Bring Honor

Scripture:

“I will bring honor to your name in every generation. Therefore, the nations will praise you forever and ever.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭45:17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

The Psalmist here says that he will bring honor to the Lord’s name in every generation.  His ultimate desire was that the nations would praise God forever and ever.  He wanted to live honorable so the name of the Lord would be praised in all the earth.

Application:

I want to live a life that brings God, not only praise, but honor.  To live a life that honors God, I think we must live by the power of the Spirit.  To live a life that brings honor to God, I believe we must walk out our faith on a daily basis.  We also must walk the walk for the long haul.  So many do a great job for a long time, only to ruin it in the end by getting off course.  I want to live my life for God for the long haul and cause His name to be praised in all the earth.  

Prayer:

Father, let my life honor You and let my life help bring you praise in every nation.  I want to make a difference for You and Your kingdom in the whole world.  Help me to make Your name famous in my generation.  Let my life honor You in the big and the little.  I am Yours.  Be glorified in my life.

Yours,

Jeff

He and I

Scripture:

“I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭40:1-2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

The Psalmist here goes back and forth between He and I.  He says things like, “I waited...He turned to me”, “He heard my cry”, “He lifted me”, “He set my feet”, and “I walked along.”  There is a part we play in our relationship with God and a part He plays.  He does the heavy lifting and we seek Him out in everything.

Application:

God works on behalf of those those seek Him and wait on Him.  The “I” sections of this verse say, “I waited patiently, I cried out, and I walked along.”  The “He” sections say, “He turned, He heard my cry, He lifted, He set my feet.”  God pulls the heavier load in all of this.  Our job is to cry out to Him and seek His face, His job is to make the path straight in front of us.  He lifts up those who seek Him.  Lastly, He steadies us “as” we walk along.  Sometimes we have to start walking before He starts stepping in to help us.  We cry out and start walking.  He does the rest.

Prayer:

Father, help me to cry out to You more and more as Your day approaches.  Steady my path as I walk before You.  Teach me to walk this walk You have set ahead of me.  I need You now more than ever.  You are my everything.  You are my source of love, joy, peace, and all the rest of the fruit of the Spirit.  You are the one I lean on and You are the one who will show me the way forward each day.  I cry out to You.  I need you daddy.

Your Son,

Jeff

God’s Love and Faithfulness

Scripture:

“Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭36:5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

The Psalmist here tries to describe the love and faithfulness of God by using the vastness of the heavens.  He says that God’s unfailing love is a huge as the heavens and His faithfulness, or dependability, goes past the clouds.  In other words, the love and faithfulness of God goes beyond anything on this earth.  It goes as far as the eye can see.

Application:

God’s love is unfailing.  It never fails.  It doesn’t stop.  It is huge and vast as the heavens above.  His faithfulness, His loyalty and commitment are higher than the clouds in the sky.  I know the Word, but I want to know Him better.  I want to walk more confidently in God’s love and faithfulness.  I also want these characteristics of God to be demonstrated in and through my life.  I want to reflect my Father well.

Prayer:

Father, let my life reflect Your life.  Help me to walk in unending love and massive faithfulness.  Let me not give up on people, but see them as You see them.  Help me to walk faithful to my calling and faithful to my family.  Help me to be faithful to every assignment You place on my life.  Help me to be more like You.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Each Time

Scripture:

“The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34:19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

The Psalmist here tells us that the the righteous face many troubles.  He doesn’t act like they don’t.  He doesn’t say that they shouldn’t face troubles if they just had faith.  He said they face many troubles, but he also added that the LORD comes to rescue each time.  God always shows up to rescue the righteous.

Application:

Scripture doesn’t promise us that we will never have any difficulties.  It tells us we will have many troubles, but we are also promised that the LORD will rescue us every single time.  I would rather have trouble and be consistently rescued, than to have less trouble and never be rescued.  God likes us to lean on Him so He allows us to get into some troubles, but then He delivers us.  I can walk confidently that God will deliver me out of every situation in my life.

Prayer:

Lord God, help me to have confidence in Your love and Your Word.  Teach me to walk with You and know that You always rescue Your people.  I want to live a life of faith and trust You at higher levels.  Rescue me when things get bad.

Yours,

Jeff

Confidence in His Goodness

Scripture:

“Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭27:13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation;

The Psalmist here declares that he is confident that he will see the Lord’s goodness on this side of the grave.  He knew that God would bless him, not only with eternal life, but in the land of the living.  He understood that God is good to his people, not only in death, but in life.

Application:

Being confident in something means you believe it will surely come to pass.  It really is faith that God will do what He says He will do.  I want to walk in confidence that I will see the Lord’s goodness  before I leave this planet.  I am very content with how God has blessed my life in the past, but I also want to see His goodness And provision at new levels in my life. I want to live by faith and be more confident that God will bless my life in the land of the living.

Prayer:

Father, I know there are reserved incredible blessing for my life when I see You face to face in eternity, but I want to walk in more confidence that I will see Your goodness before I go from this earth.  I want my family to see the goodness of God in my life before death.  I want people to see the blessing of God on my life before I pass from this life into the next.  While in the land of the living, let me see the day of Your blessing.

Your Son,

Jeff 

Rise Up Oh Lord

Scripture:

“Rise up, O Lord, in all your power. With music and singing we celebrate your mighty acts.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭21:13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

The Psalmist is speaking here to the Lord and tells Him to rise up in all his power.  He realized that God needed to rise up and do something in the world around him.  He continued to say that with music and singing they would celebrate His mighty acts.  He was telling the Lord they would celebrate Him when He would rise up and move on their behalf.

Application:

We need God to arise in the world today and show Himself strong.  We need to cry out to the Lord and celebrate Him with music and singing as we cry out for His help with the things going on all over the earth.  We know God is able to step in and solve all the issues our world is facing, we must need to ask Him to arise and let His power be demonstrated to the world.  In troubled times, we need to turn and cry out to the Lord.  Only He can save.

Prayer:

Lord, hear my cry this morning.  Arise and bring an end to coronavirus and the rioting going on all over the earth.  Arise upon Your people and bring resolution to the problems we are facing.  I cry out to You and ask You to arise and move on behalf of Your people, my family, the church I pastor, the area I live and pour out Your Spirit in all the earth.  Your is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.  Amen.

Your Son,

Jeff

Under My Feet

Scripture:

“You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet,”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭8:6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Observation:

The Psalmist, speaking of man, said that You God gave him to have dominion over the work of His hands and that all things have been put under his feet.  Just prior to this it says that man has been made a little lower than the angels.  God placed man above every other thing.  In Ephesians it says that everything is under the feet of Christ, yet we are His body, therefore, if it is under His feet, it is under our feet.

Application:

We must realize the position of authority the LORD has given us.  God has placed incredible authority in man’s possession.  He wants us to rule His creation and rule it well.  Our place is to exercise the authority He has given us to execute His will in the earth.  He has given us power and authority, we must begin to use it for His glory to make changes in the earth that He would want made.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, help me to understand the authority You have given to man better and better.  You placed everything under the feet of man.  Help me to understand that and walk in that.  Help me to exercise true spiritual authority in my region of influence.  Teach me to live how You want me to live and to extend Your kingdom in the earth all the days of my life.  Teach me how to walk in authority You have given me as a man created in Your image.

Yours,

Jeff