Love and Obedience Lead to Blessings!

On 2011-05-10 By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, God’s Word, Imitator of Christ, Listen to the Word of God, Obedience, Pleasing to GodLeave a comment

Scripture: Deuteronomy 11.

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Deuteronomy 11:22-23 (NLT)

22 “Be careful to obey all these commands I am giving you. Show love to the Lord your God by walking in his ways and holding tightly to him. 23 Then the Lord will drive out all the nations ahead of you, though they are much greater and stronger than you, and you will take over their land.

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

I have underlined a section of the short scripture that I copied above, because it really spoke to me this morning about where we are as a people, as a church, as a city, state and country. We tend to get all shaken and concerned about all that goes on around us, and we may even wonder sometime if God is truly with us. I believe that much too often we look at external factors that may affect us much more than looking inward to see what it is that we may be falling short on ourselves. I believe that Moses said to his people that when they do their part by:

Showing love to the Lord – let’s remember that our love is shown by our actions. We may say with our mouths that we love someone, but when we consistently do those things that we know will aggravate, tantalize, upset or even disappoint that person, they will not feel much love from us. So it is with God. If we truly love Him, we will be in close communion/fellowship with Him daily. We will look for ways to please Him, honor Him and obey Him. We will then say it with our mouths that we love Him, and He will know without a doubt from our actions that we love Him. In fact others around us will know that we love Him.
Walking in His ways – being a Christian means being a little Christ, or giving every effort towards doing all that Jesus did, all that He showed us and told us to do. Follow His example in the ways that He dealt with people. Imitate His very character and seek to do His will in all aspects of your life.
Holding tightly to Him – at the beginning of this chapter Moses made it clear that he was not speaking to the children, or folk that didn’t know about the mighty hand of God. This reminds me that I can’t shrug off my responsibility to hold tight to the teachings, miracles, leadership, love, understanding and boldness of my Savior, because it is upon those things that I have built my faith and trust in Him. So hold tight to those things that I have learned about Him so that all doubt will be removed as I look to depend on Him each day.

When we do our part, then we can know that God will honor His Word and do all that He has promised. We have a hope, friend. Let us do our part through our belief, our actions and our obedience, then watch and savor the blessings that will be ours as God watches over us and makes a way for us.

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

Father, thank You for reminding me again this morning what it takes to open the doors of Heaven and receive Your blessings. Please direct my path today and help me to walk in Your ways and be obedient to all that You would have me do or say. I am often reminded about what You would have me do and say. Please give me the boldness, desire and love to follow Your teachings so that I may be more like You each and every day. Thank You for your promises to do even more for me as I follow and be obedient. I need Your strength and power each and every day dear Lord.

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
ß

Obedience

On 2011-05-09 By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Obedience, Reflecting ChristLeave a comment

Obedience
Deuteronomy 8:1 tells us to obey God’s commandments. We do this by obeying God with…
OUR HEART	By loving him more than any relationship, activity, achievement, or possession
OUR WILL	By committing ourselves completely to him
OUR MIND	By seeking to know him and his Word, so his principles and values form the foundation of all we think and do
OUR BODY	By recognizing that our strengths, talents, and sexuality are given to us by God to be used for pleasure and fulfillment according to his rules, not ours
OUR FINANCES	By deciding that all of the resources we have ultimately come from God, and that we are to be managers of them and not owners
OUR FUTURE	By deciding to make service to God and man the main purpose of our life’s work

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

Father God, I am convinced again today that there is nothing more important than reading Your Word and obeying it, for You alone are God , and it is You that will lead us out of our world of sin and into Your path of righteousness that leads to heaven and life eternally with You. Please help me to stay constant in Your Word, constant in obeying Your commands and constant in my witness to a lost and dying world. Thank You for all that You provide for me each day and all that You help me through in overcoming evil and living a life worthy of Your calling.

In Faith, Believing

On 2011-05-05 By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Chosen by God, Faith, God our Helper, Imitator of Christ, Obedience, Pleasing to God, PurityLeave a comment

Scripture: Luke 1.

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Luke 1:35-38 (NLT)

35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.”

38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

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

In my last devotional I was drawn to a section of scripture that highlighted the unbelief of the disciples concerning the resurrection of our Lord. In this passage I rejoiced, and was encouraged over the humbleness and total faith of Mary who was honored by the presence of an angel and also by the miraculous message that she would bear a child, even though she never had relations with a man. In fact, it appears like Mary basically said to the angel: I am God’s and God’s alone, may He do with me what pleases Him so that He may be honored through me and bless others. Wow, what a powerful example of a totally surrendered, unselfish, committed life. This means that nothing in this world was more important, or had greater priority, than to follow the will of God and be used by Him. Even if it meant that the world may look upon her in disgrace, because they wouldn’t know the extent of what brought on the pregnancy. If there was at least one person in each church congregation that had these characteristics today, there would be no doubt that we are truly a Christian nation! Individually, can we work on our faith so that we may totally surrender our lives to the work of the Master? Can we turn loose of self and our desire to please a sinful world, and instead dedicate ourselves to pleasing an almighty God?

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

Father, in reading this today I am reminded of how much I lean towards pleasing those around me rather than totally surrendering myself to You and allowing You to have Your will and way in and through my life. Please forgive me for my lack of priority and direction. Please help me to get on track in being obedient to You, the one that I have committed my life to and asked You to be leader, director and model for my every decision, movement and action. I am Your servant, may everything You desire to use me for here on this earth be accomplished in and through me in its most purest form.

Faith to Believe

On 2011-05-03 By Ed AlgreenIn Ask and Receive, Bible Believing, Faith, Follow Jesus, God Reigns, God’s Word, Obedience, Power of PrayerLeave a comment

Scripture: Mark 16.

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Mark 16:9-14 (NLT)

9 After Jesus rose from the dead early on Sunday morning, the first person who saw him was Mary Magdalene, the woman from whom he had cast out seven demons.

10 She went to the disciples, who were grieving and weeping, and told them what had happened. 11 But when she told them that Jesus was alive and she had seen him, they didn’t believe her.

12 Afterward he appeared in a different form to two of his followers who were walking from Jerusalem into the country. 13 They rushed back to tell the others, but no one believed them.

14 Still later he appeared to the eleven disciples as they were eating together. He rebuked them for their stubborn unbelief because they refused to believe those who had seen him after he had been raised from the dead.

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

God really highlighted this passage to me this morning, particularly the point of unbelief that the disciples had surrounding His resurrection. At the first reading of this we might feel pity or feel sorry for the disciples for such unbelief. In closer deliberation I thought about who it was that struggled with unbelief. These were the men who were handpicked by Jesus; they were closest to Him during His ministry here on earth; they witnessed miracle after miracle which showed them firsthand the power of Jesus, and they heard Jesus speak about how He would rise again after the third day. Further, I am sure that the prayers that went up by these men after Jesus was arrested was probably very intense, for they had lost their Master, their friend, their leader. So why then would they be surprised to hear that Jesus was alive? Friends, we are just as bad today even after all we know from God’s Word, and even after all that we have prayed about, and even after all that we have witnessed and/or heard about Jesus doing here on this earth. I believe that Jesus can easily say to us today, “Oh ye of little faith”. Having just celebrated Easter, we know that Jesus is alive. We know that He is the same miracle worker that we read about in His Word and witnessed in so many cases here on this earth, so let us therefore place our faith and trust in Him. Let us expect the miracles that He has the power to perform and not be surprised when we witness the answers, but instead celebrate the power of God and His willingness to hear and respond to our prayers. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to us. Near enough that we could have a relationship with Him and witness His answers to our prayers and perform the miracles that we could only dream of. Have faith in God!

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

Father I believe in You. I believe in Your almighty hand. Please help me to always pray in faith, believing that You have the power to do all things. Let me therefore not be surprised when You answer my prayers, but instead be ready to rejoice and lift up Your name above all names. Please help my unbelief!

Acknowledge God’s Power

On 2011-05-02 By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, God Reigns, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

Scripture: Deuteronomy 1-3.

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Deuteronomy 3:23-24 (NLT)

23 “At that time I pleaded with the Lord and said,

24 ‘O Sovereign Lord, you have only begun to show your greatness and the strength of your hand to me, your servant. Is there any god in heaven or on earth who can perform such great and mighty deeds as you do?

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

So often in our lives today we see God’s hand at work among us and we praise Him for His mighty acts for a short time afterwards. As an example, I am reminded of the weeks following the 9-11 disaster, the weeks following the 2004 hurricanes that passed through our area, and other times that we saw God’s mighty hand at work – both in destruction and in protecting us from disaster. It seems like soon after we felt like everything was settled back down and ‘we‘ had things back under control, that we then returned to our normal lives that were often lived without Christ. Oh that we may have the stamina and determination of Moses to stick with God, not only through our disasters but through to the Promised Land. For just like such a land was in sight for Moses and his Egyptian followers, we too are promised a land where there will be no more fighting, or sickness, or heartache, but a land where the glow from our Savior will lighten the surroundings for us! Where there will be peace and harmony forevermore! Where there will be no distractions from our worship time as we will literally worship at the feet of Jesus for years and years! We have a Promised Land that out-shines anything we may have read about in God’s Word, or any other book, or can even imagine! Let us therefore recognized the awesome power of our living God in our everyday lives, and let us not lose sight of the Promised Land that we, who know Jesus as Lord and personal Savior, can look forward to one day! Like Moses, let us stay focused on the Promised Land as we face the everyday challenges of this world, knowing that there are bigger and greater things in store for us from a God who loves us so much that He sacrificed His only Son so that we may have and enjoy the land promised to us! What a Mighty God We Serve!

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

Father, with excitement I come before You being reminded of the Promised Land that You have prepared for me and others who believe in You. With that view in mind, all the temptations, struggles and trial of this life become obscure, for I now look forward to the day when You will call me to Your side. Thank You Father for this reminder this morning. Like Moses, I can say today that there is no leader that can perform the mighty acts like You have performed, and there is no leader who will look out for my best interest like You have done in preparing for my eternal destiny. Thank You for loving me so much. Thank You for being such an awesome God to Moses and his people. Thank You for using that victory to still inspire me and others today as we study Your Word. You are a mighty God and I worship and adore You today as my Lord, my Savior and my God!

Would you Recognize Jesus?

On 2011-04-28 By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Follow Jesus, Imitator of Christ, Obedience, Our Help comes from GodLeave a comment

Scripture: Mark 15.

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Mark 15:37-39 (NLT)

37 Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

39 When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!”

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

In our daily lives many of us pray to Jesus, and most of us witness answers to those prayers. We sometimes do good to others in Jesus name, while others allow God to work through them and perform Godly acts to and for others as Jesus would do. When the Roman officer witnessed Jesus in His most humbling, painful, humiliating, conquering form, he recognized that there was something about the man that reflected the power, majesty and love of God that Jesus taught while He ministered. I was alerted to two questions in this passage:

Would I been as keen as the Roman officer to recognize Jesus?
Seeing that I, as a Christian, am supposed to be like Jesus in my everyday walk, would others recognize Jesus in my actions and in my conversations?

This should have an eye-opening effect on our daily walk and in our everyday interaction with others. This should keep us humbled before the cross of Jesus begging for His mercy, grace, wisdom and power to be overcomers of temptations from the evil one, and soldiers of the cross, and instead be exemplifiers of the Prince of Peace, the holiest of all, Jesus Christ.

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

Father, I am aware that there is little I can do on my own to overcome the evil in this world and to be a true disciple of Yours, witnessing and representing You in every aspect of my life. So today, I ask anew that You help me to overcome those things that tend to distract me from my walk with You, and the things that unfortunately take priority over my walk with You. I don’t need to hear the words, because it would build unnecessary pride in me, but may others be able to say to You today about me, that truly He is a man of God. Lord God, I also pray that those that may read this devotional today may also be impacted by this and that they may also choose to ask for Your power to be overcomers of the evil in this world and instead, be disciplined followers of Yours.

Unnecessary Delays to the Promised Land

On 2011-04-25 By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Scripture: Numbers 32-33.

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Numbers 32:13-15 (NLT)

13 “The Lord was angry with Israel and made them wander in the wilderness for forty years until the entire generation that sinned in the Lord’s sight had died.

14 But here you are, a brood of sinners, doing exactly the same thing! You are making the Lord even angrier with Israel.

15 If you turn away from him like this and he abandons them again in the wilderness, you will be responsible for destroying this entire nation!”

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

I guess it never really clicked, but it wasn’t until reading this passage carefully this morning that God showed me what sin could do to me, to us, our church, our state, our nation and even our world. The Israelites were God’s chosen and His very special people. He rescued them from the bondage they were under in Egypt with a promise that He would take them to a much better area, a land flowing with milk and honey. Along the way He showed them time after time how much He loved them by providing water at one time, and food another time – all from miraculous sources, protection from enemies with much larger armies that they had, a leader that was closely in touch with God and benefited from God’s direction for each and every move of this large mass of people. Yet they griped and complained, worshipped idols, and sinned and lived like the devil. As a result of this, they were left wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. In fact, they were told that no one over 20 years old would any longer qualify to enter the Promised Land because of their disobedience and sin. Why am I repeating this story? Well, I wonder if today we are any better from all that we know about God, from all the blessings that we see Him shower on us, or from all that He has promised us? Our Promised Land is also filled with richness beyond anything we can imagine! To be in the presence of Jesus, the One who created this universe, the One who watches over and protects us each and every day, the One who loves us so much that He was sacrificed on a cruel cross just so that we may have the option of forgiveness of sin. This alone will be glory for me! Regardless of how lush the surroundings may be, or beautiful and free of pollution the place may be, just to be with Jesus and live in a world of praise and adoration 24/7 would be glorious for any of us to experience! Praise be to God, we have a future to look forward to! With this in mind then, let us be diligent about our Christian walk here on planet earth. Let us learn from the mistakes of our ancestors and live a life pleasing to God in every way, so that we may enter the Promised Land He has prepared for us right on time and without delays or hindrances.

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

Father, You know better than we do how challenging it gets each day to live a life without sin. Thank You for providing a means for us to see You, to enter heaven’s glorious gates that You have prepared for us. Please give us strength, endurance, and a determination to live our lives worthy of the calling and pleasing to You, so that we may one day soon, enjoy the rewards You have in store for us. Thank you for loving us so much to give up everything so that we may be with You one day. Please help us to live in accordance with Your commands and in line with Your Word.

Watch for Jesus!

On 2011-04-19 By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, God’s Word, Hope, Repentance, Things EternalLeave a comment

Scripture: Mark 13.

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Mark 13:34-37 (NLT)

34 “The coming of the Son of Man can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. When he left home, he gave each of his slaves instructions about the work they were to do, and he told the gatekeeper to watch for his return. 35 You, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know when the master of the household will return—in the evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at daybreak. 36 Don’t let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning. 37 I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for him!”

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

There are so many examples of how we Keep Watch for certain things. Jesus gave an example in verse 34 and also in earlier verses to help the people understand what He meant by Keeping Watch. God’s Word is full of direction to help us ready ourselves for the coming of our Lord Jesus, and it details what we need to do to be ready for the biggest two options we will ever face in our entire lives:

For those who have accepted Jesus as their personal Savior and lived in a right relationship with Him, then we have a future to look forward to with Jesus. Imagine spending eternity with the One who created us; the One who designed, created and maintained this world; the One who showed such love for us that He allowed His only Son to die on a cruel cross that we might have this opportunity to be with Him? Wow, to join hands and hearts with millions of angels and just worship and sing praises to the King of all kings, the Lord of all lords, the Master of this universe, the One who demonstrated love in such pure and sincere ways and to be known as ‘love’! I have a future such as this, because I have met the pre-qualifications! How about you friend?
For those who do not fit the above pre-qualifications, the only other option is to live out your eternity in a much more cruel and devastating place than what you have ever experienced here on earth, because Satan and his forces have nothing more than an eternity of hell and damnation, suffering, pain, evil and hatred in store for you. Is this what you are spending this life preparing for?

Please respond to this post if I might help you insure that you are ready for the first option. God has told us in His Word, the Bible, that He would rather that none should perish as in option 2 above, so know it today that there is hope. There is a better option. God loves you and would rather that you not perish, but instead that you may enjoy everlasting life with Him. It’s your choice friend, but please don’t wait. We see tragedies all around us each and every day. Take note, you have no control when your life here will end, so ‘Watch Out’, be ready for Jesus’ return! I’m afraid that the default is option 2, unless you choose option 1 friend! Make sure that toady you are settled on what it will be for you.

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

Father I thank You for convincing me of my sin and showing me the door to salvation leading to life eternally with You! I look forward to seeing You return to gather Your people to Your side. Please help me to help someone today that may not have that assurance, because they do not have a relationship with You. May someone come to a decision today and choose option 1 above. I would love to help that person, please direct me accordingly.

As You Give, So Will You Receive!

On 2011-04-18 By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Giving, God our Provider, Love, TithingLeave a comment

Scripture: Mark 12.

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Mark 12:41-44 (NLT)

41 Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. 42 Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.

43 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. 44 For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.”

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

God freely gave to us; the ultimate unselfish gift being when He gave His only Son to suffer and die for us so that we might enjoy eternal life with Him in heaven. Why do we then, give so selfishly of our money, time and talent. God gave it all to us, who are we to say that He only deserves a little portion of it? I am reminded of another scripture that says, “as a man gives, so shall he receive”. Especially during these tight economic times we may tend to think that we can’t afford to give financially, because we need every dime to survive. I can only say to you friend, that God can do so much more with the 90% that we may be left with after tithing, than we could ever do with the 100% that we may think that we earned and need to spend on our own selves. When we consider our time and/or our talent, can we possibly think that we could be selfish with something that was given to us by God to use for His glory? That just makes no sense to a smart, right thinking person. Whenever we feel like we are poor, whenever we feel like someone has more than us and we are not being blessed, let’s always remember to evaluate our giving at that point, for it is through our giving that we will receive. It is through the generosity and freedom that we give, that we will also receive.

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

Father, I am always in awe about how much You love me and all that you do for me and give to me every day of my life. You truly are awesome, and I so desperately need to be more like You in every way, so that others may know the joy of serving the Master of this universe. As I am reminded of this important principle in giving and receiving, may I always be one to give freely in consideration of all that You give to me. Thank You for blessing me in so many ways. Thank You for giving so much to me each and every day. Thank You for always loving me, and showing it in so many wonderful ways.

Selfish Leadership

On 2011-04-15 By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, God Reigns, Imitator of Christ, Servants of GodLeave a comment

Scripture: Numbers 20.

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Numbers 20:7-12 (GW)

7 The Lord said to Moses, 8 “Take your staff, then you and your brother Aaron gather the community. Right before their eyes, tell the rock to give up its water. In this way you will give the community water from the rock for them and their animals to drink.”

9 Moses took his staff out of {the tent in} the Lord’s presence as he had been commanded. 10 Then Moses and Aaron assembled the community in front of the rock and said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring water out of this rock for you?”

11 Moses raised his hand and hit the rock twice with the staff. Water came pouring out, and all the people and their animals drank.

12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “You didn’t trust me! You didn’t show the Israelites how holy I am! So you will not bring this congregation into the land I’m giving them.”

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

A simple, but God centered and God instructed, set of instructions were given to Moses and Aaron to follow. If followed exactly, God would have been recognized. However Moses made much of the opportunity to promote himself, after all he had really been beat up on by the Israelites, and this may have been an opportunity to show them how great a man/leader he was. Friend, when we consider how great God is, and when we consider how much He does for us each and every day, who are we to promote ourselves before anyone? After all, it is God himself who gives us life, health and food to eat each day. Why on earth would we lead anyone to believe in any powers or skill that we might have? It is God, and God alone who designed and made us. He should be the one that we allow to control and direct all that we do and say. By Moses adding in his two cents so that the miracle of producing water from a mere rock could be attributed to his power and/or the power in his rod, he and Aaron were reprimanded by God and their lives shortened as a result. What about you friend, and what about me, how often have we promoted self instead of clearly showing that it is God and God alone that works in and through us that should receive the praise for anything accomplished through us? I admire Christian leaders who, after working so hard and diligently, yet when they are praised for the job they did, asks that you give God the glory for the great work He did in the situation! For this is so true – had it not been for God, what could we have done? To God be the glory, great things He has done! This is both past and present, for I know that He still accomplishes great work though me, and His Godly leaders today. Let’s give the praise to Him, where it truly belongs!

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

Father, although I am mere human and can do little on my own, yet as a child of the King of all kings, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Therefore it is You that should receive all the glory and honor from anything that may be accomplished through me. Please help me to stay in Your Word and follow Your commands as instructed, without diluting it with any of my own ideas that may attribute its success looking like something I may have done. Please help me to be humble and direct the praise for anything accomplished through me to the Master of the plan, You – God and God alone!