Penetralia (Colossians 3.15-17)

Good morning ladies, 

The word of the day is “penetralia.” I think what sets Christians apart, or is God's intention to do so, is the understanding that we are called to be a people of peace that love other Christians, and nonbelievers. Today's passage talks about being thankful, which is very appropriate considering the fact that Thanksgiving is tomorrow. This is a great time for each Christian to take a moment and evaluate his or her relationship with God.

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” ~Col. 3:15-17

My question is: What are the parts of yourself that you set aside for God? I know that it is important for us to remember more often than not how God has bestowed his blessings upon us.  However, sometimes we fail to understand that as God’s people share an intimate connection with him.  My prayer is that you allow God into your life’s pentralia to be known and shaped by the Creator.  When he knows the innermost parts of us, we are more apt to move closer to him, building the relationship, and eventually living as a witness for his glory.

Praying for you,

MO

Splendiferous (Psalm 145.3-5)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “splendiferous.” This week marks the beginning of a pretty crazy season. It seems to me that the Christmas season starts earlier and earlier every year. Which means, along with that is the chaos and shopping and everything in between. The psalmist reminds us this morning that no matter what the season, we should always remember that God's greatness outweighs anything that may consume our minds and hearts at any given moment.

God is magnificent; he can never be praised enough. There are no boundaries to his greatness. Generation after generation stands in awe of your work; each one tells stories of your mighty acts. Your beauty and splendor have everyone talking; I compose songs on your wonders. ~Ps. 145:3-5

My question is: what are you most thankful for at this point in your life? As we enter this holiday season, my prayer is that you always put forth God's greatness, and remember that he is the reason for all that is good in your life. As he continues to guide you daily, allow his splendiferous nature to encompass your very being. Give God thanks for his mighty acts in your life today.

Praying for you,

MO

Splendiferous (Psalm 145.3-5)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “splendiferous.” This week marks the beginning of a pretty crazy season. It seems to me that the Christmas season starts earlier and earlier every year. Which means, along with that is the chaos and shopping and everything in between. The psalmist reminds us this morning that no matter what the season, we should always remember that God's greatness outweighs anything that may consume our minds and hearts at any given moment.

God is magnificent; he can never be praised enough. There are no boundaries to his greatness. Generation after generation stands in awe of your work; each one tells stories of your mighty acts. Your beauty and splendor have everyone talking; I compose songs on your wonders. ~Ps. 145:3-5

My question is: what are you most thankful for at this point in your life? As we enter this holiday season, my prayer is that you always put forth God's greatness, and remember that he is the reason for all that is good in your life. As he continues to guide you daily, allow his splendiferous nature to encompass your very being. Give God thanks for his mighty acts in your life today.

Praying for you,

MO

Slugabed (Mark 1.35)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “slugabed.”  What an awesome word!  I remember playing sports and doing a ton of extracurricular activities while I was in high school.  It seems that I never had enough time in the day.  And then something happened.  I accepted Jesus somewhere around my sophomore year.  I was pretty new in the faith and had a lot of good mentorship, pointing me in the right direction in a relationship with God.  Part of this was adding prayer to my routine.  It did not seem tough at first, but when I realized that I had to actually set some time aside to now and again, it caused me to have to rethink my schedule.  It’s taken me several years, and even now sometimes I struggle with getting away to spend some time with God.  I always lean on today’s verse in my quest to fit that time in, along with a busy schedule. 

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. ~Mark 1:35

My question is: how do you fit prayer into your routine?  JC was no slugabed by any means… he made sure to sneak away before the day started on this occasion to make sure he got some good time with his Father.  It’s not necessarily even that you have to get up early in the morning or stay up late at the end of the day to do so.  Spending time in prayer, and investing in your relationship with Jesus, must be a proactive piece of your life.  And, even though we are supposed to pray always, we do need to find time to set aside to allow God to speak to us.  My prayer is that you do just that; carve out a little bit of time for God today and allow him to speak to you.  You will be amazed with what he might have to say.

Praying for you,

MO

Crackerjack (Matthew 3:27-28)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is "crackerjack."  Contrary to popular belief, someone who possesses such qualities is actually a positive.  Jesus was often challenged by those who were experts in the law.  Some people might say they are and were marksmen.  They could recite Scripture with exact precision.  They always knew the right thing religious or spiritual answer to give you and any given situation.  However, Jesus knew that that just because they say knew God’s Word, didn't mean that they were living life according to God's battle.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” ~Matt 3:27-28

My question is: what kind of life are you living?  Even though the Pharisees were crackerjacks when it came to knowing Scripture, they were hardly the same in their spiritual lives.  Sometimes we think we are doing the right thing, but others look at us realize that we are not people who pretended to be.  I think that Christians have a pretty tough time often because people like to point out the bad stuff that we do.  And, it is pretty difficult to get away from the judgment of others.  But, what we can do is do our best to live by God's principles.  My prayer is that you search your heart for the parts of your soul that need changing and replenishing.  God wants to do great things in your life.  Allow him to shape you today.

Praying for you,

MO

Brolly (Isaiah 55:1-12)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “brolly.”  The symbolism and word usage in the Old Testament is second to none.  I would put the literary excellence of our Bible of to any other work out there.  As we see in today’s passage, we can be sure of God’s fulfillment in the elements, including rain and snow.  As I go outside and see the rain today and keep from getting wet because of the brolly I carry, I am comforted that God’s use of all of the elements make possible everything good that is at our fingertips.

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater…” ~Is 55:10

My question is: are you praying for God’s will in your life?  Just as we see the good part of nature in today’s passage, we also see that resisting God is not necessarily what we want to be doing.  God is the one who makes everything that is good flourish and gives us what we need.  We must also know though that staying within God’s will is our best bet to be happy and secure.  My prayer is that you think God for the little things, as I am doing with the rain today.  May God bless you and allow you to grow and flourish where you are.

Praying for you,

MO

Frenetic (Job 9:1-13)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “frenetic.”  I really enjoyed reading the book of Job. In it we see that this man followed got pretty intensely, and dealt with temptation and anguish.  A lot of the stuff that was happening was not under his control.  So, during this whole ordeal he talks to different people and is trying to figure out why bad things are happening.  At one point, Job senses his inadequacy after being told that he should be feeling a certain way about what he was going through.  In the following verses show how much Job did trust God, and understood His power.

He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea. He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.” ~Job 9:8-9

My question is: what kind of power do you give God in your life we see that Job struggled in his relationship with his Lord, just as each of us do.  We do know, however, that Job did understand that God was not a God of confusion, one who was frenetic, but instead realized that there was a plan even when he did not understand it in part, or as a whole.  My prayer is that you understand that God does perform miracles daily, most of which are unseen.  Just the fact that you and I have the ability to have a relationship with God is reason enough to believe that although sometimes we cannot see or even perceive Him in our midst, he is at work.  Take some time today to thank God for working in your life and being the powerful God that he is.

Praying for you,

MO

Wanion (Deuteronomy 32:34-36)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “wanion.”  I've always really liked the Old Testament.  Knowing that God fights for his people has always inspired me both as a young Christian, and now as a more mature Christian.  Sometimes it seems in these old stories that God was just pretty upfront and blunt about the way things needed to be.  And that is what we see in today's passage.

“Have I not kept this in reserve and sealed it in my vaults? It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.” ~Deut 32:34-35

My question is: do you believe that God will come to your rescue when you are in times of trouble?  I know that it's not always easy to trust God, especially in things aren't going our way.  But, my prayer is that each of you takes an extra moment today to ask God to fight for you in the areas of your life that need a little bit more.  The best thing about having a great God is that he can do incredible things in tough circumstances.  Give God a chance today to fight for you.

Praying for you,

MO

Panivorous (Matthew 4:1-11)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “panivorous.”  In today’s passage we continue with the understanding that Jesus constantly has opposition in his ministry.  It started as early as him being tempted in the wilderness by the Evil One.  When he is in the wilderness, Jesus was tempted three times.  And, these were no small tasks to overcome.  In fact, in this passage, the Savior used the same words that we see in the Old Testament when God’s people were in the wilderness, wandering.  The reference implies a need for God’s sufficiency.

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘People do not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” ~Matt 4:4

My question is: what are the things closest to you that give you the most life?  I think it’s important to understand that we must always look to God to sustain us.  Just as we are panivorous people, relying on bread to sustain us, so does God’s word give you what you need to give him the same spiritually, which is a loving heart and obedience.  My prayer is that you subject yourself to God, living by his word and realize the necessity of its sufficiency in your life.

Praying for you,

MO