Sentiment (Luke 2.8-14)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “sentiment.”  Over the years I have had a ton of favorite Christmas movies.  But one that continues to stand out is A Charlie Brown Christmas.  It never gets old.  When I was a little kid, I loved it.  And, I love it now.  What is amazing to me is that right smack dab in the middle of it, Linus reads straight out of the Bible.

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not; for, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill towards men." ~Lk. 2:8-14

My question is: what is Christmas to you?  There is a lot of emotional power that comes with this specific holiday.  Even though it is a religious observance by about 2 billion Christians, much of the world celebrates with us.  That gives us an open invitation to help others understand what we believe, and why.  My prayer is that you take the next few days and pray for someone that needs to experience the miracle of Christmas.  After all of the presents, cookies, family gatherings, and sentiments that come this week… remember it is the Savior we celebrate this season.  And so, as Linus would say, “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”

Praying for you,

MO

Clishmaclaver (Proverbs 10.19)

Good morning ladies,

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

Propinquity (Matthew 6.26-30)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “propinquity.” I realize that an occurring theme in my life at the present is that of time.  Use of time, availability of time, understanding of time, etc.  I believe that people do not really think about time in a productive manner very often.  I recall one of my favorite books stating something along the lines of people not being able to manage time, but rather the ability to manage priorities. I now try to live my life as such. Worrying has not gotten me very far, and so I try my best to know that God has control over both the big and small parts of my days.

“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you…” ~Matt 6:26-30

My question is: what are the places in your life that you are not giving to God in their entirety? When we withhold those parts of who we are, God is not able to work the way he could if we gave him that trust and access.  My prayer is that you take one area of your life that you are holding close to the vest, and see what it would take to give God permission to begin work in that very place.

Praying for you,

MO

Fugacious (Psalm 144:4)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “fugacious.” I remember one of my mentors telling early on in my Christian journey that I needed to make sure to take every opportunity possible within my current time in life. He said that as I got older time would speed up. He used the analogy of how kids think that summer lasts forever… and then at some point in life, summer as well as the rest of life, speeds up. That is why there is an importance on using time wisely.

“They are like a breath; their days are like a fleeting shadow.” ~Ps 144:4

My question is: how are you spending the days of your life? I think it is important to know that we sometimes overestimate what we can do a year, and underestimate what we can do in five years. Sometimes when life is not going the way we would like it, we withdraw and cease trying. But if we just hold on and try to make every day count, we will find that in a matter of time God can change and shape us. Whether it is regarding your spiritual life, or just something that you know needs to get done, God can make our lives worthwhile. So, although our lives might be fugacious, we have the opportunity to live in eternity with the father following a life of productivity, hopefully for the Kingdom.

Praying for you,

MO

Antipodes (Psalm 103.11-12)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “antipodes.”  I think one of the most reassuring parts of our realationship with God is that he allows us to remove sin from out lives by trusting in his son, without anything more than having a relationship with him. I remember as a young Christian in high school wanting to know more about this unbelievable grace that God wanted to extend, especially to someone like me. But that's exactly what we are told in the Bible that God takes the sin of those who are guilty and removes those inequities through the blood of Jesus.

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” ~Ps. 103:11-12

My question is: what comes to mind when you think of the way that God has extended grace in your life? I think that early on in my relationship of Jesus, I never really thought about what it meant to live in his all-encompassing and endless grace. However, as I have moved through the years, I realize that I need to view both myself and others with more grace and acceptance. My prayer is that you allow God to change your heart today to move them closer in that kind of deep relationship, knowing that the sin in your life and the grace of God are antipodes, as far apart as one could imagine.

Praying for you,

MO

Foudroyant (Matthew 24.27)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “foudroyant.” Throughout time many people have tried to predict the second coming of Jesus. However, no one has been successful in doing so. The Bible says that no one really even has any idea of when Jesus is coming back. Not even Jesus himself knows when that day will be. In fact, it will be so abrupt that there will be no mistaking that very day, as we see in today's passage.

For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” ~Matt 24:27

My question is: are you ready for Jesus to come back? I remember one of my spiritual mentors once told me that I should live my life in such a way that I would be ready at any moment for Jesus to appear and take me with him. My prayer is that you make each decision today with the expectation that God is watching, and that he has the best in mind for your future. Knowing that our Saviour is coming back to claim his people should give a sense of joy; and the Bible tells us that when this happens the sky will open in a very foudroyant display of awesomeness… are you ready for JC to come back?

Praying for you,

MO