Work At It!

On 2015-05-012015-05-01 By Ed AlgreenIn Holiness, Imitator of Christ, PeaceLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (New Living Translation – Hebrews 12:14): ¹⁴ Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.

THOUGHTS: God’s Word is so powerful, and God is so awesome to place verses such as this before us at a time that we need it most! I am so appreciative of a Father who understand the objects that He created so intimately that He knows that the only way we will live at ‘peace’ with all people and live a ‘holy’ life, just as He is holy, is for us to work at it! Notice that each command begins with those words! I compared this verse in several translations and some used ‘try’ instead of ‘Work at’. Personally the latter speaks more to an effort on my behalf that I am expected to put forth. I also found it interesting that God felt this was important enough to include an added emphasis to tell us that if we don’t work at it and therefore not live ‘holy’ lives, then we will not see God. Now, I believe that this particular verse is speaking to Christians, and I know that many would probably open your mouths in shock that God would have to say this to folk who are already committed to being just like Him and living in the image of His teaching and example, but friends I don’t want you to misunderstand: just because we may have accepted Jesus as Lord, does not mean that we stop facing temptations, or have anger issues or no longer sin. Unfortunately, as long as we are left here in this world of sin, we will most often live like sinful Christians who make every effort to live like Jesus. What I believe God is saying here is that we not settle for that, but instead constantly and consistently work at living peaceful and holy lives. In other words, seek to live so that our lives will reflect Christ in every way. May I challenge you for just a moment? This type lifestyle will not just happen, and it won’t just happen haphazardly. This is an intentional lifestyle in which we seek God, to know His will, and to constantly seek out His character and His lifestyle, so that we might follow in His footsteps and be obedient to His commands. Living with your spouse or relatives help you to understand their every intention, therefore we must have a daily relationship with Jesus also, if we expect to live like Him. Satisfying a tradition and/or a mom’s wish by attending church especially on holy days a few times per year is not what I’m talking about. I want to encourage you to have a daily relationship with Jesus and work at living like Him in every way. It’s only then that you will have the desire and power to live the kind of life referenced in this verse today. Know Jesus and receive the power for peace and a holy life, no Jesus and it will be impossible to attain either. Please use my helpful tips in the ‘Footnote’ for help in achieving this, friend!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I find it comical that world leaders would not consider giving a captain’s license for a huge ship to an inexperienced and/or High School graduate unlearned in the field. Yet some gain the false sense of security in believing that they will enter heaven without the proper credentials. For it is only if we know You (have accepted You as Lord and asked You to be our Guide, Protector and our example), and make every effort to live like You and live at peace with our fellow man, as You exampled for us in Your Word, that we would be welcomed into Your kingdom when called Home from this old earth. Please touch our lives today so that we may see our shortcomings and help us to have a deep, burning desire to be imitators of the only Perfect One, Jesus. Speak to those who are hardened, please tender their hearts unto salvation so that we all may one day join around your throne in praise and adoration. Please be especially sensitive to ‘Christians’ today giving us compelling reasons to follow in Your footsteps in peace and holiness. I ask all this in the precious name of Jesus, 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 read through Biblical truths on How To Know Jesus, 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!

Important Things To Pray For Each Other

On 2015-04-292015-04-29 By Ed AlgreenIn Christ-Like, PrayerLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (New Century Version – Philippians 1:9-11): ⁹ This is my prayer for you: that your love will grow more and more; that you will have knowledge and understanding with your love; ¹⁰ that you will see the difference between good and bad and will choose the good; that you will be pure and without wrong for the coming of Christ; ¹¹ that you will be filled with the good things produced in your life by Christ to bring glory and praise to God.

THOUGHTS: Just as Paul had a deep desire for his church members at Philippi, I believe that God would have us do the same for each other. Please allow me to break down the above verses to show us two important end results that we should pray for each other:

That we present ourselves to God at His second coming without spot or wrinkle, and to help with that we should pray:
- That our love will grow more and more. This reminds me that we will never attain perfection in this area here on earth, because of our selfish desires and personal greed. However, this is of utmost importance to us when considering that one day we will come face to face with our Savior. This also tells me that this particular attribute should be a daily prayer of ours so that we might love more today than we did yesterday, and that we love sacrificially as Jesus did for us on Calvary;
That we bring glory and praise to God:
- In addition to the evidence of God’s love being reflected in our lives, I believe that verse 11 is pointing us to live a life that exudes a sweet savor of goodness, ordained and blessed by Christ. I believe the latter is important to avoid our selfish pride, and the possibility of doing good for personal attention and/or gain. I believe the type goodness referred to here is the same as mentioned in other scripture as ‘fruit’. In other words, our lives will produce ‘fruit’ or ‘qualities’ that immediately reminds the world of Jesus. When this type goodness, or ‘fruit’ is evident, not only will we honor and praise our Creator, but those to whom we minister will also praise Him.

Living Christian lives that please God, will be evident to those we come into contact with. This only happens when you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and personal Savior, for there is not enough ‘good’ in you alone to please God. Only the work of His Son in us produces the kind of life acceptable to God. If you have not taken this leap of faith yet, may I introduce you to my Lord today, please? It’s the best thing that could ever happen to you! Read the ‘Footnote’ below for more information on how you might go about accepting Christ, please?

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, without You we would be forced to pattern our lives after the ‘good’ we see in each other, which would lead to chaos, greed and selfish desires. Thank You for showing us the way to pure happiness and a life of purity that would be pleasing to You. Thank You for touching the life of Your saint, Paul, and the desire You gave Him to share these words, looked at this morning, with the saints at Philippi first, then made available to so that we might gleam truth and direction for our lives. Lord, we want to be just like You. Thank You for showing us what that entails, and thank You for the assurance we have of Your willingness to help us achieve that. I place my life in Your hands and pray that You might cleanse me of all sin and characteristics that displeases You, and that You continue to bless me with the way to true perfection through Your Word. Please touch the life of each friend that will read this devotional today and draw them closer to You because of Your Word. Without full surrender to You we are way too much like this old world, please keep us focused on You every day, is my sincere plea, that I ask in the name of Jesus, my Lord and precious Savior, AMEN!

Choosing God Is Worth Far More

On 2015-04-282015-04-28 By Ed AlgreenIn Rewards, Surrender, Worth it allLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Good News Translation – Hebrews 11:24-29): ²⁴ It was faith that made Moses, when he had grown up, refuse to be called the son of the king’s daughter. ²⁵He preferred to suffer with God’s people rather than to enjoy sin for a little while. ²⁶He reckoned that to suffer scorn for the Messiah was worth far more than all the treasures of Egypt, for he kept his eyes on the future reward. ²⁷ It was faith that made Moses leave Egypt without being afraid of the king’s anger. As though he saw the invisible God, he refused to turn back. It was faith that made him establish the Passover and order the blood to be sprinkled on the doors, so that the Angel of Death would not kill the firstborn sons of the Israelites. ²⁹ It was faith that made the Israelites able to cross the Red Sea as if on dry land; when the Egyptians tried to do it, the water swallowed them up.

THOUGHTS: Choosing God Is Worth Far More Than …. Can you think of anything that is more important? This chapter of Hebrews is filled with so much of the faith our forefathers displayed in the King of all kings and the Creator of all things, that our lives should be impacted to the extent that nothing will ever cause us to stray in our faith. For because of their faith we saw where mere, humble, man stood before a very powerful earthly king and demanded that the majority of his people that were being held in slavery, should be freed and surrendered to the leadership of one who had absolutely no experience with leading a mass of people. Because of his faith in, and obedience to God, Moses saw where the king crumbled to the overwhelming power of God and gave in to the demands of Moses. We see where this one miracle of faith led to many more, as Moses followed in obedience to God. The masses were fed, when there was no food source in sight; they drank water from a fountain when there was nothing visible other than a shepherd’s stick and a rock; they faced death with the natural eye, but yet saw the waters divided and a path provided for them to cross between two lands, then looked back in human panic to see how the opposing enemy was gaining on them, only to witness the battle being won for them as the divided waters collapsed on the enemy and drowned them all. Friends, in these verses it is plain to see that Moses placed his trust in God, rather than any other earthly treasures or resources available to him, because he saw that his present obedience and future rewards could only come from, and lead to eternity with God. I believe this is a wake-up call for us to reexamine our lives to determine if we are placing our faith in something, or someone that leads us to this type of eternal rewards that Moses chose, or are we struggling to turn loose of the earthly assets, or clinging to earthly values, or placing our faith in mere man rather than God? If you are misguided in your faith, then I pray that God would quickly open your eyes to show you what your eternal rewards might be. If you are misguided, I believe that, based on the Word of God, I can safely tell you that you might currently be so earthly minded that you will be of little Godly use in the life to come. Unless you plead with God to intervene and help you to turn your life around, may I ask that you be careful not to take on the guilt of others who might be following you? Please read Ezekiel 3:17-20 to understand how God threatened Ezekiel with the sentence of bearing the guilt of all he led, if he was disobedient.

PRAYER: Thank You for Your Word dear Lord. Thank You for loving us enough to show us the results of obedience to You and the effects of disobedience. We are again reminded of the rewards of choosing You as our personal Lord and Savior and being obedient to Your Word and Your commands. I know that “It Will Be Worth It All When we see Jesus“, so help us to live our lives in light of that truth and therefore surrender our lives totally and wholeheartedly to You in every aspect of our lives. All to You I Surrender. Thank You for hearing my heart and my prayer dear Lord, for I ask all this in the precious name of Jesus, AMEN!

Believers Are Made Perfect!

On 2015-04-202015-04-20 By Ed AlgreenIn Perfection, Sacrifice, SubstituteLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Message – Hebrews 10:12-14): As a priest, Christ made a single sacrifice for sins, and that was it! Then he sat down right beside God and waited for his enemies to cave in. It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, he did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process.

THOUGHTS: Before you conclude that I am crazy in believing that I, or any other believer in Christ, might be ‘perfect’, as announced in my blog title today, please read the Holy Scripture quoted directly from the book of Hebrews in the New Testament of the Holy Bible. You see, God created us and placed us here in a perfect world that He created for us to enjoy. However, God gave us the freedom to live our lives like we want to. Given the knowledge that God is the only ‘Perfect One’, mankind tried finding ways to draw close to God. Unfortunately, in spite of trying every type of sacrifice and trying to obey every type of man-made law, yet a large gap remained between God and man. I don’t believe that God ever wanted us to stay at odds with Him, so He sent His very own Son, Jesus, as a final, and ultimate, sacrifice to provide a very simple means for mankind to seek forgiveness, and to bridge the gap between God and man caused by sin. This process was explained in our passage as Jesus, the only Perfect One, making the way for an imperfect people like us (where sin had created a gap between God and us) to become perfect, even as He is ‘perfect’ before God the Father. Friends, I believe that many times our churches today still try to complicate this process by throwing in many rules and stipulations of their own. I believe that many spiritual leaders today still find it challenging to accept that God made it so simple for us to be made ‘perfect’ just as He and His Son Jesus are perfect. In a life of imperfection, or life without Christ, I’m afraid that you tend to look at life like a pessimist who looks at a glass half filled with water and sees it as almost empty. For Christians who truly know the ‘Perfect One’ in a very personal and victorious way, our glass is always nearing capacity, because we know the hope that our future holds! To live here on earth as a witness to others, is a glorious life! But to be called out of this world to be with Jesus and His Father, is truly beyond our earthly description and/or imagination, for that will be glory, be glory for us!! Have you been introduced to this ‘Perfect One’ that I call my Savior and Lord? Please refer to my ‘Footnote’ for a means of introduction, or at least for contact information so that I may personally introduce you to Him!

PRAYER: To the only true and ‘Perfect One’, I come before You with a heart filled with thanksgiving, for sending Your Son Jesus, to provide the means for us to also become ‘perfect’ in Your eyes. I am amazed yet again by the love that You have shown, Thank You Lord for Saving My Soul‘. While perfection, for the purpose of being better than others is not my goal, I sincerely desire to overcome the temptations of this world and to be more like You in every way possible. I want to see my Savior when called away from this earth, and knowing that He is the ‘Perfect One’, I know that I must strive towards the perfection that only You can provide, so Lord I place my life in Your hands today and ask for a special touch from You. I pray that my friends who are led to this blog today will receive rich blessings from a ‘Perfect Savior’ who loves them so much that He gave His very life for them. Lord, You are so good to us! Bless us this day with Your ongoing hand of perfection. I pray and ask all this in the matchless name of Jesus, my Savior, AMEN!

What’s Your Plan of Action?

On 2015-04-172015-04-17 By Ed AlgreenIn Heaven, SalvationLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Good News Translation – Hebrews 9:17-28): Everyone must die once, and after that be judged by God. In the same manner Christ also was offered in sacrifice once to take away the sins of many. He will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are waiting for him.

THOUGHTS: In the business world we are required to have a Disaster Recovery Plan. It must be a documented plan, tested at least annually, and audited by our regulators, as accountability that the ‘Plan’ is a workable and proven one. In our family life here in Florida, it is highly recommended that we have a plan in place that we can quickly implement in the event of an approaching hurricane. Some of us take these plans seriously, while others look at the odds of ever needing such a plan. Some businesses and families survive disasters because of their plan, while others are destroyed because of the lack of planning. This scripture reminds us of another aspect of life that can bring totally different results, depending on whether we take certain actions while we are alive, or not making any plans at all. I would like to challenge you with a very important question today that will help you know, in advance, what you will face when life here on the earth draws to a close. “Have you surrendered your life to the lordship of Jesus Christ yet?” You see, we are all born into a sinful world and while there is hope for us and a bright eternity, it is required of us that we personally seek a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, the One who sacrificed His life so that we might, through Him, have new life, and a living, vibrant relationship with the Creator, Master, Loving Savior of this world. In doing so, we will secure our action plan for a future filled with hope, love, peace and everlasting joy, because we will then be assured of the One who holds our hand and leads us into the Promised Land – Heaven with our Lord Jesus Christ and His Father. Our decisions today will have eternal effects. Doing nothing, and assuming life as it is, leads to eternal damnation with Satan and his cohorts. I want you to join me in deciding today whom you will serve, and what eternity will bring for you! You can button this up TODAY, friend! If you are willing to do so, please read carefully the information in my Footnote and take steps towards securing your future! Your family, your God, myself and ultimately you, will be comforted by your decision and celebrate before the throne with you! I’ve seen the importance of this decision and have secured my future, I pray that all who are reading this devotional will either rejoice with me on having done the same, OR make this a priority decision TODAY!

PRAYER: Father, I thank You for providing Your Book of Instructions, Your Holy Word, to clearly remind us of the results of our life-choices today. You’ve reminded us that we have no assurance of tomorrow, therefore TODAY is the day we must make sound life-changing decisions – about our salvation; about eternity in Heaven with Jesus and His followers; or are we satisfied knowing that we are bound for Hell, with Satan and his evil workers of damnation? It is also clear that no decision towards these questions, or failing to accept the truth of Your Word, leads to eternity with the Evil one, Satan. Thank You for prompting me to accept You as my Savior some 39 years ago. Please touch the hearts of those reading this today and encourage them to actually make a decision about their eternal future. I am concerned that many of my family and friends have not taken this seriously, and I want so badly to be comforted that one day we all will stand before You as a prepared people ready to spend eternity with You. Thank You Jesus for loving us so much and providing the means by which man shall be saved! I love You Lord and look forward to being with You whenever You are ready for me to make the transition! I rejoice in this assurance, yet plead for those that don’t know You as Lord, in the precious and sacrificial name of Jesus, AMEN!

The Facilitator – From Unrighteous to Holy

On 2015-04-162015-04-16 By Ed AlgreenIn Forgiveness, Love, SacrificeLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Message – Hebrews 9:11-14): But when the Messiah arrived, high priest of the superior things of this new covenant, he bypassed the old tent and its trappings in this created world and went straight into heaven’s “tent”—the true Holy Place—once and for all. He also bypassed the sacrifices consisting of goat and calf blood, instead using his own blood as the price to set us free once and for all. If that animal blood and the other rituals of purification were effective in cleaning up certain matters of our religion and behavior, think how much more the blood of Christ cleans up our whole lives, inside and out.

THOUGHTS: In the beginning books of the Bible we see where there were many examples of sacrifices of animals for the forgiveness of sin. We also see where this was pretty much a routine or a tradition, that did absolutely nothing towards bringing the individual closer to the God of this universe. In His infinite wisdom, God saw that this was not working, so He sent His precious, only Son into the world through miraculous means, with an awesome, miraculous kingdom agenda of being the ultimate sacrifice for mankind – the only channel available for leading the unrighteous to the Righteous One, God! Friends, I really want you to grasp the depth of love by our Maker in this scripture today. Imagine, He created us to worship Him. We saw no importance in this, so we went our own way and did our own thing. Our ancestors felt such grief and remorse for their sin, that they followed with a sacrifice of something near and dear to them, as a blood offering in lieu of their ugly sin, hoping that God, or sometimes ‘the gods’ would accept their sacrifice and see fit to forgive them of their sin. God saw this was not working as a long term goal towards drawing His children to Himself, so He intervened and sent His Son, Jesus, as a once for all sacrifice for the sin of those who simply accept Him as Lord. Jesus, became the facilitator for us who would forgive us of our sin and cleanse us of all unrighteousness so that we might stand before God as one who has been made whole, or eternally ‘clean’! Yes, we have an Advocate who has bridged the gap between our sinful nature and our Holy God! Where do you stand today friend? Have you asked Jesus to forgive you of your sin and bridge the gap for you? The Bible says that He will accept you just as you are and whomever you are, for all are welcome (John 3:16). Please consider surrendering to the One who sacrificed His very life for the forgiveness of your sin.

PRAYER: Praise the wonderful name of Jesus for your sacrifice on the cross for my sin, and the sin of all those who will read this devotional today! As I am reminded of the purpose and the ultimate sacrifice made on my behalf, I am eternally grateful and, considered blessed by the amazing love of my Father. I sincerely pray for all who will be reminded of this today, and ask that you humble their hearts so that they might actually see beyond their selfish desires and sin, and actually see the love of the Savior who sacrificed Himself so that we all might live eternally. May this be a day of surrender by folk who are ready to accept the love and sacrifice made available to them? I would be eternally thankful Father! I ask all these things in the name of Your Son, Jesus, AMEN!

Careful Not To Show Impartiality

On 2015-04-132015-04-13 By Ed AlgreenIn Forgiveness, LoveLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – James 2:1-4): ¹ My friends, if you have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, you won’t treat some people better than others. ² Suppose a rich person wearing fancy clothes and a gold ring comes to one of your meetings. And suppose a poor person dressed in worn-out clothes also comes. ³ You must not give the best seat to the one in fancy clothes and tell the one who is poor to stand at the side or sit on the floor. ⁴ That is the same as saying that some people are better than others, and you would be acting like a crooked judge.

THOUGHTS: I love the way that Jesus showed equal love and respect for people from all walks of life while He was here on earth in person! I love the way that He saw no difference in mankind when He surrendered to the call on His life and was crucified at mount Calvary for our sin! I love the way that He performed miracles on mankind, without first requiring knowledge about the family background, or a reference on their financial worth! He invited us all to share in the joy of an awesome Savior who now sits in the highest possible position – at the side of the King of this universe and God over all creation! Jesus demonstrated impartiality to everyone He came into contact with, and in spite of their partiality one to another. Friends, this is the same Jesus that we are to imitate as we take on our respective roles in our homes, our work, our churches and in our community. Jesus didn’t just say that He must be impartial one to another, He demonstrated it and set the example for us. Imagine for a moment a piece of clay, molded by its potter, complaining about certain aspects of another molded object? Imagine any object created by that potter refusing to appreciate any other design by that potter because of it being marred in any way, or painted a different color, or contains certain imperfections to the naked eye? May sound silly, but isn’t that the same that God sees when we ‘act up’, segregate and place certain conditions and/or qualifications on those that we allow into our circle of friends and/or that we consider worthy of our affiliation? Praise the wonderful name of Jesus, that He didn’t brush aside short people, or handicapped folk or even those who interprets His Word differently on some things than He actually intended. Praise God that He sacrificed His only Son, so that ‘WHO-SO-EVER’ believes on His Son and acknowledges Him as Lord, will be saved and will live eternally in heaven with Him. Friend, praise God that means me! That means You! That means that very challenging relative that you may have given up hope on! That means ‘ALL’ who surrenders! That means hope for even the one who feels hopeless! That means that we who have seen this great Light and have accepted the free gift offered by this wonderful God of ours, are to be images of this Jesus that we have accepted as Lord, and that we are to live and act with the same impartiality as He did. Let’s love as Jesus did …. without partiality! If challenged by this, let’s return to the foot of the cross and ensure that we ARE one with Jesus, and that He controls our very nature and all aspects of our life, especially our sinful prejudices.

PRAYER: Dear God, please forgive us for lifting ourselves above others You have created equally. We realize that we are from the same clay that You created them from. We are reminded that You sent Your Son so that all who call on His name would be saved – no exceptions and no prequalifiers, for we are equal at the foot of the cross. We all come as sinners, in need of a Savior. Because You have promised to receive us and forgive us, please help us that we will do the same with those that we come into contact with. Lord You are good, and we appreciate your impartiality and Your willingness to accept even us, though unworthy and having wandered so far away from Your commands. May this be a new day for us – a day filled with Your grace, Your love and Your acceptance of all who were created by You. I ask this in faith and in the matchless name of Jesus, the name above all names! 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!

Business as Usual Won’t Cut It

On 2015-04-102015-04-10 By Ed AlgreenIn Forgiveness, Joy, SalvationLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Message – Hebrews 7:11-19): ^11-14
If the priesthood of Levi and Aaron, which provided the framework for the giving of the law, could really make people perfect, there wouldn’t have been need for a new priesthood like that of Melchizedek. But since it didn’t get the job done, there was a change of priesthood, which brought with it a radical new kind of law. There is no way of understanding this in terms of the old Levitical priesthood, which is why there is nothing in Jesus’ family tree connecting him with that priestly line.

^15–19 But the Melchizedek story provides a perfect analogy: Jesus, a priest like Melchizedek, not by genealogical descent but by the sheer force of resurrection life—he lives!—”priest forever in the royal order of Melchizedek.” The former way of doing things, a system of commandments that never worked out the way it was supposed to, was set aside; the law brought nothing to maturity. Another way—Jesus!—a way that does work, that brings us right into the presence of God, is put in its place.

THOUGHTS: This appears to be a complex passage for a layperson to try and explain to anyone, or give you the theological meaning of, so I won’t try to do that!! However, I am a firm believer that God’s Word is in place for us to meditate on and allow God’s Holy Spirit to minister to our hearts so that we may be drawn to a closer relationship with the Father. Here’s how this impacted me: I was reminded recently that to understand a passage, try and picture the audience for whom it was written, the time in which it was written and by whom it was written. So for a brief moment, let’s think about the audience, a people who had been used to the leadership of Levitical priests. Then came this new priesthood of Melchizedek, who was radically different to anything the people were used to – a perfect analogy of the ‘priesthood’ of Jesus Christ, the One known as our great High Priest; our spiritual leader; our mediator with God the Father! I believe that God prompted me to share that we must be careful about allowing anything or anyone to be our sole leadership spiritually. Not the church – no matter how much we love our church; and not the pastor/priest/bishop/etc – no matter how much we respect and love them. For, although we should take the teachings of the church and our leaders to heart, what really matters is our personal relationship with the Son of God – Jesus Christ. To have a relationship with Jesus, we must go before Him in reverence and fear, Admit that we have sinned and desperately need a Savior; Believe that Jesus is God’s Son and only He who can forgive us of our sin; and Confess that we can do nothing to save ourselves, short of accepting Him as Lord and Savior. Yes, confess our unworthiness, but seek after His righteousness. Friends, we are told in God’s Word, that no tradition taught by our ancestors could facilitate our righteousness or relationship with Jesus Christ, it is only through us personally Admitting; Believing and Confessing of our sins that we totally surrender ourselves to the lordship of Jesus Christ. Yes, this may be very radical for some who have followed various traditions over the years, like the Israelites did with the Levitical priests, but let me challenge you to examine the Word of God and validate this for yourself, then take the appropriate action to sure up your eternal salvation. Jesus loves us dearly, sacrificially and wholeheartedly. There is nothing greater He would desire of us than to know that we have accepted His great love for us. Do it today friend, before it is eternally too late.

PRAYER: Thank You Fathpossibility for us. As with the Levitical priests back in the day, and with our various denominational beliefs and practices today, they attract us to follow their various twists on what they understand from Your Word, however You clearly made a way for us to come straight to the source – the only Biblical way for us to be saved from our own sinful selves. Thank You for Jesus. Thank You for the cross, but thank You even more that Jesus arose – an expression of the true life that we have in You when we become one with You. Please help us to be a people of the Book, so that we may be led to be servants of Your Son Jesus, who will lead us to all Truth with lives pleasing to You in every way. Our churches and our pastors/leaders are excellent resources for us to grow in our relationship with You, but continue to impress upon us that our true strength comes from You, and it’s You that we should live for every day of our lives. Thank You Father, and I ask that You hear my cry, increase my joy, and answer all my requests today so that I and my readers may be drawn closer to You now, and throughout eternity! AMEN!

We Must Continue To Follow God

On 2015-04-012015-04-01 By Ed AlgreenIn Follower of Christ, ObedienceLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Good News Translation – Hebrews 3:7-11): So then, as the Holy Spirit says: “If you hear God’s voice today, do not be stubborn, as your ancestors were when they rebelled against God, as they were that day in the desert when they put him to the test. There they put me to the test and tried me, says God, although they had seen what I did for forty years. And so I was angry with those people and said, ‘They are always disloyal and refuse to obey my commands.’ I was angry and made a solemn promise: ‘They will never enter the land where I would have given them rest!’ ”

THOUGHTS: One of the biggest obstacles a person might have when they read the chosen verses today, is pondering how they will know when God is speaking to them. I believe that when sinful man is normally looking out for self, tempted in every evil way to do the selfish and all inclusive things to benefit self only. When this person senses a need to change his/her ways and instead be drawn to a holy and righteous God, or the things in which He is present, then God is speaking to that sinner. I believe that when a person is in deep despair and, after calling on the name of Jesus, they feel a sudden peace that they just can’t explain, then God is speaking to that despondent person. I believe that when a person lives life without any regard for God, yet suddenly they have an urge to attend church or do some other Godly exercise, then I believe that God is speaking to that person. There are times when we feel like we just don’t know what to do or where to turn next for relief from certain life-situations, then after praying about it, we receive a peace that passes all human understanding, then I believe that God is obedient to our cry for help and delivers us. In this passage today, the above scenarios are likened to those of the Israelites traveling and depending on God in the wilderness for 40 years. They had a choice to call on the God that proved Himself faithful in many situations for them, however, at every opportunity they chose to turn their backs on God and return to their idols. Friends, God became angry at the Israelites, how do you suppose He is feeling about you? Are you causing this same anger to rise up in Him because of your constant disobedience, or are you following His commands and accepting His loving direction for your life? God loves us so much that He wants to see His very best for His children, but we must be willing to not only call on Him, but to accept His help and follow His direction for us. Our obedience would make Him happy, and willing to continue helping us. How about joining me in continuing to follow Christ and therefore anticipate His rich blessings on our lives?

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us and being so patient with us. Thank You for being available to us when we call on You, but also thank You for the warning given in these verses today. Please forgive me for the times I have turned my back and expressed my dependence on self, rather than on You. Please speak to the hearts of my readers one more time today Lord, and show them again how much You love them and care about their future, provoke them to a full commitment to continue following You. For those who are strangers to You, please soften their hearts one more time today so that they are willing to brush aside self, and look full into Your wonderful eyes and fully surrender their life to You. May this be a day of pure joy for You and my readers Lord, so that there will be no need for Your anger to rise against them. Thank You for Your love, yet firm stand on what we must do to receive Your help. May we be obedient followers today, is my humble prayer, for I ask this in the powerful name of Jesus, AMEN!

Pride Comes Before A Fall

On 2015-03-312015-03-31 By Ed AlgreenIn Humility, Obedience, SurrenderLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – Jeremiah 38:17-18, 28): I told him that the Lord had said: “Zedekiah, I am the Lord God All-Powerful, the God of Israel. I promise that if you surrender to King Nebuchadnezzar’s officers, you and your family won’t be killed, and Jerusalem won’t be burned down. ¹⁸ But if you don’t surrender, I will let the Babylonian army capture Jerusalem and burn it down, and you will be taken prisoner.”……. ²⁸ I was held in the courtyard of the palace guards until the day Jerusalem was captured.

THOUGHTS: I am amazed that we can look into God’s Word and not just see the amazing things that He did such as bringing people back to life, or miraculously healing them, but to also see some of the same characteristics in the folk of that day that compares to much like we see and experience today. In spite of knowing that he could possibly be killed for sharing with the king exactly what God said, yet Jeremiah was faithful and told King Zedekiah just that. In verses 19 thru 27 we are told how the king asked Jeremiah to handle the questions when asked by the palace authorities about the meeting between Jeremiah and the king, because the king found it impossible to concede to what God wanted him to do, as it would burst the pride of his kingdom. I found vs 28 interesting, because it gives the idea that Jeremiah waited in full expectation of what God said He would do, and in later verses we will read the rest of the story! I believe that way too often we go off in our own direction and, in spite of asking God for His advice, we are so filled with personal pride that we do our own thing, although His warnings and/or directions have been made plain to us. Friends, God is all-knowing and all-powerful. If we are truly His child, and we want to be truly obedient, then we will allow His will to override our wants and our pride. This requires a close walk with God and demands our knowing His very thoughts and plans, and allowing that sense of direction to lead us into all truth, even if it looks like it will probably lead to folk laughing at us, or thinking that we have lost sense with reality. God’s true messengers tell the story as they understand it from God, not as they have manipulated it to best suit their purpose. We are chosen to be God’s messengers of His truth, not to dilute it with our wants and/or benefits. I believe that God is watching as we decide today whom we will serve. What shall it be friend?

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for trusting Your servants to deliver Your Word to those that need it even today. You are well aware of how manipulative we are in still sharing that Word with our own personal prejudices and twists that help us to feel important and without including ourselves in the mix of all who need correction. Please tender our hearts, and please cause us to allow Your words to penetrate us first personally, before we ever think about sharing them with someone else. You are the Creator and ongoing Master of this universe. All things were made by You and are still under Your control. Please help us to understand that this will not change, even if we try to soften the reality of that, or not tell the whole truth of what it will take to draw mankind unto a saving knowledge of You. There is no need for us to be intimidated by others, for Your message is designed for us all. There is no gain for self, for Your Word is intended to draw mankind unto You, not unto us. Please forgive us for our littleness in trying to use Your message for our benefit. Please help us to wipe away self-pride and instead practice true servant-hood and be Your humble messenger simply delivering Your Word to lost mankind. Only the blood of Jesus can wash away the sin of mankind, nothing else. May Your will be done today in our lives, I pray, in the all-powerful and matchless name of Jesus my Lord, AMEN!

Nuggets From God's Word

Tag: Humility