Mollify (James 2:13)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “mollify.”  Living a life with Jesus is not always easy.  In fact, living in the same house as some people in your own family does not always work out the best.  I remember years ago when I was still in high school, my brother and I went through a pretty crazy phase where we did not like each other very much.  There’s no real reason.  We came from a pretty good upbringing and although we did not always get what we wanted, we did always have what we needed.  Anyway, we would often get in fights and accuse one another of of some ridiculously petty stuff.

“For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” ~Jam 2:13

My question is: where do you fall on the judgment versus mercy scale?  Just like me and my brother went through a tough time of thinking that the other was completely on the wrong side of every issue, and were at each other’s throats, each of you are going to have opportunities to show either judgment or mercy to others.  My prayer is that you take your time and this next season of life and really understand both.  Believe it or not, judgment and mercy go hand in hand.  God uses one to affect the other in a positive way.  He mollifes his anger towards us and replaces judgment with mercy.  I hope that you accept the teachings from both.

Praying for you,

MO

Fritter (Luke 15.11-32)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “fritter.”  One of the more prominent stories in the Bible is that of the prodigal son.  This tale of two brothers gives us perspective on how they respond to a relationship with their father.  There are quite a few things that we can learn from this story, depending on where we stand in our relationship with God the father at any given moment in our lives.  I remember reading it for the first time when I was pretty young, and related to the younger brother.  And now, because I have moved along in my faith over these years I sometimes relate also with the older brother.

“So the father divided the property between them. It wasn’t long before the younger son packed his bags and left for a distant country. There, undisciplined and dissipated, he wasted everything he had. After he had gone through all his money, there was a bad famine all through that country and he began to hurt. He signed on with a citizen there who assigned him to his fields to slop the pigs. He was so hungry he would have eaten the corncobs in the pig slop, but no one would give him any.” ~Luk 15.12-16

My question is: where is your standing with God in the beginning of this New Year?  As we see in the above passage, the younger son caused quite the fiasco for this father. Later on in the story is when the older brother gives his thoughts on the matter, not understanding why the father would eventually take the younger son back in, after he had just frittered away his portion of the inheritance.  There is so much going on in this parable that I have continued to study it over the years. My prayer is that you take some time to gain perspective on where you are in relationship to God.  Whether you are doing awesome, horrible, or somewhere in between, it’s always good to know so that God might be able to guide you through each season of life.

Praying for you,

MO 

Flapdragon (Romans 12.1-10)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “flapdragon.”  If your family is anything like mine, each year you have your ritualistic boardgames, flapdragons, and such that bring in the new year.  I remember vividly growing up and having different families over at the house, engaging and all the fun and festivities of bringing in the New Year.  I am also reminded of a renewing of my faith and a continued understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” ~Rom. 12:1-2

My question is: what are your resolutions for the New Year, and is God a part of them?  My mentor has me make resolutions each year and defined my goals for the next 12 months.  I’ve been doing this for quite some time now.  Because I am an avid Journaler I am able to look back at this year and those previous to see what kind of progress, or changes that I’ve made up my life.  My prayer is that you would look forward to the New Year and make sure that God is a part of any of your decisions to change.  Use this time as a refresher in your faith, and make decisions that will last a lifetime.

Praying for you,

Mo

Mercies (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “mercies.” God has always given his people the chance to make good decisions and calls them to obedience in everything that they do.  The peeps in the OT did not always make decisions that could be deemed worthy of God’s approval.  But where God’s people failed… ultimately his love prevailed and continues to do so.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

~Lam 3:22-23

My question is: Have you taken time lately to thank God concerning his compassion for you and the way that he cares in your life? I know that sometimes we fail to give him the credit for the mercies that he bestows upon us.  I pray that God gives you understanding of his faithfulness… and that you respond to his giving you new mercies every morning.  We serve a great God that is patient and wants only the best for each of his children.

Praying for you,

mo

Probity (Psalm 36)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “probity.”  Every time it rains it causes me to think more deeply about God's character. I'm not really sure why, but probably because we see so little rain here in California that I remember that God controls everything, even the seasons. When speaking of the righteousness of God we should remember that our Lord is above all. Previous words of the day have highlighted Jesus calming the storm and God controlling nature in other ways. We see in today's passage that giving credit to God's righteousness is a tough thing to do because it is almost unspeakable and powerful.

“Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O LORD, you preserve both man and beast.”

~Ps. 36:6

My question is: What are some of the words that you would use for God’s righteousness in your own life.  When have you seen God’s justice in your dealings with others and in situations when you called on him?  The cool thing is that God does not only give justice through his righteousness, but he also displays grace and mercy when dealing with his people. My prayer for you this morning is that you remember that God is mighty to save, and his righteousness is like that of the mountains. We can take comfort in God's love and care for his people.

Praying for you,

mo

Pugnacious (Luke 14:1-6)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “pugnacious.”    It always seems that Jesus had opposition from people wherever you went.  The cool thing about this is that he never really did much more than respond to people in a godly manner.  Could you imagine having the kind of scrutiny that Jesus faced from the opposition?  His masterful way of responding to people is a testimony to the reasons why we believe in the Savior.

“And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?’ And they held their peace.”

~Luke 14:3

My question today is: how do you respond when you are faced with opposition?  I think it is important for Christians to understand that people are always watching us.  I know it does not seem fair sometimes, but the reality is that we are a representation of everything that we follow.  My prayer for you today is that God would give you an attitude of love toward those who seem to be pugnacious in their thoughts or actions towards God.

Praying for you,

mo

Protect (Amos 2:4-16)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “protect.” God decided to pass judgment to his peeps through the prophet Amos. Not the best job in the world to have, but Amos is the one who got the assignment.  Some may think that God is a pretty mean dude for all the judgment on the Israelites, but sometimes they needed a good whoopin’ to keep them in line.  I remember when I was growing up that my mom was never opposed to the “rod of correction.” Hey, what can I say, she was a southern girl who knew the power of a tree switch.  But I knew the she was always doing what was best for me; it was her job to protect me and help me grow into the man she intended.  God knew what he was doing…

“I brought you up out of Egypt, and I led you forty years in the desert to give you the land of the Amorites. I also raised up prophets from among your sons and Nazirites from among your young men. Is this not true, people of Israel?” declares the Lord.

~Amos 2;10-11

My question is: how has the Lord protected you over the years?  God has cool plans for you and sometimes I am sure you screw it up… just like me, like all of us do.  But God is not about judgment without reason.  My prayer is that God helps you identify the need for correction in your life.  He will protect you and and give what is needed to succeed in life.  Take heed to his decrees and live a life worthy of your calling.

Praying for you,

mo

Central (Deuteronomy 15:7-11)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “central.” Moses had to lead God’s peeps through some pretty crazy times. There were tons of laws and policies and enough other rules to drive anyone batty! But with all this going on God really only needed the Israelites remember one thing and then most other stuff would come to work out. And that one thing was to keep the main thing the main thing. Obedience, justice and charity were absolutely central to God’s message and covenant with Israel…

“Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.”

~Deut. 15:10

My question is: can you make time on this last day of the year to sit down and ponder God’s covenant – both in the lives of the Israelites, and you personally today? I know that our Lord has a great agenda for you this next year. My prayer is that you put in your goals to give back to God more than you ever have before. Allow him to use you and all that you are to advance the kingdom. Hope you had a great year; this next one will be even better.

Praying for you,

mo

Mercy (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “mercy.” This is one of my favorite words in the Bible; and with so many passages covering it, I was thinking of which one to use. In this particular passage the Apostle Paul is reminding the peeps at the church of Corinth that they were going to experience some madness in life – you know, that it’s not always going to be sunshine and flowers.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”

~2 Cor. 1:3-4

Paul is telling this church to be aware of hardships that are happening… and to comfort those who are not in the best situation. The interesting part of this scripture is that we can assume that Paul has most likely gone through tougher times than any of these peeps would ever dream. Yet he does not say that. Instead he reminds them to help one another shift their attention for the temporary life to that of one eternal. My question is: who in your life can you remind of God’s eternal riches, in spite of their current situation. My prayer is that you bless someone today with the reminder of God’s mercy and love.

Praying for you,

mo