October 31, 2023

HAVE MERCY ON ME, O GOD

Psalms 57:1-3 (56:2-4)

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me,
For my soul trusts in You;
And in the shadow of Your wings I will hope,
Until lawlessness shall pass away.
I will cry out to God most High;
My God who is my benefactor.
He sent from heaven and saved me;
He gave over to disgrace those who trample me down. (Pause)
God sent out His mercy and His truth,

Encouraging Words

Our God is real! He is alive! He reigns over all of creation! Because of these truths, we can freely call out to Him and ask for His mercy and protection. Because He loves us, and all of His creation, He gives us that mercy and acts as our benefactor. Glory be to God! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

October 30, 2023

HE WILL COME AGAIN

Acts 1:9-11

Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

Encouraging Words

So many of the world religion look backward to base their teachings and actions on. In our Christian faith we look backward for the teachings and events that lay the foundation for what we believe and look forward to the return of our King as promised 2,000 years ago. This gives us hope for tomorrow. Glory be to God!

October 29, 2023

IN GOD I HOPE

Psalms 56:3-4 (55:4-5)

I will not fear by day,
But I will hope in You.
I will praise God with my words all day long;
In God I hope; I will not be afraid; what will flesh do to me?

Encouraging Words

I love reading through the psalms and learning from David, the author of many of them. God, himself, labeled David as "a man after His own heart". David had a very diverse life filled with challenges as well as victories. He sinned in and repented completely. He also proclaimed very often that his hope was in God, and God alone. We can learn from his writings and his passion for his God. Glory be to God!

October 28, 2023

Saint of the Week

St. Ignatius of Antioch

October 27, 2023

PLUNGED INTO THE SEA

John 21:7

Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea.

Personal Challenge

How much do we really love God? How about Jesus? Do we abandon everything in our life and "plunge into the sea" when we see Him active in our lives? It is so easy to get all caught up in the tyranny of the urgent that we miss those times when Jesus shows up in our lives. Or worse yet, we are so focused on the world that we live in that we stop looking for His presence. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

October 26, 2023

HOPE IN GOD

Psalms 55:22-23 (54:23-24)

Cast your care upon the Lord,
And He shall support you;
He will never allow the righteous to be moved.
But You, O God, will bring them down into the pit of decay;
Men of blood and deceit
Shall not live even half their days.
But I will hope in You, O Lord.

Encouraging Words

We can cast our cares upon our Lord and know that He will support us. He cares for us. He loves us. He puts His hedge of protection around us. This is the benefit of putting our hope in Him. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

October 25, 2023

BLESSED

John 20:29

Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Personal Challenge

They say that seeing is believing. I wonder if this saying comes from this account of Thomas. Jesus, however, teaches that believing is seeing. He calls those of us who believe in Him, having never seen Him, blessed. He appears to raise up the believers with higher esteem than the seers. We put our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ whom we have not seen, and we begin to see Him. Praise be to God!

October 24, 2023

HE HEARS ME

Psalms 55:16-18 (54:17-18)

But I cried out to God,
And the Lord heard me.
Evening and morning and midday, I shall tell;
I shall proclaim, and He will hear my voice.

Encouraging Words

God hears us. Whether we whisper His name in the quiet of the night or shout it out in the midst of our trials, He hears us and responds. This is how much He loves us and cares for us. Glory be to God!

October 23, 2023

WE HAVE SEEN

John 20:25

The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”

So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

Personal Challenge

How much are we really like Thomas? We will not believe our God and the truths about His works unless we see it with our own eyes. Where is our faith? Of course, we must be diligent as the Bereans to question what comes our way, but once we have validated the truth, we should hold on to it and live be it. We also need to be careful of going the other way and believing every conspiracy theory that comes our way. We can only fine the truth in Christ. Glory be to God!

October 22, 2023

OUR ACCEPTABLE SACRIFICE

Psalms 51:17 (50:19)

A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit,
A broken and humbled heart God will not despise.

Personal Challenge

What does God want from us? Does He want our service? He will receive it from us, but He desires something else. Our time reading the scriptures and saying prayers? He will receive and bless that, but He yearns for something else. He wants us to give our broken and humble heart to Him so that He can make it whole, pure, and filled with His Son. Glory be to God!

October 21, 2023

Saint of the Week

St. Basil the Great

October 20, 2023

THAT ALL MAY BE ONE

John 17:20-21

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.

Personal Challenge

Jesus knew 2,000 years ago that His bride, the church, would end up splintered and contentious. That is why He prayed for us to be one. What are we doing to fulfill our part of this prayer? We must always remember that we are followers of Christ first, Christians, and that we practice our love for Him at the church that we go to. We so often get this backwards and put our church before Him. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

October 19, 2023

CLEANSE ME, O LORD

Psalms 51:1-4 (50:2-6)

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy;
And according to the abundance of Your compassion, blot out my transgression.
Wash me thoroughly from my lawlessness
And cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my lawlessness,
And my sin is always before me.
Against You only have I sinned
And done evil in Your sight;
That You may be justified in Your words,
And overcome when You are judged.

Personal Challenge

This psalm presents David's lamentation after Nathan confronted him on his sinful relationship with Bathsheba. David did not fight back and defend his sinful actions. He immediately confessed his sin, repented, and reached out to his God for forgiveness and mercy. This is a prayer that we can all pray when we are reminded of our sins. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

October 18, 2023

NOT OF THIS WORLD

John 17:14-17

I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

Personal Challenge

This passage is taken from a prayer that Jesus was saying over His disciples, the apostles. It is clear in here that His followers are no longer a part of this world but a part of His heavenly kingdom. If we proclaim to be followers of Jesus, then it is imperative that we live our lives outside of this world. This will never be easy because the world hates Jesus and will hate us as well. We can count on Jesus to be there for us as we go through our life in this world. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

October 17, 2023

HE IS WITH US

Psalms 46:11 (45:12)

The Lord of hosts is with us,
The God of Jacob is our protector.

Encouraging Words

God promises He always be with us. He has been fulfilling this promise since He walked in the garden with Adam and Eve. He created us to be in relationship with us. He has never faltered on that. He is also our protector, so we have nothing to be fearful of. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

October 16, 2023

ETERNAL LIFE

John 17:3

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

Encouraging Words

What is eternal life? Knowing God, the only true God, and His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. By knowing God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and submitting our lives to Him, we will know, and experience eternal life. Glory be to God!

October 15, 2023

BE STILL

Psalms 46:10 (45:11)

Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations;
I will be exalted in the earth.

Personal Challenge

One thing that all followers of Christ desire in their lives is to know God. Not to know about Him, but to actually know Him. What we often forget is that to know Him, really know Him intimately, we must be still and wait for Him to reveal himself to us. We keep our lives so busy that He has no room to fit into our life. If we truly desire to know Him intimately then we must slow down and be still before him. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

October 14, 2023

Saint of the Week

St. Luke the Surgeon

October 13, 2023

PEACE

John 16:33

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Encouraging

God loves us so much that He gave up His Son to become one of us and to let Him die and be resurrected for us so that we too may see our own resurrection. In that love He gives true peace, life piercing and life dominating peace. We can claim the promise of this peace in our lives and share it with others. Glory be to God!

October 12, 2023

OUR REFUGE

Psalms 46:1 (45:2)

God is our refuge and power;
A help in afflictions that severely befall us.

Encouraging Words

Our God is not some distant, fictitious being that doesn't care about us. He is not some profound teacher who now lies in the grave. Our God is alive...always has been and always will be. He is near to us at all times. He has given us the Holy Spirit to guide and comfort us at all times. He is our refuge no matter what comes our way. Glory be to God!

October 11, 2023

ASK IN HIS NAME

John 16:23-24

And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

Encouraging Words

Jesus never taught His followers a prosperity gospel. All you have to do to realize this is to read the beatitudes. And yet, He tells us that if we ask anything from God in the name of Jesus, it will be given to us. Doesn't this contradict His other teachings? No! If we are following in the footsteps of Jesus, striving to be like Him, doing what He has asked us to do, then we will be asking God for the same things that Jesus would ask for. Our hearts, and therefore, our asks, would be in a alignment with Jesus. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

October 10, 2023

HOPE IN GOD

Psalms 42:11 (41:12)

Why are you so sad, O my soul? And why do you trouble me?
Hope in God, for I will give thanks to Him.
My God is the salvation of my countenance.

Encouraging Words

As we look at the world around us the wars, the terrorism, the changing climate, the lies that are proclaimed as the truth, it becomes easy to become despondent and sad. The answer to this is to take our eyes off the world and focus them on God. He is not only the salvation of our souls, but also the salvation of our countenance. We can, and must, put our hope in Him and give Him thanks. Glory be to God!

October 9, 2023

THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH

John 16:13

However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

Encouraging Words

As followers of Jesus Christ we are blessed by having the Holy Spirit living within us. He is the guardian of all truth and makes it available as we live our lives following in the footsteps of Jesus. We have the responsibility to live in such a way so that we do not quench the Holy Spirit and grow numb to His guidance. We are not alone in our journey to theosis and can lean on Him for the truth. Glory be to God!

October 8, 2023

BLESSED IS THE MAN (PERSON)

Psalms 40:4-5 (39:5-6)

Blessed is the man whose hope is the name of the Lord,
And who did not look into vanities and false frenzies.
Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders You performed,
And in Your thoughts there is no one who shall be likened to You;
I declared and said, “They are multiplied beyond number."

Personal Challenge

Don't we all want to be blessed by our God? Here is a message from the psalmist on how to receive those blessings. It begins by putting our hope in God. But is does not end there. We must not look into the vanities and false frenzies of the world. This is where the challenge comes in. We live in a world of fake news, of false reports of what is going on around us, and politicians and leaders that lie every chance that they get. We must seek God and His truths and turn from these vanities and false frenzies. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord have mercy!

October 7, 2023

Saint of the Week

St. Gregory the Great

October 6, 2023

THE WORLD HATES US

John 15:19

If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

Personal Challenge

This verse can sound a little radical, but it is quite true. If we are living our lives the way that Christ called us to live, we will stand out different than those around us. We will be hated by the world. Where this gets truly difficult and challenging is when that hatred comes from others in the church. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

October 3, 2023

HE HEARS ME

Psalms 40:1-3 (39:1-4)

I waited patiently for the Lord, and He heeded me;
And He heard my supplication,
And brought me up out of a miserable pit
And from miry clay;
And He established my feet on a rock
And kept straight my steps.
He put a new song in my mouth,
A hymn to our God;
Many will see and be afraid,
And shall hope in the Lord.

Encouraging Words

Our God is real. He is alive. He is the creator and sustainer of all. And He loves me. He heeds me when I wait patiently for him. He hears my supplications. He rescues me from miserable and miry pits that I fall into in this temporal life. He sets me on the firm path and guides my way. l will put my hope in Him and nothing else. Glory be to God!

October 2, 2023

FRIEND

John 15:15-17

No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another.

Encouraging Words

There is something special about being called a friend by someone that you of love and respect. It lifts you up and helps you to feel valued and appreciated. Jesus calls us His friends when we choose to follow Him. He chooses to reveal the truths of God, the Father to us, His friends. He gives us what we need to go and bear fruit. He asks the Father to meet our needs. As we grow in our friendship with Him, we follow His commandment to love one another. Thanks be to God!

October 1, 2023

PATIENCE --> HOPE

Psalms 39:7 (38:8)

And now what is my patience?
Is it not the Lord?
And my support is from You.

Encouraging Words

Life requires much patience. No one or no thing appears to be operating on the same timeline or agenda that we always are. Maybe we need to review that timeline or agenda. As we go forth on our journey of life, we must be willing exercise patience, patience with others, patience with ourselves, even with God. In order to do this, we must understand, and accept, that the right kind of patience comes from our Lord and that He will support us as we go through life. Glory be to God!

September 30, 2023

Saint of the Week

St. John Chrysostom

September 29, 2023

FRIENDSHIP

John 15:12-14

This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.

Personal challenge

Jesus continues to drive home the point of How important loving one another is. Loving a friend the way that God wants us to love leads us to the place where we would be willing to lay down our life for that person. Jesus calls us His friends and laid down His life for us. We are to do the same. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!