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Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Two are better than one
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For there is not a second one to help him up!
If two lie down together, both stay warm,
But how can one stay warm alone?
If one is added strength, two will stand before him,
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Encouraging Words…

Here we are encouraged to be in relationship with others, because it is when we are living our lives alone that we fall and cannot easily get up. The church is one of those significant institutions that our Lord created and encouraged so that as a body of believers we can encourage and support one another. Unfortunately we live in a society that fosters a culture of individuality, which contradicts the charter of the church to draw people together and develop intimate relationships with each other. Maybe it is time that we reclaim this value and begin to build and maintain close friendships and relationships with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

John 5:39-40

You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

Personal Challenge…

Have we developed religious practices that have caused us to become modern day pharisees as the Jewish leaders in the day of Christ? We are often taught that all we need to know is found in the written text of the Scriptures and spend our entire lives pouring thorough them, memorizing them, expounding upon them, and beating our enemies up with them…all the while neglecting to seek Christ and His Father everywhere else. Yes, the Scriptures are God’s inspired and holy Word given to us. We are commanded to study them and to put them into practice. But He also reveals Himself in His creation, in the living icons of Himself whom we run into every day…our fellow mankind. He is in the traditions of our church and the teachings of the early church fathers and saints that have gone before us. If we open our minds, our eyes, and our hearts, we will see God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit in every aspect of existence and will experience eternal life in Him.

John 14:15-17

“If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”

Encouraging Words…

So much was set in motion on that Christmas day over 2,000 years ago. God himself came to mankind taking on the fullness of man, living amongst us, being like us, and yet exercising His free will as a man choosing not to sin and therefore being acceptable as the final sacrificial lamb of the old covenant. Then on Pentecost, once again God Himself comes as the Holy Spirit to dwell with us and within us, to be our Comforter, our Counselor, and to lead us in God’s ways. Thank You God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for the gifts that You poured out on mankind, of which I am fortunate to be part…Your love, grace, and mercy.

Ezekiel 37:26-28

I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant, and I will establish My sanctuary in their midst forever. My tabernacle shall be among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them, when My sanctuary is among them forever.

Encouraging Words…

Tomorrow, on Christmas Day, we celebrate the beginning of this new covenant of peace where God promised to establish His sanctuary, His tabernacle, amongst His people. The Incarnation of God as man, Jesus, was born of a virgin, Mary, who bore Him in her own body as a temple of life, the kingdom of God, where we who know Him and follow Him are now citizens through the remainder of eternity. Glory be to god! May we who are of this new kingdom live our lives in a way so as to be beacons to the nations broadcasting His love for mankind.

Psalm 27:4 (26:4 LXX)

One thing I ask from the Lord; this I will seek,
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
And behold the delights of the Lord,
And visit His temple.

Psalm 34:7-11 (33:8-12 LXX)

The Angel of the Lord shall encamp around those who fear Him,
And He will deliver them.
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who hopes in Him.
Fear the Lord, you His saints,
For there is no want for those who fear Him.
Rich men turned poor and went hungry;
But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.
Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

Encouraging Words…

Oh, how blessed we are to have the ability to participate in our practices of faith however we want and whenever we want. So many Christians in our world are so much less fortunate and deal with persecution everyday of their lives. May we remember them in our prayers and thoughts.

Baruch 2:14-15 LXX

O Lord, hear our prayer and our petition, and for Your own sake deliver us, and grant us mercy before those who have carried us into exile, in order that the whole earth may come to know that You are the Lord our God, for Israel and his descendants are called by Your name.

Personal Challenge…

We, the Church, the followers and children of the living God, have been carried into exile just as the Israelites of old were. How can I say this when I can look around and see all the freedom and wealth that abounds around me? Because as Paul claimed in his letters we are not of this world anymore, we are now of the kingdom of god and living here as ambassadors for Him. So this verse is so very relevant for us today. We, the Church, especially in the developed world, need His deliverance. We need His mercy before those around us who do not know Him so that the whole world may know that He is the Lord our God.

This has become more evident to me this week than any other time in my life. We have had this whole uproar about how a major media network is treating the leader of Duck Dynasty for expressing his spiritual beliefs. I stand on the side of this man who should have the right to stand up for and articulate his belief in God. I laud him for having the guts to do so knowing that the politically correct world would attack him. More power to him. However, where I have become truly convicted about this is how vocal the Christian community has become about this all the while remaining silent about the many more atrocious events that are going on around us throughout the world: millions of babies being murdered for the purpose of free choice and convenience; the many Christians around the world that are being persecuted and killed while everyone looks the other way; the victims of poverty, abuse, natural disasters, and the list goes on that spurn us to write a check, but not roll up our sleeves and get our hands dirty helping them; the billions and trillions of dollars being spent on stuff and sports and Hollywood elites while more and more people around the world and in our own neighborhoods go to bed hungry and cold every night. It all brings me to tears.

And as I write this I find myself doing all of this as well and hearing the Holy Spirit remind me that I too have become comfortable in my exile and am taking on the practices of the land in which I am captured. God, forgive me! God, deliver us from this exile! God, grant us mercy before those who have carried us into exile! God, change us so that we might do Your work in a way that will help those around us come to know that You are the Lord our God!

Baruch 1:11-12 LXX

And pray for the life of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his son Belshazzar, that their days on earth may be like the days of heaven. And the Lord will give us strength and enlighten our eyes, and we will live under the shelter of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and under the shelter of Belshazzar his son, and we will serve them for many days and find mercy in their sight.

Personal Challenge…

The children of God have long been commanded to pray for those in leadership, whether it be a conquering king like Nebuchadnezzar, an elected president like Barack Obama, or our management where we work. How difficult this can oftentimes be, yet nonetheless we have no choice but to follow our Lord and do what we are commanded. This glorifies Him, lifts His name above all others, and through God’s power gives us strength and enlightenment. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Wisdom of Sirach 50:22-24 LXX

And now bless the God of all,
Who does great things in every way,
Who exalts our days from our birth
And deals with us according to His mercy.
May He give us gladness of heart,
And may there be peace in our days,
In Israel as in the days of old.
May He entrust with us His mercy,
And let Him redeem us in our days.

Encouraging Words…

Through the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ this benediction of old is fulfilled. In Christ our days are exalted, the Father’s mercy is poured out upon us, we are given gladness of heart, we see peace in our days, and He redeems us as His own. Glory be to God.

Wisdom of Sirach 39:33-35 LXX

All the works of the Lord are good,
And He will supply every need in its hour.
No one can say, “This is worse than that,”
For all things will be well pleasing in their time.
So now sing praise with all your heart and voice,
And bless the name of the Lord.

Encouraging Words…

Glory be to God! He knows our needs and provides for them in the hour that is best. It is our “wants” that so often get confused with our “needs”, especially in the society full of wealth and entitlements which we live in. As we learn to live our lives in an ascetic way we begin to develop better understanding of what our true needs are and sing praises to our Lord for meeting them.