Tag: Kingdom work

Prepare For Your Kingdom Work

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

DATE POSTED Saturday, 2023-02-11
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Chronicles 28:9-10
TRANSLATION: Amplified Bible (AMP)

BIBLE TEXT: 9 “As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father [have personal knowledge of Him, be acquainted with, and understand Him; appreciate, heed, and cherish Him] and serve Him with a blameless heart and a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and minds, and understands every intent and inclination of the thoughts. If you seek Him [inquiring for and of Him and requiring Him as your first and vital necessity] He will let you find Him; but if you abandon (turn away from) Him, He will reject you forever. 10 Consider this carefully, ….. Be courageous and strong and do it.”

APPLICATION: I had a boss that told me at least annually that my job was only successful if I had someone trained to continue it in my absence. The first once or twice this was said to me, I didn’t quite get it, but this is really a key point to the continued success of the ministry for which God has called us. David enjoyed a strong relationship with the God who created him and placed him in leadership of His chosen people, the Israelites. Imagine if the success of his leadership served only for a single lifetime. It would probably be fairly self-centered and would not be attractive to future generations to look back on in awe at what God did during the reign of king David. But this is the way it is in the ongoing work of the church today. It serves little purpose in us reflecting on years ago when the ministry of our church was booming and the worship services were filled to capacity, if today we struggle to keep the doors of the church opened. God’s ‘CHURCH’ has a bright and promising future – eternity in heaven with the Father, Son and The Holy Spirit, together with all the saints who have gone on before us. Can you even imagine that God would want His earthly church to be any different? But doesn’t it appear like we operate many of our churches today just for the current time, with the existing team of leaders and workers? When last asked by a church leader to serve in ministry at your church, did they use any of the things that David said to his son, Solomon? I have found that in most cases, we are needed to help out of desperation, or because no one else will do it, or because the particular ministry will shut down if we don’t find adequate workers to man it. What if we were approached by a leader with the heart that seeks to imitate David when he spoke to Solomon? Wouldn’t that help to show us that the task ahead is God honoring, God inspired, God powered, and being given to us by a Holy Spirit infused child of God with a desire to see the kingdom grow in numbers and/or maturity? Wouldn’t it seem that because the spiritual leader approaching you as so much already vested in the kingdom work at your church, that they are encouraging you to join in and celebrate with them as you serve? I believe that the advice David gave to Solomon in verse 10 is still very appropriate for kingdom workers today – consider the request to serve carefully. And if you feel God giving you the nudge to serve – be courageous, strong, and give it all you have, knowing that your efforts will be to glorify God as you introduce Him to others.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Serve my God, knowing that He knows everything about you, your thoughts and your actions. Be committed and courageous in every endeavor, knowing that it’s all for the glory of God!

PRAYER: Lord, in our own commitment, may we learn to lead others into a life of commitment to serving You with all their heart, soul and mind. May it all be for Your glory alone and for the sake of Your kingdom. It doesn’t matter what the numbers look like, or whether we are accredited for our church leading in baptisms or Sunday School attendance, but Lord, we simply want to see lives changed for Your purpose and for Your good. Teach us Lord to commit ourselves wholeheartedly to Your kingdom work here on earth, so that when we join You in glory, we will rejoice around Your throne with all who benefited from one solitary life fully devoted to our Master and Lord. 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!

What You Genuinely Care About

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Genuine, Genuine example of Jesus, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Worship1 Comment

DATE POSTED Saturday, 2022-12-03
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Philippians 2:20-21
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 20 I have no one else like Timothy, who genuinely cares about your welfare. 21 All the others care only for themselves and not for what matters to Jesus Christ. 

APPLICATION: Over the years I have served on many Pastor Search Committees, where we searched high and low, far and wide, in what seemed like, ‘a needle in a haystack’, for the next pastor to serve at our church. Also served on church Nominating Committees, where we looked over the church membership role to find qualified persons to fill the internal ministry needs of our church. I don’t recall this Scripture ever coming up in either of the above committees, but I wonder if, unconsciously, we weren’t led by God, like He did with Paul, to choose the candidates who were serious about the needs and work of the Lord, His people, and His church. I sincerely hope, in retrospect, that God turned our stomachs on the applicants who were after their own personal interests and just needed income to complete His mission here on earth. Nominating Committees always seemed so judgmental, because we based our decision on what we saw the individuals do in and around the church. Seldom do churches visit the homes of church families anymore, and seldom do leaders even call to check on their members. Covid? Perhaps! Busyness? Perhaps! Selfish and/or personal agendas? Perhaps! But how do you suppose that Paul knew the very heart of the men available to him for ministry? My gut feeling is that he spent some quality time with them. No devices to distract him. Keeping quiet enough to hear the heart of the individual he was visiting. Praying for each prospect in a very non-judgmental way, but always open to the voice of God on who His chosen workers will be. Friends, I believe you will say like many church leaders today will use for an excuse – ‘but these men and women who serve on our committees are just human’. Fortunately, that’s the correct answer! However, it gives them even more reason to seek the heart of the One they are serving. God has a plan for each of us, and for His ministry here on earth. We must present ourselves to Him as living sacrifices, meaning that we must approach him without a personal agenda, and sincerely make ourselves available to Him. We must surrender our will to His, and be willing to do whatever He commands, without excuses, that ultimately comes from fear and self examination. I want to challenge each reader, along with myself, to consider: if our church looked at us individually to serve in ministry, would they see someone interested in the ways, commands, and wishes of Almighty God, or just individuals centered on selfish desires and personal agendas. Just as Paul saw these awesome and trustworthy qualities in Timothy, I pray that our similar qualities are shinning brightly for God and everyone else to see, God being our helper and awesome Miracle Worker!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: May it be obvious to others what God already knows about us, and may it all be pleasing to God, and for His glory only.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You are worthy of all our praise. Please forgive us for not always acting in ways that would pleases and honor You, but way too often seeking after our own will and benefit. Paul needed someone who had a heart for the people he served and ministered to. Our pastors, and our churches still need folk like that today. Please humble our hearts Lord, so that we may always seek to serve You and represent You in all that we do, so that all the glory will be attributed to You alone. Please humble the hearts of those who need You today, and open their eyes to all that You are doing in their world, and possible even through us. Be glorified in us today, oh Lord. 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!

Follow Through On Your Promise

On By Ed AlgreenIn Appreciation, Give thanks, PromiseLeave a comment

Post Date:

 Friday, 2017-09-22
SCRIPTURE

From:

 1 Samuel 1:25-28 (Voice)

Text:

25 They slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to the priest Eli.

Hannah (to Eli): 26 My lord, I swear I am the woman who was praying to the Eternal One in front of you. 27 It was this child I prayed for, and the Eternal has indeed granted me the petition I made. 28 So, as I vowed, I will lend him back to the Eternal. For as long as he lives, let him serve our Eternal One.
OBSERVATION:
Each year that the two wives of Elkanah went to the temple with him, for the annual sacrifice. His wife Peninnah would wind up teasing his wife Hannah due to her being childless. However on this particular year, Hannah was deeply moved by this and she prayed so earnestly that Eli, the priest, thought Hannah was drunk. A few years later Hannah returned with the results of that earnest prayer! How well do we do with that?
APPLICATION:
It appears like most of our prayer lives are spent asking God for things – healing, salvation, bringing families back together, etc. I wonder how much God hears back from us on the prayers that He answers? Let me clarify that, our God is alive and He hears each of our prayers. He knows what’s best for us, and He knows when we are sincere about our prayers and when we are trying to tell Him what to do. In asking an all-knowing God, we know that at times His answer might sometimes be ‘No’, but we often hope that many times His answer would be ‘Yes’. When last have you given Him thanks for a ‘No’ answer to your prayer? Interesting, isn’t it? Anyway, Hannah was so serious in her prayer for a child, that Eli thought she must have been drunk. Regardless, God knew the very heart of this woman, and He answered her prayer very positively. However Hannah added in her prayer what she would do if her prayer was answered positively by God. Bribery? Debt of gratitude? I really don’t think so. It is evident from the story that Hannah went to the temple very dutifully with her husband, as expected, each year. I believe she wanted to acknowledge to God that she was asking for a child unselfishly and not just to show revenge to Peninnah, but that she wanted to contribute to the work of the Lord as much as she could. Perhaps it would benefit us to learn a few things from this holy example of this faithful servant of God, like: * While we want God’s very best for ourselves, let’s try asking as diligently for people, or things, that would benefit  kingdom work;  * Consider the number of years that Hannah must have made similar requests before God. Let’s remember to praise Him for His answers to our prayers, whether they are in our favor or not;  * Let’s not be stingy in returning thanks to God, or offering sacrifices to Him, even if its the total of all that He has blessed us with;  * Be persistent in meeting with God, even if He decides alternate ways of answering our prayers. Remember, God wants us to ask, but He wants us to be obedient and giving children so that He might be glorified and praised.
PRAYER:
Lord, please touch us and make us more like You. Today we have another great example of a godly person who asked; You gave in response; And she returned all that was given back to You for Your kingdom work. We are so selfish Lord, please help us to be obedient, giving children of the King, all for Your kingdom’s sake. 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 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!