Author: David Short

Sirach 17:5-8

He gave mankind the ability to deliberate,
And a tongue, eyes and ears, and a heart to think with.
He filled them with the skill of comprehension
And showed them good and evil.
He set His eye upon their hearts
To show them the majesty of His works.
They will praise His holy name
So as to fully describe the majesty of His works.

Encouraging Words

We live in a fallen world. This is what our Christian faith teaches us. God created everything to be much better than it is as we see it. That has not changed over the millennia. God sent His Son to become a human, a part of this creation so that He could redeem it and overcome that tragic event in Eden that caused this world to fall. Even though we are fallen with this world, God has still built within each one of us, characteristics that can keep us connected to, and focused on, that unfallen world. We have the ability to deliberate. We are able to taste, see, hear, feel, and smell of His divine creation and know what we are missing. We have comprehension and understanding of good and evil. He placed in our hearts His eye to see the majesty of His works and the ability to praise His holy name and articulate the majesty of His works. We are created in His image and can choose to live in that image or in the fallen image of this world. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Sirach 14:20-22

Blessed is the man who practices wisdom
And discourses with insight.
Whoever ponders the ways of wisdom in his heart
Will also reflect on her secrets.
Pursue wisdom like a tracker
And lie in wait on her paths.

Personal Challenge

When I was a youth I participated in the Boy Scouts for many years. One of the things that I enjoyed was tracking, learning how to pursue a deer, or other wild animals as long as possible without scaring it away. The key to this was knowing enough about the animal to be able to find it in its habitat and then to be able to be like it, to think like it, to act like it, so that you could follow it and get up close to it. Although Christ will never be scared away when we pursue Him, this is the process that the writer is referring too. We should pursue wisdom, or Christ, as we would track an animal and lie in wait in His paths to find Him. Glory be to God!

Sirach 14:12-14

Remember that death does not delay,
And the covenant of Hades has not been shown to you.
Before you die, do good to a friend,
And reach out and give to him based on your ability.
Do not let a day go by without doing something good,
And do not let any of your desire for doing good escape you.

Personal Challenge

We all have death in the future. First, it will come with our families, our friends, and our acquaintances, but ultimately it will come to us. We cannot stop this but there is something that we can do. We can do good to those whom we have in our lives while we can. Life is short and we should never pass on the opportunity to show love to another and to give of our ability to those in need. It is never too late to do good. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Sirach 11:9

Do not argue about a matter that does not concern you,
And do not sit together with sinners when they judge a case.

Personal Challenge

After being told to slow down in our verbal responses and to listen more, the author of Sirach tells us to keep our noses out of everyone else’s business. We have come to the place in our society where we do not want anyone telling us what to do, but expect to have the ability, and the right, to tell everyone else what to think and to do. Do we truly want to live at peace with those around us? Then stop sticking our noses in their lives and mind our own business. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Sirach 11:7-8

Do not find fault before you examine a situation.
First, understand it, and then make your judgment.
Do not answer before you have listened,
And do not interrupt someone while he is talking.

Personal Challenge

This is one area in my life that I know that I need to work on. It is so easy to jump into the middle of a conversation and interrupt the other person in order to express my thoughts. I need to learn to slow down and take the time to examine and understand the situation, or the other person before I jump in to offer my thoughts. I need to let the other person complete their thoughts, assess what has been said, and then determine if I should say anything or not. I need to do this to show love to my neighbor. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Sirach 10:4

The authority of the earth is in the hand of the Lord,
And He will raise up the right man for an appointed time.

Encouraging Words

How interesting is it that this verse is the one that comes up tonight while I am waiting for the presidential debate to start? Life in our world today has come to the point where it really looks like we are living in the midst of a giant circus. It is important for us to understand that no matter how much we mess up this creation that He has given us, He is still in control. This may not be the way that He wants it to be, but He is letting us live out our free will, and deal with the consequences of our choices and our action. He is running the circus, be He is also letting us decide How each act plays out. We any given the freedom to make our choices as well as the opportunity to participate in the consequences of those choices. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy!

Sirach 7:32-36

Stretch forth your hand to the poor,
That your blessing may be complete.
Let the kindness of giving be shown
In the presence of all the living,
And do not withhold kindness from the dead.
Do not withdraw yourself from those who weep,
And mourn with those who mourn.
Do not hesitate to visit a sick man,
For by such visits you will be loved.
With all your words, remember the time you will die,
And you will never sin.

Personal Challenge

It is so easy to get wrapped up in our own personal stuff and end up forgetting that everyone around us has needs and issues to deal with as well. There is really no monetary cost to showing kindness to another person, especially those who are down and in need of compassion. Loving our neighbor is one of the two commands that Jesus gave to us. Showing kindness comes out of that love. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!