Love and Faithfulness, Righteousness and Peace

Scripture:

Psalm 85:10 "Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other".

Observation:

In this Psalm there are two couplets, two groups of things that work together and compliment each other.  First he says, "Love and faithfulness meet together".  Truly when you love someone, faithfulness will be part of that and they go together.  Secondly, righteousness and peace go together.  When you walk in righteousness, peace will be in your life.

Application:

You can't say you love someone and not be faithful to them.  Faithfulness is one of the many expressions of love.  When you love...you are faithful.  Secondly, when you walk in righteousness, peace will come into your life.  Many people today have no peace.  They want peace, but never seem to find it.  Peace comes to a life that is living in righteousness.  Those completely sold out and living for God will have peace in their lives.

Prayer:

Father, let faithfulness be a demonstration of my love and let peace be a demonstration of my righteousness.  Help me love better and walk better before You.  I want to be more like You in every way.  Your love is perfect and your righteousness exceeds the heavens.

Your Son,
Jeff

No Good Thing Will He Withhold

Scripture:

Psalm 84:11 "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless".

Observation:

The Psalmist here tells us that God gives favor and honor.  He says that God doesn't withhold any good thing from those who walk before Him blamelessly.  I see God here as a god who wants to bless and favor His children.  He doesn't take pleasure in seeing His children suffer, but loves to give them good things.

Application:

Many times in our Christian walk, we feel like God is mad at us, doesn't like us, and is out to get us.  The opposite is actually true.  He wants to show us favor and blessing, He just needs us to do our part by living a life that is fully committed to Him.  When we walk uprightly, He withholds no good thing from us.  We have a part to play.  As we do our part of living right, He does His part of honoring us.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to live a life that please You.  I want to walk in your favor and honor.  I don't want your blessings withheld.  Let me live a blameless life that brings You honor.  I want to make you look good on this earth.

Yours,
Jeff

Till I Declare Your Power to the Next Generation

Scripture:

Psalm 71:18 "Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come".

Observation:

The Psalmist had a desire to declare the power of God to every generation.  He didn't want to retire and grow old playing golf.  He wanted to declare God's mighty acts to all who are to come.  He could have ask God for anything; money, power, glory, fame, etc., but he wanted one thing: to declare the power of God to the next generation.

Application:

I want to have this heart as I approach old age.  I want to live a life that declares the power of God to the next generations.  The church is always only one generation from extinction.  Someone has to bring the message of God's power to each new generation and I love being that person.  I want the upcoming generations to see that God is real and powerful.  I want all to see His goodness and how He blesses His people.  Now that I am gray, let your hand be even stronger on my life.

Prayer:

Father, I want the upcoming generations to see and hear about your power.  I want them to know that you are not just a nice little god up in the sky, but the awesome and powerful God you are.  I want to see the demonstration of Your power in my generation, so that all will know how awesome You are.  Pour out Your Spirit on this generation so the next generation will run to You.

Yours,
Jeff

You Brought us to a Place of Abundance

Scripture:

Psalm 66:12 "You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance".

Observation:

The Psalmist shows some thing about his relationship with God that are interesting.  He says that God "let people ride over our heads" and that they "went through fire and water".  He basically says that God allowed them to go through some pretty tough times, but in the end, He brought them to a place of abundance.  With God we will go through difficult times, but the end will be in the place of abundance in we walk and don't faint.

Application:

Hold on in the tough times because God has a place of abundance.  I don't understand God's testing times when it seems like people are riding over my head and I'm going through the fire and water.  I don't understand completely why God allows this stuff to happen, but I know in the end there is a place of abundance and His blessing.  I wish we could just go straight to the abundance, but there always seems to be battles to fight and tough times to get through.

Prayer:

Lord, help me remain faithful in the difficult times and give me confidence that better days are coming.  Help me to see what You see and make the right decisions in the difficult times.  Help me to trust You more each day.  I place my life in Your hands.  I love You.

Your Son,
Jeff

Pour Out Your Hearts to Him

Scripture:

Psalm 62:8  "Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge".

Observation:

David is writing about a time he describes earlier in this passage where people were against him.  He says, "they take delight in lies, with their mouths they bless, but with their hearts they curse".  He is saying that when people and their behavior hurt you, you have to learn to trust God and pour your heart out to Him.  He says God is our refuge.

Application:

When we are in bad situations, most of us are naturally inclined to spend our time in worry, doubt and unbelief.  We must learn to trust the Lord when people are lying to us.  We must learn to pour out our hearts to God, who is the only one who can really do anything about it anyway.  We must run to God as our refuge when hurt by what people do.  God can be trusted and wants us to run to Him and pour out our hearts to Him rather than hold everything in until you bust.

Prayer:

Lord, help me today to pour out all the feelings in my heart to You.  I need some time with you today to pour out my feelings.  I run to You as my refuge and I trust You.  I need you today God more than ever before.

Your Son,
Jeff

Restore my Joy

Scripture:

Psalm 51:12 "Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me".

Observation:

This Psalm is a Psalm of David after Nathan confronted him and he confessed his sin with Bathsheba.  He was asking God to forgive him and to cleanse him, then he throws in there, "restore to me the joy of my salvation".  David had gotten off course in his relationship with God and in the process, lost his joy.  Joy is a direct result of our relationship with God.  He is the God who gives joy to his people.

Application:

The joy of the Lord is our strength according to God's word.  Satan loves to steal our joy.  He knows that sin will cause us to lose our joy, therefore temptation comes into our lives.  Once temptation is given in to, the result is a loss of true joy.  Losing true joy means losing our strength.  We must learn to pray like David that God would restore the joy of our salvation.  We need to come back to our first love and our joy will be returned.

Prayer:

Father God, your church is joyless these days it seems.  Let this revelation grab our hearts and let us see the plan of the evil one clearly.  He wants our joy, which is our strength.  Help me and those who are around me to walk in a renewed sense of the joy of the Lord.  Restore joy to your church!

Yours Forever,
Jeff

Emmanuel: God with Us

Scripture:

Psalm 46:7  "The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress".

Observation:

The Psalmist declared that God was the fortress of Israel.  A fortress is a safe place you can run to when you are in trouble.  It is secure from attacking enemies.  He not only said He was a fortress, but that He is with us!  Emmanuel means God with us.  This Psalm reminds me that God is with His people.  He is not only a fortress, but is there in the fortress with you when you are attacked.

Application:

I need to change my thinking and truly grasp that fact that Emmanuel, God with us, is truly with me.  He is not against me, but for me and with me.  He is the limitless God and He is with me.  I need this to drop into my heart deeper.  If He is with me, what do I ever have to fear?  If He is with me, who can take  me out if His will?  If He is with me, I win in the end!

Prayer:

Lord, I love your manifest presence.  I love when your glory fills a room, but even when we don't feel You, you are with us.  You are with us on good days and you are with us on bad days.  You are faithful.  Help me to realize this more and more.  Help me sense your presence throughout the day and be led bu Your Spirit continually.

Your Son,
Jeff

The Origin of Joy

Scripture:

Psalm 45:7  "You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy".

Observation:

The psalmist tells us how to get the anointing of joy that sets us above our companions.  If there is anything lacking in the body of Christ these days, it is joy!  There are far too many miserable saints who haven't smiled in a long time.  In this passage the psalmist says that the anointing of joy comes from loving righteousness and hate wickedness.

Application:

If the church wants her joy back, we must love righteousness and hate wickedness.  We must live lives that please the Lord and not ourselves, when we do, He will anoint us with the oil of joy and we will be set apart from those around us.  The joy of the Lord is our strength and our joy comes from loving righteousness and hating wickedness.  When we love God far more than the world and its pleasures, we will get our joy back.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, You have been incredibly faithful to me.  Thank you for your many blessings.  Thank you for the joy you have given me, but I want more.  I want to "love" righteousness" and hate "wickedness" more than ever before.  Sanctify me and let my life bring you praise.

Yours,
Jeff

Don't Be Like the Horse or Mule

Scripture:

Psalm 32:9  "Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you".

Observation:

David gives us a beautiful picture here of what people are like who have no understanding.  He says they are like a horse or mule that must be controlled by bit and bridle instead of because they know what to do.  They don't come to you unless you force them to instead of coming to you on their own.

Application:

David is saying to me this morning that God doesn't want to force me to do His will.  He wants me to have understanding and follow Him without being forced to.  Smart people follow God because they see they incredible benefits, others follow Him because they know it is the right thing to do.  We want to serve God because we know Him and love Him, not because we have no other choice.

Prayer:

Lord, don't let me be like the horse or mule.  I don't want to follow You stubbornly, but with a pure heart and all my passion.  I want to have understanding and grow in the areas I am weak.  Help me to be a leader of your people.

Yours,
Jeff

Strength and Peace

Scripture:

Psalm 29:11 "The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace".

Observation:

The Psalmist realized where his strength and peace came from.  He realized that it was the Lord who gives these things and that we can't work them up on our own.  God is the one who makes people strong and blesses them with peace.  The world fights for peace and tries incredibly hard to become strong, but don't realize these things come from the Lord.

Application:

Spending time in the presence of the Lord strengthens you so much and brings peace into your life.  Last night we had an awesome prayer service and the presence of the Lord was so strong.  When I left there I felt strengthened and such an incredible peace.  These things come from Him and we need to seek Him more instead of striving so hard to get better in these areas, we simply need to get to know Him more.

Prayer:

Father, I love your presence.  I never leave times in your presence that I am not stronger and filled with peace.  Help me to spend more time with you every day.  I love you and want to be with You.  You are my strength and peace.

Yours,
Jeff Jacob

Wait for the Lord

Scripture:

Psalm 27:14 "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord".

Observation:

The Psalmist tells us to wait for the Lord.  He says we should be strong and take heart while we wait for the Lord.  One of the greatest problems we have in following Christ is truly "following" Christ.  It is hard or us to wait.  Human nature likes to move forward and see progress.  When we don't see anything happening, we tend to take things into our own hands.

Application:

We have to learn to be strong and take heart while waiting on the Lord.  Sometimes I get frustrated because the dreams God has given me don't seem to be taking place in my timetable.  It doesn't appear things are happening fast enough for me and this is very frustrating because I like to feel like I am making progress.  Today I learn to slow down and wait for the Lord instead of charging ahead when I don't see progress.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, help me to slow down and let God do His work.  Help me to trust Him more completely each day.  Strengthen me and help me learn to wait.  I know in my head that You are all powerful and can be trusted.  Help me know it in my heart more and more.

I Love You,
Jeff

Who is this King of Glory?

Scripture:

Psalm 24:8  "Who is this king of glory?  The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle."

Observation:

David is writing this Psalm and says to let the king of glory come in.  He then says, "Who is this king of glory?  The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle".  David had personally seen the Lord defeat enemies on the battle field and he knew the Lord as "mighty in battle".  He had seen God defeat his enemies many times and knew the Lord as strong and mighty.

Application:

David had personally seen God do the impossible many, many times.  He knew the Lord as strong and mighty.  We must walk with God and call on His name in every situation.  Personal testimony is a powerful thing.  People can talk about your theology, but they can't take away your personal testimony.  We must seek God until He does things we can't explain, but things that increase our faith in Him so we may know Him as "the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle".

Prayer:

Lord, demonstrate your power in my generation.  Show yourself strong and let this generation see you as the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.  I know it will come to pass one day that the whole world will see you as this, but don't wait, demonstrate your power in my generation, in my family, in my church, in my city.

Your Son,
Jeff

Trust in the Name of the Lord

Scripture:

Psalm 20:7  "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God".

Observation:

David is a man that clearly put his trust in the Lord and the Lord always came through for him.  David praised God in good times and in bad times.  He cried out to the Lord in his distressing times.  He knew he could trust the Lord and his hope was not in his army, his horses, his warriors, or anything else.  His trust was in the Lord and the Lord gave him a great army with horses, warriors, etc.

Application:

I can't trust programs, people, techniques or anything else.  It is the name of the Lord I must trust in.  He is the God who gives increase.  He gives wisdom about when to implement programs, how to deal with people and what techniques to use.  He must be the center of everything.  As David used these things and gained victory through them, he knew he couldn't trust them unless the Lord was with him and wanted him to use them.  God must be first and foremost.

Prayer:

Father, help me trust You more.  Teach me to trust You above the next program, plan or person.  You are my rock and my strength.  You are my victory and I will give you all the praise! 

Yours,
Jeff

Walking Upright

Scripture:

"For the Lord is righteous, he loves justice; the upright will see his face".

Observation:

David is comparing the wicked to the righteous.  He says the wicked will have fiery coals rained down on them with burning sulfur and a scorching wind.  He says of the Lord that He is righteous and just.  He also says the upright will see His face. 

Application:

Basically the word I got today was that God wants me to become more and more like Him.  He is righteous and he wants me to be righteous.  He is loving and he wants me to be loving.  He is generous and he wants me to be generous.  My goal must be to see what God is from His word and become more and more like Him in every way.  It is those who become like Him that will see him face to face.

Prayer:

There is an old song that says, "I want to be more like You.  I want to be more like You.  I want to be a vessel you'll work through.  I want to me more like You.  Father, I want to be more like you every day.  Help me walk closer than ever before.  I want to see your face.

Your Son,
Jeff

Never Forsaken

Scripture:

Psalm 9:10 "Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You".

Observation:

The Psalmist understood God and his ways very well.  He was a seeker of God and knew that God could be trusted completely.  He had witnessed God fighting his battles and defending him over and over.  He knew that when a person seeks God, they will not be forsaken by Him.  Rather, He will defend them and take great care of them.

Application:

God has promised never to leave us or forsake us over and over in His word.  Sometimes we feel forsaken, but the word tells us we have not been.  We must live above our feelings and trust God's word above our own feelings.  We must also become seekers of God because this promise is for those who seek God.  It is the God-seekers who are never forsaken.

Prayer:

Lord, I have always been and always want to be a God-seeker.  I want to know You deeper and more each day.  I want to operate my life in faith and not doubt.  Help me live more by your word and what it says than by my feelings.

Yours,
Jeff

Before I Die

Scripture:

Psalm 6:5 "Among the dead no one proclaims your name.  Who praises you from the grave?"

Observation:

David is writing here and is struggling.  He is feeling overwhelmed by his enemies and calls out to the Lord for peace.  As he is crying out to the Lord, he throws in this verse, "Among the dead no one proclaims your name.  Who praises you from the grave?".  He says this to the Lord, telling God that if he dies, he can't praise the Lord and proclaim his name and his goodness on the earth.

Application:

Once we breathe our last breath, we will never be able to witness to the lost again.  We will never be able to praise God in the same manner once we step from this life into eternity.  Some things have to be done on this side of the grave.  What we are going to do for the Lord, must be done before we see death.  Therefore, we must live our lives fully, using every opportunity to proclaim His name and praise Him.

Prayer:

Father, help me to live every day like it may be my last.  Once my life is over on this earth, I will never be able to praise you in the same way again.  Once I die, I will not be able to make Your name known on the earth.  Teach me to follow Your ways and to use every opportunity to tell someone about your goodness.

Yours,
Jeff

Reward Day is Soon

Scripture:

Revelation 22:12 "Look, I am coming soon!  My reward is with me, and I will give each person according to what they have done".

Observation:

In the last chapter of the Bible we are told that Jesus is coming soon.  In Acts He said as He was ascending to heaven.  In the same way I am going away, I will come again.  Jesus is coming again soon and His reward is with Him.  When He comes again, each person will receive a reward based on what they have done.  Everything we do is recorded in heaven and we will be rewarded accordingly.

Application:

Lately the body of Christ has been preaching grace so strongly and against a "works" mentality because it feels like legalism.  The fact is, there are going to be rewards that are based on our works.  Grace gets us into the family, but works are going to be rewarded.  You can't work to get salvation, Jesus paid that for us, but a saved person will do the works of Him who saved them.  God gives each of us things to do and He expects them to be done.  Jesus is coming soon and so is reward day.  We must be found working hard for our Lord and accomplishing His will on the earth.

Prayer:

Lord, my life's goal is to hear the words, "well done good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord".  I want to walk in complete obedience.  Help me to hear Your voice more clearly so I don't miss anything You want me to do.  Teach me to tune in more accurately.

Your Servant,
Jeff