Recognize the Lord’s Power

 Scripture:

“He has done this so all the nations of the earth might recognize the Lord’s power and so you might always obey the Lord your God.”” ‭‭Joshua‬ ‭4‬:‭24‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

God had just caused the waters of the Jordan River to stop flowing and allowed His people to walk into the Promised Land on dry ground. He told them to  set up 12 stones so their kids would be reminded about what the Lord had done for them. One of God’s purposes in this was to so that the surrounding nations would recognize God’s power and that His people would always obey the Lord.

Application:

We should stand in awe of the God who can do the impossible. We should never say no when God speaks to us. We should honor Him more than we do. God set reminders for His people so they would always remember what He was capable of and so they would obey Him. We need to walk humbly before our God and fear Him. He is awesome!

Prayer:

Father, help me to follow You well. Teach me to tremble at Your word. Let my answer always be yes! Help me to respond to You as I should. You are incredible and it is an honor to serve You. You have taken such good care of me all these years. You are faithful and I love You with all my heart.

Yours,

 Jeff

Empowered, Sent, and filled with Peace

 Scripture:

“So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. Just as the Father has sent me, I also send you.” And after he said this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” ‭‭John‬ ‭20‬:‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

After the resurrection, Jesus met His disciples and spoke with them. First He spoke peace over them because He knew they were struggling with everything that had happened. Second, He sent them, just like the Father had sent Him. Third, He breathed on them and they received the Holy Spirit. He sent them, empowered them, and gave them the peace they would need to fulfill His mission.

Application:

Jesus doesn’t send out His people unprepared. He gives us everything we need in order to fulfill His mission. Sometimes we struggle with feeling like God has truly empowered us with His Spirit to fulfill His mission. He has literally taken away every excuse before He even sent us. We must walk in confidence and boldness as we complete His mission. 

Prayer:

Father, You are my peace! You are my strength. You are my rock! You are everything I need to fulfill Your purposes in my life. Help me to stay attuned to Your voice and to finish every assignment You send me on. Help me to live as one who is sent at all times, not just on Sundays in the pulpit. Let my life reflect You every day and in every way. 

Yours,

Jeff

Set Apart and Sent

 Scripture:

“Just as you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I set myself apart on their behalf, so that they too may be truly set apart.” ‭‭John‬ ‭17‬:‭18‬-‭19‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

In this passage, Jesus is praying to the Father. He says that He sent His disciples into the world just like the Father sent Him. He then said, “I set myself apart on their behalf, so that they too may be truly set apart.” Set apart is where we get the word “sanctified.” Jesus sanctified us, or set us apart, so we could be sent. 

Application:

We must come to the realization that Jesus set us apart and sent us into the world for God’s purposes. As He was sent, He sent us. As He was set apart, we are set apart. When a person is sent, they have a mission. Their mission is not of their own choosing. A sent one’s mission is the mission of the one who sent them. We must realize that Jesus chose us to separate us and send us as His ambassadors in the world. We must live for His purposes and fulfill His mission. We cannot live unto ourselves.

Prayer:

Father, You set me apart many, many years ago. You sent me on Your mission many years ago and I want to fulfill every assignment You have for my life. Help me to live life on Your mission and not my own. Teach me to walk with You and be confident that I have been set apart and sent to live a life on mission for God.

Forever Yours,

Jeff

Love One Another

 Scripture:

“My commandment is this – to love one another just as I have loved you.” ‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭12‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

Many times Jesus said things like, “If you love me, keep my commands.” In this passage He gives his commandment to His disciples, “Love one another just as I have loved you.” Jesus always had a beautiful way of narrowing down the teachings to the main things. He actually boiled it all down in another place to, love God with everything you’ve got and love your neighbor as yourself. The big command of Jesus is to love one another. 

Application:

The heart of the Good News is to love one another. Jesus wants us to live in His love and to work from that place. Jesus loved people. He loved imperfect people. He loved people with issues. We should learn to love like Jesus loved. One of His own disciples was going to betray him, yet Jesus, knowing it, loved him right to the very end. I need to love like Jesus loved.

Prayer:

Father, fill me with Your love. Let Your love flow through my life and teach me to demonstrate it well. You are my everything and I want to represent You well. Teach me Your ways and let me walk in Your Spirit. Let Your love flow through my life.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

I Want to Know Him

 Scripture:

““I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me –” ‭‭John‬ ‭10‬:‭14‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

Jesus was speaking about His love for those He had been sent to. He spoke of their closeness and how they know the voice of their shepherd. He then stated, “I know my own and my own know me.” As believers we know and are known. We can have a close, intimate, relationship with Christ. He already knows us, but we can always know Him better. 

Application:

Knowing Him should be the pursuit of our lives. Jesus said that His sheep know Him, but many of us don’t feel like we know Him all that well. I know I deeply want to know Him closer. I want to know His heart and understand His will for my life. There’s an older worship song that says, “I want to know You. I want to hear Your voice. I want to touch You. I want to see Your face. I want to know You more.” This song expresses my desire.

Prayer:

Father, I want to know You more. I want to hear Your voice and see Your face. I want to walk with You as Adam did in the garden. I want to see Your glory. I long to know You deeply and to follow You closely. Take me deeper and open my eyes and ears to see and hear You clearly. 

Yours,

Jeff

Initiative

 Scripture:

“Then Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and I do nothing on my own initiative, but I speak just what the Father taught me.” ‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭28‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

Jesus says here that he did nothing of his own initiative, but He spoke what the Father taught Him. This is such a powerful statement. Jesus was the lead follower of the Father. He only did what He saw the Father do and only said what He heard the Father say. 

Application:

In our society today, we honor initiative. We like people who take initiative and get things done. The problem is that our initiative is self-initiative. We think we can do anything if we just try hard enough and show enough initiative. I am much better off being the lead follower than the leader. I want to live like Jesus who did nothing of His own initiative, but He did what the Father showed Him. I want to follow God well and do His will.

Prayer:

Father, I give myself to You. You are worthy of my life and all that I am. Help me to follow Your voice and not to push things through my own initiative, but to follow through on what You initiate. Teach me to hear Your voice clearly and to walk out what I hear. 

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Working for the Right Purpose

 Scripture:

“Do not work for the food that disappears, but for the food that remains to eternal life – the food which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has put his seal of approval on him.””  ‭‭John‬ ‭6‬:‭27‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

Jesus had just fed five thousand men with five loaves and two fish. People were amazed at what had happened. They had found Him on the other side of the lake and began coming to Him. He told them that they only followed Him because they had eaten the food. He then responded with this statement, “Do not work for the food that disappears, but for the food that remains it eternal life.” 

Application:

The focus Jesus was bringing to the people and to us was that we should keep our focus on eternal fruit instead of just working for a paycheck. The only thing that lasts forever is an eternal soul. We must keep our focus, not on just providing food for our stomachs, but food for our souls. The only thing we can take to heaven is souls. I need to be more focused on eternity and getting as many people to heaven as possible.

Prayer:

Father, use my life to build Your kingdom. Let my heart be pure before You. Show me how to reach more people for Christ and to extend Your rule and reign. Help me to focus on eternal food and not just feeding my family and having something to eat myself. Help me never to work for a paycheck, but to work for You and trust You with my pay.

Yours,

Jeff