Tag: Identify with the King of all kings

Identify Yourself Unashamedly With Christ

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

DATE POSTED: Saturday, 2023-03-18
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 12:8-10
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: 8 That’s why I keep telling you not to be intimidated. If you identify unashamedly with Me before others, I, the Son of Man, will affirm you before God and all the heavenly messengers. 9 But if you deny Me before others, you will be denied before God and all the heavenly messengers. 10 People can speak a word against Me, the Son of Man, and the sin is forgivable. But they can go too far, slandering the testimony of the Holy Spirit by rejecting His message about Me, and they won’t be forgiven for that.

OBSERVATION: Jesus had just addressed the subject of hypocrisy, a word that is rooted in the idea of hiding behind a mask, as if ashamed about someone or something. Do you suppose Jesus still sees this in Christians today, or have we learned from the great preaching of today, or possibly from the Bible, that we can be honest about our relationship with Jesus? Hopefully you will examine that thought in your own life as you read my full devotional today!

APPLICATION: To better understand where Jesus may have been coming from, it might be best that we consider how many people use the word ‘hypocrite’ today. If we blame others for abusing alcohol, yet we drink excessively behind closed doors, then we may be referred to as a ‘hypocrite’. If we say we are a Christian, yet there is no sign of Christ-like living in us, then we may be referred to as a ‘hypocrite’. In Jesus’ day, the Jews held claim to being the beloved children of God, so they heavily criticized the Gentiles who could never be ‘good enough’ for the Jews. What do you suppose might be our greatest form of hypocrisy today, as seen by Jesus? Inside our church walls, I believe that all Christians might feel free to claim the name of Jesus, and lift up ‘holy’ hands in praise to Him for His awesome works. And while I may accuse Christians of the road they travel that causes them to lose their witness, I can really only share with you my own personal list of why Jesus might refer to me as a hypocrite. As I leave the church grounds, I might be faced with a reckless driver, at least in my view, and I might struggle with being the same loving and caring child of God to them, as I was able to do inside the church. Some are afraid to attach a bumper sticker with words that might indicate they are ‘Christian’, because they’re afraid that other drivers might look at their driving, or their hand motions and realize that they are not as patient, kind and loving as anything they’ve learned about Jesus. What would Jesus do to those drivers? While waiting on line at the restaurant, we see what appears to be a friend of the host move straight up to the front of the line and escorted into the restaurant. Our faces will probably change color, our demeanor will probably change from bad to worse, and we will not enjoy our meal as much because of, what appeared to us as, unfair practices. What would Jesus do? In dealing with customers while at work, you might do an excellent job for your boss, but what happens when irate customers come in, and they take out their frustration on you? Are you able to keep your calm and let Jesus shine through you to love that customer and still help them all you can? Or do they become even more frustrated because they didn’t see the slightest hint of Jesus in your character? What might Jesus do in that exact scenario? Friends, as long as we are on earth, Satan will find ways to test us to see if he could dissuade us from the idea of keeping Jesus being prominent in our lives. Jesus knew how Satan would be after His disciples, so He helped them prepare the way for many of the temptations that would come their way. Hopefully your church has some strong ministries in place to help you prepare for, and/or harden your stance, while you wait for the day that God will call you out of here. Please try to take advantage of ministries at your church, Sunday School; Small groups; Men’s group; or as applicable – Ladies Group; Prayer and/or Bible Study gatherings; etc. Not only will you find peace in knowing that others share your frustration and/or temptations, but in many cases these groups will be encourages to pray one for another. This will act as a sharpening tool for your faith, persistence and your walk with the Lord. Times with these groups of Christian friends will serve to strengthen your ties with the Lord. Without these, you will face the constant bombardment of the evil one, but you will have no incentive, strength or encouragement to stand firm in your faith. We are challenged in every way by the evil one, so having no support on our side will really serve to weaken us and pull us away from our relationship with the Savior of the World. There is no need to worry when you follow Jesus in obedience to His Word, so be faithful to the One you surrendered your life over to and, stand committed and firm in the same faith that saved you.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: If you identify unashamedly with Me before others, I, the Son of Man, will affirm you before God and all the heavenly messengers! Praise God, if I am proud of Jesus before my peers, He will brag on me before the Father and His angels!

PRAYER: Dearest Lord Jesus, You endured beatings for me, even though You could have called ten thousand angels to protect every lash of the whip. You endured the embarrassment of the townspeople as you were drug through the streets towards Calvary, and You could have called ten thousand angels to protect you from the lashes and relieve the weight of the cross you had to carry. You endured the agony of being pierced and hung on a cross before Your mother and the crowd – just like the two other criminals, even though they deserved their punishment. Again, You could have called ten thousand angels to protect You, but You were determined to do Your Father’s will, and not Your own. You did all this so that I might have access to an eternity in Heaven with our Holy and Righteous God. Thank You Lord Jesus! I may be called a hypocrite here on earth because I cringe from the questions of the enemy or try to avoid confrontation from them. I’m sure the unsaved must look on and question if I really do have a relationship with You. For my readers and/or listeners who may be facing the same challenge as I do, please draw them close and give them reason today to know that You are close and therefore every reason to stay committed to their union with You and to gain strength from You when times are really challenging here on earth. AMEN!

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

Under Pressure, What Might You Say?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Worship1 Comment

DATE POSTED Wednesday, 2022-08-31
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Mark 14:70-72
TRANSLATION: Amplified Bible (AMP)

BIBLE TEXT:  70 ….. the bystanders again said to Peter, “You are in fact one of them, for [it is clear from your accent, that] you are a Galilean, too.” 71 But he began to invoke a curse [on himself] and to swear [an oath], “I do not know this man you are talking about!” 72 Immediately a rooster crowed the second time. And Peter remembered what Jesus said to him: “Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And thinking of this, he began weeping [in anguish].

APPLICATION: There are times when our best friend may embarrass us in public, and we might kid around by pretending that we disown them! However, how much worse will that condemnation get if you are spotted together and one of you are wanted by law enforcement for questioning on a recent murder case? In such a scenario, or as in the case of Peter when questioned about his relationship with Jesus, or in the case of our friends identifying us as Christians outside of the church walls, we may choose to be silent, or we may even choose to play the part of Peter and deny Jesus Christ. I know, many readers and listeners are probably shaking their heads east to west right now, as you might be much like Peter when he told Jesus that he would never deny Him. So, what happened to Peter, and what happens to us in times like these? I believe it is time that we face reality and acknowledge that others may see us dressed for church on a Sunday morning and carrying our Bible, but not in beach attire like they might be. They may see us bow for prayer over our food, or when asked to in a public place. They may notice that we don’t laugh at the dirty office jokes anymore. They may notice from our speech, that we are blessed by the Holy Spirit to speak like Jesus, and not like the world. So why did Peter, and why do we, lose hope and courage when questioned or identified in public? Are we ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, or the One who gave up His life for our eternal salvation? Do we regret making the decision to follow Jesus, know Him intimately, and share in His life, death and resurrection? Jesus had been arrested, and I’m sure that Peter knew that he could just have easily been arrested next, and lined up for crucifixion, if the authorities knew that he was just like Jesus. Is that what happens to us? Or are we afraid that we would lose our earthly status, or our youthful nickname, or never be invited to awesome parties again, but instead stand out as a sore thumb when around our ‘old’ friends? Jesus knew what Peter would do – that’s why He quickly told him in advance what he would do. Jesus also knows what you and I will do, that’s why He challenged us in the Scriptures by telling us that those who claim Him publicly here on earth, He will also claim us before the Father. But for those who are ashamed of Him here on earth, He will disown us before the Father. So, I believe that our challenge for this last day of August in 2022 is to truthfully consider that based on our words, actions and thoughts over the last few days, what might Jesus be saying to His father at this very moment? Rejoicing over a sinner saved by His wondrous grace and living a life worthy of His love and admiration, or is He shaking His head in shame and disappointment that it is very clear that we have not been serious about our decision to accept and serve Him? Your pastor, wife, mother or father can’t answer that one for you, but Jesus will gladly point you towards the right path that He has set out for you. One-on-one time with Jesus will help you continue your walk with Him, if you know Him as Lord and Savior, otherwise He will gladly draw you to Himself, if you share your desire with Him. I pray that you will make time to be with Jesus today and open to listening to His still small voice to lead you on.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: ‘Jesus knows all about our struggles, He will guide til the day is done‘

PRAYER: Thank You Jesus that You know all about our struggles, and that You have the power and willingness to guide us through each and every day. Please help us to step aside and allow You to have control. We tend to blame our weakness on us just being ‘human’, but Lord, help us instead to look at, remember, and always allow the awesome power of our King to rule, reign and have His way in us. Through Your power, under your inspiration, and with Your constant encouragement, we can overcome! Peter struggled, and so do we. But with You in the wheelhouse of our lives, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Use us Lord as Your instruments to touch the lives of the unsaved and uncommitted today. AMEN!

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

Identify Yourself With Christ

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

DATE POSTED Friday, 2022-03-18
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Romans 1:1-4
TRANSLATION: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

BIBLE TEXT: 1 Greetings from Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus.
God chose me to be an apostle and gave me the work of telling his Good News. 2 God promised long ago through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures to give this Good News to his people. 3-4 The Good News is about God’s Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. As a human, he was born from the family of David, but through the Holy Spirit he was shown to be God’s powerful Son when he was raised from death.

APPLICATION: You’ve heard it before, a long detailed biography is read for a politician who is about to speak at a meeting you might be attending. Generally you will hear everything about the politician, their parents and everyone that might make his or her life appear important enough to gain our confidence, and ultimately your vote. For a new pastor being introduced to our church, we will hear about his largest congregations, his achievements, his theological degrees earned in seminary, and we may even hear his testimony. Paul’s primary focus was on his relationship with the Master, and how God was instrumental in his desire to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As I looked at what commentators had to say about this introduction, and the Gospel in particular, I felt like I must share the best one I found: John Courson said:

‘Truly, the gospel is Good News—not just good advice. A lot of preachers, authors, and speakers try to make Christianity a bunch of good advice. Most best-selling Christian books today are full of good advice about child-rearing, financial planning, or marriage counseling. But remove the name of Jesus Christ from most of them, and it won’t affect the book at all.
We’ve got something so much better than good advice, folks. And I would encourage you to be on guard against sermons or authors, churches or organizations that give you good advice. If you can take Jesus Christ out of a sermon without affecting it, you’re probably wasting your time listening to it. If you can take Jesus Christ out of a book without affecting it, you’re probably wasting your time reading it. Paul wasn’t separated unto the good advice of Christian living. He was separated to the Good News of God.’

But to top this whole message off, Jesus gave His disciples a few conditions that would generate supreme trust in the Almighty God. I went with a group of missionaries from my church to Mexico for a week. Other than finances, the next greatest challenge was in packing minimally as space would be limited on flights and in the vans used for ground transportation. So can you imagine trying to ‘GO’ under the restrictions ordered by Jesus in (1) noted above in our Scripture? Homes were opened to accommodate the missionaries, as there were no provisions for commercial accommodations, if any existed. This has become a huge problem today, as most church members will refuse to have a missionary or visiting preacher in for a meal, much less opening their home to one. I trust that you can appreciate the difference. Most of us will do everything possible to be accepted by the townspeople in which we minister. But what do you do if you are not accepted? Jesus knew this would happen and probably disappoint His disciples, just as it would impact us, so He prepared us in advance in (3) above for such an unfortunate event. Bible scholars will tell you that Jesus didn’t just tell His disciples to go some foreign place and, when you get – tell and heal. But instead, He told them in their language that as they GO, tell and heal. It is so important that we represent God and tell the Good News everywhere we find ourselves, not just at one specific building, street corner, country or city. As you go each day, brothers and sisters, in every way possible, tell the story of Jesus and His love for everyone you meet, God being your helper and guide.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Being ‘in Christ’ and directed by Christ, helps us better identify that we are qualified to tell the Good News about Jesus Christ. With Christ, we are more than conquerers. Without Christ, we are nothing at all!

PRAYER: Lord, thank You for all You did on Calvary, for the sake of Your precious children. You created us, and because of Calvary You identified with us by fulfilling our need for a Savior, so that Eternal Life might be within reach for us. Without a Savior we would be destined for the pit of Hell. Please help us to never dissociate ourselves with that love shown through Your sacrifice. Oh that we might be like Your servant Paul, and tell the world that because of our relationship to You, and our association with You, we are more than conquerors and therefore well qualified to share the love of Jesus Christ with them. Help us to turn a deaf ear to the teachings of the evil one, who would rather us be afraid, timid, withdrawn, ashamed, and ignorant of the things of God. Your precious Holy Spirit is within us and will embolden us to overcome all of the above and instead stand firm on our faith in You – Almighty Father, Son and Holy Ghost. The world needs You. As Your representative, may we never disappoint them! AMEN!

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

How To Identify Godly Wisdom

On By Ed AlgreenIn Grace, Mercy, WisdomLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   James 3:17-18 (ERV)

TEXT:  17 But the wisdom that comes from God is like this: First, it is pure. It is also peaceful, gentle, and easy to please. This wisdom is always ready to help people who have trouble and to do good for others. This wisdom is always fair and honest. 18 People who work for peace in a peaceful way get the blessings that come from right living.

OBSERVATION:   In the preceding verses, James points out what worldly wisdom looks like, and it helps us to recognize why we have so many challenges in our families, community, and even in our churches. Yes, we have ‘dirty sheep’ in our churches also, and depending on their influence in the community, they may even make their way into church leadership. However, in the above two verses we could see Jesus, for He performed His work here on earth in a very peaceful, calm and righteous manner. His wisdom was, and still is, beyond all wisdom, and He is the One that we should imitate.

APPLICATION:   When we seek God for wisdom, He gives us the kind of wisdom that He portrayed while here on earth, and He will teach us the kind of wisdom spoken of in these verses. Now let’s compare that to the wisdom sought by unbelievers. I believe they look to the wisdom taught at our colleges; they place themselves in the middle of very smart people; they may try to imitate the practices of very successful leaders who have proven themselves; and I believe they probably watch a lot of world events to help them understand what may be successful, or not. You may have heard of other things that you might add to that list, but friends let me encourage you to consider the source of each of the mentioned items. It is mankind, filled with all of his fallacies, yet we are content to try and imitate, or repeat those things that may appear successful to us. Oh my, is there any wonder that we see a repeat of disastrous efforts by some leaders? I trust that you will not misunderstand me and think that I am proposing that our Christian leaders never seek any of the above ways to increase their effectiveness, because I really believe that our men of God will still follow some of the above methods, but hopefully they will allow God to guide their minds, their thought process, and fill them with His wisdom as to the wise things they should implement that will also bring Him glory. Friends, let’s always remember that in all things that we do, let’s acknowledge God and be obedient to His perfect will, and that we follow through with things that will bring Him glory and bless His people. That will fulfil the purpose for which He has placed us here, and in the positions that He has entrusted to us. Let’s always remember that it’s not about us, but all about Him, that causes us to accomplish any good thing!

PRAYER:   Lord Jesus, we need You every hour of every day. We especially need Your guidance and Your wisdom so that our actions might serve to glorify Yourself. May our words be pure and filled with the wisdom that we learn from Your Word. Fill us with so much of Yourself Lord, that others will see Jesus as they look on us and rub shoulders with us. Please touch the hearts of each one reading this devotional today, oh Lord. May they be reminded of the One who created them, the One who sacrificed His only Son for the good of mankind, and the One who patiently waits at our Father’s side and intercedes for us. Please use Your humble servants today oh Lord, so that those that we come into contact with will draw close to You and seek Your forgiveness, grace and mercy. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. 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 Nuggets From God’s Word 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 Sebring, 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!