So Much More

 Scripture:

“I gave you your master’s house, and put your master’s wives into your arms. I also gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all that somehow seems insignificant, I would have given you so much more as well!” ‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭12‬:‭8‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

King David had gotten Bathsheba pregnant and had her husband killed in battle. Nathan the prophet came to him and confronted him about his actions. In that confrontation, the Lord speaks through Nathan and gives the above words to David. It shows God’s heart for us in a special kind of way.

Application:

Sometimes our actions stop the blessing of God from flowing in our lives. As a father, there are times I want to bless my sons, but they may be walking in disobedience, stopping me from giving what I intended. I think when we face the Lord, many will hear, “I wanted to give you much more but you…” God wants good things for His children, but His children must walk in obedience in order to receive His blessing. I don’t want to hear, “I would have given you so much more as well!”

Prayer:

Father, I wanted to walk in a way that You can bless. I want my life to be lived before You in such a way that You never withhold Your blessing from my life. Let my life represent You well and help me t be the person You want me to be. Bless my upcoming trip to Pakistan with Your grace and power. Let Your name be glorified in all things there.

Yours,

Jeff

Who Am I, O Lord?

 Scripture:

“King David went in, sat before the Lord, and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, that you should have brought me to this point?” ‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭7‬:‭18‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

David had accomplished much in life before becoming king. He had defeated Goliath, defeated and conquered regions while running from Saul. He became king of Israel. Shortly after being recognized as king, He comes in and sits before the Lord and says, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family that You should have brought me to this point?”

Application:

David’s humility before the Lord is a huge key to his reign and blessing as king. Rather than talking about what he accomplished and how he deserved to be king, he was humbled that the Lord had brought him to this point in his life. Humility before God brings great dividends. When we know we cannot do what needs done, God can get the glory. God will choose the humble over the proud every single time. God has been really good to me and I need to honor Him more for it. 

Prayer:

Father, who am I that You would bless me so kindly. You have been so good to me. You have opened doors for me that I don’t deserve. You have taken me places and done things in and through my life that I am unworthy of. Thank You for allowing me to honor of serving You. Help me to always walk before You in great humility. 

Yours,

Jeff

Overflow

 Scripture:

“David’s power grew steadily, for the Lord God who commands armies was with him.” ‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭5‬:‭10‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

This simple verse is near the beginning of David’s kingly reign. God was with David and therefore, David’s power grew steadily. The more we humble ourselves before the Lord, the more He blesses our lives. David had the blessing of God on his life and his power grew steadily. 

Application:

The greatest thing we can have in this world is the presence of God. He can cause us to prosper and be in health. He can cause us to be blessed beyond measure. He is able to lift us up above the storms of life. More than anything else in life, I want the presence of the Lord to be with me. When He is with you, your prosper. When He is with you, you always have victory. I need God’s presence to be with me above all else.

Prayer:

Father, I want to walk with You. I want to know You and hear Your voice. I want Your presence to be evident in my life. May it be said of Jeff that the Lord was with him in everything he did. I long for You. Fill me up with Your Spirit and let me overflow onto others for Your glory.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Honoring Authority

 Scripture:

“The men of Judah came and there they anointed David as king over the people of Judah. David was told, “The people of Jabesh Gilead are the ones who buried Saul.” So David sent messengers to the people of Jabesh Gilead and told them, “May you be blessed by the Lord because you have shown this kindness to your Lord Saul by burying him.” ‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

This passage tells of the people of Jabesh Giliad. When they learned of King Saul’s death, they provided a proper burial for him. David was very impressed by this action. The fact that they honored the King, who was trying to kill David. David asked God to bless them for their support of the Lord’s anointed and kindness to him.

Application:

When you do right things, God will take care of you. In this instance, it was the right thing to honor the position of king, even though they may not have loved the person who was king. If we believe the God raises leaders and brings down leaders, we must then show it with our actions. We need to honor those in authority over us, whether we like what they do or not. They are appointed by God to bring about His will.

Prayer:

Father, help me to honor those in positions of authority above me. Teach me to walk in humility and to treat leaders with dignity and respect. Show me how to honor well those You have positioned over my life. I want to walk in Your hair and blessing all the days of my life.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Faithful and Reliable

 Scripture:

“Achish replied to David, “I am convinced that you are as reliable as the angel of God! However, the leaders of the Philistines have said, ‘He must not go up with us in the battle.’” ‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭29‬:‭9‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

Achish, the king of the Philistines, said this about David. In this story, David had lived among the Philistines for quite a while during the season when Saul was trying to kill him. While among the Philistines, David and his men fought with them and helped them as much as he could. David, while fleeing from his own king, lived among a foreign nation, demonstrated being reliable and faithful to King Achish. To Achish, David was as reliable as the angel of God.

Application:

Am I faithful and reliable when things are not going well for me? Am I faithful while running for my life from the attacks of people? I want to be faithful to the Lord and His calling, no matter what the circumstances are around me. I want to be found faithful and reliable to those around me. I want to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, no matter what is going on in my personal life. 

Prayer:

Father, help me to fulfill Your will for my life in everything I do. Help me to have the right attitude when it feels like things are going backwards instead of forward. Empower me to be faithful and reliable in every situation. Let my life bring Your honor and praise. Teach me to represent You well in my generation.

Yours Always,

Jeff

Authority and Submission

 Scripture:

“The Lord rewards each man for his integrity and loyalty. Even though today the Lord delivered you into my hand, I was not willing to extend my hand against the Lord’s chosen one.” ‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭26‬:‭23‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

David had just had his second opportunity to kill Saul, who was pursuing him to kill him. This verse is part of his conversation with Saul after David had the opportunity to kill him and didn’t take it. First, he says that God rewards integrity and loyalty. He then said that God delivered Saul into his hand, but David was not willing to kill the Lord’s chosen one. David had a deep respect for authority.

Application:

When we serve God, there will be people who don’t like us. Our job is to remain loyal and walk in integrity. Our job is to walk humbly before the Lord and He will fight our battles and confirm His calling on our lives. God puts authorities in place and we need to honor them as David did. Just as David refused to lift a hand against God’s authority, we should allow God to fight our battles and remain humble before Him.

Prayer:

Lord God, teach me to walk gimmicky before You and to allow You to fight my battles. Help me to trust You at all levels. Teach me Your ways and let my heart be pure before You. Pour out Your Spirit this week in Pakistan. Heal, deliver, set free, bring new life, and fill people with Your Spirit. Let my answer always be yes to You. 

Forever Yours,

Jeff

Vindication

 Scripture:

“May the Lord judge between the two of us, and may the Lord vindicate me over you, but my hand will not be against you.” ‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭24‬:‭12‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

This statement came from David just after he had the opportunity to kill king Saul, who was on a mission to kill David. David had the chance to vindicate himself and kill the man who was desperately trying to kill him. David’s words were powerful in that moment. “May the Lord judge between the two of us, and may the Lord vindicate me over you, but my hand will not be against you.” David was trusting God, not himself, to bring vindication. 

Application:

There are times when people do things against us. There are times when people say things or do hurtful things, but our response should be like David’s. We must love people and leave them in the hands of God. We must return love for hate that comes at us, then trust God, not ourselves, to bring vindication. It is easy to strike back, but God wants us to trust Him. We don’t have to defend ourselves when we have the awesome God on our side. I choose to let God fight my battles.

Prayer:

Lord God, You are amazing and I love You with all my heart. Help me to trust You in this area of my life. When people come against me, empower me to trust You to take care of the situation. Show me how to respond in a way that pleases You. Help me to trust You instead of myself. I don’t want to take things into my own hands. I want to walk, trusting that my God knows best and will take care of my life.

Yours Forever,

Jeff