Category: Love God

Most Important Commandments

On By Ed AlgreenIn Commandments, Love, Love God, Love others, Unconditional loveLeave a comment

Monday, 2016-09-05

Scripture

Bible Reference: Mark 12:28–31

Bible Text:  28 …..“Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” 29 Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. 30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ 31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

Many are caught aback by all of the commands in the Bible, and especially in the ten commandments, folks looking for a reason to whine and complain, tend to complain about the negativity in the commands. While we don’t see any of that in these verses, there was strong curiosity as to which one(s) were most important from Jesus’ perspective. Hearing the response from Jesus, makes this something that I believe His followers today really need to pay particular attention to, as I believe these contain very important demands for us still today. So here they are:

  1. 4 “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.[a] 5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:4-5
  2. 18 “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. Leviticus 19:18

There is an old pop song that included the words “All I need is love” throughout the song. I believe that the one characteristic that each of these important commands are built on is “LOVE”! In the first instance, we are told that we are to love our Maker, Creator, Savior and Way Maker with all of our being. Friends, it might strike some of you to ask, “well who wouldn’t”. Unfortunately there are many that don’t recognize our Master and Creator, so of course they have no reason to love someone who, in their opinion does not exist. May I remind you that many are looking at us to see whether we, who are called by His name, truly love God from the very depths of our being. What do you think? Would your family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, be convinced enough through the love they see from you for your God? As we look at the second commandment, I want you to reflect on the last time you really got mad, or upset at yourself. Now, what did you do to yourself? Did you seek to hurt yourself or deprive yourself from some special treat or event? Did you tell others how evil you were and unlikeable you were? Did you build up strong fences or defenses to keep others away? Then friends, why do we do these things to our neighbors? Remember, neighbors are ones who we come into contact with. Sometimes they are sweet as ‘pie’ to us, and sometimes we get really upset at the things they do. You know, similar to what we probably do unconsciously to others! Jesus wants us to love these neighbors in spite of their faults – as much as we love our very own selves. How are you doing with that child of God?

Prayer

Lord God, thank You for first loving us. You set the plumb line as an example for us. So often we fall so short on demonstrating the sincerity of love that You showed for us, for You loved us, even though You had no sign of love in return. Please use Your Word today to encourage, challenge and provoke us into loving You unconditionally with all our being. As we do this, I believe it will be a lot more natural for us to love one another, but please help us with that also dear Lord, for I believe that we will quickly brush others aside when they show no signs of love for us. Help us to love like You love us Heavenly Father, for I ask this all for Your ultimate glory, 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!

God Has Always Loved Us

On By Ed AlgreenIn Jesus Loves you, Love God, The love of GodLeave a comment

Tuesday, 2016-07-12

Scripture

Bible Reference: Malachi 1:2

Bible Text:  2 “I have always loved you,” says the LORD. But you retort, “Really? How have you loved us?” And the LORD replies, “This is how I showed my love for you: I loved your ancestor Jacob….

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

I believe that we are such creatures of finding the worst in every situation, instead of looking for the ways that God, or His kingdom might benefit from our situations. Way too often we are very much like the Israelites, who would hear the words of Malachi about God having always loved them, and then try every which way to bring back to memory every situation where we feel like God didn’t handle it the way we instructed Him. Wouldn’t it be calming for us to sit and reflect on the worst of times in our lives so far, and look for the best things that came out of those? Our reflection today is a reminder that no matter what happens, let’s always remember that God loves us. In fact, He loved us from the very beginning of time, loves us today, and will always love His bride – His chosen people for whom He sent His very Son to Calvary on a cruel cross, just to show how much He loved us. This was visible proof of God proving His love for us, in spite of where we might be spiritually. Let us work towards removing the word ‘but’ from our vocabulary when reflecting on God’s love and promises. If He said it, we can surely believe it, because He never lies. I encourage you to read out loud these words “God has always loved me and He always will, because I’m His precious kid – Praise the Lord”.

Prayer

Thank You for loving even me dear God! As I am reminded of Your love today, please help me to never question Your actions, but to look for the marvelous ways in which You show Your handiwork. May I be an instrument of Your love, so that others might clearly be reminded of the love of God for them also. Thank You for loving on us each and every day. 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!

Love Is….

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Love, Love God, Love your Neighbor, ObedienceLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

4 Love is patient, love is kind.
Love does not envy,
is not boastful, is not conceited,
5 does not act improperly,
is not selfish, is not provoked,
and does not keep a record of wrongs.
6 Love finds no joy in unrighteousness
but rejoices in the truth.
7 It bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Thoughts:

If we paid attention to the television, then we will know that ‘love’ is one night stands, beauty, riches, sex or even products, because we are fed all the advertisements that is prevalent way more than the actual movie that we are watching. So grows our children who stay fixed on television each day. But what about the adults, anything different for us? Of course not, unless we concentrate on the Word of God, embed it into our lives and be obedient to its teachings. I want you to think about a typical evening in the life of married couples, so that we can compare that to our understanding of God’s Word, and I believe it will be evident why our country is so filled with cohabitating adults and/or divorcees, from which more broken homes are developed by their kids. First of all, both parents are out working all day – sometimes late into the evening, they arrive home tired, stressed and ready for bed, but their habitual ‘meal clock’ tells them that it is time to eat. So a fast food item is placed in the microwave, or soup is warmed, to satisfy any hunger pangs. In the meantime, the television is on, text and/or Facebook messages are dinging in and demanding the attention of the modern day adults, while we sit down to gobble our food and prepare for bed. Did I forget to include the time needed to sit and truly give our undivided attention to each other to hear about their day, or whether they still have a job. Oh, and what about time to celebrate what God may have done in our lives that day? When this routine repeats itself day after day friends, can you see how verse 7 above can possibly be developed, or matured? Unfortunately, many homes are facing this challenge. Unfortunately many couples are finding little time to express love towards each other, because they have absolutely worked true ‘love’ out of the picture. There’s no time for it and even if there is a minute, our minds are so wound up that we just want to be left alone in a corner with some peace and quiet. Has Satan sneaked his way into our marriages and into our homes to destroy something that God has designed? I believe that Satan would like nothing better friend. Please re-read the above verses, reflect on God’s design for true ‘love’ one for another, and don’t look at what needs to change in the life of your spouse or children, but what do you/I need to do personally so that we may be true followers of Christ and His commands. Our spouse, our families and our world deserves better. Can we do it? What does ‘love’ mean to you? What must be realigned in your life to help you align you life with the true plumb-line – the Word of God?

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You have inspired great writers like Paul to share Your Word with us so that we may be better aligned with Your expectations for Your children. I can only imagine how You must shake Your head in disgust sometimes at the mess we have made of life in today’s society. I know for sure that we need You more today than we have ever needed You before. I know for sure that we have really failed to do this thing called ‘love’, in its truest form, and that we need Your powerful hand upon us for the strength, guidance and overwhelming power to overcome the evil one. We need the encouragement of Your loving arms around us to cheer us along and to give us the confidence that we need to lay the things of this world aside and truly give our undivided attention to our spouses, our children, our family and all those that take time to listen and/or share with us. I’m afraid that if we are to truly be Your example, we must overcome these weaknesses and depend on You for strength to be the man/woman that You intended and the ones that You can use to minister to unbelievers today. Please be my strength and my guide today dear Lord. Please forgive me where I have failed to express my love to You and to others. Please touch the hearts and lives of Your children who will meditate on this devotional today Oh Lord. We all need You! I place my desires at Your feet and ask all these favors in the precious and loving name of Jesus, my soon coming King, 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 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.

Restore Your Church Oh God

On By Ed AlgreenIn All have sinned, Bible Believing, Celebrate God, Chosen by God, Christian, Encourage, Eternal Life, Evangelism, Faith, Follow Jesus, Forgiveness, God our Helper, Grace, Heaven, Holy Spirit, Humility, Imitator of Christ, Listen to the Word of God, Love God, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Power of Prayer, Praise, Repentance, Righteousness, Servants of God, Surrender, Trust, WorshipLeave a comment

The Bible – New Living Translation

Psalm 85:4–7

    4 Now restore us again, O God of our salvation. Put aside your anger against us once more.

    5 Will you be angry with us always? Will you prolong your wrath to all generations?

    6 Won’t you revive us again, so your people can rejoice in you?

    7 Show us your unfailing love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.

Thoughts:

In my first read through this passage of scripture I was touched by the prayer of David to save his people, and my heart was deeply touched by his prayer because I can clearly see how many around us, in our neighborhoods and in our cities, need the Lord. However, on closer study of this I realized that you can only restore something that at one time was resident there before. So my heart immediately went out to what David was really praying, because I believe that we are seeing churches dying today at a greater record than ever before in the history of our land. In part, I believe that this is because we need an equally as large evangelism effort to the once ‘saved’ who have fallen by the wayside, as we do to the ones who have totally disregarded the message of the cross. Like you, I am very concerned about all that is going on in our land, and in this world, where we are killing each other without any regard for precious life itself. However, this should come as no surprise to Christians, because even back in 2 Chronicles 7:14 it was declared that God is looking for His people, His children, to humble themselves and pray, before He would give consideration to healing our land. When Christians treat their relationship, their commitment, so flippantly, and when there is no humility in looking to God for His powerful, healing and restoring hand upon His people and our land, what is it that we should really expect differently? Friends, we are bringing damnation on ourselves, on our churches and on our land. Remember, God is still in control and His Word will endure to the end, so we must follow His plan if we ever expect to see God restore us again! What is your role? Are you following His plan, so that you might expect to see Him restore us again? Please, let us humble ourselves and pray…..

Prayer:

Jesus, my Lord, in all humility I pray that You might touch the hearts of Your people once again. Begin with me, I pray. May Your church be revived once again, I pray. May each person meditating on this devotional today realize that this is not the ‘place’ we call church, but the body of Christ that at one time or another made a sober decision to accept You as Lord and Savior of their life. May the places that we call ‘church’ burst wide open from the crowds that will be renewed/revived and reminded of their obligation to their Master and Lord. May Your ‘church’ truly come alive again, so that we may follow Your commands and humble ourselves before You and pray. Lord, may the uncommitted one that may be lead to read this devotional today realize the importance of surrendering themselves to Your Lordship today. We are in desperate need of a touch from You oh King, please hear my prayer and heal us. Please cause us to recommit ourselves to do Your perfect will. For I ask all this in the name of the only One with the power to do anything about our pitiful condition, Jesus, my Lord, 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.

How To Handle Evil Against You

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Bible Believing, Disciple, Encourage, Forgiveness, Giving, Grace, Holy Spirit, Love, Love God, Love your Neighbor, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Power of Prayer, Reflecting ChristLeave a comment

The Bible – New Living Translation

Romans 12:17-21

 

17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” (Deut. 32:35) says the Lord.

20 Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” (Proverbs 25:21-22)

21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

Thoughts:

 

Friends, these words are intended for children of God, because they are not the normal course of action for the person who has no Godly influence, or help to handle situations in just the opposite manner that one would normally expect. The actions mandated in these verses are God-inspired; God-directed; and only possible with God’s help, because in and of our natural selves we would normally lash back at those that misuse and abuse us. This is similar to another command given by God: when your enemy slaps you on one cheek, don’t lash back, turn the other cheek and let them slap you there also. Again, this is not a normal reaction to the natural sinful man. I believe a good question for the Christian would be: “why would God demand something so totally opposite to the norm?” Friends, I believe that God saw His only Son beaten, hung on a cross and crucified, but didn’t send down 10,000 angels to rescue Him, because it was all done for the purpose of showing the world (us) that His love for us extended even to the extent of crucifying His Son. Similarly, when we allow the grace of God to work in our lives and we subsequently behave like Jesus would have, we are showing the world that the grace by which we are driven is one filled with a miraculous love, a divine love. You see, what would the world learn if we reacted just like they would and expect? That we are no different to any other man, right? Now Brothers and Sisters, is this an easy thing? Absolutely not, but for those who are in the Word daily and learning about the ways of God, and constantly being reminded of things like Deuteronomy 32:35 (quoted above), then we know that the love by which we are driven is nothing like the love known by the world. Our actions are totally unexpected by the world, but we are to be obedient servants and follow the commands of Christ, knowing that He will not see His prized possessions taken advantage of. Remember, the last word is God’s, and He will settle the acts against His children. Let’s do our part, knowing full well that God is faithful to His Word and will do His part at the appropriate time. Let’s endeavor to love even in challenging circumstances, not give in and act just like the world expects one of their own to act. Let’s show that God is in control of our lives and our circumstances and we have nothing to fear!

 

 

Prayer:

 

Lord Jesus, these are very challenging directions in these verses, but thank You for reminding me that the battle is Yours and that You will revenge, if needed. My job is to love through the good times and through the challenging times, to those that love me and to those that hate me. My obligation is to be obedient, in spite of my circumstances, knowing that You have everything under control and that through my obedience You might have another opportunity to minister to that person who means ill towards me. I must be obedient to You, no matter the circumstances that face me in this world, because it is often through the most difficult, or challenging circumstance that an unsaved person might be challenged to look heavenly and find the source behind this Christian’s strength, wisdom, endurance and love. Lord Jesus, in Your name, I ask for this strength, wisdom, endurance and love to be imparted and available to me, because You have already demonstrated this type of love, and You definitely have the authority and power to give it to me. May this all be used for Your glory and Your honor, 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.

Peace in Knowing God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Eternal Life, Faith, God Cares For Us, Holy Spirit, Humility, Love, Love God, PeaceLeave a comment

The Bible –The Message

Romans 8:26-28

 26–28       Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

 Thoughts:

There is such peace in these verses! Actually these verses reminds us of the peace we have in knowing God as our personal Savior! When we accept Jesus as our Savior, He provides His Holy Spirit to live inside of us and to commune with God on our behalf. Paul reminds us that even when we are about to give up (tired of waiting), the Holy Spirit is there praying for us. When we have totally run out of words to pray, the Spirit interprets our moans and our groans before the throne on our behalf. In fact, He knows us so well that He is petitioning the throne of grace on our behalf. He has our best interest at heart, and knowing that we really want to step above our weak sinful selves, He keeps us present before God. Friends, as we live our lives loving God, praising Him and glorifying Him, every aspect of our lives is worked into something good, something beautiful for God! Whom then shall I fear? Why then should I worry or complain? There is no god like this God of ours friend! Know Him today and know the peace that surpasses all human understanding. Experience His love that surpasses all other descriptions of love that you can imagine. Know that everything is under control with God in charge of your life, because these verses so vividly reminds you of that. Are you tired of living life under your own power, and would like to know this Jesus of mine in a personal way? I would be honored to work with, and pray for you, if you would drop me an email using the contact information at the very end of this devotional. I would love for you to know this peace that is ours as children of God!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, how can I say thanks enough for all You do for me? So undeserved, yet You loved me enough that You turned Your world upside down by sacrificing Yourself in humility, all because of Your awesome love, and so that I might have peace in knowing You. Thank You Lord Jesus! Please tender the hearts of those that might read this devotional today and may not have ever invited You to be their Mediator and Lord. Father, I know that they have no control over the time they have left to make such a decision, please may it be today that they allow You to take charge of their life? I humbly ask all this in Your precious and all powerful name, Jesus my Lord and soon coming King, 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.

Make God First in Your Life

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

Scripture: Leviticus 26.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Leviticus 26:1-12 (NLT)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

àI would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
ß

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.

God will Lavish His unfailing Love

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Faith, God Cares For Us, Love God, Obedience, RighteousnessLeave a comment

Scripture: Exodus 20-21.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

4 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. 6 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. Ex 20:4-6 (NLT)

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

This is an awesome passage with such an awesome message for me/us today. I know that we often think that the Old Testament is ‘old’ news and that the ‘New Testament’ only applies to Christians today, but I believe differently, for Jesus said that He came to fulfill the law of the Old Testament, not to do away with it. In verse 5 God shared with us that He will not tolerate any other gods in our lives. In fact He said that He is a jealous God who requires our total commitment to Him. I may quickly dismiss this by trying to convince myself, and God, that I worship no other God. However, in reality, I must admit that anything that receives my total concentration too much, especially for personal identity, meaning or even security, may truly be viewed by God as a ‘god’ of sorts in my life. I must always be careful to have proper balance in my life, and not let these ‘things’ control my thoughts and energies, otherwise they become ‘gods’. I must always let God hold the central place in my life so that He may keep these ‘things’ from becoming ‘gods’. He must be God, and God alone in my life. In turn, I was overjoyed to read and meditate on verse 6. For God said that He would lavish His unfailing love on those that love Him and obey His commands. My desire, and commitment, is that I may always love God sincerely and obey His commands at all times. I know that this will not always be easy, but I know the ‘God’ who can help me handle that commitment with ease. Praise be to God!

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

Father, I beg Your forgiveness today, because I know how easy it is to get so caught up in my everyday life at work or at play, that I easily forget who makes it all possible for me. I am once again reminded that You are God and besides You there is no other god. I pray that this will be a constant reminder as I am tempted and become wrapped up in the things of this world and often allow them to surround me and fill my thoughts. Please help me to keep perspective in my life. Please help me to recognize You and Your love for me in all walks of life, so that I may share those experiences with others and convince them that You are God, and God alone. Thank You Jesus for loving me so much that You gave. Thank You for the promise of lavishing Your love on me and my generations to come, as we love You and obey Your commands. You are truly awesome!