Love and Loyalty

 Scripture:

“Let love and loyalty always show like a necklace, and write them in your mind.”  ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:3‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

This proverb highlights love and loyalty and tells us to wear them like a necklace and write them in our minds. In other words, make love and loyalty a huge priority in your life. Do whatever it takes to remain focused on them and you will live a blessed life.

Application:

God is love, so letting love show is simply letting God show. We need to let God be demonstrated through our lives to the world around us. A necklace is visible to everyone. Love and loyalty should be evident in our lives as followers of Christ. Writing them on my mind is about keeping them in my thoughts and therefore, at the forefront of my actions. What I think about, I will do. I need to be thinking about love and loyalty in my life.

Prayer:

Father, You are loving and You are loyal to those who follow You. Thank You for demonstrating this to me and showing me how to love and walk in loyalty. I want to be more like You. Shape me, mold me, make me who You want me to be. I want my life to reflect You more and more as I grow older. Enable me to represent You well. Help me to walk in love and loyalty all the days of my life.

Your Son,

Jeff

Spread the Good News

 Scripture:

“And because of you, the Lord's message has spread everywhere in those regions. Now the news of your faith in God is known all over the world, and we don't have to say a thing about it.” 1 Thessalonians‬ ‭1:8‬ 

Observation:

Paul is writing to the Thessalonians and remembering much about them as he writes. He tells them that the Lord’s message us spread everywhere because of them. News of their faith had gone all over the world. They were extending the kingdom of God everywhere.

Application:

The Thessalonians were spreading the Good News of Christ everywhere. I have to ask the question, if I was the only one spreading to message of the kingdom, how much impact would it have? How much do I personally share about Christ? Am I one Paul would write to and say how news of my faith has touched the whole world? I need to think of this ore often and meditate on its demands on my life.

Prayer:

Father, You are worthy of it all! Your name is high above all other names. Let my life point people to You. Let my actions point people to You. You are my rock and my redeemer.  Help me to spread the Good News everywhere like the Thessalonians did.

Your Son,

Jeff

Humility Before God

 Scripture:

“The Lord is pleased with his people, and he gives victory to those who are humble.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭149:4‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

This passage tells us that God gives victory to those who are humble. Throughout Scripture we find that God resists the proud and gives great grace to the humble. Humility is smiled upon in a big way by God Almighty. He defends those who realize they need Him and cannot defend themselves.

Application:

Humility is the best posture to see God work in our lives. When we humbly come before Him, He always comes through. He delights in someone who is dependent on Him instead of dependent on himself. We need to trust God completely and not lean on our own understanding. We need to humble ourselves before Him and admit that His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts far exceed our thoughts.

Prayer:

Lord God, help me to walk in humility and not think I know everything. Help me to submit myself completely to You in every area and trust Your plans. Show me how to walk deeper with You as my Lord and my God. I want to please You and to honor You with my life. You are the only one worthy of my worship.

Your Son,

Jeff

Completely Helpless

 Scripture:

“I pray to you, Lord! You are my place of safety, and you are my choice in the land of the living. Please answer my prayer. I am completely helpless.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭142:5‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

In this passage, the Psalmist prays to the Lord and declares that God is his place of safety and his choice in the land of the living. He asks God to answer his prayer because he admits he is completely helpless. His humility before the Lord is awesome, He knows that God can do anything and that only God can help him at this point. 

Application:

I need to be more like the Psalmist and realize I am completely helpless. God seems to help those who know they are completely helpless, maybe because their pride has been dealt with and they are in trouble without God’s intervention. I want to trust the Lord more and myself less each day.

Prayer:

Father, help me to walk with You more and more in my life. Help me to trust You more and myself less. Help me not to lean on my own understanding, but to acknowledge You in all my ways and let You direct my paths. Work in my life Lord and show me the path forward. Guide me each day. Open doors only You can open and shut doors that need shut.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Waiting With All My Heart

 Scripture:

“With all my heart, I am waiting, Lord, for you! I trust your promises.”  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭130:5‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

The Psalmist here describes a period of waiting on the Lord because he knows and trusts the promises of the Lord. He is waiting, with all his heart. Everything inside of him was waiting for the Lord to turn things around in his life because he trusted the promises of God and knew he had been faithful to his end of the deal.

Application:

When we have done our part, we can wait, knowing wholeheartedly that God will come through because we trust His promises completely. God is faithful to do what He says He will do. He is trustworthy! We must come to a place of complete trust and wait in that place, knowing like the Psalmist, that God will come through on what He has said. Our trust isn’t in some human words scribbled on a page, but on the Word of the Living God. What He promises, will come to pass. Therefore, my place is to wait for the fulfillment because He didn’t put a timeframe on His promises.

Prayer:

Father, You are good and You are trustworthy! You do what You say You are going to do. I know You will take care of Cheryl and me. I know You will work in my sons to demonstrate Your glory. I know You will bless the work of my hands at Word of Life. I am confident that You will do what You have spoken. Help me to learn to wait well.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Wisdom and Good Sense

 Scripture:

“Give me wisdom and good sense. I trust your commands.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119:66‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

In the midst of the longest Psalm, and longest chapter in the Bible, is this little nugget where the Psalmist says, “Give me wisdom and good sense. I trust Your commands.” He knew what to ask for because wisdom and good sense are crucial ingredients in life.

Application:

Wisdom and good sense are powerful items for everyday life. We need wisdom to make right choices and we need good sense about people, places, and things, in order to thrive. Some people seem to have really good sense and always seem to make right choices. I want to be one of those people. I want to walk in the wisdom of God and do things that make sense to God. He closes by saying, “I trust Your commands.” We must learn to trust that doing what God wants will bring about His blessing in our lives.

Prayer:

Father, I pray with the Psalmist today, give me wisdom and good sense. I trust in your commands. Give me the wisdom to make right choices and the sense to know how to treat people and how to represent You well. I trust You God and never want to walk out of Your will at any time. Help me to know Your voice more intimately. You are my everything!

Forever Yours,

Jeff

Thankfulness

 Scripture:

“Tell the Lord how thankful you are, because he is kind and always merciful.”  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭118:29‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

In this passage, the Psalmist tells us to tell the Lord how thankful we are because of his kindness and mercy. The reality is, God is kind and merciful, but we are not as thankful as we should be for that.

Application:

I need to thank the Lord more for all He has done in my life. I need to live a thankful life. Thankful people don’t get caught up in the needs they currently have, but are caught up in the goodness of God for all He has done. I want to get better that telling the Lord how thankful I am for all He has done in my life. He has truly blessed me over and over. He has met all my needs according to His riches in glory. He has opened doors for me that are astounding. He is faithful, merciful and just. 

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, You are worthy of praise and honor. I am thankful for Your work in my life. I am nothing without You. You are the reason for every good thing in my life. You are the source of every positive thing. Your kindness and mercy has been evident to me, let my life bring You praise, glory, and honor. I am thankful for what You have done in my life thus far and I love you.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

No Matter Who They Are

 Scripture:

“All who worship the Lord, no matter who they are, will receive his blessing.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭115:13‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

In this passage, the Psalmist tells us that ALL who worship the Lord, will receive His blessing and he adds, “no matter who they are.” God doesn’t care who you are, when you start worshiping Him, He will begin to bless your life. Throughout the Bible, Gentiles who worshiped God, also walked in His blessing along with the Jews.

Application:

I love this about my God. He is not picky about who He blesses. He blesses those who worship Him, no matter who they are. That leaves room for me and anyone else. God blesses worshipers and I fit in that arena. Worship is a key ingredient to a blessed life, no matter who you are.

Prayer:

Lord, I have always been, and will always be, a worshiper. I love to worship You with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. You are the only one worthy of my worship. You are incredible and I will praise You in every way I can. Let my worship ascend to Your throne. I don’t worship for Your blessings, but I’m also glad You bless worshipers.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

God Provides

 Scripture:

“All of these depend on you to provide them with food, and you feed each one with your own hand, until they are full.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭104:27-28‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

The Psalmist here talks about how God provides everything on the earth with food, and they eat until they are full. It is one thing to have to provide for a family and make sure there is enough to feed them and give them shelter, it is another thing to provide food and shelter to the entire planet. Only God can think at those levels. He takes care of the butterflies, the lions, the horses, the alligators, etc. etc. etc. Each of them eats enough and stays alive.

Application:

Jesus said it in the Gospels, if God can feed the birds of the air and take care of the flowers of the field, He can surely take care of us. Nothing escapes His eyes and He knows our every need. He sees exactly what we need and when we need it. We can trust the Lord completely and fully rely on Him to take care of us in every way. He is faithful.

Prayer:

Father, let my faith in Your provision increase day by day. Help me to trust You more and more. It is difficult to trust You with finances, because I am accustomed to taking things into my own hands. Help me to follow Your voice and do what You say, without worrying about the provision and where it will come from.

Your Son,

Jeff

A New Song

 Scripture:

“Sing a new song to the Lord! He has worked miracles, and with his own powerful arm, he has won the victory.”  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭98:1‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

The Psalmist tells us here that we should sing to the Lord a new song. He then lists some of the wonderful things the Lord has done for us. In other words, when God does good things in your life, sing a new song to Him. Sing Him a song of praise and worship.

Application:

New songs comes from hearts that are full because of the goodness of God. New songs erupt because we can’t express our praise through anything that has already been written. God has truly done incredible things in my life and I should be singing new songs constantly. I need to take time to worship the Lord today and let Him know in song how grateful I am.

Prayer:

Lord God, You are incredible to me. You have blessed my life over and over. You have ordained my steps and led me into victory so many times. Let my praise go to another level today Lord. Let my heart be overwhelmed by Your goodness. Let the new song arise from my heart to day and let it bring You honor and glory.

Your Son,

Jeff

Love God…Hate Evil

 Scripture:

“Love the Lord and hate evil! God protects his loyal people and rescues them from violence.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭97:10‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

In this passage, the Psalmist reminds God’s people to love the Lord and hate evil. He goes on to add that God protects his loyal people and rescues them from violence. God is looking for loyalty and loyalty is seen in love God and hating evil.

Application:

We live in a society where evil is called good and good is called evil. In this culture, we must learn to love God, and His ways, above all else, including our reputation and image. Today, when you hate evil, you are labeled by society as someone who is not loving or accepting or tolerant. We must learn to live according to God’s ways and love Him, hate evil, and fulfill His purposes, no matter what that costs us. 

Prayer:

Father, let my love for You increase and my hatred of evil increase as well. Show me how to live in this generation, loving the sinner and hating the sin. Teach me to be loyal to You above all else. I want Your protection and for You to rescue me when I am in trouble. Teach me to walk according to Your ways and to know Your paths. I want to walk this righteous path, loving people, and yet hating evil. Help me to do it well.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Lord God All-Powerful

 Scripture:

“You are Lord God All-Powerful! No one is as loving and faithful as you are.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭89:8‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

The Psalmist perspective of God was seen in his language. He declared God is “The Lord All-Powerful.” God is all-powerful and the Psalmist knew it. He went on to say that No on is as loving and faithful as the Lord. God is not only all-powerful, but He is loving and faithful. You can’t beat these characteristics! God is incredible!

Application:

When we come to God, we must seen Him as “The Lord All-Powerful”, but we must also see Him as loving and faithful. He can destroy all our enemies with one word from His mouth, but He is also loving and faithful to those who are faithful to Him. We must learn to believe, not only in God’s power, but in His love and faithfulness as well. The direction of His power is toward those who walk in His love and faithfulness.

Prayer:

Lord God All-Powerful, You are amazing! Thank You for always taking care of me and mine. You have blessed my life so richly throughout all these years. Thank You for moving me and being faithful to me when my faith is weak and I am in trouble. Your love and faithfulness is unbelievable! Help me to walk in confidence in this area. Demonstrate Your power in my life.

Your Son,

Jeff

You Keep me Safe…Listen to Me

 Scripture:

“You keep me safe, Lord God. So when I pray at night, please listen carefully to each of my concerns.”

Psalms‬ ‭88:1-2‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

Heman, the Psalmist, wrote this Psalm. He first attributes his safety to the Lord. Based on that, he says, “please listed carefully to each of my concerns.” In other words, I know you are the one keeping me safe, now listen to my prayers and help me out.

Application:

God is concerned about the little details of our lives, but sometimes we fail to ask Him or talk to Him about them. He is our protector, but more than that, He is faithful to us and cares about the small details of our lives. He hears our cries and prayers. He knows our needs, but He does like us to cry out to Him and put our full trust in Him.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, You have always kept me safe and have been an incredible protector of my life. Hear the rest of my concerns. You know what bothers me and what needs resolved in my life. You know the issues I face daily and I ask You to continue to guide me and lead me in how to deal with everything I face. I need You now more than ever. 

Forever Yours,

Jeff

Save Us and Make Us Strong

 Scripture:

“Our God, make us strong again! Smile on us and save us.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭80:3‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

The Psalmist here is crying out to God for restoration of his nation. He knew that God was no longer fighting Israel’s battles and defending His people because of their sin and idolatry. He knew the only hope for his nation was for God to smile on them and save them.

Application:

In the United States, it feels like we have followed the ways of Israel, who never learned their lesson about following God. We have walked away from Him as a nation and fallen deeply into worshiping and serving the creature rather than the creator. We must learnt to cry out like the Psalmist, “God makes us strong again! Smile on us and save us.” Many have been crying out to God for a long time, I believe our answer is right around the corner.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, You are faithful and powerful. You are amazing and gracious. America needs You desperately. We have fallen away from following Your ways. Make us strong again! Smile on us and save us from the destruction we see coming. Turn this nation back to Yourself. Revive the United States with a third great awakening.

Yours Forever,

Jeff 

Closeness

 Scripture:

“Our God, we thank you for being so near to us! Everyone celebrates your wonderful deeds.”  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭75:1‬ ‭CEV‬

Observation:

The Psalmist tells God here that they, His people, were thankful that He was so near them. They knew God was close and they celebrated his wonderful deeds. When God comes close, His deeds will be seen and then we are to celebrate all He does for us. 

Application:

I love the presence of the Lord. In His presence, you feel stronger and more confident. In His presence, our enemies are terrified. In His presence, faith is increased. In His presence, there is power and the ability to do anything. We should celebrate His deeds and also celebrate His presence.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for being so near to me all of my life. You are always walked beside me and surrounded me with Your goodness. You have been kind and merciful to me in every way. Help me to be the person You want me to be. Teach me Your ways and let me walk onYour paths. Surround me oh God and help me to follow You well.

Your Son,

Jeff

Proximity to God

 Scripture:

“It is good for me to be near you. I choose you as my protector, and I will tell about your wonderful deeds.”  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭73:28‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

The Psalmist realized that God’s presence was the best thing for his life. He said, “It is good for me to be near You.” Proximity to God is powerful. When God is close, everything works better. He also said he chose God to be his protector rather than leaning on weapons of warfare. Lastly, he knew the power of declaring the deeds of the Lord all over the world.

Application:

I long for the presence of God to be near me. I know in His presence, everything gets better. In His presence, my joy returns. In His presence, provision is taken care of. Though God’s presence is always with me and always everywhere, I love it when it is manifested and I can experience it up close. I, along with the Psalmist, have made my life a trumpet to declare God’s goodness everywhere I go.

Prayer:

Lord, You are incredible and I love You so much. Help me to be attuned to You at all times. Show me how to walk through this life in Your presence. You are my protector and my strength. You are my everything Lord and I will praise You among the nations. I will tell of Your goodness everywhere. You are the best!

Your Son,

Jeff

Praise Him For His Kindness

 Scripture:

“We praise you, Lord God! You treat us with kindness day after day, and you rescue us.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭68:19‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

God is seen here as treat in with kindness day after day and rescuing us as well. Therefore, the Psalmist says, we praise Him. God has done so much for us, we must give Him the praise He deserves.

Application:

There’s an old song that says, “if God has been so good to you, praise Him!”  God has been so good to me throughout my years that all I want to do is praise Him. He has delivered me, healed me, given me a great family, allowed me to represent Him around the world, and blessed my life over and over again. This morning, my heart is filled with praise.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, You have truly blessed my life and I want to take time today to give You the praise and honor You deserve. You are incredible and You have been so good to me. Help me to live a thankful life that always returns the praise and honor back to You. You are the only one who could have brought me this far and blessed me this much!  Thank You Lord for all You have done in my life.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

God Gives Peace

 Scripture:

“Only God gives inward peace, and I depend on him.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭62:5‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

The Psalmist, King David at this point, had seen about every scenario possible. He had been attacked, chased, lied about, and fought against. He had also experienced the glory of the palace and all God has blessed him with. At the end of it all, he says, “Only God gives inward peace, and I depend on Him.” He realized that money, armies, etc. don’t bring inward peace. That comes only from God.

Application:

The only real peace is God’s peace. When we learn to trust Him and walk with Him daily, His peace will fill our hearts. In that peace there is confidence and strength, knowing that He is with you and will take care of you. There is no counterfeit for God’s peace. You either have it or you don’t. I love His peace and want to walk in it every day of my life. I depend on Him for it. He is the supplier.

Prayer:

Father God, You bring me peace in my life. You have allowed me to enter Your peace and to live there and I love it. I wouldn’t trade Your peace for anything this world has to offer. Real peace can’t be bought or obtained any other way than through You. You are my peace and I appreciate it more than You know. Thank You for sharing Your peace with me. Let me always be led forth with peace.

Yours,

Jeff

God Keeps Records

 Scripture:

“You have kept record of my days of wandering. You have stored my tears in your bottle and counted each of them.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭56:8‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

David had been wandering as he was pursued by Saul trying to kill him. His enemy was after him and he was wandering in the wilderness. In this passage, the Psalmist tells the Lord that He has kept record of the days of his wandering and stored his tears in a bottle and counted each of them. He was saying that the Lord was watching over him the whole time and counting his tears.

Application:

No matter what we are going through or who is after us, we can rest assured that God is with us, watching over us, and storing up our tears. Nothing gets passed our God. He sees every attack against us. He sees every detail and stores our tears in His bottle because He cares for us deeply.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, help me to walk in confidence that You are with me and are recording every day of my struggles. You know every detail of my life and You are watching over me. You are keeping my tears in Your bottle as well. You see my good days and my bad days. You see my wandering days and my conquering days. You are faithful. Teach me to rest in Your faithfulness.

Yours,

Jeff Jacob

Thankfulness and Obedience

 Scripture:

“The sacrifice that honors me is a thankful heart. Obey me, and I, your God, will show my power to save.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭50:23‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

God is honored by the sacrifice of a thankful heart. He also promises here that when we obey Him, He will show His power to save.  

Application:

Sometimes it is a sacrifice to have a thankful heart. When I want to complain and feel like I never have enough, I am reminded that I need to be thankful for how God has blessed my life. It is easy to complain, it is harder to be thankful., but thankfulness changes the atmosphere around me. When I’m content and thankful for what I have, it bring me joy. God promises here to save those who obey Him. I want my obedience level to always be the priority of my life. I long to do everything God wants me to do, nothing more, nothing less.

Prayer:

Father, help me to be thankful, even when I don’t feel like there is much to be thankful for. You have truly been good to me and taken care of me throughout all my years. Help me to live a life of obedience, but I need to know Your will at all times so I can obey. I can’t obey what I don’t know, so please speak to me and show me what I am to be doing at all times. 

Your Son Forever,

Jeff

I Will Praise You Again

 Scripture:

“Why am I discouraged? Why am I restless? I trust you, Lord! And I will praise you again because you help me, and you are my God.”  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭43:5‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

The Psalmist asks a couple of questions to himself. “Why am I discouraged?” And “Why am I restless?” In this passage he is admitting his feelings without blaming God or anyone else. He was trying to figure out for himself why he was feeling the way he was feeling. He comes against what he is feeling by saying that he would praise God again because He helps and because He was the Psalmist’s God.

Application:

Sometimes we go through times when we feel discouraged and restless. There are times when we don’t see God working as we would like to see Him work. Things may not be moving forward as fast as we would have liked or thought they would and we get frustrated. During these times, we must learn to praise God anyway and know that He is still God, still loves us, and is still all-powerful. 

Prayer:

Father, I have been really discouraged lately and restless. I don’t understand why things happen as they do and why You haven’t provided in the ways I thought You would. Sometimes I feel like a complete failure and like nothing I have done makes a real difference. No matter what I feel, You are still God and You are worthy of my praise. I will praise You because You are my God.

Desires

Scripture:

“Do what the Lord wants, and he will give you your heart's desire.”  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭37:4‬ ‭CEV‬‬ 

Observation:

The Psalmist here speaks about doing the will of the Lord. In the older versions it says delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. When we make pleasing God the most important thing in our lives, we can expect that God will bless us and give us our heart’s desire, which at that point is the will of God in our lives. 

Application:

Sometimes our hearts get off track and start focusing on ourselves instead of what God wants for our lives. It is easy to fall into this because we are built as selfish beings that automatically default to our own desires. When we make God’s desires our desires, He will give us what we desire, which is His desires. When we desire what God desires, we are going to get our heart’s desires. 

Prayer:

God Almighty, let my desires always be Your desires. Help me not to lean on what I want to do or accomplish in this life, but on what You want for my life. Teach me to delight myself in You and Your presence, and trust You to then take care of the things I desire. Let me stay in alignment with You throughout my days and know that You will take care of me and my family.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Worship and Faith

 Scripture:

“But the Lord watches over all who honor him and trust his kindness.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭33:18‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

The Psalmist, in this passage, tells us that the Lord “watches over” those who honor Him and trust His kindness. What attracts God’s attention? Honoring Him and trusting Him. Honoring Him is worship and trusting Him is faith. Faith and worship cause God to watch over our lives.

Application:

I want God “watching over” my life in a big way. When someone is watching over you, their eyes are on you and they are making sure nothing bad happens to you. When someone is watching over you, they are keeping you from making bad mistakes. God watches over us when we honor Him and trust Him. Worship and faith attract Him and cause Him to watch over our lives. I want God watching over me to protect and keep me from every attack the enemy can throw my way.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, You are good and worthy to be praised! You are the lifter of my head and the caretaker of my soul. I want my life to honor You through worship and to trust You through faith. Let my worship and my faith increase as I follow You through this life. Teach me to hear Your voice and to submit in every area to You. Help me to follow You well.

Your Son,

Jeff

Following God

 Scripture:

“Show me your paths and teach me to follow;” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭25:4‬ ‭CEV

Observation:

The Psalmist here tells the Lord to show him God’s path and to teach him to follow. This is the heart’s desire of the Psalmist as he is pursuing the Lord. He wants to know God’s path and he desires strongly to follow it. 

Application:

This verse describes the heart of my daily prayer time with the Lord. I simply want to know what God wants me to do daily. I never want to stray from God’s path or just do what I want to do. I want to walk in the center of God’s will throughout my entire life. I also cry out for God to show me how to follow well. I want to be led by the Lord and walk in step with His Spirit. This has been my lifelong desire and I will continue to long for God’s direction.

Prayer:

My Lord and My God, You know my heart and the desires in it. You know my thoughts and what’s inside of me. I long to know exactly what You want me to do at all times. I never want to step out of alignment with You. Help me to hear Your voice clearly and to follow with precision. I long to walk in step with You and to partner with You in the expansion of Your kingdom.

Yours,

Jeff

Worship, Service, and Obedience

 Scripture:

“The Lord God, who saves them, will bless and reward them, because they worship and serve the God of Jacob.”  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭24:5-6‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

The Psalmist says here that the Lord who saves us, will also bless us and reward us because we worship and serve Him. In this passage we see that our part is to worship and serve, God’s part is to save, bless and reward. When we do our part, God is faithful to do His part.

Application:

God desires our worship and our service. He has blessed my life in so many ways I can’t even recount them. He has been with me in trouble. He has walked with me through the storms. He has blessed my life over and over again and worked miracles on my behalf. The very least I can do back is to give Him my best worship, obedience and service.

Prayer:

Father, receive my worship, my obedience and my service as a sweet smelling incense. You are worthy of my very best. You have blessed me over and over again. You have stepped in and saved the day over and over again. You are faithful and good to me. Thank You for watching over Your word and for watching over my life. Let me live a life that pleases You and that You can bless.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

I Love You Lord

 Scripture:

“I love you, Lord God, and you make me strong.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭18:1‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

David is writing here. He is telling the Lord how much he loves Him and how God has taken care of him because he has been faithful to God. David knew where his strength came from. He knew it was the Lord who was his strength. David was king, but he knew where his help came from. He was always sensitive to the Lord and realized everything, including the strength he had, was from the Lord.

Application:

Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father. We should love the Lord more each day because He has been faithful to us. He has been faithful to me. He makes me strong and helps me in everything I do. Without Him, I can do nothing. He is my everything. Even my strength is not just inner strength and determination, it is given by the Lord. Every good thing in my life comes from Him.

Prayer:

Father, help me to walk in humility at all times, realizing that everything I have, even my strength, come from You. Help me to never take credit for the way You have blessed my life. Even the strength to do what I do comes from You. You are the source of every good thing in my life. Help me to serve You well.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

My Song of Joy

 Scripture:

“You have been good to me, Lord, and I will sing about you.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭13:6‬ ‭CEV‬‬

Observation:

The Psalmist declares here that the Lord had been good to him and therefore, he would sing about the Lord. This sounds like a verse or chorus of a song, which it is,  but it is also a statement from my heart.

Application:

God has been very good to me throughout my life and has blessed me over and over. He has truly been good through all my days. His goodness causes me to sing. I love to worship and sing to the Lord. It is a beautiful way to describe my love and appreciation to Him for all He has done in my life. 

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, I love you and I will sing Your praises all the days of my life. Your love is my song and Your goodness is my chorus. You are my life, my strength, my joy, my salvation, my healer, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, and my friend. Your love has given me strength and confidence. You are my everything. Let me always be able to praise You.

Yours Forever,

Jeff