June 5, 2016

ALMSGIVING

Tobit 12:8-9

Prayer is good with fasting, almsgiving, and righteousness. A few prayers with righteousness are better than many with wrongdoing. It is better to do almsgiving than to lay up gold. For almsgiving rescues one from death, and it will wash away every sin. Those who do almsgiving and are righteous will be full of life.

Personal Challenge

So, what exactly is almsgiving? One definition is, "to give of oneself above and beyond what is due." This is truly a concept that has been lost over time and definitely not practiced in today's modern culture...even by the Church. Isn't almsgiving something that our Lord Jesus Christ did? He owed His creation, that which He spoke into existence, nothing. Especially after we turned our back on Him and ate of the forbidden fruit. And yet He gave of His abundance, even to the point of His own life, so that we could have eternal life. So, if my desire is to imitate Him, to be like Him, to be called one of His followers, then should I not do the same? Almsgiving is not tithing. We tithe from our firstfruits as a way of saying, "Thank you!" for our blessings. Almsgiving is what comes after we have tithed. Tithing goes to the Church, to support it and to build it up. Almsgiving goes to those who need what I have more than I do, many of which have never been to church and may never go there. This type of giving does not just include my wealth. I can, and must, give my time, my words, my everything that I have in abundance, to those who are in need.

One area that has become so apparent to me where I can practice almsgiving is in the social media world. I can choose to sacrifice my personal agenda and opinions and give to those in my friend's list what they need. I can give words of encouragement. I can give blessings and make joyful noises unto the Lord. I can give of my time by listening to their stories and their passions and offering back to them words that are uplifting and free of sarcasm or innuendos or hidden (maybe not so hidden) putdowns. This too is giving out of the abundance that God has given me. Glory be to God!

June 7, 2016

WHO IS TROUBLING WHO?

1 Kings 18:17-18 (3 Kingdoms 18:17-18 LXX)

When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, "Are you the one who is troubling Israel?" Elijah answered, "I have not troubled Israel, but rather you and the house of your father, in that you forsook the Lord your God and followed after the Baals.

Personal Challenge

We live in a period of history that is not all that different than the days of Ahab and Elijah. A nation of people had been set apart by God and blessed for their willingness and desire to follow and obey Him. Then they start desiring to be like the rest of the world around them. They stopped recognizing God as their leader and started putting into positions of leadership men and women that gave them what they wanted. Before long, God was just one of the many gods that they worshiped. Life became very corrupt and everyone became very self-focused and sought after the desires of their flesh. Then as God sent prophets to remind them of all that tey had under the leadership of God, how much He love them, and the blessings that they had when they followed Him, they accused the prophets of being the ones causing all of the problems that they had. We have reached this state again and our world calls those who follow Christ crazy, intolerant, mean-spirited, and so many other things. So who is really troubling who? Who is really causing the troubles of today? Is it those who humbly and lovingly follow the teachings of Christ or those who seek after their own desires? The more important question for me to answer, the one that indicts me the most, is, "Do I humbly and lovingly follow the teachings of Christ or do I seek after my own desires?" Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

June 6, 2016

CITIZENSHIP?

Tobit 13:3-4

Give thanks to Him before the nations,
O children of Israel,
For He scattered us among them.
Make known His greatness there;
Exalt Him in the presence of all the living,
For He is our Lord and God;
He is our Father unto all the ages.

Personal Challenge

Which country, or domain, am I really a citizen of? Is it the United States? If I truly practice what the Apostle Paul taught about Christians being citizens of heaven and ambassadors of Christ here on earth, then the answers to these questions are clear. Just as God spread the Jewish nation, His called and set apart people, throughout the world in the day of Tobit, so has He done this with His Church of the new covenant. My citizenship is in heaven and I am a representative of God here on earth, here in the United States, and in my local community. I should be caught up in His affairs, living my life as His representative, and not all wrapped up in the things of this world. As His ambassador, I should perform my duties as a resident of this world with Him in my focus. I vote the way that He would vote. I pay taxes as He would. I support people around me in a godly and loving way. But I do not get wrapped up on all of the bitter fighting, conspiracy theories, or other earthly focused things that both distract my focus from God and cause a stumbling block for my neighbor. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner.

June 4, 2016

Saint of the Week

St. Isaac the Syrian

June 3, 2016

PRAISING GOD...ALWAYS

Tobit 12:6-7

Then Raphael secretly called the two of them, and said to them, “Bless God and give Him thanks. Ascribe greatness to Him and give thanks in the presence of all the living for what He has done for you. It is good to bless God and to exalt His name. Make known the words of God's works honorably and do not delay to give thanks to Him. It is noble to keep hidden the secret of a king, but glorious to unveil the works of God. Do good, and evil will not find you.

Personal Challenge

It is never a good time to be quiet about God and all that He has done. He should always be on the tips of our tongue and proclaimed whenever possible. And when there is no one to hear our praises are to be directed at Him. I know that I seldom do this for my mind and heart are so easily focused on the things on this earth and on me. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

June 2, 2016

LIVING A GODLY LIFE

Tobit 4:5-7

My son, remember the Lord our God all your days, and do not desire to sin or to disobey His commandments. Do righteousness all the days of your life, and do not walk in the ways of wrongdoing. For if you walk in the truth, you will be successful in your works. Do almsgiving from your possessions to all who do righteousness. When you do almsgiving, do not let your eye be envious. Do not turn your face away from any poor man, so the face of God will not be turned away from you.

Personal Challenge

As I was reading this passage I got to thinking about my parents and how much they admonished me with words such as Tobit did for his son. The didn't! Honestly, I cannot think of once that my father (memory eternal) or my mother spoke words of wisdom like this to me. What I do remember is that my parents spent their lives showing me these truths by how they lived their lives. They always thought it was more important to live their lives in a righteous way and pray that their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, would do the same. I cannot thank them enough for showing me how to live my life in a Christ-centered, godly way. My only hope and prayer are that my children and grandchildren will someday look back at my life and see Christ in how I lived my life. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

June 1, 2016

EVEN TO THE DEPTHS OF HELL

Jonah 2:2-3

And from the belly of the sea creature, Jonah prayed to the Lord his God, and said:

"I cried out in my affliction to the Lord, my God,
And He heard my voice;
Out of the belly of Hades, You heard the cry of my voice."

Encouraging Words

The imagery of Jonah being in the belly of the sea creature calling out to his Lord for salvation is one that points to Christ and His time in the tomb. Christ answered the call of those who had died before His coming that were trapped behind the gates of hell. He destroyed those gates and the grip that death had on mankind and set the prisoners of hell free. No one can escape the love of our Lord for His love ever goes to the depths of hell. Glory be to God!