TWO MITES
Luke 21:1-4
And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.”
Encouraging Words
Does God really care about how we much we give? He holds everything in the palm of His hand. He gives us all that we have, including every breath and heartbeat. God is not concerned about how much we give, whether it be money, time, or our love. What He cares about is the state of our heart when we give. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!
THE WAYS OF LIFE
Psalms 16:11 (15:11)
You made known to me the ways of life;
You will fill me with gladness in Your presence;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Encouraging Words
The more we spend time with our Lord, the more we get to know Him and the depth of His love for us. In that love He teaches us the ways of life. He fills us with gladness even if the world around us is slipping into chaos. He gives us the pleasures of His heavenly kingdom as we grow closer to Him. Glory be to God!
IT IS WRITTEN
Luke 19:45-46
Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house is a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’
Personal Challenge
It is important for us to know wha the scriptures say, both Old and New Testaments. Jesus so often quoted the scriptures to justify his actions. If we know and follow the scriptures we can be assured that we are being obedient to that which has been given to us as our guidelines. Glory be to God!
ALWAYS BEFORE ME
Psalms 16:7-9 (15:7-9)
I will bless the Lord who caused me to understand;
Moreover, until night my reins also instructed me.
I saw the Lord always before me;
Because He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.
Therefore my heart was glad,
And my tongue rejoiced exceedingly;
My flesh also shall dwell in hope.
Personal Challenge
Sometimes we encounter difficult times in our lives. This past weeks have definitely been one of these times. We have a choice. We always have a choice. We can either dwell alone in the midst of the difficulty or recognize that our God is always before us and standing beside us in the midst of our hardship. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. We can claim that promise and walk through that difficulty with us as our right hand. We can watch for those people that He will bring alongside us and not take this journey alone. God is so good and we can dwell in hope in Him. Glory be to God.
Saint of the Week
St. Paisios the Athonite
WHAT DO YOU WANT?
Luke 18:40-41
So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him. And when he had come near, He asked him, saying, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
He said, “Lord, that I may receive my sight.”
Personal Challenge
For those of us who follow Christ, we so often speak about how much we trust Him. Do we really? Are we willing to go to Him humbly and let him know clearly what we desire from Him? Sometimes it feels easier to beat around the bush rather than tell him what we need. Maybe it is because we are afraid that He will say, "No!" Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!
HE IS MAGNIFIED
Psalms 16:3 (15:3)
To the saints on His earth,
In them He magnified all His will.
Personal Challenge
The psalmist ends us that He uses His followers, His saints, to reveal Him to the people of earth. The personal challenge is to look at ourselves and our behaviors and assess if we are living in godly and righteous way. When we find that we are not, we can run to Him, ask for His forgiveness, and return to His way. Glory be to God!
