August 25, 2018

Saint of the Week

St. John Chrysostom

August 23, 2018

THE MESSAGE OF THE CROSS

1 Corinthians 1:18

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Encouraging Words

We live in a time and a culture where so many people claim to be Christians because they are Americans and yet they ignore the very Christ that birthed the church. It is these people who perceive that the message of the cross is foolishness. The more a true follower of Christ pursues Him and desires to be like Him, the less he or she fits into the temporal world around them. It is these that are constantly being saved by the power of God. Glory be to God!

August 24, 2018

MY GOD!

Micah 7:7

But I will look to the Lord. I will wait for God my Savior, for my God will hear me.

Encouraging Words

Where does my hope come from? My God! Where does my life come from? My God! Who will take care of me and guide me through the journey of life? My God! Who will meet my every need and relinquish my every passion? My God! I, too, will look to Him and wait for Him, for I know that He will hear me, for He is my Savior!

August 22, 2018

WHAT DO I NEED TO DO?

Micah 6:8

He has shown you, O man, what is good. Or what does the Lord seek from you but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to be ready to walk with the Lord your God?

Personal Challenge

Through the history of man, God has shown us what is good in His sight. There is no reason for surprise. He has told us that to be in a relationship with Him, to become His children, we are to go through our lives doing three things. Do justly, or strive for righteousness in the eyes of God. Love mercy, or exhibit steadfast love for God and our neighbors in all that we do. To be ready to walk with the Lord our God, or humble ourselves before our God and our fellow human being. This is what He wants from us. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

August 21, 2018

UNITY

1 Corinthians 1:10

Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Personal Challenge

Paul challenges the church in Corinth to live in unity and to avoid divisions, splits, and arguments. Jesus prayed for this as well. We have become so familiar with thousands of denominations, all based on divisions and arguments, that we hear this challenge and ignore it. We cannot succumb to this behavior and be either a source of or participants in disunity. This is where the personal challenge is. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

August 20, 2018

SEEK GOOD

Amos 5:14

Seek good and not evil so that you may live, so that the Lord God Almighty will be with you.

Personal Challenge

God is all good! There is no evil in Him! So, how can we live a life that is evil and expect to know God? We can't! We must also remember that living a life that is evil does not just mean that we are doing horrible things like killing people or robbing banks or anything else on a grand scale. Evil comes in many forms, so many of which are just ignored. Do we spurn the down-and-out acting as if they do not exist? Do we harbor anger or hatred against any fellow human being? Do we push others out of our way, even mentally, so that we can get ahead of them? Do we talk badly about others or put them down sarcastically? Do we have other god's in our lives that take precedence over the one true God? Seeking good requires us to strive to eliminate these and every other form of evil in our lives. The result is truly living a life that is good and filled with the presence of the almighty God! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy, on me the sinner!

August 19, 2018

BELIEVING

Romans 15:13

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Encouraging Words

Paul's parting words to the Romans, as was Jesus' parting prayer for His current at future followers, was that we might be filled with the joy, peace, and hope that can only come from God. As followers of Jesus Christ, the more we believe in Him, who He is, and what He has done for us, the more joy and peace God will fill us with. That joy and peace provide us with more hope in our Lord and through the power of the Holy Spirit, our belief gets stronger and deeper. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner and help me to let go of any disbelief.