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Psalms 103:10-13 (102:10-13 LXX)

He did not deal with us according to our sins,
Nor reward us according to our transgressions;
For according to the height of heaven from earth,
So the Lord reigns in mercy over those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west,
So He removes our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him,

Encouraging Words

I am so thankful and so blessed that my God does not deal with according to who I am and what I have done in my life. If He did, then I would be doomed for sure. As this passage tells us, our God is a God of mercy and love. He pours out that unlimited mercy and love on me every moment of every day. Glory be to God!

Proverbs 3:11-12

My son, do not despise the instruction of the Lord,
Neither grow weary under His reproof.
For whom the Lord loves He instructs,
And chastises every son He receives.

Personal Challenge

I remember that while I was a child my parents would discipline me when I got out of line and needed my course corrected. Many times they would say that this hurt them more than it hurt me. As a child, I always felt they said that to make themselves feel better. How could that switch to my bottom be hurting them more than me? Then, as I became an adult and had children of my own, it was my turn to start applying the rod of correction to my own children. That is when I learned what my parents meant. When you love someone as much as you do your child, then having to correct and discipline them at times can be very painful. We correct and discipline out of our love for that child knowing that in the long run, they will be better people because of it. As a child of God, I must expect Him to correct me when I stray from the path that He has me on. Sometimes it is gentle nudges but sometimes it is a serious reproof because I have chosen to go way off course. I do not despise His correction and instruction for I know it hurts Him more than me. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Luke 15:31-32

“And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’ ”

Encouraging Words

One of the consistent things that all of us humans do is to look for the happy ending to the stories that unfold in our lives. I am sure that this is part of our being created in the image of God. God has such a deep love for His creation that He too always provides that opportunity for a happy ending. The twist is that He also gives us the ability to choose that ending by giving us free will. The parable of the prodigal son is no different. The younger son takes all of his inher­itance, squanders it, and ends up destitute, He then returns home and finds his father waiting there with open arms and thankful to have him home again. That is a happy ending. But the story does not end there. The older brother throws a fit because he has not been recognized as his brother was. He chooses to not let this story end happily. Isn’t this also the story of so many of us? God created us all in His image. Many times we have a friend or a loved one that rejects God and chooses to live a worldly life while we strive to live the life of the good son who stayed home. Then when they realize their errors and sins, they come home to God and we throw a fit because God lets them back into the family. Our resistance sometimes even takes us to the point of rejecting God’s wonderful gift of His Son. But God always has other plans and builds His  Church through love. Glory be to God!

Psalms 102:8

The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.

Encouraging Words

In the early days of the modern church, what has become known as the Catholic and the Protestant branches of the tree of Christianity, there was a significant change in the direction of the theology of the original church. The teachings of Augustine were embraced and the concept of a judicial God became the core to the doctrine that so many people are familiar with today. This doctrine defines God as being an angry and judgmental God. Following this path of logic and the judicial way of thinking, then the only thing that God could do was substitute His Son for our sins, other­wise He could not save us. Someone had to pay the price to avoid His anger. Now, I am very far from being a theologian or an expert in any of this, but I have learnt enough from my studies of the early church and from the practices of Eastern Orthodoxy, which the Western church split away from, that our early church fathers believed and taught that our God is a loving God, a merciful God and that Jesus’ incarnation and subsequent death was to defeat the hold that death had on His creation. God is love. God does everything He does, in love. And no matter what I do, He never stops loving me. Thank you, God! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Proverbs 3:7-8

Do not rely on your own discernment,
But fear God, and turn away from every evil.
Then there shall be healing for your body
And care for your bones.

Personal challenge

So, right after the writer of Proverbs tells us that if we trust in God that He will make our paths straight, he tells us to not rely on our own discernment but to fear God and to turn away from evil. Doing things our own way, on our own power, pulls us away from our dependency on God and leads us to evil. It is one thing to trust in God so that He will make our paths straight, but we must also humble ourselves on a constant basis and release our earthly discernment unto God so that He can give us His discernment, His Wisdom. Living this way not only keeps us on the straight path of life that He has laid out for us, but it will also bring healing to our bodies, both physical and spiritual, and care and rest for our bones, Glory be to God!

Luke 14:11

For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Personal Challenge

This is such a valuable rule to learn in life. Jesus taught us when we pump ourselves up with pride and try to raise ourselves above those around us, then we set ourselves up to be greatly humbled. This kind of humility is always painful. When we choose the path of humility on our own accord, to put God and the people that we encounter throughout our day above ourselves, then we will avoid those times of being knocked off of our false pedestals. Humility, like so many aspects of our lives, is a choice. It is a choice that we must make over and over again. We must also be careful to not project false humility, for this form of humility is only projected to draw attention to ourselves. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Psalms 103:1-6 (102:1-6 LXX)

Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And everything within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His rewards:
Who is merciful to all your transgressions,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from corruption,
Who crowns you with mercy and compassion,
Who satisfies your desire with good things;
And your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The Lord shows mercies
And judgment to all who are wronged.

Encouraging Words

Bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me. I choose to praise His holy name and His greatness, for He is my God, my Father, my protector, and my Provider and I am His adopted child. Thank you, oh my Lord!

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in God with all your heart,
And do not exalt your own wisdom.
In all your ways know wisdom,
That she may cut a straight path for you;
And your foot will not stumble.

Encouraging Words

This has long been one of my favorite passages. Like many of the proverbs, it is presented as a command followed by a promise. If we live our lives trusting God, setting aside our own worldly wisdom, and pursuing the wisdom of Jesus, then He will cut a straight path through life for us and help us not to stumble. This verse does not promise that all of the obstacles in life will be removed. It is these obstacles that teach us to be more like Jesus. This it what the Orthodox teachers call, theosis, or growing in the image of Jesus. Glory be to God!

Luke 12:48b

For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

Personal Challenge

Every single one of us has been given so much from our God. We are given talents in order to do the many different works of God that need to be accomplished here on earth. We are given material wealth that we can use in order to help with the building up of the Church Some of us are given positions of leadership or authority in the church in order that it can be led in the path of righteousness for our God. As we live our lives and attempt to grow in the image of Christ, God may give us more responsibilities in His body, the Church. He does not do this lightly. He expects us to use what He has given us to build up and to grow the Church, to be lamps unto the world and encouragers to our fellow Christians. The more that He gives us, the more that He expects from us in how we use our gifts. This is why we must always question our motives and intents when others come to us and ask us to take on leadership roles in the Church. We should not take this lightly for as we lead more people we become more responsible for the welfare of the Church. Much more is expected of us as we become more responsible for others. Lord Jesus Chris, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!