Tag: Praise

Here’s What Really Counts

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

Friday, 2019-05-03

Bible Reference: Mark 7:20-23
Translation: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

Bible Text: 20 And Jesus said, “The things that make people wrong are the things that come from the inside. 21 All these bad things begin inside a person, in the mind: bad thoughts, sexual sins, stealing, murder, 22 adultery, greed, doing bad things to people, lying, doing things that are morally wrong, jealousy, insulting people, proud talking, and foolish living.23 These evil things come from inside a person. And these are the things that make people unacceptable to God.”

OBSERVATION: We all want to do our best, look our best and portray our best before our peers, family and friends. But in our focal passage today, it is obvious that there are some other things that are more important to our Maker – things that would impact our eternity with Him. This sounds important enough for us to spend some time on today dear friends, stay with me on this…

APPLICATION: Going to the gym has become a high priority for many. Going to weight management classes reaches high on the priority list for many. Attending inspirational conferences and spending time with positive people is a must. Yes, we have become a people who have really dedicated ourselves to being a good impression on the rest of the world, and that’s a very positive thing! However, whether we are intentionally aware, or not, every day our lives are also impacted for eternity. But let us never forget that there are two options for where one might spend eternity. If you are intentional about making heaven your eternal home, then you will intentionally seek after Christ, and therefore closely desire to obey His Word. If you do nothing, or couldn’t care less, then obviously you have decided that you are content with Hell and the damnation that comes from its leader – Satan. So having laid the groundwork, I would like for us to think about the focal verses today. Jesus outlined some things that emanate from us that are detriment to the cause of Christ. These are attitudes and actions that result from what has been fed into our lives – by television; movies; the friends we hang out with; the absence of the teachings of Jesus Christ; etc. It is obvious that no matter how good the things are that make us healthy and put our bodies in shape, the really important things in life – the things that please God, truly comes from the inner man – from the things that touched our heart, soul and mind. Friends, let me be the first to tell you that the source of the things that please God, actually come from Him and His teachings in the first place. So my challenge for you and I today is that we carefully go to the Source of life, and the Source of eternal life, for inspiration and spiritual growth in ways that please our Master. That’s what really counts in this life! Remember, only what’s done for Jesus will last, and as we learned from these verses today, only lives that are impacted by Jesus will go on to eternity with Him in glory. Where are you headed dear friend? Where will you spend eternity? Have you surrendered your life to Jesus, and find yourself learning from Him daily, so that you may reflect Him in every aspect of your life? That’s my desire, and I pray that each reader will do likewise.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You have made it clear in Your Word what You demand of each of Your children. You’ve shown us how our lives will reflect the One to whom we are running to. Please touch each one that will read this devotional today. May we all know without a doubt where we are headed and where we will spend eternity. May our lives reflect that in everything we do and say, through Your strength and by Your power oh Lord. AMEN!

Obey God’s Laws or Else….

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

Wednesday, 2019-05-01

Bible Reference: Leviticus 18:29-30
Translation: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

Bible Text: 29 Whoever does any of these terrible sins must be separated from their people! 30 Other people have done these terrible sins, but you must obey my laws. You must not do any of these terrible sins. Do not make yourself filthy with these terrible sins. I am the Lord your God.”

OBSERVATION: God led the Israelites to a place (Canaan) where they would encounter another culture. In our focal verses today, God is warning the Israelites that they are not to get caught up in the culture of the land, but to stay true to the teachings and commands of the Lord. Isn’t it easy to see the comparison between the challenge that the Israelites faced and the one that we face every day? Yet I believe that God still wants His people to stay true to Him! But are we?

APPLICATION: “When in Rome, you do as the Romans do”, isn’t that one of the popular sayings that we hear, and may have even spoken? But that’s not what God told the Israelites. He reminded them of their Master, and how important it was for them not to be discolored by the sin of those they would meet in their new land. He reminded them of whose they were. Fellow Christians, this is exactly the dilemma that we face each and every day. We enter into a world filled with the same sins mentioned in the preceding verses of Leviticus 18, and we decide whether we will go with the flow and be like the locals, or will we stand for God – no matter what environment we find ourselves in. Isn’t it challenging to think that if we go with the flow, we will fit right in and not even be noticed as being different in our inner man? Isn’t it even more challenging to consider that if we speak out against the wrong in our land, or practiced by our friends, that we will be looked at in contempt and perhaps even ridiculed for standing out like a ‘sore thumb’. We may be looked on as a ‘goody two shoe’ or as one thinking more proudly of self rather than anyone else. But does it matter more what others might say, or what God demands, and how He will respond in disappointment to His very own child speaking and/or acting just like the rest? Friends, I believe that the very last words were placed in verse 30 as a reminder for all of us when we face good times, or very challenging times, so that we might always consider that whatever we decide to do, we should always remember ‘For I am the Lord Your God’! That will either result in you praising God for His strength in helping you do, or say, the right thing under extremely challenging situations, or those words might impact our very soul in shame about the way we acted or spoke while knowing deep inside to whom we belong. Oh that we may keep a clear conscience by representing God well in every circumstance of life, with Him as our helper and guide.

PRAYER: Lord, You know how You created us to desire pleasing others in all that we say or do. It therefore becomes extremely challenging for us to speak out against the wrong that we see in our society, where many of the same sins mentioned in Leviticus are still being performed. Yet we are reminded that we are to represent You in all that we say and do, so that You may be glorified in our lives. Please help us to manage the complexities of this challenge so that we will always honor You, and that we may correct or speak out in ways that will allow us to witness to the unbeliever about the awesome God that we serve. Please help us to be a light of hope to the unsaved. and not a hammer that will destroy all hope of sharing Christ with them. We need You heavenly Father, even today we do! AMEN!

The Unfortunate Results of Unbelief

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

Monday, 2019-04-29

Bible Reference:  Mark 6:2-6 
Translation: Living Bible (TLB)

Bible Text: …the people were astonished at his wisdom and his miracles because he was just a local man like themselves. “He’s no better than we are,” they said. “He’s just a carpenter, Mary’s boy, and a brother of James and Joseph, Judas and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” And they were offended! 4 Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his hometown and among his relatives and by his own family.” 5 And because of their unbelief he couldn’t do any mighty miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he could hardly accept the fact that they wouldn’t believe in him. Then he went out among the villages, teaching.

OBSERVATION: You may have heard it before, where an old saint may say that he, or she, will not go out to hear that person preach, because he’s just one of the locals who grew up with them. So to read our focal verses today and see that Jesus faced this same dilemma, really opens our minds to ponder why do we humans choose to take this stand. Jesus said that these choices lead to unbelief in the power of God, and can really prevent His work in our midst. Let’s open our hearts to God’s Word as we meditate some more on this.

APPLICATION: From personal experience, I can tell you that it is very natural for us to look at the faults in others and judge them accordingly, while overlooking the plank in our own eye – the shortcomings of our own life. I recall a group meeting of church workers, and one gentleman suggested that a Brother was falling short of his responsibilities. However, the pastor commented that the complainant may be out of order, because there was lots of ministry being done by the person behind the scenes, and unannounced to the rest of the workers. Friends, it is times like that when we are made to understand that keeping ourselves straight, and in alignment with the commands of Jesus, is a fulltime job, that leaves no time for us to judge another! Similarly, when a teacher or preacher is presented to us, our responsibility is to pray that God would use them as His messenger to speak His words that we need in our lives. Friends, that’s a miraculous work of God, when you consider the many temptations, trials and challenges that each of us face daily here on this old sinful earth. It is so easy for us to be distracted by the known, or assumed sin/faults of the person standing before us, rather than the miraculous working God who is using that earthen vessel to deliver His message to us. But how does that affect, or impact us? Notice in verse 5 that the Word of God says that because of unbelief, God is unwilling to release His work, and work miracles in our midst. So when we sin by tearing down the messenger, what blessings do you assume that we are blocking? Is it not time for God’s children to act as His children and to seek His face while He may be found. Listen closely to the message that He has entrusted to His messenger to deliver to us, so that His blessings and miracles may flow freely, and uninterrupted by our selfishness and sinfulness? Friends, let us make every effort to enhance the work of the Lord in our own life, and that of our churches, instead of being a stumbling block. May God be glorified, even if we might be humbled in the effort.

PRAYER: Precious Lord Jesus, I don’t know that a whole lot has changed from the time that You were provoked to leave the people of Nazareth and move on to other towns that were ready to listen to Your word, and receive Your blessings. We desperately need You dear Lord, please humble us to set aside our personal preferences and our warped ideals, so that our ears may be primed to listen to Your Word. May our lives be opened and ready to obey Your teachings. We need You and we need to be open to Your Word. Please help us to do just that today and every day, so that You might be glorified in our lives. AMEN!

Many Voices

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

Saturday, 2019-04-27

Bible Reference: Mark 5:36; 39-42
Translation: The Passion Translation (TPT)

Bible Text: 36 But Jesus refused to listen to what they were told[n and said to the Jewish official, “Don’t yield to fear. All you need to do is to keep on believing.”
39 Upon entering the home, Jesus said to them, “Why all this grief and weeping? Don’t you know the girl is not dead but merely asleep?” 40 Then everyone began to ridicule and make fun of him. But he threw them all outside. Then he took the child’s father and mother and his three disciples and went into the room where the girl was lying. 41 He tenderly clasped the child’s hand in his and said to her in Aramaic, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, wake up from the sleep of death.” 42 Instantly the twelve-year-old girl sat up, stood to her feet, and started walking around the room!

OBSERVATION: On the one hand, the Jewish ruler was being told to give up and go back home, for his daughter had died. However, Jesus told him something totally different. At the home of Jairus, the crowd mocked Jesus because he said that the daughter of Jairus was only asleep. What was Jairus to believe? You and I have this type of dilemma every day, so how do we know which way to go. or who to believe?

APPLICATION: Jairus could very easily have succumbed to the pressure of the crowd around him – friends, co-laborers, Jewish authorities, etc. for he knew them a whole lot longer than he knew this ‘Jesus’ who he had just heard of. After all, what must the crowd be thinking about Jairus being so receptive to this new ‘profit’ that seemed to be causing such an uproar? Friends, if you tune in closely to the voices of the crowd around you every day – at work; at the grocery story; at the gym; at the gas station or the movie theater, many of these individuals are pretty far out in their thoughts, words and actions. They often look down on Christians and churches and this fictional character (in their minds) that they hear us talking about – Jesus. We hear many voices dear friends, and if we are not strong in our faith, and in a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, they might easily distract us and pull us into their way of thinking – after all they seem to be happy, they seem to be rich, they seem to have a lot of things going in their favor. Jesus told Jairus: just keep on believing! I believe that He is telling you and I today that we are to just keep on believing. When He called your name and you accepted Him as Lord and Savior, you were so convinced, that you totally surrendered your life to Him. Yes, you’ve not made it a priority to read His Word every day. Yes, you’ve not made it a priority to speak (pray) to Him every day. Yes you’ve allowed many other things to come before Him when you should have been refueling your spiritual tank at church. Yes, you’ve been hanging around some friends who are not at all sold out on Jesus. So in retrospect, whose voice are you really hearing? May I encourage you today dear friend, to not only accept my Lord as your personal Savior, but please consider making Him a daily priority in your life. You may easily be put in the position that Jairus was in – do you listen to the crowd, or do you listen to Jesus? I pray that the decision will be very easy and convincing for you. Jesus is my Rock, my Redeemer; my Savior; and my everlasting Lord. Know Him today my friend, and know the everlasting peace that He brings. You won’t regret one minute of it!

PRAYER: Dearest Lord Jesus, thank You for accepting me as Your very own son, and thank You for accepting all those who will read this devotional and have committed their life to Your lordship. Please help us to stay so in tuned with You on a daily basis that we will by like simple sheep that listen to the voice of their shepherd and obediently follow his commands. You are my Shepherd! Please help me to follow you all the days of my life. Please humble the hearts of all those who will read this devotional today, and call them to a close and lasting relationship with Yourself. AMEN!

Go Tell

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Worship1 Comment

Friday, 2019-04-25

Bible Reference: Mark 5:18-20
Translation: The Voice (VOICE)

Bible Text: 18 When Jesus climbed back into the boat, the cured demoniac asked if he could come and be with Him, but Jesus said no.
Jesus: 19 Stay here; I want you to go back home to your own people and let them see what the Lord has done—how He has had mercy on you.
20 So the man went away and began telling this news in the Ten Cities region; wherever he went, people were amazed by what he told them.

OBSERVATION: When something good happens to us, we need no prodding to head on out and tell the world about it. But what is it about the miraculous touch of God that causes us to keep something so wonderful all to ourselves? Could it be that our fear of rejection is far more powerful, than our release of praise to our Maker? Let’s think about that today…

APPLICATION: In our story today from the Scriptures, there seems to be two reactions taken by the healed demonic-filled man. The first human instinct was to stay close to the One who healed him, and I believe that reaction is still very prevalent today. Think about it – haven’t you heard someone say that they would never leave a certain church because of how good they were to them? Or the same about a certain pastor – because he took time to pray with them and that brought healing to their desperately aching body? Yes, we still react in much the same way as the healed man wanted to do. But think carefully about the second reaction that was induced by Jesus Himself. The man was told that instead of sticking close to Jesus, the source of his healing, he was told to go and share that miracle with others – those that may be struggling in their faith, or those who stand at a distance in wanting to trust in God. I believe this all boils down to someone hearing about a firsthand experience, rather than a story about someone else’s experience. I can watch a video about a motorcycle crash and marvel over the survival of the driver, but when I hear first hand how God protected a friend in a similar crash, and how they knew without a doubt that it was God who protected them and saved them – which do you think will get my attention? In which story do you suppose I will see the importance of knowing the God who saved these two drivers? Friends, I believe that this story, and this command by Jesus to ‘go and tell’, comes at a time that we all must be willing to share our miracle with a friend or family member, for this may be the very thing that will convince them of: the real, the loving, the all-powerful God that we serve, love and adore. Sure we should go to church and sing our praises to our Lord and Savior, and share our miracles with one another, but let’s also pray for opportunities to share our story with anyone that would listen – anyone that needs Jesus!

PRAYER: Precious Lord, please open the doors of opportunity for us to share Jesus with one another today. Especially with those who have not met and surrendered their lives to Him personally. May they see the joy of the Lord in our lives, and may they experience His marvelous love in every word that we speak and every action that we take. May someone see Jesus today because they came into contact with us, for this is my heart-cry today dear Lord. AMEN!

Pattern Your Lives After The One To Whom You Belong

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

Tuesday, 2019-04-23

Bible Reference: 1 Peter 1:14-16
Translation: Living Bible (TLB)

Bible Text: 14 Obey God because you are his children; don’t slip back into your old ways—doing evil because you knew no better. 15 But be holy now in everything you do, just as the Lord is holy, who invited you to be his child. 16 He himself has said, “You must be holy, for I am holy.”

OBSERVATION: In Leviticus 11:44-45 God set the stage for what Peter is teaching in our verses today. For in Leviticus God reminded the Israelites of what He had brought them from, or out of, and how they were now benefiting from His mighty works. Peter now draws a parallel by showing us how we are very much like the Israelites. As we meditate on this, let’s be drawn into the very presence of our great High Priest who has lifted us up from the mire of sin and brought us into His glorious light!

APPLICATION: Even at my age, I am still amazed about the way that children assume the good attitudes and practices of their parents, and often to the total disappointment of many adults, how they also pick up on, and practice the bad habits that they learn at home. In playing baseball with my daughter when she was very young, she turns aside from the batting box, spat, and then turned back to really hit the ball hard on the next pitch that was thrown to her. She was convinced from watching the professionals, that this was the practice that would help her really hit the ball! Funny, isn’t it? But that’s just one example of how they watch their parents and other adults, and practice what they see them doing. So do you assume that is different from the way that adults act? I would dare say that it is not. For what do you assume might be the issue when we find it so challenging to commit to taking a leadership role in our church? Could it be that we would not be as free as our neighbor, or best friend, to take off whenever we want to and ‘enjoy life’? What would Jesus do? If we are to be holy as our Father is holy, our Mentor, our Deliverer and our Savior, wouldn’t we be seeking to follow in His footsteps and in all holiness, be the same type of person that He was/is? What were the things that were important to Him? He said that He would wait to hear from His father before speaking – in some instances; before responding – in some instances, etc. Friends, we are being cautioned to not drift back into our former life, and our old worldly habits, but instead to give every effort to becoming more like our leader – Jesus, our Teacher, and our Lord. May I suggest that you evaluate your life and ask God to open your spiritual eyes to understand who you are becoming – one following God’s example? or one who is still immersed in following your former life. Oh that our eyes might be fixed on Jesus, our soon coming King, and may our lives reflect to whom we belong!

PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, please humble your children who will meditate on this devotional today. May we see You clearly, and therefore be reminded of our shortcomings and inadequate means of being holy, without a special touch from You Lord, for You alone are holy. Lord, I want to see You, but until the time that You will call me home, may I live in such a way that others will see You. May You be glorified through each of us oh Lord! AMEN!

Recognizing God’s Mighty Works

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

Monday, 2019-04-22

Bible Reference: 1 Kings 20:28
Translation: Good News Translation (GNT)

Bible Text: 28 A prophet went to King Ahab and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because the Syrians say that I am a god of the hills and not of the plains, I will give you victory over their huge army, and you and your people will know that I am the LORD.’ ”

OBSERVATION: I wonder what it would take to truly get the attention of our church attendees, or our lost neighbors, or our busy communities? I believe that God shows Himself miraculously, and in very loving and kind ways every day, but what do we hear about the results of this – perhaps it was a stroke of good luck, or I had it coming to me, or…..

APPLICATION: God performed miracles and gave great successes to the army of King Ahab, with hopes that this might get the attention of the people. Our country today, and many others that we hear about, are in sad shape as far as their spiritual well-being. I wonder what it would take to get the attention of the masses. Back at the time of the 911 disaster, many flocked to neighborhood churches – at least for a few days. After major local, or national disasters, people will flock together to gain strength for each other. and possibly from a ‘higher being’, as some might refer to my God. So we know that disasters really work, although we really don’t want to see something so drastic happen again. Miracles happen every day, but do we (those who belong to and acknowledge God) brag enough about them – to help those not involved, know about the wonderful works of God? Christians, we must give God credit when we see things happening in response to our prayers. The things that we hear from non-Christians are anything but godly, because they don’t know our Savior. But what about you and I, fellow believers, do we tend to recognize the mighty works of God, and let the world know who’s in charge, and who’s responsible for the answers to our prayers? Or are we so caught up in the rush and hustle of each day, that we brush it off and stay in our little corner of the world? Many of us are so saturated in the things of this world as pushed by the media, that I would question how long it would take for us to even recognize an actual God-sighting in our homes or in our neighborhoods or churches? Friends, God loves us so much that He is willing to try almost anything to get our attention. Please join me in being super attentive to God’s hand at work today in our lives and all around us! Let’s get used to doing this so that the world will know that our God is alive and waiting for them to call upon His name. Let’s acknowledge Him in our times of struggle, in our need for salvation, and may we freely and instinctively respond in such awesome praise and worship to our Ling that the world will know and believe in the God that we serve!.

PRAYER: Thank You Lord Jesus for loving me enough to send things my way to wake me up, to get my attention to Your wonderful works. Thank You for providing so much for me to enjoy in this beautiful world that You have created. Thank You for being patient with me and forgiving of me when I am distracted by this old world and other unimportant things. Lord, of what purpose would our journey here on earth be, if others are not pointed to You through our lives? Please work on me today to give You credit for all that You are doing, so that some lost person might want to know more about the Savior that I love, adore and serve. Lord, may You have an impact on the lost through the words and/or actions of Your saints that may meditate on this devotional today, is my humble prayer. AMEN!

Recognizing Our Awesome God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Allegiance to the Lamb, Bible Believing, Celebrate God, Christian, Discerning, Faith, Faith, Follow Jesus, God Cares For Us, God our Helper, Imitator of Christ, Listen to the Word of God, Obedience, Righteousness, Thank You JesusLeave a comment

Bible Text:  Matthew 12

Bible Text:  22 Then a demon-possessed man, who was blind and couldn’t speak, was brought to Jesus. He healed the man so that he could both speak and see. 23 The crowd was amazed and asked, “Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah?”

APPLICATION:  Sometimes we read these familiar stories in God’s Word and God will just speak to us afresh through something contained in that passage. In this story Jesus had performed several miracles, and finally the crowd stepped back in wonderment and questioned among themselves ‘Could this possibly be the Messiah?”. In the world we live in today God is still very active, and although we tend to really hone in on the negative, there are times that our spiritual minds are awakened and we say to ourselves “that must be a Jesus thing”. That certain thing could only have occurred if Jesus made it happen. Friends, I believe that we must be praying with such expectation that we will notice every little act of God and response to our prayers by God. He is very much alive today and active in our lives. It is time for Christians to wake up and give Him credit for all that He does. It is in this type of act that we tend to help believers who are in doubt and result in questioning every act of God. They must see our faith, if we ever expect to be a Godly influence on them! We serve a mighty God, but don’t wait for the ‘big’ miracles to occur, recognize and praise Him daily for all that He does in your life. Good health – especially when we see so many in hospitals or at home sick; safety – especially when we pass a wreck on the road where some innocent person got hurt or even killed; answer to prayer – especially when we see so many that doubt or question the work of God, or try to give credit to chance or horoscopes or palm readers. Friends we serve, and we should recognize the mighty God of this universe, the King of all kings, the Creator of all mankind. Do we have reason to doubt? I believe that we actually have more reasons not to doubt the mighty works of God in our world today.

PRAYER: Praise be to God for accepting me as a humble child in great need of a Savior. Praise be to God for all the miracles performed in my life, in the life of our church and in the lives of my family and friends. May I be very alert to Your mighty hand at work in my life and all around me. May others see Jesus reflected in my life and in their own lives, so that together we can truly be a thankful people praising You for all Your mighty works and wondrous love. Thank You Jesus for caring so much for me. Please continue to work on me and mold me into something that  You can use to accomplish Your work. May I recognize Your mighty works each and every day!

Staying Encouraged In A Challenging World

On By Ed AlgreenIn Christian, Faith, Humility, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, SurrenderLeave a comment

Monday, 2016-10-17

Scripture

Bible Reference: Philippians 4:8-9

Bible Text:  8 Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise. 9 You know the teachings I gave you, and you know what you heard me say and saw me do. So follow my example. And God, who gives peace, will be with you.

Bible Translation: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

My Take

Perhaps before you walk out of the door to your home this morning you already realized that there will be many challenges that you will deal with today. Perhaps there is overflow from the challenges you dealt with yesterday. There may even be unresolved contention that you know you must deal with today. You may be deliberating: why is it that you must awake from your ‘perfect’, ‘protected’, ‘uncomplicated’ dream of contentment and peace at home, and face the reality and cruelty of this wicked world. Friends, I want you to be encouraged with the words from God, through His messenger Paul, for I believe this can apply to all who are reading this devotional today:

  • First of all, to the believer in Jesus Christ, here are some tips from our Scripture on how to handle life under God’s leadership, strength, wisdom and guidance today:

    • Don’t allow your minds to be swayed by this world and it’s leader – Satan. Instead, aim towards being like Jesus, for He is true (so important in this world filled with lies, hatred and deception); pure (there is no ‘make-believe’ with Jesus Christ, for He is the real deal. He loved us when we were still steeped in sin, and He gave up His own life to provide the means of us living eternally with the Father in heaven); right; holy (remember Jesus is one with God, so He is holy just as God Almighty is holy); friendly; and proper;
    • Think about everything that is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise – in other words, we are to seek God’s help to not be pulled into the gutter of gossip; hatred; and the evil deeds associated with Satan himself. In other words, if we find ourselves thinking about something that we cannot truly praise God for, then we are probably ‘off-track’ with what God is teaching us here. For we are to think on those things that are ‘worthy of praise‘ to our heavenly Father!
  • Secondly, I believe that there is help here for the non-Christian. Think about it friend: how can you possibly deal with life without the power of the Holy Spirit who is at work in the life of the believer? Without the power of Christ, Satan is free to beat up on you all he wants. Christians are not super beings with the capability of handling every aspect of life that is thrown at them. However, we are super excited about the promise that we can do ALL things through Christ, who strengthens us and guides us to all truth, through the awesome power and guidance of His Holy Spirit who controls us. I believe that your encouragement today is knowing that as long as you have life, there is hope in the option to also accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Know Jesus and know peace! That’s my recommendation to you today so that you may gain His everlasting joy and contentment in everyday living here on this earth.

Prayer

There are a few sayings that cross my mind dear Lord, “you are now entering your mission field” and “you are now entering the ‘real’ world”. I believe that most of us feel fairly secure and at peace in our own homes, and we fear the challenge of what this bitter world holds in store for us as we step into it today. Thank You for the encouragement given to us in this passage of scripture today. Lord, we believe in You, and we lift high the banner of truth contained in Your Word. We are more dependent on You today than ever before Savior, for we can only handle today’s challenges with You powerfully working inside of us, and helping us to be more like You. Lord, how will the world know about You if we don’t tell them? Oh that they may see everlasting hope and the love of Christ in all that we do or say today. For this is my humble prayer that I ask in and through the name of Jesus, 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!

Spontaneous Worship

On By Ed AlgreenIn Praise, Praise-worthy, WorshipLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   Psalm 86:11-12 (ERV)

TEXT:   11 Lord, teach me your ways, and I will live and obey your truths.
Help me make worshiping your name the most important thing in my life.
12 My Lord God, I praise you with all my heart. I will honor your name forever!

OBSERVATION:   David had a knack for speaking honestly to God. But one thing I observed is that if David started a Psalm in deepest concern and honestly sharing his upset mind, before the end of the Psalm he was praising God for who He truly is. I believe the emphasis in our Scripture today, is that David truly wanted to live and obey the truths of God, culminating into the most important thing of life – to worship God. To do this it seems like David realized that he should be saturated with the Word of God. Wow, what a desire!

APPLICATION:   I wonder how many of us make it a priority to seek God’s face before each worship service and ask Him to open our hearts and minds so that we may understand and absorb His teachings! And as He does, do we promise to obey and worship Him sincerely? In fact, we want our worship to God to become the highlight of our day and the most important thing that we do. Notice I didn’t say the highlight of our Saturday or Sunday, but of every day! Can’t you imagine friends, that if we were led by the Holy Spirit each day during our time with the Lord, and we took time to just praise the Almighty and worship the Creator and King of this universe, then imagine what a time of rejoicing that will be when we lock arms with several others at our weekend church services? Oh my, I don’t believe that the four walls of our sanctuary would contain us! But isn’t that how true worship truly works? If you don’t learn to worship God each day in response to His Word, or His presence, or His handiwork, or in return for all that He has done for us, then you honestly feel like at our corporate services you will respond to a pastor or worship leader simply saying ‘OK, let us stand and worship God’? Is that the way you acted when you saw your fiancee only on the weekends? Can’t you see why so many worship services are dry and dull and often meaningless to so many? Let’s be sure to remember that we arrive at weekend services, after enjoying a daily, living and meaningful relationship with the One who loved us enough to send His one and only Son to die on a cross, just so that we would know that we now have the means of getting to heaven, through the Son, Jesus Christ. David concluded these verses by saying that he would praise God from the bottom of his heart, and that he would honor Him eternally. I believe that we can honestly boast of the same, if only we did better on our daily relationship with this wonderful Savior of ours! Ask Him to help you attain this worthy goal, friend!

PRAYER:   To God be the glory, great things He has done! Lord we acknowledge that this is our daily cry of worship and praise, in response to all that You do for us daily. Please teach us Your Word, Your ways and Your will. Remind us of Your love for us and Your daily provisions that You provide for us, just like You do with the birds of teh air and the wild animals all over the world. As we worship You today Lord, may that effort be multiplied 10 times over on Sunday as we worship You with other believers who are also met to worship. You deserve our worship and our praise dear Lord. May we be obedient and bring our praises to You each and every day. 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 Sebring, 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!