Category: Forgiveness

The One Who Judges in Fairness!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Forgiveness, God Reigns, PowerLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Revelation 15 

OBSERVATION

Revelations 15:4 ~
Lord, who doesn’t honor and praise your name? You alone are holy, and all nations will come and worship you, because you have shown that you judge with fairness.”

APPLICATION

I have heard so much about the love, power and authority of God, that I was pleasantly impressed to be reminded about how fair God is in judging us. My church was just blessed with a sermon yesterday where we were challenged to not judge others, not because we would probably unfairly judge them, but because it is not our business to do that. Our authority comes from God, and it is He that will judge our actions versus His ideals. Thank You for the reminder that I can depend on You to judge in all fairness oh God. You alone know our hearts, and our intentions when we drift away from You and Your ideals. Praise God for the One who can, and will judge in fairness!

PRAYER

Please grant me power today to stay focused on You and Your will for my life, and consequently the strength to place my own selfish desires aside so that I may be true to You and Your Word.

Going through Hard Knocks?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Forgiveness, Humility, Love, Obedience, Sin, Worry no moreLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Lamentations 3

OBSERVATION

Lamentations 3:29-33 ~ Being rubbed in the dirt can teach us a lesson; we can also learn from insults and hard knocks. The Lord won’t always reject us! He causes a lot of suffering, but he also has pity because of his great love. The Lord doesn’t enjoy sending grief or pain.

APPLICATION

I don’t believe any human being looks forward to, or enjoys, discipline, but as in the case of parents disciplining children, our Father must always discipline us because we sin and consequently stray away from God’s ideals/teachings/commands. For the Christian it is comforting to know that because of God’s great love for us, He won’t always reject us and He will have pity on us at some stage. I believe that as we go through these tough times of correction we can always look forward to being re-pointed in the right direction while being blessed by an extra dose of humility. After all, it was because of our selfish desire to take the reins away from God that got us into that mess in the first place. If only we could stay on the right path in the first place and follow Jesus every day! But let’s take joy in knowing that if we slip, God is all loving; all forgiving and all powerful and because He finds no joy in punishing us, He is constantly looking for ways to help us overcome our weaknesses. He is not only one that can save us from our sin, but one that we can always place our trust in, because He is one that will always love us.

PRAYER

Praise God that He knows what I need and when I need it. Praise Him because He identifies exactly when I’m tempted to fail, and His outstretched hand is available to me when and if a need arises. He sent His one and only son so that I may have life eternal, yet He looks for opportunities to help me when I fail. Thank You Jesus for being the loving and caring God that You are. Thank You for caring for me. I can truly sing “

Less We Forget

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

SCRIPTURE

Studied: 2 Chronicles 36  

OBSERVATION

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

APPLICATION

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

A Glimpse of Heaven!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Born Again, Eternal Life, Forgiveness, HeavenLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Revelation 4

OBSERVATION

Revelation 4:8-11 ~ … Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty — the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.” Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever), the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever). And they lay their crowns before the throne and say, “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.”

APPLICATION

In the Revelation given to John that is described in this chapter, a description is given of what things look like around the throne of God, and among the descriptions, in verse three it was described as “The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow”. Additionally there is an image of living beings constantly worshipping the King of Kings and chanting as described at the beginning of the passage above. With this the 24 elders humbly laid their crowns at the foot of the throne and simply worshipped the King. I don’t know about anyone else, but as a child of the King, and as one saved by His grace, and as one who feels very watched-over/protected and loved by my Lord and my King, this excites me beyond words, as this is exactly what I look forward to whenever Jesus calls me home to be with Him. However, while here on this earth this thought is almost bitter sweet, because even though I can look forward to this day, I know that I have loved ones who have rejected my Savior, and will be turned away from this wonderful experience in the world to come, for Jesus will no longer deal in convicting hearts to follow Him then, for we would have ‘arrived’ (praise be to God!). Therefore my challenge today is to do my part in representing Christ well in all that I do and say, so that others may be influenced by the Christ that lives within me, for my aim is to never be a stumbling block to any work of Christ as He deals with the unsaved, but instead to be a living witness and reinforce the love of Jesus that others need, God being my helper.

PRAYER

Father I am reminded today of the wonderful place that You have gone to prepare for me and other Christians. With this reminder, I am also made very aware that time could be very short for my loved ones who have not yet accepted You, for You have taught throughout Your Word that TODAY is the day of salvation. You know my relatives and friends in a very personal way, as You know me. Please tender their hearts again today and speak warmly, but sternly to them about the condition of their soul and where their life is headed. Selfishly I am asking that they join me in heaven at the foot of Your throne. Personally I know that this seems impossible at this time for some, as I know their stubborn personality and the grip that Satan has on them, but Father I know that I serve the God Almighty, who specializes in what appears to be impossibilities for Your kids like me. Thank You for always hearing my prayer. Thank You for wisely wading through my wishes and answering those that You see fit, and that is in accordance with Your will. Based on Your Word, I believe that Your wish is that all may be saved, so I believe that I am asking this within the confines of Your will. Thank You for answered prayer and thank You for listening to my cry today. Please show me what I might do to help my brother or my sister to make this life-changing decision. Thank You for providing a way for us to one day transition from this world of sin, to a home briefly described by John in this passage today!

Know that You Have Life Eternal

On By Ed AlgreenIn Born Again, Christian, Eternal Life, Faith, Forgiveness, Heaven, Humility, Love, Obedience, SinLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: 1 John 5

 

OBSERVATION

1 John 5:13-15 ~ I write this letter to you who believe in the Son of God so you will know you have eternal life. And this is the boldness we have in God’s presence: that if we ask God for anything that agrees with what he wants, he hears us. If we know he hears us every time we ask him, we know we have what we ask from him.

APPLICATION

Here are some words of encouragement for us today, some key points on which we can build our faith in Jesus Christ and reassurance for us as Christians to know that our living, powerful Savior is actively involved in our lives, as we give Him room and permission to. Here are the key points that really encouraged me:

  • Through God’s leading, with His direction, and through His grace, I accepted Jesus as my Savior back in 1976. God, through John is assuring me here that I have eternal life, therefore one day when life shall leave my earthly body, I will be taken away to forever be with my Savior in heaven! Although I already knew this, every time I am reminded of this it bring such a peace, reassurance and excitement to me. I can’t imagine why the Master of this universe would consider even me to one day join Him in glory, but I am satisfied that it will happen, praise be to God! As a side note, what is also exciting is that while this is an exclusive group that will get to join Jesus Christ at His right hand, the invitation to join the group is open to ALL who will accept Jesus as Lord and Savior of their life. This is something that no one should refuse. I constantly pray that I will see all of my family and loved ones there, so I am praying that they will accept Jesus today, while they are still able to. Why don’t you consider doing the same thing friend?
  • As a child of the King, we have the boldness while in God’s presence to ask for anything, that He agrees with, and we can be assured that He hears us. As the last sentence in theses verses says, if God hears our prayer and it is in accordance with His will for our lives, then we can consider it done. The verse actually says that we know that we already have it! While this is super exciting, one might ask well how will I know if it is God’s will for me? For those that ask arbitrarily without any type of relationship with God, this will probably be extremely difficult. After all, think about a marriage relationship – if after leaving the altar where you said your vows, the husband goes one way and the wife another, not only is there a lack of relationship between them (although they are ‘married’), but one of them will have no idea what pleases the other in three months when they get together for dinner! Likewise, to know God’s will we must be constant in prayer and Bible Study so that we may learn His heart’s desire for us. There is a group study called ‘The Mind of Christ’. This is something that you cannot discern from a distance, this requires an intimate relationship with Christ. One of the huge ways that one can be helped with this is by connecting with a body of believers (a bible believing/teaching church). Not only will you hear the Word of God preached and taught, but to network with others of like faith brings an enormous sense of love, accountability, boldness and strength that could help both you and them through daily challenges with life here in this wicked world in which we now live. If you are not connected already friend, I encourage you to give this a try. Believe me, it works!

PRAYER

  1. Lord Jesus, You are so awesome. You have provided the means for us to have eternal life. You hear our prayers, even though we tend to stray away from Your teaching so much. I often feel so undeserved of such love, but again today I want to thank You for that love. I feel especially blessed, loved and cared for by You and can easily say thank You for all that You do in my life. Forgive me for sometimes asking for things that may not fit within your will for my life at the present time, but thank you for redirecting me towards a right path pleasing to You. Please be my guide each and every day, for

Peace in Challenging Times

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Faith, Forgiveness, Humility, Obedience, PeaceLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Jeremiah 33

 

OBSERVATION

Jeremiah 33:10-11 ~ ….The towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem are deserted, and people and animals are nowhere to be seen. But someday you will hear 11happy voices and the sounds of parties and wedding celebrations. And when people come to my temple to offer sacrifices to thank me, you will hear them say: “We praise you, LORD All-Powerful! You are good to us, and your love never fails.” The land will once again be productive.

APPLICATION

Jeremiah had spoken of so much that had gone on around Judah and Jerusalem and how deserted they were. Of course this is the way we look at lean times through our human eyes, but praise God we serve the One who not only knows why we go through the times of famine, decline, desertion or major challenges to our faith, but who also has control over our destiny and control over when we should expect to see movement or improvement because of His hand at work in our midst. I was reminded of the words of that gospel song ‘Hold on my child, Joy Comes in the Morning‘, because no matter how things may appear through our human eyes, we have confidence in the only One that has control over these temporal challenges. You see, my God knows when and how, or even if, things will improve while we continue our worldly path or whether it will be our reuniting with Him that will bring Joy in the Morning for us. But let’s remember that it is our joy and reassurance to know that Joy will come for those of us that know Jesus personally!

PRAYER

Dear God, please help me not to focus too much on the temporal challenges that I see in my personal life, my family, my job or the life of my church. Thank You for reminding me that just as You had control over the challenges that Judah and Jerusalem went through and how You gave Jeremiah assurance that he would one day see them overcome, that You can and will work in the lives of Your people today to expose our shortcomings and sin so that we may allow You to cleanse ourselves, then overcome and live the victorious lives that will be a shining light and example to the dark and sinful world in which we find ourselves. Praise God I serve such an awesome, loving, powerful Savior that brings peace to me in challenging times!

Benefits of Worship and Obedience

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Faith, Forgiveness, Humility, Obedience, Righteousness, WorksLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Psalm 112

OBSERVATION

Psalm 112:1-9 ~ … The LORD blesses everyone who worships him and gladly obeys his teachings. Their descendants will have great power in the land, because the LORD blesses all who do right. They will get rich and prosper and will always be remembered for their fairness. They will be so kind and merciful and good, that they will be a light in the dark for others who do the right thing. Life will go well for those who freely lend and are honest in business. They won’t ever be troubled, and the kind things they do will never be forgotten. Bad news won’t bother them; they have decided to trust the LORD. They are dependable and not afraid, and they will live to see their enemies defeated. They will always be remembered and greatly praised, because they were kind and freely gave to the poor.

APPLICATION

I have included a lot more scripture verses than usual today because I was so touched by it. God is so moved and blessed by our worship and obedience to Him that He used David to show us that there are many benefits to us:

  • Our children will be given great power, because God blesses all who do right;
  • We will get rich and will prosper and will always be remembered, because of our fairness;
  • We will be so kind, merciful and good, that we will be an example or role model for those who endeavor to do the right thing;
  • As we freely lend and be honest in business, we will see life go well for us;
  • We won’t ever be troubled;
  • The kind things that we do will never be forgotten;
  • Bad news won’t bother us, because we are so determined to trust the Lord in all things;
  • We are dependable (so we should be some of the best employees!);
  • We will not be afraid;
  • We will live to see our enemies defeated (although I hope that we will never have enemies!);
  • We will always be remembered and greatly praised, because we were kind and always freely gave to the poor.

Wow, wow, wow! What more can we ask for? What more can we expect? If you are like me I believe that we will say, “But I just want to worship my Lord and obey His Word”, and we will have the best goal in life, but these verses are placed to let us know that there are definite benefits to doing just that! Now put that in perspective and ask why we would deserve this kind of love and I believe that, like me, you will conclude that it is the grace of God that saves us, not anything that we might do, otherwise we might selfishly boast. God is awesome, let’s devote ourselves to worshipping Him and obeying His commands, and in turn be blessed by Him beyond all that we could imagine or expect!

PRAYER

Father, I am committed to worshipping You and obeying Your Word. I acknowledge that this will require much devotion and commitment from me and much help from You to help me keep my focus and devotion to what You teach in Your Word. I know that I will have to depend on You daily, thank You for being there for me. I am so appreciative that You would love even me to the extent of blessing me in all these ways if only I will do what I am suppose to do. Thank You Jesus!

What It Means To Know God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Faith, Forgiveness, Humility, Righteousness, WorksLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Jeremiah 22

OBSERVATION

Jeremiah 22:15-16 ~ ….Your father was satisfied to have food and drink. He did what was right and fair, so everything went well for him. He helped those who were poor and needy, so everything went well for him. That is what it means to know God,” says the Lord.

APPLICATION

I believe that a few wise words of Jeremiah the prophet were placed in God’s Word for the purpose of drawing our attention to what it means to truly know God. These things are:

  • Be satisfied with what we have – God cares so much for even the sparrow, I could only imagine how special we are to Him seeing that He made us in His image and His likeness, and gave us the understanding to know how much He truly cares for us.
  • Do what is right and fair – I believe that God expects us to treat one another with love and respect, just as He does in our case. Jesus taught us through His example that we should call sin, “sin”, but that we should always love the sinner, who is a creation of the Almighty God.
  • Help those who are poor and needy – following this description of Josiah, a king of Judah whose sons were not following in his footsteps, that everything went well for him because he helped the poor and needy. Unfortunately, today so many are trying to grab what they can so they try to take advantage of a giving society and/or government, however there are many who are truly poor and needy living very close to each of us and we must do all we can to do what is important in the little time that God has given to each of us here on this earth, so let’s put aside the evils of this world and try to reach the heart of God, His poor and needy children.

PRAYER

In doing these things I am told in this passage that not only will everything go well for me, but that I will actually be displaying what it means to know God. It is so important that I use my life wisely and to always strive to please God in all that I do. I pray that I will be made very aware of the needs around me, and that I will strive to follow the will of my Master each and every day through:

  • Being satisfied with what I have been, and being blessed with each day;
  • Making every effort to follow the will of God and do what is right and fair in every circumstance; and
  • Helping those who are poor and needy in every way that I can.

In doing these things, others will see and believe that God exists and still works through His servants even today. May others come to know You Lord as You become visible to them through me. Make me a blessing to someone today!

How God will Sometimes Deal with Sin.

On By Ed AlgreenIn Christian, Forgiveness, Humility, SinLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: 2 Kings 24

OBSERVATION

2 Kings 24:2-4 ~ The Lord sent raiding parties from Babylon, Aram, Moab, and Ammon against Jehoiakim to destroy Judah. This happened as the Lord had said it would through his servants the prophets. The Lord commanded this to happen to the people of Judah, to remove them from his presence, because of all the sins of Manasseh. He had killed many innocent people and had filled Jerusalem with their blood. And the Lord would not forgive these sins.

APPLICATION

In this short passage God showed me how the sins of one man could affect the lives of so many, and how bitter God could be towards sin. In this particular case I believe that God had warned Manesseh many times about his sin, but he continued to take the blood of innocent people in Jerusalem. We are told that God warned about this through His servants, the prophets, and then He sent raiding parties in to destroy Judah. Reading this today we may wonder if something like this could possibly happen today. I dare say that it could, and may very well happen to those that we know and love. God’s Word is full of His warnings, His prophecies, His statutes, His commands, yet we read right over, or through them and continue in sin. How much more of this will our righteous and holy God take? I know that He loves His people and because of that He is very patient with us, but I believe that some of our sins are so blatant and affect so many people that God will see to it that His chosen people, those that He loves so dearly, are not negatively impacted by people that are out to destroy the message of love and the saving grace of our Lord, that Jesus came to fulfill and deliver to the masses.

PRAYER

Lord may I always be a facilitator of Your work and not a stumbling block. Please continue to lead me against the vile of the Evil One and instead, fill my path with righteousness, love for my fellow man, forgiveness for those that offend me, and words to share with the unsaved that will lead them to You. Your ways are righteous and holy, may I be filled with qualities that will reflect Your holiness and righteousness in all that I say or do, and may I be granted boldness to share Your love with everyone, especially those that may seem undeserving at times. Please grant me strength to overcome my weakness in this area during those times that I am tempted to do otherwise, so that others may see You and not faltering mankind.