Tough (Jeremiah 42:1 – 43:13)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “tough.” How would you like to have been one of God’s prophets in the OT whose main objective was to tell the Israelites that they were a bunch of bustas… yeah, not a fun job. Jeremiah was a real leader. He pretty much knew that he had to punk the Israelites for disobedience – but he faced the situation like a real leader should.

“Jeremiah the prophet said, "I hear your request. And I will pray to your God as you have asked. Whatever God says, I'll pass on to you. I'll tell you everything, holding nothing back."

~Jer. 42:4

Whoa! Now that is what I call a fearless leader. Jeremiah was willing to do a couple things. He would first pray to God on behalf of the peeps, and then he would pass on whatever message the Lord gave. Unfortunately it was going to be a message that the Israelite would not like to hear. My question is: are you ready for tough decisions… in family, relationships, school, your direction in life? My prayer is that you take Jeremiah’s path and learn how to tackle tough circumstances. That way, when God calls you to make those decisions… you will be ready.

Praying for you,

mo

Travel (Acts 28:14-16)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “travel.” I do not know where this blog post will find you – some at work, others at home, still some in midst of travel. As I am about to travel today, I am reminded of what some believe was Paul’s final journey on his way to dying for Christ, the one that would see him find a destination that he knew was a long time coming.

"There we found some brothers who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome. The brothers there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these men Paul thanked God and was encouraged. When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him."

~Acts 28:14-16

My question for you is: do you know your destination concerning God’s plans for you? I am not saying you need to know every move or that it is pertinent to understand the full plan. But I do think that when you align your mind and heart with God you will begin to have a more full picture of his plans for you. My prayer is that God shows you your mission, if not in life yet at least while living through your particular experience. Have fun this weekend. Rest in the knowledge that God has made you a traveler on this Christ journey.

Praying for you,

mo

Thanksgiving (Psalm 100:1-5)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “thanksgiving.” The Bible is all about thanksgiving – just look at any of the epistles that Paul wrote. But even earlier than that in the OT God’s peeps knew what it meant to be thankful and praise him for the stuff that he did…

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

~Psalm 100:4-5

My question is: do you cherish your family and the other stuff that God has given you? Take some time to be reminded that the Lord is good and is a forever kind of God. I pray that each of you slow down and praise God for his goodness. Each of you are special to the Lord and can rely on his faithfulness. May we continue to praise the Lord for many more generations.  Praying for you,

mo

Recover (Hosea 6:1-3)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “recover.”  Sometimes we take life so hard that we forget to slowdown.  Much of downtime has been taken out of life because of all of the craziness. The funny thing is that without recovery, we are not going to be much good to anyone. God’s peeps knew something about recovery. It always seemed they were doing something dumb that would cause God to bring correction.

“Come, let us return to the LORD…”

~Hos. 6:1

Then JC came along and saved God’s peeps… literally. This common theme in the Bible calls for a Savior to get us out of the messes we like to create. And, just like we can recover from our binge eating on Thanksgiving, so can we do the same in our relationship with God. My question is: do you believe that God can restore you? There is nothing the God cannot change in your life. He wants to intervene. My prayer is that you ask him to show his saving grace in his relationship with you. As you recover this weekend, or whenever you make time, remember God is always ready for us to change our hearts to him.

Praying for you,

mo

Continue (Colossians 2:6-7)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “continue.” Paul was a huge advocate of peeps remembering to both take care of one another, and to press on in the faith. Around the church in Colasse were a ton of heretical teachings that tried to steal Christ followers. You could imagine Paul’s heart for the saints because he loved them so much.

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”

~Col. 2:6-7

My question is: how rooted are you in Christ? This world has a lot to offer. The problem is that most of it is not worth eternity. My prayer is that you take last week’s theme, as it is seen in this scripture, and continue to strengthen your faith. The more you invest into your relationship with JC, the more others will see thankfulness flow from your actions, words, and heart.

Praying for you,

mo