Category: Pleasing to God

What Are You Doing To Christ?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Holy, Holy Spirit, Pleasing to God, Purity, RighteousnessLeave a comment

The Bible – The Good News Translation

1 Corinthians 6:15–17

15 You know that your bodies are parts of the body of Christ. Shall I take a part of Christ’s body and make it part of the body of a prostitute? Impossible! 16 Or perhaps you don’t know that the man who joins his body to a prostitute becomes physically one with her? The scripture says quite plainly, “The two will become one body.” 17 But he who joins himself to the Lord becomes spiritually one with him.

Thoughts:

Many Christians cringe when they sit down and watch a movie about the crucifixion of our Lord. Many more abhor any type of disrespect of God, either in abusing His name, or dishonoring Him in either way. These things are honorable for the children of God, but how often do we stop and consider the abuse we are subjecting our Father to when we find ourselves in places where sin abound, or in a movie where there is no respect for man or God? Paul was addressing the subject of male prostitution that had become very prominent in the Corinthian church, and he reminded them that they should consider that they are not just abusing and disrespecting their physical bodies, but that God’s Holy Spirit has taken up residence in their holy temple, when they first accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior. I believe that this obvious sin is very clear to see friends, but what God challenged me in through this scripture, is to be extra careful about what I subject my eyes to, and what I subject my ears to, and what I allow my mind to envelope and ponder, and the things that I abuse and subject my body to, for the Spirit of the most High is resident in this body. Just for a moment, think about the idea of going out one morning and spray-painting the inside of your garage, with you brand new car sitting in the garage! Can you image what the paint job of your car will look like when you have finished beautifying the walls of your garage? OK, in the same way, our bodies are much like the garage, whatever we subject it to, we are subjecting/disrespecting God’s Holy Spirit to, that resides within this body. Shame on us? Ashamedly, I would say yes, very much so. I remember the words of an old saint who once found herself in a location that she regretted. She openly prayed, Lord Jesus, please don’t come now!! Funny? Yes, but like the car in the garage, the damage is already done. An old nursery rhyme or song is very appropriate here: “Oh be careful little eyes what you see ……”

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I am especially thankful for Your Holy Spirit! I am thankful that You created me, and saved me so that my body might be the temple of the Holy Spirit. Please forgive me for the times that I’ve abused the residence and Lordship of Your Holy Spirit, for I am ashamed. Thank You for directing me to this passage of scripture, and sharpening my awareness of the abuse of this temple where Your Holy Spirit resides. I pray that I might concede to full obedience to Your Word, and that I might protect and preserve this temple, and never subject it to anything contrary to what is taught in Your Word. I believe that in such a condition, You will be free to accomplish Your work through me that You have in store for me to do while here below. I’m afraid that I’m not alone in this dear Jesus, so I ask that You speak words of wisdom and encouragement to all your children reading this blog today, so that Your holiness and mighty work might be preserved and accomplished here in this sinful world. Please have Your will and way in our lives today, is my humble prayer that I ask in Your precious and holy name, 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.

Reasons To Worship

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Born Again, Celebrate God, Christian, Faith, God Cares For Us, Heaven, Pleasing to God, Praise, WorshipLeave a comment

The Bible – New Living Translation

Psalm 95:6–7

6 Come, let us worship and bow down.

Let us kneel before the Lord our maker,

7 for he is our God.

We are the people he watches over,

the flock under his care.

If only you would listen to his voice today!

Thoughts:

As a child, we normally question ‘Why?’ as we learn new things or when people ask us something, or tell us to do something. Is it any different as adults? We tend to question a lot also, and we tend to object when we don’t understand why we are being asked to do something. In these focused verses from Psalm 95, David encouraged us to come, and let us worship God, let us bow down, and let us kneel before the Lord. Now, let’s look at our lives today and consider why we would want to follow this idea, or command, of David’s. After all, there is no way that we would do something like this without understanding why we are doing it! Here are some reasons I discerned from David’s command:

  • God is our maker – think about this, parents play an important role in ‘making’ their children. While they don’t demand their children to worship them, they do demand respect, honor and obedience. So when we consider God as our ‘maker’ should we not worship Him as part of our respect, honor, obedience and praise? In fact, these attributes are forms of worship!
  • He is our God – Sometimes I believe that we would sooner listen to the weatherman about Mother-Nature giving us a beautiful day, and offer up thanks to ‘Mother-Nature’ for blessing us with a great day! Friends, there is no ‘Mother-Nature’, there is God! He is the one that put this world together and created you and me to populate this earth. He is the One that created rain, the sun and all other things needed for us, and plant life, to live. He is the One who deserves our praise for the awesome days; good health; food on our tables; loving families, etc!
  • He watches over us – oh how thankful we are when sitters take such good care of our children for us. I know, we don’t worship them, but I do know that we are very thankful to them and honor them for their faithfulness to our kids. These are forms of ‘worship’ friends! If you came to church with these attributes towards God, you will be offering up praise to Him and could very easily be led into worship of Him.
  • He cares for us – I’ve been physically down a bit recently while recovering from surgery, and had to depend more on my wife, child, sister and church leaders than probably any other time in my life. Am I thankful to these individuals, and appreciate their unselfish acts in helping me when I can’t help myself? You bet I am! Do you see how this is the same way that God cares for us every day? Do you see how our hearts should be filled to overflowing with praise and thanksgiving to God when we come together to corporately worship Him?

Friends, based on the above, do you see any reason why we would need help in worshiping our God? Do you see any reason why our churches are not filled with the praises of God’s children when there are planned worship services? It begins with each of us friends, for we are the church. We are the ones that must draw close to God, so that He might draw close to us. We are the ones that must ready ourselves for corporate worship each week so that we can offer honest and heartfelt worship to our God. When the world sees this, they will be drawn to God. They must see something different than what they see in their everyday life on the streets or in secular jobs.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for being my God. Thank You for loving me enough that You gave, so that I might have an entryway into Heaven. Thank you for watching over me and caring for me. Lord, please help me, and those that I worship with each week, to stop our busy minds, leave behind the concerns of this world, concentrate on You and worship You. Lord, this is very personal, so I believe each of us must purpose in our own hearts to give all of us to all of You, so that You may be lifted up, worshiped and praised in a manner pleasing to You. May You hear a sweet, sweet sound of personal worship from us daily, and especially when we come together for corporate worship. Thank You for hearing my prayer, oh Lord, for I am asking all this in Your precious and holy name, 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.

We May Forget To Ask God for These Things

On By Ed AlgreenIn Ask and Receive, Bible Believing, Christian, Faith, Pleasing to GodLeave a comment

The Bible – The Good News Translation

Psalm 90:16–17

16             Let us, your servants, see your mighty deeds; let our descendants see your glorious might.

17             Lord our God, may your blessings be with us. Give us success in all we do!

 Thoughts:

 I believe that way too often we overlook reasons to praise God for His handiwork. For example, we look at a beautiful sunrise and we complain about the heat that must be ahead of us that day, instead of praising God for the sunrise that not only lights our day so that we might work, but also the sun is one of the major contributors to plant growth, which provides a great portion of our food chain. There are multiple other examples I could share, but David asked God in verse 16 to please allow us to see His mighty deeds. Not that he was blind, but so often we are blinded by the things that we take for granted, that we expect to be there for us. We must always be ready to ‘see’ the beauty and the good in all that God provides, and we must use those opportunities to praise Him for His wonderful works. In this verse David goes on to ask God to allow his descendants to see His mighty hand at work. Friends, we seem to be losing a generation that have no regard for God. Oh that we would adopt David’s prayer as our own sincere prayer to God. David continues his prayer to ask God for His ongoing blessings and to give him success. Friends, I love the unselfish prayers of our people, but I believe we get so hung up in asking for the needs of others until we brush aside asking God for those things that would help us personally grow successfully and that would allow us to succeed in ministry. Think about it friends, if we don’t practice what we preach, then what would our followers think that we do about our own success. They must know that we depend on God unwaveringly, and because of our relationship with God, we are accredited to minister to them and give them Godly advice. So yes friend, we have lots of needs when we go before the Master, but let us never forget the need to ask Him for our personal success, especially in anything that we attempt for Him.

 Prayer:

 Lord Jesus, it was refreshing to see that strong patriots of the Gospel needed to ask You for things like discussed above, because it helps me to realize that I am not abnormal as I truly need You for every decision, every direction, every witness that I share and in all aspects of my life and the lives of those that I may impact, such as my child. Lord, please help me to never overlook the beauty of Your creation and all opportunities to give You praise. Dear Jesus, I also ask that You please show your might and Your worthiness to our children so that they may not only succeed in this life, but that they might have life everlasting to look forward to! As You bless me with success, please help me to be a channel through which You might use those blessings to impact the lives that need to know You personally.

 

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.

Our Judge

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Holy Spirit, Obedience, Pleasing to GodLeave a comment

The Bible – New Living Translation

1 Corinthians 4:3-4

3 As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point. 4 My conscience is clear, but that doesn’t prove I’m right. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide.

Thoughts:

Whenever a court case occurs, one of the first things that an attorney wants to know is “Who is the judge on the case”. Based on the attorney’s knowledge of the judge and his/her previous judgments, they have a better idea on how to present their current case. Friends, I want to remind us that we have the rules of the game of life all set out for us in God’s Word. We know the heart of the Judge, God, as it is evident throughout the Bible. Why is it that so many of us go through this life trying to impress the pastor, church leaders, or members? In the Word we are reminded that it is God that knows everything about us and everything we do or say, and it is He that will judge us on what really matters. So what is important? What is it that really matters? That at one point in our lives we listened to God who pointed out our sinful condition; That we asked forgiveness and surrendered the Lordship of our lives over to God; and That we live the rest of our lives following His commands and the desires of His heart, as taught in the Bible. Our reward for doing all of this is that we are allowed into God’s kingdom where we will live eternally with Him. That will be glory dear friends!!! Now before you get the impression that I am discarding the importance of our church leaders, please know that they play an important role in our lives, for they are ordered to teach us the ways of God; to explain the Word to us who find it difficult to understand certain teachings; and to hold us accountable to be the Christian warriors that we should be. The most important thing for us to gain from this lesson today is: if we stood before our Judge today, would we be found guilty of being the Christian that He expects of us? Would we have a lot of regrets over things that we wish we would’ve done differently? If you answered positively to the last question, then please examine yourself and continue to ask for God’s wisdom and leadership to help correct your ways and live in accordance with His perfect will for your life. Please live to please your Judge and in the light of His accountability through knowing all things about us – both word and deed.

Prayer:

Father God, we are weaklings in that we live our lives based on the environment in which we find ourselves, and not necessarily in line with Your Word and Your commands. Please forgive me for not being consistently Yours in every walk of life. Lord Jesus, I ask for the strength of Your precious Holy Spirit to help me walk in the Light of Jesus, in every phase of life and in all circumstances. I pray dear Lord that You might awaken our church goers and remind them of this truth also. I pray that You would begin with me, then all those that might read this devotional, then our regular church goers, then all those who have accepted You as Lord, but still live like the world. I also pray that as You touch the unsaved person that may be led to this devotional today, You might emphasize to them the importance of an honest relationship with You and not just another superficial pretense. Lord, I acknowledge You as God, and while I thank You for awakening me today, I also pray that You might become a moving revival in the hearts of those that regularly attend church but live in pretense. May Your church be the church, is my humble request that I ask in the only name worthy of honor and praise, 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.

On Treating The Temple of God ‘HOLY’

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Follow Jesus, Holy, Holy Spirit, Pleasing to God, StregthLeave a comment

The Bible – The New Living Translation

1 Corinthians 3:16-17

16 Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? 17 God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

Thoughts:

Why would we look down on, scorn or rebel against folk bringing their bottle of whisky to church service, or wanting to show their rated ‘R’ movie filled with cursing, sex and wild living at the church? I know, you are probably thinking that the medication I am on must really be getting to my head, right?!! Friends, my questions are not far off when you consider what we allow in our homes and into our lives. I know, our private lives are private and the church, nor Brother Ed, have no rights to question what goes on in the privacy of your own homes, right? Well, I hate to burst your bubble Brother and Sister, because in this scripture we are reminded of what happens to us at the time our salvation (surrender to God). For we must constantly be reminded that God sends His Holy Spirit (One with God in the trinity), to take up residence in our lives. Therefore our bodies become the temple, or residence, of God. So when, in the privacy of our own homes, we drink our whisky, or we cheat on our spouses, or we show highly rated films that are unsuitable for showing in our churches, what do you suppose we are doing to all that resides within us? Can’t you see that you are subjection the holiness of God to the trash of this world? Further, when we do things that we are taught will destroy our bodies – overeating; smoking; drinking; etc, is it not clear that we are destroying the temple/residence of the Holy Spirit? Friends, it is clear in verse 17 that God will destroy anyone who destroys God’s temple. I believe it is also evident from that verse, that for all those preserve the temple, to them will be given eternal life with Jesus our Lord! I believe it is also easy to see from these verses, that whenever God resides within a clean, healthy temple, that individual is capable of openly, freely, and honestly worshiping amongst the corporate body (the church) in all sincerity and as a living example before the church and the world. So the question today is: How’s your temple? Is it tainted by the world and therefore saddens the heart of God as He watches us disrespecting the temple of His Holy Spirit? The good news is that God can help us to overcome our weaknesses and to live holy and clean lives so that our temple might be sacred at all times. Are you willing and ready to make this step?

Prayer:

Lord, this is a challenging message for all of us this morning. We always want You to be proud of us, yet we are silly enough to still act in disobedient and sometimes disrespectful ways when we feel like we are in our own private times and places. How silly of us, for You are everywhere at all times. Please forgive me for my littleness of mind, for my refusal to surrender all of me, and therefore fooling myself into thinking that I could keep areas of my life ‘private’ from you and the rest of my world. Please always impress upon me the importance and value of treating Your temple holy at all times. Please also tender the hearts of my readers today so that they may catch a glimpse of all that’s involved in making a decision to accept You as Lord of their life. Another scripture comes to mind: Be ye holy, even as I am holy. This is my desire dear Lord, and I seek Your strength to help me be the holy man of which You are referring. I ask all this in the name of the only One with such great power and strength, 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.

Reasons Why The ‘World’ Don’t See Jesus

On By Ed AlgreenIn All have sinned, Bible Believing, Born Again, Christian, Follow Jesus, Fruit of the Spirit, Imitator of Christ, Obedience, Pleasing to GodLeave a comment

The Bible – New Living Translation

1 Corinthians 3:3

3 for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?

Thoughts:

Sometimes I look around at failing churches and I wonder, Why? Sometimes I see our pastors stressed out and I wonder, Why? And then sometimes I look at regular church attendees who suddenly stop coming to church, and I wonder, Why? God used this passage of scripture this morning to open my eyes to the reasons why, and it’s written in plain English right within the content of these verses for us to see. When we act in any of the above ways, it proves that:
          *   We are still controlled by our sinful nature;
          *   We are often jealous of one another and quarrel with each other; and
          *   We are still living like people of the world.
Now before our pride kicks in, and we get our noses too high in the air and begin thanking God for helping us to not be like that described above, I want to suggest that we invite God to dig deep into our inner selves and allow Him to open our hearts and our minds so that there will be no misgivings about our spiritual well being. You see, we are all a long ways away from the ideals established for us by Jesus himself. No matter how godly we may think we are, we must still seek God’s mercy and His constant eye on us, constantly guiding us and giving us wisdom to always respond to things outside of the ‘norm’ established in this world, in fact, we need to constantly respond the way that Jesus did, or the way that we discern from His Word that He would want us to respond. Friends, this will require us being in constant communication with God. I’m afraid that most of us are so full of this world that our only response will naturally look like a ‘worldly’ response. Conversely, if we would fill ourselves with Jesus Christ and His teachings, we would be more apt to respond like He would. Where do you stand Brother? Do You truly fill yourself with the knowledge and teachings of Jesus Christ, sister, so that your normal, quick, right-out-of-the-box response would be one that Jesus is pleased with? If I might suggest, let us humble ourselves before Christ and allow Him to use and lead us to speak and act like Him in our every day dealings with others. Let’s learn to be so filled with the Spirit of God that His character might spill over into all that we are and all that we say.

Prayer:

Father, may the church be the church. I pray that when Christians are encountered by the ‘world’ that they will immediately see the difference in us and not a hypercritical view of Christendom. The ‘world’ truly needs You Lord Jesus, please help us to not be a stumbling block to their needs being met by You. I humbly ask this in Your precious and holy name dear 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.

 

Teach Me Lord!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, God Cares For Us, Humility, Imitator of Christ, Obedience, Pleasing to God, Reflecting Christ, The Book of LifeLeave a comment

The Bible – Good News Translation

Psalm 86:11

Teach me, Lord, what you want me to do,
and I will obey you faithfully; teach me to serve you with complete devotion.

Thoughts:

Friends this is pretty basic stuff today. In fact, so basic that I reflect back on what my wife and I tried to accomplish when our child was an child. We didn’t just leave her to do whatever she wanted to do or say, we guided her and taught her to be someone we could be proud of, but also someone who could get a job and be liked and honored on her job. Although there were many challenging times, yet she looked forward to the benefits of obeying her parents. In other words, like the Psalmist said in this verse, she did everything with complete devotion to us. Friends, as we look around us in astonishment at the crimes and unbelievable behavior of our general population, we no longer need to ask the reason why, because in this passage we are reminded that folk will act according to what they have been taught to do. In other words, those that have no regard for life or other humans, or the good of the land, were never taught by God the expected behavior of His children. So for those who know Christ, how might one be taught what to do? Friends, please begin by finding yourself a good Bible teaching church, and this is not for the purpose of getting your name on the church membership role, this is for the purpose of understanding your book of life instructions better (the Bible). You see, some pastors will go to great lengths, and is supported by church leaders who will go to great lengths, to pray for church members and visitors, and ensure that they understand what the Bible says about all aspects of life. In other words, they go to great lengths to help you understand what The Lord would have you do with your life, and how to live in harmony and obedience with the Word of God. Although you might learn a lot from a casual visit on an occasional Sunday morning, it is much like you found with your child, discipline and teaching was a daily thing. So yes, attend church so that you might learn more about what God wants you to do, based on His Word, but also take time each day to open the Word and read a few verses, with a mind to learn more about what God would have you understand from His Word, and how you might apply it in your life that day. I like to journal my thoughts. This is not required, but it helps me to better share my thoughts and prayers and hopefully better apply what I just read. As you learn various Godly principles and apply them to your life, you will be helping the cause of Christ by being faithful to what you feel He wants from you. We can change this world for the better one day at a time, and through one learned and applied principle at a time. We are the hands and feet of Jesus on the ground, let’s show the world that He exists and that He is evident in and through us.

Prayer:

Lord, I’m sorry that I have allowed so much of the world to impact my life. I am reminded that to serve You more faithfully, I must learn from Your Word daily and commit to serving You with all my heart. Please speak to Your servant and give me the wisdom and fortitude to do Your will and be obedient to Your commands. This old sinful world needs You. May they find enough of You in Your servants today that their lives may be impacted and lead to change in very positive and meaningful ways, is my humble prayer, in the precious name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, 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.

Be Completely United

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Faith, Follow Jesus, Forgiveness, Fruit of the Spirit, Getting Along, God our Helper, Helper, Holy Spirit, Imitator of Christ, Love your Neighbor, Marriage, Our Help comes from God, Pleasing to God, Power, Reaching the Lost, Reflecting Christ, Stregth, Surrender, WitnessingLeave a comment

The Bible – The Good news Translation

1 Corinthians 1:10

10 By the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ I appeal to all of you, my brothers and sisters, to agree in what you say, so that there will be no divisions among you. Be completely united, with only one thought and one purpose.

Thoughts:

I bet that as you read the above verse you may have thought that it was something that I came up with concerning your church, or perhaps telling you gossip from my church, right? I agree with you friends, however this is obviously one of those verses that Christians today throw over their shoulders and let it go on to apply to the church on the next block for whom it was truly written!! In our secular jobs we often remark that the most challenging part of our job is dealing with the people/staff. I would imagine that for our pastors the most challenging part of leading a small, or a large church is the same – dealing with the folk who cause upheaval that could quickly lead to division. Paul addressed two important areas that we should consider as we think about what we might do to prevent division:

  1. To agree in what you say – I believe that if we did like one pastor suggested when he said “Let the main thing be the main thing” then we would quickly refocus our minds, and subsequently our conversation, to the mighty works of God among the congregation; the Word of God that speaks to us in powerful ways today, as it did in the days we read about in the Word; the blessings that God has bestowed on us instead of the small aches and pains that we might feel; the great teachers that God has provided to share knowledge with us instead of the small insignificant, humanly faults they may have; and the heartfelt desire to see our family members saved; and
  2. Be completely united – Do you know what happens in marriages when a husband and wife cannot be completely united in one thought and purpose? Don’t you imagine that the same thing would happen if we bring that type of behavior into the church? Independent thinking is important friend, but in a heart of compassion and love and caring about the good of others, we must learn to be understanding, appreciative and patient in what others have to say also. We are not all at the same maturity level, so sometimes we will find that someone else may have a different idea about a topic than we do. They may not be wrong – in fact they may be trying to say the same things as you are saying, just using different terminology. We must learn to not only talk, but also to listen, and try to appreciate the heart of the person speaking.

I heard a preacher approach this subject recently and he advised that should a third party be brought up in a conversation you are having with another church member, stop the conversation until such time that the other party could join you in the conversation! Great advice to avoid the issues that Paul was addressing with the Corinthian church, and to help with the unity of our churches today! These are tips on how we can help keep unity in our church today, are you willing to do your part friend? Let’s ask God for the strength to do His will, even in our relationships with others who should know better!

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for Your patience with Your people as we try to get along here on this earth and live in such a way that we would be a witness of You to our lost family and friends. Lord, please remind us often that we will never impact the lost when we act just like them. If we are different, and if we belong to the King of Love, the King of compassion and the King of all Kings then it is time for us to leave the things of this world behind and center our hearts and minds on You, and not our personal desires and selfish ways. More of You in this old world will force out the ways of Satan that has become so prevalent, even among Christians. Please have Your will in my life dear Lord, and may my friends also see the need for a similar prayer today, is my humble plea, that I ask in the precious name of Jesus, my Lord and Savior, 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.

You Have All That You Need

On By Ed AlgreenIn All have sinned, Bible Believing, Christian, Eternal Life, Faith, Follow Jesus, Fruit of the Spirit, God our Helper, God our Provider, Helper, Holy Spirit, Humility, Imitator of Christ, Listen to the Word of God, Love, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Pleasing to God, Praise, Purity, Reflecting Christ, Righteousness, Trust, Truthful, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

The Bible – New Living Translation

1 Corinthians 1:7–9

7 Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8 He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. 9 God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Thoughts:

I was reminded of my working career where, from time to time, I go off to conferences or training seminars to sharpen my skills and make me a better employee. These verses made me think about this, because when we surrendered our lives to the lordship of our Lord Jesus, we were given everything that we need to succeed as a Christian. So why do we go to church? Much like I said in my career, we go to church to receive that ‘tune up’, that personal accountability where we allow God’s Word to challenge our lives and show us what we need to do differently in order to be best aligned with His will. Furthermore, Paul reminded the Corinthians of the importance to be blameless when Christ returns. This is vitally important for two reasons: 1). We don’t know the day or the hour when Jesus Christ will return, so we need to be ready and watching at all times, and this must be in a blameless fashion if we are to join Him when He returns; and 2). We need to be holy as Christ is holy, so that we can be the proper representation of Him to our lost family and friends, while we are still on this earth. If we are not blameless before them, we will be considered hypercritical and undesirable to anyone else. The reassurance in these verses can be found in verse 8, for Paul reminds us that God will keep us strong to the end! Praise God that He watches out for us and directs us as needed so that we may remain strong in Him. Now all we need to do is to free ourselves of any rebellion and allow Him to do His mighty work in us. May it be so, God being our helper!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, it is so very interesting to see how your people are the same today as they were in Paul’s day. We still tend to rebel at times and pretend like we have everything under control. Unfortunately, we know full well that we can do nothing without Your strength and Your guidance. Thank You for our pastors and church leaders who teach us Your Word and gently guide us into the path of righteousness so that we may stay aligned with Your Word, accountable to You, and a bold, honest example to our lost family and friends. Lord, may Your perfect will be made whole in my life today, and may Your presence be so bold in the lives of those that may read this devotional, and in the lives of those that we come into contact with. As Paul reminds us in this scripture this morning, You are faithful to what You have said in Your Word, so I rest in the comfort of Your loving arms and depend on Your guidance and perfect will to be accomplished in all things that I may be involved in today. I serve an awesome God in whom I rejoice today! Praising Him and asking for ongoing guidance in the precious and loving name of Jesus, my Savior, 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.

God Alone Is Our Judge

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Our Help comes from God, Pleasing to God, StregthLeave a comment

The Bible – New Living Translation

Psalm 75:5-7

5 Don’t raise your fists in defiance at the heavens

or speak with such arrogance.

6 For no one on earth—from east or west,

or even from the wilderness—

should raise a defiant fist.

7 It is God alone who judges;

he decides who will rise and who will fall.

Thoughts:

Isn’t it interesting who we tend to blame when things don’t go our way? Sometimes it’s the ‘Devil’ who made me do it; or perhaps my peers who pressured me into something; or even the same bad luck that my family has always been cursed with. David is reminding us that God alone is our Judge so we need not shake our heads from east to west in defiance, or find other things to blame His judgment on. Throughout the life of David we can see how God used His judgment to correct and redirect David so that one day He could boast on him as ‘a man after my own heart’. So how does this affect Christians today? Well, I would challenge you by saying that we are quick enough to give God the credit for the good things that happen in our lives, but we should be just as quick to stop and recognize that those challenging times actually bring positive correction from God; times that He is growing us in our faith? Another challenging thing for most of us to accept is that God decides who will rise and who will fall. We are often filled with so much envy for the success of others, until it is extremely difficult for us to actually praise God for someone else and then show our sincerity by supporting God’s choice for the job. As children of God, we must always be prepared to accept His Lordship, His Judgment, and of course His Love. How are you doing in each of these areas of acceptance? Is He truly Lord over each of these in Your life and you have matured enough to accept His will in ALL things? If so, praise Him daily for His perfect will; if not, approach the throne daily and plead for help from the Father for the fortitude to accept His blessings and His judgment – His will for your life.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for loving me enough to die for me. Thank You for daily leadership in this life here on earth. Please forgive me for the times that I willingly accept Your blessings but yet refuse to accept Your judgment on, and correction in, my life. I admit that I am not perfect, and while I always appreciate and enjoy the blessings, I know that I desperately and continually need correction from You. Please help me to stay humble and freely accept Your good judgment and Your correction. Lord, I’m afraid that this is also something that my friends reading this devotional today might also need. Please touch the heart of every one who might meditate on this devotional today. May they find rest in You and peace in every decision you might make that impacts their life. Thank You for loving us enough to correct us! I love You too dear Lord, and I lift my voice in praise and honor to You this day! I am asking this in Your holy and most worthy name, dear 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.