God Doesn’t Want Leftovers

 Scripture:

”You say, ‘It’s too hard to serve the Lord,’ and you turn up your noses at my commands,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “Think of it! Animals that are stolen and crippled and sick are being presented as offerings! Should I accept from you such offerings as these?” asks the Lord.“ ‭‭Malachi‬ ‭1‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

God speaks through Malachi here about the offerings His people were bringing to Him. When something is offered to God, He doesn’t want our leftovers, He wants our very best. People were bringing stolen animals and crippled and sick animals as sacrifices to God and He was very upset about it. 

Application:

God would rather us not offer and offering than to offer something that has no value or costs us nothing. A sacrifice is called a sacrifice because it costs something to the one bringing it. God wants the firstfruits and the best of everything we have. When we offer God our very best, He blesses and multiplies what we have. When we offer less than our best, He doesn’t want it. Our worship must cost us something.

Prayer:

Father, help me to provide you something that is valuable and that costs me something. Help me to offer You sacrifices that are valuable to me and to You. Let my offerings always be sacrificial and worthwhile. In my life and ministry, help me to never give you someone else’s sacrifice, or stolen sacrifice. Help me to give You the best of what I have. Remind me of this often.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

The Cry of God

 Scripture:

”I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure. I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘These are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’”“ ‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭13‬:‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

God is speaking through Zechariah about the last days. He says there’s a group that He will bring through the fire to make them pure. He says He will refine them like silver and purify them like gold. He says they will call and He will answer and say, “These are my people” and they will say, “The Lord is our God.” This is the day God has been waiting for since the beginning. Everything in the Bible leads this way. God has always wanted a people who would be His and He would be their God.

Application:

We have the beautiful ability to answer the cry of God’s heart. When we come to Him and tell Him we want to be purified and refined. When we tell Him that we want to be His people and for Him to be our God, we answer the cry of God from the beginning. He has always looked for a people who would be His completely. We should give Him that before the last days are fulfilled. 

Prayer:

Father, You are my God and I will be completely Yours and Yours alone. I want to serve You well in my generation. Purify me and cleanse me from anything You want me cleansed from. Empower me to answer Your cry for a set apart and purified people. I long to please You and to walk according to Your ways. You are amazing and Your love is eternal. 

Thank You,

Jeff

Ask the Lord

 Scripture:

”Ask the Lord for rain in the spring, for he makes the storm clouds. And he will send showers of rain so every field becomes a lush pasture.“. ‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭10‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Zechariah speaks here and tells God’s people to ask the Lord for rain in the spring because He makes the storm clouds. It says that God will answer their prayer and give them rain showers. The thing that stood out to me this morning was that the prophet said to ask for rain.

Application:

James says that we don’t receive because we don’t ask, or we don’t ask properly. Zechariah says that we need to ask for rain in the Spring. I know I am guilty of not asking the Lord for things because I tend to just trust He will take care of them. Sometimes I feel like He knows my needs so why should I ask? In the Spring, I expect rain, but probably don’t pray for it unless something is wrong and there is a drought. God has been teaching me to ask specifically.

Prayer:

Father, teach me to walk with You in step and do what You want me to do. Show me when to ask and when to simply believe. I ask You this morning to provide financially for Word of Life, Hearts for the Harvest and for the Jacob family. Heal my back and touch Cheryl physically. I ask You for the nations as my inheritance and the ends of the earth as my dwelling place. Teach me to ask for things that I take for granted.

Your Son,

Jeff

God’s Values

 Scripture:

”“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Judge fairly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other.“ ‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭7‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Many times throughout Scripture God tells us what He wants from His people. He is huge on justice, mercy, and kindness. He hates oppression of underprivileged people. He hates disunity. God always defends the defenseless. He wants His people to represent His ways to the world. He doesn’t like cheating, lying, or favoritism.

Application:

We need to be people who represent our God well in the world. We should emphasize what He emphasizes and judge how He would judge. We know the things God hates and we should avoid them at all costs. Cheating, lying, perverting justice, oppressing the poor, are all big things to God. We must be part of the solution and not part of the problem.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, You are faithful and good! Your love and kindness are incredible and I love You with all my heart. Help me to live how You want me to live. Let me always be fair and equitable. Help me to always exhibit blind justice and treat people equally whether they are rich, poor, or anything else. Help me to reflect Your values with my life.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Small Beginnings

 Scripture:

”Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.” (The seven lamps represent the eyes of the Lord that search all around the world.)“Zechariah‬ ‭4‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬

Observation:

Just prior to this verse it says that Zerubbabel laid the foundation of the Temple and that he would eventually rebuild the Temple. The Lord speaks through Zechariah to tell the people not to despise small beginnings because God was going to do what He said He would do. A foundation is just the beginning. It takes a long time, but needs to be done right so that the building can be strong. Foundations seem to take forever and can be frustrating because it doesn’t appear that anything is happening.

Application:

In life and ministry, we can’t get too frustrated with small beginnings. Everything that is big started small. Very few things start big. They generally start small. We must learn to not give up because there doesn’t appear to be much traction and movement when we start things. We must learn that godliness with contentment is great gain. Our job it to walk in obedience to God. His job is to bring growth and development.

Prayer:

Father, help me to never despise the day of small beginnings. Help me to keep my eyes on You and not on how fast others grow and develop. Help me to trust You more each day. I am a growth oriented person and want to see growth. Help me to not get frustrated when things don’t grow as quickly as I would like. You have a plan. Help me to trust You more to bring Your plan to pass.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Many Nations!

 Scripture:

”The Lord says, “Shout and rejoice, O beautiful Jerusalem, for I am coming to live among you. Many nations will join themselves to the Lord on that day, and they, too, will be my people. I will live among you, and you will know that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies sent me to you.“ ‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭2‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

The Lord speaks here after 70 years of captivity in Babylon for His people, and says that Jerusalem should shout and rejoice because He was coming to live among them. He goes on to say that many nations will join themselves to the Lord and become His people as well. He says He will live among them and they would know that Zachariah was the real deal.

Application:

When the end finally comes, God’s people Israel, will be joined with people from many other nations who have joined themselves to Him. God’s intention from the beginning was to bless Israel and cause all the other nations to be jealous and turn to Him because of how He worked with Israel. It seems at the end that God will judge sheep nations and goat nations. Jesus told us to go and make disciples of the nations. In Revelation we see the nations worshiping and parading before the Lord. God loves all nations and wants to see national repentance. I want to be part of seeing nations discipled.

Prayer:

Father, You said “ask of Me and I will give you the nations as your inheritance and the ends of the earth as your possession.” I ask You this morning for the nations. I ask You to use my life to extend Your kingdom to every nation on the earth. When the parade nations comes in Revelation, I want to see faces that are there because I went and declared Your goodness. Use me for Your purposes.

Yours,

Jeff

Protection in Obedience

 Scripture:

”Seek the Lord, all who are humble, and follow his commands. Seek to do what is right and to live humbly. Perhaps even yet the Lord will protect you— protect you from his anger on that day of destruction.“ ‭‭Zephaniah‬ ‭2‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Zephaniah prophesies about utter destruction coming and declares here that God’s people should be humble and follow His commands. He tells them to seek to do what is right and to live humbly because maybe the Lord will protect them in the day of His anger. He gives them very little hope because of their disobedience, but their only hope was humility before God and doing what is right.

Application:

There is protection in obedience. God doesn’t punish the righteous with the wicked. When we humble ourselves before Him and repent, He finds a way to spare us from punishment. We live in a generation that wants to do whatever they want to do, but God says we must humble ourselves and turn from our ways and follow His ways. Our job is to humble ourselves and follow God’s ways, then trust that He will protect us.

Prayer:

Father God, You are incredible and I love You with all my heart. You have blessed my life throughout the years abundantly. You have taken such good care of me. Enable me to please You with my life. Let me walk in complete submission to You and Your ways. Empower me to walk humbly before You and to live a life that bring You praise and glory. Work in and through my life. I am Yours. 

Your Son,

Jeff

I Am Doing Something

Scripture:

”The Lord replied, “Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.“ ‭‭Habakkuk‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬ 

Observation:

Habakkuk was complaining to God about his people and how justice was gone, the wicked outnumbered the just, the courts were not trustworthy, and people were full of anger. God’s response to Habakkuk was awesome. He said, “I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if you were told about it.” What was God doing? He was raising up the Babylonians. God let Habakkuk know He had a plan.

Application:

Nothing takes God by surprise! He always has a plan. In our country, we feel like it can’t get any worse and that people have ruled God out of their lives, but God has a plan… He is doing something! We must pray that God will move in our generation, but we can also stand confident, knowing God sees, understands, and He is doing something. Right now, as bad as things look around us, God is doing something. Our job is to find out what He is doing and be part of it.

Prayer:

Almighty God, nothing takes You by surprise. Help me to realize that, in the midst of all the bad I can see around me, that You are doing something. Open my eyes to see You working in my day when injustice seems to be everywhere. Thank You for reminding me this morning that You are doing something in the United States. You are moving in our world. Help me to trust You more and be part of what You are doing.

Your Son,

Jeff

Fear God

 Scripture:

”In his presence the mountains quake, and the hills melt away; the earth trembles, and its people are destroyed. Who can stand before his fierce anger? Who can survive his burning fury? His rage blazes forth like fire, and the mountains crumble to dust in his presence.“ ‭‭Nahum‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

The entire book of Nahum is a rant from God about His plans to destroy Nineveh. Nahum declares that in God’s presence the mountains quake and the hills melt. He says that God’s rage is like fire and the mountains crumble to dust in his presence. Most theologians don’t like to say it, but God gets angry with those who rebel against His ways and refuse to acknowledge Him. His anger is nothing to mess with. Right now we see His great grace and mercy, but His wrath is incredible. 

Application:

I want to live on the side of God’s grace and mercy. I don’t want to see His wrath. I would say I have a healthy fear of God. Some feel like God is so loving and kind that the wrath verses must be thrown out or explained away. I believe God can be loving and just. Powerful and merciful. In my preaching and teaching, and in my life, I need to remember to present the fulness of God. I need to respond to His love, but also be aware of His wrath. I want to live with a healthy fear of God. Some say that fear of the God is more like respect. When I read the OT, I personally am afraid of the God spoken about here.

Prayer:

Father, than You for loving me and blessing my life. Thank You for Your love and mercy. Help me to accurately reflect You to others. Help me to communicate accurately concerning who You are. Teach me, that I may teach others. Take me deeper in You and in understanding You. I want to know You more and more.

Your Son,

Jeff

God’s End Game

 Scripture:

”I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.“ ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭21‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Throughout the Scriptures, one can hear the heart of God desiring to be with His people, for them to be His people and for Him to be their God. Since Adam’s sin in the Garden, God has desired to be with His people once again. He created man for fellowship with Him and He won’t rest until that fellowship is restored completely. He sent His Son to bridge that gap, but His desire is still to walk with His people as He did with Adam.

Application:

We will one day walk with God and talk with Him as Adam did in the cool of the day, but we now have access because of Jesus Christ. Right now, we need to learn to walk with Him in fellowship, which we have because of the Holy Spirit. We must learn to walk in step with Him now, knowing we will one day be in His actual presence as Adam was.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, You are incredible and Your kingdom will never end. You are faithful and You are true. Help me to learn to walk in step with Your Spirit. I want to be led of You and to fulfill Your will for my life each and every day. Lead me step by step and day by day. Let me know Your voice and help me to obey it when I hear it. I want to fellowship with You now. I long to see You face to face, but that will have to wait. For now, let me hear Your voice and do Your will here and now.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

He Will Rule the Nations

 Scripture:

”From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress.“ ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭19‬:‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

When Jesus returns, He won’t be like a suffering servant this time. He will come with fire in His eyes and a sword in His hand. Out of His mouth will come a sharp sword that will strike down nations. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a wine press. When He returns, He’s not messing around. He will establish His kingdom and rule and reign on earth.

Application:

Right now we live between two realities. The kingdom is already, but not yet. We have a deposit guaranteeing what is to come, but then we will have it in its fulness. We should live in this current life, knowing one day we will rule and reign with Him. We should live with eternity in mind. He will one day rule the nations and we will rule with Him. We must never give up. Never slow down, and never retreat. Our God will fight for us. We may have to endure for a season, but finality is coming.

Prayer:

Father, Your Kingdom come and Your will be done in my life. Help me to live according to Your ways. Show me how to live now so I can walk with You later. Help me to see You as the victorious one now. Teach me to focus on what You want, and not what I want. I want to be part of establishing Your kingdom rule and reign on the earth.

Yours,

Jeff

Endure Persecution Patiently

 Scripture:

”This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying his commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus.“ ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭14‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

This verse tells us that God’s holy people will endure persecution patiently. It says they will need to obey God’s commands and maintain their faith in Jesus. God’s people are always purified in the fires of persecution. We must realize that persecution has been around since Jesus and persecution must never cause us to walk away from Him.

Application:

As believers, we must learn to endure difficulties and not just try to escape them. We are to endure patiently, waiting for His return. We do this by obeying His commands and maintaining our faith. We maintain our faith by investing in it through the Word and prayer. We must stay vigilant in prayer and listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit every day. He will lead us through whatever we must endure.

Prayer:

Lord, in these last days, I want to serve You well and walk through whatever is coming with faith and obedience. Help me to stand strong and say what needs said. Help me to endure difficulties with patience. Teach me to obey You, no matter how I feel or what is going on around me. I want to represent You well in my generation. 

Yours,

Jeff

Still They Would Not Repent

 Scripture:

”But the people who did not die in these plagues still refused to repent of their evil deeds and turn to God. They continued to worship demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—idols that can neither see nor hear nor walk! And they did not repent of their murders or their witchcraft or their sexual immorality or their thefts.“. ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭9‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

This is a sad verse, but a very real verse. It is speaking of people who live through the great tribulation and see the wrath of God. They will see incredible demonstrations of the power of God, yet they will still not repent of their sins and turn to Him. Our natural mind makes us think that anyone who witnesses the worst part of the tribulation would turn to Jesus and repent, but some never will.

Application:

As a minister of the Gospel, I want everyone I encounter to come to Christ. I want to see people understand God’s goodness and blessing and turn from their sin, but some people never will. Even when they see the wrath of God on sin, they will continue in it and not repent. As we enter the Last Days, we must realize that, no matter how many signs God gives people, some will still not repent and turn to Him. Our job is to present Christ to people, they must repent and come to Christ.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, You are great and glorious! I worship You and bless Your name. You are high and lifted up and Your glory is incredible! I want the world to know You and repent of their sins. I also know that not everyone will turn to Christ. Give me understanding and strength to deal with people who won’t repent no matter how much You demonstrate Yourself to them. Let my friends and relatives repent and turn to You. Let me see more and more repentance as You prepare for Your return.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

He is Worthy

 Scripture:

”And they sang in a mighty chorus: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered— to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.”“ ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭5‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

This verse describes worship in heaven. There were millions of angels, the four living beings, and the elders, were singing in a mighty chorus, “Worthy”. They cried worthy because He had overcome. They said He was worthy to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. They were saying that He is worthy of everything that could be given to Him. 

Application:

When we say “worthy” we are saying that the object that is worthy has great worth. It is valuable! We must make sure our worship describes the worth of God Almighty. He is worthy of everything we can give Him. He is worthy to be worshiped by millions of angels, saints, living beings, and elders. He is worthy of our very best worship. We need to ascribe to God the glory and honor due Him and to declare He is worthy of it all.

Prayer:

Father, You are good and Your mercies are forever. You are everything to me! You are my life and You are worthy of everything I can bring You. You are worthy of my very best. Help me to offer You only the best of my life. Help me to never give You worthless worship, but to worship You in Spirit and in truth. Let my worship be biblical and true.

Your Son,

Jeff

Obeying to the End

 Scripture:

”To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, To them I will give authority over all the nations. They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star!” Revelation‬ ‭2‬:‭26‬, ‭28‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Jesus is speaking here to John and tells him that those who obey Him to the end will receive authority over the nations. It will be the same authority Jesus received from the Father. They will also get the morning star! WOW! This is quite a promise from Jesus concerning those who obey Him to the end and are victorious. 

Application:

God rewards obedience with authority over nations. When we walk in obedience to His will in this life, we will reign and rule with Him in the Millennium as well as for eternity. Our job here and now is to obey until the very end and to be victorious in this life. I guess the victorious are those who obey to the end. The simple fact is, we must do what he wants us to do on this earth while we have time. Eternity will then take care of itself.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, I want to finish strong in my life and to obey to the end. I want to live a victorious life that bring You praise and honor. Help me to walk in victory over everything that is not of You. Help me to conquer every thought and to submit completely to Your will. I live for Your purposes. Empower me to obey to the end.

Yours,

Jeff

As For Me

 Scripture:

”As for me, I look to the Lord for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me.“. ‭‭Micah‬ ‭7‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Micah here tells us his personal way of looking at the destruction he had been prophesying. His position was, “I look to the Lord for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me.” Powerful words of faith and trust in God. He began the section by saying “As for me…” 

Application:

As we live in these last days and we see so much stuff happening all around us, we need to say like the prophet, “As for me…”. We need to make a determination that no matter what happens around us, we sill stand for the Lord and wait confidently for His salvation and deliverance. With wars and rumors of wars, and famines, earthquakes, viruses, etc. going on around us, we must confidently know that God will save us and hear us. 

Prayer:

Father, as signs of the times are all around us, help me to keep my eyes on You and to wait confidently for You to save me. I know Your justice requires action and the earth is groaning awaiting the revelation of the sons of God, but in the process of time let me walk in confident peace, knowing that Your rescue is coming. When the earth seems to be going crazy, “As for me…” let me walk in Your peace and confidence.

Forever Yours,

Jeff

Itching Ears

 Scripture:

”Suppose a prophet full of lies would say to you, “I’ll preach to you the joys of wine and alcohol!” That’s just the kind of prophet you would like!“ ‭‭Micah‬ ‭2‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Micah speaks powerfully as a prophetic voice of the Lord to the people of his day. He is calling our prophets who are speaking what people want to hear instead of what the Lord is saying. He calls out preachers who preach about the joys of wine and alcohol because that makes the people feel good. 

Application:

Just as Micah cries out in his generation for a pure word from the Lord instead of trying appease people’s itching ears, God is looking for people today who are not afraid to preach about sin and judgment. It is easy to get into the trap of wanting people to like us and what we have to say. It feels good when everyone leaves church feeling good about themselves, but has God’s word truly been delivered? I need to communicate what God is saying, whether it sounds and feels good or doesn’t.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to speak what You are speaking. Enable me to hear Your voice and declare Your truth. I don’t want to preach to tickle people’s itching ears. I want people to hear from You and live. I want people to hear Your voice in mine and respond to Your call. Empower me to speak truth at all times, even when it offends people.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Use My Obedience and My Disobedience For Your Glory

 Scripture:

“Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once! The sailors were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him.”  ‭‭Jonah‬ ‭1‬:‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

When Jonah disobeyed the Lord and ran the opposite direction, it affected the men on board the ship he was on. When the decision was made and Jonah was thrown overboard, the wind and storm stopped immediately. The sailors saw this and vowed to serve the Lord and sacrifice to Him because of His great power. Even lost people can see the hand of God in our lives and decide to follow Him.

Application:

First, we must walk in obedience to God the first time and not run the other direction. Secondly, we must ask God to use every circumstance in our lives to bring people to Christ. Even Jonah’s disobedience brought people to the Lord. We need to offer our lives to the Lord for His purposes. I want to be used of God in obedience, but I want God to move, even when I’m running the other direction.

Prayer:

Father, I offer You my life once again this morning. Use me to bring glory to Yourself. Use my obedience. Use my disobedience. Use my life to bring glory to Your name. Let me always go the direction You are calling me. Let me become the man You want me to be. Help me to obey first and ask questions later.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

FULL Reward

 Scripture:

“Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve. Be diligent so that you receive your full reward.” ‭‭2 John‬ ‭1‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

John writes and tells us to focus on love above everything else. He says here that we should watch out so we don’t love what we’ve worked hard for… so that you receive your FULL reward. If there is a FULL reward, there must also be a partial reward or no reward. Hebrews tells us God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. 

Application:

In the context, John is speaking about loving people because God is love and loves people. Could it be that we lose our reward when we don’t love like we should? As for me, I don’t want to lose any reward I have coming to me. I want to receive the fulness of what Jesus died to give me. I want to represent Him well on the earth. I need to love like Jesus loved and thereby receive my FULL reward.

Prayer:

Father, teach me to love well. Help me to love as You love. Let Your love flow through my life and let people feel loved when they are around me. As You have loved me, help me to love others and to represent You well. 

Yours,

Jeff

Repairer of Damaged Walls

 Scripture:

““In that day I will restore the fallen house of David. I will repair its damaged walls. From the ruins I will rebuild it and restore its former glory.” ‭‭Amos‬ ‭9‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Amos, like most of the OT prophets, prophesied destruction for the people of Israel. He spoke of God’s anger and wrath for their unfaithfulness. He told them they were going to be deported into another land and destroyed. Then God, like He always does, came back through and began to prophesy about rebuilding Israel with greater glory than ever before. Whenever God tears down, He always has a plan to rebuild better.

Application:

When things go wrong in our lives and we mess up, many feel like God’s plans and purposes also die at that time, but God always has a plan for restoration. Just as He will rebuild Israel, He rebuilds His people. God will at times be harsh with us, but He also is already thinking of our restoration plan in the midst of His anger. We should never give up on God’s plans for us because He is faithful and will bring them to pass. We must be able to forgive ourselves and allow ourselves to be restored.

Prayer:

Father, You are incredible! You are a repairer of the breach and a restorer of paths to dwell in. You never give up on Your people. Even in discipline, You desire restoration. Help me to reflect that in and through my life. Let me always look for restoration of people who mess up. Let me be a repairer of damaged walls like You are.

Yours,

Jeff

Do Good, Run From Evil, and Live

 Scripture:

“Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live! Then the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper, just as you have claimed.”  ‭‭Amos‬ ‭5‬:‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Amos is a powerful prophet who speaks the word of the Lord clearly and directly. He doesn’t mix his words, but says exactly what he hears. He tells God’s people to do good and run from evil so they can live. He declares that then they will have the Lord as their helper as they claim. In other words, God helps His people when they are pursuing Him and doing what it right and fair. 

Application:

God is a god of justice. He wants right scales and no falsehood. He wants His people to do right and treat people with respect and dignity. We must run from evil and pursue godliness with all our hearts, then God will meet us and be our helper. We can’t expect God to rescue us when we are serving ourselves and not Him. He saves those who are diligently serving Him and doing what is good and right.

Prayer:

Father, You are good and Your mercy is unfathomable. You are amazing and I want to serve You well. Help me to do good and run from evil so I can live in Your presence. I long for You and love Your presence. Teach me to follow Your ways and to pursue Your heart. I want to live in a way that You are pleased with and that brings You glory. Heal my back this morning Lord and take away the pain. 

Your Son,

Jeff

Agree With God

 Scripture:

“Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?”  ‭‭Amos‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

I have heard this verse used so much when speaking of unity and the power of agreement. I have heard it used in marriage conferences, etc. The reality of this verse is that God was calling Israel to Himself because they had walked away from Him and His ways. They were worshiping other gods and doing their own thing. God was calling out to them and telling them to walk in agreement with Him.

Application:

This verse tells us in order for two to walk together they must agree on a direction. What God is saying is that He has set the direction and we must agree to walk according to His ways. We can’t be at unity with God and doing our own thing. We must be doing what God is doing and following His lead or we are walking in division. We are blessed when we walk in unity with God Almighty, but in order to do that, we must agree that His direction is the right direction.

Prayer:

Lord God, I want to walk Your direction. I want to walk in agreement with You all the days of my life. Teach me to know Your ways and live according to Your ways. Show me how to walk in agreement with You. I want to live a blessed life and an obedient life. The direction is set by You, help me to follow it well.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Love Expels Fear

 Scripture:

“Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.” ‭‭1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

John tells us here that God’s love has no fear attached to it because perfect love expels all fear. He goes on to say that if we are afraid, then we haven’t experienced His perfect love. God’s love is incredible and will position us in a place of confidence and not fear. 

Application:

We need to bask in the love of God until all fear has left us. We need to be so in love with Jesus that we don’t fear death or any other thing. We must also ask ourselves the question, “do people fear me or love me?” Are we communicating fear or love? We are to represent our Father, who is love personified. The world should know we are His disciples by our love for one another. We must learn to love well if we are going to represent God Almighty.

Prayer:

Father, teach me to love like You love. Empower me to walk in Your love and let fear lose all hold on my life. I want to live a life free rom fear of any kind and full of Your love. I want to love freely and not be afraid of the pain it could bring. I want to forgive like You forgive. Help me to walk as You walk and to love as You love.

Yours,

Jeff

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

 Scripture:

“Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.”  ‭‭1 John‬ ‭3‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

John says here that we shouldn’t merely say we love each other, but should show the truth with our actions. Real belief is always turned into action. Loving God’s people with our actions is crucial for us as believers. We must demonstrate what we believe. Love is an action word and people can tell when we speak it. 

Application:

If love is action, then I need to work more on doing love than on speaking love. I need to show my love by what I do more than what I say. I need to think through and learn to speak with my actions more than with my mouth. 

Prayer:

Lord God, teach me to love in actions and deeds instead of simply saying the words. Let my love for Your people be felt because of what I do, not what I say. You are love. Help me to love well and represent You well. I want to look more and more like You as I grow older. 

Yours Forever,

Jeff

No Other Savior

 Scripture:

““I have been the Lord your God ever since I brought you out of Egypt. You must acknowledge no God but me, for there is no other savior.” ‭‭Hosea‬ ‭13‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

As Hosea is finishing his prophetic words for Israel, the Lord speaks through him and says, “I have been your God ever since I brought you out of Egypt. You must acknowledge no god but me, for there is no other savior.” What a powerful verse. God was saying that He brought them out and has always been their God, but He needed them to acknowledge that instead of worshiping other gods.He wanted them to know He was the only savior.

Application:

We can look to all kinds of things to save us, but only the Lord wants to be our Savior. Jesus means “The Lord saves” and we must look to Him as the one who saves us. I need to remember that it is the Lord who saves us and nothing and nobody else. Our trust and reliance must be in Him and Him alone. The older I get, the more I want to trust God instead of relying on myself and me plans and thoughts.

Prayer:

Father, let me trust in You as my one and only Savior. You are worthy and have been so good to me. Thank You for blessing my life and providing for me over and over again. You are amazing and there is no one like You. Help me to look to nothing and no one to save me but You. You are my everything!

Yours Forever,

Jeff