God: “I’ll Be There Ready For You”

On 2016-11-092016-11-09 By Ed AlgreenIn Humbleness, Humility, Power of Prayer, Prayer, Seek God's FaceLeave a comment

Wednesday, 2016-11-09

Scripture

Bible Reference: 2 Chronicles 7:13–14

Bible Text: If I ever shut off the supply of rain from the skies or order the locusts to eat the crops or send a plague on my people, and my people, my God-defined people, respond by humbling themselves, praying, seeking my presence, and turning their backs on their wicked lives, I’ll be there ready for you: I’ll listen from heaven, forgive their sins, and restore their land to health.

Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take

I believe that these verses are probably some of the best known, and most quoted verses in the old testament, because we like to remind ourselves that God is always ready to hear our prayer, if only we will get off our high horses and allow Him to do that. I looked at the context of these verses in several different translations of the Bible to see if perhaps God is trying to catch my attention in some other way from these verses. Using Eugene Peterson’s ‘Message’ Bible, here’s what I believe God is saying to me today, and in sharing this with you, hopefully it may open your eyes also. Notice how God leads into this with Solomon. In the preceding verses God acknowledged the awesome temple that Solomon had built, and God assured Solomon that He would dwell there for the people. However, God then told Solomon that there still may be times that He may allow frustrations, trials and challenges for the people as He may have the need to draw them closer to Himself. Isn’t it interesting how we are so quick to run to the temple (our local churches) and really petition before God for all that is going on in our lives, or in the works of our cities/counties, or even in our country? I would imaging that in the USA, over recent months, there have probably been more prayers for the outcome of our elections than for any other reason that we may have prayed over recent years. However, notice that God didn’t tell Solomon to have the people pray for Him to restore their crops, or cleanse them from the plagues He threatened to send on them, but rather, God wanted the people to do these things:

Humble themselves – get off the subject of self and recognize who’s in charge;
Pray – Instead of bending the knee and pleading before God when we need our aches and pains relieved, pray instead for forgiveness of our sin, and a heart like that of Jesus – the one whom Christians should be seeking to imitate every day;
Seek God’s presence – So often we are so intent on praying for the need at hand, that we lose sight of the broken or fractured connection between God and ourselves. Friends, there is nothing more comforting or more powerful, than seeking God’s face and His awesome presence in our own lives. Further, in these verses God assured Solomon that as His people did this, they will be reassured of His presence, as “He will be there, ready for them”!
Turn from their sins – you might question what this has to do with what is going on at the time (lost crops, etc). Friends, I believe that God sends challenges our way, because many times it is the only way that He could get our personal attention. Renewing our relationship with God is far more important to God than restoring our crops.

God said that as His people did these things, they can be reassured that “He would be there for them”! However, notice the kicker, He didn’t say that He would then restore rainfall, or their crops; nor did He say that He would heal them of the effects from any plagues He sent on them. Instead God told Solomon that He would listen from heaven, forgive their sins, and restore their land to health! I believe that we can easily conclude from these verses that God is more interested in a right, personal relationship with His children, than anything else. Imagine what would happen if our people prayed as hard for revival, or renewal of a right relationship with God as we do for every other little thing, that really adds no value to our relationship with the Almighty. Restoring a right relationship with our God, so that we may be mold-able and usable by God WILL bring new life to our wretched, sinful world. It must begin with us – God’s people, as those without that connection will not have a clue what God is trying to achieve, nor would they ever think to look to God, who is totally unknown to them. If it’s to be, it’s up to you and I, fellow Christians!

Prayer

Father God, thank You for providing us with life itself. Lord Jesus, thank You for providing the means of salvation – forgiveness of our sin and oneness with You and the Father. Holy Spirit, thank You for Your powerful presence and work in our lives daily. As long as we live on this earth, we will be tempted by the ruler of this world with every effort to distract us in our Christian commitment to our Lord. In Psalm 1 and in Matthew 6:33 we are reminded that as we, Your holy children, humble ourselves and seek Your face that we also may receive righteousness that can only come for You dear Lord. Help us to be faithful in all we do so that Your name may be lifted high and maintain its elevated status for all to see, and subsequently believe on You. Please renew a right spirit within us Heavenly Father, so that others will see Jesus and believe. AMEN!

Footnote

If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Put Your Affairs in Order

On 2016-11-08 By Ed AlgreenIn Choices, Cleanse me Oh God, Heaven, Hell, PrayerLeave a comment

Tuesday, 2016-11-08

Scripture

Bible Reference: 2 Kings 20:1–3

Bible Text: Some time later Hezekiah became deathly sick. The prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, paid him a visit and said, “Put your affairs in order; you’re about to die—you haven’t long to live.”

Hezekiah turned from Isaiah and faced GOD, praying:

Remember, O GOD, who I am, what I’ve done! I’ve lived an honest life before you, My heart’s been true and steady, I’ve lived to please you; lived for your approval.

And then the tears flowed. Hezekiah wept.

Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take

Without sounding too morbid today, I would imagine that some of you may have, at one time or another in your lifetime, been told those dreaded words from a doctor, that a loved one is about to die. Regardless of how you may have reacted, I want each of us to think about a moment like that, and then, reflect on the words told to Hezekiah about his own life, by the prophet Isaiah at the very beginning of our scripture today. I have heard about individuals becoming so angry at being given such a prediction by their doctor, and I have heard about individuals who have totally given up under such circumstances and not lasted nowhere near as long as predicted by doctors. Hezekiah has taught us through his actions, that it is best to have a time of solitude with your maker at that time, in calm assurance, knowing that if you are allowed to live a little longer, ‘great’, but if God is ready for you now, then as the apostle Paul reminded us, that to die is actually ‘gain’, because we would leave the evil, hatred and disappointments of this world behind us, and instead be present with the Lord, in all of His glory! Friends, I don’t know about you, but there’s an old hymn that constantly reminds me of what that day will be like – ‘Oh that will be GLORY for me, GLORY for me, GLORY for me, when by HIS grace I shall look on His face, that will be GLORY, be GLORY for me‘. The reason that I share this blog; the reason I would encourage you to read your Bible; the reason for accepting Jesus as your personal Savior; and the reason you are encouraged to share those joys with others through your local churches, is that each of us will be faced with coming before our maker one day. That is one of the sure things of this life, we will all die and face our Maker, or He might come for His church before we physically die here on earth, but either way, you WILL face your Maker. Friends, may I encourage you to do like Isaiah encouraged Hezekiah to do, ‘get your house in order today’, and that includes your personal life first, then work on the life-condition of those in your household, for you may very well be called away today! Are you ready to go? If not, why not? If for lack of knowing how to handle this, may I encourage you follow the suggestions in my Footnote? This is way too important to just brush this whole idea aside, trust me. In meeting your Maker, who knows your very heart, you are subject to one of two decisions, and they are totally based on who you have chosen for your savior. If you have personally and deliberately sought the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, then we will see each other in heaven, if not I regret to inform you that your earthly master is awaiting you in the very depths of Hell. In other words, your decision while alive determines your eternal destiny. I would love to see you make the right decision friend! May I count on you?

Prayer

Father, thank You for providing the means by which we can live with the same peace that Hezekiah expressed in his prayer. There was no pounding on the bed or table, but his prayer indicated that should God choose to let me stay a little longer, or if in fact He takes him right away, he felt like he had lived the life expected of him by God. No regrets. O that we may have that kind of peace Heavenly Father. Lord Jesus, in our scripture today, and in the clearest words I could share, I believe the gospel has been presented today. Please bless it and use it for Your glory. Holy Spirit, please prompt the hearts of those that need to make decisions today about ‘getting their affairs in order’. I pray that Your work will become evident in their lives in helping them not to find excuses, or be prompted by Satan to ignore this warning today, for today is the day of salvation! I ask these things in greatest humility and in sincere respect of all that You continue to do in our lives, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, AMEN!

Footnote

God Hears Our Prayers

On 2016-11-07 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, God's Will, Power of God, Power of Prayer, Praise-worthy, PrayerLeave a comment

Monday, 2016-11-07

Scripture

Bible Reference: 2 Kings 19:17-20

Bible Text: ¹⁷Lord, it is true that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all those nations ¹⁸and have burned their idol-gods. But they weren’t gods at all; they were destroyed because they were only things that men had made of wood and stone. ¹⁹O Lord our God, we plead with you to save us from his power; then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you alone are God.”

²⁰Then Isaiah sent this message to Hezekiah: “The Lord God of Israel says, ‘I have heard you!

Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

My Take

May I encourage my friends today to lift up holy hands and praise God, the creator of this universe, every day of our lives! I encourage you to do this whether things are going your way, of it seems like your world is coming to an end. Think about it friends, this helps us to put into perspective the One to whom we are about to place our heaviest burdens, and our deepest woes. The gods of those who make their own images of wood or stone had nothing to praise, but as we look out of our windows and see the beautiful sunrise and hear the birds chirping, or as in my case this week, I can hear the surf rolling onto the shoreline, don’t we need to approach God with words of affirmation of who He truly is? When we stop to count our blessings that our feet still work, and compare that to the gentleman we saw yesterday who had no feet, are we thankful yet? Friends, we may feel like the whole world is on our shoulders because of all that we have to worry about today, but may I encourage each of us to do just like Hezekiah did, and take these burdens and lay them at the feet of Jesus and pour out our soul to Him! God knows all things before we ever take them before Him, but in asking, we are recognizing that we absolutely cannot do anything about our situations, and we acknowledge that the reason we ask is that God can do all things, and only those things that fit within the confines of His perfect will. Hezekiah opened up his case before God and pleaded with Him for His help. A situation where all Hezekiah could see was total destruction of his people. Pretty serious, I would say. What’s your most serious ‘case’ today friend? Are you willing to place it before Jesus and ask Him to take charge and bring about the perfect resolution? Hezekiah never showed any signs of doubt or fear, but he had no sooner laid his petitions before God, when he received a message from God through His servant Isaiah, that his (Hezekiah’s) message was heard! No need for God to expand on that, for who are we to tell God what to do? We simply take our cares before God, share with Him our heart’s desire, and leave the resolution up to Him. Sometimes, He may have to change us, but many times He may want to answer our prayers in much the same way that we asked. Remember, God’s in control, not us!

Prayer

In considering who You are, and being reminded of Your awesome power and concern for Your children, we acknowledge that we are mere servants bringing our petitions before the very God who created us and the universe in which we exist. Our concerns seem humongous to us, but praise God from whom all blessings flow, we present our concerns before the same God who raised Lazarus from the dead, brought Jesus back to life on the third day after His crucifixion and, He walked on water to rescue His disciples who were in trouble out on the waters. Further, He made the lame to walk again, the blind to see and the deaf to hear, so what again did we say is our biggest dilemma that we are concerned about today? Should we have confidence that God can handle our challenges also? Friends, we are in good hands with our God! Notice that Hezekiah didn’t try to enlarge his army or increase his artillery, instead he took his threatening letter and opened it before the same God I just tried to describe, and asked for His guidance and help. There are stories in the Bible where God protected His people by bringing confusion so approaching enemy armies, who wound up destroying themselves! Do we dare ask or question how could God possibly resolve our BIG issues? He’s got this friend! Trust Him and obey His commands, for there’s no other way! In that same awesome power, I ask these things dear Jesus, AMEN!

Footnote

Deep Concern For Prayer Matters

On 2016-11-06 By Ed AlgreenIn Caring, Honest, Honest Relationship, Honesty, PrayerLeave a comment

Sunday, 2016-11-06

Scripture

Bible Reference: 1 Samuel 1:10; 16-18

Bible Text: 10 Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the LORD.

16 Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.” 17 “In that case,” Eli said, “go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.” 18 “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad.

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

I would like for us to reflect on our personal prayers, both private and public. Now I would like for us to re-read the referenced scripture again, in fact why not click on the Bible Reference link and read the whole context (just 9 verses) and carefully note the heart of Hannah as she prayed. Friends, I am not asking you to judge (other than yourself), but I want you to really grasp the sincerity of the prayer by Hannah, and consider a few things:

Deep, Earnest Prayer – When last have you truly been concerned enough about a specific item or person, that you went before God in deep anguish and weeping bitterly? To help you understand this terminology I also read other translations that describe Hannah as going before God ‘miserable’ and ‘terribly upset’. Friends, this is not something we can conjure up and go before God with a fake cry, for these feelings are expressions of our heart. And I believe because of the sincerity and deep concern that the praying believer might have, the Bible speaks to this in several ways: In Psalm 30:5, the Bible says: “Weeping will be followed by joy“; In Isaiah 53:3–9, the Bible declares that ‘Jesus understands sorrow‘; In Matthew 5:4 the Bible declares “God promises comfort to those who experience sorrow; and in Revelation 21:3–4 – “Sorrow will not exist in God’s Kingdom“. This gives me the distinct impression that our Father is concerned about the things that we are deeply troubled by!
Others may mistake our deep concern – Our pride may prevent us from openly expressing to our God, as we may easily become concerned about what others may think. Notice in these verses that Eli thought that Hannah had come to the temple drunk, for she was praying in such earnest and anguish, that he had probably never seen before from most who came to pray. God already knows your heart friend, so to go before God with a heavy heart and pretend to be happy, is like faking what you really feel or want to express to God. Let us learn to be open and honest with God;
Joy results from a heart that has unloaded all concern before God! Prior to going to the temple Hannah was unable to eat because she was so upset. After her encounter at the temple, Hannah left quite different, for she was no longer sad, and she was able to eat again. I believe this is an example of what we can expect when we pray to the Father in deep, honest concern.

Friends, I have been desperate in prayer before, and I’m sure that you have been at one time or another in your life. This scripture reminded me of the need to really take to heart those things that God impresses upon us, and then open up our hearts before Him in prayer. To go before God in a casual, superficially happy mood for something that is really bearing on our heart, makes me wonder if God doesn’t look at His kids and say “Really?? You are so concerned that you are actually showing a smile on your face??”. Friends, I realize that God knows our heart, but I also believe that He wants us to be transparent before Him – wide open honest with Him, even to the extent that our emotions may be impacted and publicly expressed, if need be. Hannah impacted Eli’s life when he realized how sincere she really was about her prayer. Will others really know the sincerity of your heart and be impacted by it?

Prayer

Father God, thank You for looking deep into our hearts and knowing our most innermost thoughts. You created us so that our emotions would reflect our heart, yet we often try so hard to suppress our emotions because of what those around us might think. Please help us to be straight up honest with You, regardless of who might be around us to witness our deepest emotions. You have promised us in Your Word that ‘joy comes in the morning’, and I believe your intent was to help us realize that there would be times that our hearts are deeply saddened because of our own needs, or those of family or friends that we may connect with You on, and pray for. Please help my readers and I to face You with opened hearts today, so that You may fill us with Your immense love and care. We are Yours, heavenly Father, and we sincerely need You in every aspect of our lives, especially when our hearts are saddened. AMEN!

Footnote

A Model Prayer

On 2016-11-05 By Ed AlgreenIn God’s Word, Praise-worthy, Prayer, RespectLeave a comment

Saturday, 2016-11-05

Scripture

Bible Reference: Exodus 13:11-13

Bible Text: ¹¹But Moses begged God not to do it. “Lord,” he pleaded, “why is your anger so hot against your own people whom you brought from the land of Egypt with such great power and mighty miracles? ¹²Do you want the Egyptians to say, ‘God tricked them into coming to the mountains so that he could slay them, destroying them from off the face of the earth’? Turn back from your fierce wrath. Turn away from this terrible evil you are planning against your people! ¹³Remember your promise to your servants—to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. For you swore by your own self, ‘I will multiply your posterity as the stars of heaven, and I will give them all of this land I have promised to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’”

Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

My Take

Conversation with God is considered ‘Prayer’. So as we look at this prayer by Moses, I want to make sure that we see three specific methods used by Moses in this awesome prayer he had with an angry God. This may help give us direction in our prayer life:

God’s previous work for Israel (v. 11) – friends, when we bring a petition before God, it often hurts, or it may have us very upset that things are not going our way. Let’s be encouraged to reflect on situations where friends have testified of the awesome hand of God, where He had already answered similar prayers for them. This helps us to reflect on the possibilities of our powerful God, and it helps us pray in more earnest for our need(s), knowing that God did this already, and it therefore gives us confidence that He could do it again. The situation at hand where the Israelites had resorted to false gods, was no comparison to the sins they committed in Egypt, yet God showed His awesome power and delivered them from their oppressors, and then provided for them daily while in the desert;
God’s glory and reputation (v. 12) – Moses reminded God of how His righteous anger would appease the Egyptians by making them think that God’s plan all along was to get them in the desert where He could destroy them, not the likely story He told them about getting them into a ‘Promised Land’ filled with milk and honey. While this could almost sound disrespectful, I believe that God really wants us to share our heart with Him. In recent studies, I was reminded that God knows and judges our very thoughts, so it’s no use feeling all of this inside and saying only what you think God wants to hear. Share your heart with God friend! Be open and honest with Him. Deep in God’s heart you know that He is filled with such love that we could never comprehend the extremes He would go to in order to prove His love for us. Recognize that, and include that in your conversation with God. He longs to hear your heart!
God’s word (v. 13) – Allow God to help you bring scripture back to mind so that you can share that in your prayer. This does not mean that you must know every Bible verse and its reference, but in most cases you can come pretty close to quoting a scripture that you may have heard or studied in the past. Give your best rendition of what you remember. You’re talking to God, and He knows Your heart and what you are trying to relay to Him!

Friends, this is not intended to build rigidity in your prayer life, for just as I said at the beginning, prayer is conversation between you and God. However, I want you to be aware that in verse 14 of Exodus 13, we are told that God changed His mind about destroying the Israelites because of their idolatry! I am merely sharing a model prayer that Moses found useful and in which God responded in an awesome way. If it worked once, I see no reason why it can’t work again. Furthermore, I believe this gives us more ‘meat’ in our prayers, rather than rushing to your closet and demanding of God what He must do for you today. In prayer, you are actually meeting and speaking with the creator of this universe and of you and I. Let’s learn to speak with Him a little differently than we might speak with mom or dad when we issue our demands on them!

Prayer

Lord Jesus, teach us to pray like You did when You bowed before Your Father. We want to be just like You, Lord. Your servant Moses demonstrated a unique prayer to the Father, and as we have studied that today, we are reminded again that You are our Father and You long to hear us express our hearts and our innermost feelings. May this model prayer of Moses, remind us of even more intimate and expressive ways that we may connect with You in prayer, oh Lord, my Rock and my Salvation. To You be all honor, praise and continuous glory, AMEN!

Footnote

A Renewed Christian Can Help Others

On 2016-11-04 By Ed AlgreenIn Help, Our Help comes from God, RenewalLeave a comment

Friday, 2016-11-04

Scripture

Bible Reference: Jude 1:17-23

Bible Text: ¹⁷Dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ said would happen. ¹⁸They told you, “In the last times there will be people who laugh at God and do only what they want to do—things that are against God.” ¹⁹These are the people who divide you. They are not spiritual, because they don’t have the Spirit. ²⁰But you, dear friends, use your most holy faith to build yourselves up even stronger. Pray with the help of the Holy Spirit. ²¹Keep yourselves safe in God’s love, as you wait for the Lord Jesus Christ in his mercy to give you eternal life. ²²Help those who have doubts. ²³Rescue those who are living in danger of hell’s fire. There are others you should treat with mercy, but be very careful that their filthy lives don’t rub off on you.

Bible Translation: Easy-To-Read Version (ERV)

My Take

For the purpose of illustrating what I believe Jude is teaching us in these verses, I want you to think for a moment about a young lady (‘Jane’ as a fictitious name) who spends most of her money buying fast food and eating at restaurants. Your daughter wants to get into the art of cooking, as she believes that she could save herself lots of money from eating out all the time vs cooking for herself, so she chats with you about the possibility of her spending more time with Jane, who will teach her some cooking skills! What type of advice would you give your daughter? Jude gives the Christian great advice in verses 22 and 23, that I’m sure anyone would want to achieve, but notice that this advice comes after the advice given in the preceding verses where Jude teaches us how to prepare ourselves for evangelizing. Here’s some of the points I gathered from those verses:

In the power of your personal faith in Jesus Christ, seek to build yourselves up even stronger, by:
- Praying with the help of the Holy Spirit – in other words get your heart totally in sync with God – to the extent that you seek the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to your very own sins, or things that would hinder you from being a good witness for our Lord Jesus Christ. I strongly believe that this is intended to be an ongoing habit for us as Christians – a fresh (at least daily) encounter with the Holy Spirit to continually renew a right spirit within us;
- Keep yourselves safe in God’s love – When we depart from His Word and His will, we erect barriers between ourselves and God and therefore block the free flow of His love to us. We keep ourselves in His love by abiding in Him. That’s continually keeping in His Word so you could hear His communication back to us and understand what He would have us do to bring Him glory;
- Wait in great anticipation for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ – Live in anticipation and great expectancy for the King of all kings to return and take us home to glory with He and His Father for all eternity!

Friends, I believe that Jude is encouraging Christians (us) to be sure that we are straight spiritually, before we botch things up by trying to share with others a belief passed on to us by our parents or that we heard others speaking of. Let’s be ready to share from our own heart, and our own spiritual experiences, so that the world might know and believe in the One that we adore. The eternal condition of our family and friends deserve our very best effort, so let’s give it with everything that lives within us, not from everything we heard others speak of! ‘For He alone is worthy‘ my friend!

Prayer

Father God, who are we that a King should live and die for? Yet You consider us sons and daughters, because of our surrender to Your Son, the One You sacrificed, the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank You Lord Jesus for the enormous love shown to us through Your sacrifice on the cross of Calvary. Please be a constant reminder to us that it is only because of our first step in seeking forgiveness of our sin through accepting You as our very own Savior and Lord, that we have anything at all to share with others. It’s all because of You Jesus, for nothing have we done to deserve God’s own Son, yet You accepted our plea for forgiveness and adopted us as Your very own. It is therefore You alone that deserve honor and glory and praise every day of our lives. It is only You that we can brag on to our friends that need You as Savior and Lord. Please help us to never lose sight of the author of our salvation, so that we might share You and You alone when we witness as Your children to an unsaved world. For You alone are worthy dear Jesus, AMEN!

Footnote

Prove That You’re a Child of the King

On 2016-11-03 By Ed AlgreenIn Love, Love of God, Love others, Love your Neighbor, Unconditional loveLeave a comment

Thursday, 2016-11-03

Scripture

Bible Reference: John 13:34-35

Bible Text: ³⁴So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. ³⁵Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

We hear kids use this phrase all the time when they doubt what parents, aunts, uncles or friends them – “Prove It”!! At times there are things that grown kids might tell parents what they are going to do, however, based on past record, parents will sometimes doubt that the kids will follow through, so they might challenge them to “Prove It” and do what they said they would do. In our scripture today, Jesus didn’t just tell His disciples to ‘Prove’ to the world that they were His disciples, but He told them how they should prove their relationship with Jesus – “Love for one another will prove whose you are”! I believe that our churches are filled with awesome Christians when we meet on weekends, but I wonder what Jesus might conclude after these same ‘Christians’ meet with that contentious neighbor, or that challenging coworker, or that friend that always seem to get on their last nerve! Out in our ‘mission field’, is it obvious that we are a child of the King of all kings? Do we ‘Prove It’ daily that we’ve been with Jesus? We are told in verse 34 that we are to love one another just as Christ first loved us. In thinking that through, we will quickly conclude that Jesus’ love for us was proven in His sacrifice of His very life for us, even though we were yet sinners. This tells me that if we are to imitate that, we must show love even to those that don’t seem to love us, or even care for us. We need to love even those who tend to persecute Christians because of their beliefs, or love even those in prison – even though they may be there because of the most awful sins committed. Instead of lashing back today, can we aim to love someone even if they don’t seem lovable in return to us? Notice that was not a condition of the love Jesus wanted us to show to others – not if they make themselves lovable, but we love because Jesus first loves us. Because we want to replicate our Lord, we also must love one another. Let’s ask God for His grace and power to love even the unlovable, so they may stop and wonder where our inspiration comes from.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, You have blessed us with another day, and brand new opportunities to prove to the world that we are a child of the King. Lord, we will be faced with loving the unlovable, just as You did when You went to the cross for me. We will be faced with folk who are uninterested in You – just as I was before You took hold of my life and showed me the way of the cross. You loved me in spite of my sin, and in spite of me following the ways of the world. Please humble me to love just like that dear Jesus, so that those that I come into contact with today will want to know the same Lord that makes a difference in my life. My readers have not attained perfection yet either Lord, so please touch them powerfully today so that they too may be encouraged to love others, just like You first lived them. Please help us to face this day with great boldness and determination to be just like You! AMEN!

Footnote

Learn To Know God’s Will

On 2016-11-02 By Ed AlgreenIn Listen to the Word of God, Living with purpose, Testimony, WitnessLeave a comment

Wednesday, 2016-11-02

Scripture

Bible Reference: Romans 12:1–2

Bible Text: 1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

I believe there are certain places that Christians find themselves and later question “how did I get myself into this?” then we pray “Please God don’t come just now, for I will be ashamed to face You”. Ever been there and done that? Let’s imagine for a moment how far that moment is from what Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is teaching here. Let’s think about some things that the Word of God is telling us might help us learn the will of God, which should be our goal in this life:

In verse (1) we are told that ‘we are to give our bodies to God because of all He has done for us‘. Back in 6:13-19, we were taught that we become slave to whomever we obey. I believe that ‘giving our bodies to God’ means surrendering our will to the will of God. I believe it’s the same as saying ‘I’m Yours Lord, everything I am, everything I’ve got, try me now and see if I’m completely Yours‘. The bottom line is that God has done, and continues to do, so much for us on a daily basis. How can we claim Him as Lord, but refuse to give Him control of our lives? That would be the same as being married, but continuing to live as a single person;
Let our bodies/lives be living proof of the One that we love, serve, and obey – the kind that are acceptable to God. We must walk the talk friends. Let’s not tell the pastor, or try to convince our praying mom or our hurting spouse, that we love Jesus, if nothing has changed in our lives. A verse I shared with a group just last night from Psalm 139 reminded me that God knows more than what others can see in our walk, for He knows our very thoughts;
Often our behavior will mimic those who we hang around with for a while. Because children of God are to seek the will of God for their lives, this means that we are to hang around with God more than anyone else. Yes, I believe that this means we need more time with God than just an hour at a weekend service. In verse two, we are told that we need to be so devoted to God and desire the will of God with such intensity that He has the liberty to transform us into usable instruments for His service. If we expect God to be there for us 24/7/365, then we need to show our commitment in return to Him in precisely the same way. If there’s any part of our day that we resume personal leadership, then let’s not be surprised by the outcome, for we have just shown evidence that we don’t need God for that part of our day.

In each of the above bullets I underscored in bold font, a few things that I believe our key verses are telling us today. Paul said that when these things become a reality in our lives, then we will learn to know the will of God for our lives. Are you there yet, friends?

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You for showing us through Your Word how ridiculous it is for us to say we are Your followers, yet we control our course of life. If I am truly Yours, then I must surrender my will, and allow Your will to be prevalent in all aspects of my life. Lord, I’m afraid that many who call You Lord, are living their lives the way they feel best, and only call on You when necessary or desperate. Lord, may the meditation of our hearts; the very depths of our thoughts; and the expressions from our lips be pleasing in Your sight, so they may be used for Your glory. If there be any wicked way in us, or if there’s anything that makes You sad with us, please touch our hearts and renew a right spirit within us. May we be usable vessels for Your work oh Lord, my Rock and my Salvation, AMEN!

Footnote

Training For What’s Ahead

On 2016-11-01 By Ed AlgreenIn Believe, Biblical Decisions, Know and Believe, Knowing Christ, Knowledge, Lamb's Book of LifeLeave a comment

Tuesday, 2016-11-01

Scripture

Bible Reference: 2 Timothy 3:15–17

Bible Text: There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.

Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take

There are times in my job where a vendor will tell us that if we abuse their help desk because we opted not to take the training they offered to us on recent product enhancements, we could very well see fees included in our monthly bill. Imagine if you have at least one Bible sitting on your coffee table gathering dust, then to stand before God in judgment and tell Him that you never knew it was necessary to accept His Son in order to get into heaven? Imagine how God will penalize us for continuing with our excuses of not knowing His Word well enough to share it with others? This is very much like the example I gave to you above! In the working world we find more practical help from users of a product we own, than we do from the text books written by the designer and producer of the products. These groups often meet together in something most vendors call ‘A User Community’. Did you know that one of the largest ‘User Communities’ of the Bible exists right in your own neighborhood, and its known as ‘The Church’! Many admit that these folk are flawed and need help just like yourself, who may not be a part of the community. Friends, the whole concept of a ‘Community’ is that we can share the way that we understand how a product works; how we use a product; and how it is practical for us. For those struggling with proper use of the product, they come to the ‘Community’ to unload their frustrations and misunderstandings. Those of us who successfully use the product every day, we simply share how we use it and how we understand the product should be used. One of the most productive communities that I’m a part of, is monitored by staff of the product owner, and they will chime in from time to time and share with the group about how the product is designed to work in certain scenarios. In the church ‘Community’, we have pastors and teachers and leaders who are equipped to chime in and speak to the way they understand the Word of God was written and what the writer probably intended. Community members are the church attendees, and are most often users of the Bible, because they have accepted the One whom God sent to love on them; to open their eyes to the truth of His Word; and to prepare them for the day of His return when He will come to gather His church, or community of believers, to go with Him and spend eternity in heaven worshiping Him and the Father. Friends, we were intricately designed and made by God. Because He turned us lose to live on this earth, His perfectly designed human beings quickly become flawed by the sin that abounds on earth. So God gave His Word to us through writers that He inspired, so that we could understand the concept that He intended for us, and also know how to unravel ourselves from sin by accepting Him as our Lord, Savior, Protector, Deliverer and soon coming King of all kings. His text-book (the Bible) teaches that this is the only means of us uniting with He and the Father. How are you doing with that friend? May I recommend that you look around the following page for more scripture and help in understanding this truth: https://nuggetsfromgodsword.org/to-know-jesus/.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Word, and thank You for all that is available to us today to help us understand Your Word more fully. Thank You for the church, a body of believers who strive to know more about God, so that they may be of help to others in the community (church), and to evangelize those who find excuses for their lack of acceptance or knowledge of the One who totally gave His life, so that we might see the likes of heaven and the Father. Lord, we find our way to the cross every time that we are in bad straights and need a quick fix. As we dig into the depths of Your Word and learn more about the enormous love expressed for us, may we accept that gift and study Your Word more intently so that we can understand all that You have to offer us. May we be participators in our church community to receive the benefits of being helped by others; may we willingly share with others so that we might help others; and as we anticipate the glories of heaven, may that bring such joy to our hearts that we will be totally enveloped in the hope of looking into Your wonderful face one day and singing endless praises to You and the Father throughout eternity! To God be the Glory, for the great things He has done – especially for us! AMEN!

Footnote

The God Who Knows Us Intimately

On 2016-10-31 By Ed AlgreenIn God Cares For Us, God's Guidance, Jesus led decisions, JudgmentLeave a comment

Monday, 2016-10-31

Scripture

Bible Reference: Psalm 139:23–24

Bible Text: ²³Search me, O God, and know my heart; test my thoughts. ²⁴Point out anything you find in me that makes you sad, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

My Take

My Old Testament reading today took me into Genesis where God asked Adam why he had eaten from the forbidden tree. To think that through carefully, you will quickly conclude that God already knew that they had eaten from the tree, He just needed them to admit they had sinned. In this particular Psalm, David went before God acknowledging that He already knew his heart, and even his thoughts. Friends, we usually feel pretty good about ourselves when we feel like no one knows about our inmost thoughts, but if we have surrendered our lives to the lordship of Jesus, we should be reminded that purity before Him is at a much higher level, for He knows our thoughts and our intentions. I love the way that this particular translation puts David’s prayer, when he basically said: You know my heart and my thoughts oh God, so search me and test me, so that You can quickly tell me if there’s anything that makes You sad. I believe that God is looking for children who are not only sincere in their actions, but because of the purity of their hearts, their actions are genuine and follows the example of the Lord Jesus Christ. Friends, I believe that way too often, our actions, or our outward actions in the sight of others, may imitate what others may expect of a child of God, but I’m not so sure that our inward thoughts regarding everything we do, are always God-like and pleasing to Him. I believe it is for this reason that the Psalmist asked God to point out if there is anything, whether outwardly or inwardly that makes God sad with him. David even showed us why it is important for us to seek God in this way, because just like David, we want to win the ultimate prize, we want to rejoice at Jesus’ feet in glory eternally. Because we never know when that day will come that Jesus calls us home to glory, I believe that we need to live each day seeking the face of God and asking for a free evaluation of our outward actions and our inward thoughts and intentions.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, may the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts, be acceptable in Your sight. Lord, please give us strength and boldness to fight off the likes of Satan that would cause our actions and/or thoughts and sadden You. Lord, we want to be just like You, inside and out, but we can only do that with Your strength, as we have no power over Satan. Please know our hearts and protect us in our thoughts that may often be fed by the evil one, so that You may have freedom to not only bless us, but also bless others through us. I ask these things in greatest humility, AMEN!