Terpsichorean (2 Samuel 6:12-18)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “terpsichorean.” Back in the Old Testament times it was very important for a man to have dignity and respect among his people. As you will see in today's passage, King David did not really think about this when he decided to praise the Lord. As a respectable and important man, probably the most in the entire kingdom, he cared more about what God saw then what other people did.

David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.

~2 Sam 6:14-15

My question for you today is: as you live each day of your life are you concerned more with what God thinks about you or what others do? I know that I have been guilty of this selfishness in my own life many times over the years. It is important for each of us to make sure that God is always the first and only person that we are to impress. My prayer for you this morning is that you take a page out of King David's book and dance before God in terpsichorean glee before his splendor.

Praying for you,

mo

Bear (Luke 14:25-33)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is "bear.” We often see this word used by Christians when talking about following Christ. People in the New Testament knew that there was a cost involved with following Jesus. He was not popular in many circles and people knew that associating with him could be detrimental to their social status. For this reason Jesus made clear what it would take to follow him, on many occasions.

“Whoever does not bear his or her own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”

~Luke 14:27

My question is: what does it mean in your life in particular to bear a cross for Christ? God expects each of us to publicly state our affection for the Savior, not just in words but also in action. It is important for others to see why we follow Jesus. My prayer is that you take a moment to evaluate how you can witness to others this week. When you spend time with family and friends, think of specific ways that you can help them move closer to a life with Christ.

Praying for you,

mo

Dovetail (Matthew 5:17-20)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “dovetail.” It seems there were many in Jesus’ time who did not believe in the work that he did. They thought that he was working on selfish ambitions or for some kind of other spiritual gain. However, Jesus never let the thoughts of others stopped him from accomplishing his mission.

"Don't misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.”

~Matt. 5:17

Jesus was not really one to defend himself. He let the law of God do that for him. And as we see in this passage, Jesus reminds those who often misunderstood him that he was not interested in abolishing the law, but fulfilling prophecy and linking, or dovetailing the old Scriptures with what would soon become the new. My question for you is: how do you link Jesus and his teachings to your everyday life? My prayer is that you help others see why the ministry of Jesus is still relevant today. We are given both the old and new Testaments to help others see why they should also follow Christ.

Praying for you,

Mo

Cahoots (Mark 3:1-6)

Good morning all,

The word of the day is “cahoots.”  I think we are all familiar with this term. Whether you heard it when you were a kid and involved with some plot or scheme to dupe your parents, or a more saw it somewhere else in a more derogatory situation, like on TV or in a company or whatever.  The basic principle is that you are working with somebody or another group of people to get something done. The origin of this word is disputed, but when we hear this term today I think that it is pretty self-explanatory. Jesus dealt with this kind of stuff throughout his entire ministry. One of the more turning points, or escalations, is seen in the following passage.

“The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.”

~Mark 3:6

In this particular instance Jesus pretty much makes every governing body at that time pretty upset with him. Although all of the people in power were in cahoots with one another, Jesus worked through this and came out clean on the other side. However, he did have to go through some pretty strenuous stuff following this, and even up to his death. My question is this: with whom do you invest most of your time? We as Christians need to stick together and help one another because there is a lot of stuff out there even today that suggests that a life with Jesus is not worth all the hassle. I beg to differ. My prayer for you this morning is that you give others a reason to be in cahoots with you and fellow believers in Christ.

Praying for you,

Mo

Acclimate (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “acclimate.” Those who call on the name of Christ to change their lines realize very quickly that life with the Savior is much different. It's not really that things are different in the way that you live life, but the promise attached to that decision is enough to throw a new Christian for a loop. In the New Testament we see that the apostles speak of new life and why we can be assured that we are different after we make that decision.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

~2 Cor. 5:17

My question is: do you remember the feeling that you had when you chose new life in Christ? Further than that, what are some of the changes that you had to make to start moving closer to God through his son Jesus? Like anything else we must learn to become accustomed, or acclimated, to a new environment or way of life. My prayer for you this morning is that you take the opportunity that you are given the right relationship with Jesus and use it to help others see why they might want to choose life in Christ as well.

Praying for you,

mo