There are many obstacles between us and God. Some obstacles are from the world trying to stop us from reaching God. Other obstacles are from God to protect us from ourselves. The most dangerous obstacles are from our own making, our sins that separate us from God. No obstacle can keep us from God if we are committed to overcoming them to reach God.

On the cusp of Great Lent, we are called to three challenges. All three challenges have one thing in common. We are called to forgive, fast and be generous, all to prepare our hearts for God. Great Lent isn’t about food and prostration. Great Lent is about changing our hearts for God.

On Judgment Sunday we are reminded that God will judge us based on our inaction, not necessarily the sins we commit. We spend so much time avoiding sins, we forget the good things we are called to do by God. We forget to allow the love we say we have for God to translate into our actions toward other people. Doing nothing is not an option.

When we hear the Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15.11-32, we hear about a man who decided to return to his father after wasting his inheritance. Rather than interrogate his son, the loving Father opened His arms, kissed him and welcomed him home with a huge celebration. That is what awaits us when we return to God. God is waiting for us without guilt, without interrogation, without fear.

Every time we ask God, He blesses us, but we don’t properly thank Him. In the story of the Ten Lepers, we learn the proper way to thank God for His blessings. It isn’t enough to say ‘thank you’ standing in front of our icons at home. We must come to spend time with Him, in Church to properly give Him thanks. God has already blessed you today. Now, go to the Church and thank Him in person.

The Feast of Theophany reminds each of us that Christ has revealed Himself to us. He brought His Light into the world, so we are no longer living in darkness. When light shines in the darkness, we no longer have anything to fear. Christ has shined His Light so that we could follow the Light into heaven.

The first Christmas reminds us that everyone is invited to find God. Hearing in the Gospel that foreigners were the first who worshipped God at His birth, reminds us that God gives everyone exactly what they need to find Him. He gave the Magi a Star. He gave us the Church. Now, He has given us to those around us to help them find Christ. Merry Christmas

When God invites us to Church, He is inviting to come and spend time with Him in heaven. Every Sunday we have the chance to accept God’s invitation to be with God in heaven. We don’t have to wait until we die to be with God in heaven. We can be with Him today in the Church during Divine Liturgy.

When we encounter God for ourselves and believe in Him, the only natural response is for us to go and invite our family and friends to “come and see” for themselves. When Christ met Saint Andrew, the First-Called Apostles, the first thing Saint Andrew did was go and tell his brother Simon (Peter) to “come and see”. Later Christ called Philip and he went and told Nathaniel. The only appropriate response for us to is to invite our family and friends to Church to “come and see” Christ, so they can encounter God and believe in Him.

A Bible Study for Orthodox Christians on the Bible as Salvation - The Word of God. Originally LIVESTREAM in Tarpon Springs, Florida on November 25, 2025. Study guide available at https://liveanewlifeinchrist.org/bible-studies/back-to-bible-basics/bbb10