Romans 1:16-17For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."Encouraging Words...For Paul to go from a position of hunting down Christians for persecution to not being ashamed of the gospel of Christ is an amazing thing, a miracle that only God can accomplish. God loves His creation so much that He will do anything to bring us onto His arms. What a joy it is to know that I am loved that much. Glory be to God!
Matthew 18:12-14What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety- nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety- nine that did not go astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.Encouraging Words...Hallelujah! Glory be to God! One of the most wonderful truths that I have come to embrace as I learn more of the Eastern Orthodox way of thinking is that God is love. God is all love and loves all of His creation. He loves us so deeply that He was willing to go into the deepest depths of hell to claim us from the grip of death...forever. Following this truth comes the understanding, and enlightenment, that He is not the God of judgement that Western Christianity makes Him out to be. Yes, the scriptures do talk about judgement, but God will do all of His judgement from His position of love and not mine. It is His will, His desire, that all lost sheep will be saved. Who am I to determine what constitutes what He determines that judgement to be? God is love and if I am truly His child I must do all that I do I love to be obedient to Him. I must also pursue every person as a lost soul, a lost sheep, just as He has, and continues to, pursue us, even if only in prayer for those who are lost.
John 7:37-38On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."Command with a Promise...If I am thirsty, hot that physical glass of water kind of thirsty, but that dryness in my soul kind of thirsty, then I am told to come to Jesus and drink. Better yet if I am constantly running to the well then the thirst will always be held off. When I do come to Jesus and drink He promises me that I will be filled to the point where His quenching water, the Holy Spirit, will flow out of me abundantly to all around me. What a glorious promise!
Acts 28:30-31Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.Encouraging Words...Paul is such an inspiration to me. He was not born into Christianity, he converted from Judaism...a decision, a choice, that created grief for him the remainder of his life. He never complained about his circumstances, even though the majority of his adult life he was persecuted, abused, and imprisoned. He did all things in joy knowing who his Lord was and serving Him with ever breath, every action, to his dying day. This is the way that I desire to live out my life. Glory be to God!
John 17:20-21I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.Personal Challenge...Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Creator, Redeemer, Lord and Savior, prayed in His final hours for His church and for me as a member of that church. He specifically prayed for unity amongst us so that the world may see Him and believe. How can I love my neighbor if I cannot love my brother and sister in Christ? How can I be in unity with my brothers and sisters in Christ if I harbor ill about them in my heart or mind? How can I speak lovingly to them if I speak badly of them when they are not around? I clearly have much to repent of to my Lord in this area. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner!
John 16:23-24And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.Encouraging Words...In the Orthodox Church we do all of our prayers in the name of "the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." We do this because Jesus taught us to pray in the Father's name because we have direct access to Him, and to pray through the name of Jesus because He is the one who provides that direct access and in the Holy Spirit because He makes intercession for us. How awesome is it to have the entire Godhead available to us for our prayers and petitions. Glory be to God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 18:20For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.Personal Challenge...One of the challenges for me is that I grew up in the western way of thinking about Christianity that fostered a very individualized, personal form of following Christ. Even though it is important for me to personally pursue my Lord it is critical that my relationship with Christ and the Father comes through the community of His Church. I cannot do it alone. I need my brothers and sisters in order to grow.
