I Have Called Thee

Scripture:

Isaiah 42:6-7  "I, Jehovah, have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thy hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house".

Observation:

This seems to be a reference to the coming of the Messiah.  We can definitely see Jesus in these verses.  He came and God was with Him.  He was a light to the Gentiles, opened prison doors and brought people out of prison.  Jesus came to fulfill this prophetic word.

Application:

When Jesus left the earth, He gave the authority to us so that we could continue His work in the earth.  We are to finish the task Jesus came for and we have been empowered to do it.  Therefore, God is calling us in righteousness and He will hold our hand wherever we go.  He will flow through us to open bind eyes and set prisoners free.  We must offer ourselves to Him in righteousness and do what He sent us to do.

Prayer:

Father, let Your Spirit be upon my life to fulfill the ministry of Jesus on the earth.  Lord, help me to follow You completely.  Help me to hear clearly everything You want me to do.  Open doors and shut doors that Your name may be glorified in and through my life.  I am Yours.

Your Son,
Jeff

What's Impossible for God?

Scripture:

Isaiah 38:8  "behold, I will cause the shadow on the steps, which is gone down on the dial of Ahaz with the sun, to return backward ten steps.  So the sun returned ten steps on the dial whereon it was done down".

Observation:

God gave Isaiah a word for Hezekiah.  To confirm that word was from Him, he told him the shadow would move ten steps backward on his sun dial and it came to pass.  There is no physical explanation of this except that God is God and He can do whatever He wants to do.  If He wants to change the times and the seasons, He can.  If He wants to turn day into night and rearrange the planets, He can.  He is God!

Application:

If God can make the sun dial turn backward ten steps, He can do anything.  Why do we act like He is powerless?  Why do we act like He can't deliver us?  We must learn to come to God in faith and believe Him for the impossible.  We must come to God in faith, knowing that His power is limitless.  He can truly move heaven and earth on our behalf.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, You are amazing!  You are incredible!  Your power is limitless!  Thank You for reminding me of how awesome You are this morning.  I am in awe of You.  Help me to live a life of faith that pleases You completely.

Yours,
Jeff

He Will Come and Save You

Scripture:

Isaiah 35:4-5 "Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; he will come and save you.  Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped".

Observation:

Isaiah gives a word to God's people and tells them to be strong and not to fear because, one day God will come with vengeance on their enemies and he will save them.  They may be under His discipline right then, but that He would come to rescue them and at that time blind eyes will open and deaf ears will hear.  It was a promise of ultimate salvation that will happen.  One day, every negative and wrong doing will be overturned.

Application:

As servant of the Lord, we can stand assured that one day every wrong will be made right and judgment will come for every evil deed.  One day the Lord will come in power and every knee will bow before Him.  When we feel like we have been wronged, we can have hope and be confident that the Lord will take care of our enemies and those who have wronged us.  Nothing escapes His sight and He records every deed.  One day our oppressors will stand before a righteous and holy God and give account.

Prayer:

Lord, help me not to take vengeance, but to let your day of vengeance come.  Help me to trust You knowing that every wrong will be made right in the future.  Help me to live in the now in forgiveness and kindness while knowing and being confident that there is a future day when every wrong will be made right.  Let peace invade my life.

Your Son,
Jeff

The Fear of Jehovah is Thy Treasure

Scripture:

Isaiah 33:6  "And there shall be stability in thy times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge: the fear of Jehovah is thy treasure".

Observation:

Isaiah says here that the fear of Jehovah is your treasure.  He also says that there will be stability, abundance of salvation, wisdom and knowledge.  God gives all these things as we pursue Him. 

Application:

God will give stability in His time, abundance of salvation, wisdom and knowledge.  These things come from God and we must seek Him.  As we seek Him, these things will fill our lives.  He closes this section by saying that the fear of Jehovah is our treasure.  Treasure is something you pursue because it is of great value.  Fearing God is extremely valuable and we must seek it out in our lives.

Prayer:

Lord, teach me to fear You properly.  I want to know You in every way.  I want to see the abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.  I seek you today and ask You to direct my paths.  Let me see Your hand revealed in every are of my life.

Yours,
Jeff

Your Ears Will Hear

Scripture:

Isaiah 30:21  "and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it; when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left".

Observation:

Isaiah is speaking of a time when Israel would hear the voice of the Lord again.  They had strayed away and were going to be punished, but he prophesied that there would be a time again where they would hear a word saying, "this is the way, walk ye in it".

Application:

My theme for this year has been that I want God to speak clearly to me.  I want to hear clearly, "This is the way, walk in it".  We must desire the word of the Lord to guide us.  We are told that the Holy Spirit was sent to guide us and to lead us into all truth.  I desire to walk in truth and to hear the voice of the Lord more clearly.

Prayer:

Father, I want to hear Your voice saying, "this is the way, walk in it".  More than anything else, I want to hear Your voice more clearly.  Help me to listen and to know what You are speaking at all times.  I sincerely want to do Your will in every area of my life, just help me to know clearly what that is.

Yours Forever,
Jeff

I Will Exalt Thee

Scripture:

Isaiah 25:1 "O Jehovah, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things, even counsels of old, in faithfulness and truth."

Observation:

Isaiah is speaking to the Lord and declares that Jehovah is his God and that he will praise him and exalt him for the wonderful things he has done.  Isaiah took time to worship and exalt the name of the Lord and to give Him glory.

Application:

True worship should come naturally to us when we see the works of the Lord.  When we read of what He has done in the past and when we see what He does in our lives, the response should be worship.  God deserves our highest praise and worship and we need to spend more time lifting His name because He has been so good to us.

Prayer:

Father, help me to worship and praise Your name more and more in my life.  Help me to take time out of my schedule just to spend time in worship.  Help me to discipline my life in this way, but also put a worshiper's heart in me and let worship exude from my life because You are worthy!

Yours,
Jeff

The Joy of Salvation

Scripture:

Isaiah 12:3  "Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation".

Observation:

This scripture is a prophecy about Christ coming to the earth and bringing salvation.  His salvation is meant to bring us joy.  Jesus said that out of our bellies would flow rivers of living water.  Joy is a strong part of the Gospel and one of the fruit of the Spirit.

Application:

God's people should be a joy-filled people.  We should be the people who are living in the joy of the Lord.  The joy of the Lord is our strength.  Satan knows that when we are joyful, we are strong, therefore he will do whatever he can to steal our joy.  We must learn to walk in the joy of the Lord at all times.  When we don't know how, we simply need to think about our salvation, out of that, just contemplating that should bring up our joy level.

Prayer:

Father, help me to walk in great joy.  It want to be filled with all of the fruit of the Spirit, but I really want my joy back.  Joy should be a hallmark of my life and I want it to be again.  Help me to walk with You at a deeper level where I know everything is going to be well so I can exude joy everywhere I go.

Yours,
Jeff

Light Has Come

Scripture:

Isaiah 9:2  "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon then hath the light shined".

Observation:

Isaiah here sees a picture of Christ, the Messiah.  He says about Him that the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.  Jesus said, "I am the light of the world".  He also told us to be light like a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden.  Jesus came to light up the dark areas of this world.

Application:

Darkness disappears when the light is turned on.  We need to invite Jesus to shine into every area of our lives.  We need him to shine in our homes, our personal lives, and our work lives.  We need to see the light and let him lead us.  Where there is light, you can see where you are going.  If Jesus is the light, then we need to follow Him closely.  He knows where we need to go.

Prayer:

Jesus, light up my world.  You are the light of the world.  Shine in my life.  Show me the direction I need to go and make the way clear before me.  Help me to walk in the light at all times and cause me to see clearly what I need to do in every situation.  I want to be led by Your Spirit.  Light up my world!

Yours,

Jeff

Send Me

Scripture:

Isaiah 6:8  "And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?  Then I said, Here am I; send me".

Observation:

Isaiah had an incredible encounter with God and the cherubim and seraphim.  He saw the Lord high and lifted up with His glory filling the Temple.  After the angel had cleansed his lips, the Lord spoke to him and asked him who could the Lord send to represent him and speak for him.  Isaiah replied, "Here am I, send me".

Application:

When we have had an encounter with God like Isaiah did, it is easy to say, "Here am I, send me".  When we haven't had quite that powerful of an encounter, the Lord still wants our hearts to say, Here am I, send me to be Your voice, Your hands, Your feet, to my generation.  When we humble ourselves and offer ourselves to the Lord, He will raise us up and allow us to speak on His behalf.  Can the Lord trust us with His message to our generation?  We must offer God all of ourselves.

Prayer:

Lord, I give you my life.  I lay myself at Your altar and ask You to have Your way in my life.  Fill me to overflowing with Your Spirit and let me accurately represent You to Your people.  Help me to walk in the Spirit at all times and be led by You completely.  Direct my steps and let Your will be accomplished in my life at all times.  I am Yours.

Your Son,
Jeff

I Am Loved

Scripture:

Song of Solomon 7:10 "I am my beloved's; And his desire is toward me".

Observation:

This passage is talking about two lovers, yet it also can reflect how we feel in our relationship with God.  This lover feels confident that she is her beloved's and that his desire is toward her.  She is confident in her love and in her lover.

Application:

Does my spouse know that she is mine and my desire is toward her?  Is she confident in my love enough to say to people around her that she is mine and that I desire her?  In the same way, am I absolutely confident that God loves me as His bride and that His desire is toward me?  We can rest assured that God absolutely loves us and desires to fellowship with us, yet sometimes we need reminded just how much He loves us.

Prayer:

God, help me to make sure Cheryl feels my love, devotion and knows that my desire is towards her.  Help me to pursue my wife as You pursue me.  Also, help me walk in confidence as Your bride, that You love me and desire relationship with me at a deep level.  I love you Lord.

Yours,
Jeff

Spousal Perception

Scripture:

Song of Solomon 4:7  "Thou art all fair, my love; and there is no spot in thee".

Observation:

In this text I see a person in love, who is telling his lover his thoughts about her.  He says that she is "all fair" and that there is "no spot in thee".  When the author sees his love, he sees no imperfections.  He sees no spots in her life.  He sees everything about her as "all fair".

Application:

When we first fall in love with someone, we tend to only see the good about them.  We tend to only see the positive in them.  As we grow in our relationship, we tend to see all the things we don't like about them.  I need to get back to the place where I see my wife as "all fair" with "no spots".

Prayer:

Lord, help me to see my wife the way you see her.  Help me to see her as all fair and with out spots.  Forgive me for judging her and not appreciating her like I should.  Teach me to love my wife and show me how to communicate that well to her.

Yours,
Jeff

Godliness with Contentment

Scripture:

I Timothy 6:6-7 "But godliness with contentment is great gain: for we brought nothing into the world, for neither can we carry anything out".

Observation:

Paul tells Timothy here that he shouldn't get wrapped up in materialism, but rather to be godly and content.  He goes on to tell him that we brought nothing into this world and that we can take nothing out of this world.

Application:

Sometimes we need to be reminded that having more and better stuff will never make us happy.  We need to live godly and content where God has us.  It is easy to compare ourselves with ourselves and to feel bad about not being at a certain place in life concerning material things, but God wants us to be content.  We can work hard to have nice things, but in the end we cannot take those things with us into heaven.

Prayer:

Lord, help me not to get carried away with the abundance of things.  Help me to walk in contentment with where You have me at this period of time in my life.  Teach me to live in contentment, being glad for how you have provided for me and my family.  Instead of seeing what I don't have, help me to be content with what I do have.

Yours,
Jeff

The Pillar and Ground of Truth

Scripture:

I Timothy 3:15  "but if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how men ought to behave themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of truth".

Observation:

Paul is writing to Timothy and here he tells him part of why he was writing.  He said he was writing so that men would know how to behave in the house of God, which is the pillar and ground of truth.  He calls the church, the pillar and ground of truth.

Application:

The Church of Jesus Christ is suppose to be the pillar and ground of truth.  It should be the place where the truth is making people free.  Pillars support buildings and the ground is the foundation.  We need to make sure the church is on solid foundation and that it is build strong on the word of God.  We ought to behave ourselves in a way that let's the world see that the church has a strong foundation.

Prayer:

Father, let me live in such a way that people see Your church as a strong place where people live solid lives.  Let my life reflect your strong foundation and pillars.  Let truth be the foundation of my life and let me live a life that is pleasing to You above all else.  Show me the way forward.  Guide me in every step of my life.  Show me how to live godly in Christ Jesus.

Your Son,
Jeff

Distractions and Excuses

Scripture:

Ecclesiastes 11:4  "He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap".

Observation:

Here we are told that those who observe the wind won't end up sowing and those who look at the clouds won't reap.  In other words, if you get distracted by what is going on around you, you won't accomplish anything.  If you make excuses, you won't see a harvest.

Application:

If you are looking for excuses, you will always find them.  If you are easily distracted, you will never get your work done.  This verse tells me that I need to stop making excuses and start being productive.  I need to stop being distracted by so many things around me and get the job done.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to be a person of action.  Help me to accomplish all you want me to.  Teach me not to make excuses, but to do what I need to do.  Show me how to live a productive life and to see Your blessing.

Your Son,
Jeff

Promises Promises

Scripture:

Ecclesiastes 5:5  "Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay".

Observation:

Here we are told that it is better not to make a vow, than to make a vow and not pay.

Application:

We need to be careful about making promises that we can't deliver on.  It is better not to make a promise, then to make a promise and not deliver.  When we don't deliver on our promises, we lose trust.  When we don't come through on things, people around us trust us less and less.  We need to be careful about making too many promises.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to walk in wisdom and not open my mouth until I'm sure I can do whatever I am claiming.  Help me to walk and talk faith, yet be able to deliver.  Help me not to make promises that don't come true.  I want to be a man of my word.

Yours,
Jeff

Fear of Man

Scripture:

Proverbs 29:25  "The fear of man bringeth a snare; but whoso putteth his trust in Jehovah shall be safe".

Observation:

In this Proverb, I see that the fear of man puts us in a trap, but putting our trust in God will cause us to be safe.

Application:

It is easy to get caught in the trap of fear of man.  When we fear man and his opinions, over God and His opinions, we will get trapped every time.  Our job is to please God and fear God, not to fear man.  Jesus told us not to fear man who can take our lives, but to fear God who can send us to hell.  When we trust in God, we will be safe from all snares.

Prayer:

Lord, increase my trust in You.  Help me to follow You completely.  I do struggle with wanting people to like me and therefore, somewhat fearing them and what they think.  Help me to trust You more and fear man less.

Your Son,
Jeff

Wisdom and Knowledge

Scripture:

Proverbs 24:5  "A wise man is strong; Yea, a man of knowledge increaseth in might".

Observation:

We are told here that a man who is wise, is also strong.  Wisdom makes you strong on the inside.  We are also told that knowledge increases might or strength.  When our knowledge increases, our might also increases.

Application:

I need to pursue wisdom and knowledge.  In doing so, I will increase in strength and might.  The more I learn, the stronger I will be.  The more is increase in wisdom, the stronger I get.  I need to focus at this time in my life on increasing in  wisdom and knowledge so that I may be strong for the future.

Prayer:

Father, I want to walk with the wise.  I want to grow in You and be a person of understanding.  As I pursue this Masters in Ministerial Leadership, help me stay focused and finish the course.  Help me to learn all I need to in order to be a better leader for You and Your kingdom.

Yours,
Jeff

Jehovah will save

Scripture:

Proverbs 20:22 "Say not thou, I will recompense evil: Wait for Jehovah, and he will save thee".

Observation:

Solomon tells us here that, rather than fighting for ourselves and bringing retribution for evil, we should wait for the Lord and He will save us.

Application:

When we take judgement into our own hands, we are stopping God from bringing the judgment He would bring.  We need to trust the Lord, even when it comes to being hurt by others.  We need to learn to leave them in God's hands and allow Him to punish.  OUr job is to forgive, His job is to fight on our behalf.

Prayer:

Father, help me to forgive quickly and easily and leave people to You.  You are my defense.  Help me to trust You more and more.

Yours,
Jeff

Being Generous

Scripture:

Proverbs 11:25  "The liberal soul shall be made fat; and he that watereth shall be watered also himself".

Observation:

Solomon observes here a fact that is so true.  People who are generous always have money coming back to them and those that water, or give away, always have money coming back to them.  When we take care of others needs, we get taken care of ourselves.

Application:

I need to be generous at all times.  A generous person lives a blessed life and God causes them to receive.  When we give, we are opening the hand of God to bless our lives.  Generosity is one of the characteristics of God.  He gave His only Son as well as everything we see around us.  We need to be more like Him.

Prayer:

Father, help me to walk in generosity at all times.  Teach me to always be generous, even when I don't have a lot.  I want to reflect you well in every way.  Help me to do it.

Yours,
Jeff

Finding Wisdom

Scripture:

Proverbs 8:35  "For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favor of Jehovah".

Observation:

Proverbs here is telling many things about wisdom.  It says that whoever finds wisdom finds life and obtains favor from the Lord.  Walking in wisdom brings an abundant life and puts us in position to have the favor of God on our lives.

Application:

We need to pursue wisdom.  Solomon chose wisdom over everything else and God blessed him incredibly for his choice.  When we pursue being wise, we are going to see the favor of God.  Our job is to seek Him for wisdom and to begin to walk in it, then the blessings and life will come.

Prayer:

Lord God, help me to walk with the wise.  Thank You for allowing me into this MAML cohort.  Teach me wisdom through it.  Help me to make wise decisions and not emotional decisions.  I seek Your wisdom this morning.  Help me find it for my life, my church, and my community.

Yours,

Jeff