A TIME FOR EVERYTHING

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 11

To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
A time to give birth
And a time to die;
A time to plant
And a time to pluck what is planted.
A time to kill
And a time to heal;
A time to pull down
And a time to build up.
A time to weep
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn
And a time to dance.
A time to throw stones
And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace
And a time to refrain from embracing.
A time to seek
And a time to lose;
A time to keep
And a time to throw away.
A time to tear
And a time to sew;
A time to keep silent
And a time to speak.
A time to love
And a time to hate;
A time of war
And a time of peace.
The Gifts of God
What profit has the worker from all his labors? I have seen altogether the tasks which God has given to the sons of men to be engaged in. He made everything beautiful in its time, and

He indeed put eternity in their hearts in such a way that man may not find out the work God made from the beginning to the end.

Encouraging Words

The verses that are used to drive this blog are verses that I have collected over my life of reading the scriptures. The order and timing of when a particular verse or passage comes up for any given day is fairly random. Quite often, a verse or passage comes up that is perfect for the day or the event that is transpiring in my life. This is one of those days. What an appropriate passage as we remember the 25th anniversary of the attack on our country. There is a time for everything under the sun. The ultimate question to answer is: “Where am I in my response to the time that is happening in my life at this very moment?”. We can be in a reaction mode or we can have our hearts at a place of humily where we are ready, willing, and able to respond appropriately to the time that God is calling us to. The choice is ours. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

ARROGANCE VERSUS HUMILITY

Proverbs 29:23

Arrogance humbles a man,
But the Lord supports the humble-minded with glory.

Personal Challenge

As people living and growing up in America, we have become accustomed living life as the Marlboro Man. We are a people that thrive on independence and being self-built and self-sufficient. This chosen lifestyle so often leads to arrogance, which will almost always lead to a fall. That fall will be very humbling. A better, and more productive way to go through life is the way of humility. This does not mean that we are door mats but that we choose to put the needs of others before our own desires. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

BEING SHARPENED

Proverbs 27:17

Iron sharpens iron,
And a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.

Personal Challenge

Iron is a very strong material. In its strength it can be very dull when fashioned into a weapon. In order to be sharpened we use iron that has been shaped into a file. The file scrapes away the iron and produces a shiny and sharp edge. This is the same with humans. Left to our typical fallen state we become dull by the sin in our lives. Another person in our life can act as a file and sharpen us. It takes work. It takes patience. It takes humility. But it is worth it as we become sharpened for our service for Christ. Glory be to God!

REMOVING THE DROSS

Proverbs 25:4

Beat drossy silver,
And it will be made entirely clean.

Personal Challenge

Something as pure and beautiful as silver does not start out that way. Silver as it is found in the field is not clean and pure. It always has dross, or unwanted material, embedded in it. The silversmith will heat it and pound on it to bring the dross to the surface so that it can be removed and discarded. This is the same with us humans. We have sinful passions within our lives. Through our journey to theosis, God will apply challenges and opportunities for growth that will get hot and often feel like we are being beaten. It is through these events the the dross, those sinful passions, will be brought to the surface and ultimately removed. This allows us to be cleansed and shine bright like purified silver. Glory be to God!

SAVING OUR HOPE

Proverbs 23:18

For if you keep these words, you shall have offspring,
And your hope will not depart from you.

Personal Challenge

The words that the author of this proverb is referring to are the previous 17 verses that articulate concepts of understanding and prioritizing things in life. There are many wise teachings throughout the Proverbs. If we heed these teachings and live by them our hope in our Lord will deepen and not depart from us. Glory be to God!

WORDS OF THE WISE

Proverbs 22:20-22 LXX (22:17-19)

Incline your ear to the words of the wise and hear my word,
And establish your heart, that you may know they are good.
And if you apply them to your heart,
They will gladden you and at the same time be upon your lips;
That your hope might be in the Lord,
And His way might be known to you.

Personal challenge

Jesus is the incarnate Word and Wisdom of God. Through Him, His words and wisdom have been, and continue to be, passed on to humankind in order
to guide us through our journey of life into His loving and welcoming arms. It is up to us to bend our will towards His and listen to those wise ones that have gone before us and have received His wisdom. We must establish our heart on that wisdom and apply it to our lives. By doing this, we too will be able to receive His wisdom and know his way. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Saint of the Week

St. Sophrony of Essex

LIFE AND GLORY

Proverbs 21:20 LXX (21:21)

The way of righteousness and mercy shall find life and glory.

Personal Challenge

Every person desires to have a full life. Unfortunately, we have a tendency to mess up the definition of a full life. As followers Christ, our definition would lean more toward living a life that is filled with love, joy, and peace rather than stuff or recognition. If we pursue righteousness and mercy towards others, that will lead us to that full life that we desire and ultimately glory in our Lord. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

PLEASING GOD

Proverbs 21:3

To do righteous things and to speak the truth
Are more pleasing before God than the blood of sacrifices.

Personal Challenge

There is a push today in the more traditional churches (Catholic and Orthodox) to focus on liturgics and traditions. This also happened in the Jewish religious practices prior to Christ and in his day here on earth. The focus on liturgics and traditions as the ultimate form of drawing close to God creates an environment that becomes rigid and mechanical. In God’s eyes, these actions become something that distracts from His desire to reach those outside of the church and to create followers that do righteous things and speak the truth. He wants our hearts not our repetitive actions that have no soul in them. Glory be to God, not the institutions of men.

OUR HEART

Proverbs 19:21

There are many thoughts in the heart of a man,
But the counsel of the Lord abides forever.

Personal Challenge

Human beings are the most unique and advanced creatures in all of creation. As followers of Christ, we believe this is so because God created us in His image, both male and female. This is not true of any other creature that exists. In that image, we have a heart, a soul, that can have so many thoughts and intentions, both good and bad. We were also given free will to choose what we want to do with that capability. That is why we also believe that we must continually seek the counsel of God so that our thoughts and intentions will be aligned with His will. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!