Interstitial (Acts 17:26-27)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “interstitial.”  Have you ever wondered about how you ended up at this particular place in life? I know for me, I often ponder where I would be if I made different decisions over the course of time. When I first became a Christian I remember my pastor telling me that I would be the sum of the people that I hung out with, and the books that I read. I decided early on to take that to heart. I realized that some of the people I was hanging out with were not really the best influence on me. On the other hand, there were some very good relationships that I had. It was now up to me to decipher from that point on which ones were good and which ones were not very helpful. The best part about all this though, was that I started to gain an understanding about what it meant to trust God through the process.

“From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.” ~Acts 17:26-27

My question is: if God is the one who ordained and appointed the boundaries of time, what are you doing to fit within that kind of God-inspired life? May be a little bit deep, I know. But, if we want to be on the same page with God we must allow him to permeate every part of our being. Each day brings something new, and someone or something that will influence us. Sometimes it is the interstitial times in life, within thin threads, that we experience God. My prayer is that you are open to God speaking to you in new ways each day.

Praying for you,

MO

Pugnacious (Proverbs 29:22)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “pugnacious.”  I remember growing up trying to keep my nose clean.  i needed to be on my best behavior so I could have a social life, play sports, etc.  I think I did pretty good job. My brother, on the other hand, had quite the difficult trek through high school. Part of it, and actually most of it, was probably the fact that he never really did anything bad. But, even worse, he was the one who was there to laugh when one of his friends did something stupid.

Angry people stir up conflict; hotheads cause much offense.” ~Pr. 29:22

My question is: who are the people that you spend the most time with? Like many high school kids, the friends that my brother chose to hang around with had a ton of fun…  many times at the expense of others. They were a pretty pugnacious bunch, always looking for something and someone to hassle. This was a pretty tough few years for my parents.  I realized by watching some of the strife that my brother got into, that much of it could’ve been avoided. My prayer is that you check the company that you keep. If we are the sum of  those we hang around with, it would be wise to make sure that those people have good character traits, people we want to be like. And, also as important, is knowing that you influence others, and should do your best as a Christian to give those people a reason to be more like you.

Praying for you,

MO

Slubber (James 3:1-12)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “slubber.”  I really enjoy the book of James because of the frankness that he has when speaking with the believers.  He knew that God's people needed good instruction, and so he made sure that he was upfront about what it took to be someone of influence in the church.

“Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.” ~Jam 3:1-2

My question is: what are the gifts and talents that you believe you possess?  James instructed the people here to make sure that each of them looked inward at their own actions before they wanted to be any kind of leader or person of influence.  My prayer is that you ask God to pick you up when you slubber and stumble... and look to be more like God.  Having the ability to have influence over others is a big responsibility, and we know that the more that we know and apply when it comes to the Bible, the more we will need to keep our own thoughts and actions in check.  Make a resolution today to get a little bit better each day.

Praying for you,

MO

Horology (James 4:13-17)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “horology.”  I remember early on in my college experience not having a lot of time to do all of the stuff that I wanted.  I was working for the church full time, going to school full-time and trying to fit in the rest of life as well.  Each of us has the same amount of time, whether we are the average Joe, Bill Gates, Billy Graham, or somewhere in between all of that.

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” ~Jam. 4:13-15

My question is: how are you going to prioritize your time?  None of us are forced to do anything.  That is the great thing about this country.  Although we may often feel that someone or something has control over us, and that we must spend our time one way or another, the fact is that we are all given the opportunity to do exactly what we want.  My prayer is that no matter what you choose to do and spend your time on, that you add God to the equation and allow him to give you some guidance and influence.  Although none of us is equipped with the abilities and power to create or change the horology of things, we can use the time allotted in our lives to be productive and efficient.  Choose today to invest your time in the things that matter to God.

Praying for you,

MO