Category: Follow Jesus

Who Is Jesus?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Follow Jesus, Follower of Christ, Jesus Loves you, Know Jesus, Reflect JesusLeave a comment

Tuesday, 2016-08-30

Scripture

Bible Reference: Mark 8:27–29

Bible Text: 27 Jesus and his disciples left Galilee and went up to the villages near Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along, he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” 28 “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other prophets.” 29 Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”
Peter replied, “You are the Messiah.*”

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

Around those with whom you may work, you may hear them speak of achievements by their children, and it may probe you to ask about their kids, knowing that they are so loved by your co-worker. In another co-worker you may see some special characteristic that stands out from the rest, and you may ask them about, what appears to be, a family trait. For some of us who mention the name of Jesus from time to time, we may be asked “but who is this Jesus?” – you know, similar to the question that the disciples were hit with in the above verses. I have a strong feeling that you will not reach for your Bible to answer the question with an appropriate verse, nor do I think your co-worker would want that response, and may I add – nor will Jesus want to hear that response. Let’s get it straight friend, who exactly is Jesus to you? No coined phrases or responses that you heard from the pulpit, please! I sincerely believe that your response to this question will tell Jesus who He is to you and what impact, if any, He has been on your life (not that He wouldn’t already know). Your response will also tell your co-worker whether you’ve been faking it all this time. Faking it??? Yep, try asking that same co-worker about who they are married to. You may need extra pages of paper to write down all of the attributes that they will shower you with, and I believe that this is because that spouse has impacted your co-worker’s life in more ways than one. They will probably tell you about how beautiful or handsome they are, and all about their special qualities. In fact, I believe you will probably feel like you know them personally, just from the descriptions. So friend, may I ask again, who is Jesus to you? If a relationship exists, you will know all about Him and you will be anxious to share about the qualities that bless your heart on a daily basis! Please note that a relationship is one where there is ongoing conversation (prayer); ongoing meals together (spiritual food from God’s holy Word); trust; obedience (obeying the commands in God’s Word); giving praise (praise and worship individually and corporately); and doing everything possible to please the other partner (all of the above). When we love someone, we want to be with them as often as possible – one hour per week will just not do. So friends, do you have an active, fruitful, loving relationship with this Jesus you mention from time to time, or do you just know of Him? Jesus is waiting for your answer, for He wants an intimate relationship with you!

Prayer

Lord, it is unfortunate that we know the lingo and can talk the talk while with our Christian friends, but yet for many, that ‘talk’ is not representative of their lifestyle or their intimate relationship with You. But then we worry why so many are lost and going to Hell, or want nothing to do with church,or Christians, or even with You dear Lord. I believe it is clear that many folk are tired of the hypocrites that prevent them from seeing the real ‘Jesus’. As we meditate on these verses and perhaps on the devotional today Jesus, please tender our hearts to examine the ‘real’ relationship that we have with You. It is only meaningful if Your heart; Your love and Your character exudes from every fiber of our life every day. Lord, may we always have a Word to share with someone, when asked about You, for You mean the world to me and many others reading this devotional. Thank You for being my Savior and Lord, 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!

How Did You Respond?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Disciple, Follow Christ, Follow Jesus, Follower of Christ, ObedienceLeave a comment

Friday, 2016-08-19

Scripture

Bible Reference: Mark 1:16–20

Bible Text: 16 As Jesus was walking along the shore of Lake Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were fishermen and were casting their nets into the lake. 17 Jesus said to them, “Come with me! I will teach you how to bring in people instead of fish.” 18 Right then the two brothers dropped their nets and went with him. 19 Jesus walked on and soon saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in a boat, mending their nets. 20 At once Jesus asked them to come with him. They left their father in the boat with the hired workers and went with him.

Bible Translation: The Contemporary English Version (CEV)

My Take

There are three calls by Jesus that I want to share with you, and the response I believe God expects from each. In the above scripture there are two examples highlighted in purple where Jesus called out to fishermen to follow Him. Their responses are almost identical. They are highlighted in green and to summarize, they both say that the fishermen saw no greater priority than to drop what they were doing – things they were familiar with, and coworkers that they knew and respected. And they did this to follow this Jesus who was passing along on the shoreline. Perhaps they had heard of Jesus before, and perhaps they had not, but they responded obediently to His call. Now the third call is probably the most important one for you to ponder today, for I am convinced that Jesus still calls His children today – that’s you and I friend. How you might ask? We are told in scripture that our experience with Jesus is ‘Good News’, in fact I might add that it’s the BEST news that one could hear in any given day. So may I help answer the ‘How’ question, by asking you:

  • When last have you been so determined to keep ‘Good News’ bottled up inside?
  • How can you say that Jesus hasn’t called you to follow Him into service, when you have already turned down so many opportunities to serve Him through your local church?
  • What do you mean that you are incapable, when we see that Jesus used uneducated fishermen to start off the whole Christian movement?
  • Why would you refer a family member or friend to your pastor, when Jesus placed the person and their situation right into your lap, expecting you to merely share your story with them, and the Good News of the One who rescued you from a life of sin?

Friends, I believe that Jesus is just as anxious about using you and I to spread the gospel as he was with the first disciples He called. They immediately responded by following His commands. Perhaps you should consider doing the same!

Prayer

Lord Jesus, we have been blessed with the greatest gift ever, and our blessings continue as we worship, adore, praise and serve You. Please help us to be as liberal in sharing this good news with others as we do with even the smallest successes in life. Lord, You know how blessed we are with the friends and family You have placed in our life. Please help us to show our deepest appreciation by sharing the Good News of our Savior, who actually sacrificed His life to provide our means of getting into Heaven. This is the greatest news ever, so let us be bold in sharing it with everyone we come into contact with. 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!

God’s Way of Getting Our Attention

On By Ed AlgreenIn Follow Christ, Follow Jesus, Listen to the Word of God, ObedienceLeave a comment

Wednesday, 2016-07-27

Scripture

Bible Reference: Job 36:15–16

Bible Text:  15 Hard times and trouble are God’s way of getting our attention! 16 And at this very moment, God deeply desires to lead you from trouble and to spread your table with your favorite food.

Bible Translation: The Contemporary English Version (CEV)

My Take

My dad had a 30-year old nephew electrocuted while working high up on a power poll one Sunday afternoon. This ultimately influenced my dad into asking Jesus into his heart. An extremely sad time for this young man’s mother, yet God used it to open the eyes of my dad. Praise the Lord! Job was an honorable man who loved the Lord and obeyed His commands, yet God allowed Satan to run him through some extremely trying, tough times. As his friends tried to console him and help him through this rough time in his life, the words of these verses were shared with Job. Friends, what do you suppose it would really take to get our attention sometimes? I believe that because God loves us so much, He is very patient in trying to lead us in the right direction and towards right decisions. However, because we are so stubborn, He often has to resort to some very serious actions at times, just to get us thinking outside of our ‘box’ that we consider ‘right living’. Let me remind you friends that you could never be good enough to get into heaven, or to be like Jesus. That’s just doesn’t work. It is interesting though that once we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and we are obedient to His Word, how we seek to become ‘better’ citizens of earth! In fact, following the teachings of Christ will create in us a clean new heart, where we tend to do things just like Jesus did – loving, kind, respectful, obedient, caring and sacrificial. These things are very opposite to the teachings of the world, that is directed by Satan. When bad things happen, may I encourage you to seek the face of God and ask if He is trying to get your attention on some aspect of your life? Also, please note that the response might be totally opposite to what the world will do, so be careful to follow the right path on this!

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for being persistent to get my attention to my lost condition. You created us to be holy, just like You, yet we have allowed the ruler of this world to tempt us with his many vices and evil deeds, that have caused us to look more like the world. Lord, I have many family and friends that I love dearly, and would love to see the very best for them while allowed to remain here on earth. Please gently get their attention again today so that they may be encouraged to surrender their lives wholeheartedly to You. Please also touch each reader of this blog today, so that Your Holy Spirit may be actively working in their lives to draw them closer to the cross. May we all be better prepared to handle the events of this day, week and year as a result of Your activity in our lives, and may we praise You like never before for all that You accomplish in our circle of influence, 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!

Loving Jesus and Willing to Follow Him

On By Ed AlgreenIn Commitment, Follow Jesus, TransformedLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – 19 ….Then he said to Peter, “Follow me!” 20 Peter turned and saw the follower Jesus loved very much walking behind them. (This was the follower who had leaned against Jesus at the supper and said, “Lord, who is it that will hand you over?”) 21 When Peter saw him behind them, he asked Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” 22 Jesus answered, “Maybe I want him to live until I come. That should not matter to you. You follow me!” ~ John 21:19b-22 ~ Easy-To-Read Version (ERV)

THOUGHTS: All of our lives we are trained to think about the other person and not be selfish, but I believe you will note in this scripture today that there comes a time in life where Jesus calls for our undivided attention to what He is saying directly to us. In this chapter of John’s gospel, Jesus had just questioned Peter about HIS relation – HIS love for the Master. Jesus got so personal with that question that He asked it of Peter 3 times. When we repeat a question like that, usually we are trying to make sure that we have the person’s undivided attention, and by the second or third time we ask it, the person is really questioning to himself if he truly understood the question, or if the hearer is doubting his answer. You might remember that this is the same Peter who will deny Jesus three times while Jesus hangs on the cross, even though Peter told Jesus ahead of time that he would be with Him right up the very bitter end. As for how we might normally handle this type of question, I believe it all depends on where we are at and in whose presence. At church, where we are surrounded by a crowd of fellow Christians. I bet we would easily respond in the affirmative to Jesus, as we listen for a loud ‘Amen’ from those around us! But how would our response differ if we were asked the same question by Jesus at work; or at the football stadium where folk all around us are drinking and partying? Would we be as quick to respond affirmatively? However, this was not the only sobering thought of this scripture. As indicated already, imagine if the question Jesus asked Peter was asked of us individually in a crowd. Can’t you see us looking around for support, before we respond? “Come on church, let’s respond collectively”, we might say. Imagine Jesus stopping your parade and saying “wait a minute young man/lady, I am looking for a personal response from you only. May I hear your heart’s response, in spite of what you feel the rest of the church/co-workers/theme park crowd might say collectively with you”. Friends, this is exactly what Jesus did to Peter, for He told me that He was more concerned that he (Peter) would follow Him, even if no one else did. What about you friend? If you were singled out like that, how would you respond to Jesus? Are you at that place in your relationship with Jesus that you will respond, based on your heart, and not what you think the crowd would like to hear? Friend, I would encourage you to join me in solidifying our relationship with the Lord. This could be the day that He decides to take one or all of us home, and I don’t know about you, but I really want to know that Jesus was pleased with my life while here on this earth. That I stood firm in my faith and in my witness for Him. I pray that this would also be the desire of each reader.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You stayed true to Your mission right up to Your time on the cross. Like us, I believe that Peter stayed true to you, but he and us, we are so easily swayed in our decision making, that the crowd (Satan) may easily find a ‘soft spot’ and distract our thoughts and commitment to You. Lord, we are so weak. But praise to Your glorious name, You are so strong. So Lord, we come to the solid ‘Rock’ today pleading for Your strength in our commitment; our boldness; and our witness – regardless of the environment or crowd that we might be in. Please help us to remain strong. For those reading this who have not made a personal decision to accept You as their Lord and Savior, I ask for clarity in their minds so that they might recognize the priority of accepting You as Lord, before following the crowd to ask a total stranger for help. Please impact the lives of Your children today, so that we might stand firm in our faith. May our transformed lives be so sincere, that the lives of others will be transformed when they ‘rub shoulders’ with one of Yours today. For I ask these things in the strong name of Jesus, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com 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!

In Faith, Believe Jesus is Lord

On By Ed AlgreenIn Eternal Life, Follow Jesus, Obedience, Salvation, The PlanLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – Hebrews 4:2-3): We have heard the message, just as they did. But they failed to believe what they heard, and the message did not do them any good. Only people who have faith will enter the place of rest. It is just as the Scriptures say, “God became angry and told the people, ‘You will never enter my place of rest!’ ”

THOUGHTS: Over time many have continued the tradition of attending church on the day of their choice or conviction. Having grown up in church and now a regular attendee, it is very easy to assume that such dedication is bound to get you somewhere on the day you are faced with death to this world. This kind of assumption was assumed back in the day when the writer of Hebrews shared his heart with us in this passage of scripture. The reality of what is being discussed by the writer was very evident in the lives of the Israelites that were rescued from slavery in the land of Egypt and taken care of by God through 40 years in the wilderness. They were taken care of, but did they truly have faith in the One who cared for them? Of course not, every time that Moses left their presence they returned to their sinful acts of worshiping idols. Unfortunately, this sounds a lot like our church goers who attend to please mom, or spouse, or whomever, but have no personal relationship with the Lord. Friends, please be aware that church attendance is just the ‘icing on the cake’ for us, as it is a place that we go to join other like-minded folk who come together to celebrate the one main thing they have in common – the Lord Jesus. Just because you may find yourself enjoying the company of these folk when they meet to worship, does not automatically include you in the redeemed of the Lord who anxiously await His return. You see, having a relationship with the Lord will be evident in our lives every day of the week, and not just for the one hour that we feel an obligation to attend a worship service. So I believe that the litmus test is more about what your life appears to be Monday thru Friday, more so than what it looks like during your hour of worship. So what would someone who only knows you in the business world classify you as? A Christian/follower of Christ/born again child of the King/Christ-like? Have you personally asked for forgiveness of your sin and surrendered your life totally to the Lord Jesus Christ? Perhaps on this ‘Good Friday’, a day we remember the death of our Lord Jesus, there is no better time for you to seek His face and surrender your life to Him as your loving Savior and King. It’s time that you be honest with yourself and your relationship with God, or lack thereof. Do something about it friend.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help us, Your children, to not take You for granted. You went to the extreme of giving up Your only Son so that we might have eternal life. Please help us to never assume that by simply walking through the doors of a building on a Sunday or Saturday morning will take the place of that awesome sacrifice You made for us. You have carefully outlined in Your Word how we might be saved, and no part of it involves church attendance for a given number of years. Our only means of seeing You at heaven’s portals is through a personal decision and plea to accept Your Son Jesus, as our Lord and personal Savior. There is no substitute or alternative. Please open the eyes and hearts of Your children as they find a place of worship this Easter season. May they truly find, and accept the gift of eternal life – may they personally find and accept You as Lord, is my humble and sincere prayer that I ask in the name of the One that I call King, Savior and Lord of all, Jesus the Christ, my Lord, 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!

What’s Next?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Follow Jesus, SurrenderLeave a comment

The Holy Bible   (The Contemporary English Version – Colossians 3:1-6): 1 You have been raised to life with Christ. Now set your heart on what is in heaven, where Christ rules at God’s right side. 2 Think about what is up there, not about what is here on earth. 3 You died, which means that your life is hidden with Christ, who sits beside God. 4 Christ gives meaning to your life, and when he appears, you will also appear with him in glory. 5 Don’t be controlled by your body. Kill every desire for the wrong kind of sex. Don’t be immoral or indecent or have evil thoughts. Don’t be greedy, which is the same as worshiping idols. 6 God is angry with people who disobey him by doing these things.

Thoughts: New commitments normally require changes for us. Consider a single man getting married – can you think of all the changes that might be needed? If the man is sincere in his new commitment, there is no way that he will continue hanging out with the guys and not pay attention to his new wife. If I owned my own business, then went to work for corporate America, I would have to drop my own business and give my allegiance to the new company if I expect to succeed in my new job. In today’s scripture, Paul is drawing our attention to the fact that when a Christian surrenders his old life to Christ and commits to allowing God to control and lead him in his ‘New’ life, then he must forget the ‘old’ life and seek to serve God wholeheartedly by taking on the characteristics of His Son Jesus. The temptations of this world are very convincing, but in scripture we are reminded that our God can help us to be overcomers! Satan will try to convince us that we can’t survive without doing some of the things we did in our ‘old’ life, but in scripture we are reminded that our God can meet all of our needs and that we are more than conquerors because of His power available to us! So friends, may I remind you, much like Paul did to his church at Colossae, that when we accept Jesus, we become brand new creatures in Him and, with our new-gained strength, we can start again – a new life that is totally dedicated to Christ, and overcomers of the ‘old’ ways and sinful acts that we left at the foot of the cross for Jesus to bury. God’s Word shows us the ‘new’ way, the character and expectations of our new Master. I believe that the challenge for us today is twofold:

  1. If we have accepted Jesus as Lord, are we truly living a totally surrendered life free from its old sinful nature? Have we truly given full control to Jesus? If not, we need to get this straight today friend. A divided allegiance lacks true commitment to either ‘life’. Please decide today whom you will serve, and follow through to ensure nothing is hindering that! God can help you friend!
  2. You may not have accepted Jesus as Lord of your life yet, because you feel like you are not ready to give up the fun and excitement that this world offers to you. Friend, an un-surrendered life leads to Hell and damnation without the love and hand of God’s protection upon you. Please don’t make this mistake with your eyes being opened to the plain truth again today. Jesus loves you so much that He sacrificed His very life so that You might accept Him and subsequently live in glory with Him some day. There is nothing for you to ‘sacrifice’ or miss out on by asking Jesus into your heart, friend. For in Him, you gain genuine love, a heavenly palace and the guidance and direction to the only One who holds tomorrow in the palm of His hand. You will gain a hope that satisfies your soul like nothing else can! I believe your only question might be, “why didn’t you do this a long time ago”! Please read the Footnote for help on how to correct your lost condition!

Prayer: Lord, I believe that there are decisions that need to be made today. For we see Christians living just like the world, and we see non-Christians unaffected by the gospel. Please give us a sweep of Your precious Holy Spirit today so that our minds might be cleared from the confusion and misdirection of this world and its leader, Satan. I pray that everyone reading this devotional will receive a special touch from You today that will convince them of their lost or misdirected condition. May we learn to surrender our lives totally to You so that You would gloriously use us in accomplishing Your will here on this earth. Please forgive me for my weaknesses and lack of total surrender. May this be a turn in my life, and the lives of my readers today, is my humble, respectful, but sincere prayer today, for I ask in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ, with thanksgiving, 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!

Actions That Lead to Happiness in The Lord

On By Ed AlgreenIn Follow JesusLeave a comment

The Holy Bible (Contemporary English Version – Colossians 2:6-7 ): 6 You have accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord. Now keep on following him. 7 Plant your roots in Christ and let him be the foundation for your life. Be strong in your faith, just as you were taught. And be grateful.

Thoughts: When certain events occur in our lives, whether it’s a new job; marriage; new baby or whatever, we don’t just accept the event, then sit back and wait to see how it affects our lives. We deliberately become involved and take our positions of responsibility. Similarly, one of the greatest miracles that can happen in a person’s life is the moment that God intervenes in the middle of their life of sin, and draws them to Himself. I have called this a miracle, because once we reach the age of decision-making and we are presented with the gospel, we decide whether we will accept Jesus, the Savior who could turn our lives around, or whether we will continue to live in sin. At this point, sin has such a tug on our lives that it takes the miraculous hand of God to not only convince us, but to also help us make a total turnaround. Once we make this decision, we need new instructions on how to live, and Paul has done a wonderful job of explaining that for the new Christian, or reminding us older ones of what we should be doing. Let me expound on his teaching:

  • Keep on following Jesus – this sounds like a simple idea, but I believe Paul is telling us that, all of our lives have been spent serving Satan and that’s the only way of life that we know. So our decision to follow Jesus is not just a split second decision, but one that requires change, and one that changes our allegiance. In other words, don’t make the decision and continue doing what you’ve always done. Rather, serve the one to whom you have just committed to serve;
  • Plant your roots in Christ and let Him be your foundation – Roots gain their strength from the ground in which they are planted, and in that rich, nourishing environment they find their stability for the whole tree, or plant, they will develop. So it is with Christ, as we plant our faith and trust in Him and allow Him to be our foundation, we too will rise to new heights in our Christian walk, and our lives will demonstrate the love of Christ who supports our root system and directs our growth and witness;
  • Be strong in faith, as taught – I believe that Paul is indicating here that it is important that we find ourselves in a constant mode of learning, so that our faith and our growth will not be hindered. I also believe that as we practice our faith and witness God being evident in and through us, we will become stronger in our faith and able to help encourage others;
  • Be grateful – Other scriptures will teach us in very similar terms, to be thankful in all things. This means that we are to give thanks in and through the good times we experience, and in the most challenging times. Because in both scenarios others watching us will see that we always serve God, not just during the times that everything is going well for us.

Friends, if you have not yet surrendered your life to the Lord Jesus Christ, then I believe that God’s Holy Spirit is already dealing with you on the matter, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this devotional. My greatest recommendation to you, in love, is that you read the “Footnote” carefully and follow through on a decision to accept this Jesus whom I serve. For others who at some time in your lifetime have accepted Jesus, but really feel empty inside. Please read and re-read this passage, then ask God to open your eyes, heart and mind so that you can see clearly what needs to happen in your life so that you can follow Paul’s directions in these verses and mature in Christ. You’ll be a much happier person when you are obedient to the One you have invited to lead your life!

Prayer: Lord, I believe that some of our best seller books today are probably the ones that show us how to live happier and more fulfilled lives. Yet in Your Word You have clearly shown us how to do that. Thank You for these encouraging words this morning. I pray that as I pin these steps to my heart You will strengthen me with the will and desire to grow stronger in You today and every day that follows. I also pray that as You have guided my thoughts in writing this blog today, so You will also impact the lives of those who read it. May they allow Your sweet Holy Spirit to work miraculously in their lives today and show them the path they should follow in order that their lives might truly and honestly worship and glorify You, and make you a priority in their lives. May the unsaved or uncommitted find new life and new purpose in accepting and knowing You today, is my sincere and respectful prayer that I ask in Your precious name, oh Lord, my Rock and my Salvation, 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!

On Treating The Temple of God ‘HOLY’

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Follow Jesus, Holy, Holy Spirit, Pleasing to God, StregthLeave a comment

The Bible – The New Living Translation

1 Corinthians 3:16-17

16 Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? 17 God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

Thoughts:

Why would we look down on, scorn or rebel against folk bringing their bottle of whisky to church service, or wanting to show their rated ‘R’ movie filled with cursing, sex and wild living at the church? I know, you are probably thinking that the medication I am on must really be getting to my head, right?!! Friends, my questions are not far off when you consider what we allow in our homes and into our lives. I know, our private lives are private and the church, nor Brother Ed, have no rights to question what goes on in the privacy of your own homes, right? Well, I hate to burst your bubble Brother and Sister, because in this scripture we are reminded of what happens to us at the time our salvation (surrender to God). For we must constantly be reminded that God sends His Holy Spirit (One with God in the trinity), to take up residence in our lives. Therefore our bodies become the temple, or residence, of God. So when, in the privacy of our own homes, we drink our whisky, or we cheat on our spouses, or we show highly rated films that are unsuitable for showing in our churches, what do you suppose we are doing to all that resides within us? Can’t you see that you are subjection the holiness of God to the trash of this world? Further, when we do things that we are taught will destroy our bodies – overeating; smoking; drinking; etc, is it not clear that we are destroying the temple/residence of the Holy Spirit? Friends, it is clear in verse 17 that God will destroy anyone who destroys God’s temple. I believe it is also evident from that verse, that for all those preserve the temple, to them will be given eternal life with Jesus our Lord! I believe it is also easy to see from these verses, that whenever God resides within a clean, healthy temple, that individual is capable of openly, freely, and honestly worshiping amongst the corporate body (the church) in all sincerity and as a living example before the church and the world. So the question today is: How’s your temple? Is it tainted by the world and therefore saddens the heart of God as He watches us disrespecting the temple of His Holy Spirit? The good news is that God can help us to overcome our weaknesses and to live holy and clean lives so that our temple might be sacred at all times. Are you willing and ready to make this step?

Prayer:

Lord, this is a challenging message for all of us this morning. We always want You to be proud of us, yet we are silly enough to still act in disobedient and sometimes disrespectful ways when we feel like we are in our own private times and places. How silly of us, for You are everywhere at all times. Please forgive me for my littleness of mind, for my refusal to surrender all of me, and therefore fooling myself into thinking that I could keep areas of my life ‘private’ from you and the rest of my world. Please always impress upon me the importance and value of treating Your temple holy at all times. Please also tender the hearts of my readers today so that they may catch a glimpse of all that’s involved in making a decision to accept You as Lord of their life. Another scripture comes to mind: Be ye holy, even as I am holy. This is my desire dear Lord, and I seek Your strength to help me be the holy man of which You are referring. I ask all this in the name of the only One with such great power and strength, 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 Why The ‘World’ Don’t See Jesus

On By Ed AlgreenIn All have sinned, Bible Believing, Born Again, Christian, Follow Jesus, Fruit of the Spirit, Imitator of Christ, Obedience, Pleasing to GodLeave a comment

The Bible – New Living Translation

1 Corinthians 3:3

3 for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?

Thoughts:

Sometimes I look around at failing churches and I wonder, Why? Sometimes I see our pastors stressed out and I wonder, Why? And then sometimes I look at regular church attendees who suddenly stop coming to church, and I wonder, Why? God used this passage of scripture this morning to open my eyes to the reasons why, and it’s written in plain English right within the content of these verses for us to see. When we act in any of the above ways, it proves that:
          *   We are still controlled by our sinful nature;
          *   We are often jealous of one another and quarrel with each other; and
          *   We are still living like people of the world.
Now before our pride kicks in, and we get our noses too high in the air and begin thanking God for helping us to not be like that described above, I want to suggest that we invite God to dig deep into our inner selves and allow Him to open our hearts and our minds so that there will be no misgivings about our spiritual well being. You see, we are all a long ways away from the ideals established for us by Jesus himself. No matter how godly we may think we are, we must still seek God’s mercy and His constant eye on us, constantly guiding us and giving us wisdom to always respond to things outside of the ‘norm’ established in this world, in fact, we need to constantly respond the way that Jesus did, or the way that we discern from His Word that He would want us to respond. Friends, this will require us being in constant communication with God. I’m afraid that most of us are so full of this world that our only response will naturally look like a ‘worldly’ response. Conversely, if we would fill ourselves with Jesus Christ and His teachings, we would be more apt to respond like He would. Where do you stand Brother? Do You truly fill yourself with the knowledge and teachings of Jesus Christ, sister, so that your normal, quick, right-out-of-the-box response would be one that Jesus is pleased with? If I might suggest, let us humble ourselves before Christ and allow Him to use and lead us to speak and act like Him in our every day dealings with others. Let’s learn to be so filled with the Spirit of God that His character might spill over into all that we are and all that we say.

Prayer:

Father, may the church be the church. I pray that when Christians are encountered by the ‘world’ that they will immediately see the difference in us and not a hypercritical view of Christendom. The ‘world’ truly needs You Lord Jesus, please help us to not be a stumbling block to their needs being met by You. I humbly ask this in Your precious and holy name dear 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.

 

Restore Your Church Oh God

On By Ed AlgreenIn All have sinned, Bible Believing, Celebrate God, Chosen by God, Christian, Encourage, Eternal Life, Evangelism, Faith, Follow Jesus, Forgiveness, God our Helper, Grace, Heaven, Holy Spirit, Humility, Imitator of Christ, Listen to the Word of God, Love God, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, Power of Prayer, Praise, Repentance, Righteousness, Servants of God, Surrender, Trust, WorshipLeave a comment

The Bible – New Living Translation

Psalm 85:4–7

    4 Now restore us again, O God of our salvation. Put aside your anger against us once more.

    5 Will you be angry with us always? Will you prolong your wrath to all generations?

    6 Won’t you revive us again, so your people can rejoice in you?

    7 Show us your unfailing love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.

Thoughts:

In my first read through this passage of scripture I was touched by the prayer of David to save his people, and my heart was deeply touched by his prayer because I can clearly see how many around us, in our neighborhoods and in our cities, need the Lord. However, on closer study of this I realized that you can only restore something that at one time was resident there before. So my heart immediately went out to what David was really praying, because I believe that we are seeing churches dying today at a greater record than ever before in the history of our land. In part, I believe that this is because we need an equally as large evangelism effort to the once ‘saved’ who have fallen by the wayside, as we do to the ones who have totally disregarded the message of the cross. Like you, I am very concerned about all that is going on in our land, and in this world, where we are killing each other without any regard for precious life itself. However, this should come as no surprise to Christians, because even back in 2 Chronicles 7:14 it was declared that God is looking for His people, His children, to humble themselves and pray, before He would give consideration to healing our land. When Christians treat their relationship, their commitment, so flippantly, and when there is no humility in looking to God for His powerful, healing and restoring hand upon His people and our land, what is it that we should really expect differently? Friends, we are bringing damnation on ourselves, on our churches and on our land. Remember, God is still in control and His Word will endure to the end, so we must follow His plan if we ever expect to see God restore us again! What is your role? Are you following His plan, so that you might expect to see Him restore us again? Please, let us humble ourselves and pray…..

Prayer:

Jesus, my Lord, in all humility I pray that You might touch the hearts of Your people once again. Begin with me, I pray. May Your church be revived once again, I pray. May each person meditating on this devotional today realize that this is not the ‘place’ we call church, but the body of Christ that at one time or another made a sober decision to accept You as Lord and Savior of their life. May the places that we call ‘church’ burst wide open from the crowds that will be renewed/revived and reminded of their obligation to their Master and Lord. May Your ‘church’ truly come alive again, so that we may follow Your commands and humble ourselves before You and pray. Lord, may the uncommitted one that may be lead to read this devotional today realize the importance of surrendering themselves to Your Lordship today. We are in desperate need of a touch from You oh King, please hear my prayer and heal us. Please cause us to recommit ourselves to do Your perfect will. For I ask all this in the name of the only One with the power to do anything about our pitiful condition, 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.