Hos 10-12; Ps 73; Heb 4

Scripture - Heb. 4:12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Observation - as the writer of Hebrews describes the "rest of God" and the opportunity to enter it, he mentions several qualities regarding the Word of God:

• living - zao - to live, quick
• active - energes - active, operative, effectual, powerful
• sharper - tomoteros - to cut as if by a single stroke whereas others would require multiple hackings
• penetrates - diikneomai - to reach through or penetrate

Application - God's Word is powerful and living in our lives. It even separates truth from emotion. It can allow us to discern our motives as we act, and allow us to see the attitudes of our heart. It is only possible, however, if we have an ear to hear it. Reading the Word, hearing it, being in a place to receive it is where I want to be.

Prayer - Lord, allow me to grow in my ability to hear what you are saying!

Hebrews 3

Scripture - Heb. 3:1 1Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.

Observation - The author instructs us to fix (kat-an-o-eh'-o
to observe fully, behold, consider, discover, perceive) our thoughts on Jesus.

Application - My day can be busy and though it is often doing pastoral activities, it is important that I constantly bring my focus on Christ. First of all, He is the one I am falling. Second of all, He is the one I need to be talking to. Thirdly, it allows me to hear His voice. Fourthly, it brings me into His Presence. Fifthly, that allows me to operate in His anointing and power.

I heard it once said, "practice the presence of Jesus." I think the two statements are similar.

Prayer - Lord, today, let me practice your presence.

Amos 7-9; Ps 104; Titus 2

Scripture - Psa. 104:27 These all look to you to give them their food at the proper time. 28 When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things.

Observation - the psalmist takes time to describe various animals in nature from the birds to goats, describing how all receive their sustenance from God. In verse 21 he says, The lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God. Most would think the lion hunts, and he expects to catch his game by means of his stealth, his skill, his speed and his strength. Not so according to this Psalm. Instead, the lion roars, or expresses his need, and then looks for God to supply.

Application - it is an amazing when you come to the place to understand that all of us get our "food" from God at the "proper time." His is our source for all good things. While we might work hard, if his hand doesn't open, we will walk away with nothing. When he does open his hand, we are then able to gather it up. Not a moment before! As his hand of supply opens, we are able to receive and enjoy. As the animals of the earth are totally reliant on the provision of God, so are we. From our next meal to our mortgage payment to our provision during retirment, God is our source!

Prayer - Lord, I pray you will open your hand and release your supply. The time has come.

Amos 7-9; Ps 104; Titus

Scripture - Titus 1:10 For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. 11 They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain.

Observation - Paul warns Titus of the importance of doctrinal fidelity in the lives of leaders. This is an ongoing passion of Paul's as he addresses churches and church leaders in many of the epistles. Clearly, there was a problem with people teaching false doctrines which were destroying entire families. The underlying motive - financial gain. Behind every false doctrine and movement, lies money. Crooked leaders will do anything to get it, and unfortunately, unwise followers are duped, drained, and destroyed.

Application - Though it is not addressed here, I immediately thought of the fallout from a family being destroyed by church leadership. I deal with that scenario often. Through the years I have met families with deep, infected, life altering scars from leaders, churches and fellow Christians. Sometimes the injuries are self inflicted without the victim realizing it, but often, the damage is legit. The saddest part of that picture is when the injury leads to a rejection of people, leaders, God's family, and even God.

We had a neighborhood dog that scared my kids when they were small... several times. I guess the owner thought leash laws were optional. It traumatized my kids to the point that if a dog got near them, they would begin to scream uncontrollably. They wouldn't look at dogs, pet dogs, think about dogs. So, I went out and bought a puppy. They were scared to death of him, even though he was only 6 weeks old. That didn't last long. Today, we have more pictures of our dog than our kids... mainly because our kids take those pictures. They love our dog.

Some people are injured by dogs, and they write dogs off, even though they are a wonderful gift from God. My prayer is that we as believers, as leaders and as a church can help to be a part of the process of helping people to have their faith restored in God's wonderful gift, the church.

Prayer - Lord, help us to continue to be a part of restoration for injured believers.

1 Kings 20-21; 2 Chron 17; Col 3

Scripture - Col. 3:2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Observation - We are instructed to set (phroneō
- to exercise the mind, to be mentally disposed earnestly in a certain direction, intensively to interest oneself in, set the affection on) our minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Application - My mind power is consumed dealing with things of this earth. I have things that must be dealt with, solved, considered, planned, etc. To neglect such would be wrong. But I have a tendency to take care of business, and because of habit and routine, to allow my mind to continue to stay in that place. Thus, even my "non-working" thoughts are stuck in the grass of earthly issues.

According to this verse, I need to engage in the exercise, and it is an exercise, of shifting my thoughts from earthy to eternal. I need to pull my mind out of the slime of this world's gutter and focus on eternal and spiritual things. In another portion of scripture, that exercise is described as "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." Another similar verse - Phil. 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

This is important because we live out the things we think about!

Prayer - Lord, help me to set my thoughts on you.

1 Kings 16; 2 Chron 15-16; Col 1

Scripture - Col. 1:12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

Observation - Paul, writing to the Colossians, spends a few lines encouraging them because of their great reputation. They were originally saved under the ministry Epaphras (v7) who shared many details about their experience. Paul, after sharing several amazing facts about Jesus, encourages them to continue giving thanks to the Father for what He had accomplished in them.

Application - I am reminded from this verse of what initially qualifies me for all of the inheritance of heaven: the sacrifice of the Father by means of the crucifixion of his sinless son! On my own, I am no worthy, nor can I qualify myself. This is one of those things that is easy to forget. After a success or two, a sacrifice or two, and an act of service or two, it is very easy to feel like I have earned heaven and even deserve it. This verse is an "in your face" reminder - the inheritance I enjoy and will enjoy to greater measure some day has been made available to me only because of God's grace!

Prayer - Lord, thank you today for your reminder. Thank you for all you have done for me! All of life's blessings are a gift from you!

SOS 1-4; Eph 6

Scripture - Eph. 6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Observation - Paul is giving instruction for victorious living in spite of the attack of the enemy. After describing the spiritual armor that a believer should wear, he challenges us to pray in the Spirit, with all kinds of prayers and requests.

Application - I pray, but not always in the Spirit. Sometimes, I simply speak to the Lord. It is a normal dialogue, a time when I give thanks, or pray, or discuss. The there are times when I move beyond a simple prayer and begin to stir my spirit and the Spirit of God within me to pray. It is a far more Spirit-led prayer. While praying in the spirit = tongues to many people, tongues may or may not be involved. Praying in the Spirit is an entry into the realm of the Holy Spirit that allows us to interact with God on a much deeper level.  I find that as I pray in the Spirit, there is a great propensity for me to hear from God as I am praying. It is beyond me talking with God about a matter, it is an interaction between the two of us. It allows my heart to be touched, my mind to be changed, my emotions to be refreshed and new direction in a matter to be established.

Prayer - Lord, I need to pray in the Spirit MORE!

Ecc 10-12; Ps 94; Eph 5

Scripture - Eph. 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 

Observation - Paul instructs the church of Ephesus to avoid getting drunk (methusko - to drink to the point of intoxication) which leads to debauchery (asotia - unsavedness, reckless extravagancy), but instead to be filled (pleroo - to cram, level up) with the Spirit.

Application - a few items stand out to me in these verse.  First, the instruction to be filled with the Spirit is fascinating. As believers, we all have the Spirit within us. (Rom. 8:9 And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ) Scripturally, we are filled with the Spirit from the moment we receive Christ. But the scripture he challenges us do what it takes to see the Spirit refill our lives. There is the implication that though the Spirit abides within us, there will be times when we are not "filled." The level of the Spirits filling seems to diminish and there is the need for us to see that the level is brought up so that we are full.

I also think it is interesting that the words for "drunk" and "filled" are similar in concept.

Finally, it's important to note that being drunk and being filled are in the same sentance and part of the same directive. I think that there are reasons why people get drunk. There is a need. Wether stress, loneliness, sadness, depression, a person gets drunk to "medicate". Scripture teaches a new way to deal with problems. The Spirit allows us to deal with our problems in a healthy way. Being filled with the Spirit doesn't medicate the situation or cover it up, but allows us to deal with it and solve it.

Prayer - Lord, let me walk in the fulness of your Spirit.

Ecc 7-9; Eph 4

Scripture - Eph. 4:1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 

Observation - In the previous chapter, Paul concluding that God "is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us." He starts this chapter off explaining that who God is and what He has done in our lives warrants a lifestyle choice from each of us that is an appropriate response.

Application - We don't live a certain type of life to gain God's favor. We live a certain type of life because of God's favor. Our lives should be the answer to the question, "Now that I have saved your life, what will you do with it?"

Prayer - Lord, allow me to live out my appreciation for what you have done in my life.

Prov 30-31; Ps 33; Eph 1

Scripture - Psa. 33:16 No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. 17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. 18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, 19 to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.

Observation - Every king needs an army, but scripture reminds us that NO king is saved by the size of his army. And while every warrior needs strength, NO warrior escapes because is is great. Further, a horse of tremendous value, but it can not save. The Lord is the ONE who delivers from death, with or without those items. He produces success without a single tool. After all, as this Psalm declares, He spoke the world into existence with nothing but His Words. Therefore, your lack of food doesn't hinder him from keeping you well fed.

Application - I stood talking to one of the guys in the church. He is in managment and he mentioned that his company is growing and needing to hire a few employees. That was interesting in light of our present economy. Most companies are laying people off, or at least, there is a freeze in hiring. I mentioned to him that for the most part, everyone in the church is working right now, and what a blessing that is. I shared with him that we actually have a number of people who have been hired and promoted with significant pay raises over the last several months. He smiled at me and said, "Yep, people just need to realize that God is their source, not this economy!" That is so true. He doesn't need an army, or a horse. He can supply with nothing at all!

Prayer - Lord, in the areas that I am looking to you for provision, I recognize that you and you alone are the one who has to provide. If I had stacks of supply, that still wouldn't be sufficient without your blessing, and a pile of dust with your blessing is more than enough! Provide, I pray.

Prov 25-27; Rom 15

Scripture - Rom. 15:4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Observation - Paul mentions hope as being a the byproduct of two things: 1) endurance, and 2) the encouragement of the scriptures.

Application - Hope is such a compelling force that affects emotions and our physical actions. The hope of a paycheck gets us out of bed in the morning. The hope of for someone's salvation keeps us sharing the story of what He has done for us. The hope for safety keeps us paying our taxes so that the fire, police and military can do their jobs.

When hope disappears, we become discouraged and stop acting.

For the believer, staying in the scripture creates hope. We read about others who experienced similar situations and did not quit, and we see God's amazing intervention that brought results. That creates the hope that if He did it for them, He will do it for me! That happens in the natural as we read His word. There is also the supernatural impact of reading the Word. It is like water, refreshing the discouraged soul, re-lighting the lamps of faith within us.

One question I ask when people are discouraged and feel like quitting: "Have you been in the Word?" I know when I become discouraged, it's usually in conjunction with a drop in Bible reading!

Prayer - Lord, thank you for your word - it's so much more than historical fact! It energizes me to endure!

Prov 22-24; Rom 14

Scripture - Rom. 14:19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.

Observation - in the Roman church, there was a significant number of Jewish and Gentile believers mixed together. Their upbringings were different. Jews lived in submission to the Old Testament laws regarding food. The Gentiles did not. After committing their lives to Jesus,  living together as believers was difficult because of the different approaches to food. Paul emphasizes that honoring one another's convictions in the matter is just as important has having personal convictions.

Application - At times, petty, non-eternal things are allowed to become big issues in the church, to the point of destroying what God is doing in lives. It's easy to see a conflict, take sides, and then fight the battle for what we feel is right until someone is crushed and defeated. Too often we forge the situation is petty, and people are eternal. Paul admonishes us to do what edifies others and fight for peace!  We are instructed to not allow the work of God to be destroyed by __________________________ (fill in the blank here.) Too often arguments over music styles, hymnals, pews or chairs, pre mid or post-trib have divided people and caused church splits. Then God is handcuffed. Then the world is doesn't know us by our love, but rather by our hate. Then the Spirit is quenched. Then some of heaven's reservations get cancelled and people lose out.  Over what? A hymnal? Paul said to move on.  Great advice!

Prayer - Lord, help me not to get sucked into petty arguments and fights that do not matter. Help me to be a peacemaker in those situations and edify those around me.

Prov 19-21; Rom 13

Scripture - Romans 13:11 Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.

Observation - there are two key GREEK words used in this verse:

• awaken - egeir - (through the idea of collecting one’s faculties); to waken, rouse (from sleep, from sitting or lying, from disease, from death; or figuratively from obscurity, inactivity, ruins, nonexistence): lift (up), raise (again, up), rear up, (a-) rise (again, up), stand, take up.
• sleep - hupnos
- sleep, (figuratively) spiritual torpor, inactivity, lethargy or numbness

Application - there are a couple of items to apply to my life out of this verse:

• There are times when good believers, myself included, slip into a spiritual sleep.  It can happen even when I am still praying, reading the Word, worshipping, and serving God. It is a numbness, almost an inoculation, that keeps me in a holding pattern in a coasting experience with God. It is shows evidence in my passion, my priopritites, in my attitude and ultimately in my actions.  After prolonged periods of time, it can begin to affect my relationship with God and I can begin to lose out with Him
• There are times that we have to recognize our lethargy.  There are moments when we need to take our own pulse and determine if we are coasting.  When it is clear that we've become numb, we need to shake it off. Failure to do so is a failure to be effective in impacting our culture (verses 1-10). Scripture calls for us to recognize that lethargy, stand up, cast it aside and step on the accelerator.

Too often we coast through mediocrity willing to accept whatever scraps fall of of God's table instead of shaking ourselves and fighting for His very best!

Prayer - Lord, thank you for handing me the thermometer.  I didn't realize that my temperature had cooled, and that I was sitting back willing to settle for whatever happens. Strengthen my hands to fight for what you have for me.

Prov 7-9; Rom 9

Scripture - Prov. 7:24 Now then, my sons, listen to me; pay attention to what I say. 25 Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths. 26 Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng. 27 Her house is a highway to the grave, leading down to the chambers of death.

Observation - Solomon spent much time in Proverbs discussing the folly of adultery. This entire chapter is dedicated to warning young men not to be led astray, not just by a woman, but by the great woman called adultery. Many people get involved with things without knowing how they will turn out, but Proverbs (wisdom in writing) reveals the outcome of all adulterous relationships. It let us all know that though her invitation is appealing, adultery has had a parade of victims, all of whom have been lead down to death.

Application - While Proverbs is full of wisdom, much of the writing is dedicated to the problem of adultery for good reason. With nearly half of all marriages ending in divorce, and many more good marriages damaged by extra marital affairs, and all of the carnage that goes along with it impacting jobs, finances, health, children, emotions, confidence, etc, this wisdom is so valuable and applicable to our lives. Adultery rarely pops up out of the blue, but is rather a slow seductive flirtatious invitation that is held in ones hand over time, observed, considered, pondered and fantasized over. It always considers the beginning and actions of the relationship, but is unable to see the end. The end is death. We are warned! We are like sheep that would run over the edge of the cliff just following the others ahead of us. God, in His faithfulness, has placed a giant sign to warn us of this danger!  Thank you Lord.

Prayer - Help me to keep my life pure... for so many different reasons! I want to honor you, I want to honor my wife and family, I want to honor Christianity and the church... but I also don't want to lose everything including my own life!