Category: Bible Believing

So That You Might Know

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Born Again, Eternal Life, EvangelismLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (Living Bible – 1 John 5:9-13): 9 We believe men who witness in our courts, and so surely we can believe whatever God declares. And God declares that Jesus is his Son. 10 All who believe this know in their hearts that it is true. If anyone doesn’t believe this, he is actually calling God a liar because he doesn’t believe what God has said about his Son. 11 And what is it that God has said? That he has given us eternal life and that this life is in his Son. 12 So whoever has God’s Son has life; whoever does not have his Son, does not have life. 13 I have written this to you who believe in the Son of God so that you may know you have eternal life.

THOUGHTS: Through our court systems, many are convicted of crimes because of the testimony of witnesses. Often unrelated parties will pass judgment on those witnesses wondering if what they testified to, could possibly be true. Yet men and women are convicted of crimes based on what the witnesses testified. I wonder if we would feel better about sentences if we knew without a shadow of a doubt that the witnesses were 100% correct in their testimony. Well, our scripture today talks about a witness that we can absolutely place our faith and trust in. For God Himself is bearing witness to His Son, Jesus, whom He sent into the world so that through Him we might have the assurance of our heavenly home in glory, when life as we know it today, comes to an end here on this earth. So the question for each of my readers today is: do you believe this witness (God)? If not, the scripture says that we are calling God a liar. If we do believe, the scripture declares that We Have A Hope, a promise, a very bright future to look forward to! John wrote this scripture so that we might know where we stand, and what our future holds, based on what we believe and accept today. How is it with you, friend? I can hardly believe that any of you would call God a liar, but have you truly accepted the truth that He has revealed to us in His Word? Based on this one fact only, will you know that heaven is your future home and that you will see Jesus face to face. Nothing else. Being good enough, or thinking that you are pleasing God will not do it. The Bible says that this precious gift of eternal life is for those who have humbled themselves, surrendered their life to the Son of God, invited Him to be their Savior, and committed to live life totally surrendered to Him alone. Please don’t ‘play’ with religion in hopes that it will save you from the pits of hell. What John iterates today is THE only way, based on the truth of God’s Word, and all other supporting scripture that leads to the same fact. Get it straight today friend, SO THAT YOU MAY KNOW! Please feel free to use the information in the Footnote to receive help towards this awesome decision.

PRAYER: Father, we humans purchase life insurance so that we might know that our surviving relatives would survive should we predecease them. I pray that my readers would accept Your Word and Your requirements about what would pave their way to heaven with You, so that they might know even today that their eternity is secured. Thank You for looking out for us, providing the means for us to one day be with You in glory, and for loving us enough to show us the way through Your saints who penned the words in Your Book – the Bible. May souls be touched by this word today and subsequently make things right in their lives, so that they might know what their future holds in store for them. What a comfort to know how to prepare for that very special reunion day with You! I praise You, honor You, and ask all this in the precious name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, 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 read through Biblical truths on How To Know Jesus, 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 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!

The Complete Picture

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Preach, TeachLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (Contemporary English Version – 2 Timothy 4:1-4): When Christ Jesus comes as king, he will be the judge of everyone, whether they are living or dead. So with God and Christ as witnesses, I command you 2 to preach God’s message. Do it willingly, even if it isn’t the popular thing to do. You must correct people and point out their sins. But also cheer them up, and when you instruct them, always be patient. 3 The time is coming when people won’t listen to good teaching. Instead, they will look for teachers who will please them by telling them only what they are itching to hear. 4 They will turn from the truth and eagerly listen to senseless stories.

THOUGHTS: Paul offered a warning and a strong word of advice to Timothy about the urgency of preaching the Word of God, and to do it in spite of opposition or disinterest of the people to whom he would preach. He not only indicated the disinterest of the people, but also went on to say why they would appear to be like that. Friends, I believe that God got my attention to this and caused me to apply this to my life today. So I want to share my thoughts with you. I believe that we have some excellent pastors/shepherds today and I am convinced that we have some excellent teachers of the Word. I believe that some of these preach and teach from the depths of their heart as touched by God while in His Word. However, these men are mere humans and they will be tempted to please the crowds, and this may even extend to the pulpit where they might try to be politically correct in order to soften the impact of the Word of God to those who are living in opposition to Its teaching. There are some who preach only the good, the positive, the uplifting parts of the Bible, and this pleases the people, but it is NOT the whole teaching of the Word of God. From personal experience I can tell you that there was a time in my life where I just couldn’t see the importance of the Old Testament because of all the gory war and slaughter that is told in many of Its pages. However, today my study time involves time in both Testaments, and while I am still amazed at how fortunate we are compared to the strong actions by God in the Old Testament, yet I realize that lessons are taught throughout, and often meld with teachings by Jesus in the New Testament. I believe that the very portions that pastors refuse to teach on, could often be the portions needed by the church, but could perhaps ‘sting’ a lot because of the present spiritual condition of many in the church. Pastors are blessed with an awesome responsibility ordained by God to shepherd His flock. Being disobedient to any part of His commands are as bad as disobeying the whole. I pray that none will be guilty of this when they stand before Christ. Now for the flip side of this, vs 3 indicates that people will naturally resort to listening to a pastor or teacher who tells them what they want to hear. The good stuff, the encouraging words, the positive things, and one who never ‘beats up on them’ by pointing out their disobedience to God’s Word. I believe you might agree that these types of pastors are filling stadiums with people who could ‘put up’ with that type of teaching, right? Friends, please be aware of this when trying to decide on a church home. Please be sure that the ‘whole’ Word of God is taught. God speaks to us through the teaching/preaching /words of His Book of Instructions. When we don’t hear all of it, we are incomplete in our full understanding of the Word. Pray for your pastors and teachers that they would not feel pressured in any way to not disclose the full Word of God.

PRAYER: Thank You for Your inspired Word dear God. Thank You for all the reasons You wanted us to learn about the ups and downs of our ancestors, as well as the wonderful message of Your resurrection from the dead and the beauty of our future home, Heaven! I realize that our lives are much like this, where there are pieces that we would just rather not talk about, but things that are so uplifting and glorious, especially after we allowed You into our lives. However, to know us today without getting an appreciation for our past is not portraying the full picture of who we really are. Please help us to never be ashamed of any piece of Your message in the Bible, for I believe that it was placed there for our edification and understanding of the good things that followed. Our pastors and teachers are really pressured by us to ‘dance around’ certain teachings, but Father, we want to be complete in our understanding of Your Word and the intentions of Your heart for us. Please vitalize our pastors and teachers with an encouraging word today so that they may be reenergized and encouraged to teach and preach the whole, unadulterated Word of God for truth and good works. Because Your Word is a light unto my path, I must know the right path and the wrong path, so please continue to point out my wrongs and my incorrect path when I stray. Please bless us with good church leaders who serve You and teach Your principles. We continue to need You each and every day Lord, so I am asking again today for Your ongoing love and direction, for I ask all this in the 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 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!

Love Is….

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Love, Love God, Love your Neighbor, ObedienceLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

4 Love is patient, love is kind.
Love does not envy,
is not boastful, is not conceited,
5 does not act improperly,
is not selfish, is not provoked,
and does not keep a record of wrongs.
6 Love finds no joy in unrighteousness
but rejoices in the truth.
7 It bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Thoughts:

If we paid attention to the television, then we will know that ‘love’ is one night stands, beauty, riches, sex or even products, because we are fed all the advertisements that is prevalent way more than the actual movie that we are watching. So grows our children who stay fixed on television each day. But what about the adults, anything different for us? Of course not, unless we concentrate on the Word of God, embed it into our lives and be obedient to its teachings. I want you to think about a typical evening in the life of married couples, so that we can compare that to our understanding of God’s Word, and I believe it will be evident why our country is so filled with cohabitating adults and/or divorcees, from which more broken homes are developed by their kids. First of all, both parents are out working all day – sometimes late into the evening, they arrive home tired, stressed and ready for bed, but their habitual ‘meal clock’ tells them that it is time to eat. So a fast food item is placed in the microwave, or soup is warmed, to satisfy any hunger pangs. In the meantime, the television is on, text and/or Facebook messages are dinging in and demanding the attention of the modern day adults, while we sit down to gobble our food and prepare for bed. Did I forget to include the time needed to sit and truly give our undivided attention to each other to hear about their day, or whether they still have a job. Oh, and what about time to celebrate what God may have done in our lives that day? When this routine repeats itself day after day friends, can you see how verse 7 above can possibly be developed, or matured? Unfortunately, many homes are facing this challenge. Unfortunately many couples are finding little time to express love towards each other, because they have absolutely worked true ‘love’ out of the picture. There’s no time for it and even if there is a minute, our minds are so wound up that we just want to be left alone in a corner with some peace and quiet. Has Satan sneaked his way into our marriages and into our homes to destroy something that God has designed? I believe that Satan would like nothing better friend. Please re-read the above verses, reflect on God’s design for true ‘love’ one for another, and don’t look at what needs to change in the life of your spouse or children, but what do you/I need to do personally so that we may be true followers of Christ and His commands. Our spouse, our families and our world deserves better. Can we do it? What does ‘love’ mean to you? What must be realigned in your life to help you align you life with the true plumb-line – the Word of God?

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You have inspired great writers like Paul to share Your Word with us so that we may be better aligned with Your expectations for Your children. I can only imagine how You must shake Your head in disgust sometimes at the mess we have made of life in today’s society. I know for sure that we need You more today than we have ever needed You before. I know for sure that we have really failed to do this thing called ‘love’, in its truest form, and that we need Your powerful hand upon us for the strength, guidance and overwhelming power to overcome the evil one. We need the encouragement of Your loving arms around us to cheer us along and to give us the confidence that we need to lay the things of this world aside and truly give our undivided attention to our spouses, our children, our family and all those that take time to listen and/or share with us. I’m afraid that if we are to truly be Your example, we must overcome these weaknesses and depend on You for strength to be the man/woman that You intended and the ones that You can use to minister to unbelievers today. Please be my strength and my guide today dear Lord. Please forgive me where I have failed to express my love to You and to others. Please touch the hearts and lives of Your children who will meditate on this devotional today Oh Lord. We all need You! I place my desires at Your feet and ask all these favors in the precious and loving name of Jesus, my soon coming King, 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.

Never Question God’s Plan!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, ChristianLeave a comment

The Bible – The Good News Translation

 Psalm 105:12–17

                 God’s people were few in number, strangers in the land of Canaan.

                They wandered from country to country, from one kingdom to another.

                But God let no one oppress them; to protect them, he warned the kings:

                “Don’t harm my chosen servants; do not touch my prophets.”

                The Lord sent famine to their country and took away all their food.

                But he sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who had been sold as a slave.

 Thoughts:

Can you imagine when Joseph’s father dedicated him to the Lord for His divine plan, how much of a box he probably built around that dedication? I’m sure that he would have felt honored if perhaps Joseph became a leading cattle rancher, or perhaps followed in his footsteps, but do you think in his wildest dreams, or in his most daring prayer he would have asked God that his little shepherd boy would become a leader in the king’s palace? In this particular Psalm, David reflected on the instruction given to the kings by God about not touching His prophets, and here he was praising God for the provision He made in the young boy, Joseph, to facilitate relief for the punishment he was about to render on the king and his dominion. We all know the wonderful story of Joseph, but in these verses I was reminded about the whole purpose for his mission in life. It was all God designed and orchestrated. How often do we stop and reflect on stories like this to energize our worship and praises of thanksgiving for God’s perfect plan? It ignites in us a feeling of praise, excitement and expectancy as we not only thank Him for His mighty works, but also look forward to what He is already doing in our lives and the lives of our loved ones. When disasters occur, like the famine that occurred in this story, are we bold enough in our trust in God to know that God has already made provisions for His people by having a plan ready, and a man ready to lead His plan? We have the record book to show us that this is how He operates, so why doubt? Let’s ask Him to do it again! We know He can!

 Prayer:

 Praise God that Your divine plan for Your children is so much more than we, or our ancestors could ever have dreamed of. Reflecting on Moses, he whined about the speech impediment that bothered him as a spokesman, yet You used his ounce of faith to lead millions of people for years to the Promised Land through many extenuating circumstances. Many of these challenges seemed impossible to man, yet folk today are saved because of the power they saw in the mighty power of God through Moses. Again in the story of Joseph, we saw where men (his own brothers) meant evil for this young man, but praise God You had a much bigger plan for this young man! Our small, insignificant minds are so limited, but praise God we serve the One with all knowledge, all wisdom and all power, and in light of another verse You led me to this morning (James 3:17) You are a God who shows no favoritism and You are sincere in all that You do. Wow, again I am reminded that I serve such an awesome God! Please use me more every day for Your glory! My friends reading this will be very much like me, so I ask You dear Lord to also place Your miracle working hand on their lives so that they can be all that You planned for them. Only You have the awesome power to accomplish all this that I’ve asked dear Jesus, so I ask it in Your precious and holy name, AMEN!

 

NOTE: 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.

May My Thoughts Please Christ!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Pleasing to God, Praise, WorshipLeave a comment

The Bible – New Century Version

 Psalm 104:33–34

33             I will sing to the Lord all my life;

I will sing praises to my God as long as I live.

34             May my thoughts please Him;

I am happy in the Lord.

Thoughts:

Ever read a book, flip the pages and all as if you had finished reading that page, but in reality you don’t have a clue what was on that page, because your mind was miles away? Does this happen to us in our families where we are not really tuned in to a conversation taking place? Now-a-days we have all the distractions of electronics and television to distract us from quality time, or a time where our family has our undivided attention. What about church? Surely our minds don’t wonder off when we are in God’s house!! In verse 33, David is boasting about his awesome worship times – singing to the Lord – in fact he went as far as saying that he is committed to singing these praises as long as he lived. Then comes verse 34, where David asks God to direct his thoughts so that they may please Him. I get the impression that he is singing the praises, but yet seeing his mind wonder off onto other things. That caught my attention, because I believe that I am not alone when my mind wonders off during a worship song, or during the preaching or even the praying. Friends, I believe that our minds are in such overload with what remains undone at work, and/or family business that must be attended to, and/or just overtired because we didn’t get enough rest. I also believe that if we fail to worship God daily in our personal lives, it is highly unlikely that we could be very sincere in our corporate worship. Imagine our pastors coming to the pulpit, without sermon preparation or personal worship time, but because that’s the place they are paid to be at that certain hour each week. How do you suppose the sermon would come off? So why do you suppose we, the congregants are any different? Without any worship time during the week and/or any preparation time with God about the 1-2 hours that we are about to spend in corporate worship, do you suppose that our minds are magically changed and redirected from the busyness of the week, to now totally concentrate on our worship time? Friends, I believe that we have an obligation to our God, who knows everything about every thought, word or deed, to confess our weaknesses and ask for His divine intervention, so that we can avoid the pretense of worship, and instead surrender our lives, our minds and our whole beings over to Him. These words from a song I love seem appropriate for us to sing each time we enter into corporate worship, “… so forget about yourself, and concentrate on Him, and worship Him….” How is it with you friend? Is there something you need to speak with God about as far as Him receiving your undivided attention during worship times?

Prayer:

Loving Lord Jesus, please forgive me for the times that I am bodily present in worship services, but my mind is everywhere else but there. I am very much like David where I need Your touch on my life so that I can truly concentrate on You and worship You for the awesome God that You are. You have made us, and provided everything possible for our enjoyment, yet we find it challenging to give You our undivided attention, worship and praise. Lord, please touch Your people once again. I believe that revival will break out if we all came to worship, prepared in our hearts and minds, and dedicate our corporate worship time entirely to You. Please patiently examine our hearts and our minds and renew within us a right spirit, open to exemplifying You in every way, every day, and offering up our undiluted praise at every opportunity. We need this, and you deserve this dear Lord, so I ask this in your precious and holy name, AMEN!

 

NOTE: 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.

The Creation of My Awesome God!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Disciple, God our Provider, PraiseLeave a comment

The Bible – The Good News Translation

Psalm 104:13–15

13             From the sky you send rain on the hills, and the earth is filled with your blessings.

14             You make grass grow for the cattle and plants for human beings to use, so that they can grow their crops

15             and produce wine to make them happy, olive oil to make them cheerful, and bread to give them strength.

Thoughts:

I am blessed to enjoy a short vacation this week, so as I meditate on this scripture I can hear the ocean waves beating against the shoreline, I can overlook the vastness of the ocean, the beauty of the land as it tapers off into the ocean waters (the beach), and the shrubbery that is specific to this area and tolerant of the salt sprays from the ocean. In addition to its beauty and the amazement of my wonderful God, I am overwhelmed by the stubbornness of man who is forced to obey government rules and regulations concerning our beaches and adjacent properties, and they are forced to cooperate with the rules of nature/God by planting the right kind of shrubs for the brutal salt sprays, yet we are challenged to convince these same men that there is a God who loves them even more than the waters and the earth. Isn’t it interesting that God is patient with these smart men in their ignorance and rejection, and He will forgive them at their request when coming to Him for salvation? David also recognized the awesomeness of all that surrounded him, so he expressed the inner joy and appreciation in the value of the rain, and the lush growth of plants around him. These plants were not just another pesky bush that he had to complain about trimming, but David recognized that had it not been for God providing these specific plants, he and others, like you and I, would be cheated from valuable things like wine, olive oil and bread. Friends it is not our responsibility to prove to non-believers that God exist, it is our duty to God to boast about the power of God that saved us from our sin, and that all the many things around them us were created and strategically placed because of the wonder, majesty, power and awesome love of our Provider, our maker, our Savior and our Lord. Please be reminded that we can save no one. We merely express what’s in our heart. God will use that little, to accomplish much for His ultimate glory. I am reminded in another scripture verse where Jesus said that if His disciples kept quiet the very stones will cry out/sing praise (Luke 19:40). We are not challenged to find words to praise our kids and grand-kids, why are we so challenged to sing the praises of our Creator? Could it be that our relationship with God is not where it needs to be? Draw close to God dear friend, so that He can draw near to you. He loves You and wants to be involved in your life.

Prayer:

Lord, I praise You for who You are, and for the beauty of all that You have provided for us to enjoy and benefit from. You not only made us in Your wonderful image, but You followed through by providing everything we need to survive, and even things to enhance our worship of You. You are awesome Mighty God! Thank You for being my Master and yet my friend. I honor You today and I thank You for providing everything around me to enjoy, both for peace of mind and rejuvenation but also for survival through the foods that I eat and the air that I breathe. As David reminds me, this earth is filled with Your blessings and Your awesome touch. Thank you for being my God, my Lord and my Savior. I adore You heavenly Father. May You be praised by every living soul this day, especially those that may meditate on this devotional. I praise You, and ask all this, in Your most holy and awesome name, Jesus my Lord, AMEN!

 

NOTE: 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.

One Choice Determines Your Destiny!

On By Ed AlgreenIn All have sinned, Bible Believing, Born Again, Christian, Eternal Life, Faith, Holy Spirit, Knowing Christ, Reaching the LostLeave a comment

The Bible – New Living Translation

Psalm 102:27–28

27 But you are always the same;

you will live forever.

28 The children of your people

will live in security.

Their children’s children

will thrive in your presence.”

 Thoughts:

As our kids are growing up we try to make sure they do well in school, and we prepare financially, and mentally, for them going on to college, to help prepare them for the best jobs, and therefore the best chance of making it in this challenging world. Similarly, in life, we are born a sinner, and because of a precious gift given by God, we have a choice of remaining a sinner (without Christ), or to accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior. We may then live the rest of our lives savoring in that love, and subsequently look forward to a glorious day when we might be with Jesus in glory. You might ask, “but how do I get from point ‘A’ to point ‘B’ in these life decisions”. David reminds us in this Psalm that in spite of all that changes in this world, in fact all that changes in our generation compared to that of our forefathers, it is important to remember that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever. For a moment, let us look at the death of our parents. The world looks on and they either raise their hands in celebration that the children of the deceased were taught the love of God, accepted that precious gift, and therefore have the security referenced in verse 28 above, or disappointedly they may nod their heads knowing that the children have opted to live their lives without regards for the Christ that their parent knew, and therefore has no hope of tomorrow. Friends, my God is an everlasting God that I can recommend to my child(ren) and give them the assurance of life eternally with Him. How can I do this? Because, in scripture I am assured by Jesus, when He said: “Because I live ye shall live also”. You see, Jesus has prepared a home for His children! Praise God, I have the assurance like David did, that this ‘home’ Jesus referred to is not just for Christians today, but for their children also, if they make the choice to personally accept Jesus and develop a life-long relationship with Him. No choice at all will leave you on the road to eternal destruction (Hell). Making a choice to accept Jesus as Lord, can give you the same comfort and assurance that your Christian forefathers may have had, if they knew Him. Super simple folk, but super important. I hope that you will use the contact information in the footnote and allow myself or someone else who loves you, to lead you to the cross of Jesus Christ TODAY! I would love to celebrate with you!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, just as my friends make choices that help mark the destiny of their children’s future, I pray that they will seriously consider making a super important choice, as presented above that would mark the eternal destiny for their lives. Not knowing what might happen the next hour or minute, I selfishly ask that You impact their lives immediately after being reminded of this in this devotional, so that they may have opportunity to make this all important choice. Thank You for impressing this upon my life some 38 years. You know how this would hurt me to now that anyone would be left behind, especially anyone that I love, care for, work with, or have opportunity to minister to. This includes anyone meditating on this devotional today. Thank You Lord for the provision You made for us at Calvary. I look forward to the day You decide to call me home to be with You! I am thankful, but yet plead my requests of You, and I ask all this in Your wonderful and all-powerful name, Jesus, my Lord and Savior, 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.

What Are You Doing To Christ?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Holy, Holy Spirit, Pleasing to God, Purity, RighteousnessLeave a comment

The Bible – The Good News Translation

1 Corinthians 6:15–17

15 You know that your bodies are parts of the body of Christ. Shall I take a part of Christ’s body and make it part of the body of a prostitute? Impossible! 16 Or perhaps you don’t know that the man who joins his body to a prostitute becomes physically one with her? The scripture says quite plainly, “The two will become one body.” 17 But he who joins himself to the Lord becomes spiritually one with him.

Thoughts:

Many Christians cringe when they sit down and watch a movie about the crucifixion of our Lord. Many more abhor any type of disrespect of God, either in abusing His name, or dishonoring Him in either way. These things are honorable for the children of God, but how often do we stop and consider the abuse we are subjecting our Father to when we find ourselves in places where sin abound, or in a movie where there is no respect for man or God? Paul was addressing the subject of male prostitution that had become very prominent in the Corinthian church, and he reminded them that they should consider that they are not just abusing and disrespecting their physical bodies, but that God’s Holy Spirit has taken up residence in their holy temple, when they first accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior. I believe that this obvious sin is very clear to see friends, but what God challenged me in through this scripture, is to be extra careful about what I subject my eyes to, and what I subject my ears to, and what I allow my mind to envelope and ponder, and the things that I abuse and subject my body to, for the Spirit of the most High is resident in this body. Just for a moment, think about the idea of going out one morning and spray-painting the inside of your garage, with you brand new car sitting in the garage! Can you image what the paint job of your car will look like when you have finished beautifying the walls of your garage? OK, in the same way, our bodies are much like the garage, whatever we subject it to, we are subjecting/disrespecting God’s Holy Spirit to, that resides within this body. Shame on us? Ashamedly, I would say yes, very much so. I remember the words of an old saint who once found herself in a location that she regretted. She openly prayed, Lord Jesus, please don’t come now!! Funny? Yes, but like the car in the garage, the damage is already done. An old nursery rhyme or song is very appropriate here: “Oh be careful little eyes what you see ……”

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I am especially thankful for Your Holy Spirit! I am thankful that You created me, and saved me so that my body might be the temple of the Holy Spirit. Please forgive me for the times that I’ve abused the residence and Lordship of Your Holy Spirit, for I am ashamed. Thank You for directing me to this passage of scripture, and sharpening my awareness of the abuse of this temple where Your Holy Spirit resides. I pray that I might concede to full obedience to Your Word, and that I might protect and preserve this temple, and never subject it to anything contrary to what is taught in Your Word. I believe that in such a condition, You will be free to accomplish Your work through me that You have in store for me to do while here below. I’m afraid that I’m not alone in this dear Jesus, so I ask that You speak words of wisdom and encouragement to all your children reading this blog today, so that Your holiness and mighty work might be preserved and accomplished here in this sinful world. Please have Your will and way in our lives today, is my humble prayer that I ask in Your precious and holy name, Jesus my Lord, AMEN!

 

NOTE: 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.

Reasons To Worship

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Born Again, Celebrate God, Christian, Faith, God Cares For Us, Heaven, Pleasing to God, Praise, WorshipLeave a comment

The Bible – New Living Translation

Psalm 95:6–7

6 Come, let us worship and bow down.

Let us kneel before the Lord our maker,

7 for he is our God.

We are the people he watches over,

the flock under his care.

If only you would listen to his voice today!

Thoughts:

As a child, we normally question ‘Why?’ as we learn new things or when people ask us something, or tell us to do something. Is it any different as adults? We tend to question a lot also, and we tend to object when we don’t understand why we are being asked to do something. In these focused verses from Psalm 95, David encouraged us to come, and let us worship God, let us bow down, and let us kneel before the Lord. Now, let’s look at our lives today and consider why we would want to follow this idea, or command, of David’s. After all, there is no way that we would do something like this without understanding why we are doing it! Here are some reasons I discerned from David’s command:

  • God is our maker – think about this, parents play an important role in ‘making’ their children. While they don’t demand their children to worship them, they do demand respect, honor and obedience. So when we consider God as our ‘maker’ should we not worship Him as part of our respect, honor, obedience and praise? In fact, these attributes are forms of worship!
  • He is our God – Sometimes I believe that we would sooner listen to the weatherman about Mother-Nature giving us a beautiful day, and offer up thanks to ‘Mother-Nature’ for blessing us with a great day! Friends, there is no ‘Mother-Nature’, there is God! He is the one that put this world together and created you and me to populate this earth. He is the One that created rain, the sun and all other things needed for us, and plant life, to live. He is the One who deserves our praise for the awesome days; good health; food on our tables; loving families, etc!
  • He watches over us – oh how thankful we are when sitters take such good care of our children for us. I know, we don’t worship them, but I do know that we are very thankful to them and honor them for their faithfulness to our kids. These are forms of ‘worship’ friends! If you came to church with these attributes towards God, you will be offering up praise to Him and could very easily be led into worship of Him.
  • He cares for us – I’ve been physically down a bit recently while recovering from surgery, and had to depend more on my wife, child, sister and church leaders than probably any other time in my life. Am I thankful to these individuals, and appreciate their unselfish acts in helping me when I can’t help myself? You bet I am! Do you see how this is the same way that God cares for us every day? Do you see how our hearts should be filled to overflowing with praise and thanksgiving to God when we come together to corporately worship Him?

Friends, based on the above, do you see any reason why we would need help in worshiping our God? Do you see any reason why our churches are not filled with the praises of God’s children when there are planned worship services? It begins with each of us friends, for we are the church. We are the ones that must draw close to God, so that He might draw close to us. We are the ones that must ready ourselves for corporate worship each week so that we can offer honest and heartfelt worship to our God. When the world sees this, they will be drawn to God. They must see something different than what they see in their everyday life on the streets or in secular jobs.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for being my God. Thank You for loving me enough that You gave, so that I might have an entryway into Heaven. Thank you for watching over me and caring for me. Lord, please help me, and those that I worship with each week, to stop our busy minds, leave behind the concerns of this world, concentrate on You and worship You. Lord, this is very personal, so I believe each of us must purpose in our own hearts to give all of us to all of You, so that You may be lifted up, worshiped and praised in a manner pleasing to You. May You hear a sweet, sweet sound of personal worship from us daily, and especially when we come together for corporate worship. Thank You for hearing my prayer, oh Lord, for I am asking all this in Your precious and holy name, AMEN!

 

NOTE: 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.

24/7/365 Availability!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Ask and Receive, Bible Believing, Christian, Encourage, Faith, God Cares For Us, Hears Us, Sees UsLeave a comment

The Bible – New Century Version

Psalm 94:8–11

8               You stupid ones among the people, pay attention. You fools, when will you understand?

9               Can’t the creator of ears hear? Can’t the maker of eyes see?

10             Won’t the one who corrects nations punish you? Doesn’t the teacher of people know everything?

11             The Lord knows what people think. He knows their thoughts are just a puff of wind.

Thoughts:

When we pray hard about a situation, especially one that we are very close to, we have our desired wishes in mind about how the situation should be handled, and I believe that we tend to pray towards that end. Often God will show us who is in charge, and who knows best, by answering our prayers in accordance with His perfect will and design. That answer may be exactly along the lines of what we had pleaded for, or it may be even better in the long run for the subject of our prayer. I believe that we sometime may question why God chose to respond in a particular way, and sometimes I believe we may feel like He may not have heard us at all, or perhaps we may question if He can’t see for Himself what is going on around us. These verses served to remind me that my Creator definitely hears me, otherwise why would He have given me ears! He definitely sees what’s going on around us, especially those things that really impact the lives of His dear children, otherwise why would He have given us eyes. If God is without ears or eyes, surely he would not have seen the need to create us with these extra tools! So friend, stand with me and be reminded that our God is all powerful, all knowing, sees everything and hears everything. He showed His power to calm even the rough seas, raise the dead, gave the blind back their sight and allowed the lame to walk again. What did you say your ‘major’ problem is, especially in light of these miracles wrought by His hands? Remember friend, He is there all the time for us. Let us learn to reach out to Him, love Him and depend on Him more so that we might see His mighty works, and reap the results of His awesome love!

Prayer:

Dear Lord, please teach us to pray in faith believing on the Son of God and the power and might of His perfect will, and that ALL things are possible with the touch of Your mighty hand, or the simple word from Your mouth. Please help us to get off our soap boxes of thinking that we can tell You what to do. You are the Master, Designer, Creator, Almighty God, and we are merely Your humble servants bowed before You with outstretched arms fully dependent on You. Thank You for giving us ears and eyes that enables us to do Your works here below. But more than that, thank You for the reminder that we are to continue reaching out to You knowing that You can hear our heart’s plea, and You can see the wickedness that we encounter around us every day. Thank You for loving us and caring for us, even in our human weaknesses and frailness. Hopefully we can be more focused on You today and the power available to us by our Father who loves us way too much to see us fail or fall. Please be our guide today. For it is in Your precious and holy name that I ask all this dear Savior, AMEN!

 

NOTE: 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.