Tag: Deliverer

Allow God to Use You Today Exactly where You are at

On By Ed AlgreenIn direction, Esther, God's Guidance, Obedience, TimeLeave a comment

Thursday, 2019-03-28

Bible Reference: Esther 4:12–14
Translation: The Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Bible Text: When Mordecai was told what Esther had said,  he sent back this reply, “Don’t think that you will escape being killed with the rest of the Jews, just because you live in the king’s palace. If you don’t speak up now, we will somehow get help, but you and your family will be killed. It could be that you were made queen for a time like this!”

OBSERVATION: Many will buy a ‘chance’ today, to win millions of dollars in a lotto! Others will attribute their being located in a specific place around specific people as circumstantial, or by accident, or even mere luck. However, we should meditate on the words of Mordecai in this Scripture today, and understand that God has an ordained place for us to be today, with certain people, for a specific purpose that only He knows. Let’s anticipate the blessings that might ensue, as a result of our obedience to God today!

APPLICATION: Mordecai challenged Esther to reconsider her reason for not assisting him in his plea to save the lives of all Jews in the area at that time. Maybe up to this point Esther was thinking that it was because of her beauty that she was favored to be queen under King Xerxes, or perhaps her gentle character or even her kind-hearted attitude. However, was Esther really any worse that some of us? I believe that way too often we tend to attribute our location to something that we have always desired; Our job position on something we have worked hard for, and achieved; Our spouse on the attraction one towards the other; Our church on being the most popular in the area with the best worship music or preaching or teaching of God’s Word. But friend have you stopped to reflect on where you are at in each of these areas of your life right now, and how God had a hand in it all? Have you reflected recently on the gentle, but firm guidance in your life to get you where you are at in every aspect of life? I can personally share that there have been many situations in my life where I can reflect back and see exactly how and why God directed me to where I am today. So do I believe that God has me where He wants me for a time such as this? I can only respond very positively, based on my faith in Him and on the ways that He has operated in my life already. Now I’ve also seen Him close doors, so don’t assume that everything will be super positive, clean and just the way we want it, or like it. If we trust Him for direction in our lives, then we must trust Him for all the benefits and/or fallouts we might see, especially in those cases where answers may of been delivered differently to what we had our minds made up for. Friends, if you are a child of the King – a born-again Christian, you are who you are; and where you are; surrounded by everyone God has ordained to be there – for such a time as this. May God use this time to draw you closer to Himself and to be especially obedient to Him, so that He can use You to accomplish His work right where you are, just as you are.

PRAYER: Father, You are such an awesome God and I thank You for reaching in through hoards of other folk, to acknowledge the needs and opportunities of this simple man. Thank You for loving me that much! I’m sure that my readers and I could identify with the encouragement and push needed by Esther, because we often find it easier to poke our heads in the sand and ignore needs around us. Now we are reminded that we are divinely gifted and purposefully placed where we are in life for such a time as this. Please use us, Your instruments of praise, to continue to do Your will, and may we always be obedient and willing servants. I ask these things in faith, and in the precious name of Jesus, AMEN!

Protect Your Heart From Anything That Might Replace God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Awesome God, Priorities, Priority, SacrificeLeave a comment

Monday, 2019-03-25

Bible Reference: 1 John 5:18-21
Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

Bible Text: No one who has become part of God’s family makes a practice of sinning, for Christ, God’s Son, holds him securely, and the devil cannot get his hands on him. We know that we are children of God and that all the rest of the world around us is under Satan’s power and control.And we know that Christ, God’s Son, has come to help us understand and find the true God. And now we are in God because we are in Jesus Christ his Son, who is the only true God; and he is eternal Life. Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts. Amen.

OBSERVATION: Safe in the arms of Jesus is where I want to be when this life is over, but I would dare say that my goal each day is to be secure in His arms – protected by Him, loved by Him, encouraged by Him and directed by Him. Child of God, I believe that our Scripture reaffirms that when we are securely His and when we surrender wholeheartedly to His will, He will fill us with so much of Himself that there will be little room for anything else. However, to get there we must surrender to His will and His Lordship. A place where all believer should strive to be – daily.

APPLICATION: I was drawn to the first part of this scripture that assures me that if I am truly a child of the King, I am held securely in His hand and under His protection from the Evil One. Then John clearly delineates who truly is controlled by Satan, and I pray that each one reading this devotional have made a firm commitment to graduate from that dark, sinful world, into the welcoming, loving, forgiving arms of our Lord and Savior. If you are still struggling with sin dear friend, then I would recommend that you go back to step one and check your son-ship with the Father. Was that an automatic thing you assumed because you were attending church every time the doors were opened? Was it something where you felt pressured into making a decision, or did you ever feel drawn by God’s Holy Spirit to surrender your old life of sin, and accept Him as Your personal Savior? May I encourage you to use the place, date or time of your adoption into the kingdom of Light, especially the next time that Satan tries to cause you doubt about whose you are? But friends, in spite of all the great insight already mentioned, the very last sentence is a powerful statement. When I think of what might take God’s place in our hearts, I tend to think of anything that might interrupt our personal time with the Lord. These are the times where you are spiritually refueled to go on stronger in the faith. And if anything steps into that space, or disrupts the time you had set aside to be with God, then I wonder if perhaps that’s what John was cautioning us about? For any relationship to flourish, I feel it is important for daily time together. When you are not meeting those committed times, then obviously something else is taking priority over your time alone with God. Perhaps another area might be church attendance. I know, just as staying in your garage overnight will not turn you into a car, so church attendance will not save you! However, I believe that a true child of God would want to be with God’s people at every opportunity. In fact, the Word infers this to be a characteristic of a believer. Furthermore, church attendance gives you the opportunity to praise and worship our Creator – the giver of all good things in this life; you also have the opportunity to be blessed by hearing how God has blessed others and answered their prayers; plus you have the opportunity to minister to others by sharing your God experiences with them. So if you’re not there, will someone go lacking that night, or that day? Will God be understanding of what took priority over Your time with Him? Is another ‘god’ slipping into the picture?

PRAYER: Lord I pray that You might use this devotional to awaken me to the desires of my heart and my relationship with you. May I be found faithful in all things oh God, and may You have prominence in all that I am. Touch the hearts of my readers dear Lord. May each of us be reminded of the priority You placed on making sure that our sins are forgiven, forever. With that same determination, commitment and priority may we be extra careful to not let anything interfere with the overwhelming and powerful role that You play in our lives. I believe that others will see and believe! Thank You gracious and loving God for loving us so much. AMEN!

Find Out How Much You Love God’s Children

On By Ed AlgreenIn Christian love, Love, ObedienceLeave a comment

Tuesday, 2019-03-19

Bible Reference: 1 John 5:1-4
Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

Bible Text: If you believe that Jesus is the Christ—that he is God’s Son and your Savior—then you are a child of God. And all who love the Father love his children too. So you can find out how much you love God’s children—your brothers and sisters in the Lord—by how much you love and obey God. Loving God means doing what he tells us to do, and really, that isn’t hard at all; for every child of God can obey him, defeating sin and evil pleasure by trusting Christ to help him.

OBSERVATION: Do you love God? How about God’s children, do you love them also? The extent to which you love God, will show how much you love His children! Is it evident how much you love God? Let’s stop and ponder this Scripture today, as we consider these very important questions.

APPLICATION: Through John, God has actually given us the formula for measuring how well we’re doing in loving God, and in loving fellow believers! In fact we are told in these verses today that the degree to which we love fellow believers is proportionate to how much we love and obey God. Ok, so I’m sure that you probably assume you truly love one another, because you are very sure that you really love God. But do you really?  The Word declares that the love referenced here is not just a verbal thing, or a feeling, but instead if we truly love God, we will do what He tells us to do. For some that will be easy, because we pray and we seek God’s face through His precious Word. When we truly love God, we will not just listen to His commands, His teachings, His instructions for us, and His example that He set for us to follow, but we will be willing to live out in total obedience all that He commands us to do. Friends, our instructions and our reminders will not just come from the pulpit on the weekend, or from a Bible teacher, but primarily come from a one-on-one relationship with your maker. This might include getting into His Instruction Manual, the Bible, daily; it will include communicating with Him throughout your day; it will include sharing with others about the most important thing that ever happened to you. Friends, if it’s truly on the inside, it will come out in your words, actions and attitudes. Don’t know where to start? You may want to follow a good devotional, such as the one you’re now reading, or you may want to look for a Bible Reading Plan of your own. Whatever you decide, just remember to seek God’s face first – as it takes the Spirit of God to truly open your eyes to the spiritual truths of our awesome God. Not much of a reader? It doesn’t matter, when you seek God’s face first and ask Him to open your mind to His ways and His thoughts, and His teachings, you will find that those simple words on a page, actually reveals the perfect will of God for your life right where you’re at during that very moment. Highlight as He speaks to you, and make notes to remind yourself how He spoke to you. Note that in today’s scripture we are taught that through loving God and obeying all that He instructs us, then we will defeat sin and evil pleasures. Our love for God will become so pure and so real, that we will also love everything that God loves and everyone that He loves. So are you struggling with any part of this today friend? Let me encourage you to try the above ideas for at least seven days, and I believe God will give you a burning desire to continue doing the same for the rest of the time you remain on this earth! Love and obedience to God leads to love for the brethren friend!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You not only tell us to love one another, but You have even gone the extra step of showing us just how to accomplish that. How unfortunate, that a God who sacrificed His only Son for us on Calvary, must now tell us how important it is for us to love His Son. How deep the Father’s love for us, even in spite of our unworthiness. Yet how easy it is for us to say that we struggle in loving our Christian Brothers and Sisters, when we don’t fully appreciate the love of our Father, or see fit to obey His simple commands. Please forgive us dear Lord and continue to draw us to Yourself with an even deeper determination to love and obey You. I sincerely thank You for Your love, and for all these things I have asked throughout this devotional, for it is in the precious and loving name of Jesus that I ask, AMEN!

How To Know That The Spirit of God Dwells in Someone

On By Ed AlgreenIn Dedicated, Example of Christ, Genuine example of Jesus, Genuine FaithLeave a comment

Monday, 2019-03-18

Bible Reference: 1 John 4:2–3
Translation: The Message (MSG)

Bible Text: Here’s how you test for the genuine Spirit of God. Everyone who confesses openly his faith in Jesus Christ—the Son of God, who came as an actual flesh-and-blood person—comes from God and belongs to God. And everyone who refuses to confess faith in Jesus has nothing in common with God.

OBSERVATION: Ever been questioned, or have you ever questioned  whether a Brother is genuine, or a Sister sincere in her faith and teaching? I was in awe this morning as I read the Word, for John, gives us pointers about this very matter.

APPLICATION: Not only will this help us identify the Spirit of God in others, but I believe this also helps us to examine ourselves and the kind of witness we portray to others. Some of the key points we are to consider and/or portray to determine, or prove, the genuine Spirit of God are: (1) Confesses openly about his/her/my faith in Jesus Christ; (2) Acknowledges that Jesus is the genuine, only Son of God; (3) Believes and declares that Jesus came to this earth in human form; (4) Believes that Jesus Comes from God; Belongs to God; And, as verified in other scriptures, He is also God. Friends, we are well aware of the awful feelings we have when we discover that we’ve been given a fake check, or a fake currency note, or perhaps encounter a person claiming to be someone they truly are not. The latter is comparable to us bringing damnation on ourselves when we claim to be a messenger, or witness, or representation of God, without having a first-hand experience with His Son Jesus. Friends, others will see straight through our fake-ness. Our Christianity is evidenced on the outside from a heart experience on the inside. Have you given Your heart to Jesus? Has He been allowed to control Your innermost emotions, convictions and decisions? Have you invited Jesus to take charge and to speak and work through you wholeheartedly? Can others see and feel the Spirit of God working in and through you on the outside and confirm the points suggested by John? Will they know you are a child of the King, or do you need to tell them? Will you commit to speak to God about this? He deserves genuine believers, because He showed His genuine love for us on Calvary in that He offered Himself, in obedience to His Father, to be a sacrifice for those who despised and hated Him. He showed real, genuine, love beyond anything mankind has ever experienced. He loved us with wide, outstretched arms! Do you love and appreciate my Lord enough today to be bold in your witness and tell others of His great love, even if you are certain that they will make a mockery of you? Will they recognize the spirit of God residing inside of you?

PRAYER: Dear God, I am amazed at the genuine love shown for me on Calvary’s cross. You were born into this world, lived among men and in spite of Your love for them, they crucified You. This is the unfortunate evidence of Your human experience here on earth. Thank You for continuing to accept humans into Your kingdom, and I especially thank You for accepting me. Please forgive us when we allow our peers to distract our walk with You. Lord, I am seeking Your help to make me more like You in every way while here on earth, so that others will not be distracted by a sense of false identity. I desire for them to see the hands and feet of Jesus, so that they may be drawn to You oh Lord. Please deal deeply in the hearts of those who will meditate on this devotional today, so that we might not only know You as Lord and Savior, but that we may follow Your example in everything we say and do. To God be the glory, for all that our surrendered, and fully dedicated lives might yield for the Kingdom of God. AMEN!

The Glistening Purity of Jesus Christ

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bold Confidence, Commitment, How to Live, Pure, PurityLeave a comment

Monday, 2019-03-11

Bible Reference: 1 John 3:1–3
Translation: The Message (MSG)

Bible Text: What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are. But that’s also why the world doesn’t recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he’s up to. But friends, that’s exactly who we are: children of God. And that’s only the beginning. Who knows how we’ll end up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we’ll see him—and in seeing him, become like him. All of us who look forward to his Coming stay ready, with the glistening purity of Jesus’ life as a model for our own.

OBSERVATION: When last have you recognized a child of God? Do you suppose that the world sees a difference in you, versus the rest of the world? Do you feel like the love and character of Christ glows through you in every word or action that comes from you? I find it reassuring that in these verses we are told that when we see Christ, we will become like Him – the glistening purity of the Holy One! I believe that also reaffirms that the things of this world, and the evil one, will no longer have a hold on us! What a day that will be!!

APPLICATION: I see such a sweet assurance in the beginning verse of how much my heavenly Father loves me, and how He calls us His children. My eyes were also opened to the reminder that the world may very well dislike us, because they do not have an appreciation for the things, or character of God. But then I realize that if we do not conform to the ways of the world, then they would hate us anyway, per Romans 12:2. In fact that verse tells us that God will change us from the inside out, so of course we will be different to anything we, or they have ever witnessed before. But friends, the captioned verses today reminds us that our God will come one day to take us home to be with Him. Now that’s a day that we all look forward to, amen? But what about the here and now, what are we to be doing – how then shall we be living? Thankfully John covers this in verse 3, for he advised that we should aim to live like Jesus. I found it interesting that the Message chose to use such an awesome description of the life we are to live: ‘Glistening purity of Jesus’. That makes me think that we are to live squeaky clean lives, just as Christ was perfectly clean/pure. Friends, I believe that the bottom line is that we live the changed life that we have committed ourselves to. If we don’t, imagine how confusing it must be for nonbelievers to hear us preaching the goodness of the Lord from our mouths, yet living like the Devil in our actions and all of our practices. Jesus was pure in every way, and that’s what we are called to do, and be, as children of God. Are you willing to commit to living the pure life exampled by Jesus Christ? We can do that with the sole help of the only pure and holy One – Jesus, the Christ! Let us therefore place our faith and trust in Him to live our lives pleasing to Him.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You lived a perfect life amidst lots of evil. We also are called to live the kind of pure life that You lived, even when our world seems more corrupt and sinful today than anytime in history. For those of us willing to live the example You have set before us, may You endow us with power, wisdom, determination and total surrender, so that the enemy might see Jesus in all that we do and say. We need You precious Savior. Please work miraculously through us so that Your work might be done, for Your glory only. AMEN!

Your Actions – More Important Than Your Words

On By Ed AlgreenIn Actions, WitnessLeave a comment

Bible Reference: Titus 2:7–8
Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

Bible Text:  And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching. Teach the truth so that your teaching can’t be criticized. Then those who oppose us will be ashamed and have nothing bad to say about us.

APPLICATION:  Paul had just spent the greater portion of a chapter telling Titus how important it was to teach the older men, the older women and the younger men the importance of their lives reflecting the love and truths of God. However, to tie this all together Titus was warned that the sticking point in all this would come when he personally lived the life that he was teaching the people to live. In fact, even those who opposed their ministry would be ashamed as they would find nothing hypercritical to say about them. Friends, it is easy to teach someone what the Good Book says, but it is way more effective when you live the life that you are teaching about. I love that saying that is sometimes used: “your actions are speaking so loudly that I can barely hear what is coming from your lips!” I truly believe that the success of effective ministry by teachers, preachers and fellow Christians are borne from their actions many more times than through the words they speak. Based on this, are you challenged today to seek God’s help in redirecting your actions to be more effective in your ministry and/or witnessing? Let’s seek God’s face, allow Him to impact our lives, and extend Himself out through us in everything we do or say, all for His ultimate glory!

PRAYER: Lord God, You are faithful to us in every way, and I am so appreciative of that! But I thank You today for reminding us that perhaps more impactful than the words we speak, are the actions we take towards our fellow mankind. Lord, may our actions today be way more reflective of Your teachings than anything we could possible say. Please minister to the unsaved, the discouraged and the despondent today through our actions, and if necessary, also through our words that would reflect Your teachings and Your will for them. We need You precious Lord, please direct our path today, all for Your glory and honor, AMEN!

As The Lord’s Servant…

On By Ed AlgreenIn Obedient, Servants of God, TeacherLeave a comment

Wednesday, 2019-02-20

Bible Reference: 2 Timothy 2:24–26
Translation: The Good news Translation (GNT)

Bible Text:  As the Lord’s servant, you must not quarrel. You must be kind towards all, a good and patient teacher, gentle as you correct your opponents, for it may be that God will give them the opportunity to repent and come to know the truth. And then they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the Devil, who had caught them and made them obey his will.

OBSERVATION: Look for the ‘so that’ phrases in Scripture. Often you will see that God has something intentional to accomplish through a particular word that just came before us in our Bible study. Today is one of those special times, and I believe that God is seeking our attention so that His Word might be better accepted by those we minister to. Dig in with me, won’t you?

APPLICATION:  An important tip I gained from a conference speaker, is to look for the ‘so that’ in God’s Word, as well as trying to use that connector in my prayers when asking God for things. In the scripture today, it is important for us to note that Paul is teaching Timothy to be conscious of the following things so that the people might see God and desire to know Him. I believe that it is critical for Christian leaders and teachers to leave no doubt that they follow the teaching that they share with others. In our Scripture today we see a few qualities emphasized by Paul, and I believe they are still just as critical to teachers and preachers of today, so let’s meditate on these:

  • Do not quarrel – remember, it takes two to quarrel! Sometimes it seems like Satan may have sent certain people into the classroom, or the church, to disrupt the teaching of God’s Word, because it appears like they do their very best to get the teacher off track. God expects us to be understanding and not quarrel. The last thing we want to do is to open the door to Satan’s temptations and roadblocks to God’s message. Remember the importance of our job in doing God’s work. If we commit to His work, and surrender our will to His, He will help us to deal with the distractions and troublemakers;
  • Be kind towards all – it is so human for us to love the ‘teacher’s pet’, but despise the troublemaker – the one who is constantly looking to put us on the spot with challenging questions, disrupt the class, or deliberately throw us off track;
  • Be a good and patient teacher – to be a good teacher, I believe it is important that we have sought God’s will for the class, studied the lesson well, and therefore excited about teaching all that God has taught you, to the students that God has placed before you at just that perfect time. To be patient, means that others in the room may have a word from God also, therefore they may have valuable input to add to your teaching. Being patient means accepting the fact that not everyone in the class will be at the same level you are at in knowledge or their relationship with the Lord;
  • Be gentle as you correct others – treat students as individuals that you want to help get into the boat, not sit back and watch them drown. Show them that you want them to understand what you are trying to relay. Show them that you care about them.

Let’s be careful to always remember that we are representing the Master, as we try to share His Word with others, so let’s act like we believe He would act, if He was standing before the class. Let’s look for His heart and try to imitate that same heart as we teach. God’s Word is very clear: He desires that none of His kids should perish. Let us therefore do all we can to help prevent any from perishing because of their sin, or lack of spiritual understanding. God can use even you, friend! Please be obedient to whatever He should ask of you.


PRAYER: Lord God, thank You for using even us to get Your message across to the lost, and to the stubborn who allows Satan to distract them. I agree that Your Word is very powerful, but I also know that often You will show one person something totally different to another saint, from exactly the same passage. Please help us to always recognize that as a key indicator that Your Word is alive and will speak to different folk differently. Please help us to study Your Word and be ready to share how It spoke to our heart. May our teaching fall on good and obedient ears so that Your will might be accomplished in the hearts of those who so desperately need You. Touch the hearts of Your Bible teachers even now dear Lord, so that they may proclaim Your Word in power and in the full strength intended. You are awesome oh God, and I worship and adore You today for who You are and for all that You teach me through Your Word. Have Your perfect will and way today oh Lord in the lives of all who open Your Word, AMEN!

Living A Godly Life

On By Ed AlgreenIn Godly actions, Godly lives, Like Jesus, SincereLeave a comment

Tuesday, 2019-02-19

Bible Reference: 2 Timothy 3:12
Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

Bible Text:  Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

APPLICATION:  On reading the subject of this devotional, one may have thought that our study might give reasons to worship today, because surely we could rejoicing over the joys of living a godly life! Yes, there is much to rejoice in as we, Christians, think about our eternal home in glory with our Master. However, what Paul is warning about in this short verse, is what we might expect to see while we remain here on earth. Of course you might respond that of course, we spread the joy of the Lord with everyone, and we worship and adore our Savior at every opportunity. As true as that may be friend, notice carefully the verbiage used by Paul, for he said that for us to live a ‘GODLY’ life, we should expect persecution. Living a ‘godly’ life means that you are not just going to obey the commands of God, but you have committed to study His Word carefully and then live your life patterned after Jesus. It means that your life will be so different to that of the general public, that they might look at you like you are really ‘strange’! Think about this friends, Jesus was not a ‘yes man’ to all that the Pharisees expected of Him, for He showed them the true meaning of unconditional love; of unselfish leadership; of placing others before themselves; of standing up for God in every aspect of life, even in our careers; and of changing certain rituals because they may not be aligned with the image or expectation of Jesus Christ. In short, Jesus upset the ‘apple cart’ every time He recognized wrong or ungodly living, regardless of who was caught in the crossfire. Let’s look at this from our current scenario. In almost every conversation with Christians, we recognize that we have mellowed a lot from the ways of our ancestors, because we have calculated that their ways were just too strict, or too literal, regarding Biblical teachings. We allow things in our churches now that were unheard of in the early church. When last have you heard of a summit where church leaders would humble themselves before God and surrender totally to His will for the churches they are leading? How long would church leaders be permitted to stay in their roles, if they returned from a conference and started making changes, because they felt God was wanting them to help steer His church back to Him? Are we ready to challenge our work bosses because we see the need to stand up for what we discern to be ungodly principles and/or practices? I don’t believe we will find anywhere in the Bible that Jesus caved in to the practices of the day because He was being too literal with the commands of His Father. If we have committed ourselves to live just like Jesus, should we cave in to worldly practices and demands? How will we explain that to God on Judgment Day? Although it is very easy to look at the general public and see the wrongs, and softening effects of the Gospel, I want to encourage each reader to look deeply inside of self, and examine yourself in light of the Gospel that you claim to be your guide. Allow God to speak into your life, will you?

PRAYER: Dear God, You have placed Your perfect Son before us so that we might have the pattern for life that would be pleasing to You. Yet, much like the Pharisees, we have designed our own pattern of living. Unfortunately not all aspects of our design meets the standards that were demonstrated by Jesus. Father, we want our lives and our churches to be aligned with You, yet we tend to place our own little spin to the truth You have taught us. Please forgive us for doubting; for changing Your ways to conform with the ways of this world; and for assuming Your role, when we should really be seeking Your face and Your will. To win the world for Jesus Christ, I feel like we should first be willing to demonstrate before them a sincere ‘godly’ life so that they can clearly see what they are committing to. Lord Jesus, please have Your will and Your way in the lives of Christians today, beginning with me. Please work miraculously in our churches so that we may truly be the cornerstone of Your worldwide mission to reach the lost while we wait for Your Big Day when You will come to take us home with You. I ask these things in the name of Jesus, AMEN!

2019

A Right Start for Your Day

On By Ed AlgreenIn Praise, Sovereign, WorshipLeave a comment

Wednesday, 2019-01-16

The Bible Reference For Today: Psalm 59:16–17
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

The Bible Text: But as for me, I will sing about your power. Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love. For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress. O my Strength, to you I sing praises, for you, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love.


My Take Away: In almost every aspect of life, a good beginning sets the stage for a good ending, and everything in between. Take for instance the construction of a house. If care is not taken to get the foundation perfectly level, can you imagine the disaster you will be faced with in every other phase of the construction, and even when you try to live in the house? So what happens then to your day when you wake up disgruntled, start by grumping at the dog and being less than respectful to your spouse? Can you possibly turn that around when you arrive at work and find the air conditioning or heat broken and the first employee to arrive prepared to quit your company and move on in their career? What if we had to imitate David and begin our day reflecting on, and singing about God’s power? You know, the same God who showed His gracious love for you by sacrificing His only Son, Jesus, to facilitate your way into heaven? You know, the same God that you witnessed bringing sunshine to your previous day – especially when you stopped and reflected on the number of friends and family who seemed doomed for an eternity in Hell and, had no hope here on earth? You know, the One who helped you to reflect on the satisfaction of having a job to go to and subsequently support your family – especially when you stopped and considered the relatives and friends who did not have a job? You know, the One who made sure that you had a safe place to rest your head the night before – especially when you turned on the news channel and saw stories of some sleeping under bridges or in tents? Friends, I believe we would have no difficulty at all finding a number of things to praise God for each morning, if only we could concentrate on the precious gifts that He gave to us the previous day. Yes, we live in an imperfect world, and I’m not naive enough to believe that everything went perfect in your previous day, but what I do know, is that if we learn to praise God for His many, undeserved, gifts then the stuff we didn’t like wouldn’t look near as bad. Furthermore, reflecting on the miracles, and the blessings, and the good things, and giving God credit for all that He did for us, gives us a sense of assurance to present our new day to that same God and plead His presence, His refuge, His guidance and His blessings on us as we strive to represent Him in every aspect of our lives. Imagine placing yourself in the hands of the Creator of this universe! Can you imagine any mountain that may be too tall or too tough for Him? Your anticipated path may seem impassable to you, but just remember friend, our Designer and Creator put those mountains in place for a purpose, and if we are to walk over, or through those mountains, He has the power to level the ground for us to pass! Praise the wonderful name of the Lord!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, glorious and almighty in all Your power, we are humbled before You today, feeling a little ashamed about how we tend to concentrate so much on the impossibilities of life instead of the accomplishments that were obviously handled by You on our behalf. Lord, we are so weak and helpless, but praise to Your wonderful grace, we who have accepted You as Lord, can praise You today for Your powerful hand intervening in our lives and protecting us from Satan’s destructive and misleading hand. Father, please inspire within us the desire to praise You with all assurance that You’ve got control of all things in the life of a believer, and for that reason we should always recognize Your power and Your might in all things, because of Your love for us. You are holy and so worthy oh Lord, and we are so needy. We humble ourselves before You in recognition of these things. Thank You for being our God, our Deliverer, our Protector, our Guide, our Savior and soon coming King! 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!

2016

Careful in Beginning Right

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Commitment, TrustLeave a comment

Tuesday, 2019-01-01

Bible Reference: Genesis 1:1-2
Translation: Amplified Bible (AMP)

Bible Text:IN THE beginning God (prepared, formed, fashioned, and) created the heavens and the earth. [Heb. 11:3.]
2 The earth was without form and an empty waste, and darkness was upon the face of the very great deep. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters.

OBSERVATION: At 12:01am today, January 1st. 2019, we were presented with a ‘clean slate’. In Genesis 1:1 God started with a similarly ‘clean slate’. It was just Him, and the Holy Spirit that hovered over the earth. I would strongly encourage you to read again the first chapter of Genesis and the Bible, for I believe that you will be reminded of how careful God provided everything we would need for life. To be reminded of that on this first day of a New Year, should impact us to think that God still has things in order for us to live like He designed. That takes all the worries out of life, if only we will trust God!

APPLICATION: Each day we face a ‘Clean Slate’, and we must decide whether, (1) We will go with the flow, and all of the evil that normally shows its face in our culture, or (2) We will seek the guiding hand of our Creator in whom we have placed our faith and trust. Similarly, we went to bed last night and not only put our bodies into a state of sleep, but also made our minds content in all that had happened in our life up to that point in time. When we awakened this morning, we could easily identify with what God faced at the very beginning, because we faced a world filled with sin, strife, trouble from every side, hurt feelings from our fellow Brothers and Sisters, because they are unfortunately facing the same challenges. If we do nothing at all, then we easily and quickly become a part of that same evil world. If we know the Master of this universe, and we dare trust in Him, then we must decide that we will not settle for the norm, but instead trust in God to lead us into the world that He has created, and in which He has provided everything for our survival and enjoyment. Friends, please be reminded that God did not just throw us into this world expecting us to survive without His ongoing help. In Genesis 1, we are told that each thing that God created was with deep thought, and designed for our ongoing survival and enjoyment. For example, I’ve always heard about God creating vegetation on the third day, but it wasn’t until today that God showed me the rest of the story. Read verses 11 – 13, and note how God created plants that either bore seeds, or fruit that contained seeds, so that reproduction could easily occur. Only God could be so careful in providing such awesome ways just for His kids! I’m, glad that I not only know that He loves me, but that I have committed to a personal relationship with Him. I would encourage each of you to consider the greatest decision you could make in 2019, accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord and trust in Him to daily care for you and direct your paths in ways that are pleasing to Him, and that are best for your future. He loves you friend, and He wants to be your Father. The next move is yours! Be bold, and do the right thing!

PRAYER: Thank You for Your many blessings oh Lord, and I especially thank You for allowing us to welcome in a New Year. Everything about this transition is unknown to us, but I can confidently call on the only One who knows everything about what will come our way in 2019! Lord, please continue to be patient with us as we finally recognize Your love and Your awesome power to guide us, protect us and love us through all of life’s circumstances. Please keep us humble so that we may submit ourselves to Your perfect will this year Oh Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. AMEN!