Month: June 2011

What should I do to inherit eternal life?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Born Again, Christian, Eternal Life, Faith, Follow Jesus, Forgiveness, Listen to the Word of GodLeave a comment

Scripture: Luke 18.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Luke 18:18-22 (NLT)

18 Once a religious leader asked Jesus this question: “Good Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”

19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “Only God is truly good. 20 But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother.'”

21 The man replied, “I’ve carefully obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”

22 When Jesus heard his answer, he said, “There is still one thing you haven’t done. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

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

Just like the religious leader in this biblical story, many today may ask “what does it take for me to have a better life?” or “to have eternal life?” or “to know Jesus, the One who can give me eternal security?” or “to know the only One who rescues me from the this world of hate, backbiting, sin, evil, etc. and gives me hope for a new life in knowing Jesus?”. I’m glad you asked! In the beginning of this chapter Jesus spoke to the people about how important it is to be humble, and to lay aside the pride of self-importance and in fact, be more like a child in our total surrender to God. In this particular passage, Jesus tells this rich man that for him to truly trust God, he must release his dependence of his riches. This is true with so many that are ‘comfortable’ with where they are at in life. To some, they may feel like they have everything this life could offer and seeing that they are faring so much better than most, they just don’t need anything else, especially this religious stuff that so many argue over and become entwined in. Friend, Jesus didn’t tell this rich man to become involved in organized religion, although He later spoke of the importance of worshipping together with other believers. He didn’t tell this man how important it was that he start acting more like the religious leaders of that day, for Jesus knew of their shortcomings. Instead, Jesus told this man that he needed to unleash himself from the thing that he had placed so much faith in, and then when he could commit himself wholeheartedly to Jesus and trust only in Him, then come and be His follower. Unfortunately this could lead to procrastination for many, as some will definitely say that they are waiting for the day where they could be solely dependent on God. I don’t believe that any of us awake one morning and decide in and of our own desire, that we will accept Jesus that day, for I believe that it is God himself that woos us to place our faith and trust in Him. In the case of this rich leader, I believe that it was God working in his life that caused him to ask these questions of Jesus. Therefore, if we awake one morning and decide that today is the day we will surrender our lives to God, then I believe that the same God that began a good work in you and prompted you to accept Him as Lord, will also help you to lay aside those things that might stand in your way. So please don’t procrastinate until you feel you are ready and/or worthy of approaching God, but instead, answer His call on your life and allow Him to help you redirect your allegiance, your faith and your trust. This is one of the most important decisions in your life, for it has eternal implications. Please feel free to respond to this post if there is anything I can pray with you about or help you with, as you ponder this vital decision.

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

Although still far from perfect, I thank you Father for speaking to me some 35 years ago and convincing me of the need for a Savior. I also thank You for being patient with me over the years and giving me strength to stand firm in my faith and live my life in accordance with Your Word. I know that this is a daily challenge, and again today I want to ask for Your strength and power to overcome the evil things of this world and to become so entrenched in Your Word that I will always lean towards the character and will of my Savior. Please touch the lives of those that will read this and need to make decisions in their lives. Please tender their hearts to surrender their lives to You, and to lay aside things in their lives that are only temporary, but yet things that they currently place their faith in. O What a Savior, is Jesus my Lord! May many others come to know You today, is my prayer.

 

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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Enough with the Excuses, Trust God!

On By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Scripture: Judges 5-6.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Judges 6:13-16 (NLT)

13 “Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.”

14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”

15 “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!”

16 The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.”

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

I know that it is very easy for us to beat up on ourselves when we feel like our faith is so weak, but as I read the Word I can see where this is an issue that God has dealt with all along. I know that this is partly due to the fact that we are only human, and compared to the awesome power of the Almighty, we just can’t fathom how some things could actually occur the way that God may tell us it will. Gideon was this way, for he needed proof that this was truly God telling him to do such an impossible task (using as small clan such as his to save the nation of Israel). I believe that deep inside Gideon was convinced that this was an angel of God, because he followed the commands that seemed possible in his own eyes and heart, then as he built his confidence he continued with the command that seemed only possible in God’s eye. I believe that so often we sell short the mighty hand of God. So often we limit what He wants to do, to only what we think He can do. For example, if I felt impressed by God that He would send us a new family for our church to minister to, I would go out early to open the doors and welcome that family in. If, on the other hand, I heard God say that He will be using our little church to minister to and win the whole town of Avon Park, I would question my hearing, or my understanding of what God really meant. Like Gideon, I still have so little faith when it comes to seeing beyond the realm of my possibilities, and this comes even after studying what God did through Moses, Joshua, Gideon and many other prophets and warriors of the Bible. It is no wonder God declared in His Word later on, “O ye of little faith”. He is God alone, and we have every reason to listen to and obey His every command!

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

Father, I thank You for Your patience with me, for You have been good to me in spite of my weaknesses and lack of faith, especially when it comes to the awesome things that You could accomplish through even me, or even through a church body that I consider small when compared to many around. You alone can do the things that seem impossible to me, but please touch my life and help me to overcome my doubt and fear. Please help me instead to truly believe that You are God alone and that ALL things are possible in and through You. In anticipation of You choosing to use even me to accomplish things in Your name, I pray that I will first be blessed with the faith to believe so strongly in You that I will willingly obey Your commands, even those that seem impossible to me. Please use me, and use Your church as instruments to grow Your kingdom here in this city and here on this earth. Thank You for using weak vessels such as us to reveal Your kingdom work, and thanks for considering even us for You to work through to accomplish that work!

 

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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In Appreciation

On By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Scripture: Luke 17.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Luke 17:17-19 (NLT)

17 Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”

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

So often we take things for granted without a second thought. It’s almost like we expect certain things to happen to us, and for us. It’s almost like we feel that God is indebted to us. Friends, everyday should be a day of thanksgiving for all that God does in our lives. While we may not necessarily experience miraculous healing, as in the case of the lepers, still God is so awesome and has provided, and still provides, so much for us each and every day. For instance, we arose this morning from a comfortable bed, where others may be struggling to get some sleep in an uncomfortable cardboard box. We were able to arise to a vertical position, where others are confined to a hospital bed. We have family to talk with, where others are alone and wish they had someone nearby to talk with. I believe that we must, as appreciative children of a loving and kind God, always give thanks in all things, for God’s Word declares that as children of the light, be grateful and thankful in all things. We have no reason to be down in the mouth, we are a blessed people, loved by an awesome God who watches over us and provides for us daily. Let’s show our appreciation instead of complaining today. Let’s be like the one leper that returns to say thank You Jesus for all that You do in our lives! Most of all let us rejoice daily for the sacrifice Jesus made on Calvary so that we may have life, and have it more abundantly. Thank You Jesus!

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

Thank You Lord for Your blessings on me! I appreciate all that You do each and every day for me, even though I feel like times are tough and things could be so much better, I know that this is just my selfish desire to want to be more like my neighbor or a friend that may be rich by this word’s standards, but Jesus I can truly say thank you today for having a loving, caring Savior that loved me so much that You gave – You gave everything so that I may live eternally with You in heaven. Thank You Father!

 

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 Unfortunate Results of Disobedience

On By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Scripture: Judges 1-2.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Judges 2:1-3 (NLT)

1 The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said to the Israelites, “I brought you out of Egypt into this land that I swore to give your ancestors, and I said I would never break my covenant with you. 2 For your part, you were not to make any covenants with the people living in this land; instead, you were to destroy their altars. But you disobeyed my command. Why did you do this? 3 So now I declare that I will no longer drive out the people living in your land. They will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a constant temptation to you.”

Judges 2:15 (NLT)

15 Every time Israel went out to battle, the Lord fought against them, causing them to be defeated, just as he had warned. And the people were in great distress.

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

Over the past number of chapters it has been so uplifting to read how God protected, fought for, cleared the way and directed His chosen people, and of course it was encouraging to read how consistently obedient the Israelites were to God and his leaders Moses and later to Joshua. What is extremely unfortunate in this passage is to see how gradual and unsuspecting sin started to enter the camp. God had given specific instructions to the Israelites about totally cleaning out the land of all of its inhabitants and sinful gods so that they would not be tempted to sin. These chapters show is that the people did what they thought best, instead of following God’s commands precisely. Without even reading the rest of the chapter, we can tell what the results of these selfish, sinful acts were.

Fortunately for some today, and unfortunate for many today, God is still God. His commands were not given as a guide, but as commands for His children to follow so that we may live a long and prosperous life, filled with hope and the expectation of a wonderful home in heaven with Him. When disaster comes, and defeat is experienced, we must look at verses like Judges 2:15 and realize that we could cause God to actually turn against us because of our sin and disregard for His commands. When we accepted Jesus as Lord of our lives, we accepted Him and all of His commands that were issued in love so that we may stay on track as a follower of His. When someone visits my home, they are expected to live by my house rules. When someone goes to school, they are expected to honor the rules of the school system. When someone comes to work at my place of employment, they must follow the rules of the company if they want to remain employed. Why then would we possibly feel like we can accept Jesus and then live any way that we feel like? We must follow His ways, and His will, so that He might reside in us, protecting us, guiding us, loving us, and preparing a home for us in heaven. Just like any good parent would want to raise obedient children, God also wants obedient children. He paid a great price for us, let’s show our love and appreciation by being obedient children each and every day!

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

Father You know better than us, that this old world presents many obstacles in our daily path that tend to take us off track in our walk to faithful obedience to You. However, as I have seen in so much of Your Word, You are all powerful and therefore can help us overcome every obstacle, every temptation to sin, every habit that may ultimately harm us or cause us to sin or interfere in our witness of Yourself. Please touch my life again today and help me to overcome the distractions of this world that seem to beckon my attention. Please help me to stay so in tuned with Your Word that I may be filled with Your Holy Spirit who in turn, will give me strength for every moment and power to stay the course in being the child of Yours that You intended me to be. May I not only be clean and obedient in Your sight, but may this reflect in my words and actions each and every day so that others may recognize, and also want to know more about the Savior and Lord to whom I belong. I’m Yours Lord!

 

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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Too Late

On By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Scripture: Luke 16.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Luke 16:24-28 (NLT)

24 “The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’ 25 “But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’

27 “Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. 28 For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’

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

Week after week many of us sit in church and listen as our pastor encourages us to make a decision for Christ. To some that means that they need to give up their life of sin and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior of their lives. To some, it means that we need to lay aside the idols in our lives (as noted in another passage I read this morning in Joshua 24:23) and turn away from our idols of greed, wrong priorities, jealousies or prejudices that tend to interfere with our worship, our commitment to God and His work, and that tend to adversely affect our witness to those we come in contact with. Friends, this passage tells me that for those of us who procrastinate on such decisions, we could very easily get caught in the unfortunate trap of the rich young ruler referred to in Luke 24. Over recent days I heard of an incident where a man travelling with his work equipment was called out of this world. I’m sure that this was the last thing that this man or his family thought could happen that day when he left home. Another incident of a 15 year old young man who was taken out of this world that left a whole church body questioning what God could possibly have been trying to say to them. My point is, that when things like this happen, there is immediately a great wall (chasm) that separates that person from ever coming back to make different decisions, or do a better job of witnessing, or being kinder to his family and friends, or even accepting the Lord. There comes a time when it is just TOO LATE. I pray that this will be a day of decisions for anyone reading these thoughts. I pray that we will wholeheartedly surrender our lives to Christ so that we can: 1). Be assured of where we will spend eternity; 2). Become so filled with God’s Holy Spirit that we could be His witnesses in every avenue of our lives, and 3). That we could spend whatever time allotted to us here on this earth being totally committed to God, and give up those idols/sins that tend to hold us back or destroy or hinder our witness to family, friends, coworkers or others. All of this can only be done through the power of the only true God, our Lord and Savior! Jesus is the answer, friend!

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

Father, I know that You alone holds the key to all that frustrate me in my limited sight and strength. You possess the power that I need to overcome the sin and temptations of this world. You alone can gives me strength to live a Godly life and be a witness of You and for You to a lost, sinful, dying world. Please cleanse me of this world and all that negatively influences me. I know that You are the answer, and I ask that You guide and direct my path, my speech and my actions this day so that others may truly see You in all that I do and say. My I reflect on this day without regrets, knowing that I allowed You full control and direction, so that Your work will may be accomplished in and through me. In Jesus precious name I pray, amen!

 

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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Building Memorials

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Celebrate God, Christian, God ReignsLeave a comment

Scripture: Joshua 21-22.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Joshua 22:34 (NLT)

34 The people of Reuben and Gad named the altar “Witness,” for they said, “It is a witness between us and them that the Lord is our God, too.”

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

Each day of our lives we see God at work, and often we meet to celebrate in praise everything He has done in our lives. Too often we generalize and say, “Yes, God is good” but we fail to say specifically how He was good to us. We hardly ever write those specific things down so that our children, or future generations can grow from our experiences. We fail to erect a memorial in honor of the awesome work that God does in our lives. Imagine how awesome it would be for us to go to a ‘memorial’ that our ancestors built in celebration of an accomplishment they recognized God’s mighty hand at work in their lives? The people of Reuben and Gad had seen God work in so many marvelous ways during the time they were altogether with Moses, Joshua and the Israelites. Now that they were going to settle down and be separated by the Jordan river from the Israelites, they wanted their future generations to be reminded every time they saw or passed by this memorial, that the God they served was powerful and had worked in wondrous ways in the lives of their ancestors as a united people, and that they too could place their faith and trust in this same, infinitely powerful, God who could also see them through their daily struggles. What are some things that we might build a memorial for today? Perhaps God used our church during special services to reach a large hoard of people where many were saved – when we build a memorial to remind our future generations about this, we are giving them confidence that the same God who worked amongst Moses and the Israelites, also performed miracles during the lifetime of their ancestors and therefore they would have confidence to realize that God could do the same for them! There may be miracles, or God-sized achievements in our lives today that we rejoice over, but unless we do something to preserve (memorialize) that, it is very possible that our future generations would have nothing to fall back on, or give them confidence in. Furthermore, unless we can do something to preserve the good that God has done in our lives, unfortunately the bad, or unfortunate things we may have done, will be long remembered! Perhaps at annual family celebrations, such as Christmas, or Thanksgiving, or Homecoming, we should reserve time for families to not only tell about the accomplishments they credit to God, but to do this through a memorial of sorts, that can be long remembered by future generations of the work of the Lord in our lives.

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

Lord, I acknowledge today that You are certainly awesome in so many ways in and through me. Please help me to regularly build altars, or memorials to celebrate these accomplishments so that future generations may be encouraged to seek after the same loving, powerful, awesome God that I serve and give witness to. Thank You for loving and working through the people of Reuben and Gad. Thank You for being God to my ancestors and working miracles for them and through them, and thank You for blessing even me in so many ways. Please help me to not hide these miracles under a bushel, but to let them shine to a world that has little hope, aside from You!

 

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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Heavenly Celebrations!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Celebrate God, Encourage, God Cares For UsLeave a comment

Scripture: Luke 15.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Luke 15:3-7 (NLT)

3 So Jesus told them this story: 4 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. 6 When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’

7
In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!

8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.’

10 In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”

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

For those that we invest our interest in, through prayer, caring and/or some other tangible way, we tend to rejoice over their successes in life! This is because we have a vested interest in them. God’s Word says that there is rejoicing in heaven also when one sinner repents and returns to God. I love that word ‘RETURNS’ because it is an indication that we were God’s, but strayed away and now seen the error of our ways and have come back to God. I believe that if our churches today did a better job of investing ourselves in the lives of those that we say we are ministering to, then there would be a big party or celebration every time someone walks the isle and announces to the church that they are ‘returning’ to the God who loves them and have always cared for them. I don’t know about everyone else, but I need to get busy about the work of the Lord, and I don’t mean another committee, but rather busy about ministering to those who have strayed away from God and need to return to Him. While I am not a big party person, I would love to join in the heavenly celebration every service time as sinners return to God, especially if I had a small part in encouraging, or praying for that person. Christians, let’s re-focus on the main purpose of the church – a people drawing closer to God through personal development in the Word, and in encouraging others to ‘return’ to God so that they too can join the party! We have a Savior who loves us so much that He gave His very life for us – talking about a vested interest in us?

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

Lord Jesus, I know that I could spend all day just finding ways that I need to draw closer to You, but additionally I feel such a burden for those that need to ‘return’ to You and surrender their lives to You. Please give me the boldness to share words of encouragement with someone today. Please burden my heart with individuals that I may specifically pray for and encourage so that Your work may be accomplished. Thank You for loving me so much that You encouraged me back to You and away from a world that has no desire to see me succeed or live eternally with You. I rejoice in that today, and I look forward to rejoicing next Lord’s Day as I see others ‘return’ to You!

 

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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Excuses, Excuses….

On By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Scripture: Luke 13-14.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Luke 14:16-20 (NLT)

16 Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. 17 When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ 18 But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’

19 Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ 20 Another said, ‘I now have a wife, so I can’t come.’

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

I wonder what God must think of us sometimes when we come up with so many excuses as to:

  • Why we are not ready to surrender our lives totally over to Him – perhaps because we feel like we have so much to enjoy in this old world before we could make such a commitment;
  • Why we can’t attend church – perhaps because that is the only morning we have to sleep in, or that is the only day we have for family time, or because there are too many hypocrites at the church (and we don’t want to add one more!!!);
  • Why we can’t find time to get into God’s Word – because we are too busy, or there are just not enough hours in a day, or…..
  • Why we don’t witness to our neighbor – because we don’t want to lose their friendship, or because we are afraid we wouldn’t have the right words, or they might ask us a Bible question that we couldn’t answer;

Friends, I believe that you will agree with me that these are really excuses to keep us from doing the work of the Lord. Often our excuses revolve around finding time to do things. I had a friend tell me one time when I said this, that there are still the same number of hours and minutes in a day as there has always been, we just have replaced some things with something that we felt had a higher priority. Ouch! That hurts when you think about things in that way, but it is so very true. The next time that we are tempted to say that we just didn’t have the time to do something, try saying that the very thing you are referencing was just not a priority to you! Realistically, this will be the ultimate truth, but what this does is helps us to acknowledge which things we have allowed to be a priority in our ‘awake’ hours. Many times we will be ashamed to repeat to anyone what really is a priority in our day! In Jesus’ story He said the man holding the banquet then basically said, “well, let them be and invite anyone interested”. Wouldn’t it be awful for us to hear Jesus say “well, I just wouldn’t be with ??? today, because he was not interested enough to find time for me today”? Oh my, I would be crushed to hear those words from my Lord, and I believe that you would be too. Then let’s put the excuses aside and make God a priority in our day and in our lives. He deserves it!

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

Father, this has really spoken to me today, because I can find time for just about everything in my day, and often I make those things a priority over time I need to spend with You, or doing Your will for my life. There were no excuses when You gave Your only Son to die on Calvary so that I may have a means to enter Your heaven. I am ashamed of the excuses that I make at times, please forgive me and teach me Your ways, Your priorities for my life, Your direction for my life, and teach me to be more like You each and every day. In Jesus name I pray, Amen!

 

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 Half-Hearted Cleansing

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Defeated foe, Pleasing to God, Power of PrayerLeave a comment

Scripture: Joshua 12-15.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Joshua 13:13 (NLT)

13 But the Israelites failed to drive out the people of Geshur and Maacah, so they continue to live among the Israelites to this day.

Joshua 15:63 (NLT)

63 But the tribe of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites, who lived in the city of Jerusalem, so the Jebusites live there among the people of Judah to this day.

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

Over the past chapters we read where Joshua and/or Moses were, with the help and direction of God, successful in overcoming a number of countries and their respective kings. I found it odd to read the two verses above where the Israelites were unsuccessful, or perhaps failed, in driving out the Jebusites and the people of Geshur and Maacah, because I know that the God they served, and of course the same God that I serve today, is very capable of overcoming all obstacles. In my further study I found where these same people that failed to fully conquer, were the same ones that caused unending difficulties for the Israelites, as recorded in the book of Judges. This sounds like there may have been personal reasons that the Israelites just didn’t push hard enough to really oust these people, and it reminds me of us when we fail to seek God’s power to really rid ourselves of certain sins. Often these little sins that we hold dear to our selfish little hearts are the very same things that come back to bite us and cause us extreme difficulties. I believe that God is always looking for folk that he can use who are totally sold out to Him, where we have surrendered everything to Him and cleansed ourselves of all sinful things. In fact, to substantiate my belief on this, please refer to chapter 14 vs 9 where we read that Caleb was given special favor with God because he ‘wholeheartedly‘ followed God’s commands. I believe that seeing where God gave up everything for me, yes His one and only Son, so that I might have life eternally and more abundantly, then the least I can do in return is to surrender ALL sin – yes everything that does not align with God’s Word, His will and commands for me. There is no room for half-heartedness – may we all be totally sold out to Jesus!

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

There is only way that I can be the totally true, unselfish, child of God and overcome daily temptations and sin, and that is to seek Your help O God and look to You in all humility for strength and guidance to live as You would have me live – so that You can receive full benefit (ministry) in and through me. May I be a vessel usable by You – a holy and just God. May others come to know You as Lord, as you find the freedom to use this unadulterated child of Yours. Please forgive me where I have been deliberately selfish and weak and given in to sin. This is unbecoming of a child of Yours and I need Your forgiveness and strength to overcome and live a life totally sold out to You.

 

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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Are You Ready?

On By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Scripture: Luke 12.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Luke 12:39-40 (NLT)

39 “Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would not permit his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.”

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

Summer is here and many will be planning vacation trips, perhaps making hotel, airline or rental car reservations, making sure the suitcases are ready for packing, etc. All of these things are important when planning a successful vacation. Similarly we are very careful to plan each day so that we may be successful and efficient in what we do. Yet many of us never stop to make sure that we take care of ourselves, and to insure that we personally are prepared for life itself. Jesus reminds us in this passage that it is even more important that we be fully prepared for His return and/or our end of life as we know it here on earth. Throughout this passage Jesus carefully told us a few things that would help us know that we are ready, because He shared qualities of a person who is ready. He taught us in:

  • Verse 1: That we should not be hypocritical – knowing, believing and teaching the right thing, but un-thoughtfully reacting and disobeying what we know and teach (not sincere);
  • Verse 4-9: That we not be fearful, but always ready to witness;
  • Verse 25-26: That we not be worried, but always trusting in the power and might of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ;
  • Verse 34: That we not be greedy, but always generous, both with our financial blessings, our God-given talents, our time and our energies;
  • Verse 37: That we not be lazy, but always diligent and ready to do the Father’s will and work;

May we strive to be more like Christ every day, so that when He comes, we will be ready to greet Him – joyfully!

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

Father, I acknowledge that I want to be more like You every day and in every way, but I know that I need Your almighty hand to guide me, mold me and strengthen me so that others will see the love of Jesus in all that I do and say. Most of all, so that You will see one of Your children totally dedicated to You and Your teachings, without hypocrisy. Thank You for showing me the way through the teachings of Your Word, and thank You for providing Your Holy Spirit to lead me every day. May You find me faithful in all things.

 

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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