Jonah 2:8

SCRIPTURE: "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs."

OBSERVATION: When we put anything ahead of God in our lives, we are not receiving our full inheritance. Non-believers forfeit their salvation (grace).

APPLICATION: 'Worthless idols' is a very broad term with a very specific explanation: anything we give more value to in our lives than God. This can mean money, material things and social status. These are at the top of the 'idol' list, and we are told to look out for their influence all the time in church. The not-so-obvious idols, the ones that are really sneaky and tend to trip up Christ-followers, are things like the desire for the approval of others and service work in the church. Don't get me wrong - this doesn't mean to stop serving. Jesus Himself told us that He came to serve and not be served, and He is our example for living a righteous life. What I am getting at is this: when the amount of time and energy that you use to serve others overshadows the time you invest in your relationship with God, your volunteer work has become an idol. The same goes for your desire for approval: when you seek the approval of man over the approval of God, your desire for approval has become an idol. Everybody loves an 'atta-boy' now and again, but when the desire for that approval overshadows your desire to please God, it also becomes an idol.

PRAYER: Lord, thank You for loving me. Please reveal to me the 'idols' that are preventing me from giving 100% of myself to You. In Jesus' precious name I pray, amen.

2 Timothy 1:12b

SCRIPTURE: "Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day."

OBSERVATION: Whatever we face that troubles us, we can be sure that, when we give it to God, we can trust that He will take care of it for us.

APPLICATION: Sometimes when we pray for God to take on what worries us, we don't always believe that He will take care of it for us, so we still worry about it. This verse assures us that, not only does God take it from us, He 'guards' it for us, not ever forgetting it. He will take our troubles and keep them if we trust Him with them.

PRAYER: Lord, thank You for loving me and caring about me so much that You would take my cares and worries upon Yourself so I don't have to bear them. Please help me to remember this when I am tempted to hold on to something for a while. I must trust You to take care of it in order to be free from it. In Jesus' precious name I pray, amen.

1 Timothy 6:6

SCRIPTURE: "But godliness with contentment is great gain."

OBSERVATION: We should aim to seek God (godliness) and be content with what He has provided fro us.

APPLICATION: This verse is the summary of a mature Christ-follower: seek God and His ways and seek righteousness, and be content with what we have been provided with. If we do this, we have everything to gain and nothing to lose.

PRAYER: Lord, thank You for loving me and providing for me for all my needs. Please help me to be content with the material 'things' of this world that I already have. Instead of trying to collect more 'stuff''', help me to instead focus on You and on being righteous in Your eyes. In Jesus' precious name I pray, amen.

1 Timothy 5:8

SCRIPTURE: "If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."

OBSERVATION: True believers take care of their family. Those who deny their family deny their faith.

APPLICATION: We are to take care of our family because, if we don't, we are denying our own faith. We often jump at the chance to sere strangers, but we forget that our own family may need us as much or more than anyone else.

PRAYER: Lord, thank You for loving me. Please help me to remember that my own family needs me to serve them and provide for them just as much as others need me. In Jesus' precious name I pray, amen.

1 Timothy 4:8

SCRIPTURE: "For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come."

OBSERVATION: Although physical health and fitness are of value, spiritual fitness is of greater value.

APPLICATION: Taking care of our bodies is something that our society puts an enormous amount of emphasis on. In fact, many people worship their own bodies instead of worshipping god. While physical health is important because God gave us these bodies and we should honor Him by taking care of them, our spiritual health - our faith - is much more important. Our bodies will be gone after this life, but our faith will remain into the next life.

PRAYER: Lord, thank You for loving me. Thank You for the earthly body You gave me. Please help me to honor You with this body. More importantly, please help me to grow my faith daily preparing for the day when I am home with You. In Jesus' precious name I pray, amen.

1 Timothy 3:13

SCRIPTURE: "Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus."

OBSERVATION: Serving well gives us an excellent understanding of what it is to desire to be like Jesus. This understanding will strengthen our faith in Christ.

APPLICATION: To truly serve without expectation of reciprocation is the essence of our faith in Christ. It is what He did for us, and as we mature in our faith, it is how we desire to be for others. Serving others matures our faith.

PRAYER: Lord, thank You for showing me what it truly means to serve. I desire to be like You, and to serve others humbly and without expectation or motive. Your example gives me the desire to know You and to serve others as You served us. In Jesus' precious name I pray, amen.

1 Timothy 2:1-2

SCRIPTURE: "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness."

OBSERVATION: Paul is saying that we need to pray for others, especially those in government, so we can live godly and holy lives.

APPLICATION: God hears our prayers and they make a difference in what happens in our world. By emphasizing that we pray for our government, Paul is talking about two things: 1) that our leaders will make decisions that are pleasing to God, and 2) that we will continue to be free from the persecution to live holy and godly lives.

PRAYER: Lord, thank You for loving me. Thank You for reminding me through Your Word that You hear my prayers. Please help me to remember that I need to pray for the leaders You put in place, that they will turn to You and make godly decisions. In Jesus' precious name I pray, amen.