Tag: Humility

A Warning To Those Who Have Much

On By Ed AlgreenIn Blessings, Generosity, GivingLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (Good News Translation – 1 Timothy 6:17-19): 17 Command those who are rich in the things of this life not to be proud, but to place their hope, not in such an uncertain thing as riches, but in God, who generously gives us everything for our enjoyment. 18Command them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share with others. 19In this way they will store up for themselves a treasure which will be a solid foundation for the future. And then they will be able to win the life which is true life.

THOUGHTS: Way too often we attribute ‘riches’ to mean those who are rich financially, and yes I agree that this could very easily apply to them. But I believe that deep within the meaning of this we must be careful to never lose sight of everything that God has truly blessed us with! We must also be very careful to not get satisfied in our blessings, because that becomes challenging to appreciate what another person might be going through. For example, one might be crying out for help in dealing with family issues, but if we are content and ‘rich’ in peace in our family, it might be hard to identify with the need. I believe the point that God is relaying to us through Paul is that we must learn to put our faith in the Giver of all good things and not in the riches we feel secure in, for it is God who gives the gifts/riches to us. Let’s remember that everything we are blessed with comes from the generosity of the gracious hand of God. He blesses us with such gifts to enable us to help others. I believe that a kind heart and a generous hand is demanded of all God’s children, for this is what Jesus exampled for us to follow. It is not sinful to be rich, and it is not godly to be poor. Some are blessed with resources that could serve well in the ongoing ministry of the church. Often with these resources comes the temptation to misuse them, for some will demand leadership in the church, or a major say in where the finances must be used. There is nothing biblical about that kind of giving friends, so be careful to always give from a heart of love to the work of Christ in and through His local church – your church. If you have been diligent in electing church officials according to God’s design, then the funds will be properly allocated and used for His glory, not yours. The joy of the giving Christian comes from the treasure they are laying up in heaven through obeying God and investing their gifts – monetarily or plain life-talents here on earth for the glory of God. I believe that the take-away on this scripture today, is that we give of ourselves and our resources generously, just as God generously gave to us at Calvary, and through all that He blesses us with daily here on this earth. The Bible gives us guidelines on the minimum amount we should give financially, but it also teaches us to give from the generosity of which we have been blessed. Is that truly measurable? Just learn to give friend, and then watch the blessings of God that is out-poured on you! You just can’t out-give God!

PRAYER: To the Giver of all life and all good and perfect gifts, Jesus my Lord, thank You for Your generosity in all that You have blessed me with. So undeserving, yet You loved me beyond all measure. I am rich in Your awesome blessings, way beyond anything I deserve. Thank You! I pray that You might open my heart and my mind to the riches that I have yet to share with others. Lord, I want to show Your goodness so that You may be lifted up, and recognized as the loving, tenderhearted and understanding God that You are. Please lead me and guide me to do better at this. My friends who will read this devotional might also be faced with similar challenges, please speak very boldly to them as they meditate on Your Word and cause them to know the path You would have them travel today, and the attitudes necessary to allow others to know that You are God, yet working through mere humans that love and serve You. Father God, may I ask that You continue to pour Your riches on our lives, but also ask that You give us renewed hearts so that we may pass those riches on to others – many of whom need an urgent touch from You today. In appreciation for all You have done, and will continue to do, I bring these petitions before You, in thanksgiving, and through Your precious Son, 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 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!

Qualities for a Perfect Christmas!

On By Ed AlgreenIn ChristmasLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.

(Bible Translation and Location: New Living Translation – Ephesians 4:1-3)

Thoughts:

At this time of the church year I was very tempted to share a few verses with you from Isaiah 7 where the birth of Jesus was prophesied, and which was my Old Testament reading for today. However, when I came to my New Testament reading and meditated on the chosen verses, I believe God revealed to me that there would really be no Christmas celebration this year without the peace and love that this new born King brings to our lives. Friends, in my upbringing I was taught to represent my ancestry well, and to not bring shame on the family. In my work life I was taught to represent my profession well, whether inside the four walls of my institution or out, for I am always representing my profession. Our challenge in today’s scripture is that many of you reading this devotional, like me, probably know the same Savior that I do, and we are being challenged to represent Him well. In fact, to be considered worthy of the calling He has made on our lives, we are reminded in these verses to always be humble, gentle, patient with each other and to make allowances for the faults of each other, because of God’s perfect love in us. Because of the pressures brought upon us through the commercialization of Christmas, this time of the year often tends to bring out the worst in us, instead of the godly qualities mentioned. How might we overcome and be the people that God ordained for His work? Let’s remember that Christmas is all about Jesus, not the gifts we put under the tree or the stresses of insufficient money to buy all that we might want to buy. Succeeding in being a child of the King in every way is far more important than anything our TV advertising might tell us. Humility, gentleness, patience and our love for Jesus is not something we can purchase at the store, yet with Jesus as King of our lives, we can offer lots of these qualities to all that we might wish a Merry Christmas to this year! Let’s pray for each other because of Jesus, instead of getting under each others skin because of the world’s idea of Christmas!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I am reminded that there was no money needed for Your birth – not for a hospital, nor a hotel, nor a crib, nor a car to take you home in. Please help us to return the simplicity shown at Your birth to the celebration of Your birth this Christmas. Let us concentrate more on the Christ child that makes up Christmas and the qualities that You brought to our lives when we claimed You as our King. As we enjoy the richness of fellowship one with another and the warmth of remembering the Christ child born to not only rescue Israel (as in Isaiah 7), but to also save mankind for a future and everlasting life with You in glory, may we then truly celebrate ‘CHRISTMAS’ and be filled with Your presence so that we may go on impacting lives for You in our everyday walk and talk. It’s all about You Jesus, may we keep it that way this Christmas! Happy Birthday Jesus! I ask all this in the precious name of Jesus, my Lord, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com 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!

Careful How You Boast

On By Ed AlgreenIn Boasting, HumilityLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

14 As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died. 15 It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation.

(Bible Translation and Location: New Living Translation – Galatians 6:15-16)

Thoughts:

I believe that way too often we accept praise for something that only God could have done. Way too often we give credit to a dynamite preacher for miracles that God performed during a worship service. I heard a pastor say at one time that he would not wear a particular suit again, because it appeared like all the people saw was his clothing and not the point he was trying to relay for his Master. Friends, when we are moved to do something godly, please remember that we can only give God credit for that, for in and of our sinful selves we would not give in to the things of God because of a nagging mother, or a simple invitation from a friend. It is only when the Spirit of God begins to work on us, convicting us of our sin and pointing us to the King of all kings and Lord of all lords that our spiritual eyes are opened and we experience a desire to change our life’s direction. Also, please never forget that although man can pray for a health issue or a spiritual shortfall, he does not have the power to transform either a person’s health or spiritual condition. Just imagine, if this was the case, no friend of a Christian would be lost, for he would miraculously have them all saved out of love for the individual. Paul showed us through his words in this text that we are to boast of nothing except the love and power of the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that when we place Jesus in His rightful place, or better still, when we place ourselves in the humility of who we are, and allow Jesus to shine through in all that He is, perhaps then we will appreciate all that He does in our everyday lives, and also see how prevalent the need to see Him at work in the lives of our unsaved friends. Christians, we have a responsibility to promote Jesus, not pretend to be Him.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, please help me to take my place of humility and submission to You in all that I do and say, for I am nothing without Your power and grace. Father, I am convinced that this world can only be changed, and touched through the precious power of Your Son, so I ask that You not only give me grace to submit to You in everything, but also that my readers might be reminded of Your awesome power in every aspect of their lives. Lord, please constantly remind us of our position and to constantly place our faith and trust in You and in all that You are. Please prompt us to always boast on You and allow You to receive the glory for all miracles performed in and through us. You are my King and it’s in You that I place my faith and trust daily. Thank You Jesus! I respectfully and humbly ask all this in the precious name of Jesus, my Lord, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com 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!

For No Selfish Gain, Just Glorify God

On By Ed AlgreenIn HumilityLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

17 As the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”(Jer. 9:24)

18 When people commend themselves, it doesn’t count for much. The important thing is for the Lord to commend them.

(Bible Translation and Location: The New Living Translation – 2 Corinthians 10:17-18)

Thoughts:

Here Paul is defending himself against a bunch of ‘super apostles’, who couldn’t stand seeing someone not from their group come in to share the gospel with their people. Do we have these type folk in our churches today? In my opinion, yes we do, and they are usually the troublemakers, much like Paul encountered in the early church. However what I feel like Paul was trying to clear up for us, is that Christians are to be loyal to God and always striving to please Him. If we please others along the way, then glory to God for whom the pleasing was intended! We should never have to boast on ourselves, after all it is God who created us; God who provides life each day; God who fills us with His love and the knowledge necessary to discern His Word and be able to share it with others. We are therefore just servants of the Master Designer and therefore He who should receive honor and glory from everything accomplished by Him through us. Friends, we are to be careful to pass the praises on to our Lord and Savior, and not soak them up in selfish pride with the assumption that it was due to anything we may have done. We are merely empty vessels with the love and power of God working in and through us as we open our mouths and or work any good deed. Please let us continue to please our Lord, and then worship Him together with others as we are blessed by Him. Don’t let our selfish pride get in the middle of this, for we are nothing without You.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, in all humility I come before You today asking that You might continue to receive glory for any and everything that You might accomplish through my efforts. Thank You for even considering using me to help others and to represent You. May I fade into the backdrop as You maintain prominence and receive praise for working in the lives of your people. Please keep me volunteering to help where You know that You can use me to receive glory, especially through people surrendering their lives to You. Please make me very aware of the times that I may be less than humble, as my desire and wish is to see people won to You, and only You can perform such a miracle. Please soften the hearts of Your messengers who may be less than obedient, or less than humble before an awesome and perfect God. May this be a day that we all learn to pass the praises up to You while continuing to seek Your face and Your perfect will for our lives as we serve You. Lord I ask these things humbly in Your name, 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!

How To Be Happy!

On By Ed AlgreenIn HumilityLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

12    May our sons in their youth be like plants that grow up strong.

May our daughters be like stately pillars which adorn the corners of a palace.

13    May our barns be filled with crops of every kind.

May the sheep in our fields bear young by the tens of thousands.

14    May our cattle reproduce plentifully without miscarriage or loss.

May there be no cries of distress in our streets.

15    Happy is the nation of whom this is true; happy are the people whose God is the Lord!

(Good News Translation – Psalm 144:12-15)

Thoughts:

There are probably more ‘How To’ books and articles available for individuals today than there have ever been before. In fact, some are also called “For Dummies”, meaning that the “How to” is very simplified so that even a dummy would understand! In verse 15 David shared with us ‘How To’ be eternally happy, when he said: “Happy is the person whose God is THE GOD ALMIGHTY”. Now, before you begin thinking that I repeated this out of context, please read all the verses above. I believe you will quickly recognize that God spoke through David to tell us that when we call on Him for every aspect of our lives: our sons; our daughters; our income source and the safety and security of our cities, states and country, then not only will we be claiming God as our true, all sufficient and loving God, but we will also join the number of other Christians praying that our respective country leaders would humbly do the same, so that our nation would also be a happy (secure, safe, prosperous and caring) one. Can you imagine a ‘happy’ person living in a ‘happy’ nation, in the terms mentioned, this side of heaven? Didn’t you say that you believe in the power of prayer and of the One who answers our prayers? Then is there anything too big for our God? Friends, please don’t get caught in the trap of only asking God for as much as you can safely see the resolution to. He is much bigger than that! Remember, He created this earth and everything in it. There is nothing bigger, or more powerful than our God! We are not asked to be militant, we are to follow David’s example and Pray! If you are reading this devotional and have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you have a more urgent prayer first. Please follow the directions in the Footnote for help in resolving your dilemma, then pick this devotional back up and re-read it so that you can join the army of God praying for your own success and that of our nation. Our God loves us so much, yet unfortunately we try every other possible source for help before we finally break down our walls and seek after God. Please change that today friends!

Prayer:

Jesus, my Lord and Savior, I am humbled by the love that You make very evident to me every day, in spite of my pride to try everything else before turning to You for help. In any good relationship, we talk to each other about our joys and concerns before sharing that with others. Please continue to humble Your servant so that I might always interact with You about every joy and every concern that I might have. Please help me to always seek Your guidance, especially for everything that leads to my happiness and or the happiness of those around me. On earth I want to be known as a man who is happy because of my relationship with You. In heaven I would really like to be known as one who had such a relationship with You that there was nothing in life that I ever failed to first discuss with, offer praise to, or request from, You. I acknowledge that You hold the key to my success and happiness now and throughout eternity, I must learn to lean on You for all this, so that my joy may be complete in You. Please touch the hearts of those who might meditate on this devotional today with the truth of Your Word and Your everlasting love for them. I ask all this in Your dear name, 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 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 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!

Did you Know……???

On By Ed AlgreenIn Born Again, Christian, Faith, Humility, Obedience, RighteousnessLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Jeremiah 33

OBSERVATION

Jeremiah 33:2-3 ~ “This is what the LORD says, he who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it—the LORD is his name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’

APPLICATION

When first reading these verses I thought, what a comfort to know such a wonderful Savior, one that made this whole earth and now He is telling Jeremiah, and us, to call to Him and He will answer. Then as I meditated more deeply on this I saw in the later part of verse three that God said He would tell us great and unsearchable things that we do not already know. Now unlike our natural desire to want to catch up on to gossip and hear something for the first time so that we have something ‘juicy’ to spread around to those that we speak with, I am thrilled to be reminded of these words spoken by the Lord for these reasons:

  1. God would tell us these things because He is growing us closer to Him and wants to fill us with more of His glory. We should therefore celebrate in praise as we learn something new from God, whether through reading His Word or in responses to our prayers;
  2. He wants to encourage us, because we may be feeling so out of it all in finding an answer to a problem that we are dealing with. We should therefore have the faith to implement the Word given to us by the Almighty;
  3. He has a mission for us to tell others something special directly from Him. We should be careful not to boast about this, after all who are we that God should use us? However, I believe that one of the important ways that God speaks to others, or confirms a Word that He may have given directly to them, is through another saint. Therefore while following through on sharing the great and unsearchable news with others may be a blessing to us, it could be a confirmation for a brother or sister in the Lord and a great relief to them.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus who am I that You should find me worthy to speak Your great words of wisdom to, or through? Praise God that You consider me a son of the King and therefore royalty! Praise God that it is not of anything personal that I can boast, but rather Your love for me and for others that You answer our prayers and tell us great and unsearchable things that we do not know, so that Your glory may be shown in this dark world that we live in. Thank You for loving me so much that You gave of Yourself that I may have eternal life, and that I may have peace in this troubled world. May I always be careful to pass the praise on to You anytime others are blessed by something You may have given me to share with them. You are an awesome God! My God and my King! Amen!

Faith under Fire

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Faith, Humility, Obedience, RighteousnessLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: John 18 

OBSERVATION

John 18:25 ~ Meanwhile, as Simon Peter was standing by the fire warming himself, they asked him again, “You’re not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it, saying, “No, I am not.”

APPLICATION

It might be very easy for us to read this chapter and comment about the coward that Peter was. The truth is that we do this almost every day of our lives, for we act differently and/or speak differently when we are under pressure. A few examples are:

  • The ease we have in lifting up holy hands and worshipping God inside church, vs the challenge we have in doing the same when a fellow Christian tells us in front of coworkers about a miracle that occurred in their life or the life of a loved one. Sometimes the motionless way that we may respond might lead coworkers to question whether we are of the same faith at all;
  • We might easily openly pray in Church, but we don’t want to appear ‘holy’ by praying in public over our food or for a friend in need;
  • We will sit and not only laugh at dirty jokes, but not even acknowledge in actions that our ‘holy’ ears were just poisoned or stained by ungodly or unholy garbage;
  • We will quickly fill our glass with alcohol at a function so we could look/act like our buddies, even though we just said a loud ‘amen’ to the preacher that spoke so openly about ‘the sin of defiling the body’ the day before.

In the above examples I feel like our faith is being tested. Someone is watching to see if we would act the same way on Monday that they saw us pretending to be on Sunday. The sad thing is that we have not only just given them the opportunity to point a finger at our inconsistency, but we have shown that when our faith is under fire, we will act just like Peter and deny Christ. What the world needs most, is to see followers of Christ that they could see enough consistency in their walk and talk that they will freely ask questions about God’s grace, and particularly what it takes to draw closer to God in a personal relationship. The best sermon spoken to a friend is the one that shows by our actions who, and whose we truly are.

PRAYER

  1. Father, in the same way that I seek your face daily for many needs in my life, may I also be careful to not be hypocritical and act as a stranger to You when in the presence of my friends, acquaintances, coworkers, business associates, etc. Perhaps today I can be such an example to someone that they will welcome hearing from me about the Christ that I know, worship, adore and live for each day of my life. Please grant me the strength and boldness to be Your witness today dear Lord. Make me a blessing to someone today!

Benefits of Worship and Obedience

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Faith, Forgiveness, Humility, Obedience, Righteousness, WorksLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Psalm 112

OBSERVATION

Psalm 112:1-9 ~ … The LORD blesses everyone who worships him and gladly obeys his teachings. Their descendants will have great power in the land, because the LORD blesses all who do right. They will get rich and prosper and will always be remembered for their fairness. They will be so kind and merciful and good, that they will be a light in the dark for others who do the right thing. Life will go well for those who freely lend and are honest in business. They won’t ever be troubled, and the kind things they do will never be forgotten. Bad news won’t bother them; they have decided to trust the LORD. They are dependable and not afraid, and they will live to see their enemies defeated. They will always be remembered and greatly praised, because they were kind and freely gave to the poor.

APPLICATION

I have included a lot more scripture verses than usual today because I was so touched by it. God is so moved and blessed by our worship and obedience to Him that He used David to show us that there are many benefits to us:

  • Our children will be given great power, because God blesses all who do right;
  • We will get rich and will prosper and will always be remembered, because of our fairness;
  • We will be so kind, merciful and good, that we will be an example or role model for those who endeavor to do the right thing;
  • As we freely lend and be honest in business, we will see life go well for us;
  • We won’t ever be troubled;
  • The kind things that we do will never be forgotten;
  • Bad news won’t bother us, because we are so determined to trust the Lord in all things;
  • We are dependable (so we should be some of the best employees!);
  • We will not be afraid;
  • We will live to see our enemies defeated (although I hope that we will never have enemies!);
  • We will always be remembered and greatly praised, because we were kind and always freely gave to the poor.

Wow, wow, wow! What more can we ask for? What more can we expect? If you are like me I believe that we will say, “But I just want to worship my Lord and obey His Word”, and we will have the best goal in life, but these verses are placed to let us know that there are definite benefits to doing just that! Now put that in perspective and ask why we would deserve this kind of love and I believe that, like me, you will conclude that it is the grace of God that saves us, not anything that we might do, otherwise we might selfishly boast. God is awesome, let’s devote ourselves to worshipping Him and obeying His commands, and in turn be blessed by Him beyond all that we could imagine or expect!

PRAYER

Father, I am committed to worshipping You and obeying Your Word. I acknowledge that this will require much devotion and commitment from me and much help from You to help me keep my focus and devotion to what You teach in Your Word. I know that I will have to depend on You daily, thank You for being there for me. I am so appreciative that You would love even me to the extent of blessing me in all these ways if only I will do what I am suppose to do. Thank You Jesus!

What It Means To Know God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Faith, Forgiveness, Humility, Righteousness, WorksLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: Jeremiah 22

OBSERVATION

Jeremiah 22:15-16 ~ ….Your father was satisfied to have food and drink. He did what was right and fair, so everything went well for him. He helped those who were poor and needy, so everything went well for him. That is what it means to know God,” says the Lord.

APPLICATION

I believe that a few wise words of Jeremiah the prophet were placed in God’s Word for the purpose of drawing our attention to what it means to truly know God. These things are:

  • Be satisfied with what we have – God cares so much for even the sparrow, I could only imagine how special we are to Him seeing that He made us in His image and His likeness, and gave us the understanding to know how much He truly cares for us.
  • Do what is right and fair – I believe that God expects us to treat one another with love and respect, just as He does in our case. Jesus taught us through His example that we should call sin, “sin”, but that we should always love the sinner, who is a creation of the Almighty God.
  • Help those who are poor and needy – following this description of Josiah, a king of Judah whose sons were not following in his footsteps, that everything went well for him because he helped the poor and needy. Unfortunately, today so many are trying to grab what they can so they try to take advantage of a giving society and/or government, however there are many who are truly poor and needy living very close to each of us and we must do all we can to do what is important in the little time that God has given to each of us here on this earth, so let’s put aside the evils of this world and try to reach the heart of God, His poor and needy children.

PRAYER

In doing these things I am told in this passage that not only will everything go well for me, but that I will actually be displaying what it means to know God. It is so important that I use my life wisely and to always strive to please God in all that I do. I pray that I will be made very aware of the needs around me, and that I will strive to follow the will of my Master each and every day through:

  • Being satisfied with what I have been, and being blessed with each day;
  • Making every effort to follow the will of God and do what is right and fair in every circumstance; and
  • Helping those who are poor and needy in every way that I can.

In doing these things, others will see and believe that God exists and still works through His servants even today. May others come to know You Lord as You become visible to them through me. Make me a blessing to someone today!

How God will Sometimes Deal with Sin.

On By Ed AlgreenIn Christian, Forgiveness, Humility, SinLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE

Studied: 2 Kings 24

OBSERVATION

2 Kings 24:2-4 ~ The Lord sent raiding parties from Babylon, Aram, Moab, and Ammon against Jehoiakim to destroy Judah. This happened as the Lord had said it would through his servants the prophets. The Lord commanded this to happen to the people of Judah, to remove them from his presence, because of all the sins of Manasseh. He had killed many innocent people and had filled Jerusalem with their blood. And the Lord would not forgive these sins.

APPLICATION

In this short passage God showed me how the sins of one man could affect the lives of so many, and how bitter God could be towards sin. In this particular case I believe that God had warned Manesseh many times about his sin, but he continued to take the blood of innocent people in Jerusalem. We are told that God warned about this through His servants, the prophets, and then He sent raiding parties in to destroy Judah. Reading this today we may wonder if something like this could possibly happen today. I dare say that it could, and may very well happen to those that we know and love. God’s Word is full of His warnings, His prophecies, His statutes, His commands, yet we read right over, or through them and continue in sin. How much more of this will our righteous and holy God take? I know that He loves His people and because of that He is very patient with us, but I believe that some of our sins are so blatant and affect so many people that God will see to it that His chosen people, those that He loves so dearly, are not negatively impacted by people that are out to destroy the message of love and the saving grace of our Lord, that Jesus came to fulfill and deliver to the masses.

PRAYER

Lord may I always be a facilitator of Your work and not a stumbling block. Please continue to lead me against the vile of the Evil One and instead, fill my path with righteousness, love for my fellow man, forgiveness for those that offend me, and words to share with the unsaved that will lead them to You. Your ways are righteous and holy, may I be filled with qualities that will reflect Your holiness and righteousness in all that I say or do, and may I be granted boldness to share Your love with everyone, especially those that may seem undeserving at times. Please grant me strength to overcome my weakness in this area during those times that I am tempted to do otherwise, so that others may see You and not faltering mankind.