Don’t Be Offended

On 2016-05-192016-05-19 By Ed AlgreenIn Representation of the Master, Servants of God, WitnessLeave a comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? May this be a day that we will represent Jesus well, and not be offended by those who might reject Him! May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………

Today’s Bible Reference: Luke 10:16
Today’s Bible Text: My followers, whoever listens to you is listening to me. Anyone who says “No” to you is saying “No” to me. And anyone who says “No” to me is really saying “No” to the one who sent me.
The Bible Translation: The Contemporary English Version (CEV)

My Take Away: Many of our churches will ordain ministers/pastors, and some may ordain elders and possibly deacons. While this is an honorable thing, I want to encourage all believers to feel an obligation to share the joy of their salvation with everyone that they come into contact with. When we ordain today, it’s generally for specific ministries, or it may be for general ministry of the gospel. We then give instructions to go out in the name of Jesus and serve. This follows very closely what Jesus did when He chose about 70 additional disciples, as we find in verse 1 of this chapter. In all fairness, Jesus told the chosen disciples that they will be entering a hostile world, but He instructed them to ‘PRAY’ and ‘GO”, remembering who sent them. In this little verse, God drew my attention to the fact that some will reject the message that we have to relay from God, and there are mind-sobering thoughts to consider here. Basically we are being reminded that although we may faithfully share the Word of God, there will be some who reject what we have to say. Jesus encourages us to consider that the offenders are not really rejecting us, but instead the One who sacrificed His very life at Calvary for them. Furthermore, because Jesus was under direct instruction from His Father, the offenders are really rejecting God himself. In short, when we are obedient to the call of Christ, and to His command to go and preach, or witness to others, we must be prepared for God being offended and rejected. For He is the One instructing Jesus, who instructed us to go and share His Word in the first place. This is not intended to help us feel better, but rather to not take the offense personal. A diplomat sent to represent his head of state is generally a very honored person. We too should feel honored that our Head of State, God the Father, reached down and tapped us on the shoulder as a ‘diplomat’ to represent Him before a lost world! Let us serve as an honored man/woman/servant, God being our helper and guide!

Prayer: Thank You for choosing even me to be Your faithful representative/diplomat dear Jesus. I believe there are many reading this devotional today who may also feel privileged in a similar way. We need Your power, guidance and limitless love for all mankind, as we go our way today. May they see Jesus and come to know Him personally! For I ask these things in the precious name of Jesus, AMEN!

Footnote: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to 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, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! 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!

2016

What’s Your Excuse?

On 2016-05-182016-05-18 By Ed AlgreenIn Excuses, Unashamed, WitnessLeave a comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider feeding even us with His Word! May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………

Today’s Bible Reference: Luke 9:59–62
Today’s Bible Text: ⁵⁹ He said to another person, “Come, follow me.” The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” ⁶⁰ But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.” ⁶¹ Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.” ⁶² But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: There’s probably a sermon in the initial command from Jesus; in each of the excuses given by the men He addressed; and also in the responses given back by Jesus. I want to reflect for a moment on the challenge Jesus faced when He knew that He was destined for the cross. No excuses, but instead, just His willingness to do the will of the Father. Now, before we beat up on the excuses used here by the men in this story, I wonder what excuses we give Jesus every day for prioritizing Him out of our daily schedule. Oh how it must hurt Him when His own children admits day after day that He was not a priority in their lives. Instead of digging into God’s Word we _________. Instead of bowing our knees before our Holy God and talking to Him about the challenges we were expecting yesterday, we took our chances, and saw pitiful results. Instead of giving God credit for our blessings, a chance to witness to our neighbor, instead we bragged about how good we are and how we planned for that moment of success, or we may have even attributed our success to good luck. Friends, did we do enough and say enough to encourage a sinner to follow us to the cross of Calvary to meet Jesus? Let me be daring and remind you that someone is watching you. They thought that they heard you were a Christian, so they believe they are safe in following in your footsteps, hoping that you would lead them to Jesus. How did you do yesterday? Are there any changes that you need to make today to help ensure that your closeness to the cross and to the Master will be a bold witness to someone who needs Jesus? It’s not a thing of pretense, for Jesus knows your heart, and your friends will quickly identify the intent of your heart based on your character. Let’s act today in preparation for meeting face-to-face with the Master tonight. Hopefully we can meet with Jesus unashamedly, and with no excuses!

Prayer: It is unfortunate dear Lord that we are still as full of excuses as these men that you challenged in this scripture today. Even after all that You did for us at Calvary, and even after all that You do for us each and every day. Please forgive us Lord. There are no really legitimate excuses. We admit that we have allowed this old world with its many time constraints, to take priority in our lives, and we have therefore pushed You aside and will try to satisfy our broken relationship with You through excuse after excuse. Please forgive us, and refill us with the joy of our salvation. Please remind us of the awesome God that we serve, adore and love. May we draw close to You today, is my prayer of faith and commitment, AMEN!

2016

Evidence of Our Righteousness

On 2016-05-172016-05-17 By Ed AlgreenIn Glorify, Obedience, Righteous Living, Righteousness, Worship2 Comments

Today’s Bible Reference: Isaiah 26:7–8
Today’s Bible Text: ⁷ But for those who are righteous, the way is not steep and rough. You are a God who does what is right, and you smooth out the path ahead of them. ⁸ LORD, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws; our heart’s desire is to glorify your name.
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: I believe that first impressions of my subject may cause you to think that you can easily impress people (family, friends, loved ones, coworkers), so this act of being righteous has to be an easy challenge today. Well, if your heart is right and you are sincerely doing everything possible to exemplify Christ in every aspect of your life, then you may be right. I was challenged by the two simple ways Isaiah shared that we could show proof of our desire to be righteous:

Obeying God’s laws – friends I believe that our challenge with this, is in trying to get to the root of God’s intentions in His laws. Society, and yes many churches, have put their own spin on what the Word of God is actually saying to His people. Many ‘teachings’ tend to ‘water down’ the real intent of the scripture to something that man feels is possible or sounds most logical for followers. We must be sure that we are truly understanding the heart of God and His full intentions, for His ways are pure, true and righteous in every way. Let’s be careful to not sprinkle a little of our own philosophy into the Word to make it sound good or palatable. God gave His words to His messengers in precisely the way that He meant for us to understand and obey it. Our obedience to His laws, or His teachings, or His Word is evidence of our righteousness. Do I dare say that anything less is clear evidence of how messed up we truly are?
Our heart’s desire is to glorify God – We have no idea what kind of worshipping, or praising, or glorifying God takes place in the privacy of homes, or at our jobs, or other areas of our life, but may I dare suggest that from the evidence we see at church services, it’s probably very minimal? Some seem very excited about being at church on Sunday mornings and this reflects in their worship. Most seem to attend out of tradition; satisfying a spouse’s invitation/demands; and some just to say that they want the rest of their week to go well, so they give Jesus some time on Sundays. On Sunday evenings or Wednesday night prayer and Bible Study meetings churches might only see 20% of the Sunday morning crowd. I wonder whether our ‘desire’ is to glorify God. I wonder if we could join Isaiah in appearing before God on Judgment Day and asking Him to please consider our times of glorifying Him as evidence of our righteousness while on earth?

These are only two factors in evidencing our righteousness, but I believe they are huge ones. God knows our heart, regardless of what we might evidence before mankind. Draw me close to You dear Lord, never let me go. My heart’s desire is to know You and draw closer to You. Please touch the lives of those that will read this devotional today. May they draw ever so close to You and may their lives be filled with righteousness and servitude towards You dear Father.

Prayer: Lord, we commit ourselves to You and pray that Your Holy Spirit will constantly impress upon us the need for obedience to Your laws, and an undying desire to glorify You in all aspects of our life. AMEN!

2016

Sharing Your Story

On 2016-05-162016-05-16 By Ed AlgreenIn Our story, Unashamed, WitnessingLeave a comment

Today’s Bible Reference: Luke 8:38–39
Today’s Bible Text: ³⁸ The man who had been freed from the demons begged to go with him. But Jesus sent him home, saying, ³⁹ “No, go back to your family, and tell them everything God has done for you.” So he went all through the town proclaiming the great things Jesus had done for him.
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT}

My Take Away: I wonder how many friends will be told that you went to church this weekend? How about the experience resulting from what you garnered from the Word of God? Or perhaps the touch of the Master during the Praise and Worship time? Are you feeling healed today of something you and your church members prayed about? Will you be brave enough to share that with critics at work today? In our scripture story today we read where Jesus healed a man of demon possession, and we see where he was excited and ready to board a boat and travel with Jesus to continue spreading the story of salvation. Instead Jesus asked the man to go and share his story with his family. The man was way too excited to just tell his own family, so he went all throughout the town telling his story. Let’s put this into perspective. I challenged you at the beginning to share your worship experience with your coworkers today, and especially any extraordinary interactions with Jesus from your weekend. I believe I saw some dirty looks from some of you, but I still want to take that a step further and ask you to share your experience with a store clerk, or a waitress! Isn’t it interesting how we find it easier to share information about a movie we saw or an event in our child’s life, but not about the miracle that occurred when the Savior of the world reached down in love and touched a sinner such as we are? A total transformation, yet we don’t want to offend our friends by sharing our good news with them? Friends, I am convinced that if it’s in us, it will come out of us! Our genuine experiences with God will impact our lives and everyone will notice! Perhaps if we are ashamed to share the blessings God has showered on us, He should withdraw those blessings and give them to someone who will openly share the Good News with others! What’s your hang up friend?

Prayer: The privilege of being touched by the God of this universe is much more news-worthy than anything else that could possibly hit the front page of the paper today! Please forgive us Lord for placing you in a ‘forbidden box’ when it comes to sharing our interactions with You to others. I believe that others will be convinced of Your power and Your love, when they see us get excited about it and they hear us bubbling over with the glory of having been in Your presence. Please embolden us with great power so that we will not be ashamed of the gospel, but will gladly share how it has impacted our lives. May others see Jesus, because of their encounter with us today. I ask these things in the wonderful and miraculous name of the One who saved me from my sin, Jesus my Lord, AMEN!

2016

Hearts Filled With The Word of God will Speak and Act Like Jesus

On 2016-05-14 By Ed AlgreenIn Clean Heart, Heart, Know God's HeartLeave a comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Make every effort to fill yourself with the Word of God, so that your words and actions will exemplify Jesus to a lost world. They don’t need another pretender. May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………

Today’s Bible Reference: Luke 7:39-40
Today’s Bible Text: 39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!” 40 Then Jesus answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.”
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation

My Take Away: At one time in the past I heard someone say that they were talking to themselves, because they needed someone intelligent to talk to!! I am one to ponder on things before I speak, so I may wind up similar to the Pharisee in this story, where I would rehearse things over in my head before speaking. However, I believe there were different reasons here, for Jesus found the need to address the situation with this individual. I’m sure that there are many of you, just like me, that often thank God for not having said all that ran through our heads while fellowshipping with some folk! However, I believe many of us live in regret for not having said some of the things that we thought during our interaction with others, because we may have been too timid. I want us to look at the scenario of where our sin and evil thoughts come from and how that impacts our interaction with others. I believe that way too often God may wish that we would be more like the drunk who is said to use his impaired mind to speak his heart! So how do we get in the gutter like this? Well, the Bible tells us repeatedly that we are to saturate our minds with the things of Christ. Will this come natural? It will, if we learn that our minds will be filed with what we fill our eyes and our ears with. If we feast on God’s Word, then our minds will be filled with God’s love, His mercy, His forgiveness, His goodness and His sacrificial attitude displayed one for another. Seldom will you find anything like this on the television, in the bars or at some of the parties you may be invited to. Friends, from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, and I believe that it only speaks what has already been filtered by you for others to hear, as there is tons of ‘junk’ that you are still pondering on and not yet verbalized. Let’s understand from this scripture today that God knows all things, even the thoughts you have not verbalized yet, and He will address the reason for such evil thoughts, just as He challenged the Pharisee. Let’s seek His help today that our minds might be pure and innocent, filled with His teachings and commands and exampled after His goodness, God being our helper.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are so good, and You have set an example for us in Your Word that we could achieve, with Your help. We want to truly represent You here on earth, so we realize that we have a lot to clean up in our minds. Although unspoken, way too often our thoughts are obvious to our audience through our actions and tone of voice. We need Your help in not only being wise in our spoken words, but to also fill ourselves with the Word of God, so that we might exude the Mind of God in everything we say and do. Thank You for speaking to us through Your precious Word today. As we are filled, may we also reflect this in every way today with all that we come into contact with. Please touch Your children today, especially me, as we stand in need of prayer – personally. I ask these things believing, 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. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could 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 http://www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to 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, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! 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!
2016

The Power of A Personal Experience

On 2016-05-132016-05-13 By Ed AlgreenIn Caring, Evangelize, First Hand Experience, Personal testimony, SalvationLeave a comment

Today’s Bible Reference: Luke 7:20-23
Today’s Bible Text: ²⁰So the men came to Jesus. They said, “John the Baptizer sent us to you with this question: ‘Are you the one who is coming, or should we wait for someone else?’” ²¹Right then Jesus healed many people of their sicknesses and diseases. He healed those who had evil spirits and made many who were blind able to see again. ²²Then he said to John’s followers, “Go tell John what you have seen and heard: The blind can see. The crippled can walk. People with leprosy are healed. The deaf can hear. The dead are brought back to life. And the Good News is being told to the poor. ²³Great blessings belong to those who don’t have a problem accepting me.”
The Bible Translation: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

My Take Away: Ever noticed the difference between sharing a story of something personally experienced, compared to sharing facts about something experienced by someone else and relayed to you? In this story today, Jesus could easily have answered the questions asked of Him by John’s disciples, but instead He chose to demonstrate His power to them so that they might share with John about something they actually experienced. I’ve seen folk so excited in sharing a personal experience, that I’ve been forced to slow them down in order for me to catch up with their story and understand what they were sharing. On the other hand, you hear words such as this, when someone is relaying someone else’s story: “Well at least that’s what they told me” or “According to ???? this is what happened”. In a courtroom the judge will often ask that you give only the facts you have experienced, not hear-say. The judge wants only first-hand experience taken into evidence. Based on their first-hand experience, I believe that John’s disciples ran back to him with such excitement in their hearts, that it was probably very challenging for him to discern what they were telling him. I also believe that this is how personal evangelism is often more impactful, when you and I openly share our personal testimony with an unsaved loved one. Friends, I am convinced that our relatives, friends, coworkers and others that we meet each day, will only come to know Jesus because of personal experiences that we excitedly share with them, not through something we might tell them that our spouse heard the preacher say last Sunday. Our personal testimony shared with friends is probably more impactful than any Bible story we can tell them, because it’s not hear-say. Don’t add on to it to try and make it exciting or dramatic, just share what Jesus did for you. Our personal experiences come out of a daily encounter/experience/relationship with the Savior of this world, the Creator of this universe, the King of all kings, Messiah, Son of God, through whom we have every confidence about our eternal home. Won’t you know Him today friend? I want you to experience Him, so that you can share that experience with someone else in your circle that needs to know our Lord! I want you to be the influence for that friend’s eternity in heaven!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I realize that there is no power in us to influence others, but I do believe that when we add You into the picture, then we have everything to share. Just as You reached down into the depths of our sinful lives and rescued us, I believe that You can still do the same thing for our friends that we are so concerned about today. While we absolutely can’t save anyone from their sin, I know that Your extreme power within us can influence our friends of their need for a Savior. Please empower and embolden us to share our testimony with others today – our story. We want others to become excited and know the Savior that brought excitement and change into our lives. We want them to accept You as Lord of their lives, and we know that You still save, even today. Please use us as needed to rescue our family and friends today from the grip of sin and the tug of Satan. I ask these things in the strong name of Jesus, AMEN!

2016

Reflective of Jesus or…..

On 2016-05-122016-05-12 By Ed AlgreenIn Godly example, Reflective of Jesus Christ3 Comments

Today’s Bible Reference: Luke 6:43-45
Today’s Bible Text: ⁴³“A good tree does not produce bad fruit. And a bad tree does not produce good fruit. ⁴⁴Every tree is known by the kind of fruit it produces. You won’t find figs on thorny weeds. And you can’t pick grapes from thorn bushes! ⁴⁵Good people have good things saved in their hearts. That’s why they say good things. But those who are evil have hearts full of evil, and that’s why they say things that are evil. What people say with their mouths comes from what fills their hearts.
The Bible Translation: Easy-To-Read Version (ERV)

My Take Away: I would like to encourage you to re-read the above verses without trying to apply the words to a friend or relative, for I want to encourage you to allow God to speak with you personally about this subject today! Here are a few things that God is dealing with me on about this teaching:

When I act ungodly, or say things that I later regret, what type of tree am I – really? For God is teaching me here that I am recognized by the type fruit (character, outward expressions or words) that comes from me;
If I am truly a child of the King, then He expects to see me produce ‘fruit’ that reminds folk of Jesus. For God is good, and bad ‘fruit’ should not come from a ‘good’ or Godly person – or least one who is endeavoring to look like Jesus every day;
There is a saying, that if something looks like a duck, smells like a duck and acts like a duck, it probably is a duck! If my life produces thorns, and I become very irritable at having folk around me – in fact they could practically feel the thorns, then chances are that I am not a ‘good’ God-fearing, loving, Christ-like person (or tree) that folk will want to be around. I could only imagine that they would never relate to me as a child of the King;
Just as I can evaluate a salesperson at a local store and jump to my own conclusions as to the ‘heart’ of that person, so it is with others as they evaluate the things I say and do. For what my heart is full of, so will the words of my mouth and indeed my whole character will reflect the same.

There is a song that I like to reflect on around Father’s Day ‘I want to be just like You’. That is my desire today, that I be more like my heavenly Father in every word or deed, so that I may be faithful in reflecting the depth of my heart, and that my life might truly be reflective of Jesus in every way. I would lovingly encourage each of my readers to commit to something similar as you allow these verses to speak to you today!

Prayer: Father, I believe that we are designed to act the way that we want and say the things that we want. I am reminded this morning that this is pretty automatic, in that these things come from deep within our hearts. Lord, I humbly plead with You today to so fill my heart with all aspects of Your character, that it will overflow in the words that I speak and in every action of mine today. Lord I want others to see You, especially in and through the things that I say and do. I pray that my readers will gain a similar desire today, so that Your army will leave our homes and families but yet reflect You in every way to all that we come into contact with as we enter our workplaces, shops or other business-places. Fill us Lord, so that we might be used by You for every mission field today. For I ask these things in the all-powerful name of Jesus, AMEN!

2016

The Moment of Truth

On 2016-05-112016-05-11 By Ed AlgreenIn Moment of Truth, Salvation, SinnerLeave a comment

Today’s Bible Reference: Luke 5:8-11
Today’s Bible Text: ⁸When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.” ⁹For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. ¹⁰His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed.
Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” ¹¹And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: In earlier verses we read where Simon Peter and his team had been fishing all night, but without any luck. So when Jesus approached them and told them to go out from the shore and cast their nets, Peter responded along the lines of, “now even though we have just returned from an all-nighter, and because You have asked us nicely to do this, we will”. In other words, we realize this may be a case of just extending our bad luck out on the waters, we will do it just because Jesus asked them to do it. What struck me about verse 8 is that, so often we go through the motions of church attendance, perhaps because of a spouse, or a parent, or even a friend, but there is nothing like the time that we have a personal, one-on-one experience with the Master! Suddenly our eyes are opened and we feel a connection to the Savior of the world! We realize that He truly died for our sin and that we can go on to have a personal, intimate relationship with Him. Like Peter, the encounter opens our eyes to the fact that we have been such a ‘dork’ and have totally missed the boat on the love that the Lord Jesus Christ has for even us. No doubt Peter had other earlier experiences with Jesus, or else he would not have obeyed Him in pushing his boat off the shore yet again. But friends, just like Peter, we must quickly realize that our encounter with the King of all kings, and Lord of all lords leads us to realize that we are so unworthy and needy, while He is so awesome and worthy of our honor, respect, obedience and love. We also can be the recipients of the blessings from the hand of Jesus, just as Peter and his friends were. However, we also must be acutely aware that a lot must change about our earthly lives for us to become more aligned with our Heavenly Father, so it may mean that we ditch our lives of contempt and sin, and follow Him, just as Peter did. A moment of truth with the Savior of the world, will cause us to quickly recognize our sinful condition and bring us to our knees, seeking His forgiveness. A time where we leave the old behind and seek to follow our new-found King and His will for our lives. I pray there will be at least one reading this devotional today whose eyes will be opened to the truth of God’s Word, just as Peter received new insight.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I pray that everyone reading this devotional will be reminded of the incredible power of our God, and the importance of leaving all earthly things alone so that You may receive our undivided attention and dedication. Thank You for loving us and caring for even us in such awesome ways. I ask these thinks in the wonderful name of Jesus, AMEN!

2016

What Is Your Shield When Tempted?

On 2016-05-102016-05-10 By Ed AlgreenIn Overcomers, Temptation, Tried2 Comments

Today’s Bible Reference: Luke 4:9–13
Today’s Bible Text: ^9–11For the third test the Devil took him to Jerusalem and put him on top of the Temple. He said, “If you are God’s Son, jump. It’s written, isn’t it, that ‘he has placed you in the care of angels to protect you; they will catch you; you won’t so much as stub your toe on a stone’?”
¹² “Yes,” said Jesus, “and it’s also written, ‘Don’t you dare tempt the Lord your God.’ ”
¹³ That completed the testing. The Devil retreated temporarily, lying in wait for another opportunity.
The Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take Away: I believe that many of us may feel like we are exempt from temptation. Perhaps it’s because we work around the church, or perhaps we stay in the country most of our lives and hardly ever visit the city, where it appears like sin is rampant. Perhaps we thank God because we might even be the pastor of a church, and we really don’t hit the streets too much, so temptation is at a bare minimum, we might think. Friends, Jesus had just been baptized in the Jordan river, and He left the scene ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’. But He was not led to the temple to escape the temptations of the world, instead He was led by the same Spirit, that led Him to be baptized, into the Wilderness where Satan tried to see what He really stood for. Now most church attendees know this story well, for they know that Jesus was tempted three times, and each time Jesus quoted scripture to defend His stand against Satan. In the above verses you can read the third temptation, where even Satan quoted scripture as he tempted Jesus. Does this make you think about the possibility of a wolf in sheep’s clothing? You know, that it is possible where even someone at church who appears to be very close to God, yet they might tempt you in some way? Possibly, yes! Does this mean that it might be possible that someone who is constantly quoting scripture to, or around you, might actually be the very one that might take Satan’s place in tempting you? Possibly, yes! Friends, verse 13 is really what caught my attention, as God warns us that Satan may have appeared to have retreated from us, but he is really lying in wait for another opportunity – a weak moment. Jesus used scripture to defend Himself against the power of Satan, what will be your shield, or your defense mechanism? I am convinced that none of us are exempt, so unless we have our minds made up and our shield in place, guess what? We are prime candidates for Satan to advance from his waiting position and harp on us next. Friends, may I encourage you to seek God’s face and acknowledge your unworthiness, and your helplessness to fight against the evil one? Our strength comes from the Lord, friends. Let us then lift up our heads to the only One powerful enough to fight the awful temptation that lurks around the corner every day. Jesus is our Protector, Friend, Lord of all lords, King of all kings, Master of this universe and our soon coming King! Let us then be found faithful and true each and every day!

Prayer: Father, we acknowledge You as Lord of this universe and Lord over our lives. I acknowledge You as my personal Savior and King. Please help us to stay so close to You Lord Jesus, that Satan will hit a brick wall every time that He comes our way. We need You Lord Jesus, for we want others to see You very prevalent in our lives so that they might be convinced of Your power and Your love, and therefore have a growing desire to invite You into their lives. For those who call You Lord, please protect us today and make us strong against the evil deeds of Satan. Only through Your power can we overcome the evil one, so we are depending heavily on Your everlasting love and power. I ask all this in the name of Jesus, the All-Powerful One, AMEN!

2016

What Should We Do?

On 2016-05-092016-05-09 By Ed AlgreenIn Know God's Heart, Obedience, Seek God First, Seek God's Face, Seeking GodLeave a comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Find out first-hand what God would have you do today! This will be important as you seek to do His will. May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for your blessing, friend!………

Today’s Bible Reference: Luke 3:10–14
Today’s Bible Text: ¹⁰ The crowds asked, “What should we do?”
¹¹ John replied, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.”
¹² Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked, “Teacher, what should we do?”
¹³ He replied, “Collect no more taxes than the government requires.”
¹⁴ “What should we do?” asked some soldiers.
John replied, “Don’t extort money or make false accusations. And be content with your pay.”
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: In so many areas of our lives we ask the same question as was asked of John the Baptist. As a child when we are tired of whippings and ready to do things mom way, we might ask her to just remind, or show us again what we could do to please her. As adults, we might ask our spouse to remind us of what we could do to please them or stay in their good graces. In our jobs we want to know what we could do to move up the corporate ladder, or earn more money. I believe that each time we attend church, we are looking for opportunities to worship and praise God for His goodness, but also to seek His face for our next assignment, or just instructions for righteous living that would please Him. Daily as we open the Word of God (and I pray that it is daily for you friend), we are looking for more encouragement and blessings from God, and looking for our next set of instructions from the Holy Spirit on what we must do to be more reflective of our Savior to those that we will come into contact with that day. We are simply asking like the different groups of people asked John, “What Shall We Do?”. A few verses down in this same chapter, John went on to explain how the Lord will soon return and how He will separate the chaff from the wheat – in other words, there will come a day of accountability, where the Master will recognize those who have obediently followed His instructions found in the Word of God from those who claimed the name but, continued to do the same old same old, and those who wanted nothing to do with their Creator or His precious Son, Jesus Christ. In knowing the Son of God, we have an obligation to obey Him, otherwise we never prove to Him or the world that we are a true son or daughter of the King. What then shall we do? Won’t you go before the Master and ask that question today, friend? John gave some basic answers that I’ve shared with you, but if you know Jesus personally, you have every right to approach Him and ask for your personalized instructions on what He would have you do. Let me encourage you to form that type of intimate relationship with your Heavenly Father, friend.

Prayer: Father, I want to thank You for showing me day after day that Your Word is active and very much alive, for You speak directly to me personally when I read its pages. Please help me to obediently follow Your instructions as a light unto my path of life. I have no doubt that my readers face the same dilemma each day as they seek Your face. Please revive Your army with Your almighty instructions – fresh new life that will not only revive us, but incent us to encourage others towards a more meaningful life and may we bless others as we meet them today. ‘As We seek Your face, may we know Your Heart’ is our hearts’ song today Lord Jesus. Please bless Your children accordingly, and we will be eternally grateful. AMEN!

2016

Nuggets From God's Word

Month: May 2016

Don’t Be Offended

What’s Your Excuse?

Evidence of Our Righteousness

Hearts Filled With The Word of God will Speak and Act Like Jesus

Reflective of Jesus or…..

The Moment of Truth

What Is Your Shield When Tempted?

What Should We Do?