Future Hope

 Scripture:

“This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.”  ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭6:19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

The author of Hebrews tells us just prior to this, that God cannot lie, what He promises He will perform.  We have great hope because of His oaths and promises.  After his portion, the author speaks of us going through veil one day because Christ went through the veil.  Hope of eternal life Strongly anchors our hope in this life.  Hope takes us into God’s inner sanctuary.

Application:

The hope of eternal life is a promise from God and He does not lie.  This hope should become the anchor for our souls.  It is the hope of heaven that draws me to live right now.  It is the hope of heaven that causes me to obey and walk according to God’s ways.  If I have no hope beyond the grave, why work for the Lord in this life?  Our hope is not in a president or a politician.  Our hope is in the one who conquered death and has promised eternal life.  Our hope is strong and this hope leads us through the veil and into God’s presence.

Prayer:

Father, I anchor my hope to You and Your purposes.  I anchor my hope to eternal life and not the things that are in this life.  Help me to live with hope in a world that has none.  Help me to demonstrated to others that you can walk in hope because of Christ when everything looks hopeless.  Increase my faith and trust of You each day.

Yours for Eternity,

Jeff

Hard Hearts

 Scripture:

“Remember what it says: “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled.””  ‭Hebrews‬ ‭3:15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

The author of Hebrews says here that when we hear God’s voice, not to harden our hearts like Israel did when they rebelled.  He associates hard hearts with rebellion.  Nobody wakes up one day and decides to rebel against God.  They just allow their heart to harden a little bit because of things around them.  As the heart hardens, it doesn’t feel what it use to feel and doesn’t respond to the voice of the Lord like it once did.  It then ends up in rebellion.

Application:

A hard heart is dangerous in our relationship with God.  Our job is to keep our heart soft and pliable.  Hearts get hard when things don’t go the way we feel like they should.  Hearts get hard when we cry out and God doesn’t answer like we think He should.  Hearts get hard when we do what we want instead of what we know He wants us to do.  The only way to keep our hearts soft and pliable is to respond quickly when we hear God speak and to spend time in His presence.  We must allow His word to penetrate our hard hearts and open ourselves to Him and trust Him, even when it feels like He hasn’t done what we think He should have.

Prayer:

Father, let my heart be tender and soft before You.  Let me never have a hard heart, which leads to rebellion.  Help me to always be sensitive to Your will, Your ways, and Your leading.  Help me to understand that Your ways are not my ways and You that You don’t have to do the things I want You to do.  Let my heart remain soft before You all the days of my life.  Let me never grow hard.

Yours,

Jeff

A Word for America

 Scripture:

“Restore us, O Lord, and bring us back to you again! Give us back the joys we once had!”  ‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭5:21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

The people of Judah had been disobedient to the Lord and had forsaken His ways.  They had worshipped other gods and the Lord God Almighty was punishing them for it.  Jerusalem was in ruins and there was no hope for the people.  Devastation was everywhere the prophet looked.  Then the prophet cried out, “Restore us, O Lord, and bring us back to you again!  Give us back the joys we one had.”

Application:

I don’t like to look back very often because I am a forward looking individual, but recently I have been looking back on what the US was like when I was young.  It was a joyful place.  It was a blessed nation who couldn’t be compared to.  We always had our enemies and those who didn’t like us, but life was good and we felt safe at all times.  We never had to worry about the things we worry about today.  My cry today is for God to bring us back to the joys we once had.  That will require a massive turning toward Him, but it is possible.   America must turn back to God or we will never have our peace and prosperity again.

Prayer:

Father, would You move in America one more time.  I cry out to You.  Have mercy on this nation and pour out Your Spirit here.  We have left our first love and I ask You to forgive us.  Let America be a Christian nation once again that sees the goodness of serving You.  We have forsaken You and I ask You to forgive us.  May our hearts turn toward You and may Your blessing once again come upon my country.

Yours,

Jeff

Waiting on God

 Scripture:

“The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.”  Lamentations‬ ‭3:25-26‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Jeremiah was lamenting Jerusalem being destroyed and God’s people being destroyed.  Even in his crying and tears, he knew that they were being punished for their disobedience, yet God was still good to those who search for Him.  He was confident that it is good to wait quietly for God’s salvation instead of trying to do things on our own.

Application:

Waiting on God isn’t easy in a culture where we want to be in total control of of destiny and future at all times.  Waiting quietly is even harder.  Waiting for God is sometimes viewed as laziness or failure to exhibit a strong work ethic.  We need to be the hardest workers in the world, while waiting on God for the next step.  What He gives us to do, we must do with all our might, yet wait on Him quietly.  We must work His works while we wait for His salvation.

Prayer:

Lord God, teach me to balance of waiting on You and working hard for You and Your kingdom.  Help me to walk the line of being diligent about the things You have definitely spoken about, yet wait in the areas You have not spoken.  Help me not to work ahead or without You, but to wait and work together with You.

Your Son,

Jeff

Put Generosity into Action

 Scripture:

“And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ.”  Philemon‬ ‭1:6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Paul is writing to Philemon about Onesimus, Philemon’s runaway slave.  He tells Philemon that he is praying that he will “put into action the generosity that comes from your faith.”  Faith should cause us to put generosity into action.

Application:

Faith should cause generosity in our lives.  We have to put that generosity into action.  As we understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ, we should also put into action our generosity.  As believers, we should be the most generous people in the world.  Christ gave Himself completely for us, we should also be generous as we take on His likeness and allow Him to work in and through our lives.  I want to live a generous, Christlike life.

Prayer:

Father, I want to live a generous life.  I want to put this into action and live a life that exemplifies generosity.  You are generous and always give more than enough.  Help me to live a life that is generous in every way.  Teach me to trust You to be generous to me as I try to be generous for You.  Help me put generosity into action.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

God Defends His People

 Scripture:

“But the one who redeems them is strong. His name is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. He will defend them and give them rest again in Israel. But for the people of Babylon there will be no rest!”  Jeremiah‬ ‭50:34‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

God is speaking of Israel and Judah here when He says “He who redeems them is strong.”  Even though God punished them through the Assyrians and Babylonians, he still says He will defend them and give them rest again.  He also declares that He will punish the Babylonians for their treatment of Judah, even though they were doing it at His command.  God fights for His own, even when He punishes them.

Application:

Our God is faithful, even when we are unfaithful.  He will always bring us back to a place of rest when we trust in Him and turn from our own ways.  He will punish those who persecute us and will have vengeance of those who bring us harm.  We can also know from this verse that God is STRONG.  He is the LORD of heaven’s armies.  The one who fights of us is STRONG, therefore we have nothing to fear.

Prayer:

Father, You are strong and You give strength to Your people.  You are the God who fights our battles.  Fight for your daughter Cheryl today.  Heal her completely of this COVID 19.  Let her breathe freely and rest in You.  Help me to see You working in and through this.  My life is in Your hands.  I will follow You forever.  I am Yours.

Your Son,

Jeff

God Uses Ungodly People to Bring About His Judgment

Scripture:

 “I myself will go with Elam’s enemies to shatter it. In my fierce anger, I will bring great disaster upon the people of Elam,” says the Lord. “Their enemies will chase them with the sword until I have destroyed them completely.”  Jeremiah‬ ‭49:37‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

God is speaking through Jeremiah here concerning Elam.  He says He will shatter it and bring disaster on it.  Then He says how He will do it.  He says, “Their enemies will chase them with the sword until I have destroyed them completely.”  In other words, God is going to use their natural enemies to destroy them, but it would be Him doing it.  God uses ungodly people to bring about His will in the earth at times.

Application:

God can use anyone He chooses, whether to bring about justice, blessing, judgment, etc.  He has used ungodly kings to bless Israel in great ways.  He has used evil nations to destroy other evil nations.  God uses unlikely people and nations to bring about His will on the earth.  We must realize that some of the things that happen in the natural may actually be coming from God.  He can use natural disasters, enemy armies, etc.  He can use whatever means He wants to wake up His people.  We need to be able to see what is Him and what is use natural.

Prayer:

Father, open my eyes to see into the spiritual realm.  Help me to discern what is You working and what is just natural events taking place.  When my Father is doing something in the earth, I don’t want to mistake it for something else.  Help me to see clearly what You are doing and who You are working through.  Let me not judge Your choice of people, nations, and nature, but see what You are doing and work with You to accomplish what You are doing in the earth.

Your Son,

Jeff