Luke 7:31-35

And the Lord said, “To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying:

‘We played the flute for you,
And you did not dance;
We mourned to you,
And you did not weep.’

For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by all her children.”

Encouraging Words

Jesus had just been reprimanded by the leaders of His church for hanging out with sinners and sharing His teachings in the midst of the common world. The Pharisees and Sadducees were so wrapped up in their teachings (not God’s) and their traditions (not God’s) that they could not engage with the world that God specifically called them to take His message to. We must always be careful of getting so attached to the ways that our faith practice worships God that we lose sight of God Himself. Jesus responds and rebukes these leaders by proclaiming that the proof of His approach is in the numbers and sincerity of His children. History has born this out. Glory be to God!

Luke 7:13

When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”

Encouraging Words

We do not serve a ruthless, in-compassionate God. God is love! God is mercy! God cares for all of His creation, not just those who have chosen to follow Him. His desire is that all might come to him. We too must be willing to show compassion to others. We cannot be selective in who we show God’s love to for He was not selective in His love for us. Glory be to God!

Judith 5:20-21

“Now my lord and master, if there is any sin of ignorance in this people and they sin against their God, then we will identify their offense and will go up to defeat them. But if there is no lawlessness in their nation, then let my lord leave them alone, lest their Lord shield them, and their God defend them, and we will become a reproach before the whole earth.”

Personal Challenge

Achior wan an Ammonite conscripted by the Assyrian army to betray the Israelites. These were vicious times and army commanders like Holefernes were relentless in conquering people. Achior made this statement about the Israelites in order to warn the attackers that the God of Israel was invincible and that if His people were being true to Him, then they would be invincible as well. He was trying to save them from becoming is a reproach in front of the entire world of that day. We too can avoid becoming a reproach in our lives by staying true to our God. The choice is ours. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Luke 6:45

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Personal Challenge

That which comes out of our mouths truly reveals what is in our hearts. It is indeed possible to maintain a facade and convince those around us that we are good and godly people…for a while. Only if what we are presenting is what is within our hearts will we no longer be presenting a facade but our true representation. Do we make snide remarks? Do we put others down jokingly? Are use constantly complaining? Are we really grumpy and lacking joy? Do we demean others? What comes out of our mouths is what is present in our hearts. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Saint of the Week

Elder Nektary of Optina

Luke 6:46

But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?

Personal Challenge

Am I consistently doing what Jesus commanded me to do? Am I loving God in such a way that I put Him before my desires and even my needs? Am I loving my neighbor as I love myself? These can be very sobering questions if I truly search my heart and my actions as I strive to answer them. If I cannot answer each of them with a resounding “Yes!”, then I must question whether or not I can proclaim to those around me that I am a follower of Christ. This is the most important are if hypocrisy for me to be examining. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Tobit 12:8-9

Prayer is good with fasting, almsgiving, and righteousness. A few prayers with righteousness are better than many with wrongdoing. It is better to do almsgiving than to lay up gold. For almsgiving rescues one from death, and it will wash away every sin. Those who do almsgiving and are righteous will be full of life.

Personal Challenge

In the Eastern church and much of the Western church we are in the end stretch of this year’s Lenten season. This year the two calendars are only one week apart. What do we do during Lent? We are asked to spend more time in prayer and do more fasting and almsgiving. For many this is perceived as living a life based on works. This could not be farther away from the truth. We choose to do prayer, fasting, and almsgiving because we are grateful for what God has done for us through His Son and we desire to be more like Christ and closer to God. We do this because we want to bring the desires and passions of the flesh under control and live lives worthy of our God. We do this out of love for Him. Glory be to God!