Live Before God The Testimony You Portray Before Man

On 2016-11-122016-11-12 By Ed AlgreenIn Honesty, Hypocritical, WitnessLeave a comment

Saturday, 2016-11-12

Scripture

Bible Reference: Isaiah 1:14–17

Bible Text: I’m sick of your religion, religion, religion, while you go right on sinning. When you put on your next prayer-performance, I’ll be looking the other way. No matter how long or loud or often you pray, I’ll not be listening. And do you know why? Because you’ve been tearing people to pieces, and your hands are bloody. Go home and wash up. Clean up your act. Sweep your lives clean of your evildoings so I don’t have to look at them any longer. Say no to wrong. Learn to do good. Work for justice. Help the down-and-out.
Stand up for the homeless. Go to bat for the defenseless.

Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take

In the days that Isaiah addressed his writings, there were sacrifices at the temple for just about every thing imaginable. However, based on my understanding of Isaiah’s message, I believe God became very agitated at all of the sacrifices while still seeing the same folk who brought the sacrifices live just like the rest of the world, trying to cover up their worldliness by bringing sacrifices and visiting the temple often. In The Message, I feel like Eugene Peterson did a great job in presenting this scripture in terms that really opens our minds to where, and how, we still live today. For I believe that way too often we sit back and read about Old Testament teachings and just can’t get over the awful things they did back then. Friends, unfortunately I believe that God had these words placed in His Book of Instruction (the Bible), because He knew that His people who are often called by His name today, would still try to pull off the same nonsense, assuming that their testimony to man is taken at surface level, because they just can’t see what goes on in the hearts and minds of so called ‘Christians’. I believe that God would have me remind us today that it is the testimony before God that really matters, for only He can match the words from our lips with the intent of our heart, our very thoughts, and our outward actions. I can give you a good example, I believe: I live in a small community where it appears like very few attend a regular church service – a normal indication of an inward decision they may have made to the Lord. My wife and I usually hear comments about how often we leave for a church meeting of one type or another. And not that we have attained perfection, by any stretch of our imagination, but we often hear remarks about our attitude, our commitment and our stand as a Christian. Imagine if those things were opposing to the first remark that I said we often hear, do you suppose we would ever be able to witness to our neighbor. However, as indicated already, God is able to deal with me in passages of scripture like this, because He knows my very thoughts, and He sees my actions in all aspects of life, so I feel like God is ministering to me in much the same way that I pray you would be impacted as you meditate on this devotional today. Friends, I am convinced that God wants us to reach for the perfection that He demonstrated for us, and stop using the excuses like “Well, I’m only human”, or “Oops, I shouldn’t have thought or said that, but God knows I’m not perfect”. I believe that God wants the church to be the church. In other words, I believe that He desires to see the world become confused when they deal with Christians and find them to be totally different to the rest of the world. In fact, it should make them feel like they just had an encounter with Jesus! Unfortunately we still find today that there are multiple opportunities for folk to attend church. I pray that as we exit the doors of our churches, we would carry with us the likeness of Jesus Christ. That we would unashamedly be His hands; His feet and His witness to a world that desperately need Him as Savior and Lord. May our actions, attitudes and thoughts enhance the picture that the world sees, and not be a stumbling block to those who need to know our Savior, because of the hypocrisy that they may witness in our lives.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, You were so serious about Your love for us, that You allowed Your very own Son to die a cruel death for our salvation. Yet I believe that You probably have as much need as ever before to be upset at us for being so casual about our Christian life and walk here on earth. Please forgive us Lord, and renew within us a right spirit so that the words from our lips, the thoughts from our hearts and the desires of our very being, may always be acceptable in Your sight, our Rock; our Redeemer; our Savior and our Lord, 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!

How’s Your Heart?

On 2016-11-11 By Ed AlgreenIn Forgiveness, Heart, SinLeave a comment

Friday, 2016-11-11

Scripture

Bible Reference: Psalm 51:16-17

Bible Text: ¹⁶I would surrender my dearest possessions or destroy all that I prize to prove my regret, but You don’t take pleasure in sacrifices or burnt offerings. ¹⁷What sacrifice I can offer You is my broken spirit because a broken spirit, O God, a heart that honestly regrets the past, You won’t detest.

Bible Translation: The Voice (Voice)

My Take

From a very early age, we demand our kids to say “I’m sorry” when they have wronged a sibling or someone else. Also from a very early age we easily detect that those words are sometimes forced out of kids, because they know that parents are not satisfied until they hear their kids, in obedience, say “I’m sorry”. So what do we think happens when we meet God personally? “Lord, I’m sorry for my sin”, might come quite naturally when introduced to Jesus, but how sorry are we, really, when we turn around and do the same thing over and over again. David, the Psalmist, was confronted about his awful sin with Bathsheba, and while he could very easily spurt those famous words out to Nathan the prophet, David had to face his all-knowing God with this sin. Now we should be reminded that God didn’t only know the fact that Nathan just presented to David, but God knows even our thoughts and the intent of our heart. So do you really think that it would have helped for David to sacrifice a sheep or a goat on the altar as his way of saying I’m sorry? For the world, that may have been enough, because from all apparent evidence, David would have acknowledged his sin and paid the price for his forgiveness. But just like you and I, David not only needed this to look good in the eyes of his friends and the local priests, but in true repentance, he wanted a clean heart in the presence of his God. So friends, we not only need to ask for forgiveness from our earthly friends, family and the impacted one(s) for our sin, but in order to right our heart and resume our oneness with God, and to one day present ourselves faultless before our King, we must get before God in humility and deepest sincerity and ask for His forgiveness. Like David, we must always be aware that God desires:

A broken spirit – this means that we must be willing to break down our pride of thinking we know everything, and thinking that what occurred was a private matter between two consenting adults. We must acknowledge that we recognize that our hearts and our lives are transparent before an all-knowing God, so we may as well ‘come clean’ and ask His forgiveness for everything we have done or said or thought that may be contrary to His perfect design and will. There is nothing we can hide from God, so may I encourage you to break down the walls of pride and secrecy and be totally open with God;
A humble heart that honestly regrets the past (our sin) – Our acts may have been fun at the time, or our words may have revenged the individual we were out to get back at, but I believe that when the God of this universe looks into our eyes and our hearts, and He sees unconfessed sin, then we will be pushed aside or rejected from His presence, as sin cannot enter His kingdom.

I was at a conference yesterday where we were reminded that when we stand before God, we will deal with our personal condition in the face of a righteous, all-knowing God. The normal tendency of our actions here on earth of trying to compare to another individual, or pointing out their sin, while pushing ours under the table, is not the way God will handle our judgment on that day that we stand before Him, for that will be a one-on-one conversation. It won’t matter what the neighbor did, or the deacon said, it will only matter how in sync our heart is with a righteous and perfect God. If that was to happen today, and it could very easily happen, what would God challenge you with? Consider getting that straight today friend, for we have no assurance of a second chance to do so tomorrow.

Prayer

Father God, You created us, included our heart, our soul, our mind and our intellect. Why would we ever think that we could hide anything from You is most astonishing to our sober minds when we are not trying to escape Your wrath. Please speak to those who seek after you today. Lord Jesus, may the words from our lips and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in Your sight, our Rock, our Redeemer, our Savior and our Lord. AMEN!

Footnote

Concerned Enough To Actually Pray

On 2016-11-10 By Ed AlgreenIn Caring, Needs, Needs of others, PrayerLeave a comment

Thursday, 2016-11-10

Scripture

Bible Reference: Nehemiah 1:2–4

Bible Text: ²Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. ³They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” ⁴When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven

Bible Translation: New International Version (NIV)

My Take

Ever shared your burden with a friend, and they promised to pray for you, but never followed up with you to see how you’re doing? Ever stood in a line of folk entering or exiting a church, and while telling one parishioner that you will be praying for them, you are already looking at the next person and greeting them? I am not your judge on whether you follow through with those promised prayers for someone, but I can honestly share with you that I have said those words many times before and now stand ashamed before God acknowledging that I have often not followed through with praying for the needs that I promised someone I would pray for. Nehemiah’s actions in verse (4) really spoke to me, but what equally ministered to me, was the action he took in verse (2) by asking about the condition of his Jewish brothers who had survived the exile. How many times do you leave church upset that the pastor never even asked you how you were feeling? Now, may I ask you a more challenging question, how many times in the last 4 weeks have you asked how things are going at the church at a very high level, or how might you pray for your pastor? Friends, too often we want to know what’s going on because we want every little piece of gossip we could get. I believe that Nehemiah is teaching us to settle for an answer like “I am really struggling today, please pray for my health”, or “I am feeling discouraged today, please pray for me”, or a pastor may say “I am feeling overwhelmed today because I am concerned about so many parishioners who are hurting emotionally and/or sick”. I believe that if we could settle for prayer needs such as that, instead of needing to know every little detail, then more pastors and/or Brothers and Sisters would share their high level prayer requests with us. But remember, most won’t share their prayer requests with us if we don’t care enough to ask. Now let me draw our attention to the depth of Nehemiah prayer. For he not only cared enough to ask about the conditions of his people, but he followed through with days of mourning, fasting and praying before God for the needs of his people. I recently took part in a prayer chain, where I committed to enter into God’s presence for one hour, praying over this certain heart-felt concern. Because I have been accustomed to short, quick conversations with God, that hour felt like an eternity. Look at the condition of Nehemiah’s heart over this concern for his people – he mourned, he fasted and he prayed for days. May I challenge you to dig deep into your heart, yes even those of you that are trying to have hearts like your Master, the Lord Jesus Christ, and consider the last time that you were burdened enough about your church, or pastor, or unsaved loved one that you found it more important to pray than to eat, and your heart was so burdened for the need that you wept uncontrollably before God in prayer for hours and days before you felt a breakthrough? Let’s care enough to actually pray about those things that concern us, and/or concern those that we love and care about. The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man/woman avails much. Communion with God will best prepare us for dealings with mankind!

Prayer

Lord Jesus, please touch Your people once again. Draw us unto Yourself so that with Your heart and Your love and Your concern for Your children, we too might become more devoted to caring for one another and praying sincerely for the needs of others. Regrettably, we have become such an instant, fast-paced people that we hardly leave time for showing deep concern for one another, for our pastors and for our churches. Please forgive us Lord, and teach us to pray in a way pleasing to You, and that reaches the hearts of those that we pray for. Our prayers are to You and for Your glory, so help us to never lose sight of our Savior by slacking in our prayer life. The world needs You, heavenly Father, and Christians need more of You to be effective witnesses for You. Please renew a right spirit with us, beginning with me, so that the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart will be acceptable in Your sight, oh Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. AMEN!

Footnote

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

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

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!

Footnote

How To Pray For One Another

On 2016-10-29 By Ed AlgreenIn Others first, Our Great BIG God, Our Help comes from God, PrayerLeave a comment

Saturday, 2016-10-29

Scripture

Bible Reference: Colossians 1:9-14

Bible Text: ⁹…. we have kept on praying and asking God to help you understand what he wants you to do; asking him to make you wise about spiritual things; ¹⁰and asking that the way you live will always please the Lord and honor him, so that you will always be doing good, kind things for others, while all the time you are learning to know God better and better. ¹¹We are praying, too, that you will be filled with his mighty, glorious strength so that you can keep going no matter what happens—always full of the joy of the Lord, ¹²and always thankful to the Father who has made us fit to share all the wonderful things that belong to those who live in the Kingdom of light. ¹³For he has rescued us out of the darkness and gloom of Satan’s kingdom and brought us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, ¹⁴who bought our freedom with his blood and forgave us all our sins.

Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

My Take

Wouldn’t it be glorious to see Christians pray for more than just the sick, or not just when a serious need is known throughout the community. Paul has taught us here to pray for the spiritual welfare of one another. Here are a few things that I believe we can gleam from this passage of scripture today. Imagine praying this for our Brothers and Sisters in the Lord, that God would help them:

Seek and understand God’s will for their lives;
Have God’s wisdom about spiritual things;
Live to please and honor God;
Do those things for others that God might lead them to do;
Learn to know God better and better;
To be so filled with God’s might and strength, that they would keep going, no matter what;
Always be full of the joy of the Lord;
Always be thankful to God for making them fit to live in the Kingdom of Light, because of His grace alone;
Remember where they came from (the kingdom of darkness) into the Kingdom of God’s Son;

Notice a few things about those prayer items:

None are geared towards yourself;
All of them seek to draw your Christian Brother or Sister closer to the Lord, and not get richer here on earth by winning a lottery, or the likes of that;
That each items tends to better align the person you are praying for, with his Master and Lord, Jesus Christ;
That the Brother or sister you pray for will be so filled with Jesus, that their life would be a living testimony to their lost family and friends. In other words, by their testimony, others will be drawn to the Lord.

I can only imagine that we would then have more Christians, and more church attendees who know more about their Lord, than they do about their sports idol, or about the misfortunes of their friends. I also believe that we will see folk who are blessed beyond measure, because even though they did not spend most of their time praying for themselves, they are blessed beyond measure for lifting up the spiritual needs of a friend. I truly believe that God will bless us for praying this way, as He would to those for whom we are praying.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You for putting us first! For You sacrificed life itself for the eternal benefit of those who believe on You. Please help us to get outside of our own little box and concentrate more on the needs of others – particularly the spiritual needs of others. Lord, if Your people, who are known by Your name, would humble themselves and pray, you promised that You would heal our land. There is such a need right now in this world, in our country, in our towns, our churches and our homes. You have shown us through Paul’s example how we should pray for others – even those who know You as Lord already. Please help us to be faithful in our prayers for others. May Your children know more about You and Your wonderful works, than any other subject or pastime we may get involved in. May it be evident to others that You are ruler in our lives, for I ask these things wanting to see You alone receive the glory, AMEN!

Footnote

A Woman Who is Worth More Than Precious Gems!

On 2016-10-28 By Ed AlgreenIn Commitment, Dedicated, Love, MarriageLeave a comment

Friday, 2016-10-28

Scripture

Bible Reference: Proverbs 31:10–12

Bible Text: ¹⁰If you can find a truly good wife, she is worth more than precious gems! ¹¹Her husband can trust her, and she will richly satisfy his needs. ¹²She will not hinder him but help him all her life.

Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

My Take

Throughout the Bible we see where crowds are usually counted based on the number of men in the crowd, even if women and children are present. We basically see where women are kept in the background of many Bible stories and especially in ancient church leadership. In fact, one may sometimes wonder if they were considered ‘second-class’ citizens. In my study today I came across two instances where we are reminded that women are super important to the kingdom of heaven, to their husbands, to their children, and to the church. In my new testament reading in Romans 16, Paul commended a female deacon, Phoebe, and He encouraged his friends to honor Phoebe as one who is worthy among the people of God. In Proverbs 31 we see where a good portion of that chapter is devoted to expressing the value of women to God, to their husbands, to their children and to their communities. In Proverbs 31:23, we are reminded that men worthy of being community leaders, can successfully fulfill his responsibilities when he is blessed with a good wife who knows the Lord, and is honorable in her home, for she not only supports her husband in clothing and feeding him, but in her prayers for his success also. Friends, I pray that not one man will stand and boast about how good or successful he is, because invariably you will find that he has the support of a praying mom and/or a supportive, loving, encouraging and praying wife. I have found that as I express love and worth to my wife, she in turn offers prayer, support and encouragement for my success. I am reminded from the Word of God, that Jesus expects for me to love and care for my wife, like He loves and cares for His church. He expressed that love through the biggest sacrifice recorded in history, for he gave of his own life, so that we may have access to the only One capable of forgiveness for our sins. With the purity that comes with a heart cleansed by Jesus Christ, we are acceptable for entry into heaven, and an audience with the Father. Our short lives here on this earth are filled with steps that lead us to our ultimate destination where we will spend eternity. In a major portion of this life, we (men) are surrounded by women who are ordained by God to care for us, push us towards success, support us in leadership, care for and love our children and pray for our walk with the Lord. We, in turn, must be willing to do whatever it takes, including total sacrifice as Jesus did for us, to bring fulfillment, happiness, and godly leadership into their lives so that they might also be honorable before God. This is a two-way thing Brothers! While Christ is very worthy of fulfilling the requests brought to Him by our wives, He expects us to do our part as worthwhile, God-filled husbands, to make them the virtuous women that He desires. Men, are you prepared to rededicate Your life to Jesus and ask Him to help you to rededicate the commitment, love and protection your wife needs from you?

Prayer

Lord Jesus, we have been reminded of the love You showed for us on Calvary, the love expected of husbands towards their wives, and how all of this could lead to helping our wives be the virtuous women that You desire in Your kingdom, in our lives and in this world. There’s great responsibility from all involved, but this leads to a beautiful relationship between husband and wife, and fully dedicated lives by both before a lost world, all for Your glory. Based on my study, I truly believe that this is Your desire for us. Please help us to be obedient and willing servants so that others may see, hear and believe on You. I ask these things all for your glory, AMEN!

Footnote

Attributes of Your Faith

On 2016-10-26 By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, Holy Spirit, Hope, JoyLeave a comment

Wednesday, 2016-10-26

Scripture

Bible Reference: Romans 15:13

Bible Text: I pray that God, who gives hope, will bless you with complete happiness and peace because of your faith. And may the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope.

Bible Translation: The Contemporary English Version (CEV)

My Take

I believe that Paul has outlined some attributes of our faith that should be evident, if we are truly committed to the Lord Jesus Christ and depending on the Holy Spirit every day, even while living on this earth among the multitude of sins evident everywhere we turn, and the impact/havoc that sin can have on us. Here is advice, that I feel, we can search our hearts for and to seek God’s favor for:

The origin of ‘HOPE’ – Friends, I believe that God wanted Paul’s hearers and us to know that our hope is not dependent on our family, our church or our country, but comes from God alone. Whenever we begin to feel despondent over life’s circumstances, or the crime rate, or the multitude of lost ones all around us, and we worry about the constant bombardment of evil, there is only One that we can turn to for hope. We may be worried sick over the leader our people may elect to lead us, but we are reminded that God holds the future in His hands, so who are we to try and correct world events. He has a plan designed for the duration of our time friends, and gives us peace of mind about all that is in store for us. Because of the hope that we have in Jesus Christ, we can rest assured that we will be taken care of and that our destiny, after this wicked sinful world, is far greater than anything we could possibly experience here on earth.
Faith – We can read about it, and we have probably witnessed the hope in our forefathers and church leaders, but we will never experience complete happiness and peace personally, until we have the faith, based on our trust in Jesus Christ, to totally depend on God for all aspects of life. This kind of faith is the kind spoken of in Proverbs 30:7-9 where Solomon pleaded with God to give him enough provisions to see him through each day, and detailed his concerns about too little or too much. I believe that God is teaching us to sincerely seek that kind of deep faith, knowing that without it, we would never see true happiness nor peace. Christian friend, at what level do you suppose your happiness meter would register today if God helped you evaluate your faith and dependence on Him?
The reassurance of the Holy Spirit – Friends, I believe that God is teaching us here that as we draw closer to Him, His Holy Spirit will fill us with much hope and happiness by reassuring us of the One who holds our future, who watches out for us day after day, and who still loves us so much that He will see us safely on through eternity to one day be with He and His Father – God himself!

I don’t know about you friend, but these things from this very short verse has reminded me of the awesome God that I serve and that I can depend on today and every day to hold my hand, and lead me through every circumstance that may come my way. How is it with you today? Is your Hope and Faith seated firmly in the Lord Jesus Christ? Is the Holy Spirit active in your life, filling you with everlasting happiness and peace, until the Lord Jesus comes again to take you home to heaven? If not, why not? Seek God and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you child of God!

Prayer

Lord Jesus, we are so caught up in every aspect of life and endure so much stress over what we think we could do to fix the wrongs that affect us in various ways. Yet we come across passages like this from Your Word that redirects us to consider our relationship with You. We are assured once again that You are in control, and You have the keys to our happiness here on earth, and the hope of our eternity in heaven with You. Thank You for reminding us that our responsibility is to trust in You, and not mess things up worse than they are already by trying to fix them ourselves. Our very happiness depends on You Lord! Please renew our faith, our hope and our total dependence on Your sweet Holy Spirit that You have given to us as our comforter and everlasting source of joy and hope. ‘I’m Yours Lord, everything I am, everything I’ve got, everything I’m not‘ please fill me and my readers with so much of You that others will see Jesus and believe on Him. AMEN!