December 29, 2023

NONE DESERVE GOD

Romans 3:10-12

As it is written:
“There is none righteous, no, not one;
There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.”

Personal Challenge

Paul reminds us in his letter to the Romans that none of us deserve God's presence in our lives. We do not deserve the grace and mercy that God chooses to pour out upon us. This is not as much to point out our depravity as it is to point out God's great love and compassion for us, His creation. Our salvation from death is in Him, and Him alone. We cannot earn our salvation. God freely gives it to us. Glory be to God!

December 28, 2023

REMEMBER ME, O LORD

Psalms 89:47-48 (88:48-49)

Let my substance be remembered, as to what sort it is,
For did You create all the sons of men in vain?
What kind of man is there who will live and not see death?
Will he deliver his soul from the hand of Hades? (Pause)

Personal Challenge

God is eternal, we are not. God is all good, we sin. There are those times in our lives where we feel lost in the greatness of everything, and we call out to God asking that He remember us. He does. He always does. He desires that we walk with Him as Adam and Eve did in the garden. He cares for us and guides us through this journey of life. It is up to us to listen to Him and to follow Him. Glory be to God!

December 27, 2023

OUTWARD VS INWARD

Romans 2:28-29

For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.

Personal Challenge

Paul had to deal with the problem of the Judaizers in the early church trying to convince new Christians that they had to follow the traditions of their Jewish heritage before they could be truly identified as followers of Christ. Outward appearances were more important than inward presence. We have something similar happening in our churches today. We are seeing the rise of zealots that believe the church had a special, glorious heyday in the past, a golden age, that we must return to in order to be pure again. This is especially happening in both the Orthodox and the Catholic churches, which have people pursuing past traditions more than pursuing Christ. In Protestant churches this is playing out in a form of pursuing nationalism and believing the true Church must be a national church. Again, Jesus is not being pursued. We must all go back to pursuing Christ, and Christ alone. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

December 22, 2023

BUT YOU, O LORD

Psalms 86:15 (85:15)

But You, O Lord, are compassionate and merciful,
Longsuffering and very merciful and truthful.

Encouraging Words

Our God is compassionate and merciful. He is longsuffering and truthful. He loves us so dearly and desires to bestow these characteristics upon us. He wants us to bathe in that love. Glory be to God!

December 21, 2023

NO PARTIALITY

Romans 2:11

For there is no partiality with God.

Personal Challenge

A sad thing that is happening in the church today is partiality. We are becoming divided because of personal commitment to politics, dogma, race, color, creed, sexuality, and a myriad of other issues. Jesus died for all of creation. "God so loved the world" is what the scriptures tell us. Paul reminds us here in his letter to the Romans that there is no partiality with God. If we truly love Him, if we follow His command to love Our neighbor... all of them, then how can we be partial. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

December 20, 2023

GIVING THANKS

Psalms 86:12 (85:12)

I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
And I shall glorify Your name forever;

Personal Challenge

Sometimes it is easy to slip into a lazy mode and halfheartedly give thanks and glory to God. He should always be the very center of our lives. When we give thanks to Him it should be with our whole hearts and being. I know that I so often miss this mark because I let the cares of this world get in the way. Lord, have mercy! We can begin correcting this behavior by thanking God for the little things in our lives knowing that He provides even them. Then we can move on to thanking Him for everything and giving Him the glory that He deserves. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

December 19, 2023

Do Not Judge

Romans 2:1

Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.

Personal Challenge

There is only one in the Christian faith that has the authority to judge another. That is our Lord Jesus Christ. I can never understand where people who profess to be followers of Christ also claim that by that following, they are called to judge others. The scriptures make it clear that we are to love our neighbor and let Jesus take care of any judging. We must always remember that in judging another, we condemn ourselves. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

December 18, 2023

TURN US, O GOD

Psalms 85 (84)

O Lord, You were pleased with Your land; You turned back the captivity of Jacob;
You forgave the transgressions of Your people;
You covered all their sins. (Pause)
You ended all Your wrath;
You turned from the wrath of Your anger.
Turn us, O God of our salvation,
And turn away Your anger from us.
Will You be angry with us forever,
Or will You prolong Your anger from generation to generation?
O God, You will turn and give us life,
And Your people will be glad in You.
Show us Your mercy, O Lord,
And grant us Your salvation.
I will hear what the Lord God will speak in me,
For He will speak peace
To His people and to His holy ones,
And to those who turn their heart to Him.
His salvation is very close at hand to those who fear Him,
That glory may dwell in our land.
Mercy and truth met together;
Righteousness and peace kissed each other;
Truth arose from the earth,
And righteousness looked down from heaven.
For the Lord will give goodness,
And our land shall yield its fruit.
Righteousness shall go before Him
And establish His footsteps as our pathway.

Encouraging Words

God is relentless in His love for us, His creation. He is patient as He waits for us to recognize our need for Him. He gave us His only begotten Son as a baby in a manger so that we might turn to Him and follow His footsteps on our pathway to heaven. God will bless those who submit to Him and humbly pursue Him. Glory be to God!

December 17, 2023

CLEARLY SEEN

Romans 1:20-21

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Personal Challenge

No one has an excuse for not knowing about God. He has wired Himself into all of creation. He has also built a need for Him in our DNA. And yet, He forces no one to commit to Him. We, the western Christian, need to be very careful about the constraints that we put on people as to whether or not we recognize others as followers of Christ. Only God knows the true state everyone's heart. Our role in all this is to show God's love by loving our neighbor. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

December 16, 2023

Saint of the Week

St. Origen

December 15, 2023

GRACE AND GLORY

Psalms 84:11-12 (83:12-13)

For the Lord God loves mercy and truth;
He will give grace and glory;
The Lord’s hand will not remove good things from those who walk in innocence.

O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who hopes in You.

Encouraging Words

It is so good to know that if we live our lives hoping in our Lord, then He will bless us. If we strive to be innocent and righteous as Jesus was then He will not remove good things from us. He will give us grace and glory because He loves mercy and truth. Glory be to God!

December 14, 2023

NOT ASHAMED

Romans 1:16-17

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

Personal Challenge

We must always be willing to ask ourselves if we are willing to profess the gospel of Christ, the Good News, to those around us at any time or in any situation. It is this message that saves everyone who believes in it from eternal death. It is this message that gives us the ability to lead full and productive lives for our God. We need God so much more than He needs us and yet He gave His all for us. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

December 12, 2023

LONGING FOR GOD

Psalms 84:1-2 (83:1-3)

How beloved are Your dwellings, O Lord of hosts.
My soul longs and faints for the courts of the Lord;
My heart and my flesh greatly rejoice in the living God.

Personal Challenge

Our God loves us so much. Do we have a deep love in our hearts for Him? Does our soul long for Him? Do we faint in gratitude when we see His presence in our lives? Do we greatly rejoice in Him? These characteristics are the results of pursuing Him and trying to walk in the footsteps of His Son, Jesus. Glory be to God!

December 11, 2023

PREACHING AND TEACHING

Acts 28:30-31

Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.

Personal Challenge

Paul demonstrates for us the type of life that we should be living for Jesus. We are all given gifts from God that are spiritual and for the building up and edification of the church, the body of Christ. There is never a point in our relationship with Jesus where we retire from using those gifts for Him. Even when we grow weary from our labors, we continue to do His work. Glory be to God!

December 10, 2023

STAYING CLOSE TO GOD

Psalms 73:26-27 (72:26-27)

My heart and my flesh fail,
O God of my heart; and God is my portion forever.
For behold, those who keep themselves far away from You shall perish;
You destroy away from You all who act unfaithfully.

Personal Challenge

We cannot be Christian in name only. We are not Christian because we are born in America. We are Christian because we follow Jesus Christ and try to walk in His footsteps. This means that we stay close to Him and do what He does. This means that we love God and love our neighbor. This means that we are counter to the culture that we live in because our heart and mind are focused on the kingdom of our citizenship, heaven. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

December 9, 2023

Saint of the Week

St. Anthony of the Desert

December 8, 2023

RESOLUTE

Acts 21:13

Then Paul answered, “What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

Personal Challenge

Paul knew that his future in Jerusalem was filled with danger and sorrow, even to the point of death. Yet he still pressed forward because his relationship with Jesus and his calling to be an apostle for Him was greater than any potential risk. Paul was resolute to answer God's call. This always drives me to search my heart and ask if I would be willing to answer a call such as this. Am I willing to go wherever God asks me to go? to do what He asks me to do? to live fully live for Him? Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

December 7, 2023

COUNSEL AND GLORY

Psalms 73:24 (72:24)

With Your counsel You guide me,
And with glory You take hold of me.

Encouraging Words

One of the things that sets the Christian faith apart from other religious is that we are not let alone in our walk through life. Our God promises to be there with us every step of the way. He is not there to chide us for every mistake we make. He is there to give us His counsel and to guide us. He is there to hold on to us and to shine His glory into our lives. Glory be to God!

December 6, 2023

SAVAGE WOLVES

Acts 20:29

For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.

Personal Challenge

As I observe what is going on in our world today, especially in the way that earthly politics has made it into the church, I see that Paul's prediction of the challenges that we will face are upon us. Not only is the world around us being consumed by savage wolves, but they are now in so many of our churches and being embraced as modern-day saviors. We must resist this with our entire being. We must raise up the standard of God's church, His flock, as a body set apart from the world. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy.! Lord, have mercy!

December 5, 2023

FROM BIRTH

Psalms 71:5 (70:6)

By You I have been supported from birth;
From my mother's womb You have been my protector;
My song shall be always of You.

Encouraging Words

God holds us in His hands from the time of conception through eternity. That is how much He loves us and desires that we love Him. He knows every decision that we will make in our lives, both good and bad, and yet He still gives us free will and His unconditional love. The key to this is the question of what we will do with that great love. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

December 3, 2023

IN HIM

Acts 17:28

for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’

Encouraging Words

When Paul was preaching to the Athenians about the true name of their unknown god, he pointed them to God, the Father, son, and Holy Spirit. It is our God who created all that ever has been and ever will be. He holds it in the palm of His hand. He created us and it is in Him that we live and move and have our being. Glory be to God!

December 2, 2023

Saint of the Week

St. Isaac of Syria

December 1, 2023

IN YOU I HOPE, O GOD

Psalms 71:1-3 (70:1-3)

O God, in You I hope; may I never be put to shame.
Deliver me in Your righteousness, and set me free;
Incline Your ear to me and save me.
Be to me a God for protection
And a strong place for salvation,
For You are my foundation and my refuge.

Encouraging Words

The psalmist so elegantly reminds us of our need to be thankful for our God and to constantly put our hope in Him. When we walk in the footsteps of His Son, we will never be put to shame. He delivers us from the traps in this temporal life and sets us free. He hears our supplications and petitions and saves us, even from death. He is our protection, our salvation, our foundation, and our refuge. Glory be to God!

November 30, 2023

TURNING THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN

Acts 17:6

But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.

Personal Challenge

The Christian message, the Good News, has been turning the world upside down for over 2,000 years. We have been called to be active participants, as followers of Jesus, to be these change agents in the world around us. How are we doing? Can people call us out as they did the apostles for changing every place they went to? Do people recognize us as followers of Jesus? If not, then maybe it is time to let the Holy Spirit start using us for God's good. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

November 29, 2023

FOLLOWING CLOSE

Psalms 63:8 (62:9)

My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand takes hold of me.

Personal Challenge

Proximity is an important thing in our walk with Jesus. The farther away we are from our source of life and energy, the dimmer He becomes in our lives. If we truly desire to be a disciple of our Lord, then we must always follow close behind Him, our eyes focused on Him, and our hands extended to Him so that He take hold and lead us as we follow Him. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!