Then They Will Know

Scripture:

“The king will mourn and the prince will be clothed with shuddering; the hands of the people of the land will tremble. Based on their behavior I will deal with them, and by their standard of justice I will judge them. Then they will know that I am the LORD!”” ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭7‬:‭27‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

In our chapters today, God is speaking through Ezekiel about the terrible things that are coming on God’s people. He is saying that devastating judgment is coming Israel and Judah because of their continual sin and disobedience. In the midst of some devastating chapters, you still hear the heart of the Lord when He says, “Then they will know that I am the LORD!”

Application:

Even in the harshest discipline, the heart of the LORD is demonstrated when He says they will then know he is the LORD. I believe it is a whole lot better to acknowledge and serve Him before we have to face judgment, than to have to endure judgment in order to know Him. As for me, I want to walk in obedience, and not face God’s discipline, but it is beautiful to know that even in discipline, His heart is for people to know He is God.

Prayer:

Father, I want the world to know You are God Almighty. Let my life be used for Your glory. Teach me to walk in step with You and to obey everything You give me to do. I want to serve You well and I long to hear You say, “Well done good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord.” Let Your favor rest on my life and on everything I do. Let me live for Your glory and declare Your name to the nations of the world. 

Yours Forever, 

Jeff

Speak Truth and Leave it to God

 Scripture:

“You must speak my words to them whether they listen or not, for they are rebellious.” ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭2‬:‭7‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

When Ezekiel was called by God to be a prophet to the people of Israel, the Lord prepared him. He told Ezekiel that they were hard hearted and would not listen to him. Even though he was told they would not repent and turn, he was given the mandate to tell them the truth and prophesy. In this verse he was told by God that he had to speak God’s words, whether they listen or not because they are rebellious.

Application:

There are times when God will ask us to do hard things. He always prepares us for those moments. He expects no less than obedience to His call, even when His call is hard. Our job is to deliver the message and do our part. We are not to evaluate outcomes when it comes to obedience. Many times as a pastor, this is difficult because we want good outcomes and for people to hear and change when we speak. The reality is, we are accountable to God to lead and speak whatever He puts in our hearts. We must then be good with the results. 

Prayer:

Father, help me to follow Your voice completely and to do what You speak to me. Teach me to walk in complete obedience, even when that doesn’t make sense to me. Let me hear Your voice clearly, that I may convey Your message to Your people well. Teach me to walk in step with You all the days of my life and to represent Your and Your message well.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Do Good and Share

 Scripture:

“And do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13‬:‭16‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

As the letter to the Hebrews comes to a close, the author gives out some things to do and to think about. This simple phrase is a great reminder of how we should live our lives. He tells us not to neglect doing good and sharing what we have. He then adds one comment, “God is pleased with such sacrifices.” 

Application:

I want to live a life that God is pleased with. I understand works and don’t feel I need to work for my salvation, but I do want to live a life that God can bless and that God can honor. I want to do the things that please Him because He has done so much for me. I need to share what I have and do good at every opportunity, because this pleases God.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, show me daily how I can be a blessing to others. Help me not to neglect doing good and and sharing what I have with others. I want to be a generous person and a helpful person. Guide me into opportunities and provide the resources so I can be a blessing to more and more people.

Yours,

Jeff

Our High Priest

 Scripture:

“So he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭7‬:‭25‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

The author of Hebrews was talking about priests who had to offer their sacrifices for their own sins, then the sins of the people. Since Christ lived a perfect life, died, and rose again from the dead, He always lives to intercede for us. He doesn’t have to get cleaned so He can make us clean. We are clean because He is clean and He continues to make intercession for us. 

Application:

We have the perfect high priest. Jesus did everything required for Himself and for us. When we trust Him with our lives, we are justified by His blood. We must live, not wondering if we have been forgiven, but knowing that we have a better priest who died once, and now lives to intercede for us. We are made holy because He is holy. We are righteous because He is righteous. He is able to save us completely because He is perfect, not because we are perfect.

Prayer:

Lord, You are good and Your mercy and loving kindness are forever. Thank You for paying the ultimate price to be the perfect high priest. Thank You for interceding and working in my life to keep me on track. Guide me by Your Spirit every day and let my life bring Your praise. 

Forever Yours,

Jeff

Confirmed Witness

 Scripture:

“while God confirmed their witness with signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

The author of Hebrews describes Jesus in the beginning of his letter. He then moves to speaking about how the early church functioned as witnesses of Christ. It says that God confirmed their witness with signs, wonders, miracles, and the gifts of the Spirit. We need God to back up and confirm our witness, our preaching, our teaching, etc. if we want to be effective in His ministry.

Application:

I don’t want to preach, teach, lead, or advance God’s kingdom without His confirmation. I don’t want to walk in the flesh, but in the power of the Spirit. I long for God to confirm the Gospel I preach with signs, wonders, miracles, and gifts. I don’t want to present a powerless Gospel, but a Gospel that can truly change lives. I want the touch of the Almighty on everything I do. I don’t want to try to do a work for God. I want God to work through my life, doing what He wants to do. We need confirmation from heaven that we are preaching the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Prayer:

Lord, confirm Your word with signs, wonders, miracles, and gifts of the Spirit. I don’t want to operate, lead, function, preach, or teach without Your accompanying signs and wonders. Let Word of Life be a place where Your presence is tangible, powerful, and observable through what You are doing in our midst. Confirm Your Word with signs following and lives changed.

Your Son,

Jeff

Running Toward God in Troubled Times

 Scripture:

“But you, O LORD, reign forever; your throne endures from generation to generation. Why do you keep on forgetting us? Why do you forsake us so long? Bring us back to yourself, O LORD, so that we may return to you; renew our life as in days before,” ‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭5‬:‭19‬-‭21‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

In the midst of lamenting over the deportation of Israel and Judah, Jeremiah takes another look at God and reminds himself who God is. He reminds himself during his trouble that God reigns forever. He does reveal his disappointment in that fact that God seems to have abandoned them. Finally, he asks God to bring His people back to Him for renewal back to how things were. He prophesied 70 years, but during that 70 years, he wanted God to turn things around.

Application:

When things are not going the way we want them to, we must remember that God reigns forever and that our seasons will change. Even when we feel like God has forsaken us or abandoned us, we can know that He hasn’t. He still has a plan. It just may not be according to our timing. It is according to His timing. All we can do during difficult times is to turn to God and not away. The answer is always found in running toward God, even when we feel disappointed by Him.

Prayer:

Lord, I look to You. You are the source and the strength of my life. Help me to keep my eyes on You through whatever comes against me or whatever happens to me. Teach me to walk with You, not complaining, but realizing that You are God and You are in control. Help me to be boldly confident in my walk with You.

Forever Yours,

Jeff

New Every Morning

 Scripture:

“The LORD’s loyal kindness never ceases; his compassions never end. They are fresh every morning; your faithfulness is abundant!” ‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭3‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

It is believed that Jeremiah wrote Lamentations. It comes right after Jeremiah in the Bible. In Jeremiah, he prophesied that Babylon would overtake Judah and they would be captive for 70 years. At the end of Jeremiah, it happened. Lamentations is lamenting over what happened in Jerusalem and Judah. In the midst of lamenting over what had happened, Jeremiah writes these words, “The LORD’s loyal kindness never ceases; his compassions never end. They are fresh every morning; your faithfulness is abundant.”

Application:

After lamenting for a while because things haven’t worked out like we wanted them to in our lives, we must remember that God is still good and that his mercies are new every morning because His faithfulness is great. In the middle of difficult and trying times, we must remind ourselves that God is still good and He still has a plan for our lives. Every day we can say, His mercies are new every morning because great is His faithfulness.

Prayer:

Father, You are incredible! I love serving You and walking with You. You are my source and my strength. You are my everything. Thank You for the honor of serving You and Your people. Help me to see Your mercies every morning, even when things are not going the way I wanted them to go. Help me to know deep in my heart that God has everything under control and that You are good!

Yours Forever,

Jeff