NO HIDE AND SEEK

Proverbs 8:17

I love those who love me,
And those who seek me shall find me.

Encouraging Words

God does not play games with us. Jesus Himself proclaimed that if we follow Him we become adopted into the family of God and joint heirs with Him in eternity. God does not play hide and seek with us. He loves us and manifests His love for us even more as we recipicate with our love for Him. He promises that if we seek Him we will find Him. Glory be to God!

GUARD GOOD THINKING

Proverbs 5:1-2

My son, hold fast to wisdom
And incline your ear to my words,
That you may guard good thinking;
And I command you with the perception of my lips.

Personal Challenge

It is one thing to pursue Christ in order to garner His wisdom. This is indeed possible and a noble thing to do. But it is an entirely different thing to guard that wisdom once it is received and let it permeate our lives. Wisdom for wisdom’s sake is not enough. We must let it change us into the image of Christ, which will draw us out of the world. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Saint of the Week

St. Paisios of Mt. Athos

OUR HEART

Proverbs 4:22 LXX (4:23)

Keep your heart with all watchfulness,
For from these words are the issues of life.

Personal Challenge

Our mind is used to store information. Our heart is used to guide our moral and ethical values and actions. This is the guidance of the Scriptures. The term heart here is not referring to our physical organ that pumps blood through our physical body. It refers to the center of our spiritual essence that pumps our spiritual blood through us. This is the heart that must guarded and protected from the world. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

DO NOT BE CARELESS WITH WISDOM

Proverbs 3:26-29 LXX (3:23-26)

That you may walk confidently in peace in all your ways,
And your foot may not stumble.
For if you sit down, you will be without fear,
And if you lie down, your sleep will be pleasant.
And do not be afraid of intimidation when it comes upon you,
Nor of the attack of the ungodly when it comes at you;
For the Lord will be over all your ways,
And He will plant your feet firmly, that you may not be shaken.

Personal Challenge

In verse 23 (21 in non-LXX version) the author of this proverb warns the reader to not be careless with the godly wisdom that has been received. This passage provides many important reasons to avoid this carelessness. By holding fast to the godly wisdom we can walk confidently in peace knowing our feet will not stumble. We can sit down in that peace without fear. As we lie down to sleep it will be pleasant. We will not be afraid of intimidation or attacks from the ungodly for we know that the Lord will be over our ways protecting us. We trust that He will plant our feet firmly and that we will not be shaken. Glory be to God!

INSTRUCTION AND REPROOF

Proverbs 3:11-12

My son, do not despise the instruction of the Lord,
Neither grow weary under His reproof.
For whom the Lord loves He instructs,
And chastises every son He receives.

Personal Challenge

In order to excel at anything in life we must undergo discipline. Discipline often takes the form practice in the area that we need to grow in. Sometimes it will be a test, or a challenge, in order to demonstrate where we are in our process. To be good at anything we need instruction, correction when we are off track, and testing. God applies all of these to us in our journey through life so that we can grow into the image of His Son. Glory be to God!

OUR OWN DISCERNMENT?

Proverbs 3:7-8

Do not rely on your own discernment,
But fear God, and turn away from every evil.
Then there shall be healing for your body
And care for your bones.

Person Challenge

Being products of the Age of Enlightenment and living in the Information age, we have become a people that rely on our own discernment. We believe that we can be the final arbiters of the truth. People proclaiming to be Christians believe that they are the final authority on how they interpret the Scriptures. This is not how the early, historical Church thought. The authority to interpret the scriptures rested in the Church, the Church since AD 30. All interpretation must be vetted against the teachings of 2,000 years of church knowledge and wisdom. We are seeing the consequences of abandoning this way in our society today and misinterpretations and misappropriations of the sacred Scriptures. Lord have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy.

TRUST

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in God with all your heart,
And do not exalt your own wisdom.
In all your ways know wisdom,
That she may cut a straight path for you;
And your foot will not stumble.

Personal Challenge

As followers of Christ, our entire journey through life is based on faith, or in other words, trust. We put our trust in God. In that trust we look to Him to give us His Wisdom so that we might know the straight paths through life and walk those paths without stumbling. This requires us to set aside our own worldly wisdom and embrace His wisdom. Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

ALMSGIVING

Proverbs 3:3-4

Do not let almsgiving and faithfulness forsake you,
But hang them upon your neck;
And you will find grace
And provide good things before the Lord and men.

Personal Challenge

Almsgiving is a significant part of living a Christian life. As you can see in this passage, it is on the same level as our faithfulness toward God. So, what is almsgiving? It is giving to the poor and those in need. We have so many opportunities in our culture today to do this. Especially as our economy weakens and so many families are being impacted by deportations and arrests of our alien neighbors. Any person who supports these actions that are impacting our neighbors while at the same time proclaiming to be Christians does not understand the commission given to us by Christ Himself. We are accountable for the well-being of those in our lives. This is not an option. It is a mandate. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Saint of the Week

St. Anthony of the Desert