Tag: nations

Recognize and Honor The Power of God

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

DATE POSTED: Tuesday, January 16, 2024, and I was blessed to be at Advent Christian Village, Dowling Park, FL when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. My Footnote will tell you how to find, read or listen to any and all episodes that I have shared over the years.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE FROM THE Living Bible (TLB) IS FOUND IN Isaiah 25:1-3

THE BIBLE TEXT IS: O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God; you do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them, just as you said! You turn mighty cities into heaps of ruins. The strongest forts are turned to rubble. Beautiful palaces in distant lands disappear and will never be rebuilt. Therefore strong nations will shake with fear before you; ruthless nations will obey and glorify your name.

APPLICATION OF THE WORD: God, the One who is creator of human life, and the guiding hand behind all good things that honor Him. He placed the world in place and everything that inhabits each part of this world. Don’t you know, dear friends, that He who created it all, can also erase unnecessary and unappreciated parts of it at will? But God is not like worldly dictators who hold life over the heads of their subjects, for our God not only created us in His likeness, but He also provided a Savior, His Son, to open the channel for access into His glorious heaven. Yet He has given us the option of choice to decide if we really want to live in this world and follow its leader, or if we will believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior to redeem us of our sin and make us righteous in God’s sight. Many created ones have accepted this free gift of salvation and, like the nations mentioned in the very last verse of today’s Scripture, we shake in fear before this righteous, powerful, yet loving God and we glorify Him for who He is! It is unfortunate that many, even some who will happen across this devotional, still reject the Savior and the love shown for them on Calvary, for you are confident that you are in control of this thing called ‘life’. Friends, please carefully think this through: if you think you are in charge, then that applies to life, and in death. The Bible teaches that a place is also available for those who reject Jesus. But since sin cannot enter into heaven, you will be assigned to your earthly leader, Satan, and his eternal home – Hell/The lake of fire/Eternal damnation – a place where things will only worsen and magnify over what you experience here on earth. As one who has experienced the love and lordship of Jesus Christ, I feel an obligation to remind each reader that you fit into one of the nations mentioned in today’s Scripture. By default, you are assigned to the nations under the control of Satan, for you have lived on earth and been tainted by sin. However, many have opened their eyes and humbled themselves to the lordship of Jesus Christ, and we are assured the glories of heaven while basting in the glory of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost forever. We have a graduation day to look forward to, and not a Hell to fear. Not because we are favorites, but because of the choices we have made regarding our eternal destiny. This same assurance can be yours today dear friend. Please read my Footnote, especially the information behind the link ‘To know Jesus’. You have control over where you could be on Resurrection Day, but the choice must be made while you’re alive. Know Jesus today and know about the peace of which I have taught in this lesson! Be with the ‘nation’ who will obey and glorify Jesus as Lord!

PRAYER BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT OF TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Lord, I believe that You have designed us to make smart decisions, such as readying ourselves and our family for natural disasters that we are warned about ahead of time. Every person alive will naturally face death, for in Hebrews 9:27 we are told that we all die once, then face the judgment of Almighty God. Oh Lord God, I humbly pray that every reader of this devotional will face that promised judgment with confidence, and in much anticipation of hearing You say, as You welcome them in for all eternity, ‘Well done good and faithful servant’! Knowing that calamity could come at any moment, home and auto buyers purchase insurance at the closing of their purchase. May these same ones, knowing that death could occur at any moment, not delay in making this very important decision about their eternal destiny. Nations who are ready for Your return, stand ready to praise and worship our King as we see salvation decisions made today! AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There’s another page on my website, entitled ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to this 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. If you would like to read more of my devotionals, or subscribe for a daily email containing each new devotional, please go online to NuggetsFromGodsWord.org. For my podcast, go online to Apple Podcasts or, using the Apple Podcast app, simply search for Nuggets From God’s Word to hear more episodes, or click ‘Follow’ to be notified of Podcast updates. Friends, please allow me to encourage you to find a church home nearby 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!

A Covenant Relationship

On By Ed AlgreenIn All have sinned, Ask and Receive, Bible Believing, Bold Confidence, Born Again, Celebrate God, Chosen by God, Christian, Encourage, Eternal Life, Evangelism, Faith, Follow Jesus, God Cares For Us, God’s Word, Heaven, Hope, Humility, Imitator of Christ, Listen to the Word of God, Obedience, Pleasing to God, Reaching the Lost, Reflecting Christ, Repentance, Righteousness, Surrender, The Book of Life, Things Eternal, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

Scripture: Genesis 17

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life.2 I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.”3 At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him,4 “This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations!5 What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations.6 I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them! Gen 17:1-6 (NLT)

APPLICATION (How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

Much is said in God’s Work about covenant relationships. In this particular chapter there were several covenant relationships made with Abram (Abraham) and they all were similar in form. God made a covenant that He would do certain things and this was either preceded, or followed by, certain things that would be required by Abram and/or his people. In this particular covenant God told his servant who was once fatherless, that he would become the father of countless descendants and of many nations, and to mark this his name would be changed to reflect the new him, because Abraham actually means ‘Father of Many’. Now prior to all this being revealed, God demanded of Abram that he vow to serve Him faithfully and live a blameless life. Throughout God’s Word He makes many promises to us, the greatest of which was the gift of His Son Jesus. In this particular covenant, God sent His Son so that those of us that believe on, and accept Him as Lord of our life, would have eternal life. At Christmas time we celebrate the gift that was presented to us. I trust that for all who may read this devotional, You would truly accept this gift and complete the covenant presented by God, for I guarantee you that He will live up to His part of the covenant by opening heaven’s gates and receiving us into eternity with Him. Friend I pray that your eyes will be opened to this invitation, because the alternative is not very bright for those who refuse to accept Jesus. An eternal life of damnation and the unpleasentries of Hell is not anything that I can imagine anyone wanting to set as a goal in their life.

PRAYER (With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father I thank You for the greatest gift ever given – Your Son. I thank You also for touching my life and encouraging me to accept Your gift some 35 years ago. I am concerned about the numerous number of family and/or friends and/or co-workers that have chosen to ignore Your gift and the covenant You have offered to us. I pray that this will be an important Christmas weekend in the lives of those that You have touched my life through, because I pray that You will once again overly sensitize their hearts so that they will understand how hopeless life is without You. May they experience the real meaning of the reason that we celebrate Christmas as they surrender and submit their lives to You this week.