Spondulicks (Matthew 27.1-5)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “spondulicks.”  One of the most famous people in the Bible is Judas Iscariot.  He sold Jesus to those who wanted him dead for a measly handful of money.  And now and again, when it gets close to Easter and I begin to read these last days of Jesus a bit more, I am reminded that I am not to much better than Judas much of the time.  I have fallen short and have sin in my life that should disqualify me from sitting with Jesus one day in Heaven.

“Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." ~Matt 27:3-4

My question is: what are the things in your life that you need to get rid of to follow Jesus with a whole heart?  The other day when it was Ash Wednesday I saw a bunch of peeps around town with ash on their foreheads.  It made me remember that I have stuff in my life that I put in front of my relationship with God, and that I need to make changes daily, in hopes that I will be a better witness for my Lord.  No spondulicks or any other mount of money is going to get in the way of my love for God. I pray that you leave behind all that hinders you from living completely for Jesus.

Praying for you,

MO

Pugilist (Mark 14:43-50)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “pugilist.”  One of the little known, or at least acknowledged, passages in the Bible comes right before the arrest of Jesus. You can imagine the scene is totally tense. The disciples and others that have been following JC know that it’s all coming to a crazy ending.

Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.” Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him. The men seized Jesus and arrested him. Then one of those standing near drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. ~Mar 14:44-47

My question is: how far are you willing to follow Jesus?  Even though this dude who was following JC had the best intentions in mind, Jesus made it very clear that violence was not the answer.  There was no place for pugilists in working towards the kingdom of God.  Jesus brought a message of peace.  And although he appreciated the fervor of those before them, he did not want to lose the message and all of it.  My prayer is that you make the decision to follow Jesus and his teachings in a way that would inspire others to follow as well.

Praying for you

Mo