Colossians 3:1-2

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

Personal Challenge…

What should we be focusing on in or lives? It is so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and keep our focus here on earthly things. We must regularly clean our lens and refocus on our true home, where Christ is, and where we will be someday. Doing this will not only draw us closer to Him, but also help us to be better ambassadors where we are now. Glory be to God!

Psalm 35:22-23 (34:22-23 LXX)

You saw this, O Lord; do not keep silence;
O Lord, do not be far from me.
Arise, O Lord, attend to my judgment,
My God and my Lord, to my cause.

Encouraging Words…

Our God and our Lord is ever present in our lives. He sees all, knows all, and is our judge. By His grace and love we are forgiven and cleansed. By His grace we are redeemed and set free. Our desire should always be that He be near, that He be vocal in our lives, that He be both our judge and our desire. Glory be to God!

Psalm 103:8 (102:8 LXX)

The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.

Encouraging Words…

What a blessing it is to serve a God who is loving, compassionate, and merciful. One of the ways that He shows these traits to us is by the people that He puts in our lives. Today my mother celebrates her birthday. She is a godly woman who has lived her life in a way so as to try to adopt these traits as her own. She is loving, compassionate, and merciful and I am truly blessed to be able to call her, “Mom!” I love you mom and pray that God will grant you many years!

Baruch 2:29-35 (LXX)

“If you do not obey My voice, truly this very great multitude of people will become a small number amidst all the nations where I shall scatter them. For I knew they would not obey Me, because they are a stiff-necked people. But in the land of their exile their hearts will turn back, and they will know that I am the Lord their God, and I will give them a heart and ears that obey; and they will praise Me in the land of their exile and will remember My name. They will turn from their stubbornness and their evil deeds; for they shall remember the way of their fathers, who sinned against the Lord. And I shall bring them again to the land I swore to their fathers—to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—and they will rule over it, and I will multiply their numbers, and they will not be diminished. And I shall establish an everlasting covenant with them to be their God, and they will be My people; I shall never again remove My people Israel from the land I give to them.”

Encouraging Words…

We can read this passage looking back as a story of the exile of the Jewish nation…or we can read it looking forward as a promise, a prophecy of what is going to happen to the Church, the Bride of Christ. We live today in exile in a foreign land. We yearn to be with our Lord in His eternal kingdom, the one truly promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And we are reminded here what we must do to prepare ourselves to make it to this kingdom and to bring as many of our neighbors with us as possible. We must stop living our lives in exile as if this is that best that their is and keep our hearts and minds focused on our true home. Glory be to God!

Lamentations 3:52-54

“You heard my voice;
Do not hide Your ears from my supplication.
You drew near at my call on the day I called upon You.
You said to me, ‘Do not fear.’
O Lord, You pleaded the case for my soul;
You redeemed my life.”

Encouraging Words…

Even though the hard times of our lives are usually due to the consequences of our own sins, our own propensity to turn our backs on our Lord, He still comes into our lives to redeem us and restore us into relationship with us. Our Lord Jesus Christ redeems us in His love, grace, and mercy. Thank You, Lord Jesus, Thank You!

Luke 8:16-18

“No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.”

Personal Challenge…

Wow! Amazing how the scriptures read differently when pursuing them through Eastern lens. We have all heard the child’s song, “This little light of mine, I am going to let it shine!” I have always assumed that it was based on this passage, but there does not seem to be a connection here. Here we are told that the light is there to reveal those things in our lives that need to be removed, those hidden sins, thoughts, and desires. It is the light of Christ, illumined through the Holy Spirit, that will reveal those things that need cleaning. And the more of that light that we have shining into our lives, the more light we get to reveal even more that needs to be cleansed. Glory be to God! Shine on, sweet Jesus, shine on!

Psalm 146:1-2 (145:1-2 LXX)

Praise the Lord, O my soul.
I shall praise the Lord while I live;
I shall sing to my God as long as I exist.

Personal Challenge…

It is so easy to get trapped in the busy-ness of life and forget that we owe our entire existence to our Lord. Praise You, oh my Lord, for you are my life! You are my all! And I sing of Your glories, mercy, and grace!