Ineffectual (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “ineffectual.” The apostle Paul led a pretty crazy life. He went from being one of the most feared and respected men in the Jewish community to a controversial and complicated life for God. Because he was called, he gave up everything for Jesus. And even though he knew that he at one time had everything according to the world standards, now he knew that he was secure in his eternal relationship with Jesus. Through all of his trials and tough times, Paul never took his focus off the important things of life.

“That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

~2 Cor 12:10

My question is: from where do you find your strength? Although this may seem like a rhetorical question, depending on the way that you are living at this point will give you an honest answer. Do you look toward Christ as the answer to your weakness? I think that too many times we try to fix our lives the way that we think it should be done. However, God would have us do things differently. My prayer is that each of you examines your own weaknesses. Know that in your weaknesses you are not ineffectual, but able to be used fully for God’s glory; ask that the strength of the Lord be your testimony during those times. We should not run from our weaknesses, but face them with the power of God. This will be our witness to others.

Praying for you,

mo

Succinct (John 11:17-37)

Good morning all,

I was talking to a fellow pastor this morning and we were laughing about how so many pastors do not know how to shut up. It's like you give a preacher a microphone and he or she takes that as an invitation to talk for hours. Some of the most important things in life are very short and simple. In fact, one of the most intense moments of Jesus ministry inspired the shortest verse in the Bible.

“Jesus wept.”

Jn 11:35

If you read the verses following this one, you can pretty much see that the people around Jesus could tell how much he loved Lazarus just by his actions. He did not have to say anything. Even though he knew that he could change the situation, Jesus still showed his powerful emotions. My question is: with what kind of intensity do you live your life for God? My prayer is that you take the emotional track, like Jesus. Not that you need to be overbearing in the way that you express yourself, but you must ask Jesus to turn your heart to care about things that he sees fit and important. Only then can we enter into the emotions of others, as a witness for God.

Praying for you,

MO

Pittance (Deuteronomy 15:1-11)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “pittance.” God's people have laws for about everything. In the middle of Deuteronomy, God commands his people on how they should handle debts. He wanted to make sure that people were not being stingy or misusing the resources that he had blessed them with. He reminded people that no matter how well off you become; there is always somebody that needs a little bit of help.

“There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.”

~Deut 15:11

My question is: how do you view your relationship with God? We live in the greatest country in the world and no matter how bad we think we have it, we pretty much have it way better than any other country in the world. My prayer is that you put those thoughts on how you can help other people. It's amazing what can happen when we take the focus off of ourselves and look to see how we can help God's people. The next time you believe that you are living on a pittance, turn those thoughts into action and help someone else as a blessing in the Lord.

Praying for you,

Mo

Meander (Psalm 119:9-16)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “meander.” This psalm is the longest in the Bible. There are some really good nuggets of information and wisdom in these verses. The psalmist wanted to make sure that people understood what it meant to follow God and live a life of purity. This was very tough in the old days, just as it is now. Each word was specifically meant for the reader to build positively upon his or her relationship with God.

“I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

~Ps. 119:11

It's one thing to read God's word, but quite another to store that word into one's heart. My question is: how often do you read God's book, and of the time that you spend how much of it do you retain to memory? I think that too many times we just want to get our reading in for the day, just to feel good about spending some time in God's word. But, I think we need to look back and see the quality of the time spent with him. My prayer for you is that you take the necessary amount of time to move through God's word, and stored up in your heart. Rather than meander through the Bible, write God's word on your heart and let it meander through all parts of your life.

Praying for you,

Mo

Germane (1 Peter 5:6-11)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “germane.” The people in the church needed to understand that they were called to eternal glory with God. Because of this, they also needed to endure hardships in light of the grace that God had bestowed upon them through the Son. It seems that no matter what time in history we look at, people are always dealing with stuff that piles up on their plates, causing them to lose sight of God's call.

"And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”

~1 Peter 5:10

My question is: have you taken a deep enough look at the Scriptures to understand the suffering that Christ endured for you? I think sometimes we get so wrapped up in the hardships that we are facing that we fail to remember that Jesus paid a much bigger price for you and me. However, even though we mess up a bunch, Jesus still promises to come back and restore us. You would think that following him and doing his will should be a simple, or germane, fact of life. But you and I must continually look inward and remember that Jesus is called us to suffer only a little while before we are one day in glory with him.

Praying for you,

Mo