Scripture:
Genesis 48:9 "Then Israel said, 'Bring them to me so I may bless them'".
Observation:
Israel knew he had been blessed by God and when he was, he was told that he would be a blessing. In this story he asks Joseph to bring his sons to him so they could be blessed by their grandfather. He knew he had the power to bless them and they would be blessed. He knew what he spoke over them would come to pass. He had a desire to bless his grandchildren.
Application:
Israel went looking for people to bless. He wanted his generations to be blessed and he knew he was the key. We need to understand better the power of the blessing. We should bless our children and grandchildren. Just as Israel wanted to "be a blessing", we should as well. Who can I bless today?
Prayer:
Father, you have blessed me and I want to be a blessing today. Help me to speak Your words over people's lives that they may be blessed. Teach me more about this I pray.
Yours,
Jeff
Friday, November 8, 2013
Thursday, November 7, 2013
God's Amazing Grace
Scripture:
Genesis 45:20 "Never mind about your belongings, because the best of all Egypt will be yours".
Observation:
Joseph had revealed himself to his brothers and Pharaoh found out they were there. Joseph forgave them for all they had done to him in selling him into slavery and faking his death. These guys deserved the death sentence, but they were given the best of all Egypt. They went from "blessed" in Israel in their father's house to "superblessed" by probably the strongest man in the world at the time. They deserved punishment and received grace!
Application:
When God forgives us, He does it right. He doesn't just forgive us, but brings us to Himself, calls us His children, and blesses us beyond measure. His grace is amazing! He doesn't look at what you have done, but at who you are and, just like Joseph, how you are related to Him. We are His children and He loves us incredibly.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for the reminder that Your grace is amazing today. You don't give us the sentence we deserve, but give us the blessing we don't deserve. You are incredible!
Yours Forever,
Jeff
Genesis 45:20 "Never mind about your belongings, because the best of all Egypt will be yours".
Observation:
Joseph had revealed himself to his brothers and Pharaoh found out they were there. Joseph forgave them for all they had done to him in selling him into slavery and faking his death. These guys deserved the death sentence, but they were given the best of all Egypt. They went from "blessed" in Israel in their father's house to "superblessed" by probably the strongest man in the world at the time. They deserved punishment and received grace!
Application:
When God forgives us, He does it right. He doesn't just forgive us, but brings us to Himself, calls us His children, and blesses us beyond measure. His grace is amazing! He doesn't look at what you have done, but at who you are and, just like Joseph, how you are related to Him. We are His children and He loves us incredibly.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for the reminder that Your grace is amazing today. You don't give us the sentence we deserve, but give us the blessing we don't deserve. You are incredible!
Yours Forever,
Jeff
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Joseph Raised up
Scripture:
Genesis 41:40 "You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you".
Observation:
When God decides to raise a person up, He does and amazing job of it. Joseph was in a nation that was not his own. He was in prison days before this for a crime he did not commit. Suddenly God raised up Joseph at least twenty years after the dreams he had at seventeen years old. God took him instantly from the prison to being equal with the the most powerful man in the world at that time in a moment.
Application:
God's promotion timetable is never quite like ours. Many times He will give a dream or a vision and it will be many years in between the vision and the victory. No matter where we are today, tomorrow can be completely different if we follow after the Lord. This man's life went from a prison to a palace in a day. We must trust that God knows what He is doing in our lives and that the things He has promised will come to pass if we don't faint.
Prayer:
Father, help me to keep the faith when things don't appear to be going like I think they should. Help me to walk with you daily and know that You will do everything You have shown me. Teach me to walk by faith and not by sight, knowing that greater days are coming.
Yours Faithfully,
Jeff
Genesis 41:40 "You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you".
Observation:
When God decides to raise a person up, He does and amazing job of it. Joseph was in a nation that was not his own. He was in prison days before this for a crime he did not commit. Suddenly God raised up Joseph at least twenty years after the dreams he had at seventeen years old. God took him instantly from the prison to being equal with the the most powerful man in the world at that time in a moment.
Application:
God's promotion timetable is never quite like ours. Many times He will give a dream or a vision and it will be many years in between the vision and the victory. No matter where we are today, tomorrow can be completely different if we follow after the Lord. This man's life went from a prison to a palace in a day. We must trust that God knows what He is doing in our lives and that the things He has promised will come to pass if we don't faint.
Prayer:
Father, help me to keep the faith when things don't appear to be going like I think they should. Help me to walk with you daily and know that You will do everything You have shown me. Teach me to walk by faith and not by sight, knowing that greater days are coming.
Yours Faithfully,
Jeff
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
When God is With You
Scripture:
Genesis 39:23 "The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did".
Observation:
In this story about Joseph you can see the hand of God working in this man's life in amazing ways. Whenever he is in a bad situation, it says, 'The lord was with Joseph'. He came out of every bad situation because the Lord was with him. God always brought Joseph to the top of those around him. When God is with you, even bad situations are turned to good.
Application:
When God is with you, even your enemies seem to give you promotions and raises. When God is with you as He was with Joseph, bad things happen, but even in the bad things, God brings promotion and blessing your way. I want the blessing of God on my life. I want to live a life where incredible odds are beaten every time because God is with me. How do I get God to be with me? He already is, but He also said seek me and you will find me when you seek for me with all your heart. The answer...seek Him more in every situation.
Prayer:
Lord God Almighty, You are faithful. It is amazing how you were with Joseph and you blessed him in the midst of terrible happenings. I want You to be with me every day. I want Your presence in my life. I want to walk with You and talk with You. I am Yours.
Love,
Jeff
Genesis 39:23 "The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did".
Observation:
In this story about Joseph you can see the hand of God working in this man's life in amazing ways. Whenever he is in a bad situation, it says, 'The lord was with Joseph'. He came out of every bad situation because the Lord was with him. God always brought Joseph to the top of those around him. When God is with you, even bad situations are turned to good.
Application:
When God is with you, even your enemies seem to give you promotions and raises. When God is with you as He was with Joseph, bad things happen, but even in the bad things, God brings promotion and blessing your way. I want the blessing of God on my life. I want to live a life where incredible odds are beaten every time because God is with me. How do I get God to be with me? He already is, but He also said seek me and you will find me when you seek for me with all your heart. The answer...seek Him more in every situation.
Prayer:
Lord God Almighty, You are faithful. It is amazing how you were with Joseph and you blessed him in the midst of terrible happenings. I want You to be with me every day. I want Your presence in my life. I want to walk with You and talk with You. I am Yours.
Love,
Jeff
Friday, November 1, 2013
A Hundredfold Blessing
Scripture:
Genesis 26:12 "Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him".
Observation:
When Isaac is being described in Genesis, it talks about how wealthy he had gotten and it directly speaks of that fact that God had blessed him and made him rich. In this passage we see that Isaac planted crops and in the same year had a hundredfold harvest. When God decides to bless someone, He does it well. He made Isaac so rich and powerful that those around him became nervous.
Application:
I am generally pretty hard on prosperity preachers because I don't want people to serve God so that they can get rich. At the same time I can't deny that God's blessing does produce wealth. It is seen all through the Bible. There are those who had God's blessing on their lives, who did not get wealthy, but in an honest evaluation, most of those who were blessed of God also became quite wealthy. Things just worked well for them and God made everything they did prosper. I'm still not a prosperity preacher, but I do believe God still blesses His people in this way as we do His will.
Prayer:
Lord, teach me the truth about prosperity. Show me the right position to have. I don't want to misuse or wrongly teach Your Word on this topic. Keep me on the right course, but I also do ask you to bless me, my family, my church and my ministry financially.
Yours,
Jeff
Genesis 26:12 "Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him".
Observation:
When Isaac is being described in Genesis, it talks about how wealthy he had gotten and it directly speaks of that fact that God had blessed him and made him rich. In this passage we see that Isaac planted crops and in the same year had a hundredfold harvest. When God decides to bless someone, He does it well. He made Isaac so rich and powerful that those around him became nervous.
Application:
I am generally pretty hard on prosperity preachers because I don't want people to serve God so that they can get rich. At the same time I can't deny that God's blessing does produce wealth. It is seen all through the Bible. There are those who had God's blessing on their lives, who did not get wealthy, but in an honest evaluation, most of those who were blessed of God also became quite wealthy. Things just worked well for them and God made everything they did prosper. I'm still not a prosperity preacher, but I do believe God still blesses His people in this way as we do His will.
Prayer:
Lord, teach me the truth about prosperity. Show me the right position to have. I don't want to misuse or wrongly teach Your Word on this topic. Keep me on the right course, but I also do ask you to bless me, my family, my church and my ministry financially.
Yours,
Jeff
Thursday, October 31, 2013
This is from the Lord
Scripture:
Genesis 24:50 "Laban and Bethuel answered, 'This is from the Lord; we can say nothing to you one way or the other'".
Observation:
Abraham's servant had gone back to Abraham's people to find a wife for Isaac. When he got where he was going, he asked God to confirm who Isaac was to marry by having her do certain things. He was very specific and she did everything he had asked God for her to do if she was the one. God's will in this situation became very clear and there was no doubt she was the one. All her parents could say about having their daughter move far away to marry a stranger was, "This is from the Lord", and that was enough. They trusted God enough to know He was speaking and that He would take care of their daughter.
Application:
It is a wonderful thing to know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you are doing what God wants you to do. When it has been confirmed very clearly and without doubt, there is a peace that God will take care of you through every trial because you know you are in His will. We need to seek the Lord again until the things we say and do are answered by, "This is from the Lord". God doesn't get glory by hiding His will from us, but by revealing it so the world around us may also say, "This is from the Lord".
Prayer:
Lord, I want to be in Your will at all times and I want You to confirm it clearly so I can walk in confidence. Teach me to follow You more closely and open doors in my life that would cause others to say, "This is from the Lord".
Yours Always,
Jeff
Genesis 24:50 "Laban and Bethuel answered, 'This is from the Lord; we can say nothing to you one way or the other'".
Observation:
Abraham's servant had gone back to Abraham's people to find a wife for Isaac. When he got where he was going, he asked God to confirm who Isaac was to marry by having her do certain things. He was very specific and she did everything he had asked God for her to do if she was the one. God's will in this situation became very clear and there was no doubt she was the one. All her parents could say about having their daughter move far away to marry a stranger was, "This is from the Lord", and that was enough. They trusted God enough to know He was speaking and that He would take care of their daughter.
Application:
It is a wonderful thing to know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you are doing what God wants you to do. When it has been confirmed very clearly and without doubt, there is a peace that God will take care of you through every trial because you know you are in His will. We need to seek the Lord again until the things we say and do are answered by, "This is from the Lord". God doesn't get glory by hiding His will from us, but by revealing it so the world around us may also say, "This is from the Lord".
Prayer:
Lord, I want to be in Your will at all times and I want You to confirm it clearly so I can walk in confidence. Teach me to follow You more closely and open doors in my life that would cause others to say, "This is from the Lord".
Yours Always,
Jeff
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Laughter
Scripture:
Genesis 21:6 "Sarah said, 'God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me'".
Observation:
Sarah had just given birth to Isaac at ninety years of age with a husband of a hundred. She said, "God has brought me laughter" and actually named her son Isaac, which means "laughter". She associated the blessing and promise of God with laughter.
Application:
Today it seems that the more they grow in God, the less they laugh. When they first meet Jesus, joy fills their hearts and they overflow with laughter and joy in their new found relationship with Christ. As they grow, things go wrong, Christian people treat them wrong, God doesn't give them something they want, etc. and their joy disappears. Many Christians look miserable most of the time. I want joy and laughter to always be a large part of who I am. I want to live a life that makes the world wonder where I found such joy. I want to still be laughing when I am ninety.
Prayer:
Lord, I know I have lost my smile and laughter to some degree this past year. I want it back. I want to enjoy life again. I want to be filled with your joy in a very real sense as has been the hallmark of my life. Help me smile more and laugh more once again.
Yours,
Jeff
Genesis 21:6 "Sarah said, 'God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me'".
Observation:
Sarah had just given birth to Isaac at ninety years of age with a husband of a hundred. She said, "God has brought me laughter" and actually named her son Isaac, which means "laughter". She associated the blessing and promise of God with laughter.
Application:
Today it seems that the more they grow in God, the less they laugh. When they first meet Jesus, joy fills their hearts and they overflow with laughter and joy in their new found relationship with Christ. As they grow, things go wrong, Christian people treat them wrong, God doesn't give them something they want, etc. and their joy disappears. Many Christians look miserable most of the time. I want joy and laughter to always be a large part of who I am. I want to live a life that makes the world wonder where I found such joy. I want to still be laughing when I am ninety.
Prayer:
Lord, I know I have lost my smile and laughter to some degree this past year. I want it back. I want to enjoy life again. I want to be filled with your joy in a very real sense as has been the hallmark of my life. Help me smile more and laugh more once again.
Yours,
Jeff
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)