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Mark 9:49-50

“For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.”

Personal Challenge

Oh my God! Do I really need to go through that fire one more time? Do I really need to be buried under that pile of salt again so that I can be seasoned to Your taste? In our Eastern Orthodox faith, we call this theosis or growing in the image of God. If we do not have challenges in our likes that are forcing us to exercise our faith and to sluff off the ways of this world then we become stagnant in our relationship with our God. Is it fun? No, it never is. Is it something that we look forward to? No, not really. However, if we want to grow in the image of our Lord then we must look at every entry into the furnace, whether at work or at home, whether with a loved one or someone that we don’t even know, as an opportunity to submit to the Master Forger who has an image in mind that He wants us to become. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me the sinner and please give me what I need to make it through the fire.

Psalms 42:11 (41:12 LXX)

Why are you so sad, O my soul? And why do you trouble me?
Hope in God, for I will give thanks to Him.
My God is the salvation of my countenance.

Encouraging Words

It is so easy nowadays to get down or depressed. The world appears to be rapidly circling the drain. People are becoming more and more self-centered and hostile towards each other. Our society is becoming more godless every day as we kill each other with our sarcastic words and so called humor. And the list goes on and on. And then we encounter this cry for help from the Psalmist of old. Our souls have become sad and troubled. But we do have a way out. That way is hope in the Lord. He is our rock. He is our refuge. He is our salvation. It is not always easy to do this, but it only takes one step at a time to start moving away from the pit of despair. Our Lord, our Living God, and Creator is there to help us along the way. As those of us who practice Eastern Orthodoxy are beginning our journey into Great Lent we know that we will have days of despair before us, but we will focus our eyes on the Paschal Lamb and the bright light of His resurrection. Glory be to God!

2 Chronicles 16:9

For the eyes of the Lord look over the whole earth and strengthen every heart that is loyal to Him. In this you did foolishly, and from now on you shall have wars.”

Personal Challenge

It appears to me that loyalty is a concept that has fallen by the wayside. We live in the age of “self”. Our culture teaches us that the World revolves around ourselves and that all exists for our satisfaction. Even our Western Christianity believes that I alone can interpret the scriptures of God as long as I am reading them. This way of thinking generates in people an attitude that there is only one person that we are loyal to, “ourselves. This makes it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to live our lives the way that Jesus expects us to. Love God! Love my neighbor! Put others before me? Take up my cross and follow Him! No way! I cannot do that and be loyal to me. well, it doesn’t matter what the culture is telling us to do. God is looking for those of us who desire to live our lives loyal to Him, centered on Him, and not focused on ourselves. This is indeed countercultural and is becoming harder every day. But we must press on? Lord, have Mercy! Lord, have Mercy! Lord, have Mercy!

Mark 9:33-35

Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?” But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”

Personal Challenge

Don’t we all like to be first? First in line. The first one to be served. The first one to be recognized. In our fallen state, this is our “natural” desire. But Jesus tells us that this is not the way that God wants it to be. His expectation is that we put others before ourselves and actually be servants to them. Isn’t this what Jesus did? He was with God in all of His glory. He had been here on earth multiple times in His pre-incarnate body. He knew the limitations and frailties of humanness. And yet, He chose to become human, He chose to be born of a woman like every other human being. He chose to go through the growth pains and challenges of infancy, the toddler years, being a pre-teen, a teen, and then a man holding down the job of a carpenter. He chose to suffer and die for those who hated Him. And He chose to rise again, victorious over death. And to top this all off, He did this for people like me. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner and teach me to be last!

Psalms 40:4-5 (39:5-6 LXX)

Blessed is the man whose hope is the name of the Lord,
And who did not look into vanities and false frenzies.
Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders You performed,
And in Your thoughts there is no one who shall be likened to You;
I declared and said, “They are multiplied beyond number.

Encouraging Words

I have been blessed to have been able to spend the past 52 years of my life attempting to walk in the footsteps of the Carpenter of Galilee. In those years I have learned that there is no value to life to pursuing vanities and false frenzies, those things that so many people chase after, looking for the spectacular or extraordinary and claiming it to be a sign from God. What I have seen are many small, yet significant, miracles that always prove to me that not only does my God exist, but that He is active in my life and in the lives of all who desire to know Him. All that I need to remember is that God is God, and I am not! And that is okay with me.

2 Chronicles 14:11 (14:10 LXX)

And Asa cried out to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, with You it is not impossible, whether with the many or with the few. Strengthen us, Lord our God, for we trust in You. And in Your name we go against this multitude. Lord our God, do not let man prevail against You!”

Personal Challenge

Life is full of challenges and difficulties. If we try to live our lives in a way that glorifies and honors our God, then these challenges and difficulties often expand exponentially. But Asa, the king of Judah reminds us here as to how insignificant these challenges and difficulties are to our God. Here he is with a small army facing the Ethiopian army. He has 300,000 men and the enemy has 1,000,000 men and 300,000 chariots. And what does he do? He proclaims that this is not his battle to fight. but his God’s. He knows that with his Lord and God absolutely nothing is impossible. He proclaims that our struggles against the challenges and difficulties of this world are not just earthly battles but spiritual battles as well and that his God, my God, our God is right there beside us and strengthening us. What a great reminder as I head out the door for another day in a world that is full of challenges and difficulties. Glory be to God and may no man prevail against You!

Mark 9:23-24

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

Encouraging Words

I think that this is one of my favorite passages. I can definitely identify with this father and his expression of faith. He knows who Jesus is. He has seen with his own eyes the miracles that Jesus has performed. And here he is with his own son who is possessed by an evil spirit and very sick. He comes to Jesus to have his son treated. That is an expression of his faith. And here Jesus asks him if be believes. It is almost as if Jesus is telling him that if he believes enough, then that belief will be what heals his son. Jesus is telling this father, and all of us, that the power of healing, the power of everything, comes from God, through Jesus, but that we are the ones that direct that power through our belief in Him. It is the cry of the father that touches me so deeply. “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief?”‘ I too believe that Jesus is my Lord and Savior. I too believe that He destroyed death! But I still need His help in the replacement of my unbelief with true belief. Glory be to God! Lord, have Mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have Mercy?

Psalms 40:1-3 (39:1-4 LXX)
I waited patiently for the Lord, and He heeded me;
And He heard my supplication,
And brought me up out of a miserable pit
And from miry clay;
And He established my feet on a rock
And kept straight my steps.
He put a new song in my mouth,
A hymn to our God;
Many will see and be afraid,
And shall hope in the Lord.

Command with a Promise

Talk about a long list of rewards that we receive for doing just one thing…waiting patiently for the Lord. The psalmist proclaims that our Lord will heed us, He will hear our supplication, He will bring us up out of our miserable pit in life, He establishes our feet on a rock and keeps our path straight, He puts a new song in our mouth that will draw others to Him. He does all this when we wait patiently for Him, So, what does that mean? It means that we trust Him to do what is best for us. It means we stop jumping in the driver’s seat and taking over. It means we stop throwing fits when things aren’t going our way or moving along fast enough for us. Patience is never a virtue to be asked for, but always one to pursue. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the impatient sinner!

2 Chronicles 7:14

if My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will be merciful to their sins and heal their land.

Personal Challenge

There have been many times that I have seen this verse as a cry for our nation to be a Christian nation and to practice this verse so that God will make us a better nation. That is not how God works. Our nation was founded on Christian principles but it was never meant to be a place only for Christians. We were always meant to be a place where people of all nationalities, all beliefs, all backgrounds could come and live lives free from oppression in any of these categories. It is our responsibility as Gods’ children, His ambassadors in this world to live our lives in such a way that people will be drawn to Him. This way of living is to be humble before Him as well as our fellow mankind, to be praying and seeking His face at all times, and to turn from our wicked ways. If we do this then He will show mercy and give healing to everyone in the land that we live in. Glory be to God!