Tag: Follow Christ’s Example

Follow Jesus’ Example on Prayer

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, Needs, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Saturday, December 30, 2023, and I was blessed to be at Kyle, Texas when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. My Footnote will tell you how to find, read or listen to any and all episodes that I have shared over the years.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE FROM THE New Living Translation (NLT) IS FOUND IN Hebrews 5:7-8

THE BIBLE TEXT IS: While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.

APPLICATION OF THE WORD: I believe that it is always best to follow in someone’s example who we fully trust, and who proved successful in what they did. We may tend to overlook a close example of Jesus on the subject of prayer, because we may feel like we are offering our prayers to He and the Father every time we pray anyway. If you are leaning to agree with me in that last statement, then please allow me to suggest that we look to Him for direction in this important communication tool with He and the Father. In parenting we may have learned that children do a whole lot better with what we show them, rather than what we tell them to do. Knowing that the Bible is God’s inspired Word to those who penned its words, I found it extremely interesting to see that God wanted us to know that Jesus was not exempt from some of the same things that we struggle with, and may have questioned about the holy Son of God. Here are a few points that I feel like God particularly caught my attention on:
*~* Respect for the Father (God) – Jesus prayed to ‘the One who rescued Him from death’. Some commentators believe this meant premature death. But in acknowledging that His Father protected Him from death, shows that He knew that His Father was the only One who could do that. Jesus respected God’s authority, power, wisdom and love to save Him from any harm that mere man could conjure up against Him. Notice that nothing was said about Jesus resorting to dependence on God – after trying every other possible solution. Isn’t that what we most frequently do? Knowing that His Father was all-powerful, Jesus humbled Himself to ‘pleading’; ‘loud cries’; and ‘tears’. If Jesus was touched by the Father in such a way, do we have any right demanding things of God, as if we’re in charge? Perhaps we should reimagine who God is in 2024, recognizing that we are but a particle of dust, compared to His majesty and awesome power. Let’s make it a point to pray to God with the kind of respect Jesus showed, every time we approach His throne.
*~* Reverence for God – ‘God heard Jesus’ prayers because of His deep reverence for God’. What do you think? Will God answer your prayer because of He recognizes and acknowledges your reverence and respect for the Creator of heaven and earth; for the Healer who not only cured unimaginable diseases, but He also restored sight to the blind, made the lame to walk again, and even raised the dead back to life? Can you honestly acknowledge that God is not just there for your convenience – to call on in your time of need, but that you KNOW that He wants an intimate relationship with you at all times?
*~* Obedience as a result of suffering – ‘Even though Jesus was God’s Son, He learned obedience from all that He suffered’. In 1 Peter 3:18 we are told that Christ suffered, not because He sinned, but because of the sins of sinners. In our focal verses today we are told that Jesus learned obedience from His suffering. Won’t it be awesome if we could look at our suffering as a learning tool, rather than cursing God for ignoring our cry for mercy? In a Bible study I took part in many years ago, we were encouraged to look outside of our personal circumstances and try to see what God is doing, then join Him in His work. In principle, that is an awesome and admirable piece of advice, but I believe everyone will agree that it’s never easy trying to rejoice while living out circumstances that seem to drown us in pity, depression, hopelessness and despair. I truly believe that way too often we try to pull ‘God’ out of a deep box where we throw unimportant things (to us) that are placed there in case we ever need them. Friends, if we are to imitate Jesus, then we would call on the God who opens our eyes each morning; through the Holy Spirit, guides us through His Word, then to open communication with Him on a regular basis through prayer, so that we may better deal with our daily circumstances. When we trust wholeheartedly in God, we are reminded each day that His love never changes for us, even when we face unfortunate circumstances. His love is unconditional, and He displayed that on the cross when He accepted public disgrace, embarrassment and death, because He knew that it was all necessary for our eternal destiny with He and the Father. Dear friends, that same love is still very much in place during every circumstance of life today. Experiencing this daily, helps us to deal with even the most challenging circumstances, and helps us realize that God is indeed still with us at all times.

PRAYER BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT OF TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Oh dear Lord, please continue to work in the hearts of Your children to develop relationships with You, and not just think of You in urgent times of need. Thanks also for the reminder that since Jesus suffered, we also may suffer, and that we should look for the learning opportunities in that suffering, instead of assuming that You turned Your head to our needs. Thankfully, You set the example for us in recognizing the importance of prayer, and the qualities to insure our dependence on, and trust in, You. Please continue to be merciful and patient with us Lord, we know that we need Jesus more than anything, but we still allow the world to influence us too much. As we trust in You, we can better share the importance of knowing You with others. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There’s another page on my website, entitled ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to this page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin or continue your walk with Jesus. If you would like to read more of my devotionals, or subscribe for a daily email containing each new devotional, please go online to NuggetsFromGodsWord.org. For my podcast, go online to Apple Podcasts or, using the Apple Podcast app, simply search for Nuggets From God’s Word to hear more episodes, or click ‘Follow’ to be notified of Podcast updates. Friends, please allow me to encourage you to find a church home nearby your home and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

How To Be Christ’s Disciple

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Follow Christ, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Sunday, 2021-02-27
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Matthew 16:24
TRANSLATION: Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)

BIBLE TEXT: 24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [[p]cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also].

OBSERVATION: Peter ridiculed Jesus for talking to His closest companions about His death. Peter had seen the miracles Jesus was capable of, and Peter just knew that there was no way that Jesus would be taken hostage and crucified by mere men. In our Scripture today, we can read how Jesus corrected Peter. I wonder, how are we doing with the direction given by Jesus to those who are interested in being His follower?

APPLICATION: In most Bible translations that we use today, we are told to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus Christ. I believe many of my readers, like myself, would appreciate seeing that command in a much simpler form so that we could understand exactly what Jesus is teaching us. I found two translations that helped with this, one of them being the Amplified version that I am sharing with you today. Unfortunately I find where I need serious help from the Master to change my ways and truly follow Him, if I am to live by His commands. Perhaps many of you might also find this need to be true in your life. Let’s take our time and break this down so that it is clear what we need to plead with God for, since He commanded us to:
– Deny self:
> disregard self – As we meditate on this, we may surprise ourselves how selfish we truly are in what we do, what we say, where we go, and why we do these things. It’s all about ‘me’, whether we care to admit it or not;
> lose sight of selfish desires – In our own flesh, we will always desire things that are good for us. This may also be the reason why so many marriages fail, for we find it so challenging to please the other party. What if we had The strength to always please God when we make our plans, or respond to life’s various scenarios?
> forget about self and our personal interests – Can’t you hear a therapist telling you in marriage counseling: ‘Can you just forget about yourself for once, and think about what might make your spouse happy?’ I believe that’s what Jesus is telling us to do, for then we will love like He loved, and obey His other commandments;
– Take up our cross and follow Christ:
> cleave steadfastly to Jesus – You might cleave steadfastly to a life raft if your boat sank and there is no land in sight. That raft becomes the most important thing in life to you at that point. Don’t you know that ‘cleaving’ to Jesus is very much the same way? Like the life raft, Jesus is the only way to Heaven, the only healer of all our diseases, the One who loves us in spite of our wicked selves, the One who prepared a place for us to go when we pass from this world. Why not cleave to Jesus?
> wholly conform to the example of Jesus in our living, or even if circumstances dictate – in death – Many will question what this might mean. I believe that if we do all of the above, we will realize that we are conforming to the example and will of the Father, and not simply seeking after our own selfish desires. Life will look much different my friend, so brace yourself for being called such things as ‘Holy roller’, or Jesus freak, or you have gone nuts, etc, etc.
So why do you suppose that Jesus thought this was important for Peter, his fellow disciples, or ourselves? I believe that just as Peter surprised Jesus with his efforts to correct Jesus, we too might disappoint Jesus with the some of the things we say, or do, or the selfish attitudes we have about helping others, being kind to others, or loving even the unlovable. In trying to be a Jesus follower, surely we must make every effort to look, sound and act just like Him. Many are looking at us as an example of the One we say that we are following. Do you suppose they’re getting a fair assessment of Jesus? Try taking up your cross and follow Him in all things, and at all times. Perhaps then you may be seen as a true follower of Christ!

PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for doing Your part in saving us from our sin and preparing us for heaven. Please forgive us when we disappoint You like Peter did. We acknowledge that we are a sinful, selfish people who seek after our own likes, and shun from our dislikes, while always trying to promote self and please ourselves. I am convinced that only You can help us overcome this weakness and truly follow You in all sincerity, as You intended. Please give us the strength, boldness and wisdom to follow You in all aspects of our life. May others not be misled when the look at our example and our pattern for life. May they see Jesus in action through us and be drawn to You for all eternity. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog at https://NuggetsFromGodsWord.org that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and see all of my posts, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

Choose This Day Whom You Will Serve

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

THE HOLY BIBLE – New Living Translation (NLT) ~ Deuteronomy 7:5-6 You must break down their pagan altars and shatter their sacred pillars. Cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols. For you are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Of all the people on earth, the Lord your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure.

THOUGHTS: I believe that we have gotten into such a feeling of ‘trying to fit in’, that we would do almost anything to please our friends. Some say, “we don’t want to be a stick in the mud”, while others say, “I just don’t want to call attention to myself by being different”. Friends, God brought the Israelites through a wilderness over a period of 40 years, and during this time they depended on God for their next drop of water, and their next morsel of food, in order to survive. Do you suppose that they learned how to depend on God? Do you suppose this changed the hearts of these people to trust in God for everything? Do you suppose they learned very quickly what actions pleased God and which ones really upset Him? Do you think that in this world that we now live in where everything is placed at our fingertips, that we could identify with the Israelites? These chosen verses made me think of a current day scenario where a parent is about to release their adult child ‘into the wild’. In other words, from their family home, into a world where they would make their own home and own decisions. For then a parent feels like no matter how thoroughly they may have raised the child in a godly home, they just want to make sure that the child will continue to live as they were taught, as they now ‘fly the coop’! It’s nerve wrecking because we worry that we may not have done enough! In this scripture today, the Israelites were reminded how important it would be for them to stay away from the traps of Satan, and to stay true to the teachings and practices of God, and to not tolerate the things of Satan that may be attractive to them. Friends, this opened my eyes to consider the same challenges that we face each day. There are things that we know we should do that would please God. We know there are practices, places and/or people that we will come into contact with that will distract us from our walk with the Lord. I believe that God is telling us today that ‘we are to choose ye this day whom you will serve’. We may not face pagan altars and Asherah poles, but we will face worldly practices that Satan will use to distract us away from the Holy One, God Almighty. What will you do with Jesus? He gave His life so that we might live eternally with Him in heaven. What will you do today in appreciation for that?

PRAYER: Dear God, Your servants have become so comfortable with the things of this world, that it must be challenging for the world to clearly discern to whom we belong. I am convinced that ‘children of God’ who act like ‘children of the world’ will never impact the world for You, because nothing different is noted. May I be bold enough to ask You today dear God, to please touch Your children – those who have surrendered their lives to You for the sole purpose of being used by You, and renew a right spirit within us; draw us closer to You; direct us to be more like You; so that the world might be reminded of the love; patience; determination; dedication and strength of our Master. You are different to anything we see in this wicked world. May Your children strive to be the same, God being our strength, our helper and our guide. For this is my humble prayer that I ask in the name of Your Son, Jesus, so that we may impact the world for You, 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 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely 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, Sebring, FL! 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!