The word of the day is “anchor.” So many people these days are drifting. The currents of society are carrying them one way and then another.  Subtle and almost irresistible influences are assailing believers and unbelievers. Our reading of Hebrews 6:13-20 offers us the only defense from these social forces. The apostle writes, “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast…” (NKJV vs. 18).  Today our reading helps us to realize that nothing in this churning world is unchanging. But this passage teaches us to look to our hope in the Eternal God to keep worldliness from overwhelming us. The thing about drifting is that we don’t notice it. We aren’t aware that we are being…
The word of the day is “diligence.”  Time erodes zeal. As the days pass, our original dedication to a cause tends to diminish.  This observation is true of our spiritual intensity.  We have passed the mid-point of Great Lent.  Have your steps slowed on your Lenten journey to the house of our Heavenly Father?  That is likely unless you have found a way to overcome natural spiritual inertia. If we have become sluggish in our observance of Lent, we need the word of our reading of Hebrews 6:9-12.  The apostle speaks to all of us, saying, “And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end” (vs. 11).  Today our study…
The word of the day is “eyes.” How do you respond when someone points out your fault? Do you bristle with indignation, or do you respond to correction with appreciation? In our reading of Proverbs 12:8-22, the wise sage writes, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise” (NKJV vs. 15). Today we learn that thinking that we are wise in our own wisdom is a sign of pride. And we suggest that this kind of deep self-conceit requires salvation and healing more than instruction. A Law unto Themselves The Old Testament Book of Judges ends with the social disintegration of the People of God. The writer explains the cause of…
The word of the day is “judgment.” The adage that “Man proposes but God disposes” is true. But without plans, our lives are aimless and without purpose.  To steer the course of our lives, God has given us the faculty of judgment to decide between alternatives to the actions we should take. But our judgment may be in line with the will of God or against it. In our reading of Proverbs 11:19-12:6, the wise sage of Proverbs says, “The thoughts of the righteous are right, but the counsels of the wicked are deceitful” (NKJV vs. 12:5).  Today we will examine what it means to think “right” thoughts, that is, to make sound judgments. Our commentary will use the translation of the Septuagint (LXX)…
The word of the day is “offer.”  For the Orthodox, today is the mid-point of Great Lent, the Sunday of the Adoration of the Cross.  The Cross we exalt today is the center of the faith.  According to our reading of Hebrews 4:14-5:6, it was by the Cross that the Lord Jesus became our High Priest (OSB 4:14). Thus, the apostle writes that God appointed Christ to offer “gifts and sacrifices for sin” as a priest (NKJV vs. 5:1).  Today, we view the Cross through the lens of the apostle’s teaching of Christ, the High Priest. For the Orthodox, the Lord’s death on the Cross was no impersonal payment, no supernatural transaction to balance the scales of divine justice. It was a…
The word of the day is “cast.” There are things that others can take away from us.  There are things that others cannot take away from us but that we can give away. And there are things that can neither be taken from us nor given away. Today, in our reading of Hebrews 10:32-38, the apostle urges us, “Do not cast away your confidence which has a great reward” (OSB Vs. 33).  This verse prompts us to reflect on the things that are in our control to keep, the things that require our endurance to preserve. In today’s reading, the apostle encourages his flock to persevere in endurance. The Greek word means “remaining” or “persisting.” The term especially refers to bearing trials…
The word of the day is “but .” Both wickedness and righteousness earn a just reward that is suited to them.  In our reading of Proverbs 10:31-11:12, we learn this principle of God’s justice. The wise sage of Proverbs writes, “The righteousness of the upright saves them, but the treacherous are taken captive by their own schemes (OAB vs. 6). Today we examine the contrast between the consequences of following the path of wisdom and straying from it in the way of wickedness. The Treachery of Wickedness In today’s reading, we find that wickedness is full of schemes, plots, and treachery. By these measures, evil strives to get ahead in this world.  But the sage warns that these designs are useless for two reasons.…
The word of the day is “folly.” Yesterday, we heard Wisdom summon us to her banquet. Today, in our reading of Proverbs 9:12-18, we hear a corresponding invitation of a foolish woman.  This woman, whom we will call “Folly,” calls out to all who pass by, “Whoever is simple let him turn in here” (NKJV vs. 16). Today we will contrast the appeals of these two representatives of Wisdom and foolishness and the consequences of answering each. The Enticements of Wisdom and Folly Both Wisdom and Folly offer enticements to visit them. Wisdom sends out her maidens with the invitation to “turn aside to me” (OSB 9:4).  Likewise, Folly sits at the highest places of the city and cries out…
The word of the day is “seek.” Today in our reading of Proverbs 8:1-21, wisdom assures us that “those who seek me diligently will find me” (vs. 21). As we continue our Lenten time of prayer and fasting, we might reflect on this matter of seeking. To do so, let’s jump forward to the Gospel of John and the story of the first followers of Jesus, a passage that gives us clarity about seeking and finding. The Lord Asks, “What Do You Seek?” Recall that in John Chapter 1, John the Baptist gave his prophetic witness, “I have seen and testified that this (Jesus) is the Son of God” (John 1:44), and again he said, “Behold the Lamb of God.”…
The word of the day is “angels.” So many voices are shouting at us these days that we are bound to distrust, discount, distrust, and disregard them all.  But do the words of the Lord also get lost amidst all the messages that assail us?  Today in our reading of Hebrews 1:10-2:3, the apostle compares the word of angels with the Word of the Lord. He writes, “If the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at first began to be spoken by the Lord” (NKJV 2:2-4). Today’s reading gives us reason to pay careful attention to “every word which proceeds from the…