Month: April 2011

Would you Recognize Jesus?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Follow Jesus, Imitator of Christ, Obedience, Our Help comes from GodLeave a comment

Scripture: Mark 15.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Mark 15:37-39 (NLT)

37 Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

39 When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!”

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

In our daily lives many of us pray to Jesus, and most of us witness answers to those prayers. We sometimes do good to others in Jesus name, while others allow God to work through them and perform Godly acts to and for others as Jesus would do. When the Roman officer witnessed Jesus in His most humbling, painful, humiliating, conquering form, he recognized that there was something about the man that reflected the power, majesty and love of God that Jesus taught while He ministered. I was alerted to two questions in this passage:

  1. Would I been as keen as the Roman officer to recognize Jesus?
  2. Seeing that I, as a Christian, am supposed to be like Jesus in my everyday walk, would others recognize Jesus in my actions and in my conversations?

This should have an eye-opening effect on our daily walk and in our everyday interaction with others. This should keep us humbled before the cross of Jesus begging for His mercy, grace, wisdom and power to be overcomers of temptations from the evil one, and soldiers of the cross, and instead be exemplifiers of the Prince of Peace, the holiest of all, Jesus Christ.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father, I am aware that there is little I can do on my own to overcome the evil in this world and to be a true disciple of Yours, witnessing and representing You in every aspect of my life. So today, I ask anew that You help me to overcome those things that tend to distract me from my walk with You, and the things that unfortunately take priority over my walk with You. I don’t need to hear the words, because it would build unnecessary pride in me, but may others be able to say to You today about me, that truly He is a man of God. Lord God, I also pray that those that may read this devotional today may also be impacted by this and that they may also choose to ask for Your power to be overcomers of the evil in this world and instead, be disciplined followers of Yours.

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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Unnecessary Delays to the Promised Land

On By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Scripture: Numbers 32-33.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Numbers 32:13-15 (NLT)

13 “The Lord was angry with Israel and made them wander in the wilderness for forty years until the entire generation that sinned in the Lord’s sight had died.

14 But here you are, a brood of sinners, doing exactly the same thing! You are making the Lord even angrier with Israel.

15 If you turn away from him like this and he abandons them again in the wilderness, you will be responsible for destroying this entire nation!”

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

I guess it never really clicked, but it wasn’t until reading this passage carefully this morning that God showed me what sin could do to me, to us, our church, our state, our nation and even our world. The Israelites were God’s chosen and His very special people. He rescued them from the bondage they were under in Egypt with a promise that He would take them to a much better area, a land flowing with milk and honey. Along the way He showed them time after time how much He loved them by providing water at one time, and food another time – all from miraculous sources, protection from enemies with much larger armies that they had, a leader that was closely in touch with God and benefited from God’s direction for each and every move of this large mass of people. Yet they griped and complained, worshipped idols, and sinned and lived like the devil. As a result of this, they were left wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. In fact, they were told that no one over 20 years old would any longer qualify to enter the Promised Land because of their disobedience and sin. Why am I repeating this story? Well, I wonder if today we are any better from all that we know about God, from all the blessings that we see Him shower on us, or from all that He has promised us? Our Promised Land is also filled with richness beyond anything we can imagine! To be in the presence of Jesus, the One who created this universe, the One who watches over and protects us each and every day, the One who loves us so much that He was sacrificed on a cruel cross just so that we may have the option of forgiveness of sin. This alone will be glory for me! Regardless of how lush the surroundings may be, or beautiful and free of pollution the place may be, just to be with Jesus and live in a world of praise and adoration 24/7 would be glorious for any of us to experience! Praise be to God, we have a future to look forward to! With this in mind then, let us be diligent about our Christian walk here on planet earth. Let us learn from the mistakes of our ancestors and live a life pleasing to God in every way, so that we may enter the Promised Land He has prepared for us right on time and without delays or hindrances.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father, You know better than we do how challenging it gets each day to live a life without sin. Thank You for providing a means for us to see You, to enter heaven’s glorious gates that You have prepared for us. Please give us strength, endurance, and a determination to live our lives worthy of the calling and pleasing to You, so that we may one day soon, enjoy the rewards You have in store for us. Thank you for loving us so much to give up everything so that we may be with You one day. Please help us to live in accordance with Your commands and in line with Your Word.

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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Watch for Jesus!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, God’s Word, Hope, Repentance, Things EternalLeave a comment

Scripture: Mark 13.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Mark 13:34-37 (NLT)

34 “The coming of the Son of Man can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. When he left home, he gave each of his slaves instructions about the work they were to do, and he told the gatekeeper to watch for his return. 35 You, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know when the master of the household will return—in the evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at daybreak. 36 Don’t let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning. 37 I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for him!”

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

There are so many examples of how we Keep Watch for certain things. Jesus gave an example in verse 34 and also in earlier verses to help the people understand what He meant by Keeping Watch. God’s Word is full of direction to help us ready ourselves for the coming of our Lord Jesus, and it details what we need to do to be ready for the biggest two options we will ever face in our entire lives:

  1. For those who have accepted Jesus as their personal Savior and lived in a right relationship with Him, then we have a future to look forward to with Jesus. Imagine spending eternity with the One who created us; the One who designed, created and maintained this world; the One who showed such love for us that He allowed His only Son to die on a cruel cross that we might have this opportunity to be with Him? Wow, to join hands and hearts with millions of angels and just worship and sing praises to the King of all kings, the Lord of all lords, the Master of this universe, the One who demonstrated love in such pure and sincere ways and to be known as ‘love’! I have a future such as this, because I have met the pre-qualifications! How about you friend?
  2. For those who do not fit the above pre-qualifications, the only other option is to live out your eternity in a much more cruel and devastating place than what you have ever experienced here on earth, because Satan and his forces have nothing more than an eternity of hell and damnation, suffering, pain, evil and hatred in store for you. Is this what you are spending this life preparing for?

Please respond to this post if I might help you insure that you are ready for the first option. God has told us in His Word, the Bible, that He would rather that none should perish as in option 2 above, so know it today that there is hope. There is a better option. God loves you and would rather that you not perish, but instead that you may enjoy everlasting life with Him. It’s your choice friend, but please don’t wait. We see tragedies all around us each and every day. Take note, you have no control when your life here will end, so ‘Watch Out’, be ready for Jesus’ return! I’m afraid that the default is option 2, unless you choose option 1 friend! Make sure that toady you are settled on what it will be for you.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father I thank You for convincing me of my sin and showing me the door to salvation leading to life eternally with You! I look forward to seeing You return to gather Your people to Your side. Please help me to help someone today that may not have that assurance, because they do not have a relationship with You. May someone come to a decision today and choose option 1 above. I would love to help that person, please direct me accordingly.

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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As You Give, So Will You Receive!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Giving, God our Provider, Love, TithingLeave a comment

Scripture: Mark 12.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Mark 12:41-44 (NLT)

41 Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. 42 Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.

43 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. 44 For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.”

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

God freely gave to us; the ultimate unselfish gift being when He gave His only Son to suffer and die for us so that we might enjoy eternal life with Him in heaven. Why do we then, give so selfishly of our money, time and talent. God gave it all to us, who are we to say that He only deserves a little portion of it? I am reminded of another scripture that says, “as a man gives, so shall he receive”. Especially during these tight economic times we may tend to think that we can’t afford to give financially, because we need every dime to survive. I can only say to you friend, that God can do so much more with the 90% that we may be left with after tithing, than we could ever do with the 100% that we may think that we earned and need to spend on our own selves. When we consider our time and/or our talent, can we possibly think that we could be selfish with something that was given to us by God to use for His glory? That just makes no sense to a smart, right thinking person. Whenever we feel like we are poor, whenever we feel like someone has more than us and we are not being blessed, let’s always remember to evaluate our giving at that point, for it is through our giving that we will receive. It is through the generosity and freedom that we give, that we will also receive.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father, I am always in awe about how much You love me and all that you do for me and give to me every day of my life. You truly are awesome, and I so desperately need to be more like You in every way, so that others may know the joy of serving the Master of this universe. As I am reminded of this important principle in giving and receiving, may I always be one to give freely in consideration of all that You give to me. Thank You for blessing me in so many ways. Thank You for giving so much to me each and every day. Thank You for always loving me, and showing it in so many wonderful ways.

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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Selfish Leadership

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, God Reigns, Imitator of Christ, Servants of GodLeave a comment

Scripture: Numbers 20.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Numbers 20:7-12 (GW)

7 The Lord said to Moses, 8 “Take your staff, then you and your brother Aaron gather the community. Right before their eyes, tell the rock to give up its water. In this way you will give the community water from the rock for them and their animals to drink.”

9 Moses took his staff out of {the tent in} the Lord’s presence as he had been commanded. 10 Then Moses and Aaron assembled the community in front of the rock and said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring water out of this rock for you?”

11 Moses raised his hand and hit the rock twice with the staff. Water came pouring out, and all the people and their animals drank.

12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “You didn’t trust me! You didn’t show the Israelites how holy I am! So you will not bring this congregation into the land I’m giving them.”

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

A simple, but God centered and God instructed, set of instructions were given to Moses and Aaron to follow. If followed exactly, God would have been recognized. However Moses made much of the opportunity to promote himself, after all he had really been beat up on by the Israelites, and this may have been an opportunity to show them how great a man/leader he was. Friend, when we consider how great God is, and when we consider how much He does for us each and every day, who are we to promote ourselves before anyone? After all, it is God himself who gives us life, health and food to eat each day. Why on earth would we lead anyone to believe in any powers or skill that we might have? It is God, and God alone who designed and made us. He should be the one that we allow to control and direct all that we do and say. By Moses adding in his two cents so that the miracle of producing water from a mere rock could be attributed to his power and/or the power in his rod, he and Aaron were reprimanded by God and their lives shortened as a result. What about you friend, and what about me, how often have we promoted self instead of clearly showing that it is God and God alone that works in and through us that should receive the praise for anything accomplished through us? I admire Christian leaders who, after working so hard and diligently, yet when they are praised for the job they did, asks that you give God the glory for the great work He did in the situation! For this is so true – had it not been for God, what could we have done? To God be the glory, great things He has done! This is both past and present, for I know that He still accomplishes great work though me, and His Godly leaders today. Let’s give the praise to Him, where it truly belongs!

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father, although I am mere human and can do little on my own, yet as a child of the King of all kings, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Therefore it is You that should receive all the glory and honor from anything that may be accomplished through me. Please help me to stay in Your Word and follow Your commands as instructed, without diluting it with any of my own ideas that may attribute its success looking like something I may have done. Please help me to be humble and direct the praise for anything accomplished through me to the Master of the plan, You – God and God alone!

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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When You Pray….

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Faith, Obedience, Pleasing to God, Reflecting ChristLeave a comment

Scripture: Mark 11.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Mark 11:22-25 (NLT)

22 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God.

23 I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.

24 I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.

25 But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

For those of us that consider ourselves ‘Christian’ and for those of us that pray, Jesus teaches a lesson in this scripture to the person praying. First, it is important that we have faith in the One to whom we are praying. Have enough faith to believe that the God who could move a mountain into the sea, could also answer whatever it is that we are praying for. One that could do, what seems to us as, the impossible, surely is capable of handling anything that we might pray about. Secondly, we must not only be a believer in God and have faith in Him and His abilities, but we must pray truly believing that it will happen. If we daily pray that God will direct our path and show us His will, then would we honestly be praying about something outside of His will? I doubt it. So Faith and believing are two key elements of our praying. Thirdly, we must approach the throne genuinely and clean before God. In other words, if we are holding a grudge against anyone, then we must forgive that person first and ask God to forgive us of our sin before we pray for another. Fourth, we must not pray for selfish motives but instead the things that we pray for should be for the benefit of the Kingdom. Friend, there is forgiveness, praise, relief, healing and just sincere conversation with God in praying. So few of us pray enough, yet it is one of the most desirable, rewarding and powerful tools we can use in our Christian life. Let’s get ‘plugged’ in brother. Let’s talk to Jesus sister. After all, with Jesus on the other end of the line, we need to talk with Him at every opportunity and in every aspect of our lives.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father God, thank You for providing a means for me to communicate with You. I know that considering all that You have done for me, it must upset You terribly to see the mess that I make of things. Yet, I am convinced that when I come before You with a sincere and contrite heart, You are willing and ready to listen to Your child and give me direction for improving my walk with You. You know before I even open my mouth how much I hurt sometime, and how much I fail at times, and how much I need Your touch at times, and how desperately I need Your direction at times, and how many friends I have to bring before You at times, yet I believe that You look at me like You did Bartimaeus and ask “What is that I can do for You”. This requires me to communicate with You, and prayer is that avenue for conversation between us. Please help me to always communicate effectively with You. Thank You for hearing my prayer even today!

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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What Can Jesus Do for You Today?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Honesty, Humility, Imitator of Christ, Pleasing to God, Reflecting ChristLeave a comment

Scripture: Mark 10.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Mark 10:51 (NLT)

51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked. “My rabbi,” the blind man said, “I want to see!”

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

In this story of Bartimaeus, often referred to as ‘Bartimaeus, the blind man’, he laid aside any and all pride and shouted over the crowd asking Jesus to have mercy on him. Now while he could have just as easy shouted out “Jesus, give me sight”, instead he chose to ask for mercy. I like this, because I get the impression that he was saying, “Jesus, whatever Your will is, may it be so. Just have mercy on me” There is another similar story where a man said to Jesus, “Have mercy on me, for I am a sinner”. In spite of the crowd and all they were doing and saying, and shouting, Jesus told the disciples to go and tell the man to come here. In our lives, we may feel like Jesus is much too busy with all the other important people of the world, and all the more critical needs that exist, but friend we must be bold like Bartimaeus and ask for what we need from God, but in all humility knowing that it is His will that we need to follow. The other thing that I am humbled and touched by in this story is that, like us, Jesus could easily have assumed that because this man was blind he must have been crying out for healing of his sight, but Jesus didn’t do that, He asked the man “what do you want me to do for you?” Oh that this may be a lesson for us today. Let’s not assume that we know what a person needs, because sometimes this may be totally different than what we might see or assume. What if we were asked by Jesus today, “What do you want me to do for you?” what would be our response? Remember, God sees and knows all things, He knows the desire of our hearts and what it would take to draw us closer to Him and be a better witness for Him, so we may as well be honest with Him and respond in a manner that truly reflects our heart. Instead of the selfish desire to be like, or have the toys like, our neighbor, I wish that we could consider what God can do to make us more like Him. Which walls can He tear down so that we may be humbled and so that we may represent Him better to the lost?

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father God, please have mercy on me. Please forgive me for the selfish desires that I may often have so that I may be more like my rich friend, or neighbor, so that I may be envied by my friends or family. It is You that I need. It is You that I want others to see reflected in my mannerisms and in my actions. It is You that I want them to accept as their Lord and Savior, so may I never be a stumbling block to them. Please have Your will and way in my life today, and direct me into Your path to do Your will today. Please provoke the hearts of those that may read this devotional so that they may lay themselves bare before You and surrender all that is not Godly in their character or their daily lives. As children of the King, we must always be representative of Your character and Your holiness. Please direct me into that path daily!

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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Observer, Criticizer or Participant?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Chosen by God, Christian, Getting Along, Obedience, Pleasing to God, Reaching the Lost, Reflecting Christ, Righteousness, Servants of GodLeave a comment

Scripture: Numbers 15-16.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Numbers 16:42-45 (NLT)

42 As the community gathered to protest against Moses and Aaron, they turned toward the Tabernacle and saw that the cloud had covered it, and the glorious presence of the Lord appeared.

43 Moses and Aaron came and stood in front of the Tabernacle,

44 and the Lord said to Moses,

45 “Get away from all these people so that I can instantly destroy them!” But Moses and Aaron fell face down on the ground.

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

In these two chapters I saw several occasions where the people either were jealous of God’s appointed leaders, or they just didn’t approve of all that God was doing for them, so they protested. Before we raise our sanctified noses and feel like that was back then and we don’t have that type thing going on today, let me remind you of some of the ways that we protest against God today:

  1. When we withhold our tithes or offerings because we don’t approve what the church, or its leaders are doing. This is intensified when you consider that each member had equal opportunity to discuss and approve/disapprove the expense at a business meeting, but many chose to stay at home and …….;
  2. When we stay home from church because of who might be preaching that day. Are we saying that we could do better?
  3. When we gossip about the church, its members or its leaders. This is often done out of jealousy and especially because we are not a part of the action. Often if we had been at church and involved in the ministry, then we would have been a part of the action!

Now I would ask you/ourselves this: Can God be the same as He was in the days of Moses? Of course; not only could He be, but I can assure you that He is the same today as He was then. We may not hear many stories of fireballs being launched against church/ministry protestors, but God performs His discipline in various ways.

So how would this passage speak to us today: I believe that protests come from a jealous heart, and one that thinks that it can do a much better job than anything we see occurring today. How then shall we correct ourselves in this? Get involved in the ministry instead of being the official observer and criticizer! God’s job is to observe and judge the hearts of His people, let’s let Him do His job. Besides, we can do a much better job ourselves in our area of ministry if we do it without the strain of also doing or worrying about what someone else has been assigned to do for the kingdom of God.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father, it is truly amazing how applicable Your Word is, even today. Thank You for directing me to this passage this morning, and thank You for opening my eyes to this particular piece of this scripture. Obviously this is a Word to me this morning, for I must allow it to penetrate my heart and deal with the very challenge that You have presented to me. I pray that You will not only give me the strength and the power to overcome my weakness in this area, but also that You would use this devotional to speak to the hearts of Your people throughout the world that may read this online today. May Your holy will be accomplished today, so that Your kingdom and Your ministry here may become more effective for You and more focused on You instead of what I/we may consider to be the weaknesses of others. My obligation is to maintain a right relationship with You and to portray You through my life to a lost and dying world. Please give me strength and power to do just that dear God.

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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Genuine, Successful Leadership

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Imitator of Christ, Listen to the Word of God, Servants of GodLeave a comment

Scripture: Mark 9.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Mark 9:33-35 (NLT)

33 After they arrived at Capernaum and settled in a house, Jesus asked his disciples, “What were you discussing out on the road?”

34 But they didn’t answer, because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest.

35 He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.”

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

Often in today’s view of leadership folk tend to look at who has made the most money or who might have the largest or longest lasting company. Jesus’ disciples were discussing which of them were most successful, or the greatest. Jesus told them that the way they would know is to look at who is the best servant to those that they lead. Friend, this is leadership from a whole new and different perspective than what the world looks at for genuine and successful leadership. Some leaders will tell you that you can’t be friends with those you lead. Some will tell you that you will only be a successful leader if you fire or really beat up (not literally) on an employee, then others would gain fear of you and your leadership and then they would respect you as a leader. As taught in this scripture, I believe that humble servanthood, respect of your employees, fairness to your employees and doing all you can to make your employees successful will result in the most genuine and successful leadership. We, as leaders, should never feel above any job that we would ask our employees/servants to do. This dear friend, will make us successful leaders and biblical leaders. Even in leadership, others must see and witness Jesus in us! This earns respect and brings honor to us as leaders – Christian leaders!

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father, I know that leadership in today’s standards and in the view of those all around us, is very different to what you teach in your Word. Please help me to stay focused on what You teach so that I may first of all be the best Christian that I can be, then others will recognize the leadership qualities in me. Thank You for speaking to me, and other Christian leaders today, so that we may follow Your lead in being genuine, Christ-like and successful leaders even in this wicked and ungodly world.

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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The Results of Faithlessness

On By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, God our Helper, God our Provider, God Reigns, Listen to the Word of God, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Worry no moreLeave a comment

Scripture: Numbers 13-14.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Numbers 14:33 (NLT)

33
And your children will be like shepherds, wandering in the wilderness for forty years. In this way, they will pay for your faithlessness, until the last of you lies dead in the wilderness.

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

There are several instances in these chapters where God either punished his people for their faithlessness or told them of punishment that would result from their faithlessness. Besides the above verse, look at 14:11-12 and 14:20-23 and 14:43. Is this any worse than us today? I dare say that we are just as bad. We receive blessing after blessing. We see prayers answered. We read God’s Word and see the miraculous things that He has done, yet we sit back in self-pity and question God or show extreme doubt in our prayers to the almighty. Why should we wonder why so many things happen to us as a city, as a state, as a country or even as a wicked world? We must learn to take God at His word, believe wholeheartedly in Him and His mighty works and in faith receive His blessings and His miracles. So many things seem impossible to us, but with God ALL things are possible to them that believe. I serve a God bigger than all my troubles, all my worries, all my concerns and all the mountains and giants that I may feel oppose me and my Christian walk! I must learn to always, always, have faith in God.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father God, You are Alpha and Omega, You are God of this universe and You are God of my life. I want to submit myself to Your leadership and Your direction today. Please help me to always be obedient to Your will and way for my life so that anything that I may do may bring glory to Your holy name.

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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