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1 John 1:1-3

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

Encouraging Words

How awesome it is that we do not serve or worship a mythical god. The apostles knew Jesus personally, they saw Him perform His miracles, they heard Him teach the multitudes, they saw Him die on the cross and be resurrected from the tomb. And it does not stop there. Our Lord has continued to manifest Himself throughout the last 2000 years. He is alive and continuing to be present with us at all times. Glory be to God!

Daniel 2:45

Whereas you saw the stone cut out of the mountain without hands, it ground to powder the clay, the iron, the copper, the silver, and the gold. Thus the great God has made known to the king what must come to pass after this. The dream is true, and its interpretation is trustworthy.

Encouraging Words

Jesus is that stone carved out of the mountain that will lay all governments to rest. He has already set this in motion. No government, since He walked this earth, has been able to silence His message or quench the fire that burns in the hearts of His followers. this is not some future overthrowing of the governments of the earth, but an ever-present state that we live in. That is why we live here as ambassadors and should not concern ourselves with the affairs fo this world. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Hosea 13:14

“I will deliver them out of the hand of Hades
And will redeem them from death.
Where is your penalty, O death?
O Hades, where is your sting?
Pity is hidden from My eyes.”

Encouraging Words

Jesus’ death on the cross, descension into hell, resurrection, and ascension into heaven put to death, once and for all, the power that hell had over us. It’s gates have been destroyed, freeing its captives forever. That is why we sing over and over again during our Pascha celebration, “Christ has risen from the death, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life!” Glory be to God! He is risen!

Psalm 63:3 (62:4 LXX)

Because Your mercy is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.

Encouraging Words

There are really no words in the human vocabulary that can fully describe the mercy of God. His mercy is our source of life, our very existence and essence. It is our sustenance. It is the redemptive power that grants us everlasting life in His presence. It is indeed, that which is better than life and that which deserves our praise for Him. Glory be to God!

Wisdom of Solomon 8:17-18 LXX

When I considered these things within myself
And thought about them in my heart,
That in kinship with wisdom there is immortality,
And in friendship with her there is good pleasure,
And in the labors of her hands there is unfailing wealth,
And in the shared training of her company there is discernment,
And in the fellowship of her words there is good repute—
Thus I searched about that I might take her for myself.

Encouraging Words

Since the early church fathers taught that the wisdom spoken of in the Old Testament writings was Jesus, replacing the word “wisdom” with “Jesus” shows the power and glory of who Jesus ios and why we pursue Him. Glory be to God!

When I considered these things within myself
And thought about them in my heart,
That in kinship with Jesus there is immortality,
And in friendship with Him there is good pleasure,
And in the labors of His hands there is unfailing wealth,
And in the shared training of His company there is discernment,
And in the fellowship of His words there is good repute—
Thus I searched about that I might take Him for myself.

Psalm 27:4 (26:4 LXX)

One thing I ask from the Lord; this I will seek,
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
And behold the delights of the Lord,
And visit His temple.

Encouraging Words

One of the most powerful things that the human race has at our disposal to guide us through every day of our lives is hope. No other creature has this capability. To be able to put our hope in our God, the creator of all, the sustainer of all, the giver of both temporal and eternal life to all, is the ultimate exercising of hope. It is no wonder that the psalmist only asked for one thing, to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life. This too is my desire. Glory be to God!

Matthew 5:3-12

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness ‘sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Personal Challenge

In the Orthodox Church, we have entered into the second half of our Lenten season. Why do we still practice Lent? As we lead up to our celebration of the resurrection of our Lord, we use this time to review our lives, our hearts, and our minds to be reminded of how much we need Jesus as our Savior. We also use this time to search our hearts and contemplate the depth of our selfishness and sin that separates us from God. It is a time for soul-searching, confession, and repentance. It can be so easy to just ramble off a list of things that I have done asking for God’s forgiveness, but the challenge for me is to dig in deep and try to see what is causing me to do the things on that list. I have found that praying through the beatitudes helps to lead me through this process.

Here are some notes from my Orthodox Study Bible that expand on this passage:

Poor in spirit – those who have the heart of the poor, the same attitude as the poor, and are totally dependent on God.
Those who mourn – sorrow over the sufferings of this life, the sufferings of others, the state of the world, and their own sins.
Meekness – an attitude of being content with both honor and dishonor.
Hunger and thirst for righteousness – see the presence of God and His Kingdom as the most important thing in life.
Mercy – love set in motion, expressed in action.
Pure in heart – completely devoted to the worship and service of God and accepting no compromises.
Peacemakers – share God’s peace with those around them, imitating Christ’s sacrificial love and participating in His work.
Persecuted for righteousness’ sake – uphold truth, refuse to compromise with the ways of the world, and give themselves to no other.

As I read through these I am so clearly reminded that my list of sins that I have committed all boil down to a heart that does not pursue these virtues presented and exhibited by Christ. And for this, I ask your forgiveness for the offenses that I have committed against you.

John 5:39-40

You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

Personal Challenge

Do I really want to have the life that only Jesus can give me? I will not find this life in the Scriptures alone. I will not find it in the liturgy alone. I will not find it in my prayers and quiet times alone. I will only find true life in Christ. I must run to Him and follow Him in order to receive the life that He has for me. All of these other things point me to Him but are not Him. Glory be to God!