Category: Uncategorized

Acts 2:38

Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Encouraging Words

After Jesus ascended into heaven, the apostles gathered together and debated on what to do next. Soon after, the Holy Spirit descended upon these first followers of Christ in the event that we now celebrate as the Pentecost. The anointing of the Holy Spirit became the launching point of the Church and has continued ever since. In this passage we see Peter responding to the crowd in Jerusalem, the very same crowd that had crucified Jesus, who was so moved by Peter’s discourse that they wanted to know what to do to be saved. Peter had become an avid and articulate champion for Christ because He had been anointed by the Holy Spirit. This is the same Holy Spirit that anoints us today when we give our lives to Christ by repenting of our sins, being baptized into Him and anointed with the Holy oil. This is the same Holy Spirit that can lead us to do what Peter and the rest of the apostles did in our lives. Glory be to God!

Wisdom of Solomon 7:22-23

So in herself, wisdom is a spirit that is rational,
Holy, only-begotten, manifold, subtle, easily moved, clear,
Undefiled, manifest, invulnerable, loving what is good, keen,
Unhindered, beneficent, man-loving, steadfast, unfailing,
Free from worry, all-powerful, all-surveying,
And penetrating all spirits that are rational, pure, and most subtle.

Encouraging Words

As we continue to see these passages talk about the characteristics of Wisdom and apply these characteristics to Jesus, we get a glimpse into who God is. The beauty of all of this is that through the process of theosis or growing in the likeness of God, we too can begin to have these characteristics become manifest in our own lives. The key to this transformation is to constantly be putting our fleshly selves to death. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Acts 1:9-11

Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

Personal Challenge

Being a Christian does not give us the right to live a sedentary spiritual life. Our Lord expects us to be actively pursuing Him by living as He would live. We must be actively loving our neighbor, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and taking care of the widow, the orphan, and the poor, in order to grow in the image of Christ. Our journey to theosis is more like a cross-country hike than a train ride. The angels reminded Jesus’ apostles that it was time to stop looking for Jesus and time to go and build His Church. Glory be to God!

Wisdom of Solomon 6:12-16

Wisdom is radiant and unfading
And is easily perceived by those who love her;
For she is found by those who seek her.
She comes upon those who long to know her beforehand.
He who rises early in the morning to seek her
Will not grow weary,
For he will find her sitting at his gates.
For to think deeply about her
Is the perfection of discernment,
And he who keeps watch for her
Will soon be free from worry;
Because she goes about seeking those worthy of her,
And she appears to them favorably in their paths
And meets them in every thought.

Encouraging Words

In our modern and enlightened age, we have come to a place where wisdom is a thing that we can pursue. Wisdom has become an object. In our ancient Christian faith, the early Church, Wisdom was recognized as a person, that person being Jesus Christ. As our early Church fathers read back through what we call the Old Testament writings through the lens of Jesus, they saw that all teachings about Wisdom were about Jesus, the Wisdom of God. If you read this passage again and substitute “Jesus” for the word wisdom” and “him” for “being you will see the power of this teaching and the need to pursue Jesus as the source of Wisdom and not wisdom as an object. Glory be to God!

Jesus is radiant and unfading

John 21:7

Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea.

Personal Challenge

Do I love the Lord this much? Jesus had recently been crucified by the Roman empire, He had resurrected from the dead and been seen by hundreds of people, including Peter and the rest of the apostles. I am sure that these men had many thoughts going through their heads. To process these events they went back to what they had spent their entire adult life doing, which was fishing for a living. And while they were fishing, Jesus appeared to them after a long night of unsuccessful fishing. He called to them from the distant beach and told them to lower their net one more time. This time their net was so full that they could not pull it up. This is when John recognized that this was Jesus. When Peter heard John proclaim that this was Jesus, Peter dove into the water so that he could rush back to the shore to see his beloved Lord. Do I love Him enough to drop everything and run to Him when He draws near? Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner?

Wisdom of Solomon 6:1-3

Listen therefore, O kings, and understand;
Learn, O judges of the ends of the earth.
Give ear, you that rule over multitudes,
And take pride in yourself over a multitude of nations.
For power was given to you from the Lord,
And your lordship from the Most High,
Who will make a careful search of your works
And examine closely your plans.

Personal Challenge

Once again, the teachings of the scriptures challenge the ways of the world. Our world around us teaches us that it is up to us to make our way up the ladder of success and leadership. We are to set our eyes on our goal and do whatever it takes to get there, even if it means using and abusing others along the way. But the scriptures teach differently. Sure, this passage is talking kings and judges, but it can apply to any position of leadership, whether it be executives or managers at work, or leaders in volunteer organizations, or priests, deacons, and pastors in churches, but God is the one that puts people into these roles and He expects a higher level of accountability from them for what they do in that role. Jesus highlighted this expect­ation when He said, “for everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required.” Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

John 20:29

Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Encouraging Words

Don’t we all like being blessed by someone that we love and respect? As blessed as the Apostle Thomas was, as an Apostle, as the person that established for all of us the physical and tangible proof that Jesus had indeed been resurrected from the dead, and as one who helped to spread the gospel of our Lord throughout the known world, Jesus has called use even more blessed. We have never seen Jesus in His resurrected body. We have never seen or touched His pierced side or nail-pierced hands, but we still believe that He is the risen, incarnate, Son of God. And for this, we are blessed. Glory be to God!

Wisdom of Solomon 5:15-16

But the righteous live forever,
And their reward is with the Lord;
And their care is by the Most High.
Therefore they shall receive a kingly dwelling of dignity
And a crown of beauty from the hand of the Lord,
Because He will shelter them with His right hand
And protect them with His arm.

Encouraging Words

Our desire and associated attempts to live godly and righteous lives are never wasted. Our God rewards us for living this way. Some­times the reward is in this life, but it is always going to be there for us throughout eternity… an eternal life spent with God. Knowing this makes it easier to put our worries and cares at the foot of the Most High knowing that He will take care of us and crown us with the beauty of His glory. He will protect us and care for us. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy?