October 30, 2024

IN ALL THINGS

Wisdom of Solomon 12:1-2

For Your immortal Spirit is in all things.
For this reason You correct little by little those who fall away,
And You remind and warn them of the sins they commit
So they may be freed from evil and believe in You, O Lord.

Encouraging Words

The Spirit of God is in all things. That is indeed possible because God is the creator and sustainer of all things, past, present, and future. Because of this, God can use all things to provide guidance for us to draw closer to Him, to correct us when we miss the mark, and free us from the evil of this fallen world. Sometimes our free will gets in the way, but He is patient. Glory be to God!

October 29, 2024

ALL EARTHLY THINGS AS RUBBISH

Philippians 3:8-11

Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Personal Challenge

Paul had a lot going for him before he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. He was educated in the best circles. He was well to do, especially since he was a Roman citizen. He was a leader in his church. And yet, he calls all of that rubbish compared to his new life in Christ. Are we willing to give up everything for Christ? Am I? Do we find everything in Christ, or do we look to ourselves, our jobs, our political leaders, or everything but Christ? Only in Christ will we find eternal life, resurrection from our death. Only in Christ will we find righteousness. There is a price though for these blessings. We must be willing to count all earthly things as rubbish and seek after Him. Glory be to God!

October 28, 2024

KINSHIP WITH WISDOM

Wisdom of Solomon 8:17-20

When I considered these things within myself
And thought about them in my heart,
That in kinship with wisdom there is immortality,
And in friendship with her there is good pleasure,
And in the labors of her hands there is unfailing wealth,
And in the shared training of her company there is discernment,
And in the fellowship of her words there is good repute—
Thus I searched about that I might take her for myself.
As a child I was good by nature and received a good soul;
And much more, since I was good,
I entered an undefiled body.

Encouraging Words

The apocryphal book, Wisdom of Solomon, is such a powerful addition to the Old Testament. It is such a shame that so many Christians have never had the opportunity to read this book. As a reminder, Jesus is the Wisdom that the entire Old Testament refers to. We are in kinship with this Wisdom, when we choose to follow Christ. This passage points out some of the benefits of this kinship. Immortality. Good pleasure in His friendship. Unfailing heavenly wealth from our godly labors. Discernment through His training. Good repute in the fellowship of His words. An undefiled body. Who would not want this. Glory be to God!

October 27, 2024

WITHOUT FAULT

Philippians 2:14-16

Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.

Personal Challenge

So, we are to be found as children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. How do we do that? We start by doing all things without complaining and disputing. Well, we are failing at that if we are participating in the divisive and demeaning practices that we see in our political culture today. We are to shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life. We really must look at our lives and determine to live for Christ the way that He would have us live. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

October 26, 2024

Saint of the Week

St. Macarius the Great

October 25, 2024

VIRTUES

Wisdom of Solomon 8:7

If anyone loves righteousness,
The products of righteousness are the virtues.
For wisdom teaches self-control, discernment, righteousness and courage,
Concerning which things there is nothing more valuable in the life of man.

Personal Challenge

Wisdom, i.e. Jesus Christ teaches us that some of the virtues that are important to Him are self-control, discernment, righteousness, and courage. He reminds us that there is nothing more valuable in our earthly life than these virtues. How have we, the people who proclaim to be followers of Christ, come to this place where we flush these values down the drain for a political mindset that thumbs its nose at these virtues? Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

October 22, 2024

WISDOM AND DISCERNMENT

Wisdom of Solomon 8:5-6

Now if riches are a possession to be desired in life,
What is richer than wisdom, who works all things?
And if discernment shows itself in action,
Who more than wisdom is its craftsman?

Encouraging Words

What is richer than wisdom? Nothing, when wisdom is Jesus! Wisdom works all things in our lives. And who, again, is wisdom? Jesus Christ is wisdom. He, as wisdom, is the craftsman of discernment. How encouraging it is to know that Jesus has us in His arms. Glory be to God!

October 21, 2024

IN OUR RIGHT MIND

Philippians 2:5-7

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

Personal Challenge

This passage starts off with a very critical statement. "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." If we are truly following in the footsteps of Christ, then not only will our hearts of stone be replaced with hearts of flesh, but our minds will be conformed to the mind of Christ. Is this evident in how we think, talk, and act? If not, then it is time for a reset. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

October 20, 2024

WISDOM

Wisdom of Solomon 7:22-23

So in herself, wisdom is a spirit that is rational,
Holy, only-begotten, manifold, subtle, easily moved, clear,
Undefiled, manifest, invulnerable, loving what is good, keen,
Unhindered, beneficent, man-loving, steadfast, unfailing,
Free from worry, all-powerful, all-surveying,
And penetrating all spirits that are rational, pure, and most subtle.

Encouraging Words

These two verses really highlight how wisdom in the Old Testament is the representation of Jesus Christ. Glory be to God!

October 19, 2024

Saint of the Week

St. John Climacus

October 18, 2024

BEING LIKE-MINDED

Philippians 2:1-4

Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Personal Challenge

As modern, self-reliant and self-sufficient people, we have lost the importance of the community that we are in. This especially applies to the church. We have grown so comfortable with the diverse denominations and that which divides us that we have forgotten this expectation to be like-minded with our other brothers and sisters in Christ. Do we want any consolation in Christ, comfort of love, fellowship of the Spirit, affection, and mercy? If so, then we must be like-minded having the same love that is centered on Christ and be of one accord and mind with all believers. As true Christians, we cannot be loners. Glory be to God!

October 17, 2024

WISDOM

Wisdom of Solomon 6:12-16

Wisdom is radiant and unfading

And is easily perceived by those who love her;
For she is found by those who seek her.
She comes upon those who long to know her beforehand.
He who rises early in the morning to seek her
Will not grow weary,
For he will find her sitting at his gates.
For to think deeply about her
Is the perfection of discernment,
And he who keeps watch for her
Will soon be free from worry;
Because she goes about seeking those worthy of her,
And she appears to them favorably in their paths
And meets them in every thought.

Encouraging Words

Our early church fathers taught that the references to wisdom in the Old Testament were references to Jesus. Reading this passage with that in mind really shows the truth of their teaching.

Jesus is radiant and unfading
And is easily perceived by those who love Him;
For He is found by those who seek Him.
He comes upon those who long to know Him beforehand.
He who rises early in the morning to seek Him
Will not grow weary,
For he will find Him sitting at his gates.
For to think deeply about Him
Is the perfection of discernment,
And he who keeps watch for Him
Will soon be free from worry;
Because He goes about seeking those worthy of Him,
And He appears to them favorably in their paths
And meets them in every thought.

Glory be to God!

October 15, 2024

WORTHY CONDUCT

Philippians 1:27-30

Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God. For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.

Personal Challenge

We have been given the gospel of Christ, the Good News, for all of mankind. It is our responsibility as followers of Christ to live lives that demonstrate a conduct that is worthy of that gospel. We cannot live dualistic lives, behaving one way on Sunday and another the other six days of the week. This means standing in one spirit with all Christians, regardless of how they worship, having one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel. We cannot be terrified by our adversaries. Yes, we will suffer in this fallen world for living this way, but Jesus gave His all for us. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

October 14, 2024

GIVE EAR!

Wisdom of Solomon 6:1-3

Listen therefore, O kings, and understand;
Learn, O judges of the ends of the earth.
Give ear, you that rule over multitudes,
And take pride in yourself over a multitude of nations.
For power was given to you from the Lord,
And your lordship from the Most High,
Who will make a careful search of your works
And examine closely your plans.

Personal Challenge

In days long passed, leadership of nations came in the form of kings and lords. People had no choice in who would rule over them. In those days, scriptures such as this one were so necessary to remind those leaders that they were in their roles because God allowed them to be and that they would be eternally accountable for how they exercised that role. Listen! Understand! Learn! Give ear! These are active reminders to those leaders to seek God's guidance and then to adhere to it. Today, we, the common people, have the ability to select our leaders. This charge to listen, understand, learn, and give ear applies to us to make the right choice. We must choose to vote according to the golden rule, the beatitudes, and all the other teachings of our Christian heritage. These teachings do not advocate rounding up our enemies, casting out the foreigner amongst us, advocating violence against others, or lying to get what we want. It is time for us to wake up and to listen, understand, learn, and give ear to the truth of God. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

October 13, 2024

LIFE OR DEATH

Philippians 1:21

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Personal Challenge

One of the beautiful things that I have come to appreciate about the Eastern Orthodox faith practice is the acceptance and veneration of the saints of Christianity. We are not alone in our journey to theosis, or being in the image of Christ. We have recognized saints and patriarchs that go all the way back to Adam and Eve who have demonstrated for us how to live our lives for our God. Paul's proclamation here is such a powerful reminder that whether I continue to live my life here on earth or God chooses to take me home to heaven to be with Him, all is for gain, if I am always focused on Him. With this mindset there is nothing to fear about death. Glory be to God!

October 12, 2024

Saint of the Week

St. Gregory of Nyssa

October 11, 2024

OUR REWARD

Wisdom of Solomon 5:15-16

But the righteous live forever,
And their reward is with the Lord;
And their care is by the Most High.
Therefore they shall receive a kingly dwelling of dignity
And a crown of beauty from the hand of the Lord,
Because He will shelter them with His right hand
And protect them with His arm.

Encouraging Words

Living a life for Christ gives us blessings that far exceed our time here on earth in our temporal bodies. We must always remember that our journey goes on through the remainder of eternity and that the choices we make on this side of eternity do have an impact on our heavenly future. Now is the time to be pursuing Christlikeness and His righteousness. Glory be to God!

October 10, 2024

PREACH CHRIST

Philippians 1:15-18

Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.

Personal Challenge

In all that we do, we are to be proclaiming or preaching Christ. In most cases, it is our behavior that preaches the loudest. This is our personal challenge, to be living our lives in such a way as to glorify God. We also need to recognize, as Paul did, that sometimes others preach Christ differently than we do and that we should take joy in that because Christ is still being preached Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

October 9,2024

GRAY HAIR AND MATURITY

Wisdom of Solomon 4:7-9

But though a righteous man may die before his time,
He shall be at rest.
For old age is not honored for its length of existence,
Nor measured by its number of years;
But discernment is gray hair for mankind,
And a spotless life is the maturity of old age.

Encouraging Words

Throughout the entire history of mankind, we have spent so much time and wealth looking for that allusive fountain of youth. People do all kinds of things to stay forever young. Here is a reminder of the beautiful and glorious aspects of old age. With gray hair comes discernment, due to the many experiences of a long-lived life. With maturity of old age, if we have grown in our relationship with God, our life becomes more spotless and purer, in Him. Glory be to God!

October 8, 2024

COMPLETION OF THE GOOD WORK

Philippians 1:3-8

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy,
for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now,
being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace.
For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.

Encouraging Words

This set of verses from Paul, written first to the people of Philippi, and secondly to all of the followers of Christ that have the opportunity to read this letter, is such a blessing to us. I specifically call out verse six because of the power in that verse as it relates to each of us individually and collectively. When we answered the call of Jesus to follow Him, He began a work of transforming us into an image of Him. He will never abandon that work, no matter how much we resist. He will continue working within us until we are mirrors of Him to the needy world around us. Why resist? Glory be to God!

October 7, 2024

VIRTUE

Wisdom of Solomon 4:2

When virtue is present, people imitate it,
And when it goes away, they long for it.
Throughout one’s lifetime,
Virtue leads the struggle for undefiled prizes,
Wearing a crown and conquering.

Personal Challenge

What a beautiful explanation of virtue. It is such a shame that we live in a day where virtue is no longer present, especially amongst so many of our political leaders. It has become acceptable to lie, cheat, steal, verbally abuse everyone that disagrees with us, and commit many other forms of debauchery, without any remorse. We must all proclaim, "Lord, have mercy!", and seek our Father's forgiveness for falling in line behind those who perpetrate these acts. Let us, those who proclaim to be followers of Christ, seek His forgiveness and pursue those virtues that glorify Him. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

October 6, - 2024

GRACE AND PEACE

Philippians 1:2

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Encouraging Words

Paul often started off his letters to the first century churches with greetings like this one. We must also remember that by the grace of God, these letters are also written to us. He is calling upon our God to give us grace and peace as we read through this letter. What a joy to know that this 2000-year-old greeting is still called for us. Glory be to God!

October 5, 2024

Saint of the Week

St. Paisios of Mount Athos

October 4, 2024

TRUST AND TRUTH

Wisdom of Solomon 3:9

Those who trust in Him will understand truth,
And the faithful shall continue with Him in love,
Because grace and mercy are upon His elect.

Personal Challenge

Real truth comes from the right entity that we put our trust in. If we desire to receive godly, righteous truth, then we must put our trust in God, the only source of this kind of truth. If we put our trust in men who proclaim their tainted version of the truth, then all that we receive is corrupted truth, lies painted to look like the truth. The same goes for organizations or parties or institutions that pander unfounded, ungodly lies painted as the truth. True truth only comes from God. Lord, have mercy!

October 3, 2024

BE STRONG... AND STAND

Ephesians 6:10-18

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

Encouraging Words

This passage stands on its own and needs no additional commentary. We are commanded to be strong in our faithful commitment to our Lord and to stand in the breach of the spiritual battle that rages on around us. The encouraging part is that God gives all the battle gear that we need to wage this war. Glory be to God!

October 2, 2024

SINCERITY OF HEART

Wisdom of Solomon 1:1-2

Love righteousness, you who judge on the earth.
Think about the Lord in goodness
And seek Him with sincerity of heart;
Because He is found by those who do not tempt Him,
And He is manifest to those who do not disbelieve Him.

Personal Challenge

We are told here to love righteousness and to think about the Lord. Neither of these actions have any value unless they are done in goodness and in sincerity of heart. Our Lord appreciates our actions that we do for Him, but He always looks at the state of our heart to determine the intentions behind Those actions. By living this way and believing in Him. we will find Him in our lives, and He will be manifested there. Glory be to God!

September 30, 2024

OBEDIENCE

Ephesians 6:5-8

Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ;
not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,
with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men,
knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.

Personal Challenge

In the book of Ephesians, Paul goes through various relationships and lays out clear guidelines on how we are to behave in them from a godly perspective. Husbands and wives. Parents and children. Subordinates to their superiors, which is this passage. As subordinates we are to be obedient with sincerity of heart as if we were giving that obedience to Jesus. This means doing the will of God in that obedience. It is our responsibility as followers of Christ to emulate him in thins, and all other relationships. By doing this, we will glorify God and spread the good news of His kingdom. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

September 29, 2024

THE WHOLE MAN

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

Hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God
And keep His commandments,
For this is the whole man.
For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including everything that has been overlooked,

Whether it be good or evil.

Personal Challenge

We can hide nothing from God, so why even try? God knows all that we do and think, and He still loves us. Amazing! So, what are we to do? We are to fear Him, which does not mean to shrink away from Him as if He will squish us like an ant. It means to show Him the respect and awe that He is due. In that fear, keep His commandments. What are those commandments? To love God and to love our neighbor. Who is our neighbor? Everyone! Glory be to God!

September 28, 2024

Saint of the Week

St. Joseph the Hesychast

September 27, 2024

RAISING OUR CHILDREN

Ephesians 6:4

And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

Personal Challenge

Paul gives us guidance in Ephesians on how to live in our relationships as husbands and wives as well as how to treat our children. His admonitions are directed mostly to us men as husbands and fathers. Our responsibilities as fathers goes far beyond just being good providers. We must learn to not provoke our children to wrath but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. We sometimes fail at this, and it is in these times that we teach our children the lesson of repentance and forgiveness by apologizing to them and asking for their forgiveness when we do the provoking and forgiveness when they do the provoking. Lord Jesus Christ, Sof God, have mercy on me, the sinner!