Nailing Jesus To The Cross Again?

On 2015-04-072015-04-07 By Ed AlgreenIn Cross, SacrificeLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – Hebrews 6:4-6): ^4-6 But what about people who turn away after they have already seen the light and have received the gift from heaven and have shared in the Holy Spirit? What about those who turn away after they have received the good message of God and the powers of the future world? There is no way to bring them back. What they are doing is the same as nailing the Son of God to a cross and insulting him in public!

THOUGHTS: I listen to a daily reading from the Word of God and my attention was drawn to the impact on the host as he read through the story of the crucifixion. Having just gone through the Easter season, no doubt some of us have been impacted all over again as we heard the story, or saw a reenactment, especially knowing that it was our sin that made the sacrifice/crucifixion necessary. Considering all this, I was caught aback when I read the above verses this morning, for we come across folk all the time who was once strong in their faith, but have since chosen to step away from the church or their association with other Christian friends, because of past hurts. Friends, it appears to me that we are being taught that although our sins took Jesus to the cross in the first place, when we step aside from the faith and basically say “Oh, but I really wasn’t serious about all that I committed to”, we are also placing Jesus back on the cross and asking Him to go through that horrific crucifixion all over again, so that we might try again. Would we ever in good conscience do something like this? Could we ever be so awful to ignore what was done for us at Calvary, the impact that the resurrected Christ could have had on our lives, and then look to God and tell Him that you need that horrific act done all over again? Just because of your selfish, worldly, temporary desires? Paul said in 2 Timothy 1:12, “I know in whom I have believed, and I am certain that He is able to keep that which I have deposited with Him until that day” so let us follow Paul’s example and be totally committed to our Lord until the day He returns to take us home to be with Him in glory! Pray for that Brother who has not been faithful. Encourage that Sister who is drifting away. But most of all, let us stay committed to the Master until His return! Be determined to not see Jesus crucified all over again because of your worldly desires.

PRAYER: I am reminded of that song, “Tis So Sweet, To Trust In Jesus; Just to take Him at His Word“. Father, I pray that You will work miraculously in the hearts of Your people today, especially those being reminded of this scripture in Hebrews. May we commit all over again to be faithful until the end. May we never stop praising You for the enormous sacrifice of Your Son on Calvary. With Your help, may we never allow the things of this world to lead us astray and cause us to stumble and fall. You sacrificed once too many times already because of our selfish desires. May we commit to never allowing the power of Satan to lead us on a path that shows total disregard for all You have done for us. I love You Lord, and I lift My Voice in worship, praise and adoration of Your great love. Please protect us today and lead us to eternal truth and victory in and through the precious blood of Your Son Jesus, for I ask this in faith, in and through His holy name, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com 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 blogger.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!

Spiritual Maturity

On 2015-04-062015-04-06 By Ed AlgreenIn Allegiance, Commitment, Dedicated, MaturityLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – Hebrews 5:11-14): ¹¹Much more could be said about this subject. But it is hard to explain, and all of you are slow to understand. ¹²By now you should have been teachers, but once again you need to be taught the simplest things about what God has said. You need milk instead of solid food. ¹³People who live on milk are like babies who don’t really know what is right. ¹⁴Solid food is for mature people who have been trained to know right from wrong.

THOUGHTS: There are lots of references in the Bible that speak to maturity in the Lord, so when I read this passage this morning I thought perhaps we should look at this a little closer and try to discern if you and I are making any effort to mature in the Word of God and our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that it would be good to see the values in an infant versus the values we see in maturing individuals. Infants are very needy and very dependent on others to provide for them and help them survive. In an infant Christian we see similar traits, for they need to be fed the Word of God and taught about how this new found relationship with God needs the Word of God imbedded in their knowledge and expressed in their character and life values. In the life of a maturing individual, we see where they are able to feed themselves and perhaps able to earn a living so they could provide food and shelter for themselves. In a maturing Christian, we should see where they go after spiritual food on their own – through personal Bible study and applying biblical principles in their lives. They become grounded in their relationship with God and depend on Him every day for their spiritual growth and maturity so that they in turn can turn around and help others who are still ‘infants’ in their spiritual walk. In physical life, when an adult remains a child in their maturity level, it may become very challenging for independent, maturing adults to respect them and treat them properly, for it often appears like they may have made a deliberate choice to be irresponsible. It appears like the writer of Hebrews may have faced similar frustrations with immature Christians, for he stopped his line of teaching because he realized that he was talking to a group of people still stuck in their infancy maturity level. Friends, we must be careful to not fall in the group who not only needs constant training and growth in the Lord, but our very existence depends on that spiritual food taught by others. This detracts from the teacher assigned to help new Christians get a head start on their walk to maturity, and adds to their frustration level as to why you insist on remaining in your infancy stages of Christianity. If approached about the hope that lives inside of you, be ready with an answer. Please don’t refer that person to your Bible teacher or preacher, they identify with you and want to hear your story. If you have to use the Word of God to tell the story, then always have a verse in mind that you feel explains your story. Develop a personal relationship with your Creator and be prepared to share your story with any that might ask, or need it.

PRAYER: Dear God, I believe that we are all challenged to say that we have attained full knowledge of You, for Your mercy is a daily thing and it endures forever. I believe that each time we open Your Word, You reveal new truths to us, but I also believe that it behooves us to always do our part by getting into the Word daily so that it might be a light unto our path for the day, and knowledge and leadership for sharing spiritual truths with all those that we come into contact with. Lord, please help us to strive for self-sufficiency and maturity in our relationship with You so that we might go on to be mentors to others who need You and not continue in our infancy stages of full dependency on our earthly spiritual leaders. I know that we will always increase our maturity under the teaching of our earthly Godly leaders, but I also believe that this only comes to those who have committed to a daily walk and personal growth plan in their personal relationship with You. Please have Your will and way in our lives today is my earnest prayer dear Jesus, that I ask in Your magnificent name, AMEN!

We Have An Advocate

On 2015-04-042015-04-04 By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, Surrender, UnderstandingLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (New Century Version – Hebrews 4:14-16): ¹⁴Since we have a great high priest, Jesus the Son of God, who has gone into heaven, let us hold on to the faith we have. ¹⁵For our high priest is able to understand our weaknesses. He was tempted in every way that we are, but he did not sin. ¹⁶Let us, then, feel very sure that we can come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we can receive mercy and grace to help us when we need it.

THOUGHTS: Often we find it difficult talking with someone who we suspect cannot identify with what concerns us. Let me illustrate: unless a person went through a period of poverty, it would be mighty challenging for them to understand our concerns about not having enough money to meet all of the bills, or not able to go to certain doctors because we can’t afford the general examination fee, much less any other fees that might accrue during our visit. Because we face these kinds of challenges here on earth, it sometimes gives us a complex in dealing with the Lord Jesus Christ. However, these verses this morning are a breath of fresh air, as it reminds us that Jesus lived here on this earth and faced the same challenges that we now face and He did it without sinning. Therefore, as we go to the Father in prayer, we can rest assured that we are communicating with someone who knows all about the challenges that we face, so we can talk freely with Him expecting Him to not only understand, but to help us through our situation. Friends, I am excited and filled with hope that I have an advocate who knows and understands all that I face every day. He longs to hear from me so that He might receive permission to shower His help upon me. He loves me more than I love myself, so I am convinced that He has my best interest at heart. I pray that you will gain this kind of confidence in Jesus Christ even today, friend. He loves you and He wants to be your advocate before our Father. Won’t you consider letting Him in today?

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for loving us enough to send us Your very own Son Jesus. Thank You for allowing Him to live on this earth and experience all of what we encounter each day. But most of all, thank You for bringing Him back to Your side to be our advocate. I am reminded of our Guardian Ad Litem program where children who are abused, neglected and abandoned receive the protection of a Guardian who looks out for their best interest. Thank You Lord Jesus for loving us and looking out for our best interest. Thank You for understanding our needs and our peculiarities. Lord, may we therefore trust our lives into Your hands so that You may mold us to be more like You; protect us from the evil one; and lead us to a path of righteousness, for Your name’s sake? I want to be just like You Lord, please lead me and show me the path to achieve that goal. Soften the hearts of the hardened today so that they may surrender to the only One who truly knows all about their needs and concerns. For I ask this in faith, and in the wonderful name of Jesus, my Lord, AMEN!

In Faith, Believe Jesus is Lord

On 2015-04-03 By Ed AlgreenIn Eternal Life, Follow Jesus, Obedience, Salvation, The PlanLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – Hebrews 4:2-3): We have heard the message, just as they did. But they failed to believe what they heard, and the message did not do them any good. Only people who have faith will enter the place of rest. It is just as the Scriptures say, “God became angry and told the people, ‘You will never enter my place of rest!’ ”

THOUGHTS: Over time many have continued the tradition of attending church on the day of their choice or conviction. Having grown up in church and now a regular attendee, it is very easy to assume that such dedication is bound to get you somewhere on the day you are faced with death to this world. This kind of assumption was assumed back in the day when the writer of Hebrews shared his heart with us in this passage of scripture. The reality of what is being discussed by the writer was very evident in the lives of the Israelites that were rescued from slavery in the land of Egypt and taken care of by God through 40 years in the wilderness. They were taken care of, but did they truly have faith in the One who cared for them? Of course not, every time that Moses left their presence they returned to their sinful acts of worshiping idols. Unfortunately, this sounds a lot like our church goers who attend to please mom, or spouse, or whomever, but have no personal relationship with the Lord. Friends, please be aware that church attendance is just the ‘icing on the cake’ for us, as it is a place that we go to join other like-minded folk who come together to celebrate the one main thing they have in common – the Lord Jesus. Just because you may find yourself enjoying the company of these folk when they meet to worship, does not automatically include you in the redeemed of the Lord who anxiously await His return. You see, having a relationship with the Lord will be evident in our lives every day of the week, and not just for the one hour that we feel an obligation to attend a worship service. So I believe that the litmus test is more about what your life appears to be Monday thru Friday, more so than what it looks like during your hour of worship. So what would someone who only knows you in the business world classify you as? A Christian/follower of Christ/born again child of the King/Christ-like? Have you personally asked for forgiveness of your sin and surrendered your life totally to the Lord Jesus Christ? Perhaps on this ‘Good Friday’, a day we remember the death of our Lord Jesus, there is no better time for you to seek His face and surrender your life to Him as your loving Savior and King. It’s time that you be honest with yourself and your relationship with God, or lack thereof. Do something about it friend.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help us, Your children, to not take You for granted. You went to the extreme of giving up Your only Son so that we might have eternal life. Please help us to never assume that by simply walking through the doors of a building on a Sunday or Saturday morning will take the place of that awesome sacrifice You made for us. You have carefully outlined in Your Word how we might be saved, and no part of it involves church attendance for a given number of years. Our only means of seeing You at heaven’s portals is through a personal decision and plea to accept Your Son Jesus, as our Lord and personal Savior. There is no substitute or alternative. Please open the eyes and hearts of Your children as they find a place of worship this Easter season. May they truly find, and accept the gift of eternal life – may they personally find and accept You as Lord, is my humble and sincere prayer that I ask in the name of the One that I call King, Savior and Lord of all, Jesus the Christ, my Lord, AMEN!

Encourage One Another

On 2015-04-02 By Ed AlgreenIn Commitment, EncourageLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – Hebrews 3:12-14): 12 My friends, watch out! Don’t let evil thoughts or doubts make any of you turn from the living God. 13 You must encourage one another each day. And you must keep on while there is still a time that can be called “today.” If you don’t, then sin may fool some of you and make you stubborn. 14 We were sure about Christ when we first became his people. So let’s hold tightly to our faith until the end.

THOUGHTS: There are several commands in these verses that not only encourages us to stay strong in the faith, but also to be a helping hand and/or encouragement to our Brothers and Sisters in the Lord. This attitude spoken of here reminds me of the attitude of a couple in a successful marriage. For daily, we must do a self-check to insure that there is no evil building up in us that could harm our marriage. Also, because we love each other deeply, we tend to encourage each other and try to help each other succeed in our marriage and in life in general. Our Christian walk is much the same. We are in a relationship with God, and we must protect that relationship by insuring that our lives are kept holy and pure before a holy and righteous God. This will break down to a consistent walk with the Lord, with at least a daily time in the Word looking for Truth and direction for our lives that we intend to imitate the life of Jesus and in full obedience to God’s commands. I also believe that when our lives are in order, we will automatically seek out the best in our fellow Brothers and Sisters and make decisions that will lift up others and not tear down. As reminded in the very last sentence, let us do this until the end. Let Jesus find us faithful!

PRAYER: Thank You Father for Your love, for Your protection and Your love for mankind – even me. I pray that You will give strength for those times that we are tempted to stray or to give in to the many distractions of this world that cause us to sin, and therefore cause separation between You and us. Please give us the encouragement we need to be an accountability partner to those friends that need us and need a closer walk with You, for You are our strength and our protector. Thank You Father. I ask all this in the precious name of Jesus, AMEN.

We Must Continue To Follow God

On 2015-04-012015-04-01 By Ed AlgreenIn Follower of Christ, ObedienceLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Good News Translation – Hebrews 3:7-11): So then, as the Holy Spirit says: “If you hear God’s voice today, do not be stubborn, as your ancestors were when they rebelled against God, as they were that day in the desert when they put him to the test. There they put me to the test and tried me, says God, although they had seen what I did for forty years. And so I was angry with those people and said, ‘They are always disloyal and refuse to obey my commands.’ I was angry and made a solemn promise: ‘They will never enter the land where I would have given them rest!’ ”

THOUGHTS: One of the biggest obstacles a person might have when they read the chosen verses today, is pondering how they will know when God is speaking to them. I believe that when sinful man is normally looking out for self, tempted in every evil way to do the selfish and all inclusive things to benefit self only. When this person senses a need to change his/her ways and instead be drawn to a holy and righteous God, or the things in which He is present, then God is speaking to that sinner. I believe that when a person is in deep despair and, after calling on the name of Jesus, they feel a sudden peace that they just can’t explain, then God is speaking to that despondent person. I believe that when a person lives life without any regard for God, yet suddenly they have an urge to attend church or do some other Godly exercise, then I believe that God is speaking to that person. There are times when we feel like we just don’t know what to do or where to turn next for relief from certain life-situations, then after praying about it, we receive a peace that passes all human understanding, then I believe that God is obedient to our cry for help and delivers us. In this passage today, the above scenarios are likened to those of the Israelites traveling and depending on God in the wilderness for 40 years. They had a choice to call on the God that proved Himself faithful in many situations for them, however, at every opportunity they chose to turn their backs on God and return to their idols. Friends, God became angry at the Israelites, how do you suppose He is feeling about you? Are you causing this same anger to rise up in Him because of your constant disobedience, or are you following His commands and accepting His loving direction for your life? God loves us so much that He wants to see His very best for His children, but we must be willing to not only call on Him, but to accept His help and follow His direction for us. Our obedience would make Him happy, and willing to continue helping us. How about joining me in continuing to follow Christ and therefore anticipate His rich blessings on our lives?

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us and being so patient with us. Thank You for being available to us when we call on You, but also thank You for the warning given in these verses today. Please forgive me for the times I have turned my back and expressed my dependence on self, rather than on You. Please speak to the hearts of my readers one more time today Lord, and show them again how much You love them and care about their future, provoke them to a full commitment to continue following You. For those who are strangers to You, please soften their hearts one more time today so that they are willing to brush aside self, and look full into Your wonderful eyes and fully surrender their life to You. May this be a day of pure joy for You and my readers Lord, so that there will be no need for Your anger to rise against them. Thank You for Your love, yet firm stand on what we must do to receive Your help. May we be obedient followers today, is my humble prayer, for I ask this in the powerful name of Jesus, AMEN!

Nuggets From God's Word

Month: April 2015