Tag: Supreme

To Be First; Great and Supreme

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

DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2021-03-11
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Matthew 20:25-28
TRANSLATION: Good News Translation (GNT)

BIBLE TEXT: 25 So Jesus called them all together and said, “You know that the rulers of the heathen have power over them, and the leaders have complete authority. 26 This, however, is not the way it shall be among you. If one of you wants to be great, you must be the servant of the rest; 27 and if one of you wants to be first, you must be the slave of the others— 28 like the Son of Man, who did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life to redeem many people.”

OBSERVATION: I wonder if national leaders have servants who teach their children what it means to be the son/daughter of the greatest person in that nation? Or the first one that their people will think of as their leader? Or the supreme leader in not just their country, but a strong world leader? Do you do something like this with your children? In our Scripture today Jesus teaches how His children attain greatness; top level leadership; and supreme in our personal achievements. Meditate with me as we mull this over and apply it to our lives.

APPLICATION: Having served in church leadership roles, I had to apply this Scripture to my own life as I read the words of Jesus this morning. More importantly, as followers of Christ, I believe that Jesus wants us to apply His Word to our lives each and every time that we study the Bible, or hear it taught/preached. This Scripture was provoked because of a visit from the mother of James and John (two of the disciples), who asked Jesus to promote her sons to top ranks in His kingdom. The ten remaining disciples became angry, out of jealousy about this request. So Jesus knew this was an issue He had to deal with for the disciples, and for all those who would follow. It is so disconcerting that in this world, we tend to feel superior when we take charge. But look again at what Jesus taught – why would we feel superior, when we should follow His example and be a servant to those over whom we have assumed charge? Imagine walking into a banquet as a leader. You would assume that the head table is set for you and that you are to be seated and served first. But Jesus said that as a slave to the people, we should be serving them without expecting any recognition from them. Over the past year we heard the president of the USA being referred to as the leader of the ‘Free World’. That may be as close to anything we might call ‘supreme’ here on earth, but Jesus meant it in a whole new realm of thinking. You see, He was the son of the Most High God, yet instead of promoting that, He instead sacrificed His own life for the benefit of all who would believe on Him for eternal life. So I believe the question for us to ponder today about our position in life is: how sincere are we in our relationship with the King of all kings? Is He first in our lives? Is it evident to others who we belong to, based on our servanthood? In knowing everything about us, is it evident to God that we are following in the steps of Jesus and His ministry, His servant attitude, and His love for all those that He served?

PRAYER: Lord, I can’t say that I ever thought about being superior in any way while serving in leadership roles, for it was often a heavy load to carry. But this Scripture today has invoked a sense of urgency and commitment to concentrate on serving, way more than any possible benefit from leadership roles. My desire is to be just like You in all that I do or say, so I plead with You to direct me each and every day to achieve that desire and to walk the walk and talk the talk, as You would have Your followers to do. I also plead with You to impact the lives of my readers, oh that they too might seek Jesus above everything else in this world, and may we all glorify You name on earth, as it is in heaven. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog at https://NuggetsFromGodsWord.org 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 or listening to this devotional, please go to 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and see all of my posts, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. 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!

Filled With Hope!

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

DATE WRITTEN: Tuesday, 2020-09-22
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Lamentations 3:19-24
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: 19 Just thinking of my troubles and my lonely wandering makes me miserable. 20 That’s all I ever think about, and I am depressed.[b]
21 Then I remember something that fills me with hope. 22 The Lord’s kindness never fails! If he had not been merciful, we would have been destroyed.[c] 23 The Lord can always be trusted to show mercy each morning.
24 Deep in my heart I say, “The Lord is all I need; I can depend on him!”

OBSERVATION: If there was ever a time that friends and loved ones had a reason to be depressed, just reflect on 2020 and the answer will be evident. Jeremiah spent the first half of Lamentations chapter 3 telling us about all that troubled him as well. But praise God, in verse 21 his hope was restored as he reflected on the goodness of God! As we meditate today, let us reflect on the hope that is ours as children of the Almighty God! We can overcome our depressed and troubled state of mind, with God’s help, I assure you!

APPLICATION: My Old Testament reading today began at verse 1 of chapter 3, and as I read I became very concerned about how the writer must have turned from God, or had lost all hope. I went back to the beginning and found that it was Jeremiah who was so disheartened. Why, and how could this be? Then I reflected on the tough times in my life, and I realized that each of us have a limit to what we could take before becoming overwhelmed. But then I got down as far as verse 21 I was reassured of the hope that we have in knowing Jesus Christ as Lord of our lives! You see, we may have lost loved ones during Covid, but we can stand tall in knowing that God is still on the throne and still very much in control of what our next steps will be. We may have witnessed friends who became deathly sick, and endured great pain and discomfort, yet we must stop and ponder the miracles performed by our awesome God and how He must have been at work in their lives in response to a praying mother or a pleading church. We may still become sick in our minds just thinking of the thousands still being affected by this dreaded virus, but we who are alive and well, must stop and be ready to praise our God for His blessings each and every morning, for His mercy is beyond our understanding, and we must remind ourselves that we are in His mighty hand so whatever might come our way is of no surprise to Him. Friends, let’s all be reminded of the wonderful grace of our Father, and let’s keep foremost in our minds what Jeremiah shared right at the end of today’s verses ‘The Lord is all I need; I can depend on Him’. This is more confident than anything, or anyone else Here on earth. I recall a doctor responding to my wife when he was asked if her mother would live; and He responded ‘I’m not God, so I don’t know the answer to that’. Please remember that our God is supreme, and nothing comes as a surprise to Him, for He alone rules our universe, and He has all the right answers to today’s perplexities! Trust in Him today dear one, for He cares for you!

PRAYER: Thank You precious Lord for saving my soul and rescuing me from the pit of Hell. Thank You for watching over me each and every day, especially on those days when it seems like the worries of this world will overwhelm me. Your Word today brought a very timely reminder to my readers and I, for in spite of our confidence in You, we are still prone to worry. Praise God, we are refreshed in our spirits knowing that Your mercies are new every morning, and that there is no one more capable of handling our stress, our troubles, our trials and our heartaches than our wonderful, all powerful, loving God. Thank You Lord! AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog at https://NuggetsFromGodsWord.org 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 or listening to this devotional, please go to 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and see all of my posts, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. 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!

Life-Paths Led By God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, Lead me, Leadership of the Holy Spirit, Let go and let God, Rewards, TrustLeave a comment

Friday, 2019-04-05

Bible Reference: Psalm 25:4-7
Translation: The Passion Translation (TPT)

Bible Text: 
4 Lord, direct me throughout my journey
so I can experience your plans for my life.
Reveal the life-paths that are pleasing to you.
5 Escort me along the way; take me by the hand and teach me.
For you are the God of my increasing salvation;
I have wrapped my heart into yours!b
6–7 Forgive my failures as a young man,
and overlook the sins of my immaturity.
Give me grace, Lord! Always look at me
through your eyes of love—
your forgiving eyes of mercy and compassion.
When you think of me, see me as one you love and care for.
How good you are to me!

OBSERVATION: David shows us in this passage that he was fully dependent on God for direction, and on seeing him for who he truly was. Often we fail so badly in our decisions and life-choices that we may tend to think that there is no way that God would forgive us and accept us as His very own adopted son or daughter. David shares with us how this miracle works. Let’s stop and meditate on this for a little while.

APPLICATION: On many occasions we come to a fork in the road and deliberate on which way we should go. No matter how hard we try, and how hard we try to weigh out the pros and cons, our sight is limited and often our decision making is marred by selfishness. Consider the fact that when we make decisions based on the weather, we might look into the skies and observe the current weather, or we might listen to a meteorologist, for their profession is to study the weather patterns and predict future conditions. But how often have you found them to be correct? So our planning is often based on chance, backed up with a plan ‘B’! But I want us to use this Scripture today to reflect on the God of this universe. Remember, He’s the one who put this whole earth together; the One who formed you and I; the One who sets the stage each day for rain, or sunshine, for heat or cold, for miracles to stump the meteorologist who thought they had the weather patterns all figured out! Yes, He’s the one that will cause us to lift our eyes unto the hills and exclaim ‘Only our God is capable of such miracles’. Friends, I want to share a real life experience with you, so that we might be reminded of the power of our God in our life-paths: In the summer of 1987 I had the daunting task of sharing with my parents, located in Eleuthera, Bahamas, that after much prayer and a miraculous turnaround and approval by US Immigration, my wife and I had been accepted as permanent residents of the United States, and that we would move in a few months. In an expression of shock and disappointment, my dad said ‘now that we’re getting older, you are moving further away’. Those words burned into my memory, as I always strived to please my parents, and never cause them hurt or grief. However, fast forward to roughly a year after being told those words by my dad, as my siblings and I saw the need to have my dad flown to the US for medical help. This led to the discovery that he had experienced a heart attack, and needed immediate medical attention. Even without medical insurance, yet we were able to secure the attention and correction needed for my dad. About a month later while father and son were sitting in our Florida home, my dad looked at me and said ‘Now I understand what God was doing in getting you moved to Florida’! Friends, that was not one of the reasons I gave God for wanting to move to the US, but my awesome God knew exactly the life-path that I needed to be on, in order to save my dad’s life! In fact, just months after that, a similar story occurred with Him saving my sister-in-law’s life. May I be the first one to tell you today that there is no god like Our God! Our responsibility is to know Him, trust in Him, love Him and follow Him in obedience, for He cares for us and He will direct our paths – our life-path! Please read my ‘Footnote’ carefully and follow the link ‘To Know Jesus’ make your connection with this same awesome God that I shared about in this devotional. He loves you as well my friend!

PRAYER: Dear Father in heaven, thank You for reminding us yet again how awesome and powerful You are. You helped my ancestor, David; You also helped my dad and sister-in-law, and answered the prayers of my family about their health. I know You are still God, because I still experience You even today. I know that You also love my friends who will read this devotional today, and who need a special touch from You, or to know that You are in total control of their life-path. Please draw them unto Yourself dear God. Cement their relationship with You and encourage them daily along their life-path ordained by Your miraculous touch. Lord, may You reign supremely in all aspects of our lives. AMEN!