Ephesians 6:5-8

Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.

Personal Challenge…

Once again the timing of a verse for the day is impeccable. What is our role as an employee? To do all that we do for the glory of God regardless of our position in employment. Whether we are in a position of leadership or a subordinate to another we are where we are because that is where God wants us. So we are to submit to those in authority and serve with joy and thanksgiving. Glory be to God!

Tobit 13:3-4

Give thanks to Him before the nations,
O children of Israel,
For He scattered us among them.
Make known His greatness there;
Exalt Him in the presence of all the living,
For He is our Lord and God;
He is our Father unto all the ages.

Personal Challenge…

Just as God scattered His nation of Israel throughout the world to share His truth with the Gentiles, so are we as Christians to spread throughout our world today. We are in exile from our true home. We are ambassadors, representatives of God, our King. God has done this so that His truth and light can be shown into every corner of the world. How are we doing at being His truth and light? How am I doing at being His truth and light? Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!

Tobit 12:6-7

Then Raphael secretly called the two of them, and said to them, “Bless God and give Him thanks. Ascribe greatness to Him and give thanks in the presence of all the living for what He has done for you. It is good to bless God and to exalt His name. Make known the words of God’s works honorably and do not delay to give thanks to Him. It is noble to keep hidden the secret of a king, but glorious to unveil the works of God. Do good, and evil will not find you.”

Personal Challenge…

Has life dealt you another rotten hand? Give thanks to God! Have you been passed up for that promotion or recognition? Give thanks to God! Are times difficult due to bad health, hard times, or other tragedy? Give thanks to God! Is everything going just perfect right now in your life? Give thanks to God! Did you just get that promotion that you have been waiting for, or that new house you have worked so hard for, or so many other wonderful things that happen in our lives? Give thanks to God! This is our calling. This is our duty. This is our opportunity. To give thanks to God for everything that happens in our lives. What better way to proclaim our God to a dark, cold, and lost world is there than giving thanks unto God? Glory be to God!

Romans 10:8-13

But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Encouraging Words…

Our God wants all of His creation to be saved from the grip of death. This is why He gave up His only Son as the ultimate sacrifice. We must receive this offering of love not only believing in our heart that we receive life through Christ, but confessing who He is and who we are without Him. This starts us on our journey of putting our entire trust in Christ. Glory be to God!

Tobit 4:5-7

My son, remember the Lord our God all your days, and do not desire to sin or to disobey His commandments. Do righteousness all the days of your life, and do not walk in the ways of wrongdoing. For if you walk in the truth, you will be successful in your works. Do almsgiving from your possessions to all who do righteousness. When you do almsgiving, do not let your eye be envious. Do not turn your face away from any poor man, so the face of God will not be turned away from you.

Encouraging Words…

What awesome advice given to Tobias from his father Tobit. There is no commentary needed to understand the guidance provided here in how we can live godly lives. It is too bad that so many who practice the Christian faith will never see these words because they are part of the Apocrypha. May God’s truth be spread and His name be glorified.

Proverbs 16:32 (16:30 LXX)

A patient man is better than a strong man,
And he who controls his temper is better than he who captures a city.

Personal Challenge…

Our society/culture encourages us to be strong and aggressive in all that we do. We are supposed to look out for number one…ourselves. This is so contradictory to the teachings of Christianity. As Christians we are called to be humble, to be patient, to submit to our Lord and let Him lead our lives. Living this way also helps us to develop traits and virtues that lead to righteous and godly lives. In reality, living a Christian life is always countercultural.

Ecclesiastes 10:6

The senseless man devotes himself to great heights,
And rich men shall sit in a lowly place.

Personal Challenge…

Solomon give us an important reminder that is more godly, more righteous, to seek the lower place than the higher. Jesus said the same when He told us to sit at the foot of the table and let the host elevate us if he so chooses. This is a true sign of humility when we strive to always put others before us, whether that be where we sit at the “banquet”, or where we stand in line, or how we behave in a conversation, and the list goes on and on. Doing this as our normal practice of being then it allows God to use us in ways that glorify Him. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!

Ecclesiastes 7:16

Do not be overly righteous,
Nor be overly wise,
Lest you be confounded.

Personal Challenge…

Solomon reminds us in his great and godly wisdom that we must be very careful of how we pursue and idolize righteousness and knowledge. The pursuit of righteousness can lead us to false piety and pharisaism. Christ often spoke out against this and its folly. The pursuit and idolization of knowledge sets us up to be wise on our own account and totally miss the source of true wisdom, Jesus Christ. More important, and more difficult, is living a life of humility, submitting to our Lord and serving the needs of our neighbors. Sometimes we must walk away from our fasting and “personal” prayer times in order to serve our God in the life of another. Sometimes we must put down the books we are reading and the saints that we are trying to emulate to be God’s hands, feet, and mouths. Our lives are to be about Him and not about us. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Psalm 100 (99 LXX)

Shout aloud to the Lord, all the earth;
Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before Him with great joy.
Know this:the Lord, He is God;
He made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving
And into His courts with hymns;
Give thanks to Him; praise His name;
For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth is from generation to generation.

Encouraging Words…

Since the early church fathers determined that the Wisdom that the Psalms and Proverbs speak of is Jesus Christ then this entire Psalm is ins praise and thanksgiving of Jesus Christ and who He is. He is our Creator. He made us in His image. He is God. He is our Shepherd. We are to shout aloud to Him in thanksgiving. We are to serve Him with gladness and great joy. We are His people, His sheep, and we are to enter the gates of His kingdom with thanksgiving and praise and the singing of hymns. He is good and merciful for all generations. Glory be to Him!