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Proverbs 3:1-2

My son, do not forget my laws,
But let your heart keep my words;
For length of days, and years of life and peace
They will add to you.

Personal Challenge…

Our Lord wants so much more for us than we ourselves do. He wants us to have lives filled with peace, joy, and even abundance (His kind of abundance). But we must live our lives in such a way that He is the center of them and in so doing we will receive these blessings from Him. But as we choose to live more and more for ourselves we forget His laws and His commands and our lives begin to unravel.

James 2:19-20

You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?

Personal Challenge…

It is so easy to slip into the couch potato Christian mode and just base our salvation on our belief, our faith. But James makes it clear that if we are not exercising our faith by regularly doing God’s work then that belief begins to die on the vine. Jesus made it clear that if branches of the vine do not produce fruit they will be cut off of the vine. We really do not want to join the ranks of the demons and just stop at belief.

1 Samuel 15:22

Then Samuel said, “If only the desired whole burnt offerings and desired sacrifices were equal to the Lord, as compared to one who heeds the voice of the Lord! Behold! Hearing is better than a good sacrifice and obedience than the fat of rams.

Personal Challenge…

God wants so much more than our profession of faith or our practice of rubrics such as attending church, fasting, or doing things like studies and prayers. He wants us to hear Him, to obey Him, and to live lives of love. What does this obedience look like? Loving Him and loving our neighbor. All proper behavior, robust and accepted sacrifices, come from these two commands. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

1 Peter 5:6-7

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Encouraging Words…

Wow! Couple this verse with the yesterday’s verse of the day (John 16:33) and you have a powerful approach to living through each day of your life. To top this off, these daily verses are actually selected fairly randomly. God has a way of doing things like this, which is a way that He shows us that he cares for us. Glory be to God!

John 16:33

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

Encouraging Words…

In the Orthodox Church we often discuss the fact that we live in two realms at the same time…the physical, earthly realm and the spiritual, heavenly realm. This verse seems to allude to this by telling us that as we live out our days in this temporal body, in this physical world we will have trials and tribulations…predominantly because we no longer belong to this world. Jesus affirms for us though that He has brought the spiritual world into this physical one and defeated it. Glory be to God!

Isaiah 1:16-20

“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean. Put away the evils from your souls before My eyes. Cease from your evils. Learn to do good. Seek judgment and redeem the wronged. Defend the orphan and justify the widow. Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord, “although your sins are like crimson, I shall make them white like snow, and although they are as scarlet, I shall make them white like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good things of the land. But if you are unwilling and disobedient, you shall be devoured by the sword,” for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Personal Challenge…

Am I willing and obedient or unwilling and disobedient? Do I take God’s love for me for granted and live my life for me or do I receive it as a precious gift and share that love with those around me? My salvation is not all wrapped up in just saying some special prayer or proclaiming that I am a follower of Christ. It is to be an active salvation filled with action for my Lord, because of my Lord and His love for me.

1 Samuel 2:1-2


And she (Hannah) said:
“My heart is strengthened in the Lord;
My horn is exalted in my God.
I smile at my enemies;
I rejoice in Your salvation.
Because no one is holy like the Lord,
No one is righteous like our God,
No one is holy but You.”

Encouraging Words…


Our everything is found in the Lord. It is He who meets our every need and walks before us through our journey of life. He holds all creation in the palm of His hand and yet cares for us intimately. What a powerful thing to know and to believe as we head out the door to start our day. Glory be to God.

Proverbs 3:23-26 (26-29 LXX)

That you may walk confidently in peace in all your ways,
And your foot may not stumble.
For if you sit down, you will be without fear,
And if you lie down, your sleep will be pleasant.
And do not be afraid of intimidation when it comes upon you,
Nor of the attack of the ungodly when it comes at you;
For the Lord will be over all your ways,
And He will plant your feet firmly, that you may not be shaken.

Encouraging Words…

Shouldn’t this be the foundation of our entire life experience? Our Lord has promised us that He will never leave us or forsake us. He has promised that He will meet our needs, not necessarily our wants, but our needs. He has promised that He will be our Protector and send us a Comforter. If I confess Him as my Lord and believe in Him then if I truly want to fully experience Him and His presence in my life then I must live my life this way. In doing this it frees me up to focus on changing my behavior so that I live more like Christ, so that I purposely battle against the sinful nature that haunts me. It allows me to live my life in a way that glorifies Him and edifies others. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!

Psalm 10:14 (9:35 LXX)

But You do see, You do perceive the suffering and pain,
That You might deliver them into Your hands;
Therefore, the poor man will be left to You;
You give help to the orphan.

Encouraging Words…

When God commands us to take care of the poor, the orphan, and the widow, He is not asking us to do something that He is not already doing. Throughout the Scriptures and the history of mankind God has taken care of those who could not take care of themselves. We should do the same.