Category: Uncategorized

Saint of the Week

St. Paisios of Mt. Athos

DO NOT BE FAR FROM ME

Psalms 34:22-23 LXX (35:22-23)

You saw this, O Lord; do not keep silence;
O Lord, do not be far from me.
Arise, O Lord, attend to my judgment,
My God and my Lord, to my cause.

Personal Challenge

Our Lord promises to be near to us at all times and He keeps that promise. Those times that it feels like He is far away and not speaking to us are those times that we have moved away from Him and shut Him out of our lives. In His grace, He continues to pursue us even as we pull away. He desires that we stay close to Him. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

BROKENHEARTED

Psalms 33:19 LXX (34:18)

The Lord is near those who are brokenhearted,
And He will save the humble in spirit.

Encouraging Words

Life in our fallen world can be difficult and painful at times. Sometimes we will even be brokenhearted at the events that transpire. Our Lord promises to always be near us, especially in those times when we really need His encouragement. Living our lives with a humble spirit brings us closer to Him and that encouragement. Glory be to God!

DESIRING LIFE AND GOOD DAYS

Psalms 33:13-16 LXX (34:12-15)

Who is the man who desires life,
Who loves to see good days?
Keep your tongue from evil,
And your lips from speaking deceit.
Shun evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous,
And His ears are open to their supplications.

Personal Challenge

Surely there is one thing that all humans desire. We desire a full life and good days. Granted, the definition of full and good will be different for all of us, but nonetheless, the desire is still there. This passage provides guidance for this from a God-centered perspective. We need to keep our tongue from evil and our lips from speaking deceit. So much for the norms of today. We are to shun evil and do good, seeking and pursuing peace. This sets us on the path of righteousness and for our supplications to be heard. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy!

TASTE AND SEE

Psalms 33:8-12 LXX (34:7-11)

The Angel of the Lord shall encamp around those who fear Him,
And He will deliver them.
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who hopes in Him.
Fear the Lord, you His saints,
For there is no want for those who fear Him.
Rich men turned poor and went hungry;
But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.
(Pause)
Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

Encouraging Words

Our Lord is so good to us that it is palatable. When we fear Him, not in a cowering afraid way, but in a spirit of awe and respect, we will see Him at work in our lives. He will send His angels to encamp around us and protect us. He will deliver us from the attacks of the world. We will surely taste and see His goodness. As we put our hope in Him we will know His blessings. Glory be to God!

AT ALL TIMES

Psalms 33:2 LXX (34:1)

I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Personal Challenge

Is this something that we do? Bless the Lord at all times and have His praise in our mouth continually? I must admit that I do not do this nearly often enough. It is so easy to get distracted with everyday life and forget how much God participates in our lives, always lovingly and full of mercy. Praise the Lord!

MERCY

Psalms 32:22 LXX (33:22)

Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us,
As we hope in You.

Personal Challenge

As followers of Christ, our hope is in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. We do not/will not put our hope in people, institutions, or anything else other than Him. The core essence of that hope is for God’s mercy to be upon us. We believe, we know, that we do not deserve His mercy and yet relish in the fact that He still pours it out upon us. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Saint of the Week

St. Porphyrios

THE EYES OF THE LORD

Psalms 32:18-19 LXX (33:18-19)

Behold, the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him,
On those who hope in His mercy,
To deliver their souls from death
And to keep them alive in famine.

Encouraging Words

We, the followers of Christ, believe that God is everywhere at all times. Because of this He can be there for us every moment of our lives, observing what is going on and being ever ready to deliver us from the tragedies of life. He guards us, protects us, and cares for our needs, in ways that He knows are best for us. Praise be to God!.

UNDERSTANDING

Psalms 31:8 LXX (32:8)

“I will give you understanding, and I will teach you in the way you should walk;
I will fix My eyes on you.”

Encouraging Words

Understanding is so much better than knowledge or information. We live in an age where unlimited information is available at our finger tips. What is so often lacking is the wisdom to turn that information into understanding. As followers of Christ, we are promised to be given that understanding so that we can walk in His ways. Jesus is the source of wisdom to turn information into understanding. Glory be to God for His eyes are fixed upon us.