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Hebrews 12:28

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

Personal Challenge

My humanness and the sin which I harbor in it leads me to that place where I believe that I am the center of the universe and everything revolves around me. However, the truth is that only God and His kingdom are the center of all and are the only things that are unshakable and worthy of praise. It is imperative then that I enter into His kingdom with fear and reverence and share God’s grace with everyone that I come into contact with.

Titus 1:1

Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness,

Personal Challenge

I love the note in the Orthodox Study Bible that accompanies this verse:

Acknowledgment (Gr. epignosis) is deeper than mental knowledge; it is experiential, not theoretical. Knowledge (the truth) and action (godliness) are a unity; knowledge that does not change one’s life does not save.

God does not care how much I know about Him, or the Church, or anything else if that knowledge is not being internalized and changing me. God wants me be an active Christian, not just an academic Christian. I must always be careful to not be prideful in the books, blogs, scriptures, or whatever other sources I use to gain knowledge, especially if they are not changing me to be more like Christ. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of god, have mercy on me, a sinner!

1 Timothy 6:20-21

O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge— by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith.

Grace be with you. Amen.

Personal Challenge

Paul challenges Timothy in this letter to remain true to that which has been passed down to him from the previous leaders of the church and that which can be traced back to the Apostles. For those of us who have converted from the practice of sola scriptura and being taught that we, individually, have the right and the authority to interpret the scriptures, there is the lifelong challenge of letting go of our self-gained knowledge and holding on to the teachings that have been handed down from the Fathers. It is my responsibility to apply these teachings and the scriptures to my own life and to have them change my behavior, but not my responsibility to expound on whatever earthly knowledge I have gained. In others words…stay true to the faith!

Habakkuk 3:18-19

Yet I will glory in the Lord;
I will rejoice in God my Savior.
The Lord God is my strength;
He will direct my feet to the end;
He will set me upon high places,
So to conquer by His song.

Encouraging Words

Our God is so good! He loves His children so much and desires to be in constant fellowship with us. He gives us the strength that we need to make it through every moment of life and directs our footsteps along His path for our lives. He lifts us up to the high places so that we can proclaim Him to the world. Glory be to God!

Proverbs 21:3

To do righteous things and to speak the truth
Are more pleasing before God than the blood of sacrifices.

Personal Challenge

Does God really care about how closely we follow the traditions and practices of our church (fasting, reading the scriptures, praying, etc.)? While all of these are important to our development, He is much more interested in the state of our heart and how we let Him permeate our lives. As Paul reminds me in 1 Corinthians 13, it does not matter what spiritual gifts I have or how I use them if I do not do everything in love and in His truth. This is what I need to be working on every moment of my life…the state of my heart and how it drives what I do. Glory be to God.

Proverbs 19:21

There are many thoughts in the heart of a man,
But the counsel of the Lord abides forever.

Mark 10:43-45

Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.

Personal Challenge

God’s economy always appears to be upside down compared to the economy of man. Here we are reminded that we must become servants to all if we desire to be first. We must put the needs of others before our own if we desire to have our needs and desires met. In reality, it is man’s economy that is upside down. God created us in His image. He created us so that He could walk with us in the garden and be in a relationship with us. He is the one who chose to serve us first. When Adam and Eve chose to sin, this way of life was reversed and we started expecting everyone and everything else to be servants to us. Jesus has turned this back around by becoming man and becoming a servant to all of mankind, giving us the example to follow. Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Ephesians 4:31-32

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Personal Challenge

Can I truly claim to be a follower of Christ and not behave differently than the rest of the world? Can my language, whether verbal or on mediums such as social media, be filled with bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, sarcasm, and evil speaking, and still being saying that I follow Jesus and desire to be like Him? I don’t believe so! If my behavior is not being changed from the inside out then I must truly question if I have Christ sitting on the throne of my heart. If He is, then being kind to one another, being tenderhearted and forgiving toward others will be a natural part of my behavior. Time for a self-assessment. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!

Psalm 109:21-22 (108:21-22 LXX)

And of those who speak evil things against my soul.
But You, O Lord, O Lord, deal mercifully with me for Your name’s sake,
For Your mercy is good.
Save me, for I am poor and needy,
And my heart is troubled within me.

Encouraging Words

Why does my Lord, the creator and master of the universe and all of creation, deal mercifully with me, a fallen and broken sinner? It is not because of anything that I have done or could do. He does this because of who He is. He is all merciful! He is all love! He created me, and everything else throughout eternity so that He could pour out His mercy and love on us. And yes, just like everyone else and everything else in creation, I am poor and needy, living with a troubled heart. However, His relentless love and mercy makes me wealthy and without need. He heals my troubled heart. Thank You, O, Lord!