Month: July 2017

Here’s The Reason Jesus Came

On By Ed AlgreenIn Effective Ministry, Reflective of Jesus Christ, The ChurchLeave a comment

Sunday, 2017-07-16

Scripture

Bible Reference: Mark 2:17

Bible Text: 17 When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

The attention given to the unrighteous, reminds me of a friend who is attracted to the one who sits at the back of the church and may be feeling dejected. I am also made keenly aware of why our churches are not reaching many of the unsaved in our communities. Think about it, who do most of our church members hang around? Fellow Christians, right? What happens to a pastor or church leader who may be seen hanging around a questionable crowd? Jesus said that He came for those who know that they are sinners. Wouldn’t that be a bold statement for a church to acknowledge that they exist for the sake of the unsaved? Who generally devours most of your pastor’s time, the saved or the unsaved? Where do most of your budget dollars go – towards reaching the lost; or patting the backs of the saved, and keeping them entertained? Will the unsaved feel welcomed at your worship services, or will they feel looked down on by the masses? Are you a part of a ministry that imitates the desire of Jesus, seeking to reach those who know they are sinners? If we are to be about our Father’s work, I believe we should be busy doing exactly what He showed and taught us to do. Can you handle that friend?

Prayer

Lord, may we Your children be willing to minister to those in need of a Savior more than just ministering to those just like us, or those we like. You came so that the lost might be saved and see the Kingdom of God. Please help us to keep that as our focus of ministry. I ask these things in the strong 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!

Show How Blessed You Are

On By Ed AlgreenIn Blessings, Give thanks, GivingLeave a comment

Post Date:

 Saturday, 2017-07-15
SCRIPTURE

From:

 Deuteronomy 16:16-17 (NCV)

Text:

  16 ….No man should come before the Lord without a gift. 17 Each of you must bring a gift that will show how much the Lord your God has blessed you.
OBSERVATION:
The Israelites received guidance from Moses on where they should worship, when, how and why. Other than the sacrifices, where Jesus offered Himself as a living sacrifice for us, I believe the other guidance that Moses felt led of God to share with his people are still very much in line with what we should still be doing today. The point today of giving in return for the blessings you receive, is one that we will look closer at and attempt to apply to our lives today.
APPLICATION:
I would imagine that there are some out there that give to the work of the Lord for various reasons, like giving because of promises by preachers that you would be healed, or that you will get rich. Some to avoid shame when the offering plate is passed, so that you will not be looked at strangely if you put nothing at all in it. Some may not give because they feel like churches or pastors are out to get rich quick from the gifts of even the poorest members. Or because you never have enough money for yourself each paycheck after paying your bills, so why should you short yourself to give to the church? These are probably just the ‘tip of the iceberg’ on excuses you have either heard or used before, but friends, our direction comes from God’s Word. Throughout His Word He teaches that those who love Him, or know Him, or who are His, are those who obey His commands. The guide given in verse 17 above, is that we give in line with how we’ve been blessed. Notice that there is no other calculation used? Here’s a personal testimony: When I became a tither, the biggest hurdle for me was to switch from a $1 offering in the plate as it passed, to actually giving 10% of my paycheck. There were times when funds got so tight that old Satan would make me question why am I doing this crazy giving thing? But God always saw me through, and He blessed me day after day. No He didn’t make me rich in money, but rather rich in blessings. Later in my Christian walk, an evangelist spoke on giving to God from our financial resources. In his closing prayer, he had us take our wallets out of our pocket, hold them in our hands before God, as we prayed for direction on our giving in relation to our blessings. God clearly reminded me that He had blessed me with my whole paycheck, and not just the net amount after taxes, loan payments, etc. At a time when funds were already challenging, I trusted God to see me through this change in the amount that I surrendered to Him. In no way is this bragging on anything special about this old born again sinner, but I would like you to know that God has held my hand and helped me through every financial challenge, AND blessed me enormously in my everyday life. Is God proud of the way you recognize His blessings to you? If He went strictly by the percentage you gave to Him unreservedly, and out of total obedience to His Word, would He consider you to be a totally appreciative person? If God blessed you strictly based on the amount you give to Him, do you suppose your blessings would increase, or decrease? Friends, let me assure you, our God is a very giving God. You can’t out-give Him, and I strongly believe that He will bless you even more as He recognizes that you are giving honestly and in response to His matchless blessings to you!
PRAYER:
Lord, how could we ever give enough to show our appreciation for all that You willingly and generously give to us? Lord, please help us to always give back to You out of love and in proportion to all that You have blessed us with, and never in response to what we feel that our church leaders may fail at. We want to be blessed by You, so we give to You. As You direct us to elect Your leaders to lead Your church, I have no doubt that You will place trusted leaders to mind Your flock and provide for the spiritual welfare of Your flock and our community. Thank You for giving so overwhelmingly to us Lord. May we give in proportion to all that You give to us. 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!

You Are The ‘Apple’ Of God’s Eye!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Jesus Loves you, Love, Salvation, The love of God, Unconditional loveLeave a comment

Post Date:

 Friday, 2017-07-14
SCRIPTURE

From:

 Deuteronomy 14:2 (NCV)

Text:

  2 You are holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. He has chosen you from all the people on earth to be his very own.
OBSERVATION:
In verse 1 we can clarify that our chosen Scripture was directed at the Israelites as God’s chosen people, but does this mean that His children today are any less special to Him? Let’s examine this today…
APPLICATION:
I believe that God really spoke to me in this verse this morning, so I wanted to share this with each of you, my readers. These words echoed a sweet reminder to me that all of us who have sincerely and seriously surrendered our lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, we also are very special to God. How special you might ask, because there are times when you may feel like God is so far away from you and may not have even heard your prayer request. Friends, when last did someone sacrifice their lunch for you so that you would not go hungry? Yes I know, that’s not in the Bible! However, my God loved you and I so much that He lightened our burden of sin and through the sacrifice of His very own Son, provided the means for us to live eternally with God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit, in the glories of heaven when our lives here on earth is over. Access to ‘the means‘ as provided by God, is to simply respond to the tug on your heart by the Holy Spirit, and surrender your life to Jesus Christ. Allow Him to assume lordship of your life and commit to obeying His commands as declared in His Word. Be willing to share that love with those that He might direct you to throughout your life. Friends, I want to remind you that whenever you accept the free gift of eternal life, as described above, my Jesus doesn’t take that lightly, and I hope that you don’t either. Jesus accepts you as His very own, and throughout Scripture, we find promise after promise of how He shows His love for us; protects us and even prays to the Father on our behalf. Friends, I can assure you that for those who have accepted Jesus, and live according to His plan for our lives, we have become children of God! His love is beyond anything we could ever imagine. We are extremely ‘S P E C I A L’ in our Father’s eyes, and our destination is edged in stone, as He awaits our arrival! I am anxiously awaiting the day friend, and I hope you have that same assurance! When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be!!!
PRAYER:
Why me Lord – What have I ever done – To deserve even one – Of the blessings I’ve known – Why me Lord  – What did I ever do – That was worth love from you – And the kindness you’ve shown – – Lord help me, Jesus – I’ve wasted it so – Help me, Jesus – I know what I am – Now that I know – That I’ve needed you so – Help me, Jesus – My soul’s in your hand! ~ Forgive us Lord when we take You for granted, disobey Your Word or ignore the love You showed for us. Please soften the hardened hearts of those we love who have ignored Your precious gift. May they surrender their hearts to You, even today. 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!

Attributes To Help You Be Useful To God

On By Ed AlgreenIn gifts, Gifts of The Spirit, Spiritual GiftsLeave a comment

Post Date:

 Thursday, 2017-07-13
SCRIPTURE

From:

 2 Peter 1:5-8 (ERV)

Text:

 5 ……do all you can to add to your life these things: to your faith add goodness; to your goodness add knowledge; 6 to your knowledge add self-control; to your self-control add patience; to your patience add devotion to God; 7 to your devotion add kindness toward your brothers and sisters in Christ, and to this kindness add love. 8 If all these things are in you and growing, you will never fail to be useful to God. You will produce the kind of fruit that should come from your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
OBSERVATION:
Peter started off his book by telling us how blessed we are to be called children of God. He shared that we are truly a very blessed people, and because of these blessings we should be careful to make every effort, and with the help of God, add attributes to our lives that would make us more like Jesus and useful for His service. 
APPLICATION:
Wouldn’t it be a really neat thing to look around your Sunday School class, or even your church and recognize one or more of the attributes mentioned in these verses, in different folk. We hear preachers say all the time that they don’t want us to attend church services to soak and sour. But don’t you know that God’s heart would be gladdened if He saw each of us striving more and more each day to welcome one of these gifts from God and then work hard to develop and apply them to our lives? Don’t you know that we would see a reduction in gossiping, insults, ill-feelings and hatred going on in our churches? Wouldn’t it be really encouraging to see the lost flocking to our doors because they ran into a church member during the week and saw these attributes of God alive and active in their life, so they followed up by attending to see if they could also attain those same gifts from God? Friends, if the Holy Spirit is truly living inside of us and we have given Him full reign of our lives, I truly believe that He will guide us into all righteousness and to act more like God every day. When people see this, they immediately think of God. If it takes us telling the average person that we are a Christian, then I believe that very quickly they will see through our flaws or our hypocritical lifestyle. Let me encourage you to join me in striving for righteousness; faith; goodness; knowledge; self-control; patience; devotion to God; kindness and love, for as God blesses us with these attributes, we will become truly useful to Him!
PRAYER:
Lord God, You are awesome in every way. You took ‘pieces of clay’ and made them Your perfect creation, so that we might love, serve and worship You. Seeing that we are still a work in progress, these gifts that you encouraged Peter to share with us today, will only serve to draw us closer to you; be more like You in every way; plus, encourage and motivate others that we come into contact with. Strengthen us today Lord, so that we may serve You better and encourage others along the way. I ask these things, all for Your glory, 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!

To Know That He Is God!

On By Ed AlgreenIn First Hand Experience, Know Jesus, Knowing ChristLeave a comment

Post Date:

 Wednesday, 2017-07-12
SCRIPTURE

From:

 Luke 7:22-23 (ERV)

Text:

 22 Then 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.23 Great blessings belong to those who don’t have a problem accepting me.”
OBSERVATION:
The prophets foretold the coming of John the Baptist, and the people followed his teachings. However, John knew that one was coming who was much greater than he was, so when questioned by his followers about the teachings of Jesus, John sent them to inquire. Our Scripture today is Jesus’ response to John’s followers. But how do we determine for ourselves who Jesus is?
APPLICATION:
At some time in our lives we are faced with the question about who God is, and then there’s the importance of evaluating what our relationship is with this awesome God. John knew from Scripture that Jesus was coming and when he heard about all that Jesus was doing, he was anxious to know if this was really the Christ. I truly believe that almost everyone in the world has probably heard about Jesus, but like you and I, they have to find out for themselves whether He truly exists, and then decide what they will do with Him. I thought that Jesus’ response was outstanding! He didn’t send the disciples to study what the prophets had foretold, nor did He quote Scripture for them. He simply told them to share with John all they had seen and experienced. Friends, if I told you about a news report I saw of an earthquake in Africa, and another friend told you of a time they were visiting California and an earthquake came in the middle of the night, which story do you suppose might be more convincing and interesting? I believe we will all agree that for those of us that not only have accepted Jesus as Lord, but have truly developed a personal relationship with Him, we can speak of Him from the heart. John’s followers experienced the awesome power of Jesus, so can you even imagine how excited and convincing they were when they returned to John? Do you suppose that he doubted for a moment whether they were telling him the truth? Friends, I believe that God is teaching us in this Scripture today, that we can attend church every day of the week, and hear the very best of preachers, but until we have developed our own personal experience with Jesus Christ, our witnessing will consist more of storytelling, than it would of a personal experience. Each man, woman and child must decide for themselves who Jesus is to them; develop and maintain a personal relationship with Him; and then let the joy that comes from that relationship overflow to all those that we come into contact with. We all need Jesus. Once you have confirmed that personal relationship, reach out to a friend that also needs Him and share your story. That’s real, personal evangelism!
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, thank You for loving us enough to sacrifice Yourself on the cross so that we might have the means of one day seeing You and the Father. Please forgive us for the times that we have kept that joy of knowing You bottled up inside. Lord, may our cups overflow so that the world will know that that You are very much alive, because they see evidence of it in us! We love You Lord, and again thank You for providing a way for us! 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!

Your Choice – Blessing or Curse!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Blessings, Choice, Choices, Curses, Needs, Needs of others, Recognize NeedsLeave a comment

Post Date:

 Tuesday, 2017-07-11
SCRIPTURE

From:

 Deuteronomy 11:26-28 (ERV)

Text:

 26 “Today I am giving you a choice. You may choose the blessing or the curse. 27 You will get the blessing if you listen and obey the commands of the Lord your God that I have told you today. 28 But you will get the curse if you refuse to listen and obey the commands of the Lord your God….. 
OBSERVATION:
In previous chapters Moses shared with his people what God had ordained for them to do when they entered into the land He had promised them. Kind of ironic that in spite of them being led for 40 years through the wilderness, where they witnessed miracle after miracle, and they still continued their bad habits at every turn, yet God didn’t give up on them, and He had His servant Moses warn them of the consequences of their decisions, even now that they arrived at their destination. I don’t believe there’s a whole lot of difference between what the consequences the Israelites could expect versus what we could expect if we are obedient or not. Let’s examine that further…
APPLICATION:
It seems like mankind is made to test the system, no matter what aspect of like you are getting involved in. Children test every rule set by their parents to see which ones are for real and which ones the parents are more tolerable with. In marriages, we encounter fights, and often separation, because we keep pushing our spouse to the limit and beyond. The Israelites had already tested the system while in the wilderness, but their spiritual ‘father’ was now giving them some great advice from God about what will make their lives in their new country more acceptable with Him, and what might provoke them to evil and therefore align themselves more with Satan. The Word says that individually we have a choice on whether we will do everything possible that leads to a flood of blessings back from God, or whether we continue to live life like we feel comfortable doing, and that pleases most people. So based on the leadership of the Holy Spirit and the holy Word of God that you allowed to soak into your mind this morning, do you feel like you are on the right track for a blessing from God? I believe that blessings in you, will allow you to share ‘blessings’ with others. My deep desire for all my readers today is that there will not result an ounce of curses to destroy your witness and disappoint our Savior.
PRAYER:
Lord, please touch the lives of Your children today, and like You did through Moses, please remind and convince your children to be obedient to Your voice and follow Your commands. We love You Lord Jesus. 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 Invaluable Testimony of Eyewitness

On By Ed AlgreenIn First Hand Experience, Needs, Needs of others, Recognize Needs, Share, Share God’s WordLeave a comment

Post Date:

 Monday, 2017-07-10
SCRIPTURE

From:

 Deuteronomy 11:1-2; 7 (ERV)

Text:

  1 “So you must love the Lord your God. You must do what he tells you to do and always obey his laws, rules, and commands. 2 Remember today all the great things the Lord your God has done to teach you. It was you, not your children, who saw those things happen and lived through them. You saw how great he is. You saw how strong he is, and you saw the powerful things he does.

7 It was you, not your children, who saw all the great things the Lord did.
OBSERVATION:
I believe that Moses realized that the younger generation of Israelites might be entering into the Promised Land without ever having witnessed the powerful hand of God through the many miracles in Egypt, and in the wilderness. I believe that the older generation were probably content in their tents knowing that they had witnessed a lot in their day and that hopefully their children would never have to face those challenges again. We will consider the application to our current day situation, as we reflect on the dilemma Moses saw with his people, at such a celebrative time in their history….
APPLICATION:
Gossip generally starts when one is trying to relay a story based on something they thought they heard someone else say. Exaggerations are generally added, especially to slant the belief of the hearer towards the feelings of the story teller. But if experiences are never shared with others, the lessons that you learned will not help others, or give them a ray of hope through all that they are facing. God brought the Israelites through so much that their experiences are spread across several books in the Bible, yet this younger generation was preparing to enter into uncharted territory, facing huge obstacles, and Moses was afraid that they would probably face these with little hope or trust in the God from whom their forefathers witnessed miracle after miracle. Has things changed? Do our kids know about the miracles in the lives of our parents and grandparents? Do they know about the faith as demonstrated by your uncle? Do they know that the same God who raised Lazarus from the grave, is the same God available to them today and they too can experience His awesome grace and power? Don’t forget friends, there are folk that will deliberately get into conversation with you today, because they may have seen your faith at work, or they’ve heard of the faith that you may have in your Master. Don’t brush them off because you’re at work, or you’re at the grocery store. God arranged the meeting place and the circumstance so that someone might hear your story today. Don’t let Him down! Family will probably call or stop by today and although there might be several reasons for their visit, one might be that they want some of your faith to rub off on them. Let me encourage you to share wherever and whenever you can. The obvious place is at church friends, for most people attend, looking for hope, for answers, for a better way. Be interested in those that you speak with, and not just a casual handshake or smile, for they may enter their future without ever having been touched by the blessings God showered on you. Your sharing with them might be the final thing that convinces them to meet the originator of miracles – our God! Do your part by share what God has done for you personally friend. There is nothing like an eyewitness account!
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, You bless us immensely each and every day, and You have not only performed miracles in our own lives, but also in the lives of relatives that have shared experiences with us. Please help us to share with others how You have blessed us, and Lord, please use those circumstances to draw folk to you. Help us to share in simple form what You have miraculously done for us. No need for exaggeration, Your power is enough to draw folk to You and to save the most hardened sinner. Lord, I look forward to sharing with others today, God being my helper, 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!

Gifts From God!

On By Ed AlgreenIn gifts, Gifts of The Spirit, Love, Love others, Love your Neighbor, Share, Share God’s Word, Spiritual Gifts, The Father's LoveLeave a comment

Post Date:

 Saturday, 2017-07-08
SCRIPTURE

From:

 Deuteronomy 9:4-6 (VOICE)

Text:

 4 When the Eternal your God has driven them out ahead of you, then don’t begin to believe He gave you this land because you’re so good and righteous! It’s just the opposite; He is giving you their land because those other nations are so bad! 5 It’s not because you’ve conducted yourselves so well or because you have such pure hearts that you’re going to take the land; the Eternal your God is driving out those other nations ahead of you because they’re so wicked. He’s keeping His word, the promise He made to your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 6 I’ll say it again: the Eternal One your God isn’t giving you this good land because you’re so good. You’re stubborn, obstinate people.
OBSERVATION:
Moses wanted his people to be reminded who was in charge of the mission they were about to take, for there was nothing they could have said or done that could warrant the overthrowing of the much larger towns they would encounter on entering into the Promised Land. If God was to act based on the goodness of the Israelites, they probably would never have made it out of the wilderness. I believe that we could see where there would be lots of lessons in this story for us also! Let’s apply this Scripture to our lives…
APPLICATION:
We may tend to look at this story as such an obvious case. After all, we remember from reading the story about how the Israelites turned their hearts away from God right from the very beginning of their journey, and very soon after seeing God’s miraculous hand at work at various times. I believe that God knew that as these people entered the land, overcame towns and settled in, there would be a higher likelihood of them pitching a party to celebrate, rather than a huge praise service to give God the glory. So I feel like God inspired Moses to warn them ahead of time. So friends, what is God pointing out to us through this scripture? I believe that a fair number of us are willing to help the poor; visit the sick; encourage the depressed and console the mourning, but what do we expect back? Please don’t quickly respond ‘nothing’, because we gloat in our achievements when we hear our names mentioned in recognition, or mentioned in the newspapers for having helped someone. May I suggest that you try seeking God’s face for Him to show you where the needs are? Then try meeting those needs without calling your pastor to see if he approves, for you are following God’s instructions. If you can meet the need anonymously and not tell anyone else that you did it, I believe you will have something to celebrate with God. Think about it, when God blessed you with the income and abilities to help others, He didn’t send a message to your pastor so he could have the church celebrate your income and talents. Therefore, when you give, as unto the Lord, give in His precious name, so that He might be glorified! He gave it to you and you shared some it. Since it all originated with Him, then He deserves the credit and the praise! Start by tithing to your local church, as instructed in Scripture. When you’re comfortable with that, and realize the praise that God receives through the work of the local church, and that you survived financially in spite of giving a tenth right off the top, then you will be comfortable taking that to the next level. God told us to test Him and see if He wouldn’t bless us beyond anything we could give or imagine. Try it friend!
PRAYER:
Father, who are we that a King should die for us and provide the only means into heaven to live eternally with our awesome God? The love, the gift of eternal life, the provisions of each day and the gift of family and friends, way exceed anything we could ever have thought or planned. The gift of the Holy Spirit to help us in our daily walk, makes this whole journey on earth possible. Thank You Lord Jesus for every gift You have given to me. May I live the life You have designed for me, so that all that I do and all that I am, may bring glory to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 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!

Why Me Lord?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Jesus Loves you, Love, Love of God, The Father's Love, The love of God, Unconditional love, VictoryLeave a comment

Post Date:

 Friday, 2017-07-07
SCRIPTURE

From:

 Deuteronomy 8:2-6 (NET)

Text:

 2 Remember the whole way by which he has brought you these forty years through the desert so that he might, by humbling you, test you to see if you have it within you to keep his commandments or not. 3 So he humbled you by making you hungry and then feeding you with unfamiliar manna. He did this to teach you that humankind cannot live by bread alone, but also by everything that comes from the Lord’s mouth. 4 Your clothing did not wear out nor did your feet swell all these forty years. 5 Be keenly aware that just as a parent disciplines his child, the Lord your God disciplines you. 6 So you must keep his commandments, live according to his standards, and revere him.
OBSERVATION:
As part of his final pep talk to the Israelites, Moses reminded them of where they came from, and what it took to get them to the challenge they were now about to encounter. Moses pointed out the times that the Israelites were about to kill him for all they were going through, yet as they reflect back, they could very easily see how God was actually maturing them and preparing them for this very moment. I know that we can also see very clearly how we encounter the same challenges today….
APPLICATION:
I believe that you too may have heard the words used in our title today over and over, especially when one seems to be going through a rough time. It might be a loss of employment; or financial issues; or loss of a loved one; or nobody loves me; or perhaps not enough food for your family for the week. In fact, there are times that we look around and see others flourishing in just the same things that we feel like we are losing the battle in. This may lead us to feel picked on, or perhaps feel like God has forsaken us, or even feel like He is punishing us for something. ‘Why me’ is often the cry, by even the greatest saints at times. Moses knew that his people would need to face the changes they were about to encounter, by reflecting on the strength and endurance of all that God had brought them through up to this point. In fact, Moses wanted them to see that their God loved them so much that He was not just providing for them in very challenging circumstances, but He was teaching them to have faith in Him, endurance in even the most difficult or impossible times, and a determination to go on, knowing that as they obeyed God’s commands, worshipped only Him and sought His face in every circumstance, that they could eventually say to the downtrodden. ‘Why Not Me Lord’! Friends, I believe that way too often when we feel left out or downtrodden, we are so focused on self that it is extremely challenging to look for the good that God is accomplishing in our circumstances and through our victories. I trust that today saints of God could sing to God a new song of victory, of total surrender to Him, and of praise for His immense blessings, without ever stopping to moan and complain by focusing on self and feeling like God has forsaken His own. That’s totally contrary to His perfect design and something not supported by Scripture.
PRAYER:
Why not me Lord? Why not choose me to show the world how much You love them, care for them and want to bless them. Please help each saint today to look into Your wonderful face and to give You praise for all that You have accomplished in our lives, and for the glory that will be ours as we continue to obey Your commands, worship, praise and lift You up each and every day. Lord, You have been so good to me, and I have every reason to believe that, as Your very own son, You will continue to bless, encourage and lift me up each day, for Your honor and glory from all those that may be touched by You through me, 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!

Make God a Priority

On By Ed AlgreenIn God's Will, Obedience, Priorities, Priority, Surrender2 Comments

Post Date:

 Thursday, 2017-07-06
SCRIPTURE

From:

 Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (Voice)

Text:

 4 …The Eternal is our True God—He alone. 5 You should love Him, your True God, with all your heart and soul, with every ounce of your strength. 6 Make the things I’m commanding you today part of who you are. 7 Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you’re sitting together in your home and when you’re walking together down the road. Make them the last thing you talk about before you go to bed and the first thing you talk about the next morning. 8 Do whatever it takes to remember them: tie a reminder on your hand and bind a reminder on your forehead where you’ll see it all the time, 9 such as on the doorpost where you cross the threshold or on the city gate.
OBSERVATION:
God had just brought the Israelites through 40 years of ups and downs in the wilderness, but years filled with miracle after miracle where God showed Himself supreme in taking care of, and providing for, His special people. This was at the stage where Moses would soon die, so he was leaving his last reminders with the people as they prepared to cross over the Jordan river to their final destination. I believe he is obviously reminding the people, because he is not so sure that they discerned that this was an important step in their continued dependency on God. Did we learn from the Israelites, or even our past experiences with God?
APPLICATION:
We might spank, or otherwise discipline a child, and as soon as we turn our head away, the child tries that same thing all over again, hoping for a better reaction from us, if they are successful! Often we will throw our hands up and ask if they will ever learn! Kids will be kids, right? But isn’t it amazing how little we learn from those childhood experiences? Our prisons are filled with people who thought they could do it their way once again, but got caught in the act. Friends, there should come a time in our lives where Jesus affirms His faithfulness to all who believes in Him. There comes a time where Jesus will tender the hearts of unbelievers once again, and make the gospel of Jesus Christ very personal and inviting to the unbelievers. At these times it will be our responsibility and/or privilege to develop a close relationship with Jesus, and make that relationship more than a point of convenience that we surrender to when in trouble, but rather to make that relationship a priority upon which we make decisions, commitments, and on which we base our decisions as we seek to serve Him more fully. How is it with you today friends? Are you still ‘winging it’ and doing life alone? Making decisions that seem best for you and your family? Or are you fully trusting in Jesus, obeying His Word, seeking His direction, and surrendering self to Him? As one of the very last things that Moses was able to share with the Israelites, he told them to make God first in their lives and to prove who rules and reigns in their lives through their obedience to His commands and their sweet relationship with their Lord. Is He first in your life friend? Have you surrendered full reign to the Almighty God? Are you committed to making Him top priority in your life, so that He may have full reign, and show you His will for your life?
PRAYER:
Father God, You have been so good to us! Thank You for watching over us and filling us with Your awesome goodness and love for one another. Please forgive us for always wanting to take the reins and do life ‘our way’. We acknowledge that our efforts are nothing better than a good guess, while knowing deep inside that we could call on the Creator Himself to direct our path and show us the way. Lord, I’m Yours and I need You to always control my thoughts and my ways, so that I might be a pleasing aroma in Your nostrils. I surrender my will to Yours, and I ask these things in teh precious name of Jesus, 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!