Category: Faith

The Results of Faithlessness

On By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, God our Helper, God our Provider, God Reigns, Listen to the Word of God, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Worry no moreLeave a comment

Scripture: Numbers 13-14.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Numbers 14:33 (NLT)

33
And your children will be like shepherds, wandering in the wilderness for forty years. In this way, they will pay for your faithlessness, until the last of you lies dead in the wilderness.

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

There are several instances in these chapters where God either punished his people for their faithlessness or told them of punishment that would result from their faithlessness. Besides the above verse, look at 14:11-12 and 14:20-23 and 14:43. Is this any worse than us today? I dare say that we are just as bad. We receive blessing after blessing. We see prayers answered. We read God’s Word and see the miraculous things that He has done, yet we sit back in self-pity and question God or show extreme doubt in our prayers to the almighty. Why should we wonder why so many things happen to us as a city, as a state, as a country or even as a wicked world? We must learn to take God at His word, believe wholeheartedly in Him and His mighty works and in faith receive His blessings and His miracles. So many things seem impossible to us, but with God ALL things are possible to them that believe. I serve a God bigger than all my troubles, all my worries, all my concerns and all the mountains and giants that I may feel oppose me and my Christian walk! I must learn to always, always, have faith in God.

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

Father God, You are Alpha and Omega, You are God of this universe and You are God of my life. I want to submit myself to Your leadership and Your direction today. Please help me to always be obedient to Your will and way for my life so that anything that I may do may bring glory to Your holy name.

 

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.
ß

The Purpose of the Church

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Disciple, Evangelism, Faith, Imitator of Christ, Listen to the Word of God, ObedienceLeave a comment

Scripture: Matthew 28.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT)

18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.

19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

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

I am touched by several things in these verses and observed several things commanded by Jesus for His disciples today, the church, even as He commanded His first disciples:

  1. Jesus is in charge – many times we try so hard to push our own agendas, and this could either be the pastor or the leaders or even some of the influential members of a local church. However, we can see from Jesus’ statement in verse 18 that He has been given all authority not just in heaven, but also here on earth. This means that as a church, or a people, aiming to do God’s work, we had better keep our ears to the ground listening very closely to what Jesus commands, then follow His instructions, so that our efforts will not be in vain;
  2. Make Disciples and Baptize Them – As we succeed in the above we are to encourage and make more just like us. In today’s vocabulary we call that ‘evangelizing’. Christianity is not a selfish act. We are to convince others to also accept and follow Jesus. We are then to baptize them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Baptize people because baptism unites believers with Jesus Christ in their death to sin and their resurrection to new life. Baptism symbolizes submission to Christ, a willingness to live God’s way, and identification with God’s covenant people.
  3. Teach them to obey God’s commands – Although I read this verse many times before, I though the verbiage here is interesting. ‘Teach them to obey’ tells me that these folk already know what to do, we just need to teach them to obey what they know – the commands of God. We call this ‘discipleship’ as we are to teach Christians what the Word says, and convince them to obey the Word. I believe it is evident that the Christian faith is not one where disciples/Christians sit and sour, but actively share the joy – both the Word and the witness of all that Jesus has done, and is doing in our lives.
  4. God is with us as we go – what an awesome reassurance this is! Knowing that as we do these things commanded of us, He will be there with us ‘ALWAYS’. Praise be to God!

What an awesome reminder of the Great Commission of the church in this passage!

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

Thank You for this awesome reminder this morning dear God. So often we, as Your church, lose sight of what You have ordered us to do, and we lose sight of who is in charge. I pray that we will always follow Your command here in this Great Commission for it clearly defines the work of the church. Thank You for Your direction and also Your assurance that You will be with us every step of the way. Thank You for reminding me that our Christian walk is very much an active role, and not one of just survival. I must share my faith and not just sit and let it soak in.

Do You Have Judas Traits?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Bold Confidence, Eternal Life, Faith, Imitator of Christ, Obedience, Pleasing to God, Reflecting Christ, Repentance, Righteousness, Separation, Thank You JesusLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 26.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Matthew 26:14-15 (NLT)

14 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests

15 and asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver.

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

Although a familiar passage, I was reminded this morning about how little it takes for us to betray Jesus. We look down our pious noses at Judas, call him a traitor and all sorts of bad things, but which of us are better today? Stop and think about this friend, Why do we have so many church members that never see the doors of a church week after week? Could it be that they accepted the bribes of worldly pleasure, or bribes from family to spend more time with them, or the bribes of Satan that this is the only day for them to rest, or the only day for them to do what they want to do? In my opinion, this betrays the love of, and dedication for, Jesus in return for these types of bribes/excuses. Have you asked the question that Judas asked recently – “what will I benefit from turning away from God (betraying Him)?” Money/greed was the motive behind Judas’ betrayal. What’s your motive/excuse for betraying Him today?

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

Father, with everything You had to offer, You showed Your love for me, You sacrificed everything so that I might live eternally with You. Please help this child of Yours to stand firm on the decision I made some 35 years ago, and to follow You wholeheartedly each and every day. In fact, may I follow Your ways and Your commands so closely that non-Christians would recognize You in me and in my actions. More importantly, may You find me faithful, worthy to represent You to the unsaved that I come in contact with, and encouragement to those that have accepted You as Lord of their life. Lord, please correct my attitude and/or actions long before I ever get near enough to even think about betraying You. Thank You for loving me, now may I love You in return without any hint of betrayal.

It Will Be Worth It All

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Bold Confidence, Celebrate God, Christian, Encourage, Faith, God Cares For Us, God Reigns, Hope, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Peace, ProtectorLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE: Exodus 39-40.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Exodus 40:38 (NLT)

38 The cloud of the Lord hovered over the Tabernacle during the day, and at night fire glowed inside the cloud so the whole family of Israel could see it. This continued throughout all their journeys.

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

This last verse of Exodus sums up how the people of Israel had maintained their faith in spite of all the challenges they faced during their stint in the wilderness. In fact, the book begins by telling us of their slavery in Egypt, but as we can see from this verse, it ends in glory by telling of God’s presence being evident during the day and the comfort of knowing that His presence was there during the night. During our Christian walk we encounter ups and downs like the Israelites encountered. I know that our challenges have been, and probably will be much different to anything we read in Exodus, and depending on how we look at those challenges, many of us will probably even say that ours were a lot greater than anything the Israelites faced. Friend, if we truly know and trust God then we will agree that we are on the winning side, the victorious team, with a bright future ahead of us, regardless of the circumstances we have come through or find ourselves in the middle of at this time. I love that song, “It Will be Worth It All“, for whatever I may go through here on this earth, it will be worth it all when I see the face of my Jesus, and live forever in His presence singing praises to Him. While here on this earth, I must learn to look beyond my challenges and see what victories will result for Jesus because of my circumstances. It’s all about Him friend of God! My challenges, or even what I may see as my setbacks, are all for His glory. What am I learning from these circumstances and how am I being made stronger because of these, should be my points to ponder, not crying the blues because of what appears to be heartaches and trials to challenge me. Thank You Father for being by my side and holding my hand each and every day!

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

Father, please help me to look at each day as a victory for You. Many days may appear to be normal and filled with challenges that may make me question if You were even there with me, but as a child of God, I know that You love me and that You hold my hand through all of life’s ups and downs. Please help me to not lose sight of Your presence and your promises to hold my hand each and every day. Please help me to be Your obedient servant by placing my hand in Yours each day so that I may stay connected to the power source and the source of encouragement, strength, guidance, protection and love that I need every day. I am on the winning side, and I have You as my Savior, Lord and soon coming King. There is nothing more that I need dear Lord! Thank You!

Do It All for God’s Glory!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Evangelism, Faith, God our Helper, God our Provider, God’s Word, Imitator of Christ, Our Help comes from God, Pleasing to God, Reflecting Christ, Servants of God, Work Til Jesus ComesLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 25.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Matthew 25:34-36 (NLT)

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.

35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.

36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

Matthew 25:40 (NLT)

40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

Matthew 25:45 (NLT)

45 “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’

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

There is such a tremendous lesson in this passage that teaches us several things, or at least it has taught me:

  1. God has given us each gifts that we should use for His glory;
  2. These are attributes that may not cost us a dime financially;
  3. God demonstrated these attributes for us to follow, and He is the only one that we truly need to imitate;
  4. I need not look at a need and think about WHO should meet that need. If it was laid on my heart, then I need to follow through in meeting that need;
  5. No one is exempt from unmet ‘needs’ in their lives, so I should never exempt a person due to their financial status or the denomination of the church they attend or if they attend any church at all;
  6. The only praise that may result from the things I do is from God himself, but then He is the one that I want to always please anyway.

Oh to hear the words from my Master’s mouth, “Well Done Thou Good and Faithful Servant”! This is my desire friend, I hope that it is your prayer and daily desire also. Let’s make it our daily goal!

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

Father, I thank You for all that You have blessed me with. Please help me to use each and every talent, each and every gift, for Your glory. Please make me very sensitive to the needs of other and help me to do my part without prejudice as to who they are or what church they may attend, or even if they attend no church at all. They are all your children in need of a touch from the Master. May I be Your hands extended in human form!

Those with a vested interest, Give!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Faith, Giving, God our Provider, Imitator of Christ, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Thank You Jesus, TithingLeave a comment

Scripture: Exodus 35-36.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Exodus 35:29 (NLT)

29 So the people of Israel—every man and woman who was eager to help in the work the Lord had given them through Moses—brought their gifts and gave them freely to the Lord.

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

I know that anytime there is a sermon on ‘giving’ someone will leave disgruntled, because they don’t appreciate anyone telling, or reminding them about their giving, or lack thereof. But before I talk about the verse above, let me just remind us that if we are to be imitators of Christ, we should never choose which attributes to imitate, otherwise we will miss imitating Him in all things! Let’s remind ourselves about how much God gave, and quickly remember that He gave it all – His one and only Son, Jesus, so that we may have life eternal. Now, can we really qualify why we shouldn’t give at least 10% of the money that God has blessed us with the health, knowledge and wisdom to earn in the first place? Can we disqualify God’s teaching about giving at least 10% for the ongoing work of the church? I thought it was extremely eye-opening to read the above verse this morning and note that for those with a vested interest, in other words they were anxious to help in the work of the Lord, and so they gave freely! Wow, does that speak to us today? You bet it does. When we become interested enough to give back to God in thanksgiving for all that He gave to us, then we will not only give of our talent and hard work, but we will freely bring our gifts to further His work. This is the method and teaching in 2 Corinthians 9:7, that we give cheerfully to the work of the Lord, not from a guilty conscience. If you are vested in the work of the Lord, you will give!

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

Thank You Father for giving so much to me. Especially I want to say thank You for giving Your only Son upon the cross so that I might accept that free gift and live eternally with You in heaven when You see fit to end my time here on this earth. Thank You for giving me health and strength each day to be able to work and earn a living. Thank You for blessing me with a job, especially during these days when I look around and see so many who are jobless. Thank You for doing such an awesome job in helping me budget the 90% of my salary that I am left with to meet my expenses. Thank You that I have always been able to honor my financial commitments. I realize that there are many times that I wish I had 150% of my salary, but those are times when my ‘wants’ are in overdrive, however as long as I stick with my ‘needs’ then I have no trouble. Thank You for being God and for being so very special in my life, especially in my financial affairs.

Are You Ready?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Eternal Life, Faith, God Reigns, God’s Word, Imitator of Christ, Obedience, Reflecting Christ, Repentance, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

Scripture: Matthew 24.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Matthew 24:30 (NLT)

30 And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Matthew 24:44 (NLT)

44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.

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

I believe that just how folk today may feel they are prepared and ready for a disaster in different ways – which would bring varying degrees of results, so it is with God’s people. Let me explain: In preparation for the unexpected hurricane or natural disaster that could destroy our home, many may be able to purchase insurance on their home, but some will just close the doors and travel away from the scene when a hurricane approaches, not overly concerned about whatever damage that may occur, because they have insurance. Others will go the extra mile to board up their homes to protect glass windows and they will stick around to constantly protect their home as danger approaches, even though they have insurance. In life, some have seen fit to walk the isle of their church, shake the preacher’s hand and let him pray for them. They feel like their ‘ticket’ is punched and they are bound for heaven, so then they return to their normal life of sin without any regard for the ways of God as taught throughout His Word. But they feel like they have ‘purchased their insurance’. I can’t help but believe that if this type of decision has not made an impact on your life, to the extent that you are looking more and more like Jesus every day in your actions and demeanor, then your ‘insurance policy’ is not very valuable to you. When we accept Jesus as Lord of our life, that begins a new journey in life where you allow His Word to speak to you through daily scripture reading, and prayer to the ‘new’ Master of your life. You allow Him and His Word to redirect your life so that you could live a life worthy of the King of all kings. Please don’t fool yourself into a sense of false security, know with assurance that you are a child of the King, and that your daily life displays the true character of the Christ that dwells within you. Heaven is our reward for living the life of which I described here. Think of your decision to accept Christ as a covenant between you and God, not as a ticket punching event. He wants to recognize you by your Godly character, not by Him tending heaven’s gate to see your ‘ticket’. If you need help understanding and/or accepting this Savior whom I speak of and know personally, please respond to this posting and I would be thrilled to introduce you!

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

Lord Jesus, You went to the cross to provide a way for me to enter heaven’s gate. You made the ultimate sacrifice so that I may have forgiveness of my sin. You have said in Your Word that unless I accept that gift and follow You, there will be no forgiveness of sin. I have accepted Your Gift (Your Son) and am committed to follow Your ways and Your commands every day of my life. While I don’t need to accept You every day, I do need You every day to take my hand and lead me through the challenging times, and protect me from the Evil One, and shine through me like You did on Moses’ face when He came down from the mountain. May You see Christ in my talk and in my walk, and may it be evident to all those that I come in contact with. I long to one day be with You in heaven, but until the day You call me home, may I be found faithful!

God’s Presence Sets Us Apart

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Draw Me Close to You, Faith, Fruit of the Spirit, Imitator of Christ, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Reflecting Christ, Things that make God angryLeave a comment

Scripture: Exodus 32-33.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Exodus 33:15-16 (NLT)

15 Then Moses said, “If you don’t personally go with us, don’t make us leave this place. 16 How will anyone know that you look favorably on me—on me and on your people—if you don’t go with us? For your presence among us sets your people and me apart from all other people on the earth.”

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

In the preceding verses we see where God had really gotten angry with the Israelites for melting their gold jewelry and making a golden calf to worship, while Moses was up on the mountain spending time with God and not babysitting them. In fact, God became so angry until He decided to prepare the path for the ongoing journey of Moses and his people, but that He would not personally go with them – primarily because He didn’t want to lose His patience with them. I love the plea of Moses, and wish that I could take more actions similar to this during my leadership of God’s people. Moses pleaded with God for His divine presence with and through His people, otherwise he (Moses) was afraid that they would lose their identity with other people of the land. This sounds so much like where we are at today, it seems like the church (God’s people) has lost its flavor, its identity, its character. In fact, lost its first love, and therefore does not appear to the world to be anything like the Jesus they have heard us preach and teach about. There is little evidence that would set us apart from the people of this wicked world in which we live. Oh my, this is so sad, because God teaches us all through His Word about His character and the characteristics that we are to imitate in order to be more like our Father. Unfortunately, we have chosen to accept many of the precepts of the world instead, so we look more like them than we do the Father. Oh, how it must sadden my Lord when He sees His stubborn people who refuses to humble ourselves, pray and seek to serve Him wholeheartedly so that He might dwell among us and set us apart as His chosen people for a time such as this in which we live.

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

Lord, I am called by Your name. Please help me to: humble myself and pray often; Seek Your face in all that I do; Turn from my wicked ways and follow Your ways daily, so that You may claim me as Yours, use me as Your servant and heal me of my weaknesses and indecision, and in turn heal this land in which I live so that our eyes may be opened to Your love and Your truth, with anticipation of the day that You will call us home to be with You in Heaven. In other words, please help me to be all that I can be for You while here on this earth so that I can look into Your welcoming face and recognize the pleasure that You will have in being in my presence without anger. Thank You for loving me enough to encourage me through Your Word to live a life worthy of the Lamb of God! I need thee every hour, dear Lord!

What an Awesome God We Serve

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Celebrate God, Christian, Faith, Follow Jesus, God Reigns, Love God, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Pleasing to God, Reflecting Christ, Surrender, WorshipLeave a comment

Scripture: Exodus 23-24.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

25 “You must serve only the Lord your God. If you do, I will bless you with food and water, and I will protect you from illness.” Ex 23:25 (NLT)

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

In the chapters around this verse God had been dealing with the Israelites in their exile to the Promised Land. In all that God was doing for them, and in all the miracles He performed in helping them reach the point where they were at, yet He had to warn them about their temptation to worship other gods. Unfortunately I don’t see any difference in our walk today and in the way that God must deal in our lives. We read from God’s Word how awesome He is in all that He did for our ancestors; we celebrate almost daily over the way that God answers prayer and walks with us each day, yet we have such difficulty in giving Him our total commitment and undivided attention and worship. We may say that we worship no other gods. Friend, if you agree with my statement that we don’t give our undivided attention and worship to God, then we must ask ourselves where does the divided part of our attention and worship go? I would dare say that we are distracted by our other ‘gods’, such as work, worldly entertainment, etc. Oh how I realized, and was reminded how awesome my God is and how He alone deserves my praise, my obedience and my total dedication.

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

Lord, please so fill my heart with You that I will not have time to be distracted by other gods. Please allow me to display Your love in all that I say and do so that others will know that You live fulltime in my heart and rule my life in every way. May You always be prominent in my life.

God will Lavish His unfailing Love

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Faith, God Cares For Us, Love God, Obedience, RighteousnessLeave a comment

Scripture: Exodus 20-21.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

4 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. 6 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. Ex 20:4-6 (NLT)

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

This is an awesome passage with such an awesome message for me/us today. I know that we often think that the Old Testament is ‘old’ news and that the ‘New Testament’ only applies to Christians today, but I believe differently, for Jesus said that He came to fulfill the law of the Old Testament, not to do away with it. In verse 5 God shared with us that He will not tolerate any other gods in our lives. In fact He said that He is a jealous God who requires our total commitment to Him. I may quickly dismiss this by trying to convince myself, and God, that I worship no other God. However, in reality, I must admit that anything that receives my total concentration too much, especially for personal identity, meaning or even security, may truly be viewed by God as a ‘god’ of sorts in my life. I must always be careful to have proper balance in my life, and not let these ‘things’ control my thoughts and energies, otherwise they become ‘gods’. I must always let God hold the central place in my life so that He may keep these ‘things’ from becoming ‘gods’. He must be God, and God alone in my life. In turn, I was overjoyed to read and meditate on verse 6. For God said that He would lavish His unfailing love on those that love Him and obey His commands. My desire, and commitment, is that I may always love God sincerely and obey His commands at all times. I know that this will not always be easy, but I know the ‘God’ who can help me handle that commitment with ease. Praise be to God!

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

Father, I beg Your forgiveness today, because I know how easy it is to get so caught up in my everyday life at work or at play, that I easily forget who makes it all possible for me. I am once again reminded that You are God and besides You there is no other god. I pray that this will be a constant reminder as I am tempted and become wrapped up in the things of this world and often allow them to surround me and fill my thoughts. Please help me to keep perspective in my life. Please help me to recognize You and Your love for me in all walks of life, so that I may share those experiences with others and convince them that You are God, and God alone. Thank You Jesus for loving me so much that You gave. Thank You for the promise of lavishing Your love on me and my generations to come, as we love You and obey Your commands. You are truly awesome!