May 15, 2023

BLESSED IS THE MAN

Psalm 1:1-3

Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the way of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the troublesome;
But his will is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree
Planted by streams of waters,
That produces its fruit in its season;
And his leaf shall not wither,
And whatever he does shall prosper.

Encouraging Words

We are so blessed to be able to live in the new covenant with our God. This covenant is not based on what we do or don't do, but is based on what Jesus did on our behalf. He is our intercessor. He is our intermediary. He is our salvation. The more that we choose to live our lives trusting in Him and yielding our will to Him, the more blessed we are. Glory be to God!

May 14, 2023

CONFESSION OF OUR FAITH

Luke 12:8-9

Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.

Personal Challenge

It is important for us to be willing to confess our faith in Christ whenever the opportunity arises. We live in a world that does not like Christ. We must also be prepared to receive hostilities from others who do not believe. It is also important that our confession of our faith in Christ be done by our actions at all times. Our witness is destroyed when we live like everyone else in the world and yet say that we are followers of Christ. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

May 13, 2023

Saint of the Week

St. John Chrysostom

May 12, 2023

HONORABLE TO ALL MEN

3 Maccabees 3:3-5

The Jews, though, maintained their goodwill and unswerving faith toward the throne. But because they worshiped God and lived by His precepts, they kept themselves separate from others with regard to food, and therefore appeared hateful to some. But they adorned their way of life with the good deeds of righteous people, and thus established themselves as honorable to all men.

Personal Challenge

As Christians, we are to live our lives as Paul instructed in his writings, as foreigners in someone else's land. We are no longer citizens of this would but citizens of heaven and God's ambassadors. Even though we choose to live our lives set apart for God, and therefore, different than everyone around us our lives can be esteemed by those who disagree with our faith because we are righteous people doing good deeds for out neighbor. Glory be to God!

May 10, 2023

BLESSED

Luke 11:28

But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Encouraging Words

We live in a broken and hurting world. People are hurting deeply. They are depressed. They are angry. They are lonely. We are seeing day after day, the consequences of this. Everyone, no matter how old or how young, no matter their nationality, religion or any other determiners that they identify themselves with, desires to be blessed. Jesus gives us a simple formula for that blessing...hear the word of God and keep it. What is the essence of His word? Love God and love our neighbor. Do we want to be blessed in our lives? Then if we do these two things we will be blessed by God as well as be a blessing to others. Glory be to God!

May 9, 2023

TRUST

2 Maccabees 8:18

“For they trust in arms and bold acts,” he said, “but we trust in Almighty God, who with only one nod is able to overthrow both those who come against us and the entire world.”

Personal Challenge

It is always in the midst of our most difficult trials that our true trust in our God is put to the test. It is in these times that we must make the choice to trust that God will deliver us or end up putting our trust in ourselves or those around us. God, our Almighty God, always delivers when we put our trust in Him. Glory be to God!

May 8, 2023

WITH OR AGAINST

Luke 11:23

He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

Personal Challenge

We live in on age where no one wants to acknowledge that there are absolutes. Everything being relative has become a standard practice. Jesus taught us to live such that our "Yes" meant "Yes" and our "No" meant "No". There are many times when things are truly black or white with no shade of gray. Where are we putting our allegiances? In our political leaders? We must remember that we are sojourners in this world and that we are citizens of heaven, if we follow Christ. In our religious leaders? Only, if they are following Christ and His teachings. We are to be putting our entire focus and trust into our Lord Jesus Christ. Anything less than that puts us at odds with Him. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!