Isaiah 41:10
Fear not, for I am with you. Do not go astray, for I am your God who strengthens you; and I will help and secure you with My righteous right hand.
Encouraging Words…
Just as the nation of Israel was God’s chosen people, blessed and protected by Him, I to, through the work of Christ, am one of His chosen people. These promise apply to me as well.
Now therefore, my son, hear me:
Blessed is the man who shall hearken to me
And the man who shall guard my ways;
Who watches daily at my doors,
Who keeps watch at the doors of my entryways;
For my issues are the issues of life,
And grace is prepared from the Lord.
Command with a Promise…
Aren’t we all looking for blessings and grace in our lives? Here the psalmist points us in the direction of where we can secure these. If we hearken to those whom have gone before us living their lives in Christ, if we guard those traditions and teachings, if we carefully and prayerfully take care of the places of worship that we have today, then we will be blessed and God will pour out His grace upon us.
You made known to me the ways of life;
You will fill me with gladness in Your presence;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Encouraging Words…
Our Lord is not some distant object that we worship and hope to someday see. He is not some nebulous state like nirvana that we hope to achieve. He is the real, ever present Creator of all that delights in being an active part of our lives. What a blessing it is to know that He will reveal to His children the true ways of life, that He will fill us with gladness in His presence, and that He will fill our lives with His pleasures. Glory be to God.
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Have no regard for his outward appearance, nor for the maturity of his stature, because I have refused him. For man does not see as God sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord sees into the heart.”
Personal Challenge…
It is critical for me to take the time to get to know other people so that I can have a better view into their heart. It is wrong to judge people and even more wrong to judge them on superficial, external appearances.
No man shall be able to oppose you all the days of your life, and as I was with Moses, thus I will be also with you. I will not forsake you nor disregard you.
Encouraging Words…
Joshua had a heart for God and stood up for Him even when everyone else around him did not. Because of this God made a promise to him. It is a promise that carries forward to all who die to the world and live for Christ. Glory be to God!
(for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord God, a jealous name, is a jealous God),
Personal Challenge…
Our Lord God is not passionately jealous as we humans are, but as a loving father is intolerant toward bad things happening to his children, so the loving Father is intolerant of the evil things that happen to His children when they go astray to worship other gods. (Taken from the Orthodox Study Bible.) So, what gods am I worshipping that are getting in the way of my Lord? My gifts and talents? My possessions? My time? Whatever comes between my Lord and me is a false god. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
For it is better for us to die in war than to look upon the evils the Gentiles would bring to us and the sanctuary. But as God’s will is in heaven, so He will do.
Personal Challenge…
One of the things that I am reminded of when I read much of the Old Testament is how God calls His people to be militant for Him, for His truth, for His chosen people (His bride). If we temper this with Jesus’ teachings of loving our enemy, loving our neighbor, and doing all that we do to glorify the Father, we come up with a very special form of militance that we are called to. Am I ready to enter into war against those things that tear down God’s kingdom here on earth and yet fight the battle in a spirit of love? This war is not against politicians that I disagree with, or social demographics that I don’t like, but against the lies and strongholds of my true enemy, the devil. This battle starts in my own soul and expands from there. I am called to fight His good fight and trust that the outcome is in His hands. It may not always turn out my way, but it is His way, His will on earth as it is in heaven that really counts.
Therefore, children, be zealous for the law, and offer your lives for the covenant of our fathers; and remember the deeds our fathers did in their generations, and receive great honor and an everlasting name.
Personal Challenge…
In the day of the Maccabees all that the Israelites believed and stood for was being desiccated and destroyed. Here we have a band of believers who decide to stand up for their God and His precepts. Should we not do the same for our Lord today? It has nothing to do with politics or societal issues, but everything to do with living our lives for Him as Christians, defending the faith and proclaiming the truth of His Bride, the Church. In order to do this though we must know those truths, know our traditions, know our God, and keep fighting His good fight.
For Your might is not in numbers, nor Your power in men who are strong, but You are the God of the lowly; You are the helper of the oppressed, the defender of the weak, the protector of those who are forsaken, the savior of those without hope.
Encouraging Words…
God loves all of His creation! But the extent of His love is greatly evidenced in those who are lowly, oppressed, weak, forsaken, and without hope. For it is when we recognize that we are all in these states when we are separated from Him that we truly recognize that our might, our power, our strength, is nothing and that only He can save us.
Now my brothers, let us set an example for our people, for their very lives depend upon us. Furthermore, the sanctuary, the temple, and the altar rest upon us. Besides all this, let us be thankful to the Lord our God, who is testing us just as He did our fathers.
Personal Challenge…
Does what I do as a Christian really matter? Absolutely! As an individual, and more importantly as a member of a community, it is extremely critical that I live my life in a godly, righteous, God-centered way. The lives of those around me depend upon this. For those who are already in the family of God it helps them to live their lives in godly, righteous, and God-centered ways. For those who are not it can be a witness to them and possibly by the grace of God draw them into His family. The church and her future, her practices and traditions depend upon it to keep her pure and growing in Christ. Every one of us matter significantly in the eyes of God. Then, as tests and trials come our way we can withstand them and glorify our God.
Verse of the Day 