Romans 15:13

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Encouraging Words…

We have such a great host of believers who have gone before us and who have prayed for us. Here Paul lifts up the Romans, but his prayer still reaches out for us today as well. And since I believe in the resurrection of the dead, I also believe that Paul and all of those saints of the past are still issuing these petitions on our behalf today.

Romans 12:14-19

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

Command(s) with a Promise…

Wow! Another one of those awesome nuggets of gold discovered. Throughout this passage is command after command…bless my persecutors and cursers, rejoice and weep with those who do the same, be of the same mind as others and be humble while doing it, do not be wise of my own accord, and on and on. But then there is the prize, the promise, “If it is possible…” and “do not avenge myself”, because if I do the commands as much as is possible and do so humbly, then God will give out the chastisement needed to those who deserve it. This is still a very personally challenging way to live, but what a powerful promise and such a gift of freedom…”If it is possible…” Glory be to God!

Romans 12:4-5

For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

Personal Challenge…

One body…multiple functions! We often hear teaching on this passage focused on the application of our spiritual gifts. Couldn’t it also be focusing on the greater body of Christ and reminding us that other true and right practicers of the Christian faith, those different from where we practice our faith every Sunday, but still grounded in the fundamental truths of Christianity, are also included in the body of Christ. Maybe this passage is reminding us to be in unity with our other brothers and sisters in Christ so that His body, His church, can function fully and completely. All truth is God’/s truth and He is more involved in the redemption of the world than I can ever comprehend.

Matthew 8:13

Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.

Encouraging Words…

I have often been asked, the question, “Why doesn’t God do these kinds of miracles any more?” Well…actually He does, all the time. One of the blessings of doing missions work outside of the USA is that I have had the chance to be in places where people’s beliefs are more like this centurion’s and miracles are more visible. I have also seen the hand of God at work enough in my own life to see that He is still working these kinds of miracles. So what is the difference? Just as in the day of Jesus it is us, the people, who are of little faith. We either do not see Him working His miracles or we are so faithless that we inhibit His miraculous workings. So much for living in the “age of enlightenment.” This is one of the reasons that one of the primary focuses of my journey through life as an Orthodox Christian is to learn to think, and believe, like our early church fathers did. To think like the apostles, to believe like the apostles, to abandon the modern way of thinking and believing about God. As the father of the boy possessed by a demon said to Jesus, “I believe, help me in my unbelief!”

Romans 6:11-12

Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.

Encouraging Words…

Sin’s power in my life is not absolute. Through Christ I can reject sin and live a victorious life for God. I am not totally depraved, rather I am a diamond created in the image of God covered with mud. As I follow Him He washes off that mud, polishes me, and helps me to sparkle. Since Christ was able to live His human life with His human will aligned with God’s and therefore sinless, then my living in Him gives me the ability to reject sin as well. Glory be to God!

Romans 11:33-36

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!

   “For who has known the mind of the Lord?
   Or who has become His counselor?
   Or who has first given to Him   And it shall be repaid to him?”

For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

Encouraging Words…

One of the many things that I am enjoying in my journey through life as an Orthodox Christian is the understanding that God is so much more than any man, or group of men, can ever define or pin down…and that is okay. God is far more than any of us finite members of His creation can ever grasp. The beauty of accepting this is that I know that I will be able to spend the rest of eternity getting to know God and that there will still be more to learn. It also frees us up to be more accepting of others and their belief practices because all truth is God’s truth and only He knows who He has given that truth to. Glory be to God!

Psalm 5:3 (5:4 LXX)

In the morning You shall hear my voice;
In the morning I will stand before You,
And I will watch.

Encouraging Words…

One of the things that I have been doing since I converted to Orthodoxy is my morning prayer rule. It is a time to start each day with prayer and reading of the scriptures. It is not a mandatory thing, but a choice. A choice to do as the psalmist echoes here, to come into the presence of our Lord and speak with Him. A choice to spend more time getting to know Him and His teachings through the written words and the teachings and traditions of those who have gone before us. A choice to look to Him for His guidance throughout the day. Glory be to God!

John 3:36

He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.

Encouraging Words…

What do you do with a verse like this when most of your Christian life you are taught that God is wrathful and judging and that we are all condemned to hell unless we receive Christ, then you learn that the early church fathers taught that God is love and does everything in love? This verse seems to point to God as angry and wrathful not loving. It takes a lot more study and research to understand this and I am still wrapping my head around it. As Orthodox Christians we still acknowledge that there will be a final judgment by God. So much so that in every liturgy we pray, “For a good defense before the dread Judgment Seat of Christ, let us pray to the Lord: Lord have mercy.” The encouraging words here are that God loves us, His creation, so much that He has given us the means by which we can stand before that last judgment seat blameless and exonerated. It is His only Son who gave up His life for mankind and provides us the means to be children of God. And God did not stop there. He also placed in our being, and in all nature around us, all of the indicators that we need to point us to His Son. So who am I to say how that judgment plays out. That is up to God and it is a mystery. Glory be to God.

Romans 10:14-15

How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:

“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,Who bring glad tidings of good things!”

Personal Challenge…

I believe we are all called to be one of three types of people in the church when it comes to spreading the gospel: goers, senders, and pray-ers. Someone must go to those who have not heard the gospel, or who do not have it readily available to them. Others must be active in sending the goers by financially supporting their needs. All of us must be pray-ers who lift up the goers and petition for more senders. This does not discount that all of us are commanded to share the gospel in every aspect of our lives. For me, the personal challenge is that I desire to be a goer. I have been blessed with the opportunity to do God’s work both here in my own back yard as well as around the world. I have even been blessed with the opportunity to do this full time for over two years in Haiti. Unfortunately I have made choices throughout my life that now prevent me from being a full time goer. No regrets though, because by the grace of God I am continually given opportunities to go, to send, and to pray for the harvest. God is so good to His children, of which I am one. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

I Kings 8:22-24 (3 Kingdoms 8:22-24)

You have kept what You promised Your servant David my father; You have both spoken with Your mouth, and fulfilled it with Your hand, as today. Now, O Lord God of Israel, keep what You promised Your servant David my father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man sit before Me on the throne of Israel, so long as your people guard and keep their ways to walk before Me, as you walked before Me.’ So now, O Lord God of Israel, let the word be confirmed You spoke to Your servant David my father.

Encouraging Words…

Just as Jesus prayed for His apostles and the future of His church in John, chapter 17, Solomon prays for his people, requesting that God our Father will fulfill His promises to David. God cares for His people more than we will ever be able to comprehend. All we have to do is look at the church and the robust history that we have with it and we can see how much God has kept His promises. Glory be to God!