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2 John 1:6

This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.

Encouraging Words…

It seems so easy to build a whole set of rules around what it takes to live a righteous, Christian life. But it all keeps coming back to one basic commandment that can be summed up in one word…LOVE!

1 John 14:20

If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

Personal Challenge…

I can sure tell that we are heading into the season of Great Lent. It seems like every one of my daily readings points out another area in my life where I must go to my Father and confess another sinful state of my heart. It is easy to love a stranger, someone on the mission field, someone out there, but what about those whom God has placed in my life that I am around every day. Is it a coworker, someone at church, a family member, a clerk where I shop that just drives me crazy? That is the one that I must love. It is through them that I can learn to love God. Lord have mercy.

Mark 14:72

A second time the rooster crowed. Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And when he thought about it, he wept.

Personal Challenge…

Oh how much of my own life can I recognize in this verse about Peter. How many times have I denied Christ…that unkind word spoken to another, that impure thought, that unbridled desire, and the list goes on and on. All of these are choices to feed my own pride or desire. All of these are denials of Christ. The real question is what do I do after these denials. Do I do like Peter Do I think about them and weep? Lord have mercy!

Mark 14:10

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them.

Personal Challenge…

The early church fathers (1st century) taught that Judas chose to betray Jesus on his own initiative. It could have been greed, or jealousy, or a desire to force Christ to step up as the King. The bottom line though was that he did this by his own free will. How often do I betray my Lord through my own free will? One of the things that I like about the Orthodox Church is that much, if not most, of what we do has a reason and a purpose. The early church fathers established our tradition of practicing fasting on Wednesday because that would have been the day of the week that Judas betrayed Jesus. So we fast on that day to remind us that we too, like Judas, betray our Lord and need to seek His forgiveness.

1 John 3:1

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

Encouraging Words…

It is no surprise that I find it hard fitting into the world. I can go to work, go to parties and events, just about anywhere outside of the church and I find that I don’t fit in. This verse reminds me why this is so. If I am truly trying to live my life like Christ would thenI will not fit into the world. However, this does not mean that I remove myself from the world for this is where God wants me to shine His light. A dichotomy indeed, but a calling nonetheless.

Luke 15:31-32

“And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’”

Personal Challenge…

I find myself wondering when I read this passage if I am not more like the elder son. Do I hold others in contempt when they have spent their life away from the Lord and now come running to Him and receive such a warm welcome. I should be rejoicing as the Father does. I must remember that He once threw a party for me because I came home to Him as well.

Luke 21:1-4

And he looked up, and saw the rich men that were casting their gifts into the treasury. And he saw a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. And he said, “Of a truth I say unto you, This poor widow cast in more than they all: for all these did of their superfluity cast in unto the gifts; but she of her want did cast in all the living that she had.”

Personal Challenge…

Ouch!! What an indictment this is to the true nature of my heart. I feel good when I give to my church or other ministries, but is that enough? First of all…feeling good about it is the sin of pride. I feel good that I go to church regularly and do Bible studies…but then again there is the pride. This widow was pointed out to me by my Lord to remind me that giving my tithe is not enough. If I truly love Him, if I am truly following in His footsteps, if I am truly becoming like Him, then wouldn’t I be giving Him my all even until it hurts? Where is my heart? Where are my actions? What words come out of my mouth? What desires drive my choices? He is my Lord…so I say. He gave up everything for us. Am I willing to do the same for Him and my neighbor? He stepped out of eternity to live in our time and space. Am I willing to give my time for Him? If I apply the formulaic tithe of 10% of time that would mean giving Him 2.4 hours a day for Him. Ouch!! I have a long way to go to be like this widow. Lord have mercy! Lord have mercy! Lord have mercy!

1 John 2:17

And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Personal Challenge…

Sometimes it is so difficult to keep focused on the fact that I am no longer of this world. My citizenship is in the kingdom of God. I am an emissary here representing my God. It is so easy to forget this and to get caught up in the trappings of the world. This is part of why we fast and pray and give to those in need…so that we can remember where our true home is. I actually look forward to the Lent season coming up. It is a time to concentrate my focus on my Lord and King and not myself.

Proverbs 10:31 (10:32 LXX)

Psalm 119:77 (118:77 LXX)