A Gift You Should Give Your Children

On By Ed AlgreenIn Christmas, Gift, gifts, Humility, Love, Love others, Loving God, Unconditional loveLeave a comment

Friday, 2018-12-14

Bible Reference: Isaiah 38:18-19
Translation: Amplified Bible (AMP)

Bible Text: 18 “For Sheol cannot praise or thank You, Death cannot praise You and rejoice in You; Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness. 19 “It is the living who give praise and thanks to You, as I do today; A father tells his sons about Your faithfulness.

OBSERVATION: Christmas seems to be all about gift giving, in remembrance of the greatest GIFT ever given for us – our Lord Jesus! But ‘gifts’ come in many forms, and today we want to meditate on the greatest gift that we could pass on to our children, or to those who know us. Come, meditate with me as we look into the Word of God.

APPLICATION: With Christmas quickly approaching, I believe that most of us are probably trying to narrow down what we will possibly give that child of ours, who seems to have everything already. No doubt there are others that we are just as concerned about getting just the right gift for as well, and we will often go into debt just to get the right gift that they might appreciate. But wait just a minute friend. Can you remember the best gift you ever received from a grandparent? How about a parent, or spouse or child of yours? I can think of certain acts of love; certain words of praise; certain very special family times, like the night dad told his kids about the call of God on his life that led to his salvation that day; certain family times of Bible reading; certain times that, as a family, we called on God for healing for each other, like when my dad was being treated for ulcers, when in fact he had experienced a heart attack. Friends, our Scripture is telling us that we may no longer hear about these things from grandma or grandpa, or dad, because just as declared in verse 18 above, they may have passed on from this world. So how then will our children know these things? Let me suggest that we make some family traditions of our own. I don’t believe that we would spoil the ‘fun’ times of what our kids have found in Christmas trees, gifts, santa claus, and the likes of a worldly Christmas, but in verse 19 we are being counseled to share our ‘God’ experiences with our children. I trust that we all will make time to share with each other during our Christmas celebrations this year.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You have been so gracious to us;  so loving; so kind; so forgiving; and such a provider of glorious gifts that creates a sense of anxious expectation about Your return to take us up to glory! Lord, please give us opportunity to share these gifts with our family this Christmas, and oh that we may have opportunities to also share Your love with others that we come into contact with. This may be the greatest gift we give this Christmas, and it may be more special to the recipient than anything they will find under the tree. Make us bold in our approach, but humble and loving as we remind ourselves of our unworthiness before such a righteous and awesome God. Blessed be the name of the Lord! AMEN!

For Those Who Lovingly and Seriously Call on God

On By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Wednesday, 2018-12-12

Bible Reference: Psalm 145:17-21
Translation: The Message (MSG)

Bible Text: 17 Everything God does is right— the trademark on all his works is love. 18 God’s there, listening for all who pray, for all who pray and mean it. 19 He does what’s best for those who fear him— hears them call out, and saves them. 20 God sticks by all who love him, but it’s all over for those who don’t. 21 My mouth is filled with God’s praise. Let everything living bless him, bless his holy name from now to eternity!

OBSERVATION: This is an awesome reminder, especially during this busy time of the year for most, that our God is faithful, and that He lovingly listens to those who seriously take their petitions before Him – their Savior and their Lord. Let praise fill our hearts and our mouths for who He is and for all He does for us!

APPLICATION: Although we consider it an honor to be God’s children, can you imagine if people could honestly say that we are just like our Father, in that everything we do and say portrays a spirit of ‘godly love’? The Message says this so eloquently – that the trademark of God’s work is love! Oh that our motto would be ‘love for all of God’s children’! What an amazing Savior is Jesus my Lord! Most versions included similar verbiage as the Message in saying that God lovingly listens to those who seriously seek His face. Think about that friends! ‘Lovingly’ says to me that God patiently waits for us to get over ourselves and earnestly seek Him. It tells me that God is able to look over our doubt and our selfish requests, but looks at the heart and sees a child in need and trying to ask Him, much like we do with our earthly fathers. He knows what we need before we asks, so I am convinced that He also knows when we ask arie, or ask for something that is absolutely not in His will for our lives. So now we will look at ‘seriously seeking God’. We offer so many prayers in habit form – such as blessing of our food, and other denominational prayers printed for our use. But for us to understand ‘serious’ as I see it here in these verses, I think of times that we are about to break, or a loved one is at a very critical point, or our church is about to close its doors. Can you see how our prayers at times like these are VERY serious? Why then do we ‘casually’ pray? Do we always realize that we are speaking to the Creator of our Universe, when we approach His throne? Do we really mean what we say when we ask Him to use us to enrich the souls of others? Friends, I believe that God is lovingly waiting for us with open arms, waiting for us to share our heart with Him and ask for His help to achieve ‘life’ in a form that’s both pleasing to Him, and that will glorify Him. We should have a deep desire to be filled with the same qualities that Jesus demonstrated while here on earth. He did and said those things that the Father led Him to, and so should we. Seeing God work in these ways through us, will cause us to join with the Psalmist as he did in verse 24, and glorify the King of kings and Lord of lords for all eternity!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank You for first loving me! I pray that as my readers and I concentrate on that love, and seriously seek Your face, that we will ultimately praise You for all Your wondrous works. You are amazing oh God, and You took Your commitment to show ultimate love to us at Calvary. Oh that we may in turn love you sincerely, worship You intimately and always pray to You deeply and seriously. May we imitate our Father in every way oh Lord, especially at Christmas time! AMEN!

Trust That God is With Us This Christmas

On By Ed AlgreenIn Christmas, Trust, Truth2 Comments

Tuesday, 2018-12-11

Bible Reference: Isaiah 7:9-16
Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

Bible Text: 9 Samaria is the capital of Ephraim alone, and King Pekah’s power will not increase. You don’t believe me? If you want me to protect you, you must learn to believe what I say.” 10 Not long after this, the Lord sent this further message to King Ahaz: 11 “Ask me for a sign, Ahaz, to prove that I will indeed crush your enemies as I have said. Ask anything you like, in heaven or on earth.” 12 But the king refused. “No,” he said, “I’ll not bother the Lord with anything like that.” 13 Then Isaiah said: O House of David, you aren’t satisfied to exhaust my patience; you exhaust the Lord’s as well! 14 All right then, the Lord himself will choose the sign—a child shall be born to a virgin! And she shall call him Immanuel (meaning, “God is with us”). 15-16 By the time this child is weaned and knows right from wrong, the two kings you fear so much—the kings of Israel and Syria – will both be dead.

OBSERVATION: We can’t expect God to bless us, protect us, heal us or provide for us, if we don’t trust Him or believe fully in Him! Let’s meditate on this today as we contend with the busyness of Christmas and prepare our hearts for the celebration of Christ’s birth!

APPLICATION: Verse 14 is a verse that we hear used a lot around Christmas time in Christian circles, but as represented in other recent devotionals, I believe it is so important for us individually to take time and read the whole context from which these popular verses are found. Today’s scripture is a wonderful example. Like us, King Ahaz thought that some things were just too trivial to bother God with, even though it was God Himself who told Ahaz to test Him. I love what the Lord said to Ahaz in the latter part of verse 9, and I know that it very much applies to me and very possibly also applies to you. In my own words, and based on my understanding, I believe that God said to Ahaz, and is saying to us: How do you expect me to protect you, or, how do you expect me to heal you or bless you, if you don’t learn to believe in, and trust me? Friends, there is so much truth in those powerful words by the Master! Will our child ever release themselves from a high wall and jump into our arms, if they have not learned to trust us? I don’t think so! In my hyperlink to today’s scripture, I included the whole chapter, because I want you to take time to read and understand that God had given Ahaz comfort in knowing that He would take care of the opposing leaders, and He even wanted to give him a timeline that it would occur. However, God knew that Ahaz doubted what he was told, so He told Ahaz to test Him just to gain trust in knowing that He is true to His word. The timing of this event then allowed God to elaborate on the miraculous birth of His Son, Jesus. Friends, once again we are assured that our Father has a plan for His children, just like He had for Ahaz. However, we must know Him so well that we are willing to trust Him and believe what He says to us through His Word; through visions; and through His mighty warriors who deliver His messages to us each week. Wouldn’t it be ‘MERRY’, if this Christmas this concept might ‘click’ in our minds and cause us to totally place our faith and our trust in our Savior? We can’t expect God to bless us and protect us if we don’t trust Him or believe fully in Him!

PRAYER: Your Word never ceases to amaze me Oh God! To read the context from which we have traditionally heard parts of the Christmas story, and still find new truths that really speak to our hearts, we can only say ‘Wow’ what a Savior! What an awesome God! Lord Jesus, we just want to worship You, praise You and honor Your blessed name for the key role You have played in our plan of salvation. God had a plan to comfort king Ahaz, and I am convinced that His plan to comfort, protect and save us, is even more awesome! Thank you Heavenly Father! Please continue to open our hearts and fill us with Your grace and Your awesome love that You have shown to us, so that we may, in turn, be a blessing to others in every way possible this Christmas season and throughout each day of the upcoming New Year. With every fiber of our being, we again say ‘thank You Father’ for Your amazing love to us in so many ways! AMEN!

Be A Follower of Christ

On By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Monday, 2018-12-10

Bible Reference: 1 Thessalonians 5:14-22
Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

Bible Text: 14 Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. 15 See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people. 16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 19 Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. 20 Do not scoff at prophecies, 21 but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. 22 Stay away from every kind of evil.

OBSERVATION: I wonder what type of characteristics we would come up with, if asked today to explain what a Follower of Christ should look like in character. There are some obvious character traits that we would list right off the top, but I believe we would immediately list the items that we feel we are doing OK in! But today we have the biblical account of those characteristics, so let’s pay close attention!

APPLICATION: As I read through these verses, I thought that it may only be necessary for me to show the scripture, as it would speak for itself. However, please allow me to list again the things that the Scripture say will identify those who follow Christ, or who are obedient to His will and His Word: 

  • Warn those who are lazy, or refuse to work, or take advantage of those who have;
  • Encourage those who are timid or afraid;
  • Take tender care of the weak – those who cannot care for themselves;
  • Be patient with everyone – knowing that we all act, behave and see things differently;
  • See that no one repays evil, or wrong, for evil – This tells me that we are to be like a referee, making sure that no one repays evil for evil, not even ourselves; 
  • Do good for each other and all people – this brings a new outlook for us, for we tend to do good to those who do good for us;
  • Don’t stop the work of the Holy Spirit – careful to not being a stumbling block to those being impacted, and spoken to, by the Holy Spirit;
  • Don’t scoff at prophecy, or treat it as unimportant – let us remember the revelation of prophecies in the Bible, and that we still sever the same God today who could give the gift of prophecy and the revelation of the same;
  • Test what is spoken to you from the Word of God (have your Bible and validate what is being spoken);
  • Hold tight to what is good – be ready to praise God for His good work among His people, and be ready to follow in their footsteps;
  • Stay away from evil – don’t play with it, thinking that you are stronger than the evil thing. Stay far enough away from it.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank You for saving my soul! Thank You for giving my fellow believers and I guidance for everyday living. In and of our own sinful selves, we would not be led to do most of these things, nor do we have the power to do them in our own strength, so Lord I thank You from the bottom of my heart for this guidance today. My readers and I must depend on Your strength, Your guidance and Your wisdom to accomplish these things. Please have Your perfect will and way in our lives today. AMEN!

Reflect His Caring Heart

On By Ed AlgreenIn Christmas, Forgiveness, giftsLeave a comment

Friday, 2018-12-07

Bible Reference: Colossians 3:12-14
Translation: Easy-To-Read Version (ERV)

Bible Text: 12 God has chosen you and made you his holy people. He loves you. So your new life should be like this: Show mercy to others. Be kind, humble, gentle, and patient. 13 Don’t be angry with each other, but forgive each other. If you feel someone has wronged you, forgive them. Forgive others because the Lord forgave you. 14 Together with these things, the most important part of your new life is to love each other. Love is what holds everything together in perfect unity. 

OBSERVATION: At Christmas time we seem to easily find room in our hearts to be kind to others. In our verses today Paul reminds us of what all God did for us, and how that should lead us to do the same for others. So as we meditate on this today, may it stir up within us many ideas on how we might bless others at Christmas!

APPLICATION: Most children are probably looking forward to Christmas because of the gifts they have asked for, and expect to receive. As adults, Paul has reminded us of the gracious gifts that are ours, in being a child of the most high God! Here are some of the gifts mentioned by Paul: 1). God has made us His holy people – imagine that – steeped in sin and very much a part of Satan’s army, yet when we felt the call on our life by Jesus, and surrendered our life to Him, we were adopted into the sonship of the Most Holy God! That is beyond comprehension, and could only be imagined through faith in the truth of God’s Holy Word; 2). God loves us – ‘Love’ is an awesome word that we use, and even abuse in our lifetime, but it takes on such a special meaning when the holy Son of God loves a child that has been so blatant in sin, and asked for His forgiveness. Oh that we may find it in our hearts to love like that this Christmas! But here are some gifts that we may give to others, in return for His gracious love to us: Show mercy towards others; Be kind to others; Be humble towards others; Be gentle to others; Be patient with others; Don’t be angry with others; Forgive others; and LOVE others. Friends, the best news of all about these godly gifts, is that there will be no increase in credit card bills whatsoever!  So why not read over this devotional again as Christmas draws closer, and concentrate on all the gody gifts that you can extend to family and friends. Be instrumental in teaching them God’s ways and His teachings through your example this Christmas! Others may just see that you have a heart like that of Jesus, because you care for others!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank You for Christmas! Thank You for teaching us about the many precious gifts that You bless us with, and through your servant Paul, teaching us how we might extend to others the many gifts that You have showered on us. Please help us to make someone’s Christmas special this year, by showering them with the character of Your Son, and the godly gifts mentioned above. AMEN!

Here’s Why Jesus Was Born

On By Ed AlgreenIn Caring, Celebrate God, Christian, Christian Principles, Christmas, FaithLeave a comment

Thursday, 2018-12-06

Bible Reference: John 18:37
Translation: Easy-To-Read Version (ERV)

Bible Text: ^37 Pilate said, “So you are a king.” Jesus answered, “You are right to say that I am a king. I was born for this: to tell people about the truth. That is why I came into the world. And everyone who belongs to the truth listens to me.”

OBSERVATION: Jesus taught us great lessons throughout His ministry. In this Scripture today, when Jesus was being tried by the authorities, He still showed His compassion; His calmness; and He declared His whole purpose for coming to this world. I wonder what we would say is our whole purpose on earth?

APPLICATION: At different stages of our lives we may have sat and declared what our purpose in life is. For example, the transition from high school or college into the working world, you may have committed to be a doctor or an accountant, etc. When you got married, you made have declared what kind of spouse you would be. When you got saved, you may have promised God a drastic change in your lifestyle or in your habits. But was there ever a time that you declared what your whole purpose in life is…..? You see, Jesus was known as ‘Truth’, and for that reason we can measure absolute ‘Truth’. I sincerely believe that the Truth that Jesus spoke of here is the absolute Truth that He represents in being God’s precious Son. In other words, looking at Jesus and hearing His words, were just like seeing and hearing His Father – God. With that in mind, what is the real truth that others experience in you? Do they experience with you, what they really hear from you? Do you have to tell them that you are a Christian, or do they see that in you, and hear that from the words that you speak? As ‘little Christs’, our aim here on earth should be much like that of Jesus – to represent Him completely; honestly and wholly, so that the world may know and believe in the One who saved us from our sin and condemnation. To the unbeliever reading this blog today, let me assure you that God loves you also, and He wants you to come to Him believing in His precious Son. Seek His forgiveness my friend and give Him control of your life. He would love for you to experience His love; His forgiveness; and His caring – just like a real loving father would do for that very favorite son or daughter.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I pray that Your love will shine so strongly through my life that it will be evident to the world that You are having an awesome impact in my life, then may You be glorified by all that I come into contact with. Thank God for the grace and power expressed through His gracious Son. Thank You Jesus for accepting me as Your gracious son. May I represent you as well, so that others may see and believe. AMEN

Always Be Ready To Share

On By Ed AlgreenIn Acceptance, Accountability, Acknowledge God, Allegiance to the Lamb, Answered Prayer, Awesome God, Faith, HopeLeave a comment

Wednesday, 2018-12-05

Bible Reference: 1 Peter 3:14-16
Translation: Easy-To-Read Version (ERV)

Bible Text: 14 But you may suffer for doing right. If that happens, you have God’s blessing. “Don’t be afraid of the people who make you suffer; don’t be worried.”[a]15 But keep the Lord Christ holy in your hearts. Always be ready to answer everyone who asks you to explain about the hope you have.16 But answer them in a gentle way with respect. Keep your conscience clear. Then people will see the good way you live as followers of Christ, and those who say bad things about you will be ashamed of what they said.

OBSERVATION: Peter wanted to be sure that followers of Jesus Christ be prepared for the questions that folk will ask of us, especially when they see us acting and speaking differently to the majority of individuals they will come into contact with. In other words, if someone special resides inside of us, then His character will be revealed through us. Nothing to be ashamed of, and it should be nothing for us to brag about, but when we are asked ‘why?’, we should always be prepared to answer them about the hope that is ours, who know Jesus as Lord and Savior!

APPLICATION: Over and over I’ve seen friends whip out their wallet, or their phone, to show a photo of the latest thing that brought joy to their life – perhaps a baby boy, or a granddaughter, or a son-in-law! I have a coworker who always responds to a greeting with the words “I love my job”. He has a response that make me smile, and makes me proud of him everytime we greet each other. I wonder how willing, or prepared, or quick, Christians might be to respond truthfully about the root cause of happiness; joy; expectation or hope that is being expressed through them? I would challenge those of us who know Jesus as Lord to ensure that each day we have a fresh encounter with our God. Talk with Him – through prayer; Listen to Him – through His Word; Be guided by Him – as we ask for His direction in all decisions known and unknown that we will face today; and Praise Him – through expressing gratitude and honor for all that He has done for us. Please be careful to recognize Jesus as the healer, deliverer, guide and everlasting Father that He is. It will be so easy to follow the way of the world and attribute your ‘blessings’ to luck, or medical staff, or good friends, or the knowledge of man, and while these are awesome in their own way, our faith and our hope lies in the One to whom we belong. Friends, let’s be willing and ready to give an answer to anyone about the hope that we have. In fact, let’s be careful to give the same answer to our friends as we would give to God about our hope!

PRAYER: Merciful Father and all powerful God, thank You for choosing to work in my life. Oh though so unworthy, still I’m a child of the King! Lord, help me to not only sing that song to myself, but freely and willingly share that with others that may ask about the hope that I have. Oh that You might be glorified in and through all saints that allow You access, and ask for Your help today oh Lord, AMEN!

Love Beyond Human Understanding

On By Ed AlgreenIn All have sinned, All-powerful, Ask and Receive, Awesome God, Bible Believing, Love, Love God, Merciful Savior, Obedience, UnconditionalLeave a comment

Tuesday, 2018-12-04

Bible Reference: Psalm 144:1-4
Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

Bible Text: ^Bless the Lord who is my immovable Rock. He gives me strength and skill in battle. 2 He is always kind and loving to me; he is my fortress, my tower of strength and safety, my deliverer. He stands before me as a shield. He subdues my people under me.   3 O Lord, what is man that you even notice him? Why bother at all with the human race?[a] 4 For man is but a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.

OBSERVATION: Most often we expect love in forms that we might consider showing love ourselves. Therefore, when we recognize the love of God, we are blown away. David was in one of those ah-ha moments in our Scripture reading today, for he recognized that God’s love was not dependent on his strengths, abilities, or whether he deserved it or not. Let’s look deeper into this awesome love that God displayed for David, and that He has for us.

APPLICATION: I believe that we will all agree that it is somewhat easy to return love to someone for the love that they show towards us. Conversely, I believe it is not our usual nature to return love to someone who has been downright rude to us, and may have even shown hatred towards us in some form. To sum this up, I believe we could easily say that we most often return love, in response for the love shown towards us. So how is that different with God? Let’s start with this example of David. As a young man, he was held back from battle by his dad, because he (David) was his dad’s prized child that he loved unconditionally. David was used as a messenger to go and deliver food and supplies to his brothers, but as he arrived on the scene he found a standoff between the Philistines and his home team. The standoff was mostly controlled by a giant, named Goliath. Having been directed by God to fight many other ‘giants’ out in the field while protecting his sheep, David was astounded that his brothers and the rest of the Israelite army were allowing this to stand in their way. So in our Scripture today, David had a time of meditation with the Lord in preparation for taking on this giant. Child of God, let us meditate on the ‘giants’ in our lives today. Do we have the kind of relationship with God that we could stand before Him with the same courage that David did? Have you stopped to ponder why the God of this universe; the God who created each of us and everything else around us, would care enough to listen to us and act on any requests we may have for Him? Why who do we think we are? Have we been exceptionally good in praising God for every blessing, every day? Have we loved Him enough in return for the unconditional love that He showed our Brother David, or showed on the cross for our benefit? Who are we that He should even love us and care about our welfare? Friend of God, please know that our God is a God of love. I believe that He would have sent His Son as a baby, if we were the only one on earth that needed a Savior. I believe that He would have bore the pain of crucifixion if our sins were the only ones needing to be cleansed. Just like David, I am awestruck daily to imagine that God would love even me, but I know He does! Praise God! For the unbeliever who may be reading this blog today, please know that my Savior also loves and cares about you! Surrender your life to Him and allow Him to show His unconditional love to you today, won’t you? Please go on to read my Footnote and allow God to work in your life friend!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, knowing that I’m a child of Yours, gives me confidence to know that You love me unconditionally and that You would move anything aside to ensure my safety, security and ultimate destination stays in tact. But why me Lord? There are so many that have done so much more for the kingdom, but just like David, I stand before You today in amazement that You would love and care for even me. Lord, there will be others who will read this blog today that need to know You personally and in a very real way. Please consider their plight and draw them to Yourself. Oh that they may surrender themselves unconditionally to You today, is my humble prayer. AMEN!

Less of Me and More of Others

On By Ed AlgreenIn Accept Jesus NOW, Adoration, Jesus' BirthLeave a comment

Monday, 2018-12-01

Bible Reference: John 1:10-12
Translation: The VOICE (VOICE)

Bible Text: 10 He entered our world, a world He made; yet the world did not recognize Him. 11 Even though He came to His own people, they refused to listen and receive Him. 12 But for all who did receive and trust in Him, He gave them the right to be reborn as children of God;

OBSERVATION: With Christmas quickly approaching, it is quite sobering to reflect on the reason that this special day came about. John reminds us in our Scripture today that although God created this world, and each of us, yet we don’t recognize His Son, and many even refuse to listen and subsequently receive Him. However, because he came, some has and will receive Him and are therefore saved from their sin and eternal damnation. This coming to earth as a baby with such awesome eternal benefits – that’s what we celebrate at Christmastime!

APPLICATION: If we listen to the radio; television; or any type of public speaking opportunity, we would quickly assume that Christmas is about gifts, or parties, or family get-togethers, or a holiday from work, but in many forums it is forbidden for speakers to make reference to the real truth of Christmas. So some will attend church services as one of their seasonal things to do. But notice what John says in verse 11, he said that many refuse to listen to the truth about Jesus’s Christ. Sadly I believe this occurs in churches at roughly the same rate as on the street, for there will be some attendees (members included) that know deep in their heart that they should fellowship with fellow believers, but often that’s as far as they go – fellowship. For these, I believe that God’s people should earnestly pray that their hearts might be revived to seek and find again, the Savior that they first heard about. In being reminded of the reason Jesus came, perhaps their eyes might be reopened that they are the reason that He came in the first place! For the curious, or the ones who may feel obligated to a parent or a loved one, that may attend church this Christmas, I pray that although they may come for various reasons, that God would have a divine appointment with them to hear the Gospel one more time, and that the love of Jesus would melt their hearts into making a decision to not only recognize His love, and His reason for coming to earth as a baby, but that they might accept Him as Lord of their lives, as Savior of the world, and as our soon coming King who will take us to glory for an eternity with He and His Father. Oh may the love of the Christ Child be evident to all who may want to know more about C H R I S T M A S this year!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us enough to care about our ultimate destination – even after we leave this old sinful world. It is clear from Your Word that You provided a superior option for us to escape the pit of Hell when rescued from this old sinful world. This started with the birth of Your Son, a time that we now celebrate as Christmas. Thank You for showing us in Your Word that this was carefully designed and planned by You, for we read how You gifted Your prophets hundreds of years earlier to tell the world of Your Son who would come to rescue the world challenged with sin. Lord, may this Christmas be a time that we recognize the true purpose of our celebration, and in learning this, may it impact us to truly worship You from the manger to the cross. Father we adore You! Savior we worship You! AMEN!

God’s Discipline

On By Ed AlgreenIn Accountability, Actions, Believers, Born Again, Church attendance, Clean Heart, Cleanse me Oh God, Discipline, RighteousnessLeave a comment

Thursday, 2018-11-29

Bible Reference: Revelation 3:19
Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

Bible Text: 19 I continually discipline and punish everyone I love; so I must punish you unless you turn from your indifference and become enthusiastic about the things of God.

OBSERVATION: I am reminded that discipline comes in many forms, and from almost every person in authority over us. Jesus (the Amen, as referenced in several translations) saw the need to say this to the church at Ladocia because they ‘sat on the fence’ – they were not hot, or cold. For they said they were servants of God, but they didn’t allow Him to be God in their own lives. Could God be bringing this to our attention today so that we may closely examine our own lives, and that of our own churches? 

APPLICATION: From a very early age, good parents will discipline their children, as a way of stopping wrong doing, and guiding children towards the right way to act and do things. As children mature, they go to school and teachers are forced to instill discipline in their lives also. As young adults, they then find the need to test the systems outside of the home and school systems. So law enforcement and the courts come into play. Then they enter the work environment, where supervisors or managers take responsibility for guiding them as adults, and holding them accountable for their actions. Imagine what a parent will do if the young man who just landed a job, went home one evening and ignored everything his parents asked him to do around the home? In fact, all that he learned in growing up seemed to have drained out of the young man, for he is also ignoring his manners, respect and chores that were assigned to him. So the parents are looking at their son from birth, yet his attitude has changed into something they just can’t identify with. They want to love him, because of his ‘sonship’, yet they don’t want to reward unappreciated, rotten  behavior with their precious love. In our Scripture, Jesus is looking at a church that He gave up His very life for, yet He is disappointed at their disregard for His teachings; their refusal to participate in a number of church meetings that were designed to grow Christians; their withdrawing from certain activities that particular families are a part of, because they just don’t like them. Imagine the lack of appreciation Jesus must feel, knowing that He loved the church so much that He freely gave up His life for their good, and for their victory in overcoming the world’s weaknesses, and living with the promise of eternal life in heaven with Jesus and His Father? Do you suppose that He would be tempted to spew them out of His mouth, and possibly start over with a new group that may show signs of hope? What kind of discipline do you feel might be most appropriate for a church such as I described? Do you feel that you would be one who is caught up in the worldly actions described, or one of the few that may be praying for God to help them clean up their mess and live righteously before a holy God? Friends, I would encourage you to look inward before criticizing the church at Laodicea, or trying to pin the actions I raised on certain individuals. Does Jesus see an individual with a clean and contrite heart, filled with His righteousness, and appreciative for all that Jesus did for the church, when He looks intently into your heart? Precious Lord, may it be so for myself, and for many who will read this devotional. Please teach us to alway seek the truths of Your Word, and to humbly obey Your teachings.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank You for giving wholeheartedly of Yourself so that we might be saved from the attractions of this world. Thank You for helping us to look with joy at the realization of heaven and the wonder of the King of all kings and Lord of all lords, welcoming us home as a ‘son’ or a ‘daughter’! Our hearts are overwhelmed with joy over the promise and expectation of this, as we patiently await Your return to take us home with You precious Lord. Please ‘jerk our chain’ as we lose sight of whose we are, so that we would never be tempted to stray away from the commands of our General – our Lord and Savior. Thank You Lord for loving us enough to bring us through this challenging world with our eyes fixed on You. Please help us to maintain ‘tunnel vision’, so that the things of this world will grow strangely dim, in the light of Your glory and grace! AMEN!