Verse of the Day

  • June 21, 2020

    WISDOM

    Proverbs 1:20-21a

    Wisdom sings in the streets;
    She moves boldly in the squares.
    She preaches on high city walls
    And sits at the gates of lords.

    Encouraging Words

    Our Lord Jesus Christ proclaimed that His message would be presented to everyone, but that many with ears would not hear. The early Church fathers (those who lived in the first couple of centuries) taught that this Wisdom spoken of throughout the Proverbs was Jesus. If you really want to have fun, read the Proverbs substituting “Jesus” for “Wisdom”. This passage reminds us that Jesus is doing everything He can to proclaim His gospel, His Good News to every human being because He wants all of us to be part of His family. Glory be to God!

  • June 20, 2020

    Saint of the Week
    St. John Chrysostom

  • June 18, 2020

    BEGINNING OF WISDOM

    Proverbs 1:7

    The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom,
    And there is good understanding in all who practice it;

    Encouraging Words

    The book of Proverbs is full of great nuggets of knowledge and wisdom. It does start off by reminding us, though, that true wisdom and understanding have a beginning point. That starting point is fearing God and practicing that fear in our lives, every day. All knowledge, all wisdom, all understanding that means anything, begins with Him. Glory be to God!

  • June 17, 2020

    HEAR ME, O LORD

    Job 42:4

    But hear me, O Lord, that I also may speak.
    I will ask You, and please teach Me.

    Personal Challenge

    Sometimes it may feel like God is deaf and cannot hear our pleas. He is not, God is always present and listening to us. Sometimes He waits to respond to our pleas so that we can keep calling out and hopefully grow in our depth of knowledge of Him and understanding of what we should actually be praying for. He is still listening. No matter what our prayer or plea is about, we should always be looking for what He is teaching us. Glory be to God!

  • June 16, 2020

    WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING

    Job 28:28

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

    Personal Challenge

    In our western, self-centered, self-made culture, we have gotten wisdom and understanding all wrong. We believe that if we accumulate knowledge through books, seminars, and degrees, then we are wise. God tells us that wisdom starts by fearing Him, putting Him and His ways at the center of our lives. He goes on to say that understanding then comes from running from evils and practicing them in our lives. Wisdom and understanding come from God and our living lives that are dependent upon Him. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

  • June 15, 2020

    BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD

    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

    We so often go through this world living our lives as if we are in control of everything that goes on. I hate to disappoint, but we are actually in control of nothing, except how we choose to respond to the events that transpire. Our response shapes us and equips us for the next event. Job had this figured out and deeply ingrained in who he was. God is in control and the more that we yield our lives and will to Him the more we can joyfully go along for the ride that He has in store for us. It is not that we are some mice in a predetermined maze or a robot that must follow it’s programming. God knows what is best for us and is guiding us through our journey of life to form us into the image of Christ that He has specifically designed for each one of us. We can choose to go with His plan, His will, and be shaped into that image, or we can resist and fight and eventually be broken and rebuilt into that image. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

  • June 14, 2020

    HEALED

    Psalms 146:3 (147:3)

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

    Encouraging Words

    Have you ever been brokenhearted, wounded so deeply that you felt like you were going to die? Many, if not all, of us, have been here at one time or another. It may have been the repose of a loved one, the loss of love and family through a divorce, The pain and challenges of a severe illness, or any other event that cuts deeply into our hopes and desires. Our world is still a fallen world and painful things happen to us and to those we love. But we do have a hope in all of this: We have a God that feels our pain with us and who treats our broken hearts. He is the great Physician and binds up our wounds. He pours out His love and healing on us. Glory be to God!

  • June 13, 2020

    Saint of the Week

    St. Seraphim of Sarov

  • June 12, 2020

    PRAISE THE LORD

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

    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.

    Encouraging Words

    We follow and serve a God whom we can praise and sing to every moment of our lives. Not only does He deserve this from us, but He is worthy of it. We owe everything to Him. The least we can do is praise Him with every breath that He gives us and sing to Him every day that gives us to live. Glory be to God!

  • June 11, 2020

    HE IS NEAR

    Psalms 144:18 (145:8)

    The Lord is near to all who call on Him,
    To all who call upon Him in truth.

    Personal Challenge

    The Lord is near to all of us who call upon Him, but with a caveat. We must call upon Him in truth. What truth? Even Pilot asks that question of Jesus. “what is truth?” Jesus is truth. He is the source and completion of truth. So the caveat here is that if we want the Lord to be near to us, or better yet for us to be near to Him, then we must call out to Him in Christ. That means we are living in Christ and being His child as we call out. Glory be to God!