Category: Follow Jesus

Is it evident to whom you belong?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Born Again, Christian, Faith, Follow Jesus, Humility, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Power of Prayer, Reflecting ChristLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: 1 John 2 

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

1 John 2:3-6 ~ And how can we be sure that we belong to him? By obeying his commandments. If someone says, “I belong to God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and does not live in the truth. But those who obey God’s word really do love him. That is the way to know whether or not we live in him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Christ did. (NLT)

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

John knew that there would be times that we doubt our salvation, as did the saints of his day. Therefore he told us a way that we could be sure that we belong to Him. Friends there is no way that we could belong to Christ and go on living like the devil. Compare this to being married. If we are happily married and trying to live a life totally dedicated to our spouse, we will not wander around or hang out with our old buddies that led us into the places where we met members of the opposite sex. So it is with our relationship with God, we will want to obey all that He tells us – because we know that it is for our own good, and it leads us to an even closer relationship with Him. How then will we learn of His commands? Yes, I know that anyone reading this devotional could also read the Bible, but friends I know from experience that it helps to be around like minded people – we call it “our church family”! Furthermore, I have found that God will not only try and get His point across to me in His Word, but also through other believers and through the preaching or teaching of His Word. He also uses some of these methods to confirm what I have read in His Word. In a marriage we talk to our spouse and they talk back to us. In our Christian relationship, we talk to God in prayer, and He talks back to us through His Word, through preaching, teaching and other believers. How has your communication levels been with God? Are you missing any of these communication links? To know and love Christ, we will want to obey His commands and follow His will for our lives. Are there things in your life that do not line up with God’s Word? In verse 5 the Word says that if we live in Christ we will live as He did! That’s a tall order, but it’s the Word. It seems impossible to us, but that’s when we should realize that God expects us to lean on His strength and not ours alone, so that we may live our lives in a manner pleasing to Him.

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

Father, I believe that as long as we live on this earth we will find that old Satan tugs away at us each and every day, causing us to stumble. This is our clue that we need to depend on You and seek Your help, Your guidance, Your strength and Your wisdom to live our lives like You intended – sold out to You. Please give me a fresh dose of Your love and direction this day so that I may live according to the path exampled by You. May there be no doubt to whom I belong today. May You rule and reign in and through me today, is my sincere prayer.

You Haven’t What?

On By Ed AlgreenIn All have sinned, Blood of Jesus, Follow Jesus, Forgiveness, Listen to the Word of God, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, SinLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: 1 John 1 

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

1 John 1:8-10 ~ If we say, “We aren’t sinful” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. God is faithful and reliable. If we confess our sins, he forgives them and cleanses us from everything we’ve done wrong. If we say, “We have never sinned,” we turn God into a liar and his Word is not in us.
(GWT)

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

In this chapter John shared what he had seen and witnessed the King, our Lord and Savior, and because of the joy that this brought to him, he wanted to share that with all those that would read this first chapter of First John. Having seen and witnessed the only perfect One, John was humbled in realizing how imperfect he truly was. He was also reminded of how imperfect everyone else would be and he is warning us to be careful of that. I had a good friend who once tried to convince me that his dad would go to heaven because of the good man that he was, and of course he went on to tell me some of the things that he did for his fellow man. Of those things, I never heard him say that he had surrendered his life to Jesus and was living a life dedicated to Him and for His glory. Later this friend of mine came to Jesus, and I never had the deep conversation with him again to see if he later realized that regardless of what we do for the good of mankind, it is only what occurs in our relationship with Christ that will last, and it is only because of that relationship that we could enter into heaven. John reminds us here that if we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves for the truth is not in us. But I am extremely happy to read and understand the later part of this passage – God is always faithful and ready to forgive us when we approach Him in sincerity and in a humble way. You see, He sent His only Son to die for us and our sins, so He welcomes all who would seek forgiveness of sin and receive Jesus as Lord of their life. Please don’t be lying, or basically calling God a liar, and refuse to recognize the sin in your life and then seek His forgiveness. God said we all have sinned, please don’t think for a moment that He is a liar. Seek His forgiveness today and be ready to meet the Master, your Creator, on the day that He calls you home. Please remember that you have no control over what day that will be. It could be before you finish reading this devotional. Jesus loves you and I a whole lot to have made such a sacrifice just for us. No matter what is going on in your life today, He stands ready to forgive you of your sin and support you as you seek to live a Godly life. Being good enough is not a way to enter heaven. Accept Jesus today and live a life pleasing to Him and you will automatically be living a life pleasing to mankind, for God is love! For more information from the Bible on how you can accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, please visit with your pastor or one of your church leaders, alternately visit our web site at

Be One Who Lives Biblically

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Disciple, Follow Jesus, Obedience1 Comment

What am I doing to know and put into practice the teachings of the Bible?

A Quality of a Mature, Reproducing Disciple of Jesus Christ

SCRIPTURE

Studied: 2 Tim. 3:16, 2 Peter 1:3–8

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

  1. 2 Timothy 3:16 ~ Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose, and action)
  2. 2 Peter 1:3-8 ~ By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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

  1. Although in the scriptures we note that the books were written by prophets and apostles, such as the book of Timothy being written by Paul, we must be reminded that the scriptures are God breathed and inspired. They are delivered to us as words from Christ. This tells me that they are of super importance and required my very candid attention and sincere obedience. I have personally found that reading the scriptures help me to conform to the character and image of Christ, and as I strive to be a ‘Christian’ (little Christ), then conforming to the scriptures is my heart’s desire. However, just as this is helpful in my training, I am convinced that the scripture should be the primary tool that I use in instructing others – teaching.
  2. I especially like the first sentence that tells me that here comes some qualities that God has showed on us as Christians so that we can live a Godly life. Then in the last sentence it tells me why it is so important for me to follow what was just instructed – because it will help me to be more productive and useful in my knowledge of Jesus Christ. Wow, this really sums it up for living a biblically sound life after the image and character of our Lord Jesus Christ. The ‘meat’ in between is something that we can and should meditate and grow on daily, and I found that the Amplified Bible translation explain those best: “For this very reason, adding your diligence [to the divine promises], employ every effort in exercising your faith to develop virtue (excellence, resolution, Christian energy), and in [exercising] virtue [develop] knowledge (intelligence), and in [exercising] knowledge [develop] self-control, and in [exercising] self-control [develop] steadfastness (patience, endurance), and in [exercising] steadfastness [develop] godliness (piety), and in [exercising] godliness [develop] brotherly affection, and in [exercising] brotherly affection [develop] Christian love. For as these qualities are yours and increasingly abound in you, they will keep [you] from being idle or unfruitful unto the [full personal] knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).“

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

Father, You have spoken very clearly in Your Word this morning. Please help me to stay so in tuned with Your Word that my every step will be led by Your Holy Spirit and compliant with Your instructions. I believe that this is necessary to live a biblically correct life and one that is pleasing to You. I believe that as Your Word is entrenched in me and practiced in my everyday life, others will be influenced to know the Savior that I love and adore. May You receive honor and glory from my daily walk, dear God.

Our Reaction to God’s Word

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Bible Believing, Christian, Follow Jesus, God’s Word, ObedienceLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Nehemiah 8; Acts 1

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

Nehemiah 8:9 ~ And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all of them, This day is holy to the Lord your God; mourn not nor weep. For all the people wept when they heard the words of the Law.

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

We have heard the saying ‘We have come a long way baby’ and I believe that we always think of that as ‘progress’ or ‘improvement’ over things that our ancestors dealt with (plagues, premature infant deaths, no electric power, no powered stoves, etc), however this passage opened my eyes to how hardened to the Word of God we have become also. For many of us, the only time we hear the Word of God read is in church, yet we just about fall asleep while it is read, and we very much take it for granted that it is not meant to reveal our weaknesses or fault or sin, but merely telling stories about the sin of others many, many years ago. Friend, the more I study God’s Word the more I understand how alive it is, and how applicable it is today. You see, when we serve a risen, living God, then when He speaks to us through His Word, of course it is intended to speak to us in very relevant terms to meet our needs today. God wants His very best for His people today – that means He wants His very best for me and for anyone else who reads His Word today! Let’s put on the whole armor of God today, His Word, so that we may be best prepared to face the challenges of the devil and all challenges that will face us out in this wicked world in which we live. Remember, ‘

Let’s be Light and Life to a Dark and Dying World

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Disciple, Follow Jesus, Righteousness, Share God’s WordLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: 1 John 1 

OBSERVATION

1 John 1:5-6 ~ This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.

APPLICATION

John actually went very deep in this short chapter. When he described God as light, we should actually understand the difference between light and darkness to best catch the implication here. I will illustrate this in two columns to give a good picture:

In Light

In darkness

Truth – 1:6,8; 2:21

Falsehood – 1:6,8

Love – 3:21; 4:7-12

Hatred – 1:9; 3:13,15; 4:20

Righteousness – 1:9; 2:1,29; 3:7

Impurity – 1:7,9

Eternal Life – 1:2; 2:17,25

Fear – 4:18

Hope – 3:3

Sinfulness – 2:16

Purity – 1:7,9; 3:3

  

Confidence – 2:28; 3:31; 4:17

  

I believe that we can see more clearly that God is everything described under ‘Light’, and that He has no qualities listed under ‘Darkness’. John is saying to those of us that have a personal relationship with Jesus, that we are to walk in such a way that our character/life reflects only the qualities listed under ‘Light’, otherwise we are fooling ourselves and not practicing the truth. We are being a phony/hypocrite to a world that needs to see Jesus/Light in us, because in many cases this is the only Bible that they read. We (our character qualities) may be all the sinner may know or learn about Jesus. Let’s not be a stumbling block for the advancement of the kingdom!

PRAYER

Father, You know all about us. You know when we are about to fall and You know when we are down already. I want to represent all the qualities that You have shown me in Your Word that describe Your perfect character. You know already how difficult and challenging this is for Your children that live in a world where there is so much darkness, but I am assured today that You have the power to see Your child represent You well to the lost and dying of this world, and in order to do that I must be a great example of Yours each and every day. May I be guilty of reflecting Your characteristics today, especially to a world that will reflect so much of the character of ‘darkness’. I believe that it is clear in Your Word that You will not fellowship with ‘darkness’, I pray that I will walk in the ‘Light’, as You are the Light!

Do You Truly Represent Jesus?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Follow Jesus, Humility, Obedience, Repentance, RighteousnessLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Luke 14 

OBSERVATION

Luke 14:34-35 ~ Salt is good, but if it no longer tastes like salt, how can it be made to taste salty again? It is no longer good for the soil or even for the manure pile. People simply throw it out. If you have ears, pay attention!

APPLICATION

Jesus had just explained to the crowds following Him what it really meant to be a disciple. Linked very closely with that explanation, He wanted them to know that He was also concerned about those who decide to follow Him and then fall by the wayside. In an earlier devotional I discussed how some may make a decision for Christ, and once they feel like ‘their ticket is punched for heaven’ then they return back to their old ways. Jesus said in these verses that when someone does something like this they are no good for anything. Taking that into account, I feel like we can deduce that fellow Christians would turn their backs on someone like that because they have defaulted on a decision that Christians thought they were serious/sincere about. To their old friends that knew them as they were, imagine how they must be looking at them and saying “you only thought that you were looking for a different life, now you want us to trust you and accept you back into our lives? Go away, for we can’t trust you”. We would truly be of no real value to either group because we can’t get our hearts and souls on one side of the fence or the other. Another verse says, let our “yeahs be yeah and our nays be nay”, in other words when we are led to making a decision and we make it, stick to it and give it all you can. Jesus is looking for folk who accept the gift that He has given to us, and to live a life dedicated to Him. This will not only bring honor to God, but allow the individual to shine in the eyes of those that see a changed life so that they too may see the need for changing their lives. I believe that God is looking for ‘Followers’ or ‘Disciples’ not just folk that make decisions and make no commitment to live up to that decision.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus I thank You for Your Holy Spirit that You have given to guide me and be with me each and every day, to help me overcome those obstacles that may otherwise trip me up and cause me to walk in ways that are not pleasing to You. Please continue to help me be a warrior for You, a shining light and example to others. Help me to never be a stumbling block to another, and please help me to always honor my commitments and decisions. Please direct me so that I will always be effective in my witness to others, allowing Your light to be evident in anything I may say or do. May

Being a ‘Disciple’ of Christ

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Born Again, Christian, Disciple, Follow Jesus, Obedience, Repentance, Righteousness, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Luke 14 

OBSERVATION

Luke 14:25-27 ~ Large crowds were walking along with Jesus, when he turned and said: You cannot be my disciple, unless you love me more than you love your father and mother, your wife and children, and your brothers and sisters. You cannot come with me unless you love me more than you love your own life. You cannot be my disciple unless you carry your own cross and come with me.

APPLICATION

We quite often use the word ‘disciple’, so this morning I did some research to understand fully what it means. The dictionary defines it as a follower of Christ. A theologian goes into more detail and describes the term by giving us 7 qualities of a mature, reproducing disciple of Jesus Christ:

Reflects Christ
What am I doing to be more like Christ?
Eph. 4:15, 2 Cor. 3:18, Gal. 5:22–23, Matt. 22:37–39

Fellowships with Believers
How can I develop relationships with God’s family?
Heb. 10:24–25, Eph. 2:19

Lives Biblically

What am I doing to know and put into practice
the teachings of the Bible?
2 Tim. 3:16, 2 Peter 1:3–8

Gives Sacrificially

How am I handling the resources God has
entrusted to me?
2 Cor. 9:6–9, Prov. 11:24–25

Serves Others

How can I further develop/discover my SHAPE
for ministry?
Eph. 4:11–13, Rom. 12:3–8, 1 Cor. 12

Worships Daily

How can I surrender my whole heart/life as worship?
Rom. 12:1–2, Psalm 27:6, 95:6–7

Shares Faith

What am I doing to actively fulfill my life mission
of sharing Christ?
Acts 20:24, 1:8, Matt. 18:18–20

As I reflected on this passage I thought how important it was when I got married for my wife to leave her family and give me her full devotion. Similarly I believe that Jesus is teaching that if we are to truly be His disciple, that we must dedicate ourselves fully to the task. When we give something our full undivided attention and dedication, we will succeed at it. When we decide to follow Jesus, it should not be because this is the only means into Heaven, although that is true. It should not be due to the fact that our mom or dad have always wanted that for their child, although that may be true also, but we should be willing to follow Jesus and be excited about what He has in store for us as individual children of the King. I think it is exciting to believe that Jesus has a personal desire for each of us individually, not because of anything that mom or dad may have done but because He loves me so much, and yes He loves you so much as well. Won’t you accept Him today and get to know Him personally, mature in Him daily through the qualities described to the left, then look for the blessings that He will give to you each and every day. He is an awesome Savior! He loves us so much and wants to show His love to us personally in ways that we will recognize and appreciate. He’s my King. Make Him yours today! Don’t know how?

Are you representing the ‘Old’ or the ‘New’?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Follow Jesus, Obedience, Repentance, Righteousness, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Luke5

OBSERVATION

Luke 5:33-39 ~ Some people said to Jesus, “John’s followers often pray and go without eating, and so do the followers of the Pharisees. But your disciples never go without eating or drinking.” Jesus told them, “The friends of a bridegroom don’t go without eating while he is still with them. But the time will come when he will be taken from them. Then they will go without eating.” Jesus then told them these sayings: No one uses a new piece of cloth to patch old clothes. The patch would shrink and make the hole even bigger. No one pours new wine into old wineskins. The new wine would swell and burst the old skins. Then the wine would be lost, and the skins would be ruined. New wine must be put only into new wineskins. No one wants new wine after drinking old wine. They say, “The old wine is better.”

APPLICATION

This passage was a challenge for me, but I felt God tugging at my heart to do the research and understand its meaning. I was truly amazed! Those that were observing Jesus and His disciples had the opportunity to ask Him about why He was so different than anything they had known in the past. Jesus basically told them here that regardless of what John the Baptist did, or the Pharisees did, they were now observing ‘the real thing’! Jesus came so that all the old myths and practices might be clarified, corrected or at least understood (if they led to Him). I see two challenges here in thinking about how this applies to us today:

  1. From the standpoint of the non-Christian – they will look at church activities and the ways that we represent Christ and they may wonder why we are so different. This is a challenge for them, because they are convinced that what they are doing is perfectly OK, so they will question why would Jesus do certain things or why would we do certain things that seem so opposite to what they believe;
  2. From the standpoint of the church/Christian – If we never change our ways and become more like Jesus, we are mismatching a ‘New’ way with our ‘Old’ ways and trying to make both ways work together. It doesn’t happen that way friend. We must separate ourselves from our ‘Old’ ways, because Jesus would have us follow Him, and I guarantee you that none of us were following Him and His example before we accepted Him as Lord of our lives. Furthermore, if we are to be the hands, lips and actions of Christ extended to a lost world, they will not be affected or touched by someone acting, doing and saying the same things that they do and say. If we claim to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and if we have accepted Jesus as Lord of our life the Bible says that His Holy Spirit comes and dwells within us, then we are to act, do and speak like Jesus would, and this would definitely be different to the everyday actions that are evident in our world. This is one reason why the church must be careful in trying to do things like the world is used to seeing them done, for if they see no difference they will see no reason to change. Yes, Jesus was different. Yes, we must be different if we are representing Jesus. He’s our mentor, our model and our example. Let’s truly follow Jesus so that our world may be impacted for Christ!

PRAYER

Father, thank You for speaking through Your Word, even when passages sometime seem hard to understand. May I be a true example of You today so that You may receive glory, and so that others may want to know the Savior that I love and adore. It is so easy to fall back into our old ways, but Father as we seek You daily I pray that You will create a clean heart within us and a renewed will to follow Your example and to show the world that there is a better way, and that they too can be a member of Your family and live the glorious life that is ours in knowing that You take care of our every concern and that this life only leads to a happier and more satisfying life to come – with You in Heaven.