Foudroyant (Matthew 24.27)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “foudroyant.” Throughout time many people have tried to predict the second coming of Jesus. However, no one has been successful in doing so. The Bible says that no one really even has any idea of when Jesus is coming back. Not even Jesus himself knows when that day will be. In fact, it will be so abrupt that there will be no mistaking that very day, as we see in today's passage.

For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” ~Matt 24:27

My question is: are you ready for Jesus to come back? I remember one of my spiritual mentors once told me that I should live my life in such a way that I would be ready at any moment for Jesus to appear and take me with him. My prayer is that you make each decision today with the expectation that God is watching, and that he has the best in mind for your future. Knowing that our Saviour is coming back to claim his people should give a sense of joy; and the Bible tells us that when this happens the sky will open in a very foudroyant display of awesomeness… are you ready for JC to come back?

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

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

Landloper (Matthew 3.1-9)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “landloper.” One of my favorite dudes in the Bible is John the Baptist, also known as J-Bap – a term commonly used by one of my proffs at Fuller Seminary.  He was hardcore in his living style, using the land to live off of and make his own clothes. Wow, what a crazy way to do life. But, he did it well, and knew what God’s plan for him was the whole way through…

Now John himself had a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey… As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ~Matt 3:4, 11

My question is: what are you doing to live a life the way God has intended? We see that J-Bap was a man of conviction. His role in the New Testament is pivotal, yet he sees himself as nothing more than one who is preparing the way for JC. My prayer is that you live such a life, that you realize the potential that God has for you, and that you live within that plan. God will give you direction. And even though some might see J-Bap as just a landloper, crazy and moving from place to place, he was actually a very important  part of the God story.  We should all take a page out of his book, and play our small part as well.

Praying for you,

MO

Epicedium (John 11.1-44)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “epicedium.”  Some of the best parts of the Bible are when Jesus totally throws people off.  One of the great stories that I remember hearing early on in my faith journey was that of Lazarus.  Here it is, this guy dies and everybody knows that there is absolutely no way he could be anything but dead.  Jesus comes along, and turns the situation into something miraculous, and of course uses it for God’s glory.

Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” ~Jn. 11:40-44

My question is: what kind of faith do you have in God?  It seems that very few people believed Jesus could do what he was about to do in this situation.  But, can you blame them?  I mean, they were singing the ritualistic epicedium, and all of a sudden Jesus comes and breaks up the solemn gathering to let them know that Lazarus will rise again.  What a great story.  My prayer is that you never count God out of the equation.  If we remain faithful to him, he will continue to show us miraculous signs even today.  Take some time to ask God to do such things in your life.

Praying for you,

MO

Bromide (John 8.1-11)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “bromide.” Sometimes we tell people what they want to hear. In fact, I once asked my mentor why he never gave me any answers to my questions. He told me that even if the did give me an answer, it would not mean much unless I really believed it myself. So, he has spent the last 20 or so years helping me understand both what I want, and what I need to do. He never just said something without thinking about it first. Platitudes were never his thing. It reminds me of the way that Jesus talked to people. He pretty much got right to the point without making others feel inferior or unimportant.

But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” ~Jn. 8:9-11

My question is: what do people think about when you speak? Do they think of you as a person of your word… or of empty words? At times, I do not really understand what people are saying . I know that they are trying to communicate, but there is a disconnect. The cool thing about Jesus is that he knew how to connect with people. And in this instance, he saw something that even this lady did not know about her own life. My prayer is that you allow Jesus to speak into your life, and that you do not believe the bromides that others might try to attribute to your life. Jesus knows you intimately. That is why he is able to tell you stuff that you otherwise would not want to hear. Allow him to change you from within.

Praying for you,

MO

Amphigory (John 7.14-20)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “amphigory.”  As a new Christian, I took a look at the Bible and thought to myself, there is no way that I will ever be able to learn all of the stuff in here.  However, after taking the next several years to be mentored by guys who are older than me in the faith, many of them in college or just out of college, I learned to know the Bible pretty well.  That's what caused me to choose Azusa Pacific University over the other colleges that I was looking at.  It reminds me of those who probably heard the word from Jesus back in the day.  At that time, the authorities, like the scribes and Pharisees, did not know Scripture as well as they probably should have.  This was seen in the fact that Jesus was an untrained and unskilled teacher, but spoke with authority because of the knowledge he was able to apply.

Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. ~Jn 7:18

My question is: are you seeking to know the word of God?  Sometimes it is intimidating to read the Bible for various reasons.  Some don't feel like they are good enough to deserve to even read what's in the Bible, because they know that they go against those principles and sin.  Others just never really give the Bible a chance, and think it is just an amphigory.  My prayer is that you try and learn a little bit about the Bible each day.  You don't have to dive into it and read a whole bunch, just enough to spark a conversation or two with someone else who is reading.  That's how you will become sharper in your knowledge of the truth.  And, it is then that you will be able to influence others in a positive and godly manner.

Praying for you,

MO

Peripeteia (Matthew 13.10-15)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “peripeteia.”  I figured that all of you English majors out there would appreciate this one.  I think what really drew me close to the Bible early on in my Christian walk was that stuff was pretty easy to understand, when it came to stories anyway.  And, that’s the way that Jesus lived most of his ministry.  He did not try to sound all important and smart.  He looked at the audience, figured out what they needed to hear, and said it the way that they would best understand it.

The disciples came up and asked, “Why do you tell stories?” He replied, “You’ve been given insight into God’s kingdom. You know how it works. Not everybody has this gift, this insight; it hasn’t been given to them. Whenever someone has a ready heart for this, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears. That’s why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward receptive insight. In their present state they can stare till doomsday and not see it, listen till they’re blue in the face and not get it. ~Matt 13:10-15

My question is: how do you best receive the word of God?  I know for some people, relationships are very important because the conversations with others help them understand their own faith.  For some, the experience they have with God brings better clarity to the way they should be living. What I love about reading the Jesus stories is that his readers think they know what he is talking about, then he all of the sudden he takes you on a kind of peripeteia.  My prayer is that you seek to find information on how you best learn and understand God’s plan for your life.  Take today to ask someone you trust to help move you through that.

Praying for you,

MO