Minimax (Matthew 24:36-51)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is "minimax."  Throughout the years I have had many mentors.  Many of them have been strictly through reading.  These are the men and women with whom I will never really ever have a chance to sit down, but I can learn a ton from the stuff that they write.  One of these gentlemen is John Wooden, the famous UCLA basketball coach.  He used to write down what he believed would be the score of each basketball game before the game even took place.  This is how well he knew his team, and his opponents.  His strategy was to maximize the effort of his players to withstand anything that would come up against his team.

“Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” ~Matt 24:44

My question is: what are you doing to maximize your potential in relationship to JC? With all of the stuff out there that can hinder your ability, it is good to know what are capable of.  Just like a sports team looks at all of the odds and possibilities to give themselves the best possibility of winning, so must we as Christians know both the good and the bad that encompasses our lives. And from there, make good decisions. My prayer is that you get your spiritual house in order and be ready for God to work in you life.

Praying for you,

MO

Wayworn (Matthew 11:25-30)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “wayworn.”  Have you ever had one of those mornings where you just did not want to get out of bed?  You know… you wake up and your sheets are just the right temperature, and your pillow has never felt so good.  I can think of a few times in my life where I have been that tired.  But, I realized that I had to, and still have to, keep going.  I could only imagine what Jesus and his followers experienced in that crazy three years of intense ministry.  At one point, Jesus knew that he needed to give a word of encouragement to some who felt like they were dragging a bit.

 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” ~Matt. 11:28-30

My question is: what are the cares in your life that might need to be presented to the Lord?  Sometimes we get so caught up in the stuff that needs to get done that we forget this gentle command from Jesus.  My prayer is that you bring everything to him.  It doesn’t matter whether it is something big, or small.  Our Savior is great and compassionate, and wants to give you rest.  The next time you find yourself tired, weary, and wayworn, allow yourself to step back and rest in God’s love.

Praying for you,

MO

Snickersnee (Matthew 26:47-54)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “snickersnee.” The end of Jesus's life was pretty intense.  At that point, I'm sure he had questions about who was really following him and who might be there just to sell him out.  We see in today's passage something very interesting.  We always remember what happens with Judas, who sells Jesus to the authorities, for 30 pieces of silver.  Because of this, Judas is known as the ultimate betrayer.  However, there is another man in the same story who was on the complete opposite end of Judas.  When Jesus is betrayed, his followers know that at this point it is now or never.  One of them even draws his sword and cuts off a man's ear.  Jesus then tells this zealous follower to put his sword away.  The exchange is fascinating.

The words were barely out of his mouth when Judas (the one from the Twelve) showed up, and with him a gang from the high priests and religious leaders brandishing swords and clubs. The betrayer had worked out a sign with them: “The one I kiss, that’s the one—seize him.” He went straight to Jesus, greeted him, “How are you, Rabbi?” and kissed him. Jesus said, “Friend, why this charade?” Then they came on him—grabbed him and roughed him up. One of those with Jesus pulled his sword and, taking a swing at the Chief Priest’s servant, cut off his ear. Jesus said, “Put your sword back where it belongs. All who use swords are destroyed by swords. Don’t you realize that I am able right now to call to my Father, and twelve companies—more, if I want them—of fighting angels would be here, battle-ready? But if I did that, how would the Scriptures come true that say this is the way it has to be?” ~ Matthew 26:47-54

My question is: how far are you willing to go in your relationship with Jesus?  I know for me, I have been it very different places in my journey with Christ.  Sometimes I'm up, and ready to do everything necessary to be a great Christian.  Other times I'm down, and am really just trying to survive this Christian life.  My prayer is that you take a moment to realize where you are at in your relationship with God right now.  Although most of us may never be called to draw our snickersnee and cut anybody, all of us will be called to declare our obedience to Jesus in one way or another.  Take today as an opportunity to do just that.

Praying for you,

MO

Penitent (Psalm 23:4-6)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “penitent.”  One of the most memorable scenes in the Indiana Jones trilogy was towards the end of part three.  Indiana had to go through a series of trials to reach the coveted Holy Grail.  There were a set of clues that helped him through each of the obstacles.  And at one point, one of the clues was "only the penitent man shall pass."  Of course, Indiana aces the obstacle and reaches his destination.  However, just in case you have not seen the movie, I will not spoil the ending for you.  And, although that is a funny portrayal of the word, we as Christians should strive to be as much like Christ as possible and approach him in the same manner.  This means that we need to have a contrite heart, shunning all sin and reaching out to God.

Who can climb Mount God? Who can scale the holy north-face? Only the clean-handed, only the pure-hearted; Men who won’t cheat, women who won’t seduce. God is at their side; with God’s help they make it. This, Jacob, is what happens to God-seekers, God-questers. ~Ps. 23:4-6

My question is: how do you see and listen to God on a continual basis?  Taking the time to really understand your relationship as it pertains to spiritual things is important because God wants to be a part of every decision that you make.  When you do stuff right, rejoice! When you do stuff wrong, go to God with a penitent heart.  My prayer is that you learn to seek God and experience him in both the little and big parts of your life.

Praying for you,

MO

Gingerly (John 3:18)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “gingerly.” How many times have you been in a situation where you needed to tread lightly to make sure that stuff went smooth? With all of the miscommunication and misperceptions that surround us, it is definitely more difficult to be on the up and up.  That being said, Jesus was a master of people skills, and knew that even though he was pretty clear, sometimes he needed to help his followers understand him in a crystal clear manner.  This took a ton of focus.

“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” ~Jn 3:18

I love the way that JC tells peeps that they really need to believe in him if they are going to have a decent afterlife.  My question is: how do you deal with people? It is necessary for us to treat our relationships with care and concern, knowing that the people we spend our time with are the ones we should be serving. My prayer is that you handle any and all difficult relationship concerns gingerly, making the effort to always encourage.

Praying for you,

MO

Shibboleth (John 3:3)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “shibboleth.”  We currently live in a world that is driven by the Internet, social media, and everything that comes along with it.  In fact, we don't really remember a time when these means of communication did not exist.  I catch myself often wanting to leave the house late at night because I see a commercial for my favorite fast food, or some other subliminal message from a the marketing techniques that bombard our lives.  In Jesus’ time, there were also certain phrases that one might use to help others understand what they were trying to communicate.

Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." ~Jn. 3:3

My question is: what are the parts of the Bible that you know best? For some who have grown up in the church, they might have certain remembrances of scripture, while others might have seen one or two verses over and over again on TV, or wherever. Jesus used the words “truly, truly” several times, a kind of shibboleth, in the Gospels to help people understand that we was about to say something pretty important. My prayer is that you always look for what Jesus might want to say to you. Take the opportunities that God gives you and begin to hear Jesus speak into your life.

Praying for you,

MO

Too-too (Proverbs 3:11-12)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “too-too.”  It is amazing how many cool principles that we can learn from the book of Proverbs. When I was a new Christian I remember my group leader telling me that if I wanted to start getting better at my spiritual life, that going through a proverb a day would be a healthy recipe. He was correct. I still love reading the good stuff that I get from them each day.

My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.” ~Pr. 3:11-12

My question is: do you seek discipline from others to make you better? Sometimes we think that we have it all figured out.  We think that God’s discipline is too-too and annoying.  We let our pride get in the way of learning from others who are more experienced in life.  My prayer is that you find someone to share your thoughts with. Someone who is wise in the areas in which you would like to excel. You can be as good as you want, but it takes time to get there.  The process is always longer than we would like. But that is what makes success so sweet.

Praying for you,

MO 

Crackerjack (Matthew 3:27-28)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is "crackerjack."  Contrary to popular belief, someone who possesses such qualities is actually a positive.  Jesus was often challenged by those who were experts in the law.  Some people might say they are and were marksmen.  They could recite Scripture with exact precision.  They always knew the right thing religious or spiritual answer to give you and any given situation.  However, Jesus knew that that just because they say knew God’s Word, didn't mean that they were living life according to God's battle.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” ~Matt 3:27-28

My question is: what kind of life are you living?  Even though the Pharisees were crackerjacks when it came to knowing Scripture, they were hardly the same in their spiritual lives.  Sometimes we think we are doing the right thing, but others look at us realize that we are not people who pretended to be.  I think that Christians have a pretty tough time often because people like to point out the bad stuff that we do.  And, it is pretty difficult to get away from the judgment of others.  But, what we can do is do our best to live by God's principles.  My prayer is that you search your heart for the parts of your soul that need changing and replenishing.  God wants to do great things in your life.  Allow him to shape you today.

Praying for you,

MO

Mollify (James 2:13)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “mollify.”  Living a life with Jesus is not always easy.  In fact, living in the same house as some people in your own family does not always work out the best.  I remember years ago when I was still in high school, my brother and I went through a pretty crazy phase where we did not like each other very much.  There’s no real reason.  We came from a pretty good upbringing and although we did not always get what we wanted, we did always have what we needed.  Anyway, we would often get in fights and accuse one another of of some ridiculously petty stuff.

“For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” ~Jam 2:13

My question is: where do you fall on the judgment versus mercy scale?  Just like me and my brother went through a tough time of thinking that the other was completely on the wrong side of every issue, and were at each other’s throats, each of you are going to have opportunities to show either judgment or mercy to others.  My prayer is that you take your time and this next season of life and really understand both.  Believe it or not, judgment and mercy go hand in hand.  God uses one to affect the other in a positive way.  He mollifes his anger towards us and replaces judgment with mercy.  I hope that you accept the teachings from both.

Praying for you,

MO

Blarney (Ephesians 4:29)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “blarney.”  I think one of the most important parts of growing up is learning how to interact with other people.  We learn at a young age, without anyone really having to tell us, how to deal with people.  It doesn't take too long for little kids to understand that there are rules within society.  Pretty much, words matter.

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” ~Eph. 4:29

My question is: what do the words that come out of your mouth say about you, and your character?  Are you the kind of person where people know you as a person of your word?  My prayer is that in a world of lessening morals and restraint, that you become a person who serves God both in word and in deed.  Take the opportunity to become more like Jesus, as the apostle Paul recommended, and engage less in flattery and nonsensical blarney.  You can never go wrong with allowing helpful speech and all of your relationships.

Praying for you,

MO

Swimmingly (Psalm 116:6)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “swimmingly.”  One of the guys that I have been doing business with for years knows that I am involved in the swimming world, and have been for most of my life.  Every time he meets me, whether it has been one day or one month, he always asks if life is going swimmingly.  It cracks me up.  It is good to have friends that know the important pieces of your life.  God is a friend to us in much the same way.

The Lord preserves the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me.

~Ps 116:6

My question is: how do you live your life?  There is much that the Bible has to say about living our life in a simplistic matter.  We are to do a certain number of actions, the most important of which is to serve God.  Sometimes we get caught up in the complexities of life, and forget that God is a simple and direct God.  I can’t promise that life will always go swimmingly, but we can rest assured that God will continue to act in simple ways to help us serve him in the best way possible.  My prayer is that you reach out to God and live a simple life, and both the easy and difficult times.

Praying for you,

MO

Mundane (Genisis 1:1)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “mundane.”  I have been reading a bunch about the beginning of God’s Word lately. The more that I get into it, the more God amazes me, and the way that he decided to create this world.  And, we are a part of that grand design. It is pretty cool how we were made in God’s image, and that we get each day to live with Him.

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” ~Gen. 1:1

There is nothing mundane about God, His creation, or the part that we play in it. My question is: with a new season of life upon us, what are you going to do to live with vigor and life, the way God intends this Fall? My prayer is that you understand that God calls you to something great. Each day you are given the opportunity to follow Him. As Christians, our lives are anything but dull. Live in God’s fullness today.

Praying for you,

MO