Rules and Legalism
“Why does adherence to traditions—even the most ancient and beautiful ones—not automatically make a person a believer? And where is the very line that marks the point at which a ritual ceases to be a bridge to God and turns into a façade concealing emptiness, or, even worse, a complete mismatch between life and the ideals that are professed? To begin with, any religion—and Christianity is no exception—has two components: form and content. The form consists precisely of tradit
Faithfulness
“God calls us to faithfulness in whatever situation He places us…Faithfulness to God is never forgotten by the Lord, even if it appears to go unnoticed (Heb 6:10). The true reward is glorification, not in this life, but in the Kingdom to come (Heb 11:39, 40).” (Orthodox Study Bible, Esther 2:20, 23) “People often perceive faith as confidence in the existence of God. But this is the first step of faith, from which you can gradually rise to something higher. For example, faith
Secularism
“The great tragedy of secularism is its reduction of all things to mere things. We are created to have right relationships with all...
Anxiety
“Our Risen Lord has liberated us from slavery to the fear of death, which is at the root of all our anxiety and despair. So the next time...
Patience
“ ‘Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His...