Verse of the Day

  • September 28, 2013

    Life is good living under His wing.
    Psalm 91:4 (90:4 LXX)

    He shall overshadow you with His shoulders,
    And under His wings you shall hope;
    His truth shall encircle you with a shield.

    Encouraging Words…

    God is my protector, my shield, my hope. There is no reason to walk through the journey of life with any trepidation, fear, or uncertainty when this truth can be embraced. Glory be to God!

  • September 27, 2013

    Almsgiving, a practice that we need again…


    Tobit 4:16 LXX

    From your bread, give to him who is hungry, and from your clothing, give to the naked. If you have more than you need, do almsgiving, and do not let your eye envy the almsgiving when you do it.

    Personal Challenge…

    This whole chapter is full of wise and magnificent life advice. This verse focuses on doing almsgiving, a word, and activity, not used much in today’s vocabulary or society. The essence of its meaning is to give of oneself above and beyond what is due. This is what comes after the tithe, after the obligations. It is no wonder that our early church fathers and the traditions of our Orthodox faith encourage us to practice almsgiving. It helps to fortify the soul and bring the love of God to those around us.

  • September 26, 2013

    Sometimes the journey is difficult.

    Tobit 1:6 LXX

    But I alone traveled frequently to Jerusalem for the feast days, as it is written for all of Israel in an everlasting ordinance. I would carry the first fruits and the tithes of my harvest and the first-shearing.

    Personal Challenge…

    Tobit is one of the apocryphal books that does not exist in most Western Bibles. This book is a love story which is similar to the love story encapsulated in John 3:16 by Jesus: A father sending his son into the world so that he may find a bride, save her, and bring her back rejoicing to his parents. This verse reminds me that often times to be truly submissive to my Lord, to follow Him where He leads me, I will have to do things that are inconvenient for me and often contradictory to those around me. So be it, because His glory is more important than mine.

  • September 25, 2013

    What actions am I being stirred up to?


    1 Ezra 9:54-55 (1 Esdras LXX)

    Then everyone went on their way to eat and drink, to gladden themselves, to give gifts to those who were lacking, and to heartily rejoice. For they were inspired by the words which were taught to them, and they gathered together.

    Personal Challenge…

    The passage leading up to these verses gives us the account of Ezra reading the Law of the Lord to the people of Israel and their being stirred up to these actions. Am I moved to action every Sunday through liturgy after worshiping Him who fulfilled the Law? If I am not, it is more of a condition of my heart than it is the liturgy. Are the actions that I am stirred up to directed at others, taking care of meeting their needs, sacrificing myself for them as Christ did for me? If not, then again it points to the condition of my heart. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

  • September 24, 2013

    Giving credit where it is due…

    1 Ezra 4:58-59 (1 Esdras LXX)

    Now when the young man went out, he lifted his face to heaven toward Jerusalem and blessed the King of heaven, saying, “The victory and the wisdom are from You, the glory is Yours, and I am Your servant.”

    Personal Challenge…

    Am I this willing to claim that all of my successes and accomplishments are not of my own doing, but from the Lord? I can do nothing on my own. I can accomplish nothing on my own without becoming prideful about it. Part of growing to be like Christ is giving all credit to the Father for what He has done and for His willingness to use me.

  • September 23, 2013

    Living a life that bucks the tide…


    1 Ezra 4:38-50 (1 Esdras LXX)

    But the truth abides and is strong forever. The truth lives and rules unto ages of ages. There is no partiality or prejudice with the truth, but it does righteous things, distinct from all wrongdoings and evil. All are pleased with its deeds, and there is nothing unjust in its judgment. For strength, dominion, authority, and majesty belong to it unto all ages, and blessed is the God of truth.

    Personal Challenge…

    We live in an age of relative truth. As I flip through the news channels I see opinions present as truth that contradicts each other. As I work through a day in my place of employment I see facts manipulated to tell the story that one wants others to hear. Our entire society has walked away from black and white truths and embrace relative grays and called them truth. This is also rampant in many churches. God is Truth! All truth is God’s truth! If I claim to be His follower, His adopted child, then shouldn’t I be always seeking and proclaiming truth? Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

  • September 22, 2013

    Interesting who God uses for His work…


    1 Ezra 2:2 (1 Esdras 2:2 LXX)

    “Thus says Cyrus the king of the Persians: Israel’s Lord, the Lord Most High, revealed and indicated to me, the king of the inhabited world, that I should build a house for Him at Jerusalem in Judea.”

    Encouraging Words…

    Here we have a case where God chooses to use a Gentile, apparently one who does not follow Him, to do His work. God does speak to those saved and those unsaved. But beyond that He uses Cyrus, a gentile king, to typify Christ. God used Him to rebuild the physical temple and set the Jews free, just as He later uses Christ, the King of Jews, to build His church and set the Gentiles free. Glory be to God for He can use me too!

  • September 21, 2013

    Be not afraid!


    Deuteronomy 31:8

    But the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not be afraid, nor be terrified.”

    Promise with Command…

    What do I have going on in my life that might cause me to be fearful? A situation at work? A conflict in a relationship? A medical challenge? Finances? And the list goes on. This promise from God himself says that He will go before me. He will be with me. He has never failed me or all of mankind before me. So what am I to do as I walk through these fearful situations…by His grace do not be afraid or terrified, but dependent upon Him.

  • September 20, 2013

    The doors have been opened…

    Luke 4:18-19

    “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
    Because He has anointed Me
    To preach the gospel to the poor;
    He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
    To proclaim liberty to the captives
    And recovery of sight to the blind,
    To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
    To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

    Encouraging Words…

    The poor! The brokenhearted! The captive! The blind! The oppressed! Once again the gospel that we have reveals to me that the God I serve does not do things the way that we, His creation, thinks it should be done. Wouldn’t He have accomplished so much more if He would have been born into a wealthy, affluent family and spent His life hobnobbing with the upper crust, the politicians, thew wealthy? But no, He shose to be lowly, to be humble, and to pen the door for all of us to enter His kingdom. What is even more powerful than this is that through His incarnation He opened the doors to heaven for all of us…not someday in the future, but now, every single day, the Kingdom of heaven is around me. Glory be to God!

  • September 19, 2013

    Help in the midst of the journey through life…



    Mark 9:23-24

    Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

    Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

    Encouraging Words…

    Oh, how often I find myself in the shoes of this father  asking for help in my unbelief. The encouraging thing here is that the Holy Spirit has been provided for this purpose…to dwell within me, to guide and direct me, to comfort me, and to help me in my unbelief. The challenging part is that I can choose to yield to Him or choose to ignore Him! Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.