going gets tough, Peter denies Jesus, not once, but three times. Is it no wonder that he wept when he was called out for this? The personal challenge for me here is, do I weep when I have committed sin in my life? Am I grieved to the point of tears when I abandon my fist love and put myself, my desires, my passions, before Jesus, God, and others? Am I truly penitent when I ask for forgiveness? Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

February 27, 2023

POSSIBILITIES WITH GOD

2 Chronicles 14:10 (2 Chronicles 14:11)

And Asa cried out to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, with You it is not impossible, whether with the many or with the few. Strengthen us, Lord our God, for we trust in You. And in Your name we go against this multitude. Lord our God, do not let man prevail against You!”

Encouraging Words

Life is very tough at times. When we strive to live godly lives for our Lord, things get even tougher because the world is at odds with God. Here we have king Asa getting ready to go into battle against his his enemy. Asa's army is comprised of about 550,000 soldiers while they enemy's army is over a million. That is when he makes this proclamation. This is how we must think and believe as we confront the challenges in this world and the temptations that come our way. With out God, all things are possible against all odds. Glory be to God!

February 26, 2023

PLEASE FORGIVE ME

Sirach 28:2-3

Forgive a wrong done you by your neighbor;
Then your sins will be pardoned when you pray.
Can a man preserve wrath against his neighbor
And still seek healing from the Lord?

Personal Challenge

Today, in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, Forgiveness Sunday is practiced. In most, if not all, of our parishes, people will be asking for forgiveness of one another for offenses committed throughout the year. This is done in preparation for Lent, which starts tomorrow. In the Western tradition of may liturgical parishes and churches, last Wednesday was Ash Wednesday, where we were reminded that we came from the dust of the earth to which we will return, and again it was a time of repentance and seeking forgiveness.

My family friends, and acquaintances, I come to you today seeking your forgiveness for the wrongs that I have perpetrated against you. Please forgive me!

February 25, 2023

Saint of the Week

St. Francis of Assisi

February 24, 2023

NEVER PASS AWAY

Mark 13:31

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

Encouraging Words

Jesus is eternal. He has always been and always will be. In the Old Testament, He is encapsulated in the wisdom writings because He is the source of all wisdom. In the New Testament, He is proclaimed as the Living Word of God. His words are given both by speaking and by His actions. They have been recorded and are still being manifested and not recorded. His words, that which we can put our hope and trust in, will never pass away. Glory be to God!

February 23, 2023

IF...

2 Chronicles 7:14

if My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will be merciful to their sins and heal their land.

Personal Challenge

Solomon had just finished building the spectacular temple for God. God visited Him and this verse is part of His conversation with Solomon. God will hear our prayers from heaven and He will be merciful to us in our sins and He will heal our land...IF. We must humble ourselves before Him and our neighbor. We must pray and seek His face. And we must turn from our evil ways. It is His people who must turn to Him. Is it no wonder that a people, a nation that calls themselves Christian, are not seeing His hand at work? Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

February 22, 2023

OUR GREATEST COMMANDMENTS

Mark 12:29-31

Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Personal Challenge

The whole expectation of what God wants us to do is in these three verses. If one ever has a doubt or a concern about how to live a truly righteous and godly life, it is here. Jesus summed everything up in two commandments for us to live our lives by. We are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength. And we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. There is nothing in here about how many services we should attend, or how many theological books we should read, or how well we keep the fast. If we do not do those things, and everything else that we do, out of love for God and love of others, then it doesn’t matter. If we jeer at the person who returns from a hiatus from church, then we have failed. If we demand an explanation before we let them back in, then we have failed. If we engage in the gossip mill about another without reaching out to them with encouragement and love, then we have failed. If we pride ourselves on how "godly" our church is at the exclusion of those who disagree with us without focusing on reconciliation and unity then we have failed. Woe to us if we act pharisaical in our piety and not show love to one another. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

February 21, 2023

WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING

2 Chronicles 1:10-12

“Give me wisdom and understanding, so that I may go out and come in before this people, for who can judge this great people of Yours?”

And God said to Solomon, “Because this was in your heart and you did not ask for riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor did you ask for long life, but you asked for wisdom and understanding for yourself, that you might judge My people over whom I made you king, now I will give you this wisdom and understanding. I will also give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings before you possessed, nor shall any after you possess.”

Personal Challenge

We are all familiar with the story of the genie in the bottle and the dilemma of being given a finite number of wishes. Our God is not a genie. He is the Lord Almighty, the Maker of Heaven and Earth, who is now, has ever been, and ever will be. And yet, in this occasion, He gave Solomon the opportunity to request one thing from Him. Solomon asked for wisdom and understanding. This is not knowledge or learning that is deemed wisdom in today's world. We live in an age of information abundance and overload with very little wisdom and understanding to use that information in a godly way. As I continue my reading journey through the the wisdom books of the Old Testament, Proverbs, Wisdom of Solomon, Wisdom of Sirach, etc., I am reminded that the early church fathers believed and taught that whenever wisdom was referred to in the Old Testament, the referral was about Jesus, the bearer of all wisdom. We need to become Solomons in our lives, seeking for the only gift of value, Wisdom, Jesus Christ, to drive and control our lives. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

February 20, 2023

GOD OF THE LIVING

Mark 12:27

He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are therefore greatly mistaken.

Encouraging Words

In the passage before this, the leaders of the synagogue were trying to trap Jesus with an argument related to life after death. They were leveraging a disagreement with the different factions in the Jewish leadership. As usual, Jesus did not take the bait, but instead seized upon the opportunity to proclaim that our God is the God of the living, that those who have gone before us, living for God are continuing to live for Him even after their departure from this worldly realm. We can claim these encouraging words and hold on to the promise that we too will be spending eternity with Him. Glory be to God!

February 19, 2023

FINDING GOD

1 Chronicles 28:9

“And now, my son Solomon, know the God of your fathers, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing soul; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you forever.”

Personal Challenge

God seeks us, His blessed creation. He created us to be in fellowship with Him. He does not need us, but He loves us deeply. He desires that we be in unity with Him through His Son. So why are we instructed to seek Him. It is because in our ability to have free will and in our prosperity to sin, we turn away from Him and attempt to elevate ourselves as the god's of our own lives. We must be constantly reminded that He is the God of our fathers as well as our God. He knows the true depths of our hearts and the breadth of our thoughts. We need to seek Him out of the mire that we get ourselves into in order to find that He has always been there for us. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Love, have mercy!

February 18, 2023

Saint of the Week

St. John Chrysostom

February 17, 2023

TO SERVE

Mark 10:43-45

Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Personal Challenge

This passage comes at the conclusion of James and John asking Jesus if they could be seated on His left and right in the kingdom of heaven. How often do we do the same in our relationship with our Lord. We go to all the services for the week and then look to God to bless us. We pontificate on all the "knowledge" that we have acquired expecting people, even God to be in awe of us. We "desire" to be seated at the head of the table for who we perceive that we are. Jesus reminds them, and us, that if we want to be first in line in heaven, seated at the head of the table, then we must be servants to all, submissive to all, in our life here on earth. It is never about us, but about Him and our neighbor. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

February 16, 2023

PRAISE AND BOASTING

1 Chronicles 16:34 (1 Chronicles 16:35)

And say, “Save us, O God of our salvation;
And deliver us from the Gentiles
To praise Your holy name,
And boast in Your praises.”

Encouraging Words

David was proclaimed to be a man after God's own heart. Reading, through his psalms you will see that he treats God like his best friend. He argues with him. He praises Him. He spends lots of time with Him. In that kind of relationship he can easily call out to God for this His protection and salvation all the while proclaiming praises for his God and boasting of his greatness. Glory be to God!

February 15, 2023

ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE

Mark 10:27

But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”

Encouraging Words

There is nothing that can prevent God from doing what He desires. Even the laws of nature must obey Him and bend to his will. If we believe this, then why do we doubt him? We can trust him to lead us through life and making do it possible for us what He asks of us especially if the request is beyond our capability. With God all things are possible. Glory be to God!

February 14, 2023

DO NOT FEAR

2 Kings 6:16 (4 Kingdoms 6:16)

So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are greater in number than those who are with them.”

Encouraging Word

It is so easy to slip into a state of despondency and fear when life gets rough and it begins to feel like the enemy is closing in on us. But there is no reason to despair if we trust in our God. As Elisha pointed out to his servant, the army of God far out numbers and out powers the army of the enemy who is attacking us. We must pray that our eyes will be opened to see His army and our hearts will be softened to trust in Him. Glory be to God!

February 13, 2023

TRUSTING IN RICHES

Mark 10:24-25

And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

Personal Challenge

We only have one avenue by which we can enter into the kingdom of Heaven. That is Jesus Christ. We so often let other things get in the way of this truth and begin to count on them as our way into Heaven. It may be our earthly wealth that we have acquired, whether money or that which we have invested our money in. It might be the knowledge that we have pursued or possibly the position that knowledge provided for us. Nonetheless these are all things of this world and will always come between us and God if we do not keep our eyes on Jesus. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

February 12, 2023

ASK

1 Kings 22:5

Also Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Ask the Lord today.”

Personal Challenge

One of the characteristics of the saints in the Old Testament that are presented as true followers of God is what we see in this verse. They stop what they are doing and ask God if this is what He wants them to do. We need God to be directing our steps. We need Him to be our guide. Here is Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, refusing to make an important decision without reaching out to God first. Glory be to God!

February 11, 2023

Saint of the Week

St. Athanasius

February 10, 2023

SEASONING

Mark 9:49-50

“For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.”

Personal Challenge

We have all encountered those times, whether in our own lives or through our relationships with others, where the question of why God allows suffering in our lives. This is a universal question and for some, a stumbling block. We must always remember that we still live in a fallen, broken world. Pain and suffering still exists here. The question is really how do we use the pain and suffering in our lives to glorify God? There are so many images of how we must go through trials to be refined. The sharpening of a knife means being ground against a stone. The refinement of precious metals means going through fire to burn off the chaff. God truly does want the best for us, and from us. He uses the trials of this fallen world to make us better and more like His Son. It is up to us to yield to the Master's hand. Glory be to God!

February 8, 2023

ARE YOU THE ONE CAUSING TROUBLE?

1 Kings 18:17-18 (3 Kingdoms 18:17-18)

When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Are you the one who is troubling Israel?” Elijah answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but rather you and the house of your father, in that you forsook the Lord your God and followed after the Baals.

Personal Challenge

Isn't this pretty much how we are all in our lives. We do things that create consequences that we do not like. Then we immediately look to someone else to blame for our troubles. Just like Flip Wilson of old, we proclaim, "The devil made me do it." There are always consequences for our choices. Good choices produce good consequences. Bad choices produce bad consequences. We most stop looking for others, especially God, to blame for the troubles that we are experiencing because of our own choices. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

February 7, 2023

THEY KEPT SILENT

Mark 9:33-35

Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?” But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”

Personal challenge

Oh, how often we have conversations and dialogues amongst ourselves where we pontificate on how much we know about God and His ways. Sometimes we do this in groups, face to face. Sometimes virtually in blogs, podcasts, and other means. We express the wisdom that we have acquired by our own means and hold it up as if they were words spoken by God Himself. Then Jesus comes along and asks us, "What were you discussing or disputing?" In His presence we realize that our opinions and expressions of self-gained knowledge mean nothing in the eyes of God and we go silent. Maybe it would have been much more wiser and prudent to have stayed silent all along. Jesus reminds us, even chastises us that it is better to strive to be last in line than fight for being first. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy on me, the sinner!

February 6, 2023

PROMISES KEPT

1 Kings 8:22-24 (3 Kingdoms 8:22-24)

You have kept what You promised Your servant David my father; You have both spoken with Your mouth, and fulfilled it with Your hand, as today. Now, O Lord God of Israel, keep what You promised Your servant David my father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man sit before Me on the throne of Israel, so long as your people guard and keep their ways to walk before Me, as you walked before Me.’ So now, O Lord God of Israel, let the word be confirmed You spoke to Your servant David my father.

Encouraging Words

One of the encouraging results of reading through the old testament is seeing how many times God makes a promise to His people and how He always follows through with fulfilling His promises. Even when the people would not hold up to their end of the bargain, God always does. This is a characteristic of God that we can hold on to. Glory be to God.

February 5, 2023

BELIEVING

Mark 9:23-24

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

Personal Challenge

There are two very important lessons in these two verses. The first is what happens in our lives. If we believe, truly believe, that Jesus is the incarnate and resurrected Son of God and that He can do anything and everything, without any doubts, then we will see that all things are possible in our lives. What kind of things? Healing. Changing of people's hearts. Resurrections from spiritual death. Things that both Jesus and His apostles did. The second lessons is the honesty of the father proclaiming that He believed in Jesus but that he needed Jesus to help him to believe more. That is something that we can all claim in our walk with Jesus. Glory be to God!

February 4, 2023

Saint of the Week

St. John Climacus

February 3, 2023

PAYING A PRICE

2 Samuel 24:24 (2 Kingdoms 24:24)

Then the king said to Orna, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with something that costs me nothing.” So David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

Personal Challenge

This is a very interesting passage in the Old Testament with a very valuable lesson for us to learn. Israel had been going through a time of plaque due to the the sins of the people and King David. David was commanded to build an altar and give a sacrifice to God to show remorse for their behavior. He went to the threshing floor owned by Orna as the place to build the altar and do the sacrifice. Orna offered the threshing floor and all the things needed to David for free. David rejected the offer and insisted that he must pay for the items. He indicated that he must not give a sacrifice that doesn't cost him anything. The lesson for us here is that we too must be paying a price to our Lord. None of this earns our salvation. Only God can give that to us through His Son. It is our service out of gratitude for this salvation that we offer to God. If it is not given out of a loving heart and costing us a price, then it is not a sacrifice. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

February 2, 2023

READY TO LOSE OUR LIFE?

Mark 8:34-35

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.

Personal challenge

It is not that difficult to proclaim to be a follower of Christ. What is difficult is to actually BE a follower of Christ. We must be willing to lay aside our entire life that we have built here on earth in order to take up our cross and follow Him. It may be all that knowledge that we have gained by reading books about God and Jesus. It may be that blog or podcast that we have so many followers on in order. But have we really just been a clanging symbol about Him? It may be that position in life, whether in the church, or our work, or the community, that we worked so hard to get, but which stands between us and Jesus. Jesus asks us to sacrifice everything for Him because that is what He did for us. Are we really ready to lose our life for Him or will we walk away as so many others have done? Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

February 1, 2023

O LORD!

2 Samuel 22:2-3

And he sang:
“O Lord, my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
My God will be my guardian, in whom I will trust;
My defender and the horn of my salvation,
My protector and the refuge of my salvation;
You will save me from unrighteousness.”

Encouraging words

What a wonderful proclamation of who God is in our lives. He is our rock, our fortress, and our deliverer. He is our guardian in whom we can put our trust. He is our defender and salvation. He is our protector and our refugee. He, and He alone, will save us from our unrighteousness. Glory be to God!