Sirach 39:33-35

All the works of the Lord are good,
And He will supply every need in its hour.
No one can say, “This is worse than that,”
For all things will be well pleasing in their time.
So now sing praise with all your heart and voice,
And bless the name of the Lord.

Encouraging Words

Our Lord is all good, all of the fine, and is always pouring goodness into our lives. Unfortunately, we often do not recognize what He considers as good for us as good and coming from Him. He supplies for our every need. His supply is exactly what we need and not necessarily what we want. What we want is not always that which is best for us. Knowing this we can rejoice in knowing that our Lord cares for us so much and desires the best for us. Glory be to God!

Romans 13:1

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.

Personal Challenge

Paul calls us ambassadors. In his mind, we who claim Jesus as our Lord and Savior are no longer citizens of this earth, but citizens of heaven. As such, the earthly governing powers that we are under, are of this World and we are subject to them as ambassadors that represent the kingdom of heaven. This means that we respect these leaders, leaders that God has put into authority, and obey the laws of the land, Only when they choose to defy God and expect us to be disobedient to God, then we can defy our rulers. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Sirach 39:1-3

How different is the man who devotes himself
To the study of the law of the Most High.
He will seek out the wisdom of all the ancients
And be occupied with their prophecies.
He will preserve the discourse of notable men
And penetrate the subtleties of parables.
He will seek out the hidden meanings of proverbs
And be engaged in the riddles of parables.

Personal Challenge

Our journey toward heaven and eternity must be filled with seeking to know God. This takes work, time, and devotion. We have been given the scriptures to teach us on this journey. We have been given those who have gone before us to show us the way. We have been given the traditions of the church so that the path can be seen. Let the journey continue. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Romans 12:14-18

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

Personal Challenge
John Doanne once made the statement, “No man is an island,” Paul’s teaching to the Romans, and to us, also teaches that we must live our lives in relationship to others. We are never isolated from the rest of the world. Even the early desert fathers taught that their actions, or inactions, as secluded hermits, still affected everyone else in the world, as well as creation itself. Whether we choose to sin or to do something for the glory of God, we affect others. In this passage, Paul gives us great guidelines for living in a way that glorifies God and blesses those around us. Glory be to God!

Sirach 37:13-15

Stand firm on the counsel of your heart,
For no one is more faithful to you than it.
For a man’s soul sometimes tells him more
Than seven watchmen sitting high on a watchtower.
And in all matters, pray to the Most High
That He may direct your way in truth.

Encouraging Words

When we choose to yield our lives, and most importantly our wills, to our loving Lord, He fills our hearts with Himself. It is this new and regenerated heart that the writer is referring to. When God possesses our heart and fills it with His love and wisdom, then it is no longer our own, personal counsel that we are listening to, but His. Glory be to God!

Romans 12:12

rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;

Personal Challenge

I have heard, many times, the complaint that the Bible doesn’t give us enough instructions on how to live our daily lives. I guess this can only be true if you do not read the Bible. The Bible is full of guidance and direction on how to live full, productive, and godly lives. Today’s verse is just one little snippet of a powerful way to view life. Rejoicing in hope. As followers of Christ, we have a hope that is based on Gods’ love and mercy and is eternal. We can rejoice in this hope every moment of every day. We also know that every day in this temporal life will be filled with tribulation. We are charged to approach this tribulation with patience, a patience that can only be sourced from our precious Lord. All of this can only be done by steadfastly continuing in prayer, communion with our Lord. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Sirach 36:1-4

Have mercy on us, O Lord, the God of all, and look upon us,
And put Your fear on all the nations.
Raise Your hand against foreign nations
And let them see Your power.
As in us You have been sanctified before them,
So in them may You be made great before us.
Let them know You as we also have known You,
For there is no God but You, O Lord.

Encouraging Words

This is not a prayer for God to be hostile to the nations around Israel, but a plea that they might come to know God as they do. This can be our prayer today. As Christians, we are citizens of a country that is not of this world. Our prayer should consistently be that God will make Himself known to the nations of this earth in such a way that they turn to Him. This means the nation that we live in as well, for it sorely needs to turn to the Lord for His guidance and direction. Our role in this is to be shining beacons of God’s love to our neighbors. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Romans 12:9

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.

Personal Challenge

Paul makes it clear that our journey through life as a follower of Christ is not just saying a prayer and then going back to living as we always have. To be a follower of Christ, one of His disciples, we must let Him change us into His image. As this happens we begin to desire His ways. Doing this means loving others. Loving them honestly and without hypocrisy, or fake love. It means not only striving to avoid evil but abhorring it and clinging to that which is good. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!