Propinquity (Matthew 6.26-30)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “propinquity.” I realize that an occurring theme in my life at the present is that of time.  Use of time, availability of time, understanding of time, etc.  I believe that people do not really think about time in a productive manner very often.  I recall one of my favorite books stating something along the lines of people not being able to manage time, but rather the ability to manage priorities. I now try to live my life as such. Worrying has not gotten me very far, and so I try my best to know that God has control over both the big and small parts of my days.

“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you…” ~Matt 6:26-30

My question is: what are the places in your life that you are not giving to God in their entirety? When we withhold those parts of who we are, God is not able to work the way he could if we gave him that trust and access.  My prayer is that you take one area of your life that you are holding close to the vest, and see what it would take to give God permission to begin work in that very place.

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

Chronometer (Mark 4.35-41)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “chronometer.”  Today’s story is one of the first that I remember grasping pretty well.  I was a young Christian and learning about the stories and parables of Jesus.  When I came across this story I was pretty fascinated.  I actually thought to myself, could the story even be true?  As I continued on with my relationship with Jesus, I realized that there is pretty much nothing that he would not be able to handle.  In today’s story proves just that.

“He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.” ~Mark 4:39

My question is: where do you put your faith when you face difficult challenges and situations?  I’m the kind of person that likes to take things on myself and not ask for any assistance.  But, as we learned in today’s story, sometimes there is stuff that is out of your control.  At which point, all you can really do is look to Jesus.  Just like the people in the boat, who could not rely on the regular technology of the day – the chronometer – so must we put other things aside and realize that our true strength and answers come from Jesus.

Praying for you,

Mo

Sodality (John 15.9-17)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “sodality.”  My mentor always tells me to major on the majors, and minor on the minors.  This is a really good piece of advice for many reasons.  But especially in the sense that we must remember that relationships are given to us in life by God to share the best parts of us so that others might be encouraged by who we are as individuals.  Sodality with others is one of the gifts that God allows us to share with others, making it possible for us to thrive in community.

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” ~Jn 15:13

My question is: who are the people with whom you share these kinds of relationships?  I know that sometimes we do not want others to get close for fear that they might learn our weaknesses and failures. But when we allow God to cultivate the relationships in our lives, we open ourselves up for positive change.  My prayer is that you continue to improve yourself and become that kind of friend that would lay down your life who you call friends.

Praying for you,

 MO

Dowie (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “dowie.”  My parents’ generation loved some funny songs.  One that is going to stick in my head for the rest of my life is a song called Turn Turn Turn.  It's about the different phases in life and how we all live within those seasons.  That's actually a really good representation of what each of us will face.  But, what is even better is that the song is pretty much taken straight out of the Bible.

There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth:

A right time for birth and another for death,

A right time to plant and another to reap,

A right time to kill and another to heal,

A right time to destroy and another to construct,

A right time to cry and another to laugh,

A right time to lament and another to cheer,

A right time to make love and another to abstain,

A right time to embrace and another to part,

A right time to search and another to count your losses,

A right time to hold on and another to let go,

A right time to rip out and another to mend,

A right time to shut up and another to speak up,

A right time to love and another to hate,

A right time to wage war and another to make peace.

~Ecc 3:1-8

My question is: what season of life are you in right now?  My mentor talks to me often about understanding each season of life as being particular and important.  Never should we go through life and live haphazardly.  Instead, we need to take every opportunity to be in God's grace and will at all times.  My prayer is that you ask God to always be in the right place at the right time.  Of course this will not always happen, but the more we seek counsel from the Lord, the better chance we have of living in his will.  Do not live a dowie life of dullness, but be in the moment and run for God's plan.

Praying for you,

MO

Idem (1 Corinthians 15:58)

Good morning lasdies,

The word of the day is “idem.”  I think one of the toughest parts about Christianity is keeping consistent.  I remember when I was brand-new in the faith, my pastor told me that if I could get a little bit better each day then I would lead an extraordinary life for God.  Although I feel I'm far from where I would like to be, I do know that taking his advice and becoming just a little bit better each day keeps me striving to do more.

“Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

~1 Cor 15:58

My question is: what do you spend the majority of your time giving your focus?  Just like giving your all when it comes to school or sports, God deserves your best as well.  What I love most about the Christian life is that I'm not expected to be perfect, but I am expected to strive for perfection, making each day an idem of the last.  My prayer is that you live a life reaching for that excellence.

Praying for you,

mo

Obsequy (Romans 6:9-10)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is "obsequy."  It is amazing how our entire spiritual lives as X-tians is built around the fact that a man died, and then three days later rose from the grave. When i first heard that i was like whaaaat!  But since i have moved through my journey as a believer Christ it continues to become more and more clear that our God is that big.  God is big enough that he sent his only son to die for our sins on the cross.

We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.

~Rom. 6:9-10

My question is: are you living in the awesome conviction that JC's death brought now only him life with the Father, but also gave you eternal life in the same way?  My prayer is that you share your faith with someone else and explain why it is you chose to believe in the one who will never die.  We can be sure that as we live in the love of God that we will never experience a forever obsequy, or funeral... but only a temporary move from this world to the next.

Praying for you,

mo

Solipsism (Proverbs 26:1-12)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is "solipsism.”  The book of Proverbs continues to speak to me every time I read through them.  My mentor told me a long time ago that a good way to get these principles down was to read one a day and I would finish the book in a month.  I have since added this to my reading regiment.  Now I go through this book a few times a year.  Many of the lessons that it teaches are hard to heed and make a part of life because I know that I am far off from being able to live them out.

“Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”

~Pr. 26:12

My question is: what are the principles you dedicate to learning on a continual basis.  Often we think that because we learn something that we do not have to revisit it.  But, sometimes it is better to reminded than instructed.  My prayer is that you find the important lessons of life and continue to relearn them throughout this year.  Take some time today and write down a couple of lessons that have helped you grow in your relationship with Jesus.  This exercise may help to keep those specific lessons at the forefront of your mind.

Praying for you,

Mo