Category: Follow Jesus

Your Actions Reveal Who You are Controlled By!

On By Ed AlgreenIn All have sinned, Bible Believing, Born Again, Christian, Eternal Life, Faith, Follow Jesus, Forgiveness, Listen to the Word of God, Obedience, Peace, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

The Bible –Good News Translation

Romans 8:5-6

5Those who live as their human nature tells them to, have their minds controlled by what human nature wants. Those who live as the Spirit tells them to, have their minds controlled by what the Spirit wants. 6To be controlled by human nature results in death; to be controlled by the Spirit results in life and peace.

Thoughts:

I believe that anyone thinking straight and reflecting on their life would probably say that they have made a lot of decisions based on what they want; to make themselves happier; richer or more comfortable. Now, to switch gears and truly respond to the question of whether you are a Christian or not, I believe would depend on whether you can ultimately respond that your life is so aligned with your Lord and Savior that you make decisions based on what His Holy Spirit leads you to do. Some might respond that they must be a Christian because they were told by their parents about a time in their life when, as a child, they raised their hand with all the other children in Bible school (that they were forced to attend every week) and they accepted Jesus as their Lord! Friends, if my marriage was only as good as the day, 39 years ago, when I said I do, would you say that I truly make decisions for the benefit of my wife and I? Because I have totally committed my whole self to that relationship and I work on it daily, I make decisions that first of all please my wife, then perhaps that might please myself. Likewise, if you have personally invited Jesus into your heart, and you daily work on that relationship with Him through prayer (your conversation with God), digging into His Word (so that you may learn His will and character and listen to His responses to your prayers) and, make your decisions based on what you discern from God and that would please Him, then I believe that you have a real, active, living relationship with Jesus, and one that will lead to life and peace, as indicated in verse 6. If you do not have this latter type relationship that I spoke of, then you may very well fall under the first option mentioned in verse 6 – you are controlled by your human nature that results in eternal death. There is no middle ground friend. The Bible is clear – you either know Him personally and you have the promise of eternal life with Him and peace forevermore; or you are convinced that you are in control of your life – knowing that you will face eternal death in Hell with Satan and his angels. Given the options, I believe that the choice is easy and very clear, friend. Why not meet with a local, Bible Teaching pastor or church leader today, or contact me using the email address below, so that we may work, and pray with you and help you make the most important decision of your life?

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You have declared in Your Word that Your choice would be that none should perish, but that all Your children are precious in Your sight. And because You sacrificed Your life for the redemption of our sin, You would really like to see us make wise decisions and accept the gift of eternal life that is offered through accepting You as our Lord and personal Savior. Dear Jesus, there are family and friends that I know that have not yet made the wise decision to accept Your love and Your offering of eternal life and peace. Please tender their hardened hearts and convict them of the need to make this vital decision today, as they have no assurance of future opportunities. May my friends who read this today be especially convicted by Your Holy Spirit, and may these words inspire them to not delay such important decisions any longer. I ask all this in the precious name of Jesus, the only One with power to convict the hearts of the lost, 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.

Ready Your Heart for Worship!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Allegiance to the Lamb, Bible Believing, Born Again, Celebrate God, Christian, Follow Jesus, Imitator of Christ, Listen to the Word of God, Love God, WorshipLeave a comment

God’s Word Says….

Psalm 24:3-6 (NCV)

3 Who may go up on the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy Temple? 4 Only those with clean hands and pure hearts, who have not worshiped idols, who have not made promises in the name of a false god. 5 They will receive a blessing from the Lord; the God who saves them will declare them right. 6 They try to follow God; they look to the God of Jacob for help.

My Thoughts…..

Praise God, His Word is filled with little ‘Nuggets’ that will bless our souls each time that we meditate on it. It is our source document for everything in this life. As we read it, there are certain things that God allows to just stand off the pages and ‘light us up’! Here’s what I got from this ‘Nugget’ referenced above: The question is being asked about who may approach God in His holy place – in His temple. The answer to this is no mystery. Our God is holy, long-suffering, loving and merciful. So who are we to approach Him in any other manner? Think about our worship services. The idea is that God’s people gather to praise Him for all that He has done for us during the past week; petition Him for needs that exist in our lives that, we feel, needs His powerful touch; and to learn from His Word in order that we may portray Him better and to gain strength and direction for the week ahead of us. The verses highlighted today explains how some people walk away from a church service just as empty as they walked in, and yet why some leave overwhelmed with God’s blessing in and through that service. Friends, it’s a matter of where our hearts are. In verse 6, we are told that the blessings were received because they ‘tried to follow God’!

Challenge……

Friends, in our marriages, in our homes, in our work and in our friendships, what we get back is often impacted by what we put into these things. The Psalmist helped me to see that I will be blessed when I ‘Try to follow God’. A doctor or an attorney who wants to be the best at their jobs will find themselves constantly in their books trying to keep up with latest laws or the latest developments in medical science. If we are truly trying to follow God, would it not appear that we should be students of THE Book in order to discern the heart and will of God? Would it not appear that we need to do more than just show up for a worship service, if we truly want to follow God and His teachings? I would dare say friend that we should be doing more than just showing up waiting for a bucket of blessings to be poured on us. I believe God would easily discern those of us that show up with: the Spirit of God very fresh in our spiritual lives; with thankful hearts ready to explode in worship and thanksgiving to God; and like a baby bird waiting for the return of the mother bird with food, God would also discern those of us that show up with a deep hunger to learn more of, and get a better understanding of, His precious Word. Perhaps then, we might approach His holy throne somewhat worthily and ready to worship Him and receive His blessing. Where’s your heart friend? Do you have a heart yearning for more of Jesus, so that you may become more like Him? Do you put effort into following God?

Prayer……

Heavenly Father, You made us to worship You and to be little ‘Christ’s’ so that we may win the world through our love and expression of faith in, and forgiveness by, Your Son Jesus. Lord, we take so much for granted and, many times many of us will just flippantly show up for a worship service assuming that the worship band might stir up a feeling in us, or the preacher might say something magnificent that might stir up something in us. Please forgive me for the times that I have been guilty of this. Unfortunately I received everything from that service that I put into it – nothing. Please give me an urgency and a desire to follow You, and to worship You, and to want to be in Your presence. To portray You in my life, I must be filled with Your Holy Spirit, please guide me in the way of Truth and give me a deeper desire to follow You in every walk of my life. I strongly feel like my friends will need something similar to this today also, please tender their hearts to Your Word so that It may do a powerful work in their lives and better prepare them for Your work. For I ask all this in the name of, and in respect and admiration of You, Oh Lord, my Rock and my redeemer, AMEN!

Action…..

In response to God leading You through this devotional today, please get with a Bible teaching Pastor you may know and allow him to guide you. Otherwise feel free to reply to my post online, or you may email me directly at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. I will gladly add you to my prayer list, and/or respond to your request(s) ASAP.

What should I do to inherit eternal life?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Born Again, Christian, Eternal Life, Faith, Follow Jesus, Forgiveness, Listen to the Word of GodLeave a comment

Scripture: Luke 18.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Luke 18:18-22 (NLT)

18 Once a religious leader asked Jesus this question: “Good Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”

19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “Only God is truly good. 20 But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother.'”

21 The man replied, “I’ve carefully obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”

22 When Jesus heard his answer, he said, “There is still one thing you haven’t done. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

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

Just like the religious leader in this biblical story, many today may ask “what does it take for me to have a better life?” or “to have eternal life?” or “to know Jesus, the One who can give me eternal security?” or “to know the only One who rescues me from the this world of hate, backbiting, sin, evil, etc. and gives me hope for a new life in knowing Jesus?”. I’m glad you asked! In the beginning of this chapter Jesus spoke to the people about how important it is to be humble, and to lay aside the pride of self-importance and in fact, be more like a child in our total surrender to God. In this particular passage, Jesus tells this rich man that for him to truly trust God, he must release his dependence of his riches. This is true with so many that are ‘comfortable’ with where they are at in life. To some, they may feel like they have everything this life could offer and seeing that they are faring so much better than most, they just don’t need anything else, especially this religious stuff that so many argue over and become entwined in. Friend, Jesus didn’t tell this rich man to become involved in organized religion, although He later spoke of the importance of worshipping together with other believers. He didn’t tell this man how important it was that he start acting more like the religious leaders of that day, for Jesus knew of their shortcomings. Instead, Jesus told this man that he needed to unleash himself from the thing that he had placed so much faith in, and then when he could commit himself wholeheartedly to Jesus and trust only in Him, then come and be His follower. Unfortunately this could lead to procrastination for many, as some will definitely say that they are waiting for the day where they could be solely dependent on God. I don’t believe that any of us awake one morning and decide in and of our own desire, that we will accept Jesus that day, for I believe that it is God himself that woos us to place our faith and trust in Him. In the case of this rich leader, I believe that it was God working in his life that caused him to ask these questions of Jesus. Therefore, if we awake one morning and decide that today is the day we will surrender our lives to God, then I believe that the same God that began a good work in you and prompted you to accept Him as Lord, will also help you to lay aside those things that might stand in your way. So please don’t procrastinate until you feel you are ready and/or worthy of approaching God, but instead, answer His call on your life and allow Him to help you redirect your allegiance, your faith and your trust. This is one of the most important decisions in your life, for it has eternal implications. Please feel free to respond to this post if there is anything I can pray with you about or help you with, as you ponder this vital decision.

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

Although still far from perfect, I thank you Father for speaking to me some 35 years ago and convincing me of the need for a Savior. I also thank You for being patient with me over the years and giving me strength to stand firm in my faith and live my life in accordance with Your Word. I know that this is a daily challenge, and again today I want to ask for Your strength and power to overcome the evil things of this world and to become so entrenched in Your Word that I will always lean towards the character and will of my Savior. Please touch the lives of those that will read this and need to make decisions in their lives. Please tender their hearts to surrender their lives to You, and to lay aside things in their lives that are only temporary, but yet things that they currently place their faith in. O What a Savior, is Jesus my Lord! May many others come to know You today, is my prayer.

 

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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The Key To Life!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Evangelism, Follow Jesus, Listen to the Word of God, Reaching the Lost, Things EternalLeave a comment

Scripture: Deuteronomy 29-31.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 (NLT)

19 “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!

20 You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

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

Moses and the Israelites had witnessed God’s hand of love, protection and guidance from the time they were set free of slavery in Egypt and throughout their wanderings in the wilderness as they moved towards the land of milk and honey promised to them by the Almighty. In spite of the mighty miracles, we saw that time after time they faltered and quickly turned away to worship other gods when they weren’t being watched closely. Moses knew that his life was ending, and like any good father would do, he wanted to make sure that he gave the best last minute advice to his followers so that their future would be taken care of. In fact, based on his relationship with God and all that he saw God do over the years, he was able to share with the people important keys that would lead them and keep them secure in life – true Godly and pure lives that would represent the Father well and be representative of their eternal destiny. Friends, this is a choice that we must make even today. The key to ‘LIFE’, everlasting ‘LIFE’, a glorious ‘LIFE’ with our Lord in heaven, rests solely in the condition of our soul. The key to ‘LIFE’ was made available to you and I when Jesus hung on the cross at Calvary. For He died so that the key to eternal ‘LIFE’ might be offered to those who would accept the gift, the key – those of us that have a desire to follow Jesus in this world and receive the prize of Heaven with our master, Friend and Savior. The key to unlocking the treasures of heaven has been offered to us. As Moses said to his people in verse 20, so it applies today – you can make a choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying Him, and committing yourself firmly to him. If I can lend assistance to you or pray with you about the commitment that you need to make today, feel free to respond to this post. Jesus wants the very best for His children – us, but to receive the key – the gift of salvation, we must accept it and commit to serving the giver of all life. Jesus is the answer friend! He is the ‘key’ to ‘LIFE’! Accepting the key will lead to life eternal with Jesus in heaven. Rejecting it leads to eternal death and curses in the pit of hell. Your good common sense will lead you to the right decision today!

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

Father, so often in this life we receive what we consider the ‘dirty end of the stick’ because often people are out to get us, take advantage of us, fulfill the personal, greedy desires of their hearts at our expense. Seldom are we presented the ‘key to LIFE’ as indicated in this scripture this morning. Thank You for loving me so much that You gave Your very life so that I may have the ‘key’ to eternal life with You in heaven. Everlasting peace and unending love by the Father is something that we all want and desire. Please help those reading this devotional today to make a wise decision and receive the ‘key to LIFE’ that you are offering to us. Thank You Father for loving me so much to give of yourself so that this key was available to me. Now that I have accepted the key, please help me to live daily like a child of the King – as one destined for the glories of Heaven with the King of all kings!

 

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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Faith to Believe

On By Ed AlgreenIn Ask and Receive, Bible Believing, Faith, Follow Jesus, God Reigns, God’s Word, Obedience, Power of PrayerLeave a comment

Scripture: Mark 16.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Mark 16:9-14 (NLT)

9 After Jesus rose from the dead early on Sunday morning, the first person who saw him was Mary Magdalene, the woman from whom he had cast out seven demons.

10 She went to the disciples, who were grieving and weeping, and told them what had happened. 11 But when she told them that Jesus was alive and she had seen him, they didn’t believe her.

12 Afterward he appeared in a different form to two of his followers who were walking from Jerusalem into the country. 13 They rushed back to tell the others, but no one believed them.

14 Still later he appeared to the eleven disciples as they were eating together. He rebuked them for their stubborn unbelief because they refused to believe those who had seen him after he had been raised from the dead.

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

God really highlighted this passage to me this morning, particularly the point of unbelief that the disciples had surrounding His resurrection. At the first reading of this we might feel pity or feel sorry for the disciples for such unbelief. In closer deliberation I thought about who it was that struggled with unbelief. These were the men who were handpicked by Jesus; they were closest to Him during His ministry here on earth; they witnessed miracle after miracle which showed them firsthand the power of Jesus, and they heard Jesus speak about how He would rise again after the third day. Further, I am sure that the prayers that went up by these men after Jesus was arrested was probably very intense, for they had lost their Master, their friend, their leader. So why then would they be surprised to hear that Jesus was alive? Friends, we are just as bad today even after all we know from God’s Word, and even after all that we have prayed about, and even after all that we have witnessed and/or heard about Jesus doing here on this earth. I believe that Jesus can easily say to us today, “Oh ye of little faith”. Having just celebrated Easter, we know that Jesus is alive. We know that He is the same miracle worker that we read about in His Word and witnessed in so many cases here on this earth, so let us therefore place our faith and trust in Him. Let us expect the miracles that He has the power to perform and not be surprised when we witness the answers, but instead celebrate the power of God and His willingness to hear and respond to our prayers. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to us. Near enough that we could have a relationship with Him and witness His answers to our prayers and perform the miracles that we could only dream of. Have faith in God!

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

Father I believe in You. I believe in Your almighty hand. Please help me to always pray in faith, believing that You have the power to do all things. Let me therefore not be surprised when You answer my prayers, but instead be ready to rejoice and lift up Your name above all names. Please help my unbelief!

 

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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Would you Recognize Jesus?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Follow Jesus, Imitator of Christ, Obedience, Our Help comes from GodLeave a comment

Scripture: Mark 15.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Mark 15:37-39 (NLT)

37 Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

39 When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!”

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

In our daily lives many of us pray to Jesus, and most of us witness answers to those prayers. We sometimes do good to others in Jesus name, while others allow God to work through them and perform Godly acts to and for others as Jesus would do. When the Roman officer witnessed Jesus in His most humbling, painful, humiliating, conquering form, he recognized that there was something about the man that reflected the power, majesty and love of God that Jesus taught while He ministered. I was alerted to two questions in this passage:

  1. Would I been as keen as the Roman officer to recognize Jesus?
  2. Seeing that I, as a Christian, am supposed to be like Jesus in my everyday walk, would others recognize Jesus in my actions and in my conversations?

This should have an eye-opening effect on our daily walk and in our everyday interaction with others. This should keep us humbled before the cross of Jesus begging for His mercy, grace, wisdom and power to be overcomers of temptations from the evil one, and soldiers of the cross, and instead be exemplifiers of the Prince of Peace, the holiest of all, Jesus Christ.

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

Father, I am aware that there is little I can do on my own to overcome the evil in this world and to be a true disciple of Yours, witnessing and representing You in every aspect of my life. So today, I ask anew that You help me to overcome those things that tend to distract me from my walk with You, and the things that unfortunately take priority over my walk with You. I don’t need to hear the words, because it would build unnecessary pride in me, but may others be able to say to You today about me, that truly He is a man of God. Lord God, I also pray that those that may read this devotional today may also be impacted by this and that they may also choose to ask for Your power to be overcomers of the evil in this world and instead, be disciplined followers of Yours.

 

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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As You Go, Tell the Good News!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Follow Jesus, Fruit of the Spirit, Imitator of Christ, Reflecting ChristLeave a comment

Scripture: Mark 5.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Mark 5:18-20 (NLT)

18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with him.

19 But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.”

20 So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.

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

Often we want to be in the limelight, or we want to be identified with a popular evangelist, or we want to be recognized by our church members for what we could do on the mission field or in an area outside of our church. This man who had been demon possessed, but since healed by Jesus, wanted to be with Jesus and minister alongside Him. Just as Jesus told this man, I believe that He would quickly say to us today: friend, get your own house in order first. Before we should talk about going on a mission trip, have we practiced ministering in our own home, or in our neighborhood? How about ministering to those in need right inside our church family? As we share our faith with others we are expanding the ministry of Jesus and the church. As we share our faith with others we are really witnessing to them, and the Bible repeatedly tells us to be bold in our witnessing and sharing of our faith so that we can truly minister to those with little, or no faith. Let us have a renewed commitment to share our faith with those that we come in contact with today. As we go, let us tell!

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

Lord Jesus, I am thankful for all You have done in my life, and I can very easily tell You that. Today, please help me to share that news with others that I come in contact with. May others know that the joy I have, comes from You and You alone. May they have a desire to know the One from whom I gain my joy, so that they too may share in this wonderful joy and endless flow of blessings. Thank You Father for Your joy in my heart today!

 

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.
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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.

Then We Will Know He is God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Celebrate God, Christian, Faith, Follow Jesus, God our Helper, Listen to the Word of God, Obedience, Pleasing to God, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE: Exodus 5 and 6.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

7 I will claim you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God who has freed you from your oppression in Egypt. Ex 6:7 (NLT)

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

So often we set out to follow God’s will and obey His every command, then we start listening to self or others and wonder, are we really following God’s will? Things got worse at the camp that Moses was in charge of, when he followed God’s commands and spoke to Pharaoh. However, in this verse God told Moses that He really was in charge of this release and that soon he and his people would be able to look back and acknowledge Him as the God who released them from their oppression. I would imagine that it must get pretty upsetting to God when He sees us being so impatient and so untrusting when we try to follow His orders. Moses had great faith, yet he questioned God when he saw things getting worse instead of better. However, the thing that we have to our advantage is that we can read from the Word that God came through on His promises and did everything He had promised, plus some. My God loves me too much to promise me something then back off on His promise. However, I must learn that His ways are not my ways, and he will accomplish His work in ways that I may not understand. My job is to be the obedient servant and do what He says, and then I will know that His is God.

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

Thanks be to God for being loving and patient enough to accomplish His work through me. God You are awesome, and as proven throughout the parts of Your word, You are all powerful and could accomplish Your work through those that may seem most unlikely by us. Thank You for seeing the best in the worst of us and thank You for assuring us that those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength, they will see You accomplish the work You have promised, no matter how impossible it may seem to us. Then as this verse says, we will know that You are the Lord our God who accomplished the work. Please help me to be faithful to Your instructions, especially when You choose to use me to accomplish a work in me, or through me to others.

Jesus is Our Guide

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Bold Confidence, Christian, Eternal Life, Faith, Follow Jesus, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Protector, Servants of GodLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE: Exodus 13.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

21 The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night.22 And the Lord did not remove the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire from its place in front of the people. Ex 13:21-22 (NLT)

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

One of the more popular tours anyone can take is a guided tour, because the guide is well versed in the history of the area and the guide has a personal stake in preserving and forever celebrating the area. This sounds much like God with the Israelites, and it also reminds me of God, through His Son Jesus, today. God had brought the Israelites through a lot, and He held the hands of Moses and Aaron for a long time while He worked on Pharaoh. He has also brought us through a lot in our lifetime, and we should never be so silly as to brush that aside as good luck, good fortune or even think that it was a natural course of action. I love that saying that “if He brings us to it, He will bring us through it”. I am convinced that just as we could see in our past how God has worked through the miracles that He performed in our lives and the lives of our relatives, He still has a purpose in our lives today. In fact, He wants to guide us through paths that will impact unbelievers, so that He can deal in their lives towards the hope that is theirs in knowing Jesus as Lord. Although so unfortunate, I have seen over recent days how people who once attended church for the wrong reasons, are now out of touch with the Master of this universe, and with His people. There is still much work to be done, and I believe that God is looking for humble, dedicated, willing servants to carry the gospel into the highways and byways, to our family, friends and our neighbors, through our example and witness to the fact that Jesus is Lord in our life. Friends, I believe that this is as urgent as the command to the Israelites, we need to ‘place the sacrificed blood on our doorposts’ so that others will know that Jesus reigns in our hearts and lives, and also as a constant reminder of our dedication to Christ. Only what’s done for Jesus will last friend, but we have to do it – do something, to be God’s instruments in witnessing to, and winning, the lost.

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

Father thank You for the reminder of the urgency of the hour in which we live. Thank You for being my Deliverer, my Friend and my Guide. Please continue to work in my life so that I may represent You well before a lost and dying world. Please make me constantly aware of the lost around me, and the boldness to share the gospel with them in ways that You can open their hearts into making decisions to accept Your gracious Son, Jesus. There are many obstacles in this life that will lead me astray, but thank You for guiding me into heaven, Your home eternal, as You did in guiding the Israelites into the promised land,