Psalms 73:24 (72:24 LXX)

With Your counsel You guide me,
And with glory You take hold of me.

Encouraging Words
Why do some Christians follow their Lord to the ends of the earth? Why do some accept martyrdom, whether it be the loss of their life or the loss of their reputation to those around them? Part of that answer lies in the second half of this verse. We do not serve or worship a God that is a mean spirited bully. We do not see Him as a harsh, judgmental overlord. Our God is a loving, merciful, caring Father who loves us, all of us, whether we love Him back or not, more deeply than any human can ever understand. With all of His glory, He holds us in the palm of His hand and counsels and guides us. We do not do what we do or go where we go for Him out of fear or servitude because we believe that He loves is as His child. When we come to the place in our lives where we truly understand how much God loves us then we become eager to give up everything of this world so that we can be closer to Him. We serve Him from that position. We go anywhere for Him. We do anything for Him. We cherish His glory and not ours. Glory be to God!

Judith 9:11

For Your might is not in numbers, nor Your power in men who are strong, but You are the God of the lowly; You are the helper of the oppressed, the defender of the weak, the protector of those who are forsaken, the savior of those without hope.

Encouraging Words

If you were to take some time and study the scriptures, both old and new, to see how God works out His plans, you would see a consistent pattern. God does not count on those who are mighty or in positions of great power or wealth to do His work. He chooses those who are lowly and humble. He used Judith, a beautiful woman to slay Holofernes, the leader of a grand and feared army. He used David, a shepherd boy, to slay Goliath and free His people. And the list goes on and on. He even came to free us all from death by becoming a newborn baby in a manger. The essence of this is that God’s ways are not our ways and that if we submit to Him and humble ourselves before Him, He will use us in mighty ways to build his kingdom. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Luke 6:38

Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.

Personal Challenge

Jesus wants to make sure that we understand the magnitude at which He wants us to love our neighbor. It is so easy to give that token smile to another or to say something kind of nice all the while mumbling under our breath how much disdain we have for the other person. Here, Jesus tells to not just give from a superficial level, but from a deep and complete level. We are called to give to others in ways that it far exceeds what they could give in return. We do this because this is how God has given to us. And our God will not let us give this way without taking care of us and meeting our needs. This is not some kind of prosperity gospel. When God meets my needs it is based on His perception of what my needs are, not mine. And some­times that which I receive will not be in this life but the one to come. The bottom line is that Jesus wants us to give abundantly of our possessions, our time, and our love to others. Glory be to God!

Psalms 71:5 (70:6 LXX)

By You I have been supported from birth;
From my mother’s womb You have been my protector;
My song shall be always of You.

Encouraging Words

There are so many religious practices throughout the history of man, and still many today, that teach that we must do certain things to win the favor of God. In some of these, we cannot even get God to recognize us until we reach a certain level of works. In some, it does not matter how much we do, we can never catch God’s eye. This is not what my faith practice believes. We agree with the psalmist as He proclaims the truth of God here. God knows each and every­one of us before we are born, indeed He knows us before we are even conceived. He protects us from that moment of conception through to the point in time that we take our last breath. Most importantly, through that entire life cycle, He allows us the ability to choose or reject Him, never stopping from loving us. This is my God! This is my protector! He is who I choose to put my trust and hope in. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Judith 8:24-25

Now my brothers, let us set an example for our people, for their very lives depend upon us. Furthermore, the sanctuary, the temple, and the altar rest upon us. Besides all this, let us be thankful to the Lord our God, who is testing us just as He did our fathers.

Personal Challenge

Judith makes it clear to the leaders of her community, as well as to us, that all of us have a part to play in the representation of our Lord. If we proclaim Jesus as our Lord, we then become His representatives amongst those around us and they will often form their opinion of who Jesus is by our behavior. In a sense, the very essence of the Christian faith rests upon us and how we show Christ in our actions. This is true for those around us who may have no other view into Christianity besides what they see in us. This is a significant responsibility, but this is how God has chosen to reveal Himself to the world. This also presents to each of as an opportunity to grow in the image of our Lord, which is what we often call being tested. As the silversmith heats up the batch of metal to boil out the dross, so too does our Lord put us in situations where we can reflect Him to those around us, to boil out the dross in our lives. Glory be to God!

Luke 6:37

Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

Personal Challenge

Wait a minute, God! Just yesterday you were telling me that You are my rock and my salvation, my foundation and my refuge, and now you are telling me not to judge or condemn, but to forgive. Why is that? Why can’t I act as Your own personal righteous judge and shame everyone around me into submission to You (and me, of course)? If You were the vengeful, angry God that so many people make You out to be, then maybe this would be so. However, You are love! You are grace! You are Mercy! So why wouldn’t you expect me to not be judgmental or condemning? You have not judged or condemned me, so You desire that I behave in a similar way to those is my life. You have Forgiven me of so very much, asking nothing in return, so why wouldn’t you expect me to do the same with everyone around me. I know that this is what You want from me. I know that this will please and glorify You. Help me to set aside my personal agenda, my self-centeredness, and selfish desires, and live this way for You. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Psalms 71:1-3 (70:1-3 LXX)


O God, in You I hope; may I never be put to shame.
Deliver me in Your righteousness, and set me free;
Incline Your ear to me and save me.
Be to me a God for protection
And a strong place for salvation,
For You are my foundation and my refuge.

Luke 6:32-36

But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

Personal Challenge

Mercy! It is something that we all want to receive from another, but something that we often do not want to give to others, especially if we do not like them, or what they do, or what they stand for. Jesus teaches us that it is easy to show love and mercy to those who do the same to us. It is not even that hard to do it to those who match our concept of nice and lovable people. But He wants us to show love and mercy to our enemies, to those who are rude, obnoxious, hostile, or mean to us. He wants us to love the unlovable, to take care of those who either can’t take care of themselves or are unwilling to. He wants us to love those who take advantage of us or those whom we love. Jesus teaches that by doing this we are showing our love for Him. How can I do this when I have my thoughts on me and what I want? I can’t by myself. I need His help. Lord have mercy! Lord have mercy! Lord have mercy!