Acts 28:30-31

Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.

Encouraging Words

Paul is such a good example for all Christians to follow. Even though he was still imprisoned, he would not stop doing the very thing that got him there, proclaiming Jesus Christ and His kingdom. Paul never shied away from living openly for his Savior because he knew that he owed everything to Him and that everyone needed to hear the good news. May we all be encouraged and enabled to be Pauls in our lives. Glory be to God!

Sirach 6:14-17

A faithful friend is a strong shelter,
And he who finds one finds a treasure.
There is nothing that can take the place of a faithful friend,
And there is no way to measure his worth.
A faithful friend is a medicine of life,
And those who fear the Lord will find him.
He who fears the Lord guides his friendship rightly,
Because as he is, so also is his neighbor.

Personal Challenge

Our modern culture makes it difficult to find the faithful friend such as the one that is pointed out in this passage. We live in a very individualistic thinking society which makes it challenging to find a friend that is interested in investing in this kind of relationship. We also have the challenge of being a very mobile society in that many of us have moved enough that we no longer have friends around us that we have known for a long time or we live far enough apart that we do not get the chance to see each other often enough to build this kind of relationship. Maybe Sirach had the same problem when he said, “And he who finds one finds a treasure.” Nonetheless, it is still a worthy goal in life to seek to build relationships with others with the hope that one day a faithful friendship of this type will result. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Acts 21:13

Then Paul answered, “What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

Personal Challenge

Just as Jesus was resolute the week before Palm Sunday to go to Jerusalem, knowing full well that He would be put to death, Paul was resolute to return to Jerusalem to preach the gospel of his Lord knowing full well that the people there wanted to take his life. This is the level of commitment that our Lord desires of us, to be willing to give our lives for Him and His message of the good news about eternal life. Living a spiritual life that is grounded in Jesus Christ is not going to be a walk in the park. If we are striving to be like Christ then we will be despised by the world like He was. We will lose friends like He lost friends. We will be persecuted like He was. Am I willing to follow my Lord this way and have my heart broken by all of my loved ones who try to talk me out of it? Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Sirach 5:10-11

Be established in your understanding
And let your word be consistent.
Be quick to listen
And give your answer with patience.

Personal Challenge

We were encouraged by our Lord to live our lives openly and honestly. He told us to speak such that our “Yes!” was “Yes!” and our “No!” was “No!”. This is a way of being that is getting lost in this age of individualism and the acceptance of relativism. Here the writer of Sirach reminds us to always be consistent in our speech and to let it be driven and established in the understanding that we can only get from our Lord. He also reminds us to be quick to listen, not just to hear the other, but to truly listen to the other in a patient, loving, and humble way so that we can only respond when it is necessary, and then to respond with love. My Lord knows how far I need to go in my life to be able to act this way. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have Mercy on me, the sinner!

Acts 20:29

For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.

Personal Challenge

In our modern, self-reliant age, not only are humans focused on being self-reliant but so are our modern-day churches. By being this way, we actually begin to shut God out of our lives and believe that we can do things without Him. Paul was reminding the other early church members and us that we need to be aware that there will be savage attempts to destroy the church and some of those attacks will come from within the church. We cannot resist these attacks on our own. We need to depend on God at all times and trust in Him only and follow His guidance. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Sirach 3:18-19

The greater you are, the more humble you must be,
And you will find grace before the Lord;
Because great is the power of the Lord,
And He is honored by the humble.

Personal Challenge

It is our human nature to strive to do well, to be great at what we do. Unfortunately, our cultural expectation is that the better I get at what I do, the more people should honor me, respect me, pay me for that greatness. This is evidenced all around us in our professional athletes, our politicians, those in the entertainment world, and our workplaces. In many cases, it has even made it into our churches. However, the scriptures inform us that the greater we are in our accomplishments, the more humble we must become if we are to find grace in our Lord. To receive His grace to its fullest extent we need to humble ourselves before Him and our fellow man. Once again, the teachings of our Lord

are so contrary to the ways of man but isn’t this what He did for us. He humbled himself being the eternal Son of God and became incarnate in the very essence of that which He created so that He might save us from the grip that death had on us. That is the ultimate gift of love and humility. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Acts 17:28

for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’

Encouraging Words
The scriptures start off in Genesis with the creation story. The most valuable part of that story is the truth that we were all created in the image of God. Jesus, the pre-incarnate Son of God, was active in our creation. It is His image that we have been created, and because of this, we have Him within us. As Luke says in the Book of Acts, “for in Him we live and have our being,” we are His children, His offspring and through Him being in us we have the opportunity to be like Him, if only we will seek His presence within us with all of our hearts, Glory be to God!

Sirach 2:1-6

My son, if you draw near to serve the Lord,
Prepare your soul for temptation.
Set your heart right and be steadfast,
And do not strive anxiously in distress.
Cleave to Him and do not fall away,
That you may be honored at the end of your life.
Accept whatever is brought upon you,
And in exchange for your humiliation, be patient;
Because gold is tested in fire
And acceptable men in the furnace of abasement.
Believe in Him, and He will help you;
Make your ways straight and hope in Him.
And acceptable men in the furnace of abasement.
Believe in Him, and He will help you;
Make your ways straight and hope in Him.

Personal challenge

Sirach is reminding us that if our desire is to draw near to our Lord and serve Him, then temptations will come our way to try to prevent us from doing that. We must remain diligent and shore up our own heart for the onslaught. Part of our dealing with this is holding on to Him even tighter. Another part is accepting the struggles that come our way for what they are and continue to press forward. He will be there along the way to help us. Glory be to God!