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2 Corinthians 4:6

For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Encouraging Words

God is light, pure uncreated light. There is no darkness within Him. It is He who spoke into the dark void and said, “Let there be light.” He did that again when Jesus entered into humanity as a little child and the incarnation of God as a human being. And He wants to do that again with each and every one of us who claim Him as our Lord and savior. He sends us out as light in the dark world to be His light for the lost. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Romans 6:17-18

But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

Personal challenge

Let’s face it, freedom is an allusion. Now before you put up your fists to take me on, hear me out. From a human point of view, we are all slaves to our desires, our passions, and ultimately our sins. How else has the saying, “The devil made me do it.” become so popular. We may be “free” to do whatever we want, but we still have to pay the price or receive the consequences, for our choices. Paul is reminding the Romans, and us, that when we choose to obey Christ, his teachings, and His doctrines, then we become slaves to Him, but we receive freedom from our sins. This is truly a choice worth making. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

1 Corinthians 1:22-24

For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Personal Challenge

For Paul, and the Corinthians, the entire world was divided into two types of people, the Jews and the Greeks (Gentiles). The Jews were those who lived under the Old Testament covenant with God. They had the law of God. They were blessed as God’s chosen people, set apart from the rest of the world and the only ones that would receive God’s mercy and grace. The Greeks were everyone else. They were the pagans, the unbelievers, the unclean. Paul makes it very clear that Jesus is no respecter of groups that we are put into. He came for everyone. The Jews, like so many today, claim that they are the only ones with true connection to God, and they kept demanding a sign. Show us that you are God. The Greeks in this scripture pursued wisdom as their God. For both of them, the gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news, was either a stumbling block or foolishness. Our modern versions of Christianity have created so many fake religions under the name of Christianity. We have got to stop creating and practicing these fake religions in our churches and embrace Jesus. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Romans 16:17-18

Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.

Personal Challenge

This passage is so relevant to our world today. It has become so divisive and self-centered, even within the church. Paul tells to avoid those who cause division and offenses that are contrary to the teachings of Christ and ultimately the church. It can be difficult sometimes to recognize who these people are because they can be very crafty in their approaches, but the closer we are to God the more obvious they become. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Romans 6:3-4

Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Personal Challenge

Do you profess to be a Christian? Were you baptized in Christ? Are you dead to the world? This is what our Scriptures teach us. If we were baptized into Christ, then we were baptized into His death and our own death to this world and raised up with Him so that we could walk in newness of life. If we are still living in love with the world, then we are betraying Christ. Lord, have mercy!

Romans 2:28-29

For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.

Personal Challenge

The true depth of our relationship with Jesus Christ is not measured by our outward appearances. We live in an age where false personas are not only accepted but glorified. People, even those in the church have mastered the ability to be one thing when you are around them and entirely the opposite thing when they think no one else is watching. Paul is calling out all of those early Christians who have gone through all of the external motions and observances, but who are inwardly not changed at all. We must all ask ourselves, I must ask myself, have I mastered the image of a good and godly person, and yet on the inside of my heart betray God over and over again? It is what is on the inside that really counts. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Acts 8:30-31

So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.

Encouraging Words

One of the significant differences between the Orthodox Church and the modern church is in how we address the interpretation of the scriptures. Orthodoxy teaches that the interpretation must be grounded in the church, her saints and teachings for 2,000 years, Gen traditions, and her sacraments. The enrich in this passage was trying to understand what he was reading. Philip, who had walked with Jesus and learned from Him, as well as being one of the apostolic leaders of the early chord, interpreted this reading in the context of that setting. So many, today, believe that as long as I have a printed version of the Bible, then they can interpret it by themselves. This is not so according to the teachings of the Church. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Luke 12:35-36

“Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.”

Personal Challenge

God does not want any of His children to be lazy. We have been adopted into a family of doers, a family that is asked to stand ready at all times for when our Father calls upon us to act, our waist is girded, our lamps are burning, and we are ready to do whatever He asks. This passage is often interpreted to mean that we must be ready for when He comes on that last day of judgment, but it can also mean that we stand ready to respond whenever He calls upon us to do His work, which means we’re listening for His voice and living close enough to Him to be able to hear it. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!