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Wisdom of Sirach 35:1-3 LXX

The man who keeps the law will abound in offerings;
He who heeds the commandments sacrifices a peace offering.
He who returns a kindness offers fine wheat flour,
And he who does alms sacrifices a praise offering.
To forsake evil is pleasing to the Lord,
And to forsake wrongdoing is atonement.

Personal Challenge

One of the erroneous teachings of modern Christianity is that we do not need to do any works for God. This has resulted in a consumer-based practice of Christianity. We go to church expecting to be entertained. We look to God to be our great sugar-daddy who will meet our every need, desire, want, or desire. It is true, our salvation is in the Lord Jesus Christ alone. There is nothing that I can do to earn it because I am a sinner and undeserving of His love, grace, and mercy. But once He bestows His love upon me, and I know Him and all that He has done for me, then I cannot stop desiring to serve Him, to be obedient to His commandments, to be kind and loving to those in my life, to give alms, and to forsake evil and wrongdoing. My works become a result of my salvation. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Wisdom of Sirach 34:15-17 LXX

Blessed is the soul of a man who fears the Lord.
To whom does he look? And who is his support?
The eyes of the Lord are upon those who love Him.
He is a powerful protection and a strong support:
A shelter from the burning heat,
A shelter from the noonday sun,
A guard from stumbling,
And help from a fall.
He raises up the soul
And gives light to the eyes.
He gives healing, life, and blessing.

Encouraging Words

One of the results of living a 60+ year life is having seen, and sometimes put into practice, a broad range of sheltering methods. Growing up in the Cold War era I remember the bomb drills and scurrying under my desk at school as well as the advertisements for backyard bomb shelters. As a Boy Scout in my youth and later as a Scoutmaster I remember learning how to seek shelter and practiced the application of it while getting caught in the mountains while backpacking. There was the earthquake preparedness in California and standing in doorways while waiting for the shaking to stop. There was shelter planning in Thailand for tsunamis and now tornado preparedness in Ohio. But none of this comes close to the shelter that our Lord provides to His children. It is provided through unending, unconditional love, and guards us through any issue, whether physical, emotional, or atomic bomb could ever be. And it is provided to me and everyone else, freely and with love and mercy. Glory be to God!

Wisdom of Sirach 34:13-14 LXX

The spirit of those who fear the Lord will live,
For their hope is in Him who saves them.
He who fears the Lord will fear nothing,
And he will not be cowardly, for the Lord is his hope.

Encouraging Words

I know that I have not lived some stellar godly and righteous life, for I know that I am a sinner. And as I grow older, the more I realize tat I am not just a sinner, but as Paul laments, I am the chief of sinners. However, even as low as I am, I have been blessed throughout my life to see the results of fearing and loving God. My spirit truly dies live. I am able to fear nothing and not be cowardly because the Lord whom I fear and live is my hope. I have lost my job, more than once, just to have God restore me. He even restored me once to the experience of a lifetime of being a missionary in Haiti. I have lost loved ones through death, relocation, and even divorce, just to have God restore my relationships tenfold in return. I have been beaten down spiritually, and have seen others oppressed by our enemy, and have watched as our almighty Father came through in inexplicable ways because hearts were stayed on Him. My God, our God is real. He is alive. He does care for His children. And He is my only hope. Glory be to God!

Wisdom of Sirach 33:13 LXX

All His ways are according to His good pleasure.
Like clay in a potter’s hand,
Thus men are in the hand of Him who made them,
To render to them according to His judgment.

Encouraging Words
Our creator is the creator and benefactor of all creation. He holds it in the palm of His hand and gives it life and sustenance. I am part of that creation, and therefore, He holds me in the palm of His hand. He is not some fickle, detached tyrant who has cast us aside to fend for ourselves. As the master potter, He is active in my life molding and shaping me into His image. The more I yield to His will the less resistance there is to His handiwork. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Wisdom of Sirach 32:23-24 LXX

In every work entrust your soul to the Lord,
For this is the keeping of the commandments.
He who believes in the Law heeds the commandments,
And he who trusts in the Lord will not suffer loss.

Personal Challenge

Is Jesus the center of everything that I do? Whether it be work for my employer, activities in my daily life, or my acts of the faith that I practice, Jesus should show through as the reason for being as well as my reason for doing. Jesus was the author and the fulfiller of the Law, so doesn’t it make sense that If I say that I believe in Him and desire to live my life in His image that I will embrace His commandments and live by them? I do not do this because I am bound by the Law, but because I am set free by His love for me and in response to that I desire to obey Him. Glory be to God!

Wisdom of Sirach 32:14-17 LXX

The man who fears the Lord will receive instruction,
And those who rise early will find His approval.
He who seeks the Law will be filled with it,
But the hypocrite will be made to stumble by it.
Those who fear the Lord will discover judgment,
And like the light they will kindle righteous deeds.
A sinful man will turn aside correction
And find a rationalization according to his will.

Personal Challenge

As Christians, we are called to live our lives in the likeness of Christ at all times. One of the illnesses in our culture today, especially as it has crept into the church, is dualism. I can profess to love Jesus and show that love for Him on Sunday while at church and live like the devil the rest of the week. I can claim to be a follower of Christ, who commands me to love my neighbor, and go throughout my day being hateful and scornful of people that I don’t like. I can read my scriptures and proclaim how wonderful they are and then shout praises for leaders, actors, and other people of the world whose very lives and teachings contradict the love of Christ. If I am to truly be a Christian, a follower of Christ and His teachings, then this is an all or nothing commitment. My life can no longer be informed by my Lord, but transformed. My life can no longer by mine, but His. I must stop becoming a Christian and be a Christian. This is why we were promised the Holy Spirit. This is why we receive the Holy Spirit in our chrismation. It is Him dwelling within us that gives us the power to live constantly for Christ. The challenge for me and my free will is to not quench the Holy Spirit and do what He leads me to do. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Wisdom of Sirach 30:21-24 LXX

Do not give yourself over to sorrow,
And do not distress yourself deliberately.
Gladness of the heart is the life of man,
And rejoicing by a man lengthens his life.
Love your soul and comfort your heart,
And put sorrow far away from you;
For sorrow has destroyed many,
And there is no profit in it.
Envy and anger will shorten your days,
And worry will bring premature old age.

Personal Challenge

One of the challenges that we have in our modern society is that we have a pill for almost everything that can come up in our lives. Granted, there are definitely good aspects of modern medicine and health practices. In many respects, these are miraculous gifts from our Father above. However, there are many things that happen in our lives because of our choices and our responses to the consequences of these choices. Here we have Ben Sirach reminding us that if we give ourselves over to sorrow there will be all kinds of negative consequences. He does not say that we will not have situations where grieving and sorrow are appropriate. God created us to grieve in times of loss and to be sorrowful at times of pain and suffering in our lives or the lives of those around us. We are being told here to not let that sorrow consume us but to deal with it from a heart that can rejoice in the love of our God and the love of those around us. This not only applies to sorrow but to all of the passions in our lives. It is our responsibility to our God and to each other to control our passions and to not let them control us. Glory be to God!

Wisdom of Sirach 28:2-3 LXX

Forgive a wrong done you by your neighbor;
Then your sins will be pardoned when you pray.
Can a man preserve wrath against his neighbor
And still seek healing from the Lord?

Personal Challenge

Our Lord has called us to take our eyes off of ourselves and to set them upon God and our neighbor. He did this when He commanded us to follow the two great laws: love our God and love our neighbor. Part of doing this is the act of forgiving others for the offenses that they have done to us. Without sincerely doing this, giving true forgiveness to another, then we cannot fully receive the forgiveness that God want to give to us. This is not because God does not have the power to give us this forgiveness but it is because if I do not forgive another I cannot be humble enough to receive the forgiveness being offered to me. And as modern science has begun to bear out, if I do not forgive others and let go of my wrath towards them, then I will begin to suffer illness in my body. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!