ASK IN FAITH

James 1:5-6

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

Encouraging Words

God wants the best for His followers. We must always remember that God’s defition of what is best for us is usually different than the world’s definition. James speaks of asking God for wisdom in this passage. He is not referring to earthly wisdom but Godly, Christ-centered wisdom. God promises to give this to us liberally and without reproach if we ask for it in fath and with no doubt. Doubt has no place in the life of a follower of Christ. Glory be to God!

HIS GOVERNMENT

Isaiah 9:7 (9:6 LXX)

Great shall be His government, and of His peace there is no end. His peace shall be upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order and establish it with righteousness and judgment, from that time forward and unto ages of ages. The zeal of the Lord of hosts shall perform this.

Personal Challenge

Today, as we celebrate Pascha (Easter), we must remember that we are not citizens of this world but citizens of heaven. This is true for all followers of Christ. Jesus Christ is the head of that heavenly Kingdom and welcomes His followers into it. We go through our lives knowing this truth and appreciating that He has placed us in various and different earthly kingdoms and countries to be His representatives, His ambassadors. We can participate where we are placed for His glory and strive to make our earthly kingdoms More righteous and godly by living His way, which is loving Him and loving our neighbor. Glory be to God! Christ is risen! Indeed He is risen!

Saint of the Week
St. John Chrysostom

BLESSED IS THE LORD

Psalms 27:6-7 (28:6-7 LXX)

Blessed is the Lord,
Because He heard the voice of my supplication.
The Lord is my helper and my champion;
In Him my heart hoped, and I was helped,
And my flesh revived;
And I will give thanks to Him willingly.

Encouraging Words

I love how David, throughout the Psalms, calls out to God in his times of need, and then calls God blessed for answering those needs. The example here is that we should be blessing God at all times and in all circumstances, whether good or bad. God does hear our voices, and He does respond. The amount of our faith, our hope in Him, is what determines how clearly we see His responses to our supplications. He revives us, if we let Him. Glory be to God!

NOT AFRAID

Psalms 27:2-3 (26:2-3 LXX)

When the wicked drew near against me to eat up my flesh,
Those who afflict me and are my enemies, they weakened and fell.
Though an army should array itself against me, my heart shall not be afraid;
Though war should rise up against me, in this I shall hope.

Personal Challenge

I never thought that a day would come where I would have to defend the values of my country from aggression from within. As a follower of Christ it is my responsibility and privilege to defend the faith, His teachings of loving God and loving others. That is our first and foremost battle to engage in. When the society that we live in decides to attack the rights of those whom we are commanded to love, especially the hungry, the poor, the naked, the widow, the orphan, the alien amongst us, and the prisoner, then it becomes imperative for us to step up on their behalf and protect them. My heart shall not be afraid as I do this for my hope is in my God and His battle is defending these same people. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

PATIENCE

James 1:2-4

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Personal Challenge

One thing that I have learned in my life journey as a follower of Christ is to not pray for patience. From the perspective of trying to be like Christ, patience is a characteristic that is developed in our trials and tribulations, which life is always eager to send our way. Through these trials, tests for our faith in God, patience is produced. If we let this production of patience work in our lives, our work for our Lord will be more perfected and we too will be more perfect and complete, lacking nothing. Lord, have Mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, I have mercy!

INSENSITIVE HEARTS

Isaiah 6:8-10

I also heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go to this people?” Then I said, “Behold, here am I, send me.” So He said, “Go, and tell this people, ‘You shall hear indeed, but not understand; and you shall see indeed, but not perceive.’ For the heart of this people has become insensitive, and their ears hear with difficulty. They have closed their eyes, lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return, and I should heal them.”

Person Challenge

The history of humankind is filled with people who have insensitive and hard hearts. I suspect that this may be one of the greatest and most damaging consequences of the fall of mankind into sin that started in the garden of Eden. Over and over again, God reaches out to His creation, those whom He created in His image, both male and female, seeking to connect with us and draw us back to His perfect garden. And we continue to shut our ears so that we do not hear His voice and cover our eyes so that we do not see His loving face and many miraculous activities in our lives. We have the ability to look at Him through His son and allow Him to replace our hearts of stone with hearts of flesh. This is the only way to receive true healing and true life. Glory be to God!

THE CONUNDRUM

Hebrews 13:17

Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.

Personal Challenge

Life as a follower of Christ can be full of real challenges. We chose to go to the scriptures and the teachings of the Church fathers for guidance, especially when challenged with situations in life that appear to conflict with these sources. This verse instructs us to obey those who rule over us and to submit to them. This verse has often been used to force Christians to give into a ruling government that is not following Christian principles. By itself, it looks like that is what it is saying. However, backing up to the verses before this one, reading it in context, it becomes clear that this is referring only to our religious leaders and not our political and social leaders. We should always yield to the spiritual leaders, as long as they too are yielding to the spiritual leadership above them, which ultimately is Jesus Christ and His teachings. This is our conundrum and our personal challenge as followers of Christ, to always look to Him for our guidance and leading. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

IF YOU ARE WILLING

Isaiah 1:16-20

Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean. Put away the evils from your souls before My eyes. Cease from your evils. Learn to do good. Seek judgment and redeem the wronged. Defend the orphan and justify the widow. Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord, “although your sins are like crimson, I shall make them white like snow, and although they are as scarlet, I shall make them white like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good things of the land. But if you are unwilling and disobedient, you shall be devoured by the sword,” for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Personal Challenge

The selection of the verse/passage for each day is a bit random. It consistently amazes me how often the selection for the day rings so true to the day that it falls on. Today is another one of those days. This year, both the Eastern and Western Christian calendars align on the Pascha/Easter period of Lent and resurection celebration. Today we both celebrate Palm Sunday, that day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem as the Prince of Peace on the back of a donkey. This passage reminds us what our prince of Peace is looking for from His followers:

• Putting away evil from our souls.
• Ceasing from doing evil.
• Learning to do good.
• Seeking judgment and redemption for those who have been wronged.
• Defending the orphan.
• Justifying the widow.

The question is, are we willing to be obedient to do what He asks. This is what we need to do for Him. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Saint of the Week
St. Francis of Assisi