Saturday, January 17, 2026

 Steps or Rungs on the Ladder to Heaven

The Scala consists of 30 chapters, or "rungs",

  • 1–4: Renunciation of the world and obedience to a spiritual father
    • 1. Περὶ ἀποταγῆς (On renunciation of the world, or asceticism)
    • 2. Περὶ ἀπροσπαθείας (On detachment)
    • 3. Περὶ ξενιτείας (On exile or pilgrimage; concerning dreams that beginners have)
    • 4. Περὶ ὑπακοῆς (On blessed and ever-memorable obedience (in addition to episodes involving many individuals)
  • 5–7: Penitence and affliction (πένθος) as paths to true joy
    • 5. Περὶ μετανοίας (On painstaking and true repentance, which constitutes the life of the holy convicts, and about the Prison)
    • 6. Περὶ μνήμης θανάτου (On remembrance of death)
    • 7. Περὶ τοῦ χαροποιοῦ πένθους (On joy-making mourning)
  • 8–17: Defeat of vices and acquisition of virtue
    • 8. Περἰ ἀοργησίας (On freedom from anger and on meekness)
    • 9. Περἰ μνησικακίας (On remembrance of wrongs)
    • 10. Περἰ καταλαλιᾶς (On slander or calumny)
    • 11. Περὶ πολυλογίας καἰ σιωπῆς (On talkativeness and silence)
    • 12. Περὶ ψεύδους (On lying)
    • 13. Περὶ ἀκηδίας (On despondency)
    • 14. Περὶ γαστριμαργίας (On that clamorous mistress, the stomach)
    • 15. Περὶ ἀγνείας (On incorruptible purity and chastity, to which the corruptible attain by toil and sweat)
    • 16. Περὶ φιλαργυρίας (On love of money, or avarice)
    • 17. Περὶ ἀκτημοσύνης (On non-possessiveness (that hastens one Heavenwards)
  • 18–26: Avoidance of the traps of asceticism (laziness, pride, mental stagnation)
    • 18. Περὶ ἀναισθησίας (On insensibility, that is, deadening of the soul and the death of the mind before the death of the body)
    • 19. Περὶ ὕπνου καὶ προσευχῆς (On sleep, prayer, and psalmody with the brotherhood)
    • 20. Περὶ ἀγρυπνίας (On bodily vigil and how to use it to attain spiritual vigil, and how to practice it)
    • 21. Περὶ δειλίας (On unmanly and puerile cowardice)
    • 22. Περὶ κενοδοξίας (On the many forms of vainglory)
    • 23. Περὶ ὑπερηφανείας, Περὶ λογισμῶν βλασφημίας (On mad pride and (in the same Step) on unclean blasphemous thoughts; concerning unmentionable blasphemous thoughts)
    • 24. Περὶ πραότητος και ἁπλότητος (On meekness, simplicity, and guilelessness, which come not from nature but from conscious effort, and on guile)
    • 25. Περὶ ταπεινοφροσύνης (On the destroyer of the passions, most sublime humility, which is rooted in spiritual perception)
    • 26. Περὶ διακρίσεως (On discernment of thoughts, passions and virtues; on expert discernment; brief summary of all aforementioned)
  • 27–29: Acquisition of hesychia, or peace of the soul, of prayer, and of apatheia (dispassion or equanimity with respect to afflictions or suffering)
    • 27. Περὶ ἡσυχίας (On holy stillness of body and soul; different aspects of stillness and how to distinguish them)
    • 28. Περὶ προσευχῆς (On holy and blessed prayer, the mother of virtues, and on the attitude of mind and body in prayer)
    • 29. Περὶ ἀπαθείας (Concerning Heaven on earth, or Godlike dispassion and perfection, and the resurrection of the soul before the general resurrection)
  • 30. Περὶ ἀγάπης, ἐλπίδος και πίστεως (Concerning the linking together of the supreme trinity among the virtues; a brief exhortation summarizing all that has been said at length in this book)
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Sunday, January 11, 2026

 

Do Not Grow Weary in Hardships

Key Scripture:

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” — Galatians 6:9

1. Weariness Is Human, But Giving Up Is a Choice

Hardships do not mean God is absent. Even the strongest believers grow tired—Elijah sat under the broom tree, David cried out in the caves, Paul despaired of life itself. Weariness is a condition, not a condemnation.

But Scripture never says, “Do not feel tired.”
It says, “Do not give up.”

The enemy doesn’t always attack with persecution—sometimes he simply waits until we are exhausted, discouraged, and tempted to quit quietly.

2. God Sees the Hidden Faithfulness

Much of our hardship is unseen:

  • Prayers no one hears

  • Obedience no one applauds

  • Tears no one wipes away

Yet God says:

“Your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)

He is not unjust to forget your work. Heaven keeps better records than the world.

3. Hardships Are Not Punishment, They Are Formation

Gold is not destroyed by fire—it is purified.
Muscles are not built by comfort—but by resistance.

“We also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Romans 5:3–4)

If the hardship hasn’t destroyed you, it is shaping you.

4. Strength Comes from Waiting on the Lord, Not Escaping the Trial

We often pray, “Lord, remove this.”
God often answers, “Let Me strengthen you in it.”

“But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.” (Isaiah 40:31)

Waiting is not passive—it is trusting God when nothing seems to change.

5. Jesus Understands Weariness

Christ did not save us from afar. He entered suffering:

  • He was rejected

  • He was misunderstood

  • He carried a cross while collapsing under its weight

“Consider Him who endured such opposition… so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:3)

When you are weary, you are not weak—you are walking the same road He walked.

6. The Harvest Comes After the Long Season

Farmers do not harvest the day after sowing.
There is a due season, and it belongs to God.

“At the proper time we will reap…” (Galatians 6:9)

Your endurance is not wasted. Your tears are not pointless. The delay is not denial.

Closing Exhortation

Beloved, do not let temporary hardship steal eternal reward.
Do not quit in the valley—because valleys are where roots grow deepest.

You may be weary—but you are not abandoned.
You may be pressed—but you are not crushed.
You may feel weak—but God’s strength is being perfected in you.

Hold on. Keep walking. Trust God. The harvest is coming.

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Don’t Think You Know It All

 

“Don’t Think You Know It All”

Romans 12:16

“Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.” (Romans 12:16)

1. The Hidden Sin of “I Know Better”

Romans 12:16 confronts a sin that rarely looks sinful: intellectual pride.

Paul does not warn against ignorance—
he warns against thinking we are above others.

The phrase “Do not be conceited” literally means:
“Do not be wise in your own estimation.”

In other words:

  • Don’t enthrone your own opinions

  • Don’t treat your perspective as final truth

  • Don’t assume maturity because you know Scripture

  • Don’t confuse knowledge with wisdom

Many believers fall not because they lack truth,
but because truth made them proud.

“Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” (1 Corinthians 8:1)

2. Pride Breaks Harmony Faster Than Sin

Paul begins with:
“Live in harmony with one another.”

Pride destroys harmony because:

  • It stops listening

  • It corrects without compassion

  • It speaks to win, not to love

  • It values being right over being Christlike

You can be theologically correct and spiritually out of order.

Churches don’t split over heresy alone—
they split because people refuse to be humble.

3. “Associate with the Lowly” — The Test of True Christlikeness

Jesus did not just teach humility.
He practiced it.

  • He ate with sinners

  • He touched lepers

  • He washed feet

  • He submitted to the Father

Romans 12:16 says:

“Be willing to associate with people of low position.”

This exposes us:

  • Do we only feel comfortable with “deep” Christians?

  • Do we avoid those who don’t “get it”?

  • Do we silently rank believers by maturity, status, or usefulness?

True humility is not thinking less of yourself
but thinking of yourself less.

4. Spiritual Pride Is Satan’s Oldest Trap

Satan fell not because of ignorance—but because of pride.

The same trap works today:

  • “I discern better than others”

  • “Most Christians are deceived, but I see clearly”

  • “My theology is purer”

  • “My convictions are deeper”

Discernment without humility becomes judgment.
Revelation without love becomes division.

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6)

You can have gifts, insight, and even prophetic clarity—
and still lose grace if pride remains.

5. The Wisdom of the Cross

The cross destroys the idea that we “know it all.”

At the cross:

  • The strongest looked weak

  • The wisest were confounded

  • The Son of God submitted

  • Salvation came through humility

If Christ humbled Himself to the point of death,
how dare we exalt ourselves through knowledge?

6. A Final Warning

Pride doesn’t announce itself.
It whispers:

  • “You’re more awake than others”

  • “You’ve grown beyond this church”

  • “They’re not as serious as you”

  • “If they listened to you, things would be better”

Romans 12:16 calls us back:

Walk low. Listen long. Love deeply.

The truly wise person is the one who:

  • Can still be taught

  • Can still repent

  • Can still learn from the least

  • Can still kneel

Closing Prayer (Optional)

Lord, save us from the pride that hides behind knowledge.
Teach us to walk humbly, love sincerely, and listen deeply.
Make us like Christ—lowly in heart, rich in grace.
Amen.

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