Sirach 14:12-14

Remember that death does not delay,
And the covenant of Hades has not been shown to you.
Before you die, do good to a friend,
And reach out and give to him based on your ability.
Do not let a day go by without doing something good,
And do not let any of your desire for doing good escape you.

Personal Challenge

We all have death in the future. First, it will come with our families, our friends, and our acquaintances, but ultimately it will come to us. We cannot stop this but there is something that we can do. We can do good to those whom we have in our lives while we can. Life is short and we should never pass on the opportunity to show love to another and to give of our ability to those in need. It is never too late to do good. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Sirach 11:9

Do not argue about a matter that does not concern you,
And do not sit together with sinners when they judge a case.

Personal Challenge

After being told to slow down in our verbal responses and to listen more, the author of Sirach tells us to keep our noses out of everyone else’s business. We have come to the place in our society where we do not want anyone telling us what to do, but expect to have the ability, and the right, to tell everyone else what to think and to do. Do we truly want to live at peace with those around us? Then stop sticking our noses in their lives and mind our own business. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Sirach 11:7-8

Do not find fault before you examine a situation.
First, understand it, and then make your judgment.
Do not answer before you have listened,
And do not interrupt someone while he is talking.

Personal Challenge

This is one area in my life that I know that I need to work on. It is so easy to jump into the middle of a conversation and interrupt the other person in order to express my thoughts. I need to learn to slow down and take the time to examine and understand the situation, or the other person before I jump in to offer my thoughts. I need to let the other person complete their thoughts, assess what has been said, and then determine if I should say anything or not. I need to do this to show love to my neighbor. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Sirach 10:4

The authority of the earth is in the hand of the Lord,
And He will raise up the right man for an appointed time.

Encouraging Words

How interesting is it that this verse is the one that comes up tonight while I am waiting for the presidential debate to start? Life in our world today has come to the point where it really looks like we are living in the midst of a giant circus. It is important for us to understand that no matter how much we mess up this creation that He has given us, He is still in control. This may not be the way that He wants it to be, but He is letting us live out our free will, and deal with the consequences of our choices and our action. He is running the circus, be He is also letting us decide How each act plays out. We any given the freedom to make our choices as well as the opportunity to participate in the consequences of those choices. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy!

Sirach 7:32-36

Stretch forth your hand to the poor,
That your blessing may be complete.
Let the kindness of giving be shown
In the presence of all the living,
And do not withhold kindness from the dead.
Do not withdraw yourself from those who weep,
And mourn with those who mourn.
Do not hesitate to visit a sick man,
For by such visits you will be loved.
With all your words, remember the time you will die,
And you will never sin.

Personal Challenge

It is so easy to get wrapped up in our own personal stuff and end up forgetting that everyone around us has needs and issues to deal with as well. There is really no monetary cost to showing kindness to another person, especially those who are down and in need of compassion. Loving our neighbor is one of the two commands that Jesus gave to us. Showing kindness comes out of that love. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Sirach 7:20-21

Do not mistreat a servant who does his work in truth
Nor a hired worker who devotes himself to you.
Let your soul love an intelligent servant;
Do not deprive him of his freedom.

Personal Challenge

Most of us do not live in a situation where we have servants who are submissive to us, but we do have many situations in our lives where these verses apply. We may be managers where people report to us and that we must lead others to accomplish our work. We may be parents or spouses, which also leads to times when we are in charge of someone else. Whatever the case, we all have opportunities where others count on us to be their leaders. It is our responsibility to them and to our Lord to serve them as leaders in order to demonstrate Christ to them. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Sirach 7:1-3

Do no evil things,
And evil will never overtake you.
Stay away from wrongdoing,
And it will turn away from you.
My son, do not sow on the furrows of wrongdoing,
And you will not reap the same things sevenfold.

Personal Challenge

The guideline for eliminating evil things from our lives is fairly simple and straight forward. If we avoid evil things by not doing evil things, then that evil will not overtake us. If we dabble in evil things, wrongdoings, and sowing sinful seeds, then we will reap the consequences of this behavior, which will be more evil in our lives. We cannot live our lives in a worldly manner and expect heavenly results. Lord Jesus Christ. Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!