February 17, 2025

GOD BETROTHED TO HIS BRIDE

Hosea 2:19-22

“I will betroth you to Myself forever;
Yes, I will betroth you to Myself
In righteousness and justice,
And in mercy and compassions.
I will betroth you to Myself in faithfulness,
And you shall know the Lord.
“It shall come to pass in that day,” says the Lord,
“That I will listen to heaven,
And it shall listen to the earth.
The earth shall listen to the corn,
And the wine, and the oil;
And they shall listen to Jezreel.”

Encouraging Words

Hosea is a very intriguing book in the Old Testament. God tells His prophet Hosea to marry a prostitute who then continues to go on about her business until she is destitute and cast out by her society. Hosea loves her through all of this and ultimately restores her as a beautiful woman, wife, and mother of their children. Hosea's life is a metaphor to the people of Israel about God's love for them as they prostitute themselves to the god's and traditions of the world around them. God loves His church, His Bride, dearly . Even as His church throughout history has turned her back on Him and joined themselves with the ways of the world, He continues to wait for us, long for us, desire us to turn back to Him, Where are we today in this story? Lord, have mercy! Loud, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

February 16, 2025

NOTHING EVIL TO BE SAID

Titus 2:6-8

Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded, in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.

Personal Challenge

Paul challenges Titus, and all the rest of the followers of Christ, to be sober-minded and in all things to show ourselves to be patterns of good works and in our doctrine that we follow to show integrity, reverence, incorruptability, and sound speech that cannot be condemned. We are to do this so that whomever is our opponent may be a shamed and have nothing evil to say about us. We are to be above reproach and clearly demonstrating the truths of our Lord Jesus Christ. If you see someone proclaiming to be a Christian and not striving to meet these characteristics then feel free to question the fruit of their lives. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

February 15, 2025

Saint of the Week

St. John Chrysostom

February 14, 2025

LET US BLESS THE GOD OF ALL

Sirach 50:22-24

And now bless the God of all,
Who does great things in every way,
Who exalts our days from our birth
And deals with us according to His mercy.
May He give us gladness of heart,
And may there be peace in our days,
In Israel as in the days of old.
May He entrust with us His mercy,
And let Him redeem us in our days.

Personal Challenge

People are always looking for God to bless them. We need to remember that is also up to us to bless Him. He is the God of all whether they recognize Him or not. He loves all of His creation, whether we love Him back or not. He does great things in every way, whether we see it or not. He does exalt our days from birth until our death. He deals with us according to His great mercy, even when we choose to ignore Him. He gives us gladness of heart by creating us in His image. It is up to us to receive His mercy and pass it on to others. Glory be to God!

February 13, 2025

ACCORDS WITH GODLINESS

Titus 1:1

Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness,

Personal Challenge

Paul did everything he did, wrote everything that he wrote, and bore every hardship that came his way out of his love for, and commitment to, his Lord Jesus Christ. If we desire to be godly followers of Christ, then we must do the same. God has no use for people who only claim His name, but do not do His works, His way. Lord have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

February 12, 2025

HE WILL SUPPLY

Sirach 39:33-35

All the works of the Lord are good.
And He will supply every need in its hour.
No one can say, “This is worse than that,”
For all things will be well pleasing in their time.
So now sing praise with all your heart and voice,
And bless the name of the Lord.

Encouraging Words

Our God is good. His works are good. He supplies our every need. He cares for us and carries us through life. We can sing praises to Him and bless His name. Glory be to God!

February 11, 2025

THE LORD WILL DELIVER ME

2 Timothy 4:18

And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!

Personal Challenge

Do you know what is one of the fundamental problems with the modern day version of those proclaiming to be Christians? It is their refusal to understand and live within the promises in the scriptures like this one given to Timothy from the Apostle Paul. The Lord will deliver me, a follower of Christ, from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. That deliverance does not come from a political party, a political leader, a billionaire, or any institution formed in the image of man. God, and God alone, is my deliver. Every time that I put my trust in anyone or any thing other than God, then I have committed idolotry. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God have mercy on me, the sinner and thank you for being my deliverer!

February 10, 2025

WHAT ARE DEVOTING YOURSELF TO?

Sirach 39:1-3

How different is the man who devotes himself
To the study of the law of the Most High.
He will seek out the wisdom of all the ancients
And be occupied with their prophecies.
He will preserve the discourse of notable men
And penetrate the subtleties of parables.
He will seek out the hidden meanings of proverbs
And be engaged in the riddles of parables.

Personal Challenge

Years ago, I went to Thailand five different times to help rebuild after the tsunami of 2004. One of the things that I observed was that nearly all Thai's proclamed to be Buddhist because they were Thai. Many had never stepped foot into a Buddhist temple or ever practiced Buddhism, and yet they call themselves Buddhists because the were Thais. We are seeing this same behavior here in the United States. Many believe that because they are American, they are Christians. Many do not attend church regularly if ever at all. Most have not read the Bible. Is it any wonder that we are seeing so many things being done in our society the name of Christianity that would be considered heresy or evil by Jesus Christ. How do we fix this? Sirach tells us how. Study the scriptures, which is much more than just listening to a sermon every once in a while. Seek out the wisdom of the ancients, the early church fathers, and their teachings. Study what they taught us. Listen to, and preserve, the discourses of noble men and women. Take time to penetrate these teachings and discourses of the Scriptures and teachings of those who have gone before us. Being a follower of Christ is so much more than just proclaiming to be a Christian. It means giving our lives to Him, loving Him, loving our neighbor, devoting outselves to Christ and being like Him. Glory be to God!

February 9, 2025

NEVER GIVING UP

2 Timothy 4:7-8

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

Personal Challenge

Living a life that focuses on following in the footsteps of Christ is not an easy life. It is indeed rewarding but not in the way that the world or prosperity gospel people expect. As Paul reminds Timothy, we are fighting a fight for the good of God and our neighbor. We want to be able to look back at our lives and say that we fought the fight good. We are running a race to the end. This not a sprint, it is a lifelong marathon. We only finish the race when we repose in our Lord's arms. Our goal, our desire, is to keep the faith in our Lord through to the end. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me the sinner!

February 8, 2025

Saint of the Week

St. Anthony the Great

February 6, 2025

DIRECTED WAYS

Sirach 37:13-15

Stand firm on the counsel of your heart,
For no one is more faithful to you than it.
For a man’s soul sometimes tells him more
Than seven watchmen sitting high on a watchtower.
And in all matters, pray to the Most High
That He may direct your way in truth.

Personal Challenge

Complacency is a serious illness that can easily affect us all. We have all been given a conscience to know the difference between right and wrong. Unfortunately, if we have continually supressed that conscience, we will no longer hear it speaking to us. Being complacent about what is going on around us is one way of supressing that conscience. Complaceny is a dangerous thing in our lives and will lead us to accept those things that are harmful to us and others. If we will stay alert and seek our God, He will help us in ways to fight complacency and do the right things. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

February 5, 2025

THAT TIME IS NOW!

2 Timothy 4:1-4

I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

Personal Challenge

What time is now? Read the second half of the above passage. Paul warned Timothy, a young leader in the Church, that a time was coming when people would not endure sound, Christ-centered doctrine. He warned that they would seek, or create, variations of the doctrine of Christ that fit their own desires because they had itching ears for the commentary that would align with their personal beliefs and desires. They would heap up teachers and leaders that would shore them up. Worst of all, they would turn their ears away from the truth, and treat these fables that support them as the truth. This has happened before in the last 2,000 years and is happening in force today with things like Project 2025, Christian nationality and the gutting of the American government and systems as we have known them, all in the name of God. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

February 4, 2025

LET THEM KNOW YOU

Sirach 36:1-4

Have mercy on us, O Lord, the God of all, and look upon us,
And put Your fear on all the nations.
Raise Your hand against foreign nations
And let them see Your power.
As in us You have been sanctified before them,
So in them may You be made great before us.
Let them know You as we also have known You,
For there is no God but You, O Lord.

Personal Challenge

This prayer from Sirach was that God would let the rest of the world know Him as Israel did. God's intention when He entered into a covenant with Israel was that they would be His light to the world for the salvation of all. They failed miserably by becoming nationalistically focused and exclusive of anyone that did not match their definition of being God's chosen. Jesus fulfilled the law and created a new covenant for His followers to share His Gospel throughout the world and be His light to all. Today we see people using the label Christian to support nationalistic rhetoric and excluding anyone who does not match their definition of being Christian Americans. Here we go again. Lord, have mercy on us!

February 3, 2025

INSPIRED

2 Timothy 3:16-17

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Personal Challenge

In our post-modern, post-Christian day we are facing quite a conundrum related to the inspired Scripture of God. In the early church, and continuing today in the Eastern Church, the interpretation of the scripture was/is always validated by the Church and it's 2,000-year history and ownership of the scriptures. Any teaching or interpretation that does not align with this validation is considered heresy. Fast forward to today and we have the practices of individuals and institutions that believe that they have the right and authority to teach whatever they choose as their interpretation. In many cases they are teaching heresy. God's Scripture is indeed inspired by Him and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction, but only when applied under the auspices of His Church. We must resist the teachings that we are seeing today that go against Christ's fundamental commands to love God and love our neighbor. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

February 2, 2025

GIVING BACK

Sirach 35:7-10

Glorify the Lord with your generosity,
And do not reduce the firstfruits of your hands.
In every gift let your face be cheerful,
And sanctify your tithe with gladness.
Give to the Most High as He has given to you,
And give to Him with generosity, according to your windfall.
For the Lord is He who repays,
And He will repay you sevenfold.

Personal Challenge

We are blessed by God with many things. It may be as simple and essential as the breath that we take or the beat of our heart. It may be as extensive as the wealth that we have or the possesions in our hands. God is generous to us and His expectation is that we will use His generosity to be generous to others. We are to share from the first fruits of our work with others in need, tithing and giving cheerfully and with gladness. We do this out of our gratitude and not to earn any favor with God or others. There is no reason to hoard when we know God will hold us in His hands and take care of us. Glory be to God!

February 1, 2025

Saint of the Week

St. Justin Popovich

January 31, 2025

PERSECUTION

2 Timothy 3:12

Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

Personal Challenge

Jesus made it clear to His followers that if they follow Him, they will be persecuted because He was persecuted. This is still the case today. The sad part of what is happening today is that those who are professing to be Christians are persecuting those who are actually behaving the way the Christ would. This does not mean that we stop doing the work of Christ, which is loving God and loving our neighbor. We have a dark time before us and must be deligent to love one another as He has loved us. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!