HE HEARS US

Psalms 114:1-2 LXX (116:1-2)

Alleluia.
I have loved, because the Lord
Shall hear the voice of my supplication;
For He inclined His ear to me,
And in my days I shall call upon Him.

Encouraging Words

We are not sojourners on our journey of life alone. God is on our journey with us. He inclines His ear to us and hears our supplication. This gives us the ability to Love Him and others more deeply because we experience His love all our days. Glory be to God!

Saint of the Week

St. Iakovos Tsalikis of Evia

ALWAYS

Psalms 112:3 LXX (113:3)

From the rising of the sun to its setting,
Praise the name of the Lord.

Personal Challenge

When are followers of Christ supposed to praise His name? All the time! What about when things are not going the way that we want them to? Yes! Praise His name. What about the times when the enemy seems to be winning? Yes! Praise His name. No matter what is going on in the world around us, if we focus on praising His name, those things get minimalized and become just trivial things. Always praise His name.

THE LOVE OF MONEY

1 Timothy 6:9-10

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Personal Challenge

It is important to understand that throughout the Scriptures, as well as the entire history of Judaism and Christianity, there has been nothing in the teachings that say that money or wealth is bad. To the contrary, it is taught that wealth, when used properly is a good gift from God. It is the love of money that is what leads to corruption and departure from the graces of God. Hoarding, desiring more, abusing others either with it or in the pursuit of it, and a myriad of other mindsets and behaviors related to wealth are what we are seeing rampant in society and culture today, including within institutions that call themselves Christian. This never bodes well for the individuals or the societies that they build on these practices. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord have mercy!

LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

Psalms 111:4 LXX (112:4)

For the upright, light springs up in darkness,
For he is merciful, compassionate, and righteous.

Encouraging Words

It does not take much light to beat back the oppression of darkness. We are reminded here by the Psalmist that if we live upright lives then God will shine His uncreated light into the darkness of this world that surrounds us. He does this out of His love for us and helps us in our attempts to be upright by also blessing us with mercy, compassion, and righteousness. Glory be to God!

WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING

Psalms 110:10 LXX (111:10)

The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord;
A good understanding is in all who practice it.
His praise continues unto ages of ages.

Personal Challenge

Worldly wisdom and knowledge is of no value if it is not tempered with godly wisdom. We gain our godly wisdom through yielding our will to God’s and humbling ourselves before Him. He gives us the wisdom that surpasses all earthly knowledge. As we practice exercising this godly wisdom we begin to develop an understanding that is beyond this earth. As we follow our Lord’s leading in this way we will praise Him unto ages of ages. Glory be to God!

LOOK AROUND

Psalms 110:4 LXX (111:4)

He made a remembrance of His wonders;
The Lord is merciful and compassionate;

Encouraging Words

Our Lord who is merciful and compassionate has made it easy for us to recognize Him and His handiwork. We must be willing to open our eyes, both of our body and our heart, to see His wonders around us. He has written His character and love on all aspects of nature, whether in the beauty of a cloud, the chirp of a bird, the cooing of a baby, or a plethora of events going on around us every moment of every day. This is His remembrance of His wonders for us, His creation. Glory be to God!

MERCY

Psalms 108:21-22 LXX (109:21-22)

But You, O Lord, O Lord, deal mercifully with me for Your name’s sake,
For Your mercy is good.
Save me, for I am poor and needy,
And my heart is troubled within me.

Encouraging Words

One of the traits that we have been created with is the ability to show mercy to another. This is part of our being created in the image of God because He deals with us mercifully all the time. His mercy is good and ours can be too. We have a choice to humble ourselves before God and others so that we can give sincere mercy or to abandon mercy and be harsh and self-serving. We must constantly choose wisely. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Saint of the Week

St. Cyprian of Carthage

SING AND BE GLAD

Psalms 103:33-34 LXX (104:33-34)

I will sing to the Lord all my life;
I will sing to my God as long as I exist;
May my words be pleasing to Him,
And I shall be glad in the Lord.

Personal Challenge

Life can be tough. Sometimes it weighs heavily upon us. We can manage these tough times by singing unto the Lord. We can sing praises. We can sing supplications. We can even sing dirges that elicit our challenges. Singing unto our Lord opens our hearts to receive the gladness that He has for us. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!