My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
Personal Challenge
One thing that I have learned in my life journey as a follower of Christ is to not pray for patience. From the perspective of trying to be like Christ, patience is a characteristic that is developed in our trials and tribulations, which life is always eager to send our way. Through these trials, tests for our faith in God, patience is produced. If we let this production of patience work in our lives, our work for our Lord will be more perfected and we too will be more perfect and complete, lacking nothing. Lord, have Mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, I have mercy!
I also heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go to this people?” Then I said, “Behold, here am I, send me.” So He said, “Go, and tell this people, ‘You shall hear indeed, but not understand; and you shall see indeed, but not perceive.’ For the heart of this people has become insensitive, and their ears hear with difficulty. They have closed their eyes, lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return, and I should heal them.”
Person Challenge
The history of humankind is filled with people who have insensitive and hard hearts. I suspect that this may be one of the greatest and most damaging consequences of the fall of mankind into sin that started in the garden of Eden. Over and over again, God reaches out to His creation, those whom He created in His image, both male and female, seeking to connect with us and draw us back to His perfect garden. And we continue to shut our ears so that we do not hear His voice and cover our eyes so that we do not see His loving face and many miraculous activities in our lives. We have the ability to look at Him through His son and allow Him to replace our hearts of stone with hearts of flesh. This is the only way to receive true healing and true life. Glory be to God!
Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.
Personal Challenge
Life as a follower of Christ can be full of real challenges. We chose to go to the scriptures and the teachings of the Church fathers for guidance, especially when challenged with situations in life that appear to conflict with these sources. This verse instructs us to obey those who rule over us and to submit to them. This verse has often been used to force Christians to give into a ruling government that is not following Christian principles. By itself, it looks like that is what it is saying. However, backing up to the verses before this one, reading it in context, it becomes clear that this is referring only to our religious leaders and not our political and social leaders. We should always yield to the spiritual leaders, as long as they too are yielding to the spiritual leadership above them, which ultimately is Jesus Christ and His teachings. This is our conundrum and our personal challenge as followers of Christ, to always look to Him for our guidance and leading. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!
Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean. Put away the evils from your souls before My eyes. Cease from your evils. Learn to do good. Seek judgment and redeem the wronged. Defend the orphan and justify the widow. Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord, “although your sins are like crimson, I shall make them white like snow, and although they are as scarlet, I shall make them white like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good things of the land. But if you are unwilling and disobedient, you shall be devoured by the sword,” for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Personal Challenge
The selection of the verse/passage for each day is a bit random. It consistently amazes me how often the selection for the day rings so true to the day that it falls on. Today is another one of those days. This year, both the Eastern and Western Christian calendars align on the Pascha/Easter period of Lent and resurection celebration. Today we both celebrate Palm Sunday, that day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem as the Prince of Peace on the back of a donkey. This passage reminds us what our prince of Peace is looking for from His followers:
Putting away evil from our souls.
Ceasing from doing evil.
Learning to do good.
Seeking judgment and redemption for those who have been wronged.
Defending the orphan.
Justifying the widow.
The question is, are we willing to be obedient to do what He asks. This is what we need to do for Him. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!
Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
Personal Challenge
As followers of Christ, it is incumbent upon us to be continually offering our sacrifices of praise to our God. For many this is a lively performance on Sundays at their church of choice. But it goes much further and deeper than that. It must include us offering the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name, constantly and consistently. Worship goes much deeper than a weekly performance. The praise from our lips must be accompanied by actions of doing God’s good works to those around us. Being a follower of Christ is a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week commitment and must mirror that which Jesus would do. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!
“Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come into His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, whom you desire. Behold, He is coming,” says the Lord Almighty. “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can withstand His appearance? For He enters like a refiner’s fire and as soap in one’s wash. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver and gold. He will purify the sons of Levi and pour them out as purified gold and silver, and they will bring an offering to the Lord in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord, as in the days of old, as in former years.
“And I will draw near to you in judgment, a swift witness against sorcerers, adulterers, those who swear falsely by My name, those who exploit wage-earners, those who oppress widows and afflict orphans, those who pervert the justice due foreigners, and those who do not fear Me,” says the Lord Almighty.”
Personal Challenge
No one can blame God of being secretive. He has His mystery, which only God can understand, but when it comes to mankind needing to know God’s plan for them, He always gave, and continues to give, heads up. He is fully transparent. In the days before Jesus was born, He sent prophets to point His followers back to the narrow path. His final prophet was John the Baptist paving the for Jesus to establish His new kingdom. After He ascended back to heaven, He left us trained and prepared apostles to point us to Him. Through His apostles, the Church, and His living word, He has guided us for 2,000 years. We have no excuse to say that we do not know what He wants from us. The last verse in the passage for today makes it very clear what He wants from us. Jesus reiterated it in His parable about the last judgement (Matthew 25: 37-46). The essence of that passage is that we will be judged by God for how well we love our neighbor. Sobering words considering where our country has devolved to in these days. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.
Encouraging Words
Jesus told us that the kingdom of God is amongst us. His promise to us that He would always be with us and would never forsake us ushered in His kingdom. This is a kingdom that cannot be shaken and will not be supplemented or replaced by any manmade kingdom. This is our opportunity, and responsibility, to serve Him in this kingdom acceptably unto God with reverence and godly fear. He does not need us to create or institute any earthly rendition of His kingdom that will distract us, and others, from His Kingdom. Glory be to God!
“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then, I am the Father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is the reverence due to me?” says the Lord Almighty. “You priests are the ones who disparage My name, yet you say, ‘In what way have we disparaged Your name?’”
Personal Challenge
For those who are truly followers of Christ, what must be done to honor God and to give Him the reverence that is due Him? For starters, it is not establishing a “Christian”nation. It is not posting the 10 commandments everywhere. It is most definitely not shutting down programs and processes that feed the poor and hungry, clothe the naked, and provides health services to those who are, or could be sick. It is also not taking away gainful employment from hard working, dedicated employees. This list can go on and on condemning those who call themselves Christians, lift their hands in a mockery of prayer, or brandish a Bible as if it was a weapon. So what do we need to do to honor God and show Him reverence? Jesus told us. Love God with all of our heart, soul, body, and spirit, and love our neighbor as ourself. He was pretty clear about that. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Personal Challenge
We are not on our journey through life as followers of Christ on our own. We have all those who have gone before us, including Jesus, that have laid the ground work and established the footprints for us to follow. We can lay aside those things that would get in our way; every weight, every ensnaring sin, and any other incumbrances, and embrace Jesus to lead us. We can run the race with endurance looking to Jesus to help us through to then end. Thanks be to God!
Verse of the Day 