Our Greatest Need

On 2017-07-032017-07-03 By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, Faith in Action, Genuine Faith, Greatest Need, Healing, Needs, Needs of others, Recognize NeedsLeave a comment

Post Date:	Monday, 2017-07-03
SCRIPTURE
From:	Luke 5:18-20 (TLB)
Text:	^18-19Then—look! Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to push through the crowd to Jesus but couldn’t reach him. So they went up on the roof above him, took off some tiles, and lowered the sick man down into the crowd, still on his sleeping mat, right in front of Jesus. ²⁰Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “My friend, your sins are forgiven!”
OBSERVATION:
There are a few powerful lessons here in this Scripture, beginning with the audacity of the paralyzed man’s friends to get their friend in front of Jesus in spite of any obstacles that might present itself. The second thing is to notice that Jesus’ first priority was to meet the man’s greatest need – forgiveness of his sin. Let’s apply this to our challenges of today….
APPLICATION:
I am very convinced that Jesus is the same today as He was yesterday. I am therefore convinced that when we are called on to pray for someone’s health; someone’s battle with evil; or someone’s battle with finding a job. In fact, no matter what the request is for prayer, we who know the Lord personally, must take the example of Jesus and seek to know the spiritual condition of the individual first and approach God for their greatest need(s) before any other physical need they could possibly have. Although given the facts in this Scripture today, let me encourage you to think this through in a logical manner also. What would it profit a man to be healed, if his soul is destined for eternal damnation in Hell. Miracles happen so that the Son of God might be glorified. What glory might God receive for an unbeliever to be healed and then attribute his ‘miracle’ to happen-chance, or some other good luck charm, or ‘positive thoughts’ from a friend? Would this not be making a mockery of our Lord Jesus? What impact would healing have on a person whose soul is destined for Hell? Jesus immediately recognized that this paralyzed man wanted to be seen by Him, because the man allowed, or possibly even asked his friends to place him at the feet of Jesus. But Jesus also knew that the man’s greatest need was to have his sins forgiven so that he might be assured of his eternal destination, whether lying on a mat or walking about like you and I. Friends, many folk may present their needs to us today in hopes that we would pray for them. Unless you know about their spiritual relationship with God, may I suggest that you pray for that most urgently, then possibly for their physical needs? I believe that will fall more in line with what we were taught in the Scripture here today. In closing, let me suggest that we remember the determination of these friends to get the paralyzed man at the feet of Jesus. The didn’t let things like: his weight, their back issues, the crowd, possible security at the entrance of the meeting place, or even a means of how to get onto the roof interfere with their far-out alternate plan. Remembering this determination might help us the next time we are looking for excuses not to attend church and worship the Lord corporately, or going to the hospital to pray with a friend. We come up with lots of excuses that may sound OK to a friend, but let me assure you that God knows your heart, and the very thoughts that run through your mind! Make Him priority in your life, if He truly is your King!
PRAYER:
Lord God, thank You for Your faithfulness to us. Thank You for Your healing power displayed to the paralyzed man in this Scripture today. I am confident that the same love and power shown to this man, is only a glimpse into what You can actually do for us. Please help us to daily recognize Your amazing grace and miraculous works in our lives. Please help us to also be much more mindful about what others truly need first and foremost in their lives, in spite of what they may have called us to do for them, or pray with them about. Thank You Lord for saving my soul, and thank You for Your miraculous touch in my life through many circumstances way beyond anything I or the doctors could do for me. Lord, may You continue to amaze me with Your power and invincible hand, for I ask these things in and through the precious name of Jesus, my Lord, 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!

Do Not Fear – God’s Got This!

On 2017-06-26 By Ed AlgreenIn Awesome God, Faith, Faithfulness, Fear, Genuine Faith, SecurityLeave a comment

Post Date:	Monday, 2017-06-26
SCRIPTURE
From:	Matthew 10:29-31 (Voice)
Text:	²⁹Look, if you sold a few sparrows, how much money would you get? A copper coin apiece, perhaps? And yet your Father in heaven knows when those small sparrows fall to the ground. ^30-31You, beloved, are worth so much more than a whole flock of sparrows. God knows everything about you, even the number of hairs on your head. So do not fear.
OBSERVATION:
In this chapter Matthew talks about the many fears that people have. He assures us that we only need to fear the One who could destroy both body and soul – God Himself. But the only reason we would have to fear Him is if we have disowned Him here on earth, and pledged our allegiance to other masters who could order our death without giving it a second thought. However, to those who claim Jesus as their Lord, we have nothing to fear! Praise the Lord!
APPLICATION:
At home we ‘fear’ our parents, because they take care of us and therefore control our lives, and therefore demand our obedience and best behavior. At work we may ‘fear’ our boss, because if we are not obedient to what they ask of us, they could fire us. For those that have no regard for the Lord Jesus Christ, and saw no importance in allowing Him kingship over your earthly lives, your destination is clear and your eternal master is clearly defined in scripture, so you may start to worry now about the effects of Hell and the severity of it’s ruler – Satan. If instead you have chosen to accept the Lord Jesus – my Lord and Savior, as your King, then this very Scripture that’s quoted in this devotional assures us that we have nothing to fear, for He cares for us and has prepared a home in heaven for us where we will spend eternity together with He and His Father – God. Until that time He is intimately involved in our lives, for He knows every little detail about us and will care for us and protect us no matter what we may face. So friends, to know that we have a Savior who loves us beyond anything we could imagine, watches over us through every little detail of life, comforts us when we are down and out, and has our eternal home prepared for our homecoming, what is there to fear? May I encourage you to give thanks in all things, knowing that our Father, who knows ALL things, has a plan already worked out for us. We serve an awesome God friends! Let us worship Him and thank Him for His mighty works and His preparations for us, even while we still have breath to do so!
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, thank You for the hope of eternity and also for the assurance of Your love and care for us while still here on this earth. Please touch the hearts of Your people today Lord, may they be reminded that there is nothing to fear when they have placed their faith and trust in You. Lord, may this also speak to the hearts of those who have yet to surrender their lives to You, for they have yet to experience the lack of fear in knowing that You have everything under control for those who have entrusted their lives wholeheartedly to You. Thank You Lord for being my Savior, My Lord, and my soon coming King. Whom then shall I fear, when You are on my side? There is none like You heavenly Father, and I thank You for that assurance today, 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!

Faith Like That of The Shepherds

On 2017-06-20 By Ed AlgreenIn Believe, Evidence of Faith, Faith, Faith in Action, Faithful, Genuine Faith, Know and Believe, TrustLeave a comment

Post Date:	Tuesday, 2017-06-20
SCRIPTURE
From:	Luke 2:8-12 (NCV)
Text:	⁸That night, some shepherds were in the fields nearby watching their sheep. ⁹Then an angel of the Lord stood before them. The glory of the Lord was shining around them, and they became very frightened. ¹⁰The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I am bringing you good news that will be a great joy to all the people. ¹¹Today your Savior was born in the town of David. He is Christ, the Lord. ¹²This is how you will know him: You will find a baby wrapped in pieces of cloth and lying in a feeding box.”
OBSERVATION:
God had a plan in action, with the miraculous birth of His Son through a virgin named Mary. Everything went just as God had revealed to Mary, Joseph and Elizabeth. Now God was working in the lives of those that were praying for this Savior to come and save them and their country from the awful stain of sin, corruption and destruction. Let’s have a closer look at the shepherds, whom God chose to reveal Himself to, resulting in them being one of the first groups to visit the newborn infant and God’s servants, Mary and Joseph.
APPLICATION:
Some may assume that I am getting wrapped up in the Christmas story way early this year, and while I totally love the story of our Savior’s birth, I am merely reading through the Bible and got to this Scripture today! I believe that way too often we hear the Christmas story, and because we have always loved the story of Jesus’ birth, we remember the story vividly and therefore never stop to meditate on particular servants or scenes, because we feel like we have heard it all so many times over the years. In the case of the shepherds, they were keeping watch over their sheep to protect them from the wild animals that may have been looking for a quick way into the pasture to grab one for dinner! It seems like these were godly men who prayed for a deliverer, and probably looked into the night sky while on watch, just praying some more and imagining what it might be like if that deliverer might come during their lifetime. I believe that many Christians probably do something very similar when they look at the challenges with politics in their own country. I love the outdoors, so I have often looked into the dark skies lit only by God’s perfect candles (stars) and imagined what it would be like to witness the return of Jesus Christ when He comes to take fellow Christians and myself up to our heavenly home to live eternally with Him! What if that night silence and dark sky was broken one night and God sent His angels to come and take us home? Of course you will immediately cry out for family and friends for whose salvation you’ve been praying, but can you even imagine the joy that will fill your heart to even imagine going to live with your blessed Redeemer for whom you’ve been loving, serving and anticipating for years? In fact, this may all have crossed the minds of these shepherds as they saw something bright and glorious appear before them in the dark sky. I’m sure they were in so much shock and awe that they probably had trouble concentrating on what was being told to them, but they gathered enough from the good news that they quickly decided to go and see this child that the angels spoke of. But let’s be sure that we get this. Imagine being a part of a group considered the lowest of the lowest in society, and now you are convinced that the Almighty God sent an angel to tell you about the birth of His Son? Furthermore, you are witnessing this group dropping everything, and risking to walk a distance to see if this is for real? As part of that group, what will you tell someone along the way who may ask about your travel destination? Friends, I believe you could see that while we classify people based on our perception, God is no respecter of persons. Some of us create separations by country, by race, by political party, by church denomination, etc. But I truly believe that God looks at us as His precious children, period. Being no respecter of persons, God could give someone that we least expect, a message that He would like for us to adhere to, or be encouraged by. Are we seriously looking for a word from the Lord each day, no matter who God decides to use as His delivery boy? Are we seriously looking forward to His return? What if it was today? Are you truly ready and waiting for His return? Let’s try to be like the shepherds who, when told about Jesus, dropped what they were doing and went to worship Him!
PRAYER:
Lord God, You are so awesome in every way, and I praise You for who You are to me. In being reminded today of Your willingness to minister to ALL mankind, I am humbled and reassured that I can stand boldly before the throne and worship You and bring my petitions before You. Lord, for those who will read this and doubt about their worthiness in Your sight, please reassure them of Your love for all mankind – all who were made by You, in Your image and for Your glory. The shepherds glorified the arrival of their long awaited King and Savior, because their world was so challenging and filled with hatred and crime. Sounds like a mirror of what we face today Lord, so we plead that You might hear our cry for help and send us relief that only You could imagine or make possible. We have hope in You oh Lord, please help us to remain faithful until You are ready for us in heaven, 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!

Faith Leads To Obedience

On 2017-06-142017-06-14 By Ed AlgreenIn Believe, Faith, Faith in Action, Faithful, Faithfulness, Genuine Faith, Know and Believe, ObedienceLeave a comment

Post Date:	Wednesday, 2017-06-14
SCRIPTURE
From:	Luke 1:38 (TLB)
Text:	³⁸Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant, and I am willing to do whatever he wants. May everything you said come true.” And then the angel disappeared.
OBSERVATION:
A virgin girl approached by an angel with an unheard of proposition from God, was immediately convinced of the awesome task that God had chosen her to partake in. There were no excuses, or running away to avoid the proposition, but simply an openness to allow God to have His way with His humble servant.
APPLICATION:
I would imagine that just like at my church, you are probably not hearing too many stories similar to the very familiar story of Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus, in the Bible. For in faith she accepted the word from God and conceded to His perfect will for her life, regardless of any possible negative reflection on her by the questioning world. For us today, it often seems like asking a person, where you felt compelled of God to ask them to share in the ministry, is like asking them how many excuses can they find to not follow God’s command to serve in His church. Fathers, may I ask you to personally imagine your virgin daughter approaching you (an elder in your church) boldly with the news that she is pregnant? Adding that “Oh, and by the way, this is by the holy spirit of God” adds no comfort to you, because you have never heard of such a thing before. As for the fiancee, he may also have faith in God, but having never heard of such action by the Holy Spirit before, he is silently questioning as to whether the baby inside is for another man. In the case of Mary and Joseph, thank God that He sent the Holy Spirit to Joseph as well, to prepare him in advance for the news he would receive from Mary. Friends, I believe that what we are being taught in this Scripture today is that when we have an intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus, and we make every effort to follow His commands and His will for our lives, there may be times that He will summon us to do things that are way outside of the realm of our selfish, finite minds. As Christians reflect back over life, we can often see that many of the decisions we made and things that we did, that seemed way out of the ordinary at the time, we could now reflect and see what God had in mind for us the next day, week, month or years. Let’s be careful to remember that His ways are not our ways, so He may ask us to do things that is extraordinary in our eyes, but very purposeful in His eyes. Build a personal relationship with the Lord, friend. Listen to His voice and His direction for your life, and be willing to jump, move or speak when He commands you to do it. He will receive glory, and you will be overwhelmed in joy!
PRAYER:
Lord, I pray that each one reading this blog will join me in committing ourselves fully to Your perfect will. Whether our actions result in our personal joy, or that of a friend or relative, please help us to commit to being faithful to You and therefore obedient to Your every command. May Your perfect will be fulfilled in our lives and in the lives of others as we remain faithful and allow You to bless and work through us to touch others. Thank You for Your willing, obedient servant Mary, may we join her in also being faithful to the end, so that You may be glorified in all that 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 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!

Accept THE GIFT Like a Child

On 2017-05-162017-05-16 By Ed AlgreenIn Children, Faith, Genuine Faith, Humble, Humility, TrustLeave a comment

Post Date:	Tuesday, 2017-05-16
SCRIPTURE
From:	Mark 10:14-16 (ERV)
Text:	¹⁴…. So he said to them, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them, because God’s kingdom belongs to people who are like these little children. ¹⁵The truth is, you must accept God’s kingdom like a little child accepts things, or you will never enter it.” ¹⁶Then Jesus held the children in his arms. He laid his hands on them and blessed them.
OBSERVATION:
The disciples did exactly like we would still do today. When the crowds came pressing in on the center of attention, Jesus, they thought to begin reducing the confusion by keeping the children at bay. Surely Jesus would want to speak with the town authorities, or possibly the indigent, or even the known rebels in the town, But to their surprise, Jesus got upset at them, because He wanted the children to come to Him.
APPLICATION:
One translation reads that adults must learn about and accept Jesus in the simplicity of a child. I know that some adults still get pretty excited on Christmas morning, but really nothing to compare to the excitement of a child. Ever notice how a child never meets a ‘stranger’? For those that are not too sheltered, they will walk up to a total stranger and talk to them just like they would to a family member. Ever notice how children absorb everything they are taught, while adults must prove it first? Google has become our greatest friend, because when we can’t trust what the pastor said in church, we could prove him wrong by checking it out on Google! Our children are so trusting that we have to teach them at a very early age that there are some bad people out there that they must be careful of. Adults often have to be retrained that there are some good people out there that they can trust and befriend! In our text today, Jesus is teaching us that adults are to receive kingdom things like little children, with trust and dependence on Him. Our personal abilities, riches, or effort does nothing to enhance our personal relationship with Jesus. Ever notice how within a few days of being with their school or Sunday school teacher, a child will greet them each time with a great big hug and a smile, because they have found someone who cares for them and loves them in return. That’s the same way it is with Jesus Christ. He has already proven His love for us, for with arms stretched from east to west on the cross at Calvary He showed us how much He loved us. And although our eternal life was very costly to Jesus, He made the sacrifice so that we would not allow personal cost to be a hindrance to accepting Him and entering heaven’s portals. Spend some time around a child today and at the end of the day, review your relationship with the King of Glory in light of the faith, trust and love that you witnessed as you observed that child.
PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, You created us as children so that, as adults, we could appreciate the qualities in little people. I’m sure that as You grew us into adulthood You expected us to maintain some of what we learned as a child, but I believe that we have taken on so many bad qualities of this world, that we have lost much of our faith, trust, humility and love. These are not only qualities we see in our children, but they are key qualities we see in our Savior, and qualities that help us to draw close to You, dear Lord. Please continue to draw us to yourself and please continue to strengthen the qualities that we need in order to draw close to You and be a living witness of You with all that we come into contact with. We are Your children Lord, please help us to love, trust, honor and worship You as child would, 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!

Oh The Limitations We Place on Jesus!

On 2017-04-28 By Ed AlgreenIn Christ's Representative, Faith, Faith in Action, Genuine Faith, Representation of the Master, Representative of ChristLeave a comment

Post Date:	Friday, 2017-04-28
SCRIPTURE
From:	Mark 5:39-42 (Voice)
Text:	³⁹Jesus and His three disciples went inside. Jesus: Why are you making all this sorrowful noise? The child isn’t dead. She’s just sleeping. ⁴⁰The mourners laughed a horrible, bitter laugh and went back to their wailing. Jesus cleared the house so that only His three disciples, Jairus, and Jairus’s wife were left inside with Him. They all went to where the child lay. ⁴¹Then He took the child’s hand. Jesus: Little girl, it’s time to wake up. ⁴²Immediately the 12-year-old girl opened her eyes, arose, and began to walk. Her parents could not believe their eyes.
OBSERVATION:
It is obvious that after the daughter of Jairus closed her eyes in death, the visitors immediately gave up on the miracles of Jesus. Notice how they sent for Jesus while the child was alive but extremely ill. However, as soon as she died they sent word to Jairus that there was no further need for Jesus to come, as the child had died. Praise God that Jesus is not limited by the small ‘boxes’ we surmise about Him or build around ourselves and our circumstances!
APPLICATION:
It is so easy for us to look at these visitors to the home of Jairus and criticize them, but are they truly that much different to us – to what we would’ve done in that situation? We pray for friends who are sick; we tend to pray harder when they are forced into hospital; and we pray out of desperation when we hear that their condition is critical and possibly life threatening. But would we even allow a visitor in the room of the deceased? What if Jesus came by to visit with, and possibly raise our loved one from that death bed, would He be allowed anywhere near the room or the bedside? Notice in our Scripture how it speaks of the mom and dad being filled with amazement and awe, but said nothing of the disciples who accompanied Jesus? Could it be that they had seen these kinds of things already and that they never doubted for a moment that Jesus could raise that dead girl to new life? So what’s different with us? We read in the Holy Word of God that these miracles occurred. We believe that Jesus is alive and powerful in much the same way that He was when these Bible accounts occurred. So what stops us from calling on Him for miracles today? Are we limited by faith alone? Have we drawn a ‘box’ in our minds that Jesus can only do so much, and for whomever we fix in our minds on? Friends, may I remind you today that our Jesus loved us so much that He obediently went to the cross, having all the power necessary to destroy the whole bunch of His accusers, and He did that so that ‘whosever believeth on Him’ (John 3:16) would have clearance to the throne of grace and eternity in heaven with He and His Father! I don’t believe that He made that sacrifice in vain. I believe that His love for us is beyond anything we can comprehend, and that whatever hurts us, must also bear heavy on His heart. He wants us to communicate (pray) to Him about our hurts and disappointments, so that He could intervene as necessary to relieve our pain and bring glory to Himself. Hopefully our faith is large enough to allow God to accomplish His work in our lives and our situations.
PRAYER:
To the Creator of this universe; to the God of all, in heaven and on earth; to the Savior of the world; our Deliverer; our Healer and our everlasting Lord; we stand in awe of You today, recognizing that You are so much greater than we are; exceedingly more powerful that anything we can imagine with our earthly eyes, yet You are our King and our Heavenly Father! Oh how miniscule we are in comparison to how awesome You are! We are nothing to compare to Your great love and power, yet we often place You in a ‘box’ of limitations that extend only as far as we could see and understand. Please forgive us for our short-sightedness and lack of faith. Thank You for working a miracle in the home of Jairus thousands of years ago, so that we might be reminded today that there is no limitation to Your power and Your grace. Thank You for our inkling of faith, please continue to increase our faith so that we might properly represent You to a lost 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 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!

Faith Enough For Healing

On 2017-04-27 By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, Faith in Action, Genuine Faith, Healing, PersistenceLeave a comment

Post Date:	Thursday, 2017-04-27
SCRIPTURE
From:	Mark 5:25-29 (GNT)
Text:	²⁵There was a woman who had suffered terribly from severe bleeding for twelve years, ²⁶even though she had been treated by many doctors. She had spent all her money, but instead of getting better she got worse all the time. ²⁷She had heard about Jesus, so she came in the crowd behind him, ²⁸saying to herself, “If I just touch his clothes, I will get well.” ²⁹She touched his cloak, and her bleeding stopped at once; and she had the feeling inside herself that she was healed of her trouble.
OBSERVATION:
Jesus was surrounded by a crowd, but it didn’t stop the persistence of a lady who had heard about Jesus and knew His power to heal even her disease that doctors had failed to stop or control. She was humble enough that she didn’t want any fanfare, however, she was convinced that if she could press through the crowd just enough to touch some part of Jesus’ garment, that would be enough for her to be healed. It turns out she was right on target, but she also unexpectedly got the attention of the Master!
APPLICATION:
There are various stories in the Bible about how different folk were healed in the days of Jesus’ earthly ministry. I’m sure that each one appeals to the various needs of folk even today who meditate on the Word of God and desire healing of some sort in their bodies. I noticed that the lady’s name was not even disclosed, so I don’t believe the intent of the writer was for us to lift her up as a great godly woman, although I’m sure she probably was. Instead, I believe that God would have us recognize in this story a few things that we might learn and apply to our lives today: Invitation. Someone loved and appreciated this lady enough that they told her about Jesus walking near enough that she could go out and see Him about her need. This sharing led to her meeting the Christ, and being healed. This should be a reminder to us to invite those we know, those we live nearby, and those we really care a lot about, to church with us. Excuses. It would have been easy for this lady to find excuses about the impossibilities of her getting through the crowd to get anywhere near to Jesus. Imagine the excuses that people use when we invite them to church with us. Let’s learn to take those excuses as incentive to cry out all the louder to our Lord on their behalf, as they could be missing their opportunity for their healing that day. Persistence. Many of us give up real easy, but this lady was persistent in ‘moving mountains’ to get to Jesus. The big, the tall, the small, the disabled, the rude and the smart-mouth people in the crowd didn’t stop this lady from getting to the front and within reach of Jesus. Isn’t it interesting how we will fight many storms to get to work, yet just a cloudy day will keep us from church? Can you imagine us saying that we could’ve been healed if we weren’t so lazy and stayed in our bed? However, that could be a reality many times. Faith. Notice that this lady’s healing was quite different than the others told about in the Bible? She didn’t wait by the healing waters for Jesus to come by and put spittle on her then follow with washing. She followed no previous stories, for she knew that the power came for Jesus, not in the actions of the individual. I believe that we must be so careful in following traditions, instead of following Jesus Christ. It’s through faith in Him that we are saved. Faith in Him that brings healing to our bodies. It’s Jesus! Humility. This lady didn’t seek to make a scene or look for any special recognition. She didn’t say who she was related to, or how long she may have served in the synagogue, it appears like she would have been fine just creeping up to Jesus and touching his robe ‘like a fly on the wall’ and not be seen or noticed by anyone. This was a personal encounter for her, and I don’t believe that she really cared about who else was represented in the crowd. Friends, God looks at your heart. He knows your intent before you open your mouth or show off any pride that might be evident. In all sincerity, go before Him with thanksgiving and praise as a one-on-one meeting with the Creator of all things! He wants to be your Redeemer; your Lord; your Deliverer; your Healer; your Friend and Your soon coming King! Won’t you accept Him today and learn to depend on Him for every need in your life, friend?
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, we need You a whole lot more than we will ever stop to admit. Many reading this blog may not need healing, such as the lady in our story today, but their need may very well be more serious in nature and indeed desperate to them. Being reminded of Your power, and the faith of this lady, brings renewal to our souls Jesus. Please remind us each day of our need for the Savior, and the awesome power that’s always available to those in a relationship with You. Lord, You are awesome, and we are so proud of being Your humble servants. Please help us to be sincere witnesses for You today, so that the world might know that Jesus lives, and indeed You live in our hearts! 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!

Faithful to the End

On 2017-04-03 By Ed AlgreenIn Bold Confidence, Committed, Faith, Faithful, Faithfulness, Genuine Faith, Leader, Leadership, Totally committedLeave a comment

Post Date:	Monday, 2017-04-03
SCRIPTURE
From:	Exodus 32:31-32 (NCV)
Text:	³¹So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “How terribly these people have sinned! They have made for themselves gods from gold. ³²Now, please forgive them of this sin. If you will not, then erase my name from the book in which you have written the names of your people.”
OBSERVATION:
I believe that this is probably the boldest that I have seen someone approach the Lord. Probably the most sold out I have seen a leader to his people. The most daring act of unselfish sacrifice that I have seen a leader willing to do for the people placed in his charge. Moses had just witnessed the most despicable act that any group of people could probably do in the face of an almighty God, who had been so good to them and brought them through such terrible times. Yet as a leader who felt placed appropriately by God, he was willing to put even his eternity on the line for his people. Wow!
APPLICATION:
I’m pretty sure that unless I clarify, the first person you will think of that identifies with Moses, is your pastor. And while I agree with you that he is probably one that leads the charge of the church overall, some of you reading this blog have also been placed in positions of leadership with the church of Jesus Christ. You might be an elder, a deacon, a department leader in charge of teachers, a teacher, a small group leader, a Christian leader at your job or a Christian husband/leader in your home. Let me ask you to stop and take personal inventory of exactly what you feel like God is holding you responsible for. Friend, please don’t stop and quickly respond that it was just the Sunday School director who asked you teach, for if you felt led of God to accept a position to share His Word with others, then my belief is that He wants you to take responsibility for their eternity. Let me encourage you to read Exodus 32 and 33. You will find in 33:17 that God conceded to the request of His servant Moses, because He (God) had a personal relationship with him and knew his heart intimately. If you went before God after reading this blog for those who have been placed in your charge, will this be a continuation of daily prayer that you have been petitioning before God for a long time, or will this be a ‘new’ request? You have to start somewhere friend, but please be constant in prayer for those whom God has placed in your care. Are you so convinced about what you are teaching, that you are willing to place your life on the line for your students?
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, it is so humbling that You would choose mere humans to do the holy work of teaching others about You, whether verbally or through the very life that we live. We have been shown by Moses that when we are confident that we are obedient to Your will and obeying Your commands, that we would have no regrets, no fears of what others might say, or have any fear of standing before You and being held accountable by You. Thank You Lord for entrusting us with Your work. Lord, may we be found faithful until the very day that You call us home to glory. 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!

Pray – In Faith – and Receive

On 2017-03-07 By Ed AlgreenIn Evidence of Faith, Faith, Genuine Faith, Power of Prayer, PrayerLeave a comment

Post Date:	Tuesday, 2017-03-07
SCRIPTURE
From:	Matthew 21:20-22 (NLT)
Text:	²⁰The disciples were amazed when they saw this and asked, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” ²¹Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. ²²You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.”
OBSERVATION:
Jesus had a point to prove to his followers, because He knew there was still doubt in their minds of what all they could accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit. So He merely spoke to a barren fig tree and it instantly withered up. Of course, the disciples reacted just as Jesus knew they would, and this provided a teaching moment for Jesus. Verse 22 should be posted in all prayer rooms today!
APPLICATION:
For all believers reading this today, I believe that we can reflect back on our life-journey and see the path God set that led us towards accepting Him as our Master and Lord. For me, it was: placing the right lady in my life; one who was attending an evangelistic, Bible-teaching church that believed in altar calls; driving me towards attending her church vs the one that I was attending; placing a godly man in the service the night that I felt God tugging at my heart but wouldn’t let go of the seat to go to the altar, so God’s messenger came over, touched me on the shoulder and helped me make that walk that totally changed my life for ever. For the disciples, in our story today, who needed to learn about faith, Jesus also found the perfect time to demonstrate His power, and teach them about the miracles that could be wrought by even them, if they had faith. Friends, this story was placed in the Word of God to show us that, as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we too have access to the throne of God to ‘ask for anything, in faith, and receive it’. Sounds impossible? Good, because the Bible said that these miracles will not be of our own power, but if we ask Jesus for it, and believe in faith that He can, and He will do it, then our prayer will be answered. So if we are asking this of Jesus, please realize that the things you ask will have to be things that He would approve of, and that fits into His perfect will. Jesus even gave an example of what could be possible through this kind of faith. So may I challenge you today to consider whether anything that you would ask in prayer today is greater than the ability to move a mountain into the sea? Probably not, right? Yet Jesus said that could be done, if we exercise our faith in Him! Wow!
PRAYER:
Father, there are things that many of Your children are praying for right now that seem very impossible to us. Please draw us closer to You so that our faith might increase, and so that we would think outside of our small box of finite possibilities. We need You Heavenly Father to be in charge of our personal lives, so we fully surrender to You today. Please use us as Your instruments through which You can reach the souls of mankind. May we never be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and may we see nothing but Jesus rather than the mountains of impossibilities that often block our view of You. Thank You Lord for reminding us of Your awesome power that can be extended from You to others we cross paths with, in the form of miracles today. 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!

What Can Jesus Do For You?

On 2017-03-06 By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, Genuine Faith, Healing, Miracles, Seek God FirstLeave a comment

Post Date:	Monday, 2017-03-06
SCRIPTURE
From:	Matthew 20:31-34 (NLT)
Text:	31 “Be quiet!” the crowd yelled at them. But they only shouted louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 32 When Jesus heard them, he stopped and called, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 “Lord,” they said, “we want to see!” 34 Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. Instantly they could see! Then they followed him.
OBSERVATION:
In this story we see a few things: First is the determination of the blind men to get Jesus’ attention. Although told by the disciples to be quiet, they shouted all the louder; Secondly, I am always shocked how Jesus would ask two blind men what he could do for them! He didn’t assume that they were there to have their sight restored, for they may have had much deeper needs that only the Master could resolve for them. And thirdly, their miracle led to them becoming followers of Christ!
APPLICATION:
Throughout the gospels we can read story after story about the extremes that some folk went to in order to see, touch, or plead with Jesus about their situation. I am saddened by our current day believers who either wait until their very last option to seek Jesus and ask Him for help in their respective scenario, or because they have listened to Satan and the world, and have chosen to not follow Christ, they therefore might opt to not ‘bother’ Him in their time of need. Notice that the blind men did not let pride get in their way of getting close to Jesus and asking Him for a miracle. They weren’t concerned about friends trying to turn them away because they never wanted anything to do with Jesus. I want you to also notice that although these men were not follower of Christ, He stopped, listened to their plea, and delivered them from their blindness. Friends, this is another reminder of how deep the love of God is for His children. Notice also that Jesus teaches us to never assume what the needs of another person might be. Wouldn’t you have thought that two blind men waiting to see Jesus, were probably there to ask for restoration of their sight? However, Jesus still asked what they wanted of Him. Friends, let’s learn from this that we are to be specific in our asking of God. So I believe the important question that Jesus might have for you today is: What is your greatest need that you would have me attend to for you? This should be the item that you are daily pleading to God for, and is first and foremost on your mind. Be determined as the two blind guys, knowing that the same Jesus that they called out to for mercy and healing, is still available, able and ready to also hear our cry for help.
PRAYER:
Dear Lord, we serve the awesome Creator of this world, and You have proven yourself over and over again, yet You are often the very last person that we call on in our times of trouble and despair. As we were reminded by this Scripture today, please teach us to be persistent in asking, knowing that You are ruler over all things and that Your awesome power is just as prevalent today as it was when You gave the command to restore eyesight to the two blind men. Lord, please touch the hearts and lives of all who might read this devotional today, and please especially touch the lives of my family at this time so that we all might be reminded of the King of all kings and Lord of all lords, and Your awesome love and power. For I ask these things in Your wonderful and matchless name, 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!