May 30, 2023

RESPONSIBILITY

Luke 12:48b

For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

Personal Challenge

God's economy, how He does things and measures things, is much different than the economy of this world. It is very important for us to recognize that if He chooses us to be blessed, there comes with that blessing the expectation that we will use it for His glory and not our gain. If riches, then sharing with those in need. If power or authority, then humility to apply it His way. His blessings bestowed upon us are to be shared in order to build to His kingdom. Glory be to God!

May 28, 2023

IN THE MORNING

Psalms 5:3 (5:4)

In the morning You shall hear my voice;
In the morning I will stand before You,
And I will watch.

Personal Challenge

What an awesome way to start a day. Calling out to God knowing that He will hear our voice. Standing before Him and watching for Him to reveal Himself in our day. Is this our personal challenge each day? Do we carve out this time to start our day, calling out and watching for Him? It is truly worth the effort to make this a daily practice. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

May 27, 2023

Saint of the Week

St. Athanasius

May 26, 2023

WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?

Luke 12:35-36

Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.

Personal Challenge

Anticipation. Is it a good thing or a bad thing? The answer really depends on what it is that we are anticipating. When Jesus was here, He kept telling us that He would be leaving us and that He world return to take us home with Him to heaven. That is the anticipation that these verses are referring to. We are to live every moment in anticipation that Jesus my return any time. We need to be ready for Him so that we can go with him. Are you ready? Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

May 25, 2023

PEACE

Psalms 4:8 (4:9)

I will both sleep and rest in peace,
For You alone, O Lord, cause me to dwell in hope.

Encouraging Words

For those of us who try to walk in the ways of our Lord, we experience His peace and rest. It is not until we are in those very precarious and even dangerous situations that we really understand and experience the depth of his protection over us and that ability to sleep soundly under His wings of love and protection. Glory be to God!

May 24, 2023

WHICH TREASURE?

Luke 12:34

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Personal Challenge

What is important to us? What is it that we persistently think about or talk to others about? Is it our occupation? Our stuff that we have collected along our journey of life? Our wealth? Our health? These are all earthly treasures and can disappear in an instant. Do we think about our God? What we can do for him? The family and friends that He has blessed us with? These are the things of heaven and where our heart should be focused. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

May 23, 2023

HE HEARD ME

Psalms 4:1

You heard me when I called, O God of my righteousness.
You strengthened my heart when I was in distress;
Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.

Encouraging Words

I love the Psalms. Reading through them you can see that the psalmist had a deep and passionate relationship with God. We can all have this kind of relationship with Him, a relationship where we know that we can cry out to Him and He hears us. We can only do this by spending time with Him, trusting Him, walking with Him as Adam and Eve did in the garden, talking to Him, and listening for His response. God will strengthen us in times of distress and always have mercy on us. Lord have mercy! Lord have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

May 22, 2023

THE FATHER'S GOOD PLEASURE

Luke 12:32-33

Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.

Encouraging Words

Our God loves us beyond all human measure. He desires to pour out His good, His love, His abundance upon us. What does He expect of us in return for this? He wants us to let go of all the worldly things that come between us and Him. It is only by letting go of these things that we will be freed up to embrace the treasures in heaven that He has in store for us. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

May 21, 2023

HIS BLESSING

Psalms 3:9

Salvation is of the Lord,
And Your blessing is upon Your people.

Encouraging Words

God takes care of His people. Even when we wander away from Him, He still loves us and takes care of us. We must always remember that when we do wander away from him that there will be consequences for doing that and we will have to live through those consequences. Even so, God loves us and will always bless us as His people. Glory be to God!

May 20, 2023

Saint of the Week

St. Isaac the Syrian

May 19, 2023

SEEK THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Luke 12:29-31

And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.

Personal Challenge

Part of dealing with worries in our lives is adjusting what we put our focus on. It is too easy to focus on the things of this world and forget that our God is our source of life. As we do this we end u p seeking those things the that are important to the world. The anecdote to this is to seek God and His kingdom and our focus begins to shift to Him. What He gives us is truly what we need. Glory be to God!

May 17, 2023

MY PROTECTOR, MY GLORY

Psalms 3:4-7 (3:3-4)

But You, O Lord, are my protector,
My glory and the One who lifts up my head.
I cried to the Lord with my voice,
And He heard me from His holy hill. (Pause)
I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the Lord will help me.
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who set themselves against me all around.

Personal Challenge

Throughout the history of mankind, all the way back to Adam and Eve, we have been beset by the sin of pride. We have a tendency to very quickly slip into the mode of thinking that we are able to do the anything and everything on our own and without someone. like God to guide us along our path of life. The Psalmist reminds us that we are nothing without God and that we can do nothing without Him. God is our protector. He is our glory. He lifts up our heads in those difficult times. We cry out to Him and He hears us. He helps us. He surrounds us with His loving presence. All glory belongs to God.

May 16, 2023

DO NOT WORRY

Luke 12:22-23

Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.”

Encouraging Words

It is so important for us to heed these words from our Lord. Worry can tear our lives apart and wear us down. God has His followers in the palm of His hand at all times. Do we really believe this? Then live accordingly. What is it that we so often find ourselves worrying about? It is usually the stuff of this world. God is so far beyond this world. He created and sustains this world. Do we believe that He can take care of us from His abundance? As I find myself quickly approaching that point in my life where I will be taking down my shingle and retiring, I find that there is so much to trust in Him for. He has provided so much to me throughout my life. Whether it was being fired from multiple jobs, losing loved ones, or dealing with illnesses, He has carried me through and I do not see that changing. God is my refuge and I have nothing to worry about. Glory be to God!

May 15, 2023

BLESSED IS THE MAN

Psalm 1:1-3

Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the way of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the troublesome;
But his will is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree
Planted by streams of waters,
That produces its fruit in its season;
And his leaf shall not wither,
And whatever he does shall prosper.

Encouraging Words

We are so blessed to be able to live in the new covenant with our God. This covenant is not based on what we do or don't do, but is based on what Jesus did on our behalf. He is our intercessor. He is our intermediary. He is our salvation. The more that we choose to live our lives trusting in Him and yielding our will to Him, the more blessed we are. Glory be to God!

May 14, 2023

CONFESSION OF OUR FAITH

Luke 12:8-9

Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.

Personal Challenge

It is important for us to be willing to confess our faith in Christ whenever the opportunity arises. We live in a world that does not like Christ. We must also be prepared to receive hostilities from others who do not believe. It is also important that our confession of our faith in Christ be done by our actions at all times. Our witness is destroyed when we live like everyone else in the world and yet say that we are followers of Christ. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

May 13, 2023

Saint of the Week

St. John Chrysostom

May 12, 2023

HONORABLE TO ALL MEN

3 Maccabees 3:3-5

The Jews, though, maintained their goodwill and unswerving faith toward the throne. But because they worshiped God and lived by His precepts, they kept themselves separate from others with regard to food, and therefore appeared hateful to some. But they adorned their way of life with the good deeds of righteous people, and thus established themselves as honorable to all men.

Personal Challenge

As Christians, we are to live our lives as Paul instructed in his writings, as foreigners in someone else's land. We are no longer citizens of this would but citizens of heaven and God's ambassadors. Even though we choose to live our lives set apart for God, and therefore, different than everyone around us our lives can be esteemed by those who disagree with our faith because we are righteous people doing good deeds for out neighbor. Glory be to God!

May 10, 2023

BLESSED

Luke 11:28

But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Encouraging Words

We live in a broken and hurting world. People are hurting deeply. They are depressed. They are angry. They are lonely. We are seeing day after day, the consequences of this. Everyone, no matter how old or how young, no matter their nationality, religion or any other determiners that they identify themselves with, desires to be blessed. Jesus gives us a simple formula for that blessing...hear the word of God and keep it. What is the essence of His word? Love God and love our neighbor. Do we want to be blessed in our lives? Then if we do these two things we will be blessed by God as well as be a blessing to others. Glory be to God!

May 9, 2023

TRUST

2 Maccabees 8:18

“For they trust in arms and bold acts,” he said, “but we trust in Almighty God, who with only one nod is able to overthrow both those who come against us and the entire world.”

Personal Challenge

It is always in the midst of our most difficult trials that our true trust in our God is put to the test. It is in these times that we must make the choice to trust that God will deliver us or end up putting our trust in ourselves or those around us. God, our Almighty God, always delivers when we put our trust in Him. Glory be to God!

May 8, 2023

WITH OR AGAINST

Luke 11:23

He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

Personal Challenge

We live in on age where no one wants to acknowledge that there are absolutes. Everything being relative has become a standard practice. Jesus taught us to live such that our "Yes" meant "Yes" and our "No" meant "No". There are many times when things are truly black or white with no shade of gray. Where are we putting our allegiances? In our political leaders? We must remember that we are sojourners in this world and that we are citizens of heaven, if we follow Christ. In our religious leaders? Only, if they are following Christ and His teachings. We are to be putting our entire focus and trust into our Lord Jesus Christ. Anything less than that puts us at odds with Him. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

May 7, 2023

NO PRETENDING

2 Maccabees 6:24-28

“For to pretend such things,” he said, “is not worthy of our time of life, lest many of the young should suppose that Eleazar in his ninetieth year has gone over to a foreign religion, and because of my pretense for the sake of living a brief moment longer, they should be led astray through me, while I earn only pollution and defilement in my old age. For even if for the present I should avoid the punishment of men, yet whether I live or die, I shall not escape the hands of the Almighty. Therefore by manfully giving up my life now, I will show myself worthy of my old age, and leave to the young a noble example of how to die a good death willingly and bravely for the venerable and holy laws.”

After he said this, he went straight to the rack,

Personal Challenge

The life of the Maccabees was very difficult. They were being persecuted and martyred for their belief in the one, true God. Eleazar had lived a godly life for his Yahweh for 90 years when he was called out for this commitment and brought into persecution. His persecutors tried to make him eat food that his faith practice deemed unholy. Rather than defile himself he was willing to go to the rack and give up his life for his God. When his friends tried to persuade him to pretend that he was eating the defiled food, he made this proclamation that he had not lived his life for his God just to throw it all away in this one moment and lead others, especially the youth astray. In his eyes there was no room for pretending. We can all take this mindset to heart. There are so many of us today proclaiming to be followers of Christ, even entire churches, that pretend to be a part of the world in order to win people to their way of thinking ,just to end up leading so many astray. This is what Eleazar refused to do. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

May 6, 2023

Saint of the Week

St. Sophrony

May 5, 2023

DIVISION

Luke 11:17

But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.”

Personal Challenge

Jesus is being accused by the religious leaders that He is actually from the devil and using demonic powers to perform His miracles. He responds with this profound truth that applies even more so today. How could He be doing His miracles as a demon without dividing the house of the devil. It is clear that His miracles are of God and attacks against the world of the devil. The application of this truth to today is how much the house of God, His universal church, has become divided, not only by striking out against each other but sometimes even striking out against God Himself. Jesus prayed that we would be unified in order to proclaim the glory of our God. Isn't it time that each one of us take up the banner of unification within His body, His bride. Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, the sinner!

May 4, 2023

GOD'S WILL

1 Maccabees 3:59-60

For it is better for us to die in war than to look upon the evils the Gentiles would bring to us and the sanctuary. But as God's will is in heaven, so He will do.

Personal Challenge

It is so easy for us to forget that when we chose to follow Christ we also chose to submit to His will and to strive to align our will with his. The world is always tugging at us to leave His will behind and to embrace the ways of the world. One way to be constantly reminded of the rewards of submitting to God's will is to be reading about the saints that have gone before us. Many paid the ultimate price of submitting to God's will with martyrdom. They trusted God to the very end and saw His ultimate grace and love in their challenges. Glory be to God!

May 3, 2023

ASKING, SEEKING, KNOCKING

Luke 11:9-10

So I say to you, 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.

Personal Challenge

All too often, this passage gets misinterpreted and our Lord is characterized as some great vending machine of posterity. These words, ask, seek, and knock, in the original Greek are actually "keep asking", "keep seeking", and "keep knocking". The context also is that we are praying for those things that are good in the eyes of God and in not so much so in the eyes of man. If we are walking in the steps of Christ, being like Him, then we will not be praying, for things that the world sees as good. When we ask, seek, and knock with his mindset...He delivers. Glory be to God!

May 2, 2023

THE MIGHT OF HEAVEN

1 Maccabees 3:18-19

Then Judas said, “It is easy to hem in many at the hands of a few, and it makes no difference before heaven to save with many or with few. For victory in battle does not come from the size of the army, but from the might of heaven.”

Encouraging Words

The Maccabees are another series of Apocryphal books that most Western Christians have never had the opportunity to read. Even so, there are many great nuggets of wisdom in these books. Judas Maccabeus had just taken over the leadership of the Maccabeans from his deceased father. Coming out of a victory over a much larger and better equipped army, he makes this claim that the victory belongs to God and not to men. This is a recurring theme in the Old Testament that we can all embrace even today. God is our victor in all the struggles and battles that we face day in and day out. We must always give Him the credit for the successes in our lives. Glory be to God!

May 1, 2023

THE GOOD PART

Luke 10:41-42

And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Encouraging Words

We have here Jesus complimenting Mary for choosing the good part of the event and rebuking Martha for not. So what is this good part that Mary chose? Jesus had just come into the home of Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus. As always, He sat down and started teaching those present. Mary chose to sit at the feet of Jesus and feast on His words. Martha, however, remained busy doing the work of preparing the house for the quests. Oh, how often we get so wrapped up in the busyness of "doing" God's work that we neglect the time of sitting at His feet soaking Him in. Even in our prayer life, we can be so busy talking at God that we miss the opportunity to experience Him. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!