Tag: Sacrificial

Sacrificial Love

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

DATE POSTED Monday, 2022-04-11
WRITTEN AT: Astatula, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Romans 12:1-2
TRANSLATION: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

BIBLE TEXT: 1 So I beg you, brothers and sisters, because of the great mercy God has shown us, offer your lives as a living sacrifice to him—an offering that is only for God and pleasing to him. Considering what he has done, it is only right that you should worship him in this way.2 Don’t change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but let God change you inside with a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to understand and accept what God wants for you. You will be able to know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect.

APPLICATION: It seems like mankind is designed to try and return a favor when they feel like someone went out of their way to bless them in some way. In our Scripture, Paul reminds us that Jesus did something for us on Calvary that cost Him His life. God had demanded animal and other sacrifices from our ancestors for the forgiveness of their sin, but He later decided to send His very own Son so that He might not only live among us, but: Showed us how to love unconditionally; He not only taught us everything that God had given Him to share with us, but also demonstrated being a mouthpiece for His Father, and showing us how to live in a way that would be pleasing to the Father. Over the years, our forefathers decided to set aside certain days for us to celebrate: the birth of Jesus – Christmas; a day to remember what Jesus did on Calvary for us – a true sacrifice, because He could have called ten thousand angels to protect Him from the evil men that sought to kill Him – Good Friday; the day that we would celebrate the resurrected Jesus – Easter; and a day each week that we would set aside to worship our resurrected Lord! I wonder, what might we sacrifice, in return for the sacrifices of Jesus our Lord, by actively participating in the above days set aside for us? Jesus desired that the cup of punishment, that occurred that first Good Friday, be taken away from Him. But He quickly snapped out of that thought by submitting to the will of His Father, even if it meant a deep embarrassment as He was arrested, charged, beaten, marched through the city streets and hung on a cross in a public display that led everyone to believe that He was helpless. Jesus knew that His commitment to the Father, and His sacrifice in surrender to the wicked men of His day, was for the eternal benefit of all mankind. ‘Not my will, but thine be done,’ were the words Jesus uttered to His Father. When you fail to sacrifice of yourself daily, weekly or on the above mentioned special days, what do you suppose Jesus might be seeing or thinking of your commitment to Him? Whose will are you submitting to, yours or that of the Father? Remember, without a second thought, you will submit to the will of someone you love and are committed to!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Jesus loved us so much that He gave up everything and was crucified on a cruel, rugged, cross for our sin. Although we could never repay the debt He paid, our willingness to sacrifice the desires of this world would go a long ways in showing our appreciation for what Jesus did at Calvary.

PRAYER: Precious Lord, we could never adequately say thanks, nor offer to repay You for what You did for us at Calvary. Because Your love was pure, You never demanded repayment, but Lord I pray that my readers, listeners, family and Christian friends, would never consider our opportunities to worship, or serve, You as a ’sacrifice’ of our time, fun, activities, etc. Father, You sacrificially gave us Your very best – Your precious Son. Please help us to examine our hardened hearts the next time we find excuses that would cause us to miss opportunities to return thanks to You. In not sacrificing our time, efforts and money to spend time with You, and/or Your people who gather to worship You, might be an indication that You are not as valuable in our lives, and we are to You. Please forgive us for our lack of commitment, and help us to rededicate ourselves to sacrifice everything this world has to offer, so that we may spend time dedicated to You. Help us to seek Your will for our lives, and not our own selfish and prideful will. 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!

Who or What Are You Influenced By?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Control your tongue, Doers of the Word, True to the Word, Your InfluenceLeave a comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider feeding even us with His Word! May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………

Today’s Bible Reference: James 1:25-27
Today’s Bible Text: … anyone keeps looking steadily into God’s law for free men, he will not only remember it but he will do what it says, and God will greatly bless him in everything he does. Anyone who says he is a Christian but doesn’t control his sharp tongue is just fooling himself, and his religion isn’t worth much. The Christian who is pure and without fault, from God the Father’s point of view, is the one who takes care of orphans and widows, and who remains true to the Lord—not soiled and dirtied by his contacts with the world.
The Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

My Take Away: There are a few things in this scripture today that James felt was of great importance to share with his listeners. God permitted these things in His Word to us, because He knew that we would struggle with these things also. Let’s examine them for our edification today:

  • Be doers of the Word – Hopefully you are refreshing your soul daily in the Word of God, and also over the weekend as you attend church to fellowship with other believers. This should mean that you are being reminded of the truths of God’s Word on a regular basis. Imagine for a moment that you are soaking in all this encouragement; truth; direction; wisdom; and unselfish, sacrificial love, but it has not impacted your life enough to create a change in your behavior and/or relationship with others. Friends, you can study the Driver’s License test book for days, but if you don’t do what it says when you take your test, you won’t be granted your license. Doing what the Word of God says, is a strong indication that it has impacted your life more than the world has. The Word says that God will bless you in your efforts towards obedience of His Word;
  • Control your tongue – It is unfortunate, but the tongue will give away the deepest secrets of your heart every time. It won’t take too many words before one will quickly discern who is influencing your life. If you bathe yourself with the Word of God, and seek God’s face in desiring to live out the Word of God, then His principles will govern what you say;
  • Proof of your influencer – When influenced by the Word of God, you will voluntarily take care of the widows and orphans. Has there been enough evidence lately that you are being influenced by God and His Word?
  • True to the Word – Are you saturated in the Word of God to the extent that it is virtually impossible for you to be influenced by your old friends, or the evil of this old world? We may continue to reside in this world, but because we represent the kingdom of light, there should be clear evidence that we are not of this world.

What does the world see when they come into contact with you? Same old same old, or a true, honest reflection of Jesus Christ? 

Prayer: Lord, I believe that the world is tired of seeing fakes, or make-believes, for it reminds them way too much of what they witness in the world everyday. I pray that as we deal with this reminder today, that You will influence us to be agents of change that will truly reflect the life and character of the One in whom we believe. I pray that words will not be necessary to express our relationship with You, but that others will see evidence in and through everything we say or do. Please dear Lord, may we truly be representative of all that You are, so that our contacts will catch a glimpse of Jesus today and desire to know Him personally. This is my prayer in deepest humility dear 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!

2016