Our Compassionate Savior

On 2018-04-30 By Ed AlgreenIn Compassion, Love, Love of God, The Father's Love, The love of GodLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 103:10-12 (The Passion Translation)

TEXT: ¹⁰You may discipline us for our many sins,
    but never as much as we really deserve.
    Nor do you get even with us for what we’ve done.
¹¹Higher than the highest heavens—
    that’s how high your tender mercy extends!
    Greater than the grandeur of heaven above
    is the greatness of your loyal love, towering over all
    who fear you and bow down before you!
¹²Farther than from a sunrise to a sunset—
    that’s how far you’ve removed our guilt from us.

OBSERVATION: David had gone through many situations in his life, some that deserved praise from God and some that we would probably choose to keep away from God, for we may feel ashamed for God to know about those kinds of things. Yet David knew that God loved him anyway. In fact, God said in His Word that David was a man after His own heart. Let’s meditate on the awesome, compassionate heart of our King today….

APPLICATION: So often we approach family and friends and try to encourage them to join us in following our Lord Jesus, but we will often hear about the vast difference between their life of sin and the sinless Savior that we are encouraging them to stand before in judgment. But isn’t it awesome that we can reassure them with verses like John 3:16, that assures them that God sent His Son to earth so that ALL might have eternal life, not just those who try to be good in their own strength? Isn’t it encouraging to share these verses from David with those friends, that in spite of their ugly past, or the sin that they are ashamed of, yet God will look at them as His child and will honor their request for forgiveness of sin? In verse 12 David reminds us that God would remove our sin so far from us that He could only think of measuring it by telling us that we should think of an endless distance such as the span between east and west. Friends, our God tends to respond to us in immeasurable terms like endless; forever; eternity; distance of east from the west; etc, because He never goes back on His word. That is hard for us to imagine, because we often make our decisions based on conditions and ongoing commitments of the other party. But when something is promised by our God, we could go to the bank with that. So may I encourage you to place your faith and trust in the God who will love you unconditionally and eternally. This is the kind of love that seems impossible and unbelievable, but based on the authority of the living Bible, I can safely assure you of that truth today!

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for assuring us of Your love, in spite of our many weaknesses and endless disappointments to You while here on earth. Thank You Lord for providing an alternative to our life of sin, and I thank You for even tugging at our heart’s door so that we may seek Your face and the forgiveness of our sin while there is still breath in our bodies. Please forgive us for our determination to follow a sinful world, and for allowing Satan to have control over us. Lord, please mellow the hearts of the stubborn and hard-hearted today. May they find You and bast in the sunshine of Your love throughout eternity. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Sebring, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Signs of Maturity

On 2018-04-272018-04-27 By Ed AlgreenIn Mature, Maturity, SeparationLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Corinthians 3:2-3 (TLB)

TEXT: ³…even now you still have to be fed on milk. ³For you are still only baby Christians, controlled by your own desires, not God’s. When you are jealous of one another and divide up into quarreling groups, doesn’t that prove you are still babies, wanting your own way? In fact, you are acting like people who don’t belong to the Lord at all.

OBSERVATION: In our verses today Paul tells the Corinthian church, and our own churches that preach and teach the Bible today, that there are some tell-tale signs of immaturity, and when we notice these things finding their way into our circle of friends, we really need to seek God’s face in earnest. These recognized, unfortunate signs that go untreated will not only hinder the growth of Christians, but act as a cancer in the work of the church. Let’s explore this subject some more….

APPLICATION: I believe that at times we may read our Bible and feel so sorry for the people referred to in the Bible. ‘Those poor people struggled so much in those days’ may be some of the things that we think or say about certain passages of Scripture. But friends, may I remind you that because our Lord is very much alive and well, His Word is just as applicable to our lives and our churches today. In fact, we hear way too often about divisions in families and in our churches today, over very silly things. While Satan is often at the root of our problems, these things happen because he first got to an individual who shared with another, who shared with a group that quickly grew into a larger group that distracted, or even disrupted the work of the Lord in that particular church. I’m sure the BIG question is probably, how do we avoid this, or how can we possibly prevent this? Based on advice given to us further down in the same chapter, we must truly pray for our pastors and leaders. These individuals have been called to the awesome work and ministry of Jesus Christ, but they are mortal man. While Jesus is no match for Satan, our human leaders are, and Satan is out to get them and to stop the work of his rival. Furthermore, we should be in constant prayer for one another. There are not many things that we do each day where we have someone waiting to pounce on us and trip us up, like Satan. He is our opposer, our deceiver and our enemy. Unfortunately he is stronger than us, and will work his way into our lives without us noticing. Friends, separation from God leaves a playground for Satan. Just as you and your spouse might separate if you have no form of relationship, the same thing happens when your relationship with God is weak and struggling.

PRAYER: Precious Lord, take my hand, please lead me beyond the struggles of this world and its ruler, Satan. Lord, I pray that Your powerful hand will hover over Your saints today, so that we may represent You well and enable us to live and work in peace and joy to serve You before a lost world. The most important thing in this world is You Jesus, please help us to stand firm in our commitment to make You the most important thing in our lives today, AMEN!

Tell Everyone What Jesus Did For You

On 2018-04-262018-04-26 By Ed AlgreenIn Greatest Need, Personal testimony, Salvation, Share, Share God’s Word, TestimonyLeave a comment

Post Date:	Thursday, 2018-04-26
SCRIPTURE
From:	Mark 5:18-20 (TLB)
Text:	¹⁸So he got back into the boat. The man who had been possessed by the demons begged Jesus to let him go along. ¹⁹But Jesus said no. “Go home to your friends,” he told him, “and tell them what wonderful things God has done for you; and how merciful he has been.”²⁰So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to tell everyone about the great things Jesus had done for him; and they were awestruck by his story.
OBSERVATION:
The appointment that Jesus had with the demon possessed man led to a total change in his life. He knew that he would benefit from being around Jesus even more, so he pleaded with Him to allow him to travel with Him. That would have been safe, secure and perhaps filled with ongoing miracles, but Jesus had a much bigger mission in mind for this man – to share his miracle of ‘new life’ with others, so that they too might see and believe – just like our personal witnessing/ministry today!
APPLICATION:
Imagine how small Christendom would be if, when folk went into a place like a church, they found Jesus, accepted Him as Lord and personal Savior, and never came back outside. Not only would the outside world never hear their gripping story, but they would think the worst of what must have become of them. Friends, it is one thing for the world to hear about some of the things that go on inside places of worship, but it is a totally more convincing fact for them to witness what happened in a life that was totally torn by sin, but have since seen a 180 degree change in their conviction, their lifestyle and in their demeanor. So often we hear the saying ‘what’s inside will come out’, and we see that materialize through the various ones that we encounter each day, but I must also share with you that if a change occurred inside of you, and you are not living out that change, then one might question if anything ever truly changed in you. Let’s consider briefly an example – a frequent visitor to the local pub, who most evenings have to be driven home because he would get too intoxicated to walk straight or drive home. This gentleman was introduced to Jesus and he accepted Jesus as Lord of his life. While a total change came about in his life, and he had no more desire to hang out in places where the Holy Spirit would not feel comfortable, he comes across his bar-hoping buddies from time to time. Much like the demon-freed man, this new convert made it a point to get in the way of his buddies, and he openly shared his story with them. Friends, this gentleman didn’t automatically become a preacher, but he had a story about how his life was changed. Sharing your story with others is often more powerful than reading the scriptures to your friends. Imagine, you are sharing a personal experience you had with God, not just about a prophet or healing that took place thousands of years ago that Bible writers told you about. Please don’t misunderstand, the Bible is the Holy Word of God and it always has the power to save and draw people to Christ. However, when you have bathed yourself in the Word, your personal story will be especially important to share with folk who need to know that our Savior lives, and He is active in our lives even today!
PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your grace that saved a wretch like me, who was steeped in sin and had no hope of eternity. Much like the demon possessed man in our story, You accepted my plea for salvation and forgave me of my sin. I am eternally grateful for that dear Jesus. Much like our subject today, I am most comfortable around Your people who think much the same way as I do. But praise be to God, You allow me opportunities to ‘go back home’ and share the Good News of my Savior. Many of you reading this blog may fit into a similar mold as described. Let us pray that as we are taken outside of our comfort zone, that God would provide the opportunities to share Christ and to bring Light into the darkest lives of those who need a change. Out story is super important, please help us to ensure that it becomes very evident to the hearer that it is You who influence our lives each day, and You who saved us from a life destined for Hell and transformed us into a child of the King! Lord, may this be the day that ‘our story’ will lead someone to knowing more about You! AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

The Simplicity of Preaching

On 2018-04-25 By Ed AlgreenIn Preach, PreachingLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Corinthians 1:21 (TPT)

TEXT: ^{21 …} in his wisdom, God designed that all the world’s wisdom would be insufficient to lead people to the discovery of himself. He took great delight in baffling the wisdom of the world by using the simplicity of preaching the story of the cross in order to save those who believe it.

OBSERVATION: I believe that Paul wanted the Corinthian church, and Christ followers today, to know that whatever we may undertake in our community efforts or even in our churches, it is the simple wisdom that comes from preaching and teaching the Word of God that draws mankind to God. I hope that as we meditate on this verse today, we will be reminded that we are only the humble servants of the One that can save, our Lord Jesus Christ, the awesome Son of God.

APPLICATION: In these verses I am led to believe that Paul is referring to two primary results that will come from preaching: (1) It is designed by God to reach the unsaved, because He will work through the preaching of His Word to save those who will believe; and (2) It will baffle the wise that something so simple could do something that the wisest man cannot do. Friends, I believe that this is one of those things that can be considered very literal for several reasons. When the Word is preached by a seminary graduate to seminary graduates, it is challenging for the simple minded person looking for a word from the Lord. When the Word is declared based on man’s interpretation and not that directed by the Holy Spirit, I believe that it misses the whole point raised in this verse. The Word of God was written under the power and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and unless it is taught and preached or blogged under the same Holy Spirit, our efforts are in vain. Our responsibility as agents or servants of God is to explain, preach, teach and relay the God given simplicity of His Word so that it may yield results for the kingdom. People are much more impressed and touched by God when the Holy Spirit speaks to their mind and spirit through His Word, than they are with the level of education of the person delivering the Word. So friends, the word that I believe God wants us to hear today, is that we give close attention to the man of God that is in tune with God, and not as much with the one who got the best education and depends on it possibly without a close walk with God.

PRAYER: Lord, we are very concerned about sharing Your Word in ways that we feel led by You and that will not return to You void. Beginning with me, please open my eyes that I may see, glimpses of You in every word that I read; open my ears that I may hear whispers of truth You have for me and for those who read my blog. Please glorify Yourself in every word, and in every ‘Amen’ You may hear from my readers. Please touch hearts today as this word is broadcast over the internet. Draw unbelievers to Yourself as they hear about Your goodness and the simplicity of Your gospel. AMEN!

Undeserving Love

On 2018-04-242018-04-24 By Ed AlgreenIn Love, Love of God, The love of God, Unconditional loveLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE FROM: Job 7:17-18 (NIV)

TEXT: “What is mankind that you make so much of them, that you give them so much attention, that you examine them every morning and test them every moment?

OBSERVATION: A Holy God who created each of us, but watched us turn to sin and the things of this world. However, He still shows us how, because we are the apple of His eye, He still loves us unconditionally each and every day. So undeserving, yet our Savior loves us anyway! Job found this extremely challenging to understand, especially after all that he had been put through.

APPLICATION: I believe that we try too hard to compare God to the ways that we normally react to life’s circumstances. Think about it friends, if we had the ability to create a being from scratch – not using any gifts that God has already blessed us with, how would we design that perfect individual? Now with that design in mind, let’s assume that we created the individual perfectly and we personally and consistently monitor their progress and dictate their actions to make sure that they stay ‘perfect’ as we designed them. But you eventually take a much needed vacation, only to return and find the individually had gone nuts during your absence. How do you suppose you would react? That’s how I believe we expect to see God react when we sin – when we go nuts and do everything that God teaches us not to do if we vow to follow His will and His footsteps. Friends, the closer we draw to Christ, and the more we read His Word and desire to follow its instructions, the more we will see, like Job, that we serve an awesome God, who loves us unconditionally. He showed us that love when He went to the cross, when He was beaten, mocked and died a cruel death, even though He had the power through His Father to call down 10,000 angels to help Him. Jesus continues to show us each day that He still loves His children in spite of our attraction to sin and the world. Think about the ones that He calls to Himself in salvation – ones that we may have thought there was no hope for, that is nothing but pure, undefiled, unconditional love, my friend! Just as Job said, who are we that He should love us so?

PRAYER: Like Job, we sometimes feel like there is little hope for those of us that go through extreme sad times over the loss of loved ones, or perhaps through medical stuff that seem unresolvable by any doctors that we approach, however, praise to You oh God, we know who holds our hand today and who will hold it tomorrow. We know who has all power, and who could heal us if You have additional work for us to do. So Lord Jesus, we place our faith and trust in the only true God, with awesome thanksgiving for Your undeserved love towards even us! We are truly blessed, and we love You Lord, more than we could find words to express. All glory to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, AMEN!

The Circle of (Christian) Life

On 2018-04-212018-04-21 By Ed AlgreenIn Heaven, SavedLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE FROM: Romans 15:4-6 (VOICE)

TEXT: ⁴You see, everything written in the days of old was recorded to give us instructions for living. We find encouragement through the Scriptures and a call to perseverance that will produce hopeful living. ⁵I pray that our God, who calls you and gives you perseverance and encouragement, will join all of you together to share one mind according to Jesus the Anointed. ⁶In this unity, you will share one voice as you glorify the one True God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, our Liberating King.

OBSERVATION: I was excited to see that although God created us to worship Him, Paul shared with the church that it was equally as important to realize the work of God through His earlier saints who recorded God’s awesome works. In fact Paul alluded to the fact that we should learn enough from their writings, that we might receive guidance and wisdom for life that would cause us all to glorify God together with others who are reaching for the same goal. This is important to us today as well, so let us meditate on this for a while…

APPLICATION: In the family movie by Walt Disney World titled ‘The Lion King’, kids were brought to the real life example of how God created animals to survive, sometimes even when it involves eating other animals. I was reminded of the idea portrayed in that movie when I read these verses today, because Paul taught us that it is not necessary to recreate the wheel. Our forefathers depended on God, and they shared their experiences and God’s teachings with us through the words in our Book of Instructions, better known as The Bible. Paul warned us a long time ago that as we learn from the Word of God, we will often find that not everyone will agree on the interpretation, however Paul encouraged us to try and work through our problems by keeping that one book at the center of our churches. He showed us that when we are all on the ‘same page’ in our belief system and serving the same God, there will be great joy in our midst and we will be driven to worship the one true God talked about in that one Book. In other words friends, we were created to worship our Creator; Satan led us astray where we did everything else but worship God; however, once our eyes are reopened to the truth of God (through His Word), then we will return to intimate worship to our God. So what do you suppose breaks this circle? May I suggest that it is the power of Satan working through the weaker links. This results in church splits; additional denominations; smaller personalized churches; but the most critical reason of all is that the unsaved sit back and watch all of this going on and realize how blessed they are to stay out of the confusion of so-called ‘Christians’. Friend of God, I believe you will be reminded that some churches will serve the good purposes of the almighty God, while some will look like a ball of fire to the unbeliever that they will want to stay far enough away from. I would dare say that our God is not a God of confusion and disappointments. He loved this world so much that He gave His one and only Son as a living sacrifice, so that any of us that believe on Him will have life forever. In that promise, we are also assured that when we pass from this earth in death, we will live with God in the heavens forever thereafter. Let us therefore keep our eyes fixed on the ultimate goal – heaven with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, and let us live our life now following the will of the Father, until we see Him face to face! Oh what a day that will be!!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, please help us to get over ourselves and keep our eyes fixed on You, the author and finisher of our faith. Please give us strength and fortitude to recognize trouble, and Satan’s endeavors, and to lean on Your power in those times to help us avoid and defend against evil. Please help us to remember that there are friends and unsaved loved ones that need to see Jesus and His mighty works, so there is no time to be messing up and letting You down through our words and actions. Oh that they may see Jesus in us, is my humble plea today. AMEN!

Confidence in the God Who Cares for You

On 2018-04-202018-04-20 By Ed AlgreenIn Encourage, encouragement, Encourager, God Cares For Us1 Comment

SCRIPTURE FROM: Job 4:3-6 (TLB)

TEXT: 3-4 In the past you have told many a troubled soul to trust in God and have encouraged those who are weak or falling, or lie crushed upon the ground or are tempted to despair. 5 But now when trouble strikes, you faint and are broken.
6 “At such a time as this should not trust in God still be your confidence? Shouldn’t you believe that God will care for those who are good?

OBSERVATION: Job just had an awful lot happen to him in Satan’s attempt to destroy his confidence in God. In spite of the many friends that he had helped along the way, he was now discouraged, even in the presence of the same God that he called on for others. I believe this often happens to us, so I want to meditate on this today before our God.

APPLICATION: We might often visit friends in hospital or on sick beds at home, or even in a Nursing Home. We might often chat, and pray with friends at church about troubled times they are going through. We might seek to encourage friends at work, or elsewhere in our realm of influence, praying for them and knowing that God could supply their every need. But what happens when troubles come our way, does that same faith, that same confidence and that same attitude of positivity sustain us? I believe that we must be extremely careful to not fall into the trap of believing that a believer who does all of the above, also stands firm during their time loss, discouragement or weakness. I would hope that for those who minister and/or seeks out others to encourage, that they would be very open to allowing others into their world when they go through tough times. I remember the day I got word of my dad’s death, my church Brothers gathered around me and not only prayed with me but sat and chatted with me and helped me financially to make the trip to be with my mom and siblings while we said our goodbyes. An outpouring of love like that, softened the load for me and helped me see that God was working through His church to help me shoulder the pain of loss and discouragement. I was convinced that God was right there helping me in much the same way that I tried to help others in similar circumstances in the past. Friends, we have no way of knowing whether others will come to help in our times of distress, but we do know that God loves us beyond anything we could even imagine, and that He will take care of His own. Look for those ways that He shows His love towards you, and be ready to praise Him as you see His hand at work in your life.

PRAYER: Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me home…. Father, You created us with a void in our lives, but You clearly showed us the only One who can fill that void – Your Son, Jesus Christ. You know about the very intimate parts of our lives, and You provide for us like no other can do. Lord, help us to continue giving to others, knowing that one day, You will return gift to us a hundred fold. We don’t give because of what we expect to receive, but thank You for meeting our emotional needs when we need someone most. There is no other like You Lord, and we need You more each and every day. Your love and power is our incentive and encouragement each and every day. Thank You Heavenly Father! AMEN!

A New Dimension in Praying For One Another

On 2018-04-19 By Ed AlgreenIn Bold Confidence, Boldness, Confidence, Godly Confidence, WitnessLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE FROM: Job 1:4-5 (CEV)

TEXT: ⁴Job’s sons took turns having feasts in their homes, and they always invited their three sisters to join in the eating and drinking. ⁵After each feast, Job would send for his children and perform a ceremony, as a way of asking God to forgive them of any wrongs they may have done. He would get up early the next morning and offer a sacrifice for each of them, just in case they had sinned or silently cursed God.

OBSERVATION: The first three verses of this book introduces Job as an honest and upright man of God, then immediately goes into these two verses. I would say that this is a strong indication of the special kind of man that Job was. When we say that we are followers of the Word of God, wouldn’t it be awesome if we took to heart some of the great things spoken of by precious saints of God in the Bible? What a better world this would be….

APPLICATION: I’ve heard people say that they would attend church with, or listen to one preach, if this certain old gentleman was speaking, but if it was going to be this other person, whom they classified as a ‘hypocrite’, then they will stay far enough away from that church. So what is it that turns a man’s head toward you, and willing to listen to your testimony, or turn away from you because of the stench of deceit, sin and disregard? Well, I wouldn’t dare say that there are many of us that could live up to the qualities of Job, but I am convinced that each of us could quickly size up an individual in the first few minutes of speaking with them, or being around them. After all, think about Job and try to place yourself in his shoes. Try inviting your kids over each morning after their late night of partying the night before, and have you a good old prayer meeting over those kids! There is no indication that Job criticized his children, nor accused them of any wrongdoings, for anything they may have said or done, but he simply took them before the throne of God and asked Him for forgiveness for his kids, in case they did anything that displeased God the night before. Friends, what if we cared for our neighbors like that, instead of cursing them for all the noise they made the night before? What if we called over that disrespectful teen and showed some godly interest in him, rather than constantly putting him down before our kids? What if we duplicated some of the things that Jesus did, instead of allowing our anger to build up inside because they may act, or speak differently to our kids? Do you suppose that we may eventually get the opportunity to pray with the neighbors, or possibly share the Good News of Jesus with them? Dear ones, this concept of ‘neighbor’ carries over to our ‘neighbor’ at the restaurant, or at work, or while camping, etc. May I encourage you to read the first chapter of Job to see how highly God thought of him? I believe this would give you new strength for your Christian walk!

PRAYER: Often we feel like no one ever had it quite as challenging as we do Lord, but as we read Your Word, we could see where many had it a whole lot worse. Please Lord, with the same power and grace that You gave to saints we read about in Your Word, please give us the grace, boldness, determination and encouragement that we need each day, to be a living example of You. People need the Lord, may they see You in every phase of our life today precious Lord, AMEN!

Dedicated to Serve Christ

On 2018-04-182018-04-18 By Ed AlgreenIn Imitate Jesus, Imitating Christ, Imitator of Christ, ServeLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE FROM: Romans 14:17-20 (MSG)

TEXT: ^17-18God’s kingdom isn’t a matter of what you put in your stomach, for goodness’ sake. It’s what God does with your life as he sets it right, puts it together, and completes it with joy. Your task is to single-mindedly serve Christ. Do that and you’ll kill two birds with one stone: pleasing the God above you and proving your worth to the people around you. ^19-20So let’s agree to use all our energy in getting along with each other. Help others with encouraging words; don’t drag them down by finding fault.

OBSERVATION: Paul was dealing with issues of Christians getting distracted from serving Christ, to instead meddling in the business of others. This was not only pulling down the other person, but also disappointing to believers and also to God, I believe. Anything we do in love, for the benefit of the other person, and for the glory of God, is most often done through the strength and encouragement of God so that the believer can please Him. Let’s apply that dear friend…..

APPLICATION: In my days of growing up, I would hear adults talking about a neighbor being on their ‘high horse’ again, while they are busy putting someone else down. I struggled to understand that, but now I do! Today, I believe it’s more about us looking down our proud noses at ones that may not be as well educated as we are, or could verbalize their feelings as good as we feel we could; or perhaps about our desire to excel, while we look around us and watch others gaining ground. When these things happen to us, unfortunately, I believe, it’s a ‘red flag’ to show us that we are drifting further away from God’s Word, for these verses today, and others very similar to them, teach us that God prefers that we seek ways to bring Him praise, and there is nothing in our jealousy, retaliation, envy or pay-back that brings glory to God. Please read the verses again friend, and when you get to the sentence that is bolded, repeat it several times. Our single most important task to achieve while here on earth, is to serve Christ. Lift Him up, bring Him glory! Shout to the mountain tops ‘What A Mighty God We Serve’! Show so much love to others that they will mistake you for Jesus, the Son of God! These are the things that will bring God glory, friends! These are the things that we must be busy doing til Jesus comes!

PRAYER: Lord, thank You for showing us what humbleness is all about. Thanks for setting the example for us to follow. Your commands are therefore very reasonable when we reflect on how You first exampled them, before ever asking us to be the humble one and let our actions still bring You glory. Oh, Lord may we be imitators of the One that we love, the One that we adore, the One that we long to see in Heaven one day! AMEN!

Self Worth – Measured by Faith

On 2018-04-142022-04-14 By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, Glorify, Self-Discipline, Worth1 Comment

SCRIPTURE FROM: Romans 12:3 Contemporary English Version (CEV)

TEXT: ³I realize God has treated me with undeserved grace, and so I tell each of you not to think you are better than you really are. Use good sense and measure yourself by the amount of faith that God has given you.

OBSERVATION: Paul had encountered Christians who were so proud of their gifts and God-given abilities, that they were almost useless for kingdom work. Furthermore, I’m sure that Paul saw the need for us to measure our worth by something, otherwise everyone would be off the charts in their view of themselves. However, I found it very sobering at the command by Paul to assess ourselves based on the faith we feel blessed with. Let’s dig into this some more in the Application…..

APPLICATION: I believe that each of us can think of times that our faith was put to the test. So based on this Scripture, let’s now evaluate how well we did in that test, because after all, that determines our worth to God! I believe that Paul is telling us that we should never think more highly of ourselves than we should, but to always use sober judgment in evaluating ourselves. The faith referred to in this verse refers to the view that we take of our abilities. Friends, we are to always remember that the gifts we possess are God-given. So if there would be any glory due, we owe it all to Him. Furthermore, these gifts are given to bring blessings to others. Any gifts that we fail to look at in this way will bring pride to the individual, and will either not be used to bless others, or we may use them very selfishly and seek personal praise whenever we do use them. A good case in point might be a time when you acknowledged the talent of someone and saw so much pride in them that may have caused you to remark – if only they would use those gifts to the glory of God!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank You for forgiveness of sin, and thank You for seeing enough value in us to bless us with gifts that could be used for Your glory. Lord, please give us strength to remain humble and to pass any glory and praise straight up to You. Lord, please use us in miraculous ways so that others may see You, and learn about Your power and Your strength. We are mere vessels Lord, and we ask You to fill us and use us so that You may be glorified. AMEN!

Nuggets From God's Word

Month: April 2018