Created to Be Virtuous

On 2015-09-222015-09-22 By Ed AlgreenIn Forgiven, Holy, VirtuousLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The New Living Translation – Ecclesiastes 7:28-29): ²⁸ Though I have searched repeatedly, I have not found what I was looking for. Only one out of a thousand men is virtuous, but not one woman! ²⁹ But I did find this: God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path.”

THOUGHTS: We often hear the term ‘Virtuous Woman’, especially around Mother’s Day, but I found these two verses touching and challenging. In fact, God really got my attention through these verses. Let’s first define the word ‘virtuous’ – “conforming to a high, moral and ethical standard”. Later in this chapter it is referred as ‘honest and true’. So I believe that God is really saying through His word here, “Hey, I made you to be honest and true, virtuous in every way, so how did you get to where you are today?” Now friends, as you consider this and perhaps seek God’s face about being more virtuous, I want to encourage you to put down your glasses of piety. Relax your pride and selfishness for just a moment. Be reminded that you are looking to the God of this universe for answers. Be willing to open your eyes, your ears and your heart to what He might respond, realizing that He not only knows everything about you, but is very aware of even your inmost thoughts. Remember, He created you! But what’s super important today is that He made you to be ‘virtuous’. Unfortunately, I believe that we are much like the folk that Solomon was thinking of when he penned these words – there wasn’t one who could be found in the whole lot, that he considered ‘virtuous’. So what’s the problem folk? I believe that it’s a small three letter word that has drastically impacted on our lives – SIN. Remember, God will not abide where sin abounds. Solomon said that we have each turned to follow our own downward path. In other words, a path that leads to nothing Godly or nothing good. Friends, if God created us to be virtuous, then I am convinced that He wanted us to live virtuous lives that He could be proud of and use for His earthly work. Are you worthy of this, or have you followed your own downward path that is good for nothing that imitates God? Christians, we are not perfect – just forgiven, so this challenge very much applies to you. Non-Christian, you may tend to think that you are so entrenched in sin that there is no way that you can ever be classified ‘Virtuous’. I have great news for you friend. God loves you and with such passion that He decided even while we were deep in sin, to send His only Son into this world as a sacrificial lamb, providing the only means for salvation and ultimately, virtuous living. This is all accomplished with Him as our Guide, our Defender, our Redeemer, our Master and our Lord. Jesus alone can turn your life around, and into something beautiful that can be used for His glory. Will you let Him do it? My ‘Footnote’ contains helpful tips.

PRAYER: Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, for I can hardly imagine the love of a Savior for those who had you crucified, yet You went to the cross for us. Yes, so that we might have a chance of seeing You face to face, but also to provide the means and direction for us to live ‘virtuous’ lives here on this earth. I know this is what’s required of us to be true witnesses of Yours, but in our carnal minds this seems so impossible. Yet we know that You are the God of everything that seems ‘impossible’ to us, so it is in that assurance that we come before You today asking for forgiveness of our less than virtuous living, and asking that You might give us power and a desire to turn our lives around and refocus our lives, our speech and our actions to closely imitate You dear God, so that we may be acceptable and usable witnesses. Bless us with Your presence and Your power today, is my humble prayer that I ask in the name of Your Son 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 read through Biblical truths on How To Know Jesus, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will 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 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, Sebring, FL! 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!

Our All Sufficient God

On 2015-09-212015-09-21 By Ed AlgreenIn Challenges, Circumstances, Hard TimesLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (New Living Translation – Ecclesiastes 7:13-14): ¹³ Accept the way God does things, for who can straighten what he has made crooked? ¹⁴ Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life.

THOUGHTS: Most of us tend to pray hardest when we are flat on our back and have no other choice but to look up and pray! That’s a saying that I’ve heard over the time that I’ve been a Christian, because most people pray hardest during times of adversity. At one point I had a pastor who would dedicate the first portion of our prayer meetings towards giving thanks to God in our prayers. It was amazing how challenging it was to just give thanks, without tending to also ask, ask, ask. I believe we are truly a ‘gi’me’ kind of people. In this scripture today, we are admonished to always remember to give God thanks when we recognize His handiwork, or as we prosper by His graciousness, His power and His provision for us. In fact, I would encourage you to join me in giving God thanks for everything. How dare us to attribute God’s goodness to happen-chance, or our lucky day, or coincidence, or any other description we may tend to use instead of simply thanking the Creator of all things, the One who gave His life so that we might enjoy eternal life. If God made such an awesome sacrifice just to show His love for us and His desire to have us join Him around the throne in heaven one day, don’t you suppose He will do everything possible to take exceptional care of us until such time that He calls us home? I can assure you He will!! However, an area that I believe many of us struggle with, is when things don’t seem to be going ‘peachy’ (as some would say!). Let me remind you of two songs that reflect on God’s awesome plan, and confirms that God is always with us: ‘God of the Mountain‘ and ‘Through It All‘. Listen to these two songs as you meditate on the rest of this devotional and be blessed. Friends, I believe that God has a wonderful plan for our lives, but while in this old world, life will not be perfect, so let us learn to trust in God when everything is going the way we think it should go, but we should especially trust in God during those times that we realize that we could only overcome our circumstances with a great big touch of the Master’s hand. May I encourage you to lean on a friend for prayer support and encouragement when life seems impossible? Often it is difficult for us to see outside of our struggles and circumstances.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I just want to thank You for who You are. So much bigger than my circumstances, so much stronger than my weaknesses, yet Your love is so awesome that You love me in spite of my inadequacies. Many will meditate on this devotional today that are overwhelmed with struggles and hardships. Thankfully we are assured in this scripture today that Your love and Your power is consistent and persistent, if only we will remain faithful in every circumstance of life. May it be so, please dear God. For I ask all this in faith, and in the precious name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, AMEN!

THE Most Important Things

On 2015-09-192015-09-19 By Ed AlgreenIn Commandments, Important, PrioritiesLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – Matthew 22:36-40): ³⁶ “Teacher, what is the most important commandment in the Law?” ³⁷ Jesus answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. ³⁸ This is the first and most important commandment. ³⁹The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, “Love others as much as you love yourself.” ⁴⁰ All the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets are based on these two commandments.

THOUGHTS: In our fast-paced world today, I believe most of us like to set our priorities for the day so that we could make sure we don’t get side-tracked with all the other things that will be sure to bombard us and try to win our attention. Furthermore, we tend to try very hard to accomplish our top priority items more than anything else for that day. I believe that is good reason why this passage of scripture should be very important to us. Jesus knew that He and His Father had given us many commands over time, but here He chose to show us what constituted a priority for us. In fact, He teaches that these two particular commands will help us ensure that we are following all of the other commands given to us over time. Let us therefore examine these two carefully:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind – Love comes from the heart, so to love the Lord with all of our heart means that we must love Him with all that we are. Also, that all other things, or people, that attract our love is below the level of love that we have for the Father. In fact, Jesus goes on to say that we must love Him from the very depths of our soul – our very inmost being. And from our mind – in other words, be thinking of ways to love Him more or ways to love Him better than anything else.
Love others as much as we love ourselves – It is very natural for us to love ourselves. Often this love is corrupt, and often leads to our greatest sins (envy, boasting, jealousy, etc). However, there is also a sincere self-love that is expected, because of the mere fact that God made us in His own image, and He loved us enough that He sacrificed His only Son to make us right with Himself. So if He loves us that much, ought we not to also love our own selves? Of course we do, but Jesus is teaching here that with that same love, we are to also and always love others. In other words, love them because you recognize that God loves them in the same way that He loves you.

Isn’t it interesting that God added at the end of this revelation, that if we concentrate on these two important things, that we will master all other commands? I thought yes, I can see that, because I wouldn’t dare consider lying, or stealing, or murdering, or being envious, or any other wrongful act against God or against anyone else that I love as much as I love myself. So friends, I believe it all boils down to these two things, just as Jesus taught us. Can we put these at the top of our daily prayer list, and at the top of our to-do list, and at the very top of our personal priorities? If you are one to place stickers around the house filled with very important reminders, then these two priorities should probably be at the header and footer of each of those notes, so that you will be reminded of the most important things, before looking at the item you want to accomplish in addition to these. Can we do this? Can we do it on our own? Why would we try, when we have been promised that God is always there to help us achieve the desires of our heart? Lean on Him friend, and let Him be your guide and your help, especially with these things that He told us are key commands that He wants us to do.

PRAYER: Father please forgive us for being so anxious to set our daily priorities, with so little attention to Your priorities You taught to us. I know that You are Master, Creator, Almighty God, and Love in its truest form, so there is every reason for me to be obedient to Your teaching, knowing that You have my best interest at heart. Please help Your children who might meditate on this devotional today, and myself, to put our selfish desires aside and dedicate ourselves to following Your commands, especially Your two primary commands taught in this lesson. May we love You, and those that we come into contact with today, with the love that You have shown towards us. For I ask these things in the precious and holy name of Jesus, my Savior, with thanksgiving, AMEN!

A ‘Memorial’

On 2015-09-182015-09-18 By Ed AlgreenIn Encounter with God, MemorialLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The New Living Translation – Genesis 28:16-18): ¹⁶ Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!” ¹⁷ But he was also afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God, the very gateway to heaven!” ¹⁸ The next morning Jacob got up very early. He took the stone he had rested his head against, and he set it upright as a memorial pillar. Then he poured olive oil over it.

THOUGHTS: There are places today that bear as part of its name ‘Memorial’. Generally these are places named after someone important to the work that took place in or near that building, or perhaps the person who may have contributed financially to the construction of the building and/or memorial. I want to encourage you to read the chosen few verses again, especially with the thought of the ‘Memorial’ that Jacob erected. Now I want you to reflect on any memorial you may have erected either for yourself or for the benefit of others. I bet your next question is: “but why would I erect a ‘Memorial’ for myself?” Friends, I believe that when we have a special encounter with God, we want to always remember that. We will want to always revisit that place, reflect on the moment and pray that God might ‘do it again’! I believe that another reason for such a ‘Memorial’ is that it becomes a tool that you can use in battle against Satan. Think about the times that he has battled with you about your faith, or your relationship with God, or your prayer life, or your lack of praise to your heavenly Father. Don’t you know that you will put Satan in his place when you take him to the place, and tell him of the moment you spent with God and the awesomeness of the moment you spent at that very spot? Friends, Satan will look for every moment to questions you and cause you to doubt. Are you ready to go to battle? Unfortunately he will not settle for the ‘coined phrase’ that we give our kids “because I said so”. Satan will need to be shown that greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world. Taken to the specific place and told of a specific time, will be convincing evidence that something occurred in our life. May I encourage you to be ready for the moment? Let nothing come between you and your heavenly Father. Memorialize the time and place where you encountered God – where He saved you; where He healed you; where He spoke wisdom to you about saving your marriage or your family. Put Satan in his place, and yes, also put God in His place in your life. Let it be evident in everything you say and do.

PRAYER: Father, this might be scary to the non-Christian who might be considering surrendering their life to You, because they will be aware that even to Christians deal with temptation and Satan’s tricks and distractions. But I pray that You will use these words to help give them a good footing to stand on, so that they can stand firm against the enemy. So many believers turn away from their commitment to You because of the ongoing battles with Satan. Please help us to stay ‘connected’ with You through prayer, Bible study, personal devotional time with You and fellowship with other believers – our support system. Please help us to not ‘brush off’ our times of encounter with the King of this universe, but help us build a memorial, much that Jacob did, as a landmark of our God encounter. Help us to not only praise You for these moments, but share these encounters with others so that they too might be encouraged to keep the faith. Friends and family that see Jesus in us, might be more apt to want to know our Jesus. May our hearts be so connected with You that we will always do a convincing job! I ask these things in the strong name of Jesus, my Lord, with thanksgiving, AMEN!

Needs Through God’s Eyes

On 2015-09-172015-09-17 By Ed AlgreenIn Mercy, Recognize Needs, SensitiveLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (New Living Translation – Matthew 20:29-32): ²⁹ As Jesus and the disciples left the town of Jericho, a large crowd followed behind. ³⁰ Two blind men were sitting beside the road. When they heard that Jesus was coming that way, they began shouting, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” ³¹ “Be quiet!” the crowd yelled at them. But they only shouted louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” ³² When Jesus heard them, he stopped and called, “What do you want me to do for you?”

THOUGHTS: We may never care to acknowledge this, but in spite of us being one of the smartest generations that ever lived, yet we are so desensitized to the needs of mankind. Unfortunately, probably more desensitized than ever before. Let’s look at the scenario in our scripture reading. Here are two blind men who had hoped that if they could get Jesus’ attention, perhaps they too might stand a chance of being healed, especially in light of all the other miracles they had heard about. Notice though how the crowds looked at these men from the lens of mankind, you know, where we tend to think that we are way too busy to attend to such lowly needs. After all who ever heard about a blind man receiving back his sight. I believe that the Holy Spirit spoke to me through this and challenged me to think about those that I might brush over during my daily path thinking that surely they don’t stand a chance of getting the Master’s attention, or His healing, from those kinds of issues. You know the kind that we have placed inside a box of impossibility. These blind men were rejected by society, as there is no indication that the crowd tried to help them in any way to achieve the position they desired that would place them in the path of Jesus. I believe that we are so afraid of being taken advantage of, or begged for something that we feel we have worked for, earned, or just deserve, that we stay clear of people who seem needy. In fact, we tend to take on the role of God and decide whether they deserve help or not. It made me think of our churches. How often do we pass over ordinary folk looking for a church where they would be accepted – a place with ‘real’ people who remind them of what they consider to be Christians? Ever stopped to think that one of them could be Jesus himself stopping in to check us out and see how receptive we would be to Him being in our midst, or to see how welcoming we would be to that Brother who looks slightly different to us. The disciples brushed away the children who tried to get to Jesus, and now the crowd was trying to silence these blind men who were also trying to draw close to Jesus. What are we guilty of? Another sermon in this passage of scripture is the phrase I bolded. These men were blind, and I’m sure this would have been obvious, yet Jesus asked what could He do for them! We must be careful to not assume anything about a cripple entering our churches. They may need Jesus in their heart a whole lot more than restored strength, or healing, in their legs. A clean heart filled with Jesus will get you into heaven, while two good legs won’t, if your heart has not been restored and filled with the cleansing power of Jesus Christ. Let’s learn to be discerning Christians who care about the things that Jesus cares about. To the unbeliever, may I encourage you to not give up on Christianity because of imperfect Christians? Learn to look to Jesus, for He cares for You. If He can use an earthly servant to help you – fantastic! But please don’t allow Satan to use an imperfect example to destroy your joy and your chance to life eternal with the Master of this universe.

PRAYER: Father God, You are awesome beyond anything we deserve, or that we can even imagine. Thank You for looking beyond our faults and seeing our need for You. Thank you for placing opportunities in our path of life to open our eyes and challenge us to a closer and more intimate walk with You. Lord, may our eyes be opened to the needs around us today? May we not be so distracted by sin that we miss opportunities to listen and to share Your love with those that we come into contact with? Please touch the hearts of those that need You today. May they find You, in spite of the mess ups of those who claim You as Lord. Please have Your will and way in our lives today, and especially in the lives of those who need to accept You as Lord. I ask these things in the precious and all powerful name of Jesus, AMEN!

One Way – Trust God!

On 2015-09-162015-09-16 By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, Surrender, TrustLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Message – Matthew 19:23-26): ^23–24As he watched him go, Jesus told his disciples, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for the rich to enter God’s kingdom? Let me tell you, it’s easier to gallop a camel through a needle’s eye than for the rich to enter God’s kingdom.” ²⁵ The disciples were staggered. “Then who has any chance at all?” ²⁶Jesus looked hard at them and said, “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.”

THOUGHTS: In this particular story Jesus was confronted with a lot of questions from His disciples. In the immediately preceding example, a rich young man had stepped away sad after asking what he might do, any more than he was already doing, to be saved. Jesus knew the man’s heart and where his hang-ups were, and what was necessary for the young man to truly become as a little child in faith and full commitment to his Lord. In this young man’s case, it was his belongings – his earthly possessions that he was hung up on. I wonder what ours would be today. What is it that keeps us at a distance from Jesus? What is it that, although we may not brag about it, is the one thing that tends to devour our time and our commitment more than our relationship with God? What is it that we seem to think we can’t live without? We read earlier how Jesus told the disciples that unless they gave up mother, or father or siblings. Earlier, Jesus also illustrated that unless we become as a little child. In this story He is telling the disciples that unless this man is willing to give up his riches – his accumulated ‘stuff’. Friends I believe it is evident that Jesus is teaching us to fully surrender our lives to Him. In verse 26 He even explains that this is virtually impossible on our own, and that we need the power of God to guide us into eternal faith and trust in Jesus. It is very evident that money can’t help us to buy our way into heaven; and that relatives – no matter how awesome they are, can open the gates of heaven for us. Jesus is emphasizing once again that there is only One Way into His world, and into the gates of heaven, and that way is through the grace of God and the shed blood of Jesus Christ. It’s a personal, one-on-one relationship thing. Nothing other than our hearts, will substitute or enhance that decision that we must make to secure our passage. Don’t delay making this decision friend, for we are promised only the present moment. Make much of the present by making important decisions now that will make a difference for eternity. Please let me encourage you to read the tips I have included in my ‘Footnote’ to help you in this very important decision, part of which is my offer to personally help you, so feel free to contact me today friend!

PRAYER: Father, You created us, yet gave us the freedom to do our own thing. You gave us choices and consequences. Today You have reminded us that there are grave consequences for decisions we make to live life more aligned with the world than with Your commands and Your will for our lives. You’ve reminded us that there is only One Way to experience the love of God and the heavenly home you’ve prepared for us – just trust in Jesus and His shed blood. Money won’t do it, nor will family or friends or possessions. Lord, I pray that today the eyes of my readers might be opened to the truth of Your Word and the gift of eternal life that is only possible through total surrender of all things, and pure faith in and through Jesus Christ. Please have Your will and way in our lives today oh Lord. For I ask this in the precious and strong name of Jesus, AMEN!

Starting Over

On 2015-09-152015-09-15 By Ed AlgreenIn Children, Humility, New beginningsLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Message – Matthew 18:1-5): ¹At about the same time, the disciples came to Jesus asking, “Who gets the highest rank in God’s kingdom?” ^2–5 For an answer Jesus called over a child, whom he stood in the middle of the room, and said, “I’m telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you’re not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in. Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God’s kingdom.

THOUGHTS: After growing up through childhood, many might find it challenging to understand why Jesus would declare that we become like that again if we desire to enter the kingdom of heaven. So I wanted to share a few things that might help us understand how Jesus may have been thinking. When children are very young, they are very trusting and gullible. They couldn’t care less who is in charge, as long as they get fed and cleaned up. Outward distinctions mean nothing to them, as long as they feel loved and cared for. They are free from malice, even when they don’t get their own way. They are teachable, and are willingly dependent on their parents. It is true that they soon begin to show other dispositions, and other ideas are taught them at an early age; but these are all marks of a maturing child. I believe that it is this type of character that Jesus is teaching us that would render us as lowly and ready to accept His love and His care. In other words, just as explained about a newborn child, that’s how Jesus teaches we are to be as a newborn Christian. There is no room for pride, or self-will or boasting, we are to be wholly and solely dependent on the Holy Spirit that takes control of us when we surrender. In fact, we are to continually, and daily, renew the spirit of our minds, that we may become simple and humble, as little children, and willing to be the least of all. Let us daily study this subject, and examine our own spirits. I have found that should I ever get stuck in a project and can’t seem to break through my frustrations, if I would simply start over I will usually avoid my original roadblocks and go on to victory. Perhaps we need to consider allowing Jesus to give us a fresh start also. As His precious child, receiving His special care, I know that we will be more than conquerors in the long run.

PRAYER: Starting over, sounds a lot like ‘born again’ – almost impossible. But Father, I know that our own self-will and our personal desires and knowledge presents roadblocks for us here in this tough life on earth. Please give us the strength to surrender to Your will for our lives. May we become so desirous of Your perfect will and Your powerful hand in our lives that we will be willing to surrender self and become obedient like a small child would be to a parent. Perhaps at that point we will be more apt to listen and obey. Lord, may we be usable instruments in Your perfect and all powerful hands, willing to be used of You to accomplish Your work. I ask these things humbly and in the precious and all powerful name of Jesus, AMEN!

Who do You Say Jesus Is?

On 2015-09-142015-09-14 By Ed AlgreenIn Bold Confidence, Honest, SincereLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – Matthew 16:13-15): ¹³
When Jesus and his disciples were near the town of Caesarea Philippi, he asked them, “What do people say about the Son of Man?” ¹⁴ The disciples answered, “Some people say you are John the Baptist or maybe Elijah or Jeremiah or some other prophet.” ¹⁵ Then Jesus asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

THOUGHTS: To my mother, I might be known as her firstborn and perhaps the one who gave her and my dad the most, or the least, trouble during their childrearing days. To my childhood friends I might be known as someone slightly different than I would be known as by my adult friends. To my child, I might be known as a good dad, or perhaps just the opposite if she couldn’t get her own way with me! In the case of my wife, I am probably most transparent to her, but still if asked who I really am, she might have a very biased or personal opinion. Jesus had been performing miracle after miracle around the towns He visited and especially around His disciples, so I’m sure that He would have expected an overwhelming response to His two basic questions: (1) Who do they (the people) say that I am? And (2) Who do you say that I am? As I meditated on this I couldn’t help but think about what response I would have for an unbeliever who might ask me. Then I wondered what I might respond if asked by a child, or my pastor, or my Bible School Teacher. I wondered what my wife or child might respond if Jesus asked them “what does Ed say about the Son of Man (Jesus)”? Friends, how would you respond to that question if it was posed to you by your boss? Your best friend – who may not be a Christian? By a classroom full of folk trying to decide if Jesus is for them, or not? How about if asked by Jesus in a variety of circumstances? Or how would folk say you feel about Jesus, based on your behavior, speech or witness around them? May I leave this challenge with us to contemplate today? I’m hoping that this might help us to become more transparent in God’s presence, and that includes at church, at work, at play or wherever else we might find ourselves. Friends, if Jesus is not Lord of all circumstances and in all areas of our lives, then He may not be Lord at all to us. May this be the day that you truly decide who He really is in your life. If you are reading this devotional today and have never invited Jesus into your heart and life, please read the tips in my ‘Footnote’ and feel free to contact me should there be any unanswered questions. I want you to know this Jesus I call Lord, Savior and King of my life!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I acknowledge You as Savior and King. I thank You for providing the means for me to look forward to life eternally with You in glory. May my Christian friends and I boldly acknowledge You as Lord today. Father, I believe that when we deny You in our conversation and before our earthly unbelieving friends, we totally disappoint You and grieve Your precious Holy Spirit. Please forgive us for the times we have done exactly that. But please give us a new boldness today to stand firm in our faith and to acknowledge You before mankind. Unbelievers are looking for sincere, true and honest believers to help convince them that Jesus is alive because they see Him alive and reigning in our lives. Oh that they may truly see and believe today, is my humble prayer for all that claim You as Lord today. For I ask this in the strong, awesome, name of Jesus, AMEN!

From The Heart The Mouth Speaks

On 2015-09-122015-09-12 By Ed AlgreenIn Heart, Honesty, WorshipLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – Matthew 15:17-20): ¹⁷ Don’t you know that the food you put into your mouth goes into your stomach and then out of your body? ¹⁸ But the words that come out of your mouth come from your heart. And they are what make you unfit to worship God. ¹⁹ Out of your heart come evil thoughts, murder, unfaithfulness in marriage, vulgar deeds, stealing, telling lies, and insulting others. ²⁰ These are what make you unclean. Eating without washing your hands will not make you unfit to worship God.

THOUGHTS: Reading the earlier part of this chapter we may tend to condemn the Pharisees for complaining to Jesus about others who chose to eat things they would not dare eat. However, Jesus soon came back at them with the issues they themselves were struggling with. Isn’t that much like us today, where we easily see the fault in others but struggle to acknowledge that we have issues of our own, and/or concede to actually deal with our issues? Jesus really got to the heart, for He reminded the Pharisees, as He does to us, that regardless of the ancillary things that we might do, it’s the intent of the heart and the content of the heart that really matters. Think about it, we might say that we are going to a worship service, and we might even jump in our car and go to the place of corporate worship and go inside the sanctuary, but if the heart is wicked, if it’s filled with evil thoughts, if it’s burning with jealousy or enmity towards our family or friends or coworkers or the preacher or another church member, what type of worship might we possibly offer to God? It just won’t happen friends. Satan might try every trick in the book to trip us up during the week, but if he succeeds in distracting our relationship with God, or breaking down our Godly character before those we love, or cause us to say just about anything that could blurt from our mouths without any respect or love for the individual we are communicating with, then obviously our hearts are more occupied with the things of Satan than of the things of God. Friends, if our hearts belong to God, then we must do everything within our will to keep it filled with the things of God. When we don’t, we leave room for it to become filled with the things of this world (Satan’s playground). I believe a good end of day exercise for all of us would be to seek God’s face and His wisdom to help us reflect on our day and honestly evaluate if our actions and/or our words emanated from a heart filled with God, or of Satan. The Bible teaches us what things God approves of, so this will be an easier task than it may appear to be. Let’s be sure that our hearts are filled with God each day so that our words and our actions will reflect Jesus in every way. To the one reading this who may not have accepted Jesus as Lord, please allow me to lovingly and respectfully tell you that Jesus cannot exist where sin resides, so don’t expect Him to fill your heart until you have invited Him to be Lord of Your heart. Notes in my ‘Footnote’ will help you in making the most important decision of your life. Please allow me to help you find Jesus, the only One who can help you turn your life around and surrender full control to Him.

PRAYER: People all around us need You, oh Lord. But they are extremely challenged to seek You when they don’t see the impact You are making in the lives of Your children. Please help us to be more committed, dedicated and willing to give full control of our heart, mind and soul to You, so that we may become usable vessels that You can work through to reach the lost. They don’t need another fake, they need to see honest and true images of Jesus Christ in everything that we say and/or do. You’re the only One that can help us achieve that oh Lord. Please help us to be willing servants that can be impacted and used by You. I ask these things in the precious and all-powerful name of Jesus, AMEN!

Meeting The Needs of Others

On 2015-09-112015-09-11 By Ed AlgreenIn Blessings, Feed them, Needs, ShareLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (New Living Translation – Matthew 14:13-16): ¹³As soon as Jesus heard the news, he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone. But the crowds heard where he was headed and followed on foot from many towns.¹⁴Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. ¹⁵ That evening the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.” ¹⁶ But Jesus said, “That isn’t necessary—you feed them.”

THOUGHTS: One might look at this passage and see where the disciples were ready for some one-on-one time with Jesus. But since that was almost impossible with over 5,000 people hanging around, the disciples suggested to Jesus that they would send them on their way so they could take care of their physical needs. So from man’s eyes this appeared to be a great responsibility that was way beyond them. Now I realize that the disciples could have been looking out for Jesus’ best interest emotionally also, because He was visibly upset over just learning of the death of His friend, John the Baptist, but I also can’t help but believe that the disciples also needed some time alone with Jesus. This kind of made me think about the times that we close the doors to the world and get in our comfortable church buildings to soak in the blessings of God for ourselves. We need that ‘refueling’ time. We need to saturate ourselves in the love and warmth of our Savior so that our ministry, or our evangelizing ‘tanks’ might be refilled and re-energized. This is all well and good friends, but how often do we leave our respective churches on fire for the Lord, and head out of the doors to the world with a deep, burning desire to share the love of God, that we were just reminded of? You see, the crowds will press in on us to gain an understanding of why we might be different. Scripture tells us that we should be ready to give an account, and share the joy and source of our happiness and our salvation. I believe that in much the same way that Jesus told His disciples to feed the crowd, He is also telling us to feed His sheep. Don’t push them away so that we can go to ‘soak and sour’, but share His love as we know it! Show His kindness as we have experienced it! And most of all, be ready at all times to give account for the joy that fills our hearts in knowing Jesus Christ, the Master of this universe, in a personal way. These are things that the world is badly in need of today among the pressures of unemployment, declining stock markets, increasing consumer costs, etc. The world needs Jesus, and we are His ambassadors to spread the good news. How will they know, unless we tell them? Friends, for the ongoing benefit of the kingdom, consider committing to share all that you have been blessed with spiritually!

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for Your blessings on me! Thank You Savior for Your amazing, unselfish sacrifice made just for me! Thank You Jesus for the amazing power and influence You have given to Your children to be instruments of Your love and a reflection of Your precious sacrifice. Oh that we may be open channels of Your amazing grace, to all that we come into contact with, and to all where a need becomes evident to us. Jesus blessed over 5,000 through the hands of His disciples, and I am sure that He can also meet the needs of many through us as we surrender our selfish selves to the awesome and miraculous power of the Almighty God. Oh Lord, may we let go and let God, and may Your power become very evident today because of our surrender. These are my wishes Lord, but may Your perfect will be done. For I ask these things in the wonderful name of Jesus, my loving Savior and Lord, AMEN!

Nuggets From God's Word

Tag: Savior