Clishmaclaver (Proverbs 10.19)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “clishmaclaver.”  Growing up I was always one to speak way before I listened. Then I began hanging out with some people who made wiser decisions than me on a more consistent basis, as opposed to the way I was used to doing them on my own. At first, of course, I did not want to listen to anyone. I believed I knew enough on my own to get through life. But, of course I was wrong. It wasn't until I started listening to wise counsel that I began to make decisions differently.

“When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.” ~Pr. 10:19

My question is: who are the people in life that you give advice… and whose counsel do you listen to most? The mentors in my life have always listened to me and never sought to speak into my life more than they knew I was going to accept their words and counsel. I guess that's why I always went to those specific people. Most of the time they were reluctant to give me any words of advice, knowing that I was probably going to do things the way that I wanted to anyway. And that is why I always hung on every word that these people said. They were never about meaningless clishmaclaver. They always had my best interest in mind, and gave me exactly what I needed. Who are those kind of people in your life?

Praying for you,

MO

Dithyramb (Mark 7.24-37)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “dithyramb.”  I know that many people have been healed by Jesus, both when he was doing ministry on the earth as well as to the present day. I remember asking why he would want the people that he healed not to say anything. And I guess there are more than a couple of reasons for that. However, for the people that were being healed by Jesus, they had only one thought on their minds.  They were now healed did not have the infirmities or demons that they thought would have to deal with for the rest of their lives.  How would you feel if you were one of these people?

Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” ~Mk. 7:36-37

My question is: Are you excited for what God has done in your life, and how do you express that?  God is very active in our lives today.  A lot of us just don't stop to realize that he is present.  My prayer is that you make the necessary adjustments in your daily routine to reflect your appreciation towards what God is doing.  Even though the people in today's passage were told specifically by Jesus not to go and tell anyone, many of them did so in the form of enthusiastic dithyrambs.  How will you express your appreciation for what God is doing in your life today?

Praying for you,

MO

Magniloquent (Proverbs 10.1-32)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “magniloquent.”  Life is filled with people that have an opinion they believe is right, for whatever the situation. Have you ever noticed how some people have an answer for everything? No matter what is going on, they have the solution. Well, Jesus warned us in the Bible that when it comes to our faith, it is important to remember that we need to listen to the counsel of wise individuals. Moving in the right direction is something we must focus on all of the time, and doing so means taking correct advice.

“The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off. The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse.” ~Pr. 10:31-32

My question is: who are the righteous people in in your life giving you the advice that is acceptable to God?  My prayer is that you take some time to sift through the way you connect with others and give them influence in your daily actions.  Give God the authority to put peeps in your path that can help you to be better.  Seek out those whose speech is gentle in nature, not those who are loud and magniloquent with there mouths.  God will be gracious to put the correct people in your life.  You just need to be ready to accept their encouragement.

Praying for you,

MO

Rejectamenta (James 1:19-26)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “rejectamenta.”  There is stuff in this world that matters, and stuff that does not. The tough part for all of us is to figure out the difference between the two. James gives great insights in the way that we should be living as Christians.  Apparently, based on the verses following, there was a problem or two with the speech practices of the peeps to which he was talking...

“Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.”

~Jam. 1:26

Ouch!  You gotta love this guy. Some of the church members thought they were all that and a bag of chips, but James pretty much gives them a spiritual smackdown.  How would you like to be told that your religion is worthless? Wow. My question is: how would you rate your speech concerning the way you talk to others, language, etc.? My prayer is that you understand you are a representation of Christ.  James in effect was saying, don’t say you are a follower of Christ and make the rest of the church look bad because of your behavior. Strive today to make a positive change in yourself and others.

Praying for you,

MO

Logorrhea (Proverbs 10:1-32)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “logorrhea.” You don't even really have to be Christian to understand that words matter; but the fact that you call Jesus Lord means that you have a pretty good sense that they do. In fact, by the time someone is done conversing with you, they either have one of two thoughts. They either feel better or worse for the experience. For this reason, we as Christians need to make sure that we are always helping others to feel better about themselves and the gospel.

The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off. The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse.

~Pr. 10:31-32

My question is: are you working towards a life of righteousness? One of my spiritual mentors told me early on in my time as a Christian that I needed to pray each day for both wisdom and discernment. I think this is an incredible counsel. If each of us take the time to remember that our words matter, we will not have to worry about whether or not what we say is or is not acceptable. My prayer is that you stay away from logorrhea, or incoherent and talkative nonsense... and instead are an example for others in your speech, works, and love. Go out and encourage someone in the name of Jesus today.

Praying for you,

Mo