Each day, not matter what it brought with it, was a gift and today is no different.  We must choose life right now.  We will need to choose it again and again, but we cannot get ahead of ourselves.  We must deal with the moments we are givenin the moment they are given.

This morning, as you reflect on the places where you are struggling to live out your One Word, I want you to look again at the Apostle Pauls letter to the Corinthian church.  He gives yet another reason why he will not lose heart.

2 Corinthians 4:1-2 (NIV)
¹Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. ²Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

I want us to stop there.  What is Pauls reason for not losing heart?  Gods mercy.  WOW!  It is not for his circumstances.  In fact, his circumstances were actually pretty difficult.  Yet, he would not lose heart.  I find so much encouragement in this phrase.  The opposite of losing heart is finding heart; keeping heart.  This is where we find passion in each moment to give it everything we got and suck the last drop of life from every moment we are given.  To live like this cannot be described as anything other than mercy.

You have been given a ministry.  You have been given influence. Did you get that?  Think about the people that you will walk alongside of today.  Whether they be children at home, students, or collegues, you have a ministry.  And it is given from the merciful hand of our God.  So what do we do? How can shining God’s love through your One Word influence those you come in contact with?

Paul said he has cast off an old way of living.  I simply think of this in terms of two words:  INTEGRITY and AUTHENTICITY.  Do what you say and say what you meanevery time and to everyone.  When you live in gratitude of Gods mercy there is little to be hidden and even less to be ashamed of.  It just isnt that complicated.  So do not lose heartbut find heart for every moment you will be given!

Lord, thank you for this morning and the wonderful gift of your mercy.  There are things that I dread today.  But I will embrace mercy for each moment.  I will take them as gifts from you hands and instead of looking at the circumstances surrounding me, I will look to the ministry available.  Give me the eternal eyes to see life as eternal moments.  Eternal moments.  Amen.

• Sometimes when we are in the midst of our struggle, we lose sight of the reason why we wanted to change in the first place.  If you lose vision, it is very easy to give up on the pursuit completely. Now that you are a few months into your My One Word experience, take a few moments to remind yourself why you felt compelled to choose the word you did. May those words encourage you to continue along with your transformation process.

Are you looking for a way to keep your word in front of you all year long? Register for a My One Word account! One of the key features of a MOW account is an online Word Journal that allows you to capture your thoughts to reflective questions like you see above. You can go back at any time to read your completed journals to see how God has been moving in your life through your word in 2010.  If you already have an account, the questions from this blog have been posted to your Word Journal — log in to your account to start your Word Journal today!