Author: David Short

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Encouraging Words

Who is it that forgives us of our sins? God, and God alone. We are charged here to confess our sins to our Lord in order to receive is His forgiveness, which He gives fully and freely. In the Orthodox faith practice we have the practice of confession. It is clearly taught that our priest is not the one who forgives our sins, neither does he absolve us of our sins. He is there to fulfill another admonition in the scriptures to “confess our sins to one another”. Our confession and subsequent forgiveness is between God and us. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner?

1 John 1:5-7

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Encouraging Words

Jesus is light, the light of God shining into this dark and dreary world. His light is warming and encouraging, especially in those times when we feel overcome by the darkness around us. His light is illuminating, revealing to us those dark areas in our lives that we need to purge so that we can live for Him. We can choose to live in His light or stay in the darkness, but life is only in His light. Glory be to God!

1 John 1:1-3

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

Encouraging Words

Our Christian belief and faith is not based on some legend or myth. It is not a story that is made up to generate a following. Jesus Christ was a real man, born of a virgin, and grew into a man. He was fully human as witnessed by many and documented in history. Based on the works and miracles that He performed, including the resurrection from death, He was clearly the Son of God, fully human and fully God. This too was witnessed by many and documented in the annals of history. Jesus was seen, heard, and touched as evidence that He walked upon this earth and did miraculous things. This is the Lord that I worship and choose to submit my life to. This is the Lord that I serve. Glory be to God!

2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Encouraging Words

Throughout the last 2000 years, the faithful in Christ have been waiting for His return. He promised that He would return and end this world of suffering and pain. Has this waiting been in vain? No! God does not desire that any of His creation should perish. His is long suffering toward us and giving all an opportunity to repent and turn to Him. Glory be to God!

2 Peter 1:2-4

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Encouraging Words

We live in two realms simultaneously. The realm that we are most familiar with is the physical realm. Our bodies are temporal and this is the realm that sustains them. We also live in the spiritual realm. It is all around us. Due to our fallenness and the impact of the fall to all around us, we do not see this realm unless God opens the eyes of our souls to see this realm. Even so, because of the work of Jesus, we have been brought into this spiritual realm and blessed to be considered joint heirs with Him in the kingdom of heaven. We are partakers in the divine nature by the grace of God. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

1 Peter 5:8-10

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

Personal Challenge

Our enemy, our adversary, the devil, will use whatever means he can to thwart us in our relationship with God and our neighbor. He will even use our brothers and sisters in Christ, if he can get a foothold in their lives. This is part of the charter here, to be sober and vigilant. This is not only needed to be prepared to deal with him and his willy schemes against us, but to make sure that he doesn’t hook us into being a stumbling block for another. The core to resisting him is to be steadfast in our faith. This steadfastness must be at all times, not just when we are under attack. By doing this and persevering, Jesus will perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle us. Glory be to God!

Tobit 13:6

If you return to Him with all your heart
And with all your soul,
To do the truth before Him,
Then He will turn to you
And not hide His presence from you.

Encouraging Words

All of us, like sheep, have gone astray from our God once or more in our lives. It is us who have changed in these situations, not God. He is always constant. When we recognize that we have wandered away, repent, and return to Him with all our heart and soul, then He will embrace us and hold us near to Him. Glory be to God!

1 Peter 5:6-7

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Encouraged Words

We humble ourselves before our God because we know that we owe everything to Him. He conceived us and has given us every breath that we breathe and every beat of our heart. We know that He will exalt us in His due time for humbling ourselves before Him. We cast our cares upon Him for we know He cares for us. Glory be to God!