Category: Daily Reflections

“We have that spirit of faith of which the Scripture says, ‘Because I believed, I spoke out.’ We believe and so we speak.” –2 Corinthians 4:13 St. James spoke out publicly without fear. In the book of the Acts of the Apostles, we read about the speeches of Peter and John, but James proclaimed the truth so powerfully that Herod chose him as the first apostle to be killed (Acts 12:2). However, James was initially fearful and ran from conflict (Mk 14:50). Yet after receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, James was “filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:4) and...

“Return, rebellious children, says the Lord, for I am your Master.” –Jeremiah 3:14 The Lord promised that, if we repented of our rebellion against Him, He would appoint over us wise and prudent leaders after His own heart (Jer 3:15). Then we would become fruitful and reach new heights (Jer 3:16ff). We do not produce “grain a hundred- or sixty- or thirtyfold” (Mt 13:8) if we do not repent of: • not growing in understanding God’s Word (Mt 13:19). The Holy Spirit has been given to us as our Teacher (Jn 14:26). If we are docile to the Spirit, we...

“They have forsaken Me, the Source of living waters; they have dug themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that hold no water.” –Jeremiah 2:13 Does your life hold water — the living waters of God’s grace, Baptism, and the Holy Spirit? The patterns that we develop in our lives can be likened to digging cisterns (see Jer 2:13). These patterns will either help us retain and grow in our faith or contribute to an erosion and loss of our faith. For instance, a cistern, or way of life, in which God’s Word is not taken authoritatively will usually not hold water for...

“Show us wonderful signs.” –Micah 7:15 The Lord is all-powerful and all-knowing. Therefore, He is never at a loss, never surprised, and never on the defensive. Logically, the all-powerful, all-knowing Lord must always be on the offensive. Therefore, events opposed to God’s will are necessarily defensive maneuvers by Satan and those he is using. For example, the terrorists’ attacks on September 11, 2001, were in opposition to the Lord’s work of salvation. We naturally wonder what the Lord was and is doing that would be such a threat to the evil one. Why did Satan react so violently? Of course,...