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John 1:12-13

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Encouraging Words

John makes it so clear that for those who receive the gift of salvation given to them by God through the incarnation of Jesus, they become children of God. Through Jesus and His work on the cross, we can be adopted into the family of God and take on the nature of Jesus. This act of receiving Jesus is so much more than just saying some prayer or walking up to the front of the church for an altar call. When we truly receive Jesus and choose to live our lives for Him, everything begins to change in our lives. We begin to feel uncomfortable in this world because it is no longer our home. We begin to feel ill at ease with the way the world functions and the expectations that the world has for us to participate in its ways. We begin to yearn for being in the presence of our God. However, just as Satan, in the form of the serpent was bent on causing Adam and Eve to sin and to fall away from their relationship with God, so too does he do everything in his power to pull us away from our relationship with God. We must choose, over and over again, consistently and persistently, to receive Christ and live for Him. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Psalms 118:24 (117:24 LXX)

This is the day the Lord made;
Let us greatly rejoice, and be glad therein.

Encouraging Words

Every day, every breath, every beat of the heart is indeed a blessing from our living and loving God. This is indeed something to greatly rejoice about and to be glad therein. He has chosen us to be His blessed children. All we need to do is accept that and live under His loving wings. Glory be to God!

Proverbs 11:9 (11:10 LXX)

A man in need of discernment treats citizens with contempt,
But a man of discernment keeps quiet.

Personal Challenge

Once again the writer of the proverbs reminds us just how powerful the tongue can be. We are also reminded that the need for discernment and how the application of the proper discernment can make a major difference in our lives and the lives of those around us. In this case, that discernment informs us to keep our mouths shut so that we treat those around us with grace, even when there might be cause to call people out. We must always remember to think before we speak, or tweet, or instant message, or Facebook, and then act on that thinking by being quiet more often than we speak. Lord have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Luke 24:32

And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”

Personal challenge

Here is a question that I know that I must ask myself regularly. “Does my heart burn within me when I hear the Scriptures read taught to me?” Regretfully, I must say that this does not happen often enough. The Scriptures are God’s Word captured in writing for me to cherish and fill my heart with. The teachings of His saints and the leaders of my church today are His spoken Words for me to meditate on and fill my heart and mind with. And as with so many other aspects of my life, actually all aspects of my life, this is my choice. I must choose to put Gods written and spoken Word first and foremost in my life so that my heart burns for Him. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Psalms 118:8-9 (117:8-9 LXX)

It is good to trust in the Lord
Rather than to trust in man;
It is good to hope in the Lord
Rather than to hope in rulers.

Encouraging Words

In this day of political uncertainty and a divided country, it is good to know that our God transcends all that is of this world and that we can put our trust and hope in Him rather than in the men and women who are of this world. It is God who gave them their positions of authority, to begin with. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have Mercy! Lord, have Mercy!

Proverbs 11:2

Wherever arrogance enters, there also is dishonor,
But the mouth of the humble meditates on wisdom.

Personal Challenge

There is such a delicate balance in living your life in confidence that your Lord has you in the palm of His hand and coming across as arrogant. Maybe that is why the writer of this proverb put the trait of being humble and having a mouth that meditates on wisdom as the alternative to being arrogant and treading into disaster. As a humble person, one would speak less and put others first. Having a mouth that meditates on wisdom, that person would speak less and when they did the speech would be seasoned with the love of Jesus. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Luke 23:34

Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

And they divided His garments and cast lots.

Encouraging Words

It still amazes me how much of our Western Christianity views God as a mean, judgmental, hateful God. What flows out of this doctrine is a tendency to become mean, judgmental, hateful people that call ourselves Christians. We divide over petty things in our churches. We cast aspersions on people or groups that don’t hold to our defined beliefs or desires. We damn people to hell when we do not have that right or the authority to do that. Here we have Jesus Christ, God Incarnate. God and man in one body who has never committed a sin in His life. He healed the blind, the lame, the deaf and those with all forms of illness, never expecting anything in return. He raised people from the dead and fed the hungry. He loved His creation unconditionally. And when they beat Him, spit on Him, and hung Him on the cross, did He call down God’s judgment on them? No! He asked the Father to forgive them. That is unconditional love, Our Eastern practice of Christianity focuses on the love of God and the fact that none of us deserves it, which is why we pray regularly… Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Psalms 118:1-4 (117:1-4 LXX)

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Israel say that He is good,
For His mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Aaron say that He is good,
For His mercy endures forever.
Let all who fear the Lord say that He is good,
For His mercy endures forever.

Encouraging Words

The Lord is good! His mercy does endure forever! May I and my household give thanks to Him, forever. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Proverbs 10:31 (10:32 LXX)

The mouth of a righteous man distills wisdom,
But the tongue of an unrighteous man utterly destroys.

Personal Challenge

Have you ever had one of those moments when the words that came out of your mouth utterly destroyed someone? I have. More times than I would like to remember. It has been at those times that I can look back on and see just how unrighteous I was. Definitely not something to be proud of. Having a tongue that distills wisdom and that encourages and edifies those around us is another reason to pursue righteousness in Christ. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have Mercy on me, the sinner!