Category: Uncategorized

NO PARTIALITY

James 2:1-4

My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,” have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

Personal Challenge

One of the things that has become very aparent in the recent events accross our country is the depth and breadth of partiality within the hearts and minds of so many people. It has played out in so many ways. Racisim. Anti-immigrants. Anti-“Woke” attitudes. Hatred between political parties. Animosity between different faith practices. For those who claim to be Christian, none of this is acceptable. We are called, actually commanded, to love our neighbor, no matter who they are. We cannot claim to be followers of Christ and show partiality. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

WHO WILL TELL?

Isaiah 33:13-16

“Those afar off will hear what I have done; and those near will know My strength.” The lawless in Zion departed; trembling will seize the ungodly. Who will tell you a fire is burning? Who will tell you about the eternal place? He who walks in righteousness and speaks uprightly, he who hates lawlessness and wrongdoing, who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes, he who stops his ears from hearing the judgment of blood, and he who shuts his eyes from seeing wrongdoing. He will dwell in a high cave of a mighty rock. Bread will be given him, and his water will be plentiful.

Personal Challenge

Our temporal world has always been filled with right and wrong. Always has been\, and always will be, until the new kingdom is established. Throughout the history of mankind we have had those who stood up for what is right and rebuke that which was wrong. Jesus was the ultimate human to do that, and as God, He will establish that new kingdom for us to transition to. In the meantime, it is incumbent upon us who remain on this earth to speak up against the wrong around us and to protect that which is right. It means telling others of the eternal world to come. It means walking in righteousness and speaking uprightly. It means hating lawlessness and wrongdoing. It means being physically active in proclaiming these truths, refusing bribes, and shutting our ears and eyes to the lies and falsehoods of the world and seizing hold of truth. Glory be to God!

PROVOKING GOD

Proverbs 17:5

He who laughs at the poor provokes the One who made him,
And he who rejoices in destruction will not be unpunished;
But he who has compassion will be shown mercy.

Encouraging Words

A phrase that I learned early in my spiritual journey is, “Vergence is mine, saith the Lord.”. I have held on to that phrase my entire life and have seen my Father execute it many times. The biggest challenge for followers of Christ is to let go of evils done by others and let God work out the appropriate consequences in His time, which seldom aligns with our time. In this Proverb we are reminded that God cares deeply for the poor, whether they be poor in wealth or health or spirit. They were made in God’s image and He will repay those who take advantage of those who are poor. May God have mercy on those in today’s political climate that are relishing the harm being done to these in need. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord have mercy!

DOERS

James 1:22-25

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

Personal Challenge

Our world is filled with people who have mastered the skill of accumulating information and yet not doing anything constructive or productive with that knowledge. It is also filled with people that are full of their own personal opinions which are driven by pride and arrogance. Neither of these are of any value to the world around us. It is our responsibility to seek out and listen to the truth that is available, to discern it from the lies and fabrications, and most importantly, act upon that truth with conviction and resolve, seeking godly and righteous results. We are to be doers and not just hearers. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Saint of the Week
St. Porphyrios

RETURN AND GROAN

Isaiah 30:15

For thus says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel: “When you return and groan, then you will be saved and know where you were. When you trusted in vain things, vain was your strength, and you did not will to listen.”

Personal Challenge

As a country that was founded on Godly principles, we should take a lesson from the early Jewish nation. God blesses those who pursue Him and His righteousness. He does not bless those who build, or follow, false spirituality. Righteousness, and therefore, a Christ-centered mindset, cannot be legislated or forced. It only comes from humbly abandoning our evil ways, returning to God, and groaning (confessing)our sins. This is repentence and it is not only needed individually but corporately as well. When we put our trust in vain things, those things that are apart from God, then all else will be in vain. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

SWIFT AND SLOW

James 1:19-20

So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;
for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Personal Challenge

No matter where we are in our journey of life, this is good advice to follow. We should always focus more on listening to others than we do on speaking and judging from our limited, and often incorrect, information. It is beneficial to be slow to speak until we hear enough from the other. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

IN VAIN

Isaiah 29:13

So the Lord said, “These people draw near to Me and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me, and they worship Me in vain, teaching the commandments and doctrines of men.”

Personal Challenge

Those who study history know that those who do not end up repeating history. This is not new. This has been the case throughout the history of mankind. Those who spend time reading the Old Testament scriptures recognize that the nation of Israel continually, prepeated their history by not remembering it. In this verse, Isaiah is calling out his fellow country people for once again offering empty and heretical worship to God when their heartrs were far from God. As a people who proclaim to be Christians, so many today are repeating this historical activity. It is acceptible to wear crosses for the public to see and to participate
in worship performance with lifted hands, all the while treating migrants with disdain, taking needed care away from those who cannot fend for themselves, and spewing words of hatred and contempt for others. Even mockery of religious and spiritual truths have returned. As God told the Jewish nation through Isaiah that all their “religious” actions were in vain because their hearts were far from Him, so too, does this accusation ring true today. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

EVERY GOOD GIFT

James 1:17

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Encouraging Words

As followers of Christ, we acknowledge that every good and perfect gift comes from our Father in heaven. So, what constitutes a good and perfect gift? In reality, it is everything that we have and receive in our lives, even down to every breath that we take and every beat of our heart. We believe that God holds every aspect of our lives in His hands and because of His love for us. He pours out His blessings upon us. Glory be to God.

THE CORNERSTONE

Isaiah 28:16

therefore, thus says the Lord: “Behold, I lay for the foundations of Zion a costly stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone for its foundations, and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.

Encouraging Words

God promised that He would provide to us, His followers, a solution to death, which was the consequence of sin entering our world. Throughout the timeline of humanity, He gave us images and prophecies of this solution, which would not be in any institution, government, or regular human being. This solution would be the cornerstone to the foundation of an entirely new kingdom. This cornerstone is Jesus Christ, his Son, who was fully human and fully God. He defeated death and broke the bonds that it had on us giving us eternal life in the new kingdom. Thanks be to God!