Author: David Short

Exodus 8:11

But when Pharaoh saw there was relief, his heart was hardened; and he did not heed them, as the Lord said.

Personal Challenge…

How often do we call out to God when we are in the midst of our trials and tribulations, just to turn our backs on Him when He delivers us? It is often said that times of prosperity are the times when people walk farthest away from God. We begin to look upon ourselves as being in charge of our lives and everything in them and then by our own free will decide that we don’t need God’s help anymore. Are we any different than Pharaoh was? Is it no wonder that through history the church has grown the most in times of oppression? Why not, however, stay close to God in the good times as well as the bad? It is a choice that we can make, that we must make, every morning that we get up and every moment throughout the day. As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.

Psalm 37:7 (36:7 LXX)

Submit to the Lord, and supplicate Him;
Do not be envious of him who prospers in his way,
Nor of him who transgresses the law.

Exodus 3:5

So He said, “Do not come any closer. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.”

Personal Challenge…

Oh how presumptuous a generation we have become that we believe we can stand in the presence of our living God with our heads held up high and our chests puffed out. Is this not the behavior of the pharisee that Jesus condemned when He pointed out the humility of the publican? Throughout the scriptures we see that when men came into the presence of God, both the Father and the Incarnate Son, their response was to fall on their face because they knew they were unworthy. Why do we act today as if we are on equal footing with the Lord our god and refuse to bow before Him, to humble ourselves before His awesomeness? I know that for me it is my pride. What would someone think if I bowed submissively before my Lord? I have a personal relationship with Him so He is my equal. Not! He is my Lord! My Savior! He is God! He is the creator of all! He holds eternity and all that is within it in the palm of His hand. I am but an ant before Him. I must bow before Him and submit my all to Him. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

2 Samuel 24:24 (2 Kingdoms 24:24 LXX)

Then the king said to Orna, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with something that costs me nothing.” So David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

Personal Challenge…

David teaches us a very valuable lesson here. Our commitment to our Lord, our sacrifice to Him, should never be cheap. God wants our first fruits not our leftovers. Whether it be singing in the choir at church, or teaching in Sunday School, or vacuuming the sanctuary floors, or changing diapers in the nursery, or whatever ministry we are involved in, we are to do it sacrificially, offering up our very best to our Lord. Whether it be in our homes, or at work, or while shopping, or even driving, we are to do everything sacrificially for our Lord so that those around us will be pointed to Him. We as a community of believers cannot allow ourselves to be lazy, or cheap, or nonchalant about the work that He has called us to do. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

1 Corinthians 9:24

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.

Personal Challenge…

As we go through this journey of Great Lent, a special time of ascetic practice, we must remember that we do not do this just for the asceticism itself. Paul reminds us that the athlete exercised and practiced so that he/she would win the race. We too should be exercising the practices of Lent in order to prepare ourselves to win the race of live and hear at the end, “Well done My good and faithful servant!” We do not do this by lording it over others about how good we keep the fast, or how well we do our prostrations, or how many services we have attended, or anything else related to our ascetic practices. We do this by loving our God, loving or neighbor, and giving of ourselves and what we possess to those in need. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Deuteronomy 31:6

Be valiant and strong, do not fear nor be afraid of them, nor be terrified before them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes before you and with you and among you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.

Encouraging Words…

Our Lord promises to always be with us. He keeps His promises. We can be strong, valiant, and fearless in every circumstance and situation knowing that our Lord has gone before us and stands beside us. Glory be to God!

Jeremiah 31:3 (38:3 LXX)

The Lord appeared to him from afar, saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I drew you in compassion.”

Encouraging Words…

Throughout the Old Testament scriptures God promises through His prophets that He will draw His children, the descendants of Abraham, together in His everlasting love. These children are not the children of Abraham’s flesh, but the children of His faith. It is by faith and by the work of Christ that we become children in the family of God and covered in the new covenant established by Him. We are loved with an everlasting love and covered by His compassion. Glory be to God!

Romans 14:3-4

Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.

Personal Challenge…

Today we celebrated Forgiveness Sunday in the Orthodox church. Tomorrow is the first day of Great Lent as we prepare for that sojourn to Pascha (Easter) and our early church fathers saw fit to start this journey off with a day and services set aside seeking and offering forgiveness amongst our brothers and sisters, our community. In this special service we hear the teachings of our Lord from Matthew 6 about forgiving those here on earth who have offended us and begin laying up rewards in heaven. Paul, in the letter to the Romans reminds us that God is the judge and not us. We cannot make it through life, especially the Christian life, without living in community. Today at church we had the opportunity to ask each individual to forgive us. We ask for forgiveness for what we have done or not done, whether known or unknown. It is a very moving experience if we choose to participate in it completely. And in response to our request for forgiveness we will hear, “May God forgive us all!” over and over again. This can be both very uplifting and freeing while at the same time very humbling.

I reach out to all who read this and ask you from the bottom of my heart, “Please forgive me for the offenses that I have committed against you and for the things that I should have done in our relationship that I have neglected to do.”