Saint of the Week

St. Seraphim of Sarov

NO WRONGDOING

Psalms 91:16 LXX (92:15)

So as to proclaim, “The Lord my God is upright,
And there is no wrongdoing in Him.”

Personal Challenge

It is clearly true that our Lord is upright and sinless. No follower of Christ would deny that. They would also agree that there is no wrongdoing in Him. If then, some proclaim to be His followers, followers who are supposed to be emulating Him, why are they lying, cheating, stealing, and abusing others. Truly they are following the angel of light, Satan, and not Christ. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

WHO DO WE HOPE IN?

Psalms 90:14-16 LXX (91:14-16)

“For he hoped in Me, and I will deliver him;
I will shelter him, because he knew My name.
He shall call upon Me, and I will hear him;
I am with him in affliction,
And I will deliver and glorify him.
With length of days I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”

Personal Challenge

It is so easy to proclaim to be a follower of Christ and then to put your hope and trust in someone or some thing in this temporal world. This behavior must be resisted in order to truly be a follower of Christ. It really is an all or nothing decision. When we put our hope in Christ. He delivers us…from every challenge and conflict. When we truly know His name at the depth of our being, we see and feel His shelter. When we call upon Him, He hears us. He is with us in our affliction, delivering and glorifying us. He shows us our salvation all of our days. Glory be to God!

UNDER HIS WINGS

Psalms 90:4 LXX (91:4)

He shall overshadow you with His shoulders,
And under His wings you shall hope;
His truth shall encircle you with a shield.

Encouraging Words

Love and protection go hand in hand. The imagery here by the Psalmist invokes the image of a mother protecting her brood from the elements and predators. We can confidently put our hope in our Lord knowing that He will shield us under His wings of love. Glory be to God!

OUR LODGING

Psalms 90:1 LXX (91:1)

The praise of an ode by David.
He who dwells in the help of the Most High
Shall lodge in the shelter of the God of heaven.

Encouraging Words

Let’s work this one backwards. How wonderful and peaceful it would be to lodge in the shelter of the God of heaven. We can do that by dwelling in the help of the most high. How do we do that? By submitting to our Lord in humility, trusting in Him, and accepting His free gift of mercy and grace. This is why Jesus gave up His place in heaven, chose to be incarnate as one of us, live a sinless life, die a horrible death as an innocent man, and rise from the grave after destroying the bonds of death. All so that we can join Him in His heavenly dwelling. Glory be to Him!

REMEMBER ME, O LORD

Psalms 88:48-49 LXX (89:47-48)

Let my substance be remembered, as to what sort it is,
For did You create all the sons of men in vain?
What kind of man is there who will live and not see death?
Will he deliver his soul from the hand of Hades?

Personal Challenge

One thing that none of us can escape in life is death. We will all meet that fate at the end of our journey here on earth. The Psalmist pleads with God to remember him as he was created, in the image of God. We can ask God to remember us as His children through the work of His Son, Jesus Christ. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

BUT YOU, O LORD

Psalms 85:15 LXX (86:15)

But You, O Lord, are compassionate and merciful,
Longsuffering and very merciful and truthful.

Encouraging Words

God is so much more than we can articulate with our words. He is compassionate, loving us before we even know that He exists. He is merciful, pouring His grace upon us no matter how far from Him we wander. He is longsuffering, waiting for His children to return to Him as the father of the prodigal son. He is truthful, having no deception or falsehood within His essence. Thanks be to God!

Saint of the Week

St. Ephraim the Syrian

GIVING THANKS

Psalms 85:12 LXX (86:12)

I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
And I shall glorify Your name forever;

Personal Challenge

One thing that we can all do that costs us absolutely nothing is to give thanks to God with our whole heart. Everything that we have and everything that we are is from Him. Every breath of air and every beat of our heart are gifts from Him. We can give thanks and glory to Him forever and never begin to repay Him for His great love and mercy. Glory be to God!

TURNING

Psalms 84 LXX (85)

For the End; a psalm for the sons of Korah.
O Lord, You were pleased with Your land;
You turned back the captivity of Jacob;
You forgave the transgressions of Your people;
You covered all their sins.
(Pause)
You ended all Your wrath;
You turned from the wrath of Your anger.
Turn us, O God of our salvation,
And turn away Your anger from us.
Will You be angry with us forever,
Or will You prolong Your anger from generation to generation?
O God, You will turn and give us life,
And Your people will be glad in You.
Show us Your mercy, O Lord,
And grant us Your salvation.
I will hear what the Lord God will speak in me,
For He will speak peace
To His people and to His holy ones,
And to those who turn their heart to Him.
His salvation is very close at hand to those who fear Him,
That glory may dwell in our land.
Mercy and truth met together;
Righteousness and peace kissed each other;
Truth arose from the earth,
And righteousness looked down from heaven.
For the Lord will give goodness,
And our land shall yield its fruit.
Righteousness shall go before Him
And establish His footsteps as our pathway.

Encouraging Words

There is always hope for a society. We must first turn to God and then He will turn His love toward us. Glory be to God!