Today's Devotion: Psalm 37:23 (New International Version) - If the LORD delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm;

Here David talks about the fate of the wicked and points out that although the righteous may stumble, the Lord will uphold them.

Today's Comments: In previous blogs, I mentioned the word apostasy, relative to the Episcopal Church. Obliviously, one who, like me, holds a relatively orthodox view of Christianity, would conclude that the Lord does not delight in the apostate. The Old Testament is full of stories of apostasy. Yet, even the Jewish Nation, which disobeyed the Lord constantly, although it was punished numerous times, was upheld by the Lord until the very end. We should consider the fact that even our errant brothers in the Episcopal Church will be upheld at the end, and we should pray for them.

Today's Devotion: Psalm 34:1 (New International Version) - [a] I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.

This is one of the Psalms of David. Did David practice what he preached?

Today's Comments: We all know the story of David and Bathsheba, don't we. Sometimes it is difficult to practice what we preach. Yet, God understands us well enough that he sent his only son to sacrifice himself upon a cross for our sins. God did not expect us to be perfect. He only asks our repentance and our trust in Jesus Christ.

Today's Devotion: Romans 8:37 (New International Version) - No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

The context of this verse can be found in the preceding and subsequent verse. In previous verses Paul posses the question, 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."[l]

The questions posed are then answered in the subsequent verses: 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[m] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Today's Comments: Only we can separate ourselves from God. God does not separate himself from us. Looking at the definition of the word apostasy (www.onelook.com), we find -

• noun: the act of abandoning a party or cause
  noun: the state of having rejected your religious beliefs or your political party or a cause (often in favor of opposing beliefs or causes)

As Father David said yesterday, apostasy is what is taking place in the Episcopal Church. The church is substituting justice and human rights issues for God. The real cause has been abandoned, and in its place is a social agenda. Until we are no longer tolerated, we should do our best to fight this change.

Today's Devotion: Psalm 73:24 (New International Version) - You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.

A review of the complete psalm indicates that the psalmist first questions and then begins to understand what his relationship with God is. He points out first that he slipped and almost found himself walking in the way of the wicked. But then, he corrects his course and reaches the understanding that, in the end, God will win.

Today's Comment: Blessed Sacrament had its annual meeting this morning. It was my last day as a Vestry Member, since the maximum that one can serve at one time is three years, and if I become ordained, I will no longer be eligible to serve again, since I will be considered to be a clergy member. However, I will serve as a delegate to the Diocesan Convention and our representative to the Deanery.

At the meeting, we were given a presentation concerning our relationship with the Episcopal Church. J.A.C. Redford presented us with a summary of the meetings of our discernment committee, and I provided background statistics on the makeup of the Anglican Communion, the loss of membership in the Episcopal Church, as well as the background concerning the current crisis--- the ordination of practicing homosexuals and the blessing of same sex unions. J.A.C. and Father David finished up with their view of our options. Father David characterized the current situation in the Episcopal Church not of one that is misguided but one of apostasy. The New Episcopal Church is being taken over by those who, like the psalmist viewed, have made the decision to walk with the wicked. J.A.C. would suggest that they are not the enemy, but they are being mislead by the devil and need our correction. Both J.A.C. and Father David suggest that we are in the midst of spiritual warfare, and in order to resist, we must put on the armor of God and allow Him to be our sword and our shield.