Wisdom of Sirach 7:20-21 LXX

Do not mistreat a servant who does his work in truth
Nor a hired worker who devotes himself to you.
Let your soul love an intelligent servant;
Do not deprive him of his freedom.

Personal Challenge

We do not live in a culture or time where servanthood is prevalent, but we do have many opportunities to be in leader/follower situations. For me personally, I am a project manager and at any given time I have scores of people that I am leading, or managing, to get something done. I am also a Sunday School teacher, so leading and directing youth on a regular basis. I am also a husband, a father, and a grandfather, with many opportunities to be leading my loved ones. In all of these cases, it is imperative that I lead with the heart of Jesus and be loving and caring of those under my charge. There is no room and no excuse for mistreatment and infringement upon their personhood and freedom. Only this way can I shine the light of Jesus in this role. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Wisdom of Sirach 7:1-3 LXX

Do no evil things,
And evil will never overtake you.
Stay away from wrongdoing,
And it will turn away from you.
My son, do not sow on the furrows of wrongdoing,
And you will not reap the same things sevenfold.

Wisdom of Sirach 6:18-19 LXX

My son, from your youth up, choose instruction,
And you will find wisdom also into old age.
Come to her as one who plows and sows,
And wait expectantly for her good fruits;
For in her work you will labor a little while,
Then you will quickly eat of her fruit.

Personal Challenge

Our journey toward theosis, or being in the image of Christ, is a lifelong endeavor and not a one time event. In order to effectively traverse this journey, we must be ready, even eager, to receive instruction or correction if we are to truly find Wisdom. We live in a society of fast food and instant gratification and have lost the experience of being a farmer who has to toil to prepare his soil, plant his seeds, tend the crop by pulling the weeds and chasing off predators, patiently waiting for his crop to burst forth. This is how we must olive our lives as we pursue Wisdom, our Lord and Savior, and a life that embraces and glorifies Him. Glory be to God.

Wisdom of Sirach 6:14-17 LXX

A faithful friend is a strong shelter,
And he who finds one finds a treasure.
There is nothing that can take the place of a faithful friend,
And there is no way to measure his worth.
A faithful friend is a medicine of life,
And those who fear the Lord will find him.
He who fears the Lord guides his friendship rightly,
Because as he is, so also is his neighbor.

Personal Challenge

Friendship! What a valuable part of our human state. I can say that in my life I can only remember one friend that has this close to me, and then I moved half way across the country. Why is it that men have such a hard time making close and intimate friendships such as this massage elicits? Could it be that we have fallen prey to the belief that individualism is what makes us real men? This is such a shame because we are missing so much that could improve our lives as well as the lives of others. I am so blessed to have a wife who is not only my partner in life, but also is my best friend, but there is also that need for a Barnabas in my life, such as Paul had. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Wisdom of Sirach 5:10-11 LXX

Be established in your understanding
And let your word be consistent.
Be quick to listen
And give your answer with patience.

Personal Challenge

It is so easy to get wrapped up in our own, personal knowledge and understanding and believe that we are doing things God’s way. If we are not focusing on God’s Wisdom (Christ) and God’s understanding then we are destined to make decisions that are inconsistent with Him. Once we start yielding our lives to Him and desire His way and His Wisdom, then we must strive to keep our words consistent with His. Part of this comes from being quick to listen and slow to speak. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Wisdom of Sirach 3:18-19

The greater you are, the more humble you must be,
And you will find grace before the Lord;
Because great is the power of the Lord,
And He is honored by the humble.

Encouraging Words

I remember the day so well when my father had a mystical experience with our Lord Jesus Christ. From that day on my father was a living miracle. To see the transformation that God could do in a man’s life has been an inspiration in my life ever since and was a beacon to so many lives that knew my father. Because of this mystical experience my father began his journey of becoming humble, and it is so fitting that this passage would be the one that fell upon today, the day that would have been his 89th birthday. Now he is celebrating it with the heavenly host. Glory be to God. Happy birthday, Dad! You are loved and missed!

Wisdom of Sirach 1:20-21 LXX

A patient man will hold fast until the proper time,
Then afterwards gladness shall burst forth for him.
He shall conceal his words until the proper time,
And the lips of many will tell of his understanding.

Personal Challenge

Our God is so patient. He has waited for over 2,000 years so that more of His creation may come to know Him and we have no idea how much longer He will wait. If my desire is to be like Him and to grow in the image of my Lord Jesus Christ, then this is one area of my life that I can work on, being patient. By learning to be patient I will be exercising love for my neighbor. This practice will also play out in learning how to conceal my words and hold my tongue. This too is showing love for my neighbor and putting them before myself. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Wisdom of Sirach 1:16 LXX

The fear of the Lord is the crown of wisdom,
Making peace and soundness of health to flourish.

Personal Challenge

Don’t we all want peace and soundness of health? I know that I do. Unfortunately, we so often chase the things of this world such as wealth, or the things that wealth buys, or prestige thinking that these things will give us peace and health. In truth, all that they do is begin us on that spiral of wanting more and more and falling farther and farther from the crown of wisdom. Only true, deep, and purposeful fear of the Lord can free us to this peace and soundness of health. Glory be to God!

Wisdom of Sirach 1:10-11 LXX

The fear of the Lord will cheer the heart
And will give gladness, joy, and long life.
For those who fear the Lord, it shall be well to the utmost,
And on the day of his death, he will be blessed.

Encouraging Words

What do we mean when we say that we fear our God? This concept has been misconstrued in our modern language and experience. Today, we perceive this as a frightful and cowering response to someone, or something, that is mean and can do us great harm. In the Christian perspective, it means to show great reverence, love, and respect to our God who is awesome and mighty, yet loving and merciful. This kind of fear brings us to a place of great awe and respect for our God who we do not deserve to know, yet desires to know us. Is it any wonder then that through this fear He will cheer our heart, give us gladness, joy, and long life, and bless us both in this life and the life to come? Once again, I am reminded that this is all about our God and who He is and what He does, and nothing about me except that I am the blessed recipient of His love. Glory be to God!