In Christ Alone

On 2016-09-13 By Ed AlgreenIn direction, Follow Christ, Follower of Christ, In Christ, SalvationLeave a comment

Tuesday, 2016-09-13

Scripture

Bible Reference: Galatians 2:19-21

Bible Text: ¹⁹It was the law itself that caused me to end my life under the law. I died to the law so that I could live for God. I have been nailed to the cross with Christ. ²⁰So I am not the one living now—it is Christ living in me. I still live in my body, but I live by faith in the Son of God. He is the one who loved me and gave himself to save me. ²¹I am not the one destroying the meaning of God’s grace. If following the law is how people are made right with God, then Christ did not have to die.

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

My Take

As we read these verses today, we must realize that this teaching is coming from Paul, a man who was so convinced of the ‘law’ (the world) that he chose to condemn the church and its followers for the first part of his life. However, Paul then had a personal encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ and his life was never the same again. In fact, he was so different that he was accused of being a maniac. Friends, there’s a couple things that really need out attention in this passage today:

A personal experience – Jesus Christ is only able to impact your life after you have made a personal decision to surrender your life totally to Him. As part of this decision, you will surrender your personal (worldly) will to the perfect will of Christ. He then sends His Holy Spirit to take up residence inside of you, and help you live this changed life!
A changed life – Through this newly gained power of the Holy Spirit, you are able to devote yourself fully to the things of Christ, which in most cases will be totally opposite to the evil ways of the world. The change that occurs is likened to traveling north on a local highway, then you reach a point where a definite decision is made for a complete change, and you turn back to traveling south on that same highway.

Friends, I believe it is evident that you will see in the old life, the worldly dependent life, that you are dependent on circumstances and individuals with all sorts of evil mindsets, that are out to serve their own personal needs, often at the expense of all those that they come into contact with. In the ‘new life’, I believe that you could easily see that there is only One that you would be dependent on, and that is the same Christ who willingly sacrificed His very life so that you and I could one day live eternally with He and His Father in heaven. The same Christ who has the power to not only rightly guide you in this wicked world, but also provide the means for you to travel through this life with ‘out of this world’ rewards awaiting you at the end of your journey! The choice seems evident to me friend! What will you do about your eternity as you travel down life’s tough road? With God’s help, and at your request, He can help you redirect your life today. Please let Him do that, won’t you?

Prayer

Lord Jesus, we are so undeserving of such grace and mercy, yet You surrendered Your very life for our eternal future. Thank You for loving us to such extremes. Please soften the hearts of Your children today who need a new direction in their lives. They need You! Touch the lives of those that already know You so that we will not be a stumbling block to those who need You. In Christ Alone I Take My Stand! And I pray that my Brother or Sister reading this devotional will do the same today! Praise the name of the Lord forever! 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!

God’s Choice of Messengers

On 2016-09-12 By Ed AlgreenIn God's Will, ObedienceLeave a comment

Monday, 2016-09-12

Scripture

Bible Reference: Mark 16:14–18

Bible Text: 14 Afterwards, Jesus appeared to his eleven disciples as they were eating. He scolded them because they were too stubborn to believe the ones who had seen him after he had been raised to life. 15 Then he told them: Go and preach the good news to everyone in the world. 16 Anyone who believes me and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe me will be condemned. 17 Everyone who believes me will be able to do wonderful things. By using my name they will force out demons, and they will speak new languages. 18 They will handle snakes and will drink poison and not be hurt. They will also heal sick people by placing their hands on them.

Bible Translation: The Contemporary English Version (CEV)

My Take

I found the action by Jesus in this scripture to be very confusing, yet enlightening. Confusing, because I just couldn’t understand why Jesus chose to use the very ones that struggled in their faithfulness at His death, and were very doubtful of the messengers who came to them and shared the joy of see Jesus alive again.What was extremely enlightening, was to be reminded that Jesus chooses whom He wills to be His messengers, not who seems most logical to us. I have seen the most uneducated become the best soul winners, yet the super educated individuals with some of the best degrees, be so displaced in ministry and unsuccessful in reaching the lost. Friends, I believe that this is very much an eye-opener for those of us who sit back with all of the excuses about not being capable of doing the work of the Lord, for I believe that the evidence is clear that our God can use the one who feels incapable of speaking in public, like He did with Moses; He could use adulterers to become men after His own heart, like He did with David; He could use ones who were totally dejected as a brother, to become lord over those same brothers and their countrymen, like He did with Joseph; and He could certainly use 11 humble men filled with doubt about His resurrection to begin the first real revival that started the first new testament church. So please tell me again why so many Christians sit back today because they feel so inadequate, or uneducated, or recovering from some awful sin in their life, and then to look in the face of Jesus and say that they ‘can’t’ do something that He may be knocking on their heart’s door to so? I’m sure that many of us have done this at one point or another in our lives, perhaps this ‘confusing’ passage of scripture today will open our eyes to the need for obedience, without the worry of our worldly abilities. May I encourage you to be open to the call of Christ on your life today friend? No ‘but’s’ please, just be available, listen and obey the call of Christ!

Prayer

Father, You have blessed us with abilities to fit into this world and into our jobs without too much stress. However, You have also blessed us with a Savior who loves us, cares for us, and will perform miracle after miracle through us, if only we will make ourselves available to You in total surrender to Your will. Please cause us to place our faith and trust in You so that we can be usable instruments for You. There are so many who need You as Savior and Lord, and many of those we touch on an almost daily basis through kinship, our work, or perhaps through our social lives. May You be allowed to shine so strongly through us that these ones may be touched, and may they be led to believe in you. We are so undeserving Lord, but with Your power, and for Your glory, I believe that mighty things can be fulfilled, even through us. Thank You merciful Savior, AMEN!

Footnote

When Your Back’s ‘Against The Wall’

On 2016-09-10 By Ed AlgreenIn All-powerful, God's Power, Power, Power of God, The power of GodLeave a comment

Saturday, 2016-09-10

Scripture

Bible Reference: 2 Kings 6:15–18

Bible Text: 15 When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha. 16 “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” 17 Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes and let him see!” The LORD opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire. 18 As the Aramean army advanced toward him, Elisha prayed, “O LORD, please make them blind.” So the LORD struck them with blindness as Elisha had asked.

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

A Lot of times we do everything we can about a circumstance, and we may even gain the help of others to help us resolve the issue, but there are times when nothing seems to work and we just don’t know what else to do. I believe the saying “you just feel like you are between a rock and a hard place” truly explains your dilemma. In our verses today, we can see where the servant of the man of God was really in a panic and may have felt like described above. However, the man of God knew that there was a whole lot more to the story, because He knew who really held the answers and he knew, from experience, that there was nothing too difficult for his God. I believe you can see from the story that one may have known about God, but one actually knew God personally, and had one-on-one experience with the God of this universe. Friends, as you consider/meditate on these verses today, may I encourage you to choose and pursue the one whom you will serve? And as you choose, please note that a very personal and daily relationship is very important, for how will you know what your Father is capable of unless you spend time with Him; obey His commands to show that you respect His leadership in your life; seek Him in conversation (prayer) often – little and big challenges of life, so that You would grow confident in His mighty works and His awesome power; and trust Him wholeheartedly in all things – even when His direction may seem impossible to you, (Like in this story with Elisha and his servant boy). Having your back ‘against the wall’ just means that you have done everything you can, and now it’s time for God to take over. This is an everyday occurrence for most of us, because we are often faced with challenges that we know absolutely nothing about how to handle it, or the possible outcome. Friends, there is no god like our God! Rejoice in that proven fact today and praise Him even in your storms of life and the greatest impossibilities – at least in your eyes.

Prayer

Father, You are GREAT and greatly to be praised! There are so many miracles in Your Word that proves to us Your awesome power and greatness, and we especially thank You for this miracle through Your servant Elisha. Yet one more reminder of You performing the impossible (at least in man’s eyes) in order to protect Your servant and display to the unsaved who is really in charge of this whole earthly operation! Lord, You are well aware of our many challenges today, and I thank You sincerely for the ways that You have displayed Your glory in such miraculous ways for us. Lord, we want our loved ones to know You, so if that includes working miraculously so they could witness Your power, then we stand waiting for You to work – even if You do it through us. May You be glorified today by those who know You, and may You be recognized by those who need to know You. Please use us as Your humble servants to accomplish Your will, if desired by You. I love You Lord, AMEN!

Footnote

What Will You Do With Jesus?

On 2016-09-09 By Ed AlgreenIn Believe, Know and Believe, SalvationLeave a comment

Friday, 2016-09-09

Scripture

Bible Reference: Mark 15:9–13

Bible Text: 9 “Would you like me to release to you this ‘King of the Jews’?” Pilate asked. 10 (For he realized by now that the leading priests had arrested Jesus out of envy.) 11 But at this point the leading priests stirred up the crowd to demand the release of Barabbas instead of Jesus. 12 Pilate asked them, “Then what should I do with this man you call the king of the Jews?” 13 They shouted back, “Crucify him!”

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

On the day that Jesus was presented to Pilate, the Jews were challenged with a question that I would like for us to consider today: What will you do with Jesus? The Jews wanted Jesus crucified because He was interfering with their popularity. They were envious of Jesus, as Pilate recognized (see verse 10). Friends, each day you are faced with a similar question, for you must make decisions such as these:

When you awake each morning, will you pause to give God thanks for a good night’s rest and another day with tons of opportunities, or will you give it up to happen-chance that you were more fortunate than many who awake each day in excruciating pain or homeless?
Will you take a moment to get into God’s Word and seek His guidance for the day, or will you affirm that you know it all and could handle every circumstance of that day on your own?
Will you look for every opportunity to make your christianity known and promote Christ, or will you find every possible way to escape letting your boss and coworkers know that you are a child of the King?
If your employer gave the word today that he wanted all ‘Christians’ fired, will you be looking for a job, or will you fall under the disguise of uncertainty on where you stand?

Friends, in each of these cases we would face a similar question as the one posed to the Jews. What will you have the world do with Jesus? He loved you enough that even while you were still drenched in sin, yet Jesus went to the cross of Calvary and sacrificed His very life out of sincere, unadulterated love – especially for you. Why? Because He wanted to make it very possible for you to have an easy choice of where you would like to spend eternity. So for those who do not know my Savior as Lord, your question is similar: Will you accept the offer from Jesus to let Him be your Lord, or will you ignore the offer and continue in an unappreciative state on the road to eternal damnation with Satan and his demons in Hell?

Prayer

Lord, thank You for making a way for us to one day be with you in Heaven. The answers to the above questions and scenarios seem very obvious, and therefore seems like overkill to even ask them of good, sound thinking individuals. However, I am very aware that Satan is just as active trying to distract his followers from hearing this Good News, as he was last weekend when many of my readers heard a similar challenge in their respective churches. Lord Jesus, please break down the barriers of indecision, stubbornness, pride and rejection today, so that my readers and all those that we will pray for, might hear Your voice very clearly calling them to You. Thank You for making a way. I now pray that we will fight the barriers and accept the free gift of salvation today and be proud to have You control our lives so that others may see and also believe, AMEN!

Footnote

How to Guard Against Temptation

On 2016-09-08 By Ed AlgreenIn Overcomer, Temptation, Wait on the LordLeave a comment

Thursday, 2016-09-08

Scripture

Bible Reference: Mark 14:38

Bible Text: 38 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

I was touched by the fact that Jesus was going through so much emotionally in the Garden of Gethsemane, yet He didn’t get upset with his disciples over not caring about Him. Instead, Jesus gave them advice that they could use long after He had left them. He probably was also ministering to Peter for being such a ‘motor-mouth’, when he told Jesus that he would stick with Him through ‘thick and thin’, so Jesus had to remind him here that his spirit might be willing, but his body is weak. So what is the application in this verse for us today? I believe there are several things:

Unless we ‘watch‘, for the advisory (Satan) – being on guard for the things that are opposing God and His perfect design, then Satan will pounce on us through various temptations, causing us to sin against God;
Unless we ‘pray‘ to the Master and depend on His strength, His wisdom and His power, then we will quickly fall into the trap of Peter, where our spirit might be willing and wanting to obey God, but the weakness of our flesh will push us towards the things of this world and its master – Satan;
No matter how willing our spirit and personal desire might be, we are weak without the awesome power of the Holy Spirit that God has empowered us with. We must therefore learn to call on God and depend on Him for ALL things – even those things that we feel very capable of handling ourselves, to avoid failure and being ‘sucked in’ by the advisory. Remember, we can do ALL THINGS through CHRIST, who strengthens us! He’s our Rock, our Redeemer and our soon coming King!

Have you surrendered your life to Him friend? Will He recognize your voice when you call on Him as being one of His? It you have doubt, may I encourage you to read my ‘Footnote’ and follow my suggestions, so that you may KNOW – without a doubt, whose you are?

Prayer

Lord Jesus I thank You for Your awesome love and for caring for us, even when we should be thinking about others. You know what we need, and just as You expressed to Peter and his teammates in the garden, I believe You are still very interested in seeing Your children live according to Your will and way, because of being totally surrendered to You. In and of our own strength, we can do nothing towards being holy or totally dedicated to our calling of being ‘little Christs’ – Christians. We need You to help us live noble Christian lives in this world of hate, strife and sin. Not only will we be able to do all thing through Christ who strengthens us, but Lord I believe You will be at liberty to do all things through us – those who have totally surrendered to You and very open to allowing You to work through us. May You accomplish great things today Heavenly Father, and may we be found acceptable in Your sight, so that You may work through us, if need be. In total humility and surrender to You, I am asking these things dear Jesus, AMEN!

Footnote

Be Alert and Watching

On 2016-09-07 By Ed AlgreenIn Readiness, Ready, Ready to Go, State of ReadinessLeave a comment

Wednesday, 2016-09-07

Scripture

Bible Reference: Mark 13:32–33; 36-37

Bible Text: 32 “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. 33 And since you don’t know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert! …. 36 Don’t let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning. 37 I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for him!”

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

Our meteorologists are fantastic, for they watch for the storms that spin off the coast of Africa, and should they pose a potential threat to us, they warn us of their predictions on the course of the storm, in lots of time for us to be prepared and protected way before the storm arrives. Similarly, many of us have good pastors and teachers who strive to do the will of God by warning us as often as possible about the coming of the Lord Jesus, to take His bride (the church) up to heaven to spend eternity with He and His Father. Isn’t it interesting how we seem to take the forecasts from our meteorologists a whole lot more seriously than we do our pastors? Walk into any church over the weekend and you will immediately question why so few are concerned about such a major event. Only a fraction of our towns attend church, and for those that do attend, most fall asleep while the warning is being proclaimed. Friends, I just visited the northwest coast of Florida after Tropical Storm Hermine passed through. There are stories of some residents who were just as unconcerned, and didn’t heed the warnings and/or refused to evacuate their homes when instructed. Large tax dollars are now being spent to deliver food to them or retrieve them from their flooded or wind-destroyed homes. Take a moment to compare that to the coming of our Lord. There will be no further warnings, as scriptures tell us that not even the Son (Jesus) knows when He will return, only God does. If you did not heed the warnings to ready yourself to meet Jesus, then you have decided to stick with Satan and receive the eternal damnation he will deliver to his followers. Your pastor will no longer be available to encourage you and prod you along into making a decision to accept Jesus, it will be eternally too late. In these verses today, please recognize that these are the words of Jesus, and PLEASE adhere to the warnings He is offering to you. Seek God’s face, accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and therefore be ready, should His return happen even today. Don’t ignore the warning friend, today is the day of salvation, for it can also be the day of Jesus’ return to get His saints! I’m ready! Are you?

Prayer

Lord Jesus, You’ve been warning us about Your return long before meteorologists were ever trained, or before the days of computerized tools to help them predict an oncoming storm. It is so unfortunate that many of our people listen more closely to man’s predictions than to Your facts as relayed to us by Your writers. Oh God, may today be the day that many will come to know You personally (ready themselves for Your impending return). If a hurricane was approaching, we would quickly run to shelter and/or save our loved ones and friends. Something a whole lot more final is pending, and could actually happen today, Lord may we have the same urgency to save those we love. I ask these things in the name of my soon coming Lord and Savior, AMEN!

Footnote

Find Out What The Lord Says

On 2016-09-06 By Ed AlgreenIn Biblical Decisions, Decisions, Jesus led decisionsLeave a comment

Tuesday, 2016-09-06

Scripture

Bible Reference: 1 Kings 22:4–5

Bible Text: 4 Then he turned to Jehoshaphat and asked, “Will you join me in battle to recover Ramoth-gilead?” Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, “Why, of course! You and I are as one. My troops are your troops, and my horses are your horses.” 5 Then Jehoshaphat added, “But first let’s find out what the LORD says.”

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

I believe that way too often we make decisions and then ask God to ‘buy in’ on our decisions and bless it. Friends, King Jehoshaphat has demonstrated in these verses today that this is not the order of things for the believer. Think about it, if you say that Jesus is Lord of your life, then you proceed into making your own decisions without first asking God and getting His permission, who really is lord of your life? When you make decisions and then ask God to bless your decisions, you are really saying to God that:

You are in control, but would appreciate His backing;
The decision sounds logical and that it would benefit you, even though you don’t have a clue what will transpire beyond the very moment in which you exist;
You know what you want for your future, and this decision seems to fit just right into that projected path. Notice that in all of the planning that king Ahad and king Jehoshaphat had spoken of, they did not include the piece where King Ahad would be killed in battle.

Friends, our insight and personal decisions are based on the facts at hand and the possibilities that exist, and the desires of our heart, based on our own abilities and the physical attributes available to us at that particular time. Let us always remember that God’s ways are not our ways and that His plans are based on eternity for His children, whereas our decisions are always selfish and based on very temporal and physical benefits for ourselves. One results in eternal ‘D&D’ (damnation and death), and the other results in eternity in heaven with Jesus and His Heavenly Father, God. Two completely opposing results – choose you this day whom you will serve, and who will guide your destiny, friend, and then be obedient to your Master.

Prayer

Lord, You have shown us over and over again that You hold the keys to our future and that You should therefore be consulted before making decisions, so that You can best direct us, in order that our path not be impeded. These verses today have served to remind us of this once again. Please patiently work in the lives of Your children once again today and help us to surrender ourselves to Your perfect will. Lord, it is so critical that we be obedient to Your will, and not stumble and fall because of selfish decisions made because we couldn’t possibly know what’s in store for us in the very next moment. You’re in control Lord, and I pray that You will help us to ensure that our lives are always in sync with Your perfect plan for us. May we learn to surrender everything to You, for our ultimate good, and Your eternal glory, AMEN!

Footnote

Most Important Commandments

On 2016-09-05 By Ed AlgreenIn Commandments, Love, Love God, Love others, Unconditional loveLeave a comment

Monday, 2016-09-05

Scripture

Bible Reference: Mark 12:28–31

Bible Text: ²⁸ …..“Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” ²⁹Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. ³⁰And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ ³¹The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

Many are caught aback by all of the commands in the Bible, and especially in the ten commandments, folks looking for a reason to whine and complain, tend to complain about the negativity in the commands. While we don’t see any of that in these verses, there was strong curiosity as to which one(s) were most important from Jesus’ perspective. Hearing the response from Jesus, makes this something that I believe His followers today really need to pay particular attention to, as I believe these contain very important demands for us still today. So here they are:

⁴“Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.^[a] ⁵And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:4-5
¹⁸“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. Leviticus 19:18

There is an old pop song that included the words “All I need is love” throughout the song. I believe that the one characteristic that each of these important commands are built on is “LOVE”! In the first instance, we are told that we are to love our Maker, Creator, Savior and Way Maker with all of our being. Friends, it might strike some of you to ask, “well who wouldn’t”. Unfortunately there are many that don’t recognize our Master and Creator, so of course they have no reason to love someone who, in their opinion does not exist. May I remind you that many are looking at us to see whether we, who are called by His name, truly love God from the very depths of our being. What do you think? Would your family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, be convinced enough through the love they see from you for your God? As we look at the second commandment, I want you to reflect on the last time you really got mad, or upset at yourself. Now, what did you do to yourself? Did you seek to hurt yourself or deprive yourself from some special treat or event? Did you tell others how evil you were and unlikeable you were? Did you build up strong fences or defenses to keep others away? Then friends, why do we do these things to our neighbors? Remember, neighbors are ones who we come into contact with. Sometimes they are sweet as ‘pie’ to us, and sometimes we get really upset at the things they do. You know, similar to what we probably do unconsciously to others! Jesus wants us to love these neighbors in spite of their faults – as much as we love our very own selves. How are you doing with that child of God?

Prayer

Lord God, thank You for first loving us. You set the plumb line as an example for us. So often we fall so short on demonstrating the sincerity of love that You showed for us, for You loved us, even though You had no sign of love in return. Please use Your Word today to encourage, challenge and provoke us into loving You unconditionally with all our being. As we do this, I believe it will be a lot more natural for us to love one another, but please help us with that also dear Lord, for I believe that we will quickly brush others aside when they show no signs of love for us. Help us to love like You love us Heavenly Father, for I ask this all for Your ultimate glory, AMEN!

Footnote

Fix Your Eyes on Heaven

On 2016-09-03 By Ed AlgreenIn Accept Jesus NOW, Heaven, Jesus Loves you, Know JesusLeave a comment

Saturday, 2016-09-03

Scripture

Bible Reference: Proverbs 4:25–27

Bible Text: 25 Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. 26 Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. 27 Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

I have always marveled over the straight lines that farmers use to plant their crops – orange trees; strawberries; etc. I once heard that the way to accomplish that straight line is to keep your eyes fixed on a point at the end of the row, rather than any short term distances, while plowing or planting. I believe we are being directed in the proverbs today to keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, and the reward He has promised those of us who believe – to be with Him in His heavenly home at the end of our journey here on earth! Like the farmer though, we are to keep our eyes fixed on our Savior and the home He has gone to prepare for us – heaven. Friends, when we stay focused; when we have an endpoint in mind; when we have a purpose in life; we will be less apt to stray or allow side distractions that tend to take our eyes off our goal. The big problem with distractions, is that some of us may never get back on the right track again. Satan may distract us, knowing that we will probably like that, and in turn, he will win the battle of destroying one more soul. Ever noticed that some who have been on track for the Lord and who have been distracted, become almost unrecognizable by humans as ever being a child of the King? Imagine how sad and disappointing this is for Jesus? Remember, He loved you (us) enough that He suffered and died on the cross at Calvary so that we might be able to enjoy the freedom of knowing Him personally and entering into His kingdom. For us to then say thanks, but no thanks to that expression of love and sacrifice, must crush the very heart of Christ. What can you do about that friend? Is all well with your walk? Are you staying on track and ideally lined up for your eternal home? For those who may read this and have not accepted Jesus as Lord, with all the love I can muster up, let me just say that this goal of heaven is not something you can add to your wish list with hopes that Santa will bring it for you. This involves a personal commitment from you with your Savior, and a daily walk with Him, always with your eternal home as your goal. Please read my Footnote for more information on how to achieve the assurance of your salvation and Heaven as your eternal destination.

Prayer

Lord God, You created the heavens, and You sacrificed Your one and only Son so that we might believe on Him and have the assurance of being with You in heaven. What more can we ask for? However, knowing the provisions You made for us, yet we are so easily distracted from our walk and therefore from our goal of being with You in glory one day. Please forgive us Lord, and please strengthen us each and every day to stay focused on what lies ahead – our goal of being with You in heaven one day! 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! So Lord, for as long as you see fit to leave me here on earth, please help me to stay focused on You, and may my goal be seen as something my readers, my family and my friends will also catch hold of and want for their life. For I ask these things in the precious name of Jesus, and for Your glory alone, AMEN!

Footnote

What’s Stopping You?

On 2016-09-02 By Ed AlgreenIn Draw Me Close to You, Priorities, PriorityLeave a comment

Friday, 2016-09-02

Scripture

Bible Reference: Mark 10:20–22

Bible Text: 20 “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.” 21 Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

I believe that you will find where this rich young man who approached Jesus is a lot like many of us today. Our conscience is often pricked by God into the need for more in our relationship with Him, however we often hesitate in committing to anything until we are sure that there is nothing better in store for us. I remember not being able to get a commitment out of a young friend, because they would often cancel their plans with me when something better arose! I believe that the big difference with making a commitment to God is that although we may want to commit to something more substantial with Him, He knows our hangups long before we recognize and acknowledge them ourselves. In the verses preceding the above, Jesus listed a number of commandments that would be important for this young man to follow, and sure enough, the young man admitted that because of his upbringing, he was already following all of them. Don’t we hear that all the time today with folk we are trying to help? They are ‘good’ people and they are good law keepers, plus they may even go to church a few times per year, however we must always remember that although this ‘fluff’ might fool the pastor, or most of our family and friends, yet there is One who knows our heart – our priorities; our hangups; our ulterior motives; and our hidden sin. In the case of this young man, Jesus went straight to his hangup, for Jesus knew that he was very proud of his financial worth. This often proves success for us, so many of us may really have a heavy emphasis in life on our financial well being as well. In fact, we become very self confident when we are in a good financial position. However, this becomes a major part of the problem with us learning to trust in Jesus. The scripture says that the young man was immediately reluctant to do as Jesus commanded. I believe this only showed that this must have been an ‘idol’ for the young man, which made it virtually impossible for him to truly follow Christ and trust wholeheartedly in Him. Friends, this devotional is not to place an emphasis on one’s financial worth, as there may be other idols that interfere in your total surrender to God. May I suggest that you ask God to open your eyes to reveal any ‘idols’ that may be hindering your surrender to Him or preventing you from totally dedicating yourself to Him? Do you honestly have an open, sincere relationship with Your Savior, or is there something that is stopping you? Don’t follow what the rich young man did and walk away saddened, instead open your heart to accept what Jesus would direct you to do today. Draw close to God, and He will draw close to you.

Prayer

Father, open our eyes so that we can see. Yes, we are not physically blind, but unfortunately we are often blinded by our own self will and selfish desires – our sin, that so easily separates us from a sincere, open relationship with You. Like the rich young ruler, we want more out of our relationship with You, so please help us to see our sin, our shortcomings and our other priorities that stand in our way. We will be eternally thankful oh Lord, AMEN!