Mark 14:72

A second time the rooster crowed. Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And when he thought about it, he wept.

Personal Challenge

So many of us are familiar with the story of Peter and his denial of his beloved Lord, but how many of us recognize the times that we too have betrayed our beloved Lord. I must confess that all too often I do this throughout my life. It may come in the form of refusing to be a witness for Him when the opportunity arises. It may be in those times that I respond to a loved one or even a stranger in a harsh or angry tone. It may be when I do not do all that I do for the glory of God but for my own good. It always happens when I choose to submit to my fleshly will and sin against my loving Lord. But as Paul Harvey used to always say, “Now for the rest of the story.” Just as Jesus later approached Peter on the beach after His resurrection and gave him the opportunity to proclaim his love for his Lord three times, once for each denial, so too does He provide me chance after chance to return to Him and have my denials forgiven. Glory be to God!

Psalms 56:3-4 (55:4-5 LXX)

I will not fear by day,
But I will hope in You.
I will praise God with my words all day long;
In God I hope; I will not be afraid; what will flesh do to me?

Encouraging Wands

Hope! What a powerful word and an even more powerful aspect of life. There are so many things that people put their hope into nowadays. As we become more and more affluent in our lives and our culture, the more things that we end up putting our hope in. Unfortunately, these things are fleeting and our hope is betrayed. However, as the Psalmist proclaims here that his hope is in the Lord, so too do I choose to put my hope in my Lord and not in the things of this world, The more that I live my life with this hope in my Lord, the more I realise that nothing in this world can overpower my Lord and the love that He has for me and my loved ones. Glory be to God!

Ezra 9:54-55 (1 Esdras 9:54-55 LXX)

Then everyone went on their way to eat and drink, to gladden themselves, to give gifts to those who were lacking, and to heartily rejoice. For they were inspired by the words which were taught to them, and they gathered together.

Personal Challenge

So often, in our modern churches, the practice of worship has become more of a form of entertainment than a form of worship and adoration of our God. Many times it is not any different than going to the movies or to a play where we walk out afterward happy that we were entertained by robust singing or articulate oratories. However, before we know it we are back into our everyday lives waiting for the next entertainment to consume. However, as this passage in Esdras (Ezra) points out we should always walk away from our times of worship of our living God changed. We should be reminded of how undeserving we are of His love, filled with love for those around us, eager to give to those in need, and inspired to the point that we do not want to leave the presence of our Lord and our fellow celebrants. Worship is of God and for God. It is not for my personal edification, but His. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner?

Mark 13:31

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

Encouraging Words

Given that we believe that Jesus Christ is the living Word of God, the Logos, then this verse makes all the more sense. No matter what happens to this physical world, whether it someday be destroyed by fire or flood, Jesus, as the living Word, transcends this physical world, since He is eternal. This is why we put our hope in Him and not just some physical collection of some of His words that are bound between to covers. The Church has given us the written text of the scriptures in order to help us to grow in the image of Christ and to build His body of believers. However, we should never substitute this for Him. The Church has also established that the interpretation and understanding of God’s Word come from within the context of the community of the Church and I do not have the authority to interpret it on my own. We are not individuals in Christ but individual parts of the body of Christ. Glory be to God!

Psalms 55:22-23 (54:23-24 LXX)

Cast your care upon the Lord,
And He shall support you;
He will never allow the righteous to be moved.
But You, O God, will bring them down into the pit of decay;
Men of blood and deceit
Shall not live even half their days.
But I will hope in You, O Lord.

Encouraging Words

No matter what happens in my life. whether it be bad choices on my part or bad choices of other people perpetrated against me, I can always cast my cares and concerns upon my Lord and He will support me. He is my rock. He is my refuge. He is my solace. His love for me endures forever and is strong enough, all-encompassing enough, and complete enough to carry me through everything that can, and will, transpire in my life. I chose to put my hope in Him regardless of what others might think or what the world would have me do. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner?

Psalms 55:16-17 (54:17-18 LXX)

But I cried out to God,
And the Lord heard me.
Evening and morning and midday, I shall tell;
I shall proclaim, and He will hear my voice.

Encouraging Words

What more can be said than what the Psalmist proclaims here? We can cry out to our God anytime, I can cry out to Him. When we cry out to Him, He hears us. No matter when we cry out to Him, He is there. Glory be to God!

Ezra 4:59-60 (1 Esdras 4:59-60 LXX)

“The victory and the wisdom are from You, the glory is Yours, and I am Your servant. Blessed are You who granted me wisdom, and I give thanks to You, O Lord of our fathers.”

Personal Challenge

It can be very easy to forget Who is really responsible for our successes in our lives. We usually claim all the glory for ourselves and chalk it up to hand work or diligent studies. Every once in a while we might give some credit to someone who has invested in our lives. Maybe a spouse, or a parent, or a coworker, or a teacher. But all too often we forget to give the credit to Whom it is really owed. It is always our Lord, working in and through us that deserves the recognition for our successes and victories. Everything that we have and everything that we are comes from Him. Glory be to God!

Mark 12:29-31

Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Encouraging Words

Can Christianity be condensed down into something as simple as one word? The answer to this question is, “Yes!” It can be defined in its entirety with the word, “Love!”, however, a person that is pursuing God, seeking to be like Christ, will spend their entire life trying to understand how to practice this love and always be reminded that we can never master it. God is love? Throughout the history of mankind, He has never stopped demonstrating His love for Us. Jesus is love! He gave up His position in the heavenly realms to become man and to live a sinless life leading the way for us to do the same. He willingly gave His life for us so that we might be freed from the prison of death. The Holy Spirit is love! He dwells within us to guide us and direct us. God desires that we too strive to live lives of love so that not only do we become like Him, but that through that life we lead others to Him. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have Mercy! Teach me to love as You do, oh Lord!

Psalms 51:17 (50:19 LXX)

A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit,
A broken and humbled heart God will not despise.

Personal Challenge
Oh, how many times in my life have I gotten caught up in doing things in the name of my Lord believing that I was pleasing and honoring Him. In reality, all that I was doing was pleasing and honoring myself and fulfilling my desires. God doesn’t want the fruits of my labors or any of the things that consume me and my time as much as He desires my heart, a heart that is broken and humble before Him. The sacrifices that the world claims are so special and believe to be so valuable are also of limited value to our Father. As a practicing Orthodox, there are many things that we do in our faith that we believe is for our personal growth and development. We participate in our liturgies, we fast, we give alms and help to the poor, and many other things. It can be easy to get distracted by these things and forget that we are doing them because we love our Lord and desire to serve and honor Him. This is why the sacrifice that our precious Lord desires from us is a broken and contrite heart, a heart that is totally sold out for Him. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have Mercy on me, the sinner and teach me Your ways?