James 1:12

Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Personal Challenge

If I am truly trying to live my life the way that Christ would then I will be tempted. Christ was tempted! Christ was confronted and challenged! He even told us that if we are His followers then we should expect, even look forward to, being treated as He was. He also gave us the Holy Spirit to guide us through this life I must strive to capture every thought before it takes root and leads me to sin. I must work at turning my eyes and ears away from those sights and sounds of the world that will try to draw me away from my Lord. I must learn to breath the Jesus Prayer with every breath so that my very life is filled with His presence. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!

Wisdom of Sirach 2:1-6 LXX

My son, if you draw near to serve the Lord,
Prepare your soul for temptation.
Set your heart right and be steadfast,
And do not strive anxiously in distress.
Cleave to Him and do not fall away,
That you may be honored at the end of your life.
Accept whatever is brought upon you,
And in exchange for your humiliation, be patient;
Because gold is tested in fire
And acceptable men in the furnace of abasement.
Believe in Him, and He will help you;
Make your ways straight and hope in Him.

Personal Challenge

Today, I dedicate this entry to the new martyrs in the Middle East. May they be blessed as they now share eternity in our Lord’s presence. May their persecutors be touched by the love of our Lord Jesus Christ for he died for them.

As I hear more and more about the activities that are going on in the Middle East and the persecution that is being wrought upon our brothers and sisters in Christ my heart becomes more and more broken for those who do not know Jesus for who he really is. He is God Incarnate! He gave up His throne in heaven in order to become man and dwell amongst us. He gave up His physical life after healing those who were sick, raising to life those who had died, and loving the unlovable. He died for the wealthy and the poor, the clothed and the naked, those with many friends and those lonely and downcast. He died for me! And as I read through the teachings of Wisdom that Jesus ben Sirach captured and wrote down in this book I am reminded that following Christ is the only source of true joy, but also a commitment to a life of trials and tribulations, temptations and distresses, because the world does not want to see God magnified. As I pray for these new saints in our modern world, I ask that I will be able to stand firm in my projection of the image of Christ and humbly be the person that He would have me to be.

Psalm 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

Our Lord is always protecting and uplifting His children. Even in the midst of trials and tribulations He is there with us. And just as Jesus did not avoid His trials and tribulations but endured them, we too sometimes need to run the full course of our trials and tribulations believing that God is using them to refine and shape us into the image of His Son. Glory be to God!

2 Timothy 1:7

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Encouraging Words

Just as Moses charged Joshua, “Be bold and courageous!”, we are given the spirit to be bold and courageous in our Christian lives. The powerful thing here is that the spirit of power here also comes with the spirit of love and sound mind so that our boldness is applied appropriately. Glory be to God!

Ephesians 5:1-2

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet- smelling aroma.

Personal Challenge

The rich young man asked Christ who his neighbor was and how to love him. Here I am reminded that if I am to walk in Christ then I am to love my neighbor as He loved us and gave Himself up for us on the cross. Therefore my neighbor and his or her needs should always come before mine. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Galatians 4:4-7

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Encouraging Words

Is it all worth it? Is what worth it? The challenges in life that we suffer by trying to live our lives for Christ. The threats and eventual deaths that our brothers and sisters in the middle east are enduring for their faith. Yes! Why is it worth it? Because through Christ we have been transformed from slaves to the law, which ends in death and judgment, to being adopted as children of God and joint heirs with our Lord. We are set free from the law, the tyranny of death and sin, and ways of the world. Glory be to God!

Isaiah 9:6

Great shall be His government, and of His peace there is no end. His peace shall be upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order and establish it with righteousness and judgment, from that time forward and unto ages of ages. The zeal of the Lord of hosts shall perform this.

Encouraging Words

Wait a minute! Who says that we cannot be a citizen in two countries at the same time? Since I am still living in this fleshly tent I am still a citizen of the earthly realm. However, since Jesus became incarnate, lived the life of a man (a citizen of this same earthly realm), gave up His life for me on the cross, entered into Hell and destroyed death and sin, and rose again victorious over the powers of darkness, I am now a full-blown citizen of heaven today, not someday in the future after I die. He opened the doors of heaven so that I can live in both realms at the same time! Christ is risen!!

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!

As the thief on the cross, I cry out, “Remember me in your kingdom!” and You pull me into eternity!

As Adam and Eve, and all of the others who were dead and trapped in Hades, I cry out, “Save me!” and You break down the gates forever setting all of mankind, throughout all of eternity, free from death and sin!

As I call out to You to come again, You cry out, “I am with You always, even to the end of the age!” Your work is completed and I dwell in Your house forever! Glory be to God!

Mark 10:27

But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”

Encouraging Words

Jesus’ response to His disciples regarding their amazement of the difficulty of those who love riches entering into heaven is one that I can apply to my life today. There are issues and challenges that I deal with every day of my life. How do I deal with, and love my neighbor? How do I show my love for Him every moment of my life? How do I avoid sin? His promise here is that it is impossible for me to do any of these on my own. But I don’t have to because God can and will, do them within me. Glory be to God!