Eternal Life in Heaven – How?

On 2023-02-242023-02-24 By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, Eternal Life, Eternity, Needs, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Friday, 2023-02-24
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 10:25-29
TRANSLATION: Amplified Bible (AMP)

BIBLE TEXT: ²⁵And a certain lawyer [an expert in Mosaic Law] stood up to test Him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁶Jesus said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” ²⁷And he replied, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” ²⁸Jesus said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this habitually and you will live.” ²⁹But he, wishing to justify and vindicate himself, asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

OBSERVATION: Perhaps one of the most well-known verses in the Bible is John 3:16! One of the principal lines included is ‘whosever believes on the Son of God will have eternal life’. There may be many who will question Jesus like the lawyer did in today’s Scripture, because they want to ensure that in their life here on earth, they have prepared themselves for life eternally in heaven. So, let’s get our response from this important Scripture where Jesus addresses this exact question.

APPLICATION: Isn’t it interesting how, when we devote our time to certain lifestyles and we study certain subjects, we try to find our answers to life’s toughest questions in those things? In today’s Scripture our lawyer/friend, who was an expert in Mosaic law, felt like he had the right answer to this question that was impacting his mind, but since he had opportunity to speak directly with the One who had answers to all of life’s questions, he went ahead and tried to make sure that the answer was nothing more than what he discovered in the laws handed down by his ancestor, Moses. In John 3:16, Jesus said that ‘whosoever believes on Him, will have eternal life’. However, the lawyer didn’t want to trust just the laws of Moses with such an important question. He had to make sure that he had the most accurate answer possible, so that he could make sure of his eternal destiny after this life here on earth. I believe his reasoning may have been similar to what we still struggle with today, for it is obvious from the answer given by Jesus that something else will result for those who choose not to ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.’ Many have chosen to ignore the question of what happens after life here on earth, because they feel like the Maker and Designer of all mankind will not punish that which He has created. Friends, you are precisely right in your assumption should God have created us to be robots and do only what He tells us to. However, He created us in His own image, and gave us the option to choose what we will do about our eternity. For those who acknowledge His lordship and do as the Scripture says today, they will one day be rewarded with the likes of heaven where they will spend eternity with the Father (God), the Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit (the 3rd arm of the Trinity). For the rebels who want to do life their way and ignore the very One who created them in His likeness, then our loving Father will sadly watch as they gain their reward – eternity in Hell with the master they chose – Satan. You might quickly retort that you never ‘chose Satan’. But dear friend, the way that this works is that unless you specifically chose to believe in Jesus and love Him with all your heart, soul and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself, then you will never change the trajectory of your life – eternity with the Evil One – Satan. My greatest aim with Nuggets From God’s Word, is to allow God to speak through my thoughts and prayers to impact the hearts of His kids. I pray that today will be no exception, and that the Holy Spirit will provoke your curiosity, just as He did with the lawyer in our Bible story, so that you may also seek after answers that will impact you for all eternity. This is one of those things that you can settle today – where will you spend eternity? In Heaven, or in Hell? It’s your choice, and your decision today will settle the issue for you for all eternity! Let me encourage you to choose Heaven, because I really want to meet each of you there, but most of all, I want us to celebrate Jesus as we bow in homage to Him for all eternity!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: The secret to eternal life in heaven, is to habitually love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our strength, and with all our mind; and our neighbor as ourself!

PRAYER: Thank You Lord Jesus for the blessed hope we have of one day being in Heaven with You and our Father. Lord, I pray that everyone who will take time to read this devotional today may not only be excited about the prospect of seeing You and worshipping at Your feet, but they will make sure that they are indeed ready for the day when life here on earth is ended. A day that every human will face, if the trumpet is not sounded first. We work hard at readying ourselves for a good job, a high-profile banquet, or the arrival of our child, please lord, help us to be sure that our election is sure, and that our soul is secure so that when we close our eyes in death here on earth, we will open our eyes in eternity with You. Also, Lord. just as we would quickly do all within our power to help a friend prepare for an oncoming storm, help us to also make it a priority to challenge them and help them to be in a state of readiness for the day when You call them home to glory. Be glorified in all we do and say today, Lord, for Your kingdom’s sake. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

A Brand New Body!

On 2022-06-242022-06-24 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Eternity, Good News, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Friday, 2022-06-24
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Corinthians 15:42-44
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁴²It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. ⁴³Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. ⁴⁴They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.

APPLICATION: Isn’t it interesting how, in our unique human form and intelligence, we decide when it’s time to go see a doctor or rush to the hospital to receive help, or a cure for our ailments? Some may also build a home, and before construction ever starts, they call their insurance company to make sure that their investment is protected. Yet, each of us have relatives and friends who are mentally alert and generally make fairly good decisions in life, yet they are unconcerned about their eternal welfare. Some might give the excuse that this whole Christian life seems like too much of a sacrifice for them to decide to assume while they have so much time left here on earth. Some might say that this is something that might become appealing to them when they enter the hospital for the very last time. While others will go as far as saying ‘let the chips fall where they may’, if they go to Hell, there will be many of their friends already there. Friends, I am desperately hoping that each ready or listener will have a conversation with our Lord today and ask Him to help us identify those in our circle of influence who are not prepared for Heaven, so that we might intensify our prayer life to include a humbling in their spirit that will cause them to look towards the Master and petition before Him in earnest for our loved ones. In our Scripture today, notice that Paul used no ‘if’ statements, for just as we are born, so we will also die. For those who die without having accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, they are promised an eternity in Hell with it’s evil master – Satan. However, for those who have accepted the lordship of Jesus, their bodies will assume immortality so that they might live forever in Glory with the Father (God), the Son (Jesus) and all the saints who have gone on ahead of us. So to my unsaved friends who might come across this devotional, let me just challenge you for a moment: if you believe in your heart that something could happen – just out of the blue, to your home, or to your car, that caused you to purchase insurance to protect your investment, isn’t it much more important to protect your soul and ensure your eternity? The former things are just that – ‘things’, but the latter is your very soul – body, mind and spirit. Convince yourself which is more important. Please don’t wait for what might be your last hospital stay, for many never made it to the hospital to die near doctors and nurses. Age is of no significance to death, for children and adults are buried every day of varying ages. Please know that anytime while in your sinful body you think of eternity, that’s the voice of Jesus speaking intently to you about the decisions you have made about securing your future after this life. You are important to God, and loved by Him, because He wants a relationship with you, so of course your decisions are important and concerning to Him. Being my friend, you are also important to me. So with all the love in my heart, let me encourage you today to accept and follow Jesus, just as I did almost 50 years ago. I look forward to having you kneel with me around the throne in heaven!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Enough of this old battered and ailing body, my next body will be fit for eternity with my Lord and Master – Jesus Christ! Praise the Lord forever!

PRAYER: Lord, I am anxiously awaiting my heavenly body, and the opportunity to join all the saints around Your throne! Thank You for this assurance, and thank You for this reminder today. Oh that this may penetrate the hearts and minds of readers or listeners who have yet to decide on their eternal fate. Thank You God for considering us when You sent Your Son into this world for our redemption. We await Your call and are ready for our new body and our new home, but most of all we want to see You in all Your glory and majesty! To God be the glory, for all You have done! AMEN!

Will God Identify You as His?

On 2020-12-132020-12-12 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Eternity, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Sunday, 2020-12-13
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

BIBLE REFERENCE: Micah 4:5
TRANSLATION: New American Standard Bible (NASB)

BIBLE TEXT: Though all the peoples walk,
Each in the name of his god,
As for us, we will walk
In the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.

OBSERVATION: I love how the prophet Micah declared that Israel would stand firm for the living God, no matter how other countries around them may continue to trust in their own god. As we meditate today, I would like for us to personalize this thought. Will God identify you as a child of the Almighty God because of your daily lives here on earth? Will you declare today that Jesus is Lord and King of your life?

APPLICATION: My wife’s grandmother developed Alzheimers in her latter years. Like most people who realize someone has been impacted by this dreaded disease, we would normally ask multiple times during our visits ‘Do you know who I am?’. I always loved her response: ‘I can’t call your name, but I know you’re one of mine!’. We always chuckled when she responded like that, but I believe she recognized our facial expressions, our mannerisms and our love for her, for she came to recognize some of the traits that she taught her children and grandchildren over the years. Fortunately, God not only created us and placed us here on earth to develop whatever mannerisms we want, and to worship whatever gods or objects that comes natural to man, but He inspired His chosen prophets to write down His teachings, and He even gave some the gift of prophecy to foretell what will come to pass. Unlike parents who often wish that hospitals would give them a book of instructions when they hand them their newborn baby, God did exactly this for us! So as we grow up, we have a choice of either learning and following the instructions given to us by God, or whether we would just assimilate ourselves into our friendship and community groups that often tend to follow what feels best to them, or makes them look like the most elite in society. Based on the Word of God, I believe that God identifies His own by their commitments, their loyalties and their actions. For if we commit to the lordship of Jesus Christ, our loyalties, commitments and choices would look more like what is taught in God’s Word. If we make no changes in our lives, then we will naturally follow the desires of the flesh and try to please our fellow man. Our loyalties might then look more like one who is totally engrossed in our job, with no time for family, friends, God or the church. Or we may become so caught up in worldly fun and games, that we lose sight of the God who placed us here and continues to provide all the basics of life for us every day. Or we develop an attitude that we are untouchable by the world or its problems, and we couldn’t care less about the needs of others. Of course nothing of this is out of sight by God, for He knows our thoughts and our actions. So friends, I wonder what God might look at us and say when we stand before Him? Will congratulations be in order, and the red carpet laid out for the prince or princess to walk through to heaven? After all, as a child of the King of all kings, we would be considered a prince/princess! But for the one who had no need or time for God while here on earth, surely they wouldn’t want a part of Him on Judgment Day, right? Unfortunately there is a second place prepared for those not interested in Heaven, it is a place of eternal damnation and fire, one that is led by Satan and his demons. Sounds way too cruel? But friends, as I indicated in all that I’ve said already, you make this crucial decision while here on earth. Please be reminded that decisions could only be made by you with a sober mind while you are alive. How long will you be alive? God answered that in His Word, when He said that no one knows the day or the hour that the Master will come. This means that you are free to make a decision now, but there are no assurances that you you will be here in five minutes to make decisions then. Now is the accepted time of salvation my friend, and it is available to all that would ask! My prayer is that everyone that may read one of my devotionals will make the right decision about their eternity at the time of reading it, and immediately speak with God. Please contact me if I could be of help to you.

PRAYER: Thank You Heavenly Father for loving me enough to provide the means for my salvation. As the prophet Micah reminded us today, some may worship their respective idols today, and until You question them on Judgment Day, but Lord I promise to serve You faithfully today and every day until You return to take me home. Please touch hearts today who may read this devotional and may not have clarified their position with You yet. Remind them of the importance of making that decision today, before it is eternally too late. May Your Word, and this short devotional, not fall on deaf ears, but on hearts that are willing to establish today where they will spend eternity. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog at https://NuggetsFromGodsWord.org that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and see all of my posts, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

A Gift From God

On 2020-07-15 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Eternal Life, Eternity, Gift, Jesus, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Tuesday, 2020-07-14
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Ephesians 2:8-10
TRANSLATION: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁸I mean that you have been saved by grace because you believed. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. ⁹You are not saved by the things you have done, so there is nothing to boast about. ¹⁰God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us new people so that we would spend our lives doing the good things he had already planned for us to do.

OBSERVATION: In addition to the awesome news in our focal Scripture verse today, my Old Testament reading took me into Isaiah 43:25 (NLT): “I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again. Wow, to hear a message in the OT and then again in the NT, wouldn’t you say that God is truly getting His message across to us, that He is the One who saves, and He saves us because of His love, His ownership (sons/daughters), His grace (unmerited favor), and for His glory! This is about as good as it gets, so let’s spend some time meditating on how we could be so fortunate to be a part of this blessing!

APPLICATION: I have two friends Who, in response to the question ‘How are you today’, will often respond ‘Better than I deserve’. I thought of that today as I studied God’s Word, for it truly felt from God’s promises that we are blessed to receive way more, and way better, than anything we could possibly have said, done or asked for in this life. God showed the Israelites, that regardless of what sins their forefathers had committed in the Wilderness, that He would blot out their sins because of who He is. You see, God wanted the Israelites to know, and for us to know, that there is no religion we could follow, or any principles we could adhere to, that we could ever become good enough, or sanctified enough to warrant His acceptance of our dirty selves into His kingdom. God is determined to show us that there is only one reason that He allowed His precious Son to die on Calvary, and that is for the redemption of our sin. You see, He created us to worship Him and to magnify His name in all the earth. When you consider the multitudes who have chosen to deny Jesus Christ and to ignore the love that He showed for us, don’t you see that they are the ones who commit awful crimes against mankind and try every trick in the book to derail the one trying to center their lives on Christ? They work in opposition to what God had planned for them to do. They are not the ones who will recognize the awesome love and concern of a God who sacrificed His Son for us, even while we were yet sinners. I believe that it is also very obvious that it is only the grace of God that will actually speak to the heart of a rebellious child. It is He who will melt that hardened heart and draw that child away from the spoil of this earth, and remind them of the only One who loves them in spite of all that they have done. In fact, I believe that God calls us out of this world and into His wonderful kingdom. This will require obedience from a softened heart, acknowledging that you are powerless to change anything about your life in and of your own power. This requires a heart set on claiming Jesus as Lord! Are you ready to turn the corner on your life my friend? If so, God has promised that His grace is sufficient, and that only because of His grace, He will extend to you the gift of eternal life. Please read my Footnote and be prepared to accept Jesus as Lord today.

PRAYER: Physical gifts that we receive here on earth is nothing compared to the wonderful gift You gave to us when You allowed the death of Your Son, Jesus, on the cross for our sin. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You Lord Jesus! Please touch our lives to never forsake the One who sacrificed for our sin, the One who gave Himself as a gift to us, so that we may not have to suffer for our sin, filth and disobedience to our Master. Lord, I am forever thankful, and look forward in great anticipation to worship You in person, in glory. Please forgive my readers and I for the times that we cave in to temptation and sin. We humbly ask that You fill us with power and wisdom so that we may stay faithful and true to You. Please soften the hearts of those who totally ignore all that You have to offer, and all that You did for them. Oh that they may desire to know You personally, and commit fully to Your precious gift – the joy of knowing Jesus as Lord and personal Savior. AMEN!

When You Reject the Message of Eternal Life

On 2020-02-04 By Ed AlgreenIn Eternal Life, Eternity, SurrenderLeave a comment

Tuesday, 2020-02-04

Bible Reference: Acts 13:46
Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

Bible Text: Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, “It was necessary that we first preach the word of God to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles.

OBSERVATION: Unless we become very familiar with God’s Word, and understand the full Gospel of Jesus Christ, we may easily become distracted and side tracked into believing that we know it all. As a follower of Christ, we should be closely listening to what He has to share with us, especially through His Word. As we meditate on our Scripture today, we might see where the Jews thought that they had every detail under control and that God would have nothing more to share with them through mere humans. Do we tend to border on this same feeling when His messengers stand before us each week and share His message? Do you suppose that God may eventually tire in trying to get through to us?

APPLICATION: I’ve been in situations before where a parent or another adult may have said “well you don’t deserve that anyway”! Perhaps out of anger that I failed an exam, or didn’t listen to a lecture as closely as they thought I should have. But the words chosen by Paul and Barnabas were especially interesting in this particular verse. Paul and his partner had been preaching their hearts out to the Jews gathered, and while some may have listened, it was obvious that most were satisfied with the same message they had been taught all along, and had no interest in hearing about this new ‘miracle worker’ (Jesus) who had just entered their scene. Paul and Barnabas felt the roadblocks they were facing, and tried to not force their message on the Jews, so they told them how they had just considered themselves unworthy of the prize (the Messiah, the Christ, the Savior of the world). Consequently, they would go on to preach the Good News to the Gentiles who, in the eyes of the Jews, were nobodies who were unworthy of anything worthwhile. I wonder how many of our friends have entered our church doors, listened to the message of the cross and left thinking that they are so unworthy of this awesome gift of love that God sent to earth for us? I wonder how many reading this devotional sometime feel like the message of the cross is for those who are good; those from good families; those who have attended church all their lives; but certainly would never redeem them of their sin. Friends, let me be quick to remind you that God has no favorites, other than the children that He created – and that includes us all. He died so that everyone (whosoever will) may ask for forgiveness of sin and accept the prize available to us through the Lord Jesus Christ. ‘All’ means that no one is excluded! ‘All’ means even you and I may receive that awesome gift of love, dear friend! Please do not be influenced by the Jews. Know that Jesus died for your sin, and that He has made the way for you to enter Heaven’s gates and join He and the Father at the throne. Please be sure to read my Footnote and know without a doubt that you are on your way to Heaven. I want to see you there my friend!

PRAYER: Father, thank You for not only creating my friends and I in Your image, but for also sending Your Son so that we might have the means of entering Your kingdom to personally be with You throughout eternity. Please touch the hearts of Your people today with the assurance that You made this sacrifice so that we all may know, believe, and be assured of our eternal salvation. Many will hear the gospel message this week, may this loving message resonate throughout all of our churches so that Your people may hear and know that they are loved and accepted by their Creator, and therefore surrender their lives to His precious Son, Jesus. We love You Lord! AMEN!

It’s Time To Go!

On 2018-11-23 By Ed AlgreenIn Accept Jesus NOW, Believers, Christ's Return, EternityLeave a comment

Friday, 2018-11-23

Bible Reference: Revelation 1:7
Translation: Amplified Bible (AMP)

Bible Text: ⁷Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes (nations) of the earth will mourn over Him [realizing their sin and guilt, and anticipating the coming wrath]. ^[kSo it is to be. Amen.

OBSERVATION: In the first 6 verses, time is spent introducing the legitimacy of how John became authorized to share these revelations with us. It is obvious that these words came from God, through Jesus, to John. It is also obvious that our soon coming God will be for ALL people that ever existed and who exist at the time of His coming. No need for an earthly judge to say who His coming applies to, or don’t apply to. Seeing that this will apply to all reading this devotional, it is really important that we meditate on this for just a while today.

APPLICATION: At an airport, a plane will leave only with those ticketed for that flight, regardless of how many travelers are in the airport. Unlike the airport scenario, the God who created us, also provided an alternative to the flight ticket, by sending His only Son as our means of getting from earth to heaven. For those who have accepted the gift of God’s Son, we will have a much better outlook than most, on the day that the whole world looks up and sees Jesus bursting through the clouds. Notice a few things about this truth from the very beginning of the book of Revelation: (1) Airline flights are contingent on so many things, like weather; availability of fuel; an operational airport in which to pick up its passengers, etc. However, in our verses today, we are told that Jesus IS COMING – period. In other words, there is nothing that will stop Him (praise the name of Jesus!); (2) ‘Everyone’ will see Jesus when He comes for us. Stop to think that also includes the person that you tried to witness to, and they thought you were from another planet! Also the person that follows a cult, and absolutely scorns the name of our Jesus; (3) Notice that John was told that the glorious return of Jesus will not be a time of rejoicing by all who see Him coming back to earth. My mind went on to think of what it would be like for any of us to hear of our national leader coming to our town. Some will protest, and some will rejoice and party. The Bible says that it will be much the same when Jesus returns. Some of us will rejoice endlessly that our Savior has finally come to take us home – that’s the group I will be in, because I have accepted the Gift of God’s Son – the only One, the only thing that opens the doors of heaven for an earthly sinner to claim righteousness and redemption of sin. However friends, the Bible says that some will be extremely sad, because they will finally realize that their rejection of Jesus Christ, and their disbelief in the one true God, was a BIG mistake. But the huge warning for all that may happen across this devotional today, is that, when that day occurs – and it could be today, tomorrow or even next week, but on that day, it will be a point of no turning back, or changing of minds, for it will be the day of judgment. A day set aside to judge the entire population of the world. Only you will know the verdict that will be passed down to you by God, friend. No attorney will help convince the Judge, for He already knows every little detail about every one of His creation, including the condition of our heart and to whom we belong. I’m ready to go friend, are you?

PRAYER: Come Lord Jesus come! Thank You Lord for saving my soul, thank You Lord for making me whole, thank You Lord for giving to me Thy great salvation so rich and free! For Your love, forgiveness, and eternal provisions, I give You sincere thanks dear Lord. Please be an instrument of love in the hearts and lives of all who will read this devotional today. May they be inclined to get into Your Word and learn more about their Creator and their heavenly King. Lord, may no one who is reminded of Your awesome grace be in the sad, weeping crowd on the day who will look towards heaven and see You coming in the clouds. Oh Lord of heaven, may the hearts of the unsaved be softened today and drawn to You, so that they may joyously await Your return. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Sebring, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

When Our Faith Is Put to the Test

On 2017-11-102017-11-10 By Ed AlgreenIn Eternal Life, Eternity, Heaven, Resurrection Day, Victorious LifeLeave a comment

Post Date:	Friday, 2017-11-10
SCRIPTURE
From:	John 11:23-26a (TLB)
Text:	²³Jesus told her, “Your brother will come back to life again.” ²⁴“Yes,” Martha said, “when everyone else does, on Resurrection Day.” ²⁵Jesus told her, “I am the one who raises the dead and gives them life again. Anyone who believes in me, even though he dies like anyone else, shall live again. ²⁶He is given eternal life for believing in me and shall never perish….
OBSERVATION:
Jesus was a friend of Mary and Martha’s, yet when He came a couple days after Lazarus died, they struggled to believe that anything more could be done – even by Jesus. However Jesus reminded Martha that He is not only in charge of life here on earth, but for the believer in Jesus Christ, He is also the One who will raise those who have fallen asleep – died temporarily to earthly challenges and sin. For He will then usher them into life eternally with He and His Father in glory!
APPLICATION:
I believe with all my heart, that Martha was very much like her contemporaries today. For most Christians surrender their lives to the Lord Jesus with a very strong belief that one day He will take us on to heaven to be with Him. While on earth, I believe that most of us will pray to God, through our Lord and Savior, just like Mary and Martha did when they saw their brother’s health diminishing drastically. Because of miracles relayed in the Bible, or even ones we may have heard about around our church, we may even believe that extreme faith in Jesus, might even trigger His healing touch upon our family. And yes, we have seen tremendous victories through these types of prayer meetings. In fact I heard a story recently that reminded me of how casually we pray for the needs of a friend that asked for prayer for one of her kids with leukemia, versus us going before God in desperate prayer for our own daughter with leukemia. There comes a whole new level of serious and sincere prayer when the object of our prayer is personal and dear to our heart. I wonder if it would make a difference in our prayer life if we reminded ourselves of what Jesus consoled Martha with, that He, who is Lord on earth, will also be Lord in Heaven, because He is the Resurrection and the Life! Friends, I firmly believe that when we invite Jesus to be our Lord and Savior here on earth, it will be a joy to reunite with Him as we enter heaven’s portals. Please note that just like Mary and Martha didn’t know ahead of time when their brother Lazarus would depart from this earth in death, so it is with each of us today. We must be very much like our military, ready at all times for the moment that we are called on. The benefits for believers in Jesus Christ are ‘out of this world’!
PRAYER:
Thank you Lord for the wonderful, powerful name of Jesus, the One that came to save us from our sin and paved the way to heaven so that we may live eternally with You. Oh what a Savior! Please help us Lord that we would never put You in a ‘box’ of limited possibilities, for we are reminded in this Scripture today that we not only serve a master who cares for us here on this earth but that You are also the Resurrection and the Life for all who believe in You. We enjoy this wonderful earth that You provided for us, but Lord, we live in anticipation of heaven, where there will be no more pain or heartaches. ‘Oh that will be, glory for me, glory for me, glory for me, when by His grace I shall look on His face, that will be glory, be glory for me’! AMEN and AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

The Security Of Knowing Jesus

On 2017-11-08 By Ed AlgreenIn Eternal Life, Eternity, Salvation, SecurityLeave a comment

Post Date:	Wednesday, 2017-11-08
SCRIPTURE
From:	John 10:27-30 (ERV)
Text:	²⁷My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸I give my sheep eternal life. They will never die, and no one can take them out of my hand. ²⁹My Father is the one who gave them to me, and he is greater than all. No one can steal my sheep out of his hand. ³⁰The Father and I are one.”
OBSERVATION:
Jesus was being challenged about all the power He claimed to have. In this Scripture today, He is explaining that if one listens to Him, accepts His authority and obeys Him, then they belong to His Father, and since He and the Father are one, they are ultimately His. The neat thing about these verses is that Jesus never gives any conditions that would undo that security of belonging. Instead, He said that no one will be able to snatch them from His hand. Wow….
APPLICATION:
From a very early age, we have been used to the idea that anytime we mess up and let a friend down, whether by total mistake or intentionally, then we could almost count on it that we have probably lost a friend. Jesus is teaching just the opposite in our relationship with Him, for He said in our Scripture today that His sheep – meaning those who have surrendered lordship of their lives to Jesus Christ, and are known as children of God. If they would listen to His voice, He would know them, and they would follow Him. BUT Jesus went on to say that His relationship with His children (sheep) is so special that He made it an eternal relationship – meaning that they will never truly ‘die’, but instead transition from earth to glory to be with Him eternally. Now friends, He attached no conditions to this promise, for if you are His, this promise is yours – straight from the lips and heart of the Master Himself! I don’t know about you, child of God, but this reminder and promise is super exciting to me, for we know that we could count on the promises of Jesus way more than what we do with friends who are best buddies one moment, yet the next they might barely want to talk to us. Jesus has a one-of-a-kind love for His children. Are you realizing that love today friend? Have you found the way to salvation in Jesus Christ yet? I would be happy to be that Brother to help you, but you may also follow the instructions in my Footnote. One might buy life insurance to financially secure their family upon their death. However, knowing Jesus, secures His love for you today, everyday and throughout eternity as you kneel at His feet and sing praises to His honor and glory! I am looking forward to that day friends, and I hope that I can convince you to do the same.
PRAYER:
Lord, I believe! I believe in Your awesome power and in Your glorious love for me today and throughout endless ages as I worship You and the Father in Heaven. However, I still have family and friends who have not surrendered their lives to You yet, and I am concerned about their eternal destination, for You have not indicated when our last day here on earth might be. Knowing that this could be today, I humbly pray that You might soften the hearts of those that I am thinking of at this moment, and that You might draw them unto Yourself. Lord, I know that they are precious in Your sight, so I beg You to work on their hardened hearts. For it’s in the matchless name of Jesus that I ask these things, AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Salvation is Instant

On 2017-09-162017-09-16 By Ed AlgreenIn Eternal Life, Eternity, Forgiven, Forgiveness, Salvation, SavedLeave a comment

Post Date:	Saturday, 2017-09-16
SCRIPTURE
From:	Luke 23:42-43 (ERV)
Text:	42 Then he (the criminal) said, “Jesus, remember me when you begin ruling as king!” 43 Then Jesus said to him, “I promise you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
OBSERVATION:
I found it interesting that at least two of the ways that people tend to think of salvation today, occurred in these two verses. First, that if I ask for salvation today then eventually I will be saved. The second is in Jesus’ response, that today, you are saved. Because I believe that some still believe in one of these concepts and some in the other, I believe that we should examine the two….
APPLICATION:
On the day that I was born, my mom and dad was given the date and time of my birth. They were not told that if he survives 90 days then you can start the clock running for the beginning of his life, or you will be granted a birth certificate at that time. On the day I got married, my wife and I were given marriage certificates, certifying that we were married on a given date and time in a certain place by a certain pastor. What I have found in Christianity, is that some will say that their journey began when they were influenced by this person and grew as they attended church and matured when they saw answered prayer over an illness. I wonder when the criminal might have considered himself saved if this logic was used? Perhaps Jesus would have told him: sorry buddy, you are just too late in the game? Did you notice that God had been speaking to the criminal before he spoke these words to Jesus? He knew all about the good deeds of Jesus; that he was wrongly accused, and that He was being crucified as an innocent man. I’m sure that the criminal watched the attitude of Jesus throughout the whole march up to Calvary as well. Most importantly, did you notice that Jesus didn’t regurgitate all the sins and/or crimes of the criminal when He was asked to accept him? Jesus simply said to him, what He would simply respond to the vilest offender today: today, you are Mine. Today, should you die, you will be with me in eternity! Friends, let me encourage you to think back to the day and the time that you asked Jesus to forgive you of your sin and accept you as His very own son or daughter. Let me encourage you to write that down somewhere, and embed that in your mind, because as long as you are on this earth, its leader (Satan) will still be on your heels and he will cause you to doubt, or question your salvation. Take Satan back to the place, day and time where you secured your salvation with Jesus Christ, and order him to flee from you, for you serve a new Master now and it’s not him! Of course you will mature in your Christian walk as you learn more about the life, ministry and teachings of Jesus, but keep your markers in place friend regarding the day you decided to serve only Him.
PRAYER:
Father, You are all merciful and understanding of the effects that this world has on your precious children. I know that the angels rejoice when one makes a decision that they want heaven as their eternal home and You as their triumphant leader from the point of salvation and forevermore! Thank You for the awesome plan You put in place for us! Thank You for the gift of Your precious Son, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit to guide us through this earthly life that is bombarded by sin on every turn. We are anxious for our eternal home, but until then, anxious about all that You can do through us to help yet another beggar (sinner) see the Light of the World – Jesus! Please direct us and use us as instruments molded by You. AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Heeding The Warnings

On 2017-09-072017-09-08 By Ed AlgreenIn Eternity, Sin, Warning, Warning SignsLeave a comment

Post Date:	Thursday, 2017-09-07
SCRIPTURE
From:	Luke 21:34-36 (TLB)
Text:	34-35 “Watch out! Don’t let my sudden coming catch you unawares; don’t let me find you living in careless ease, carousing and drinking, and occupied with the problems of this life, like all the rest of the world. 36 Keep a constant watch. And pray that if possible you may arrive in my presence without having to experience these horrors.”
OBSERVATION:
In the preceding verses Jesus shared some of the signs that He will give us as indicators announcing His return to earth. However, I believe that Jesus knew beforehand how distracted and over-committed we would become here on earth. There are songs written by great Christian writers that remind us to ‘Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus’; ‘It Is Well With My Soul’ and many more. The bottom line, is that we know Jesus is coming back to take His church on home to glory. We know that He will give us indicators of His return, and we know that only those who are ready to meet Him, will actually be caught up in the air together with Him. Let’s look closer into how seriously we take all of this….
APPLICATION:
I’m sure that most of us can recall times that we were so engrossed in something that we totally missed an appointment, or perhaps never heard our loved one talking to us. Often times, devices are now taking more of our time than face-to-face conversations, so we are getting worse at ignoring others when they are talking to us. In our Scripture today, we are being reminded by Jesus that His Word is true and it is super accurate, so we are to listen to it and enjoy it’s benefits, or bear the brunt of disobeying the commands of God through His Word. Some of my readers will be in a similar position as I am right now, where we are being told about a large hurricane that will pass pretty close to us. We could be careless and do nothing, or we could take the warnings seriously and protect our lives from the possible onslaught of this huge, powerful hurricane. Our Scripture today gives us the warning signs to look for that will indicate the return of Jesus. Let me encourage you to be sure now that your life is under the control of our Savior and Lord. This will not only give you a desire to help others along the way, but it will give you a sweet sense of anticipation about the return of Jesus, when we hear and see the signs happening. You have a choice friends. You may not have seen the signs spoken of in the Word of God, but God has already made the provisions for us to secure our eternity with Him. Just like shopping for special occasions, often we will procrastinate until the very last moment, however in the case of Jesus’ return, He told us in His Word that not even He knows the day or the hour when that will happen. I didn’t want to take the chance of Jesus returning unexpectedly and find me unprepared, so I surrendered my life to Him back in 1976. Since that time I have enjoyed learning more about Him; experiencing His rich blessings; and sharing the joy that fills my heart, with others! I’m ready to leave this world and be with Him, whenever He makes that call! Friends, if Jesus returns and you are still in procrastination mode, the Word of God declares that your decision will place you in the pit of hell where you will suffer anguish and damnation with your leader, Satan, throughout eternity. If you have money, you probably have it safely secured and invested. Your soul is much more important, why not know that you know where you will spend eternity right now? Carefully read my Footnote and look at the Scriptures recommended for reading, through the link ‘To Know Jesus’. Perhaps the Holy Spirit will either give you that assurance of your salvation, or lead you to the throne of grace to settle your account with Jesus – TODAY!
PRAYER:
Precious Savior, Jesus my Lord! Thank You for loving us enough to sacrifice Your own life as a token of our salvation. Lord thank You for not giving up on us, but instead giving us warnings to help us know the way that You would have us to go and the decisions that are super important to us. You did that for me in the years leading up to 1976, I pray that You will mightily use these words shared in this blog to encourage someone who needs You in their life. We are heeding hurricane warnings at this time, but I truly believe that heeding the warnings from You about decisions that will have an eternal impact, is way more important. May today be the day of decision for all who will read this blog and still unsure of their heavenly position. I earnest pray and ask these things in the name of Jesus, the Christ, AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Nuggets From God's Word

Category: Eternity