1 Corinthians 9:24

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.

Personal Challenge…

As we go through this journey of Great Lent, a special time of ascetic practice, we must remember that we do not do this just for the asceticism itself. Paul reminds us that the athlete exercised and practiced so that he/she would win the race. We too should be exercising the practices of Lent in order to prepare ourselves to win the race of live and hear at the end, “Well done My good and faithful servant!” We do not do this by lording it over others about how good we keep the fast, or how well we do our prostrations, or how many services we have attended, or anything else related to our ascetic practices. We do this by loving our God, loving or neighbor, and giving of ourselves and what we possess to those in need. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Deuteronomy 31:6

Be valiant and strong, do not fear nor be afraid of them, nor be terrified before them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes before you and with you and among you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.

Encouraging Words…

Our Lord promises to always be with us. He keeps His promises. We can be strong, valiant, and fearless in every circumstance and situation knowing that our Lord has gone before us and stands beside us. Glory be to God!

Jeremiah 31:3 (38:3 LXX)

The Lord appeared to him from afar, saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I drew you in compassion.”

Encouraging Words…

Throughout the Old Testament scriptures God promises through His prophets that He will draw His children, the descendants of Abraham, together in His everlasting love. These children are not the children of Abraham’s flesh, but the children of His faith. It is by faith and by the work of Christ that we become children in the family of God and covered in the new covenant established by Him. We are loved with an everlasting love and covered by His compassion. Glory be to God!

Romans 14:3-4

Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.

Personal Challenge…

Today we celebrated Forgiveness Sunday in the Orthodox church. Tomorrow is the first day of Great Lent as we prepare for that sojourn to Pascha (Easter) and our early church fathers saw fit to start this journey off with a day and services set aside seeking and offering forgiveness amongst our brothers and sisters, our community. In this special service we hear the teachings of our Lord from Matthew 6 about forgiving those here on earth who have offended us and begin laying up rewards in heaven. Paul, in the letter to the Romans reminds us that God is the judge and not us. We cannot make it through life, especially the Christian life, without living in community. Today at church we had the opportunity to ask each individual to forgive us. We ask for forgiveness for what we have done or not done, whether known or unknown. It is a very moving experience if we choose to participate in it completely. And in response to our request for forgiveness we will hear, “May God forgive us all!” over and over again. This can be both very uplifting and freeing while at the same time very humbling.

I reach out to all who read this and ask you from the bottom of my heart, “Please forgive me for the offenses that I have committed against you and for the things that I should have done in our relationship that I have neglected to do.”

Deuteronomy 8:2-5

Now you shall remember the whole way the Lord your God led you in the desert, to deal harshly with you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He dealt harshly with you and weakened you with hunger, and fed you with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word proceeding from the mouth of God man shall live. Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your feet become callused these forty years. You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens you.

Encouraging Words…

God took His chosen people, the Israelites, through a 40 year sojourn in the desert before He brought them into the promised land. He loved these people. He had a covenant with them and always honored it. And when they turned their back on Him for false Gods He loved them even more and took them through a chastening process. A process of refinement. It is in the midst of these processes that our true heart is revealed. As God’s children under the new covenant ushered in by our Lord Jesus Christ, we too are on a sojourn to the promised land. We too will be chastened and refined so that our true heart will be revealed to us. This refinement is all at the hands of God and covered by His love and protection. He loves us that much. Glory be to God!

Psalm 39:7 (38:8 LXX)

And now what is my patience?
Is it not the Lord?
And my support is from You.

Encouraging Words…

We can find peace and patience in the Lord. Not only is He the provider of our every need, but He also provides us the ability to wait upon Him patiently. If we submit to Him and His precepts, if we humble ourselves before Him, He will guide us through our trials and periods of waiting, patiently and lovingly. Glory be to God!

Luke 6:27-31

“But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.”

Personal Challenge…

In the Orthodox church we are getting ready to enter into our season of Great Lent…40 days leading up to Pascha (Easter). This is a time of preparation for the greatness of the work that Christ did to free us all from death. So many people think that Lent is only a time for giving up. Indeed, part of what we do is to fast, but this is only a part of what we do in preparation for our remembrance of the resurrection of our Lord. This passage gives a glimpse into part of what our Lord wants from us…love for our brother and sister. Come and see sometime and you will see so much more of what we do for this special season in the church. Glory be to God!

Genesis 24:8

“And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be released from this oath; only do not take my son back there.”

Encouraging Words…

At this point in the scriptures Abraham is sending one of his servants on a journey to find a wife for his son. It is clear through this verse and the ones that follow that Abraham, the servant, and Rebekah’s family all honored and respected a person’s free will. God created us with the ability to choose between right and wrong and then allows us to make that choice. He does not drive us as if we are robots. This is the depth of His love for us.

Genesis 22:10-12

Then Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham! Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.” He then replied, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him, for now I know you fear God, since for My sake you have not spared your beloved son.”

Personal Challenge…

What does God want from us? He wants our all! He wants us to be willing to give up, to sacrifice, everything that is dear to us, even those things that He has miraculously given to us. If we are willing to do this it will keep us focused on worshipping Him alone and not these things. Abraham’s faith in God was so strong and so deep that he was willing to sacrifice his son, a miracle given to him in his old age, because his Lord asked him to. Am I willing to do the same? Is it my comfortable home, or my regular paycheck, or my motorcycle or car, or my precious time, or what, that God is asking me to set aside for Him? In Abraham’s case all God wanted was to know that he would be willing to give up his son. He did not want his son’s life as a sacrifice, for He knew that through Isaac His own Son would be born and one day sacrificed for all of mankind and creation. Is our God more valuable than our stuff and ourselves? This is the question that He is asking us throughout our lives. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!