Where are the Mourners?

 Scripture:

“All who see you will shrink back and say, ‘Nineveh lies in ruins. Where are the mourners?’ Does anyone regret your destruction?”” ‭‭Nahum‬ ‭3‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

In this passage, God is taunting Nineveh. He sends Nahum with a message of destruction because of their disobedience and pride. The prophet saw what was coming upon them and spoke about it. He asked a couple of questions that are triggering questions, “Where are the mourners?” And “Does anyone regret your destruction?” These are real questions that evoke much thought.

Application:

Sometimes it is good to think about your own funeral. This week I have done two funerals. Funerals always cause us to think on our lives and their impact. Once in a while it is good to ask, “Where are the mourners?” And “Does anyone regret your destruction?” I also ask a question of the church I pastor, “If we disappeared from our city, would anyone miss us?” These are tough questions, but make you think about your effectiveness in life. Once in a while we must ask ourselves who will be upset when we are gone. Who would be show up at our funeral?

Prayer:

Father, I want my life to count. I want my life to make a difference for many people. I want to make an impact with my life. Help me to stay focused on what’s important to You and Your kingdom. Let me live a life that would cause lots of mourning at my funeral. Let my life make an impact every day for You and Your kingdom.

Forever Yours,

Jeff

The Ultimate Will of God

 Scripture:

“I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭21‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

At the end of the book of Revelation we can clearly see the will of God that I have been talking about from the beginning of Genesis this year. His ultimate goal is seen here, “God’s home is now among His people! He will live with them, and they will be His people… He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” Throughout the Old Testament we see that God has always wanted a people who would be completely His and that He could bless so the whole world would know His goodness.

Application:

God’s ultimate desire and will for us is that we be completely His and He dwell with us eternally. His will is that there be no more suffering, pain, crying, death, or sorrow. That is the end game that He is working on. Currently we live in a fallen state where the curse affects everything we see. One day, the curse will completely be broken and we will see the perfect state God always wanted for His people. It is going to be incredible and our job now is to let the world know so that they may be part of this incredible future.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, Your plans are good and glorious. You are amazing and I love that You want good things for Your children. Thank You for being so good to me. Enable me to bring more and more people to Your banquet. Help me to plunder hell and populate heaven. Let my life be used for Your glory and to bring countless souls to glory. 

Your Son Forever,

Jeff

Loud and Strong Praises

 Scripture:

“Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder: “Praise the Lord! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭19‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Revelation 19 describes what happens when Jesus comes back to set up His rule for the 1,000 Millennial reign of Christ. As He defeats the enemy, there is rejoicing and worship in His presence. John heard it like the sound of a vast crowd, or the roar of mighty waves, or powerful thunder. They were proclaiming, “Praise the Lord! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.”

Application:

Throughout the book of Revelation, worship is a massive part of what is going on. The worship in this passage is loud and powerful. I love to be in huge crowds worshiping Christ together. There is nothing like it when people raise their voices to God to give Him praise. At the same time, it doesn’t take a crowd to worship with passion. We need to be people who worship strong and passionate in the big crowd as well as in the smaller crowd.

Prayer:

Father, let my worship be fitting for a king. Let my praise ascend to Your throne. Help me to never worship with less than all of me. I want to exalt Your name with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Help me to create loud thunder with my praises.

Your Cheerleader,

Jeff

Living with a Go Bag

 Scripture:

““Look, I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their clothing ready so they will not have to walk around naked and ashamed.”” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭16‬:‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

This is Jesus speaking in the book of Revelation. He says He will come unexpectedly, like a thief. He goes on to say that those who are watching for Him and keep their clothing ready, are blessed and will not be ashamed. 

Application:

We need to be ready at all times for the coming of the Lord. We must be a people who live prepared to go at any time. I am reminded this morning of some training I had with a person who serves and agency of our government. He taught us to always have a “go” bag with all our necessities in it. This would allow us to get out of our hotel or wherever, with our important things quickly if an emergency happened. Living for Jesus should be like living with our go bag ready. We should be looking for His appearance and living for Him while we wait for His return.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, I want to be ready at all times for Your coming. Help me to live every day like it was my last day. Help me to make the most of every opportunity in Your kingdom. Show me Your ways and let me serve You well in these last days. Let me live prepared, and helping others get prepared, for Your soon coming. I’m watching for Your return.

Yours,

Jeff

God’s Power Demonstrated on Live Television

 Scripture:

“But after three and a half days, God breathed life into them, and they stood up! Terror struck all who were staring at them.” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭11‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

This is speaking of the two witnesses in the book of Revelation. In the last days, they are given power to call down fire from heaven and to do mighty miracles. In this passage, they are killed in front of the whole world, but their bodies were left on the streets of Jerusalem for 3-1/2 days. After 3-1/2 days, they resurrect in front of the whole world. God publicly, and on the internet where everyone is watching, raises them from the dead on camera worldwide for everyone to witness. 

Application:

God will display His power in the last days like we have never seen. He will officially let the world know He is God and that He isn’t to be messed with. Terror literally strikes everyone who sees this. Though the world doesn’t want to acknowledge God right now. They will one day bow before Him. It is better to bow now, than to be scared to death later at what He does.

Prayer:

Father, I can’t wait to see Your full glory revealed to the world so they cannot deny who You are and what You are capable of. I look forward to the revelation of Your rule and reign. Help me to live a life worthy of  all You have done for me. Help me to recognize Your goodness in my life and to prepare the worlld for Your coming.

Yours,

Jeff

Heaven Will Be Incredible

 Scripture:

“For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭7‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬

Observation:

This verse speaks about those who died in the great tribulation, but it also applies to all of us because it describes what heaven will be like. When we arrive there, the Lamb of God will be our Shepherd. He will guide us, lead us, and feed us. He will take us to the springs of life-giving water and will wipe away every tear from our eyes. Being in the care of Jesus will be incredible!

Application:

When we go through trying times on this earth, we as believers can face them because we know that one day everything will turn around. We can be assured that one day we will be in the presence of the Most High and He will wipe away every tear and there will be no more suffering, pain, or death. God will be our shepherd and we will be His sheep. We can look forward with confidence, knowing things get better for us after death, not worse.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, You are great and glorious. You are incredible in every way! Help me to keep my focus on eternity and my eyes on You. Empower me to live a life that pleases You and brings Your glory. Show me Your ways and teach me Your paths. I want to live life on earth with You as my shepherd already. I want to drink from the springs of living water every day of my life.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Constant Improvement

 Scripture:

““I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things.” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭2‬:‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

John received an incredible word from Jesus about the seven churches in Asia. This verse is about the church in Thyatira. He conveyed this message from Jesus. He had seen their love, faith, service, endurance, and their constant improvement in all these things. Jesus noticed their constant improvement.

Application:

Constant improvement gets recognized by Jesus. We should never grow content in our walk with God. We should always be improving. This should be something we live by in every area of our lives. Constant improvement means I’m not satisfied in an area and I want to do better. God sees this and God rewards it.

Prayer:

Father, I want to see constant improvement in my spiritual and physical life. Help me to be disciplined and to listen to Your voice. Teach me to constantly be working to be a better person who does exactly what You want me to do.

Your Son,

Jeff