Psalms 119:11 (118:11 LXX)

I hid Your teachings in my heart
So as not to sin against You.

Personal Challenge

The truth found in this psalm is that if I am continuing to sin, then I have not hidden enough Gods’ teachings in my heart. The more that I fill up my heart with Him, the less room there is for the things of this world that draw me to sin, Jesus told the prostitute to go and ah no more after He forgave her. This means we do have the ability, through Him, to live a sinless life. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner.

Proverbs 12:18 (12:20 LXX)
There are those who wound with a sword as they speak,
But the tongues of the wise heal.

Personal Challenge

Throughout the scriptures, both old and new, we are warned that the smallest part of our body, the tongue, can be either the most lethal part of our body or the most healing. We each have the choice to use our tongue to strike as lethally as a sword or to apply healing balm to those around us. The choice is driven by what is in our hearts. Today, I choose to be a healer. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

John 2:9-10

When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”

Encouraging Words

Jesus had not yet started His ministry here on earth when He and His mother were participating in a wedding. Most likely this would have been the wedding of a family member or a close friend since Mary was so actively involved in the affairs of the host. What is so powerful about this is that Jesus chose this opportunity to perform His first miracle and also chose to take something everyday and ordinary such as water and turn it into the best wine that anyone there had ever tasted. This is how Jesus works in our lives as His children. We are ordinary human beings and He turns us into saints. He takes the ordinary things that we do and turns them into miracles, He takes the ordinary things in our lives, like the tithes and offerings that we give to our churches and ministries and turns them into resources that build the kingdom of God. What a glorious opportunity for each of us to be used by God. Glory be to Him!

Psalms 119:2 (118:2 LXX)

Blessed are those who search out His testimonies;
They shall search for Him with their whole heart.

Encouraging Words

Doesn’t everyone want to receive blessings? We are told here by the Psalmist that if we search out the teachings and testimonies of our Lord with our whole heart then we will receive blessings. This is not some kind of prosperity gospel. The Psalmist knows that the more time that we spend seeking God and the more that we get to know Him, the more that we realize that the only blessings from God that mean anything are those that relate to Him and our spiritual lives. The things of this world such as temporal wealth, fancy toys, big houses, etc., become nothing to us as we embrace the spiritual blessings that God pours out on us. What are those spiritual blessings? Immortality and living in God’s Kingdom. His grace and mercy poured out upon us. Peace and love for those around us. Our attention shifts from being focused on ourselves to focus on Him. Glory be to God!

Proverbs 12:1

He who loves instruction loves perception,
But he who hates correction is without discernment.

Personal Challenge

The early church fathers believed that Godly perception or discernment was the crown of the virtues. We are informed by the writer of the Proverbs that perception comes through instruction. Instruction is not always learning something from a teacher. More often than not instruction comes through correction and discipline. It does not always feel good, but it does produce good results. The sign of a person growing in their relationship with God is a person who cherishes the challenges that life brings them and perceives them as opportunities for growth, opportunities to develop our theosis. No parent enjoys disciplining their child, but we do enjoy immensely seeing our children learn from their mistakes and their bad choices. God is no different in His relationship with His children, which is why He gives us correction and discipline when we sin. So, the moral of this proverb is not that we should be out doing things that are sinful so that we can receive Gods’ discipline, but that we should cherish the discipline that we do receive, knowing that it is coming from our loving Father. Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

John 1:12-13

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Encouraging Words

John makes it so clear that for those who receive the gift of salvation given to them by God through the incarnation of Jesus, they become children of God. Through Jesus and His work on the cross, we can be adopted into the family of God and take on the nature of Jesus. This act of receiving Jesus is so much more than just saying some prayer or walking up to the front of the church for an altar call. When we truly receive Jesus and choose to live our lives for Him, everything begins to change in our lives. We begin to feel uncomfortable in this world because it is no longer our home. We begin to feel ill at ease with the way the world functions and the expectations that the world has for us to participate in its ways. We begin to yearn for being in the presence of our God. However, just as Satan, in the form of the serpent was bent on causing Adam and Eve to sin and to fall away from their relationship with God, so too does he do everything in his power to pull us away from our relationship with God. We must choose, over and over again, consistently and persistently, to receive Christ and live for Him. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Psalms 118:24 (117:24 LXX)

This is the day the Lord made;
Let us greatly rejoice, and be glad therein.

Encouraging Words

Every day, every breath, every beat of the heart is indeed a blessing from our living and loving God. This is indeed something to greatly rejoice about and to be glad therein. He has chosen us to be His blessed children. All we need to do is accept that and live under His loving wings. Glory be to God!

Proverbs 11:9 (11:10 LXX)

A man in need of discernment treats citizens with contempt,
But a man of discernment keeps quiet.

Personal Challenge

Once again the writer of the proverbs reminds us just how powerful the tongue can be. We are also reminded that the need for discernment and how the application of the proper discernment can make a major difference in our lives and the lives of those around us. In this case, that discernment informs us to keep our mouths shut so that we treat those around us with grace, even when there might be cause to call people out. We must always remember to think before we speak, or tweet, or instant message, or Facebook, and then act on that thinking by being quiet more often than we speak. Lord have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Luke 24:32

And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”

Personal challenge

Here is a question that I know that I must ask myself regularly. “Does my heart burn within me when I hear the Scriptures read taught to me?” Regretfully, I must say that this does not happen often enough. The Scriptures are God’s Word captured in writing for me to cherish and fill my heart with. The teachings of His saints and the leaders of my church today are His spoken Words for me to meditate on and fill my heart and mind with. And as with so many other aspects of my life, actually all aspects of my life, this is my choice. I must choose to put Gods written and spoken Word first and foremost in my life so that my heart burns for Him. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!