Category: Our Help comes from God

Is it evident to whom you belong?

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

SCRIPTURE

Studied: 1 John 2 

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

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

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

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

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

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

You Haven’t What?

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

SCRIPTURE

Studied: 1 John 1 

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

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

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

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

‘Til Death Do Us Part!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Christian, Divorce, Listen to the Word of God, Love, Marriage, Our Help comes from God, Righteousness, SeparationLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Mark 10

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

Mark 10:1-12 ~ After Jesus left, he went to Judea and then on to the other side of the Jordan River. Once again large crowds came to him, and as usual, he taught them. Some Pharisees wanted to test Jesus. So they came up to him and asked if it was right for a man to divorce his wife. Jesus asked them, “What does the Law of Moses say about that?” They answered, “Moses allows a man to write out divorce papers and send his wife away.” Jesus replied, “Moses gave you this law because you are so heartless. But in the beginning God made a man and a woman. That’s why a man leaves his father and mother and gets married. He becomes like one person with his wife. Then they are no longer two people, but one. And no one should separate a couple that God has joined together.” When Jesus and his disciples were back in the house, they asked him about what he had said. He told them, “A man who divorces his wife and marries someone else is unfaithful to his wife. A woman who divorces her husband and marries again is also unfaithful.” (CEV)

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

I believe that most of us have encountered divorce in some part of our family, either directly or indirectly through a family member. I don’t believe that it is ever pretty, or mutually agreeable, because someone often gets hurt, in fact I would dare say that many times many people get hurt. I am not here to judge anyone who makes such a decision, but I feel like this is something that perhaps someone who may be considering divorce today may need to hear. In fact, if I skip over this ‘Nugget’ in Mark 10 I believe that I could be considered like the folk that Moses dealt with in his day, I could be accused of being heartless. To those that are struggling in their marital relationship today I would ask that you consider the following tips that I discerned from God’s Word, and the sensitivity of this was heightened this morning when I read this passage:

  • God made us in His own image – I don’t believe that this pertains only to bodily form, or not just in character like Him, but in whole I believe that He made us to be imitators of Him in every way. For instance, He is known as ‘love’. He taught us to love like He does. He loved us so much that He sacrificed His one and only Son so that we may have…. If we are to be imitators of Him, why would we turn our heads on a spouse that God has blessed us with? God never faltered in His love for us, why would we falter in our love for our spouse?
  • Is your marriage in trouble because you believe that you found someone else better looking? Remember that beauty comes from within, not outward beauty.
  • Is your marriage in trouble because your spouse is cheating on you? Look deep inside and try to determine why you have allowed this. Is it because of Neglect? Not showing your love? Not praising them when appropriate?
  • Is your marriage in trouble because you have been distracted with someone else of the opposite sex in your circle of friends or coworkers? In your marriage vows you promised to pledge your allegiance and love to only your spouse. Don’t put yourself in the position of allowing someone else to interfere in your vow and in your marital relationship.
  • Is your marriage in trouble because you never included God in your union with each other? It is not too late. Go to God in prayer, with your spouse, asking God to be a part of your union and to help you maintain a strong, loving and happy relationship with Him and with each other. Remember, God is bigger than all of our troubles and when you welcome Him to be a part of your life, He can work miracles in your situation. Draw close to Him and He will draw close to you.

As your relationships are mended you will find much less stress in your life. In fact, with a happy and loving relationship with each other and God, you will find that you can deal with everything else! Let God be a part, won’t you?

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

Lord Jesus, I thank You for being a part of my marriage. I thank You for holding our hands and helping us to overcome those times when we struggled and when we doubted Your presence. You have truly been an inspiration in our lives and in our marriage and I pray that You will continue to bless our marriage, because I know that old Satan could easily interfere if we let our guards down or if we exclude You, our source of power and strength. May we be a blessing to others that may be struggling in their marriage? May Your love and Your light shine so brightly in us that others may be touched and encouraged? May You receive honor and glory for anything and everything accomplished as a result of our union. Please continue to be instrumental in our individual lives and in our marriage. Thank You Lord Jesus!

The Source of our Help

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Faith, God our Helper, Helper, Our Help comes from God1 Comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Psalm 121

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

Psalm 121:1-2 ~ I look up to the mountains — does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! (NLT)

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

When studying the Bible, I look to BibleGateway for multiple translations and concordances. When some folk are concerned about what lies ahead for them, they refer to the daily horoscopes, or even pay palm readers, while some folk go to their preacher/pastor/priest or trusted friends for help in their decision making. David found that some in his day, including himself, were looking up to the greatest grandeur of their time, to the hills around Jerusalem, to sacred Mount Zion and Mount Moriah. However, at the stage of him writing this Psalm, he had matured to the state that he knew that his help really came from someone much mightier than these fixed, mighty mountains, he realized that the maker of those mountains and everything else around him was also accessible via prayer and communion with God himself. Friends, it is time that we come to our senses and also realize that, like David, our help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. Looking elsewhere will bring us unsettling, temporary satisfaction, with very limiting and insecure help. Through Jesus, we have access to the throne of God, the ultimate source of all help. Let’s make that our first and only choice from whom we seek our help. As a father, I feel awful when I realize that my daughter or my wife asked help from someone else because I was either unavailable or they were unwilling to ask for my help. So it is with God when we look to all the other sources mentioned in my opening remarks, rather than or before looking to Him. Remember, He is our Father and He wants to help us overcome our fears or battle our needs.