Category: Message of the Day
“I bear the brand marks of Jesus in my body.” –Galatians 6:17 Livestock are branded so that others can tell who owns them. St. Paul bore the brand marks of Jesus on his body, so all could determine that Jesus owned him. Paul’s brand marks were scars and bruises from the beatings, stonings, and other sufferings he endured for Jesus (see Acts 14:19; 16:22ff; 2 Cor 11:23ff). Other saints, like Francis of Assisi and Padre Pio, have borne the stigmata, the wounds of Christ, in their hands and feet. Could someone tell by looking at your body that you belong...
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“Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss.”–Psalm 85:11 What a beautiful image! Kindness and truth meet. Justice and peace kiss. How can this be? So often, kindness and peace are overshadowed by the need to right a wrong. Many times, truth and justice are compromised by the desire to avoid offending anyone. Is the above passage merely a poetic ideal that could never be achieved in the cold, hard world of everyday living? These potentially conflicting ideals come together as one in the Person of Jesus. Jesus is Truth (Jn 14:6). He is our Justice (1 Cor...
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“Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:34 In times of pressure and stress when it feels as if hope is dying, anxiety takes root in your heart and mind and flourishes. Anxiety is the product of confused mind and little faith. One way of overcoming a feeling of anxiety is to determine its cause. For many people their anxiety is vague and indefinable, but it continues to erode their spirit mind with disastrous consequences. Take your anxieties to God and ask Him to be...
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“My soul is consumed with longing for Your ordinances at all times.” –Psalm 119:20 In our selfishness and injustice, we are setting ourselves up for a famine for hearing the Word of the Lord (Am 8:11). When we sin, we contribute to a society which closes its ears and hearts to God’s Word. In many corporations, God’s Word is not welcome and not tolerated. For Christians such as myself who work in such situations of a famine for God’s Word in the workplace, we long for His Word. During our time at work, we say: “I long for Your precepts…hide...
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“Have courage, son.” –Matthew 9:2 The first words Jesus said to the paralyzed man were: “Have courage, son.” We need courage to be freed from the paralysis of sin and fear. We should be like Amos, who refused to be intimidated, stampeded out of town, or manipulated by Amaziah (see Am 7:12ff). We need to be like Jesus, Who, when accused of blasphemy and thereby threatened with execution, stood His ground (see Mt 9:4ff). However, we have all been like Peter, who let himself become paralyzed by fear and then denied Christ three times (see Lk 22:57-60). By the Spirit,...
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