Spondulicks (Matthew 27.1-5)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “spondulicks.”  One of the most famous people in the Bible is Judas Iscariot.  He sold Jesus to those who wanted him dead for a measly handful of money.  And now and again, when it gets close to Easter and I begin to read these last days of Jesus a bit more, I am reminded that I am not to much better than Judas much of the time.  I have fallen short and have sin in my life that should disqualify me from sitting with Jesus one day in Heaven.

“Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." ~Matt 27:3-4

My question is: what are the things in your life that you need to get rid of to follow Jesus with a whole heart?  The other day when it was Ash Wednesday I saw a bunch of peeps around town with ash on their foreheads.  It made me remember that I have stuff in my life that I put in front of my relationship with God, and that I need to make changes daily, in hopes that I will be a better witness for my Lord.  No spondulicks or any other mount of money is going to get in the way of my love for God. I pray that you leave behind all that hinders you from living completely for Jesus.

Praying for you,

MO

Magniloquent (Proverbs 10.1-32)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “magniloquent.”  Life is filled with people that have an opinion they believe is right, for whatever the situation. Have you ever noticed how some people have an answer for everything? No matter what is going on, they have the solution. Well, Jesus warned us in the Bible that when it comes to our faith, it is important to remember that we need to listen to the counsel of wise individuals. Moving in the right direction is something we must focus on all of the time, and doing so means taking correct advice.

“The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off. The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse.” ~Pr. 10:31-32

My question is: who are the righteous people in in your life giving you the advice that is acceptable to God?  My prayer is that you take some time to sift through the way you connect with others and give them influence in your daily actions.  Give God the authority to put peeps in your path that can help you to be better.  Seek out those whose speech is gentle in nature, not those who are loud and magniloquent with there mouths.  God will be gracious to put the correct people in your life.  You just need to be ready to accept their encouragement.

Praying for you,

MO

Chronometer (Mark 4.35-41)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “chronometer.”  Today’s story is one of the first that I remember grasping pretty well.  I was a young Christian and learning about the stories and parables of Jesus.  When I came across this story I was pretty fascinated.  I actually thought to myself, could the story even be true?  As I continued on with my relationship with Jesus, I realized that there is pretty much nothing that he would not be able to handle.  In today’s story proves just that.

“He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.” ~Mark 4:39

My question is: where do you put your faith when you face difficult challenges and situations?  I’m the kind of person that likes to take things on myself and not ask for any assistance.  But, as we learned in today’s story, sometimes there is stuff that is out of your control.  At which point, all you can really do is look to Jesus.  Just like the people in the boat, who could not rely on the regular technology of the day – the chronometer – so must we put other things aside and realize that our true strength and answers come from Jesus.

Praying for you,

Mo

Eyesome (Psalm 19.1-14)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “eyesome.”  What I’ve always liked about the book of Psalms is that you can open it up and read a random passage or verse, and it always seems to speak to some part of your life.  Over the years I have looked to this book for God’s decrees and expectations of me.  Today’s passage is a reminder that everything we do can be seen by others, and it is up to us as to how they view our relationship with the Lord.

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” ~Ps 19:14

My question is: what are the thoughts and actions in your life?  Because we are not perfect people, it can be difficult at times to feel like we are following God wholeheartedly.  My prayer is that you look to God is the one who can redeem you and make you a better person each day.  Allow others to see your heart as eyesome and something they would want for there own lives, and make sure that you are a witness and example for those who know you.

Praying for you,

Mo

Emblem (Ephesians 5.1-22)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “emblem.”  You know, I really love sports.  I love rooting for my favorite teams, I love coaching, and I love influencing others.  For those of you who enjoy sports as well, isn’t there something about seeing somebody out on the street wearing the same logo of a team that you love to root for?  It’s almost like you have an instant camaraderie with them.  And, at the same time if you see someone wearing the logo from a rival team, it’s fun to heckle and badger those people… That is, of course of your team is winning at the time.  Well, I think that we need to approach our relationship to God in much the same way – not the heckling part… but the camaraderie stuff.

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” ~Eph 5:1-22

My question is: what is the emblem of faith that you wear?  When people see you do they associate you with following God?  I know that sometimes it’s tough to follow God’s decrees and remain in a position where you are imitating him.  But, that’s what’s so awesome about this relationship.  You have to work to become better in your life.  Only then can you be that fragrant offering and sacrifice Paul talks about in Ephesians.  Be bold today.  As Jesus gave himself up for you, give up a little bit more for him each day.

Praying for you,

MO

Switcheroo (Ephesians 6.1-12)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “switcheroo.”  Yes, this is actually a real word in the dictionary!  I think we all know exactly what this is.  And, I totally associate it with the stuff that we will face as Christians.  There are evil forces in the world that would want you to take your eyes off of God and put them on anything but him.  I like to call this the old switcheroo.  The Evil One is looking for any opportunity to trip you up and make you believe that what you are doing is okay, even if and especially if God is not cool with it.  I would submit that we need to fight this kind of nonsense.

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” ~Eph 6:11

My question is: are you ready for the challenges that will come your way in life?  It’s easy to say that we have life under control, and then all of a sudden something doesn’t go our way and life comes crashing down.  My prayer is that you always look towards Jesus and remember that even in the tough times, he is ready to protect you by all means necessary.  Put on the armor of God today and make a difference in both your life and someone else’s.

Praying for you,

Mo