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

Penurious (Matthew 6.19-21)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is "penurious.” I read a great book some years ago about the rat race of life. Sometimes it seems that we are just trying to keep up, keep our heads above the water. However, at the same time that I read the book, I had been a Christian, and community leader for a number of years. I realized that of course we need to be productive in society, but if we do not have a relationship with God then it pretty much does not mean anything.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ~Matt 6:19-21

My question is: where do you find your riches in life? One of my mentors used to often say, and still does, that we must add value to others each day if we want to make it worth anything. My prayer is that each of us searches the depths of our souls and find what drives us. I made it a point very early on to make sure to do my best at all times and, in every situation, to put God and his plan first. That is not always easy.  Because at the end of life, no matter how many material possessions we have, it is all penurious without the love and fellowship of God and his people.

Praying for you,

MO

Gingerly (John 3:18)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “gingerly.” How many times have you been in a situation where you needed to tread lightly to make sure that stuff went smooth? With all of the miscommunication and misperceptions that surround us, it is definitely more difficult to be on the up and up.  That being said, Jesus was a master of people skills, and knew that even though he was pretty clear, sometimes he needed to help his followers understand him in a crystal clear manner.  This took a ton of focus.

“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” ~Jn 3:18

I love the way that JC tells peeps that they really need to believe in him if they are going to have a decent afterlife.  My question is: how do you deal with people? It is necessary for us to treat our relationships with care and concern, knowing that the people we spend our time with are the ones we should be serving. My prayer is that you handle any and all difficult relationship concerns gingerly, making the effort to always encourage.

Praying for you,

MO

Specter (James 4:1-9)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “specter.”  I love the book of James because the dude pretty much just lays it all out there. He tells us that it is imperative that we stay away from sin and anything that can trip us up and take away from our relationship with God.  He realizes the need for repentance, and to be in sync with the actions consistent with what it means to grow as a Christian.  And so, in this passage he tells them a very simple and effective way to stay out of trouble…

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” ~Jam 4:7

My question is: are you doing the thing you need to stay away from trouble? Resisting can be as easy and not putting yourself in a position to do something wrong.  One of my mentors said that applying wisdom to one’s life is easy… “Just think of something stupid, and then don’t do it.” I love this. How many times do we find ourselves in situations or relationships that are not good and know that we need to make a change… but we don’t! My prayer is that you take inventory of your life and find a way to resist the Evil One today.

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