Category: Obedience

Fishers of Men

On By Ed AlgreenIn Christian, Evangelism, Faith, Follow Jesus, Obedience, RighteousnessLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Luke5

OBSERVATION

Luke 5:5-8 ~ “Master,” Simon answered, “we have worked hard all night long and have not caught a thing. But if you tell me to, I will let the nets down.” They did it and caught so many fish that their nets began ripping apart. Then they signaled for their partners in the other boat to come and help them. The men came, and together they filled the two boats so full that they both began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this happen, he knelt down in front of Jesus and said, “Lord, don’t come near me! I am a sinner.”

APPLICATION

It’s funny how easily we doubt. We are no different to Peter. It sounds like he really thought that he wasting his time to go and gather his clean nets, venture out into the deep water where he caught nothing all night, but none-the-less throw his nets back into the water and expect different results. However, what we should learn from Peter is his obedience, as he followed through with what Jesus told him to do, because it was Jesus who told him to do it. Of course, the miraculous happened; the nets broke with so many fish. This created a humbling effect on Peter to the extent that he felt unworthy to be in the presence of Jesus. The Bible says that there are none who are righteous, no not one. So I am convinced that none of us are worthy to be called the sons of the Almighty, or to be considered ‘Holy’, or to boldly step into the presence of Jesus. But just as Jesus went on to tell Peter after he put his doubt aside and obeyed Jesus, that he (Peter) would become an even greater warrior (that he would now become a ‘fisher of men’), I believe that God would like to see enough faith in us that He could say to us, now go and be my disciples/followers and win the lost of Avon Park/Florida/United States/Bahamas/World for me. I must always remember that:

  1. I must never under estimate the power of God;
  2. I must always be obedient to what I discern God instructing me to do/say;
  3. I must be ready to move when God says so, in spite of the way things may look to others. I’m sure that Peter’s friends on that shoreline that morning must have stood with a slight giggle underneath, wondering about what response Peter would give to the command of Jesus. Surely Peter must have pondered that in his heart with every step that he took in getting his nets back into the boat, wondering if his friends would laugh at him in following through on what appeared to be a useless command, seeing that they caught nothing in those same waters the night before;
  4. I must always remember that God designed and made the universe and everything in it, so who am I to question any command that He might give to me. He loved me enough to send His son to die on Calvary for me, so I have confidence in knowing that He would do nothing to hurt me or bring harm to me;

I am reminded to stay close to my Lord, so that I would clearly hear/recognize His voice, then quickly follow His command in obedience so that I may be all that He would like for me to be.

PRAYER

Thank You Father for the awesome work that You do in my life. Thank You for the plans that You have for me that You will reveal as appropriate. In spite of my weaknesses and shortcomings, yet You love me so much to not only accept me into Your kingdom, but also to use me in Your work while here on this earth. Like Peter, I stand back in amazement this morning, because even though I strive to do Your will each and every day, I know that I often fail and fall short of the ideals that You have set for me. Please be patient with me. Please don’t give up on me. Please show me Your ways daily, and give me the wisdom, strength and desire to follow that path that leads to righteousness in every word that I speak and every action that I take. Please help me to set self aside and live my life dedicated to You and in full obedience to You. You are an awesome God, to love me as You do, but I am forever grateful for that persistent love. May You be glorified in everything that I do and say today!

Determined to Follow Christ

On By Ed AlgreenIn Christian, Faith, Follow Jesus, Obedience, Power, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Luke5

OBSERVATION

Luke 5:4-6 ~ When Jesus had finished speaking, he told Simon, “Row the boat out into the deep water and let your nets down to catch some fish.” “Master,” Simon answered, “we have worked hard all night long and have not caught a thing. But if you tell me to, I will let the nets down.” They did it and caught so many fish that their nets began ripping apart.

APPLICATION

I’ve heard that saying so many times, ‘if you continue to do things the same old way, expect the same old results’. I believe that so often we get like Peter and wonder if we should do the same thing again, after all we just did it that way last Sunday. However, this passage teaches me that the same results might be achieved when we repeat our efforts, in and of our own strength, BUT when we are ordered to do something by God we had better follow His command, because no telling what may result then! This is why it is so important that we stay closely in tuned with God so that we may follow His will, so that we may hear His voice and obey, for anything done without Christ is futile and will amount to routine things capable of man’s power, and they will be temporary, for we learn from God’s Word that only those things done by Christ will last. God is in control; let us follow His command and help:

  • Win the world for Christ;
  • Heal the broken hearted;
  • Meet the needs of the those who are hurting;
  • Encourage those who have lost all hope;
  • Be a living witness to those that have never been introduced to our Master.

PRAYER

Father God, I pray that today there will be more ‘Fishers of Men’ that might make themselves available to Your work. I pray that the scales will be pealed from our eyes so that we may be reminded that there is little we can do in and of ourselves, therefore I pray that beginning with myself, I will place total faith and trust in You and have a determination to do Your will each and every day, and that I will seek Your face and Your lead for those things that You would have me do that would reap Godly benefits for the kingdom. Our wicked world is in need of a Godly influence and a Godly touch. Lord may You find Your servant worthy of using to help accomplish Your work!

Instant Response to Prayer!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Christian, Forgiveness, Love, Obedience, Power of Prayer, Righteousness, SinLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Daniel 9

OBSERVATION

Daniel 9:20-23 ~ I was still confessing my sins and those of all Israel to the LORD my God, and I was praying for the good of his holy mountain, when Gabriel suddenly came flying in at the time of the evening sacrifice. …. and he explained: Daniel, I am here to help you understand the vision. God thinks highly of you, and at the very moment you started praying, I was sent to give you the answer.

APPLICATION

I admire the tenacity of Daniel in this chapter. After reading from his study of writings of Jeremiah the prophet that Jerusalem would suffer/lie in ruins for seventy years, Daniel showed his deep concern and sorrow by fasting and praying to the Almighty. He didn’t wait for the church to gather, nor did he wait to gather all of the other priests to join him in collective prayer for this news that would have a major impact on the history of this nation. After taking a personal stake in this, not just confessing his own sin, but begging God’s mercy on his nation, the angel Gabriel stopped by to encourage him and let him know that his prayer was heard by God. Wow! I know that we sometime feel like our prayers are hitting the ceiling, but to receive this kind of answer to his prayer must have been miraculous for Daniel. Two more things that God spoke to me on here:

  1. “At the very moment that Daniel started praying” is the actual quote from these verses. God knew the heart of Daniel way before he verbalized his concerns and petitions before God, but at the very moment that he (Daniel) did his part and prayed, God sent the angel Gabriel. This is very powerful! Awesome!
  2. I wonder if what Gabriel said to Daniel was a clarification of something that Daniel may have misunderstood from Jeremiah’s writings, or was it an answer to the prayers of Daniel. The duration of the penalty was reduced from 70 years to 70 weeks! I wonder if the verdict would have stayed as it was, if God didn’t see that at least one man cared enough about his nation that he took the whole concern on his shoulder and petition God for mercy. We were reminded last night that we often hear the Word of God and let it fly right over our heads, hoping that the individual behind us must be the intent of God’s wrath or challenge. However, a whole church, or even a whole nation could be impacted by our sin/stubbornness/rebellion. Conversely, a whole church or even a whole nation could be impacted if God’s people would get off their personal thrones/agendas and humble themselves and pray, because in 1 Chronicles God promises us that THEN He would hear from heaven and heal our nation.

PRAYER

Father I pray that I will not be a stumbling block for the wonderful work that You could perform in the lives of my family, my church, my friends and my nation. Please help me to search deep within and stay so in tuned with Your Word that I would be corrected of tendencies to block Your work. Instead Father, I pray that, like Daniel, I would come to You daily and not just pray for Your powerful touch on my life personally, but also that You would touch my family, my church, my friends, my city, my state and my nation. Please convict us of all sin that separate us from Your will for our lives. Please speak to us in such ways that we would become a people deeply committed to You and reflecting You and Your love in very evident ways to a lost and dying world. I am reminded of a secular song, ‘I want to Be Just Like You’, and would apply that principle to express the desire of my heart today, for I want to be just like You Lord. Please forgive me where and when I fail at that, but please grant me the strength and tenacity to succeed at that each and every day, for it’s You oh Lord that I adore and want to see lifted up and magnified in my life.

My Responsibility

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Faith, God Reigns, Humility, Obedience, Power, RighteousnessLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Daniel 9

OBSERVATION

Daniel 9:3-6 ~ …… To show my sorrow, I went without eating and dressed in sackcloth and sat in ashes. I confessed my sins and earnestly prayed to the LORD my God: Our Lord, you are a great and fearsome God, and you faithfully keep your agreement with those who love and obey you. But we have sinned terribly by rebelling against you and rejecting your laws and teachings. We have ignored the message your servants the prophets spoke to our kings, our leaders, our ancestors, and everyone else.

APPLICATION

Daniel had just studied the writings of the prophets who went on before him and understood why his country was going through such rough times. Then to show his sorrow he took action. What intrigued me about this is:

  1. Today we tend to look at a man gifted with prophecy as one looking to gain monetarily from his TV show or church, or we even say “well who does he think he is, God, to stand and tell us what’s in store for us?” Unlike this, Daniel acknowledged what this prophet of God had said and acted upon it;
  2. In acting upon the Word through the prophet Jeremiah, Daniel didn’t start a new political party to beat up on the nation for what they were doing, nor did he start a new church because he wanted to lead a group into turning the nation around from their evil deeds. Instead he went directly to the only one that could do anything about the situation, he went to God;
  3. Daniel didn’t go to God all pious and bringing condemnation on his nation, or even asking forgiveness for his wicked people, at least at first. He humbled himself before God in sorrow and through his dress and his spirit, showed his humble spirit and sought forgiveness for himself first, for he knew that he was no better than the folk around him. If he was, then he was not doing God any favors by preaching to them and encouraging or demanding them to turn from their wicked ways. As Christian leaders today, we must take full responsibility for all that is going on around us, for had we done our jobs in accordance with God’s will and direction, then our people would be sorry for their actions and seeking ways to renew a right spirit within them. In other words, yes we have a personal responsibility to keep a right relationship with God, but we have an even greater responsibility to “Go out into the world and preach the Gospel”; To tell people about their wrong doings; To show the people Christ so that they may be saved and find the ‘right’ way to act and live a Godly life. We are to represent God in our daily lives, not just so that God would be proud of us, although He would, but also do this so that others would see Christ in us and know that there is a better way for them too.

PRAYER

Father, let me first of all give thanks for the liberty of being Your son. Thank You for bringing me to this stage in my life. Especially today, I want to acknowledge the responsibility you have given to me as Your child, for my job is no different to the one that You gave Daniel. My country is in a mess. My church is lacking. Those that I come in contact with are living in sin, and I need Your strength, Your boldness, Your direction to be able to say with a clean heart that there is a better way, for there is a way that leads to eternal life with a loving and eternal God. A major part of that responsibility, is the part of keeping myself pure before You and, like Daniel, acknowledging that “

God – Deserving of our Praise!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Celebrate God, Christian, God Reigns, Love, Obedience, Praise, WorshipLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Psalm 145 

OBSERVATION

Psalm 145:1-4 ~ I will praise you, my God and King, and always honor your name. I will praise you each day and always honor your name. You are wonderful, LORD, and you deserve all praise, because you are much greater than anyone can understand. Each generation will announce to the next your wonderful and powerful deeds.

APPLICATION

When I see God’s handiwork all around me in the many things that He has provided for me; when I reflect on the way that He protects me from harm each time I move/travel; when I stop and reflect on the good health that He has blessed me with; for the wonderful family He has blessed me with to help me through each day; then there’s my work family, church family, friends, work income that enables me to provide for my family each day. Wow, I will always honor and praise the name of Jehovah for being my God, my King and my provider! I pray that as I reflect on the wonderful Savior that I know and adore and I lift up His name in praise, that my daughter and all of our younger generation on which I may have influence, will truly take note and have a desire to want to also follow my Lord and Savior in a similarly intimate way, for David reminds us in the latter part of this passage that each younger generation should learn from their older generation.

PRAYER

Lord I pray that I may be a positive influence on those that are looking up to their older generation. May they be positively affected by my walk, and may I not be a stumbling block to any. Please help me to always be reminded of the ways that You are active in my daily walk of life, and help me to always reflect on this in praise and honor to You. Thank You for being my God, my Savior and my Lord! “

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 “

A Force to Reckon With

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Born Again, Christian, Eternal Life, Faith, Humility, Obedience, Peace, Worry no more1 Comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Revelation 12  

OBSERVATION

Revelation 12:7-9 ~ Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. And the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven. This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.

APPLICATION

I am reminded here that old Satan was a force to reckon with in heaven, so who am I to be so naive and think that he is of no consequence in my life, or in my world? I believe that the main thing that I must concentrate on is that greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world!! Praise be to God, I serve the One who overcame the temptations of Satan and won the battle. The one who conquered death and the grave, and won the battle, yes even today I can 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.

Then, and Only Then, Will I….

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Born Again, Christian, Faith, Humility, Love, Obedience, Things that make God angryLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Ezekiel 11

OBSERVATION

Ezekiel 11:18-21 ~ When that happens, I want you to clear the land of all disgusting idols. Then I will take away your stubbornness and make you eager to be completely faithful to me. You will want to obey me and all my laws and teachings. You will be my people, and I will be your God. But those who worship idols will be punished and get what they deserve. I, the LORD God, have spoken.

APPLICATION

I am finding the book of Ezekiel almost as interesting as the book of Revelation, as God really spoke to Ezekiel through a vision, including showing him how He would follow through with all that needed to be done to effectively open the eyes of the sinful nation of Jerusalem. I have highlighted in ‘red‘ one of the very key words in these verses, ‘Then’. So often we talk about/preach about/think about our loving God who will do everything for us, and often saying this while continuing to do the sinful, prideful things that God abhors. In the verses preceding these, God told Ezekiel all that He demanded of the people of Jerusalem, and only AFTER those things were done, THEN He would do His part. In other words God is saying that His good work among them will be conditional upon them doing their part. He had given so many opportunities for them to straighten up their act, but each time they miserably failed to follow through in obedience, even after He wiped out several of their towns. Fast forwarding this to apply this to life today: God still expects us to do our part. He developed us with enough intelligence to understand the written Word of God, to communicate effectively with Him in prayer; example after example of how we should separate ourselves from this sinful world and instead be light to a dark and dying world. In other words, to be an example of Him to others so that they might dedicate themselves to Him and follow His commands. Unless we straighten up our act and follow the Christ that we profess that we personally know, we could find ourselves in the same predicament as the people of Jerusalem, we could be wiped out so that God could raise up new warriors who will obey Him and sincerely do His work. Our excuse today is that I can’t do a whole lot for the large city/state/country in which I live, much less this whole wide world. Remember that this is a very true analysis of the situation, because that will be God’s job. However, I truly believe that He wants us to concentrate first on our own personal relationship with Him. Then as we example Him to our family, friends, co-workers and world He will work through our witness to reach into their hearts.

PRAYER

Father, may You find a willing and prepared saint through which You can work today as You look deep into my heart. Forgive me for my selfish motives, my personal desires and the times that I could have been way more proactive in sharing Your message with others. Please help me, through Your love and strength, to rid myself of anything that stands in the way of You using me to do Your work. Help me to represent You perfectly in all that I say or do so that others may see Jesus, and gain a desire to want to know You personally. May You have Your will and way this day, dear God.

When Our Loving God Becomes Angry

On By Ed AlgreenIn Christian, Love, Obedience, Things that make God angryLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Ezekiel 8

OBSERVATION

Ezekiel 8:17-18 ~ …. They have disgraced and insulted me in the worst possible way. So in my fierce anger, I will punish them without mercy and refuse to help them when they cry out to me.”

APPLICATION

As I read this chapter and noticed the awful things that God had brought to Ezekiel’s attention to show him how upset He was and all the things that were angering Him, I felt so terrible because I saw where there were many things going on in my town and in our society today that no doubt anger God. In fact, I would quickly declare that I probably don’t know the half of what IS going on, because I live somewhat of a sheltered life around Christians and the church. However, the greatest thing that I believe that God spoke to me on, is that I needn’t think for a moment that all the issues that anger God rest in the ways, attitudes and actions of the unsaved, because when we, as God’s people say that we love God and His people, yet we go on treating each other poorly by not forgiving them, or by snipping at them because of all that we have brought on ourselves and not because of anything that person did to us, then we are displeasing God. We are definitely not imitating our Savior when we treat others wrongly. God told Ezekiel that his people had angered Him so badly that He would punish them without mercy and refuse to help them even when they cried out to Him. Could it be that sometimes when we feel like we are hitting a brick wall and perhaps God is not hearing our cry, that perhaps He is refusing to hear us because of sin in our lives, or because we are not doing all we can to avoid sin around us? We are so good at shutting God out of our lives during those times that we feel it is necessary to gossip or otherwise commit some ‘secret’ sin, yet we think that it is so difficult or impossible to think that the loving God that we serve could possibly shut us out of His blessing because He is so angry with us. I want to strive to love Him, serve Him and do all that I possibly can to live my life in alignment with His will and in obedience to His commands, so help me God.

PRAYER

Father, You made me, so You are very aware of my weaknesses. Please don’t become exasperated with me, but give me a heart like Yours so that I may obey Your every command and display Your love for others so that they may also be encouraged to do Your will. You are a loving and holy God, please help me to show Your holiness in and through my life by the way that I live my life before others and before You. Please alert me to Your will and direction each and every day and give me strength to live in accordance with Your will. Please help me to be actively involved in my church and that, together we may be busy carrying out your work in our community. Please help us to warn others, as You have warned us in Your Word about Your soon return and Your desire to see them saved before it is a day too late.