Category: Uncategorized

SEEKING WISDOM

2 Chronicles 1:10-12

“Give me wisdom and understanding, so that I may go out and come in before this people, for who can judge this great people of Yours?”

And God said to Solomon, “Because this was in your heart and you did not ask for riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor did you ask for long life, but you asked for wisdom and understanding for yourself, that you might judge My people over whom I made you king, now I will give you this wisdom and understanding. I will also give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings before you possessed, nor shall any after you possess.”

Personal Challenge

Solomon is a wonderful example of how we should live our lives, especially if we proclaim to be followers of Christ. As he ascended to the throne over Israel, God let him ask for whatever he wanted. Rather than seek wealth, honor, or a long life, he asked that God would grant him the wisdom he would need to lead his people, God’s people, in a righteous way. God granted this wish and gave him the weath, honor, and a long life as well. The message for us in this passage today is that as followers of Christ, our desire in our journey of theosis should be to receive wisdom from God. We see far too many Christian faith practices focusing on the wealth, honor, and long life, and thus neglecting the true gifts of God. Lord, have mercy! Lord have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Saint of the Week

St. Paisios of Mount Athos

KNOW GOD

1 Chronicles 28:9

“And now, my son Solomon, know the God of your fathers, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing soul; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you forever.”

Encouraging Words

God desires that we know Him. Contrary to what many Christian faith practices teach, this does not mean that there is only their way to know Him. We do not know Him through a single prayer that we are expected to recite. We do not know Him through a catechism, a class, or the number of books, blogs, or podcasts that we read or watch. We do not know Him by the number of liturgies, masses, or worship services that we attend. We know Him through His Son who has revealed Him to us and made the way for us to know God personally. We know Him in our hearts and not our heads. We know him because we seek Him continually as He reveals Himself to us more deeply along our journey through life as we follow in the footsteps of Christ. We know Him as we do what He commands us to do, which is to love our neighbor and care for them. Only God knows the true nature of our heart and our desire to know Him. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

GIVE THANKS

1 Chronicles 16:33 (1 Chronicles 16:34)

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
For His mercy endures forever.

Personal Challenge

David takes time to give thanks to the Lord and to proclaim that He is good and that His mercy endures forever. David did this quite often. Whether he was in the midst of a battle, under attack by people such as Saul (the recognized king of Israel), or in times of peace, David always found time to praise and glorify the Lord, his Lord. This is the lesson for us, as well as the challenge. If we desire to be followers of Christ then we need to spend time giving thanks to the Lord, recognizing and proclaiming that He is good and that His mercy endures forever, and then living our lives as if we truly believe this. These are trying times but the Lord is good, his mercy endures forever and I am thankful that I am His. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

DO NOT FEAR

4 Kingdoms 6:16 (2 Kings 6:16)

So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are greater in number than those who are with them.”

Encouraging Words

Elisha was a prophet around 900 BCE. He lived in a time when the Syrians were attacking the Israelites. This verse is his response to his servant when it looks like their most dire time in the attack. The servant could only see the vast army that had surrounded them, Elisha, however, had eyes that could see the spiritual battle going on and the vast size of God’s army that was there to protect them. These battles are still waged in our lives, and they are still spiritual. We are surrounded by God’s army, there to protect us, if we are walking in His ways. Glory be to God!

ASK THE LORD TODAY

3 Kingdoms 22:5 (1 Kings 22:5)

Also Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Ask the Lord today.”

Personal Challenge

This is how it is done. Israel and Judah have been split into two kingdoms for a while now. Each kingdom had their own king as well as many shared enemies around them that took turns attacking them. It had been three years of peace with Syria but it looked like that was coming to an end. Ahab, a very corrupt and contentious ruler, asked Jehoshaphat to join him in an attack on Syria. Jehoshaphat, the ruler of Judah, acknowledged that the Israelites and the Judites were one people and that, of course, he wanted to support his kinsmen. But he chooses to seek God’s guidance first. True leadership always submits to God and seeks His will in all decisions. We have come to a point in our society where every lender believes they are god and should have the say in what to do. This will always result in failed actions. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

FORSOOK THE LORD THEIR GOD

3 Kingdoms 18:17-18 (1 Kings 18:17-18)

When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Are you the one who is troubling Israel?” Elijah answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but rather you and the house of your father, in that you forsook the Lord your God and followed after the Baals.”

Personal Challenge

We enter into this story of the conflict within Israel between those following the true God and those following the false gods, or Baals. The times have not been good for the Israelites because they have forsaken the God of their fathers and turned to false gods. Ahab, the King of Israel, is blaming Elijah for the issues afflicting the nation and Elijah is reminding Ahab that it is because they have abandoned God. We are living in a time that is so similar to this time in ancient history. We have so many in leadership in our country, in our schools, and in our churches that have fallen for false gods, the Baals of today, labeled them as Christian, and are pursuing them for their salvation. This never ends well for these Baal worshippers. Christ would have us love our neighbor, the foreigner amongst us, the poor, the sick, the widow, the orphan, everyone, as we love ourselves, and treat them accordingly. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

KEEPING PROMISES

3 Kingdoms 8:22-24 (1 Kings 8:22-24)

You have kept what You promised Your servant David my father; You have both spoken with Your mouth, and fulfilled it with Your hand, as today. Now, O Lord God of Israel, keep what You promised Your servant David my father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man sit before Me on the throne of Israel, so long as your people guard and keep their ways to walk before Me, as you walked before Me.’ So now, O Lord God of Israel, let the word be confirmed You spoke to Your servant David my father.

Personal Challenge

King Solomon, the son of David, has just finished building the temple for God. In his dedication prayer, he recalls how God has kept His promise to His chosen people. Throughout the scriptures we see that God often enters into agreements with His children. These agreements always have a promise of what will be received if the children uphold their part of the agreement, which they, we, often don’t. Yet, God always keeps His promise, His part of the agreement. We are fallen and sin. He is not. He is constant and always keeps His promises. We are the fortunate benefactors of this. Glory be to God!

Saint of the Week

St. Maximus the Confessor

THE COST

2 Kingdoms 24:24 (2 Samuel 24:24)

Then the king said to Orna, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with something that costs me nothing.” So David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

Personal Challenge

This verse comes from a story in the Old Testament where Orna, a Jebusite, is offering to David a piece of property, a threshing floor, as a gift for David to use as a place to build an altar on which to make a sacrifice to God. David shows his commitment to God by insisting that he pay for the property. He believed that the sacrifice was not complete unless it cost him something. So many of us who proclaim to be Christians have forgotten this mindset. Jesus paid the full price for our salvation and there is nothing that we can do to earn this. Thanks be to God for this. However our salvation came at a very expensive price and if we are to be sincere followers of Christ, we will be willing to respond out of love and gratitude with our own personal sacrifices, Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!