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Luke 6:41-42

And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye?

Personal Challenge…

In the great commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves we are compelled to love our neighbor and be there for them. Sometimes, however, we take that to mean that we have the right to insert ourselves into their lives and to point out all of their faults with the intention to fix them. However, truly loving our neighbor can be better accomplished by looking at ourselves and fixing our own faults, removing the plank from our own eyes. Only then can we begin to speak into someone else’s life. And if we are to be godly at this we should be speaking words of healing, love, and encouragement and let God do the correcting of others’ faults. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Proverbs 11:2

Wherever arrogance enters, there also is dishonor,
But the mouth of the humble meditates on wisdom.

Personal Challenge…

Why is it that in the modern day church we spend so much time acquiring knowledge so that we can impress those around us with what we know? I have seen this as such a challenge for those of us who convert from Western forms of Christianity to Eastern Orthodoxy. We must remember that it is more important to meditate on Wisdom rather than acquire knowledge. In Eastern Orthodoxy Wisdom in the Proverbs is considered to be Christ, so in our humility we meditate on Him and avoid dishonor. If we focus on knowledge, which is man-center we become arrogant, which leads to dishonor.

Psalm 37:23-24 (36:22-24 LXX)

For those who bless Him shall inherit the earth,
But those who curse Him shall be utterly destroyed.
The steps of a man are guided aright by the Lord,
And he shall desire His way.
When he falls, he shall not be broken to pieces,
For the Lord supports him with His hand.

Encouraging Words…

As children of God our steps are guided in the right path of life and our desires begun to turn to Him. Even though we stumble and fall along the path our God is there to catch us, protect us, and to set us back on His path. We must always keep our hearts and minds focused on Him so that we can see His ways and reach out to Him when we veer off of His path. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Luke 1:50

And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.

Encouraging Words…

Our God is a merciful and loving God. His mercies do not only apply to those of us who have given our lives to Him, but to the generations that follow us. He uses our faith to reveal Himself to our children, or children’s children, and on through the generations that follow. Is this not a good reason to live our lives in a way that glorifies and honors Him so that our legacy is established in our families. Glory be to God for His mercy, His love, and His grace.

Psalm 40:4-5 (39:5-6)

Blessed is the man whose hope is the name of the Lord,
And who did not look into vanities and false frenzies.
Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders You performed,
And in Your thoughts there is no one who shall be likened to You;
I declared and said, “They are multiplied beyond number.”

Personal Challenge…

Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the live which I now live int he flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Encouraging Words…

If we have given our lives to Christ, been baptized and chrismated unto Him, then we are no longer a part of this world. We have been crucified with Christ into His royal family and called to do His good works all the days of our lives through eternity. This can be accomplished because of Christ living within us and being filled by Him and His Holy Spirit. Glory be to God!

Isaiah 43:18

“Do not remember the former things, nor reason about the things of old.”

Encouraging Words…

Life with the Lord our god is always a forward looking life. The early Israelites looked forward to the promised land and their coming Messiah when Moses lead them out of Egypt. Those in captivity in Babylon looked forward to return to their home land as well as their coming Messiah. We, in the present day Church, look forward to the coming kingdom of our God and the return of our Messiah. Life is to be lived in a forward motion leaving behind the things of our past that come between us and God and bringing with us those things that glorify Him.

Proverbs 12:18 (12:20 LXX)

There are those who wound with a sword as they speak,
But the tongues of the wise heal.

Personal Challenge…

The words that come out of my mouth can either offer up healing and comfort or strike down like a sword. This is even move true today with the advent of the Internet because I am removed from the presence of the one that I am speaking to or about. That removal often gives me a sense that I am doing nothing wrong to another and therefore emboldens me to speak even more harshly and abruptly. So, I must not only guard my tongue in today’s age, but also my fingertips as well. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Job 1:21

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. As it seemed good to the Lord, so also it came to pass. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Personal Challenge…

I often wonder if I could be as submissive to the Lord as Job was. He held on to his material possessions, even his health and his loved ones, lightly…knowing that his time here on earth was short and that his real home was where all that he held dear really was. He still grieved over his lose but he never gave up on His God. What a lesson for all of us to trust God completely and to always have our vision set on our true home and our true wealth. Glory be to God!