The word of the day is “commit.” It is natural to worry about the success or failure of our work, our family life, and our every endeavor. Yet, that anxiety is unnecessary. Today in our reading of Proverbs 15:20-16:9, the sage teaches that we can develop a calm confidence in everything we do. He writes, “Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established” (OAB vs. 16:3).   Today we consider the peace of heart and mind that comes from committing whatever we undertake to the Lord and His Glory. The Lord Made All for Himself The foundation for our comments today is found in the sage’s teaching: “The Lord has made all for Himself, yes, even the wicked for…
The word of the day is “better.” Are the choices that people make in their lives based on reason? The “Rational Choice Theory” claims that people choose the options they believe are in their best interest. That is, they select the most reasonable choices among alternatives. Our reading of Proverb 15:7-19 rejects this presupposition. The wise sage of Proverbs writes, “Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fatted calf with hatred” (NKJV vs. 17). This saying suggests that the theory that people make reasonable choices fails to consider the role of the passions in human decisions. Today we look at the basic choice between the freedom of wisdom and the folly of slavery to the passions. …
The word of the day is “heart.” St. Theophan the Recluse taught that the heart is the innermost center of our being.  It is the seat of our thoughts, emotions, will, self-awareness, and conscience. It follows that the state of the heart determines the condition of our bodies, minds, and souls. In this vein, in our reading of Proverbs 14: 27-15:4, the wise sage of Proverbs says, “A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones” (NKJV vs. 30).  Today we consider what it means to possess a spiritually healthy heart. A Calm, Peaceful, and Tranquil Heart What does it mean to have a “sound” heart? Various versions translate the adjective “sound” as “peaceful”…
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…
The word of the day is “diligence.”  Time erodes zeal. As the days go by, 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).…
The word of the day is “devise.”  Often those who promote acts of mercy make an emotional appeal.  They show a malnourished child or an abused animal and in pleading tones ask us to care.  But in today’s reading of Proverbs 14:15-20, the wise sage of Proverbs offers a different viewpoint. He says, “Deceivers devise evil things, but good men devise mercy and truth” (OSB 14: 23) . The word “devise” suggests that “good men” plan their acts of compassion just as evil men strategize their wicked deeds. Today we will consider the sage’s suggestion that charitable giving involves our thinking as well as our feelings. To Devise a Plan Both the Hebrew Bible and the Septuagint (LXX) agree that…
The word of the day is “company.”  “A man is known by the company he keeps.”  This adage is one of the most familiar of Aesop’s Fables.  But the Scriptures often repeat the same thought. For instance, in our reading of Proverbs 13:19-14:6, the wise sage of Proverbs writes, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed (NKJV vs. 30). We learn from this humble saying that we should seek the best kind of companionship as followers of Christ. Not every would-be friend is a suitable travel companion as we walk in the way of the Lord. We Become Like Our Friends A Spanish saying observes, “He that goes with wolves…
The word of the day is “anxious.” W. H. Auden published his Pulitzer-prize winning poem, “The Age of Anxiety,” in 1947.  That title is still an apt description of our time, especially during this present crisis.   Psychology Today reports that anxiety levels in America are three times higher now than they were before the Covid-19 pandemic. But anxiety is a product of the human condition and has been a factor of our human experience since the Fall.  We are fragile and vulnerable creatures who have built-in survival mechanisms.  These systems respond in body, mind, and soul to alarms of threats to our well-being, and we become anxious. In our reading of Proverbs 12:23-13:9, the wise sage of Proverbs makes a…
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…
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 is the center of the faith. In today’s reading of Hebrews 4:14-5:6, we learn that by the Cross, the Lord became our High Priest (OSB 4:14). The apostle writes that God appointed Him 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 voluntary and personal act…