pastor jeff's neighborhood

Quote from Open Up Your Heart by Jeff Syverson

Oct 8
Scarecrows in a Melon Patch

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalms 111:1-10 | Jeremiah 10:1-11:23 | Colossians 3:18-4:18 | Proverbs 24:28-29

Today’s Scripture Focus: Jeremiah 10:1-11:23

Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good.” (Jeremiah 10:5 NIV)

Something within each of us cries out for the eternal. As Pascal wrote, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in each of our hearts.” Yet many of us, instead of worshiping and serving the Creator, worship and serve created things. We, then, exchange the glory of the Almighty God for lesser gods.

I’ve been inside temples on numerous occasions and have watched people bow down to idols made by human hands. It always tears me up inside to see…

October 7
A New Wardrobe

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalms 110: 1-7 | Jeremiah 8:8 – 9:26 | Colossians 3:1-17 | Proverbs 24:27

Today’s Scripture Focus: Colossians 3:1-17

“Therefore as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself…” (Colossians 3:12 NIV)

Sometimes the old clothes just don’t fit anymore—but I don’t mean that the clothes are too small. Sometimes we need a new wardrobe because we change positions. The young lawyer fresh out of law school usually has a major wardrobe update, for example. He could get by with Jeans and T-shirts in school, but not in the courtroom. The old way of dressing just doesn’t suit him anymore in his new position.

When we become Christians, similarly, we change positions. What may have seemed natural and appropriate before we were Christians is no longer appropriate. Since Christ lives in me, I need to eliminate the clothes that are not…

October 6
Let Them See Your Hand

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalm 109:16-31 | Jeremiah 6:15- 8:7 | Colossians 2:8-23 | Proverbs 24:26

Today’s Scripture Focus: Psalms 109:16-31

But you, O Sovereign Lord, deal well with me for your name’s sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me. [22] For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.
(Psalm 109:21-22 NIV)

The psalmist finds himself in a difficult place. He describes his situation: “I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.” Beaten up by circumstances and, especially by people—accusers, he calls them— he fasts and prays and desperately seeks the Lord (23-25). But he hasn’t given up hope. He looks to the God of hope.

I was moved by one part of his petition especially. He prays that God will work in such a way that everyone will see that the…

October 5
Fully Mature in Christ

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalms 109:1-15 | Jeremiah 4:19-6:16 | Colossians 1:21-2:7 | Proverbs 24:23-25

Today’s Scripture Focus: Colossians 1-2

To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me. (Colossians 1:27-29 NIV)

Why is Paul struggling and working so hard to teach and preach and plant churches? This passage makes his motivation clear. He wants the believers to grow up in their faith and become fully mature in Christ.

What would that look like? He tells us: “My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united…

Quote from Open Up Your Heart by Jeff Syverson

October 4
Spiritual Wisdom and Understanding

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalm 108:6-13 | Jeremiah 2:31-4:18 | Colossians 1:1-20 | Proverbs 24:21-22

Today’s Scripture Focus: Colossians 1

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. (Colossians 1:9 NIV)

Paul is thankful and encouraged by the progress of the Colossian Christians. Yet he knows that there is much more that God wants to do in their lives. So he continues to pray for them. The prayer he prays is a powerful one; one that could become a regular part of your prayer life.

He prays for God to fill them with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. If we are to please…

October 3
Unexpected Peace

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalm 108:1-5 | Jeremiah 1:1-2:30 | Philippians 4:1-23 | Proverbs 24:17-20

Today’s Scripture Focus: Philippians 4

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 NIV)

“The misfortunes hardest to bear are those which never happen.” –James Russell Lowell–

We all have times when we are tempted to worry. Yet, worry is counterproductive. It consumes our attention; it saps our energy and creativity; it takes away our peace, our hope, our joy. Paul suggests an alternative to worry: prayer.

Instead of anxiety and worry, we are encouraged to pray– to bring our concerns to the Lord. In prayer, we open our hearts to God and share our deepest concerns. In petition…

Today’s Scripture Readings:

Psalm 107:33-43 | Isaiah 66:1-24 | Philippians 3:4-21 | Proverbs 24:15-16

Today’s Scripture Focus: Philippians 3

“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Philippians 3:10-11 NIV

When it came to religious heritage, Paul had a lot of things going for him: He was a faithful Jew with good family connections, zealous for the law, a Pharisee who counted himself blameless. Yet, an encounter with Jesus forever altered his whole life and calling. So much so that he considered all his impressive religious credentials as loss for the sake of knowing Christ.

An encounter with Jesus is a powerful thing. Have you come to know him?

Eternal life is found in a relationship with Christ that is entered into…

From Open Up Your Heart by Jeff Syverson

October 1
Watchmen

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalm 107:23-32 | Isaiah 62:6-65:25 | Philippians 2:19-3:4 | Proverbs 24:13-14

Today’s Scripture Focus: Isaiah 62-65

I’ve posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem. Day and night they keep at it, praying, calling out, reminding God to remember. They are to give him no peace until he does what he said, until he makes Jerusalem famous as the City of Praise. (Isaiah 62:6-7 The Message)

Through Isaiah, God has given a glorious vision of what Jerusalem is to become. But as with any God-given vision, it must be prayed into existence. Isaiah had the hard work of praying to receive the vision. The Watchmen had the hard work of praying the vision into reality.

Watchmen are the serious prayer warriors who give God no rest until he fulfills his promises and accomplishes the vision he has given…

From Open Up Your Heart by Jeff Syverson

September 30
Humility

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalms 107:17-22 | Isaiah 60:1-62:5 | Philippians 1:27-2:18 | Proverbs 24:11-12

Today’s Scripture Focus: Philippians 2

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death- even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:5-8 NIV)

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance…

From Open Up Your Heart by Jeff Syverson

September 29
Learning to Pray from Paul

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalms 107:10-16 | Isaiah 57:14-59:21 | Philippians 1:1-26 | Proverbs 24:9-10

Today’s Scripture Focus: Philippians 1:1-26

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, [10] so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, [11] filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ–to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-11 NIV)

Do you ever pray the prayers of Paul? Let me encourage you to do that. Pray them for yourself, and everyone else on your prayer list. Pray them for your pastor and church. Almost every one of the epistles of Paul has at least one prayer. They are all gems. You can learn…