Posts Tagged ‘Gospel of Matthew’
Stop Wondering
I’ve been Orthodox Christian my entire life. For me, there was never a moment I doubted God. That being said, it never ceases to amaze me just how many people witness His power and grace but refuse to believe. They choose wonder rather than glory. I don’t get it. At that time, Jesus passed along…
Read MoreEpisode 484 – Closer to Christ in Forgiveness and Healing
When a community gathers united in Christ, healing takes place. When we bring each other closer to Christ, sins are forgiven. When Christ sees our faith as a united family, He blesses us, forgives us, and heals us. At that time, getting into a boat Jesus crossed over and came to his own city. And…
Read MoreSlow Down and Develop Your Roots
These past few days I had the blessing of attending the Clergy Laity Congress of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Among the several outstanding workshops I attended was a session about outreach and preparation of converts. There was discussion about the timing as equally important as the learning for those seeking to enter the…
Read MoreEpisode 483 – Unworthy but Loved by God
As humans and especially as American’s we never like to admit that we are not worthy of God’s love. There is nothing we can do to make us worthy of God’s love, mercy and grace. He is the one who makes us worthy through our faith and humility. Instead of pride and arrogance, humility and…
Read MoreEpisode 482 – Seek God and Everything Else Makes Sense
In the Gospel of Matthew we hear Christ say, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.” What things? ALL THINGS that we need in life. If we are willing to seek God, then our food, our health, our shelter, even our minds, will all…
Read MoreServing God VS Serving the Flesh
According to logic and the Holy Scriptures, it is impossible to serve two masters. You “will be loyal to the one and despise the other.” (Matthew 6.24) We talk about multitasking and threading the needle, or walking a fine line, but when push comes to shove, we have only one loyalty. I once led a…
Read MoreEpisode 481 – Trust God and Follow Him
When faced with the invitation by Christ to drop everything and following Him, the disciples immediately left everything and follow Him. As humans it is natural to wonder about the future. Will we have what we need? What will the future look like? Unknowns can create anxiety, but when we learn to trust Christ, even…
Read MoreWho Enters the Kingdom of God?
The question every Christian asks is, “Will I be saved?” We live our entire life defending our answer. We all think ‘we’ are going to be with God in heaven, but Christ says, “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven.” There is no guarantee. The defense make for…
Read MoreEpisode 480 – What does it mean to Confess God?
We are all called to be saints. On the Sunday of All Saints Christ says, “Every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny him before my Father who is in heaven.” If we want to…
Read MoreBelief is not Enough
We all know that being a Christian isn’t easy. There are teachings to memorize and rules to follow. For Orthodox Christians there are Sacred Traditions to keep and spiritual disciplines to practice. Is all this necessary? Why can’t we ‘just believe’ in God? Consider today’s lesson from Saint Paul. There were many who knew God,…
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