Mesos
First of
all, I want to thank God for this glorious day. Warm outside, slight
breeze--of course the sun isn't up yet, but hey, if God created it, it will be
good. I hope this email finds all refreshed, energized and full of
life. Near the end of this glorious day, we are going to be meeting at
the Hudson's house, and I believe three family groups are going to be
there. I am looking forward to it with eagerness. (Junior, Eric,
please pass this on to others in your house groups which I don't have on the list.
Second of
all, the subject of this email, Mesos, is a Greek word found in the Bible
several times and is translated as 'middle', 'in the middle' or 'midst'.
As we are meeting in the mesos of the week as family groups, I thought it an appropriate
title.
So, let's
talk about mesos
for a few moments this morning. What does it mean to be in the middle of
something. Precisely, it might mean that 5 is in the middle of 3, 4,
6 and 7, or that your dog slept in the middle of the bed last night, between
two of you, hence you might NOT be refreshed, energized or full of life.
But more generally, to be in the middle of something, might mean to be in the
process of getting something done. Like, right now, I am in the middle of
writing this email. What are YOU in the middle of, right now? I
don't mean precisely at this moment, but in general? Are you in the
middle of your walk with God on this planet? Are you in the middle of
studying a certain passage or book or topic? Are you in the middle of
raising your children? Are you in the middle of your life?
I feel that
I am in the middle of my life. Oh, I am very quite sure I am well past
the exact middle point, but as far as being generally in the middle of it, I
am. And I don't like all I see in my life, both past and present.
The Present, being in the middle of the Past and Future, is what I have to
concentrate on. And improve. I, on occasion, do card tricks.
One of those I call, 'The Card in the Middle'. I can find the card you
select every time, using that 'trick'. I am very good at that one.
But, I am not so good at finding the right solution to my everyday
situations. Oh sure, I read the Bible and pray quite a bit, but right in
the middle of all that, I am distracted by a myriad of worldly desires. I
would like tremendously to improve the middle point of my life. And I
figure, the best way to do that, is to get into the mesos of your lives, as well. If I
do that, I will probably learn quite a bit about how to improve mine.
Jesus sat in
the middle, in the midst, of His disciples at the meal we now call the Last
Supper. He was physically there, but He was also dead center, in the
middle, mesos,
of the lives of those twelve men. I intend to try to put Jesus in the
middle of my life. I know it is not easy. I am surrounded by my own
greed, my own huge pride, my desires for things not righteous. To say the
least, I am mesos
of sin. To replace sin with Jesus is going to take a lot more than my
reading the Bible and praying to God. Even though everything IS possible
with God, it is going to take action by myself to make this happen. For
Judas, it was too late. For Peter and the others, their repentant hearts
quickly put Jesus right back in the middle of their lives. Even though
Jesus had returned to Heaven, they demonstrated that Jesus was still in the
middle of them by their actions. They spoke the Word of God
boldly. They healed the sick and lame. They prayed for people to
come to the Lord.
Tonight, we
are going to be together all in one place. We will be mesos of a group of believers. We
are all in the middle of our lives, figuratively speaking. I hope we can
get excited enough together, get energized, stay refreshed and carry on the
traditions of those men who were in the middle of the life of Jesus. Who
among us speaks the Word of God boldly? Which ones of us can heal the
sick and lame? How many of us pray for others to come to the Lord?
Singularly, it is more difficult to do a lot of things for Jesus, but in groups
of two or more, we can do those things. Let's talk tonight about what YOU
are in the middle of in your life. I challenge each of us, not just you,
but US, to put Jesus in the middle of lives, instead of the worldly junk that
now occupies that space. If we do that, and stay repentant of sin, we can
look forward to all of eternity mesos angels and saints.
Okay, I am
now in the middle of getting ready for work, so I hope to see you all this
evening for an hour and a half of great fellowship, the Word of God, and
prayer.
Mac