Understanding and Obedience Of God’s Word

On 2014-09-24 By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Holy Bible – Good News Translation

Psalm 119:18

Open my eyes, so that I may see
the wonderful truths in your law

My Thoughts:

Although only a very short verse today, I would highly recommend that you read Psalm 119:18-40 to really see the importance emphasized by David in understanding God’s Word. Friends, I realize that I may be a bit slower than you in understanding something that I have just read, but please be reminded that meditating on God’s Word has a much deeper dimension than just reading words from the Book’s pages. First of all, I would recommend, like David, that we always ask God to reveal to us the deepest understanding of the words we are about to read, secondly, that you have at least one other translation handy so that when you come across a word or sentence that doesn’t quite sound the same as our current day vernacular, then you can check the other translation to see if that clears it up for you. Bottom line is that we are not just reading The Word to say that we have completed a certain duty or heart-felt responsibility, we are trying to understand the mind and heart of Christ, and we are wanting Him to embed deep within our hearts and minds the desires of His heart for us. As a parent, we have a heart for our kids and their ultimate success in life. I believe that God also wants His very best for His kids – us. He gave us His Book of instructions, but it is up to us get our minds wrapped around the understanding, application and obedience of His teachings. I was always so proud to hear when my dad was pleased with my success in a life situation, or that I finally understood and applied something that he had taught me! I believe that every day our heavenly Father looks on us with a sense of pride about our accomplishments, and hopefully not too many times that He nods His head in disappointment that again we did it ‘our way’. I’m sure you are as excited as I am about one day standing before our Maker and hear Him say the words, “Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant”. Therefore friends, let us be diligent about understanding the instructions given by God, so that we can honestly work towards obedience of His will for us in every way. There is a prize ahead for all who believe and have obeyed! I am anxiously awaiting the day to see the face of my Savior and my desire is that He would have found me faithful. How about you friend? If you are not satisfied with your progress so far, may I remind you that where there is life there is hope! Now, because we never know when our life will end, I would greatly encourage you to actively seek the Lord and His perfect will for you while He is available. Today is the day of salvation and/or your commitment to obedience! Please contact me if I could possibly help you! It would be a joy for me to do so!

My Prayer:

‘Your Word is a lamp unto my feet’ dear God, and it impacts my decisions towards right and wrong, as it guides me based on total truth, and based on the desires of my heavenly Father. I believe that I really see the importance of not only reading Your Word, but even deeper importance in understanding it as my guide throughout each day’s challenges and in giving me insight into the heart and mind of my blessed Savior. Thank You Lord for not just placing me here on earth to figure everything out on my own, or based on everything that Your servants may teach me at church. But You have blessed me with Your Book of Instructions (The Bible), and also given me personal insight into Your desire for me as an individual. Please help me to always first come to the cross for me primarily, because I can’t help anyone else if I’m off-track myself. Please keep me in the center of Your perfect will, and I ask for boldness to help as many as possible along the way until You call me home to glory. Many friends that You have directed to this devotional today might have similar challenges. Please speak personally to them and also help them overcome any obstacles or other priorities in their lives that may prevent them from getting deeper into Your Word. I ask this humbly in the name of Jesus, my Lord and blessed Savior, AMEN!
**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.

Hide God’s Word in Your Heart & Truly Live for Him

On 2014-09-23 By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation

Psalm 119:10–11

¹⁰^{With all my heart I try to serve you;}

^{keep me from disobeying your commandments.}

¹¹^{I keep your law in my heart,}

^{so that I will not sin against you.}

Thoughts:

I heard at a conference last Friday that if every American paid their fair share of taxes, then each American who currently pay, would pay $2,000 less per year! I have no political agenda friends, but I thought that statistic would help me to introduce my thought on this short passage. For I believe that if every Christian took the stand as David did in vowing to sincerely serve God from the very depths of our hearts, and with God’s help, vowed to obey His commands, then I believe several things will occur:

We will not be looked upon by non-Christians as hypocrites, for we will live our lives in accordance with what we say we believe;
Individually we would have such an influence on non-Christians, that we associate with, that they will be under constant conviction by God, because they will feel the presence of God in such a real and sobering way;
We will naturally humble ourselves, kneel and pray, so that God might hear from heaven, heal our land and perform mighty works among the people and governments of our land (2 Chronicles 7:14);
Our worship services will be so filled with praise and worship to our Lord and Savior that non-believers walking into our midst will be immediately touched by God’s Holy Spirit that will be very evident in the place of worship.

So friends, how important is it for us to draw near to God, commit to obeying His commands and actually live out His whole teaching? It could mean the difference of life eternally for a friend or loved one. If not, we could continue to live our lackadaisical lives content with seeing these special folk die every day around us and go to hell. It can make the difference of life and death for them, and a much more pleasing experience for us when we stand before our Master. What will it be for you, friend?

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, walking the Christian life and living according to Your will is influenced by everything talked about in this devotional today. Thank You for the reminder through Your servant David, on the importance of committing Your Word to our hearts so that our lives will be influenced by it, and not the alternative – the evil things of this world and its leader, Satan. Others need to see Jesus in us to help convince them that there is a living, loving, everlasting God. Oh that they may see just that today dear God. This can only be possible through the power and might of Your precious Holy Spirit, so I plead my case before You dear God, in the precious and powerful name of Your Son, 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.

Trust In The Lord!

On 2014-09-22 By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Holy Bible – The Good News Translation

Psalm 118:6–9

⁶^{The Lord is with me, I will not be afraid;}

^{what can anyone do to me?}

⁷^{It is the Lord who helps me,}

^{and I will see my enemies defeated.}

⁸^{It is better to trust in the Lord}

^{than to depend on human beings.}

⁹^{It is better to trust in the Lord}

^{than to depend on human leaders.}

Thoughts:

In marriage life we build trust in our spouses by: keeping each other’s secrets confidential; by being there for each other when it seems like no one else is available to us; understanding and caring for each other through the good times and the bad; listening to each other when we dream of our future, but would rather keep those thoughts very private for the time being; loving each other in spite of the bad things we know about each other. I realize the list is not all inclusive, however I am mindful of the love of God and how He cares for me. Additionally, I also know that in addition to the above, He also knows my very inmost thoughts. Now, when I share things with my spouse, she can only feel sorry for me, show that she cares, and she may wish me well. With God, He not only works with me to become my very best for His service, but also goes beyond anything I can think or imagine as His child! I believe that the Psalmist was feeling a little of this as he shared this Psalm. For he had seen proof that God came through for him when no one else would, or could. He saw that God was greater than any other human being, and also beyond anything his leaders could every do for him. Friends, nothing has changed about God! He still loves and cares for His own, and He still provides for our every care and/or concern. Just this past week I was praying for a need in my life, only to see God respond in a miraculous way, that far exceeded the specific need that I presented, but that would totally resolve and satisfy my need. I can truly say with the Psalmist that God is greater than any other human being that I could possibly place my faith and trust in, and also way beyond any human leader I may feel confident in. Whom then shall I fear when Jesus is my Savior, my friend, my all powerful, all gracious and all loving King? Friend, please allow me to introduce you to Him, if you don’t already know Him. If you do know him already as you wonderful Lord, please be encourage by this reminder today. There is no god like our God! I encourage you to accept Him today, trust Him and allow Him full control of your life today!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, please forgive me for the times that I doubted Your ability to come through for me, and for the times that I selfishly asked for things to satisfy my personal desires instead of staying focused on the things that will bring glory to You. The Psalmist has reminded me that You are very caring, full of wisdom and especially understanding of my weaknesses, and I have no reason to doubt, but every reason to place my total faith and trust in You. Please continue to bless me with the faith to remain strong in my commitment to You, and to allow You full control of my life. Lord, I believe that many friends who might meditate on this devotional today may be battling with similar trust issues. Please reveal Your deep compassion towards them and work in their hearts for total surrender of self, and to the awesome God that You are. Thank You for Your awesome love and caring about my life, and my future here on this earth. Please continue to work on me, in me and through me as Your humble servant. I ask this in the precious and awesome name of Jesus, my Savior, AMEN!

He’s Still God – On the Mountain Tops and in The Valleys!

On 2014-09-20 By Ed AlgreenIn Uncategorized2 Comments

The Bible – Good News Translation

Psalm 116:10-11

10 I kept on believing, even when I said,

“I am completely crushed,”

11 even when I was afraid and said,

“No one can be trusted.”

My Thoughts:

Friends, I believe that we often mistakenly void many of our commitments because of unrelated causes. Let me offer one or two ideas to explain my point: (1) You may work out at a gym, and after a few months you may not have lost any weight, so you quit going to the gym. Truth is, the volume of food that you have been eating has increased, but definitely not decreased, so although you are spending more calories, you are still taking in more. Nothing to do with the gym! (2) You are having an argument with an employee at work, so you quit your job of 10 years that paid you handsomely and gave you health benefits. Now consider the biblical application. In our Christian life, we must be in a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, and therefore enjoy a daily walk and talk with Him. When this is in place, we mature in our relationship with Him and can easily handle a ‘no’ response to a prayer request that we may have asked of Him; or in another case, a friend relationship that went sour; or in another case, your faith may be restored in a friend that you thought you couldn’t trust. Throughout our relationships and worldly activities our faith in Jesus should stay intact, if we remain strong in our relationship with Him. Think about it, nothing has changed in what He did for us at Calvary, or in what He continues to do for you and I. So we should be able to rejoice like the Psalmist did! Even throughout our trials and temptations, our faith should remain strong, and if we ask Jesus to help us in all aspects of our life, we should respond to situations like He would. Are you struggling in your faith because of issues other than your walk with Jesus? Be comforted today in knowing that our God never changes and will always love His kids! He is our God when we are on the mountain top and also our Comforter and God when we feel like we are in the deepest valley of our life. He’s still God, friend! Trust Him!

My Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I pray that my readers and I might be reminded that: You are the One that we adore! You are the One that we raise our hands and our hearts in praise to when life is rocking along without any known challenges! And You are especially the One that we must look to at those times when we feel like we are ‘at the end of our rope’, or feeling like we are in a deep valley. I firmly believe that You are still God, regardless of the circumstances that may occur in our lives. Please give us strength and humility to depend on You during those times that we feel so low, so alone, so useless and so far away from You. In fact, it is those times in particular that we really need You by our side and Your outpouring of grace, mercy and loving-kindness. Even as a child of the King, as long as we are here on this earth, we will still be challenged with issues that we feel so incapable of handling. Praise God we know You, our King, and we can depend on You to help us through every circumstance in life! In the name of Your son, Jesus my Savior, I ask that You hear my prayer today and that Your continue to bless Your children who need You so desperately today and every day, AMEN!

**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.

Do It For The Glory of God!

On 2014-09-19 By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Bible – The Message

1 Corinthians 10:31–33

^31–33^{So eat your meals heartily, not worrying about what others say about you—you’re eating to God’s glory, after all, not to please them. As a matter of fact, do everything that way, heartily and freely to God’s glory. At the same time, don’t be callous in your exercise of freedom, thoughtlessly stepping on the toes of those who aren’t as free as you are. I try my best to be considerate of everyone’s feelings in all these matters; I hope you will be, too.}

Thoughts:

These verses sounds very similar to what we studied yesterday, but we looked at the aspect of being considerate of others as we celebrate the liberties of being a Christian. Today I want us to think about the phrase that I bolded in the above verses: “whatever we do, do it heartily and freely to the glory of God”. The first thing that I believe God prompted me to consider and that is my behavior at work. Friends, it is very easy to act godly inside the church walls, but as one church displayed over their exit doors, “You are now entering your mission field”. It would probably be frowned on by most employers to walk in to work with our Bibles under our arms, or for us to have our first sermon in the lounge while others stop in for their morning coffee. In fact, we would display our dishonesty in doing certain things at work, because we would encroach on the time that we are being paid to work, and that equals cheating our employers. In my opinion, being a representative of God at work means that we stand up for honesty – both in being a role model setting an example for those we work for, and in keeping our employees honest in giving of their best to our employer. Christians should be the best employees, in that they are to be honest, hardworking and setting an example for others to follow. Some might question why they should act this way when so many are taking long breaks, doing personal business at work, and not giving a solid day’s work? May I remind you from the word of God (above) that whatever we do, we must do it for the glory of God! Let’s not disappoint Him in seeing us acting or being anything other than following His footsteps, His commands and His will for our lives. Remember, non-Christians looking on at our behavior – in deed or word, will show them what God looks like, so that they may be encouraged to also want to know Him personally! Are you proud of the example you are displaying at work, or at any place where non-Christians are looking on? It’s not too late to change that attitude friend, or shall I say, not too late to seek God’s help and direction for ways you can change that. I would encourage you to call on Him while He may be found.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I wish that You would look on me today and be proud of my actions and/or words, because I have followed Your plan and Your design for this humble servant. Please work on me for a constant and consistent walk with You, especially in the midst of non-Christians. Of course, I also desire to be more like You in all aspects of my life, because I could be of encouragement to my fellow Christians in areas that they are struggling. Therefore I ask that You give me the qualities that I need to demonstrate Your love and Your example to all that I come into contact with. May You be glorified from all that I may do or say today, is my humble prayer and request. Please be especially strong in touching the lives of those that may meditate on this devotional today so that Your people will learn to be like You in all areas of life. I ask all this in Your precious and holy name, Jesus, my Savior, AMEN!

Be Considerate of Others

On 2014-09-18 By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Bible – New Century Version

1 Corinthians 10:23–24

²³^{“We are allowed to do all things,” but not all things are good for us to do. “We are allowed to do all things,” but not all things help others grow stronger.}²⁴^{Do not look out only for yourselves. Look out for the good of others also.}

Thoughts:

I believe that anytime we feel that we have an advantage over another person, whether it be in education; or popularity; or financially; or the house/area we live in; or yes, even in our Christianity, that unless we are super careful and humble, we could easily inflate our value and/or our pride to feel like we are above another brother’s level, or better than that sister over there. Paul had to address this problem with the Corinthian church, because just as in our case today, if we are to be the image of Christ, we must remember that He was probably known more for His humility than He was for His power, or His place in the holy Trinity. I also believe that although we may sometime feel like being around a smarter person, for example, as it might help us to become smarter, we are never comfortable around them for very long because we feel intimidated by them. Friends, if we are to reach the rich and the poor, then we must be neutral in our feelings about worldly standings and concentrate solely on the condition of the person’s soul. You see, the lack, or the excess of finances is not a condition of, or a requirement of, getting into heaven. Jesus said, unless a man humbles himself, acknowledges his sin, recognizes the only One who could forgive sin, Jesus Christ, and ask for forgiveness of sin, it is only then that they will become a child of the King. They can’t buy their way into heaven, nor will Jesus feel sorry for their lack of finances and automatically accept them into heaven, they each must come to the foot of the cross and ask for forgiveness of their sin and invite Jesus into their heart. Friends, whatever we do, whether we feel we are at liberty to do it because of the freedom of our religion, or just for selfish reasons, if we do it without regard for our brother who may not be as fortunate as we are in any area of life, then I believe that God will hold us accountable. As the verse above says, we are to look out for the good of others, not just ourselves. Talk to God about it today friend, He will show you any areas of your life that is not aligned with His will or His character, and direct you on how to correct that. If you have an empty prayer life, please use the information in the footnote to get the help of another Christian.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for reaching down Your awesome, powerful, loving hand to touch the life of this old sinner, bringing me to my senses, forgiving me of my sin, and crowning me as a child of the King of all kings. Just as You humbled Yourself to touch me, I pray for wisdom, boldness, humility and love to also touch the lives of those around me with the love of Jesus. Who am I that a King would bleed and die for? Who am I to then think that I am superior to any other human being, I’m just a humble sinner saved by grace who wants to see as many of my family and friends also know my Savior, so that together we may walk through Heaven’s portals and be welcomed by our Master! Oh, what a glorious day that will be!!! Lord, I humbly ask all this in Your precious name, even as I praise You for all You have done for me already, AMEN!

Warning! Danger Ahead!!

On 2014-09-17 By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Bible – The Message

1 Corinthians 10:11–13

^11–12^{These are all warning markers—danger!—in our history books, written down so that we don’t repeat their mistakes. Our positions in the story are parallel—they at the beginning, we at the end—and we are just as capable of messing it up as they were. Don’t be so naive and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence.}

¹³^{No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.}

Thoughts:

In the first 10 verses of chapter 10, Paul shared with the Corinthian church much of what their ancestors had done and how they were punished for their sin. In verse 11 he tells them that these were all recorded so that they might be warned not to repeat the same sins, otherwise they would face the same consequences. Friends, our Bible today is totally inspired, and ordered by God so that we also may be reminded of the many sins of our ancestors and the ensuing consequences. With any common sense at all, we should take note, and not repeat the same sins, but I am reminded that without Christ in control of our lives, we are led by the same Satan that our ancestors were, and we are bound to repeat the same sins, and perhaps even more hideous – even as we read about, or see on the evening news. Like Paul, I must remind you friend, that we will be punished just like our ancestors. Sin will not enter heaven, and there is only one other place for you to go, and unlike David’s wish in Psalm 109 about his enemies, I would not wish the alternate place on my worst enemy. Friend, think about this real good, we are careful to take very seriously the warnings about possible tornado touchdowns, or hurricanes, or heart attacks, etc. I would so like to see us also take the warnings God has placed in His precious Word very seriously and take our precautions to prevent the danger that will result by simply placing your faith and trust in Jesus my Savior. He made special provisions just for us so that we might one day be with Him in glory where there is love, peace and joy forever in store for those who believe. The warnings are evident friend, and the provision for a safe and secure passage to safety is very clear. Please don’t continue to live your life in danger of not being prepared for something that could happen in an instant. Enjoy heaven’s glory while still here on earth by knowing my Savior today. He loves you and will welcome your decision, without regard to your present condition. Use information from the footnote to help you make this vital change. I assure you that you won’t regret it!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank you for opening my eyes to my life of sin, a life without You in it. Thank You for encouraging me to make a right decision back in 1988, and thank You for working with me to maintain a life pleasing to You. I regret that it has not been perfect, but I thank You for being a forgiving God; an encouraging God to help me along the way and prod me of sin that was lurking. Thank You for working in my life to help me be more like You every day. I realize that Satan tries every trick in the book to trip me up, so I plead with You to continue to guide me, protect me and show me the ways of righteousness. May You receive glory because of something that I may say or do in the matchless name of Jesus. Paul’s warning reminded me that there is no time to waste, so I humbly ask that You immediately bring to my attention when I fail and lead me to the cross for forgiveness so that my life will not be marred by sin. Lord, I have unsaved family and loves ones, unsaved friends and coworkers, tender their hearts and minds so that they may heed the same warning of which Paul warned us about in 1 Corinthians 10. Please use my life to be a witness to them so that they may surrender their lives to You before it’s too late. Please be especially gracious to those led to this devotional today, may they shore up their position with You this day. These requests can only be handled by You dear Lord, so I humbly ask these in Your precious and holy name, AMEN!

Is There Anything God Can’t Do for You?

On 2014-09-16 By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Bible – The Good News Translation

Psalm 107:35–38

³⁵^{He changed deserts into pools of water}

^{and dry land into flowing springs.}

³⁶^{He let hungry people settle there,}

^{and they built a city to live in.}

³⁷^{They sowed the fields and planted grapevines}

^{and reaped an abundant harvest.}

³⁸^{He blessed his people, and they had many children;}^{he kept their herds of cattle from decreasing.}

Thoughts:

There are times that we are so buried in our own struggles, heartaches, bodily aches and pains that we bury ourselves in our distress and cannot see the light of day. Friends, I was encouraged when I read these verses this morning, and I believe that God clearly showed me that when I feel discouraged and distressed, and may not have the faith to see beyond my troubles, I need to dig deeper into His Word and be reminded of how powerful He really is. We hear from our pulpits often, and yes, I believe that our God is the same today as He was yesterday, and in the days of which we read in the Bible. So when I read about the miracles wrought, and the very serious struggles that God brought His people through, I can’t help but jump for joy knowing that ‘Joy comes in the Morning’, as an old sacred song says, for those who believe in Him. You see, David had his struggles also. He battled with sin just like we did, because it is also recorded in the Bible. But in this Psalm he was reflecting on what God did for His people as they trusted Him in their long journey through the wilderness, and as we read on through this Psalm you can see how this time of reflection brought peace, comfort, joy and encouragement to the Psalmist. This is a prime example of what we are to do, because friends I must tell you, there is nothing that our God can’t do for you and I! That’s exciting news, that’s encouraging for those who feels like they are at the end of their road in sickness, finances, family struggles and just discouragement for the future! This serves as encouragement for us to regain our focus and our trust in Jesus and to rest our troubles before Him that are appearing overwhelming to us at this time. He is ‘GOD’ friend, He is at the top of the chart, over everything going on around us and in our lives, we can trust Him with everything! If you are really struggling with something that this devotional has not already helped you overcome, please use information in the footnote to seek help in praying this through!

Prayer:

What an awesome God we serve! For you created this whole wide world that we live in. You created us humans to live in this world. You created the beautiful sun to bring sunshine, the rain to enhance the food chain for us. You have healed the sick, made the blind to see and brought the dead back to life again. Our struggles seem so overwhelming to us, but in comparison to the above miracles they must be so minute to You. But Father, I want to ask that You please calm the storms of worry and despair in us, and help us to find ways to enhance our faith and trust in you. I realize that as long as we remain on this old earth amongst all the sin and worldly distractions, we will struggle with the problems of this world, but I plead with You to help us stay focused on You, with our eyes fixed to the cross of Calvary, so that we may constantly be reminded that we serve a God who is much bigger and way more powerful than all of our struggles. With this truth always before us, I know that we can overcome! Thank You Lord for your blessings on me! I ask all this, yet praise You for the assurances of being my sustainer, in Your precious and holy name I pray, AMEN!

Condition Yourself For Seeing Jesus!

On 2014-09-15 By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Bible – New Living Translation

1 Corinthians 9:24–27

²⁴^{Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!}²⁵^{All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.}²⁶^{So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.}²⁷^{I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.}

Thoughts:

I believe that the best way to relate to someone is to speak with them in terms that they can identify with. If speaking to a carpenter, speak in terms of what little you understand about carpentry. Paul was speaking to a church that lived and breathed sports, because the Isthmian Games (similar to the Olympic Games today) took place in a nearby town every two or three years, so they understood sports and the idea of conditioning to win a race. We should keep this in mind when speaking with folk about the Lord. In order to build a rapport with someone, a mechanic shouldn’t go to a carpenter talking about engine parts and mechanic work, but rather, make it a point to speak more about the building trade. The analogy used by Paul is very important to us today friends. If we are preparing our souls for heaven, then we must first of all know the game master. All the studying you can muster up will not open the doors of heaven to you. Jesus said in His Word that there is only one way to get into heaven: (a) admit that you are a sinner and that you need a Savior; (b) believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and that He died so that You might be saved; and (c) confess your sins to Jesus, ask Him to forgive you of your sin, and to accept you as His child. This is equivalent to being accepted into the games. Now to condition yourself in the Christian life you are to read up as much as you can on what God expects from you. Friend, this is all contained in the Bible, so make this your game book. Look into it daily so that you may strengthen your walk with the Lord. This will also grow you into the strong, conditioned child of the King that He expects. You see, He wants you to duplicate His life here on this earth so that others might see Him when they see and hear you. Winning the prize for the Christian, is to be present with the Lord when we are called away from this life (when we die). We want to be so conditioned, that when we stand before our King on that Day of Judgment, He will recognize us as one of His and that He will look at us and through a smile He would say “Well done, you have been a good and faithful servant”. Oh what a day that will be, when my Jesus I shall see!!!! So friend, the big challenge for you today is: Do You know my Lord in a personal, relational way? And if you do, are you conditioning your spiritual life daily, so that you will be ready for the day you will see Him face to face? Please waste no time in doing this, I want to see you there when I look around for you in heaven! It will be worth it all!

Prayer:

Father, thank You for providing the Rule Book for us, the ‘Coaching Book’, in fact the Book that not only leads us to You, but also helps us to condition our lives into something that is pleasing to You. Thank You for the prize you have promised us at the end of the race that we call ‘life’. You never said we would not have challenges while living this life, but praise God You have promised a home eternally with You at the end of this life for all who have accepted You as Lord and conditioned themselves to live as Your child here on this earth. As a child of Yours, we can enjoy even the most challenging days knowing that we have a prize ahead that includes living with You, walking with You, talking with You and listening to Your comforting and loving words throughout eternity! Please help us to daily condition our lives with Your Word – the play book designed by You for Your children that help us to be all that You meant for us to be while still being here on this earth. Thank You Lord for being my Savior, my Redeemer and my soon coming King! I ask all this, and praise You, in the wonderful name of Jesus, AMEN!

Who Will Stand?

On 2014-09-13 By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Bible – The Good news Translation

Psalm106:29–31

^{They stirred up the Lord’s anger by their actions,}

^{and a terrible disease broke out among them.}

^{But Phinehas stood up and punished the guilty,}

^{and the plague was stopped}^.

^{This has been remembered in his favor ever since}

^{and will be for all time to come.}

Thoughts:

Phinehas was recognized a few times in the Bible: for his leadership role in a group sent out, and as an adviser in a war. So he was not a known religious leader whom one would have expected to stand up again the evil that stirred up the Lord’s anger in the verses above. This precisely brings up an important point that I would like for us to consider in response to this passage. In today’s society, we will immediately look to our church leaders to stand up for evil, because we consider them God’s point men in our churches. However, like in our homes we have kids, and sometimes, spouses that rebel against our stand against evil, I believe that church members will be the first to criticize our church leaders for the stand against the evil that they have either recognized, or been told about. You see, I believe that many of us ‘church members’ are so wishy-washy in our beliefs and especially in our stand against the norm that we go along with the flow way too often, instead of standing up against the evil that happens around us out in this evil world. We are such advocates of being politically correct – in other words ‘splashing around in the truth in order not to take a stand and/or hurting anyone’s feelings’. So if this describes our ‘church members’ in general, who again do we expect to stand with our pastors and/or church leaders when they take a stand on behalf of our church? It won’t happen friend! We have seen churches split over simple things like the paint color on the walls, so imagine how quickly members will walk when asked to stand with our church leaders on decisions made that might cause the media to point out our church for a Biblical stand that it took! In these verses we see where the effects of sin were already being felt – a terrible disease had broken out. Do we see the effects of sin in our society, and in our churches today? I dare say that we do. There are diseases caused by certain known sins such as homosexuality, yet we have churches that splash around in the truth and accept this as a way of life. In fact some churches even accept these individuals as members, leaders or pastors. Yet we wonder why God permits certain disasters upon our land? Friend, our God is no different today than He was in this scripture we are studying today. I am studying a book by a popular pastor who said that he is not allow to preach something that is not Biblical. When we surrender our lives to the Lordship of the Lord Jesus Christ, we agree to live according to His commands as detailed in His Word (the Bible). Why would we do this, but look to our ‘Christian’ brother living in sin and say it’s alright? As we take a stand for total obedience to God’s Word, we might be more apt to also join our church leaders in taking a corporate stand for Biblical truths and against SIN. Are you prepared to join the army of Christ, friend? Are you prepared to call sin what it is?

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, taking a stand against the normal flow of society is very challenging. Yet when we accepted You as Lord of our lives, we agreed that we would live in agreement with Your Word, and its commands. You are very clear in Your Word on what is acceptable to You and what is sin. If there is doubt in our minds then we should consider the challenging thing as sin until we can get a clearer word from You. Many times we are so confused, I believe, because we are listening to the world for advice instead of looking to You for clarification. As we read Your Word more, we become more in tuned with what Your expectations of us. We then also understand Your commands and principles better. We learn the very heart of our Master and therefore have a much better base for the decisions that we should make, and subsequently for the stands that we should take. Please help us to stand firm on the Truth of Your Word, and that it is the only thing that would change our minds. We need more like Phineas in our world today. May I plead for Your strength and wisdom to be more like Phineas and not disagree for argument sake, but in order to stay the course for You. This is only possible through the power and mighty hand of my King, so Jesus I ask this in Your powerful and awesome name, AMEN!