Run Towards The Goal

On 2022-12-12 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Focused on the Goal, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Monday, 2022-12-12
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Philippians 3:12-14; 16;
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹²I have not yet reached my goal, and I am not perfect. But Christ has taken hold of me. So I keep on running and struggling to take hold of the prize. ¹³My friends, I don’t feel I have already arrived. But I forget what is behind, and I struggle for what is ahead. ¹⁴I run toward the goal, so I can win the prize of being called to heaven. This is the prize God offers because of what Christ Jesus has done.
¹⁶… we must keep going in the direction that we are now headed.

APPLICATION: No doubt you are very much like me, where we go on a trip for specific reasons, and our spouse was either not allowed, or we couldn’t afford to take them, or they had no interest in going. Even if our trip lasts only a very short time, we become anxious and excited about our reunion when it’s time to travel back to our home. In his former life, then known as Saul, the writer of today’s Scripture was an awful man. Most good citizens were afraid of him, and most wanted to stay far enough away from him. His main crime was persecuting Christians and the church. But one day, Jesus got through to Saul and, after convicting him of his sin, He then invited Saul, under his brand-new identity, Paul, to join Him in ministering to the very folk he was formerly out to entrap and kill. Doesn’t this sound very similar to your story? You may not have intentionally set out to destroy believers, but through various actions, it was probably evident to God that you hated them and was possibly envious of the hope that they had. Yet just like He did with Saul, He spoke into your life through the Holy Spirit, and called you to Himself. But Paul knew that this Christian life is way more than a one-time decision or experience, but a life dedicated to pleasing the One who saved us and is waiting to welcome us to our eternal home. So, it’s like a marathon runner who is chosen to represent his/her country in the Olympics. They don’t just take that invitation and post it on their bedroom wall and gloat over it, but they set a goal for which they can work towards in order to win the gold (the prize). Fortunately for the Christian, there is no rigorous physical exercise each day to strengthen the right muscle group, but instead our mission is to develop our relationship with the Master, and to share the joy of knowing Him with everyone we come into contact with. At our midweek service last night, we studied how God saved the Gentiles, so that the Jewish people might come to their senses and accept the Savior that God gave to the world. For each reader and/or listener who has accepted Jesus as Savior, I believe God wants us to be His representative in our world, where many have chosen to ignore the Gospel and/or accept Jesus into their lives. Is it evident to the unsaved that there’s something different about you? If not, how will they see and how will they know? Oh, that the church will be the church – every day and in every way, for the sake of the Kingdom.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Without looking back and gloating about past successes, may we set the same goal that Paul spoke of and run the course in a way that the world will know whose we are.

PRAYER: Lord, I am convinced that You didn’t save us to soak and sour. There are many that we come into contact with who are much like the Jews that Paul spoke of in our Scripture text today. They know of the ‘man upstairs’, or the ‘greater power’, or the ‘man in charge’, but because of their lack of commitment and personal relationship, there is no evidence that others will see in them. My sincere prayer is that we might always remember Paul in his desire to keep on striving towards the goal each and every day. I believe that means: live like the man you claim to be in Christ; Stand up for the things taught and commanded by God; Love unconditionally and respond with a compassionate heart just like Jesus did. Many still need Jesus. I pray that the remnant that God has established through His children still here on earth, will be attractive to the lost so they will be reminded of the King of all kings and Lord of all lords – the Savior of the world. 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!

Your ‘Must Do’ List

On 2022-10-222022-10-22 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Focused, Focused on the Goal, goal, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Saturday, 2022-10-22
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 2:48-49; Luke 4:43; Luke 9:21-22;
TRANSLATION: New King James Version (NKJV)

BIBLE TEXT: Luke 2:⁴⁸…. “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” ⁴⁹And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”
Luke 4:⁴³but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.”
Luke 9:²¹… He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, ²²saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.”

APPLICATION: Those who go about life without a specific purpose in mind, will be tossed about by every wild idea that fills the mind of those we come into contact with. For example, if you hang around a fisherman, it is very lightly that you will be convinced that there is no greater sport that fishing. Soon you will be purchasing a fishing rod to test out your friend’s theory! Some pastors prefer to keep their occupation a secret, so that you won’t have time to raise your defenses and build up a desire to fight with them about their beliefs. Instead, you will see them as just another human being going about life, just like you. Normally it won’t be very long before you start seeing them act and talk differently than the usual drunk on the corner, or the hopeless person you sometimes encounter. Each of us will discover that there are lots of options for us to choose from each day, and I don’t believe it was much different for Jesus. However, it seems very evident that Jesus had goals, or principles that he tried diligently to keep His activities and interactions in line with. Over time, we should also develop goals and principles for our life, for there are some things that cause us grief; some get us into trouble with the law, or our spouse, or our employer; some bring us genuine happiness; and often some will help us to grow, based on the value we find in the results of seeing those things work themselves out. In the three Scriptures quoted above, there were at least three things that Jesus felt compelled to do: 1). Promote, enhance and work at His Father’s business; 2). Preach the Gospel to a hungry and desperate world. It doesn’t take long for us to see the needs of people that we make contact with each day. If the love of God is in us, and the Word of God embedded into our choices for conversation and acts of service, then it won’t be long before others will see the value in becoming a child of the King! and 3). Jesus knew beforehand what was ahead for Him at Calvary, and He had no intention of trying to circumvent that suffering. Instead, He wanted that to also be meaningful to the Father, and to those who would be impacted by it. There are things that you are destined to face. You can either default to the bitterness that many fellow humans tend to experience, or you can opt to accept your destiny and ask God to use it for His glory.
I hope that, like me, your eyes have been opened to the wonderful life that God gave to His Son – including His crucifixion, and you will commit to do like Jesus did – accept with ‘a grain of salt’, the good, the bad and the ugly that others might see in life, and realize that God placed you here for a purpose just like He did with Jesus, His Son. The world was forever impacted by Jesus, and your world – your family, friends, coworkers, etc, could also be impacted by your life, if you allow Jesus to take control, lead you, and give you strength to endure every circumstance of life. Do life His way dear friend, and do not allow the sway of every friend or circumstance of life to control your reactions and commitment to your lifegoals. Jesus first, and all these things will be given to you, God being your Guide and unwavering Helper.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: We must all decide in our own hearts whether we are willing to allow the wind and waves of life to shift us around, or with God’s help, accept and strive towards a life patterned after the Lord Jesus Christ. Our goals in life will determine our words and our actions.

PRAYER: Your ‘Must-Do’ list is quite the example for us Lord. Too often we tend to just do what comes our way, and our words seem to be an unfiltered expression of whatever is on our mind. Please help us to be intentional about allowing You to fill us and use us for Your glory. Give us the strength, wisdom and determination to center our hearts on the One in whom we committed our allegiance to, and surrendered lordship of our life to. As we determine our ‘Must Do’ list, with Your help and under Your direction, I am convinced that it will be Your pleasure to embolden us, direct our speech and our path, so that others will see and experience our Lord. To God be the glory for the awesome things You will accomplish through Your children today and every day that we determine to make Your Kingdom our ultimate goal. AMEN!

A Tip For Our Number One Goal in 2022

On 2022-01-022022-01-01 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Focused on the Goal, goal, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Sunday, 2022-01-02
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Acts 1:7-8
TRANSLATION: The New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁷ He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

APPLICATION: You are probably stumped on what I alluded to in the introduction. Not everyone we know, or meet, tells others about Jesus? Well, consider the man who is constantly cursing and sharing evil thoughts about everyone. What’s your take on his belief about Jesus? Perhaps that Jesus is a myth and only necessary for mankind when we die, or when when faced with serious issues? What about the lady who refuses to attend church, or associate with friends who frequent the church? Perhaps she got burnt at one time by a Christian, and now she is of the false impression that every believer is just out to ‘get’ the unbeliever and hurt them in every way possible. But what does her attitude tell you about her belief in God? So how would you honor the command of Jesus to witness and tell people everywhere about Him? I’m of the impression that Jesus wanted those Bible teachers and scholars, plus our folk today, that they/we needn’t spend so much time on writing books, or traveling the world over showing off your self designed date charts about the return of Christ, for no man knows the day or the hour – not even the Son of Man. Jesus said don’t worry your head over that, only the Master Himself knows that date. Instead, since we all know from the Word of God that Jesus will return to take His bride, the church, home to glory, then we are to spend our days sharing that news with all that we come into contact with. If we had news of an oncoming hurricane, we would warn everyone that their life might be in jeopardy. Furthermore, many of us would be willing to sit down with our friends and help them map out their evacuation strategy and how they would buy certain life supporting food and safety items. Would you consider yourself a professional at that? Probably not, yet many Christians are afraid to warn the unsaved because they are afraid they wouldn’t be a professional, like a pastor, in knowing all of the answers to their questions. Friends, one main ingredient available to the child of God, is that Jesus said He would send His Holy Spirit to be upon us, teaching us and guiding us to all truth. What more do we need? We are now inside the boundaries of 2022. I believe that God is reminding believers today that we should put behind us all that occurred in 2021. Yes, many of those things may have been about as much as we could handle, but we are to rest assured that He will send the Holy Spirit to help us carry out His primary command – go and tell everyone that Jesus is available to them, so that they would be ready for whatever date God has planned for His official return to earth for His church. Furthermore, He has sent His Holy Spirit to empower us with all we need to accomplish His work. Nothing to be afraid of, and no need to worry about what you would say. God’s got this, all He wants is our availability! Will you consider making this a priority my friend?

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Just as we gain confidence to do challenging things when a friend comes along with us, Jesus assures us that the Holy Spirit was sent to guide us, teach us and be our comfort in our evangelizing. Praise God for His Helper!

PRAYER: Thank You Lord Jesus for not only creating us in Your own image, but also for looking out for our inadequacies, failures and ignorance. In sending Your Holy Spirit to be our guide and our helper, You have given us extra assurance and confidence to freely obey Your commands and confidently share You with everyone that we come into contact with. Please embolden us to do Your will, so that none would be lost, or left out, on Judgment Day. Work powerfully through us, and give us a mind like that of Jesus Christ. AMEN!

Your Character Reference From God

On 2018-01-262018-01-26 By Ed AlgreenIn Clean Heart, Determined, Focused on the Goal, goal, Hardened Hearts, Heart, Know God's HeartLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE FROM: Acts 13:21-23 (NIV)

TEXT: ²¹Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years. ²²After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ ²³“From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised.

OBSERVATION: Paul was given the opportunity to speak before the church at Pisidian Antioch while worshiping with them. He delivered a message on how gracious God had been in ruling through His servants up to the present time. My attention was particularly taken aback with Paul’s reminder of what God said about David, and how he was a man after God’s own heart. Let’s think this through and apply it…

APPLICATION: In each of our lives, I believe that we have our own opinion about who we are. Our spouse and kids know us real good and have their opinion about who we really are. Our pastor, and church leaders may have a slightly different opinion about us, and so will our boss and co-workers. But what about the God of this universe, who sees and knows all things? What might His opinion be about us? So what about David? We read a lot about him in Scripture. He was a great warrior, and therefore led many victories. He is known for his relationship with God through his songs, prayers and open communication to God. But yet he is also known for his weaknesses, especially with a pretty lady named Bathsheba, who was married to one of Davids best military men. Yet God considered this man to be ‘a man after His own heart’? To help us understand that, allow me to use an illustration: I would like for you to think with me about two men that leave destination ‘A’ driving north. One is determined that his end point will be an amusement park (point ‘B’) 200 miles north of point ‘A’, while the other gentleman is just driving north looking for a fun weekend with his family. After the first 100 miles, they each get off the freeway for lunch and for some physical activity to help prepare themselves to travel longer. The first gentleman finishes lunch, tops off the gas in his car, and gets back on the freeway headed for his final destination. The second gentleman overhears conversation by patrons at the restaurant where he had lunch, and he decides to drive some more on that same exit to find the beach he overheard conversation about. At the end of the day, who do you suppose is nearest to point ‘B’? Just like David, you and I face distractions in life, like these two drivers had when they got off on an exit. However, if we have our minds set on eternity with Jesus Christ and His Father, like the first driver had on his final destination, then we strive to get back on course as quickly as we could, without caving in to the temptations of this world. I can think of no greater honor than to hear my Master refer to me as ‘a man after my own heart’. Staying on course in this life is like saying to God at our conversion, ’till death do us part’; ‘I am determined to serve thee to the end of time’; ‘I have no other goal than to live my life in light of eternity’! How about you friend?

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your precious Son and Your Comforter – the Holy Spirit to help keep us on course for our final destination, that You have prepared just for our arrival. I believe that You foreknew the distractions that might take us off course, so You sent the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us. As we travel, we are leaving much behind us, but Lord how it hurts to know that family, friends and loved ones are comfortable staying behind and settling for eternal life in damnation with Satan. Please touch the lives of our unsaved loved ones again today Lord, and continue to draw them unto Yourself. There are many who have found no purpose in their trip of life, so every distraction of Satan is just another exploration of fun on earth with a final destination of Hell. Lord, please keep our eyes fixed on You and our hearts fixed on pleasing You in everything we do. 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 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!

Stay Focused On The Goal

On 2016-01-262016-01-26 By Ed AlgreenIn Accountability, Focused on the GoalLeave a comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider feeding even us with His Word! May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………

The Bible Reference: Philippians 3:12-14
The Bible Text: I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.
The Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take Away: Although our scripture quoted above are the words of Paul, I will seek my Master for strength to live out that same goal in my life! Will you commit to keep your eye on the goal of eternity with Jesus, friend, and will you go public with your goal? I know that some will think that we can’t do this, because it may come across as bragging, or proud, or better than most. Friends, may I encourage you to not listen to the excuses Satan will place in your mind about this. If you aim for nothing, that’s exactly what you will achieve. I would encourage you to go even one step further: instead of just sharing your goal with others, go on to use even more of Paul’s tactics. Later in this same chapter, Paul told his followers that they should follow him. Now before you criticize Paul, I want you to think of the impact of that statement. For he never wanted to hear or see his followers pointing fingers at him for preaching one thing, but doing another. This is called ‘accountability’. It reminds me of Christians who refuse to place a Christian based bumper sticker on their vehicle, because they don’t want the driver behind them to hold them accountable for their actions – speeding, passing on a solid line, pointing fingers at a driver that made a mistake, etc. Fellow Brothers and Sisters, it is time that the public recognizes from our actions who our Master, Provider, Deliverer, Director and Example is. God not only has the power to save us from our sins, promise us a mansion in His dwelling place (heaven), love us unconditionally, and much more, but He also grants us the desires of our heart, especially our desire to walk, talk and act like Him before an unsaved generation. However, our God is a perfect gentleman and He will not just dump all this on us without our permission. If you are tired of your life of sin, ask Him to forgive you and accept you into His kingdom. If you desire a closer walk with Him, talk to your Father and ask for His guidance. If you desire to ‘stay on track’ daily in your walk with the Lord, don’t think for a moment that it will be easy and that you could handle that on your own. Seek the face of Jesus, plead your case to Him and accept His outstretched hand that is filled with mercy, direction and power to lead, direct and guide you through every circumstance of life. He will help you reach your goal, if you have one, but you must ask Him and allow Him to help you. Paul was specially blessed of God, but so can we also be blessed friends, for we are children of the same God – the King of all kings!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for living out such an example of purity and obedience in Your life here on this earth. Thank You for the grace that You gave to Your servant, Paul. Just as You totally turned his life around, and just as You gave Him the power to live his life dedicated to You, I pray that You would also do that again in the lives of my readers and I who are focusing on the goal – our life with You and the Father in glory! Thank You for grace! Thank You for mercy! Thank You for the assurance of our future home with You! This is way too exciting to keep all bottled up inside, may we share our joy with others today and be accountable for the life we claim in You. These things I ask in the name of Jesus, and for His ultimate glory, AMEN!

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

2016

Nuggets From God's Word

Category: Focused on the Goal