Find Out What The Lord Says

On 2016-09-06 By Ed AlgreenIn Biblical Decisions, Decisions, Jesus led decisionsLeave a comment

Tuesday, 2016-09-06

Scripture

Bible Reference: 1 Kings 22:4–5

Bible Text: 4 Then he turned to Jehoshaphat and asked, “Will you join me in battle to recover Ramoth-gilead?” Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, “Why, of course! You and I are as one. My troops are your troops, and my horses are your horses.” 5 Then Jehoshaphat added, “But first let’s find out what the LORD says.”

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

I believe that way too often we make decisions and then ask God to ‘buy in’ on our decisions and bless it. Friends, King Jehoshaphat has demonstrated in these verses today that this is not the order of things for the believer. Think about it, if you say that Jesus is Lord of your life, then you proceed into making your own decisions without first asking God and getting His permission, who really is lord of your life? When you make decisions and then ask God to bless your decisions, you are really saying to God that:

You are in control, but would appreciate His backing;
The decision sounds logical and that it would benefit you, even though you don’t have a clue what will transpire beyond the very moment in which you exist;
You know what you want for your future, and this decision seems to fit just right into that projected path. Notice that in all of the planning that king Ahad and king Jehoshaphat had spoken of, they did not include the piece where King Ahad would be killed in battle.

Friends, our insight and personal decisions are based on the facts at hand and the possibilities that exist, and the desires of our heart, based on our own abilities and the physical attributes available to us at that particular time. Let us always remember that God’s ways are not our ways and that His plans are based on eternity for His children, whereas our decisions are always selfish and based on very temporal and physical benefits for ourselves. One results in eternal ‘D&D’ (damnation and death), and the other results in eternity in heaven with Jesus and His Heavenly Father, God. Two completely opposing results – choose you this day whom you will serve, and who will guide your destiny, friend, and then be obedient to your Master.

Prayer

Lord, You have shown us over and over again that You hold the keys to our future and that You should therefore be consulted before making decisions, so that You can best direct us, in order that our path not be impeded. These verses today have served to remind us of this once again. Please patiently work in the lives of Your children once again today and help us to surrender ourselves to Your perfect will. Lord, it is so critical that we be obedient to Your will, and not stumble and fall because of selfish decisions made because we couldn’t possibly know what’s in store for us in the very next moment. You’re in control Lord, and I pray that You will help us to ensure that our lives are always in sync with Your perfect plan for us. May we learn to surrender everything to You, for our ultimate good, and Your eternal glory, 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!

Most Important Commandments

On 2016-09-05 By Ed AlgreenIn Commandments, Love, Love God, Love others, Unconditional loveLeave a comment

Monday, 2016-09-05

Scripture

Bible Reference: Mark 12:28–31

Bible Text: ²⁸ …..“Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” ²⁹Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. ³⁰And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ ³¹The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

Many are caught aback by all of the commands in the Bible, and especially in the ten commandments, folks looking for a reason to whine and complain, tend to complain about the negativity in the commands. While we don’t see any of that in these verses, there was strong curiosity as to which one(s) were most important from Jesus’ perspective. Hearing the response from Jesus, makes this something that I believe His followers today really need to pay particular attention to, as I believe these contain very important demands for us still today. So here they are:

⁴“Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.^[a] ⁵And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:4-5
¹⁸“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. Leviticus 19:18

There is an old pop song that included the words “All I need is love” throughout the song. I believe that the one characteristic that each of these important commands are built on is “LOVE”! In the first instance, we are told that we are to love our Maker, Creator, Savior and Way Maker with all of our being. Friends, it might strike some of you to ask, “well who wouldn’t”. Unfortunately there are many that don’t recognize our Master and Creator, so of course they have no reason to love someone who, in their opinion does not exist. May I remind you that many are looking at us to see whether we, who are called by His name, truly love God from the very depths of our being. What do you think? Would your family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, be convinced enough through the love they see from you for your God? As we look at the second commandment, I want you to reflect on the last time you really got mad, or upset at yourself. Now, what did you do to yourself? Did you seek to hurt yourself or deprive yourself from some special treat or event? Did you tell others how evil you were and unlikeable you were? Did you build up strong fences or defenses to keep others away? Then friends, why do we do these things to our neighbors? Remember, neighbors are ones who we come into contact with. Sometimes they are sweet as ‘pie’ to us, and sometimes we get really upset at the things they do. You know, similar to what we probably do unconsciously to others! Jesus wants us to love these neighbors in spite of their faults – as much as we love our very own selves. How are you doing with that child of God?

Prayer

Lord God, thank You for first loving us. You set the plumb line as an example for us. So often we fall so short on demonstrating the sincerity of love that You showed for us, for You loved us, even though You had no sign of love in return. Please use Your Word today to encourage, challenge and provoke us into loving You unconditionally with all our being. As we do this, I believe it will be a lot more natural for us to love one another, but please help us with that also dear Lord, for I believe that we will quickly brush others aside when they show no signs of love for us. Help us to love like You love us Heavenly Father, for I ask this all for Your ultimate glory, AMEN!

Footnote

What’s Stopping You?

On 2016-09-02 By Ed AlgreenIn Draw Me Close to You, Priorities, PriorityLeave a comment

Friday, 2016-09-02

Scripture

Bible Reference: Mark 10:20–22

Bible Text: 20 “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.” 21 Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

I believe that you will find where this rich young man who approached Jesus is a lot like many of us today. Our conscience is often pricked by God into the need for more in our relationship with Him, however we often hesitate in committing to anything until we are sure that there is nothing better in store for us. I remember not being able to get a commitment out of a young friend, because they would often cancel their plans with me when something better arose! I believe that the big difference with making a commitment to God is that although we may want to commit to something more substantial with Him, He knows our hangups long before we recognize and acknowledge them ourselves. In the verses preceding the above, Jesus listed a number of commandments that would be important for this young man to follow, and sure enough, the young man admitted that because of his upbringing, he was already following all of them. Don’t we hear that all the time today with folk we are trying to help? They are ‘good’ people and they are good law keepers, plus they may even go to church a few times per year, however we must always remember that although this ‘fluff’ might fool the pastor, or most of our family and friends, yet there is One who knows our heart – our priorities; our hangups; our ulterior motives; and our hidden sin. In the case of this young man, Jesus went straight to his hangup, for Jesus knew that he was very proud of his financial worth. This often proves success for us, so many of us may really have a heavy emphasis in life on our financial well being as well. In fact, we become very self confident when we are in a good financial position. However, this becomes a major part of the problem with us learning to trust in Jesus. The scripture says that the young man was immediately reluctant to do as Jesus commanded. I believe this only showed that this must have been an ‘idol’ for the young man, which made it virtually impossible for him to truly follow Christ and trust wholeheartedly in Him. Friends, this devotional is not to place an emphasis on one’s financial worth, as there may be other idols that interfere in your total surrender to God. May I suggest that you ask God to open your eyes to reveal any ‘idols’ that may be hindering your surrender to Him or preventing you from totally dedicating yourself to Him? Do you honestly have an open, sincere relationship with Your Savior, or is there something that is stopping you? Don’t follow what the rich young man did and walk away saddened, instead open your heart to accept what Jesus would direct you to do today. Draw close to God, and He will draw close to you.

Prayer

Father, open our eyes so that we can see. Yes, we are not physically blind, but unfortunately we are often blinded by our own self will and selfish desires – our sin, that so easily separates us from a sincere, open relationship with You. Like the rich young ruler, we want more out of our relationship with You, so please help us to see our sin, our shortcomings and our other priorities that stand in our way. We will be eternally thankful oh Lord, AMEN!

Footnote

God Will Take Care of You!

On 2016-09-012016-09-04 By Ed AlgreenIn Caring, God Cares For Us, The Father's Love, The love of God, Unconditional loveLeave a comment

Thursday, 2016-09-01

Scripture

Bible Reference: 1 Kings 17:2-4

Bible Text: 2 Then the Lord said to Elijah, 3 “Go to the east and hide by Kerith Brook, near where it enters the Jordan River. 4 Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to bring you food.”

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

I Love that old gospel song: “Be not dismayed …. God Will Take Care of You“! On reading these verses this morning I was reminded that for all those times that we feel so worn, or so distraught about life’s circumstances – perhaps the loss of a loved one that leaves us wondering how on earth can we possibly go on without them; or perhaps because of financial woes that make us feel so trapped into thinking that we work to satisfy bills only; or perhaps unemployment that makes us look inward and question our own personal worth; no matter the circumstance, we tend to wonder ‘Why me, Lord’ and then question how can we possibly overcome our particular circumstance. Friends, I wish you would take time to read the whole passage linked in the scripture reference, because you will see the reason why God sent Elijah to the Jordan River bank to hang out in the first place, then you will also see what other miracles God performed to take care of Elijah, even beyond this fending miracle at the Jordan River. Whether Elijah realized it or not, he was at a crossroads to where he may not have survived the drought if God had not intervened and taken care of him. I rejoiced in seeing how God worked through Elijah later on to bring a young man back to life, because it made me realize the importance of not giving up on God, and instead allowing Him to work on us, in us, and through us for the purpose of greater accomplishments for the kingdom, at a time pleasing to God. Friends, our ways are not God’s ways, so we are called on to be faithful and sure in our faith, knowing that what He works out in and through us will serve to benefit Him and bless us tremendously. So may I encourage you dear friend to stand firm in your faith, depend on God, and open yourself to the wondrous things He will do through You. Please know that your personal circumstances may look totally different to what God has in store for you. Trust Him, wait on Him and allow Him to be God in your life. Know that when You place your faith, trust, and total life in His hands, He WILL Take Care of You!

Prayer

To the loving, caring, awesome God that I serve; thank You for watching over me, taking care of me, and guiding my footsteps each and every day. Because I am still alive, I know that your work is still in progress as to what You would have me do. Please have Your will and way. Please continue to take care of me, and especially on those days when life seems impossible to me, or the future seems so questionable. Lord, there are many who will stop by to read this devotional today, please reinforce to them how much You care for them, and remind them of the enormous love that You have for them. Lord, I ask these thinks in faith, and through the precious name of Jesus, Your Son and my Savior, 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 http://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!

We Can’t Fool God

On 2016-08-31 By Ed AlgreenIn Acknowledge God, Example of Christ, Genuine example of Jesus, Godly example, Know God's HeartLeave a comment

Wednesday, 2016-08-31

Scripture

Bible Reference: 1 Kings 14:4-6

Bible Text: 4 So Jeroboam’s wife went to Ahijah’s home at Shiloh. He was an old man now and could no longer see. 5 But the Lord had told Ahijah, “Jeroboam’s wife will come here, pretending to be someone else. She will ask you about her son, for he is very sick. Give her the answer I give you.” 6 So when Ahijah heard her footsteps at the door, he called out, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam! Why are you pretending to be someone else?”

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

If you click on the scripture link you will have the opportunity to read the whole story that surrounds the verses I included above. I found this story so interesting that I laughed as I enjoyed the glory of God and his all-knowing power! For a brief understanding of what transpired before these verses: the son of king Jeroboam took seriously ill. The king was well aware of how much he had digressed in sin from the time that the prophet had told him he would be king, so although he knew that Ahijah would have some answers for him about his son, he was embarrassed for the prophet to know that he still would approach him for answers from God. Therefore he told his wife to disguise herself and go to the prophet on their behalf. Friends, just like God knows everything that goes on in our lives today, He was also well aware of what the king was up to, so He prepared His servant for the visit of the king’s wife. To her surprise when she arrived at the home of this very old, blind, man, he called her by name; knew she was disguised; and invited her in before she could knock on his door! Imagine the shock to this lady who thought she had her act together! Friends, I believe that our take away on this today is to be reminded that we can’t hide anything from God. If we are His child, then we should be living as His child. We can be sneaky about our lifestyle to our spouse, family, pastor, or our boss, but because God knows our heart, He knows how we are thinking about things and people. He knows our ulterior motives. There was a saying back in the day “come clean, man”, which meant drop the sham and be totally transparent with me. I believe that God expects us to always be transparent with Him, and to prove our ‘heart’ by being transparent with all those that we touch. How are you doing friend?

Prayer

Having been molded by You oh Lord, we must also endeavor to live like You. Thank You for setting the pace and the example for us. Lord, teach us to be transparent in every way with You and with our fellow man. May we glorify You today in every aspect of our life, AMEN!

Footnote

Who Is Jesus?

On 2016-08-30 By Ed AlgreenIn Follow Jesus, Follower of Christ, Jesus Loves you, Know Jesus, Reflect JesusLeave a comment

Tuesday, 2016-08-30

Scripture

Bible Reference: Mark 8:27–29

Bible Text: 27 Jesus and his disciples left Galilee and went up to the villages near Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along, he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” 28 “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other prophets.” 29 Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”
Peter replied, “You are the Messiah.*”

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

Around those with whom you may work, you may hear them speak of achievements by their children, and it may probe you to ask about their kids, knowing that they are so loved by your co-worker. In another co-worker you may see some special characteristic that stands out from the rest, and you may ask them about, what appears to be, a family trait. For some of us who mention the name of Jesus from time to time, we may be asked “but who is this Jesus?” – you know, similar to the question that the disciples were hit with in the above verses. I have a strong feeling that you will not reach for your Bible to answer the question with an appropriate verse, nor do I think your co-worker would want that response, and may I add – nor will Jesus want to hear that response. Let’s get it straight friend, who exactly is Jesus to you? No coined phrases or responses that you heard from the pulpit, please! I sincerely believe that your response to this question will tell Jesus who He is to you and what impact, if any, He has been on your life (not that He wouldn’t already know). Your response will also tell your co-worker whether you’ve been faking it all this time. Faking it??? Yep, try asking that same co-worker about who they are married to. You may need extra pages of paper to write down all of the attributes that they will shower you with, and I believe that this is because that spouse has impacted your co-worker’s life in more ways than one. They will probably tell you about how beautiful or handsome they are, and all about their special qualities. In fact, I believe you will probably feel like you know them personally, just from the descriptions. So friend, may I ask again, who is Jesus to you? If a relationship exists, you will know all about Him and you will be anxious to share about the qualities that bless your heart on a daily basis! Please note that a relationship is one where there is ongoing conversation (prayer); ongoing meals together (spiritual food from God’s holy Word); trust; obedience (obeying the commands in God’s Word); giving praise (praise and worship individually and corporately); and doing everything possible to please the other partner (all of the above). When we love someone, we want to be with them as often as possible – one hour per week will just not do. So friends, do you have an active, fruitful, loving relationship with this Jesus you mention from time to time, or do you just know of Him? Jesus is waiting for your answer, for He wants an intimate relationship with you!

Prayer

Lord, it is unfortunate that we know the lingo and can talk the talk while with our Christian friends, but yet for many, that ‘talk’ is not representative of their lifestyle or their intimate relationship with You. But then we worry why so many are lost and going to Hell, or want nothing to do with church,or Christians, or even with You dear Lord. I believe it is clear that many folk are tired of the hypocrites that prevent them from seeing the real ‘Jesus’. As we meditate on these verses and perhaps on the devotional today Jesus, please tender our hearts to examine the ‘real’ relationship that we have with You. It is only meaningful if Your heart; Your love and Your character exudes from every fiber of our life every day. Lord, may we always have a Word to share with someone, when asked about You, for You mean the world to me and many others reading this devotional. Thank You for being my Savior and Lord, AMEN!

Footnote

God Can … and Will …

On 2016-08-29 By Ed AlgreenIn God Can Do It Again, God Cares For Us, God's WillLeave a comment

Monday, 2016-08-29

Scripture

Bible Reference: Proverbs 3:5-10

Bible Text: Trust the Lord completely; don’t ever trust yourself. ⁶In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.

^7-8Don’t be conceited, sure of your own wisdom. Instead, trust and reverence the Lord, and turn your back on evil; when you do that, then you will be given renewed health and vitality.

^9-10Honor the Lord by giving him the first part of all your income, and he will fill your barns with wheat and barley and overflow your wine vats with the finest wines.

Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

My Take

I would imagine that you might be similar to me, in that, throughout your day there are times when you are overwhelmed as to how you will ever accomplish everything on your agenda, and that you wish you knew what would happen in coming days, weeks and years so that you could make good choices today. Friends, I believe that God has placed the answer to this dilemma right at our fingertips, in these verses today. For I believe that you will see clearly that although we may not have all of the answers, there is a God who does – praise His name for ever and ever! As you read the first two verses, let me remind you of Moses, who had millions of people following him, as God’s messenger and leader. Because He trusted completely in God, when he brought all these folk to the edge of the Jordan River, his ulcers didn’t explode from the stress of what to do next, for he was convinced that if God brought him to this crossroad, then obviously God would see him through, or across the river. These verses declare that when we place our faith and trust in Jesus, He will direct us into right paths and make our journey, or actions successful. Notice that this is not something we need to understand how or when success or answers will come, we are to just trust God and He will… Notice in verses 7-10, there are certain expectation from us, such as:

Trust and reverence God;
Turn our backs on evil – of course the positive equivalent to this is to obey God’s commands;
Honor God by giving Him the first of our income;

Friends, know that God is all powerful and He could bless our health and give us vitality without us feeling like we had anything to do with the formula, but by demanding that we participate through the above simple actions, we learn that God’s goodness is for those who have an interest – those who want it. Similarly with our finances – God could very easily bestow great riches on everyone, but don’t you know that we always abuse anything that is given to us without us have some ‘skin’ in the game? When we give the first of our income, we are not only showing obedience to God, but we are acknowledging that there is nothing more important in our life. It also helps us to recognize that because we are blessed by God to be able to work and provide for our family, the least we could do is give back to Him unconditionally from our financial earnings. In true form to the goodness of our God, He foreknew the temptation of money, so He still threw in a blessing for those that obey this commandment to give. I believe that God’s Word is clear that we will be blessed financially in proportion to what we give. Are you ‘blessed’ financially? Check your giving, perhaps it needs adjusting!

Prayer

Lord God, You have proven Yourself to us in so many ways, yet we often feel like we could handle this thing called ‘life’ all by ourselves. Please forgive us for our littleness Lord. You are Creator; Master; Lord and the Savior of this world. Thank You for giving us clear instruction of what is expected of us to receive optimal results from You. Please touch our stubborn hearts today and convince us of the need for obedience and faithfulness to You. Lord, we want to benefit from all the great things You have promised to us, but more than that, we are anxious to one day be with You in glory, where we could worship You endlessly. Bless us this day with Your grace and your mercy. Please lead us into total obedience to Your Word, for I ask these things in the gracious and loving name of Jesus, AMEN!

Footnote

Little Is Much When God Is In It

On 2016-08-26 By Ed AlgreenIn gifts, Give it up, SurrenderLeave a comment

Friday, 2016-08-26

Scripture

Bible Reference: Mark 6:41–44

Bible Text: He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke, and gave the bread to the disciples, and the disciples in turn gave it to the people. He did the same with the fish. They all ate their fill. The disciples gathered twelve baskets of leftovers. More than five thousand were at the supper.

Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take

There’s a song that echoed in my mind as I read this scripture ‘Little is Much, When God is In It‘. Friends, in today’s society we would be embarrassed to invite a family over after church for a meal, if all we had to place on the table was 5 loaves of bread and two small fish. Yet as you read the rest of the chapter on this story, you will note that the disciples could only see the impossibility of this small amount of food ever being enough to feed such a vast crowd. However, much like our talent, or our gifts, or our service, Jesus wants to take what little we have to offer and multiply, or magnify it for His glory. In fact, no matter how awesome we feel that our talents or our gifts are, they are useless in touching the heart of a man. So all we could possibly do is to offer up what we have to say, or teach, or preach, or give, and ask God to use it for His glory. We too will be amazed by what He could accomplish in the hearts of folk that need a touch from Jesus. I believe that we should never lose sight of the fact that when we boast of our talent before mankind, he merely sees a human very similar to himself that has something to share of equal or perhaps enhanced worth to what the receiver is capable of doing themselves. However, when Jesus is involved, we not only see the extravagant, the impossible, the awesome and the unexpected, but we recognize the face and/or the hand of God. We see a promise of an eternity in the presence of Jesus and the Father. We see the miraculous happening right before our very eyes – way beyond anything we are capable of. Friends, God will not bless what we are unwilling to surrender, or give to Him. It may only be two cents like in the story of the widow in the New Testament, or it may be everything we have like in the story being looked at today. Whatever it is, please know that it is insignificant compared to all that God can do with it when we are willing to surrender it to Him. Because of God, we have everything we claim to own today, let’s willingly give it back to Him in total surrender to Him, and may His kingdom become more effective to all those we know and love, as a result of our humility to God.

Prayer

Way too often we beat up on ourselves for not being smart enough, or not knowing enough scripture, or having no talent or finances. Essentially we are putting you down for not blessing us, and for that I beg Your forgiveness dear Lord. I am convinced from this scripture today that when we give in total obedience, without any strings attached or conditions placed upon our giving, and when we give so that You may be glorified instead of us, it is only then that we will see Your hand at work in and through us, and Your kingdom being fulfilled among us. Lord please help us to stay humble and to freely give of ourselves and all that we claim to have, all for Your glory. I ask these things in the awesome name of Jesus, my Lord and Savior, AMEN!

Footnote

Introducing The One Who Can

On 2016-08-24 By Ed AlgreenIn All-powerful, Answered Prayer, Savior, The power of GodLeave a comment

Wednesday, 2016-08-24

Scripture

Bible Reference: Mark 4:39–40

Bible Text: 39 Jesus got up and ordered the wind and the waves to be quiet. The wind stopped, and everything was calm. 40 Jesus asked his disciples, “Why were you afraid? Don’t you have any faith?”

Bible Translation: The Contemporary English Version (CEV)

My Take

I am amazed at the various challenges that my friends and I face each day. Some very bizarre situations and some that seem downright impossible to overcome. I believe for most of us, when we are in the middle of a disaster or extreme scenario, we often feel like there’s a good possibility that we won’t come out real good on the other side of the circumstance. Imagine for a moment the growing challenge that the boat passengers envisioned before they finally went and woke Jesus up. Not only was there no calmer waters within sight up ahead, but the boat was now taking on water from the huge waves. Based on what the disciples said to Jesus, I believe they were thinking much like we do today when we face, what appears to be, impossible situations. HELLO, does anyone care out there? I’m losing my life partner; The doctor has just given me my death sentence; My young child appears to be weakening in this health crisis instead of getting better; I’m about to be homeless because of my worsening financial situation; I NEED HELP! I would imagine that similar thoughts must have crossed the minds of the disciples, only they were also deeply disturbed or disappointed about how Jesus just layed content without being concerned about the grave situation they were in. Don’t we also tend to feel self-pity and feel like no one cares? But friends, I was reminded that when we know the God of this universe – the One who created this massive world and put all of the intricate parts into place to begin with, then of course He is the only One who can change the course of events that impacts us and/or His creation (this world). So friends, I believe that our comfort in this devotional today is in being reminded that we need Jesus. He created us and everything we touch, so we will daily need to depend on Him for understanding and help in coping with all of life’s circumstances. We had nothing to do with the creation, nor do we have any control over changing any of its natural course of events, so let’s learn to surrender to the only One who can. I accepted this awesome Jesus many years ago, and it would thrill my heart to know that you also acknowledge the same Father. If you have not already accepted Him as Lord of your life, please read my Footnote and see from the scriptures noted how you could also accept my Savior.

Prayer

Being reminded of Your awesome power has renewed a sense of calm over my deep concerns about all that I face today and every day. What an awesome privilege to know that I can place my hand into the hand of the One who designed and created this whole creation. Thank You Jesus for caring about me and loving me unconditionally. Please also touch the lives of my readers and give them comfort in accepting you and/or knowing You personally. Being in this world is a challenge, but knowing the Creator of it all and the joy You bring to us, is worth it all! Thank You Heavenly Father! AMEN!

Footnote

God Provides Our Needs Plus Some

On 2016-08-22 By Ed AlgreenIn Blessings, Humility, Power of Prayer, PrayerLeave a comment

Monday, 2016-08-22

Scripture

Bible Reference: 1 Kings 3:10–13

Bible Text: 10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom. 11 So God replied, “Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies—12 I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have! 13 And I will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and fame!

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

Solomon was crowned king at a very early age, and while he could have done like previous kings and depended heavily on his royal team of experts that surrounded him in leading the Israelites, he had a sincere heart for God and wanted to rule in a way pleasing to God, regardless of his personal heartfelt inabilities. In the presence of the Creator of the universe; the God who brought thousands miraculously across the desert from slavery into a land filled with beauty and promise; the same God that was such an awesome blessing to his father David; it is only natural that Solomon could have asked for almost anything, and it would have been very possible that God could have answered his requests. However, in greatest humility, Solomon acknowledged his weaknesses in light of the tremendous task ahead, and he recognized the strengths of the Master, so he asked that he might be given wisdom to properly lead the Israelites. Friends, this may sound fairly unimportant to you, but you and I face the same challenge every day that Solomon faced. Imagine with me that as we leave home today and enter our respective workplaces. How many of us know what we will face? The questions; the personal problems of each coworker; knowing exactly what would please our bosses today. And to top this off, as children of God, we want to do each of these things pleasing to God. What do you think? Do we need to ask a similar prayer of God that Solomon asked? In all humility, I feel like we should seek the face of Jesus and ask for wisdom in all things today, so that He may be lifted up by all those that we may touch in some way. Let’s remember that Jesus is Lord, and that we are merely servants seeking to serve Him faithfully and in obedience to His perfect will for us. Perhaps He may see fit to bless us as He did Solomon, by providing far more than we ask God for!

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You for the examples that You have placed in Your Word to help us reflect on the awesome works of God. Thank You for the story of Solomon – a powerful earthly king, yet he saw the need of God to help him rule in a way pleasing to Him. Just as Solomon described himself as being so helpless in knowing the right thing to do or say, we find ourselves in exactly the same predicament. Lord, we have no way of knowing what we will face today, and rather than just ‘winging’ it, we humbly ask that You touch our hearts; our understanding; and our lips; so that we may be adequate representatives of Yours in whatever situation we may find ourselves. May it be evident who ‘runs our show’ of life, as we want You to be glorified and praised because of every word that we may speak or action that we may take today, AMEN!