Motive (Galatians 2:11-21)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “motive.” Being a Christian is not always the easy thing to do. In the NT, Paul had to confront Peter about some stuff that he knew should be changed. Imagine standing up to the guy that JC said, “Hey brutha, I’m gonna build my church through you – The Rock!” Well, it was something like that. Paul knew he had to choose his words carefully, knowing that all the peeps would be there. He chose to enter the situation with the right motive…

“When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, "You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?”

~Gal. 2:14

Can you imagine how tense that confrontation was? My question is: When living among other believers, what are you motives? As believers we are called to help in every situation… and never to humiliate. My prayer for you is that God would give you pure motives in your life with one another as coworkers in the Lord as well as your relationships outside of the body of Christ.

Praying for you,

mo

Consistency (1 Corinthians 1:4)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “consistency.” As we continue to pick up the pace in our life and the intensity you must remain consistent in your work ethic and drive. I thought of this word in preparation of hearing Francis Chan in APU chapel a few days ago. This guy is consistent in his love for God and the Kingdom. I saw Francis for the first time some years ago when I was in high school – and he was the same guy back then as he is today. Amazing. The Apostle Paul was consistent in his ministry in many ways. One of those was the way he prayed. As he did in many of his letters, he wrote the following to the church in Corinth:

"I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus."

~1 Cor. 1:4

I love reading the beginnings of these letters more and more as the years pass. Paul loved his peeps so much and longed to see them. He prayed for them and was consistent in his thoughts and devotion. My question for you today is: Are you consistent in your prayers for others? Francis challenged us to be bold in our prayer lives. My prayer for you today is that God would make your prayer life radical, courageous, and consistent.

Praying for you,

mo

Crown (Philippians 4:1)

Good morning all,

The word of day is “crown.” What a fitting word, given our goals and aspirations as students, workers, and military peeps. Paul was very proud to have so many with whom to share the Gospel. Although he was miles away, he always had such a love and joy for his friends. He writes:

"Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!"

~Phil. 4:1

Now this is the kind of friend that I want. Paul did a ton of ministry and saw each person in the body of Christ as special. He knew that the road to life with JC was tough and so he reminded his peeps to stand firm! My question for you today is: Who are the friends in your life that are pushing you to be a better follower of Christ? We must always remember our ultimate goal – life in Christ. My prayer for you today is that God would surround you with the right individuals to help you achieve that.

Praying for you,

mo

Amazed (Habakuk 1:5)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “amazed.” On my way to the work this morning I had a million different things going through my head. I was concerned with this, that, and the other thing. But then I just sat back and smiled to myself and realized how awesome God is. You know when you get that feeling that God has you wrapped in his love… that’s the feeling. A long time ago one of God’s prophets had a similar prayer of concern… well, he was actually concerned for his life and the lives of the Israelites, but you know :) Here was God’s response:

“Look at the nations and watch — and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.”

Hab. 1:5

Whoa! Now that is the God that I want be watching over me. That is the God I want to serve. My question for you today is: When is the last time you sat back and just rested in God’s amazing love? This year God has stuff in store for you that you wouldn’t believe even if you were told. My prayer for you today is that God would shock you with his amazement today… be ready.

Praying for you,

mo

Aspire (2 Corinthians 13:5-10)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “aspire.” The Apostle Paul spent his whole life in pursuit of his aspirations. He knew where he was going and what God wanted him to do. He was always up against the big dogs and under a ton of scrutiny. The thing is, Paul put the blinders on and kept his head in the game.

“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?”

~2 Cor. 13:5

You all have choices each day and life is going to continue to get tougher as you move through this year. My question for you today is: Are you willing to aspire toward the difficult achievements? How far are you willing to push yourself to hit some crazy goals? I know that in your faith, God wants us to aspire to attain a life with him. It’s a whole lot, I know… but you can do it. Give it your all; God is ready.

Praying for you,

mo

Goals (Philippians 3:14)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “goals.” Back in high school I was young in my faith and struggling with issues of anger and poor sportsmanship during my athletics. I turned to my youth pastor to help me choose a “life verse” that might spur me on. Kevin always had a good word, and at that point challenged me to think of what God might want for my swim season. We prayed together for God to speak. After countless passages and tons of thinking, we came up with this:

“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

~Phil. 3:14

Talk about a revelation! I realized that no matter what my goals were in sports or life in general, that this was the ultimate goal in front of me. Paul pretty much sums it up and says that we need to keep our eye on the prize. My question for you today is: What are you doing daily to press on toward a life in Christ? Tell yourself right now that this year is going to be off the hook! My prayer for you today is that you get wrapped up in JC… and as you set your career and spiritual goals… never take your eyes off him.

Praying for you,

mo