Tag: Our assignment

Oh, Poor Me….

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

DATE POSTED Friday, 2022-11-11
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Kings 19:13-14
TRANSLATION: The Message (MSG)

BIBLE TEXT: 13-14 When Elijah heard the quiet voice, he muffled his face with his great cloak, went to the mouth of the cave, and stood there. A quiet voice asked, “So Elijah, now tell me, what are you doing here?” Elijah said it again, “I’ve been working my heart out for God, the God-of-the-Angel-Armies, because the people of Israel have abandoned your covenant, destroyed your places of worship, and murdered your prophets. I’m the only one left, and now they’re trying to kill me.”

APPLICATION: Despite the awesome work by this prophet of God, yet Elijah was threatened by Jezebel, and in spite of the miracles performed through Elijah by the God of this universe, yet Elijah ran for his life and had himself a good old pity party. It seems like he may have felt that although God blessed others through him, he would really need to get in God’s face to receive personal encouragement from Him. In the Wilderness, an angel helped strengthen Elijah for his journey to Mount Sinai – the same place where God spoke to Moses. He found no ‘fireworks’ there when told by God to appear before Him. Instead, there came a very strong windstorm that seemed to have moved everything else except Elijah’s heart. Then an earthquake, followed by intense fire. For each of these things happening on their own, we might expect a miraculous touch from God, but in God’s very special plan He wanted to carefully get the attention of this saint while giving him his next assignment. We can identify, can’t we? Just go to that city-wide revival in that large city and know that the very popular evangelists there will be sure to invoke God’s presence and take you to the foot of the cross. Follow the path of other great evangelists and you will be blessed just like them. Friends, notice that God didn’t move in the ways that seemed miraculous to Elijah, but instead in a still, small voice. Are you getting into the Word of God each day and listening intently for the ‘still, small voice of God’? Perhaps it’s time that we stop chasing the ways of popularity that attract the crowd, and instead seek more one-on-one time with our Creator. God had specific instructions for Elijah that I don’t feel like He would have given to an evangelist for a huge crowd. God has our assignment also, dear friend. Seek Him while He may be found. Listen intently for what He tells you through His Word, through prayer, through other believers who have a close relationship with Him. and through the circumstances He brings into your life. Listen, and be willing to respond and obey – without fanfare, for His glory!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: In verses 15-18 God gave His orders to Elijah to go and anoint 3 different men. Oh, that we will not keep others waiting because of our laxity in searching out God’s will for us and following through on His commands.

PRAYER: It’s been said that what You have for us, God, no one can take it away from us. But Lord, I was reminded in this story of Elijah that we must seek the Lord while He is near, listen closely to Your still small voice, and follow in obedience as You command us to. There really is no time for retreating under a tree in the Wilderness having a pity party like Elijah. We serve the King of all kings, and Lord of all lords, there is no greater privilege available to mankind. You told us to ‘Be still and know that I am God’. Please help us to pin that on our foreheads for a constant reminder and to help us keep our chin up, even when it seems like the world is against us. Let the people see Jesus, and not our weak and sorry efforts to survive. 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!

Your Assignment From God

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

DATE POSTED Sunday, 2022-02-27
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Acts 20:24; 26-28
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 24 But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.
26 I declare today that I have been faithful. If anyone suffers eternal death, it’s not my fault, 27 for I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know. 28 “So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders.

APPLICATION: I remember the days when performance reviews were completed on me by my supervisors. Completing a self appraisal before the interview to discuss my annual performance was always eye-opening and extremely challenging. You see, there were many things that I thought my boss never knew about me, and therefore may not have been considered as they rated my performance. However, God had me think deeply and honestly about my actual performance – the way that He saw it. Generally, I was always pleased with the rating given by my supervisor, compared to the one I honestly gave myself. However, I’m not so sure that I will be as fortunate when I meet with God, and He challenges me on the assignment He gave for me to do as His representative here on earth. Perhaps my readers will take time to meditate on what that meeting might look like for each of you as well. I believe that way too much emphasis has been placed on the popular phrase that a Christian might expect to receive from God ‘Well done good and faithful servant’, especially when we have stayed so distant to the things of God and the commands given through His teachings to us. To our pastors and church leaders, I believe that Paul is deliberately telling you about his experience so that you might evaluate how you might be doing with the work and responsibility God has assigned to you. What an awesome and overwhelming thought to imagine that the God of this universe has assigned you the job of making sure His children are fed, warned and taught about His wonderful grace and His awesome power to save them from their sin. I hope that each of you will follow Paul’s example in vowing to give it all you have, until the day that God calls you home to glory. Aim for being able to say like Paul ‘my conscience is clear in knowing that I have given you the truth of God’s Word and taught you all about His wonderful grace’. If, however, you are guilty of not telling the people in your care about Jesus, I’m sure that the misery you will feel as you wait for your meeting with God, is more than you could stand. My desire today is that every reader will join hearts and voices with me in singing that old chorus ‘We’ll work til Jesus comes’ as you finish off your meditation today.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: We are told in God’s Word that a crown awaits those whom Jesus is pleased with, and those who have given their all in completing the assignment given to them by their King! Oh, what a day that will be!

PRAYER: Thank You Lord Jesus for providing the means for us to be purified, cleansed and made holy. The Word says that this is only possible because of Jesus, so I thank You Lord. Thank You also for Paul and his passion and commitment to serve You through sharing Your Word everywhere that he went. As Your representatives here on earth, I am convinced that You would have us continue that pattern established for us by Paul. We thrive on receiving a pat on the back, so we can’t wait to hear Your affirmation about our work while here on earth. Please encourage us with Your boldness and reassure us each day of Your presence with us in every way. For we desperately want our ministry to be all about You, Lord. Speak loudly through our witness so that the lost might be saved. 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!