January 9, 2022

DO NOT LOSE HEART

2 Corinthians 4:1

Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart.

Personal Challenge

We are all given gifts and talents from our Lord as we follow Him through our lives. We are also given ministries in which we can use those gifts and talents for His glory. Sometimes we encounter resistance as we exercise those gifts and talents for Him, just as Paul did. We can hold onto our Lord and mercy that He has given us and not lose heart. If He has called us to do His work, and we are doing it for Him, He will guide and comfort us through this resistance. Glory be to God!

January 8, 2022

Saint of the Week

St. Paisios of Mount Athos

January 7, 2022

EPISTLES WRITTEN IN OUR HEARTS

2 Corinthians 3:1-3

Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.

Encouraging Words

As a follower of Christ, has our lives been visibly changed so that people see us different from others? According to Paul, the only recommendation that he needs to point him out as a follower of Christ is all of the people whom he has brought to the saving knowledge of Christ and whose lives have been visibly changed by having the epistle of Christ written on their hearts. This too should be our goal in life, to have the epistle of Christ written on our hearts and to be raising up others that are the same. Glory be to God!

January 5, 2022

SIN OF THE HEART

Genesis 4:7

Did you not sin, even though you brought it rightly, but did not divide it rightly? Be still; his recourse shall be to you; and you shall rule over him.”

Personal Challenge

The story leading up to this verse is about how Cain brought a sacrifice to God from his crops while Abel brought a sacrifice from His flock of sheep. Cain's was rejected and Abel's was accepted. On the surface this sounds unfair. The understanding of what actually happened here is in the details around the story, some of which shows up later in the scriptures. What God rejected was the condition of Cain's heart. What he sacrificed was fine and acceptable but his heart was conflicted. His passions were of the world and not focused on God. How much do we as Christians do this today? We worship our God with rites and rituals, going through the actions of worship, yet we treat our neighbors with contempt or belittle them because we believe we are better than them. We nullify our worshipful actions towards God by the malice that we carry in our hearts. God cares more about our inward nature than our outward actions and words. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

January 4, 2022

DELIVERED

2 Corinthians 1:10

who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us,

Encouraging Words

Who has delivered us from death? God has through the work of His son, Jesus Christ. What death has He delivered us from since we still die? We have been delivered from eternal, spiritual death. We have been delivered into eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ. This is what we can put our trust and faith in. Jesus is who we can put our trust and faith. Glory be to God!

January 2, 2022

COMFORT

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Encouraging Words

One thing that has always comforted me as I have gone through difficult trials in my life has been these two verses. Nothing is ever wasted in our journey through life. Knowing that the trials that I have been through, the lessons that I have learned from them, and the fact that there was light and life on the other side, would be something that I could use to help someone else through the same difficulty, gave me the fortitude to push through. God uses our life experiences to help and encourage others through theirs. We are not on our journeys alone. We have others who can speak into our lives just as we can speak into other lives. This is comforting. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

January 1, 2022

Saint of the Week

St. Macarius the Great