Saint of the Week

St. John Chrysostom

WHO IS WITH US?

2 Chronicles 32:7-8

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid of the king of Assyria, nor before all the nation with him, for there are more with us than with him. With him are arms of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God, to save us and to fight our battles.” And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

Encouraging Words

Throughout the Old Testament the admonition, “Be strong and courageous” is given to the people of God. This is always based on the premise that God is greater than all the forces in creation and that if we are following Him and living within His will, He will be there to protect us. This is just as true today. If we are followers of Christ and living within His will, the forces of God are with us. This does not mean that we will never have conflict or challenges in our lives. To the contrary, we will have more because the world hates Jesus and His ways and teachings. This is not about Christian Nationalism, which is not in God’s will or about wearing a cross but acting in ways contrary to the teachings of Jesus. The true battles are more than physical conflicts. Spiritual wars are being waged all the time. We must choose which side we are on and live accordingly. This means loving our neighbor…everyone, caring for those in need, taking in the foreigner amongst us, protecting the weak and weary from the attacks of the world, and many more actions that are unpopular with many people today. Be strong and courageous! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

PREPARATION OF OUR HEARTS

2 Chronicles 30:18-20

Most of the people from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun had not cleansed themselves, but they ate the Passover contrary to what was written.

But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord provide atonement for everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, even though he is not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary.” And the Lord listened to Hezekiah and healed the people.

Encouraging Words

The Jewish people in the day of Hezekiah were governed by many strict Jewish laws. After years of exile and separation from their land and customs they are finally back home and getting ready to celebrate their premier religious holiday, Passover. From a religious perspective they had not yet prepared properly for this austere celebration. Hezekiah, their leader and a godly man, recognized this and prayed that God would overlook this issue and recognize that their preparation was in their hearts. He prefigured Jesus who asked that our sins be forgiven for we knew not what we were (are) doing. The rubrics are important for they teach and discipline us but the state of our hearts is what God cares about. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

LOYALTY

2 Chronicles 16:9a

For the eyes of the Lord look over the whole earth and strengthen every heart that is loyal to Him.

Personal Challenges

One of the challenges that we are facing today that is impacting our culture is the concept of loyalty and how it is playing out in the circle of “Christians”. As this verse reminds us, God is able to look throughout the entire world and into the hearts of everyone that proclaims to be His follower. The context for this passage is that King Asa, king of Judah, entered into a treaty with the king of Syria rather than listen to the prophet of God who told him not to. He put his trust (loyalty) in men and not God. This did not bode well for him and his people. Today, we have so many people, leaders in our churches, businesses, and politics putting their trust into a man, or group of men, all the while saying that they are trusting God. Their loyalty is earthbound. This will not bode well, especially as we see the corruption of their object of loyalty magnified. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE

2 Chronicles 14:10 (2 Chronicles 14:11)

And Asa cried out to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, with You it is not impossible, whether with the many or with the few. Strengthen us, Lord our God, for we trust in You. And in Your name we go against this multitude. Lord our God, do not let man prevail against You!”

Encouraging Words

As followers of Christ, we believe that nothing is impossible for God. There is one caveat, however, in how this plays out in our lives. Are we living our lives in alignment with God and His expectations. If we are not then we will not see any miraculous interventions from God. We have made our choice here and He will allow us to see the consequences of that choice. It is far better to do things in life His way and with His guidance than to veer off and do things our way, Glory be to God!

IF…

2 Chronicles 7:14

if My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will be merciful to their sins and heal their land.

Command with a Promise

Context: Solomon has just finished building the tabernacle for God as he had promised years before and is asking for God’s blessing on the tabernacle and the land. This is part of God’s response. The command for His people is that they humble themselves , pray, and seek His face, as they turn from their wicked ways. The promise is that He will hear from heaven, be merciful to their sins, and heal their land. This still applies to us, His followers, today. If we are not willing to do what He asks, then He is not obligated to fulfill the promise. There are far too many people, organizations, and churches proclaiming that God will fulfill this promise when all they are doing is legislating change or proclaiming their positions, but not exercising their need to humble themselves, pray in that humility, seek God’s face and not that of earthly leaders, and turn from their wicked ways, which includes oppressing the poor, arresting and deporting the foreigner, hating their neighbor, and so many more attrocities. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy

SEEKING WISDOM

2 Chronicles 1:10-12

“Give me wisdom and understanding, so that I may go out and come in before this people, for who can judge this great people of Yours?”

And God said to Solomon, “Because this was in your heart and you did not ask for riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor did you ask for long life, but you asked for wisdom and understanding for yourself, that you might judge My people over whom I made you king, now I will give you this wisdom and understanding. I will also give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings before you possessed, nor shall any after you possess.”

Personal Challenge

Solomon is a wonderful example of how we should live our lives, especially if we proclaim to be followers of Christ. As he ascended to the throne over Israel, God let him ask for whatever he wanted. Rather than seek wealth, honor, or a long life, he asked that God would grant him the wisdom he would need to lead his people, God’s people, in a righteous way. God granted this wish and gave him the weath, honor, and a long life as well. The message for us in this passage today is that as followers of Christ, our desire in our journey of theosis should be to receive wisdom from God. We see far too many Christian faith practices focusing on the wealth, honor, and long life, and thus neglecting the true gifts of God. Lord, have mercy! Lord have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Saint of the Week

St. Paisios of Mount Athos

KNOW GOD

1 Chronicles 28:9

“And now, my son Solomon, know the God of your fathers, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing soul; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you forever.”

Encouraging Words

God desires that we know Him. Contrary to what many Christian faith practices teach, this does not mean that there is only their way to know Him. We do not know Him through a single prayer that we are expected to recite. We do not know Him through a catechism, a class, or the number of books, blogs, or podcasts that we read or watch. We do not know Him by the number of liturgies, masses, or worship services that we attend. We know Him through His Son who has revealed Him to us and made the way for us to know God personally. We know Him in our hearts and not our heads. We know him because we seek Him continually as He reveals Himself to us more deeply along our journey through life as we follow in the footsteps of Christ. We know Him as we do what He commands us to do, which is to love our neighbor and care for them. Only God knows the true nature of our heart and our desire to know Him. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

GIVE THANKS

1 Chronicles 16:33 (1 Chronicles 16:34)

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
For His mercy endures forever.

Personal Challenge

David takes time to give thanks to the Lord and to proclaim that He is good and that His mercy endures forever. David did this quite often. Whether he was in the midst of a battle, under attack by people such as Saul (the recognized king of Israel), or in times of peace, David always found time to praise and glorify the Lord, his Lord. This is the lesson for us, as well as the challenge. If we desire to be followers of Christ then we need to spend time giving thanks to the Lord, recognizing and proclaiming that He is good and that His mercy endures forever, and then living our lives as if we truly believe this. These are trying times but the Lord is good, his mercy endures forever and I am thankful that I am His. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!