And so, it comes to a close…Great Lent for 2021 is ending. As we look over our journey, it is important to do a self-evaluation. Did I draw closer to the Lord during these 6 weeks? How disciplined was my prayer life? Was my fasting truly unto the Lord? Did I spend time in God’s […]
In our reading from the Holy Prophet Isaiah today (Isaiah 58:1-11), God reminds us of what He really wants during a fast…to also stop doing bad things and do good by helping those in need. He says if we will do this during our fasting: “Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your […]
“I am the LORD your God…Who leads you in the way you should go. O that you had hearkened to My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea!” (Isaiah 48:18) The Lord gives us lots of great suggestions on how we should live this […]
Can we talk about Mary this morning without someone thinking we are about to worship her? Can we call her the most “blessed” woman to ever live without being accused of Mariolatry? I say that partly in jest, but at the same time, I have heard that so very many times from well-meaning Christians who […]
Take a moment to read the story in Genesis 22:1-18 Throughout the Old Testament there are amazing images of New Testament truths. The Cross of Christ is an image that is found many, many times in the OT. The Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden depicts the Cross…whoever eats the fruit of that […]
This Sunday is called “The Sunday of Saint Mary of Egypt.” What an amazing Saint of the Holy Orthodox Faith to have an entire Sunday of Great Lent dedicated to her commemoration. Her life story is read every year so that it has become well known to all Orthodox Christians. You can easily find it […]
And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:4) On March 30th, the devotional was about the arrogant king of Assyria and how God dealt with his prideful ways. […]
“For all this His anger is not turned away and His hand is stretched out still.” (Isaiah 9:12, 17, 21, and 10:4) It is a good rule of thumb that if the Lord says something twice in Holy Scriptures, we should be extra attentive. In pondering today’s daily reading from Isaiah, we find the phrase […]
“The Lord Jesus wants to make all men similar to Himself. As the Son of God, He wants all men to become the adopted sons of God. As a King, He wants them to be co-kings with Him. As a Priest, to be co-priests with Him. As Almighty, to share in His strength. As Eternal, […]
Our UpWord Glance for this past Monday ended with these words: We offend God when we burn with envy over someone else’s success. Unlike Cain, we must learn to “master it” when it comes to envy. If we feel envy rising up inside us, we should begin “to do what is right” …to speak well […]