Verse of the Day

  • March 21, 2019

    FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT


    1 Timothy 6:11-12

    But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

    Personal Challenge

    Paul is telling Timothy to fight the fight and to hold on, informing him, and us, that our Christian journey is one comprised of work and struggles. Jesus also warned us that if we choose to follow Him then we are also to choose the path that He walked, a path of grief and ultimately death. This is what He meant when He told us to take up our cross and follow Him, daily. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

  • March 20, 2019

    GREAT GAIN


    1 Timothy 6:6

    Now godliness with contentment is great gain.


    Personal Challenge

    Wouldn’t we all like to make great gains in our life? For some, this is making a great profit on their investments. For others, it is accumulating as much stuff as possible. For the Christian, however, the great gain that we should pursue is godliness with contentment. When we are pursuing our Lord and desiring to be like Ann, we are striving for godliness. If we do this, being content with what we have, where we are on our journey, and with whom we are, then we are and the pathway of great gain. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

  • March 19, 2019

    BE AN EXAMPLE


    1 Timothy 4:12

    Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

    Personal challenge

    Even though Paul starts this verse off encouraging Timothy because he is a young leader in his church, he still packs it full of truth for all of us on our journey through life to be like Christ. No matter what role we have in our church, or outside of it for that matter, no matter what our age, we are called to be examples. First of all, we are called to be examples to our fellow believers in what we say and how we say it. We are to be examples in our behaviors, our conduct. And we are to do everything in love, in spirit, in faith, and in purity. If we can do this toward our fellow believer then this example will spill over to the non-believers in our lives and point them to Christ. Glory be to God!

  • March 18, 2019

    TRUST


    1 Timothy 4:10

    For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.

    Encouraging Words

    Why do we labor for our Lord? Why do we suffer reproach from those around us for professing to be His children? Because we trust in Him. We have faith that He is the savior of all mankind, both those who are scoffing Him and reproaching us, but especially those who put their trust in Him. Glory be to God!

  • March 17, 2019

    EXERCISE


    1 Timothy 4:7-8

    But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.

    Personal Challenge

    It is one thing to set up and adhere to a physical exercise regimen. Believe me, I have done this as part of this new year and it has been challenging. But where the real personal challenge kicks in is trying to set up a spiritual exercise regimen. Although attending church and liturgy on a regular basis, reading the scriptures daily, and praying multiple times throughout the day are all good and necessary things to do in this spiritual exercise journey, but they are just the foundation. We must also build on that foundation by fasting when we can, giving to the church, helping the needy, or any number of other things for good. The real, strengthening part of this exercise comes in how we treat those around us, with love and respect, how we manage our thoughts, desires, and passions, and how we behave when no one else is looking, or better yet, within our internal being. Without adding these aspects to our spiritual exercise regimen we will never grow into the image of our God. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy on me, the sinner!

  • March 16, 2019

    Saint of the Week 
    St. Anatoly of Optina

  • March 15, 2019

    PRAY FOR THOSE IN AUTHORITY


    1 Timothy 2:1-4

    Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

    Personal Challenge


    Elsewhere in his writings, Paul calls Christians ambassadors. We believe that by our adoption by God into His eternal family that our citizenship is transferred from this temporal world to His eternal Kingdom. We are no longer citizens here, but God’s representatives in this foreign land. So, doesn’t it make sense that we should be persistently praying for the rulers of this world because we are now guests in their countries and subject to them? We do this whether we like them or not. We do this out of respect for our true leader, God, and so that our lives will be peaceable in this temporary living place. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

  • March 14, 2019

    LOVE


    1 Timothy 1:5

    Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith,

    Personal Challenge

    All Christians know that Jesus gave us two commandments to follow as we live our lives for Him. We are to love God and love our neighbor. Paul reminds Timothy, and us, that this love must come from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. The love that we are commanded to give is not superficial or shallow. It is to come from the depths of our very being. This is the personal challenge. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

  • March 13, 2019

    FAITHFULNESS


    2 Thessalonians 3:3

    But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.

    Encouraging Words

    In this day and age when it is so difficult to build relationships that are deep and strong, it is encouraging to know that our Lord will always be faithful to us. He will go beyond faithfulness and He will establish us in such a way that He can guard us against the wiles of the evil one. Glory be to God!

  • March 12, 2019

    THE WILL OF GOD


    1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

    Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

    Personal challenge

    We often hear people ask what the will of God is. Well, Paul gives us a small glimpse into a part of Gods’ will in our lives. Rejoice always, not just when things are going our way. We are to rejoice in our difficulties as much as we do in our blessings. Pray without ceasing. We are to develop a mindset and a relationship with our God such that every breath is an uttered prayer. That is one of the reasons we have the Jesus prayer, which is, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner.” Finally, we are to give thanks in everything. This is like eating a sandwich. The center of the sandwich is praying without ceasing and this is surrounded by rejoicing always and giving thanks in everything. Glory be to God!