Extreme Makeover

We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory.

2 Corinthians 3:18

In the Old Testament, when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, Moses was allowed to catch a glimpse of the unique splendor of God's actual presence. This experience was so profound that Moses's face literally glowed as a result. The Israelites who followed Moses were frightened by the change in his appearance and by a God who could transform someone in that way. But Moses's transformation was temporary. At first Moses veiled his face so that the people would no longer be afraid. Later he wore the veil to conceal the fact that his personal evidence of God's glory was fading away.

God's glory refers both to God's unfathomable beauty and to his incomparable expression of power. As you look into God's mirror, which is a biblical synonym that stands for the Bible, you glimpse what Moses did. You see God. Unlike Moses, the reflection of God's glory in you will never fade. In fact, it will continue to shine brighter as time goes by. You are not being transformed into God; you are being transformed into a sharper reflection of his image.

This means you don't need to hide behind a veil when you're with others. Be honest and authentic, freely sharing how God is working in your life. In this way, you become a spiritual mirror for those around you as you grow to look more and more like your heavenly Father.

As God became more visible in you, you'll find that people are naturally attracted to you - not simply because of the wonderful way God created you, but because of how glorious God is.

Source: The 100 Most Important Bible Verses

Pray for freedom from the "distractions of the enemy" that come from this earthly life so we may be prepared to embrace the beauty of God's awesome power. Transformation is God's mercy and grace upon our earthly bodies so we may experience His awe inspiring love and beauty on earth as it will be in heaven. Let us not be so "busy" with our earthly duties that we do not take time to honor our Lord and Savior with prayer and mediate in his words that transform us into His children - the Bible. ~ MME Team

The Power of Faith

Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it. Faith is the reason we remember great people who lived in the past.

Hebrews 11:1-2

Faith and belief are two different things. Lots of people believe in God, but that belief makes no difference in their lives. Faith, however, acts on what it believes. Faith may look like a "leap" to those who don't want to risk putting their trust in something unseen. But through faith, what is unseen is far from unknown. As you actively respond to the Bible and God's Spirit, your faith continues to grow stronger. Your personal experience confirms that God is everything he says he is.

Hebrews 11:1-2 is the introduction to a section of Scripture known as the Hall of Faith. The list of ancients that follows includes people like Moses, Noah, and Abraham, people who are remembered for putting their beliefs to the test. The Jewish Christians this letter was written for complained that following God was too difficult for ordinary people. The truth found in these verses refutes that claim.

Faith in God is what sets ordinary people apart - like Moses, Noah, and Abraham - so they can do extraordinary things. Through simple trust and active obedience, faith makes unseen spiritual realities more visible. Faith is what makes them certain, which in Greek is legal term similar to our title deed that guarantees a possession will be yours in the future. You have God's guarantee that what he has promised will be yours. The faithfulness of that guarantee is what makes the foundation of your faith enough to step forward in confidence.

Faith follows four steps: (1) God speaks, (2) you hear, (3) you trust (4) you act. As you respect these steps day by day, you'll be writing your own unique chapter in the Hall of Faith.

Source: The 100 Most Important Bible Verses

Pray to God to guide you through your faith walk in life. Each day is new and brings opportunity for God's mercy and grace to reign on earth. As a follower of Jesus Christ you have stated with your "words" that you believe in God. That your heart desires to live eternally alongside our Father God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in the kingdom of Heaven. God's love, his promise will lead us safely through the trials and tribulations of this world - He will guide our "actions" as we move in faith. Thank you Father God for one more day to declare that YOU are my Savior and I TRUST IN YOU. ~ MME Team

Leaning on the Lord

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.

Proverbs 3:5

If you are going to lean on something, the first thing you want to do is to make certain it can hold you up. The greater the risk, the more certain you want to be. You may not test the strength of every chair you're considering sitting on, but it's fairly certain that you will test the integrity of a bungee cord before attaching it to your feet and leaping off a bridge. Your trust in the strength and reliability of the bungee cord allows you to lean on its ability to save you. It still may take a lot of courage to go ahead and jump, however.

Believing in God is all about risk and trust. It tells you to turn away from what you're accustomed to relying on - your own strategies for making life work - and instead to trust God implicitly, even when what he's asking you to do may not make sense from a human perspective. Think about what God asked of Moses at the Red Sea or of Daniel in the lion's den. Moses and Daniel were able to rely on God instead of on their own understanding because past experience had shown them he was wholly trustworthy.

Every past experience was once a present choice. God challenges you to choose wisely today. You can lean on your own limited understanding and abilities or on a God of unlimited power and love. Only one choice can take you where you really want to go.

Put what you've learned to practice. List why you believe God is trustworthy, focusing on his promises and past faithfulness. Reread the list anytime you need the courage to lean on him instead of on yourself.

Source: The 100 Most Important Bible Verses

Pray and give thanks to a God that will always have your back. Man will change his mind but God's perfect love and mercy is 100% true no matter what the world puts out. Do not put your faith in man but in the God that moves man to live in righteousness. ~ MME Team

Life-or-Death Decisions

This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and cures. Now choose life.

Deuteronomy 30:19

After forty years of wandering through the desert, the Jordan River was all that stood between the people of Israel and the Promised Land. Most of the generation of Moses called together to speak to on that day had never known the Egyptian captivity of their parents. Their home had been the desert, and their hope had been the land across the Jordan. From where the Israelites stood, it looked like the hard times were finally over. Stability and prosperity lay ahead.

Yet Moses knew that even in a land of promise and plenty, every individual had a choice. The choice Moses shared with the people of Israel is the same choice to follow God and receive the benefits of an obedient life. Or you can make a choice to dishonor God and reap the natural negative consequences of your actions.

Although crucial to determining your eternal destiny, accepting or rejecting God's gift of salvation is only one choice you make in this life. Every minute is filled with choices, choices that draw you closer to God or farther away from him. Choosing life means choosing God. When you choose life, you prevent curses (which are simply the opposite of blessings) from taking hold. Moses's words are a reminder that your choices, both big and small, matter, choose wisely. Choose life.

God's grace gives you the freedom to choose between good and evil. God's love allows consequences to act as a guide, helping you make decisions that honor God while improving the quality of your life.

Pray for wisdom from God to make the choice of the Father and not of our will. ~ MME Team

Watching and Waiting

See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 

James 5:7-8

          God's timing is always perfect. He parted the Red Sea when his people needed it most - when they were trapped between the rushing waters and an approaching army. God allowed the water to flow again, but only after Moses and the Israelites had made it safely across. God provided what the people needed at the precise moment that it would make the greatest difference.

          For a human vantage point, it isn't always easy to recognize that opportune moment. Waiting for God's answer, when your own internal timer has already gone off, can make you feel as if God isn't listening or he simply doesn't care. When you find yourself in that situation, take a lesson from this important verse in James and put yourself in a farmer's shoes. You can't rush a perfect harvest or an answer to prayer. As a farmer waits for the fruit of his labor, he doesn't just sit around complaining about how long the growing season is. He continues to work. He trusts God, and his patience grows right along with his fruit.

       James provides a valuable tip for those who wait. He advises you to establish your heart, which means "to firmly plant your life and expectation in the fertile soil of God's truth." There is a bountiful harvest as certain as the fulfillment of God's promises: the Lord will return; the hard times you face will end; and God will answer your prayers when the time is right.

          The image of a patient farmer is an encouraging visual picture for prayer. Picture every prayer as a seed planted in God's will. As you wait, picture them ripening, trusting in God's perfect harvest time.

          Pray for God's grace to intervene and plant in your heart patience rooted in faith as big as a mustard seed. ~ MME Team

The One and Only

You must worship no other gods, but only the LORD, for he is a God who is passionate about his relationship with you.

Exodus 34:14

          The Israelites saw God part the Red Sea and save them from captivity in Egypt. But soon afterward, they gave up on the God who'd rescued them. They chose to worship a golden calf instead. When Moses returned from receiving the Ten Commandments, he saw the Israelites - God's people - engaged in idolatry. Moses threw the tablets to the ground, shattering them just as the people had shattered God's first commandment - to worship only God.

          God is a God of second chances, however. God gave Moses new tablets and reiterated his commands. Those commands are as important today as they were for the Israelites, because God designed his commands to build relationships with him and with the people around you. Obeying God's commands helps you to love well.

          The first commandment, that God alone is to be worshiped, is the heart of them all. God doesn't ask you for worship because his ego needs stroking. He asks it because worshiping him alone is the best thing that could happen to you. You don't have to kneel before a golden calf to worship idols. An idol is anything for which you have a deeper devotion than for God. An idol could be power, money, comfort, pleasure, even religion. Worshiping God above everything else keeps life in the proper perspective. God is passionate about his relationship with you. Worshiping him alone helps you become more passionate about him.

         Consider what's important in your life. Weigh your relationship with God in light of everything else. Ask God to help you identify anything that you give higher priority to than getting to know him better.

          Pray for wisdom from God to put all things in correct priority - put God first. ~ MME Team