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Psalms 3:4-7 (3:3-4)

But You, O Lord, are my protector,
My glory and the One who lifts up my head.
I cried to the Lord with my voice,
And He heard me from His holy hill. (Pause)
I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the Lord will help me.
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who set themselves against me all around.

Personal Challenge

Throughout the history of mankind, all the way back to Adam and Eve, we have been beset by the sin of pride. We have a tendency to very quickly slip into the mode of thinking that we are able to do the anything and everything on our own and without someone. like God to guide us along our path of life. The Psalmist reminds us that we are nothing without God and that we can do nothing without Him. God is our protector. He is our glory. He lifts up our heads in those difficult times. We cry out to Him and He hears us. He helps us. He surrounds us with His loving presence. All glory belongs to God.

Luke 12:22-23

Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.”

Encouraging Words

It is so important for us to heed these words from our Lord. Worry can tear our lives apart and wear us down. God has His followers in the palm of His hand at all times. Do we really believe this? Then live accordingly. What is it that we so often find ourselves worrying about? It is usually the stuff of this world. God is so far beyond this world. He created and sustains this world. Do we believe that He can take care of us from His abundance? As I find myself quickly approaching that point in my life where I will be taking down my shingle and retiring, I find that there is so much to trust in Him for. He has provided so much to me throughout my life. Whether it was being fired from multiple jobs, losing loved ones, or dealing with illnesses, He has carried me through and I do not see that changing. God is my refuge and I have nothing to worry about. Glory be to God!

Psalm 1:1-3

Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the way of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the troublesome;
But his will is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree
Planted by streams of waters,
That produces its fruit in its season;
And his leaf shall not wither,
And whatever he does shall prosper.

Encouraging Words

We are so blessed to be able to live in the new covenant with our God. This covenant is not based on what we do or don’t do, but is based on what Jesus did on our behalf. He is our intercessor. He is our intermediary. He is our salvation. The more that we choose to live our lives trusting in Him and yielding our will to Him, the more blessed we are. Glory be to God!

Luke 12:8-9

Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.

Personal Challenge

It is important for us to be willing to confess our faith in Christ whenever the opportunity arises. We live in a world that does not like Christ. We must also be prepared to receive hostilities from others who do not believe. It is also important that our confession of our faith in Christ be done by our actions at all times. Our witness is destroyed when we live like everyone else in the world and yet say that we are followers of Christ. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

3 Maccabees 3:3-5

The Jews, though, maintained their goodwill and unswerving faith toward the throne. But because they worshiped God and lived by His precepts, they kept themselves separate from others with regard to food, and therefore appeared hateful to some. But they adorned their way of life with the good deeds of righteous people, and thus established themselves as honorable to all men.

Personal Challenge

As Christians, we are to live our lives as Paul instructed in his writings, as foreigners in someone else’s land. We are no longer citizens of this would but citizens of heaven and God’s ambassadors. Even though we choose to live our lives set apart for God, and therefore, different than everyone around us our lives can be esteemed by those who disagree with our faith because we are righteous people doing good deeds for out neighbor. Glory be to God!

Luke 11:28

But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Encouraging Words

We live in a broken and hurting world. People are hurting deeply. They are depressed. They are angry. They are lonely. We are seeing day after day, the consequences of this. Everyone, no matter how old or how young, no matter their nationality, religion or any other determiners that they identify themselves with, desires to be blessed. Jesus gives us a simple formula for that blessing…hear the word of God and keep it. What is the essence of His word? Love God and love our neighbor. Do we want to be blessed in our lives? Then if we do these two things we will be blessed by God as well as be a blessing to others. Glory be to God!

2 Maccabees 8:18

“For they trust in arms and bold acts,” he said, “but we trust in Almighty God, who with only one nod is able to overthrow both those who come against us and the entire world.”

Personal Challenge

It is always in the midst of our most difficult trials that our true trust in our God is put to the test. It is in these times that we must make the choice to trust that God will deliver us or end up putting our trust in ourselves or those around us. God, our Almighty God, always delivers when we put our trust in Him. Glory be to God!

Luke 11:23

He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

2 Maccabees 6:24-28

“For to pretend such things,” he said, “is not worthy of our time of life, lest many of the young should suppose that Eleazar in his ninetieth year has gone over to a foreign religion, and because of my pretense for the sake of living a brief moment longer, they should be led astray through me, while I earn only pollution and defilement in my old age. For even if for the present I should avoid the punishment of men, yet whether I live or die, I shall not escape the hands of the Almighty. Therefore by manfully giving up my life now, I will show myself worthy of my old age, and leave to the young a noble example of how to die a good death willingly and bravely for the venerable and holy laws.”

After he said this, he went straight to the rack,

Personal Challenge

The life of the Maccabees was very difficult. They were being persecuted and martyred for their belief in the one, true God. Eleazar had lived a godly life for his Yahweh for 90 years when he was called out for this commitment and brought into persecution. His persecutors tried to make him eat food that his faith practice deemed unholy. Rather than defile himself he was willing to go to the rack and give up his life for his God. When his friends tried to persuade him to pretend that he was eating the defiled food, he made this proclamation that he had not lived his life for his God just to throw it all away in this one moment and lead others, especially the youth astray. In his eyes there was no room for pretending. We can all take this mindset to heart. There are so many of us today proclaiming to be followers of Christ, even entire churches, that pretend to be a part of the world in order to win people to their way of thinking ,just to end up leading so many astray. This is what Eleazar refused to do. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!