Author: David Short

Hebrews 11:8

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

Personal Challenge…

I love Hebrews and the “Hall of Fame” that shares all of the “by faith” accounts. I believe that our modern Christian faith has become diluted because we have created so many concrete things that we now put our faith in. Whether these things are our institutions, or our denominations, or our doctrines, or dogmas, or whatever it is not these that we are to put our faith in. Our faith is to be in God, our Provider. Even our early fathers who walked with Christ, learned from Him, and laid the foundational bricks of the Church had to put their faith in the unseen and unknown. Jesus was gone. They put their faith in that unknown place that God was calling them to…just like Abraham. Should I be any different?

Psalm 104:33-34 (103:33-34 LXX)

I will sing to the Lord all my life;
I will sing to my God as long as I exist;
May my words be pleasing to Him,
And I shall be glad in the Lord.

Personal Challenge…

“And I shall be glad in the Lord.” Joy…that elusive state of life that so many are pursuing. Joy does not come from the stuff I own, for if that is where I am seeking our joy I will be coveting what everyone else has because I think that what they have gives them joy. Joy does not come from my position in life, for if I look closely enough I will find that there are many in higher positions than me who have no joy and many more below me that have much more joy. True joy that is saturated with peace and contentment does not come from anything in this world that I can acquire or attain. It comes from the pursuit of the heart of God, living a life of humility and sacrifice, putting others around us first. True joy can only come from the One True God and not the god that I have created in His image. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.

Psalm 102:17-18 (103:17-18 LXX)


But the mercy of the Lord is from age to age upon those who fear Him,

Psalm 145:8-9 (144:8-9 LXX)

The Lord is gracious and merciful,
Longsuffering and abundant in mercy.
The Lord is good to all,
And His mercies are upon all His works.

Encouraging Words…

The Lord our God, the creator of all, loves His creation. That love is so deep and so wide that He was willing to give up His Son as a sacrifice so that His creation could be redeemed and restored. I cannot praise God enough for the mercies that He pours out on His creation and me.

Mark 8:11-12

Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him. But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation.

Personal Challenge…

We are a part of ‘this generation’ that Jesus was talking about. We go to our church services looking for God to do something miraculous in our lives so that we can ‘feel’ His presence. We go to conferences, retreats, monasteries, even mission trips looking for that ‘sign’ from heaven. And what we fail to recognize is that 2,000 years ago we were given the Sign of all signs. God became man, lived amongst us, faced temptations and rejected them for holiness, gave up His life for all mankind and creation, and rose again to rule in eternity with His Father in heaven.

So why do we still seek a sign from heaven? Because we have not yet fully accepted and received the final sign given to us by God Himself. In my church we celebrate the entire liturgy as if we are standing in the presence of God. We are inviting the hosts of heaven to celebrate our God with us just as we desire to enter into the heavenly realm and celebrate our God with the hosts in heaven. We become a part of the one true Sign from heaven and go away with the ability to shine as His sign to those around us. Praise be to the Living God.

Matthew 22:37:40

Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.

Personal Challenge…

As humans we always are looking for the rules…the rules of the game, the rules of the group, the rules of life. Here Jesus gives us the simplest set of rules that you could ever find: Love your God and love your neighbor. Simple rules to understand and yet very complicated to master. Isn’t this what our journey to theosis is comprised of? Learning to give up ourselves and to put God and our neighbor before us…in love.

Psalm 59:16-17 (58:17-18 LXX)


But I will sing of Your power,
And greatly rejoice in Your mercy in the morning;
For You are my protector,
And my refuge in the day of my affliction.
You are my helper; I will sing to You;
For You, O God, are my protector;
You are my mercy, O my God.

Encouraging Words…

What more could I add to this proclamation from the psalmist? Nothing, except that after living 48 years under the wing of my Lord, the psalmist definitely captured the truth about my God.

1 Corinthians 12:7

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:

Encouraging words…

Throughout the letters of the New Testament we are informed of the spiritual gifts that are bestowed on those of us who follow Christ and have been baptized into Him. We are also told that these gifts are not for us, but for the building up of the body of Christ. This verse highlights that the Holy Spirit is manifested in my life through the gift(s) that He bestows upon me. This is powerful and makes it all the more important for me to discern these gifts and live within them…using them for His body.

Psalm 119:37 (118:37 LXX)
Turn away my eyes that I may not see vanity;
Give me life in Your way.

Personal Challenge…

As the psalmist prays so should I. My desire should be that God will help me to look away from those things in my life that would tempt me to turn away from my pursuit of righteousness in my Lord. My prayer should be for His blessing of a life that is founded in His ways.

Hebrews 4:13

And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

Personal Challenge…

Why is it that it is so easy for me to forget that my Lord is ever present? He knows my every thought, my every action. And yet I still do things that I know are wrong, whether in thought or deed, as if no one is watching me. Oh how fortunate I am that He is so loving and merciful. Lord Jesus Chris, have mercy on me, a sinner.