Verse of the Day

Author: David Short

  • June 3, 2020

    MIND YOUR TONGUE, OR BETTER YET, YOUR KEYBOARD

    Psalms 138:4-6 (139:4-6) 


    For there is not a word on my tongue,
    But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether,
    The last things and the first things;
    You fashioned me, and placed Your hands on me.
    Your knowledge has become too wondrous for me;
    It has become too overwhelming;
    I am unable to grasp it.

    Personal Challenge

    We have gotten so good at pigeon-holing God and putting Him in a small compartment in our lives. We take Him out when we want to play with Him and put Him back so that we can go on doing what we want to do. We do this more and more today in the social media world. We hide behind the personas we build out there and speak what is truly on our hearts. We do this thinking that God doesn’t know what we are up to, but He does? It is time to make a choice. We need to decide are we going to follow Jesus and abandon the things of this world or continue to abandon Him and do what we want. It really is an either-or decision because you can’t have both. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

  • June 2, 2020

    DUALITY

    Psalms 138:1-3 (139:1-3) 


    O Lord, You test me and know me;
    You know my sitting down and my rising up;
    You understand my thoughts from afar;
    You search out my path and my portion, And You foresee all my ways.

    Personal Challenge

    We have become a people that live lives of duality. On Sundays, or other days that are convenient for us, we go to our churches and act like we are all godly and righteous. We proclaim that God is love and that we are His. Then as soon as we leave the church we put on our secular persona and spew hatred and contempt for those whom we disagree with, or better yet, who disagree with us. We proclaim that our church life is different from the rest of our life and that we have the right to say and do what we want Good luck with that! God does not just exist inside the four walls of the churches that we go to. He is everywhere and sees everything. He knows the true nature of our hearts. If we choose to follow Christ, then that does not just mean we do what He wants when we want to. We can no longer live dual lives. A Christian life is an all or nothing life. His ways, His teachings, His expectations must inform and shape everything that we do and say. If they do not, then we are not His followers. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

  • May 31, 2020

    LET ALL THE KINGS OF THE EARTH

    Psalms 137:4-6 (138:4-6) 


    O Lord, let all the kings of the earth give thanks to You,
    For they heard all the words of Your mouth;
    And let them sing in the ways of the Lord,
    For the glory of the Lord is great;
    For the Lord is high, and He watches over the lowly things;
    But the high things He knows from afar.

    Personal Challenge

    It is so sad to see the state that our fallen world has come to. Has it been worse? Yes! Has it been better? Yes! Will it get worse? Yes! Will it get better? Maybe! What is critical in all of this is how will we respond. How will I respond? Are there injustices? Yes! Are people getting hurt? Yes! Are those of us who proclaim Jesus as our Lord demonstrating His love to those around us? In person? On social media? By our words? Most importantly, by our actions? Until we do this how will the kings of the earth, or anyone else for that matter, be able to hear the words from His mouth, or sing for Him, or even know Him? God’s love is for His creation, all of it. He sees through the color of our skin, the age of our bodies, the preferences and choices that we make, and even the ways that we do or do not worship Him and sees the children that He created in His image. And, He asks us to see and love each other that way as well. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy on me, the sinner?

  • May 30, 2020

    Saint of the Week
    St. Joseph the Hesychast


  • May 29, 2020

    UNITY

    Psalms 132 (133)

    Behold now, what is so good or so pleasant
    As for brothers to dwell together in unity?
    It is like fragrant oil running down upon the beard,
    The beard of Aaron, Running down upon the border of his garment;
    It is like the dew of Hermon, running down upon the mountains of Zion;
    For there the Lord commanded the blessing And life forever.

    Encouraging Words

    Again we have all these graphic images presented to us about how wonderful it is “for brothers to dwell together in unity”. Without the understanding of these images, the beauty of this passage goes unnoticed. Knowing what these images portray and the beauty of this passage, it is clear that in God’s eyes dwelling together in unity is of ultimate importance to Him. Think about it. The Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, is the ultimate epitome of living in unity. Glory be to God!

  • May 28, 2020

    IN VAIN

    Psalms 126:1 (127:1) 


    Unless the Lord builds the house,
    Those who build it labor in vain;
    Unless the Lord guard the city,
    Those who guard it stay awake in vain.

    Personal Challenge

    It is so easy in our American culture to slip into the mode of the self-made, self-dependent person and go through life believing that we can do everything and anything on our own. If we do this enough we begin to believe that we do not need the Lord and delegate Him to ride in the back seat. This could not be farther from the truth. We need our Lord to be in charge, for without Him, all is in vain. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

  • May 27, 2020

    WHERE SHALL MY HELP COME FROM?


    Psalms 120:1-4 (121:1-4) 


    I lifted my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come?
    My help comes from the Lord,
    Who made heaven and earth.
    Let not your foot be moved;
    Neither let Him who keeps you slumber.
    Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

    Encouraging Words

    Our help comes from the Lord! Who is He? It is He who made heaven and earth. He never slumbers. He keeps Israel, His church, in the protective palm of His hand. He is the only one that we can put our hope in, for the help that we really need in our lives comes from only Him. My help comes from the Lord. Glory be to Him!

  • May 26, 2020

    HE HEARD ME

    Psalms 119:1-4 (120:1-4)


    To the Lord in my affliction
    I cried out, and He heard me.
    O Lord, deliver my soul from unjust lips
    And from a deceitful tongue.
    What should be given You, and what added to You,
    Against a deceitful tongue?
    The arrows of the Mighty One are sharpened
    With hot coals from the desert.

    Encouraging Words

    We can cry out to our Lord and He will hear our voice. He will also respond to our cries, however, His response may not necessarily be the answer that we are looking for. God transcends time and space. He always knows what is best for us, both now and in the future. If we want to be His disciples and follow in His footsteps, then we must trust Him to do what is best and right in our lives and be joyful that He responds. Living this way keeps us on His straight and narrow path. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

  • May 24, 2020

    CRY OUT

    Psalms 118:147 (119:147) 


    I     arose at midnight and cried out; I hoped in Your words.

    Encouraging Words

    Have you ever had one of those nights where you could not fall off to sleep? Maybe rather than reaching out for your phone or tablet to occupy your mind, you should try crying out to your Lord in prayer and spending time with Him. We can put our hope in Him. Glory be to God!

  • May 23, 2020

    Saint of the Week
    St. Paisios