August 30, 2023

DO YOU BELIEVE THIS?

John 11:25-26

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Encouraging Words

Sometimes I wonder if those of us who proclaim to be followers of Christ really believe. He proclaims that if we believe in Him, we will never die and yet we live our lives as if we might everything. We spend our limited hours amassing wealth and the things that it buys. We do things that do not bring His joy into our lives because they feed our passions. Our belief in Jesus must go much deeper than just a profession of faith. If we want to experience His resurrection life today, we must eliminate the things of his world and focus on Him. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

August 29, 2023

THE EYES OF THE LORD

Psalms 33:18-19 (32:18-19)

Behold, the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him,
On those who hope in His mercy,
To deliver their souls from death
And to keep them alive in famine.

Encouraging Words

It is so encouraging to know that when we commit our lives to be followers of Christ that our God sets His eyes upon us every moment of every day. He holds us in the palm of His hand. He guards and protects us. He meets our needs so that we can live for Him. Thanks be to God!

August 28, 2023

ABUNDANT LIFE

John 10:10

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Personal Challenge

There is a thief in this world that has made it his mission to distract us from living a life for God. He is crafty and relentless. His desire is to steal our joy in the Lord, to kill our relationship with Him, and ultimately to destroy our lives. Jesus defeated him and his relentless grip on mankind. Jesus has given us life, eternal and abundant life, which no one, or no thing, can ever take away from us. Glory be to God!

August 27, 2023

HE WILL...

Psalms 32:8 (31:8)

“I will give you understanding, and I will teach you in the way you should walk;
I will fix My eyes on you."

Encouraging Words

When we give our lives over to our God, truly submit to Him and His will, we will see great things happen in our lives. These will not be great things as the world defines them, but great as God does. He will give us understanding. He will teach us in the way that we should walk, the way of life eternal. He will fix His eyes on us and will always be there with us and for us, as we traverse life's journey. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

August 26, 2023

Saint of the Week

St. John Climacus

August 25, 2023

ABIDE IN HIS WORD

John 8:31-32

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Personal Challenge

It is important for us to note that Jesus tells us that to be His disciples we are to abide in His word, in Him. Are we focusing our lives to be followers of Jesus Christ or are we more focused on being Protestant, Catholic, or Orthodox? If we are truly following Him, yielding our will to His, spending time in prayer, studying the scriptures and worshiping Him with fellow believers, then we are abiding in Him and practicing that relationship in whichever Christian faith practice that He draws us to. That is how we will experience His freedom. Glory be to God!

August 24, 2023

LOVE THE LORD

Psalms 31:23-24 (30:24-25)

Love the Lord, all you His saints,
For the Lord seeks out truth,
And He repays those who act with great arrogance.
Be courageous, and let your heart be strengthened,
All who hope in the Lord.

Encouraging Words

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are His saints, His living saints, and representatives of His Good News for all of mankind. He knows the truth of what lies hidden in our hearts and will flush out any arrogance that comes between us and Him. Because our hope is in Him, we can be courageous and be strengthened in our heart, Praise be to God!

August 23, 2023

NO MORE DARKNESS

John 8:12

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

Encouraging Words

Our world seems to be getting darker all the time. Throughout the history of mankind, all civilizations seem to devolve into a state of darkness and despair. However, over the last 2,000 years, Jesus has continued to shine through as the light of the world, the light of life. All that we need to do to be bathed in that light is follow Him. Glory be to God!

August 21, 2023

IN YOU, O LORD

Psalms 31:1-5 (30:1-6)

In You, O Lord, I hope; may I not be ashamed forever;
In Your righteousness deliver and rescue me.
Incline Your ear to me;
Rescue me speedily;
Be to me a God who protects me,
And a house of refuge to save me.
For You are my strength and my refuge,
And for Your name's sake You will guide and sustain me;
For You will bring me out from the snare they hid for me;
For You are my protector.
Into Your hands I shall entrust my spirit;
You redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.-

Encouraging Words

Why would you be a follower of Christ? What does Christianity have to offer you? I have heard these questions and many more like them. We all have something or someone that we put our faith in. It is how we are wired, or as a Christian would say, created. I put my faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, just as the author of this psalm did. Why? Because my God delivers and rescues me in His righteousness. He listens to me. He rescues me. He protects me. He is my house of refuge. My strength comes from Him. He guides and sustains me. He pulls me out of the snares of life that have been set for me. He is my protector. He redeems me. I am not ashamed to put my hope in Him and to entrust my spirit to Him. Glory be to God!

August 20, 2023

CONVICTED BY THEIR CONSCIENCE

John 8:7-9

So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

Personal Challenge

Have we become a society that no longer has a moral compass, a godly conscience, to guide us? Worse yet, have those of us who proclaim to be followers of Christ lost so much of our understanding of who He is, and what He has taught us, that we are no different than the world around us? God created us to know the difference between right and wrong. He created us with the ability to seek the truth and run from a lie. As true followers of Christ we can learn even more about how to be beacons of light of His truth and shine it into the world. It is time for us to drop our stones and to walk away from those who are perpetrating lies and conspiracies for their own good. It is time for us to be convicted by our conscience and to do the right and godly things, Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

August 19, 2023

Saint of the Week

St. Gregory of Nyssa

August 17, 2023

FROM SADNESS TO GLADNESS

Psalms 30:11-12 (29:12-13)

You turned my lamentation into dancing for me;
You tore up my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
That my glory may sing praise to You,
And not be pierced with sadness;
O Lord my God, I shall give thanks to You forever.

Personal Challenge

Throughout our lives we will have events that will alter the course of our life journey. Sometimes these are positive. Sometimes they are negative. In all cases, the course is changed and will never be restored. What we can do is turn to our Lord and seek His guidance on the new course. Only through Him will our lamentation turn into dancing and our sorrow be turned into gladness. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

August 16, 2023

RIVERS OF LIVING WATER

John 7:37-38

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

Encouraging Words

It still amazes me that God chooses to use us His, followers, as His means to share His gospel, the good news. We are still sinners and so often mess up in being His emissaries. And yet, He not only trusts us to do this important job, but He gives us what we need to do in it. Jesus promised us that if we believe in Him rivers of living water will flow from our hearts bringing His power to quench the thirst of those in need. Glory be to God!

August 15, 2023

JOY IN THE MORNING

Psalms 30:5 (29:6)

For there is wrath in His anger,
But life in His will;
Weeping will lodge at evening,
But great joy in the morning.

Encouraging Words

God is characterized as angry against sin and unrighteousness. His desire for His creation, His beloved, is that we live in alignment with His will. This is where we find life. However, another characteristic of God is love. His love for His creation gives us a means by which we can live in alignment with his will. It is His only begotten Son who paved the way for us to have life eternal and the gift of the Holy Spirit to live that life for God and experience His God great joy in the morning. Glory be to God!

August 14, 2023

TO WHOM SHALL WE GO?

John 6:68-69

But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Encouraging Words

As we get to a place in our walk with Christ where we truly see Him as the Son of the living God, and fully give our lives over to Him, we too reach this place where we see that there are no other options but Jesus. He is our Lord and Savior. He is our of life, and life to the fullest. Praise be to God!

August 13, 2023

WAIT

Psalms 27:13-14 (26:13-14)

I believe I shall see the Lord's goodness in the land of the living.
Wait on the Lord;
Be courageous, and strengthen your heart,
And wait on the Lord.

Personal Challenge

Living in a culture where everything is expected instantly, it becomes easy to apply this mindset to everything including waiting on God to meet our needs. God wants us to rely on Him for all that transpires in our lives. We can choose to believe that we shall see Lords goodness in our lives. We can live our lives on the Lord. We can be courages knowing that He will strengthen our hearts. Glory be to God!

August 12, 2023

Saint of the Week

St. Francis of Assisi

August 11, 2023

NEVER HUNGER OR THIRST

John 6:35

And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

Encouraging Words

Jesus promises us that He will away be with us and feed us the spiritual food that we need to be sustained in Him. He is the bread of life. We have the blessing of partaking, physically, in that meal during every service that we eat and drink the eucharistic meal. As we believe in our Orthodox practice, that which is bread and wine, gets transformed into the body and blood of Christ for us to partake of and to be sustained by. Glory be to God!

August 10, 2023

SEEKING GOD

Psalms 27:8 (26:8)

My heart speaks to You; my face seeks You;
Your face, O Lord, I will seek.

Personal Challenge

In the las verse from this psalm (4) we read of the desire psalmist to dwell in the house of the Lord forever. This verse gives us guidance on how to get to that place. We must seek Him. We must look for Him in every aspect of our lives. We will find Him in the good events as well as the bad. If we seek, we will find. Glory be to God!

August 9, 2023

THE PROPHET

John 6:14

Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

Personal Challenge

Jesus had just finished the miracle of feeding the 5,000 with five loves of bread and two fish. However. He had already performed many more miracles healing. Sometimes we go through life watching everything that Jesus is doing in every one else's lives, but do not recognize Him as Lord and Savior until He does something for us. He wants us to believe in Him regardless of whose life He is touching and blessing. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

August 7, 2023

OUR DWELLING PLACE

Psalms 27:4 (26:4)

One thing I ask from the Lord; this I will seek,
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
And behold the delights of the Lord,
And visit His temple.

Encouraging Words

David requested one very important thing in this psalm. He requested that he be able to dwell in the house of his Lord all the days of his life. Through Jesus, this request can be fulfilled for all of us. Jesus ushered in the kingdom of God with His incarnation and work on the cross. He made it possible for all who follow Him to dwell in the house of the Lord, His temple, all the days of our lives and on into eternity. Praise be to God!

August 6, 2023

COME TO HIM

John 5:39-40

You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

Personal Challenge

It has become so easy for people to search for Christ, and ultimately eternal life, every where but at the foot of Christ. Books have been written. Websites have been set up. Podcasts have been recorded. All of these by people professing their "knowledge" of Christ. None of this is of any value unless we start our journey to eternal life at the feet of Jesus. We must come to Him before we can be a follower of Him Lord have mercy! Lord, have merely! Lord, have mercy!

August 5, 2023

Saint of the Week

St. Justin Popovic

August 4, 2023

WHOM SHALL I FEAR?

Psalms 27:1 (26:1)

The Lord is my light and my savior; whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the defender of my life; whom shall I dread?

Encouraging Words

Even though life in this world may be full of conflicts and adversaries to those who chose to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, God is still our light, our savior, and our a defender. He reigns over all and is more powerful than any one or any thing that raises up against us. He is our Lord. Glory to be to God!

August 3, 2023

GOD'S WILL

John 5:30

I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

Personal Challenge

We must always remember that Jesus was fully God and fully human. As a human He had to choose to submit His will to God's. That is what made His humanness so important. As a human He showed us that we to can choose to submit our will to God's. This is something that we must choose to do over and over. God has blessed us with the Holy Spirit to help us do this. As we learn to submit to the Holy Spirit as our guide and comforter we learn to submit to God. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

August 2, 2023

GOOD AND UPRIGHT

Psalms 25:8-11 (24:8-11)

Good and upright is the Lord;
Therefore He will instruct sinners in His way.
He will guide the gentle in judgment;
He will teach the gentle His ways.
All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth
For those who seek His covenant and His testimonies.
For Your name's sake, O Lord,
Pardon my sin, for it is great.

Encouraging Words

Our God is so good, so full of mercy and grace. He loves us dearly and desires so much for us. Even while we are still sinners be instructs us and leads us to Him. He guides us, He teaches us, and He pardons our sins. He is our source of a true and full life. Praise be to God!

August 1, 2023

FROM DEATH INTO LIFE

John 5:24

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”

Encouraging Words

Those who have not proclaimed Jesus as their Lord and savior are indeed living a life of death. They are the walking dead. Jesus died on the cross that we might be able to live eternally through Him. He out death to death. This does not mean that our eternal life begins after we die in this physical world. It means that our eternal life started the very moment that we put we put our trust in Him. Glory be to God!