Obsequy (Romans 6:9-10)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is "obsequy."  It is amazing how our entire spiritual lives as X-tians is built around the fact that a man died, and then three days later rose from the grave. When i first heard that i was like whaaaat!  But since i have moved through my journey as a believer Christ it continues to become more and more clear that our God is that big.  God is big enough that he sent his only son to die for our sins on the cross.

We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.

~Rom. 6:9-10

My question is: are you living in the awesome conviction that JC's death brought now only him life with the Father, but also gave you eternal life in the same way?  My prayer is that you share your faith with someone else and explain why it is you chose to believe in the one who will never die.  We can be sure that as we live in the love of God that we will never experience a forever obsequy, or funeral... but only a temporary move from this world to the next.

Praying for you,

mo

Crepuscule (Psalm 113:1-9)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is "crepuscule." One of my best experiences when I was in college was the ability to do ministry in Mexico during certain holidays and such.  I never really had the time to do it, but I made it a priority.  My freshman year I was at one of these international trips and the dude doing song worship played a song with the following verse:

"From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the Lord's  name is to be praised."

Ps. 113:3

Maybe it was the way the song sounded, or maybe it was the words.  But the point is that I still remember it a million years later.  My question is, what are the things that you do to keep God's name in your conscience on a continual basis?  I pray that you take time to think of how much time you spend praising God. And i don't mean necessarily in song, or church, or bible study or whatever.  Really, it's about being mindful of God all of the time, from sun-up... to the day's beautiful crepuscule, or sunset. Sooo, how are you doing?

Praying for you,

mo

Apposite (1 Corinthians 11:1-2)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “apposite.”  The Apostle Paul was always looking for reasons to give others hope.  He knew that if he emulated Jesus, others would remember him for being a servant.  He did not do this for his glory, but for that of the Savior.  His main goal was to help others see the importance of living a Christian life.

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you.

~1 Cor 11:1-2

My question is: for the people in your life that emulate Jesus?  My prayer is that others might be able to look at you and see the importance of living for God.  With a ton of stuff out there pulling at our time, we must remember that it is always a top priority to involve God in our daily lives.  It is up to us to keep the gospel a apposite, or appropriate and relevant, to both our lives and the lives of others.  Give somebody today a reason to imitate you, knowing that you imitate JC.

Praying for you,

mo

Ennoble (Psalm 34)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is "ennoble."  The psalms are a collection of writings that give perspectives of those who walked with God.  They could be positive in nature, or even a cry for help.  The cool thing is that no matter what the feeling of the writer, we are always invited into the experience.

Come, let us tell of the LORD's greatness; let us exalt his name together.
~Ps. 34:3

My question is: who is someone in your life that has invited you into the God experience? I know that over the years I have had many people do just that for me.  I thank the Lord for those that God has placed in my life, especially in the hard times.  My prayer is that you look for people in your life that can be that influence, those who look out for your best interest and help you ennoble, or exalt, that name of God.

Praying for you,

mo

Bequeath (Pr 13:21-25)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is "bequeath."  Back in the day it was customary for a man to make enough money and gain enough wealth to leave to his family and future generations.  Solomon tells us here that we should be focused on both taking care of people financially, but more importantly spiritually.  He knew that the way that people conducted themselves would influence future generations.  The importance of a relationship with God was key because even after someone died that relationship continued to minister to others.

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, but the sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous.”

~Pr. 13:22

My question is: what you plan to leave behind, what is your legacy?  I know that when I began to do ministry with my first boss and mentor, the man who brought to Christ, he had a long-term perspective.  He brought me on staff as a youth pastor under his care.  He said something that I will always remember.  He told me that if he and I did ministry together for the next 5 to 10 years, that we could change a community through influence and service.  And, we did just that.  My prayer is that you find out what is important to you and that you put your whole heart into it, knowing that Jesus will bless your efforts and allow you to be a positive impact on those whom you serve.

Praying for you,

Mo

Falderal (1 Corinthians 2:14)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is "falderal." I love to read what the Bible says about foolishness. I know that in my journey with Christ that i have not always understood why God had me doing stuff, but sometimes I would have to trust in his direction, especially when i was unsure of what the rest of my friends, and the world, would think of me.

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

~1 Cor 2:14

My question is: do you pray for discernment to understand the things of God? I remember one of the most key parts of my early spiritual journey was advice that i took from my pastor's wife.  She told me that every day i needed to pray for wisdom and discernment from God.  I did not really understand what that meant, but i did it.  and from that day on i don't think that i have missed a day of adding that to my time with God. My prayer is that God gives you wisdom and discernment as yoiu move through your days, that you allow him guide you in your decisions.

Praying for you,

mo

Chattel (Romans 6:18)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is "chattel."  The Apostle Paul talked about being a slave to sin, as opposed to a slave to righteousness.  He knew that the people reading his letters were continually struggling with surrendering to God the stuff that hindered them from a better relationship with him.

You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness."

~Rom. 6:18

My question is: what are the things in your life that are most important? That could sometimes be very different from what we tell others or display in our lives. Even when you hide your feelings from the rest of the world, God can still search your heart and knows you to the core. I pray today that you chat with God and set your thoughts and actions on what is important to him.  Take some time to give to God the stuff that controls you. Be no longer a slave to anything that is not of God.

Praying for you,

mo

Shoal (1 Tim 6:12-16)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is "shoal."  In preparation for the sermon that I preached this past Sunday, I was convicted by the Lord to move deeper into a relationship with him.  I know that might seem a little bit odd, figuring that he is always calling us to become closer, but it was just one of those moments that one has every now and again that remind them how important it is to continually get closer in relationship to him.

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

~1 Tim 6:12-16

Talk about an awesome charge of encouragement from Paul to Timothy!  In these few verses, the apostle was telling this young man that he must continually fight to preserve what he accepted from Jesus.  My question for you is: what are the things in life that are keeping you from becoming closer to God?  Some of us like to sit on the shore, and sometimes wade into the shoal, when the Lord is calling us to go to the deep waters.  When we move from the familiar to the unfamiliar, God will move us further from what we have been and make us more of what we can become.  My prayer is that each of you understands that God is calling you to a deeper relationship with him each moment, and that we must not take for granted that calling.

Praying for you,

Mo

Aureole (Isaiah 62:3)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is aureole.  I love the Old Testament and the major prophets.  God has so many awesome ways of explaining exactly who we are to him and what we mean in the grand scheme of life.  These verses in Isaiah show just that.

You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

~Is. 62:3

My question for you is: are you living in God's expectations for you?  I'm not really talking about the actions that you take, but an understanding that you are loved by the Messiah.  My prayer for you is that you take some time to realize that God has made you his masterpiece.  Everything that you are is exactly what you are supposed to be.  Live in the knowledge that God has called you to be his child and would do anything to keep you in his love.  You are God's aureole, his crown of splendor.

Praying for you,

mo