Verse of the Day

May 20, 2020

A LAMP AND A LIGHT

Psalms 118:105 (119:105)

Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my paths.

Encouraging Words

Sometimes life can be pretty dark and lonely. We are blessed to have Jesus (the Word) in our lives to light the way and to guide us along the path of life. If it is still dark after inviting Him to be our Lord, then maybe it is time to open our eyes. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!
May 19, 2020

FOREVER

Psalms 118:89 (119:89)

Forever, O Lord, Your word continues in heaven.

Personal Challenge

We are so finite. Everything in this temporal realm is finite. Even things like this pandemic, which seems to many to be with us for the rest of our lives, is also finite. It does have an end. However, the Word of Lord, which is Jesus Christ, is infinite. He has no beginning and no end. We can put our trust and hope in Him for He will never go away. Glory be to God!
May 18, 2020

HIS COMPASSIONS

Psalms 118:77 (119:77)

Let Your compassions come to me, and I shall live;
For Your law is my meditation.

Command with a Promise

Throughout the scriptures, we are given insights into the things that we need to do in order to receive some of God’s blessings. This is not about earning God’s love, mercy, or grace. These are unmerited because He chose to love us before the beginning of time. We cannot earn our way into God’s grace. However, as His beloved children, we can choose to do those things that God would want us to do. We do this out of our love for Him and our desire to show Him that love. We do it because He first loved us. So,
in this verse, we learn that if we meditate on His law, His teachings, His truths, then we will see His compassions being poured out upon us and shall live. Glory be to God!
May 17, 2020

ALL IS VANITY

Psalms 118:37 (119:37)

Turn away my eyes that I may not see vanity;

Give me life in Your way.

Personal challenge

So much in this world is vain, or senseless and foolish. King Solomon ends his book of Ecclesiastes with, ‘”Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “All is vanity.”‘, reminding us that everything apart from God is vain. This is why the Psalmist calls upon his Lord to turn his eyes away from the vanity of this world so that he may receive life in God’s way. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!
May 15, 2020

HIS TEACHINGS

Psalms 118:11 (119:11)

I hid Your teachings in my heart

So as not to sin against You.

Personal Challenge

Why is it so hard to say no to sin? It is because we fill our hearts with everything but God. We make choices to abandon and ignore His teachings and His precepts. We put our desires first and make them our gods. If we choose to hide His teachings in our hearts and let them completely take over our lives then we will see that we have the power to walk away from sin. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!
May 13, 2020

SEARCH OUT

Psalms 118:2 (119:2)

Blessed are those who search out His testimonies; They shall search for Him with their whole heart.

Personal Challenge

God is so creative in His way of getting our attention. These postings, the daily journaling of my journey through life with my Lord, are based on scriptures that I have highlighted and saved over my life of attempting to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Each day I pick up the next one in my list, meditate on it, and journal my thoughts about it. It is fun to watch how often God brings up one that is so relevant to where I am today on my journey. Today is another one of those creative attention getters. “Blessed are those who search out His testimonies”. We need to seek God’s truth in everything we do, see, hear, and most importantly latch on to in the social media world that we so often spend our time in. Just today, I shared a post on Facebook of a great article from my Bishop about this very subject. As always, God’s timing is impeccable. Glory be to God!
May 12, 2020

REJOICE

Psalms 117:24 (118:24)

This is the day the Lord made; Let us greatly rejoice, and be glad therein.

Encouraging Words

What a way to start off every day, rejoicing. Every day that God gives us the ability to breathe, is a day worth rejoicing over. We do have so much that we can be thankful for. Glory be to God!
May 11, 2020

IT IS GOOD

Psalms 117:8-9 (118:8-9)

It is good to trust in the Lord
Rather than to trust in man;
It is good to hope in the Lord

Rather than to hope in rulers.

Personal Challenge

Trust and hope could very well be two of the most important tools that we have in our toolboxes of life. God has established Himself as both the ultimate source that we can pull trust and hope from, but also the One whom we can put our trust and hope in. And yet, we continue to put our trust in man and our hope in the rulers of man to be there for us as we navigate our journey through life. This is where we so often get off track. It is good when we put our hope and trust in God alone. Glory be to God!
May 10, 2020

HIS MERCY ENDURES FOREVER

Psalms 117:1-4 (118:1-4)

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Israel say that He is good,
For His mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Aaron say that He is good,
For His mercy endures forever.
Let all who fear the Lord say that He is good,
For His mercy endures forever.

Personal Challenge

God’s mercy endures forever. Do we really believe this? It is easy to proclaim this when everything is going our way and we are in the midst of prosperous times. But what about during the hard times, the difficult and challenging times? Is our proclamation of God’s greatness dependent on how we like what is going on around us or is it constant, no matter what the circumstances? We still live in a fallen world, which grieves our Lord. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy, on me the sinner!
May 9, 2020

Saint of the Week

St. Paisius Athonite