Posts Tagged ‘1st Corinthians’
Who is Your Father?
Of the many accusations against Christ was the claim to know what where He came from. Of course, this was a ruse because they didn’t want to admit that He was Christ. So, they kept asking Him questions. They ask us all sorts of questions too, but we never properly answer. The Lord said to…
Read MoreLove Bears all Things
Today is the last day of January. It is a good day to evaluate our New Year Resolutions. Looking around your town you will probably notice much of life has reverted back to where it was in December. Fitness center parking lots aren’t full anymore, but neither are Church lots. Evaluating our spiritual progress is…
Read MoreWhy Pray for the Dead?
The other day I was asked (it wasn’t the first time) why we offer memorials for the dead if they have ‘finished’ and reached the objective? I get a variety of questions about praying for the dead, so today’s reading from Saint Paul is a good opportunity to take another look. Brethren, what do people…
Read MoreFork in the Road
Life is full of choices. Do we wake up or sleep in? Do we eat healthy or binge on junk food? Do we ‘give it our all’ at work or settle for ‘just enough’ to get by? With every choice we face our options include some sort of benefit. Good eating and hard work pay…
Read MoreOrder Instead of Chaos
Some people believe Orthodox Christianity is too complicated. There are so many rules and regulations. Everything from what and when we can eat to how and when we should enter the Church. There are so many rules to ‘figure’ out that most stop trying or try to change the rules. Brethren, when you come together,…
Read MoreEdify the Church
In every aspect of our life, we have an established goal. Even when that goal is to retreat for some peace and quiet, we always have a purpose in our choices and actions. When we work, when we play, even when we socialize, we always have a purpose. So, what is your purpose when you…
Read MoreThe Future
The Church is always reminding us that we do not have any guarantees for the future. We may not live to see tomorrow, let alone decades from now. We are taught as Christians to focus on today, so we are prepared for whenever God calls us home. But we can’t ignore the future. Brethren, love…
Read MoreCommon Life
In every Divine Liturgy we proclaim our common life in Christ when we pray, “Let us commend ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.” We do not commend our unison lives to Christ. We commend our life, singular, to Christ. That should mean something. Brethren, let any one who thinks…
Read MoreDon’t Allow Yourself to be Tripped Up
I was once taught the first step to any sin is to believe I would always be able to ‘say no’ to temptation. Instead of counting on my willpower, I was taught to do whatever I could to set up protections against temptation. That way I would increase my chances of avoiding sin. Brethren, God…
Read MoreRemain or Repent; Which is it?
It has become popular to use the expression, “God made me who I am,” as an excuse toward all sorts of behaviors the Church teaches against. “God doesn’t make mistakes,” is another excuse. I say excuse, because we never want to remain how we are if we don’t like who we are. Brethren, in whatever…
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