Category: Chosen by God

Nothing We Say Overrides The Power of the Cross

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Chosen by God, Christian, Encourage, Evangelism, Faith, Helper, Holy Spirit, Power, Power of Prayer, Praise, Servants of God, Service, StregthLeave a comment

The Bible – The Amplified Bible

1 Corinthians 1:17–19

17 For Christ (the Messiah) sent me out not to baptize but [to evangelize by] preaching the glad tidings (the Gospel), and that not with verbal eloquence, lest the cross of Christ should be deprived of force and emptied of its power and rendered vain (fruitless, void of value, and of no effect).

18 For the story and message of the cross is sheer absurdity and folly to those who are perishing and on their way to perdition, but to us who are being saved it is the [manifestation of] the power of God.

19 For it is written, I will baffle and render useless and destroy the learning of the learned and the philosophy of the philosophers and the cleverness of the clever and the discernment of the discerning; I will frustrate and nullify [them] and bring [them] to nothing. [Isa. 29:14.]

Thoughts:

Thank God for seminaries and dedicated theologians who teach and counsel our pastors. But I am most thankful for the intervention of the God of this universe sending His Holy Spirit to dwell among men and to impact our lives daily. I am amazed how God is able to use the uneducated and especially those having graduated from seminary. As I said, I am thankful for our seminaries, so I have nothing against them, but a person filled with head knowledge but who refuses to call on God for help in delivering His message is totally missing the point, and therefore much of their preaching is in vain. Friends, I know that all seminary graduates do not fall into the same box, so I am not condemning them. However, we must all remember that the Word of God is worthless without the power of God and the presence of God. For without God, we speak mere words of man, and it is only through the Word of God and His mighty hand that man is saved, or hardened hearts are touched. In fact, when we stand before a crowd and attempt to preach or teach without inviting God to direct us and fill us with His words and His wisdom, we are assuming that our knowledge is greater than the power of the cross of Jesus Christ. Friends, we are truly wasting our time and making a mockery of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we meet (supposedly in His name) yet deliberately leave Him out of our meeting and not totally depend on His mighty hand. To our pastors, preachers, evangelists and teachers, please be encouraged that you can’t do the preaching or teaching on your own. Yes, you are capable, but why open your mouths and speak empty words that can’t possibly touch the heart of man? Please allow God His rightful place as Commander-In-Chief of worship services dedicated to Him. Please allow Him to use you in spreading His Word to His people that need Him so badly. Friends, we have a responsibility to pray for our pastors and teachers. We need a word from The Lord when we go to our worship services. Words from mere man is a waste of our time, so let us pray earnestly for the hand of God to work actively through the man of God that stands before us each week. God could demand even the stones to speak, so as we pray let us do it in confidence that He could speak through His messenger in ways and with the words that will touch, uplift, encourage and challenge our hearts.

Prayer:

Lord, to mere man this whole passage of Scripture must seem very fictional, but to the believer in Jesus Christ who knows Your power and have read about and seen your mighty works in action, we humbly pray that You would work very powerfully in the hearts and lives of our pastors and teachers this week, so that as we gather in Your name, we would receive a word from You. Please humble the hearts of the educated, and please uplift the uneducated, so that as they stand before your people this week, they will each depend solely on the power of the Almighty to do His good work among His people gathered together. Lord, as we strive daily to live for You and like You intended, we are constantly marred by Satan and his evil followers in this world. Please forgive us for our weaknesses and encourage us to draw even closer to You so the power within us might always be greater than the power in this old world. Jesus, we depend heavily on You daily, please forgive us of our sinful attitudes and desires and strengthen us to do Your will, and this I humbly pray in Your name, knowing that only You can grant this, 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.

Grace – Free and Undeserved

On By Ed AlgreenIn All have sinned, Ask and Receive, Bible Believing, Blood of Jesus, Chosen by God, Christian, Faith, God Cares For Us, Grace, Love, Reaching the Lost, Sin, Thank You Jesus, Things Eternal, WitnessingLeave a comment

The Bible – New Living Translation

Romans 11:4-6

 4 And do you remember God’s reply? He said, “No, I have 7,000 others who have never bowed down to Baal!”(1 Kings 19:18)

5 It is the same today, for a few of the people of Israel have remained faithful because of God’s grace—his undeserved kindness in choosing them. 6 And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved.

Thoughts:

I find it interesting how God draws certain things to our attention as we read His Word. I believe this has reiterated the point to me that without staying in His Word, how then will we hear from Him? My reason for the aforesaid, is that my initial reading of the highlighted verses left me wondering why God would have Paul include this Old Testament reference in his talk to the Roman believers and also in His Word for our edification? God quickly drew to my attention something to share with you in today’s devotional. Friends, who are we that God should have ever gotten our attention towards salvation? Now, before we get all holy and self-righteous in thinking that we never killed anyone, like Elijah was referring to in his initial question to God about the Jews, the Bible clearly states that God detests sin. He hates it. But friend, all the same, He valued us/loved us enough to look beyond our sin and rescue us from this life of sin. Yes, He convicted us of our sin and our need for a Savior? That’s where Paul is coming from in this passage, and that’s what we must be diligent to praise God about, and that’s what we must be careful in helping our lost family and friends to understand. God’s grace is beyond anything we can measure or understand. He sacrificed His one and only Son to die a cruel death on a cross so that we might be saved, even while we were deep in sin, uncaring and undeserving of such grace. We just can’t comprehend that kind of grace/love! But just as Paul share with his Roman counterparts, I must remind you today that God’s very nature is love and just as He once put the life of His Son on the line for us, His grace is still sufficient today. Please don’t give up on that lost loved one. To the one that may be reading this today that may never have made a decision to accept Christ as your personal Savior, please don’t think that you are beyond God’s love. The mere fact that you are reading this devotional is an indication that the Holy Spirit is working to show you His love and grace. Be obedient to His call on your life today, won’t you? Please feel free to contact me using the email address below to pray with you and help you in the vital decision.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I praise You today for Your wonderful and unparalleled grace. You loved me enough to speak to me right where I was, in sin, and convince me of the need for my Savior! Although we are tempted to think like Elijah did and question why You would save some folk even after knowing their awful past, I thank You for not being like us humans, for we often think like the world still, and tend to give up on folk because their future seem so hopeless to us. Oh my, where would we have been if You felt the same way about us? Praise God that Your ways are way beyond our very best efforts, for You loved us even while we were still wicked and undeserving. Thank You Lord Jesus for Your love and Your grace. Please help us to see through eyes filled with the grace of Jesus so that we may have a positive, Godly influence in the lives of those that need to accept You as Lord. As Your sons and daughters we need desperately to be more like our Father. Please continue to impress upon us the character and love of our Savior so that the world might see and know, without our hypocritical selves interfering, that they need You in their lives. I ask all this in the precious name of my Savior and Lord, Jesus the Christ, 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.

Obligations To Share, Hear, Believe And Ask

On By Ed AlgreenIn All have sinned, Ask and Receive, Bible Believing, Blood of Jesus, Born Again, Chosen by God, Christian, Evangelism, Faith, Forgiveness, Heaven, Holy Spirit, ObedienceLeave a comment

The Bible – The New Living Translation

 Romans 10:13-14

 13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Joel 2:32)

14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?

Thoughts:

This is a power-packed couple of verses, for anyone meditating on these words will find themselves obligated in one way or another. Think about where your obligation is today and be obedient to God. For example:

  • Share – I got the impression that for those of us that know the Lord, our involvement in helping a lost person come to a saving knowledge in Jesus Christ, is that we share with them. Now before you try to correct me and tell me that you are not a preacher, I want to remind you that there are many times in God’s Word where we, who already know Him, are told/obligated to share with those who do not. Sharing is not necessarily ‘preaching’, it is telling of the Good News, the Savior that got hold of your life and saved you from your self-destructing, evil trip to Hell. In fact, you are the only one that could share that with a friend who may not know the Lord – it’s your story!
  • Hear, Believe & Ask – I believe that vs 14 is telling the lost person that if the Word of God is explained to them, or if someone shares their story with them, know that it is God-sent and give it your undivided attention, as you are expected to accept/believe in Jesus Christ and ask/receive/invite Him as God’s precious gift of eternal life.

Friends, Paul was careful to explain that God’s gift is offered to all. In his day Paul had to clarify that the gift was offered to both the Jew and the Gentile. In our society today, I believe that we need to be reminded that God’s gift is offered to folk inside of the church worshipping, and to the ones who have never entered the doors of a church before. To the one who is looked up to in the community, or to the murderer. In fact, in another Bible verse, it is clear that God’s gift is available to ALL – whoever calls on His name (John 3:16). That includes you brother and sister! If you hear it, believe it and ask Jesus to come into your heart.

Prayer:

Thank You Father for those who leave our churches and travel overseas to spread the name of the Lord – our missionaries. Also, thank You for our pastors and evangelists who sacrifices hour after hour in sharing the love and saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus. Please be especially encouraging to those of us that cross paths with friends, family and coworkers every day that so desperately need You. Lord, may we never leave an opportunity unattended. May we never have to feel the guilt of disobedience in not sharing Your love and Your Word with those who need You. Father, I especially pray for the unsaved today. You have told us in Your Word that You are coming back soon to take us with You so that we may live with You throughout eternity. In the light of this promise, please help our unsaved ones to grasp the importance of really listening to Your Word, and may they not only hear, but also respond without reservation to Your call on their life. TODAY is the day of salvation! Lord, may it be so for all those I know, love and care about. For I ask all this in the name of Your precious Son, Jesus, believing that it will be done. 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.

In Faith, Believing

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Chosen by God, Faith, God our Helper, Imitator of Christ, Obedience, Pleasing to God, PurityLeave a comment

Scripture: Luke 1.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Luke 1:35-38 (NLT)

35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.”

38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

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

In my last devotional I was drawn to a section of scripture that highlighted the unbelief of the disciples concerning the resurrection of our Lord. In this passage I rejoiced, and was encouraged over the humbleness and total faith of Mary who was honored by the presence of an angel and also by the miraculous message that she would bear a child, even though she never had relations with a man. In fact, it appears like Mary basically said to the angel: I am God’s and God’s alone, may He do with me what pleases Him so that He may be honored through me and bless others. Wow, what a powerful example of a totally surrendered, unselfish, committed life. This means that nothing in this world was more important, or had greater priority, than to follow the will of God and be used by Him. Even if it meant that the world may look upon her in disgrace, because they wouldn’t know the extent of what brought on the pregnancy. If there was at least one person in each church congregation that had these characteristics today, there would be no doubt that we are truly a Christian nation! Individually, can we work on our faith so that we may totally surrender our lives to the work of the Master? Can we turn loose of self and our desire to please a sinful world, and instead dedicate ourselves to pleasing an almighty God?

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

Father, in reading this today I am reminded of how much I lean towards pleasing those around me rather than totally surrendering myself to You and allowing You to have Your will and way in and through my life. Please forgive me for my lack of priority and direction. Please help me to get on track in being obedient to You, the one that I have committed my life to and asked You to be leader, director and model for my every decision, movement and action. I am Your servant, may everything You desire to use me for here on this earth be accomplished in and through me in its most purest form.

 

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

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

Scripture: Numbers 15-16.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Numbers 16:42-45 (NLT)

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

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

44 and the Lord said to Moses,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Chosen by God, Christian, Disciple, Encourage, Getting Along, Helper, Humility, Obedience, Servants of God, Teamwork, Work Til Jesus ComesLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE: Exodus 17.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

11 As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage.12 Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset.13 As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalek in battle. Ex 17:11-13 (NLT)

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

It seems like we have grown the church into a place of employment for a professional to use his college/theological degree in teaching/preaching all the fancy stuff learned in his years of schooling/college. Let me quickly say that I am thankful for all the education and tools that are available to our ministers today, but when God chose Moses to lead over 1 million people out of Egypt, he was so surprised because of his low opinion of himself and his abilities, that he seriously questioned God to the extent that he wondered if God had made a mistake. In these verses we see where God used Moses to perform some miraculous stuff to help in the safety and protection of his people. The kind of relationship Moses experienced with God enabled him to quickly obey, no matter how silly his actions may have appeared to the people. The thing that challenged me here is that just how Aaron and Hur ran to assist Moses, in fact they were keeping such a close eye on him that they realized he would soon get so tired of holding up his staff that he would need assistance. So they saw the need, and they followed through in meeting the need, and lending support to their leader, their shepherd, their pastor. This is no different to our spiritual leaders today, in that those who are fully dedicated to God’s work, they give of themselves to the extent that they become burned out in the ministry and often create a separation in the lives of their own personal family. I believe that God expects there to be an Aaron and Hur in every congregation. When God’s appointed man comes to pastor a church, he needs the tender, but yet strong and consistent support of the Aarons and Hurs. Let us take note that as long as Aaron and Hur helped Moses to keep his staff in the air, God did His work, however whenever Moses became weak and his hand dropped, his people were jeopardized. That’s much like today, we (the church) must invite a man of God to lead us, but we must also be in the forefront as his support so that God can freely do His work in our midst. We often hear that a divided church is a weak one. Conversely, the strength of a church is in a congregation that stands behind their leader and always sensitive to his needs and willing to support him in accomplishing the will and work of God. Are you an Aaron or Hur, or are you a part of the people like Moses also had who sat back and used every opportunity to grumble and complain when things were not going exactly as they thought they should?

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

Father, I see so much of You in us, but unfortunately I see so much of the attitude and actions of the Israelites in our churches today rather than the humble, caring, supportive teamwork that I see evident in Aaron and Hur. Please help me to be more like this duo and do my part each and every day to listen carefully to You, to see and understand the needs of my pastor and then to do something about his needs so that Your work may be accomplished. I pray that You will not only bless our current interim pastor, but that You would also lead us to the man You have prepared to pastor our church next. I also pray that You will make our leaders, especially myself, extremely sensitive to the needs of the ministry and our pastor so that we can be the support and encouragement that he needs to accomplish all that You have called Him and us to do. Lord, may we find not just a man well educated by today’s standards, but more so, one whose heart is fixed on You and who is called by You into Your ministry for Your church here on planet earth.

Overcoming the ‘gods’ in our lives

On By Ed AlgreenIn Allegiance to the Lamb, Bible Believing, Bold Confidence, Chosen by God, Christian, Faith, Giving, Love God, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Pleasing to God, Purity, Reflecting Christ, Righteousness, Servants of God, Surrender, Work Til Jesus ComesLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 19.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

21 Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Matt 19:21 (NLT)

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

In response to a question posed to Jesus by a rich young man about what he must do to have eternal life, Jesus first told him of 6 key commandments that he must obey. Interestingly enough, each of these six commandments referred to the man’s relationship with others, so this re-emphasizes that we must love our brother as much as we love ourselves, and also points to another teaching that we show our love for God by how well we show love to others. However, the young man responded that he was already obeying each of those commandments. To an all knowing God though, Jesus knew that there were other distractions in this man’s life that hindered him from total obedience, humility and the mind to totally follow Christ. In other words, Jesus knew that there was another ‘god’ that was hindering this young man – his wealth. Many of us that read this passage may automatically pass over this because we automatically exclude ourselves as we may not be wealthy, by the world’s standards today. The point that got my attention is: I wonder what Jesus might say to me if such a question was asked of me? What are the ‘gods’ that stand in the way of my relationship with Him? What are the ‘gods’ that prevent me from being effective for Him in my ministry efforts? Jesus told the rich man to go and get rid of the interference, the little ‘god’, the interference, the distraction that was preventing him from being totally committed to Him. Being involved in church leadership, I wonder what God may be saying to us as a church? What should we rid ourselves of in order to see His mighty hand at work – at work accomplishing kingdom work through us? God is holy, forgiving, humble and loving to all of His children, plus endless other top qualities. If we are to be like Him/Christ-like/Christians, then we need to examine ourselves for the same qualities that we see in Christ. Let’s pass control to Him and see Him perform a great work in and through us!

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

Father, I realize that I am not rich monetarily, but I feel rich because of the many blessings that You have bestowed on me. Please help me to not let anything/any ‘god’ interfere in my commitment to You. Please help me to stay focused on the ministry that You want to accomplish through me. Please help me to stay focused, and depending solely on You to help me live a life that would example You in every way, so that others may see Jesus in all that I say or do. Please forgive me when I have let self interfere so much before, but today I ask that you give me added strength, boldness and the faith that will not be easily penetrated by this world and Your opposers. You are God alone, so I must look to You to help me daily to overcome and be a successful witness for You in my personal life, and in the ministry areas in which I am involved.

Are You Clean Before God?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Allegiance to the Lamb, Bible Believing, Born Again, Chosen by God, Christian, Disciple, Follow Jesus, Humility, Imitator of Christ, Our Help comes from God, Pleasing to God, Purity, Reflecting ChristLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE: Exodus 4.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

24 On the way to Egypt, at a place where Moses and his family had stopped for the night, the Lord confronted him and was about to kill him. Ex 4:24 (NLT)

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

This verse really caused me to stop and ponder a while. God had elected Moses to set His people free and to lead them on an awesome journey, to a country where both milk and honey flowed, according to the Word of God. However, in sending him from one place to another to make final arrangements for the journey, God took advantage of a time that Moses and his entourage stopped for the night to confront Moses about a situation, and this was confrontation to the extent that He was about to kill Moses. Bottom line is that Moses had not followed one of the God-based laws of that day, to circumcise his own son. I believe that regardless of what sin it was, God did not want a man leading His people out of Egypt when there was sin in his life. This then opened up my eyes to remind me that just because we may be leading a ministry, or perhaps teaching others about Jesus’ love, and even thought we may feel very led of God to do that, I was reminded that God wants to use clean vessels to perform His work. Yes, I know that none of us are perfect, but I feel like this passage was appropriately placed to show us that we must not only make a onetime clean-up in our lives, but that we are to be ‘clean’ as Jesus is ‘clean’ if we are to represent Him before His people.

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

Lord, I pray that as You have spoken to my heart this morning that You will also open up my spiritual eyes so that I may clearly see any sin that separates me from You, yes any sin that would prevent the effectiveness of Your ministry through using me as Your vessel here on this earth. I pray that You would forgive me where I have failed in this, and instead open my eyes clearly to Your ways, Your attitudes and Your commands. May You find a clean, contrite heart ready and willing to serve You wherever and whenever You issue the call.

God Can Use Us to Bless Others

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Bold Confidence, Chosen by God, Christian, Faith, Follow Jesus, Fruit of the Spirit, God Cares For Us, God our Helper, God’s Word, Helper, Imitator of Christ, Listen to the Word of God, Love, Love God, Love your Neighbor, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Pleasing to God, Purity, Reflecting Christ, Righteousness, Servants of God, Surrender, Victorious Life, Work Til Jesus ComesLeave a comment

Scripture: Genesis 38-39  

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

2 The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master.3 Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did.4 This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned.5 From the day Joseph was put in charge of his master’s household and property, the Lord began to bless Potiphar’s household for Joseph’s sake. All his household affairs ran smoothly, and his crops and livestock flourished. ~ Gen 39:2-5 (NLT)

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

I am always so thrilled to notice times when God blesses His people that serve Him faithfully. There is no indication in this passage that Joseph ever had to plead before God for anything, but many blessings were bestowed upon Joseph in return for his faithfulness and ongoing persistent commitment to God, and all this in spite of the circumstances where he had been sold by his own brothers, now resulting in him living in a foreign land with total strangers. I remember a plaque that read something like “God can do anything through a life totally committed to Him”. Joseph had no power to bless the home of Potiphar, but God certainly had the power to do it because of the faithfulness of His servant Joseph. I want to make my life so available to God and so responsive to His will, that He could easily shower His blessings through me and accomplish much for His glory.

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

My prayer this morning will actually come directly from God’s Word, Ephesians 3:20-21:

20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.21 Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.  Eph 3:20-21 (NLT)

A Covenant Relationship

On By Ed AlgreenIn All have sinned, Ask and Receive, Bible Believing, Bold Confidence, Born Again, Celebrate God, Chosen by God, Christian, Encourage, Eternal Life, Evangelism, Faith, Follow Jesus, God Cares For Us, God’s Word, Heaven, Hope, Humility, Imitator of Christ, Listen to the Word of God, Obedience, Pleasing to God, Reaching the Lost, Reflecting Christ, Repentance, Righteousness, Surrender, The Book of Life, Things Eternal, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

Scripture: Genesis 17

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life.2 I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.”3 At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him,4 “This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations!5 What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations.6 I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them! Gen 17:1-6 (NLT)

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

Much is said in God’s Work about covenant relationships. In this particular chapter there were several covenant relationships made with Abram (Abraham) and they all were similar in form. God made a covenant that He would do certain things and this was either preceded, or followed by, certain things that would be required by Abram and/or his people. In this particular covenant God told his servant who was once fatherless, that he would become the father of countless descendants and of many nations, and to mark this his name would be changed to reflect the new him, because Abraham actually means ‘Father of Many’. Now prior to all this being revealed, God demanded of Abram that he vow to serve Him faithfully and live a blameless life. Throughout God’s Word He makes many promises to us, the greatest of which was the gift of His Son Jesus. In this particular covenant, God sent His Son so that those of us that believe on, and accept Him as Lord of our life, would have eternal life. At Christmas time we celebrate the gift that was presented to us. I trust that for all who may read this devotional, You would truly accept this gift and complete the covenant presented by God, for I guarantee you that He will live up to His part of the covenant by opening heaven’s gates and receiving us into eternity with Him. Friend I pray that your eyes will be opened to this invitation, because the alternative is not very bright for those who refuse to accept Jesus. An eternal life of damnation and the unpleasentries of Hell is not anything that I can imagine anyone wanting to set as a goal in their life.

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

Father I thank You for the greatest gift ever given – Your Son. I thank You also for touching my life and encouraging me to accept Your gift some 35 years ago. I am concerned about the numerous number of family and/or friends and/or co-workers that have chosen to ignore Your gift and the covenant You have offered to us. I pray that this will be an important Christmas weekend in the lives of those that You have touched my life through, because I pray that You will once again overly sensitize their hearts so that they will understand how hopeless life is without You. May they experience the real meaning of the reason that we celebrate Christmas as they surrender and submit their lives to You this week.