What The Lord Hates

On 2017-05-06 By Ed AlgreenIn Pleasing to GodLeave a comment

Post Date:	Saturday, 2017-05-06
SCRIPTURE
From:	Proverbs 6:16-19 (ERV)
Text:	¹⁶The Lord hates these seven things: ¹⁷ eyes that show pride, tongues that tell lies, hands that kill innocent people, ¹⁸ hearts that plan evil things to do, feet that run to do evil, ¹⁹ witnesses in court who tell lies, and anyone who causes family members to fight.
OBSERVATION:
The Bible is very clear on what displeases God. We know that He hates sin, so I believe that we can conclude as we look at each item listed in our Scripture that they are either sinful acts, or a result of sinful acts. As in any relationship in which we love someone, we should endeavor to always avoid the things that God hates.
APPLICATION:
In the case of our parents, our spouse or even best friends, we would do our very best to always avoid doing those things that they hate, despise, or dislike. So having read that God hates to see certain things going on in our lives, what then shall we do about that? I know you can read the verses above, but let’s just break these things down and have a closer look: Eyes that show pride – generally refers to the actions of one whose heart is filled with pride. With their eyes, they tend to look down on people, and think less of them than they do of themselves; Tongues that tell lies – referring to the one who, as part of their normal speech, tells untruths to promote self, or deceive others; Hands that kill innocent people – this is self explanatory; Hearts that plan evil things to do – hearts filled with wicked imagination that often lead to actions that are evil; Feet that run to do evil – From the content of the heart the mouth speaketh and the feet will be anxious to rush to scenes that will lead to evil doings. Notice how investigators often find criminals who escaped prison, they find them at scenes where evil, or criminal things occurred? Witnesses in court who tell lies – a false witness is one that has no value for truth and justice and they will do anything to help like minded individuals escape due justice, including lying for them; One who causes family members to fight – God created the family to be an example to the world of His relationship to his Son. He also created man and woman uniquely to bring mutual happiness to each other. Children born to that union demonstrates necessary leadership by the father and obedience by the child. This makes it easier and understandable when we are taught that we are to obey our heavenly Father. Yet we see many cases of folk deliberately trying to destroy families and cause strife between family members. God hates this. All of these things are understably hated by God. If we have a personal relationship with God, we will do everything within our power to love Him and please Him. Therefore, if He hates the above things, we are to avoid them at all cost. He can help us with that if we struggle to do it on our own.
PRAYER:
Lord, there is nothing we would like more than to please You in every aspect of our lives. Yet as we read this scripture, we are reminded that we sometimes fall into the trap of displeasing You. Please give us strength and wisdom to overcome our weaknesses. In return, please direct us towards pure hearts and minds that are so filled with Your goodness that we would strive to please You in everything we do and say. We want the world to see You in every aspect of our lives, and we know that this would be impossible without them seeing evidence of Your teachings in every fibre of our being. So we beg for Your filling today oh Lord, AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. 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 Nuggets From God’s Word 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!

How To Prove Love For God

On 2017-05-052017-05-05 By Ed AlgreenIn Love God, The love of God, Unconditional loveLeave a comment

Post Date:	Friday, 2017-05-05
SCRIPTURE
From:	1 John 4:19-21 (MSG)
Text:	¹⁹We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first. ^20-21If anyone boasts, “I love God,” and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both.
OBSERVATION:
John gives us a way to prove if we truly love God. God proved His love for us when He placed His very own Son on the cross at Calvary as a substitute for our sin. John explains how we prove back to God that we love Him in return.
APPLICATION:
Many people will tell you to prove that you love them by….. (doing something very special for them). Generally that’s when a friend wants you to do them a favor. However that is not love, that’s doing a favor for a friend. Often we substitute the word ‘love’ for infatuation, or lust or even being impressed with someone. Throughout the Bible God showed His love for us, and for those who know God personally and live each day in appreciation for all that He still does for us even today, we learn that His love is deeper and more sincere than anything we could describe, understand or duplicate. So what lessons have God provided for us so that we might love like He did? Although many, I want us to concentrate on the one lesson that John shares with us in the Scripture referenced above. This will be challenging for us to grasp, especially in light of the church splits we have seen, or Christian families that have parted ways with each other, or perhaps another church family. However, throughout the Word of God, we are taught to do the things that Christ taught us and was appropriately recorded in His Word. The lessons that stand out most to us, is the awesome, unconditional love that Jesus showed for us, especially when He went to the cross for all mankind, even those who scorned, mocked and hung Him on the cross. His sacrifice was for all mankind willing to surrender their lives to His lordship, yes even us , who came from awful lives of sin and self destruction. In surrendering ourselves to the lordship of Jesus Christ, we committed to a life that imitates the life that Jesus lived and exampled before us. So when we are at odds with a believer, or if we ever digress to a state of saying how much we hate another proclaimed Christian, are we not proving the Word of God in these verses by showing that it is impossible for us to say that we love God, if we truly feel ill will towards another believer? The Word tells us that for those who concede to such hatred, prove that we are not children of God, for we cannot love Him and hate a Brother or Sister in Christ. So when you find yourself getting upset with a believer, may I encourage you to examine your relationship with Jesus Christ? Let us learn to prove our love for Christ each day, by the way that we love, respect and treat His children!
PRAYER:
Father, You loved us enough that You gave….. You gave everything so that we might one day be with You and Your Father in heaven. As Your children – Your imitators, we will not only love You in return, but we will also love those who love You. Holy Spirit, please impact our minds whenever there is concern about our love for others. Please help us to stay committed to Your Word every day, so that we might be reminded of our shortcomings and then seek You more earnestly so that we may enrich our lives with more of Your character and Your desire for Your children. May others see so much of Jesus in us that they will desire to know the source of our good works and our love for others. AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. 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 Nuggets From God’s Word 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!

What Makes Us Unfit For God

On 2017-05-04 By Ed AlgreenIn Follower of Christ, Hypocritical, Perfection, Spiritual FitnessLeave a comment

Post Date:	Thursday, 2017-05-04
SCRIPTURE
From:	Mark 7:20-23 (TLB)
Text:	²⁰And then he added, “It is the thought-life that pollutes. ²¹For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts of lust, theft, murder, adultery, ²²wanting what belongs to others, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, pride, and all other folly. ²³All these vile things come from within; they are what pollute you and make you unfit for God.”
OBSERVATION:
Jesus had to get the Pharisees straight on their line of thinking, for they went out of their way to criticize Jesus and His followers for not following lots of manmade rules, while all the while harboring awful thoughts inside of them. As we study this today, I can assure you that we are no different, and would therefore recommend that you do some soul searching and honestly consider whether you are truly fit for meeting the God of this universe.
APPLICATION:
Before we think too critically of the Pharisees, please allow me to challenge us to think about the many unwritten rules that we use when analyzing (judging) the behavior of those that we come into contact with. Often this really gets into our pious minds as to whether we think a person is fit for the kingdom of God. We tend to consider whether the place a person visits make them unfit; the words they say that might offend God; the people they hang around, that makes them guilty by association; the church they attend or the frequency of their weekly visits to that place of worship; or even the duration of their time meditating on God’s Word. Does this sound familiar friends? What do you think, do we really need God to judge our friends? So what exactly is it that God is teaching us here? He certainly is not teaching us how to judge someone, so we could erase that thought! Instead, I believe that God is teaching us to: Be careful of what we fill our minds with. If we seek God’s face on a regular basis, then we will quickly conclude that we are so unworthy. If we humble ourselves before Him and seek His guidance and His direction for our lives, and we become submissive to His perfect will, then perhaps we will see Him steering us in right paths. If we fill our minds with godly things, then we will begin thinking like God and depending on Him more and more. His Word will help us to flush out those evil thoughts and desires that bombard us every day that we are in this wicked world; Be the eyes, hands and feet of Jesus to those that we come into contact with. Let’s remember that each one is so valuable in the eyes of Jesus that He actually ‘gave up His life for us’. What does that mean? Friends, He had the power to raise the dead, heal the sick and make the crippled to walk again. He also had the power to wipe out the whole bunch of those that beat on Him and took Him to Calvary to be hung on a cross in mockery before the world, yet He made the sacrifice anyway. If He thought enough of each one of us to do that, how dare us to exclude some from that love? If they are special in God’s sight and worthy of the sacrifice of His precious Son, and we are endeavoring to be examples of that same Jesus, then we must look on the best and worst of mankind in the same light as He did. All are precious in His sight, and so should they be in ours. Use the list of items quoted in these verses to help identify when we are off-track in our minds. To arrive at this point, we have probably already gone through many of the things I have already mentioned. Let us therefore present ourselves to God and ask Him to cleanse us and give us a new mind – one that is so filled with His grace and His mercy, so that our minds might be renewed, and refilled with the things of God and not of this wicked world. This Brother cannot tell you what you need to do to align yourselves properly with God. So present yourselves to God and ask Him to assume, or resume leadership in your life. Ask Him to fill you with His power and His grace, so that others will see Jesus in everything that you say, hear or do, knowing that He will ultimately reflect in the way you speak or act around others.
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, who is man that You would sacrifice Your life for us? Who is man that You would use us to minister in Your name and share Your gospel with others? Lord, we want to be fit vessels that will represent You well before a lost and dying world, but we can’t do it on our own. To be filled with You, we must totally surrender ourselves to You and ask You to assume control. Please work in and through us to accomplish Your perfect will for mankind, especially my family and friends within my realm of influence. The glory belongs to You as Your perfect will is accomplished oh Lord. AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. 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 Nuggets From God’s Word 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!

Holiness – Because God is Holy

On 2017-05-03 By Ed AlgreenIn Christ's Representative, Holy, Holy Living, Representation of the Master, Representative of ChristLeave a comment

Post Date:	Wednesday, 2017-05-03
SCRIPTURE
From:	Leviticus 19:1-2 (CEV)
Text:	¹The Lord told Moses ²to say to the community of Israel:I am the Lord your God. I am holy, and you must be holy too!
OBSERVATION:
God had shared with the Israelites that they were His chosen people. He showed this in the way that He brought them out of slavery in Egypt and into a land filled with milk and honey – the Promised Land. He disciplined them when they did things contrary to His commands. However God also took care of their needs and loved on them in many different ways. Now, God wanted to see them go off into the Promised Land in a manner that might show respect, honor and praise to the One who brought them to this point. This is very much in line with what God expects from us today!
APPLICATION:
If I was a carpenter, I would teach my son a trade – and guess what that trade might be? In teaching that son what might best align him with the teachings of my Lord, I would steer him towards a humble, but yet glorifying life dedicated to Jesus Christ. My greatest lessons would be through my actions and not just through my words. I would be careful in not demanding that he lives in a manner that I have never been able to accomplish. Moses went on in the rest of chapter 19 to teach the Israelites some of the ways through which God might be glorified in their lives. I believe that it is super important that we grasp hold of this teaching friends, for God not only says in John 3:16 that whosoever believes in the Son of God will become children of God, but there are many other verses in the Bible that teach the same principles taught in this chapter. The God in whom we place our faith and our trust is a Holy God. To say that we believe in Him, or that we are His followers, or that we are Christian, and then continue to live like the world, is a huge conflict and contradiction of our beliefs. We then become hypocrites of God and distract the witness for Christ. That’s totally opposite to what we are called to be, for in us the world should see enough of Christ that they would desire to know our source of truth and help – Jesus Christ, in a very personal and meaningful way. So friends, what are others seeing in you even when you don’t have an opportunity to witness to them verbally? I pray that Jesus is so prominent in your life that the whole world will know the driving force behind all that you do and all that you are. I pray that Jesus Christ might be glorified daily because of your actions and your witness for Him! To God be all the glory!
PRAYER:
Great is thy faithfulness Lord, to even me! Thank You for the opportunity to be called a child of the King of all kings – Jesus Christ. Lord may Your saints be so appreciative of this attachment to You, that Your character will be displayed through us in everything that we do, so that You might be glorified in all things. Have Your will and way in us today oh Lord – our Rock; our Redeemer; our Savior and our soon coming King, AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. 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 Nuggets From God’s Word 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!

The Compassion of Christ

On 2017-05-022017-05-02 By Ed AlgreenIn All-powerful, Awesome God, Compassion, Forgiveness, Power of God, PowerfulLeave a comment

Post Date:	Tuesday, 2017-05-02
SCRIPTURE
From:	Mark 6:36-38 (ERV)
Text:	³⁶So send the people away. They need to go to the farms and towns around here to buy some food to eat.”³⁷But Jesus answered, “You give them some food to eat.” They said to Jesus, “We can’t buy enough bread to feed all these people. We would all have to work a month to earn enough to buy that much bread!” ³⁸Jesus asked them, “How many loaves of bread do you have now? Go and see.” They counted their loaves of bread. They came to Jesus and said, “We have five loaves of bread and two fish.”
OBSERVATION:
Jesus had been bombarded by crowds every day, and now wanted to escape for a few hours with His close followers to just relax and refresh. However, as they were approaching their destination they realized that the crowd was 2 steps ahead of them, and in spite of going the long way around, they were already on the other side of the lake. Jesus could easily have thrown His hands up and turned around to return where He and His disciples left from, but He had compassion on the crowd gathered and resumed His ministry to them.
APPLICATION:
I wonder how often we shrug off our responsibility to care for others like Jesus did? I wonder how many ministry opportunities are missed when we do that? I wonder how often we skew the concept of Jesus in the eyes of others, because we acted in a totally different way than what they were expecting Christ’s followers to act like? Jesus was looking for respite, but instead faced the same crowd that He was hoping to escape for a short period. Not only did Jesus attend to their spiritual needs for this huge crowd, but He also attended to their physical need of nourishment. I want you to think like most of the disciples did. Imagine taking an extra couple of friends home for supper, unannounced to your spouse – the cook who may have prepared enough for 2. Now imagine that you dropped a bombshell on your wife that you would like for her to prepare a meal for your Sunday School class of 30. If you survived divorce on that daring request, imagine that you are the pastor of a church and you asked your wife to prepare a meal for the congregation. Whoa, that’s a huge and daring request! OK, so this request, or demand, Jesus made of His followers to feed the crowd of over 5,000 was humongous in the eyes of the disciples, especially with them not having brought any provisions. However, what was impossible in the eyes of man, was totally possible with God! Once again Jesus had compassion on the crowd and used what little His followers found among the crowd, to multiply it and make it more than sufficient for the need at hand. Friends, let’s learn to never question God when we feel like He is directing us. If He created the world from absolutely nothing, and if He created man from just dirt, can you imagine what He could still do today in the lives of those He created and gave up His very own Son’s life for? As we stand in awe of His awesome power and compassion, may we recommit yet again to give Him control and allow Him to rule and reign in our lives, for His ultimate glory? May we be willing to give wholeheartedly like our Saviir did!
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, thank You for accepting us as You children who are so desperately in need of a Savior. Our awareness of Your power and Your giving has been revitalized as we read this story once again. Now may we be willing to exercise our faith and strive to live our life experiences with You in mind and as our example. May others desire to know You personally because of seeing You in every fiber of my life. Bless my readers and encourage them to do the same. AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. 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 Nuggets From God’s Word 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!

We Have HOPE!

On 2017-05-012017-05-01 By Ed AlgreenIn Eternal Life, Eternity, Hope, Salvation, SaviorLeave a comment

Post Date:	Monday, 2017-05-01
SCRIPTURE
From:	2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (TLB)
Text:	¹⁶That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our inner strength in the Lord is growing every day. ¹⁷These troubles and sufferings of ours are, after all, quite small and won’t last very long. Yet this short time of distress will result in God’s richest blessing upon us forever and ever! ¹⁸So we do not look at what we can see right now, the troubles all around us, but we look forward to the joys in heaven which we have not yet seen. The troubles will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.
OBSERVATION:
As Paul looked on at the troubles that his people were having and how despondent they became of the dismal outlook on things, he encouraged them to think beyond the temporary things that they were bombarded with each day and instead, keep their eyes focused on what lies ahead for those who have accepted Jesus as Lord, and the One who has gone to prepare a place for us when we graduate from this world to the other shore where we will live forever with the Father, Son and Holy Ghost!
APPLICATION:
Just over this one weekend, I was reminded that life here on this earth is very delicate, where we could be enjoying life to the fullest and the next hour be in hospital struggling for breath to stay alive. I visited a place where dust and drought was taking its toll on cattle, wildlife and plant-life. I met friends who are very challenged with continued life here on earth, yet they have made no provision for their existence after expiration here. I know of individuals who are uncertain how they will make it through life financially, yet expenses hit them hard every day. I’m glad that you haven’t stopped reading because of all the bad news. Let me assure you that there is help and hope for everyone, because Jesus is available to everyone, as promised in John 3:16. Paul is advising us that although we deal with the struggles of life here on this earth, like partially listed above, yet there is ‘H O P E’ available to those willing to make a conscious, personal decision. No, it really isn’t automatic, it’s the other ‘a’ word – it’s available! In the Word of God, He proclaims that for all desiring this new life, and this hope for eternity, there is a Savior who laid the way for us to spend eternity in heaven. Being available to us means that, we must be willing to surrender our weak selves to Him and ask Him to be our Savior, Lord and Director of all aspects of life remaining here on this earth. In return for that, we have assurance of our salvation for all eternity! We have a heavenly home prepared for us where there will be none of the things I first mentioned! His Holy Spirit will be our personal guide while we finish up our time here on earth! The God of this universe, together with His Son Jesus, will be our welcome party and our heavenly hosts as we graduate from this world to the next! So can you please tell me again, why you would settle for struggling along in this life, alone and without any hope at all? My Jesus can be your Lord today friend! He will be your HOPE for today, tomorrow and throughout eternity! This is the ultimate achievement in life, and you deserve God’s very best that He put in place for you and I! Contact me using the information below, or see a local Bible teaching pastor for direction on how to accept Jesus as your Savior. I can only imagine that you would like to be comforted with ultimate hope for today and tomorrow!
PRAYER:
Dear Lord, how grateful we are for the many blessings You shower on your children each day, and for the sacrifice You made at Calvary so that we might live a life of HOPE, no matter what today brings, or that tomorrow might hold. A hope and a joy that will last throughout this life and even through eternity! Lord You are our HOPE and we are eternally grateful for that assurance as we hold Your hand and walk through the trials and chores of this life here on earth. We look forward to THAT DAY in awesome anticipation! AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. 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 Nuggets From God’s Word 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!