Month: September 2014

Be Considerate of Others

On By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Bible – New Century Version

1 Corinthians 10:23–24

23 “We are allowed to do all things,” but not all things are good for us to do. “We are allowed to do all things,” but not all things help others grow stronger. 24 Do not look out only for yourselves. Look out for the good of others also.

Thoughts:

I believe that anytime we feel that we have an advantage over another person, whether it be in education; or popularity; or financially; or the house/area we live in; or yes, even in our Christianity, that unless we are super careful and humble, we could easily inflate our value and/or our pride to feel like we are above another brother’s level, or better than that sister over there. Paul had to address this problem with the Corinthian church, because just as in our case today, if we are to be the image of Christ, we must remember that He was probably known more for His humility than He was for His power, or His place in the holy Trinity. I also believe that although we may sometime feel like being around a smarter person, for example, as it might help us to become smarter, we are never comfortable around them for very long because we feel intimidated by them. Friends, if we are to reach the rich and the poor, then we must be neutral in our feelings about worldly standings and concentrate solely on the condition of the person’s soul. You see, the lack, or the excess of finances is not a condition of, or a requirement of, getting into heaven. Jesus said, unless a man humbles himself, acknowledges his sin, recognizes the only One who could forgive sin, Jesus Christ, and ask for forgiveness of sin, it is only then that they will become a child of the King. They can’t buy their way into heaven, nor will Jesus feel sorry for their lack of finances and automatically accept them into heaven, they each must come to the foot of the cross and ask for forgiveness of their sin and invite Jesus into their heart. Friends, whatever we do, whether we feel we are at liberty to do it because of the freedom of our religion, or just for selfish reasons, if we do it without regard for our brother who may not be as fortunate as we are in any area of life, then I believe that God will hold us accountable. As the verse above says, we are to look out for the good of others, not just ourselves. Talk to God about it today friend, He will show you any areas of your life that is not aligned with His will or His character, and direct you on how to correct that. If you have an empty prayer life, please use the information in the footnote to get the help of another Christian.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for reaching down Your awesome, powerful, loving hand to touch the life of this old sinner, bringing me to my senses, forgiving me of my sin, and crowning me as a child of the King of all kings. Just as You humbled Yourself to touch me, I pray for wisdom, boldness, humility and love to also touch the lives of those around me with the love of Jesus. Who am I that a King would bleed and die for? Who am I to then think that I am superior to any other human being, I’m just a humble sinner saved by grace who wants to see as many of my family and friends also know my Savior, so that together we may walk through Heaven’s portals and be welcomed by our Master! Oh, what a glorious day that will be!!! Lord, I humbly ask all this in Your precious name, even as I praise You for all You have done for me already, AMEN!

NOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray.

Warning! Danger Ahead!!

On By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Bible – The Message

1 Corinthians 10:11–13

 11–12        These are all warning markers—danger!—in our history books, written down so that we don’t repeat their mistakes. Our positions in the story are parallel—they at the beginning, we at the end—and we are just as capable of messing it up as they were. Don’t be so naive and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence.

13             No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.

Thoughts:

In the first 10 verses of chapter 10, Paul shared with the Corinthian church much of what their ancestors had done and how they were punished for their sin. In verse 11 he tells them that these were all recorded so that they might be warned not to repeat the same sins, otherwise they would face the same consequences. Friends, our Bible today is totally inspired, and ordered by God so that we also may be reminded of the many sins of our ancestors and the ensuing consequences. With any common sense at all, we should take note, and not repeat the same sins, but I am reminded that without Christ in control of our lives, we are led by the same Satan that our ancestors were, and we are bound to repeat the same sins, and perhaps even more hideous – even as we read about, or see on the evening news. Like Paul, I must remind you friend, that we will be punished just like our ancestors. Sin will not enter heaven, and there is only one other place for you to go, and unlike David’s wish in Psalm 109 about his enemies, I would not wish the alternate place on my worst enemy. Friend, think about this real good, we are careful to take very seriously the warnings about possible tornado touchdowns, or hurricanes, or heart attacks, etc. I would so like to see us also take the warnings God has placed in His precious Word very seriously and take our precautions to prevent the danger that will result by simply placing your faith and trust in Jesus my Savior. He made special provisions just for us so that we might one day be with Him in glory where there is love, peace and joy forever in store for those who believe. The warnings are evident friend, and the provision for a safe and secure passage to safety is very clear. Please don’t continue to live your life in danger of not being prepared for something that could happen in an instant. Enjoy heaven’s glory while still here on earth by knowing my Savior today. He loves you and will welcome your decision, without regard to your present condition. Use information from the footnote to help you make this vital change. I assure you that you won’t regret it!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank you for opening my eyes to my life of sin, a life without You in it. Thank You for encouraging me to make a right decision back in 1988, and thank You for working with me to maintain a life pleasing to You. I regret that it has not been perfect, but I thank You for being a forgiving God; an encouraging God to help me along the way and prod me of sin that was lurking. Thank You for working in my life to help me be more like You every day. I realize that Satan tries every trick in the book to trip me up, so I plead with You to continue to guide me, protect me and show me the ways of righteousness. May You receive glory because of something that I may say or do in the matchless name of Jesus. Paul’s warning reminded me that there is no time to waste, so I humbly ask that You immediately bring to my attention when I fail and lead me to the cross for forgiveness so that my life will not be marred by sin. Lord, I have unsaved family and loves ones, unsaved friends and coworkers, tender their hearts and minds so that they may heed the same warning of which Paul warned us about in 1 Corinthians 10. Please use my life to be a witness to them so that they may surrender their lives to You before it’s too late. Please be especially gracious to those led to this devotional today, may they shore up their position with You this day. These requests can only be handled by You dear Lord, so I humbly ask these in Your precious and holy name, AMEN!

NOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray.

Is There Anything God Can’t Do for You?

On By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Bible – The Good News Translation

Psalm 107:35–38

35             He changed deserts into pools of water

and dry land into flowing springs.

36             He let hungry people settle there,

and they built a city to live in.

37             They sowed the fields and planted grapevines

and reaped an abundant harvest.

38             He blessed his people, and they had many children; he kept their herds of cattle from decreasing.

Thoughts:

There are times that we are so buried in our own struggles, heartaches, bodily aches and pains that we bury ourselves in our distress and cannot see the light of day. Friends, I was encouraged when I read these verses this morning, and I believe that God clearly showed me that when I feel discouraged and distressed, and may not have the faith to see beyond my troubles, I need to dig deeper into His Word and be reminded of how powerful He really is. We hear from our pulpits often, and yes, I believe that our God is the same today as He was yesterday, and in the days of which we read in the Bible. So when I read about the miracles wrought, and the very serious struggles that God brought His people through, I can’t help but jump for joy knowing that ‘Joy comes in the Morning’, as an old sacred song says, for those who believe in Him. You see, David had his struggles also. He battled with sin just like we did, because it is also recorded in the Bible. But in this Psalm he was reflecting on what God did for His people as they trusted Him in their long journey through the wilderness, and as we read on through this Psalm you can see how this time of reflection brought peace, comfort, joy and encouragement to the Psalmist. This is a prime example of what we are to do, because friends I must tell you, there is nothing that our God can’t do for you and I! That’s exciting news, that’s encouraging for those who feels like they are at the end of their road in sickness, finances, family struggles and just discouragement for the future! This serves as encouragement for us to regain our focus and our trust in Jesus and to rest our troubles before Him that are appearing overwhelming to us at this time. He is ‘GOD’ friend, He is at the top of the chart, over everything going on around us and in our lives, we can trust Him with everything! If you are really struggling with something that this devotional has not already helped you overcome, please use information in the footnote to seek help in praying this through!

Prayer:

What an awesome God we serve! For you created this whole wide world that we live in. You created us humans to live in this world. You created the beautiful sun to bring sunshine, the rain to enhance the food chain for us. You have healed the sick, made the blind to see and brought the dead back to life again. Our struggles seem so overwhelming to us, but in comparison to the above miracles they must be so minute to You. But Father, I want to ask that You please calm the storms of worry and despair in us, and help us to find ways to enhance our faith and trust in you. I realize that as long as we remain on this old earth amongst all the sin and worldly distractions, we will struggle with the problems of this world, but I plead with You to help us stay focused on You, with our eyes fixed to the cross of Calvary, so that we may constantly be reminded that we serve a God who is much bigger and way more powerful than all of our struggles. With this truth always before us, I know that we can overcome! Thank You Lord for your blessings on me! I ask all this, yet praise You for the assurances of being my sustainer, in Your precious and holy name I pray, AMEN!

NOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray.

Condition Yourself For Seeing Jesus!

On By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Bible – New Living Translation

1 Corinthians 9:24–27

24 Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

Thoughts:

I believe that the best way to relate to someone is to speak with them in terms that they can identify with. If speaking to a carpenter, speak in terms of what little you understand about carpentry. Paul was speaking to a church that lived and breathed sports, because the Isthmian Games (similar to the Olympic Games today) took place in a nearby town every two or three years, so they understood sports and the idea of conditioning to win a race. We should keep this in mind when speaking with folk about the Lord. In order to build a rapport with someone, a mechanic shouldn’t go to a carpenter talking about engine parts and mechanic work, but rather, make it a point to speak more about the building trade. The analogy used by Paul is very important to us today friends. If we are preparing our souls for heaven, then we must first of all know the game master. All the studying you can muster up will not open the doors of heaven to you. Jesus said in His Word that there is only one way to get into heaven: (a) admit that you are a sinner and that you need a Savior; (b) believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and that He died so that You might be saved; and (c) confess your sins to Jesus, ask Him to forgive you of your sin, and to accept you as His child. This is equivalent to being accepted into the games. Now to condition yourself in the Christian life you are to read up as much as you can on what God expects from you. Friend, this is all contained in the Bible, so make this your game book. Look into it daily so that you may strengthen your walk with the Lord. This will also grow you into the strong, conditioned child of the King that He expects. You see, He wants you to duplicate His life here on this earth so that others might see Him when they see and hear you. Winning the prize for the Christian, is to be present with the Lord when we are called away from this life (when we die). We want to be so conditioned, that when we stand before our King on that Day of Judgment, He will recognize us as one of His and that He will look at us and through a smile He would say “Well done, you have been a good and faithful servant”. Oh what a day that will be, when my Jesus I shall see!!!! So friend, the big challenge for you today is: Do You know my Lord in a personal, relational way? And if you do, are you conditioning your spiritual life daily, so that you will be ready for the day you will see Him face to face? Please waste no time in doing this, I want to see you there when I look around for you in heaven! It will be worth it all!

Prayer:

Father, thank You for providing the Rule Book for us, the ‘Coaching Book’, in fact the Book that not only leads us to You, but also helps us to condition our lives into something that is pleasing to You. Thank You for the prize you have promised us at the end of the race that we call ‘life’. You never said we would not have challenges while living this life, but praise God You have promised a home eternally with You at the end of this life for all who have accepted You as Lord and conditioned themselves to live as Your child here on this earth. As a child of Yours, we can enjoy even the most challenging days knowing that we have a prize ahead that includes living with You, walking with You, talking with You and listening to Your comforting and loving words throughout eternity! Please help us to daily condition our lives with Your Word – the play book designed by You for Your children that help us to be all that You meant for us to be while still being here on this earth. Thank You Lord for being my Savior, my Redeemer and my soon coming King! I ask all this, and praise You, in the wonderful name of Jesus, AMEN!

NOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray.

Who Will Stand?

On By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Bible – The Good news Translation

Psalm106:29–31

                 They stirred up the Lord’s anger by their actions,

and a terrible disease broke out among them.

                But Phinehas stood up and punished the guilty,

and the plague was stopped.

                This has been remembered in his favor ever since

and will be for all time to come.

Thoughts:

Phinehas was recognized a few times in the Bible: for his leadership role in a group sent out, and as an adviser in a war. So he was not a known religious leader whom one would have expected to stand up again the evil that stirred up the Lord’s anger in the verses above. This precisely brings up an important point that I would like for us to consider in response to this passage. In today’s society, we will immediately look to our church leaders to stand up for evil, because we consider them God’s point men in our churches. However, like in our homes we have kids, and sometimes, spouses that rebel against our stand against evil, I believe that church members will be the first to criticize our church leaders for the stand against the evil that they have either recognized, or been told about. You see, I believe that many of us ‘church members’ are so wishy-washy in our beliefs and especially in our stand against the norm that we go along with the flow way too often, instead of standing up against the evil that happens around us out in this evil world. We are such advocates of being politically correct – in other words ‘splashing around in the truth in order not to take a stand and/or hurting anyone’s feelings’. So if this describes our ‘church members’ in general, who again do we expect to stand with our pastors and/or church leaders when they take a stand on behalf of our church? It won’t happen friend! We have seen churches split over simple things like the paint color on the walls, so imagine how quickly members will walk when asked to stand with our church leaders on decisions made that might cause the media to point out our church for a Biblical stand that it took! In these verses we see where the effects of sin were already being felt – a terrible disease had broken out. Do we see the effects of sin in our society, and in our churches today? I dare say that we do. There are diseases caused by certain known sins such as homosexuality, yet we have churches that splash around in the truth and accept this as a way of life. In fact some churches even accept these individuals as members, leaders or pastors. Yet we wonder why God permits certain disasters upon our land? Friend, our God is no different today than He was in this scripture we are studying today. I am studying a book by a popular pastor who said that he is not allow to preach something that is not Biblical. When we surrender our lives to the Lordship of the Lord Jesus Christ, we agree to live according to His commands as detailed in His Word (the Bible). Why would we do this, but look to our ‘Christian’ brother living in sin and say it’s alright? As we take a stand for total obedience to God’s Word, we might be more apt to also join our church leaders in taking a corporate stand for Biblical truths and against SIN. Are you prepared to join the army of Christ, friend? Are you prepared to call sin what it is?

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, taking a stand against the normal flow of society is very challenging. Yet when we accepted You as Lord of our lives, we agreed that we would live in agreement with Your Word, and its commands. You are very clear in Your Word on what is acceptable to You and what is sin. If there is doubt in our minds then we should consider the challenging thing as sin until we can get a clearer word from You. Many times we are so confused, I believe, because we are listening to the world for advice instead of looking to You for clarification. As we read Your Word more, we become more in tuned with what Your expectations of us. We then also understand Your commands and principles better. We learn the very heart of our Master and therefore have a much better base for the decisions that we should make, and subsequently for the stands that we should take. Please help us to stand firm on the Truth of Your Word, and that it is the only thing that would change our minds. We need more like Phineas in our world today. May I plead for Your strength and wisdom to be more like Phineas and not disagree for argument sake, but in order to stay the course for You. This is only possible through the power and mighty hand of my King, so Jesus I ask this in Your powerful and awesome name, AMEN!

NOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray.

Avoid God’s Anger, Show Your Allegiance!

On By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Bible – New Living Translation

Psalm 106:19–23; 29

19 The people made a calf at Mount Sinai;

they bowed before an image made of gold.

20 They traded their glorious God

for a statue of a grass-eating bull.

21 They forgot God, their savior,

who had done such great things in Egypt—

22 such wonderful things in the land of Ham,

such awesome deeds at the Red Sea.

23 So he declared he would destroy them.

 

29 They stirred up the Lord’s anger by their actions,

                 and a terrible disease broke out among them.

Thoughts:

In verses 23 and 29 God declared His anger, because He could no longer stand to see His people, for whom He did so much, totally disregard their blessings and instead choose to worship, or show homage to other gods. I believe that God opened my eyes to reflect on how this is applicable to me, and/or to His ‘church’ today. Friends, I often reflect on the critical happenings in our lifetime and question why God would allow such things to happen to His people. Often I receive the answer back that God is gently trying to get the undivided attention of His kids. After all, have you also noticed how similar to the ungrateful Israelites that we have become? After major disasters, our churches fill up, at least for a few Sundays/Saturdays, then when the people realize that they can handle the fallout from the disaster themselves, they stop attending church again and fall back to their old ‘gods’. So what are these other ‘gods’ you might ask? Well, anything that takes the place of the Almighty God in our lives, are our little ‘gods’. There is no need to name them, for I believe they are numerous. Just remember, Jesus, our Lord, sacrificed His life on a cruel cross at Calvary, so that we might have life eternally with Him in glory. How much is that worth to you? I heard a lady say yesterday that throughout the rest of her lifetime, she would never part with a bed mattress that saved her life in a hurricane. How much more important is it to us to never part with our Savior who sacrificed so much to save us from our lives of sin? There is nothing more important than your time with the Lord, whether it is your daily devotions, Bible study, prayer time or corporate worship, may I encourage you to not allow your small ‘gods’ to interfere with that time? Notice in verses 23 and 29 above that this really upsets God Almighty, and before you know it, there could be another show of His anger through some disaster in your life personally or nationally. Don’t go there friend. Show your allegiance to the King of kings and Lord of Lords. He alone deserves our praise!

Prayer:

Father, I want to thank You for Your daily bread, Your daily care of me and my family, Your daily allegiance to the promises made in Your Word. You are an awesome God. I thank You for drawing me to a relationship with You, and I thanks You for Your hand of protection over me each day. I regret that my daily weaknesses and disappointments may anger You at times. Please quickly draw my attention to those times that I get off track and not display the attitude and character that You expect from a child of Yours. Please continue to work on me, mold me into Your very image so that I may exemplify You in every way to the lost world that surrounds me. May I, in turn, be faithful to You in all things and may Your love and character be evident in all that I say or do. Please touch the lives of those friends that will stop by and meditate on this devotional. May they recommit themselves to you afresh today. I firmly believe that the world needs to see Jesus portrayed in all honesty and in its truest form, even if that differs from the ways of the world. I pray that your people may be touched in this special way without the need for You showing Your anger over the appalling ways of this world. Thank You for being my Master and my Lord. Please strengthen me to do Your will each and every day. I am Yours Lord, and I lift my voice in praise and honor to You, just as I lift these prayers before You, in Your wonderful name, Lord Jesus, AMEN!

NOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray.

Let The Love and Truth of God be Evident in Us!

On By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Bible – New Living Translation

Psalm 106:6–8

6 Like our ancestors, we have sinned. We have done wrong! We have acted wickedly!

7 Our ancestors in Egypt were not impressed by the Lord’s miraculous deeds. They soon forgot his many acts of kindness to them. Instead, they rebelled against him at the Red Sea.

8 Even so, he saved them — to defend the honor of his name and to demonstrate his mighty power.

Thoughts:

I believe that way too often we look down our pious noses and try to convince ourselves of our greatness, and our sinless lives. Friends, whenever we feel that boastful and proud again, may I encourage you to look around and count the family, friends, coworkers or neighbors that have seen enough of Jesus in us that they have surrendered their lives to Jesus and to the leadership of His Holy Spirit, because of our actions and/or words. It is so very easy to look at someone and immediately analyze their problem, without first acknowledging our own, and seeking forgiveness for our own sin and littleness. It is unfortunate that we can train pets so well and they can generally be very obedient, however when it comes to training ourselves to be obedient to God, our Master, our designer, our Savior and our Friend, we suddenly take on a superiority complex as if we are in charge. Friends, just as God held back the Red Sea for our ancestors, why don’t we recognize His awesome intervention in our lives every day? You see, for our world to be impacted, our friends, family, coworkers and other contacts must see and hear the evidence of Jesus in our lives. They will not be impacted simply by us telling them about the miracles at the Red Sea or how Moses struck the rock with his rod and God produced water for His people. Our lives and our witness give validity to the Word of God. It’s the living witness of who God says that He is. Our unsaved loved ones must see this, friends!

Prayer:

Lord, I am reminded of a story about a man who had a lot of faith in a friend that he could push a wheelbarrow on a tight rope across the Niagara Falls. With all that faith, his friend invited him to ride in the wheelbarrow as he pushed it over the Falls!! This is the type of faith it took for the Israelites to follow Moses through the bottom of the Red Sea while the waters were rolled back. We are also faced with similar challenges each day and we make decisions that prove where our level of faith is. Dear Jesus, I am convinced that others will not be impacted to follow You if they see doubt in us, and if they see us living a double life, I pray that You will touch the lives of Your children today and convict us of our sin and our shortcoming. May we follow You through the little things and through the major crisis events. Today marks the anniversary of a terrible disaster here in the USA, a day that showed a lot of people their need for Your love and Your power. I pray that it will not take another disaster to draw the people to You, oh Lord, but rather, may they see Your love and our faith in You so prevalent, that they may be drawn to You, our Savior and our King. Please touch Your children who claim You as Lord today, then I ask that You please consider using Your servants to reach others, because of their faith that might become more and more evident every day. I ask this in the precious name of Jesus, my Lord and King, AMEN!

NOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray.

Never Question God’s Plan!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, ChristianLeave a comment

The Bible – The Good News Translation

 Psalm 105:12–17

                 God’s people were few in number, strangers in the land of Canaan.

                They wandered from country to country, from one kingdom to another.

                But God let no one oppress them; to protect them, he warned the kings:

                “Don’t harm my chosen servants; do not touch my prophets.”

                The Lord sent famine to their country and took away all their food.

                But he sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who had been sold as a slave.

 Thoughts:

Can you imagine when Joseph’s father dedicated him to the Lord for His divine plan, how much of a box he probably built around that dedication? I’m sure that he would have felt honored if perhaps Joseph became a leading cattle rancher, or perhaps followed in his footsteps, but do you think in his wildest dreams, or in his most daring prayer he would have asked God that his little shepherd boy would become a leader in the king’s palace? In this particular Psalm, David reflected on the instruction given to the kings by God about not touching His prophets, and here he was praising God for the provision He made in the young boy, Joseph, to facilitate relief for the punishment he was about to render on the king and his dominion. We all know the wonderful story of Joseph, but in these verses I was reminded about the whole purpose for his mission in life. It was all God designed and orchestrated. How often do we stop and reflect on stories like this to energize our worship and praises of thanksgiving for God’s perfect plan? It ignites in us a feeling of praise, excitement and expectancy as we not only thank Him for His mighty works, but also look forward to what He is already doing in our lives and the lives of our loved ones. When disasters occur, like the famine that occurred in this story, are we bold enough in our trust in God to know that God has already made provisions for His people by having a plan ready, and a man ready to lead His plan? We have the record book to show us that this is how He operates, so why doubt? Let’s ask Him to do it again! We know He can!

 Prayer:

 Praise God that Your divine plan for Your children is so much more than we, or our ancestors could ever have dreamed of. Reflecting on Moses, he whined about the speech impediment that bothered him as a spokesman, yet You used his ounce of faith to lead millions of people for years to the Promised Land through many extenuating circumstances. Many of these challenges seemed impossible to man, yet folk today are saved because of the power they saw in the mighty power of God through Moses. Again in the story of Joseph, we saw where men (his own brothers) meant evil for this young man, but praise God You had a much bigger plan for this young man! Our small, insignificant minds are so limited, but praise God we serve the One with all knowledge, all wisdom and all power, and in light of another verse You led me to this morning (James 3:17) You are a God who shows no favoritism and You are sincere in all that You do. Wow, again I am reminded that I serve such an awesome God! Please use me more every day for Your glory! My friends reading this will be very much like me, so I ask You dear Lord to also place Your miracle working hand on their lives so that they can be all that You planned for them. Only You have the awesome power to accomplish all this that I’ve asked dear Jesus, so I ask it in Your precious and holy name, AMEN!

 

NOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray.

May My Thoughts Please Christ!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Pleasing to God, Praise, WorshipLeave a comment

The Bible – New Century Version

 Psalm 104:33–34

33             I will sing to the Lord all my life;

I will sing praises to my God as long as I live.

34             May my thoughts please Him;

I am happy in the Lord.

Thoughts:

Ever read a book, flip the pages and all as if you had finished reading that page, but in reality you don’t have a clue what was on that page, because your mind was miles away? Does this happen to us in our families where we are not really tuned in to a conversation taking place? Now-a-days we have all the distractions of electronics and television to distract us from quality time, or a time where our family has our undivided attention. What about church? Surely our minds don’t wonder off when we are in God’s house!! In verse 33, David is boasting about his awesome worship times – singing to the Lord – in fact he went as far as saying that he is committed to singing these praises as long as he lived. Then comes verse 34, where David asks God to direct his thoughts so that they may please Him. I get the impression that he is singing the praises, but yet seeing his mind wonder off onto other things. That caught my attention, because I believe that I am not alone when my mind wonders off during a worship song, or during the preaching or even the praying. Friends, I believe that our minds are in such overload with what remains undone at work, and/or family business that must be attended to, and/or just overtired because we didn’t get enough rest. I also believe that if we fail to worship God daily in our personal lives, it is highly unlikely that we could be very sincere in our corporate worship. Imagine our pastors coming to the pulpit, without sermon preparation or personal worship time, but because that’s the place they are paid to be at that certain hour each week. How do you suppose the sermon would come off? So why do you suppose we, the congregants are any different? Without any worship time during the week and/or any preparation time with God about the 1-2 hours that we are about to spend in corporate worship, do you suppose that our minds are magically changed and redirected from the busyness of the week, to now totally concentrate on our worship time? Friends, I believe that we have an obligation to our God, who knows everything about every thought, word or deed, to confess our weaknesses and ask for His divine intervention, so that we can avoid the pretense of worship, and instead surrender our lives, our minds and our whole beings over to Him. These words from a song I love seem appropriate for us to sing each time we enter into corporate worship, “… so forget about yourself, and concentrate on Him, and worship Him….” How is it with you friend? Is there something you need to speak with God about as far as Him receiving your undivided attention during worship times?

Prayer:

Loving Lord Jesus, please forgive me for the times that I am bodily present in worship services, but my mind is everywhere else but there. I am very much like David where I need Your touch on my life so that I can truly concentrate on You and worship You for the awesome God that You are. You have made us, and provided everything possible for our enjoyment, yet we find it challenging to give You our undivided attention, worship and praise. Lord, please touch Your people once again. I believe that revival will break out if we all came to worship, prepared in our hearts and minds, and dedicate our corporate worship time entirely to You. Please patiently examine our hearts and our minds and renew within us a right spirit, open to exemplifying You in every way, every day, and offering up our undiluted praise at every opportunity. We need this, and you deserve this dear Lord, so I ask this in your precious and holy name, AMEN!

 

NOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray.

The Creation of My Awesome God!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Disciple, God our Provider, PraiseLeave a comment

The Bible – The Good News Translation

Psalm 104:13–15

13             From the sky you send rain on the hills, and the earth is filled with your blessings.

14             You make grass grow for the cattle and plants for human beings to use, so that they can grow their crops

15             and produce wine to make them happy, olive oil to make them cheerful, and bread to give them strength.

Thoughts:

I am blessed to enjoy a short vacation this week, so as I meditate on this scripture I can hear the ocean waves beating against the shoreline, I can overlook the vastness of the ocean, the beauty of the land as it tapers off into the ocean waters (the beach), and the shrubbery that is specific to this area and tolerant of the salt sprays from the ocean. In addition to its beauty and the amazement of my wonderful God, I am overwhelmed by the stubbornness of man who is forced to obey government rules and regulations concerning our beaches and adjacent properties, and they are forced to cooperate with the rules of nature/God by planting the right kind of shrubs for the brutal salt sprays, yet we are challenged to convince these same men that there is a God who loves them even more than the waters and the earth. Isn’t it interesting that God is patient with these smart men in their ignorance and rejection, and He will forgive them at their request when coming to Him for salvation? David also recognized the awesomeness of all that surrounded him, so he expressed the inner joy and appreciation in the value of the rain, and the lush growth of plants around him. These plants were not just another pesky bush that he had to complain about trimming, but David recognized that had it not been for God providing these specific plants, he and others, like you and I, would be cheated from valuable things like wine, olive oil and bread. Friends it is not our responsibility to prove to non-believers that God exist, it is our duty to God to boast about the power of God that saved us from our sin, and that all the many things around them us were created and strategically placed because of the wonder, majesty, power and awesome love of our Provider, our maker, our Savior and our Lord. Please be reminded that we can save no one. We merely express what’s in our heart. God will use that little, to accomplish much for His ultimate glory. I am reminded in another scripture verse where Jesus said that if His disciples kept quiet the very stones will cry out/sing praise (Luke 19:40). We are not challenged to find words to praise our kids and grand-kids, why are we so challenged to sing the praises of our Creator? Could it be that our relationship with God is not where it needs to be? Draw close to God dear friend, so that He can draw near to you. He loves You and wants to be involved in your life.

Prayer:

Lord, I praise You for who You are, and for the beauty of all that You have provided for us to enjoy and benefit from. You not only made us in Your wonderful image, but You followed through by providing everything we need to survive, and even things to enhance our worship of You. You are awesome Mighty God! Thank You for being my Master and yet my friend. I honor You today and I thank You for providing everything around me to enjoy, both for peace of mind and rejuvenation but also for survival through the foods that I eat and the air that I breathe. As David reminds me, this earth is filled with Your blessings and Your awesome touch. Thank you for being my God, my Lord and my Savior. I adore You heavenly Father. May You be praised by every living soul this day, especially those that may meditate on this devotional. I praise You, and ask all this, in Your most holy and awesome name, Jesus my Lord, AMEN!

 

NOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray.