Peripeteia (Matthew 13.10-15)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “peripeteia.”  I figured that all of you English majors out there would appreciate this one.  I think what really drew me close to the Bible early on in my Christian walk was that stuff was pretty easy to understand, when it came to stories anyway.  And, that’s the way that Jesus lived most of his ministry.  He did not try to sound all important and smart.  He looked at the audience, figured out what they needed to hear, and said it the way that they would best understand it.

The disciples came up and asked, “Why do you tell stories?” He replied, “You’ve been given insight into God’s kingdom. You know how it works. Not everybody has this gift, this insight; it hasn’t been given to them. Whenever someone has a ready heart for this, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears. That’s why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward receptive insight. In their present state they can stare till doomsday and not see it, listen till they’re blue in the face and not get it. ~Matt 13:10-15

My question is: how do you best receive the word of God?  I know for some people, relationships are very important because the conversations with others help them understand their own faith.  For some, the experience they have with God brings better clarity to the way they should be living. What I love about reading the Jesus stories is that his readers think they know what he is talking about, then he all of the sudden he takes you on a kind of peripeteia.  My prayer is that you seek to find information on how you best learn and understand God’s plan for your life.  Take today to ask someone you trust to help move you through that.

Praying for you,

MO

Birling (1 Corinthians 10.23-33)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “birling.”  Have you ever felt like your life is spinning, but not going anywhere? I know sometimes I get in the middle of doing life and realize that I am not being as productive as I should be.  That is when I need to step back and remember what my goals are. The bible is pretty clear about keeping your priorities straight, and that no matter what you do, to do it with the intention of pleasing God.

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.  Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God — even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.” ~1 Cor 10:31-33

My question is: what are your intentions behind the actions you take?  We are given a ton of freedom in our relationship with Jesus.  And, no matter how much we stay in line with his teachings, that freedom will always outweigh the responsibilities that we have because we are Christians.  I have done life without a relationship with Jesus.  And I've done life with that relationship.  The former made me feel like I was in a Burling contest.  Whereas the latter surprisingly has helped lower my stresses and concerns.  Not that life has been any easier, as a matter of fact it has not been.  But, knowing that I have Jesus on my side allows me to move forward with confidence in my decisions and actions.  Setting my sights on him keeps me grounded, knowing that I am making good and informed decisions. My prayer is that you focus on a life where JC is central in pointing your directions in the proper ways.

Praying for you,

MO

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