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1 Corinthians 9:24

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.

Personal Challenge

Life as a follower of Christ is a marathon. It is full of twists and turns, ups and downs, wins and losses. No matter how we look at it though, it is a race to the finish line. Paul encourages us to run the race, in a way to obtain the prize of then end, to give our all. Living this way gives us the opportunity to live without regrets. Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Job 28:28

He said to man, ‘behold, the fear of God is wisdom,
And to abstain from evils is understanding.’”

Personal Challenge

Once again, we see the scripture turn the knowledge of mankind upside down. In our modern culture, and somewhat pervasive in the church, it is believed that wisdom and understanding comes from all the information that we take in. What is the latest podcast that I follow? Who is the latest church author that I have read? How many services have I attended? However, God tells us through Job, wisdom comes from our fear, or respect of God, and that understanding comes from abstaining from evils. This shifts the receipt of wisdom and knowledge from what I do to what God does. Glory be to God!

1 Corinthians 8:8

But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse.

Personal Challenge

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, we follow various disciplines with fasting. The objective is to use something that we all need, and rely on, to discipline our physical bodies in order to learn how to discipline our entire being, body, soul, and spirit. We must be very diligent to not let this practice become a stumbling block to us or our neighbor. For too often, people use their fasting rules to try to one up one another. This is when it becomes a sin. Food, or the practice of fasting from it, does not commend us to God nor interfere with our relationship with Him. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

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

Life is tough. We can have so many things, both good and bad happen without us ever being ready for them. Sometimes the bad things can cut very deeply. Job provides one of the most visual examples of how life can very quickly turn on us. Job also teaches us that no matter how bad it gets, there is one thing that can never be taken away from us…our relationship with our God. The lives of the martyrs have shown this over and over. This verse in Job reminds us to look at life through the lens of eternity. Our time here on earth is such a small part of the eternity that we will spend with our God! If we look at the events that transpire in our lives as opportunities to get closer to our God, then the extent of both the good and the bad gets tempered greatly. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

1 Corinthians 7:3-4

Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.

Personal Challenge

There are so many Christian faith practice that have this passage all wrong. They teach that the wife is submissive to the husband almost to the level of being a second-class part of the marriage relationship. In the Eastern Orthodox wedding ceremony, the bride and groom don crowns that are connected by a ribbon. These resemble the crowns of the king and the queen joined together to lead their family. At one point the priest switches the crowns back and forth, presumably symbolizing that their leadership is interchangeable. They are also charged to be martyrs for each other, just as Paul proclaims in this passage. Glory be to God!

Psalms 146:3

He heals the brokenhearted
And He binds up all their wounds.

Encouraging Words

Jesus tells us the parable of the lost sheep and how the shepherd will leave the other 99 sheep in order to seek out the lost one to bring it home. This paints a picture of how great God’s love is for His children. This verse reminds us that God feels our broken heartedness and heals us. He knows of our wounds and binds them up for healing. He does this because He loves us. Glory be to God!

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Personal Challenge

We were created in the image of God. If we are a follower of Christ, then the Holy Spirit dwells within us. This makes it important for us to be cognizant of what we are doing with, and to, our bodies, for we are doing it to the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are no longer our own because Jesus bought us with His own life. So, even though we are no longer governed by then law, we choose to do what is lawful in order to glorify our Lord. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Psalms 146:1-2 (145:1-2)

Praise the Lord, O my soul.
I shall praise the Lord while I live;
I shall sing to my God as long as I exist.

Personal Challenge

Life can get busy. It can be full of distractions. We have the opportunity, and privilege to praise our God for all the wondrous things He does in our lives. We must adopt the mindset of the psalmist and praise the Lord with our all, even to the depths of our soul. We are to praise Him with every breath of our life, as long as we exist. Praise His Holy name!

1 Corinthians 6:12

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.