Month: February 2014

Let’s Give What We Have!

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Peter and John were being asked for ‘something’ from the blind man at the entrance to the temple. I’m sure the man was expecting money, but what he received was a gold mine, compare to what he expected. As Christians, we have so much love and such an inheritance that we can give to beggars today, or anyone else that is in need. God has gifted us with the most precious gift imaginable, His one and only Son! Not only should we be jumping for joy and telling the world about our wonderful gift, we should be sharing the joy, and peace that it gives to us. In our Bible study at church last night we were reminded about God’s Holy Spirit that dwells in us, empowers us! Why would we ever keep something like that bottled up inside of us? We are doubly blessed when we share a gift that was lovingly gifted to us. Lord, please bless me with insight today, so that I may be aware of the needs of others and to share with them Your gift given to me! Thank You, in Jesus’ most precious name!
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When he saw Peter and John going in, he begged them to give him something. They looked straight at him, and Peter said, “Look at us!” So he looked at them, expecting to get something from them. But Peter said to him, “I have no money at all, but I give you what I have: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth I order you to get up and walk!”

A Worship Service That I would Loved To Have Participated In!

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I am excited about the wonderful worship service that attend each week, but from the sounds of these verses, this was a worship service that I would loved to have been a part of! Wow! Almost indescribable! God’s presence shone so brightly that they had to discontinue the worship service. Reminds me of a welder, he can’t look at the welding with his naked eye because of the extreme brightness. God’s presence is always amazing, because it is such a blessing, privilege and honor for us to be a part of such majesty! It kind’a makes me homesick for heaven, and being in the presence of my Savior! Do you know Him friend? Have you accepted the invitation to be there? You can do that today, while you still have breath to do so! Please contact me if you need more information. It won’t take a GPS to get there!! There’s a song that means a lot to me and reminds me of that wonderful day “What A Day That Will Be”! Oh that will be glorious, friend!
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All the priests present, regardless of the group to which they belonged, had consecrated themselves. And all the Levite musicians—Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, and the members of their clans—were wearing linen clothing. The Levites stood near the east side of the altar with cymbals and harps, and with them were 120 priests playing trumpets. The singers were accompanied in perfect harmony by trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments, as they praised the LORD, singing: “Praise the LORD, because …

The Gospel!

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These verses form the whole jest of the gospel, or the purpose for churches today. The gospel is preached, or shared with individuals, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, their hearts are stirred, and they accept Jesus as their Lord. I know that this sounds extremely simple friend, but in and of our sinful selves, we want nothing to do with Jesus, or anyone else that will challenge us or the way we live. Conversely then, whenever we hear the Word of God taught or preached, and it prompts us to question or to want to change our way of life, it is at that point that we need to listen to Peter’s response in verse 38, for it is God speaking to us. Really, the decision, or commitment, is as easy as ABC. Let me explain: Admit that you are a sinner and that you need a Savior to direct your life, save you from your sin (so ask for forgiveness of your sin), and allow you into His kingdom when you are called out of this world; Believe with all your heart that Jesus is the Son of God and that only He can save you. That He died, rose again and now lives at the right hand of the Father (God) interceding (praying) for us; and then Commit to surrendering your life to, and serving Jesus faithfully the rest of your days, so that one day, when you meet with Christ in glory, you will hear those inviting words, “come in my child, well done good and faithful servant”! Very exciting stuff friend! But very important stuff! Make the decision TODAY, as this is the only time promised to you. It may be your only opportunity! See a local Bible believing Pastor or Christian to help you and pray with you about this decision. You may also contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@yahoo.com. Ask your trusted believer to keep you accountable so that they would pray for your ongoing commitment. Jesus really loves you friend, and I love you too! I’ll be praying for all who might read this devotional today that God would be active in your decision making, for only He can change the heart of a sinner. Praise God He did it for me!

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Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “What should we do, men and brothers?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all those who are far away, as many as the Lord our God calls to himself.” And …

God Is Everywhere!

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I believe that way too often we try to convince ourselves that we should wait until we go to church to pray about a certain thing, but friend, there is no power in the church building. The God that we meet with, and pray to, while at church is the same God available to us at home, at work or even on the playing field. Now, let me add that it is important that we attend corporate worship to enjoy the sweet fellowship of other believers and to be encouraged by how God is working in their lives, as well as ours. Furthermore, the folk that we worship with are our support team who will pray with us about our voiced concerns and pray for us, that together we will grow in the truth of God’s Word. Like Solomon showed us in this passage, the vastness of the heaven cannot contain God, so let us not try to contain him in our church walls. It is important that we pray at all times, that we worship God at all times, that we comfort ourselves knowing that God is with us at all times! Praise God!
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I intend to build a great temple, because our God is greater than any other god. Yet no one can really build a temple for God, because even all the vastness of heaven cannot contain him. How then can I build a temple that would be anything more than a place to burn incense to God?

Imagine the Peace We Have with This Type of Relationship!

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Can you imagine the type of peace that David spoke about in Psalm 16 that was quoted by Peter in his writing of Acts 2? Friend, read carefully and meditate on these words spoken from a man of God so that we may be challenged even today. This takes an intimate, personal relationship with our God and a first-hand knowledge of His work in and through us. This takes prayer – our conversational tool with our Savior. This takes reading God’s Word – our tool for hearing what God responds to us on. This takes trust in the Maker and Master of this universe, and of you and I. This takes commitment to the Savior who loved us enough to have His beard plucked, who suffered humiliation before the hands of Herod and the people, who suffered pain and anguish as He was beaten, drug down the streets and crucified on a cruel cross, because He loved us and wanted to complete the Father’s wish for our salvation. Then, perhaps, we might have the audacity to claim faith in Christ like David quoted in the Psalm. Are you there friend, or are you like me and need to continue working on it? It’s worth it!

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For David said about him: ‘I saw the Lord before me at all times; he is near me, and I will not be troubled. And so I am filled with gladness, and my words are full of joy. And I, mortal though I am, will rest assured in hope, because you will not abandon me in the world of the dead; you will not allow your faithful servant to rot in the grave. You have shown me the paths that lead to life, and your presence will fill me with joy.’

Don’t Lose Hope, God Says I Will….

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So many times we have either said, or at least we will hear someone say things like: “What else could possibly happen in this wicked world?” or “Has God removed His hand from this generation?” or “This world is becoming more and more wicked”. Friend, we may jump to these conclusions because of what we see with our mortal eyes, but let’s not take our eyes off the Word of God. For it says that God will pour out His Spirit on everyone…. Now you will quickly conclude that you are not seeing such a thing. Here’s a BIG reminder friend, God does not lie! We place our faith in Him for every breath and ever new day, we must stay grounded in the Word and take Him at His Word. He said it, so I believe it – that settles it!! Instead of doubting, look in anticipation for how His promises are fulfilled. Better still, use this time to encourage everyone in your circle of friends and family to accept Jesus as their Lord and together, be ready to go when He is ready for us to join Him in glory! What a Day That Will Be!! Praise be to God!!
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‘This is what I will do in the last days, God says: I will pour out my Spirit on everyone. Your sons and daughters will proclaim my message; your young men will see visions, and your old men will have dreams. Yes, even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will proclaim my message.

Excitement In Seeing God at Work!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Uncategorized2 Comments

I believe that even today God still speaks to Christians, and we would also get super excited if we would slow our minds from wandering, tune into God, and allow Him to speak to us through the written Word and through the preaching and teaching of the Gospel. Way too often we go to God’s house unprepared, ready to be entertained and/or preached at, and leave feeling like we have completed our Christian duty for the week. If we would only ready our minds through prayer and meditation, prior to attending church, and then seek God for how He might be responding to our prayers and desires, I believe that we too would get excited about the miraculous things that God is still doing today! Nothing is impossible with God, but it sure would help to open our minds and it would build excitement as we see Him at work, if we prepare ourselves and tune into Him, instead of being distracted with everything else around us. God is a God of miracles, but unless we ready ourselves to see and receive His blessing, we may leave church just the way we went in, untouched  by our loving and awesome God. Friend, our communion with God is way more important than anything else that Satan may place in our minds to distract us from a blessing. Try it! Ask God to remove the distractions so that you can concentrate on Him, hear Him and be blessed by Him! I believe that you too will be amazed by what you see and hear, and the blessing that will be yours for tuning in!

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Now there were then residing in Jerusalem Jews, devout and God-fearing men from every country under heaven. And when this sound was heard, the multitude came together and they were astonished and bewildered, because each one heard them [the apostles] speaking in his own [particular] dialect. And they were beside themselves with amazement, saying, Are not all these who are talking Galileans?

Decisions Totally Based on God’s Will and Design

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Too often we make personal decisions based on our selfish desires, wants and passion, and from a heart of envy for what others might have. Persons who act like this make up the leadership of our local churches. Therefore when it is time to make decisions, sometimes very critical ones, these individuals revert to the same method of making decisions about God’s work through the church. God’s Word was specifically provided to us so that we may discern truth and wisdom from it, and use it as a guide on how God expects us to live today. I love the way that the disciples approached this matter in prayer when they admitted to God that He knows the thoughts and hearts of the two men in question and that they (the disciples) didn’t, and that God knew which one should serve as a disciple to replace Judas. 

Friend, this is simple truth that we should always adhere to, for we are too apt to apply our personal desires and preferences to a candidate, but God can point us to the one who has a heart like Him and who will serve to represent God in truth, even after a ‘honeymoon’ period. Let us therefore set aside personal preferences and seek God’s perfect will in our decision making, whether at church or at home, work or anywhere we are called up to help make decisions.

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So they proposed two men: Joseph, who was called Barsabbas (also known as Justus), and Matthias. Then they prayed, “Lord, you know the thoughts of everyone, so show us which of these two you have chosen to serve as an apostle in the place of Judas, who left to go to the place where he belongs.”

He’s Coming Back for Us!

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As a young teenager I left home to attend a boarding high school about 45 miles away from my home. I remember each time that I left home my young brother would go to pieces crying after me and it would take hours and days of comforting from my parents to help him get over it. In this scripture, the disciples stood gazing into heaven where they saw Jesus disappear. In comparison, we too stand gazing at times when we feel like we have reached the end of our patience, our hope, our joy here on earth, or even our reason for being here. I am comforted by what the angels told the disciples, because I believe it is very applicable to those of us that know Jesus as Lord. Praise God, our time here on earth is temporary, and one day soon Jesus will come back the same way the disciples saw Him disappear. Praise God that I have surrendered my life to Jesus and made my election clear, so I am guaranteed the next trip up with Jesus! How is it with you friend? Do you know Him? Are you ready to go? If you have questions or just want to make sure, and you would like to talk this important matter over with someone, I would quickly offer to chat with you, but should you have connections with a local church, I would highly recommend speaking with your pastor, or trusted spiritual leader first. You may contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@yahoo.com. Please trust God to lead you into the right decision on this, if prompted in your heart to do so. 
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They still had their eyes fixed on the sky as he went away, when two men dressed in white suddenly stood beside them and said, “Galileans, why are you standing there looking up at the sky? This Jesus, who was taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way that you saw him go to heaven.”

Can We Obey Without Knowing Why or When?

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Much of Christianity is built around faith. Faith that Jesus came, ministered here on earth, died a cruel death to fulfil God’s plan for salvation for mankind; but praise God Jesus rose from the dead so that we, who believe in Him, might confidentially worship and look forward to seeing a risen and living King one day! However, like us, the disciples became curious about the timing of the coming events that Jesus spoke about. In these verses Jesus clarifies that He had given them instructions for the discharge of their duty, and this knowledge is enough for them, and for Christians today. It is enough that He has engaged to give believers strength equal to their trials and daily struggles so that, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, they may be witnesses for Christ on earth, while all along in heaven he is managing our concerns with perfect wisdom, truth, and love. Friend, this is a form of guarantee, peace and love that we find in nothing else here on this earth. Let us therefore be the witnesses we are called to be so that the loss may be won for Christ. All the other why’s, where’s and when’s are really insignificant compared to the joy that awaits us as we serve Him faithfully here on this earth! Do your part friend, and pray for me that I may do the same!
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Jesus said to them, “The times and occasions are set by my Father’s own authority, and it is not for you to know when they will be. But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”