Verse of the Day

Author: David Short

  • April 19, 2021

    WHEN DID WE SEE YOU…

    Matthew 25:34-40


    “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

    “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’


    Personal Challenge

    There are multiple interpretations of this act of separation of those who followed in Christ’s steps and those who did not. Jesus ends up by reminding us that He, the incarnation, is in every single person. If we do not see Him in the people around us, especially the destitute, then we do not know Him. And then we are charged to not stop at just seeing Him in our fellow humankind. We must be willing to step into their lives as He did in our lives and meet their needs where they are. This is being His hands and feet in the broken world around us. Glory be to God!

  • April 18, 2021

    HIS WORDS

    Matthew 24:35

    Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

    Encouraging Words

    Jesus taught many things to His disciples while He was with them. He continued His teaching after He returned from the tomb. He also taught much through the Old Testament fathers as the pre-incarnate Christ. These are the words that will never pass away. These are the words that are eternal. They started in the beginning of time. May we hold on to them and embrace them as His truth. Glory be to God!

  • April 17, 2021

    Saint of the Week

    St. Porphyrios the Kapsokalyvite


  • April 16, 2021

    TWO COMMANDMENTS

    Matthew 22:37-40

    Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

    Personal Challenge

    My former, retired priest used to often tell me that one of this challenges with his flock was their constant request for a set of rules to live their lives by. As humans we are constantly looking for that perfect checklist to use so that we can earn our way Into heaven. First of all, there is no earning our way into God’s grace. It is a free gift that only He can give. Secondly, a checklist becomes a shortcut, a crutch, and often a measuring stick used to lord it over our brothers and sisters. How are you doing keeping the fast? How many prayers did you say today? How many services have you come to (regardless of how many people you have cut in front of to get there? Our Old Testament Jewish forefathers were given 10 commandments, which later evolved into over 600 rules and laws. We are doing the same with the teachings of our Lord, the Apostles, and the early church fathers, with our many traditions that are viewed as sacraments. Jesus gave us two commandments to live our lives by. Yes? Only two! If we live by these two commandments, we will be godly, righteous people. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself. There is nothing more needed than these two commandments. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner, and teach me to love your way?

  • April 15, 2021

    GOD OF THE LIVING

    Matthew 22:31-32

    But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

    Encouraging Words

    When we say that we love God and put our hope in Him, what are we really doing? We are proclaiming that our God is a living God that is going to keep us alive forever. It is taught by many fathers of the Orthodox church that we sin because we fear death. We fear the fact that our lives will end so we do whatever we can to get the most out of this life. During our Pascha (Easter) celebration, we proclaim over and over again, “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and on those in the tombs bestowing life!” This is where we put our hope when we choose to follow Him. He has promised us that He is victorious over the death of us all that was ushered in by Adam and Eve and that He will give us life. Glory be to God!

  • April 14, 2021

    BELIEVING

    Matthew 21:21-22

    So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

    Personal Challenge

    Being a follower of Christ must take over our entire lives if we are to experience the fullness of what He has to offer us. Our relationship with Him does not get all wrapped up in just one prayer where we profess Him as Lord. If our lives have not been permanently changed by that profession then we are no different than the demons who also profess that He is the Lord. Our journey through life with Christ as our Lord should change us. We should be growing in our faith and our belief as we draw closer to Him. It’s through this growing relationship that we will be able to move the mountains in our lives. Glory be to God!

  • April 13, 2021

    GIVE IT AWAY

    Matthew 19:21

    Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

    Personal Challenge

    It always amazes me how those who proclaim the prosperity gospel skip past all the teachings of Christ that tell us just the opposite. Here He clearly tells the rich young man to give away all of his wealth in order to gain the treasure awaiting him in heaven. He tells us elsewhere not to put our faith in the wealth of this world because we cannot serve two masters, wealth and God. It is not that He is against having wealth here on earth. He is against putting it above the needs of others. He is against making it our God. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

  • April 12, 2021

    IN HIS NAME

    Matthew 18:20

    For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.

    Personal challenge

    As followers of Christ, we should be doing all things in His name. He should be the center of every thought, word, action, or desire. This is a hard thing to accomplish, but is a worthy goal for all of us to pursue. Jesus promises us that when more than one of us gets together, people who are pursuing Christ in this manor, then He will be there with us. Just as the two men who were walking on the road to Emmaus, talking about Jesus, mourning His death, cherishing their memories, He appeared and spent time with them. So too, can we have Him with us. Glory be to God!

  • April 11, 2021

    RECONCILIATION

    Matthew 18:15-18

    “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.”

    “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

    Encouraging Words

    I have heard from well-meaning people that they wished the Bible was more of an instruction book so that they would know how to live their lives. My first thought when I hear that is, “Are you kidding me?” There is so much instruction and guidance on how to live a godly life. We just need to be willing to look for it and to practice it. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

  • April 10, 2021

    Saint of the Week

    St. Ambrose of Optina