Zenith (John 7:37-38)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “zenith.” I remember as a young Christian wondering what it would look like to be at the very top of my relationship with Jesus. And even more than that, I was hoping that maybe one day I would be able to understand the Christian faith enough to feel confident in sharing my beliefs with others. It seemed like a pretty tall mountain at the beginning. When I expressed that to my leaders, they were very eager to help me reach that goal. They constantly pointed me to verses that would help me get closer to that goal.

On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” ~Jn. 7:37-38

My question is: how are you asking God to make you an effective witness for the Christian faith? Sometimes we feel like if we do not have all of the answers that we are not qualified to tell others about the gospel. However, as we see in today’s Scripture, all we really need to do is to approach Jesus and allow him to fill us with the words that need to be said to others. My prayer is that you take a moment and ask Jesus to fill you with rivers of living water. We may not reach the zenith of our Christian faith until the day we stand before Christ, but we can always do more to help move that process towards the day of completion.

Praying for you,

MO

Panglossian (1 Corinthians 15.1-23)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “Panglossian.” The Apostle Paul had a pretty rough time individually after he was changed on that road to Damascus.  We see in today’s passage that he understood the responsibility put on him as an ambassador for JC, knowing his past life.  His belief and trust in God was very focused, and Paul realized that others should share in his passion; but to do so they would have to first put their faith in Christ and his ultimate return.

My friends, I want you to remember the message that I preached and that you believed and trusted. You will be saved by this message, if you hold firmly to it. But if you don’t, your faith was all for nothing.” ~1 Cor 15:1-2

My question is:  are you putting your faith in JC, both on a daily basis as well as hope for eternity? Living a Christian life is not about having an absurd Panglossian belief that Jesus might return.  It is having true faith in the fact that our optimism is healthy and real, knowing the God will do what it says in the scriptures. My prayer is that you take a moment to reassure yourself about the promise in which you believe. Allow God to strengthen your belief and resolve, both for this life and in the next.

Praying for you,

MO

Fugleman (1 Corinthians 11:1-7)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “fugleman.”  It seems to me that the apostle Paul always had pretty much the right thing to say, at the right time.  Not to say he did not mess it up every now and again, but for the most part he was pretty intuitive.  In today's passage, we see that Paul has some positive stuff to say to God's people.  I think one of the reasons for this is because he knew he was going to have some harsh words later on in this section.  But, I think that is what Paul did well.  He could read an audience and then say what needed to be said. Here, it is very simple…

“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” ~1 Cor. 11:1

My question is: Are you being the example that others can follow in life? I know that there is a ton that each of us have on our plates as we move through the day.  But if we want to be intentional, like the Apostle Paul, it will take more than just living and breathing. We should always act as if we are witnessing to others around us.  Paul was definitely one of the Church’s first fuglemen.  It is our duty to take his lead, and imitate those who imitate JC.

Praying for you,

MO

Dithyramb (Mark 7.24-37)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “dithyramb.”  I know that many people have been healed by Jesus, both when he was doing ministry on the earth as well as to the present day. I remember asking why he would want the people that he healed not to say anything. And I guess there are more than a couple of reasons for that. However, for the people that were being healed by Jesus, they had only one thought on their minds.  They were now healed did not have the infirmities or demons that they thought would have to deal with for the rest of their lives.  How would you feel if you were one of these people?

Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” ~Mk. 7:36-37

My question is: Are you excited for what God has done in your life, and how do you express that?  God is very active in our lives today.  A lot of us just don't stop to realize that he is present.  My prayer is that you make the necessary adjustments in your daily routine to reflect your appreciation towards what God is doing.  Even though the people in today's passage were told specifically by Jesus not to go and tell anyone, many of them did so in the form of enthusiastic dithyrambs.  How will you express your appreciation for what God is doing in your life today?

Praying for you,

MO

Litigious (2 Timothy 2:24)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “litigious.”  I was talking to one of my student athletes earlier on and realized that he has been going through stuff in some of his relationships.  It really frustrates him that some of the guys that he works with say one thing and do another.  On top of that, he says because they are not Christian causes them to talk bad about him and the way he does stuff.  Needless to say, he does not appreciate it very much that he is falsely accused time and again.  So, I encouraged him to do what others will not, and that is… love above the rule.

And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil…”

~2 Tim 2:24

My question is: what are the things that get under your skin?  Christians have to endure a lot of stuff that they could probably otherwise get away with.  Unfortunately, those who believe in Christ sometimes tend to be judged a little harsher than those who do not have relationship with him.  Some people think this is unfair, but I think it is right on.  When I made a decision to follow Jesus, I relinquished much of my privileges for responsibility.  When someone decides to be quarrelsome with you, you always have the option to portray a positive attitude, staying away from a litigious and argumentative manner.  You have been called to be an example to others.  Your attitude and actions reflect on Christianity as a whole.

Praying for you,

Mo

Novitiate (2 Peter 3:9)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is " novitiate.”  I remember pretty vividly my first few days of high school.  In fact, I was so nervous for my first day as a freshman that I had my mom drive me to the school the day before it started, I hopped the fence, and found out where all of my classes were.  I guess the reason I remember this is because I was moving out of my comfort zone into something new.  I think sometimes as Christians we forget that others who do not share the same beliefs as us should be up to par and figure stuff out quick.  This is the exact opposite of what we should be thinking.

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

~2 Pet 3:9

My question is: are you the kind of person that others want to be like?  I know that we hear this all the time, but maybe we need to take a hard look at whether or not we are an example of what other people should emulate.  My prayer is that each of us take a deep look at the way that we respond to people who are not like us, mainly those who are not Christians.  For some reading this, you might not even call yourself a Christian, and that's okay too.  In fact, my favorite part about being a pastor is that I get to speak with people who are not of my faith beliefs.  Either way, I hope that God takes you out of your comfort zone and allows you to put your faith into practice, whether you are new believer in the novitiate of the kingdom, or if you are a seasoned veteran.  God wants to use you to speak to others.

Praying for you,

Mo