Obsequy (Romans 6:9-10)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is "obsequy."  It is amazing how our entire spiritual lives as X-tians is built around the fact that a man died, and then three days later rose from the grave. When i first heard that i was like whaaaat!  But since i have moved through my journey as a believer Christ it continues to become more and more clear that our God is that big.  God is big enough that he sent his only son to die for our sins on the cross.

We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.

~Rom. 6:9-10

My question is: are you living in the awesome conviction that JC's death brought now only him life with the Father, but also gave you eternal life in the same way?  My prayer is that you share your faith with someone else and explain why it is you chose to believe in the one who will never die.  We can be sure that as we live in the love of God that we will never experience a forever obsequy, or funeral... but only a temporary move from this world to the next.

Praying for you,

mo

Crepuscule (Psalm 113:1-9)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is "crepuscule." One of my best experiences when I was in college was the ability to do ministry in Mexico during certain holidays and such.  I never really had the time to do it, but I made it a priority.  My freshman year I was at one of these international trips and the dude doing song worship played a song with the following verse:

"From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the Lord's  name is to be praised."

Ps. 113:3

Maybe it was the way the song sounded, or maybe it was the words.  But the point is that I still remember it a million years later.  My question is, what are the things that you do to keep God's name in your conscience on a continual basis?  I pray that you take time to think of how much time you spend praising God. And i don't mean necessarily in song, or church, or bible study or whatever.  Really, it's about being mindful of God all of the time, from sun-up... to the day's beautiful crepuscule, or sunset. Sooo, how are you doing?

Praying for you,

mo

Apposite (1 Corinthians 11:1-2)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “apposite.”  The Apostle Paul was always looking for reasons to give others hope.  He knew that if he emulated Jesus, others would remember him for being a servant.  He did not do this for his glory, but for that of the Savior.  His main goal was to help others see the importance of living a Christian life.

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you.

~1 Cor 11:1-2

My question is: for the people in your life that emulate Jesus?  My prayer is that others might be able to look at you and see the importance of living for God.  With a ton of stuff out there pulling at our time, we must remember that it is always a top priority to involve God in our daily lives.  It is up to us to keep the gospel a apposite, or appropriate and relevant, to both our lives and the lives of others.  Give somebody today a reason to imitate you, knowing that you imitate JC.

Praying for you,

mo

Ennoble (Psalm 34)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is "ennoble."  The psalms are a collection of writings that give perspectives of those who walked with God.  They could be positive in nature, or even a cry for help.  The cool thing is that no matter what the feeling of the writer, we are always invited into the experience.

Come, let us tell of the LORD's greatness; let us exalt his name together.
~Ps. 34:3

My question is: who is someone in your life that has invited you into the God experience? I know that over the years I have had many people do just that for me.  I thank the Lord for those that God has placed in my life, especially in the hard times.  My prayer is that you look for people in your life that can be that influence, those who look out for your best interest and help you ennoble, or exalt, that name of God.

Praying for you,

mo

Bequeath (Pr 13:21-25)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is "bequeath."  Back in the day it was customary for a man to make enough money and gain enough wealth to leave to his family and future generations.  Solomon tells us here that we should be focused on both taking care of people financially, but more importantly spiritually.  He knew that the way that people conducted themselves would influence future generations.  The importance of a relationship with God was key because even after someone died that relationship continued to minister to others.

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, but the sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous.”

~Pr. 13:22

My question is: what you plan to leave behind, what is your legacy?  I know that when I began to do ministry with my first boss and mentor, the man who brought to Christ, he had a long-term perspective.  He brought me on staff as a youth pastor under his care.  He said something that I will always remember.  He told me that if he and I did ministry together for the next 5 to 10 years, that we could change a community through influence and service.  And, we did just that.  My prayer is that you find out what is important to you and that you put your whole heart into it, knowing that Jesus will bless your efforts and allow you to be a positive impact on those whom you serve.

Praying for you,

Mo

Chattel (Romans 6:18)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is "chattel."  The Apostle Paul talked about being a slave to sin, as opposed to a slave to righteousness.  He knew that the people reading his letters were continually struggling with surrendering to God the stuff that hindered them from a better relationship with him.

You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness."

~Rom. 6:18

My question is: what are the things in your life that are most important? That could sometimes be very different from what we tell others or display in our lives. Even when you hide your feelings from the rest of the world, God can still search your heart and knows you to the core. I pray today that you chat with God and set your thoughts and actions on what is important to him.  Take some time to give to God the stuff that controls you. Be no longer a slave to anything that is not of God.

Praying for you,

mo

Shoal (1 Timothy 6:12-16)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is "shoal."  In preparation for the sermon that I preached this past Sunday, I was convicted by the Lord to move deeper into a relationship with him.  I know that might seem a little bit odd, figuring that he is always calling us to become closer, but it was just one of those moments that one has every now and again that remind them how important it is to continually get closer in relationship to him.

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

~1 Tim 6:12-16

Talk about an awesome charge of encouragement from Paul to Timothy!  In these few verses, the apostle was telling this young man that he must continually fight to preserve what he accepted from Jesus.  My question for you is: what are the things in life that are keeping you from becoming closer to God?  Some of us like to sit on the shore, and sometimes wade into the shoal, when the Lord is calling us to go to the deep waters.  When we move from the familiar to the unfamiliar, God will move us further from what we have been and make us more of what we can become.  My prayer is that each of you understands that God is calling you to a deeper relationship with him each moment, and that we must not take for granted that calling.

Praying for you,

Mo

Solipsism (Proverbs 26:1-12)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is "solipsism.”  The book of Proverbs continues to speak to me every time I read through them.  My mentor told me a long time ago that a good way to get these principles down was to read one a day and I would finish the book in a month.  I have since added this to my reading regiment.  Now I go through this book a few times a year.  Many of the lessons that it teaches are hard to heed and make a part of life because I know that I am far off from being able to live them out.

“Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”

~Pr. 26:12

My question is: what are the principles you dedicate to learning on a continual basis.  Often we think that because we learn something that we do not have to revisit it.  But, sometimes it is better to reminded than instructed.  My prayer is that you find the important lessons of life and continue to relearn them throughout this year.  Take some time today and write down a couple of lessons that have helped you grow in your relationship with Jesus.  This exercise may help to keep those specific lessons at the forefront of your mind.

Praying for you,

Mo

Arraign (Mark 15:1-5)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “arraign.”  When Jesus was nearing the end of his ministry and life, he had it pretty rough.  He had given everything in the way that he lived, and was about to give even more in the way that he died.  At this point in the story, Jesus is brought in front of the most powerful people, those with all of the power to either put him to death, or let him live.

Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate. “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate. “You have said so,” Jesus replied. The chief priests accused him of many things. So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.” But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.

~Mk 15:1-5

My question is: how do you respond to Jesus, knowing that he chose to take a very difficult path for both your sake and mine?  My prayer is that you always remember that there is a ton of stuff going on in life, but most of it is not as important as the decision to make Jesus a part of your life a little bit more each day.  Although Jesus was arraigned and eventually put to death, he now sits in glory with the Father and awaits your day of acceptance into the kingdom.  Hold on and make a difference for the Savior!

Praying for you,

mo