1 John 2:7

Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning.

Encouraging Words…

God’s love for His creation has never changed. When John wrote this letter to the early church he was reminding them that the command that Jesus gave to love God and one’s neighbor He was reiterating the commands that God gave many generations before. His command for us to live Him and our neighbor is our opportunity to become more like Him.

Revelation 3:20

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

Encouraging Words…

As I have studied other religions in my life they all seem to boil down to man pursing their god. Their whole life is wrapped around trying to achieve or acquire something. Christianity is the only one where it is evident throughout the entire scriptures, through the incarnation of Jesus, and through His teachings that God is pursuing us, all of us, and all of His creation. What a powerful thought this is to dwell upon.

Revelation 21:3-4

And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Encouraging Words…

For most of my Christian life I have been taught that this promise will come true in the future. I am now learning and understanding that this promise started to come true when Christ did come to dwell amongst us as incarnate man. I have that part of the promise to hold on to as the truth which gives me the ability to look forward to the fulfillment of the rest of the promise. Christ is alive and He has conquered death.

Genesis 6:22

Thus Noah did according to all the Lord God commanded him, so he did.

Personal Challenge…

As I read through the story of Noah it is so apparent that his righteousness is what saved him and set him apart to be used in a great way by God. This verse gives me an understanding of one aspect of righteousness…doing all that God commands me to do. Noah heard God and obeyed Him. Why should I think that I can achieve righteousness doing any less?

Mark 2:5

When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”

Personal Challenge…

Do I live my life in such a way that those around me see my faith in Jesus? Do I have people in my life whose faith like this is visible as well? Isn’t this the value of living in a Christ-centered community, surrounding ourselves with people living by faith? Life is not a journey that is to be lived alone. This journey is filled with family, friends, and neighbors who provide many opportunities for me to exercise my faith on. Glory be to God.

John 5:30

I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

Encouraging Words…

Psalm 97:10 (96:10 LXX)
You who love the Lord, hate evil;
The Lord keeps the souls of His saints;
He shall deliver them from the hand of sinners.

Personal Challenge…

Genesis 5:2-3

He made them male and female, and blessed them; and the day He made them He called his name Adam. Now Adam lived two hundred and thirty years, and begot a son according to his form and image, and named him Seth.

Encouraging Words…

What a great passage to see into the minds of our early church fathers and how they read and interpreted the Old Testament Scriptures that they had to work with. Their interpretation of this passage was that it was an illustration of the Holy Trininy. Adam was not begotten, but Seth, His son, was begotten of him. Adam was unbegotten as the Father is. Eve was neither begotten nor unbegotten, but proceeded from Adam. This is an image, to a certain extent, of the relationship of the members of the Holy Trinity. There are three distinct and unique properties — distinguishing each of the individual persons, yet all three still possessing the same nature (taken from the notes of the Orthodox Study Bible). What an awesome way to read the scriptures.

Genesis 4:25

Again Adam knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore a son, and he named him Seth, saying, “God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.”

Encouraging Words…

Once again we see the redemptive and restorative work of our God. Through Seth we see the restoration of the lineage of mankind so that some day the Christ, the Messiah, would be born. Abel’s loss is redeemed through the birth of Seth. Is this not the image of the coming Christ.

Proverbs 5:1-2