Category: Uncategorized

WE SHALL BE HEALED

Jeremiah 30:16-17 (37:13-14 LXX)

Therefore, all who devour you shall be consumed, for all your enemies shall devour themselves. Your sins multiplied because of the abundance of your wrongdoings, thus they did these things to you. But those who tore you to pieces shall be as prey, and I will give all who plundered you as plunder. For I will bring about your healing from a painful wound. I will heal you,’ says the Lord. ‘For you were called Dispersed, for they said, “She is your prey, because no one seeks her.’ ”

Encouraging Words

Jeremiah proclaimed this prophecy for the people of Israel but yet it can also apply to His chosen people under His new covenant. True followers of Christ will be restored by our Lord even after those of the world attempt to devour and plunder us. God never goes back on His promises. He will heal us. He will protect us. Our resposibility is to keep running to Him, confessing our sins, and repenting. He does the rest. Glory be to God!

USE YOUR GIFTS

1 Peter 4:10-11

As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Personal Challenge

One of the promises that we have received as followers of Christ is that we will be given one or more gifts to be used for His kingdom. These gifts are articulated throughout the New Testament. Jesus expects us to use our gifts to build up His body, as good stewards for Him. We do this gladly. Sometimes our gifts may be thwarted by others within the body, whether unintentionally or with malicious intent. In these cases, we still seek out ways to use those gifts for His edification. Glory be to God!

Saint of the Week

St. John Chrysostom

WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?

Psalms 146:5-9 (145:5-9 LXX)

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob;
His hope is in the Lord his God,
Who made heaven and earth,
The sea and everything in them,
Who keeps truth forever,
Who executes justice for the wronged,
Who provides food for the hungry.
The Lord frees those bound.
The Lord restores those broken down.
The Lord gives wisdom to the blind.
The Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord keeps watch over resident aliens.
He shall adopt the orphan and the widow,
But He shall destroy the way of sinners.

Personal Challenge

As a continuation of yesterday’s post, we continue through this psalm. After being told to not put our trust in the leaders of this world, we are told how God exercises His love for mankind. Jesus reminds us in His teachings that He expects His followers to do this as well. It is not enough to wear gold crosses and pray in public settings. We must do the following in His name whenever we have a chance:

• Execute justice for the wronged
• Feed the hungry
• Free those who are bound
• Restore those who dre broken down
• Give wisdom to the blind (even when they can see)
• Love the righteous
• Keep watch over resident aliens (aka immigrants)
• Adopt the orphan and the widow

Contrast this with what we are seeing happening in the name of God today! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

SONS OF MEN

Psalms 146:3-4 (145:3-4 LXX)

Do not trust in rulers and in the sons of men,
In whom there is no salvation.
His breath shall go out of him, and he shall return to his earth;
On that day all his thoughts shall perish.

Personal Challenge

One of the things that constantly plagued God’s chosen people throughout their existence was that they kept taking their eyes off of God as their leader and protector and put them on people. They demanded a king and everything went downhill from there. It was so bad for so long that they did not even recognize their long-awaited Messiah when He showed up. We are at this point again in many renditions of modern Christianity. People, many of which are leaders in politics, chasing after Christian nationalism, which by the way is heretical, or they are clamoring around ungodly and corrupt leaders almost to the point of worshipping them. Do they not know that sons of men come with expiration dates? Their reign will end, there will be no salvation in them, and when they die, their thoughts and kingdoms will perish. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

PLAN OF PEACE

Jeremiah 29:11-13 (36:11-13 LXX)

For I shall consider a plan of peace for you, to give you good things and not calamities. Therefore, pray to Me, and I will hear you. Seek Me, and you will find Me, because you seek Me with all your heart.

Personal Challenge

Finding God, truly meeting Him and getting to know Him intimately, is more on us than it is on Him. He is constantly making Himself available and known to us. We are just so busy with our worldly lives that we fail to recognize Him. If we pray to Him, He hears us. If we seek Him, we will find Him. We must do these things with our whole heart .When we find Him and dwell within His presence, He will give us a plan of peace, to give us good things and not calamities. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

ABOVE ALL THINGS

1 Peter 4:7-9

But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.

Personal Challenge

One thing that so many people today who proclaim to be Christians gets wrong is His teachings and expectations about love. Peter, who walked with Jesus and was one of the strongest leaders of the early Church, commands us to be fervent in our love for one another. He was surely harkening back to the sermon on the mount by Jesus, the beatitudes, the parable of the last judgment, and Jesus’ final words from the cross. Jesus was all about loving our neighbor. We cannot be selective in that love and act as if we are following Jesus. From that love flows a hospitality towards others that has no room for grumbling. Got is love and He expects us to love everyone. Lord, have mercy! Lord have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

BUILD, PLANT, LIVE

Jeremiah 29:5-7 (36:5-7)

Build houses and dwell in them. Plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands; and be multiplied and not diminished. Seek the peace of the land into which I carried you captive. Pray to the Lord for them, for in its peace you shall have peace.

Encouraging Words

As followers of Christ, we live our lives as if we are ambassadors for God here in this temporal world. Our true residency is in God’s kingdom. This, by the way, makes it easier to go through the chaos in the world without getting upset about it. In this passage, Jeremiah was encouraging his fellow Israelites, who were captives in a foreign land, and therefore ambassadors themselves, how to live. They were to live fully by building houses, planting gardens, marrying, and having families. They were to live as much for their God as they could so that they could create a place of peace in their temporary home. What a wonderful encouragement. Thanks be to God!

SUFFER FOR DOING GOOD

1 Peter 3:13-17

And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

Personal Challenge

We must always remember that our world is upside down compared to the way that God wants His followers to act. He wants us to be humble in order to be great in His Kingdom. He wants us to give from our abundance so that we might receive from His. He will bless us if we suffer for righteousness’ sake. He does not want us to be afraid or troubled about what the world might throw at us for He is our shield and our protector. He wants us to sanctify Him in hearts and to be ready to give a defense for His hope that is within us, with meakness and humility. We can have a good conscience knowing that when the world tries to defame us for living this way, that they will be the ones that are shamed. Lord have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Saint of the Week

St. Sophrony of Essex