Never Forsaken

 Scripture:

“For we were slaves. Yet our God did not forsake us in our bondage; but He extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to repair the house of our God, to rebuild its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.” ‭‭Ezra‬ ‭9‬:‭9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Observation:

Ezra makes a powerful statement about what God had done for His people. He says that they were slaves, yet God didn’t forsake them in their bondage. Rather, God gave mercy to repair the house of the Lord, rebuild it, and to build a wall around their city. He understood that they didn’t deserve anything, yet God’s mercy was working on their behalf.

Application:

God works for His people, even when they are the ones who have messed up. God doesn’t forsake us in our self-created bondage. He gives us a way of escape. He extends mercy when we deserve judgment. We must remember where the Lord has brought us from and thank Him for His incredible mercy and grace. He has truly blessed us as His people. He has been so good to me in so many ways.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, thank You for loving me, accepting me, and putting up with me. Thank You for not forsaking me in my bondage, but loving me and bringing me out. Thank You for working in my life, my family, my church, and our region. You are awesome! Help me to serve You well in my generation. Let my answer always be yes to You.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Prophets and Kings

 Scripture:

“So the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the command of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.” ‭‭Ezra‬ ‭6‬:‭14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Observation:

I love this because God’s people had been exiled to Babylon and were being sent back to rebuild their temple in Jerusalem. It says here that they prospered in the rebuilding through the prophesying of Haggai and Zechariah. It also demonstrates that three kings of other nations commanded the rebuilding of God’s temple. When God wants to get something done, He can cause kings of other nations to make it happen. We also see that it involved Haggai and Zechariah prophesying. We need prophets and kings to hear God’s word and make it happen.

Application:

God has the ability to cause what we are doing to prosper and be unstoppable. He has the ability to cause unbelievers to finance Kingdom work. He has the ability to cause those who are far from Him to get on the team and make His will be accomplished. When we obey the prophetic word, we can expect help to accomplish what God is saying. We must be ready to receive what God says and we must be ready to work with those who are not like us.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, I want to work with You on Your will here in Loudoun County, and in the nations of the earth. Help me to listen to the voice of Your prophets and to work with kings and leaders to accomplish Your will in the earth. Send people into my life that can make the dreams You have put in my heart to come to pass.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Faith Expressed in Love

 Scripture:

“For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love.” ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Paul is writing to the Galatians because they were slipping back into the Law as a means to salvation. He says here that when we put our faith in Christ and not in ourselves, there is no benefit to circumcision or uncircumcision. He says that the more important thing is faith expressing itself in love. In other words, love is the truest expression of faith.

Application:

We should be more known for our love of people than for our lists of regulations for being a Christian. Believers should be the most loving individuals on the planet. Christ continually broke the ceremonial law in order to help those who were hurting. He didn’t do this to destroy the Law, but to demonstrate that love is the heart of everything God does. I John tells us that God is love. If we are in Christ, love should ooze from our very being. Love should be what we are known for above all else.

Prayer:

Lord, let Your love flow through me. Teach me to let love as the greatest expression of my faith. I want to demonstrate Your incredible love to those around me. If I’m going to be known for something, let it be love and acceptance rather than rules and regulations. Help me to model Your love for all people.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Heirs of Abraham

 Scripture:

“There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.” ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭3‬:‭28‬-‭29‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Paul is writing Galatians to correct them concerning the observation of the Law and the belief through grace. He argues that the Law was until Christ as a way of getting and keeping people right with God. In this verse he summarizes his thoughts by saying that in Christ, there is lo longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. He continues by saying that we are all true children of Abraham. We are heirs and receive Abraham’s promise as well.

Application:

Faith pleases God, not works. Abraham taught us much and he lived before the Law was given to Moses. He was justified by faith and we are as well. When we come to God in faith, we become the children of Abraham, though we are physically Gentiles. Abraham was given some very powerful promises by God and we are heir to those promises through faith. We should live by faith, knowing that God has great intentions for us.

Prayer:

Father, help me to live well the life of faith. Teach me to trust You each day and to respond to Your calling on my life. I want to please You in every way and I want my life to be a vessel You can work through. Take my hands, my heart, my feet, etc. and use them for Your glory. I am Yours! On this Independence Day in the United States, help me to walk in the freedom You died to give me.

Yours,

Jeff

God Uses Unlikely People

 Scripture:

““This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a Temple at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Any of you who are his people may go there for this task. And may the Lord your God be with you!”” ‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭36‬:‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Cyrus was the king of Persia. He was a pagan king of a pagan nation while God’s people were in exile. He told everyone that God had appointed him to build a Temple in Jerusalem and allowed God’s people to go back to Jerusalem for that purpose. He was holding God’s people in bondage when the Lord spoke to him. God chose an outsider to send His people home to build a temple for him rather than an Israelite.

Application:

When God has something that needs to get done, he will use unlikely people to do it. Sometimes they may not even know why they are doing what they are doing. God raises us and appoints leaders to accomplish His purposes in the earth. He is in control and will find ways we can’t even imagine to bring about His purposes. We need to trust Him more because we can’t put God in our little boxes.

Prayer:

Father, help me to trust You more and more each day. Thank You for sharing this word with me today. You are in control, no matter who looks like they are in control. You are above all governments, powers, principalities, etc. You are greater than any army or fortress. You have ways of accomplishing things that we can’t even imagine. You know my needs and my desires. I trust You with all of them.

Yours,

Jeff

Far Greater

 Scripture:

““Be strong and courageous! Don’t be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria or his mighty army, for there is a power far greater on our side!” ‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭32‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Hezekiah was a great king. He sought with all his heart to please the Lord. When the king of Assyria was coming after him and threatening his people with destruction, he replied to his people and told them not to be afraid or discouraged because they had a power FAR GREATER on their side than the Assyrians had. He had confidence that God would fight his battles.

Application:

Sometimes, when life gets difficult and it seems we are not in a good position, we need to remember that a power far greater than whatever is against us, is on our side! We must remind ourselves of all the Lord has done in the past and in the present. God is far greater, far superior, far stronger, far more powerful, far better, than anything the enemy can send against us. 

Prayer:

FAR GREATER GOD, You are incredible! You are far greater than anything or anyone on this earth. You are worthy of my highest praise. Help me to walk with You and know that You will fight my battles as I delight myself in You. I long for Your presence and ask You to fill me to overflowing with Your Spirit. Help me to always see that You are FAR GREATER than anything that can come against me.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Guidance from the Lord

 Scripture:

“Uzziah sought God during the days of Zechariah, who taught him to fear God. And as long as the king sought guidance from the Lord, God gave him success.” ‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭26‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Zechariah taught Uzziah to fear God and worship Him. This verse says that as long as the king sought guidance from God, he was given success. The thing to observe is that seeking God’s guidance brings about success in all of life. God knows best what we need to do. Seeking His direction and guidance is the best thing we can do.

Application:

Many times it is easier to just go through life making the decisions that seem right at the time. It is sometimes easier to just do what makes sense rather than seek the Lord’s guidance on decisions we must make in our lives. God’s ways always lead to success. We must learn to seek His guidance, even when the decision seems easy to make. Direction from the Lord must be seen as a super valuable asset in our lives.

Prayer:

Lord, here I am once again asking You to guide and direct my life. Show me the things I am to be doing. Make clear the path before me and help me to be led by Your Spirit and not my flesh. Let me always be a seeker of God above all else. Open my ears and eyes to hear clearly and give me a heart to obey completely.

Yours,

Jeff