Inutile (1 Peter 2.1-10)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “inutile.”  We live in a pretty crazy world.  There are always people ready to judge everything that we do, both good and bad.  Social media puts everything out in the open for others to see and scrutinize, at every turn.  We would be led to believe that life can sometimes be meaningless or passing without significance.  However, the next time you feel inutile, that you are of no use or service to this intensely critical world, remember that God has called you to be special and for a purpose.

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” ~1 Peter 2:9

My question is: when is the last time you thanked God for allowing you to be part of this holy nation of his?  We are always pretty busy taking care of the issues life throws at us, and oftentimes just trying to stay afloat.  We must continue to remember that we belong to God, and as long as we proclaim his name then we are on the right track.  My prayer is that you remember today that God has called you into his marvelous light.

Praying for you,

MO

Tenebrific (John 1.1-10)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “tenebrific.”  I remember one of the easiest ways that the Christian life was ever explained to me.  One of the guest pastors that spoke at youth group one time talked about the difference between following God and not following God.  He used an analogy of darkness and light.  Now, I think that we’ve all heard the following anecdote, but I really believe that it is appropriate for today’s passage.  Remember with me, if you will, the illustration that this pastor used.  He turned off all the lights in the room and talked about how darkness was tenebrific, causing certain emotions and us, like confusion, uncertainty, and the like.  But, then he took a match out and struck it against the box, instantly creating a way for us to see.  He showed that just a little bit of light could overcome darkness.  It was actually pretty amazing, and simple all at the same time.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” ~Jn 1:5

My question is: if you were to have to put a value on the way that you live your life, what percentage of your days have you chosen to live in the light?  Now, that is a pretty deep question and has all sorts of implications depending on how you understand it.  But I guess that’s what I’m going for.  My prayer is that you take the simplicity of understanding that Jesus is the light that has overcome the darkness in this world.  And, the more that we bring his message to others, we are part of sharing that light.  Used today to encourage someone and see Jesus shine his light through you.

Praying for you,

Mo

Gaslight (2 Corinthians 4:1-6)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “gaslight.”  Have you ever thought you were crazy for believing something?  One of your friends tells you some kind of whopper of a story, and you get sucked right into it.  We see in the passage below that the believers had to be on the lookout for things that were not in line with the truth of God.  Focusing on Jesus was tough, and still is today if you are not careful to focus on the light.

“In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” ~2 Cor 4:4

My question is: what are the things that you spend your time believing?  There are a lot of people out there that would like you to move your faith away from God and put it into something else.  Whether that is material possessions, other religions, or just simply wanting to mislead you.  We have to be on the lookout for the stuff that would move us away from a relationship with God.  My prayer is that each of you solidify your faith each day, reading the Word and fellowshipping with other believers.  There will always be someone out there wanting to gaslight, or pull one over, on you.  The more you associate with people that know the truth, the better off you will be in succeeding in life, walking alongside God.

Praying for you,

MO

Sessile (1 Peter 2:9)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “sessile.”  I have always appreciated about sports the fact that I was able to use my talents for both the betterment of my individual efforts as well as team.  When I joined the family of Christ, I was put in a position to again be a part of something bigger than myself.  I now have the opportunity to make both others and myself better.

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

~1 Peter 2:9

My question is: where do you see your spot within the family of Christ?  Oftentimes we get so caught up in everything that we need to do individually, that we are not necessarily thinking about others.  For instance, if I'm at a baseball game and my stomach growls I'm going to get myself a cheeseburger.  I'm not necessarily thinking about anybody else up until that point.  Somebody else may have been hungry for some time before that, but my first human response is to take care of myself first. 

My prayer is that you understand as a member of the family of Christ, you are no longer just allowed to think of yourself.  We need to start thinking of ourselves as an active member of God's family, and that Jesus is a sessile part of our lives, immovable and permanent.  I would challenge each of you to figure out at least one way today to express to another person in God's family your appreciation for them as a fellow member in Christ.

Praying for you,

mo

Anfractuous (Psalm 119:105-112)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “anfractuous.” The psalmist has taken into consideration at this point in his relationship with God to live in such a way that he will follow God's decrees and step as though the Lord were ordaining each of those steps. Although there is a ton of stuff in the way of this man, he realizes that focusing on the word of God will get him through trying times.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”

~Ps. 119:105

My question is: what are the situations in your life at the present that call for the counsel of God? I know that many times I become frustrated with stuff that is going on a my life and I often try to make fixes myself. What I realized over the years is that I need to ask more questions of God, and seek to answer less of my own problems. And of course, one of the best ways to do this is to meditate on God's word. My prayer is that each of you meditates on God's word today in a way that will open up new insight as you navigate the anfractuous paths of life.

Praying for you,

mo