Month: July 2014

Try Starting Your Day Like This!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Celebrate God, Faith, God Cares For Us, Praise, WorshipLeave a comment

The Bible – New Living Translation

Psalm 59:16-17

 16 But as for me, I will sing about your power. Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love. For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress.

17 O my Strength, to you I sing praises, for you, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love.

Thoughts:

I’ve seen many challenges lately, for example a challenge to find 5 things you are thankful for, or some might challenge friends and themselves to walk for a number of minutes each morning. I believe that God challenged me through these verses, to imitate His servant David and find things to praise God for each morning, and to do it with joy! What type of day do you suppose we would have if we challenged ourselves to do this each morning? Would our churches be stronger if it was made up of more praising Christians? I make every effort to attend church prayer meetings each week, and it is amazing the number of prayer needs that we have to pray about. Now please don’t misunderstand, there is no better place to bring our needs, than to a place of worship where believers have gathered to pray for one another. However, I recall in one prayer meeting we had a visitor who was bubbling over with a praise item, however after hearing all of the needs, our leader was ready to move into prayer. The visitor finally spoke up and asked if there was room for praise items, as she wanted to share an item with the group. Oh my, what an important aspect of prayer we almost ignored that night. Friends, even under extreme circumstances: when we are hurting; or perhaps sad; or perhaps facing extreme challenges; God is still God and throughout all that we feel overwhelmed about, He has blessed us beyond all measure. There is a powerful song out by a popular group call “I will praise You in my storm”, can you do this friend? Can you praise God even in the middle of the storms of your life? How about committing to praise Him in every circumstance, knowing that God has a purpose for your life and that He will not do anything to harm you. It was God that gave you the healthy body to sleep well the previous night, and to awaken with another opportunity to shine for Him. Praise Him friend! Of course He will also hear your prayer for healing, hurt, job search and all other needs, but that will become very evident and easy to ask, after you have thought about and praised God for His wonderful blessings!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I’m sure it must seem like we are an ungrateful bunch of children, because of our lack of praise. You bless us so much that praise should be very prominent in our lives and on our lips. I pray that I may be so filled with thankfulness and praise that as my lips are opened, I may voice Your praises. I can’t think of anything more powerful to an unbeliever than for them to see a thankful, praising child of God. Please give me the strength and the boldness to represent You well, especially in my constant praise for the mighty God that You are. Thank You Lord, for blessing me in such wonderful ways. Please touch Your children that may meditate on this devotional and need to work on this aspect of their Christian walk also. Please use the praises of Your kids to touch the hearts of those that need to know You today so that they may want to know the awesome God that we serve. All this I ask humbly in the precious name of my Savior and Lord, Jesus, AMEN!

 

NOTE: 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 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.

Grace – Free and Undeserved

On By Ed AlgreenIn All have sinned, Ask and Receive, Bible Believing, Blood of Jesus, Chosen by God, Christian, Faith, God Cares For Us, Grace, Love, Reaching the Lost, Sin, Thank You Jesus, Things Eternal, WitnessingLeave a comment

The Bible – New Living Translation

Romans 11:4-6

 4 And do you remember God’s reply? He said, “No, I have 7,000 others who have never bowed down to Baal!”(1 Kings 19:18)

5 It is the same today, for a few of the people of Israel have remained faithful because of God’s grace—his undeserved kindness in choosing them. 6 And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved.

Thoughts:

I find it interesting how God draws certain things to our attention as we read His Word. I believe this has reiterated the point to me that without staying in His Word, how then will we hear from Him? My reason for the aforesaid, is that my initial reading of the highlighted verses left me wondering why God would have Paul include this Old Testament reference in his talk to the Roman believers and also in His Word for our edification? God quickly drew to my attention something to share with you in today’s devotional. Friends, who are we that God should have ever gotten our attention towards salvation? Now, before we get all holy and self-righteous in thinking that we never killed anyone, like Elijah was referring to in his initial question to God about the Jews, the Bible clearly states that God detests sin. He hates it. But friend, all the same, He valued us/loved us enough to look beyond our sin and rescue us from this life of sin. Yes, He convicted us of our sin and our need for a Savior? That’s where Paul is coming from in this passage, and that’s what we must be diligent to praise God about, and that’s what we must be careful in helping our lost family and friends to understand. God’s grace is beyond anything we can measure or understand. He sacrificed His one and only Son to die a cruel death on a cross so that we might be saved, even while we were deep in sin, uncaring and undeserving of such grace. We just can’t comprehend that kind of grace/love! But just as Paul share with his Roman counterparts, I must remind you today that God’s very nature is love and just as He once put the life of His Son on the line for us, His grace is still sufficient today. Please don’t give up on that lost loved one. To the one that may be reading this today that may never have made a decision to accept Christ as your personal Savior, please don’t think that you are beyond God’s love. The mere fact that you are reading this devotional is an indication that the Holy Spirit is working to show you His love and grace. Be obedient to His call on your life today, won’t you? Please feel free to contact me using the email address below to pray with you and help you in the vital decision.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I praise You today for Your wonderful and unparalleled grace. You loved me enough to speak to me right where I was, in sin, and convince me of the need for my Savior! Although we are tempted to think like Elijah did and question why You would save some folk even after knowing their awful past, I thank You for not being like us humans, for we often think like the world still, and tend to give up on folk because their future seem so hopeless to us. Oh my, where would we have been if You felt the same way about us? Praise God that Your ways are way beyond our very best efforts, for You loved us even while we were still wicked and undeserving. Thank You Lord Jesus for Your love and Your grace. Please help us to see through eyes filled with the grace of Jesus so that we may have a positive, Godly influence in the lives of those that need to accept You as Lord. As Your sons and daughters we need desperately to be more like our Father. Please continue to impress upon us the character and love of our Savior so that the world might see and know, without our hypocritical selves interfering, that they need You in their lives. I ask all this in the precious name of my Savior and Lord, Jesus the Christ, AMEN!

 

NOTE: 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 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.

In Jesus I Trust – I Will Not Be Afraid!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, Our Help comes from God, Peace, Trust, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

The Bible – The Good News Translation

 Psalm 56:9b-11

 9 …………I know this: God is on my side-

10          the Lord, whose promises I praise.

11          In him I trust, and I will not be afraid.

What can a mere human being do to me?

 Thoughts:

I love what Matthew Henry had to say in his commentary on these verses: Every true believer may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and then I will not fear what man shall do unto me; for man has no power but what is given him from above. I believe that this is such a great reminder to those of us that place our faith in Jesus Christ, for we know that He had the power to raise the dead back to life, and that He Himself was raised from the dead. Really, whom then shall we fear when we have Jesus as our Guide, our Protector, our Healer, our Deliverer, our Sanctifier and our eternal Savior? Friends, we have it all! So why worry and why be afraid of life’s circumstances? Another scripture reminds us that to be present with the Lord in heaven is actually gain, or a big advantage for the Christian. But let me remind you dear friend, that as long as we are allowed to stay on this earth, we are to confidently represent Jesus and allow Him to faithfully work in and through us so that the world might know that Jesus is alive, because they came into contact with Him through His representative – through us! To my friends reading this who may have never committed your life to my Savior, please acknowledge to yourself that there is no one on this earth who can satisfy your daily hurts and needs, or convince you of your eternal future, like this Jesus of mine. In acknowledging your need for a Savior, won’t you follow through in committing your life totally to Him today? Contact me at the email noted below and allow me to pray with you and give you some guidance in this important decision. I would love to introduce you to my Lord!

Prayer:

Dear Lord, thank You for loving me enough to die on Calvary’s cruel cross just for me. So undeserved, yet You showed Your love for me through ultimate sacrifice. Thank You Jesus! You are by my side daily through all of life’s circumstances, thank You for reminding me in this scripture this morning that I have nothing to fear while living on this earth, because those who oppose me or who may not treat me lovingly, they have no power other than that given to them by You, so of course You have power over them and can stop them at will! What a Mighty God I Serve!!!! Thank You Lord Jesus for accepting me as Your very own when I invited You to be Lord of my life! Please tender the hearts of my friends reading this devotional so that they too may have that same assurance! You are Lord, and above You there is no other! Thank You Jesus for being my Protector, Deliverer and everlasting Savior, and for hearing the cry of this, Your servant, AMEN!

 

NOTE: 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 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.

Obligations To Share, Hear, Believe And Ask

On By Ed AlgreenIn All have sinned, Ask and Receive, Bible Believing, Blood of Jesus, Born Again, Chosen by God, Christian, Evangelism, Faith, Forgiveness, Heaven, Holy Spirit, ObedienceLeave a comment

The Bible – The New Living Translation

 Romans 10:13-14

 13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Joel 2:32)

14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?

Thoughts:

This is a power-packed couple of verses, for anyone meditating on these words will find themselves obligated in one way or another. Think about where your obligation is today and be obedient to God. For example:

  • Share – I got the impression that for those of us that know the Lord, our involvement in helping a lost person come to a saving knowledge in Jesus Christ, is that we share with them. Now before you try to correct me and tell me that you are not a preacher, I want to remind you that there are many times in God’s Word where we, who already know Him, are told/obligated to share with those who do not. Sharing is not necessarily ‘preaching’, it is telling of the Good News, the Savior that got hold of your life and saved you from your self-destructing, evil trip to Hell. In fact, you are the only one that could share that with a friend who may not know the Lord – it’s your story!
  • Hear, Believe & Ask – I believe that vs 14 is telling the lost person that if the Word of God is explained to them, or if someone shares their story with them, know that it is God-sent and give it your undivided attention, as you are expected to accept/believe in Jesus Christ and ask/receive/invite Him as God’s precious gift of eternal life.

Friends, Paul was careful to explain that God’s gift is offered to all. In his day Paul had to clarify that the gift was offered to both the Jew and the Gentile. In our society today, I believe that we need to be reminded that God’s gift is offered to folk inside of the church worshipping, and to the ones who have never entered the doors of a church before. To the one who is looked up to in the community, or to the murderer. In fact, in another Bible verse, it is clear that God’s gift is available to ALL – whoever calls on His name (John 3:16). That includes you brother and sister! If you hear it, believe it and ask Jesus to come into your heart.

Prayer:

Thank You Father for those who leave our churches and travel overseas to spread the name of the Lord – our missionaries. Also, thank You for our pastors and evangelists who sacrifices hour after hour in sharing the love and saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus. Please be especially encouraging to those of us that cross paths with friends, family and coworkers every day that so desperately need You. Lord, may we never leave an opportunity unattended. May we never have to feel the guilt of disobedience in not sharing Your love and Your Word with those who need You. Father, I especially pray for the unsaved today. You have told us in Your Word that You are coming back soon to take us with You so that we may live with You throughout eternity. In the light of this promise, please help our unsaved ones to grasp the importance of really listening to Your Word, and may they not only hear, but also respond without reservation to Your call on their life. TODAY is the day of salvation! Lord, may it be so for all those I know, love and care about. For I ask all this in the name of Your precious Son, Jesus, believing that it will be done. AMEN!

 

NOTE: 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 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.

The Stain of our Sins

On By Ed AlgreenIn All have sinned, Bible Believing, Faith, Reflecting Christ, SinLeave a comment

The Bible – The New Living Translation

Psalm 51:1-2

 1 Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins.

2 Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin.

Thoughts:

I believe that David was so sorry for his acts of sin against Bathsheba and her husband that he was not only asking for forgiveness of his sin, but also that God might erase it from his memory – blot out the ‘stain’ of my sin he asked. Friends, although God forgives us of our sin, it seems like the impact of that sin, or its stain, appears to always be in the back of our minds, and will ultimately haunt us from time to time. While this may serve the purpose of reminding us of our sin, or especially to help us appreciate where God has truly brought us from, yet our inner man would just as soon forget the sinful acts. Therefore I can appreciate where David was coming from in this request. However, I believe that the biggest lesson for us to learn from this today is that God is our mediator. He knows what is bugging us, but I believe that He really wants us to seek Him, humble ourselves to ask for help and to seek His help in every aspect of our lives. As we live in this sinful world, we get dirty or stained from its impact, so keeping ourselves before our Maker in prayer is healthy for our spiritual well-being. Our physical bodies become dirty and we take daily showers, how much more should we seek a daily spiritual cleansing of our sin. This will not only help in keeping us clean from guilt, but it will keep the lines of communication open between us and our heavenly Father.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I repeat the words of Your servant David, please wash me clean from my guilt, and purify me from my sin. I want to be used by You in reaching those around me who are lost in sin. Please wash me white as snow so that I may represent You well as I share a witness for You. Please have Your will and way in my life is my humble prayer before the only One who can make a true difference in the hearts of mankind, for I ask this in Your worthy and all powerful name, Lord Jesus, my Savior and King, AMEN!

 

NOTE: 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 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.

Too Busy

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Celebrate God, Imitator of Christ, Praise, Reaching the Lost, Works, WorshipLeave a comment

The Bible – The Message

 Romans 9:30-32

 …. All those people who didn’t seem interested in what God was doing actually embraced what God was doing as he straightened out their lives. And Israel, who seemed so interested in reading and talking about what God was doing, missed it. How could they miss it? Because instead of trusting God, they took over. They were absorbed in what they themselves were doing. They were so absorbed in their “God projects” that they didn’t notice God right in front of them, like a huge rock in the middle of the road. And so they stumbled into him and went sprawling.

 Thoughts:

Friends I know that we have our secular jobs, and many of us also have volunteered for jobs in the church, but are we capable of knowing when we are too busy to really see God at work in and around us? Paul, in addressing his fellow Jews, tried to bring to their attention that in his ministry to the gentiles (those who were despised by the Jews), he had discovered such an appreciation for God and His wonderful work/miracles, compared to what he saw in his own people, who appeared sold out to God. This sounds so much like us sometimes. It is known around churches that if you need someone to do something, ask a busy person. And although this means that you can often trust them to get the job done, what it also means is that you are giving them yet another ‘job’, and before you realize it, that person is coming to church thinking of it as just another job, like they are obligated to all other days of the week. Friends, I realize that it takes people to get the total job done around church, but when we lose sight of the reason for us going to church, to offer up praise and worship to our heavenly Father, then we have just personally taken on too much. We must find time in our busy lives for personal worship – time alone with God, and for corporate worship – time corporately with God and others of like faith. I believe that I coined a phrase that I encourage all those that I have opportunity to mentor, to use: instead of ever saying that you didn’t have time for something, always say it was not a priority! I especially encourage you to use this when you have neglected your time alone with God or your corporate worship time. In fact I encourage you to use this phrase in your conversation (prayer) with God as you talk to him about missed opportunities. It will help you to regain the priorities in your life! Keeping busy will keep us out of trouble, but if we are not careful, it could also keep us out of a sweet relationship with our heavenly Father. Why not step back and honestly evaluate your life today? Are you too busy?

Prayer:

Thank You Father for blessing us with talents that we may use for You in and around the local church. Please help us to know when we have enough to do, and especially when church work is preventing us from spending the time with You that we so badly need for our spiritual enrichment. Without You in the forefront of our day, we will reflect too much of this world to those who especially need to know You and see Your qualities in us. We were created to glorify You dear God. When we fail to do that because we are too busy, especially with ‘church jobs’ or as Paul said, “God projects”, then we ask that You please get our attention and pull us back to You. Most of us have family and loved ones who need the Lord, Father I pray that they may first of all see Jesus in everything that we do or say so that we may influence them to seek You and the wonder of Your grace, mercy and love. I ask all this in the wonderful name of Your Son, Jesus the Christ, my Lord and Savior, AMEN!

 

 NOTE: 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 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.

The Purpose of Church

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Giving, Reflecting Christ, Tithing, Truthful, Witnessing, WorshipLeave a comment

The Bible – Good News Translation

 Psalm 8:9-11

 9           Inside your Temple, O God, we think of your constant love.

10          You are praised by people everywhere, and your fame extends over all the earth.

You rule with justice; 11   let the people of Zion be glad!

 Thoughts:

Many people dress and head out to church on Saturday or Sunday. I wonder what some of the responses would be, if a news reporter stood on a street corner and interviewed folk as they were on their way to church! I bet there would be some interesting responses! In the Bible we read a lot about people going up to the temple to pray, or to offer up sacrifices. In our day, I believe the number one response would be that people go to church to worship God. The challenge is that most church goers feel like ‘worship’ is the worship and praise (singing) part of the service. What about the aspect of giving and Bible teaching and/or preaching? Also, is this ‘worship’ only once per week for no more than an hour? Is this commitment you have made to ‘worship’ strictly led by a praise and worship team for your entertainment, and a preacher who shouts at you for about 30 minutes to challenge you in your wrong doings? Friends, without the appearance of judging, I see these things that I questioned you on, as a description of our churches today. On the contrary, I love the description given by the Psalmist! Wouldn’t it be neat for us to awaken about an hour earlier before rushing out to weekend services, and instead of turning the television on, or getting on to Facebook to catch up on the gossip, if we gathered around the table over a cup of coffee and reflected back over the blessings of the week, brought back to reflection the highlights of our Bible studies (devotionals) from the week and said a prayer for the preacher and other worship leaders before we head out the door to go and worship God? Don’t you suppose that we would position ourselves for, and find reason to, truly worship God and to truly open our hearts to the spoken Word so that we might be filled with the Spirit and His reinforcing power for the week ahead? Can you see where we may then feel more like the Psalmist reflected on in vs 9, where we would then open our minds to think about God’s love and His wonderful power in our heart over the past week? I truly believe that we could then open our hearts in worship and be so filled with God’s wonder and His love that His fame would be evident in and through us wherever we went after that, in similar ways to what the Psalmist described in vs 10 & 11. We serve an awesome God, who is so good to us. Let’s not hold back the praises, and let’s be very open to instruction from His Word so that our lives might be guided accordingly.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You made us so that we may worship you. I’m sorry for the poor excuses we give for not attending worship services, and even when we do – the little input that You receive from us. Our minds wonder, and we depend so heavily on the Praise and Worship team, that it is probably very obvious to You that we enjoy the entertainment more than the opportunity to lift up our praises and words of affirmation to You. We listen to Your Word read and expounded on, and it is often the only time that week that our Bibles have been opened. Oh how You must shake Your head in dismay and question why You ever made us. Thankfully, I know You are a God of love, and in looking at our hearts You know what we really are and what we would really like to be. I pray for mercy and Your continued grace dear Lord, because although You know our inward beings, how will the world know about You if they can’t see You reflected in and through our lives? Please don’t give up on me, and on us – Your servants. We need You more today than we ever did before. We need Your power and the extreme boldness to be Your witnesses. Touch me Lord and work with my friends and I so that we may be more like You in every way. My humble prayer I am asking in the Your holy name, dear Jesus, AMEN

 

NOTE: 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 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.

Mercy and Compassion – God’s In Charge!

On By Ed AlgreenIn All have sinned, Bible Believing, Eternal Life, Evangelism, Forgiveness, God our Provider, Reaching the Lost, Thank You Jesus2 Comments

The Bible – The Message

Romans 9:14-18

14–18       Is that grounds for complaining that God is unfair? Not so fast, please. God told Moses, “I’m in charge of mercy. I’m in charge of compassion.” Compassion doesn’t originate in our bleeding hearts or moral sweat, but in God’s mercy. The same point was made when God said to Pharaoh, “I picked you as a bit player in this drama of my salvation power.” All we’re saying is that God has the first word, initiating the action in which we play our part for good or ill.

 Thoughts:

We hear a lot of folk say that God’s not fair, and I cringe whenever I hear those words. Friends, we place ourselves in very compromising places at times, and unfortunately bad things happen, especially in places where Satan is very present. I heard a preacher speak on the subject “Why do bad things happen to good people”, and although he was the right person to preach that sermon, seeing that he himself had Multiple Sclerosis and had difficulty speaking. Yet he helped his hearers to understand that we are all blessed by God in that He sent His one and only Son to die a cruel death on the cross, so that all those that believe on Him might have eternal life. So who are the ‘all’ he referred to? People such as Saul who was a persecutor of Christians and the church, yet God made such a difference in His life that he became a great evangelist and writer, having written many of the New Testament books. He made such a turnaround in his life that his name was changed to Paul to reflect the total life change. What Paul is explaining to his audience at Rome, and what God is using this message to speak with us about is that:

  • God is the author and maker of mankind and we are to be thankful and celebrative for this;
  • God loved us while we were still sinners and provided a means to enter His kingdom, and we are to be thankful and celebrative for this;
  • God showed compassion on us and chose us to be His children – because, friends sinners only has a mind for sinful things, not Godly ownership and Godly happiness, and we are to be thankful and celebrative for this;

So Paul’s question to his audience and to us today is, “what are we complaining about God not being fair about?” From the points above, I believe we can clearly see that God loves us way more than we deserve, and what is unfair about that? Let’s not question God when He doesn’t handle a situation the way that we instructed Him, He’s still God and above Him there is no other. Count your blessings friend, and I assure you that you’ll not have enough fingers left to consider the self-inflicted, unfortunate things that we tend to blame on God. I serve an awesome God, and my heart’s desire is to encourage as many as I can to know this Savior I love and adore! Are you ready to make a decision friend? Please use the contact information at the foot of this post to email me and allow me to pray with you, encourage you and introduce you to Jesus!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we are such an undeserving, yet very blessed people. Please help us to count our blessings and stop the whining and complaining. Where would we have been had it not been for Your love, Your mercy and Your compassion? Thank You for Your mercies on me. Thank You for Your blessings on me. Thank You for the assurance of my eternal home in glory with You. Please dear Lord, speak to the hearts of my friends and family that are not living life to its fullest today, because they have not given You full control of their lives. The sacrifice has been made, and I thank You for that, please help them to accept the gift that You so lovingly gave just for us. I am very thankful, yet I continue to ask on behalf of my unsaved friends, in Your precious and worthy name, Jesus my Lord, AMEN!

NOTE: **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 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.

God is our Hope Especially in times of Trouble

On By Ed AlgreenIn Hope, Obedience, Pleasing to God, PraiseLeave a comment

The Bible – Good News Translation

Psalm6:1-3

1 God is our shelter and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. 2 So we will not be afraid, even if the earth is shaken and mountains fall into the ocean depths; 3 even if the seas roar and rage, and the hills are shaken by the violence.

Thoughts:

Ever have someone stop you and ask “why are you so calm about everything?”, or “how can you be so happy all the time?”, or “you must have a lot of self-will because nothing seems to phase you”? In 1 Peter 3:15, we are told that we must be ready at all times to give an account of the ‘Hope’ that lies within us. David is drawing to our attention in this Psalm that in times of trouble, we have a ‘Hope’ because God is our shelter and our strength and He is always ready and willing to help us. Through earthquakes and/or tsunamis, our God stands like a Rock, and is firm in His footing, able to help us through to the end. He is our Hope in all things! Friends, I don’t believe that we give off a false sense of security when trouble comes to our families, or to our churches or to our friends, and we calmly give it to God and wait for His guidance. When we develop our faith in God, and learn to depend on Him daily, and learn to celebrate the joys of knowing Him and His miraculous handling of our daily affairs, then it should be natural for us to look to Him, especially when things appear to be out of control, or resolutions appear to be well beyond our control or abilities. Jesus spoke intimately to His Father when He was on the cross, knowing that He had all power and the definite ability to upset the whole ‘apple-cart’ if He wanted to, but through prophecy He also knew that dying was a necessary step. If Jesus saw the need to look to His Father for help, shouldn’t we also look to Him for our every need or concern? He is our ‘Hope’ friend! Let’s learn to lean on the only One that can give us ‘Hope’, as we keep the words of Jude 1:24-25 close at hand, for our God is able, and we should learn to praise Him often for His willingness to use that ability to help His kids – us! If you do not know the One of whom I have referred to in this devotional, I would love to introduce you to Him. Please use the contact information in the ‘Note’ below to reach out to me.

Prayer:

To the God of this universe, the author and designer of mankind; the One who loved me enough to sacrifice His one and only Son so that I may have life eternal; the One who walked on water and calmed even the ocean waves; healed the sick; gave sight to the blind and raised the dead back to life. Yes, to this God, my Lord and my Savior, thank You for loving me enough to cleanse me of my sin and welcome me into Your family and into Your kingdom. With the same power that You did all of the above, I have confidence to know that You are still capable of handling the things in my world that trouble me today. I have this ‘Hope’ and I am thankful for the promises of God given to all Your children! To You be all glory, majesty and praise today. Please speak to the hearts of my family and friends that have chosen to exclude You from their lives. I pray that everyone that meditates on this devotional today might be renewed in their ‘Hope’ knowing that all power comes from You and that You are worthy of our praise. I ask this in Your precious name Lord Jesus, knowing that You are still God, AMEN!

NOTE: 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 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.

The Love of The Father

On By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Bible –The Message

 Romans 8:31-35

 So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way!

 Thoughts:

We’ve heard friends say before that they are such a bad person, having done so much evil in their day that a holy, loving, caring and sacrificial Father would not love them. As their earthly father, we might quickly agree with them, because we are so unforgiving deep inside. But friends, do you see much difference between what you might classify such a person, and what we may have classified ourselves before we accepted Christ? They are, and we were, sinners so far removed from the ideals that we picture as ‘saints’ or ‘children of God’. However, in these verses under review today we are reminded by Paul in his addressing the same question to the church at Rome, that the love God speaks of is unconditional, and according to John 3:16, it is available to all who call on His name through His Son Jesus, for they will be saved, and is loved with His everlasting and unconditional love! The ‘human’ in us causes us to ask, but what if ……. happens, or what if I mess up, or what if another Christian points a finger at something we weren’t perfect at? Friends, Paul (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and for the benefit of the saints) cleared this up for us in the later part of the verses quoted above – there is nothing that can change this love that Christ has for us – nothing. Remember, His love is unconditional! We may let things or people disrupt our harmony and/or relationship with God, but absolutely nothing will place a wedge between us and His love for us. He’s just that kind of God! Praise the name of the Lord! So what’s preventing you from approaching God, seeking forgiveness of your sin and dedicating your life wholly and solely to Him? There is no greater love than this friend? Please use the contact information at the end of this devotional to let me know if there is anything I can pray with you about, or help you work through so that you can make this vital move in your life! This is THE most important decision in a person’s life!

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, thank you for accepting me as Your child, in spite of the imperfectness that existed before my decision, and because of the ongoing work needed to help me stay on a path pleasing to You. As reminded by Paul in these verses this morning, I am deeply appreciative of the love You have for me, and the security of that love that, although battered by many things of this world and of Satan himself, yet to be reminded that nothing can separate Your love for me! Wow! This is love that we can hardly comprehend, but I believe Your Word and accept that love graciously. Please touch the hearts and lives of my friends that defer their decision to accept You as lord, because they just can’t wrap their arms around this kind of love. Please help them to understand that in accepting You as they Master and Lord, You will help them work through and overcome their imperfections as Your child. Thank You for loving even me dear Lord! Bless each reader with Your power this day, for I humbly ask in Your precious and holy name, AMEN!

 

NOTE: **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 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.