Tag: Bible

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

On 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.

God is still God!

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Allegiance to the Lamb, Bible Believing, Born Again, Christian, Eternal Life, Faith, Follow Jesus, God Cares For Us, God our Helper, God our Provider, God Reigns, God’s Word, Heaven, Listen to the Word of God, Righteousness, Things Eternal, Victorious Life, Worry no moreLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE Studied: Genesis 12

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants. ” And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord, who had appeared to him.8 After that, Abram traveled south and set up camp in the hill country, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built another altar and dedicated it to the Lord, and he worshiped the Lord.9 Then Abram continued traveling south by stages toward the Negev. 10 At that time a severe famine struck the land of Canaan, forcing Abram to go down to Egypt, where he lived as a foreigner. Gen 12:7-10 (NLT)

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

At the beginning of this chapter it is so amazing to see God at work in Abram’s life, and also Abram being so obedient to leave his hometown and all the people that he knew, to move to a foreign land far away. In these verses, it is also interesting to note that during Abram’s journey everything was not rosy, no, everything did not go without a hitch and/or challenges. In fact, while passing through Canaan there was a great famine that hit the area. Now in a perfect world, most of us would say that if this was a journey destined by God, led and directed by Him, then why would there be obstacles. Friends this is the same way it is today. Just because we surrender our hearts to the Lord, we are not exempted from all the trials and tribulations of this world – at least as long as we live in this world! Often challenges will come our way – the question, or challenge for us is to determine is, which way will we go? A life totally surrendered to God will always do like Abram did, we will wait for further instructions, while during the interim challenge, looking to God for direction and depending on Him for strength to overcome. I believe that often our faith is determined by how we handle trials, not just on how well we do during the times of blessings and riches. God is still God during the highs, and during the lows of our lives. We must insure that our faith holds strong daily, because we don’t know what may be in store for us each day. Let’s think in terms of a partnership, we don’t jump ship on our partner on a day when things are rough, nor do we when our partnership celebrates its highs. A true partnership stays in tact during both good and bad times. So should our relationship with God. What are you facing today? Trust only in God and never lean on your own understanding, for only He knows what lies ahead for us. I love the words of that gospel song “God of the Mountain”, listen to it and be blessed as you reflect on the words of this Bible passage.

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

Like in the case of Abram, You bless me beyond measure each day oh God, and this morning I want to say thank You with all of my heart. Please forgive me when I worry about the challenges I see in life from the small perspective of my personal abilities. Please help me to stay so focused on You that I will always look through Your eyes and therefore face life’s challenges with the benefit of Your unlimited power and Your everlasting love for me. I believe that as I place my faith totally in You, I will always receive Your protection and You will bring me through life’s challenges in ways that will bring You glory. I know that this may not always come in the way that I may personally desire, but Lord I pray that You will help me to hide behind the cross and allow Your glory to shine through in all that I do or say. Self is insignificant in the whole scheme of things, for only those things that are done for Christ will last. May Your love shine through in all that is done in Your name this Christmas time! Thank You for sending Your Son as a babe, so that we may ultimately be re-born into life with You, and accepted into Your kingdom!