Mine (Haggai 2:6-9)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “mine.” This is probably one of the first words that any of us learn as a child. When God’s peeps were thinking selfishly, his prophet Haggai had the big picture. He didn't focus on personal interests – on immediate gratification, on easy results or on pleasing others. Instead, he put first things first…

‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty. 9 ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”

~Haggai 2:8-9

Haggai spoke for God and gave his peeps the divine perspective on the challenge before them. This year we all have our individual stuff going on. My question for you is: Are you willing to see past your individual vision and to the bigger picture? Give God a chance to be a part of your decisions; let's make decisions that impact the greater good of the Christian community. My prayer for you is that we work together to accomplish goals as a team, both in sports and in God’s work. The Savior is mine and yours… we must remember that we are His.

Praying for you,

mo

Condition (Proverbs 27:23-24)

Good morning all,

The word of day is “condition.” This is one that I hope you hold onto for the duration of our season. God is all about the condition of our hearts and lives. In the OT he reminds Israel of how they should live and what the focus of following God should be. There is some stuff that lasts for eternity and some that will not…

Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations.”

~Proverbs 27:23-24

We condition you a ton over a period of time, which allows you to compete at intense levels. The hard part though is once we stop conditioning, our strength begins to waver. It is the same in our spiritual lives. My question is: how does your spiritual conditioning fit into your college life? The great news is that we can continually condition our hearts and minds to become closer to the Father – that never has to end! My prayer for you is that God would lay on your conscience the willingness to focus your energy on lasting things that have eternal value. It’s gonna be a great weekend. Rest up and we will see you bright and early.

Praying for you,

mo

Cultivate (Psalm 37:3-4)

Good morning all,

The word of day is “cultivate.” I found myself the other day rushing from one thing to the other. I seem to do that a lot these days. God speaks to that in his word. The Psalms are a great reminder that keeping our attention on his word is always the better choice. Our Father wants us to dwell in his goodness and share in his blessings…

"Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord; And He shall give you the desires of your heart."

~Psalm 37:3-4

Our Savior would like us to slow down and cultivate faithfulness first in our lives. My question today is: What parts of life do you rush; how can you slow down? I know that college adds a ton of pressure, especially with all that is expected of you as student-athletes. My God is bigger than the challenges we face. My prayer for you is that the Lord would cultivate your heart and grow you into young women of faithfulness. Do his work, but don’t forget to slow down every now and again.

Praying for you,

mo

Shadow (Psalm 57:1-11)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “shadow.” Today it seems this word is associated with more negative stuff than positive. In the old days though it was something that comforted God’s peeps. The psalmist in this passage is reminded of God’s trustworthiness in this life…

“Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.”

Ps. 57:1

What a great reminder that God is always here for us. My question is: when is the last time you found real refuge in the Lord? Life can get pretty crazy and messed up at times. We deal with work, school, family, relationships, and a bunch of other stuff we do not always understand. My prayer for today is that when each of you face these times you would rest in God until the calamities pass; sometimes that is easier said than done... but it is possible. The psalmist did… cry out for God and you will be answered.

Praying for you,

mo

Altar (Exodus 30:10)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “altar.” Back in the day this was a pretty big deal for God’s peeps. Once a year the high priest would go to the most high place and sprinkle some blood for the sin offering to God for atonement. Everyone was counting on this so that they could be made righteous again in the eyes of the Lord…

“Once a year Aaron shall make atonement on its horns. This annual atonement must be made with the blood of the atoning sin offering for the generations to come. It is most holy to the LORD.”

~Ex. 30:10

How awesome is our God. My question is: when is the last time you went to the altar of the Lord and took care of business? The coolest part about believing in God and his son, JC is that we have direct access. My prayer is that each of you take time to sit with God and allow him to speak into your life. Allow God to change you and he will. The Creator is continually shaping you into incredible young women. Have a great day!

Praying for you,

mo

Deliberate (Acts 9:1-20)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “deliberate.” Saul never made it to very far with the same name. God knew what he was doing in the life of that man who would eventually be known as the Apostle Paul. This transition was a pretty big deal because this guy was a Hebrew… and a Pharisee! He studied under a prominent Jewish leader of the day, and had mad Scripture skills. He was a Roman citizen, dope communicator, and leader. He was prime for God’s divine intervention.

So he said, “Who are you, Lord?” He replied, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting! But stand up and enter the city and you will be told what you must do.”

~Acts 9:5-6

God is always deliberate with his plans for us. We just have to be intentional about listening and watching for those plans. Question: how has God been deliberate in your life with the stuff you could do for the kingdom? Being a student-athlete gives you a platform to accomplish a ton for the Lord’s purpose. My prayer for you is that God would reveal the plans he has for you in your life. Be deliberate in all aspects of life, knowing that God has a favorable hand on you.

Praying for you,

mo

Search (Romans 8:26)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “search.” After telling us that the law of God’s spirit has set us free from a life of sin, Paul then explains what that kind of life we should live. Paul was intent on helping people understand that God has cool stuff in store for those who believe. The Creator searches our hearts to help us realize the love we are given…

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how we should pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings."

~Rom. 8:26

Sometimes we do not know what we want. Actually, sometimes we think we know what we want and then God helps us see something completely different. My question is: do you allow the Spirit to search your heart? When we open our lives to God we are freed from all other distractions. My prayer is that the Spirit fills your heart with a yearning for God. The more we let God in, the less of the old self dictates our actions.

Praying for you,

mo