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Psalm 91:1 (90:1 LXX)

He who dwells in the help of the Most High
Shall lodge in the shelter of the God of heaven.

Encouraging Words…

As members of the body of Christ, His Church, we are in constant battle with His spiritual enemies. The only way that we can survive this warfare is to dwell in the help of our Lord. We do this through prayer, worship, fellowship with others, practicing the traditions of the Church and spending time in His teachings. Through these activities, we lodge in His shelter and are protected and strengthened by Him. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!

1 Peter 2:9

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

Encouraging Words…

What a blessing it is to know that our salvation in Christ is not just “fire insurance”. He did not just save us from eternal separation from God, but He saved us to be His royal priesthood, His holy nation, His own special people so that we can proclaim Him, and His grace, mercy, and love, to those who are still in darkness. Glory be to God!

What a great reminder as we head into the season of Great Lent.

1 Thessalonians 5:14-15

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.

Personal Challenge…

I have been blessed to have been living a Christian life for over 50 years. Most of those years, I have been active in a church and I cannot remember how many times we had problems getting people to serve in the church and to help the body of Christ. After reading this passage again, I think I figured out one of the reasons for this. In the Western church, everyone is so worried about the teaching that we are not saved through our works that maybe we have given everyone permission, and sometimes even commands, to not do any works at all. Throughout the scriptures, we are told that we are to be active in our Christian lives. Look at all of the active verbs in these two verses. The scriptures clearly teach us to do works for our Lord, for our Church, and for our neighbor…not in order to be saved or looked upon better by our Lord, but because He has saved us. We are saved to do good works! Our salvation is worked out in our actions, not our passiveness. We are to go and make disciples. We are to love our neighbor, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give shelter to the homeless. We are to bring Christ to the lost world. This is all about works, works of service and love for our Lord and in thanks for what He has done for us. Glory be to God!

1 Thessalonians 3:12-13

And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.

Personal Challenge…

What is one of the desires that all Christian faith practices hold on to? To live our lives where our hearts are blameless in holiness before God. How can we do this in our lives? By loving one another. We are called to love our God and to love our neighbor. It grieves me when I see my brothers in Christ condemning other brothers in Christ for their practices and traditions of faith. Especially when they do not take the time to truly understand these practices or traditions. One of these practices that are prevalent this time of year is Lent and we see the ramp up of rhetoric against it. Is this showing love? Is this leading to holiness? Love is an active, purposed action bestowed upon another, starting with understanding them. To God be the glory…not us!

Ezekiel 34:15-16

“I shall feed My sheep and refresh them; and they will know that I am the Lord,” thus says the Lord and Master. “I shall seek the lost, bring back the misled, bind up the broken, strengthen the fallen, protect the strong, and feed them with judgment.”

Encouraging Words…

This nugget of encouragement is sandwiched in the middle of some difficult and troubling texts. The shepherds (leaders) of Israel are being called out for how much they have misled and taken advantage of their flock, their followers. Ezekiel is prophesying that these leaders will not only be replaced by the ultimate Shepherd, Jesus Christ, but that these bad shepherds will have to pay the price for the lives that they have misled and abused. Couldn’t this text, these problems, also apply to today? We have so many people in leadership in our churches and ministries that have abandoned the truths of old, redefined God and His promises and commands to fit their agendas, and created their own empires based on the backs of their flocks…and doing it under the guise of Christianity. We must always remember that of whom much is given, much is expected. We as leaders, teachers, ministry leaders in God’s Church will be held accountable for how well we have led, nurtured, and protected His flock. We are stewards, not owners. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Romans 5:8

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Encouraging Words…

No matter who we are, or what we have done in our lives…Christ died for us! He died for all of His creation so that His creation would not have to die again. What we do with this incredible love from God is what determines the course of our lives. We can choose to reject it and live lawless and unrighteous lives or we can choose to embrace it and live righteous lives striving to glorify our God. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Psalm 86:15 (85:15 LXX)

But You, O Lord, are compassionate and merciful,
Longsuffering and very merciful and truthful.

Encouraging Words…

So, how is it that we can believe that God is all love, full of grace and mercy, and still an angry, judgmental God? It is because we believe the machinations of man, steeped in juridical and legalistic beliefs that can only be satisfied with this kind of a God. If we go back to the beginnings of our faith, to the teachings of those who walked with Christ and received His teachings firsthand and then passed them on to the Church, then we will find a much different perspective of God and His love and mercy. It was not until much later in our Church history that God, the angry judge, became more prevalent. As for me and my household, we will stay with the teachings of our ancient faith.

Psalm 111:10 (110:10 LXX)

The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord;
A good understanding is in all who practice it.
His praise continues unto ages of ages.

Personal Challenge…

What is knowledge without a genuine fear of the Lord? Information! What is the pursuit of knowledge without a deep fear and respect of the Lord? Folly! We are called first and foremost to love our God with our whole being, to fear Him with awe and respect, and this will set us on our journey of wisdom. It is not about me! It is not about how much I study, or read, or expound upon what I think I know, for this too becomes about me! I must first accept that only God is all-knowing and accept that if I love Him the way that He calls me to then He will give me the wisdom that He knows that I need. He knows that If I pursue Him this way that the wisdom that He gives me will be used for His glory and not my edification. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!

Don’t wage your Christian struggle with sermons and arguments, but with true love. When we argue, others react. When we love people, they are moved and we win them over. When we love we think that we offer something to others, but in reality we are the first to benefit.