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

Fugacious (Psalm 144:4)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “fugacious.” I remember one of my mentors telling early on in my Christian journey that I needed to make sure to take every opportunity possible within my current time in life. He said that as I got older time would speed up. He used the analogy of how kids think that summer lasts forever… and then at some point in life, summer as well as the rest of life, speeds up. That is why there is an importance on using time wisely.

“They are like a breath; their days are like a fleeting shadow.” ~Ps 144:4

My question is: how are you spending the days of your life? I think it is important to know that we sometimes overestimate what we can do a year, and underestimate what we can do in five years. Sometimes when life is not going the way we would like it, we withdraw and cease trying. But if we just hold on and try to make every day count, we will find that in a matter of time God can change and shape us. Whether it is regarding your spiritual life, or just something that you know needs to get done, God can make our lives worthwhile. So, although our lives might be fugacious, we have the opportunity to live in eternity with the father following a life of productivity, hopefully for the Kingdom.

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

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

Beforetime (Galatians 3:27-29)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “beforetime.”  I love this time of year because I always seem to have pretty good conversations with people who have yet to accept Jesus as personal Lord and Savior. Today’s passage gives us all reassurance that God is in control and that the changes he made, deciding to allow each of us into his family, is a representation of his abounding love and yearning to have a relationship with his people.

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” ~Gal. 3:28

My question is: during this season of reflection, what are the areas of your life that most come to mind?  I know that God has made us very unique, but Christmas time is a reminder that we all do share one thing in common.  As a follower of Christ, my prayer for you is that this season reminds you of your acceptance into God's family.  And, that you help others to see why they would want to have a relationship with God.  We are not living as beforetime without him; we are called to be in his presence and give glory by calling others into relationship with the Most High.

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

Clangor (Psalm 98:1-9)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “clangor.” I love to read the Psalms because of the awesome picture that is always painted in my mind. The psalmist in this passage reminds us that we should always give great thanks to God because of all of the cool stuff that is done in our lives.

Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together.

~Ps. 98:8

Unfortunately, sometimes we get so caught up in the day-to-day activities of what is happening around us that we forget to praise God. My question is: when have you actually taken some specific time to devote in prayer, song, or an extended period with the Lord? My prayer this morning is that you find some time to be alone with God, and rejoice in his love with a clangor, or a clamorous noise – both in your heart, and for all to hear! God deserves our best, and worshiping him jubilantly reminds us that his goodness will continue to extend to his children.

Praying for you,

Mo

Arcane (Matthew 13:1-12)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is "arcane." I think one of the things that people remember about Jesus, even if they are not Christian or even religious, is that he spoke to people in parables. Why did he do this? Well, there could be a number of reasons. The most important is that he knew that people might understand a little bit more if he brought stuff close to home. But when Jesus was on earth he had a very specific mission. The message that he brought was not for everybody. He spoke in ways that sometimes only a few people understood.

"Why do you speak to the people in parables?”  "He replied, "Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.

~Matt. 13:10-11

Jesus was very adamant about his mission here on earth. He knew he did not have a lot of time. My question is: how deliberate are you about the message that you bring to people with whom you come in the contact? The message that the Savior brought was arcane, or for a few only.  His limited time on earth was to impart his understanding to the disciples, that they might carry out the mission after he left for Heaven.  My prayer is that you get the message out to as many people as possible. We do not know how long we have. But we do know that the words in Scripture have been given to us for the purpose of saving others. Give the word freely, and let God do the rest.