Category: Government Leaders

Great Leaders Do This

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Church Leaders, Dedicated, Government Leaders, Leader, Needs, Obedient, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Saturday, 2021-07-31
WRITTEN AT: Hattiesburg, MS

SCRIPTURE FROM: Deuteronomy 17:18-20
TRANSLATION:Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: 18 The official copy of God’s laws will be kept by the priests of the Levi tribe. So, as soon as anyone becomes king, he must go to the priests and write out a copy of these laws while they watch. 19 Each day the king must read and obey these laws, so that he will learn to worship the Lord with fear and trembling 20 and not think that he’s better than everyone else.…

APPLICATION: Especially since I started using the computer for almost everything that I do, I despise having to write anything out. I’m sure you are much more disciplined than that! But I believe that in writing something out, you tend to remember the content much better than just reading the text from already printed material. The first thing that caught my attention was the fact that the incoming king would have to sit down in front of the priests and write out for himself a copy of God’s laws. I would like for us to think for a moment how effective it would be today in the following cases:
~ A Husband – Imagine if a new husband had to only write out the laws surrounding being a godly husband. Wouldn’t he tend to be more careful how he loves, provides, protects, cares for, lead by example, teaches his new wife the ways of the Lord, etc? Wouldn’t he be an excellent choice when you vote in deacons or elders in your church the next time?
~ A Dad – Don’t you know that we would have much less crime and delinquency in our world today if dad’s got their training from the Word of God, instead of the local bar, or from their hunting/fishing buddies, or from the company executive who could only handle being home on weekends? Imagine, they will know how to train up a child in the way they should go, and when they enter adulthood they will also honor the ways of the Lord!
~ A Pastor and/or Church Leader – These individuals come into leadership depending on their training from outgoing leaders, or the ones that remain. Imagine, being trained by men who may, or may not have the above disciplines in their personal lives? What might be the result? The same mistakes that have always occurred! Imagine the great leader who takes time to study and understand God’s Word every day!
~ Political Leaders – It seems very evident that as long as leaders outdo the opposition, or make them look as badly as possible in man’s eyes, then they receive a great rating from their constituents. What if they were required to spend weeks, or months, reading the constitution for themselves and writing down what God instructed in His Word? Can’t you imagine that they will be less apt to go after the opposition, or seek revenge, all of which is at the expense of the constituents, but instead they will rule in accordance with the laws you have given them, and the commands of our ultimate ruler, Almighty God?
Oh, and whatever else they may, or may not, find time to do in their day, the above individuals must always read the law every day so that they will be sure to obey it consistently. What kind of home, church and country leaders might we wind up having, dear friends? Would you want to live in their country? My friend, God has the plans in place for our leaders and ourselves to be successful, if only we will honor Him, honor His Word, and live to please Him alone. Before you point fingers at anyone else, consider the degree to which you are living by God’s laws.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: In return for obeying God’s commands, He will make us successful and honor us with a long, happy and healthy life. God being our helper, may each reader and listener commit to this today!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, we admit that we are well aware why You felt the need for these commands for the Israelites. However, we have continued their bad habits, and in many cases we have become more entrenched in sin and evil. Please forgive us of our sin, and impress upon each one again today, the importance of living and ruling in accordance with the commands You have given to us. Things have gone so far, that it is virtually impossible for us to imagine a world like You first designed, and for which Your laws were designed. Lord, we need You in every part of our lives more today than ever before. Please invoke Your presence in our everyday lives so that the world might still see You at work here on earth. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

The Impact of Sin by Our Leaders

On By Ed AlgreenIn Church Leaders, Government Leaders, Leadership, Power of Prayer, PrayerLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   2 Chronicles 24:18 (NLT)

TEXT: 18 The king and these leaders stopped worshiping in the Temple of the LORD, the God of their ancestors. Instead, they began to worship the Asherah idols and other idols. Because they did wrong, God was angry with the people of Judah and Jerusalem.

OBSERVATION:   It is terrifying for God’s people to sit and watch while their leaders worship idols and foreign gods, because we know that our God is a jealous God and that He deserves all of our praise. However it is an awful thing when our leaders ignore God’s warnings and continue in sin to the point that God demands the punishment of all people under their rule. In our Scripture today, God was very angry with the people under the reign of these leaders, and I believe that it’s because they sat idly by while the leaders took the whole country to Hell with them. Don’t we feel the same way even today? Let’s look to the Scriptures!

APPLICATION:   Growing up we were warned about staying away from certain kids, because we are known in our community based on those we hang around with. There are many other things that parents wisely share with their children about our relationship with the wrong crowd: guilty by association; you will quickly become like those you hang around with; their evil intentions will rub off on you a lot quicker than your good intentions will impact them. So how then do we have any control over our leaders? Good question, right? Because we can disassociate from our friends, but we can’t as easily disassociate from our country, or our state, or city or church. Friends, I believe that it all comes back to the level of commitment we have with our Father. A ‘Christian’ who accepted Jesus because of peer or family pressure, will probably struggle with standing firm in their faith that they have supposedly committed their lives to. Compared to a saint that was called by God, and they accepted His call to be Master and Lord of their life. However friends, there are many times in the Bible where Jesus stood up for what was right, and publicly denounced what was wrong. Does congress have a clue that there are Christians out there that disagrees with a law they are about to enact? If your senator came to your city and stood on a street corner where there was open opposition to something you joined other believers in asking him/her to promote in congress, can you speak the truth in love at that public meeting? Because of the way our Scripture is worded, I really believe that God punished the two nations because they sat back and allowed these two leaders to do whatever they pleased, knowing full well that their actions would impact each citizen. When last have you prayed for the leaders of your respective country, state, city or church? If you haven’t, then God is answering your desire to care less about what these leaders do, or how it may impact you. If we don’t pray for our leaders, then we show that we don’t care about them or about how their actions may impact each of us. Friends, I believe it is clear that no matter how much we want to stay out of politics, we are obligated by Scripture to pray for those who rule over us. I believe it is also clear from today’s Scripture that there are consequences when we disobey God’s commands. 

PRAYER:   Lord, thank You again today for Your Word. May our minds always be opened to sharing our faith and praying for our leaders, so that the decisions they make may be influenced by You, and that they may ultimately serve to bless Your children while living here on earth. Give us boldness oh Lord. For I ask all this in the precious and strong name of Jesus, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Sebring, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

 

How To Become A Great Leader

On By Ed AlgreenIn Church Leaders, Example of Christ, Genuine example of Jesus, Godly example, Government Leaders, Leader, Leadership, Leadership of the Holy SpiritLeave a comment

Post Date:

 Wednesday, 2017-11-15
SCRIPTURE

From:

 2 Samuel 23:3-4 (NIV)

Text:

  3 The God of Israel spoke,
    the Rock of Israel said to me:
‘When one rules over people in righteousness,
    when he rules in the fear of God,
4 he is like the light of morning at sunrise
    on a cloudless morning,
like the brightness after rain
    that brings grass from the earth.’
OBSERVATION:
God used David to declare to him, and through him to all of us, that when we rule over others in righteousness, or in a manner obedient and pleasing to God, then the result will be as satisfying, as peaceful and as beautiful as a clear cloudless morning. Does this affect all of us? You bet….
APPLICATION:
Many of you might have almost skipped reading the application today, because you concluded that you are not a leader or a ruler. This is exactly what caught my attention to this Scripture, for most of us are leaders in some sense, so we can really try to apply this. As an example, what would our workplaces look like, if there was no leadership in the homes of those that work for us? What would our county leaders do, or any other leaders of our nation for that matter, if they had no sense of righteousness or fear of God? I believe that this drills down to the fact that what comes out of us in speech or leadership, can only be based on what’s inside of us. If we have filled ourselves with hatred and ill will towards our neighbors and everyone else along our path to ‘success’, then we will lead with that same sort of attitude. It will become evident in the decisions we make and the choices we make. It will also reflect in any voting that we are a part of. So pastors, church leaders and fellow Christians, it is truly incumbent upon us to reach our families for Christ. We have to encourage righteousness right at the very beginning of a child’s development. For it’s only then that our young ones will become good leaders in their homes, workplaces, churches and in government. David was called a ‘man after God’s own heart’. With a heart like that, is it any wonder why he was also a great king/leader? We have a great example to follow in what Jesus taught, but we also have evidence that we can follow His teachings and become great leaders!
PRAYER:
Lord God, thank You for including so much direction in Your Word for us. There are so many leadership conferences we could attend, yet You have all of the direction for leaders that we could ever need or use. Thank You for raising up saints to prove that Your plan works, otherwise we would be so very skeptical. Please continue to work on us, so that Your light might shine through us, even in our leadership. May You have the victory in everything that we do and say today. AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Obey God, By Obeying The Government

On By Ed AlgreenIn Government Leaders, Honor, Humility, Obedience, ObedientLeave a comment

Saturday, 2016-10-22

Scripture

Bible Reference: Romans 13:1–2

Bible Text: 1 Obey the government, for God is the one who has put it there. There is no government anywhere that God has not placed in power. 2 So those who refuse to obey the laws of the land are refusing to obey God, and punishment will follow.

Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

My Take

During this heated/sensitive time in America, with our general elections at hand, this subject may almost seem like provocation towards how we are to look at our government leaders. However, friends I believe I would be wrong to overlook my responsibility if I skip over regularly scheduled portions of the Bible where God has a word for me, and hopefully for all reading this devotional. In fact, I believe that our most worthy God is pointing out to us through His Word, that our elections are all about Him, and not about our ideals, or our wishes, or the platform of the candidates. It appears to me that God has a plan for us and our respective countries. Yes, our assumptions may be correct in saying that if a particular person is elected, we project that there are great times ahead for us, or perhaps to the contrary, that there are very challenging times ahead for us. The point is, when Christians look to God for His perfect plan for us, and submit ourselves to the leader that He would have us choose to fulfill His mission, God’s mission, then we will be at peace with God and with the results of our elections. God is the only one who could steer us towards choosing the right leaders so that He (God) might accomplish His will for His people over the next number of years. In looking for excuses, we may doubt this process because we don’t see godliness in any of our candidates. To reread the scripture is to remind ourselves that this is not one of the conditions. In fact, if the recent statistic is true that only 9% are followers of Christ, wouldn’t it be easy to conclude that our people will not vote in a proclaimed Christian? I believe that God is teaching us that in this life, there will be steering currents that will point us towards the cross, and some that will lead us to the depths of Hell. In this scripture today, God is teaching us about who’s in charge, even in our government, and how we are to be obedient to the fact that He will direct our paths, even through a corrupt government. Friends, the bottom line is that God said it, and our responsibility is to believe and obey His Word without analyzing it to pieces and trying to find a way to make it irrelevant to us, in this day and time. So I repeat the Word of God, our government leaders are put in place by God, and if we choose to dishonor or disobey our leaders, we are disobeying God Himself. I believe He will judge us for that friend!

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You for pointing out to us through Your Word how we are to be obedient to You in all aspects of our lives, even through the election, and leadership of, our government leaders. We easily see, and praise You for the good things done by our respective governments, but then we fail by assuming Satan has taken control when things are done that impact us negatively. Throughout Your Word You have shown us where various methods have been used by You when it became necessary to get the attention of Your people. We are probably more stubborn today than ever before, about wanting things our way, and wanting our lives coated with nothing but good, so I dare not question how You will get our attention, but learn to trust in You for all things. Traditionally bad things have brought out the best in Your children, but Lord we hope that You could teach us to honor all those that You have placed in authority over us, without asking why You’ve put them there. May our hearts and minds be fixed on You, and not the leaders or government that may prod us towards the path You have set out for us to travel. We are Your children Lord, bless us and make us usable by You to a lost world. For I humble ask these things in the precious name of Jesus, AMEN!

Footnote

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. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Respecting Authority

On By Ed AlgreenIn Authority, Government Leaders, Obedience, Our Character, RespectLeave a comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider feeding even us with His Word! May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………

Today’s Bible Reference: 1 Peter 2:13–17
Today’s Bible Text: 13 For the Lord’s sake, obey every law of your government: those of the king as head of the state, 14 and those of the king’s officers, for he has sent them to punish all who do wrong, and to honor those who do right. 15 It is God’s will that your good lives should silence those who foolishly condemn the Gospel without knowing what it can do for them, having never experienced its power. 16 You are free from the law, but that doesn’t mean you are free to do wrong. Live as those who are free to do only God’s will at all times. 17 Show respect for everyone. Love Christians everywhere. Fear God and honor the government.
The Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

My Take Away: This is a very challenging topic for us today, for we have been taught to be independent thinkers; stand up for what you feel is right; speak out against things that appear to you to be wrong; no one is greater than you, so stand tall for your beliefs. Friends, do you see either of these things in the above verses today? I would dare say that God’s Word teaches pretty much just the opposite to what the world will teach you is the right thing to do. Many of us are caught up in a lot more political talk right now than we would ever care to acknowledge. We hear so much about how awful our government leaders are, and how we need to replace them with more honest politicians. Please don’t misunderstand me, I firmly believe that the Word of God teaches that we should vote, and that we should vote out dishonest politicians, but friends, we must be careful that we always live out these verses taken straight from the pages of God’s Word. Our lives should be such that even if the world felt hateful towards us, or Christianity as a whole, that they would look at our consistent behavior – that aligns with every thing we preach, and they would be silenced realizing that we are living – acting and talking, exactly what we have preached in the best of times. It is clear in God’s Word that He ordains our government leaders, and puts them in place as His representatives, for such a time as this. How dare us disrespect them, disobey them, speak badly about them and not pray for their success. If we ever lean towards such action as the latter, are we not then worse than the world in acknowledging our disillusion about the authority and will of God? We are told in these verses about how important governments are to our earthly structure, and we are told what our role is. I would encourage you to keep this foremost in your minds, and the instructions given to us in Romans 13, especially during this year for elections for many of us. We have an awesome God to serve and obey, let’s be especially careful to not afford the ways of the world to distract our obedience to our God.

Prayer: Father, we are often distracted, tempted and taunted in our Christian walk, especially through our earthly process of electing new government officials. Such an important part of our earthly walk, yet Satan uses it at every opportunity to bring out the worse in Your children. Based on the verses in today’s scripture reading, I believe You have made it clear that this is an area where Your children can be a shining example of whose we are. For how can the ungodly possibly keep a consistent, honest respect for the very authority that is often corrupt from a worldly perspective? Lord Jesus, these are times where we can shine as Your ambassadors here on earth. Please give us the boldness to do just that. May we represent You well, and may our actions and our words align as a witness to what we have claimed before You and before our church family. I ask these things knowing that my readers and I need a special touch from You to always stay committed to You and Your Word, regardless of what we may hear expressed by worldly politicians. It’s all about You Jesus – even in our views about those who lead us. May this remain evident through our very character, AMEN!

Footnote: 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. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

2016

Concern, Impact and Action

On By Ed AlgreenIn Government Leaders, Guidance, Voting2 Comments

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider feeding even us with His Word! May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………

Today’s Bible Reference: Nehemiah 1:3-7
Today’s Bible Text: 3 They said to me, “Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.”

4 When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. 5 Then I said,

“O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, 6 listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! 7 We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses.
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: I want you to look at our scripture today in three  different, but important sections. In the blue font, vs. 3, lets consider that containing the concern of Nehemiah; In the purple font, vs. 4 let’s consider that the impact on Nehemiah; and in the green font, vs. 5-7, let’s consider that the action taken by Nehemiah. As we study this, I want to share with you how this challenged me in connection with the politics of our own country at this time. For those not in the USA, perhaps you might find an application for your particular situation.

The Concern: I believe that some of us may simply turn our heads to the concerns of our land, because we are afraid to become involved. We are so accustomed to segregating our job from the other person’s job, that we have become numb, or unconcerned about what is happening under someone else’s watch. Nehemiah wanted to know what was happening to his people so that he could be sure to do all within his power to improve their conditions.

The Impact: Perhaps we should open up ourselves to be impacted by our current conditions and/or our future. If things continue to deteriorate at the rate they are now happening, AND if our hearts are in gel with God and His Good Book, then I believe we will be brought to our knees in deep sorrow before God, our only hope. Throughout the Bible God has promised to love and care for His people who would choose to serve Him wholeheartedly.

The Action: If impacted, whether physically or emotionally, then we will be led to some very positive action. Of course, if a believer in Jesus Christ, then we will be forced to our knees in prayer before the Almighty God. Let me point out a few interesting things about Nehemiah’s prayer, as I believe that it could help us as we pray about such a major concern: Nehemiah took responsibility. He didn’t try to find someone to blame. Friends, when there’s sin in our house, let us be careful to seek personal forgiveness, before ever thinking about praying about the faults or shortcomings of our neighbor, or our government or our president. We must insure that they have something good to work with or work for, if we expect them to do a good job. If we had a godly leader/president, but an evil, sinful, ungodly people, what do you suppose they could accomplish for God? Nehemiah prayed that he and his people would obey God and His commands, not that the king would do better for them. Don’t you suppose that based on the experiences noted in God’s Word, that if we, the people, were to humble ourselves, seek God’s face, and pray for Him to make us more aligned with His commands, that perhaps then He would hear from heaven and heal our land? God’s Word said that He would do exactly this, just as He did in 2 Chronicles 7:14.

My wish is that we, the people, would spend more time seeking God’s face and listening closely to what He is teaching us in His Word, on how to be better aligned with Him, rather than making a fool of ourselves in trying to be politicians. Yes we should vote, but if we are closely aligned with God, then we will vote for the candidate that God wants in office to deliver the next round of events He has in store for us personally, and/or our state, and/or our country or even the world.

Prayer: Lord God, I believe that You spoke very clearly to Your servant Nehemiah, and after the above mentioned prayer He became a useful instrument in helping to improve life for his fellow citizens. Please help us to get beyond ourselves and to clearly understand how critical it is that we depend on You, especially during times of earthly challenges, such as politics. We are demanded to obey our government servants, as they were put in place by You for such a time as this. Please help us all to look beyond the debates and mud-slinging, and to seek Your guidance in all things. Thank You for loving us enough to help us through events such as elections. Only You know what tomorrow brings, so Lord we place ourselves and our decisions and our obligation to vote, in Your hands as we seek Your face and Your guidance. May Your perfect will be done, and may we be obedient to every part we take while here on earth. I ask these things in faith, and through the Son of God, Jesus the Christ, AMEN!

Footnote: 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. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

2016

Here’s What The Lord Wants

On By Ed AlgreenIn Government Leaders, Obedience, What The Lord WantsLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (Contemporary English Version – 1 Peter 2:13-17): 13
The Lord wants you to obey all human authorities, especially the Emperor, who rules over everyone. 14 You must also obey governors, because they are sent by the Emperor to punish criminals and to praise good citizens. 15 God wants you to silence stupid and ignorant people by doing right. 16 You are free, but still you are God’s servants, and you must not use your freedom as an excuse for doing wrong. 17 Respect everyone and show special love for God’s people. Honor God and respect the Emperor.

 THOUGHTS: I believe that at the center of every Christian’s prayer, is that we honor the will of God. We want to do what pleases God. I also believe that one of the most challenging things for humans to do, is to truly honor and obey government leaders. Friends, we may not like what they are doing, and we may think that some of their decisions are truly horrendous, but could that possibly be our fault? Did we seek God’s face and ask for His guidance before we voted, if we voted? Do we pray daily for our government leaders, so that decisions they make on our behalf, might truly be God-directed? God, through His servant Peter, is further instructing us to follow Jesus’ example by living right and doing good, instead of giving non-Christians equal opportunity to gossip about us like they would their equals. Yes, we are only human, and yes, we will fail from time to time, but when our heart is right and when we aim to obey God in all aspects of life, we will silence ignorant people who listen to Satan and try to find fault with us. Verse 17 really encapsulates all that was said in verses 13-16, so read it carefully friends, and make every effort to obey the Word of the Lord. Make it your daily aim to do what the Lord wants!

 PRAYER: Father, thank You for Your Word. When we read it we can understand its truths and see every reason why You would include such words of instruction for us, because You knew we would struggle with these things in our lifetime. I am humbled that in all things instructed, we must come into Your presence and seek Your guidance and Your help to accomplish the totally different lifestyle that You desire for us as we represent You. Please help us to stay focused on You every day. Please help us to do our part for our government leaders by praying for them and supporting them with our obedience, while You work our Your perfect will in their lives and in their governing of Your chosen people. Without a doubt Lord, we need You in our lives to do Your perfect will. Please touch the hearts of Your servants today, beginning with me. Please once again tender the hearts of those who have yet to accept You, especially those on the hearts, and in the prayers of my readers. May we rejoice soon at the miracle You are performing even now on our unsaved loved ones. I ask all this in the precious name of Jesus Christ, and all for His sake alone, AMEN!

 

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or read through Biblical truths on How To Know Jesus, 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!