English Bible Study

This week’s Bible study approaches the way of sainthood and how we can walk in it. It is a way that is not within material means. They are within holy means that lead to salvation and sanctification. One of those means for holiness is who I surround myself with. In heaven it is impossible to find someone who is not humble. The lazy person suffers from irrational fear. When one continues to use fear as an excuse, in their minds it becomes reality.

Fr. Mina talks about how we should treat others according to God’s word. It especially emphasizes the way we should treat our enemies, we need to love and care for them. We need to show them love because this gives us a glimpse into God’s heart. We can also connect to God’s heart by committing ourselves to a life of righteousness. This means choosing to stay away from a foolish life. A foolish life is one where we choose to ignore the sacrifice and love that God gave us to satisfy our earthly needs. A righteous life is one where we choose to appreciate God’s grace and sacrifice for us.

We continue our journey through the treasures of the book of Proverbs and dive into its personal message to each of us that it becomes our duty to practice as Christians. Correction is not the simple fact of correcting what is wrong but it is made complete when the one making the correction explains what ought to be done instead of the wrong and the rationale behind it. The church does not need more people attacking it...the church needs people who are with God, who seek peace and pursue it, and who refresh the soul with a word.

If I am still practicing a sinful life, I have not yet stepped into a life of perfection. God entrusted us with a field, and we will either be a man who takes care of the field and nourish it, or become a lazy man that lets thorns out to choke any possible fruit from growth.

We often feel the desire to be better than others, and this can cause us to feel happy when we see others stumble. But God’s commandment is clear—everyone is made in the image of God, and we must not rejoice in the suffering of others. God requires us, as His children, to have His heart. The Lord calls us to change ourselves internally to become more righteous, but sometimes we get distracted from this inner change and seek external ways to improve ourselves. This distracts us from the true purpose of our lives. It is important to remember that what we do in the world is still connected to our internal change. Our outward actions affect the blessings that are allowed into our own homes. By controlling what we think and say about others and focusing on our own hearts, we can grow closer to the Heart of the Lord, who searches for souls to join Him.

الطاعة لصوت الله – الأب مينا ديميتري by Saint Mary Coptic Orthodox Church, East Brunswick, NJ

Through wisdom we can overcome our spiritual warfare. Without wisdom, we become lost and lose our virtue. Discernment is how we apply God’s commandments the right way in our real lives. This wisdom comes from Christ Himself and requires our sacrifice, dedication, and commitment. No evil can be hidden forever, no matter how much they try to conceal themselves. Foolishness becomes sin and becomes known to the world. It is important to remember that Christ said in the last days people will uplift evilness. Even now, we need to exercise wisdom when dealing with the world which glorifies sin. The wicked attack the source of nourishment (wisdom) for the righteous. The righteous might fall into sin but they rise again because their foundation in Christ is strong.

These chapters warn us of the dangers of addiction and the lack of self-control. The temptations of alcohol and addiction often arise not from an actual dependence on the substance itself, but from the social environments in which they are encountered. Because of this, it is important to avoid even the places where temptation is readily available for extended periods of time. Our environment is one of the few aspects of temptation that we are able to control. The life of an addict is often consumed by pain, denial, and shame. Helping an addict requires compassion and an honest acknowledgment of their situation. The life of a child of God who seeks to avoid this path should be grounded in wisdom and faithful adherence to the Word of God. Through this foundation, we are able to build a strong life that helps us resist and overcome every temptation.

The Lord invites us to a special type of wisdom. A wisdom that is of sonship. The ways of the world are not trodden at a free cost, but the biggest cost of all is paid: your soul. Once God reveals the truth in your life, don’t sell it. The cost of this road to be trodden is also high but it leads to life.

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Our motives and the way we think form our morals and how close we are able to be with God. The church motivates us to spend time in solitude because it allows us to listen to the Word of God and act on it without external factors. It is important to keep in mind that if we do not keep in mind the commandments of God, his blessings will vomit us out. If we run after the worldly friendships and environments while forsaking the Word of God, we will find ourselves without long-lasting friendships and without the blessings of God. We should run to God alone. When we seek company and friendship, we should seek those we can give to, those we can be selfless with. If we seek friendships with Spirit as our guide, God will unite us. A heart that wants to listen and benefit from God should prepare through love, fasting, and prayer. In the next section, Abouna Mina will discuss what it means to have the right heart to listen to the Word of God.

We have a problem with trusting God. This gives way to a burdensome life filled with anxiety and doubt. The solution to this is to place our troubles in front of God and forget them. By forgetting our worries we can focus our lives on God’s true purpose for us. Our responsibility, as children of God, is to care for those in need. The scripture provides a clear guide for us on how to live our lives with the goal of heaven in mind. This section of proverbs in particular provides us with a variety of sayings on topics like the importance of almsgiving, prayer, and the necessity of discipline in our lives.

Since sin, death and corruption entered the world man has been living while facing two ends of a spectrum. Faced daily with challenges that challenge him on which one to choose. On one end he is faced with laziness which bears down the soul not to follow what God and the church has set for us, resulting in quenching of the spirit of prophecy. Another end is to choose to be uncomfortable and at an inconvenience so we can walk with God. On that road man is invited to learn that it is not about the temptation of being on the other side of the challenging spectrum of choices in life but rather about letting God fight for you so you could be won over to the follow the righteous life.

While material possessions create a difference between people, God binds both together. The Lord has made the rich and poor. Our Lord has given us a commandment to watch over the poor. An opportunity to love; thus man should not seek it as an opportunity to exploit and create divisions. The continuation of Bible study takes us through the different facets of love and care for others, from those who are in our first circle to the ones in our outermost circles.

The knowledge of the wise fills them with abundance, while the greed of the foolish destroys their wealth. In our spiritual lives, we can either continuously hear the word of God or we can meditate on it. The foolish will swallow nice words but the wise will act on it. The foolish are brought down by their laziness but the wise are uplifted by their struggles. God rewards the struggle and effort of the wise. Abouna Mina then discusses how the Lord has the final word over all, and our path to victory is only through Him.

Our eyes are attracted to many things. The eyes are windows to our hearts, so what attracts our eyes shows us what resides in our hearts. As children of God, we are created with a calling embedded in us to be sensitive to the cry of the poor. Moreover, when we fail to meet our calling our prayers are blocked and unheard from God. This Bible study takes us on a heart and eye opening journey through what poverty is and why it is present so that the rich may be saved.

This week’s Bible study guides us through a few important spiritual topics. Young people have health and physical resources and old people have wisdom. And neither should look down upon the other. Wisdom is gained from living a righteous life, hence a person is only able to pass onto his kids such wisdom. The fruit of that wisdom are 3 pillars: charity, discipline and obedience.