OUR HEARTS

Proverbs 3:1-2

My son, do not forget my laws,
But let your heart keep my words;
For length of days, and years of life and peace
They will add to you.

Personal Challenge

Remembering the laws of the Lord is important but keeping His word in our hearts is what gives life. It is also important to remember that in Proverbs, the law that was being kept was the ten commandments and the rest of the Jewish law. As followers of Christ, we recognize that Jesus fulfilled all of that law and established a new covenant. The law, or word, that we are to keep in our hearts is comprised of two commands that encapsulate all of the previous laws. They are to love God and love our neighbor. This should always be the focus of our hearts. Glory be to God!

THE ULTIMATE TREASURE

Proverbs 2:1-6

My son, if you receive the words of my commandment
And hide them within yourself,
Your ear will be obedient to wisdom,
And you will incline your heart to understanding;
You will entrust it to your son as an admonition.
For if he calls upon wisdom,
And you utter your voice for understanding;
If you seek perception with a strong voice,
If you seek her as silver
And search for her as treasure,
Then you will understand the fear of the Lord
And find the knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom,
And from His face come knowledge and understanding;

Personal Challenge

Ever since the first sin, humankind has focused on achieving two transient and temporal things…wealth and fame. Is it any wonder the scriptures tell us that the root of all evil is the love of money? It is clear in the teachings of Christ and the Church that there is nothing wrong with money or fame that leads to money. It is money given freely and sacrificially to the church that helps us all to show love toward our neighbor. If we follow the precepts pointed out in this passage we will gain God’s knowledge and understanding, which will offer lead us to wealth that we can give back to God for His kingdom The important thing to keep focused on is where is our heart. What is it seeking? What is it desiring? What is it holding on to and letting go of! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

NOT ASHAMED

Proverbs 1:20-22

Wisdom sings in the streets;
She moves boldly in the squares.
She preaches on high city walls
And sits at the gates of lords.
At the gates of a city she boldly says,
“So long a time as the simple hold fast to righteousness,
They shall not be ashamed;

Encouraging Words

According to the early church fathers, wisdom in the Old Testament referred to Jesus. They did this because Jesus was the personification of God’s wisdom. We see here in this passage wisdom singing in the streets, moving boldly in the squares, preaching from the high city walls, and sitting at the gates of the lords boldly proclaiming that if the simple, the humble, will hold fast to righteousness, they will not be ashamed. Glory be to God!

WISDOM

Proverbs 1:7

The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom,
And there is good understanding in all who practice it;

Personal Challenge

It often appears that in the modern Christian faith practiced by so many that there has been an abandonment of wisdom. In Proverbs, Wisdom is identified as the embodiment of the Word, Jesus. It is expected that if we desire to know God, to receive His Wisdom, then we must start by having a healthy, simplistic, heartfelt fear of Him. This fear is a sense of awe and respect for who He is and who we are in respect to Him. We are to serve Him, not him serve us. This fear draws us to His Wisdom, provides us with godliness toward God, and sets on his path to godly perception. It is all about God and nothing about us. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

HEAR ME, TEACH ME

Job 42:4

But hear me, O Lord, that I also may speak.
I will ask You, and please teach Me.

Personal Challenge

Do we live our Christian life independent of God? Do we do what we do, think what we think, say what we say, with little regard to what God might want? It is so easy to proclaim to be a Christian and only live our life going to a service once a week, or even daily. We ask God to hear our petitions and to teach us, but we do not live our lives in such a way that every breathe, every heart beat, is permeated by Him. Living this way involves living out every moment, His commission to love Him and our neighbor. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Saint of the Week

St. John Chrysostom

WATCH WHAT YOU SAY

Job 40:2

“Will anyone pervert judgment with the Mighty One?
He who rebukes God will answer for it.”

Personal challenge

As follow of Christ, it is important to watch our tongues and our actions. When we proclaim that we follow Christ the world looks at us to determine what God is like. We do not want to taint His image by living our lives just for us and no different that everyone else around us. Our charter is to do whatever we can to emulate Jesus. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING

Job 28:28

He said to man, ‘behold, the fear of God is wisdom,
And to abstain from evils is understanding.’

Personal Challenge

We have had a resurgence in the modern church of the belief that how much you supposedly know about your faith practice is more important than who you base your faith practice on. So many are prideful about the books that they have read or the vocabulary they have mastered but have no clue about the precepts that Jesus has laid out for us to follow. We are to love God and love our neighbor. This is our practical way of fearing God and gaining His wisdom. When we do this we abstain from the evils perpetrated against our neighbor and receive His understanding. His wisdom and understanding does not come from reading books and watching podcasts. It comes from doing His will. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

HOLD ON LIGHTLY

Job 1:21-22

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. As it seemed good to the Lord, so also it came to pass. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Personal challenge

This quote from Job is such a critical concept to hold on to. It will change your life. We so easily get attached to our possessions and positions in our lives. Once this happens we begin to find our identity in these things that are truly temporary. Financial ruin can come quickly. A loss of a job is so often out of our control. Our health can decline unexpectedly. If we put our identity in these things, their loss or diminishment can be devastating. As followers of Christ we should be putting our hope in the eternal things. This gives us the ability to hold onto the temporal things lightly and be able to adjust quickly if we lose them or choose to give them to those in need. Glory be to God!

HE HEALS

Psalms 146:3 LXX (147:3)

He heals the brokenhearted
And He binds up all their wounds.

Encouraging Words

Brokenheartedness is probably one of the worst states to be in. Many things can lead to this state but once there it feels like there is no longer any value in living. We do not have to be there alone or even stay there. God desires that our broken heart be healed. He binds up the wounds that got us there, if we will turn to him. Glory be to God!