Lifeless Things Offer No Satisfaction The lifeless things of this world offer no spiritual satisfaction, yet we often sell ourselves off to things or people by giving them power over our hearts. It is easy to feel abandoned or hurt by those to whom we’ve given power. If we need
We Must Fast for the Right Reasons Left to right: Monk Nicodemus, Hieromonk Paul, Abbot Tryphon, Monk Martin, Monk Paisios, and Novice Basil. The Lord condemned the Pharisee, not because he fasted, but because his motivation was based on pride. The Pharisee wished to be seen by men, and he
Reflecting the Beauty of God in a Darkened World When others see how we negotiate our life, how we treat our fellow workers, our neighbors, and our family, they should witness in us devotion and praise of God. Our deeds and our speech must reveal the love of God to
Gratefulness Brings About Happiness We all know that money can’t buy happiness, yet many are not aware that practicing simple gratitude does bring about happiness. Being grateful for the people we have in our lives, and for the things that we have, brings about a happiness that can not come
Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you One of my favorite passages in Scripture is James 4:8, “Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you”. The simplest prayer can begin a life long relationship with God, because our God desires that we commune
A Healthy Soul is one that Seeks out Silence We are addicted to noise. We find it impossible to drive our vehicles without the radio on or a CD playing. Our televisions are running from the moment we’ve returned from work. We take our runs with earphones filling our minds
Let My Prayer Arise As incense Before Thee From Old Testament times believers have burned incense as an offering when worshiping God. The ancient temple in Jerusalem even had priests whose sole duty was to keep the censer burning twenty-four hours a day. Ancient pagan kings were often escorted with
How do we find God in an unbelieving world? God is a merciful God, quick to forgive, quick to show mercy, quick to embrace us when we turn to Him. In all of eternity our God chose to create humankind in His image and likeness, offering His creatures the opportunity
Our Focus Must Be On Repentance And Holiness In all our busyness, and with all the distractions that come our way on any given day, it is easy to forget that repentance is the only possible way we can embrace holiness. Since we sin daily and fall short of the