Belong (John 15:18–16:4)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “belong.” JC knew that his disciples were going through a ton of madness by choosing to follow him. Some of them had heavy hearts because of their decision to trust in JC; give the dudes a break – how do you think they looked to everyone else when they said they were following the Messiah??? Ummm, yeah. There were a bunch of evil forces surrounding all of this and JC wanted his disciples to stay strong and remain with him.

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”

~Jn. 15:18-19

Here’s my question: do you ever feel like you are going totally against everything else the world says is right? The world would like to tell us to focus on ourselves and that it is ok to be selfish and do your own thing. But JC wanted his peeps to know, as he wants us also to know, that this crazy spiritual warfare will continue, even until the day he comes back. My prayer is that you focus on the fact that you belong to JC, and because you do it is to your advantage… even though it does not always feel that way. Hang in there, God has cool stuff for you in store this upcoming year.

Praying for you,

mo

Specific (1 Samuel 15:1-26)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day “specific.” I would have to say that this could be one of the more important words in the OT. God knew what he wanted, and spoke through prophets to relay those messages. We would all for God to speak to us directly or through some means that is specific. The bummer part about when that happened was that God’s peeps did not do what they were commanded to do anyway! Whaaaat??? Pretty frustrating for the big guy upstairs, I am sure. Saul made some major mistakes in his run as king… this one was the icing on the cake though…

“Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel: ‘I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.’ Samuel was troubled, and he cried out to the LORD all that night.”

~1 Sam. 15:10-11

My question is: Have you committed to obey God’s commands, and live a life of specificity concerning your relationship with him? The way we understand these things that God wants from us is to ask others who are wiser, reading, and meditating on the word. My prayer is that you use these next couple of days to recap this year and see what can be done to be even more specific with the year upcoming. God has cool stuff in store for each of you, just wait… but wait with specificity and yearning.

Praying for you,

mo

Stewardship (Ezra 1:1-11)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “stewardship.” How ‘bout this one for a Xtian word if I have ever heard one. How true is it that we should be good stewards of the resources that God gives. Even the king understood that God’s peeps needed to go up to Judah and build the house of the Lord. Every person was expected to pitch in and serve according to his or her gifts.

“Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites—everyone whose heart God had moved—prepared to go up and build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem.”

~Ez. 1:5

My question is: are you using your gifts for God’s glory? There is a ton of stuff that needs to be done in this crazy world and each believer has been given a gift or multiple gifts that should be utilized. My prayer is that each of us digs down deep at the end of this year to evaluate how we use those gifts. If you do not know what you do well then ask someone who knows you pretty well. That person will give you insight into how you can best use your gifts for advancing God’s kingdom here on earth. I am excited to hear of how God has used you and will use you going into this next year.

Praying for you,

mo

Blessings (Genesis 9:1)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “blessings.” God has always been one to give his children all that they need. Back in the old days one of my most favorite blessings to read about is the one that God gave to Noah. God knew that he loved humankind and that fellowship with those he created was something that would bring joy. Remember that after the flood God was craving that love from his creation. For him to give Noah and his family the chance to create more fellowship was a testament to God’s love for humans…

“Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.”

~Gen. 9:1

My question is: do you understand the blessings that God has given you? I hope so. Sometimes we forget to see God for his greatness because either times are really good in our lives, or even really bad. My prayer is that God reminds you in this special season of his blessings for you and the peeps he has put in your life. Enjoy the fellowship that comes from the Lord and don’t take for granted the ones you love. God has given you a ton of blessings.

Praying for you,

mo

Bestow (Luke 1:26-38)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “bestow.” With only a couple of days left till our celebration of JC’s birth, I am excited to read this narrative. God had a pretty cool way of keeping promises, even when his peeps were not the most obedient. Imagine dealing with a people for hundreds of years that brought tons of craziness and headache. If you were the Creator you may have felt the same way. But here we see the manifestation of God’s love for his peeps… the reminder of a promise that would soon occur.

“The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.”

~Luke 1:35

My question is: how are you allowing God to fulfill a mighty work in your life? Mary was hesitant, yet she trusted the Lord even when his thoughts may have seemed a little unbelievable. My prayer for you is that God would show his favor that is bestowed upon his peeps. This is one of the best times of year to tell everyone about why JC means so much to you.

Praying for you,

mo

Precede (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “precede.” One may think right off that Paul was being rude and condescending in this passage. However, he was not doing so at all. The situation was that the Apostle was speaking to new believers… this church was really young. He loved the peeps a ton and wanted to make sure they were getting the message correctly. The strength of the church as a whole and for the future depended on these saints learning properly the Word of God…

“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.”~1 Thes. 4:13

My question is: are you the kind of person that the new believer should look to for JC’s example? You have the responsibility to minister the word correctly – this is no joke. We have a limited time and just as Paul reminded these peeps, we need to get on the madness and bring JC’s love to the world. My prayer is that you rightly interpret God’s message in your life and give it to others as you serve them. You are an important part to God’s plan of salvation for others. Be encouraged!

Praying for you,

mo

Plight (Jeremiah 1:18-19)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “plight.” Jeremiah was called by God to do some crazy stuff. He had a message the was not easy to express, and the peeps did not really want to hear it. The peeps even beat him up because they did not like the message he brought. But, someone had to do it… and God chose him. All this paid off and Jeremiah, because he listened to the Creator, made life safe for everyone…

"Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD.”~Jer. 1:18-19

My question is: are you doing what God wants you to? Simple question, I know. But when God calls you to do something it has implications to the greater good. We are called to sacrifice in our lives so that others may know the love of Christ. We should continually sacrifice for JC, testing our motives, and practicing what God would intend for our lives to have. My prayer is that you ponder what God wants for you concerning your life for this next year. As Jeremiah took on a tough road for the Father, so will each of us face similar stuff. Live in a way that brings glory to JC; give others a reason to want to follow.

Praying for you,

mo