Author: David Short

Revelation 21:3-4

And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Encouraging Words

What a blessing it is to be able to go through each day knowing that this is how it will all end up. Glory be to God!

Psalm 120:1-4 (119(1-4 LXX)

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

Our Lord is always there for us. He is able to withstand andy evil and deceitful tongue that should try to defame Him. And, as His child, He will surround me with His love and protection so that I too will be able to withstand any evil and deceitful tongue that should try to defame me…for I am His!

1 Corinthians 9:25-27

And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

Personal Challenge

My priest is always reminding us, his parishioners, that our lives as Christians is not a sprint, but a marathon. He knows that we can get burned out if we try to become the uber-Christian all at once and not spend the time building up our practices of faith and traditions. We fast so that we can learn to discipline and control our bodies and minds, but we take time learning to fast. We participate in the liturgy and other activities of the church, but not all at once. We learn to love our neighbors, take care of those in need, and give our wealth and other resources, but only after we have learned to be nurtured so that we can nurture others. Another aspect of all of this is that we learn, grow and exercise within the context of what our life is. I do not practice to run a marathon if the sport that I am engaged in is boxing or vice versa. So, if this is the case, then why would I spend most of my time learning and practicing all that a monastic would do if I am married, have a family, and will never be a monastic? I can learn from the saints and fathers that lived out their holiness in their marriages and with their children. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

1 Corinthians 7:3-4

Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.

Encouraging Words

There is a practice that is followed in many Protestant faith practices that truly has no place in the body of Christ. It is dominionism, which includes within it the belief that the wife must be fully submissive to the husband and that he basically acts as the lord of his household. Paul and the early church fathers taught that the husband and wife are equally joined together as co-heads of their marriage and their household. Even in Genesis we are taught that the two have become one flesh and that the single unit is responsible for the marriage, the family, and everything else in life going forward. What a blessing to be a part of Christ’s Church that believes this and fosters it in all aspects of its traditions. Glory be to God!

1 Corinthians 5:12-13

For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”

Personal Challenge

Paul has just finished reminding the brothers and sisters in Corinth that it is their responsibility to discipline a member of their church for living an openly sinful life. He encourages them to do this in a loving, caring, way, but to do it so that the person may be brought back to Christ. He also warns them, and us, however, that they do not have the right to judge someone who is outside of the body of believers for the sins in their lives. To the contrary, we are to show them the love of Christ in order to win them to Christ. Today, with the advent of the internet and social media, so many in the church have determined that they have the right and authority to judge everyone in the world who does not conform to their beliefs. This, in and of itself, is a sin. Only god has the right and the authority to judge those outside of His church. My job, my charter is to love my neighbor, and to show them how much God loves them and desires them to become His children. I must always remember to judge not, that I might not be judged. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!

Genesis 6:22

Thus Noah did according to all the Lord God commanded him, so he did.

Personal Challenge

Throughout the scriptures, both Old Testament and New, we read stories of great men and women of God and how much they pleased Him. It is so easy to slip into the mode of thinking that they were special because God had touched them in a certain way to make them special. And this is never the case. God gave them situations similar to what I can face every day. What made these people special is that in their humanness they chose to exercise their faith in their God and do what He asked. It was their response, their action, their faith that made them special. This gives me great hope that I too can live my life like a Noah, or a Moses, or a David, or a Peter, or a Paul. In order to this it means that I must choose to follow God, and obey Him, and step out on faith. Glory be to God!

Mark 2:5

When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”

Encouraging Words

So much for our salvation and walk in Christ being a personal thing. As Americans, we pride ourselves on being independent individuals. We talk about our “personal” relationship with Christ. Yes, Jesus does reach into each of our lives and leads us on our journey to Him, however, it requires the entire community of the faithful to help us along our journey. Here we see a young man healed of his physical malady because of the faith of his friends. This is the kind of friend that I want to be to those in my life and these are the kind of friends that I want in my life. Glory be to God!

John 5:30

I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

Encouraging Words

Wow! I don’t think I have read any other verse that so clearly encapsulates the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Here He is saying that He is fully human because as a human the only way that He can be righteous is to conform His will to the divine will of God. As a human, He had to do this continually. As God in human form, He could have forced His humanity to do this, but then that would not have been Him exercising His human free will. Why is this important? Because if I am commanded to be like Christ and to grow into His image, then I must have a human model whose footsteps I can follow. I too can choose to conform my will to God’s and become righteous. I too can choose to be like Christ. I must do this every moment of my life. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!

Psalm 97:10 (96:10 LXX)

You who love the Lord, hate evil;
The Lord keeps the souls of His saints;
He shall deliver them from the hand of sinners.

Encouraging Words

Sometimes it feels like the whole world has succumbed to the evils that the scriptures so clearly warn us about. Businesses have become so greedy and treat their employees like commodities and use deception to convince their customers to buy more. Debauchery is rampant across the entertainment industry. So many wars are being waged in the name of God, but in reality are against God. And the list goes on. So where are the encouraging words? If I love god and continue to strive to live my life His way, in the image of His son, then He will keep my soul. He will deliver me from the hand of sinners. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!