Category: Righteousness

Make God First in Your Life

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Imitator of Christ, Love God, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Pleasing to God, RighteousnessLeave a comment

Scripture: Leviticus 26.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Leviticus 26:1-12 (NLT)

1 “Do not make idols or set up carved images, or sacred pillars, or sculptured stones in your land so you may worship them. I am the Lord your God.

2 You must keep my Sabbath days of rest and show reverence for my sanctuary. I am the Lord.

3 “If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, 4 I will send you the seasonal rains. The land will then yield its crops, and the trees of the field will produce their fruit. 5 Your threshing season will overlap with the grape harvest, and your grape harvest will overlap with the season of planting grain. You will eat your fill and live securely in your own land.

6 “I will give you peace in the land, and you will be able to sleep with no cause for fear. I will rid the land of wild animals and keep your enemies out of your land. 7 In fact, you will chase down your enemies and slaughter them with your swords. 8 Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand! All your enemies will fall beneath your sword.

9 “I will look favorably upon you, making you fertile and multiplying your people. And I will fulfill my covenant with you. 10 You will have such a surplus of crops that you will need to clear out the old grain to make room for the new harvest! 11 I will live among you, and I will not despise you. 12 I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people.

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

This chapter presents the two paths of obedience and disobedience that God set before the people. The people of the Old Testament were warned over and over against worshiping idols. We might wonder how they could deceive themselves with these objects of wood and stone. Yet God could well give us the same warning, for we are prone to put idols before him. Idolatry is making anything more important than God, and our lives are full of that temptation. Money, entertainment, sporting activities, looks, success, reputation, security—these are some of today’s idols. As you look at these false gods that promise everything you want but nothing you need, does idolatry seem so far removed from our lives today? I feel like the Word is speaking directly to us. While I only copied the scripture for the results of obedience that God promised to His people, there are equally the number of disastrous things that would result if they disobeyed His decrees and commands. I have a saying that I try to follow in my life, and it is that instead of saying I don’t have time for something, say that it was not a priority to me at the time. If you follow this little rule, I believe that it will help you keep things/gods in perspective. For as we look the idols in our lives, we have basically said that it is OK to do those things because God will still be there when we need Him. Friend, remember that God must be first in your life. I believe that you will see from this passage that as we take care of our relationship with Him, He will take care of our needs. What are idols today may still be important in our Christian walk, but we must put them in perspective. God first! Seek ye FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you.

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

Father, I am reminded again this morning that I must make you first in my life. I must make sure that there are no other gods/idols that interfere with my relationship with You. Please forgive me for the times that I have allowed other things to interfere. Please help me today to begin anew by placing You first in my life. To allow everything else to be secondary, so that I may give particular attention to Your will and Your work and the needs of Your church to reach, and minister to the lost. On judgment day nothing else will matter. Even during my earthly walk, nothing else matters when I think about the many ways that You are looking to bless those that are obedient to Your decrees and commands. Thank You for loving me enough to remind me of this Nugget from Your Word this morning!

 

àI 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

Set Apart to Be ‘Holy’

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Imitator of Christ, Obedience, RighteousnessLeave a comment

Scripture: Leviticus 20.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Leviticus 20:6-8 (NLT)

6 “I will also turn against those who commit spiritual prostitution by putting their trust in mediums or in those who consult the spirits of the dead. I will cut them off from the community.

7
So set yourselves apart to be holy, for I am the Lord your God.

8 Keep all my decrees by putting them into practice, for I am the Lord who makes you holy.

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

Although God had proven Himself to the Israelites for a number of years while on their journey to the Promised Land, in this passage He is still coaching them to live a life pleasing to Him. In fact He is helping them rid the land of folk that have turned against Him, and who have caused a stench in His nostrils, so He is working with the Israelites to insure that they don’t become just like them. I am convinced that everything is placed in God’s Word with a purpose in mind. I am also convinced that just because we live in what some may consider a ‘Christian’ nation, God has reason to be very angry with us because of our disobedience to His commands and disregard for His leadership. In fact, He may even accuse us of ‘spiritual prostitution’, as He did in verse 6, because we cater to other gods rather than our Father, God. My favorite part of this passage is where God commands that we set ourselves apart to be holy, for He is holy, and if we are His and committed to following Him, then we are to be holy. ‘Holy’ people will make a ‘holy’ nation. We will then be looked upon as a ‘holy’ nation! In the meantime, I believe that God has as much work to do with us, as He did with the Israelites. Verse 8 tells us how we are to be a ‘holy’ people – we are to get back to the basics and keep God’s commands, decrees, commandments, laws. These things were not established to restrict us, but to help us identify with the Creator of this universe. In other words, He meant for us to live under certain rules and guidelines so that we might represent Him well and do the Father’s will. He provided the rule book and guide book to help us do just that. Let’s turn our eyes away from the television long enough to see and hear what’s in the Book so that we may follow the commands of our Savior, be more like Him, represent Him well before a lost world, and be the ‘holy’ people that He chose us to be. This is a deliberate act by us, so let’s go ahead and make the move by setting ourselves apart from this world, and seek God’s face as we journey towards a life of holiness, even as our God is holy.

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

Father, we may look at ourselves and wonder if we could ever be considered ‘holy’, especially by a Savior who epitomized the meaning of holiness to us. But because You have demanded this of us here in Your Word, I have no reason to doubt that You can direct me and lead me to a life of holiness. In other words, a life that exemplifies You in every way. Father, please teach me Your ways. Teach me, and lead me in a life of holiness. Not that I may impress anyone here on this earth, but that I may follow Your will for my life, and allow my life to be pleasing to You. I believe that most people have heard of You and probably long to see someone like You here on this earth. You have demanded that we be holy, even as You are. May others see this holiness in me each day, all for Your glory, and to draw them to the cross where they too may know true divine holiness.

Holiness in Personal Conduct

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, God’s Word, Imitator of Christ, Listen to the Word of God, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Pleasing to God, Reflecting Christ, Righteousness1 Comment

Scripture: Leviticus 19.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Leviticus 19:1-2 (NLT)

1 The Lord also said to Moses,

2 “Give the following instructions to the entire community of Israel. You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.

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

The very first words I read in this chapter this morning caught my immediate attention. Let me set the stage and compare this to how applicable I see this to our lives today. God had just rescued the Israelites from the abuse of the Egyptians. He brought over 1,000,000 people through days, weeks, months and years of challenges through a wilderness travel experience. He kept them safe from theirs enemies, healed their sick, provided food and water in miraculous ways, and while not just proving Himself holy before these people, He provided many ways of showing them how they should live. Does this not sound like the way that our God still loves, protects and directs us today? In the verses observed here though, we can see how God seemed to have said to Moses: look, I want you to share with my people that they are set apart as my chosen people, they have seen my hand at work among them and they have seen that I am a holy God. I want them to live their lives imitating me, so they must be holy also. Wow, in applying this to our lives today, I believe that we can see that God is saying that we should leave the dirt and filth of our old lives behind us, and as taught in our decision to accept Jesus, we are to make a 180 and turn the other way, for we no longer follow the ways of Satan, the world and sin, but now serve a wonderful Savior that has shown us the way to finally be holy, loving, kind and destined for heaven. The rest of this chapter goes on to explain various principles that Moses was to bring to the attention of the Israelites, and these are still applicable to us today, because we have fallen into the same bad habits. Here are a few of the highlights that I feel are still applicable to us today:

  • Respect for our parents;
  • Observing a day of rest and worship – Son worship, not ‘sun’ worship!!
  • Helping the poor and needy;
  • Honesty in our dealings with others;
  • Careful in our speech – may others know whose we are through our speech and mannerisms;
  • Respect and help those who are handicapped – blind, deaf, etc;
  • Be a Christian boss and/or employer;
  • Don’t gossip – lift up, don’t tear down someone else;
  • Love your neighbor as yourself – physical neighbor, relative, anyone we spend time around;

Instead of highlighting the whole chapter, I hope that I have given you enough to encourage you to get into the Word and follow its teachings. As a practicing professional you would follow the guidelines and rules of the profession so that there will not be grounds for a suit. In Christianity, we follow the ways of God and His written Word (the Bible) so that we may honor God and look forward to His future rewards in heaven!

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

Lord Jesus, thank You for being my God. Thank You for showing me how to live my life pleasing to You. Help me to brush aside the ways of this world and stay focused on serving You, and practicing my everyday living in accordance with Your directions that are spelled out in Your guide/rule book, the Bible. Please may I be holy, even as You are holy!

Be Alert and Pray

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Discerning, Imitator of Christ, Power of Prayer, Righteousness, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 26.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Matthew 26:40-41 (GW)

40 When he went back to the disciples, he found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you stay awake with me for one hour?

41 Stay awake, and pray that you won’t be tempted. You want to do what’s right, but you’re weak.”

 

Matthew 26:74-75 (GW)

74
Then Peter began to curse and swear with an oath, “I don’t know the man!” Just then a rooster crowed.
75 Peter remembered what Jesus had said: “Before a rooster crows, you will say three times that you don’t know me.” Then Peter went outside and cried bitterly.

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

When Jesus went into the Garden of Gethsemane on the night He was betrayed, He asked the contingent of disciples that followed Him there, to stay at a given point while He went on a little further to pray. As in any prayer meeting, you would think that the disciples would have also entered into a time of prayer seeing that Jesus was so burdened about something that He went in to pray privately. Instead, the disciples fell asleep. On Jesus’ return He shared with the disciples His disappointment and reiterated to them that it was important that they stay alert and pray while He went to…. Friend, likewise Jesus has left us to be alert and pray until His return. Alert for what you might ask? This means that we are to be aware of the possibilities of temptation (look at verse 74 to see what Peter faced shortly after Jesus’ warning that they be alert and pray), and we are to be sensitive to the subtleties that will occur if we are unprepared and unequipped to deal with them spiritually. Temptation will come when we are most vulnerable and most often we can’t resist it alone. Prayer is the key to seek God’s strength and presence, and it is only with these essentials that we can be assured of our defenses and equipped to deal with the power of Satan. Imagine if our military was as unprepared as we are at times; imagine if they were as ill equipped as we are times. Friends, we must be alert, always seeking God’s presence to defend us against the enemy.

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

Lord Jesus, please help me to always be in a state of readiness to defeat the vileness of Satan. Please help me to obey Your Word so that I will be closely in tuned with You and empowered by You to defend against the temptation and/or subtleties of Satan that may directed at me each day. I need Your power in my life to stay strong and ready for Your return. Only in You can I find that power, and the peace in knowing that I am safe and secure. Please forgive me for seeking this through any other means. Thank You for reminding me of where my true strength comes from, especially at those times that I’m tempted to do otherwise.

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.

Prepare for God’s Blessing

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Bold Confidence, God Cares For Us, God our Provider, Listen to the Word of God, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Righteousness, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

Scripture: Matthew 23; Exodus 29.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me. Matt 23:37 (NLT)

… I will meet the people of Israel there, in the place made holy by my glorious presence. 44 Yes, I will consecrate the Tabernacle and the altar, and I will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. 45 Then I will live among the people of Israel and be their God, 46 and they will know that I am the Lord their God. I am the one who brought them out of the land of Egypt so that I could live among them. I am the Lord their God.
Ex 29:43-46
(NLT)

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

My daily devotional normally takes me across one or more chapters in the Old Testament and perhaps one or more chapters in the New Testament. God spoke to me on the verse in the New Testament, about how He not only blesses me each day, but how He is looking to even bless me more – if only I would surrender myself to Him and allow Him to do all for His child that He wants to. This made me think about how I feel sometimes like a parent. We want to do so much more, but we need our child to do their part in order not to spoil them. Sometimes we want to do more but they rather try and do it themselves. I never stopped to think that we are doing the same thing to God when we take the reins and try to do things ourselves. We often mess up, but God is the designer and creator of this complex body that we live in, the creator and designer of this world with all of its intricacies, so why would I withhold from Him? I have nothing to gain. Total surrender to Him can bring blessings beyond anything I can ever imagine! Then in the Old Testament reading I saw where He did so much for the Israelites, including several chapters explaining every detail about how God detailed the material and design of the temple, then the same for the dress and ordination of Aaron and his sons as priests, then in the verses above it sounds like He just sat back and looked at all He had done and felt relieved that now He could meet with His people in the temple, made holy because of His presence. Now the people will recognize Him as their God who brought them out of Egypt and now they might accept Him as the Lord their God. Wow, what love displayed here and what an awesome father-figure shown here. God loves us so much and wants so badly to bless us beyond anything we could ever imagine, and our part is to just let go and let God. He’s our Father, He wants to do this for His children!

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

Father, often life seems so complex, and so often I realize that the challenges are way more than I could ever handle alone. Thank You for reminding me that You are very capable, and willing to handle these challenges and direct my paths. I am convinced that You want nothing more than to love on me; to protect me from the things of this life intended to harm me; to guide me through those challenging times of uncertainty, especially when I don’t know which way to turn next. Please help me to daily recognize that You are God, in fact You are my God and the same love shown towards the Israelites, is the same love that You would love to shower on me, if only I will let go of self and let You have Your will and way in my life. While this is my personal prayer, I also pray for my brother and my sister who may read this devotional and perhaps going through the same challenge, and ask that they too may receive a touch from You today and be reminded of Your love, protection and guidance. Thank You for being such an awesome, powerful, yet a super loving God!

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!

In Preparation for Worship

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Celebrate God, Humility, Love God, Love your Neighbor, Pleasing to God, Praise, Purity, Righteousness, WorshipLeave a comment

Scripture: Exodus 19.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

10 Then the Lord told Moses, “Go down and prepare the people for my arrival. Consecrate them today and tomorrow, and have them wash their clothing. 11 Be sure they are ready on the third day, for on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai as all the people watch. Ex 19:10-11 (NLT)

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

I wonder what our charge would be today if God was to send instructions for us to properly prepare ourselves for worship? It seems like some of us go to corporate worship with sour attitudes, some with the weight of the world on our minds, some with hatred in our hearts, some with pride in our hearts about how good we are or how much better we are than many around us, some with deliberate sin towards a brother/sister in our hearts and many with no respect for the royalty whom we are about to worship. I’m ashamed of how God must look down in disgust at us and become so distraught over our unthankful hearts for all that He did for us on Calvary and all that He does in love for us each and every day. We have no room to feel in our hearts and act in the ways I just described. We may often look at the Israelites in disgust over how they acted, but the truth is that we are probably worse than them in many ways today. We may sing the words, we may raise our hands, we may clap to the beat of the music and we may even give the occasional ‘Amen’ in response to what the preacher is sharing with us, but let’s remember that God knows our heart and our inmost feelings. He is looking for a humble, forgiving, dedicated heart to bless and in turn, use for His glory. Friends, let us spend time readying ourselves for worship. Let us give the deserved respect to our Master, our Lord, our Savior and our soon coming King. He knows our heart, we can’t fool Him. Let’s clean up our act and be ready to truly worship in His presence when we think about going to corporate worship. We must be pure, even as He is pure and holy.

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

Father, I am guilty of doing the traditional thing of going to church at the appropriate time; singing the hymn/songs when announced; listening to Your Word preached and in my mind thinking of all the people that it applies to. The bottom line is that You are speaking to me. It is I that Your Word applies to. It is I that You long to speak with and sanctify so that I may be the ambassador for You to others that I come in contact with. Please help me to keep the fingers pointed at self, and allow You to do the finger pointing at anyone else that also needs a touch from You. Please help me to seek Your face daily, so that I may come boldly and uprightly before You in worship. You deserve my undivided attention and respect as I come before You. Please consecrate me, wash me clean and set my mind on You so that I may truly worship You.

How Others Will Know that God is Greater

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Celebrate God, Encourage, Faith, Imitator of Christ, Motivate, Praise, Reaching the Lost, Reflecting Christ, Righteousness, Testify, Thank You Jesus, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

Scripture: Exodus 18.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

10 “Praise the Lord,” Jethro said, “for he has rescued you from the Egyptians and from Pharaoh. Yes, he has rescued Israel from the powerful hand of Egypt! 11 I know now that the Lord is greater than all other gods, because he rescued his people from the oppression of the proud Egyptians.” Ex 18:10-11 (NLT)

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

Jethro who was a man of God, went into the wilderness to check on his son-in-law Moses. Their greeting could have easily taken on the form of many of our meetings today where we catch-up on gossip, but instead Moses was bubbling over with all the many ways that God had been so good to him and the people of Israel since they began their journey to the promised land. I was totally awakened by the response of Jethro in verse 11: I know now that the Lord is greater than all gods. As followers of Christ we witness so many blessings in our lives and in the lives of those around us, so who are we to grumble and complain about this little ache, or that little negativity we heard someone may have said about us? Child of God, we have been placed in positions of encouragers, evangelists, teachers and imitators of Christ! Do others see these qualities in us? Do they walk away from our presence encouraged and blessed, or do they see the same old thing they see in non-Christians – the backbiting, the gossiping, the whining and complaining? We won’t win them to the Lord like that. They won’t leave our presence any more convinced that we serve a mighty, all knowing, ever loving God, than when they first visited with us. Based on the praise report that Jethro received from Moses, he was convinced more than ever that the God that he and Moses served was truly God Almighty, greater than any other god.

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

Lord may I be reminded of this today, especially when I’m tempted to whine and complain. May others be encouraged by me and know that I serve the God of this universe and how awesome You are in all that You do for me. May they want to know the precious God that I serve. May I always represent You well. May others see Your character in all that I do and say.

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.