How To Recognize the Last Days

On 2015-03-112015-03-11 By Ed AlgreenIn Christ's Return, Come Soon, Heaven, Last DaysLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The New Living Translation – 2 Timothy 3:1-5): ¹ You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. ²For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. ³They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. ⁴They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. ⁵They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!

THOUGHTS: As I meditated on this, I realized that some will stumble across this and won’t have a clue what this is all about, because unless they have heard something about the second coming of Jesus Christ, they live each day without regard to their state of readiness. To some, this might be a reminder that they have a few ‘clean-up’ items to attend to before the return of Jesus. To Christians, we are to be reminded that our work and our witness has never been as urgent as it is today. Scripture tells us that the day of Jesus’ return is known only to God, so no one else really knows. However, the Bible tells us that only the prepared (those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior) will be accepted into heaven. Because of their commitment, Christians are to always be prepared to leave this old world and join with the millions who have also made a similar life-decision, to meet at the feet of Jesus and worship Him. We are also to be busy convincing those whom we love, and who we want to join us around the throne. For those who have not made it a priority to surrender your lives to Jesus, I believe that you will see from the warning signs in the scripture today, that we are living in the last days. Jesus could return before you complete the reading of this devotional. I have an obligation to also remind you that when Jesus returns to take His bride (believers in Jesus Christ) home with Him, it will not just be business as usual for those of you that are not ready. For the Bible says that you will be cast into a hot, burning, hell with Satan and his angels where you will spend a miserable eternity, without further opportunity to redeem yourself. On my phone I have a weather app that warns me of approaching danger – perhaps a tornado, or other such dangerous weather. This app was programmed to recognize these dangers based on certain conditions in the atmosphere and weather patterns. Please consider this scripture as a Biblical warning about the impending end of life as we know it today. Christians have read about heaven in the Bible, sung about it, dreamed about it and anxiously await the transition day. May I suggest to all not fitting in that category that you should consider this as a warning from God that His return is near. We are living in the last days, and He could come at any time. There will not be a shelter in which you can hide until He returns again. There are no plans for a third return. It will be heaven or hell. Where will you open your eyes in eternity? If there is the slightest doubt that it will be in heaven, may I encourage you to follow the steps outlined in my ‘Footnote’? Friend, Jesus loves you more than you can imagine and not only do I want to see you accept Him as Lord and be in the group going to heaven, but my whole idea of sharing these devotionals online, is my hope that you might be touched and prompted to join my band of fellow Christians as we await the coming of Jesus! Do it today friend! Be ready should He return before your very next hour!

PRAYER: Dear Father in heaven, thank You for providing a place for us to look forward to after our time here on this earth! In meditating on the signs in this scripture today, I am convinced that the return of Your Son to take His children home is very near, and I believe that many fellow Christians will join me in singing “Come Soon Lord Jesus“, for the stresses and heartaches resulting from these signs are hard on us. Please hear my cry today to speak to the hearts of my family and friends who have yet to accept You as Lord. They are playing such a dangerous game of procrastination. I humbly ask that You tender their hearts today, open their eyes of understanding and lead them to the truth contained in Your Word. Please, may this be the day of salvation for them? I pray that Christian friends reading this devotional today will also catch a glimpse of the urgency of which I speak, and that we may be busy about the work of the Lord today. Yes, many of us have jobs to attend today, but Lord, I believe that we are Your hands and feet on the ground, so may our lives portray Your unconditional love, and may our actions be proof of whose we are, for I believe non-believers must see living proof of a living Savior to convince them of their need. Use us oh Lord, and may Your kingdom come, for thine is the glory, for ever and ever, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Things to Run From and Things to Run Towards

On 2015-03-102015-03-10 By Ed AlgreenIn Christian Living, Holy, ObedienceLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (New Living Translation – 2 Timothy 2:20-22): ²⁰In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special occasions, and the cheap ones are for everyday use. ²¹If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work. ²²Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.

THOUGHTS: One of the things that I love about God’s Word is that it not only tells us what not to do, but it also doesn’t leave it up to us to decide on our own what we think we should do, for it gives us a righteous path to follow that leads us towards the characteristics of Jesus. In verse 22, Timothy, together with us, are encouraged to run from youthful lusts. This tells me that we will be battered with temptation and youthful lusts, and we must learn to get away – run far away from them. I heard a story of a drunk who came to know the Lord. After this turn of events, the man would travel a different route every day between work and home in order to avoid the bar that he often frequented before Christ. I believe he ran from those lusts that held him captive before Christ. Likewise, I believe that we/Christians need to make very conscious decisions to avoid certain circumstances, places and things that might otherwise take us off track from our Christian walk and commitment to the Lord. Let’s run from them! Now, here are the things that we should run towards: righteous living – things that are right in God’s sight, for we are only righteous because of God; faithfulness – practice faith in God in our daily walk. Live in faith, and boast of it every time possible; love – not just natural lustful love, but actually practice the love that God showed us through His Son Jesus. Sacrificial, humble, unselfish love; peace – this is an unworried soldier who is content in the direction, support and leadership of his Chief, and convinced of the strength and agility of his fellow soldiers; and time together with other Christians – we become much like those we hang out with, for we strengthen our character by everything we experience from them, good or bad. ‘Birds of a feather flock together’, so we should be right at home fellowshipping and worshiping with other believers and we should desire to spend even more time with them. So where are you at in all of this friend? Have some things that you need to deliberately run from? Satisfied from the way your life is going, and your relationship with the Lord, that you are convinced that you are running towards and practicing the right things in your life? If not, may I remind you that the God who made you, and this universe, is available and ready to help you when you call on His name, right now? He is able friend! Know Him and know the peace that comes only from Him, then live like you are convinced that His peace is deep inside of you! I need this, and I believe you do also!

PRAYER: Dear God, may our lives be intentionally lived for You and according to the design outlined in Your Word. Thank You for the direction given to us today by Your servant Paul. I believe that Your servants will only be effective when we live according to Your design and in subjection to Your will and command. I also believe that for this world to change, they must see Christians being Christ-like and living according to what our handbook (the Bible) says. Lord, I pray that You will start with me, and I also plead with You to touch the lives of my readers, that they also may see the need for recommitting their lives to Your call on their lives and therefore live like children of God. Fall afresh on us dear Lord and allow Your Holy Spirit to indwell us with power to overcome sin and the temptations of this world. Help us to run away from sin, and instead, run towards You and display the characteristics Paul reminded us of today. For we are to be holy, even as you are holy! These requests I ask in the precious and holy name of Jesus, with thanksgiving, AMEN!

The Extent To Which You Will Go

On 2015-03-092015-03-09 By Ed AlgreenIn Endure, Evangelism, SacrificeLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (New Living Translation – 2 Timothy 2:8-10): ⁸Always remember that Jesus Christ, a descendant of King David, was raised from the dead. This is the Good News I preach. ⁹And because I preach this Good News, I am suffering and have been chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained. ¹⁰So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen.

THOUGHTS: I remember in growing up I would hear my parents remark how surprised they were about the extent I would go to, in order to please my friends. We also hear this phrase used in our workplaces, as we observe some folk who are willing to do just about anything to keep the favor of their boss, or advance their position in the company. Paul basically used this same phrase in verse 10, but he included the term ‘endure’. This gives the impression that Paul was willing, and committed, to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ, or the gospel, under every circumstance, even if it led to him being beaten, imprisoned, laughed at, spit on, or whatever. In other words he was willing to do whatever it took, if it would bring salvation to some, and eternal glory to Christ Jesus. So how does this speak to us today? I believe that we should be willing to cross cultural and or racial borders if it would lead to introducing an individual to our Lord Jesus and possibly leading them to the foot of the cross for forgiveness of their sin. I believe that we should not let our church/religious affiliation, or worship preference stop us from attending another Bible teaching church with a nonbeliever, if it would lead to getting them connected in a church of their liking and subsequently hearing the Word of God, that might possibly lead to them accepting Him as Lord. I’m about to embark on a missions trip, and a fellow missionary encouraged us to openly invite others to partner with us on our journey, but without putting them in a box. What she meant was that way too often we have predetermined ideas of what we believe a person will do or say or accept. What we must remember is that Jesus called some of the most unlikely people to follow Him – Tax Collectors; Doctors; Fishermen, etc. and they went on to become His lead men – disciples. Also be reminded about who we were when Jesus spoke to us. If He was willing to save even us, why would we dare exclude some from hearing the Good News of Jesus Christ? How much more then should we be willing to go the extra mile; accept another culture or race; attend church with an unbeliever at a Bible teaching church of their choice; share the Word of God with someone in a public place; pray with someone in a public place; or share the beauty of God’s love, that has enveloped us, with someone who is searching for that kind of love? Friends, remember that someone went out of their way to lead us to the Savior, and so should we be willing to endure all things and do the same. If this speaks to the heart of one who is searching for the unconditional love of Jesus, please use the information in the ‘Footnote’ to receive the help you need. Jesus loves you way too much to see you excluded from His kingdom. He died just for you, please let Him love you by asking Him to come into your very heart and lead you each and every day.

PRAYER: I am very thankful Lord, that Paul showed a great example of determination to spread the gospel in spite of hardships, imprisonment, beatings and the like. I am also thankful that even today we see Christian leaders who sacrifice so much of their lives to minister to so many. I pray that You might open the eyes of blinded Christians whose eyes are still fixed inside their small box of self-motivation and possibilities, rather than the huge opportunity that is available to us today thru You. People Need The Lord, and how will they know about You if we don’t share the Word of God with them, and show the love of God to them? I believe that we are to be equally as unselfish as Paul was, but I’m sure that You know what a major move is needed for that to occur in most Christians today. However, I am convinced that nothing is beyond Your reach and Your power dear God, so I ask that You humble the hearts of Your children and open our eyes to the needs around us. May we be busy about Your work and stop looking at the obstacles and excuses why we feel we shouldn’t do something, but learn to Lean on the Everlasting Arms of Jesus for our strength and guidance. Your love is amazing, and Your power is beyond our wildest imagination. Please help us to see and understand the awesome God that leads us! We depend on You Lord, and we need You every hour, bless us this day with Your mercy and Your grace, and hear the plea of our hearts, for I ask all this in the precious name of Jesus, with thanksgiving, AMEN!

Try To Please Your Commanding Officer

On 2015-03-072015-03-07 By Ed AlgreenIn Commanding Officer, SoldierLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – 2 Timothy 2:1-4): ¹ Timothy, my child, Christ Jesus is kind, and you must let him make you strong. ² You have often heard me teach. Now I want you to tell these same things to followers who can be trusted to tell others. ³ As a good soldier of Christ Jesus you must endure your share of suffering. ⁴ Soldiers on duty don’t work at outside jobs. They try only to please their commanding officer.

THOUGHTS: God designed us with a sense of choice in life. Parents and church workers teach children the right choices to make in life, but admittedly there are tons of other choices they could make, based on the friends they hang out, both their age and also older child-minders. However, the influence of teachers or daycare workers could also influence a child from a very early age. As adults, we grow up with these earlier age influences and we make choices impacted by the principles we have learned. Paul is teaching Timothy, and ultimately us, that when we become one with Jesus Christ, we are to live in a way that pleases Him. In fact, outside distractions and non-biblical principles will steer us away from the life our Commanding Officer desires of us. I was especially touched by the one command that we are to spread the gospel, not just to any and every one, but especially to those who will then also spread the gospel wherever they go. In fact, my takeaway on this is that I don’t just sit in Bible School and church each Sunday morning to allow the words taught, to tickle my ears, but to allow the Holy Spirit to open my ears of understanding and my eyes to the needs of those around me, so that I might share what I’ve been blessed to learn. I was taught that we are to be careful to whom we allow access to our belief system, as our allegiance to our Commanding Officer might be impeded or seriously distracted. As Christians, we are to practice that although we are in this world, we are not to be of this world and impacted by its sin and destruction. For our allegiance is to be to our Commanding Officer, Jesus Christ. Friends, your output will reflect where most of your input is coming from! Take time to evaluate self and see who has your allegiance today, please? If you need help in turning this around, please use my contact information in the ‘Footnote’. I will be happy to pray with you and give you some additional scripture that might help you realign your allegiance to our Lord and Savior!

PRAYER: Father in Heaven, please show Your favor on us once again today by blessing us with power to overcome the evil of this world and to center our thoughts and allegiance on You. Our news reports are filled with the results of evil in men’s hearts, so I am reminded that it is even the more important that Christians stand firm in our belief and our stand for our Commanding Officer. In the military, many would have been charged with defecting, and I believe that there will be a price for ‘Christians’ to pay when we see You face to face for the many times that we have defected in our allegiance to You. For some have accepted You as Lord (joined the army of Saints) yet never have chosen to learn the rules of engagement, therefore have no idea what they should be doing as a soldier, nor do they have a desire to do it. Some of us know it, but have deliberately chosen to defect. Some of us know it yet we stand wishy-washy in our belief system and in our daily commitment to You. We are ashamed dear Lord. We badly need Your strength, Your guidance and Your patience to make us stronger in our faith and more committed to our decision to be Your child, Your warriors and Your messengers. Please continue to work with us today and every day that we remain on this earth. I ask all this knowing that You are the only one true God and the only One who can give such blessings, in the name of Jesus, my Savior, AMEN!

Be Confident In Your Faith

On 2015-03-062015-03-06 By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, Godly ConfidenceLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – 2 Timothy 1:11-14): ¹¹ My work is to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher. ¹² That’s why I am suffering now. But I am not ashamed! I know the one I have faith in, and I am sure that he can guard until the last day what he has trusted me with. ¹³ Now follow the example of the correct teaching I gave you, and let the faith and love of Christ Jesus be your model. ¹⁴ You have been trusted with a wonderful treasure. Guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit, who lives within you.

THOUGHTS: Living in the south all of my life, I can only imagine what it must be like to live in the cold north! One story relayed to me is about the time of year that the lakes begin to freeze over. I could only imagine that there must be a period of testing, before one would trust the idea of walking across, or skiing on a frozen lake. One would have to gain faith that the thickness of the ice will support their weight, and this might come through occasional testing, or through watching how someone else does, who has tested the lake for themselves. Paul had tested the faith entrusted to him on many occasions. In fact, even as he was teaching this fact to Timothy he himself was in jail because of his persistence to share the faith that he was blessed with. Wouldn’t it be great to see this type of faith and confidence evident in Christians today? Don’t you suppose that our churches would be filled each week with worshippers who would come to lift up holy hearts and hands to the Almighty who had blessed them through their faith in Him that week? Don’t you know that there would be no shortage of friends visiting you in hospital to encourage you with the faith they had earned over time in the great Healer and Encourager, especially during their previous times of ill health? Don’t you know that unsaved loved ones and/or friends would rather not be around us, because they know that we would be overflowing with our love for Jesus; stories of all that He has done for us; blessings that we have received from the study of our text book (the Bible); and our deep desire to see them know our loving, caring, guiding, protecting and all-powerful Savior? Conversely, don’t you know that these unsaved loved one would love to be around us when they are hurting or facing life challenges, because they know that we are so connected to Jesus and confident in our faith? Paul had enough of this faith, hope, love and personal experience with the Lord bottled up inside to share it with Timothy for the purpose of helping to give him confidence for the job God called him to do. Do you have that kind of faith friend? I would love to have this level of faith and boldness, how about you? I can confidently talk about marriage, because I’ve been married for almost 40 years, and I have experienced many of the ups and downs of most marriages. We need to be around Jesus enough to be able to share our experiences with Him, and knowledge of Him, with others. We do this already with our marriages, work or any other life experience, why not share an experience about the Savior who has given us hope and a promise for an endless future with Him in heaven! After all, we love our family and friends and want to see God’s very best for them!

PRAYER: Father God, You know more about us than we would ever care to admit, so You know the reasons why we don’t see a lot of end results like mentioned above. I would much rather see You get our undivided attention while we are able to help others along their course of life, rather than us waiting until a disaster, or major health issue occurs, as these things can often lead to ineffectiveness in our remaining life here on earth. I believe that there is no greater hurt, than that of regret. Please touch the lives of Your children today, and give us the faith like Paul so that we may boldly witness for You even under extreme circumstances like Paul encountered. May we never regret having done what we feel You directed us towards. I believe that Your Word is clear that You are interested in seeing us be Your witness to all that we come into contact with. May we make You proud today, is my humble plea, that I ask in the name of Your precious Son Jesus, with thanksgiving, AMEN!

A Glorious Life That Never Ends!

On 2015-03-052015-03-05 By Ed AlgreenIn Love of God, SalvationLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – 2 Timothy 1:9-10): ⁹God saved us and chose us to be his holy people. We did nothing to deserve this, but God planned it because he is so kind. Even before time began God planned for Christ Jesus to show kindness to us. ¹⁰Now Christ Jesus has come to show us the kindness of God. Christ our Savior defeated death and brought us the good news. It shines like a light and offers life that never ends.

THOUGHTS: From the time we think about having children we begin to dream and plan for all that we would like for them to be, and how much better we want them to do in life than we were ever able to do. But have you ever stopped to think that the Creator of you and I did the same for us? Wow! What an awesome God we serve! What an awesome thought for all who are considering accepting Jesus as Lord today! From the time we were formed in our mother’s womb, God loved us and had a plan for us. I love that song “He Knows my Name“, because in the lyrics of that beautiful song I am reminded that I am not here through any accident, and in spite of all that might take place in my life, I know that the same God who created me is the One who watches over me each day, loves me to the point that He sacrificed His only Son to die for me and thus provided the path for me to eternity in heaven. Whom then shall I fear? Why would I become discouraged when this evil world impacts my life in one way or another? This old earth is just my temporary quarters, with brothers and sisters who might choose to love me, or despise me, but my time here is limited! My goal is to love you like Jesus does, and to live my life in dedication to Him as I anxiously await His return to take me to my eternal home in heaven with Him! To quote a worldly saying for this heavenly joy of which I speak, I might say – ‘that’s what I’m talking about’!!! So friends, I want to encourage you today to slow down from the hustle and bustle of this busy life, and allow these words to soak in, penetrate your heart, and encourage you to live for Jesus, if you have already accepted Him as Lord. If you have yet to make the best decision of your life and receive Jesus as Lord, please don’t delay your decision, for my desire is to see you happy in the Lord today and throughout eternity with us in heaven! For help on how to go about the simple act of receiving Jesus, please refer to the ‘Footnote’. Drop a note to me so that I can pray with you, and for you. Jesus loves you, friend, and so do I!

PRAYER: Father, Your love is beyond anything mankind can imagine, and exceeds anything we are capable of understanding. You created this earth in such a way that Your kids would enjoy it and reap great benefits from it. You created us in Your own image for the purpose of worshiping You and declaring Your glory each and every day. In giving us a choice to accept this beautiful life offered by You through Your Son Jesus, I believe You wanted us to consciously recognize Your great love and have reason to worship You at every opportunity. Thank You for working in my heart to draw me to the vital decision to accept You as Lord of my life! Thank You for not giving up on me! I plead with You to please make me more effective in witnessing for You, and that You also touch each and every life that reads this devotional today. For those of us that have accepted Jesus, may we be encouraged by Your Word today and serve the purpose for which You have placed us here today. For those who have yet to accept Jesus, may Your Word bring encouragement to them, that will lead to a life changing decision to surrender their life to You. Thank You for creating us, providing for us, accepting us and loving us way beyond anything we deserve. I ask all this with deep respect for Your power and Your wonderful love for me, and I ask it in the name of Jesus, my Lord, AMEN!

A Warning To Those Who Have Much

On 2015-03-042015-03-04 By Ed AlgreenIn Blessings, Generosity, GivingLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (Good News Translation – 1 Timothy 6:17-19): ¹⁷ Command those who are rich in the things of this life not to be proud, but to place their hope, not in such an uncertain thing as riches, but in God, who generously gives us everything for our enjoyment. ¹⁸Command them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share with others. ¹⁹In this way they will store up for themselves a treasure which will be a solid foundation for the future. And then they will be able to win the life which is true life.

THOUGHTS: Way too often we attribute ‘riches’ to mean those who are rich financially, and yes I agree that this could very easily apply to them. But I believe that deep within the meaning of this we must be careful to never lose sight of everything that God has truly blessed us with! We must also be very careful to not get satisfied in our blessings, because that becomes challenging to appreciate what another person might be going through. For example, one might be crying out for help in dealing with family issues, but if we are content and ‘rich’ in peace in our family, it might be hard to identify with the need. I believe the point that God is relaying to us through Paul is that we must learn to put our faith in the Giver of all good things and not in the riches we feel secure in, for it is God who gives the gifts/riches to us. Let’s remember that everything we are blessed with comes from the generosity of the gracious hand of God. He blesses us with such gifts to enable us to help others. I believe that a kind heart and a generous hand is demanded of all God’s children, for this is what Jesus exampled for us to follow. It is not sinful to be rich, and it is not godly to be poor. Some are blessed with resources that could serve well in the ongoing ministry of the church. Often with these resources comes the temptation to misuse them, for some will demand leadership in the church, or a major say in where the finances must be used. There is nothing biblical about that kind of giving friends, so be careful to always give from a heart of love to the work of Christ in and through His local church – your church. If you have been diligent in electing church officials according to God’s design, then the funds will be properly allocated and used for His glory, not yours. The joy of the giving Christian comes from the treasure they are laying up in heaven through obeying God and investing their gifts – monetarily or plain life-talents here on earth for the glory of God. I believe that the take-away on this scripture today, is that we give of ourselves and our resources generously, just as God generously gave to us at Calvary, and through all that He blesses us with daily here on this earth. The Bible gives us guidelines on the minimum amount we should give financially, but it also teaches us to give from the generosity of which we have been blessed. Is that truly measurable? Just learn to give friend, and then watch the blessings of God that is out-poured on you! You just can’t out-give God!

PRAYER: To the Giver of all life and all good and perfect gifts, Jesus my Lord, thank You for Your generosity in all that You have blessed me with. So undeserving, yet You loved me beyond all measure. I am rich in Your awesome blessings, way beyond anything I deserve. Thank You! I pray that You might open my heart and my mind to the riches that I have yet to share with others. Lord, I want to show Your goodness so that You may be lifted up, and recognized as the loving, tenderhearted and understanding God that You are. Please lead me and guide me to do better at this. My friends who will read this devotional might also be faced with similar challenges, please speak very boldly to them as they meditate on Your Word and cause them to know the path You would have them travel today, and the attitudes necessary to allow others to know that You are God, yet working through mere humans that love and serve You. Father God, may I ask that You continue to pour Your riches on our lives, but also ask that You give us renewed hearts so that we may pass those riches on to others – many of whom need an urgent touch from You today. In appreciation for all You have done, and will continue to do, I bring these petitions before You, in thanksgiving, and through Your precious Son, Jesus, AMEN!

Satisfied!

On 2015-03-032015-03-03 By Ed AlgreenIn Priorities, Satisfaction1 Comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – 1 Timothy 6:7-10): We didn’t bring anything into this world, and we won’t take anything with us when we leave. ⁸ So we should be satisfied just to have food and clothes. ⁹ People who want to be rich fall into all sorts of temptations and traps. They are caught by foolish and harmful desires that drag them down and destroy them. ¹⁰ The love of money causes all kinds of trouble. Some people want money so much that they have given up their faith and caused themselves a lot of pain.

THOUGHTS: Life seems so simple when one has nothing, doesn’t it? I once heard an international missionary say about the poor people in the area they served: “but the people are happy, because they don’t know about what they don’t have”. That made me think back to my earlier childhood days, especially when I now hear my parents talk about the rough times we had back then. But the truth is: I never noticed that we were poor and were going without many of the things that others thought were so important to life. In this scripture today, and through his mentoring to Timothy, Paul is teaching us to be very careful to not let our ‘want-to-haves’ overpower our good sense. We are often taught in the Bible that our God will meet our ‘needs’. Paul is teaching us that basic needs are food and clothing. And although he didn’t mention it, I believe that shelter is also important. Way too often I believe that humans are caught in a growing need to want more, whether money or ‘things’. To achieve these, we fight over job positions, and often tear down another person to build ourselves up, or we find ways to use them as a stepping stone for us to move beyond them. We wind up being such a slave to our employers that we work ungodly hours that often keeps us away from family and church or relationship time with God. Friends, when we are lacking in these areas of our lives, everything worthwhile falls apart around us. Yet the one thing that we hold on to – our jobs, are quickly filled with a replacement when we fail to produce like we’ve always done! When we allow the busyness of life to affect our homes and/or our relationship with God, and yes this is evident in our church attendance, then we must stop and challenge ourselves what then are we really striving for? What is there that offers value to my life beyond my usefulness to my boss? Please don’t get me wrong, I am a devoted businessman, but I pray that I will always be a more devoted husband, father and worker for the Lord in His vineyard here on earth. I’m reminded of a gospel song that speaks about just this, listen as you finish reading! But how about you friend, what’s your status on priorities? Please take time to re-evaluate your life today and be sure that you have a right balance in these areas of your life!

PRAYER: Father in heaven, I believe that this scripture this morning probably applies more to the times we are now in, than ever before. For while many might be greedy towards making more money, in spite of the millions they would probably never live long enough to enjoy, yet there are some who worry about the financial aspects of their retirement years and therefore see the need to work at least one more year to ‘top off’ that spendable income during retirement. Not knowing how much longer we will live, I realize that this is just Satan’s way of pushing our families further apart, and closing down even more churches because of lack of attendance and/or commitment. I am convinced that You never intended life to be this stressful and complicated, so I plead with You today to help me keep the main things in life the main thing. Please continue to lead me into more quality time with my family. More quality time in Your Word and in faith building efforts around Your saints here on earth. May I be the person You can use to grow Your kingdom through the witness I might display while around others. Please touch the lives of my readers today and allow Your Word to penetrate their lives and impact them in a way that they too will seek Your perfect God-designed will for their lives. Please have Your will and way in our lives today, is my humble prayer that I ask in the name of Your Son, Jesus my Lord, with thanksgiving, AMEN!

The Horror of Rejection By God

On 2015-03-022015-03-02 By Ed AlgreenIn Acceptance, RejectionLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – Jeremiah 14:10): My people, you love to wander away; you don’t even try to stay close to me. So now I will reject you and punish you for your sins. I, the Lord, have spoken.

THOUGHTS: I struggled with the idea of presenting a very negative verse in a positive manner, but I feel like God had me call it like it is so that we all might be made aware that He is still the same God that struggled with His people of Judah. Think on this friends: God even went a step further for us, because He sacrificed His only Son on a cruel cross at Calvary, so that we may not find the excuse that the old way of sacrificing and living according to the many laws of Moses to be a roadblock for us to enter heaven’s gates. The awful thing that I believe that God sees today though, is probably worse than what He saw in His people back in the days of Jeremiah. For in spite of the extra effort, and tremendous outpouring of His love, yet what God sees today must truly break His heart …….. perhaps even to the point of lifting His hand off us and rejecting our plea before Him. So often we should praise God in thanksgiving that He is in charge of making that decision, and not mere man, for we would have given up on this world a long time ago. Friends, I don’t believe that I need to spell out the evil that is prevalent in our world today, for we have it happening in our own backyards, and we hear about it every time we watch the evening news. We have many churches that are closing down because of poor attendance. I believe that we have more folk who’s only Christian activity, might be attending church on a Sunday morning, if they can fit it into their busy schedules. Imagine if you only ate physical food once per week? Imagine if the only communication you had with your spouse or parents was once per week? There wouldn’t be much of an influence in your life from either of these sources, nor would you have reason to brag on either of these, because they play such a minimal role in the remaining days and hours of the week. Yet I’m afraid that we have ‘Christians’ who do exactly this, and expecting their lives to be changed by God. Friends, be realistic – one hour per week with God and 167 hours in the heat of evil and the works of Satan. Which do you think will influence our lives more? Who then are we pleasing? Who then are we more apt to reflect in our attitudes and actions? It is extremely frightening to think about rejection by God or the fatal punishment by God on those who He is upset at. On the other hand, we have lots of verses that tell us things like: Draw near to God and He will draw near to us; If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray, I will hear from heaven and….. Friends, know that God loves you very much today. Please don’t reject Him. Please don’t take your relationship with Him lightly. We want to see His eternal blessing on us, not rejection and punishment.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You love me so much that You gave Your very own Son so that I may have eternal life in Your presence. Please forgive me for the times that I take Your love for granted. Please speak to the hearts of my readers so that they too might examine their lives to ensure that they are in close communion with You, and not letting the vile of this old world to take prominence in their lives. Please help us all that we may spend the necessary time with You for a happy and healthy relationship with You. Lord, we want to live more like You every day, and we realize that this only comes from spending more time with You than we do with this old world and its master, Satan. I pray that today it may be evident to those that we come into contact with that we have been with the Lord, and their lives might be impacted in such a way that they would either draw closer to You in relationship, or come to accept You as Lord of their life. Have Your way in our lives today Lord, and lead us towards You, is my humble prayer that I ask in the name of Jesus Christ, AMEN!

God’s Desire For His People

On 2015-02-282015-02-28 By Ed AlgreenIn Evangelism, God's Chosen People4 Comments

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – Jeremiah 13:11): …. That’s how tightly I held onto the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. I wanted them to be my people. I wanted to make them famous, so that other nations would praise and honor me, but they refused to obey me.

THOUGHTS: This verse reminds me of the desire of most parents to see the very best for their children, yet we often see our children go on living their own life and doing their own thing. Sometimes this aligns with our desire for their success and/or their future, and sometimes not. There are times that we put aside certain gifts for our children and wait for the right opportunity to bless them with it, but there are times our children become so independent that they run off and do their own thing without wanting anything from their humble parents. So if we, as weak and humble parents plan for such good things for our children, imagine how much more our heavenly Father has in store for us? As it is, I am personally blessed beyond my wildest imagination – health, family, job, friends, church home and family, and a Savior who loves me enough to have sacrificed His very life so that I might have access to heaven through His sacrifice! Wow!! But friends, more than all of this we should truly recognize the evidence of God’s love for us. Can you even imagine that He would think of us like He did Israel and Judah? Can you imagine that He wants to be able to have non-believers look up to us for spiritual life and hope? Can you even imagine us being praised by non-believers for reflecting the light and love of Jesus to them so that their eyes might be opened to His forgiveness and His offer of salvation for them? Can you allow your mind to wander off and think about other nations looking to us, then accepting Jesus as their Lord, praising His dear name and honoring Him as He demands? I know this is mind boggling friends, but I believe that God can do what appears to be impossible to us. I believe that He can, and will, use His children who will surrender all to Him, and use us for His ultimate glory. Time is running short for the unsaved to find Truth and Hope and Eternal Salvation. Under no circumstances are we needed by God, but I believe that His Word is clear in proclaiming that He wants to use us in His service while still here on this old earth. Oh that He might have unhindered access to us today! Just let go of the evil hold of this old earth, and allow God control of a fully surrendered life to Him. Will you do that today? Read the footnote for help in doing this friend!

PRAYER: Lord, thank You for loving me enough to overwhelm me with Your love! That’s about how I feel today after meditating on this verse of Scripture! To think that You would love me enough to entrust me with Your message to share with the unsaved world, is nothing short of miraculous. Please help me to surrender the parts of my life that is hindering You from working completely through me. Lord, I have family and friends that show no evidence of having accepted You as Lord. Please forgive me if I have been a hindrance to them. Please give me boldness and tenacity to show them Your love, and express the awesome impact that You have been in my life. Lord, I want them to see You and accept You as their Lord and Savior. I pray that I might be used by you to be a positive influence in their life as a child of the King, and a life so filled with Your love and example that they will be drawn to You. I know that time is getting short before Your return for Your church. Please impact the lives of all readers of this devotional today in such a way that we might all be re-energized to constant expressions of Your love towards all that we might come into contact with today. Thank You for being such a loving God to us, Your children. May we be acceptable in Your sight oh Lord, and worthy of impacting another life for You, Savior Divine, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE:
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Nuggets From God's Word

Author: Ed Algreen