February 27, 2024

HE IS GOOD

Psalms 118:1-4 (117:1-4)

Alleluia.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Israel say that He is good,
For His mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Aaron say that He is good,
For His mercy endures forever.
Let all who fear the Lord say that He is good,
For His mercy endures forever.

Personal Challenge

We are also called to enter into this praise of our Lord. His mercy does endure forever. We are continually the recipients of His mercy and love. We can proclaim at the top of our lungs with joy and fervor that He is good and that we are blessed, for His mercy endures forever. Glory be to God!

February 26, 2024,

THE DEPTH OF THE RICHES OF GOD

Romans 11:33-36

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!

“For who has known the mind of the LORD?
Or who has become His counselor?”
“Or who has first given to Him
And it shall be repaid to him?”

For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

Encouraging Words

We have no way of ever understanding the magnificence of God. The depth of the riches of His wisdom and knowledge is unfathomable. We can never see the breadth and magnitude of His judgments. And yet, He loves us. He adopts us into His family, He gives eternal life, Glory be to God!

February 24, 2024

Saint of the Week

St. Macarius the Great

February 23, 2024

PRAISE HIM

Psalms 117 (116)

Alleluia.
Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles;
Praise Him, all you peoples,
For His mercy rules over us;
And the truth of the Lord endures forever.

Personal Challenge

We are all called to praise our Creator, our God. We are all benefactors of His mercy and recipients of His truth. We have so much that we can praise Him for. Glory be to God!

February 22, 2022

BEING SENT AND GOING

Romans 10:14-15

How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:

“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,
Who bring glad tidings of good things!"

Personal Challenge

It is so important that we heed the voice of our Lord when He sends us out to proclaim Him and His word to the lost world. You may think that God has never sent you but He has. Jesus' last words were for His followers to go and proclaim His gospel, the Good News, to the entire world and to make disciples of all. We are part of that great commission. It is one thing to be sent it is another to go willingly. We cannot be like Jonah and choose to not go where we are sent or be upset when God uses us to save our enemies. We must be His hands, feet, and voices to the world. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner, and forgive me for not heeding your command to go and share your Good News.

February 21, 2024

HE INCLINED HIS EAR TO ME

Psalms 116:1-2 (114:1-2)

Alleluia.
I have loved, because the Lord Shall hear the voice of my supplication;
For He inclined His ear to me,
And in my days I shall call upon Him.

Encouraging Words

God hears us. He hears all of our prayers and supplications. He also answers them. Sometimes with a "yes." Sometimes with a "No." Sometimes with a "Wait." The real question here is do we incline our ear towards Him to hear His answer? Do we listen for His still, small voice, or just keep pressing for the answer that we want. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

February 19, 2024

CONFESSING CHRIST

Romans 10:8-13

But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”

Personal Challenge

Once again, we are reminded that being a Christian is being an active follower of Jesus Crist. We must be willing to profess with our mouth and believe in our heart that Jesus was raised from the dead for our benefit. This is then followed by actively following in His footsteps, being His hands and feet in this world that needs Him so badly. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

February 18, 2024

PRAISE

Psalms 113:3 (112:3)

From the rising of the sun to its setting,
Praise the name of the Lord.

Personal Challenge

When are we supposed to praise God? Only during our times of worship? No! Only when we go to church? No! With every breath we take, with every beat of our heart, every thought, every action, we are to be praising Him. He is the only One worthy of praise. Glory be to God!

February 17, 2024

Saint of the Week

St. John Chrysostom

February 16, 2024

THE LOVE OF GOD

Romans 8:35-39

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written:

“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Encouraging Words

Paul makes it very clear that we can hold on to the promises of God for He will never allow us to be separated from His love ever again. Jesus destroyed the bondage that sin had on us and the consequences of death that were the result of that sin. Jesus died so that we could live. He became man so that we could become children of God, striving to be like Him. He gave us the gift of eternal life. Glory be to God!

February 15, 2024

GOD'S LIGHT

Psalms 112:4 (111:4)

For the upright, light springs up in darkness,
For he is merciful, compassionate, and righteous.

Encouraging Words

There is an uncreated light that shines so bright that it reveals everything. God is surrounded by that light. In the darkness of this fallen world, God showed forth that uncreated light in the incarnation of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. In Jesus we were given mercy, compassion, and righteousness. Glory be to God!

February 14, 2024

GOD IS FOR US

Romans 8:31-32

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

Encouraging Words

If you read through the scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, with a Christological point of view, you cannot help but see that from the very beginning point of creation to today, God is for us, His created children. God has given His all for us so that we might desire Him and to be in His presence. Just as He walked with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, He desires to walk with every one of us and interact with us. So, if God is for us, who can be against us. Glory be to God.

February 12, 2024

WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING

Psalms 111:10 (110:10)

The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord;
A good understanding is in all who practice it.
His praise continues unto ages of ages.

Personal Challenge

There are many people in the world of Christianity today that believe they got there by their own wisdom and research. The problem with that is they continue to rely on that self-acquired knowledge and ultimately end up thinking their way out of their relationship with Jesus Christ. True Wisdom only comes from a relationship with God. A relationship based on sincere awe and respect. He gives us His Wisdom in this case. A Wisdom that leads to understanding, Glory be to God!

February 11, 2024

ALL THINGS

Romans 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Encouraging Words

The scriptures promise us that all things in our lives work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. That does not mean that things are always good as some prosperity gospels teach. Life happens. We live in a fallen world, and it is broken. We choose to sin and there are always consequences for our sin. What the scriptures are saying is that if we love God and are trying walk in His ways, live according to His purpose, everything that happens in our life will ultimately work out for our good, God's definition of good. This is a promise that we can hold on to and cherish. Glory be to God!

February 10, 2024

Saint of the Week

St. Nikolai Velimirovich

February 9, 2024

A REMEMBRANCE

Psalms 111:4 (110:4)

He made a remembrance of His wonders;
The Lord is merciful and compassionate;

Personal Challenge

How well do we keep a remembrance of the wonders of God and what He has done in our lives? Do we often forget to thank Him for His mercy and compassion that He pours out on us? God loves us dearly. His Son, Jesus the Christ, gave His all, for us. The Holy Spirit dwells within us to guide our paths. Where is our remembrance? Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner and forgive me for getting so caught up in the things of this world that I forget to glorify you!

February 8, 2024

ADOPTED

Romans 8:14-15

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

Encouraging Words

"Abba, Father." What an endearing statement this is. As followers of Christ, we have been adopted into the family of God. We have the privilege of speaking to God as our loving and caring father. Through His love and act of adoption we are no longer in bondage, or slavery, to sin but are now sons and daughters of our God. Glory be to God, our Father, our Abba!

February 7, 2024

His Mercy Is Good

Psalms 109:21-22 (108:21-22)

But You, O Lord, O Lord, deal mercifully with me for Your name's sake,
For Your mercy is good.
Save me, for I am poor and needy,
And my heart is troubled within me.

Encouraging Words

Our God deals with us mercifully and His mercy is good. He gives us so much more than we ever deserve. Through Him our troubled heart can be healed and made whole again. Glory be to God!

February 6, 2024

ALIVE IN CHRIST

Romans 8:10

And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

Encouraging Words

Due to the fallen state of this world, we are born in a state of death. Both our physical bodies and spiritual souls are condemned to death. However, because of Jesus, His incarnation, sinless life, death, and resurrection, He has destroyed death and the hold that it had on us. We are dead to sin because of Him alive to righteousness. We can, and should choose to live righteous, sinless lives for Him. Glory be to God!

February 5, 2024

SINGING TO THE LORD

Psalms 104:33-34 (103:33-34)

I will sing to the Lord all my life;
I will sing to my God as long as I exist;
May my words be pleasing to Him,
And I shall be glad in the Lord.

Personal Challenge

Do we ever consider the possibility that our prayer time with God might be singing to Him? He created us so that we could be in a relationship with Him. He desires to hang out with us. Do we desire the same? We pray that our words will be pleasing to Him. Glory be to God!

February 4, 2024

NO CONDEMNATION

Romans 8:1-2

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

Personal Challenge

This verse is so often used to justify behaviors that are contradictory to the teachings and expectations of our Lord Jesus Christ. Many proclaim to be Christians and yet do not follow in His footsteps, or as this verse says, "walk... according to the Spirit". We can proclaim to be followers of Christ and in conspiracy theories or belittle those who do not practice their Christian faith the way we do or be nationalists for our home is not of this world, or be hostile to the alien amongst us, the migrant or immigrant. Jesus did not do any of this and expects us to flee from it as well. He wants us to love God and to love our neighbor. He wants us to worship God and not some political, sports, or religious celebrity. He wants us to walk according to the Spirit. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

February 3, 2024

Saint of the Week

St. Gregory of Nyssa

February 1, 2024

MERCY AND RIGHTEOUSNESS

Psalms 103:17-18 (102:17-18)

But the mercy of the Lord is from age to age upon those who fear Him,
And His righteousness upon children's children,
To such as keep His covenant
And remember His commandments, to do them.

Encouraging Words

We are reminded in John 3:16-17 that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. It is in this love that we are blessed to receive His love and righteousness. He pours it out upon us and if we follow Him, He grows it within us. Glory be to God!

January 31, 2024

DO I DO OR DO I NOT DO

Romans 7:17-20

But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

Personal Challenge

Paul nails the challenge of life so well in this passage. We all have that desire to do the good and godly things in our lives. And yet, we continually find ourselves doing just those things that we do not want to do. Our desire is to be spiritual and yet we continually get drawn into the temporal, the worldly. It is indeed a conundrum, one that pushes us to recognize that we need Jesus to help us sort this out. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

January 30, 2024

THE LORD REIGNS IN MERCY

Psalms 103:10-13 (102:10-13)

He did not deal with us according to our sins,
Nor reward us according to our transgressions;
For according to the height of heaven from earth,
So the Lord reigns in mercy over those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west,
So He removes our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him,

Encouraging Words

Our God, our Lord and Savior, has compassion and mercy beyond anything that we can comprehend Even though we continue to choose to sin and commit transgressions against Him, He chooses to pour out His compassion and mercy all the more. Our response should be to flee from sin and run into His arms. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!