Mark 10:24-25

And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

Personal Challenge

It is not the riches themselves that keep me from serving God and entering His kingdom. It is my desire for riches, my desire for what the riches might bring me in this life, that cause me to take my eyes off of Jesus and focus on the world. This is what keeps me from following Him. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

2 Timothy 3:12

Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

Personal Challenge
Who is the prince of this earth? Satan. So, if I am trying to live my life for Christ while living on this earth won’t he do whatever he can to thwart me? Yes. This means that the more I desire to live for Christ, the more I do for Him and His kingdom, the more persecution I should expect to receive. If the apostles, the saints, the martyrs, and our Lord Jesus Christ, all suffered persecution then I should cherish it for it is a sign that I am becoming like them. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Titus 3:9-11

But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self- condemned.

Personal Challenge…

Divisiveness comes in many forms in a community. The worst kind is gossip and rumor mongering. It is so easy to start talking about someone and set aflame a fire that ruins peoples’ lives. We are called to flee this behavior and event to put out members of our community that continue this behavior after admonition. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Mark 9:49-50

“For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.”

Personal Challenge

Sometimes I find myself relaxing in my walk as a Christian and then realize that I am failing my Lord for not keeping my guard up and living a godly, righteous life. Our calling as Christians is to be in constant struggle with the world as we live as citizens of heaven in this foreign land. Living this way puts us in the fire that seasons us as a blacksmith uses fire to season, or harden, the sword. Life really should always be a struggle if we are living the way that Christ would want us to. We also must live our lives as salt and light so that those who do not know Christ will taste the sweetness of His gospel through our actions and have His light shown upon them by His presence in our lives. Glory be to God!

Colossians 3:8-10

But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,

Personal Challenge

We all have our pet peeves. What we often forget, however, is how we can sometimes, if not often, behave, in the same way, that we don’t like others to behave. One that pops out of this list for me is the “filthy language out of your mouth” one. It is not so much that I am concerned about foul language. What bothers me is what I have come to call, “Seinfeld Mouth!” It is that way of speaking in a condescending and diminutive way about someone and then following it up with a flippant, “Just kidding!”. Seinfeld perfected the art of put-downs and insults, and now this way of speaking has become pervasive in our culture. Are we not called to be edifying of our fellow man or woman who is created in the image of God? Am I not taught that if I don’t have something good to say about someone that I say nothing at all? And then, just as I pick up a stone to throw at these offenders I am reminded that I too judge people. I too am guilty of saying things about others, or worse yet, thinking it. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!

How fitting as we walk through our Holy Week on our way to Pascha.

Colossians 3:5

Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Personal Challenge

Growing up reading the scriptures I was always taught to ask the question, “What is the “therefore” there for?” when it comes to reading Paul’s letters. In verses 1-4, he describes for us the true mysticism of Christians having received Christ’s exalted resurrection life in our baptism. Through Christ and His work, death in our lives has been put to death. Therefore, since Christ has put to death death in our lives, this means He has also put to death sin. This means that I too must focus my energies, my desires, on putting to death sin in my life as well. This is the act of asceticism that I am called to participate in throughout the remainder of my life…killing old sinful desires and passions before I act upon them. I can only do this through the power of the Holy Spirt whom I received within me during my baptism and chrismation. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!

Matthew 2:18

“A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted,
Because they are no more.”

Personal Challenge

I wonder what kind of burden Jesus carried on His heart throughout His life knowing that Herod slaughtered many innocent children in an attempt to kill Him as well. I am sure that He wept often for these innocents just as Rachel did in Jeremiah’s prophecy. We have in our generation many innocents that have been slain through abortion and being slain through ongoing abortions and child trafficking. Do we weep for them? I know that I do not and that is shameful. Let us weep and mourn for them and strive to be there for those who are at risk of following in their footsteps. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Titus 2:6-8

Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded, in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.

Personal Challenge

What kind of life does God want me to live? One whereby no one around me can call out anything evil in my life and where my enemies would feel ashamed to be my enemy. This is both a high expectation and an honor to strive for. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

1 Maccabees 3:18-19 (LXX)

Then Judas said, “It is easy to hem in many at the hands of a few, and it makes no difference before heaven to save with many or with few. For victory in battle does not come from the size of the army, but from the might of heaven.”

Encouraging Words

Life is filled with battles, both temporal and spiritual. It is so easy to set our focus on the size of our army as well as the enemy’s, or the strength that we do not have, and get discouraged about the overwhelming size of the enemy. But this is not what matters. What matters is that we have the hosts of heaven on our side and if we fight our battles under our Lord’s guidance then the enemy is defeated. Glory be to God!