Purified as Gold or Silver

 Scripture:

“He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord.” ‭‭Malachi‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Malachi says here that the Lord will sit like a refiner of silver. He will refine His people like gold and silver is refined so they can offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord. God wants pure worship from pure lives. He wants us to worship from pure hearts that have been tested and proven in the fiery trials of life. Purity means more than performance.

Application:

God doesn’t want us to offer excellent worship from impure hearts. He is looking, and always has been looking, for a people who will be completely His. He is looking for a people purified and set apart for Him and His work. Our job is to offer pure praise and worship from a pure heart. He will take care of the rest. He bestows blessings on those who serve Him with a pure heart. 

Prayer:

Father, This morning I say with David, create in me a clean heart O God, and renew a right spirit within me. During our 21 day fast coming up, purify my heart, my life, my mind, etc. so it will bring Your glory. Help me to represent You well and to live as You would among this people. Teach me to walk in step with You at all times. I long to be a vessel You will flow through in greater measure.

Forever Yours,

Jeff

God’s Mission

 Scripture:

“But my name is honored by people of other nations from morning till night. All around the world they offer sweet incense and pure offerings in honor of my name. For my name is great among the nations,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” ‭‭Malachi‬ ‭1‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

God’s desire was always that all nations would worship Him. He used Israel as an example of how serving Him would be a blessing to every nation. He wanted to use Israel to provoke jealousy in the nations. In this passage He shows that it worked. He declared that His name was great among the nations, but His own people were not serving Him well.

Application:

The mission of God has always been that all people, every nation, tribe, and tongue, would worship Him and serve Him. Our mission must align with His mission. We must do everything possible within the potential we have, to let God’s name be worshiped in all nations. Kingdom expansion and extension is at the heart of God and has always been. To be on God’s agenda, we must bring His glory to the nations.

Prayer:

Father, here I am. I give You my life for the extension of Your kingdom around the world. Use my life for this purpose. I want to be doing what You are doing around the earth. I want to be part of fulfilling Your mission on this planet until You come again. Bless my life, ministry, and church, so we can do more to extend Your kingdom in every region.

Forever on Your Mission,

Jeff

Obedience and Humility Always Win

 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 says here for those who are humble to seek the Lord and follow His commands. He tells them to do what is right and humble. Then, perhaps the Lord will protect them from His anger. He was pronouncing judgment in this book, but here tells them how to avoid judgment. Humility and trying to do what is right always avert God’s judgment. 

Application:

Humility and a hear to please God are the two most powerful things we can possess in walking with the Lord. He resists the proud and gives much grace to the humble. We must revere Him and fear Him above everything and everyone else. He is worthy of our obedience and humility before Him. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Prayer:

Father, let my life bring You glory and honor. Teach me to walk with You in humility. Help me to serve You well in my generation. I long to hear well done when I see Your face. Help me to demonstrate Your truths and Your ways to the people of God.

Forever Yours,

Jeff

Where are the Mourners?

 Scripture:

“All who see you will shrink back and say, ‘Nineveh lies in ruins. Where are the mourners?’ Does anyone regret your destruction?”” ‭‭Nahum‬ ‭3‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

In this passage, God is taunting Nineveh. He sends Nahum with a message of destruction because of their disobedience and pride. The prophet saw what was coming upon them and spoke about it. He asked a couple of questions that are triggering questions, “Where are the mourners?” And “Does anyone regret your destruction?” These are real questions that evoke much thought.

Application:

Sometimes it is good to think about your own funeral. This week I have done two funerals. Funerals always cause us to think on our lives and their impact. Once in a while it is good to ask, “Where are the mourners?” And “Does anyone regret your destruction?” I also ask a question of the church I pastor, “If we disappeared from our city, would anyone miss us?” These are tough questions, but make you think about your effectiveness in life. Once in a while we must ask ourselves who will be upset when we are gone. Who would be show up at our funeral?

Prayer:

Father, I want my life to count. I want my life to make a difference for many people. I want to make an impact with my life. Help me to stay focused on what’s important to You and Your kingdom. Let me live a life that would cause lots of mourning at my funeral. Let my life make an impact every day for You and Your kingdom.

Forever Yours,

Jeff

The Ultimate Will of God

 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. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭21‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

At the end of the book of Revelation we can clearly see the will of God that I have been talking about from the beginning of Genesis this year. His ultimate goal is seen here, “God’s home is now among His people! He will live with them, and they will be His people… He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” Throughout the Old Testament we see that God has always wanted a people who would be completely His and that He could bless so the whole world would know His goodness.

Application:

God’s ultimate desire and will for us is that we be completely His and He dwell with us eternally. His will is that there be no more suffering, pain, crying, death, or sorrow. That is the end game that He is working on. Currently we live in a fallen state where the curse affects everything we see. One day, the curse will completely be broken and we will see the perfect state God always wanted for His people. It is going to be incredible and our job now is to let the world know so that they may be part of this incredible future.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, Your plans are good and glorious. You are amazing and I love that You want good things for Your children. Thank You for being so good to me. Enable me to bring more and more people to Your banquet. Help me to plunder hell and populate heaven. Let my life be used for Your glory and to bring countless souls to glory. 

Your Son Forever,

Jeff

Loud and Strong Praises

 Scripture:

“Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder: “Praise the Lord! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭19‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Revelation 19 describes what happens when Jesus comes back to set up His rule for the 1,000 Millennial reign of Christ. As He defeats the enemy, there is rejoicing and worship in His presence. John heard it like the sound of a vast crowd, or the roar of mighty waves, or powerful thunder. They were proclaiming, “Praise the Lord! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.”

Application:

Throughout the book of Revelation, worship is a massive part of what is going on. The worship in this passage is loud and powerful. I love to be in huge crowds worshiping Christ together. There is nothing like it when people raise their voices to God to give Him praise. At the same time, it doesn’t take a crowd to worship with passion. We need to be people who worship strong and passionate in the big crowd as well as in the smaller crowd.

Prayer:

Father, let my worship be fitting for a king. Let my praise ascend to Your throne. Help me to never worship with less than all of me. I want to exalt Your name with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Help me to create loud thunder with my praises.

Your Cheerleader,

Jeff

Living with a Go Bag

 Scripture:

““Look, I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their clothing ready so they will not have to walk around naked and ashamed.”” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭16‬:‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

This is Jesus speaking in the book of Revelation. He says He will come unexpectedly, like a thief. He goes on to say that those who are watching for Him and keep their clothing ready, are blessed and will not be ashamed. 

Application:

We need to be ready at all times for the coming of the Lord. We must be a people who live prepared to go at any time. I am reminded this morning of some training I had with a person who serves and agency of our government. He taught us to always have a “go” bag with all our necessities in it. This would allow us to get out of our hotel or wherever, with our important things quickly if an emergency happened. Living for Jesus should be like living with our go bag ready. We should be looking for His appearance and living for Him while we wait for His return.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, I want to be ready at all times for Your coming. Help me to live every day like it was my last day. Help me to make the most of every opportunity in Your kingdom. Show me Your ways and let me serve You well in these last days. Let me live prepared, and helping others get prepared, for Your soon coming. I’m watching for Your return.

Yours,

Jeff