Gaslight (2 Corinthians 4:1-6)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “gaslight.”  Have you ever thought you were crazy for believing something?  One of your friends tells you some kind of whopper of a story, and you get sucked right into it.  We see in the passage below that the believers had to be on the lookout for things that were not in line with the truth of God.  Focusing on Jesus was tough, and still is today if you are not careful to focus on the light.

“In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” ~2 Cor 4:4

My question is: what are the things that you spend your time believing?  There are a lot of people out there that would like you to move your faith away from God and put it into something else.  Whether that is material possessions, other religions, or just simply wanting to mislead you.  We have to be on the lookout for the stuff that would move us away from a relationship with God.  My prayer is that each of you solidify your faith each day, reading the Word and fellowshipping with other believers.  There will always be someone out there wanting to gaslight, or pull one over, on you.  The more you associate with people that know the truth, the better off you will be in succeeding in life, walking alongside God.

Praying for you,

MO

Wamble (Colossians 3:1-5)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “wamble.”  Now that you're back and getting ready to acclimate to regular school life again, an important piece to the puzzle of success is focus.  The church at Colossae was dealing with stuff that was not out of the ordinary for what other churches face.  In fact, I'm sure that most churches go through those same problems.  Keeping people on track and remembering to live the Christian life can be difficult sometimes, when we are not headed completely in the right direction.

"Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

~Col. 3:2

My question is: what are the things that you focus on most?  Living like a Christian is great, but if your heart is not the right place then God will recognize that.  My prayer is that each of you remembers that the stuff that we deal with on earth is temporary, while the things above are eternal.  I know that the Lord has cool plans for each of you, and I hope that you do not wamble through your journey with God.  Stay the course and focus on things above!

Praying for you,

mo

Apogee (Exodus 24:1-18)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “apogee.” Can you imagine the way that Moses felt in the presence of God? God actually tells him to come up to him on the mountain. There is something very poetic about that. I can see Moses now at the peak of that mountain feeling on top of the world, and scared out of his mind in the presence of the Lord. Now that is a healthy fear.

The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.”

~Ex 24:12

Moses was given a pretty hefty task. He knew that he was going to be up there for a while. And if you ever have seen the movie, Charlton Heston comes down with a full beard. That is quite some time! My question is: when is the last time that you have been called up to the mountain by God? The Lord calls us into his presence even today, but we must be the ones to answer. He is not going to force your hand. My prayer for you this morning is that you allow yourself to be called by God. And, when he calls, make sure you go up to the apogee, or highest point. Do not waiver, but ascend as high as he needs for you to fulfill the duties he instructs. Make a difference for God today.

Praying for you,

Mo

Coaptation (Acts 19:1-10)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “coaptation.”I recently spoke at a youth event, in which I told my faith story. Every time I do so, I realize that my coming into relationship with Jesus was no accident. Looking back on all of the events that occurred in my life, I realize that God had been tugging at my heart for some time. I only needed to respond.

And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.”

~Acts 19:4

My question is: are you living in the power that Jesus has bestowed upon you? When you came in to the presence of the Lord and accepted his calling to be one of his followers, you immediately received the power of the Holy Spirit as you have become a coaptation… your life adjusted to a one now lived with God. It is not you, but him does the work through you. My prayer is that each of you takes that power and is used as a vessel for Christ in your daily activities. Be bold today and know that the Holy Spirit is behind you and everything that you do, and is actually going out in front of you preparing the way for you to do ministry in the name of Jesus.

Praying for you,

mo

Birl (2 Corinthians 1:12-14)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “birl.” One of the things I love most about Paul's writings is how simple he keeps stuff. In this particular passage, Paul is reminding the Corinthians that the message that he brings, and that they should act out to the world, is a life of simplicity. This is seen in Christians as a kind of single-mindedness that does not worry about what other people think, but only that of God's heart.

Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God. We have done so not according to worldly wisdom but according to God’s grace.

~2 Cor 1:12

My question is: what is it that you convey to the world by your thoughts and actions? Paul talked about a sincerity that Christians must have, knowing that the holiness of God would show in our lives. We understand that being a part of this world causes us to be caught up in stuff that is not very important. However, because of God's grace we are called to a life lived for him. My prayer is that you live in God's grace today and realize that it is a single-mindedness of heart that God desires. Whenever your mind starts to birl, or spin out of control, because of the difficulties and trials you face… remember that the more simple we keep the gospel the more effective we are as Christians.

Praying for you,

mo