Isaiah 46:8-11 New King James Version
8 “Remember this, and [a]show yourselves men;
Recall to mind, O you transgressors.
9 Remember the former things of old,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like Me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things that are not yet done,
Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
And I will do all My pleasure,’
11 Calling a bird of prey from the east,
The man who executes My counsel, from a far country.
Indeed I have spoken it;
I will also bring it to pass.
I have purposed it;
I will also do it.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
The certainty of change is unavoidable.
The certainty of our resistance to that change is likewise unavoidable.
The predictability of change almost never happens the way we expect it.
The predictability of our resistance to any unexpected change is always 1000%
Anyone else nowadays feel like the only thing certain in this world is the 100% uncertainty of change? Every time you think your feet are firmly planted with expectations and plans solidified; you suddenly find yourself in shifting sand.
It can be frustrating and downright exhausting to lose what appeared to be firm footing and, once again, trudge through the vast unknown. Especially in today’s unpredictable and constantly evolving world, we will wonder… is there no solid assurance we can cling to? Where is that predictability? Where is that security?
Proverbs 4:1-9 New King James Version
Security in Wisdom
4 Hear, my children, the instruction of a father,
And give attention to know understanding;
2 For I give you good doctrine:
Do not forsake my law.
3 When I was my father’s son,
Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother,
4 He also taught me, and said to me:
“Let your heart retain my words;
Keep my commands, and live.
5 Get wisdom! Get understanding!
Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
6 Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you;
Love her, and she will keep you.
7 Wisdom is the principal thing;
Therefore get wisdom.
And in all your getting, get understanding.
8 Exalt her, and she will promote you;
She will bring you honor, when you embrace her.
9 She will place on your head an ornament of grace;
A crown of glory she will deliver to you.”
Keep my Commands … and live … I am not perfect! and live? for how long? I know when I was born – my mother told me. But, date and time of my death?
Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth? Can I remember every lesson, every proverb that I was ever taught by my Mother and Father?
Therefore get wisdom … And in all your getting, get understanding. Somethings are miles beyond my ability to understand, somethings I will never understand.
I don’t know about you, for myself I long for the highest possible predictability and security – like, all the time – in my life. If I could always have it “my way,” very little would change. It’s not that I am completely opposed to the new and the next, progress has brought much good in my own life and in our world.
The issue is… change equals the unknown. And there is no guarantee of “safety” in the unknown. Perhaps change and uncertainty are too challenging for you as well. Even if you are more naturally adventurous, navigating a shift can still be difficult, especially if it feels like you are walking onward without a roadmap.
So much of what we hear or read today challenges our human ability to believe wholeheartedly in the concept of any absolute truth. Ideas and doctrines swirl around inciting doubt and mistrust of the One constant that remains immutable in the midst of all of the temporal. At times we can feel like we are stumbling and bumbling through the darkness with flailing arms outstretched grasping for light and direction. On what can we truly depend – The rising of the Sun?
While the winds of change may blow in any direction but our own, we can all remain securely tethered to our unchanging, eternal God.
He is “the Alpha and the Omega (the beginning and the end)… who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty,” (Revelation 1:8, NIV).
He “is the same yesterday and today and forever,” (Heb. 13:8, NIV). No matter what goes on in our lives or in this world, he does not change. Period.
He is not a man that he should lie. He does not change his mind (Numbers 23:19).
He, and he alone, is God. Though confusion in our world threatens to tear down any sense of certainty, we can trust that truth will prevail; truth that is outlined for us in, throughout the length and breadth and depths of the Word of God.
Through this text, we believe not only in words written on a page, but in he who penned them.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:1-5, NIV.
There is nothing in all of creation that was made without him.
He is our beacon of light that shines through the shadows.
He has been here since the beginning and he will be here through the end.
From the most ancient times to things yet to come, he will forever remain our unchanging God. With this assurance, I pray you can know while uncertainty and change will remain this side of heaven, there is One who will never change.
He is our firm foundation.
He sees you all of the time. (Psalm 139)
He cares for you all the time. (Psalm 23)
You can stand secure and upright in the most unpredictable of shifting sands. (Psalm 121)
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Do you ever find yourself struggling through unexpected changes or wildly shifting sinking quicksand?
When you feel lost and confused, where do you go for clarity, understanding?
After reading today’s devotional, can you see how often our God reveals his character to us?
Why do you think and believe there are so many statements about God’s nature and attributes in the Bible?
What is he trying to tell us?
How does understanding his promise to remain unchanging, grant you assurance of his faithfulness in this life?
Take some quality time today to write down a few scriptures that declare the truth of who God is so when unexpected transitions occur, or doubts arise, you can remember, pray over that firmly communicates He is your firm foundation.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 46 Authorized (King James) Version
Psalm 46
To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth.
1 God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed,
and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 though the waters thereof roar and be troubled,
though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God,
the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved:
God shall help her, and that right early.
6 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved:
he uttered his voice, the earth melted.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
what desolations he hath made in the earth.
9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth;
he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder;
he burneth the chariot in the fire.
10 Be still, and know that I am God:
I will be exalted among the heathen,
I will be exalted in the earth.
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 
Novena in Honour of Saint Peter Nolasco (Crusader and founder of the Mercedarians who ransomed Christians from the Moors)
January 19 – 27
Maria Angela Grow
Jan 18
READ IN APP
Novena in Honour of Saint Peter Nolasco (Crusader and founder of the Mercedarians who ransomed Christians from the Moors)
January 19 – 27
.
O most Glorious and blessed Redeemer, Thou didst endue Thy servant Saint Peter Nolasco with Thy most ardent charity for the redemption of souls enslaved and oppressed: Look with pity, we beseech Thee, upon all men who, blinded by sin, serve under the oppresive yoke of Satan. Through the prayers of St.Peter, our Patron, fill us with that same charity, that we who enjoy the glorious liberty of the sons of God may ever work for their redemption, who suffer the slavery of mind or soul. Behold Thy servants, kneeling before Thy Eucharistic throne, and as Thou didst choose him for the redeeming of Thy servants chained by the Saracen*, by his merits, deign to free those made captive to error and sin.
.
V. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, and greatly delighteth in His commandments:
R. His children shall be mighty upon earth,the generation of the just shall be blessed.
.
O God, Who didst guide blessed Peter by the example of Thy Own love, to enrich Thy church with a new order for the ransoming of captives: Release us from the slavery of sin through his intercession, that we may enjoy the eternal freedom of our heavenly home.Amen
.
V. Grant that I may praise thee, O hallowed Virgin!
R. Give me strength against thine enemies.
.
O God, Who through the glorious Mother of Thy Son didst enrich Thy Church with a new congregation for the freeing of Christians from the slavery of the heathen: As we venerate Mary as the foundress of this institution, may we through her merits and prayers be freed from our sins and the slavery of the Devil. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
.
*Saracen: Muslims.
https://x.com/Shunyaa00/status/1880639543206174954
GERMANY today
😀
This is a beautiful and heartfelt morning prayer dedicated to St. Pio of Pietrelcina. It emphasizes the importance of faith, trust, and sincere prayer. The prayer calls upon the Sacred Heart of Jesus for mercy and grace, reflecting the deep devotion and love that St. Pio had for Jesus.
St. Pio, also known as Padre Pio, was known for his piety and his ability to intercede for those who sought his prayers. His simple yet powerful prayers have brought comfort and blessings to many.
If you have any specific requests or intentions, you can include them in the prayer as mentioned. May this prayer bring you peace and strengthen your faith.
Many followed Jesus in Galilee as he began his ministry, but a growing number found him hard to understand, Mark’s Gospel indicates.
Scribes come from Jerusalem and say he has a demon, the Pharisees begin to plot with the Herodians, the followers of Herod Antipas, about putting him to death. (Wednesday) When they hear about him in Nazareth, his relatives say, “No, he doesn’t have a demon. He may be out of his mind,” and they come to bring him home. (Saturday. 2nd week)
Besides the leading elite and people from his hometown, ordinary people begin to distance themselves too. They may be the people in Mark’s Gospel, (Monday) who question him “Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” (Mark 2, 18-22) Not only Jewish leaders and scholars, not only his own family and his hometown, but ordinary people of Galilee find him too much for them.
Jesus brought change, radical change, but change can be hard to accept. Jesus brought a new vision, a great vision, but vision can be hard to accept, especially if it seems delayed. Many who heard him weren’t ready for new wine, they preferred the old.
Commentators describe Mark’s gospel as a Passion Narrative with a prelude. In other words, Mark’s early stories predict the story of his Passion, Death and Resurrection. Jesus dies alone, forsaken by many ordinary people who flocked to him at first. Forsaken even by his friends.
Commentators also see Mark’s gospel written to help the Christians of Rome facing a surprising brutal persecution by Nero in the mid 60s. The persecution started by the arrest of Christian leaders, a usual step taken by Roman authorities when they dealt with the church, but this persecution seemed to strike at ordinary Christians as well. The senseless, arbitrary persecution left Rome’s Christians confused and wondering what this all meant. Mark’s account reminds his followers they must follow him without always understanding.
Confusion and lack of understanding are part of our world today, aren’t they? We are living in a time of rapid changes. For many, the old wine, the “old days” were clearer, better.
The Cross of Jesus may not come as hard wood and nails. According to Mark’s Gospel, it can come in today’s confusion and lack of understanding. A Cross hard to bear.
Our uncertainty is the doorway into mystery, the doorway into surrender, the path to God that Jesus called “faith.”
—from The Wisdom Pattern: Order, Disorder, Reorder
by Richard Rohr, OFM
Sometimes, the Cross of Confusion may lie more in our minds than in our hearts. …Heart of Mary, fastened to the cross with Jesus Crucified, Pray for us…. May the Passion of Jesus Christ be always in our hearts.
I agree “Sometimes, the Cross of Confusion may lie more in our minds than our hearts.” Good observation.
There are 24 healing miracles and 3 resurrection miracles documented between the four Gospels. This list is just the healing and resurrection miracles. It doesn’t include the miraculous signs Jesus performed, such as turning water into wine (John 2:1-11).
There were also miracles and miraculous signs that were undocumented. John concluded his Gospel by stating: “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written” (John 21:25, NIV). Because of this, it is likely that Jesus healed many more people.
The Miracles of Jesus
Healing Miracles
Man with leprosy (Matthew 8:1-4, Mark 1:40-45, Luke 5:12-15)
Centurion’s servant (Matthew 8:5-13, Luke 7:1-10)
Peter’s mother-in-law (Matthew 8:14-15, Mark 1:30-31, Luke 4:38-39)
Demon-possessed men in tomb (Matthew 8:28-34, Mark 5:1-15, Luke 8:27-35)
Paralyzed man (Matthew 9:2-7, Mark 2:3-12, Luke 5:18-25)
Bleeding woman (Matthew 9:20-22, Mark 5:25-29, Luke 8:43-48)
Two blind men (Matthew 9:27-31)
Mute, demon-possessed Man (Matthew 9:32-33)
Man With Shriveled Hand (Matthew 12:10-13, Mark 3:1-5, Luke 6:6-10)
Blind, mute demon possessed man (Matthew 12:22, Luke 11:14)
Canaanite woman’s daughter (Matthew 15:21-28, Mark 7:24-30)
Demon-possessed boy (Matthew 17:14-18, Mark 9:17-29, Luke 9:38-43)
Blind men (Matthew 20:29-34, Mark 10:46-52, Luke 18:35-43)
Deaf-mute man (Mark 7:31-37)
Demon-possessed man in synagogue (Mark 1:23-26, Luke 4:33-35)
Blind man at Bethsaida (Mark 8:22-26)
Crippled woman (Luke 13:11-13)
Man with abnormal swelling (Luke 14:1-4)
Two men with leprosy (Luke 17:11-19)
Ten men with leprosy (Luke 17:11-19)
High priest’s servant (Luke 22:50-51)
Official’s son at Capernaum (John 4:46-54)
Sick man at pool Of Bethesda (John 5:1-9)
Man born blind (John 9:1-7)
Resurrection Miracles
Jairus’ Daughter (Matthew 9:18-26, Mark 5:22-42, Luke 8:41-56)
Widow’s Son At Nain (Luke 7:11-15)
Lazarus (John 11:1-44)
Casual Sex Empties Your Soul
A case for chastity.
Simple Man
Jan 18
∙
Preview
READ IN APP
Abstaining from casual sex seems to be the last thing holding many men back from surrendering their lives to God. I know this was the case for me. And I know so many men who try to follow The Lord faithfully when it comes to every other commandment, law, and way of living, but make thousands of excuses to try and justify their lustful ways.
This is not me judging them or looking down on them from my high horse. I’m not blaming them either. Society has done a great job in poisoning our minds, hypersexualizing us and assigning way too much importance to sex in the life of a single man. It’s tough to go against this programming. But it’s incredibly necessary. Casual sex and sexual immorality is one of the toughest things a man needs to fight against, before he can truly and honestly claim he is trying to pursue sanctity. What matters most, as always, is not succeeding in living a chaste life —although this is very important too—, but rather having the intellectual and spiritual honesty necessary to reject sexual immorality within your heart, and doing your very best to abstain from it.
Social Media and “Red-Pill” Gurus
Red pill gurus are in no small part responsible for the problem of over-sexualization of relationships and of sexual immorality as a whole, at least on the side of the men. Women are being misled too, by mainstream music, TV shows, and feminist agendas. Men, on the other hand, are being misled by online gurus and “super alpha males” who claim the main thing that determines the value of a man is his body count. I don’t care what you’ve heard, a man of real value doesn’t go around sleeping with whoever he can. These gurus are very good at delivering judgement and shaming women for being sexually inmoral, while hypocritically racking up their own body counts with random girls they find at whatever club they happen to be in that weekend. They use “biology” to justify their own actions, and still claim to deserve a virtuous woman for when eventually they get tired of sleeping around.
But the rules God made apply to us all. God is above biology. So even if our biological build is different, and even if, as a man, you might be biologically drawn to polygamy, there is a law that stands above that desire, one that very clearly says what these gurus willfully ignore: one woman for one man. To see sex for the gift that it is, and save it for someone worthy. …
Läsningar: Heb 4:1–5, 11; Ps 78:3, 4, 6c–8; Mark 2:1–12.
Kära bröder och systrar
Den helige Antonios den store som vi firar idag föddes i Egypten år 251. Vid den tiden hade förföljelserna mot Kyrkan tillfälligt lugnat ner sig en aning, och det var möjligt att delta i mässan öppet utan att riskera att fängslas och dö som martyr. Den helige Antonios föräldrar dog när han bara var i tonåren, och han fick då ensam ansvara för att försörja sin lillasyster. En gång när Antonios som 18- eller 20-åring deltog i den heliga mässan hörde han evangeliet om den rike ynglingen: ”Om du vill bli fullkomlig, så gå och säljs allt du har och ge åt de fattiga; då får du en skatt i himlen. Kom sedan och följ mig.” (Matt 19:21). Dessa ord av vår Herre träffade den helige Antonios rakt i hjärtat, och han gav bort allt han ägde efter föräldrarna åt de fattiga, anförtrodde uppfostran av sin syster till några pålitliga jungfrur och drog sig tillbaka till öknen för att där leva ett liv som eremit i bön och botgöring. Han fick snart många lärjungar och kom att betraktas som munkväsendets fader.
I början av 300-talet inleddes den sista stora förföljelsen av de kristna i romarriket under kejsar Diocletianus regering, och den helige Antonios hjälpte då många av de troende som sökte skydd från förföljelserna i öknen. När förföljelserna upphörde hjälpte han sin biskop och biograf, den helige Athanasios av Alexandria, att försvara den kristna tron från ett annat slags hot, nämligen den arianska irrläran som förnekade Jesu gudom. Den helige Antonios dog år 356, över 100 år gammal.
Att lämna allt och följa Jesus genom ett liv i bön och botgöring som munk kan betraktas som ett långt och utdraget martyrium, ett så kallat vitt martyrium. Att offra sitt liv för tron på Jesus Kristus som martyr är den högsta formen av kärlek till Gud, men man ska aldrig aktivt söka efter att bli dödad för sin tro. Så när förföljelsen av de kristna lugnade ner sig och kristendomen tilläts i romarriket genom kejsar Konstantins toleransedikt år 313, då kom munkväsendet på många sätt att ersätta martyriet. Men de lidanden som kommer med munklivets uppoffringar är inte ett mål i sig. Enkelheten, askesen och botgöringen är framförallt menade att underlätta bönen och ge Gud en ännu större plats i ens hjärta. Samtidigt är det inte självklart att ett tillbakadraget liv i öknen alltid omedelbart underlättar bönen. Den helige Antonios fick uppleva fruktansvärda frestelser och andra attacker från demoner under sin tid i öknen. ”Den helige Antonios frestelse” är ett vanligt motiv i kyrkokonsten, och den andliga kamp som den helige Antonios genomgick beskrivs av aposteln Paulus i följande text ur Efesierbrevet som kan användas för denna minnesdag: ”det är inte mot varelser av kött och blod vi har att kämpa utan mot härskarna, mot makterna, mot herrarna över denna mörkrets värld, mot ondskans andekrafter i himlarymderna.” (Ef 6:12). När man skalar bort alla yttre intryck, då är det inte bara möjligt för Gud att få en större plats i ens hjärta, utan djävulens andliga attacker kan också bli mer påtagliga.
I måndags kunde man läsa i Svenska Dagbladet om extremskidåkaren Erik Wennberg, som efter flera allvarliga hjärnskakningar fick ligga stilla i ett kolsvart rum i flera veckor i sträck för att återhämta sig. Han berättar att hans tankar då togs i besittning av vad han själv kallar för en demon, något han beskriver som ”det vidrigaste [han] upplevt i [sitt] liv”. Precis som vi inte aktivt ska söka martyriet så är det heller att rekommendera att utmana ödet genom att utföra livsfarliga extremskidhopp eller liknande bedrifter. Och även om Jesus även idag kallar unga män och kvinnor att lämna allt och följa honom som munk eller nunna, så är det kanske inte så många av dem som är kallade att leva i samma extrema avskildhet och askes som den helige Antonios den store gjorde i den egyptiska öknen. Men om vi menar allvar med vår tro på Kristus så måste vi alla i någon mån vara beredda att göra avkall på vår bekvämlighet och ta oss tid för bön i ensamhet och stillhet. Och om djävulen ser att han då håller på att förlora oss ur sitt grepp, då får vi vara beredda på att det kan medföra olika former av frestelser och andra andliga attacker. Men i så fall kan vi samtidigt sätta vår lit till aposteln Paulus ord att ”Gud är trofast och skall inte låta er prövas över förmåga: när han sänder prövningen visar han er också en utväg, så att ni kommer igenom den.” (1 Kor 10:13)
Låt oss be om den helige Antonios den stores förbön att vi både kan inspireras av hans liv i enkelhet, avskildhet och bön för att ge ännu större utrymme åt Gud i våra hjärtan, och att vi får all den nåd vi behöver för att ta oss igenom alla prövningar. Amen.
LikeLiked by 1 person