Month: July 2020

Legitimacy Of Your Worship As Recognized By God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2020-07-02
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Isaiah 29:13-14
TRANSLATION: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

BIBLE TEXT: 13 The Lord says, “These people come to honor me with words, but I am not really important to them. The worship they give me is nothing but human rules they have memorized. 14 So I will continue to amaze them by doing powerful and amazing things. Their wise men will lose their wisdom. Even the most intelligent among them will not be able to understand.”

OBSERVATION: We hear it all too often from pastors that we, the members, appear to be bumps on a log as we sit before them preaching their hearts out, as filled with the awesome power of the Almighty God. Too often we are also guilty of taking our worship time way too lightly, whether it’s our daily worship experience with our Maker, or whether it’s through our deliberate efforts to attend corporate worship times. So as I read this Scripture, God forced me to ponder how sincere I am in my relationship with Him. I may fool my pastor, and I may think I could look good in the eyes of God, but no word, deed or thought escapes the One true God. Let’s get honest before Him today.

APPLICATION: I have really been enjoying the prophecies according to Isaiah! Being a part of God’s Word for all generations, I know that Isaiah’s prophecy and eye-opening declaration to us, comes directly from God, so it is of utmost importance that we pay close attention to what Isaiah is challenging us with today also. God saw that much of what Isaiah was dealing with in his day, revolved around a broken system – one where leaders were misguided because of following their own desires, wants and popularity. However, I was stopped in my track, because I realized that the God that you and I serve today, is still the one same God. I don’t know about you my friend, but I am convinced that our churches today are still polluted with folk just like Isaiah faced in his day. I believe that these words from the Almighty God, are just as applicable and meant for us today. We show up for church, but are we ready to acknowledge God and worship Him in Spirit and in Truth? I believe that means that we are prepared to worship God as if we are the only one in the sanctuary. I also believe that our daily worship times would enrich our spirit of worship when we gather for corporate worship. Do you feel like your heart and soul is better prepared to look full into His wonderful face and acknowledge Him as Lord, because of your daily experiences together with the Lord? I was also amazed by the consequences that God said He would pour out on His people, especially the smartest and most elegant leaders. I don’t know that there has been a time ever before in history when church leaders were brought to their knees begging for wisdom and understanding on how to move forward with the ministry that God has set before them. I’m not saying that God has dumbfounded our church leaders, but we are not God, and He has not enlightened us as to why we are going through the tough times that are currently before us. What I could see from this Scripture though, is that God used Isaiah to warn His people that unless we change our self serving attitudes, and instead recognize the awesome power of the One True God, and in doing so – follow through in sincere dedication to Him and in deliberate worship to Him, THEN consequences will follow until we humble ourselves, turn from our wicked ways, pray, and acknowledge Him as Lord, and worship only Him. This was important enough that God directed us towards this in 2 Chronicles 7:14. Dear ones, there are many more warnings given in the Word of God to those who are called by His name; the greatest is that one day soon, Jesus will return to earth to take His bride home to glory! Part of our reckoning to our Master on that Day, will no doubt be accounting for our sincerity to the King while here on earth. What will that look like for you? Are you prepared to respond to the all-knowing God of this universe, even today? We don’t know the day of His return, so let me encourage you to seriously consider the Scriptures today and my challenging questions above, so that You could be prepared if Jesus came today.

PRAYER: Precious Lord, I am anxious for your return, because I look forward to the joys of Heaven and being at peace at the feet of my Master. I believe there are many of my readers who would echo that same desire today, because you’re the reason we live and look forward to being with some sweet day. But You have given us much to think about today. Please Lord, awaken our minds so that we might be drawn to You in all sincerity, and that we may live in accordance with all the ways You have taught us. Help us Lord to get over ourselves, and as we look fully into Your wonderful face, may we be reminded of the One we represent, and may we never disappoint You in the level of our commitment to be just like You to a lost and dying world. People still need the Lord. Oh that they may see You just as You are, when they come into contact with Your representatives – Your children – Your saints – my fellow Christians and myself. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog at https://NuggetsFromGodsWord.org 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 or listening to this devotional, please go to 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and see all of my posts, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

Time For A Checkup – Is Jesus Christ In You?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Tuesday, 2020-06-30
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: 2 Corinthians 13:5
TRANSLATION: The Message (MSG)

BIBLE TEXT: Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it.

OBSERVATION: It’s a normal practice to visit your doctor for a regular, medical checkup. But often the doctor is clueless, without a lot of input from you. One of the last concerns Paul left for the Corinthian church, was that they give themselves a regular checkup on their relationship with God. As we meditate together, let us consciously evaluate the presence of Christ in our lives, and determine if there is something that we need to work on to draw closer to Him or be more in tuned with Him.

APPLICATION: Like me, you’ve probably heard other Christians say how awesome it is being around new believers, for they are on fire for the Lord and we come alongside with hopes that some of that excitement would rub off on us. However, it seems like a short while after accepting Christ and the new Christian hanging around mature Christians, their excitement becomes ‘dampened’ as it seems cold water is poured on their glorious experience. Why is that fellow Christians? Wouldn’t you think that the closer you come to the Lord Jesus, the more your life is influenced by Him, and the more you want to follow His example. In fact, it would seem like we would become more excited about the Savior who gave up His life for us so that we might enjoy life eternally. So let’s examine what might be missing, or the cause of that dampening spirit. Based on my own experience I can tell you that we are very similar to a piece of charcoal. When we pull away from the fire, like the piece of charcoal being set aside a few feet away from the fire, then the piece of coal will become cold and almost impossible to stay lit. So what might keep us fired up? Perhaps keeping in close communion with our Savior! For example: This morning, did you read the precious Word of God that He left for you to learn more about Him and His character? Did you pray – speak to God about what you read and about what you need help with today? Did you stop before making that important decision today, so you could consult with the Master and see whether your decision would be right, and one that would cause you to draw closer to God? Did you take advantage of telling a friend about the Savior who gave up His life so that you might enjoy heaven one day with the Master? Friends, I believe that way too often we place our relationship with the God of this universe secondary in our life. We lose interest and therefore put no effort into drawing closer to God. Like that lonely piece of charcoal that I mentioned above, you withdraw from those things that kept you close to God, so you quickly became cold and unmoved by the Master, although He still loves you unconditionally. Like the person walking along the seashore who saw one set of footprints and assumed God had left them, you too might need a reminder from God that it is during these times of ‘coldness’ that He is carrying you through the tough times of life, for although you withdrew, God never gave up on His promise to never leave you alone. May I encourage you dear friend to draw close to God, and to the warmth of the fire, that represents Christian fellowship, so that together you might be reignited with the fire of love, peace, caring and everlasting joy, that only God could truly give you. Yes, God might be carrying you right now, but I believe that He longs for the warmth of being reunited with you, His precious child. There are no additional skills necessary to show the world who guides your life and whose love sustains you, but through the glow that will become evident as you reunite with Christ, the world will see, feel and believe.

PRAYER: Precious Lord, please forgive us for allowing so much of the world to influence us and distract us from our walk with You. It’s You that we live for, You that we adore, You that we love and You that we are committed to spend eternity with. While remaining here on earth, it’s You that we need close by our side, leading our path and guiding our every step so that we might be rekindled each day in our walk with You. Please give us strength, boldness and a strong desire to seek only You every day, because of our relationship with You. May others see, believe and desire to know You as a result of something that might be reflected by our desire to imitate Your character in everything we do or say. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog at https://NuggetsFromGodsWord.org 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 or listening to this devotional, please go to 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and see all of my posts, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!