The spirit of those who fear the Lord will live,
For their hope is in Him who saves them.
He who fears the Lord will fear nothing,
And he will not be cowardly, for the Lord is his hope.

Encouraging Words…

Who do I have to fear? Nothing in this physical, temporal realm because I love and fear the God of all. In Him and through Him I have life, I have hope, and nothing can ever separate me from Him. Glory be to God!

Encouraging Words…

In every work entrust your soul to the Lord,
For this is the keeping of the commandments.
He who believes in the Law heeds the commandments,
And he who trusts in the Lord will not suffer loss.

Command with a Promise…

God is God and I am not! And since He is God and has given us commandments to follow then who am I to argue or disagree? Jesus made it clear that I am to love the Lord my God with all of my heart, soul, and being; and then to love my neighbor as myself. Then it is clear that I must do this constantly if I am to claim Him as my Lord. I know that I have so far to go to even come close to beginning to do this. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. And the result of this obedience…I will not suffer loss of those things important to God.

Do not give yourself over to sorrow,
And do not distress yourself deliberately.
Gladness of the heart is the life of man,
And rejoicing by a man lengthens his life.
Love your soul and comfort your heart,
And put sorrow far away from you;
For sorrow has destroyed many,
And there is no profit in it.
Envy and anger will shorten your days,
And worry will bring premature old age.

Personal Challenge…

We have more control over the state of our hearts than our modern culture wants us to believe. We are so often told that it is someone else’s fault that we are sorrowful or depressed, or that all we need is the right pill or medication to take it away. Granted, there are certain physical conditions that can only be controlled by medical help, but for the most of us it is a matter of choice. Do we allow sorrow and grief to overcome us and control us? If we do this it becomes a deadly spiral into depression. Or do we fill our hearts and our lives with gladness, rejoicing, love for our soul, and comfort for our heart? Is this not part of the reason why we sing, “Memory Eternal!” in times of great loss and for a period of time after…to give us an opportunity to process our grief and then lift up the loss to our ultimate Comforter? As with everything else in our lives we have a choice to make.

Forgive a wrong done you by your neighbor;
Then your sins will be pardoned when you pray.
Can a man preserve wrath against his neighbor
And still seek healing from the Lord?

Personal Challenge…

It is so easy to hold a grudge, and if we are not careful we begin to develop (and believe) justifications for this. However, we are commanded by or Lord to forgive our trespassers, for only in this do we develop the humility to receive God’s forgiveness. It is through our acts of forgiveness that we receive healing, both physical and spiritual. Lord Jesus Christ Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Wisdom of Sirach 25:1 LXX

There are three things beautiful to see,
And they are beautiful before the Lord and men:
The harmony of brothers, friendship between neighbors,
And a wife and husband well-adjusted together.

Encouraging Words…

It is clear throughout the scriptures that our Lord desires that we live in unity one with another. These three examples provide enough to cover almost every aspect of our lives. The one that is often overlooked by those who are so keen on following monasticism is the relationship of the husband and the wife. St. John Chrysostom said of this verse: “For there is no relationship between man and man so close as that between man and wife, if they be joined together as they should be… nothing whatever is more precious than to be… loved by a wife and to love her.” (taken from the Orthodox Study Bible). My prayer today, and every day, is that I love my wife as Christ loved the church. What a blessing it is to be married to your best friend and sister and Christ. Glory be to God!

Wisdom of Sirach 22:27 LXX

Who will set a guard over my mouth,
And a prudent seal over my lips,
That I may not fall because of them,
And that my tongue may not destroy me?

Personal Challenge…

That which comes out of our mouths can either be edifying or destroying. Who determines which one it is? I do? I must be the guard of my mouth and tongue in order to control what I say. This starts by focusing on the purity of my heart and mind, both of which drive the rest of my actions. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

My son, have you sinned?
No longer add to them, but pray about your former sins.
Flee from sin as you would from the presence of a snake,
For if you approach it, it will bite you;
Its teeth are like lion’s teeth, destroying the souls of men.
All lawlessness is like a two- edged sword,
For there is no healing from its wound.

Personal Challenge…

Sin, whether it be by action or inaction, in thought or in deed, is something that besets all of us in this fallen world. In Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, by the grace of the Father, we can flee from sin. If we commit sin we can confess it, repent of it and flee from it, but we must still strive to be humble before our Lord. As we become more humble before Him we become more aware of our sins and of the temptations to sin and can run to our Lord quicker for forgiveness and strength. In Him we can become sinless.