How You Hear

Scripture:

Luke 8:18 "So pay attention to how you hear.  To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given.  But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand will be taken away from them."

Observation:

Jesus told the parable of the soils to talk about how we hear His words.  He told his followers to pay attention "how" they heard.  Usually we pay attention to what is said, but He told them to pay attention to How they were hearing.

Application:

How we hear is crucial in following Jesus.  How we hear the words of the Lord really deals with the condition of our hearts.  When we read the Word, are we reading with a humble and hungry heart?  Are we reading with a heart to implement what we learn?  How we hear is crucial in following Christ.  We must pay attention to how we hear.

Prayer:

God, let Your word penetrate my heart every time I open it.  Speak to me and let me have a heart that pays attention, not only to what You say, but to how I hear it.  Let me hear You clearly.  Let my heart be right so that I hear exactly what You want me to hear and help me to do the things I clearly hear.

Yours,
Jeff

True Children

Scripture:

Luke 6:35 "Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked."

Observation:

Jesus said to love our enemies and lend to them without expecting to be repaid.  He said when we do that, we are acting like true children of God and we can expect a great reward in heaven.  God is kind to those who are wicked and, as His children, we best reflect Him when we are also.

Application:

Doing good to those who are your enemies is difficult stuff, but when we do it, we are reflecting God's heart and love.  On earth, there won't be much reward for that, but in heaven, great reward will come.  I guess the question for us is, do we want our reward now or in heaven.  We must treat people like God would on earth and be rewarded greatly in heaven.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to be a blessing at all times.  Help me to reflect Your love and compassion to all, even those who don't do what I think they should.  Teach me to walk in humility and love.  I want to act as a child of God.  I want to fulfill Your purposes in the earth in my day.  Help me to reflect You better and to live a life that demonstrates kingdom principles.

Your Son,
Jeff

The Word of God

Scripture:

Luke 1:37 "For the word of God will never fail."

Observation:

The angel was speaking to Mary about becoming pregnant by the Holy Spirit.  He told her about Elizabeth, her cousin, being pregnant and in her sixth month.  At that point, the angel adds this one simple line, "For the word of God will never fail."

Application:

Sometimes we need reminded that the word of God will never fail.  What God speaks, will come to pass.  Our job is to trust Him and believe that what He says, He is able to perform.  We need to be encouraged periodically to remember the words He has spoken to us so that we can be strengthened to fulfill all He has called us to.  When God speaks... It's going to happen.  We just need to trust Him and keep walking forward.

Prayer:

Father, thanks for the reminder this morning that I can trust Your words.  You are faithful to Your promises and You never fail.  Thank You for strengthening my faith this morning.  Help me to complete every task You have given me and to realize that it is you, and not me, who will bring it to pass.

Your Son,
Jeff

Firstfruits

Scripture:

Leviticus 19:24-25 "In the fourth year the entire crop must be consecrated to the Lord as a celebration of praise.  Finally, in the fifth year you may eat the fruit.  If you follow this pattern, your harvest will increase.  I am the Lord your God."

Observation:

The Lord said here in the Law that when you plant a fruit tree, you have to let it grow for three years before you harvest anything, then the entire fourth year harvest goes to the Lord.  He says, if they would do that, their harvest would increase.  God got the entire first harvest!  If they did that, then He would bless the tree and make it productive.

Application:

God always wants our firstfruits.  He doesn't want our leftovers.  He asks His people to trust Him by giving Him the first portion of everything.  Many would argue that this is an OT principle, but I believe we see the heart that God rewards.  When you are excited that your finally getting a harvest, then give it all to God, you are truly trusting Him and offering a sacrifice.  When we offer God our very best, He always blesses it.

Prayer:

Father, help me to understand and walk in firstfruits.  I gave You my life many years ago and You have blessed me incredibly.  Help me to bring sacrifices to You that honor You.  I want to live a blessed life.  Your blessing is important to me.  Give me the faith to walk this out in my everyday life.

Yours,
Jeff

Christ's Sacrifice

Scripture:

Leviticus 16:34 "This is a permanent law for you, to purify the people of Israel from their sins, making them right with the Lord once each year.  Moses followed all these instructions exactly as the Lord had commanded him".

Observation:

Aaron was told exactly and in extreme detail what he must do once per year in order to annually have the sins of the people of Israel purified.  He and Moses made sure they did exactly what the Lord wanted so that the sins of the people could be purified once per year.  When Jesus came, He made a way for us to walk in forgiveness and to be totally cleansed from sin.  Rather than once per year, Jesus made a way for us to live in right relationship with God.

Application:

This makes me want to serve Jesus all the more.  He has forgiven my sins and cleansed me from all unrighteousness.  He has taken my sins away, not just annually, but once and for all.  He was the ultimate sacrifice.  Rather than a priest offering sacrifices one a year, I have permanent and immediate access to the Father through Jesus.  Because of Jesus, I don't have to go through a purification process to come to God.  Thank You Jesus!

Prayer:

Father, thank you for sending Your Son to be the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.  Thank you for accepting me without having to go through a purification ritual annually.  You made an incredible way for me to be holy and I stand in awe of You.  You are the best!  Commune with me as friend with friend.  I want to know You more and more.

Yours,
Jeff

Law and Grace

Scripture:

Leviticus 14:30 "Then the priest will offer two turtledoves or the two young pigeons, whichever the person can afford."

Observation:

God's law required a sacrifice for anyone being cleansed from a skin disease.  The sacrifice required two male lambs and one female lamb with no defects.  It also required four and olive oil.  When God finishes giving his Law requirements, He goes back and says, "if anyone is too poor", here's another option.  Even in the Levitical Law, you can see God's grace and His heart for the poor.

Application:

God understands what we can afford.  He knows our limitations.  He sees where we are and provides a way for us when we feel like we have nothing to offer.  He will require sacrifice, but He is sensitive to the person bringing the sacrifice.  We must not expect the same level of sacrifice from everyone.  We must understand where the people we serve are in life.

Prayer:

Father, let me be more like You.  Help me to follow You completely.  You are gracious and compassionate.  Your love overflows like the banks of a river after days of rain.  Help me to love people where they are and bring them to a better place.

Your Son,

Jeff

Distinguish

Scripture:

Leviticus 10:10-11  "You must distinguish between what is sacred and what is common, between what is ceremonially unclean and what is clean.  And you must teach the Israelites all the decrees that the Lord has given them through Moses."

Observation:

The spoke to Aaron about his descendants, who would be the priests of the Lord.  One of the many things He gave them to follow was that they must distinguish between common and sacred, between clean and unclean.  They were also to teach the decrees to God's people.

Application:

We are all God's priesthood because of the blood of Jesus.  We need a renewed revelation of what is clean and unclean, and what is common compared to sacred.  In the OT, God was very clear concerning what was common and what was sacred.  Today, we need the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth.  We need Him to show us what is common and what is sacred.  May God help me distinguish between clean and unclean.  May He help me distinguish between sacred and holy.  To many today, nothing is sacred and everything is common.  I want to be able to distinguish what pleases God from what doesn't.

Prayer:

Here my cry oh God.  I want my life to please You.  Show me what is common and what is sacred.  Help me to never grieve the Holy Spirit.  Show me what pleases You and what You don't want me to do.  It seems today and people can't distinguish holy from unholy.  Help me to be able to distinguish and live a life that pleases You.  That is my top priority.

Yours,
Jeff

Fire and Glory

Scripture:

Leviticus 9:23-24 "Then Moses and Aaron went into the Tabernacle, and when they came back out, they blessed the people again, and the glory of the Lord appeared to the whole community.  Fire blazed forth from the Lord's presence and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar.  When the people saw this, they shouted with joy and fell face down on the ground."

Observation:

Moses and Aaron went to great lengths to do exactly what God wanted them to do in preparation of the Tabernacle and the Priests.  They prepared themselves in God's way, for God's service.  The result was that the glory of the Lord appeared to the whole community and fire blazed forth from God's presence and the whole community shouted for joy and fell on their faces.

Application:

When we do things God's way, we can expect God results.  When we offer God our best, He will show up and manifest His glory, but He does this when we align with His will instead of asking Him to bless our will.  We need to seek God for how He wants us to minister and what He wants us to minister, then the glory will fill the house and the fire will fall.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, I want to see Your fire and glory!  I want your presence in my life and ministry.  I want You to fill our sanctuary this Friday at our Grand Opening.  I want the place prepared for You and want Your people to know You have come down to bless the place because we have done what You wanted us to do.  Help me to prepare well this week and let Your presence be strong among us.

Yours,
Jeff

The Lord Worked Through Them

Scripture:

Mark 16:20 "And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs."

Observation:

After Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected, He went to His Father.  When He went to the Father, He let his disciples to carry His message to the world.  He also left them with the power of the Holy Spirit and He worked through them to get the message to the world.  He is still doing the same today.

Application:

When we teach and preach about Jesus, we can expect signs confirming what we say.  Signs help people to see that the Jesus we are preaching is the same Jesus as in the Bible.  If signs are not following our ministries, we need to check into why.  We should ask God to confirm His word with signs so that people's faith isn't in the wisdom of man, but in the power of God.

Prayer:

Father, I offer myself to You.  Jesus, work through me by doing miraculous signs.  I want to get Your message to the ends of the earth, but I need Your help to do it.  Bring signs and wonders back to Your church so that we can effectively communicate Your truth.

Yours,
Jeff

Watch for Him

Scripture:

Mark 13:37 "I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for him!"

Observation:

Jesus had been talking to his disciples about the last days and what would happen before His return.  He reminds them that they must keep watch because the Son of Man could come at a time that nobody expects.  He is telling them to keep looking up and watching for His coming.

Application:

We have gotten really good as the Christian church, at learning to live well while here on the earth.  We offer programs and classes to help people do better in this life and this is all really good stuff.  We are called to love our neighbors and to help them.  My concern here is that we are doing so good at preparing people to live here on earth that we are not doing good at preparing them to live for eternity.  We must stay ready for His return and be looking up because we don't know exactly when, but He is coming soon.

Prayer:

Lord, teach me to keep looking up.  Help me to keep looking for Your return and preparing myself and others for that day.  Help me not to be so busy trying to make things better today, that I take my eyes off of You and eternity.

Your Son,
Jeff

Prayer and Forgiveness

Scripture:

Mark 11:24-25 "I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours.  But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins too."

Observation:

Jesus said here that if was ask anything and believe we have received it, we will have it.  Those are powerful words!  He added a "but" to his statement.  He added, but when you are praying, forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against.  This is the difficult part.

Application:

We all want to pray and receive everything we pray for, but nobody wants to forgive everyone we have a grudge against.  I need to learn to walk in forgiveness and believe God for miracles.  I don't want my miracle held up because I've got a grudge against someone.

Prayer:

Lord, I forgive everyone who ever has caused me hurt.  Enable me to live a life that holds no grudges.  I want to live like You desire me to live.  You are the best and I want to forgive like You do.

Your Son,
Jeff

Anything is Possible

Scripture:

Mark 9:23  "'What do you mean, 'If I can?' Jesus asked.  'Anything is possible if a person believes.'"

Observation:

A man brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus' disciples and they were not able to cast the devil out.  The man came to Jesus and told him about it and said to Jesus, "if you can" cast it out.  Jesus rebuked the man and said, "What do you mean, 'if I can?'"  He went on to say that anything is possible if a person believes.

Application:

We can't ever question whether God can do something.  He is able to do far above what we can even think of.  We must believe what Jesus said, "Anything is possible if a person believes."  Faith is crucial to a strong walk with God.  We must come to Him "believing" He can do what He says He can do.

Prayer:

Lord, Increase my faith.  Help me to truly believe at a higher level.  Teach me to walk in faith and not by sight.  I need You this morning.  You are my everything!  Help me to follow You with integrity of heart.

Your Son,
Jeff

Just as the Lord Commanded

Scripture:

Exodus 39:43 "Then Moses inspected all their work.  When he found it had been done just as the Lord commanded him, he blessed them."

Observation:

The words, "just as He commanded them," are found several times in this particular chapter.  The people of God built the tabernacle "just as God had commanded Moses."  They were extremely particular to do everything exactly how God had prescribed.  When Moses saw it was done down to the exact details, he blessed them.

Application:

Sometimes we bless terrible work.  In the Hebrew, the word for worship and the word for work are actually the same word.  In other words, our work is very much attached to our worship.  When we do things for the Lord, do we do them "just as the Lord commands?"  Do we give God our very best as a form of worship?  Are we concerned with the details or do we feel, "it's good enough?"  Maybe we need to revisit doing the things we do as doing them unto the Lord.  He is an excellent God and He deserves excellence.

Prayer:

Father, help me to lead an excellent life.  Teach me to fulfill all You put into my heart.  Let me do the absolute best I can in every detail of what You ask me to do.  Let me live out my life, "just as You commanded."

Your Son,
Jeff

We Have Enough!

Scripture:

Exodus 36:6 "So Moses gave the command, and this message was sent throughout the camp. 'Men ad women, don't prepare any more gifts for the sanctuary.  We have enough!' So the people topped bringing their sacred offerings."

Observation:

God's people had gotten on board with building the Lord a tabernacle of ornate detail.  They wanted to give God their best.  When Moses asked them for donations, the gifts poured in until he had to tell them to stop bringing their gifts.  He told them, "We have enough!".

Application:

God has blessed us so much and we should be in place of offering everything in our lives to Him because of all He has done for us.  Our hearts should be bent on hearing the Lord say, "We have enough!".  A generous spirit is something powerful in the hands of the Lord.  I want to walk in God's generosity in my life.

Prayer:

Lord God, teach me to be a generous person.  Help me not to be selfish, but willing to give more and more of myself to You.  I am an offering to You.  I give You my whole life.  Use it for Your glory.  Let Your voice guide my life and help me to walk in wisdom, yet completely yielded to You.

Your Son,

Jeff

Second Chances

Scripture:

Exodus 34:1  "Then the Lord told Moses, 'Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones.  I will write on them the same words that were on the tablets you smashed'".

Observation:

God had taken the time and met with Moses to write on stone tablets exactly what He wanted to say in His covenant with His people.  Moses, when he saw the people had made an idol in his absence, smashed the tablets the Lord had made.  His anger caused him to destroy the word of the Lord.  In this passage, the Lord tells him to chisel out two more tablets and He will write on them as He did the former tablets.

Application:

God is definitely the God of second chances.  When God wrote the first time, Moses should have taken care of the tablets because they were written with the finger of God.  Moses' anger got the best of him and the smashed the covenant God had written personally.  God's reply to Moses was to chisel out more tablets and I'll give you a second and write the same thing on them as was on the first.  Even when we mess up, God is the God of second chances.  He can re-write our story, even after we have messed things up.

Prayer:

God of mercy and grace, You are awesome and faithful to Your people!  Thank You for reminding me this morning of how You gave Moses a second chance when he destroyed the covenant You made.  Thanks for reminding me this morning of Your second chances when we fail.  Thanks for your faithfulness to all generations.

Yours,
Jeff

When God Changes His Mind

Scripture:

Exodus 32:14 "So the Lord changed his mind about the terrible disaster he had threatened to bring on his people."

Observation:

When Moses was on the mountain receiving the ten commandments, God's people made themselves a god out of gold in the form of a calf.  He got very angry with them and told Moses he was going to destroy them.  Moses interceded for the people and in this verse we see God changed his mind about what he was going to do to them.

Application:

Moses interceded for his people, who were very wrong in what they did.  He stood up for them, even though they didn't deserve it.  He stood before God on behalf of a sinful people who had forsaken everything he had taught them.  May God help us to value people enough to stand up for them before the Lord.   May God help us love people enough to intercede for them.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to love people like You do and to follow the example of Moses when they mess up.  I want to represent You well.  Please guide me.  Show me when to intercede and when to let things go.  Teach me to pray.

Yours,
Jeff

Glorious and Beautiful

Scripture:

Exodus 28:2  "Make sacred garments for Aaron that are glorious and beautiful."

Observation:

When God was preparing the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place, He told his people to make Aaron, the High Priest garments that were glorious and beautiful.  Once per year he would wear these garments for going before the Lord in the Most Holy Place.  God told them exactly what He wanted on the garments.  He was specific and designed something glorious and beautiful.

Application:

God does things well.  Heaven is an incredibly beautiful place.  God spares no expense when it comes to worship and sacrifice.  He does things amazing.  As God's people, we should not offer to Him anything that costs us nothing.  Rather, we should offer to God our very best.  We must learn to give God our absolute best.  What we do for the Lord, let's do to the very best of our ability and let's give Him something glorious and beautiful.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, You are worthy of my absolute best.  Help me to offer You my very best.  Let my gifts to You be glorious and beautiful.  Let my offerings be with a clean and pure heart.  Help me to live out Your calling on my life in excellence because I am doing it for You.

You're the Best,
Jeff

So I Can Live Among Them

Scripture:

Exodus 25:8  "Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them."

Observation:

God told Moses to have the people of Israel build him a holy sanctuary so that He Could live among them.  God's desire, throughout Scripture, was to have a people who would be His and He could be theirs.  This was only possible if they prepared a Holy Place for Him.  He wanted to be with them, but the place had to be holy.

Application:

God sent His Son Jesus, to make us holy. so that He could be with us.  He paid an incredible price to make us holy, and by that, He can walk with us and talk with us.  He can be our God and we can be His people.  God can only live in holy places.  We need to offer ourselves to Him and ask Him to purify our lives.

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for sending Jesus to make me holy so we could be together.  Help me to keep myself holy and spotless before You.  Cleanse me and make me pure.  I want to walk with You and know You more intimately every day.

Your Son,

Jeff

What Are You Really Accomplishing?

Scripture:

Exodus 18:14 "When Moses' father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, 'What are you really accomplishing here?' Why are you trying to do all this alone while everyone stands around you from morning till evening?"

Observation:

Moses was spending his day dealing with every little matter in a camp of a couple million people.  He heard every dispute, fight, made every decision, etc.  He did everything and everyone else apparently watched.  His father-in-law asked what this was really accomplishing and Moses changed.

Application:

The words, "What are you really accomplishing?" jumped of the page to me this morning.  I have been a hard worker for a long time and it hasn't gotten me where I thought I would be by now.  I want to accomplish more in my next 20 years than I did in my last 20.  It does help me to realize Moses was 80 when he was learning this lesson.  Anyway, I know I need to re-strategize my life and re-prioritize my life.  I want to accomplish more for the Lord.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to assess everything in my life from the way I lead to the way I work.  Show me how to be the most productive in the shortest amount of time.  Teach me to lead well and to train and empower leaders to make a difference. 

Your Son,

Jeff