Psalms 10:17-18 (9:38-39)

The Lord hears the desire of the poor;
Your ear heeds the readiness of their heart,
To judge the orphan and the humble,
That man may no longer increase his great boasting upon the earth.

Encouraging Words

God knows that the world is still fallen. He grieves for it and yet He delays the return of His Son and that last day of judgment. Why? Because He desires that as many as possible have the opportunity to turn to Him. In His great love, He hears the desires of the poor and heeds them. We can be poor in so many more ways than a wealth and all need to have a readiness of heart that is humble before Him. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Luke 17:15-16

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.

Personal Challenge

Do we take the time to thank God for all that He does in our lives? In the story before these verses, Jesus had just healed ten lepers and sent them on their way.  This Samaritan was the tenth one and the only one that came back to Jesus to thank Him for His healing of the leprosy. We often get so wrapped in doing the things of religiosity that we forget to take time out to show God our appreciation for who He is and what He has done for us. Let’s make this our prayer today… “Thank You, God!!” Lord have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Love, have mercy!

Psalms 10:14 (9:35)

But You do see, You do perceive the suffering and pain,
That You might deliver them into Your hands;
Therefore, the poor man will be left to You;
You give help to the orphan.

Encouraging Words

Our God is not some idol made by the hands of man. He is not some person who established a following and now lies decaying in a grave. He is, and always has been, alive and ever-present in our lives. He sees those who are in need and delivers His love to them through His followers. Are we heeding His call to be His hands and feet to those in need. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy

Psalms 9:10 (9:11)

And let those who know Your name put their hope in You;
For You, O Lord, do not forsake those who seek You.

Encouraging Words

As our world becomes less and less dependable, it is a blessing to know that our God has always been dependable and He will continue to be into eternity. We can put our hope in Him and we will never be disappointed. All we need to do is to continue seeking Him and putting our hope in Him. Glory be to God!

Luke 15:31-32

“And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’ ”

Personal Challenge

Jealousy is a very consuming and overbearing sin. If we are trying to be sincere followers of Christ then there is no room for jealousy in us. The story of the prodigal son reveals to us an image of God’s great love for us, His children. Unfortunately, the story ends with the oldest son, the one who stayed with the father and did all that he expected, being jealous that his father was doting over his lost son who had returned. It is easy to focus on all the things that we do for God, reading His scriptures, praying to Him, going to all the liturgies, masses, and services that our church has to offer and yet not have the right attitude or motive in our hearts. This leads to jealousy of others who do not do all this stuff and yet appear to be blessed by God. What is in our hearts today? Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Psalms 9:1-2 (9:1-3)

I will give thanks to You, O Lord, with my whole heart;
I will tell of all Your wondrous things;
I will be glad and rejoice in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

Personal Challenge

Sometimes we get so caught up in doing the things that we believe are showing our love for our God that we forget to just show Him that love. How do we show him that love? By giving thinks to him with our whole heart. By telling others of His wondrous things. By being glad and rejoicing in Him. We must be careful to not get trapped in doing repetitious things about Him and not doing worshipful things for Him and with Him. Glory be to God!

Luke 14:11

For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Personal Challenge

We all have two options in our lives when it comes to humility. We can choose to be humble and let others lift us up when they deem it appropriate. Or we can choose to exalt ourselves and then someday be humbled by someone else. I prefer the first option. Our Lord Jesus Christ, who was exalted above all humanity, and creation, chose to humble Himself and become human. He lived a perfect, sinless life and was put to death on a cross, which He humbly accepted. He then arose from that death victorious over the tomb so that we all might be resurrected when He returns. Our being humble by choice prepares us for that day of resurrection and exaltation. Lord, mercy Mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!