Category: Faith

Is Your Christianity Real?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Born Again, Christian, Faith, God Reigns, Power, ProtectorLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Acts 25; Acts 26 

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

Acts 25:14-16 ~ I admit that their leaders think that the Lord’s Way which I follow is based on wrong beliefs. But I still worship the same God that my ancestors worshiped. And I believe everything written in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets. I am just as sure as these people are that God will raise from death everyone who is good or evil. And because I am sure, I try my best to have a clear conscience in whatever I do for God or for people.

Acts 26:1-3 ~ Agrippa told Paul, “You may now speak for yourself.” Paul stretched out his hand and said: King Agrippa, I am glad for this chance to defend myself before you today on all these charges that my own people have brought against me. You know a lot about our religious customs and the beliefs that divide us. So I ask you to listen patiently to me.

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

Paul was a very special man who had a dramatic change in his life after his conversion. Much of the New Testament writings evolve around Paul’s work as a follower of Christ, so one may imagine that he was very prepared to answer appropriately when challenged in the court of his day to defend his religion/beliefs. If we stop and think about it, we are promoting and/or defending our Christianity every day, for some of our friends and coworkers are looking to trip us up to see if we are for real (if we are everything that we claim to be for Christ), some are really curious as to why we act the way we do and make the decisions we do, while others are so determined to test the validity of our faith that they will do all within their power to see if they could tempt us to stray or do those things that they know Christians often stay away from. I am convinced that in and of our own strength, we are very weak and can easily cave in to the temptations and challenges just discussed. However, we serve the master of the universe, the Creator of this world, the King of all kings that ever was, the One who performed and indeed still performs miracle after miracle,

Be One Who Gives Sacrificially

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Faith, Giving, Honesty, Obedience, TithingLeave a comment

A Quality of a Mature, Reproducing Disciple of Jesus Christ

 

How am I handling the resources God has entrusted to me?

 

SCRIPTURE

Studied: 2 Cor. 9:6–9, Prov. 11:24–25

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

  1. 2 Corinthians 9:6-9 ~ [Remember] this: he who sows sparingly and grudgingly will also reap sparingly and grudgingly, and he who sows generously [that blessings may come to someone] will also reap generously and with blessings. Let each one [give] as he has made up his own mind and purposed in his heart, not reluctantly or sorrowfully or under compulsion, for God loves (He takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a cheerful (joyous, “prompt to do it”) giver [whose heart is in his giving]. And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation]. As it is written, He [the benevolent person] scatters abroad; He gives to the poor; His deeds of justice and goodness and kindness and benevolence will go on and endure forever!
  2. Proverbs 11:24-25 ~ Sometimes you can become rich by being generous or poor by being greedy. Generosity will be rewarded: Give a cup of water, and you will receive a cup of water in return.

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

I believe that God expects us to be a giving people; after all, He has blessed us with a lot so we should then turn around and bless others also. I can see from this passage also that when we decide in our minds to give, we should do so in all happiness and with joy – in other words: out of appreciation for what we have, who gave it to us, and who will provide the next dollar to help us meet our financial needs. Unfortunately, this is quite opposite to what our carnal minds would convince us to do, for of ourselves we are convinced that we can only give out of the excess, after all our bills are met (which often include many of our unnecessary wants). We often fill our minds with many arguments to help us feel good about not giving our first gifts to God – well who knows what the church will waste that money on that I give, or surely God expects me to be a good manager of my funds and not give more than I can afford after meeting all my concrete, worldly, frivolous bills. I am convinced that when we give at least 10%, as taught scripturally, off our gross income then pay our bills and give to the poor, etc, I believe that God will honor our heart way more than if we depend solely on what it appears that we have left that we can give to the work of the Lord. Furthermore, I believe that this teaches me that I must give freely and happily to God, for He gave freely and happily to me, His child, out of love. One method that I have talked about here is seeing through our eyes of faith and out of thanksgiving, the other is our seeing based on the numbers in front of us. When God is in charge of our giving, He will help us take care of the numbers. He gives us the health and abilities to hold a job and earn the income, all the more should we listen to Him about how we should spend that money that He has blessed us with.

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

Lord Jesus, I believe that if I was asked what I believe is one of the most important things that the Bible says to me, it would probably be that God gave so that I may: have eternal life; have a beautiful earth to enjoy; have a beautiful family to help me in my daily physical and mental needs; have enough finances to meet my needs and many of my wants. Bottom line is that You gave, and gave and gave, even to the extent of giving Your one and only Son so that I may have eternal life. If I am determined to be Your disciple, and to be more like You in every walk of my life, then I have to give, and give, and give with a generous, sacrificial, happy and thankful heart. Please help me to always be of the mindset that what I have is all Yours, and that I should carefully follow Your commands in using what You have allowed me to have. I want to be known as a great example of You, because I want others to see You in my actions, words, and yes – in my giving. Thank You for blessing me with all that You have given for me to partake of, may I freely give to Your work and others in return.

The Source of our Strength

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Faith, Power, Power of Prayer, Praise, Thank You Jesus, Victorious Life, WorshipLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Zechariah 12

OBSERVATION

Zechariah 12:3-5 ~ …. When all nations on earth surround Jerusalem, I will make every horse panic and every rider confused. But at the same time, I will watch over Judah. Then every clan in Judah will realize that I, the LORD All-Powerful, am their God, and that I am the source of their strength.

APPLICATION

God had protected Judah in so many ways, yet they kept on sinning and committing such evil deeds. Yet He (God) did another miracle in this particular battle realizing that His power would have to be recognized and then He would be given credit as the source of that miracle. Wow, what an awesome God! However I believe that I can very aptly reword that passage into something like this today: God had protected America in so many ways, yet they kept on sinning and committing such evil deeds. For God has blessed us so much as a nation, but yet we see Christians lackadaisical about reaching those that denounce the power, or even the existence, of God. Let’s consider this even in our local churches, where we see miracles wrought by God – yes, things that can only be explained as answer to prayer where we have seen God intervene and heal in a person’s life, or a total change of a situation that may have been affecting the church, yet we sit back and doubt the power of God or doubt the effectiveness of prayer? These are reasons to recognize God for the awesome power that He has displayed and for His compassion to work in our midst, then as His blessed servants, to celebrate in praise to the Almighty. In fact, this gives us reassurance and reason to be even bolder in our approach to the throne of God for even greater needs. Let us be quick to recognize God for His wonderful mercy and His great miracles that He works in our midst. There is nothing that our God can’t handle, for He is the source of our strength!

PRAYER

Father God, I have seen Your hand at work on more than one occasion and I have heard praise reports of even more cases where You have intervened through healing, protection, or just facilitating a situation that seemed impossible to myself or a fellow Christian. I recognize that You are the source of my strength, and our strength as a church, or a body of believers. May I always look for the work that You do, and use that to not only build on my dependence of You, but to especially use that to praise and glorify Your holy name. You are an awesome and all powerful God, may I be quick to not only ask for help, but to recognize Your hand at work and to celebrate that in praise to You. Thank You for loving me enough to be the source of my strength!

Fishers of Men

On By Ed AlgreenIn Christian, Evangelism, Faith, Follow Jesus, Obedience, RighteousnessLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Luke5

OBSERVATION

Luke 5:5-8 ~ “Master,” Simon answered, “we have worked hard all night long and have not caught a thing. But if you tell me to, I will let the nets down.” They did it and caught so many fish that their nets began ripping apart. Then they signaled for their partners in the other boat to come and help them. The men came, and together they filled the two boats so full that they both began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this happen, he knelt down in front of Jesus and said, “Lord, don’t come near me! I am a sinner.”

APPLICATION

It’s funny how easily we doubt. We are no different to Peter. It sounds like he really thought that he wasting his time to go and gather his clean nets, venture out into the deep water where he caught nothing all night, but none-the-less throw his nets back into the water and expect different results. However, what we should learn from Peter is his obedience, as he followed through with what Jesus told him to do, because it was Jesus who told him to do it. Of course, the miraculous happened; the nets broke with so many fish. This created a humbling effect on Peter to the extent that he felt unworthy to be in the presence of Jesus. The Bible says that there are none who are righteous, no not one. So I am convinced that none of us are worthy to be called the sons of the Almighty, or to be considered ‘Holy’, or to boldly step into the presence of Jesus. But just as Jesus went on to tell Peter after he put his doubt aside and obeyed Jesus, that he (Peter) would become an even greater warrior (that he would now become a ‘fisher of men’), I believe that God would like to see enough faith in us that He could say to us, now go and be my disciples/followers and win the lost of Avon Park/Florida/United States/Bahamas/World for me. I must always remember that:

  1. I must never under estimate the power of God;
  2. I must always be obedient to what I discern God instructing me to do/say;
  3. I must be ready to move when God says so, in spite of the way things may look to others. I’m sure that Peter’s friends on that shoreline that morning must have stood with a slight giggle underneath, wondering about what response Peter would give to the command of Jesus. Surely Peter must have pondered that in his heart with every step that he took in getting his nets back into the boat, wondering if his friends would laugh at him in following through on what appeared to be a useless command, seeing that they caught nothing in those same waters the night before;
  4. I must always remember that God designed and made the universe and everything in it, so who am I to question any command that He might give to me. He loved me enough to send His son to die on Calvary for me, so I have confidence in knowing that He would do nothing to hurt me or bring harm to me;

I am reminded to stay close to my Lord, so that I would clearly hear/recognize His voice, then quickly follow His command in obedience so that I may be all that He would like for me to be.

PRAYER

Thank You Father for the awesome work that You do in my life. Thank You for the plans that You have for me that You will reveal as appropriate. In spite of my weaknesses and shortcomings, yet You love me so much to not only accept me into Your kingdom, but also to use me in Your work while here on this earth. Like Peter, I stand back in amazement this morning, because even though I strive to do Your will each and every day, I know that I often fail and fall short of the ideals that You have set for me. Please be patient with me. Please don’t give up on me. Please show me Your ways daily, and give me the wisdom, strength and desire to follow that path that leads to righteousness in every word that I speak and every action that I take. Please help me to set self aside and live my life dedicated to You and in full obedience to You. You are an awesome God, to love me as You do, but I am forever grateful for that persistent love. May You be glorified in everything that I do and say today!

Determined to Follow Christ

On By Ed AlgreenIn Christian, Faith, Follow Jesus, Obedience, Power, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Luke5

OBSERVATION

Luke 5:4-6 ~ When Jesus had finished speaking, he told Simon, “Row the boat out into the deep water and let your nets down to catch some fish.” “Master,” Simon answered, “we have worked hard all night long and have not caught a thing. But if you tell me to, I will let the nets down.” They did it and caught so many fish that their nets began ripping apart.

APPLICATION

I’ve heard that saying so many times, ‘if you continue to do things the same old way, expect the same old results’. I believe that so often we get like Peter and wonder if we should do the same thing again, after all we just did it that way last Sunday. However, this passage teaches me that the same results might be achieved when we repeat our efforts, in and of our own strength, BUT when we are ordered to do something by God we had better follow His command, because no telling what may result then! This is why it is so important that we stay closely in tuned with God so that we may follow His will, so that we may hear His voice and obey, for anything done without Christ is futile and will amount to routine things capable of man’s power, and they will be temporary, for we learn from God’s Word that only those things done by Christ will last. God is in control; let us follow His command and help:

  • Win the world for Christ;
  • Heal the broken hearted;
  • Meet the needs of the those who are hurting;
  • Encourage those who have lost all hope;
  • Be a living witness to those that have never been introduced to our Master.

PRAYER

Father God, I pray that today there will be more ‘Fishers of Men’ that might make themselves available to Your work. I pray that the scales will be pealed from our eyes so that we may be reminded that there is little we can do in and of ourselves, therefore I pray that beginning with myself, I will place total faith and trust in You and have a determination to do Your will each and every day, and that I will seek Your face and Your lead for those things that You would have me do that would reap Godly benefits for the kingdom. Our wicked world is in need of a Godly influence and a Godly touch. Lord may You find Your servant worthy of using to help accomplish Your work!

My Responsibility

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Faith, God Reigns, Humility, Obedience, Power, RighteousnessLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Daniel 9

OBSERVATION

Daniel 9:3-6 ~ …… To show my sorrow, I went without eating and dressed in sackcloth and sat in ashes. I confessed my sins and earnestly prayed to the LORD my God: Our Lord, you are a great and fearsome God, and you faithfully keep your agreement with those who love and obey you. But we have sinned terribly by rebelling against you and rejecting your laws and teachings. We have ignored the message your servants the prophets spoke to our kings, our leaders, our ancestors, and everyone else.

APPLICATION

Daniel had just studied the writings of the prophets who went on before him and understood why his country was going through such rough times. Then to show his sorrow he took action. What intrigued me about this is:

  1. Today we tend to look at a man gifted with prophecy as one looking to gain monetarily from his TV show or church, or we even say “well who does he think he is, God, to stand and tell us what’s in store for us?” Unlike this, Daniel acknowledged what this prophet of God had said and acted upon it;
  2. In acting upon the Word through the prophet Jeremiah, Daniel didn’t start a new political party to beat up on the nation for what they were doing, nor did he start a new church because he wanted to lead a group into turning the nation around from their evil deeds. Instead he went directly to the only one that could do anything about the situation, he went to God;
  3. Daniel didn’t go to God all pious and bringing condemnation on his nation, or even asking forgiveness for his wicked people, at least at first. He humbled himself before God in sorrow and through his dress and his spirit, showed his humble spirit and sought forgiveness for himself first, for he knew that he was no better than the folk around him. If he was, then he was not doing God any favors by preaching to them and encouraging or demanding them to turn from their wicked ways. As Christian leaders today, we must take full responsibility for all that is going on around us, for had we done our jobs in accordance with God’s will and direction, then our people would be sorry for their actions and seeking ways to renew a right spirit within them. In other words, yes we have a personal responsibility to keep a right relationship with God, but we have an even greater responsibility to “Go out into the world and preach the Gospel”; To tell people about their wrong doings; To show the people Christ so that they may be saved and find the ‘right’ way to act and live a Godly life. We are to represent God in our daily lives, not just so that God would be proud of us, although He would, but also do this so that others would see Christ in us and know that there is a better way for them too.

PRAYER

Father, let me first of all give thanks for the liberty of being Your son. Thank You for bringing me to this stage in my life. Especially today, I want to acknowledge the responsibility you have given to me as Your child, for my job is no different to the one that You gave Daniel. My country is in a mess. My church is lacking. Those that I come in contact with are living in sin, and I need Your strength, Your boldness, Your direction to be able to say with a clean heart that there is a better way, for there is a way that leads to eternal life with a loving and eternal God. A major part of that responsibility, is the part of keeping myself pure before You and, like Daniel, acknowledging that “

My Name’s in the Book!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Born Again, Eternal Life, Faith, Praise, Resurrection Day, Thank You Jesus, The Book of LifeLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Revelation 20  

OBSERVATION

Revelation 20:12 ~ I also saw all the dead people standing in front of that throne. Every one of them was there, no matter who they had once been. Several books were opened, and then the book of life was opened. The dead were judged by what those books said they had done.

APPLICATION

In John 3:16 I am told in part “…so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.” So it is with faith this morning that I celebrate that my name is in the Book of Life and I will live eternally with God when He calls me home. Praise God that I can celebrate that truth today, and not have to wait until the Book is opened to be told “Go away for I never knew you”. I cannot be proud of all the things I have done, but glory to God I have a mediator who stands in the gap for me and who guides my every step, speaks to the Father on my behalf, encourages me and leads me in a path of righteousness every day. In fact He is looking so forward to the day when I will join Him, that even today He is preparing a home for me. My earthly father took such good care of me here on this earth, but I believe that this was only a glimpse of the loving care that my heavenly Father will take care of me (and my earthly dad) when I am called away from this old earth.

A Force to Reckon With

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Born Again, Christian, Eternal Life, Faith, Humility, Obedience, Peace, Worry no more1 Comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Revelation 12  

OBSERVATION

Revelation 12:7-9 ~ Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. And the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven. This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.

APPLICATION

I am reminded here that old Satan was a force to reckon with in heaven, so who am I to be so naive and think that he is of no consequence in my life, or in my world? I believe that the main thing that I must concentrate on is that greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world!! Praise be to God, I serve the One who overcame the temptations of Satan and won the battle. The one who conquered death and the grave, and won the battle, yes even today I can sing – “

Less We Forget

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Eternal Life, Faith, Forgiveness, Humility, Love, Obedience, RighteousnessLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: 2 Chronicles 36  

OBSERVATION

2 Chronicles 36:14-16 ~ The people of Judah and even the priests who were their leaders became more unfaithful. They followed the disgusting example of the nations around them and made the LORD’s holy temple unfit for worship. But the LORD God felt sorry for his people, and instead of destroying the temple, he sent prophets who warned the people over and over about their sins. But the people only laughed and insulted these prophets. They ignored what the LORD God was trying to tell them, until he finally became so angry that nothing could stop him from punishing Judah and Jerusalem.

APPLICATION

If it wasn’t for the names and places mentioned in this passage, we may have thought that this was referring to Avon Park, or the United States, or almost any part of our current world, as it appears like we have become such an unfaithful bunch today. When I consider all that Jesus did for me at Calvary, and all through my life in the blessings that He has poured out on me, I should find myself at His feet worshipping Him most of the time, for who am I that a King should die for and sacrifice so much for? But this is yet another reminder that the sacrifice made on my behalf was out of such love for His child/children, because He wanted to create a way that I/we could have eternal life with Him. While I have accepted Jesus as Lord of my life, and am forever grateful, I look forward to the day that I could set aside the desires of this world and dedicate myself to living and serving Jesus in ways that would make Him proud of His child. Now having said that, I also believe that no matter how much I do I could never repay or show my gratefulness in things I do, but in and through the characteristics that I reflect when I speak, or when I react to circumstances – that I do it from a heart of God’s love. For becoming more like Him is my ultimate goal and my daily challenge, God being my helper. Ignoring the challenge to be more like Him could easily lead to following the evil ways of this world and Satan, and as we are reminded in verse 16, this could lead to God becoming very angry with us and in turn, punishing us like He did Judah and Jerusalem.

Our Personal Responsibility.

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Born Again, Christian, Faith, Heaven, Love, RighteousnessLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Ezekiel 18

OBSERVATION

Ezekiel 18:4 ~ For all people are mine to judge—both parents and children alike. And this is my rule: The person who sins is the one who will die.

APPLICATION

So often we hear folk talk about how a child is suffering because of the sin of their parent(s), and like in this chapter, we often use scripture to try and support us in thinking that a child will be punished for the sin of their parent(s). However, in this chapter God, through Ezekiel, goes into a lot of detail explaining how we each stand alone before God and will be judged for our own sin. In fact as I meditate on this I realize that I probably have so much on my own slate to be judged for that I can only hope and trust that God will not look back on previous generations and hold me accountable for their deeds also. The neatest thing with this passage that I am reminded of today is that in and of our own selves we are so weak and sinful that there is every reason why God would not allow us into His kingdom, HOWEVER, praise God that He realized this and did something about that. He brought His one and only son into the world in a very miraculous way for a specific reason, so that He would not only have opportunity to demonstrate while on earth how we should love, act, speak, care for and sacrifice for others, but that through His death on the cross God ultimately demonstrated His love for all those who accept Him as Lord, that they would have opportunity to live eternally with Him in heaven. No conditions, just plain love for us that caused Him to find a way, the only way, for us to know that we would have eternal life in heaven. I don’t know about anyone else, but I have never seen love like that demonstrated in any similar fashion here on this earth. Only a God like mine would be so loving, so kind, so thoughtful, so sacrificial to create a being, provide and care for the beings, see them turn from the source of their life and support and follow another god yet, because of His undying love for mankind, provide another means for us to return to Him and gather around His throne in glory.