Looking To God in Every Circumstance of Life

On 2019-01-28 By Ed AlgreenIn Confidence, Guidance, Provider, StrengthLeave a comment

Monday, 2019-01-28

Bible Reference: Philippians 4:11-13
Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

Bible Text: I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or little. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of contentment in every situation, whether it be a full stomach or hunger, plenty or want; for I can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power.

OBSERVATION: Our churches are normally full after a large scale disaster. We tend to look to God when we know that life is out of our control, instead of recognizing that He is always in control of our lives each and every day. Paul’s testimony teaches us that we should look to God in every circumstance of life. How do you suppose we are doing with that?

APPLICATION: I found it interesting to visit another country and see how people made the most out of circumstances that many of us may tend to moan and complain about. This was evident in:

The food we ate – simple, yet filling and nourishing. May not have been steaks or ribs, but nonetheless we never went to bed hungry;
The kids and their toys – they were just as happy kicking around a plastic bottle, as our kids are with the best football. In fact, they were probably happier than our kids because there was no jealousy about the nice ball brought by the rich kids, as they all were on the same ‘level playing field’;
No whining or complaining – we never heard them complain about their circumstances or their plight. They were happy, respectable, hard working and looked out for each other.

AUnfortunately in today’s society, it is not until we have lost everything that we tend to look to accept help from a neighbor or receive help from them. It’s not until our world comes crashing down that we look to God. Our churches are normally full after a large scale disaster. We tend to look to God when we know that life is out of our control, instead of recognizing that He is always in control of our lives each and every day. Paul spoke these words as one who had been there and done that, for he had been beaten, shipwrecked, imprisoned, gone without food and more, yet he was able to add the tag that he could do everything that God asked him to do because of the power and strength that Christ blessed Him with at every turn in his life. Friends, this is the same awesome God that I know. The same outstanding God that is yours, if you have given Him permission to be your God. The same loving God that will be your God if only you will humble yourself and invite Jesus into your heart and your life. With God in control, we can do this thing called ‘life’, without ever looking at our circumstances, because we will realize and accept that all that He does for His loving children is done out of love and done to draw us closer to Him. You can do this friend! What are you waiting for? Read my ‘Footnote’ for a clearer understanding of how you might go about inviting Jesus to be the Lord of your life. He really loves you friend, and He really wants to be your God!

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for loving us so much that You gave, so that we might live eternally with You. Thank You for drawing me to Your throne of grace and mercy, and for accepting me as Your very own Son. I realize that when I complain about life’s circumstances I am really questioning Your handiwork. Please forgive me, and help me to always look at the love You offer to me every day and in so many ways. Please draw my unsaved family and friends to Yourself today. Please especially touch the lives of those who will read this devotional today, with Your love and Your power. Please cause them to make decisions today that will draw them to yourself. Please be a constant reminder to us that we can do all things You ask of us through Christ who is our strength, guide, protection and provider. I ask these things in the loving name of Jesus, and for His sake alone, AMEN!

Footnote: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

2019

The Joy of Knowing Jesus

On 2019-01-25 By Ed AlgreenIn Know Jesus, SalvationLeave a comment

Thursday, 2019-01-25

Bible Reference: Philippians 3:8-9
Translation: The Message (MSG)

Bible Text: Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him.

APPLICATION: I love the illustration Paul used to show how much he valued the relationship he had with the God of this universe. A few years ago my family and I had the daunting task of moving out of our home of 27 years into a much smaller accommodation. We had to evaluate all of our earthly possessions and conclude that each item must either: 1). Go with us – meaning we had to find space for it in our smaller accommodation, or 2). We would hold on to the item in storage until we decide if we would ever need it, or are willing to dispose of it, or 3). We could no longer see a need to hang on to the item, and were willing to sell it or give it away. Think about that, together with the mindset of Paul, who was once a valuable resource to earthly kings and nobles, because of his readiness to destroy anything or anyone attributing its value to Jesus Christ. What Paul did could be likened to the example given above about my personal experience, dumping everything we once had, and starting from scratch. Paul did this in giving his total allegiance to Jesus Christ, without the possibility of any interference from anything he may have owned in his past. Paul said that he ‘dumped it all in the trash, so that he could fully embrace the unencumbered grace of Christ’. Friends, it was not until my family and I came to the place that we realized that our earthly belongings was merely ‘stuff’, and added no value to our eternal destination, that we were able to commit to our move. Paul is teaching us in this passage that it is not until we are willing to make Jesus the primary focus in our lives, and release our grip on earthly things, that we would truly embrace Him and be embraced by Him. Jesus went to the cross with only the wrappings around His body, but He did it because of His supernatural love for us, and to provide the means for the forgiveness of our sin. How much are you willing to sacrifice today to truly enhance your relationship with such a Savior as this?

Prayer: Jesus, You are my King – my soon coming King! Thank You for humbly following the Master’s will, to prove Your love for myself and all mankind who would choose You as the focus of our lives. You gave it all for us oh Lord. Please use this reminder by Paul to help us examine our motives and our intentions. Whether we choose to publicize our decision like Paul did, or whether we commit one-on-one with You, I pray that at the end of the day we will reflect back on the decisions we made. Each day we make decisions, some are very deliberate and very firm, while others are simply made by doing nothing at all and being satisfied with status-quo. Touch Your children today oh God and cause them to deliberately make decisions that will draw them to Yourself and to a glorious promise of one day being with You in heaven. I love You Lord and I thank You for first loving me beyond my wildest imagination. These things I ask in the name of Jesus, the Christ, AMEN!

2016

Jesus – Most Important

On 2019-01-23 By Ed AlgreenIn King, Ruler, SaviorLeave a comment

Wednesday, 2019-01-23

Bible Reference: John 3:27-30
Translation: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Bible Text: John replied: No one can do anything unless God in heaven allows it. You surely remember how I told you that I am not the Messiah. I am only the one sent ahead of him. At a wedding the groom is the one who gets married. The best man is glad just to be there and to hear the groom’s voice. That’s why I am so glad. Jesus must become more important, while I become less important.

APPLICATION: John’s disciples were rather indignant that the crowds who once followed John, were now hot on the trail of Jesus. However, John quickly reminded his followers that he was only sent as the precursor, the one who would prepare the hearts of the people for the Messiah. And that whenever He came, that his ministry (John’s) would decrease as Jesus became known to the people. This made me think of ministry today, for we often attribute the success of the church to the pastor, or the music minister, or something other than God. I heard of a great preacher from our past who, while preaching, had a team of prayer warriors in the church basement praying for God to soften hardened hearts and impact lives while the gospel was being proclaimed. That church was especially successful in ministry, but I believe that we will hear Jesus say that it was more because of the people praying, than the preacher who tried hard to proclaim the Word of God in a form that would touch lives for the Creator. I believe that churches that succeed in ministry today, are those who lift up the name of Jesus, and who give Jesus full charge of their church. Logically speaking, I believe we can safely say that church attendees will only see Jesus when they hear the Sunday School teacher talk more about Jesus than anything else. When the Music Minister clearly gives control of the praise and worship time to Jesus and that the lyrics declare Jesus more than anything else. When the preacher concentrates on the Word of God and does his very best to apply Biblical principles to everything that members face, and struggle with today. When invitations are given to accept Jesus, more than to join the church. When giving is tied to Biblical principles more than the wants of the church leaders for bigger buildings or more comfortable pews. Friends, I believe by now you are probably getting the picture. This Christian life, and the ministry of the Christian church, is more about God than anything else. We must decrease – the church, its leaders, its members, its followers. Jesus must be promoted and/or increased. Then, perhaps there may be a breakthrough for unbelievers who are searching, and then perhaps, the eyes of church attendees looking for answers to life’s challenges might be opened. It’s not about us friend. It’s all about our Savior who sacrificed His life just for us, and for those we think that we can minister to. Let’s give the reins back to God friends.

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for allowing Your humble servant to mix with others and proclaim Your praises in many different ways. Please touch my life that I will never promote self for any achievements of my own, but to give You full charge over all that I say and do. Lord may You be lifted up in everything that my readers and I attempt today. May it be obvious that our lives are all about You, and that it’s only because of Your grace that we can even claim You as Lord. Father, there are many in our circles that need to know You as Lord, may they be inspired by our actions and/or our words to reach out to the Savior that we know, and have surrendered to. We want You to rule and reign in our lives, our families, our churches and our workplaces so that You may touch lives of individuals that we touch. We love You Lord, we lift up our voices to You, we claim You as Lord, and we ask our deepest desires in the name of Jesus, AMEN!

2019

May Others Praise Jesus Because of You

On 2019-01-112019-01-11 By Ed AlgreenIn Evidence of Faith, Example of Christ, Exemplary Living, Pleasing to God, Praise, Praise-worthyLeave a comment

Friday, 2019-01-11

Bible Reference: Matthew 5:16
Translation: The Voice (VOICE)

Bible Text: ¹⁶You are like that illuminating light. Let your light shine everywhere you go, that you may illumine creation, so men and women everywhere may see your good actions, may see creation at its fullest, may see your devotion to Me, and may turn and praise your Father in heaven because of it.

OBSERVATION: This verse shows us what happens when someone sees the glory of God, even through something He may say or do through us (Christians). The emphasis here is ‘God’ and His mighty works, and not our abilities. Let’s meditate on how we might best align ourselves in this scenario.

APPLICATION: We have some who are super smart, and we have some who could use a lot of help, while others place themselves at the feet of Jesus with open hearts and ask God to fill them with His grace, His love, His wisdom and His mercy. Friends, it once again struck me as a very humbling thing that someone would actually praise God because of something I may have said or done! Of course, we want to extend praise and thanksgiving to the individual when we hear something of interest from them, because we want to encourage them. But can’t you see where there would be no better way of encouraging them, than for you to thank God: for creating them; for placing them in your path; for giving them the words that may have blessed you; or for giving them the financial capabilities to help you through some very tough times; or for speaking the right words to your son, that opened his eyes and heart to salvation? Wouldn’t it be awesome to walk up to your Sunday School teacher and instead of praising him for his giftedness in explaining the scriptures, you prayed with Him and glorified God for His gifts to this individual, which in turn brought a great blessing to you? Friends, as a worker in God’s kingdom, I could tell you right now that such an experience would help me change my mind from quitting, or lift my spirits beyond anything that might be said about my words or actions. You see, for those who are sincerely about the work of the Lord, it is all for His glory. So to hear Him being praised for any impact His ministry had through me, would be worth it all. May I encourage you to try this sometime, while I try to do the same? To God be the glory for everything that He does to get our attention or encourage us, even if He uses mere man to accomplish that!

PRAYER: Lord You are good and Your mercies are never ending. Thank You for all the ways that You get through to this humble servant. Thank You for all those that You have placed in the path of my readers and I, that encourage us personally, or remind us of Your awesome power and love. Please open our eyes to more miracles today that may happen right in front of us. Lord, may You be glorified at all times, especially in lieu of praises being addressed to us. We just don’t need that extra pride to deal with, as our strength, wisdom and direction comes from You alone. In Your name I pray, because it’s in You that I depend for my every move here on earth, so that You may be glorified. AMEN!

In Habitual Fellowship With God

On 2019-01-08 By Ed AlgreenIn Connected, Obedience, ObedientLeave a comment

Tuesday, 2019-01-08

Bible Reference: Genesis 6:9-13
Translation: Amplified Bible (AMP)

Bible Text: 9 …. Noah was a righteous man [one who was just and had right standing with God], blameless in his [evil] generation; Noah walked (lived) [in habitual fellowship] with God. ¹⁰Now Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. ¹¹The [population of the] earth was corrupt [absolutely depraved—spiritually and morally putrid] in God’s sight, and the land was filled with violence [desecration, infringement, outrage, assault, and lust for power]. ¹²God looked on the earth and saw how debased and degenerate it was, for all humanity had corrupted their way on the earth and lost their true direction. ¹³God said to Noah, “I intend to make an end of all that lives, for through men the land is filled with violence; and behold, I am about to ^[d]destroy them together with the land.

OBSERVATION: I believe that the earth has once again become, as described in verse 11. However, I want us to ponder today ‘who will be the ‘Noah’ of our day?’. Could be it be you? Could it be me? Only God knows. But we also might know whether we are truly righteous in all of our ways. We may camouflage the truth to our friends around us, but remember – God knows every little detail about our actions, and even our thoughts. Think about it friends…

APPLICATION: Imagine with me that you are constructing a project, and you leave at the end of the day feeling very proud of your accomplishments that day. But while your mind is at rest at home that evening, you remember that there was a key ingredient that you accidentally left out of your day’s work on that project, and it would lead to total disaster in a few weeks if you go on with the project instead of fixing the issue. Next morning you arrive at the project location and ask for help in destroying everything you did the previous day, so that you could start afresh and do everything according to its perfect design. In the time of Noah, God looked at everything He had created, and was extremely disappointed at the totally opposite direction that everything was going, compared to His original intent, so He decided to start back over with just one righteous man and his family. I can only believe that today the world must be in much worse shape than it has ever been before. Why, think about the little value placed on human life itself. From killing the innocent unborn, to being snatched by a Human Trafficker, or targeted by a murderer, or a pimp, or an organ reaper. The world is being destroyed in every way possible by mankind, for just as God declared in verse 12, it has become corrupted and debased in every way. Friends, we know what God did when He saw the world in such a mess in the days of Noah. I am confident that He is still God, and that He could very easily do the same thing to our world today, although I’m sure that He would never break His promise to never destroy all of creation again. But we have a responsibility, to make sure that our lives are aligned with what God demands of us in His Word, and to seek in every way to be in a condition like He found Noah to be – righteous. Prayer changes things, and we could certainly do that, but the Bible is clear that we must be ready to meet our God, no matter what circumstances are going on around us. May I encourage you today to first of all, know Jesus in an intimate and personal way; and secondly, aim for righteousness – being right with God. This would be living in a habitual relationship with God! To do this, you must seek to live according to His instructions; follow His example; and seek His will daily so that you may stay in line with His will. You may not be able to change the world, but you can become associated with the only One who can. Seek after His righteousness, friend, and all this will be given to you!

PRAYER: Lord, You created the world, and You saw fit to destroy the world with a flood. However, You have promised to never destroy the world again. Nonetheless, please help us to never lose our sense of alertness and readiness, because You have also promised in Your Word that You will return to take Your saints home to glory with You. Yes, our world today is probably worse than You’ve ever seen it before, but precious Lord, how we long for the day that You will take us ‘home’ with You! You’ve shown us in Your Word how we might become, and remain, ‘right with You’. Thank You for the assurance of our salvation Lord! May I please ask that You speak gently to the hearts of all those who will read this devotional, as You draw them unto Yourself, and open their eyes to the urgency of the hour that is quickly approaching for Your return. I want to see You Lord, and I truly want to ask the favor of You miraculously touching many who will be impacted by Your Word, and even by this humble blog. To God be the glory for all things that You will accomplish in Your time! AMEN!

God Provides

On 2019-01-02 By Ed AlgreenIn Example, Example of Christ, Exemplary LivingLeave a comment

Wednesday, 2019-01-02

Bible Reference: Genesis 1:29; Genesis 2:23-24
Translation: The Voice (VOICE)

Bible Text: Genesis 1:²⁹Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant that grows on the earth and every fruit-bearing tree. They will be your food and nourishment.
^{Genesis 2:23}Adam: At last, a suitable companion, a perfect partner. Bone from my bones. Flesh from my flesh. I will call this one “woman” as an eternal reminder that she was taken out of man. ²⁴Now this is the reason a man leaves his father and his mother, and is united with his wife; and the two become one flesh.

OBSERVATION: Being only day two into my read through the Bible again, there are two things that have already caught my attention. Not only are we reminded that God really did know what He was doing, but we could also regain faith in our doctors, because we could hear their words echoed, especially as we read the focal verses today. Having studied the Bible some already, I believe that these two things are just the beginning of many things to come where it is reinforced for us that God is the designer and maker of life and all that we need to live this life to its fullest!

APPLICATION: How many times have we been told by doctors that it’s the ‘junk’ that we are adding into our bodies that hurt us, and kill us prematurely. Yet we could see right from the beginning of God’s Word, that He provided the means for us to use in feeding these bodies He blessed us with. However, we have chosen to use our own intellect and feed ourselves anything but what God designed for us. Over and over I hear my doctor’s recommend that I put more fruit and vegetables into my diet. My sinful self considers that to be more steak; more ribs; more chocolate; more ice cream; etc, etc. So as I reflect on our first focal verse, I must ask myself what might I say to God at times like I’m facing right now with high cholesterol; heart disease; liver issues and other challenges that we know are impacted by our choice of foods not on God’s list. Should I ask for His healing of the body impacted by my deliberate variation from His design taught in Scripture? Or shall I ask for strength and wisdom to live as He designed? The other thing covered in our second set of focal verses, is the beautiful story of God’s creation of woman. He saw that Adam needed something to make his life complete, so He made the perfect mate for him. And since that time, oh the mess we have made of this. God also told us in verse 24 of Genesis 2, that He designed this union of man and woman to be apart from mom and dad. In other words, a totally separate family. Friends, our marriages are in in mess. Those with ties to the church, are as bad as those with no church affiliation at all. Do all of the issues originate because of a flaw in this one principle? I will leave that up to you to meditate on with God, because the issue is way bigger than I or any other ‘man’ could dare answer. However, I believe that God is reminding us from the very beginning of His Book of Instruction, that He created woman from man, so that he may have a helpmate, have a loving partner, and that together they could populate the earth like He intended. Can we do any, or all, of these things from the messes we have made of marriage or the family? I have shared two very ‘hot’ topics today. May I suggest that instead of trying to get me straight on any ways that you feel I may have misrepresented the truth of God’s Word on these topics, that you actually begin a study of your own on these topics. God may have some reasons for you reading this devotional today, as He may want to get your attention about these matters that may need attention in your own life, or He may want to use you to help others who are struggling in these areas of life. Try your best to avoid the distraction of my words, and seek after what God might have to say to you through these verses. I believe that you could agree with me that we have a serious problem in each of the two areas I believe God challenged us with today. Seek God for what He might have you do today in these areas of your life.

PRAYER: Lord God, thank You for so carefully thinking of everything that we need here on earth. Thank You for directing me to these two very important issues that You covered so well, right from the very beginning of time. Please help us to return to the basics of life, as You intended, so that we might more diligently serve You and represent You in a community void of Your teachings and Your example. We need You Lord. AMEN!

Our Instruction Manual For What’s Ahead

On 2018-12-312018-12-31 By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Biblical Decisions, Guidance, Listen to the Word of God, Spiritual FitnessLeave a comment

Monday, 2018-12-31

Bible Reference: 2 Timothy 3:15–17
Translation: The Message (MSG)

Bible Text: There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.

OBSERVATION: Wouldn’t you hate being on a support desk and receiving calls from users of a product for which you wrote explicit instructions on how to use the product? Yet we have a similar situation in that God sacrificed His very own Son so that we might one day be with Him in glory. Then He spoke through prophets of old to give us His Book of Instructions (the Bible) to teach us how to live like Him and accept His precious gift of salvation. Are you referencing the Bible daily to help keep you on track and pleasing to God?

APPLICATION: There are times in my job where a vendor will tell us that if we abuse their help desk because we opted not to take the training they offered to us on recent product enhancements, we could very well see fees included in our monthly bill. Imagine if you have at least one Bible sitting on your coffee table gathering dust, then to stand before God in judgment and tell Him that you never knew it was necessary to accept His Son in order to get into heaven? Imagine how God will penalize us for continuing with our excuses of not knowing His Word well enough to share it with others? In the working world we find as much, or more, practical help from users of a product we own, than we do from the text books written by the designer and producer of the products. These groups often meet together in something most vendors call ‘A User Community’. Did you know that one of the largest ‘User Communities’ of the Bible exists right in your own neighborhood, and its known as ‘The Church’! Many admit that these folk are flawed and need help just like yourself, who may not be a part of the community. Friends, the whole concept of a ‘Community’ is that we can share the way that we understand how a product works; how we use a product; and how it is practical for us. For those struggling with proper use of the product, they come to the ‘Community’ to unload their frustrations and misunderstandings. Those of us who successfully use the product every day, we simply share how we use it and how we understand the product should be used. One of the most productive communities that I’m a part of, is monitored by staff of the product owner, and they will chime in from time to time and share with the group about how the product is designed to work in certain scenarios. In the church ‘Community’, we have pastors and teachers and leaders who are equipped to chime in and speak to the way they understand the Word of God was written and what the writer probably intended. Community members are the church attendees, and are most often users of the Bible, because they have accepted the One whom God sent to love on them; to open their eyes to the truth of His Word; and to prepare them for the day of His return when He will come to gather His church, or community of believers, to go with Him and spend eternity in heaven worshiping Him and the Father. Friends, we were intricately designed and made by God. Because He turned us lose to live on this earth, His perfectly designed human beings quickly become flawed by the sin that abounds on earth. So God gave His Word to us through writers that He inspired, so that we could understand the concept that He intended for us, and also know how to unravel ourselves from sin by accepting Him as our Lord, Savior, Protector, Deliverer and soon coming King of all kings. His text-book (the Bible) teaches that this is the only means of us uniting with He and the Father. How are you doing with that friend? May I recommend that you look around the following page for more scripture and help in understanding this truth: https://nuggetsfromgodsword.org/to-know-jesus/.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Word, and thank You for all that is available to us today to help us understand Your Word more fully. Thank You for the church, a body of believers who strive to know more about God, so that they may be of help to others in the community (church), and to evangelize those who find excuses for their lack of acceptance or knowledge of the One who totally gave His life, so that they might see the likes of heaven and the Father. Lord, we find our way to the cross every time that we are in bad straights and need a quick fix. As we dig into the depths of Your Word and learn more about the enormous love expressed for us, may we accept that gift and study Your Word more intently so that we can understand all that You have to offer us. May we be participators in our church community to receive the benefits of being helped by others; may we willingly share with others so that we might help others; and as we anticipate the glories of heaven, may that bring such joy to our hearts that we will be totally enveloped in the hope of looking into Your wonderful face one day and singing endless praises to You and the Father throughout eternity! To God be the Glory, for the great things He has done – especially for us! AMEN!

More Important Than Food

On 2018-12-27 By Ed AlgreenIn Like Jesus, Priorities, PriorityLeave a comment

Thursday, 2018-12-27

Bible Reference: John 4:31-34
Translation: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Bible Text: ³¹ While this was happening, Jesus’ disciples were saying to him, “Teacher, please eat something.” ³² But Jesus told them, “I have food that you don’t know anything about.” ³³ His disciples started asking each other, “Has someone brought him something to eat?” ³⁴ Jesus said: My food is to do what God wants! He is the one who sent me, and I must finish the work that he gave me to do.

OBSERVATION: Facing a New Year with our priorities in order should go a long ways, provided that we carefully and prayerfully seek God’s direction for those priorities. Jesus told His disciples that for himself, it was more important than food. Let’s consider this in our meditation today.

APPLICATION: There is a saying I’ve heard around churches, “if you feed them, they will come”! That sounds bad, but it is so true of many folk who attend church today! I believe you will even see this proven at weddings where a couple decides not to have a reception, for attendance is generally down, compared to the weddings that offer a feast afterwards at a reception. Why, even to funerals are now followed by a huge reception that attracts most attendees to eat, rather than spend quality time with the mourning family members. It is unfortunate that we have gotten our priorities so twisted. Perhaps as we face the coming of a brand new year, we may look to the Word of God to make sure that our priorities are in order. Here are some examples for us to take note of, and follow as God leads:

John 4:31-34 – In today’s focal passage, Jesus saw an opportunity to speak with unsaved Samaritans, and this was far more satisfying to Him than any amount, or quality, of food that He could physically eat at the time. If it was important to Jesus, should it not be for us also?
Matt. 14:15–17; John 4:8; Luke 18:28 – The Disciples were always concerned about the physical need, particularly food!
Luke 11:11-13 – Jesus taught the disciples to first remember that God will provide exactly what they need, even though their tendency was to worry about food and physical needs primarily. Imagine pleading and pleading for a hamburger, when God wants to give you a ranch where you could have all the beef you want! He will supply our needs, friends! Praise the wonderful name of Jesus!

Friends, when we get our priorities straight and do what Jesus commands in Matthew 6:33 – seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, then perhaps He will see to it that ALL of our need are met, not just our physical needs of nourishment. Perhaps the next time we become so concerned over whether to have a meal in order to attract folk to an event, particularly a church event, we should read Romans 14:17-18 and remind ourselves of what’s important to the kingdom of heaven! Perhaps if we concentrate more on our spiritual needs and the desire of God for our lives in 2019, we will not only trim some fat, but we will gain a whole lot more faith, hope, love for each other, and gain a closer walk with the Lord than we have ever had before. Friends, can we make this our goal in 2019, God being our helper?

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, please forgive us for allowing our priorities to drift away from the most important person, and the most important thing. We are very close to being blessed with a brand new year, where we have the opportunity to make a brand new start in our spiritual lives. We need to draw close to You Lord, for living in this old wicked world has poisoned us into following the ways of Satan instead of the righteousness that would please You, the one who sacrificed Your very own life for us. Please renew within us a right spirit, so that we might get our priorities straight, and may this all happen so that You might be glorified in all things. AMEN!

Lives Filled With Good Works

On 2018-12-22 By Ed AlgreenIn Christmas, Servants of God, Serve, Service, WorksLeave a comment

Saturday, 2018-12-22

Bible Reference: Ephesians 2:10
Translation: GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Bible Text: ¹⁰God has made us what we are. He has created us in Christ Jesus to live lives filled with good works that he has prepared for us to do.

OBSERVATION: God sent us His precious, one and only Son, to show us what good works He would demonstrate to us while here on earth. He then gave each of us opportunity to accept Jesus as our Lord, and to become His ‘sheep’, who would look to their leader for leadership and mentorship. As His sons and daughters, we too have been created for good works that our Master has prepared just for us. Let us contemplate those good works and how we might respond to the work God has laid out for us!

APPLICATION: Christmas would not be merry if we didn’t, or don’t, know the end of the story. In like manner, our efforts to be kind, loving, supportive, and God-like, would be of no value unless we stop to reflect on: all that God has already done for us; all that He has promised to us while here on earth; and the home He has prepared for us in Glory! Friends, as we reflect on the miracles of Jesus Christ, and as we reflect on the many times that He has answered our prayers, even though so unworthy of His mighty works, who are we to go into this Christmas season expecting anything, or thinking that we deserve anything? You know, when we consider all the ‘gifts’ given to us, especially this year, could we not turn this Christmas into a second Thanksgiving Day this year? However, notice again what our focal verse says. It reveals what God expects from us, for it says that He expects us to live life in a state of readiness to do the good works that He has already prepared for us. Now let me say that I don’t believe that you will awaken each day and find your list of God-things to do on your kitchen counter. Rather, I believe that your surrendered life will be led by the One you have surrendered to, and that He will lead you into circumstances where you will just open the flood gates of heaven, and allow God to become real in the lives of those you encounter. Not sure about you friend, but there is no way that I could prepare my daily schedule knowing full well who I will encounter and what their needs might be. So I am convinced that our relationship with Jesus Christ must be one of trust and dependence on Him. In fact, we might start each day with the words of an old chorus: ‘wherever You lead, I’ll go’, because unless we are led by Him, we will wind up getting together with friends to jive around and chat about things of mutual interest; unless we are led by our Lord, we will mix with those who tickle our fancies, and bless us in some way. It is so important for us to remember that if God has already prepared the things for us to do, then we must look to Him for His orders, His direction and His leadership. I believe that each of our families will be blessed beyond measure this Christmas, if we are obedient to the things already planned for us by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Oh that He may rule and reign in us, and through us, this Christmas!

PRAYER: Lord God, please show me what You have ordained for me to do over the next few days, and please give me the humility, strength, wisdom and desire to be obedient to Your will. I believe that I can safely say that my readers and I would like nothing more than to humbly obey Your will for our lives. Please tender our hearts and make us especially sensitive to Your direction as we seek to be Your hands and feet in the lives of others this Christmas. May it be obvious to those we come into contact with, that the baby we especially honor this time of the year, is also the King who rules all other kings, and Lord of all who seek to know Him more intimately. AMEN!

Ultimate Obedience

On 2018-12-21 By Ed AlgreenIn Christmas, Obedience, ObedientLeave a comment

Friday, 2018-12-21

Bible Reference: Matthew 1:20-25
Translation: The Voice Translation (Voice)

Bible Text: ²⁰Now when Joseph had decided to act on his instincts, a messenger of the Lord came to him in a dream. Messenger of the Lord said: Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to wed Mary and bring her into your home and family as your wife. She did not sneak off and sleep with someone else—rather, she conceived the baby she now carries through the miraculous wonder-working of the Holy Spirit. ²¹She will have a son, and you will name Him Jesus, which means “the Lord saves,” because this Jesus is the person who will save all of His people from sin.
²⁴Joseph woke up from his dream and did exactly what the messenger had told him to do: he married Mary and brought her into his home as his wife ²⁵(though he did not consummate their marriage until after her son was born). And when the baby was born, Joseph named Him Jesus, Savior.

OBSERVATION: All the characters in the Christmas story are just outstanding, but let’s focus on Joseph today. Like any of us, Joseph was able to think of many reasons why he should not follow through with his betrothal to Mary, but in an awesome act of faith, Joseph followed through in obedience to the message from God through the angel. Let us place ourselves in Joseph’s shoes and ponder what we might do in a similar circumstance, considering our current level of faith!

APPLICATION: Kids learn at a very early age that if you really want to get to another kid, just mention something bad about their mom. As adults we become very tender anytime we hear something derogatory about almost any close relative, whether spouse; child; sibling or parents. So as I meditated on this very common passage of scripture that we hear almost every Christmas, I tried to imagine what Joseph must have been thinking when, in spite of him having no sexual relations with Mary, yet he found that the woman he was about to marry was already pregnant. I’m sure his mind must have travelled along the road of infidelity on Mary’s part, and the mockery that he would receive from family and friends. Like us, Joseph had already made plans in his mind how he was going to handle the break-off of the engagement so that there would not be a negative impact on Mary. However, I believe that as Joseph pondered these things in his heart, he must have really been hoping that there would be some miraculous explanation about this whole earth-shattering event in his life, for I believe that love is just that way, it hears bad things, but expects clarification to help an individual make good on his/her commitment to one another. But here comes the kicker, hope came in a very unexpected, and yes, miraculous way, for an angel appeared to Joseph as he slept and dreamed. However the message was very clear. In fact, so much so, that there is no doubt expressed in the Word of God! Joseph simply followed the instructions given to him by the angel. He married his awesome bride, and from every indication, he took care of her as if the baby was his very own flesh and blood. This is an awesome story of obedience to the Holy Spirit, friends. Yes, we can surmise what may have happened if Joseph decided to ignore God, but I sincerely believe that God works very much the same today. When he speaks to us, there is often doubting on our part, or trying to conjure up a plan to escape His plan, but since we are His servants, who should be constantly asking for His guidance and understanding of His will for our lives, we should carefully listen. Therefore, when it becomes evident to us, we simply obey and thank God for it. The obedience of Mary and Joseph led to the fulfilment of prophecy, and to being used by God to birth into this world the Savior, who would ultimately prove to be the very Son of God and redeemer of all who trust Him as their Lord and Savior. Friends, the obedience talked about here led to something BIG, I mean HUGE! Imagine what miracles can be wrought through you and me if only we will humble ourselves in obedience to the King of kings! We may look at the challenges of reaching our family and friends for the Lord as virtually impossible in our eyes, but compared to the miracle of a virgin girl becoming conceived without sexual relations by a man makes our challenges somewhat lame in comparison. Being led by God to witness to, and encourage, a lost friend may sound impossible to us because we are so convinced that we know the negativity of the person so well, but the same God who got through to Joseph, can also redirect our doubtful minds and lead us and the friend we are directed to, towards total obedience. Are you prepared to imitate the obedience and faith of Joseph this Christmas? God has a plan, and you and I could very well be in the very middle of it, if only we will surrender our will to the Master.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, You are truly in control of this whole universe, and especially in control of Your children seeking Your will for their very next move. As in the case of Joseph, I pray that we will look beyond the possibilities of our natural eyes, and instead rest our very selves at the control of our Savior during this time of the year when most folk stop to reflect on the newborn Christ-child as being the very meaning and reason for Christmas. Lord, may joy bells ring out loudly this Christmas as our family and friends find peace in the grace and power of the new-born King, Jesus, our Lord and the Savior of the world! AMEN!

Nuggets From God's Word

Tag: King