August 24: Jeremiah 33-34; Psalm 74; 1John 5

Scripture: 1John 5:3 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,

Observation: It cannot be ignored: to love God means that we keep His commands. To some, that thought seems cumbersome. We are willing to say we love God, but when it comes down to actually doing some of the things He says, well that is too inconvenient and we might miss out on something we really like. How can we say we love God and not take time to read His Word, the Bible?

Instead of proving our love for God, we want God to further prove His love for us by overlooking our sins and understanding how tough it is to live by His rules. Instead of thinking about the things we can do to prove our love for Him, we think of all the additional things He can do to prove His love for us!!! And this after He has already given His Son to pay for our sins by His death on the cross!!! Duh!

Application: He has already proved His love for me; now it is my turn to prove my love for Him! If I really love God, keeping His commands is not burdensome. It is a joy to do things for those I really love. It pleases me to do those things that please the ones I love. It makes me smile to make them smile.

Prayer: “I love you Lord, and I lift my voice To worship you, Oh my soul rejoice; take joy, my King, in what you hear; may I be a sweet, sweet sound in your ear.” (Laurie Klein) Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

August 22: Jeremiah 28-30; 1John 3

Scripture: 1John 3:10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

Observation: God looks at the heart, but we can only see the outside. So John gives us two standards by which we can know is really a child of God. It is not what they say, but what they do. It is not that they say they love God, but that they love their brothers and sisters.

Application: If I was on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict me? Would there be any witnesses that saw me doing what is right and loving my brothers and sisters? There is no way I can live my life for Jesus without others noticing.

Prayer: Lord, may the truth that my life is all about you be evident to everyone around me. May people see what I do and glorify my Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16) Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

August 19: Jeremiah 45-47; Psalm 105; John 21

Scripture: John 21:10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.”

Observation: The irony of this verse amuses me. The disciples were out on the lake fishing. To them, Jesus was just some stranger standing on the shore. He called out to them as to how their fishing was going to which they replied they had caught nothing. Jesus told them to cast their net on the other side of the boat and when they did, the net was so full of fish that they could not load them into the boat but had to pull the net to shore. Now Jesus asks them to bring some fish “you have just caught.” The fact is that they had caught nothing! It was not until they had heard and obeyed the direction of Jesus that their net was full.

Application: I must be careful not to limit Jesus to just “spiritual” things. He may speak to fishing, to bus driving (which started this week), to my studies, to my check book, to my life at the office, or to anything concerning my life. I must be listening and quick to obey.

Prayer: Lord, You were that stranger standing on the shore. And you may be speaking to me through that customer across the counter or the voice on the phone. I want to be quick to hear and obey your word. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

August 17: Jeremiah 23-25; John 19

Scripture: John 19:26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,”
27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

Observation: Ed Cole taught that a man takes responsibility not only for himself, but also for others. Earlier in this chapter after enduring the Roman whipping Pilate had introduced Jesus as “the man.” (Verse 5.) Here Jesus, during the intense suffering of the cross, takes responsibility for his mother. He sets aside His pain to provide care for His mother.

Application: There are times when the pressure of life and the pain of the circumstances have an iron grip on my thoughts. Maturity brings me to a level where I can control my thoughts instead of letting them control me. Maturity helps me set aside that which is screaming for attention and applying my thoughts to more important matters.

Prayer: Lord, you hold me responsible as a man, to reach out and care for those around me. Make me an instrument of your love. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

August 13: Jeremiah 13-15; John 15

Scripture: John 15:11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

Observation: We always desire to bring joy to the one we love. It becomes our goal. In this verse we see the joy Jesus has and the joy we have. He is the source of our joy, and in a wonderful way, we are the source of His joy. What an amazing thought, that we have the power to bring joy to God. I wonder if there are times when heaven rings with the joyful laugh of God as He watches His children do those things that please Him! (I wonder what the devil thinks when he hears God laugh?)

Application: My goal: to make Jesus smile! May He even get a good laugh from me from time to time!

Prayer: “I love you Lord; and I lift my voice; To worship you, Oh my soul rejoice. Take joy my king, in what you hear; may it be a sweet, sweet song in your ear.” (Laurie Klein) Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

August 12: Jeremiah 10-12; John 14

Scripture: John 14:15 “If you love me, you will obey what I command.

Observation: Words are not enough. The only way love can be proved is through actions. People who say they love God but do not do what He says prove that they really do not love him. David Wilkerson said that God proves His love for us by giving; we prove our love for Him by obeying.

Application: People should be able to see proof of my love for God by looking as how I keep His commands. But more important than people seeing my love for God, I want God to see my love for Him!

Prayer: Lord, let your Holy Spirit work in and through me demonstrating my love for you by my obedience to your will. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

August 10: Jeremiah 5-6; John 12

Scripture: John 12: 9 Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.
10 So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well,
11 for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and putting their faith in him.

Observation: Who has come to Jesus on account of me? God’s working in restoring physical life to Lazarus caused many people to put their faith in Jesus. But Jesus has done an even greater work in me. To Lazarus, Jesus restored his physical life, and he would later die again. To me, Jesus has given eternal life that physical death cannot stop!

If the restoration of Lazarus’ physical life caused many to put their faith in Jesus, then I should expect that the impartation of eternal life into Leon should cause at least some people to put their faith in Jesus.

Application: This life I am living belongs to Jesus. I want to live it for His glory so that others will put their faith in Him.

Prayer: Lord, you did something FOR Lazarus, but you did something IN me. May it be obvious to others that your life is in me. Help me live in such a way that others want what I have. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!