Tag: reminder

Reminders To Follow God’s Commands

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

DATE WRITTEN: Friday, 2021-06-18
WRITTEN AT: Florence, IN

SCRIPTURE FROM: Numbers 15:37-41
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: 37 The Lord told Moses 38 to say to the people of Israel, “Sew tassels onto the bottom edge of your clothes and tie a purple string to each tassel. 39-40 These will remind you that you must obey my laws and teachings. And when you do, you will be dedicated to me and won’t follow your own sinful desires. 41 I am the Lord your God who led you out of Egypt.”

APPLICATION: It seems like the older one gets, the more likely they are to forget important tasks, or at least to perform those tasks in a timely fashion. Now, often mankind uses lack of memory as an excuse, because they really don’t want to perform a scheduled task! But it was evident to God that when the Israelites chose to ignore His commands, they often had a personal and preferred way of handling a situation to their own liking, and for their own benefit. Sounds an awful lot like us today, right? If we’re around fellow Christians, or if we are at church, we do a pretty good job of following God’s principles and His commands. But what about in personal situations where it’s only our evil and conniving neighbor who’s messing with our nerves again, or a customer at work whose breath wreaks of alcohol, and they’re using us as their target to vent and/or relieve stress? Are we usually able to respond kindly and calmly, as if God was standing before us? I know, you’re not one to take trash from a drunk, or anyone else who tries to test your nerves, so you are quick to respond hard at your first opportunity! But what if that was someone that God referred to you as a representative of His? You told the church (and God) that you had changed your evil ways and that you were determined to follow Christ, but are you doing that consistently and even in tough situations? God gave the Israelites a reminder so that they might always follow His commands and His example. What might be our reminder? As a child, our daughter watched Barney so many times that one day she was able to recite the whole alphabet to me! We study the handbook from the Department of Transport so many times that we could easily answer all the questions on our Drivers License test. Doesn’t it make sense that if we spend time in God’s Word daily, we will learn His commands, be reminded of His commands, make His commands a part of our daily life, and then live out what resides inside of us? Friends, unless we do this, we will follow our own evil, selfish desires that displays anything but God’s love, mercy and hope for eternal life. The reminder that God sets for us might be different to the one He set for the Israelites. The reminder He sets for you might be different to the one He sets for me. Regardless of the reminder set for us, I believe it would behoove us to determine in our own heart to serve the Lord with gladness, and seek to obey His commands so that our neighbor will not just see our lousy efforts, but they will see Jesus shining through in every good work and every encouraging word, God being our helper.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: The more we follow God’s commands, the less likely we are to follow our own selfish desires. Peace comes from being obedient to God’s commands and allowing Him to work in and through us!

PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, way too often we create a nightmare by following our own selfish desires and the devices of man. Please help us to be reminded of Your commands each day as we fill our minds with Your Word. Please begin a great work in me, and in the lives of my readers/listeners, so that we might live in peace with our fellow man. Showing mankind our loving and all-knowing God is far more important than anything else. Please be very real in our lives and allow us to represent You well to all that we come into contact with. Thank You Lord Jesus, be glorified in us today! 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!

Reach Out and Touch Him In Faith

On By Ed AlgreenIn Ask and Receive, Bible Believing, Bold Confidence, Christian, Faith, Follow Jesus, God Cares For Us, God our Helper, Healing, Hope, Listen to the Word of God, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Power of Prayer, RighteousnessLeave a comment

Scripture: Matthew 9

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

So Jesus and his disciples got up and went with him.20 Just then a woman who had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding came up behind him. She touched the fringe of his robe,21 for she thought, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.”22 Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed at that moment.  Matt 9:19-22 (NLT)

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

Like the woman with the issue of blood who followed Jesus and knew that if she could only touch Him she would be healed, today we too reach out to Jesus with all we have in us, knowing that He can heal us or mend our brokenness. Jesus looked at the lady in this story and told her that because of her faith, she was healed. Friends, this is the same Jesus that we serve today, and He is still looking for our faith and sincerity so that He can say the same thing to us. We know that many of our problems are well beyond our abilities. We know that all things are possible with, and through Jesus. Let us then place our faith and trust in the one with all the answers, with all the power to bring about the miracles that we need in our lives. Let’s let go and let God have His way with us. Let’s surrender to His power so that His miracle hand can begin a great work in us! Like the woman reached out to touch Jesus for her healing, let’s reach out and touch Him today.

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

Father thank You for this reminder today, that I must reach out to the one with all the answers, the only One with all the power to heal and/or change things in and around me. You are in control and can be counted on to heal me as I reach out in faith to You. Please help me daily to walk in faith, help me to keep my eyes so focused on You that I will always surrender my concerns to You and allow Your power to work miracles in my life and in all walks of life that affect me. Speak the word today dear God and heal my concerns, may my walk with You become richer today as a result of my faith. Thank You for loving me so much to hear my prayer and work in and through me.

I Serve the master of the storms

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Bible Believing, Bold Confidence, Christian, Disciple, Faith, God Cares For Us, Obedience, Righteousness, Surrender, Thank You Jesus, Victorious Life, Worry no moreLeave a comment

Scripture: Matthew 8 

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

23 Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples.24 Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.25 The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”26 Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly all was calm.27 The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!” Matt 8:23-27 (NLT)

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

With the advent of another year and all the challenges that we could possibly face, I thought that this was a good reminder that for those who know the Lord, we have a connection with the One that can not only calm the forces of nature, but also has the power to handle every little circumstance of our lives. I pray that we will have the audacity to go first to the Master of the winds and waves, the Master of every thing that affects us as individuals, and seek His guidance and ask Him to save us, like the disciples did in the above story. There is no one else that we can turn to with that kind of power, like He does; no one who will understand our needs, like He does; no one who will love us unconditionally, like He does, because sometimes we bring the storms of life on ourselves. As we stand at the beginning of 2011 with many unknowns ahead of us, I want to be constantly reminded of the awesome God that I serve, and I want to always be open to His leading and His direction for my life.

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

What an awesome God that I serve, and oh how appreciative I am of the fact that He watches out for me and has all power, that I may surrender in confidence all my concerns and challenges! I pray that I will reach beyond what my eyes can see and what my mind can fathom, but through the power of God accomplish all that He may have in store for me in 2011. How comforting to know that I serve the Master of the winds and waves, the Creator of all mankind and the One that has shown so love towards me that He sacrificed His one and only Son for my good!

Be Happy, don’t worry!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Ask and Receive, Bible Believing, Bold Confidence, Christian, Faith, God Cares For Us, God our Helper, God our Provider, God Reigns, God’s Word, Humility, Listen to the Word of God, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Righteousness, Thank You Jesus, Things Eternal, Worry no moreLeave a comment

Scripture: Matthew 6

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. Matt 6:31-33 (NLT)

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

Many of us experience the pressure and stress of financial burdens from time to time, consequently many of us worry about everything that is affected when we are challenged financially. We are told in this scripture that this type of worry is evident of the unbeliever, because they have no hope, they have no scriptural direction, they have no reason to believe that they needn’t worry. Instead we are to know that ‘every little thing is gonna be alright’! In the verses leading up to this, Jesus shares examples about the birds and the lilies, and how much more valuable we are to Him than these. Therefore, as He takes such good care of them and provides for their everyday needs, imagine how much more He will hear our cry and take care of our needs. Wow, to have a heavenly Father who loves us so much that He would take care of us so wonderfully, gives me encouragement today, gives me hope for tomorrow and gives me a future to look forward to, as I rest in the palm of His hand. Let’s make the worries of this life disappear as we place our faith and trust in the hands of our Savior who has promised to watch over us and take care of us, because we are way more valuable to Him than any other plant or creature that He made. As we look at all the beauty around us, let’s stop to reflect on how much more we are loved and how much more God has promised to shine in and through us, so that others may see His beauty!

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

Wow, what a reminder dear God! It is so easy to worry about all that we bring on ourselves and all that this world serves up to us. I pray that I will have the strength and power to look beyond the temporal things of this world that may bear on my mind, and reflect on the awesome God that loves me so much that You have promised to care for me, especially when I may feel like the world has served up extreme challenges on me. Thank You for Your love dear God, please take my hand and lead me through each and every day!