Fear God and Run from Evil

 Scripture:

“And he said to mankind, ‘The fear of the Lord – that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”” ‭‭Job‬ ‭28‬:‭28‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

Job reminds us that the fear of the Lord is wisdom and turning from evil is understanding. The best life is one that flows in wisdom and understanding, neither of them is possible without God, who is the source of both. The short of this verse is simply that wisdom and understanding come from a strong pursuit of the Lord.

Application:

Wisdom and understanding will take us to good places in life. The source, and what we must seek, is the fear of the Lord and turning from evil things. When we do our part, God does His because we are in a covenant. We need the fear of God back in our lives, which causes us to turn from evil things. We have declared God’s love so much that we have lost our fear of God. We need a healthy fear of God that causes us to repent of things that He wants us to.

Prayer:

God Almighty, You are awesome and I worship You. Help me to walk in the fear of the Lord at all times. Let my life reflect Your ways. Cleanse me and purify me I pray, from anything that displeases You. Help me to serve You well in my generation. Pour out Your Spirit on this missions trip in Dominican Republic and let Your will be accomplished.

Yours,

Jeff

Follow His Steps

 Scripture:

“My feet have followed his steps closely; I have kept to his way and have not turned aside. I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my allotted portion.” ‭‭Job‬ ‭23‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

Job is determined that he has done nothing wrong. He way confident in his righteousness. He knew all along that he had not sinned or done anything wrong. He says that he had treasured God’s words more than his allotted portion. 

Application:

We should live our lives knowing that we are innocent of anything that could be spoken against us. Integrity gives you confidence in your walk with God. When we know we have lived a good life and done what the Lord wants us to do, we can be bold and confident in our walk with Him. We need to live lives that are above reproach in every area. When the Holy Spirit convicts us of something, we should deal with it quickly.

Prayer:

Father, help me to follow You completely and to do Your will at all times. Let my life for used for Your glory and never bring a reproach on Your name. Help me to live a life worth following for those who look up to me. Teach me to walk in humility and sensitivity to Your voice. Move powerfully here today in the DR and let many come to Christ.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

My Redeemer Lives

 Scripture:

“As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and that as the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God,” ‭‭Job‬ ‭19‬:‭25‬-‭26‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

Job understood what he was going through more than his friends thought he did. He understood that he hadn’t done anything to deserve what he was going through. He knew his situation would turn around if he could just hold onto God. He knew his redeemer lives and that he would see God one day, no matter what was currently happening in his life.

Application:

We need to always know seep in our hearts where we are in our relationship with God. We need confidence in God and our salvation. We can only have that confidence when we are sure of our walk with God. The beauty is that we can have assurance and confidence in our God and in His word. He will do what He says He will do and we can have confidence in that. 

Prayer:

Father, You are the best and I worship You. You brought me into Your family and blessed my life. Help me to follow You well and to walk in confidence every day. Teach me Your word. Show my things and teach me to obey You completely. I want to fulfill Your will in every area of my life. I know my redeemer lives and he will stand on the earth! Bless our Dominican Republic trip this week as we do our best to extend Your kingdom.

Yours,

Jeff

The Awesomeness of God

 Scripture:

“He makes nations great, and destroys them; he extends the boundaries of nations and disperses them.” ‭‭Job‬ ‭12‬:‭23‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

Job has a lot to say about who God is and how He works among people. In this verse he says that God makes nations great and He destroys them. He attributes extending and contracting the boundaries of nations to the Lord. Job saw the awesomeness of God in everything. He gave God credit for everything that happens in this world. 

Application:

I need to see God’s handiwork more and be in awe. It is easy to leave God out of the picture in certain things. There are times when we feel like we make things happen, but without God, we are sunk. We must give Him credit where credit is due. God takes care of the big things and the little things. He oversees nations, yet is concerned with every sparrow. He is incredible.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, I humble myself before You. You are great and You are awesome! Your ways are above my ways and Your thoughts are above my thoughts. Help me to see Your hand in every area of my life. As I go take the Good News to the Dominican Republic, guide my steps and use my life for Your glory. Touch many lives this week as we go on mission for You.

Yours Always,

Jeff

Discipline From God

 Scripture:

““Therefore, blessed is the man whom God corrects, so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he also bandages; he strikes, but his hands also heal.” ‭‭Job‬ ‭5‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

There are several times in Scripture that we are told that we should not despise the discipline of the Lord because He disciplines those He loves. Here it continues and says that He wounds and strikes, but that He also bandages and heals. We are told not to despise God’s discipline.

Application:

God disciplines those He loves. Just as a parent disciplines their child to make them a better person, God disciplines us to help us course correct when we need to. We need to welcome God’s grace, love, forgiveness, and kindness, but we must also welcome His discipline and plan for our lives. I want to be told what to do and not to do. I want God to shape me and develop me. 

Prayer:

Father, help me to receive Your discipline in my life. Teach me to follow You completely. Let my life reflect someone who trusts You and Your ways. Help me to walk in step with You at all times. You are my everything and I welcome Your discipline when I get off track. Help me to respond well when it comes.

Yours,

Jeff

Peace From God

 Scripture:

“Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

There is a promise here in the Scripture. It says that the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus when we, in every situation, are not anxious, but pray and petition with thanksgiving. Our job in this is to relax and bring our prayers to God, then we can expect to walk in God’s incredible peace. We should be full of peace and not anxiety because we are people of prayer.

Application:

We have to learn to relax and bring our needs to the Lord in prayer. When life gets stressful, we must bring it to God with thanksgiving, then we are promised that God’s peace will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. When we do our part, God does His. I want to walk in God’s peace, which surpasses all understanding. I want to see the fulness of His goodness in my life.

Prayer:

Lord God, You are mighty and awesome! You are incredible and I love serving You. Help me to leave anxiety behind and to walk in Your peace at all times. Help me to relax during the stressful times and know that You are in control. Teach me to pray effectively and to walk in Your surpassing peace.

Yours,

Jeff

Suffering for Others to be Blessed

 Scripture:

“and most of the brothers and sisters, having confidence in the Lord because of my imprisonment, now more than ever dare to speak the word fearlessly.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1‬:‭14‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

Paul is writing here to the Philippians from a prison cell. He states that God’s people now had more boldness to preach God’s word fearlessly because of his imprisonment. He was honored to serve his prison sentence because it was helping the Body of Christ grow strong. He knew his imprisonment was empowering the Church and he rejoiced in that.

Application:

We must learn to live like the Apostle Paul. We must be willing to suffer for Christ if it means that others would be stronger in Christ. Of course we would rather prosper and be in health at all times, but we must have the attitude that we are willing to suffer for Christ if it blesses someone else and strengthens their faith. We must learn to live selfless lives.

Prayer:

Father, You are incredible and it is an honor to serve You. You are my rock and my salvation. You are my hope and my help. Teach me to live a selfless life. Show me how to prefer others above myself and to live for Your kingdom above all else. Help me to have the right attitude toward suffering and difficulties. 

Yours Forever,

Jeff