Verse of the Day

  • August 23, 2013

    Proverbs 2:1-6

    My son, if you receive the words of my commandmentAnd hide them within yourself,
    Your ear will be obedient to wisdom,
    And you will incline your heart to understanding;
    You will entrust it to your son as an admonition.
    For if he calls upon wisdom,
    And you utter your voice for understanding;
    If you seek perception with a strong voice,
    If you seek her as silver
    And search for her as treasure,
    Then you will understand the fear of the Lord
    And find the knowledge of God.
    For the Lord gives wisdom,
    And from His face come knowledge and understanding;

    Encouraging Words…

    I love how the early church fathers taught that when the Psalms and Proverbs speak about Wisdom they are talking about Jesus Christ. Reading through passages like this one with this understanding make the test jump off of the page. Try it…read this passage knowing that it is pointing to Christ as the Wisdom of god and cherish the truth that the Lord gives wisdom, and from His face come knowledge and understanding.

  • August 22, 2013

    Psalm 85 (84 LXX)

       1 For the End; a psalm for the sons of Korah.

       2 O Lord, You were pleased with Your land; You turned back the captivity of Jacob;   3 You forgave the transgressions of Your people;
         You covered all their sins. (Pause)
       4 You ended all Your wrath;
         You turned from the wrath of Your anger. 
       5 Turn us, O God of our salvation,
         And turn away Your anger from us. 
       6 Will You be angry with us forever,
         Or will You prolong Your anger from generation to generation?
       7 O God, You will turn and give us life,
         And Your people will be glad in You.
       8 Show us Your mercy, O Lord,
         And grant us Your salvation.
       9 I will hear what the Lord God will speak in me,
         For He will speak peace
         To His people and to His holy ones,
         And to those who turn their heart to Him.
     10 His salvation is very close at hand to those who fear Him,
         That glory may dwell in our land.
     11 Mercy and truth met together;
         Righteousness and peace kissed each other;
     12 Truth arose from the earth,
         And righteousness looked down from heaven.
     13 For the Lord will give goodness,
         And our land shall yield its fruit.
     14 Righteousness shall go before Him
         And establish His footsteps as our pathway.

    Encouraging Words…

    The early church fathers taught that the Old Testament always foreshadowed the coming of Christ, the incarnation of Him as man. If one reads this Psalm with that perspective it clearly becomes a prophecy of the Incarnation (the End, v. 1). His Incarnation (vv. 10–14) gives His holy ones (v. 9) deliverance from captivity (v. 2), the remission of sins (v. 3), deliverance from God’s wrath (vv. 4–6), joyous life (v. 7), mercy (v. 8), and peace (v. 9). (Taken from the Orthodox Study Bible.) Glory be to God!

  • August 21, 2013

    Philippians 4:4-7

    Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

    Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

    Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

    Command with a Promise…

    God is good! He is more active in our lives than most of us are aware. What a precious reward we receive for obeying these commands…the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, and guarded hearts and minds. Praise be to God!

  • August 20, 2013

    Luke 6:38

    Give, and it will be given to you:good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.

    Encouraging Words…

    God’s economy is so much different than man’s. I must learn His economy and abandon man’s.

  • August 18, 2013

    1 Corinthians 1:10

    Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

    Personal Challenge…

    We have come to the same state that the early Corinthian church was at and which Paul challenged then. “I follow Martin Luther!” “I follow John Calvin!” “I follow John and Charles Wesley!” “I follow the apostles!” “I am Greek or Russian or…!” This list goes on and on. And what is missing here? We all, hopefully, are following Christ. Yes, we must take a stand against heretical teaching, but we must become unified in Christ. I am so saddened by rhos who see me as an Orthodox Christian as “unsaved” and that they must try to woo me to their practice of Christianity. Our continued push for factions in the Body of Christ will be levied in the judgment day. Love above all things should be our common, uniting action. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

  • August 19, 2013

    Romans 8:31-32

    What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

    Encouraging Words…

    Once again we are reminded by our early church fathers that we are not on our journey through life alone. We have our Lord, the Creator of all, walking the road with us. What a comfort!

  • August 17, 2013

    Romans 13:1

    Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.

    Command with a Promise…

    Paul makes it clear in this passage (vs. 1-10) what our role is in relationship to the governing authorities that we are under. It is disconcerting to me to see more and more people who claim to be followers of Christ who blatantly violate this command to be subject to those officials whom God has placed in authority over us. I am not always happy with what they do or how they do it, but there are proper, even godly, ways to deal with them. May God’s way always be in the forefront of my thoughts, words, and actions.

  • August 16, 2013

    1 Corinthians 14:33

    For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.

    Encouraging Words…

    It is always good to remember that God is not a source of confusion or discord or disarray. He provides peace and clarity for His children. When I enter into a period of life where the confusion begins to be be obvious I claim this promise about God and demons that are causing the discord flee. Glory be to God!

  • August 15, 2013

    1 Corinthians 10:31

    Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

    Personal Challenge…

    Paul very clearly reminds me here that as I go through life I am to do all that I do for the glory of God. The context of this verse sets this reminder in relationship to what I do around others. If what I want to do will affect them or take them down the wrong path the it is up to me to sacrifice what I want for the greater good. I do not compromise on what God wants me to do, but I do deal with those around me in love.

  • August 14, 2013

    1 Corinthians 10:12-13


    Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

    Encouraging Words/Personal Challenge…


    Verse 13 here is one of those fundamental verses that we often memorize in scripture memorization activities. It is very encouraging to know that God is always there to walk with us through the temptations in life, that He will protect us from being tempted beyond our ability to say, “No!”, and that no temptation is new and unique to me…others have been tempted this way and beaten the temptation. God is the center of this verse and that is good. Today is the first time that I have recognized how powerful verse 12 is in this context. This is where the personal challenge comes in. I cannot go through life with a cocky, arrogant attitude about my ability to withstand temptation. I must be vigilant at guarding my heart and fleeing from temptations. These two verses go hand in hand.