Though it Cost You

 Scripture:

“The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.”  ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭4:7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

Solomon is described as the wisest person to ever have lived.  He was definitely wise and incredibly wealthy.  He realized that wisdom and understanding are powerful in our lives.  He said that understanding may cost all you have, but you must get it.  No matter what the cost, he says we should go after understanding and wisdom.  We should seek to have an understanding heart.

Application:

In my mind, a heart that goes after understanding at any cost asks the question “why?” a lot.  WHY allows us to get to the heart of understanding something, no matter what it is.  It is not wrong to ask why.  It is actually very smart and leads to understanding.  I need to ask WHY a little more often and seek out truth and understanding so I can walk in wisdom and lead a wise and blessed life.

Prayer:

Father, I ask You today for a heart of wisdom and understanding.  Help me to pursue these things, though it may cost a lot.  Help me to be led by Your Spirit as I seek for truth and understanding.

Yours,

Jeff

Increase my Love

 Scripture:

“May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.”  ‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭3:12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

Paul tells the Thessalonians here that they should let the Lord make their love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else.  Ever-increasing love for each other and everyone should be what we are after.  God is love and if we are His children, we should live a life of love.

Application:

If God is love, then we should desire to walk in love with each other and with everyone.  We should desire ever-increasing love to be part of our lives.  We should ask God to overflow us with His love for people.  Love should motivate everything we do.  Rather than judge people, maybe we should love people at a deeper level.  I want to love like Jesus loved.  Everyone saw love in action when they saw Jesus.  I want that in my life.

Prayer:

Lord God, help me to walk in deeper love every day.  I want to love You well, love my family well, love others well, and love the lost well.  Let Your love fill me and overflow my life.  Today, as I speak at Aunt JoAnne’s funeral, let Your love flow through me to all of the friends and relatives there.  Let Your love consume me.

Yours,

Jeff

Guard My Mouth

 Scripture:

“Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.”  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭141:3‬ ‭NIV‬

Observation:

The Psalmist here in this passage is speaking to the Lord and says something that we should all be praying.  He tells the Lord to set a guard over his mouth and to watch over the door of his lips.  He understood that sometimes the mouth and speak things that can get us into trouble.  He knew his lips were powerful and therefore he needed God’s help to say the right things at the right times.

Application:

Our mouth, more than any other part of our body, needs restrained or guarded.  We tend to say things we really know we shouldn’t say and get ourselves into trouble.  An unrestrained tongue is an explosive device.  We need to ask God daily to help us harness our mouths and bring them under His control.  I need to learn when to speak and when not to speak.  I need to listened to the voice of the Holy Spirit and say only what He is saying at any given time.  

Prayer:

Lord, help me to say the right things at the right time.  Help me to be led by Your Spirit concerning my mouth.  I offer my life to You, empower me not to mess it up with the things I say.  Let my voice be used for your glory and not as something to destroy people.

Yours,

Jeff

His Love Endures forever

 Scripture:

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.”  Psalms‬ ‭136:1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

Psalm 136 is unique.  It is a gathering of statements of things the Lord has done.  Following each statement are the words, “His love endures forever.”  Those words are recorded in this one Psalm 26 times.  This verse simply tells us to give thank to the Lord because He is good and that His love endures forever.  God wanted us to know that His love endures forever and He caused the Psalmist to repeat it so we would get it.

Application:

God is good!  No matter what I happen to be going through at any given time, God is still good.  His goodness doesn’t depart when things start going wrong in my life.  We need to learn to be confident in the goodness of God.  We also need to be confident in the love of God.  His love endures forever!  We can’t get away from it.  We can’t mess up too bad for Him to no longer love us.  God is love!  It is His nature.  We can be confident in His love and know, no matter what is going on in our lives, He still love us.

Prayer:

Father, help me to walk in confidence of Your love for me each and every day.  Your love is amazing!  Thank You for loving me, no matter what goes on around me.  Thank You for caring about me and whatever situation I happen to be in at the time.  Thanks for the reminder this morning that You are good and Your love endures forever.

Yours,

Jeff

Surrounded

 Scripture:

“As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore.”  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭125:2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

In this passage, the Psalmist tells us that God surrounds His people like the mountains surround Jerusalem.  He also lets us know that He does this now and forevermore.  There is a song that says, “It may look like I’m surrounded, but I’m surrounded by You.”  We are surrounded by God.  He is our defense, strength, fortress, etc.

Application:

When it feels like I’m surrounded by those who are against me, may I never forget that I’m truly surrounded by the Lord.  We can have confidence that He is with us and protects us from every attack of the enemy.  Surrounded tells me God has my back, my side, and every part around me.  No matter where the attack comes from, He is there.  He’s got me surrounded.  I need to get that into my soul.

Prayer:

Father, let this word penetrate into my soul.  Let my mind, will and emotions always know that I’m surrounded by the Lord and He will take care of whatever comes my way.  Teach me to follow You closely and to walk in Your ways.  Thank You for surrounding me.  You are incredible and I appreciate You.

Your Son,

Jeff

Knowledge and Good Judgment

Scripture:

 “Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I trust your commands.”  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119:66‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

In this verse, the Psalmist asks God for knowledge and good judgment and then reminds God that he trusts God’s commands.  He knew that knowledge and good judgment come from the Lord and not simply from studying more.  God is the author of knowledge and good judgment.  In my opinion, good judgment is more important.  Knowledge can come from study.  What to do with knowledge is what good judgment is.  

Application:

Good judgment is crucial for living an successful life.  Knowing what to do at the right time is so important.  Having good judgment of people and things going on around you is absolutely essential to good leadership.  I want good judgment in my life.  I want to look at situations and know exactly what to do.  This only comes from the Lord.  I want to make great decisions and lead God’s people well, therefore, I need good judgment.

Prayer:

Father, I look to You for knowledge and good judgment.  You are the source of knowledge.  You are limitless in understanding and there are no boundaries to Your intelligence.  Open my mind to know You more and to judge as You would judge.  Help me to walk in integrity and character while making great decisions.  Lead me in every decision I make so that I don’t hinder Your plans for my life.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Self-talk

 Scripture:

“Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.”  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭116:7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

In this passage, the Psalmist speaks to his own soul and tells is to return to its rest because the Lord has been good to you.  I love how in the Psalms we read the authors talk to themselves or at least to their own soul.  Here, the Psalmist tells his soul to rest because God has been good to him. 

Application:

Sometimes our soul needs to be reminded that we have peace in Christ.  Our mind, will, and emotions make up our soul and sometimes our emotions and mind can get us out of our place of rest.  We need to speak to them sometimes and tell them, “God is in control…calm down.”  Self-talk can be very powerful in reminding our soul who God is and how much He loves us when we are feeling like everything is out of control.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, let my spirit rise above my soul and body.  Let my spirit speak to my soul and tell it to return to its rest sometimes.  Help me to speak what I know is true to my own soul when it is overwhelmed.  After this Sabbatical, when the enemy tries to rob my rest, remind me to speak to my soul to return to rest because God is in control.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Even in Darkness

 Scripture:

“Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.”  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭112:4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

The Psalmist here tells us that, even when it is dark, for the upright, light dawns.  When we are gracious, compassionate, and righteous, we can expect that light will dawn in darkness.  He doesn’t guarantee things will never get dark, rather, he states that even in the darkness, light will come.

Application:

When we are living in righteousness, we don’t have to fear the darkness.  Dark times happen to everyone, but for the righteous, dawn will come.  The enemy loves to bring darkness into our lives so we can’t see what God is doing.  He loves to make us feel like God isn’t working when He really is.  Our job is to walk in obedience to the Lord, He then will make sure the sun rises and light comes into the dark places of our lives.

Prayer:

Father, help me to walk in the light as You are in the light.  Teach me to follow Your ways and think Your thoughts.  Empower me to never be afraid of the darkness, but to know that dawn will always come when I’m walking with You.  When darkness does come, help me to realize it is just a set up for dawn to come soon.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Lifetime Goals

 Scripture:

“I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.”  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭108:3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

The Psalmist says here that he will praise the Lord among the nations and that he will sing of the Lord among the peoples of those nations.  In other worlds, he is declaring that he will worship God all over the world in every nation.

Application:

This verse describes my lifetime goals.  I want to praise God in every nation possible.  I desire to sing of the Lord’s goodness in every kindred, tribe, tongue and nation.  As God opens the doors, I want to declare the goodness of God in more and more nations of the world.  I love cultures, nations, languages, and peoples and I also desire to extend the Kingdom of God globally.  I want to sing of God’s goodness all over the world.

Prayer:

Father, as a You open the doors, I will walk through them into the nations to declare Your glory and to bring Your praise.  I want to extol Your name in every nation on this planet You created.  You are amazing and worthy of the glory of the nations, languages, etc.  I know in heaven we will hear Your worship in countless languages, but I want to worship You around the world before I come there in person.

Life Goals,

Jeff

Flames of Fire

Scripture:

“He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants.”  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭104:4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

This simple passage reminds me of how God wants His ministers to be.  It says that He makes His “messengers” or “angels” wind and He makes His servants flames of fire.  In Revelation we are told to be hot or cold because the lukewarm God will spit out of His mouth.  God used fire on the day of Pentecost to start the church.  He used fire from heaven several times in the OT, including Elijah confronting the prophets of Baal.

Application:

God wants us to be red-hot, fiery, believers who passionately serve Him.  As for me, I don’t want to live a lifeless, religious, half-hearted experience with God.  I want to spend my life burning with god’s fire and serving Him passionately.  I never want to give God my second best.  It also speaks to me of maintaining the fire in my life.  Fire is maintained by putting new wood on it and taking away the ashes of yesterday’s fire.  I need to stay fresh in my walk with God daily.  I need to put fire on the altar of my life daily.  I don’t want to live remembering the fire of yesterday, but walking today as a firebrand in the hands of an Almighty God. 

Prayer:

Father, I’m reminded this morning of an old song written by William Booth in 1894, “Send the fire today”.  These lyrics are my heart to You today: 

1. Thou Christ of burning, cleansing flame,
   Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
   Thy blood-bought gift today we claim,
   Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
   Look down and see this waiting host,
   Give us the promised Holy Ghost;
   We want another Pentecost,
   Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
2. God of Elijah, hear our cry:
   Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
   To make us fit to live or die,
   Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
   To burn up every trace of sin,
   To bring the light and glory in,
   The revolution now begin,
   Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
3. ’Tis fire we want, for fire we plead,
   Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
   The fire will meet our every need,
   Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
   For strength to ever do the right,
   For grace to conquer in the fight,
   For pow’r to walk the world in white,
   Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
4. To make our weak hearts strong and brave,
   Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
   To live a dying world to save,
   Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
   Oh, see us on Thy altar lay
   Our lives, our all, this very day;
   To crown the off’ring now we pray,
   Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
5. That’s my prayer today!
6. Yours,
7. Jeff

Benefits

 Scripture:

“Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,”. ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭103:2-3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

The Psalmist tells us here to praise the Lord and not to forget all His benefits.  He continues by saying that the Lord forgives all our sins and heal all our diseases.  We tend to easily believe the first part that He forgives all our sins, but many of us struggle with the second part about God healing all our diseases.  We need to be stronger in the word and believe it ALL, not just the parts that seem to work better than others.

Application:

I believe strongly in the healing power of God and have watched God heal countless people through the years.  Even though I have seen just about every major disease healed by God, I still don’t feel that I walk in a strong enough level of faith in this area.  I guess the struggle comes when people don’t get healed, or at least not like I thought they should.  Healing is a very sensitive area because there are so many who have had faith and not seen the healing.  I want to simply believe God’s word and see it work in my life.  I want to live by faith and not by sight.  The bottom line is, God does heal ALL our diseases and no disease is greater than He is.  I want to remember ALL His benefits and walk in them.

Prayer:

Father, help me to live a life of faith.  I have always believed I will see a great revival of Your healing power.  Let it happen in my generation.  We have so many diseases and sicknesses today.  Let Your healing power flow once again so strongly that the world takes notice of Your church.  Let miracle be commonplace again in Your house.  Let your people, and the people of the world, see Your benefits.

Yours,

Jeff

The Flock

 Scripture:

“for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if only you would hear his voice,”.  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭95:7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

In this section of Scripture, the author speak of us being the flock under God’s care.  He goes on to say “if only you would hear His voice.”  We are meant to be God’s flock of sheep.  Jesus is the great shepherd of our souls.  As sheep, our ultimate goal is to do what the shepherd wants us to do, knowing He will take care of us.

Application:

Trusting our shepherd is our goal.  When we trust the shepherd, we listened to His voice and go where He leads us.  Going where He leads us and doing what He tells us, is the ultimate act of trust.  It is saying that I trust God over my own decision making thoughts.  It is trusting Christ over our own choices and what we think needs to happen.  Sheep go where they are told, trusting the shepherd that He is going to take better care of them than they could take of themselves.  I need to learn to trust God more and more, listening for His voice.

Prayer:

Jesus, You said, “My sheep know my voice” and “the voice of another they won’t follow.”  The problem is not really the voice of another, but my own voice inside my head.  Help me to trust You over the thoughts in my own brain.  I’m glad to be a sheep in Your flock.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

UNDIVIDED

 Scripture:

“Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.”  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭86:11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

In this passage we hear the heart of the writer as he declares, “teach me your way, Lord…give me an undivided heart”.  Two things are sought after in this verse, the learn the way of the Lord and to have an undivided heart.  The first is so that he could rely on God’s faithfulness.  The second is so that he could fear God’s name. 

Application:

When we learn God’s ways, we will rely on His faithfulness.  His ways tells us how He works with people and from that we will learn more and more of His faithfulness.  When we have an undivided heart, we will fear His name.  Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  An undivided heart is a powerful thing.  We don’t want split loyalties, but it does happen in all of our lives.  An undivided heart is unstoppable.  I don’t want my heart divided in any way.  I desire to walk with God with ALL my heart.

Prayer:

Lord God, give me an undivided heart.  Help me to walk in complete submission to You and Your will for my life.  Teach me to follow You completely and to leave nothing undone that You have prepared for me to do.  As Joshua and Caleb, let me WHOLLY follow the Lord.  Teach me to truly surrender ALL to You.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

No Good Thing

 Scripture:

“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.”  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭84:11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

The Psalmist in this passage declares the goodness of God by saying that God bestows favor and honor.  He goes on to say that God doesn’t withhold any good thing from those whose walk is blameless.  God blesses His children.  He brings favor and honor to our lives.  When God’s favor is on us and He honors us, it will be noticeable.  He won’t withhold good from us, but lavishes us with His love and goodness.

Application:

God doesn’t delight in hurting His children or causing them problems.  He delights in showing them favor, honor and blessing.  God doesn’t delight in withholding blessings from us, but in getting blessings to us.  When our walk is blameless before the Lord, we can expect no good thing to be withheld from our lives.  We must walk humbly before the Lord, then realize He will bless us, which is better than striving to walk in blessing.

Prayer:

Father, I want to be right in Your eyes.  I want to walk with You, know You, understand You, and speak on Your behalf.  Teach me to know You more intimately.  Show me Your ways and let me see Your face.  I long for You oh Lord.  Let my life bring You honor and my lips bring You praise.  You are the best and I love You more every day.

Your Son,

Jeff

Tell The Next Generation

 Scripture:

“We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.”  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭78:4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

The Psalmist speaks here about not hiding the incredible things the Lord has done from the next generation.     He says he will tell the next generation about the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power and the wonders He has done.  God had done incredible things in Israel, but it is easy to quickly forget His goodness when we see bad times all around us.  He is speaking of the wonders of the Exodus out of Egypt, but we must also proclaim what the Lord has done in our generation.

Application:

We are living in a generation that has rejected God in just about every way.  We have pushed God out of our society and allowed and approved of terrible things.  This generation has not seen the power of God on display as past generations have.  All they have right now is what we tell them that God has done in the past.  Yes, there are testimonies of God’s power at work today in the world, but the next generation needs to hear more and more from people they trust.  If we tell them, they will at least know where to turn in their time of need, even if they don’t turn to Him now.  Our job is to declare, God’s job is to bring them into the family.

Prayer:

Father, help me to proclaim Your incredible deeds to the next generation.  Remind me to tell the stories of the incredible things You have done in my life.  Let my life shine forth as a reminder that You are still the God of miracles, signs and wonders.  Pour out Your Spirit once again so this upcoming generation can see why we serve You so passionately.  Pour out Your Spirit on our young people that they may also experience Your great power.  Heal the sick, raise the dead, cast our demons, and deliver the oppressed so this next generation will know who You are.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

When My Heart Fails

 Scripture:

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭73:26‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

The Psalmist here is speaking about the faithfulness of God and how God gives us what we need forever.  He starts by saying that his heart and flesh may fail.  As humans we are weak, but God is strong. God is the strength of our hearts.   In other words, when I’m not strong enough, God is.  He strengthens me and is my portion, or inheritance, forever.

Application:

Sometimes, I can struggle with feeling like I’m failing at things in my life and that I’m not strong enough. I can say with the Psalmist, that my heart fails sometimes, but God is the strength of my heart.  It may fail, but not forever because God strengthens my heart.  I need to put my trust in God, who strengthens my heart, instead of in my own heart.  I consider my heart to be the place of my desire and my motivation.  When that fails, I need to trust in the Lord who strengthens those things in me.  

Prayer:

Father, You are the strength of my heart.  When my heart is overwhelmed and I don’t have the motivation to do what is necessary, give me the strength and heart to do what I know needs to be done.  Teach me to be strong in heart, passion, and motivation, knowing that You are my strength.  Help me to never lose vision and desire for the future.

Your Son,

Jeff

God is Awesome!

 Scripture:

“You, God, are awesome in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!”  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭68:35‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

Here the Psalmist declares that God is awesome in His sanctuary and that He gives power and strength to His people.  He then says, “Praise be to God!”  The awe over something means that it takes your breathe away.  It is so incredible you have no words to say.  God is all that.  He is more than enough and sometimes we must simply stand in awe of Him.  He gives us power and strength.  Power is the ability to accomplish work and strength is what we need to keep going.

Application:

God is the source of our power and our strength.  He is awesome!  There is nobody like Him.  It is good to meditate on the goodness and power of our God.  It is He that allows His power to flow through us and it is He who gives us the strength to keep on going.  Every good and perfect gift comes from Him.  I stand in  awe along with the Psalmist, at the goodness of God.  He is truly worthy to be praised.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, this morning I am reminded of just how awesome You are and how awesome You have been to me.  Yesterday, as I made some financial decisions, I saw the goodness of God in how You have brought us out of bondage and into freedom.  You have blessed my life over and over.  You are awesome in Your sanctuary!  You are awesome in Your deeds for Your children!  You are worthy to received all the praise and honor I could ever give You.  Let Your power and strength reside in me and let me extend Your kingdom in all the earth.

Yours,

Jeff

The Righteous Rejoice

Scripture:

 “The righteous will rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in him; all the upright in heart will glory in him!‭‭ Psalms‬ ‭64:10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

The Psalmist says here that the righteous will rejoice in the Lord and find their refuge in him.  He also says that the upright in heart will glory in the Lord.  Rejoicing in the Lord literally means to do a happy dance.  In other words, those who live righteously will celebrate and also take refuge in the Lord.  Their glory will be in the Lord and not in themselves.  

Application:

We should treat each day as a celebration and live with joy in our hearts every day.  We have the God of the ages as our father, our protector and our defender.  He is my everything and therefore, I should live life doing a happy dance.  Lately, I have let the cares of this world drain my joy level.  I want my smile back and my joy back.  I want to rejoice in the Lord instead of be run down with the cares of life.  He is my righteousness, therefore, I simply need to seek Him more and my joy will return.

Prayer:

Father, help me to rejoice in You above all things.  You are my rock and my fortress.  You are my deliverer.  Help me to live with that simple joy I used to have.  Help me to walk through life with a smile on my face because my life is centered on You.  Help me to laugh more instead and to rejoice more in You.  You are the glory of my life!

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Rely on God

 Scripture:

“You are my strength, I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭59:17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

The Psalmist here is speaking to the Lord in song.  He tells the Lord, “You are my strength, I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.”  God is referred to here as the Psalmist’s strength, fortress and the one he can rely on.  He had total confidence in the Lord as his protector and defender.  He knew he could rely on the Lord.

Application:

Being able to rely on the Lord means I have to be able to rely less on my self.  In order to rely on God, I have to not rely on myself.  God must be our strength and fortress and we must learnt to rely on Him instead of ourselves.  We always feel we know what to do and even preach, “God gave you a brain, use it.”  Rather than relying on ourselves, we need to press in to the the Lord, trust Him and learn to rely on Him to lead us and guide us.  I need to rely less on myself and more on the Lord.

Prayer:

Father, teach me to rely on You and Your word.  Help me to stop taking things into my own hands and show me how to trust and rely more and more on You.  You are my everything and I want to rely on You instead of me more.  You truly are my strength and me refuge.  You are the one who gives me the strength I need every day and you are my hiding place, but teach me to rely completely on You.  Speak to me today.

Your Son,

Jeff

Overawed

 Scripture:

“Do not be overawed when others grow rich, when the splendor of their houses increases; for they will take nothing with them when they die, their splendor will not descend with them.”  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭49:16-17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

The Psalmist here gives us a reminder about what happens to our wealth when we die.  He tells us not to get over enthused about other people’s wealth gets them big houses, etc. because they will take nothing with them when they die.  No matter how much we accumulate on earth, we cant’ take it with us.

Application:

Our heart must be set, not on things of this world, which will perish one day, but on eternal things.  This earth will one day burn and everything we have accumulated will return to nothing, but eternal investments, Kingdom Investments, are eternal.  I want to be a person who is blessed in this life, but I want to invest more in my eternal future than in my present.  We need to realize that God blesses us in the here and now, but that can’t be the focus of our lives.  Everything we accumulate here will fade away, but what we accumulate in heaven will last for eternity.  

Prayer:

Father, let my life count for eternity.  I do desire to be blessed here in this life, but I want to invest more in the future with You than here on this earth.  Help me to walk a life that balances well the blessings on earth with keeping my focus and attention on heaven.  Teach me not to be overawed by the wealth around me in Northern VA.  Help me to keep my perspective right.

Your Son,

Jeff

Be Still

Scripture:

 “He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.””  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭46:10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

The Psalmist in this passage speaks on God’s behalf and says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”  He goes on to say He will be exalted among all the nations and all over the earth.  In others words, relax because it will all turn around one day.  I will be exalted among the nations and all over the earth.  Don’t be worried or anxious because I’ve got this under control and it won’t last forever.

Application:

When our heart gets anxious or upset because we don’t see God doing what we think He should do, we need to relax, be still, and know that He is still God and that one day He will rule the nations.  We can relax in the present because we know the latter outcome.  My trust is in the never-failing God.  Therefore, I am confident He wins in the end and I don’t have to get upset or nervous about today because we win in the end.  My word for the day is “RELAX”.  

Prayer:

Father, during this Sabbatical time, help me to relax in You and be confident that You have everything under control.  You are amazing and You will be exalted one day.  I would like to see You move in my generation though.  Thank You for bringing Cheryl and me into a steady place.  Thank You for setting our feet on the rock and bringing us into stability.  Let us see the day of Your prosperity and abundance.  I trust You with my life.

Your Son,

Jeff

Firm Steps

 Scripture:

“The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.”  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭37:23-24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

The Psalmist says here that those who delight in the Lord will have firm places to step.  Even then, if that person stumbles, God will uphold him with His hands.  He won’t fail.  God tells us that when we delight in Him, He will take care of us and make, even if we stumble, we will not fall.  Our steps will be firm.

Application:

God takes care of those who delight in Him.  They may fall, but He will uphold them with His hand.  The goal of our lives should be to delight in the Lord.  Taking delight in Him means we seek after Him.  We desire Him.  We love time in His presence.  These things lead to stability, strength, and firm steps.  If we want our steps to be firm and confident, we must delight ourselves in the Lord and His kingdom.

Prayer:

Father, help me to delight myself in You and not in other things.  You are the source of every good thing in my life.  You are my strength and my redeemer.  You are my everything.  As You know Lord, I don’t want to make any move or do anything outside of Your will.  I want to serve You well in my generation.  Teach me to delight myself in You and help me to walk in Your ways.

Forever Yours,

Jeff

Reflection

 Scripture:

“Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.”  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34:5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

The Psalmist says here that those who look to the Lord are radiant.  He says they are never covered in shame.  Shame is not part of those who look to the Lord.  Rather, those who look to Him become radiant or light bearing.  Shame makes you feel dark and depressed, Jesus makes you shine and be full of light.

Application:

The moon doesn’t really shine.  It simply reflects the light of the sun and we can see it brightly radiant in the sky.  When we look to God, our faces become radiant.  His glory begins to reflect on our faces and we are no longer full of shame and disgrace, but filled with Gods’ light and love.  The key is found in looking to the Lord.  What we look at, we will reflect.  What we spend tim gazing at, is the very thing we will reflect.  I want to reflect the glory of the Lord.  Therefore I must keep my eyes on Jesus at all times.

Prayer:

Father, I want to reflect Your glory.  I want to radiate light into a dark world.  Help me to never lose focus on You and Your presence.  Enable me to keep my eyes on You throughout my life and not to look to self or others.  I long to reflect Your glory and shine for You that many may come into Your kingdom.

Your Son,

Jeff

Be Strong and WAIT

 Scripture:

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭27:14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

David writes here and tells us to wait for the Lord.  While we are waiting, he says to be strong and take heart and wait.  It takes strength and heart to wait for God to come through on things we desire.  Sometimes what we have been believing and trusting God for may take more time than we want it to.  We are to wait on the Lord instead of proceeding on our own.

Application:

I am bad at pushing things through on my own instead of waiting on the Lord.  I like to see progress, therefore, it is difficult for me to wait.  I am realizing sometimes it takes more heart and strength to wait than it does to push forward doing things in my own timing.  Waiting sometimes feels like I’m doing nothing or not accomplishing things, but God loves for us to wait on Him.  It demonstrates more faith to wait than it does to simply pray and get answer quickly.

Prayer:

Father, strengthen me while I wait.  Meet with me while I wait.  Let Your presence be real to me while I wait on You and Your timing for things in my life.  Teach me to wait patiently on You and not to waiver in the process.  I want a building and land for our church, but teach me to wait until it is in Your time.  I have desires that are godly and good, but teach me to wait for Your appropriate time.

Your Son,

Jeff

Trusting God Over Things

Scripture:

 “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭20:7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

The Psalmist writes here that some leaders trust in chariots and horses.  In other words, some trust in their own defenses and their own ability to wage war.  He continues and says, “but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”  Rather than depending on his vast wealth and resources, David chose to trust in the Lord and to allow the Lord to fight his battles.  He had a great army, but trusted God above his army.

Application:

David had horses, chariots, a vast army, massive wealth, etc. but his trust was not in those things.  It was the Lord that delivered him from the bear and the lion.  It was the Lord who handed Goliath over to him when he was young.  David learned early to trust the Lord.  He never forgot where he came from and his trust never turned to himself and his accomplishments.  He trusted God and we must learn to do the same. I need to not rely on what I know, but on the one who knows everything.  I need to trust God over what knowledge I may have accumulated.

Prayer:

Father, teach me to trust You more and more.  Help me not to lean on my own education, resources, or people, but to lean on You at all times.  Help me to live how You want me to live.  I want to extend Your kingdom into all the earth and I know I can’t do that unless You do it.  I need You God more than ever in my life.  Help me to trust You at higher and higher levels.

Your Son,

Jeff

Crowned

Scripture:

“what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.”  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭8:4-5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

The Psalmist here speaks about man and why they God always watches over them.  He says that God cares for them and that He made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.  We have been crowned with glory and honor above the rest of creation.  We are the only ones created in the image of God Himself.  

Application:

Sometimes I don’t feel like this describes me.  My feelings and the enemy say, “You are worthless, valueless, and are not successful at anything.”  When the enemy begins to speak these things, I must react with the Word of God.  I have been created a little lower than the angels and crowned with honor and glory.  God has placed me at the head and not the tail, the top and never the bottom.  I need to be more confident that I am made in the image of God and am not self-made.  I need to speak His word over my life more and more.

Prayer:

Father, help me to see myself as crowned with glory and honor.  Help me to see myself as You see me, created above all else, but a little lower than the angels.  Meet with me today and speak into my life as I go to church this morning.  I want more and more of You in my life.  I am Yours, forever.  Open the doors that need opened.  Shut the doors that need shut and help me to stay on Your track for my life.

Yours Forever,

Jeff