Category: Priorities

What’s Stopping You?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Draw Me Close to You, Priorities, PriorityLeave a comment

Friday, 2016-09-02

Scripture

Bible Reference: Mark 10:20–22

Bible Text: 20 “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.” 21 Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

I believe that you will find where this rich young man who approached Jesus is a lot like many of us today. Our conscience is often pricked by God into the need for more in our relationship with Him, however we often  hesitate in committing to anything until we are sure that there is nothing better in store for us. I remember not being able to get a commitment out of a young friend, because they would often cancel their plans with me when something better arose! I believe that the big difference with making a commitment to God is that although we may want to commit to something more substantial with Him, He knows our hangups long before we recognize and acknowledge them ourselves. In the verses preceding the above, Jesus listed a number of commandments that would be important for this young man to follow, and sure enough, the young man admitted that because of his upbringing, he was already following all of them. Don’t we hear that all the time today with folk we are trying to help? They are ‘good’ people and they are good law keepers, plus they may even go to church a few times per year, however we must always remember that although this ‘fluff’ might fool the pastor, or most of our family and friends, yet there is One who knows our heart – our priorities; our hangups; our ulterior motives; and our hidden sin. In the case of this young man, Jesus went straight to his hangup, for Jesus knew that he was very proud of his financial worth. This often proves success for us, so many of us may really have a heavy emphasis in life on our financial well being as well. In fact, we become very self confident when we are in a good financial position. However, this becomes a major part of the problem with us learning to trust in Jesus. The scripture says that the young man was immediately reluctant to do as Jesus commanded. I believe this only showed that this must have been an ‘idol’ for the young man, which made it virtually impossible for him to truly follow Christ and trust wholeheartedly in Him. Friends, this devotional is not to place an emphasis on one’s financial worth, as there may be other idols that interfere in your total surrender to God. May I suggest that you ask God to open your eyes to reveal any ‘idols’ that may be hindering your surrender to Him or preventing you from totally dedicating yourself to Him? Do you honestly have an open, sincere relationship with Your Savior, or is there something that is stopping you? Don’t follow what the rich young man did and walk away saddened, instead open your heart to accept what Jesus would direct you to do today. Draw close to God, and He will draw close to you.

Prayer

Father, open our eyes so that we can see. Yes, we are not physically blind, but unfortunately we are often blinded by our own self will and selfish desires – our sin, that so easily separates us from a sincere, open relationship with You. Like the rich young ruler, we want more out of our relationship with You, so please help us to see our sin, our shortcomings and our other priorities that stand in our way. We will be eternally thankful oh Lord, 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!

THE Most Important Things

On By Ed AlgreenIn Commandments, Important, PrioritiesLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – Matthew 22:36-40): 36 “Teacher, what is the most important commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. 38 This is the first and most important commandment. 39 The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, “Love others as much as you love yourself.” 40 All the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets are based on these two commandments.

THOUGHTS: In our fast-paced world today, I believe most of us like to set our priorities for the day so that we could make sure we don’t get side-tracked with all the other things that will be sure to bombard us and try to win our attention. Furthermore, we tend to try very hard to accomplish our top priority items more than anything else for that day. I believe that is good reason why this passage of scripture should be very important to us. Jesus knew that He and His Father had given us many commands over time, but here He chose to show us what constituted a priority for us. In fact, He teaches that these two particular commands will help us ensure that we are following all of the other commands given to us over time. Let us therefore examine these two carefully:

  1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind – Love comes from the heart, so to love the Lord with all of our heart means that we must love Him with all that we are. Also, that all other things, or people, that attract our love is below the level of love that we have for the Father. In fact, Jesus goes on to say that we must love Him from the very depths of our soul – our very inmost being. And from our mind – in other words, be thinking of ways to love Him more or ways to love Him better than anything else.
  2. Love others as much as we love ourselves – It is very natural for us to love ourselves. Often this love is corrupt, and often leads to our greatest sins (envy, boasting, jealousy, etc). However, there is also a sincere self-love that is expected, because of the mere fact that God made us in His own image, and He loved us enough that He sacrificed His only Son to make us right with Himself. So if He loves us that much, ought we not to also love our own selves? Of course we do, but Jesus is teaching here that with that same love, we are to also and always love others. In other words, love them because you recognize that God loves them in the same way that He loves you.

Isn’t it interesting that God added at the end of this revelation, that if we concentrate on these two important things, that we will master all other commands? I thought yes, I can see that, because I wouldn’t dare consider lying, or stealing, or murdering, or being envious, or any other wrongful act against God or against anyone else that I love as much as I love myself. So friends, I believe it all boils down to these two things, just as Jesus taught us. Can we put these at the top of our daily prayer list, and at the top of our to-do list, and at the very top of our personal priorities? If you are one to place stickers around the house filled with very important reminders, then these two priorities should probably be at the header and footer of each of those notes, so that you will be reminded of the most important things, before looking at the item you want to accomplish in addition to these. Can we do this? Can we do it on our own? Why would we try, when we have been promised that God is always there to help us achieve the desires of our heart? Lean on Him friend, and let Him be your guide and your help, especially with these things that He told us are key commands that He wants us to do.

PRAYER: Father please forgive us for being so anxious to set our daily priorities, with so little attention to Your priorities You taught to us. I know that You are Master, Creator, Almighty God, and Love in its truest form, so there is every reason for me to be obedient to Your teaching, knowing that You have my best interest at heart. Please help Your children who might meditate on this devotional today, and myself, to put our selfish desires aside and dedicate ourselves to following Your commands, especially Your two primary commands taught in this lesson. May we love You, and those that we come into contact with today, with the love that You have shown towards us. For I ask these things in the precious and holy name of Jesus, my Savior, with thanksgiving, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or read through Biblical truths on How To Know Jesus, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

What’s Most Important To Us?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Forgiveness, Heart, PrioritiesLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Message – Matthew 9:2-8): 2-3
They were hardly out of the boat when some men carried a paraplegic on a stretcher and set him down in front of them. Jesus, impressed by their bold belief, said to the paraplegic, “Cheer up, son. I forgive your sins.” Some religion scholars whispered, “Why, that’s blasphemy!” 4–8 Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, “Why this gossipy whispering? Which do you think is simpler: to say, ‘I forgive your sins,’ or, ‘Get up and walk’? Well, just so it’s clear that I’m the Son of Man and authorized to do either, or both.…” At this he turned to the paraplegic and said, “Get up. Take your bed and go home.” And the man did it. The crowd was awestruck, amazed and pleased that God had authorized Jesus to work among them this way.

THOUGHTS: As with anything we try to make a decision on, we should be guided by the Word of God and see how important things were to God. I believe that we are a very compassionate people in general. However, let’s consider the needs that come before us. The needier someone, or something sounds, the more it/they receive our attention, our money and our apathy. What then do you think about the way Jesus reacted to the paraplegic here in this story? Firstly, I found it interesting how several Bible translations clearly say that Jesus, seeing the faith of those who took the man before Him….. Isn’t it odd that Jesus appealed to the outward expression of the group that took the man, yet He acted upon the need of the man they took? However, also note that Jesus observed a man being brought in on a stretcher, unable to walk, yet the first action from Jesus was to forgive the man of His sin. Friends, as I said in my opening comments, we are so easily swayed by the physical needs of people, and we very well should do that, however I believe that we need to gain more of the heart of Jesus, and be way more concerned about the ‘heart’ of the people brought before us with needs. What good will result if we help satisfy the physical needs of folk, yet before and after our help they are still headed straight to Hell? I believe that, like Jesus, we need to first become ‘heart’ specialists! We need to gain a priority for making sure that the heart of those that we come into contact with, is right with God. Have they met Jesus? Have they accepted Him as Lord? Do they practice their faith by openly serving Him in all aspects of their life? I believe that our biggest fear is that this might appear like we would then become judge and jury. Friends, I believe that most of us would not hesitate for a moment to run across the street and protect a blind person from an oncoming speeding auto – from sure death. Why then would we hesitate from saving a person blinded by the distractions (sins) of this world, knowing that they are headed to certain death without knowing the Savior of this world, Jesus Christ? I would dare say that if Jesus saw salvation as the most important thing in the paraplegic’s life, we too should follow suit and make this a priority in look at the needs of those who come before us.

PRAYER: It’s amazing how skewed our priorities have become Lord Jesus, yes even when it comes to the ultimate destination of our dearest friends and family. Please help us to be more like You in concentrating on the ‘heart’ first and the ultimate results a person will be left with after living life here on this earth with us. In our hearts we know that only what’s done for Jesus will last, and only what we’ve done with Jesus will matter when we stand before You in eternity. Please help us to be diligent in showing that we care about these qualities by the way we choose our priorities each day. We want to do this under Your direction and authority Lord Jesus, so please touch Your children today, beginning with me, and especially through those that will meditate on this devotional today. Please help us to show that we care more about the ‘heart’ than any other aspect of life here on this earth. I ask this in the strong and precious name of our first and most valuable ‘heart’ specialist, Jesus my Lord, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or read through Biblical truths on How To Know Jesus, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Satisfied!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Priorities, Satisfaction1 Comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – 1 Timothy 6:7-10): We didn’t bring anything into this world, and we won’t take anything with us when we leave. 8 So we should be satisfied just to have food and clothes. 9 People who want to be rich fall into all sorts of temptations and traps. They are caught by foolish and harmful desires that drag them down and destroy them. 10 The love of money causes all kinds of trouble. Some people want money so much that they have given up their faith and caused themselves a lot of pain.

THOUGHTS: Life seems so simple when one has nothing, doesn’t it? I once heard an international missionary say about the poor people in the area they served: “but the people are happy, because they don’t know about what they don’t have”. That made me think back to my earlier childhood days, especially when I now hear my parents talk about the rough times we had back then. But the truth is: I never noticed that we were poor and were going without many of the things that others thought were so important to life. In this scripture today, and through his mentoring to Timothy, Paul is teaching us to be very careful to not let our ‘want-to-haves’ overpower our good sense. We are often taught in the Bible that our God will meet our ‘needs’. Paul is teaching us that basic needs are food and clothing. And although he didn’t mention it, I believe that shelter is also important. Way too often I believe that humans are caught in a growing need to want more, whether money or ‘things’. To achieve these, we fight over job positions, and often tear down another person to build ourselves up, or we find ways to use them as a stepping stone for us to move beyond them. We wind up being such a slave to our employers that we work ungodly hours that often keeps us away from family and church or relationship time with God. Friends, when we are lacking in these areas of our lives, everything worthwhile falls apart around us. Yet the one thing that we hold on to – our jobs, are quickly filled with a replacement when we fail to produce like we’ve always done! When we allow the busyness of life to affect our homes and/or our relationship with God, and yes this is evident in our church attendance, then we must stop and challenge ourselves what then are we really striving for? What is there that offers value to my life beyond my usefulness to my boss? Please don’t get me wrong, I am a devoted businessman, but I pray that I will always be a more devoted husband, father and worker for the Lord in His vineyard here on earth. I’m reminded of a gospel song that speaks about just this, listen as you finish reading! But how about you friend, what’s your status on priorities? Please take time to re-evaluate your life today and be sure that you have a right balance in these areas of your life!

PRAYER: Father in heaven, I believe that this scripture this morning probably applies more to the times we are now in, than ever before. For while many might be greedy towards making more money, in spite of the millions they would probably never live long enough to enjoy, yet there are some who worry about the financial aspects of their retirement years and therefore see the need to work at least one more year to ‘top off’ that spendable income during retirement. Not knowing how much longer we will live, I realize that this is just Satan’s way of pushing our families further apart, and closing down even more churches because of lack of attendance and/or commitment. I am convinced that You never intended life to be this stressful and complicated, so I plead with You today to help me keep the main things in life the main thing. Please continue to lead me into more quality time with my family. More quality time in Your Word and in faith building efforts around Your saints here on earth. May I be the person You can use to grow Your kingdom through the witness I might display while around others. Please touch the lives of my readers today and allow Your Word to penetrate their lives and impact them in a way that they too will seek Your perfect God-designed will for their lives. Please have Your will and way in our lives today, is my humble prayer that I ask in the name of Your Son, Jesus my Lord, with thanksgiving, 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

The Traps That Ensnare Us

On By Ed AlgreenIn PrioritiesLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

9 But now you know the true God. Really, it is God who knows you. So why do you turn back to those weak and useless rules you followed before? Do you want to be slaves to those things again?

(Bible Translation and Location: New Century Version – Galatians 4:9)

Thoughts:

I believe that there is nothing Satan hates more, than to see one of his children come to know Jesus and accept Him as Lord of their life. I also believe that in spite of God’s power, Satan is constantly trying to win us back, so there is a constant tug-of-war going on in our spiritual lives. For example, our religious practices forbids idolatry, yet many ‘Christians’ practice spiritual idolatry in their hearts. For what a man loves most, and cares most for, that is his god: some have their riches for their god, some their pleasures, some their favorite sport, and some their lusts. Many ignorantly, and unknowingly, worship a god of their own making; a god made all of mercy, and no justice. For they persuade themselves that there is mercy for them with God, though they repent not, but go on in their sins. It is possible for those who have made great professions of faith, to be afterwards drawn aside by Satan from purity and simplicity. Friends, just as in marriage you don’t walk out of the church saying “I do” and walk into oblivion believing that love and unity will grow in your marriage whether you live together or not, so it is with Christianity and your kinship to God. Sure, God is with you always and everywhere you go, but what good is it if you ignore Him? Please remember, our God is a jealous God. He gave the ultimate gift of His precious, and only Son, to show His love for us. I am personally convinced that He deserves our unwavering commitment, our intentional worship and daily, or more frequent, communion with Him. There are several scripture references that would support my statement that God is to us, based on what we are to, and for, Him. Could this be why so many churches and ‘Christians’ are in trouble today? If we only grudgingly give God an hour on Sunday (or Saturday), why should we expect any more from Him? There’s a hymn entitled “I Need Thee Every Hour”, why then should we only worship Him for one hour (or less) in a 168-hour week, and expect Him to be there for us?

Prayer:

Dear Lord, we have become such a spoiled and rotten bunch. We open our arms to receive from You 24/7 365 days per year, yet we can’t make time to thank You daily, or to worship and praise You at least one hour per week. We continually ask for so much from You, yet we complain when we try to give even an hour per week back to You. Please forgive us for our unworthiness, selfishness and pride. We make time for everything else in life, yet way too busy to find time to stop and pray. Our priorities have become very warped, and Satan is really catching a grip on weak Christians. Father, I am thankful for what You did for me at Calvary. Please continue to guide me into all truth and keep me on a path of righteousness, for Your name’s sake. I love You Lord and I lift my voice to Worship You, Oh my Lord, Rejoice….. I respectfully ask all this with a thankful heart and in the name of Jesus Christ, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!