Category: Love of God

How To Stand Against Satan

On By Ed AlgreenIn direction, God's Guidance, Guidance, Love, Love of God, The Father's Love, The love of GodLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   Ephesians 6:10-12 (TLB)

TEXT:  10 Last of all I want to remind you that your strength must come from the Lord’s mighty power within you. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand safe against all strategies and tricks of Satan. 12 For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against persons without bodies—the evil rulers of the unseen world, those mighty satanic beings and great evil princes of darkness who rule this world; and against huge numbers of wicked spirits in the spirit world.

OBSERVATION:   Facing the same issue as we face today, Paul had some great advice on how to stand against, and overcome the strategies and tricks of Satan. This is still a very real problem today, so I would like for us to spend some time looking at this, knowing that there is help available to us.

APPLICATION:   In verse 10 we are reminded of the source of our power to overcome Satan and his attacks. First of all, we must acknowledge that we do not personally have the strength to overcome Satan’s attacks, and that there is only One who does – Jesus Christ. We must therefore approach the throne in response to these attacks, and not to make things worse by adding our own worldly efforts to fight against the ‘evil one’. So as we place our faith in the Lord and ask Him for power to overcome, let us also put on the armor of God, as detailed beginning in Ephesians 6:10, and per God’s Holy Word, we will stand safe against the strategies and tricks of Satan. Friends this sounds like a storybook resolution to our challenges from the ‘evil one’, but may I encourage you to place your faith in our Lord Jesus. Not only will He save us from our sins and award us life eternal in Heaven with He and His Father, but this same Savior also has the power to heal, the wisdom to  guide us through every challenge that may face us each day, but He also has all power over the ‘evil one’. Why would God do this for us? I believe, based on the Word of God, that we are the ‘apple of His eye’; we are His child; He demonstrated His love for sinners, like you and I, who stood by and watched Him being brutalized on the cross, yet He followed through on His sacrifice to show His love for us. This is the God who also promised us that He would deliver us from the ‘evil one’, and give us power to stand firm against the fierce arrows of all that he might send our way. Friends, this is the God that I present to you as the only One to help us overcome Satan. Do you know Him? Have you placed your faith and trust in Him? Have you trusted Him with your life, and therefore have the necessary confidence to believe that you could stand firm against Satan? Please reassess your belief system, and your faith. Be sure that you are anchored safe in the arms of Jesus.

PRAYER:   Heavenly Father; Glorious Son of God; our Lord and Savior; thank You for watching over Your kids and being willing to listen to our frequent cries, often for the silliest things and perhaps things that may appear so insignificant to many. Lord, we have faith to believe that if something is important and concerning to us, then You make it a priority in helping us to overcome our concerns. Lord, we lift Your name on high, and we acknowledge that we can do nothing without Your power and direction in our lives. Thank You Jesus, that we have a Savior who loves us so! AMEN!

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

 

Attributes of Love

On By Ed AlgreenIn Christian love, Love, Love of God, Love others, Love your Neighbor, Our Character, Things God lovesLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (TPT)

TEXT:  4 Love is large and incredibly patient. Love is gentle and consistently kind to all. It refuses to be jealous when blessing comes to someone else. Love does not brag about one’s achievements nor inflate its own importance. 5 Love does not traffic in shame and disrespect, nor selfishly seek its own honor. Love is not easily irritated or quick to take offense. 6 Love joyfully celebrates honesty and finds no delight in what is wrong. 7 Love is a safe place of shelter, for it never stops believing the best for others. Love never takes failure as defeat, for it never gives up.

OBSERVATION:   No doubt Paul had to clear up some misunderstanding about this action, and about this word that people often use so loosely – Love. I believe that God foreknew that His children today would need to be very clear about this word also, so He had Paul include it in our Book of Instruction – the Bible. Let’s meditate on this today and see where God might lead us, as He speaks to us through His Word….

APPLICATION:   We are told throughout the Bible, that ‘God is love’, so anytime we think of this action or this word, we should think of how this might help us be a little more perfect in our love for each other. In the verses above, we are reminded by Paul that if we want to live our lives like our Father – consistently expressing love from the very depths of our heart, then there are some attributes that will be evident in us. Have you ever been praised for being incredibly patient; or gentle; or consistently kind to everyone; or so happy for others when blessings come their way; or one who deflects praise and self importance and therefore never brags about self achievements; not one who looks for ways to shame and disrespect others in an effort to make self shine above everything else; not irritable or quick to take offense; Joyfully celebrates honesty, but will not reflect delight in what is wrong; and because love always believes in and wants the best for others, it is considered a safe place for others to relax in and enjoy. Love never gives up, and I therefore pray that no one reading my blog today will ever give up, but always seek the attributes of ‘Love’ – the love of Jesus! In these verses, try replacing the word ‘Love’ with your name in the Scripture today, and see if there are any phrases, or attributes that you need to quickly kneel before the Master and seek His face on. I believe there is nothing more that He would delight in, than to help us walk upright and in His image, but He wants to know that we want that, so ask Him dear friends!

PRAYER:   Dear Jesus, we know that You can blow us away today with the many inadequacies You see in us, compared to Your message through Paul that we looked at today. Please forgive us precious Lord, and give us the strength and boldness to redirect our determination and, instead be determined to be more like You every day. In a world of stress and hatred, we pray that Your love will shine through us consistently, until 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 Sebring, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

 

Our Compassionate Savior

On By Ed AlgreenIn Compassion, Love, Love of God, The Father's Love, The love of GodLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   Psalm 103:10-12 (The Passion Translation)

TEXT:  10 You may discipline us for our many sins,
    but never as much as we really deserve.
    Nor do you get even with us for what we’ve done.
11 Higher than the highest heavens—
    that’s how high your tender mercy extends!
    Greater than the grandeur of heaven above
    is the greatness of your loyal love, towering over all
    who fear you and bow down before you!
12 Farther than from a sunrise to a sunset—
    that’s how far you’ve removed our guilt from us.

OBSERVATION:   David had gone through many situations in his life, some that deserved praise from God and some that we would probably choose to keep away from God, for we may feel ashamed for God to know about those kinds of things. Yet David knew that God loved him anyway. In fact, God said in His Word that David was a man after His own heart. Let’s meditate on the awesome, compassionate heart of our King today….

APPLICATION:   So often we approach family and friends and try to encourage them to join us in following our Lord Jesus, but we will often hear about the vast difference between their life of sin and the sinless Savior that we are encouraging them to stand before in judgment. But isn’t it awesome that we can reassure them with verses like John 3:16, that assures them that God sent His Son to earth so that ALL might have eternal life, not just those who try to be good in their own strength? Isn’t it encouraging to share these verses from David with those friends, that in spite of their ugly past, or the sin that they are ashamed of, yet God will look at them as His child and will honor their request for forgiveness of sin? In verse 12 David reminds us that God would remove our sin so far from us that He could only think of measuring it by telling us that we should think of an endless distance such as the span between east and west. Friends, our God tends to respond to us in immeasurable terms like endless; forever; eternity; distance of east from the west; etc, because He never goes back on His word. That is hard for us to imagine, because we often make our decisions based on conditions and ongoing commitments of the other party. But when something is promised by our God, we could go to the bank with that. So may I encourage you to place your faith and trust in the God who will love you unconditionally and eternally. This is the kind of love that seems impossible and unbelievable, but based on the authority of the living Bible, I can safely assure you of that truth today!

PRAYER:   Thank You Lord for assuring us of Your love, in spite of our many weaknesses and endless disappointments to You while here on earth. Thank You Lord for providing an alternative to our life of sin, and I thank You for even tugging at our heart’s door so that we may seek Your face and the forgiveness of our sin while there is still breath in our bodies. Please forgive us for our determination to follow a sinful world, and for allowing Satan to have control over us. Lord, please mellow the hearts of the stubborn and hard-hearted today. May they find You and bast in the sunshine of Your love throughout eternity. AMEN!

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

 

Undeserving Love

On By Ed AlgreenIn Love, Love of God, The love of God, Unconditional loveLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   Job 7:17-18 (NIV)

TEXT:  “What is mankind that you make so much of them, that you give them so much attention, that you examine them every morning and test them every moment?

OBSERVATION:   A Holy God who created each of us, but watched us turn to sin and the things of this world. However, He still shows us how, because we are the apple of His eye, He still loves us unconditionally each and every day. So undeserving, yet our Savior loves us anyway! Job found this extremely challenging to understand, especially after all that he had been put through. 

APPLICATION:   I believe that we try too hard to compare God to the ways that we normally react to life’s circumstances. Think about it friends, if we had the ability to create a being from scratch – not using any gifts that God has already blessed us with, how would we design that perfect individual? Now with that design in mind, let’s assume that we created the individual perfectly and we personally and consistently monitor their progress and dictate their actions to make sure that they stay ‘perfect’ as we designed them. But you eventually take a much needed vacation, only to return and find the individually had gone nuts during your absence. How do you suppose you would react? That’s how I believe we expect to see God react when we sin – when we go nuts and do everything that God teaches us not to do if we vow to follow His will and His footsteps. Friends, the closer we draw to Christ, and the more we read His Word and desire to follow its instructions, the more we will see, like Job, that we serve an awesome God, who loves us unconditionally. He showed us that love when He went to the cross, when He was beaten, mocked and died a cruel death, even though He had the power through His Father to call down 10,000 angels to help Him. Jesus continues to show us each day that He still loves His children in spite of our attraction to sin and the world. Think about the ones that He calls to Himself in salvation – ones that we may have thought there was no hope for, that is nothing but pure, undefiled, unconditional love, my friend! Just as Job said, who are we that He should love us so?

PRAYER:   Like Job, we sometimes feel like there is little hope for those of us that go through extreme sad times over the loss of loved ones, or perhaps through medical stuff that seem unresolvable by any doctors that we approach, however, praise to You oh God, we know who holds our hand today and who will hold it tomorrow. We know who has all power, and who could heal us if You have additional work for us to do. So Lord Jesus, we place our faith and trust in the only true God, with awesome thanksgiving for Your undeserved love towards even us! We are truly blessed, and we love You Lord, more than we could find words to express. All glory to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, AMEN!

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

 

The Greatest Love!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Love, Love God, Love of God, The Father's Love, The love of God, Unconditional loveLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   Romans 8:38-39 (TLB)

TEXT:  38  … I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels won’t, and all the powers of hell itself cannot keep God’s love away. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, 39 or where we are—high above the sky, or in the deepest ocean—nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ when he died for us.

OBSERVATION:   It seems like Paul must have been dealing with accusations around the subject of how temporary the love of God is. No different to questions that might be asked today, I’m sure. So we should be prepared to respond to these questions anytime that we are faced with them as well. After all, as Christians, we promote the greatest love there ever was, by the greatest person that ever lived. So we should be ready to share the hope that lives within us at any time and with anyone who asks!

APPLICATION:   If asked the name of our spouse; if we love them; and why do we love them; we will all have a quick response – and it wouldn’t matter if we were told that our response might be aired on public television, with the possibility of it going worldwide, I bet that we would all just share our heart very openly. And I believe that God and the world will congratulate us for doing so! Now, let’s assume that you are a faithful church attender and you were accused of serving a God who: only loves you when you’re good; will only look out for your good as long as you are paying your tithes; and who can only refer you to a doctor for your illnesses, because He has no healing power. What would you say? I’m not suggesting that you pull out the biggest Bible in the house and read multiple verses to this critic, although it may help if you had a few verses readily in mind that would support whatever you decide to answer. But friends, I believe that if we truly know God; have a personal relationship with Him; truly trust Him to do whatever we ask in His name; and we truly believe that He has an eternal home for us in heaven, then the personal words from our heart should flow forth like water. Believe me, there is nothing to be embarrassed or frightened about. When you speak from your heart, it is your personal response to a question. I can’t help but believe that if you are in the Word of God each day, trying to grow your relationship with our Savior, then I’m sure that God will do for you like He did for Paul, He will give you words of wisdom to share, that will not only speak to the heart of the person asking you questions, but will speak to those around, just as this Scripture is speaking to us today. Paul said that he was ‘convinced’ that nothing could separate him from the love of God! Are you convinced? May I suggest that church attendance alone may never convince you? Remember when dating, you may have attended many events that your girlfriend/boyfriend also attended, and it was good to see them, but it was not until you developed a personal relationship with them that you truly came to trust them; love them; and believe in them. I believe that your relationship with God is much the same way, and without that personal relationship, I’m not sure how you will defend the God that you serve. So create, or deepen your relationship with God today dear friend, it’s the Greatest Love ever known – one that you can easily defend!

PRAYER:   My Jesus, my Savior, there is nothing like the love You have shown to me, nothing ever so sacrificial that has been demonstrated for me. Thank You Heavenly Father! Lord, please touch the hearts of each reader today. Draw them close to You. Never let them go. May they develop such a sweet communion with You that they will always have something to share with others about the deep, consistent love that lives inside of them. May others who know them, also know the greatest love in their life – the love of Jesus! AMEN!

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

 

Feeling Abandoned By God?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Jesus Loves you, Love, Love of God, Loving God, The Father's Love, The love of God, Unconditional loveLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   2 Chronicles 12:5 (GNT)

TEXT:   ….. “This is the Lord‘s message to you: ‘You have abandoned me, so now I have abandoned you….

OBSERVATION:   Solomon’s son, King Rehoboam was touched by the Master when he was told not to fight with his brothers. He also listened to the Man of God on other occasions, that is, until he felt like his kingdom was established. Soon, Rehoboam felt like he had things under control, so he saw no further need for God. This is when God sent His messenger with the above message, as quoted from Scripture. I know this still happens today, so I want us to meditate on this.

APPLICATION:   I believe that we will all agree that at one time or another we may have drifted away from God. I believe that some who may read this devotional today may still be feeling abandoned by God. I hope that some will read this blog today who may not truly understand the full value of walking with the very Son of God, so you may question how one might be comforted or reassured in knowing that Jesus, our Lord and Savior really cares for us and the direction we are to walk. Friends, I am so comforted when I open God’s Word and He speaks so confidently to me. I can reflect back on circumstances where I was obedient to His direction for my life, and how awesome it is to savor the sweetness of seeing God work through those circumstances. These are scenarios where people thought I was nuts, but thank God, He received glory in the success of what He was accomplishing through this humble and obedient servant. We have no idea what will happen later today or anytime afterwards, so when we feel compelled to do something, or say something, or be somewhere in particular, our response should be like that of Samuel: Yes Lord, your servant stands ready to obey. On the contrary, I want to humbly plead with those who have drifted away from God, like Rehoboam had done, and additionally plead with those who have not accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior yet. You may very well be in the abandoned by the King of all kings and Lord of all lords, because of choices that you alone made. You have deliberately erected a wall between you and God where you are basically asking God to stay in His corner, because you intend to stay in yours. Please know that our God is very much a gentleman, and He will not interfere where He has not been invited to. Just as in marital separations and divorces, please don’t just barge in and start demanding certain things. Remember, you have abandoned God, and asked Him to abandon you. Please come back to Him just as a lost person would seek salvation. Ask for forgiveness, and acceptance into His kingdom. Please friend, if you have distanced yourself from God, let me encourage you to become reacquainted today. Don’t waste any time, for He wants to love on you today, and reassure you that He will be there for you in your time of need and/or celebration.

PRAYER:   Probably one of the most dangerous things we could do, is to distance ourselves before our Creator, our Lord, our God, our Savior and our Friend. He loved us even when we were unlovable, and He sent His one and only Son to die at Calvary so that we might have hope, eternal life and unconditional love. Please join me in making Jesus Christ first and foremost in our lives. He loves us, and wants to see us ready for the welcome party He is preparing for all of His children, one day in Heaven.

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

 

Reasons That We Worship

On By Ed AlgreenIn Jesus Loves you, Love of God, Love others, Love your Neighbor, The Father's Love, WorshipLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   Psalm 89:13-16 (GNT)

TEXT:  13 How powerful you are! How great is your strength! 14 Your kingdom is founded on righteousness and justice; love and faithfulness are shown in all you do. 15 How happy are the people who worship you with songs, who live in the light of your kindness! 16 Because of you they rejoice all day long, and they praise you for your goodness.

OBSERVATION:   David grew up as a shepherd boy, so he was used to the idea of the outdoors and looking around at all of the wonders of the Almighty. Furthermore, we could tell that he was one that had no problem expressing himself to God. It seems like he was always bursting at the seems to praise and worship his Master. I believe we should be the same, so let’s look closer at this passage.

APPLICATION:   When our hearts are filled with what we see and what we hear, we could only imagine how many of us must look to God and talk about the game last night, or the TV show that we were so engrossed in, or the gossip that the neighbors called about. My wife and I went to a Marriage Enrichment conference last weekend, and we realized that our marriage is probably last on our priority list, considering the amount of time that we actually set aside for just husband and wife. Is this not the same in our time with the Lord also? I know, you just don’t have time, right? Friends, let me encourage you to say that a little differently. Replace the words “don’t have time” with “didn’t make that a priority”. I know, it means the same thing. But friends, try it in your prayers tonight. Lord, I just didn’t make it a priority to look around and take in the beauty of the morning sky, or look for the value of the sunshine in making my garden grow so wonderfully. It never crossed my mind how healthy I am, compared to my neighbor who is in and out of hospital. I truly believe that no matter what is going on in our lives, we should always strive to look back to the focal point of our existence. It began with God, He reinforced His love when He sent His Son to die at Calvary for our sin, and He maintains that love each and every day – if only we will recognize His goodness and His presence. Let’s learn to praise God for all things, especially those things that we are sure were customized just for us! God is so good, my friend, thank Him and glorify Him today for all that He does each day for you. He promised to never leave you. May I encourage you to do the same, and never leave God alone by ignoring His blessings!

PRAYER:   Lord, it is so challenging for us to imagine the kind of love that You display for us each and every day. We feel so unworthy – like a speck of dirt in Your huge universe. But Lord, I believe that Your children are the apple of Your eye, and that there is nothing You wouldn’t do for us. Thank You Lord for Your mercies on me, and for the love You show to even me. Lord, may I be just as conscious about the love I give to You in return. Bless each reader today and draw them all to You dear 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 Sebring, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

 

Love Is In the Air

On By Ed AlgreenIn Jesus Loves you, Love, Love God, Love of God, Love others, Love your Neighbor, The Father's Love, The love of God, Unconditional loveLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   Mark 12:29-31 (NLT)

TEXT:  29 Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. 30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ 31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

OBSERVATION:   Jesus took the opportunity to declare and remind the teachers of the law again of the first and second commandment. In fact the greatest of all the commandments. I particularly like the way the New Living Translation put it, that ‘you MUST love the Lord your God.’ I love that! We will have a closer look at this matter of us loving our Master and loving our neighbor.

APPLICATION:   I wonder how many couples would cancel their weddings if, during their premarital counseling they were told that ‘they MUST love each other if they expect that preacher to marry them’? Sounds funny, because we go to the preacher in the first place because ‘we love each other’, but when told that we must love, we tend to back off and question the authority of the preacher. The difference that Jesus was trying to explain to these teachers of the law, is that His Father is love. In other words, when we stop to consider the word ‘LOVE’, it is inseparable from God. Think also about John 3:16 where it is emphasized that God loved us so much that He willingly gave up His one and only Son, Jesus, to be crucified in place of our sin. Praise be to God that He loves  even us – sinners saved by grace! Friends, we are thankful for God’s love for us, now we need to be extra sensitive to not gloat in that love, and keep it bottled up inside. Just as Jesus showed love to us, so we are to show love one to another – especially to those seeking for pure love – greater than anything they can find here on earth. This is the month of ‘love‘, and many will find unique ways of showing love to their spouse, or significant other. Oh may the world see Jesus more in us than any other characteristic that we may try to impart. He is love, and His love will satisfy the sinners heart. We simply need to be the willing, open servant that our Savior and Lord can work through!

PRAYER:   Lord, please have Your perfect way in and through us today and everyday, so that others will see Jesus, and not this old sinful man. They deserve seeing God’s best. The One who died to set them free from the pit of sin, hell and destruction. Lord may many be drawn to You today, is my humble and sincere prayer. AMEN!

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

 

Who Are We To Judge?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Christian love, Love of God, Love others, Love your Neighbor, The Father's Love, The love of God, Unconditional loveLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   Acts 11:17 (TLB)

TEXT:  17.… since it was God who gave these Gentiles the same gift he gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to argue?”

OBSERVATION:   Peter returned after celebrating the saving of souls – ones that the Jews thought were beyond God’s reach, for they were Gentiles. Ordinarily you would think that it would be party time as Peter returned with such great news, but instead his friends hit him immediately with all of the negative they could imagine from what they heard. I love how Peter responded, for he explained what the Holy Spirit did; and he  declared that whatever happened was so real and so clear, that it was evident that it was more than anything he could ever do, or argue with.

APPLICATION:   In reading this whole event that Peter was involved in, I believe that our first impression is to probably lash out on the disciples for searching for something negative, rather than having a celebration time planned for Peter’s return. In fact, it sounds like a huge praise service would have been a good way of saying ‘thank you’ to God for using their Brother to minister to the Gentiles, a group that the Jews thought God would reject, just like they did. But before we get too critical of the disciples, let’s reflect on our natural instincts today. I am a part of a program going on in our county right now called ‘Pursuit 21’. This is a 21-day season of prayer by several local churches, where people from our county are invited to gather at a designated place – 1 of about 12 locations strategically chosen around the county, and pray alongside other believers for the spiritual condition, and needs of our county. In most cases, the church that we attend never comes up, for we are Brothers and Sisters who serve the same Master, praying for the concerns of each other and our communities. What a glorious time as we reflect on how this might imitate what we will do in heaven! Let us always remember that exclusivity is something that we induce, when it comes to believers in Christ. At the foot of the cross, we are all the same in the eyes of Jesus – from the holiest and best pastor or priest who ever served the Lord, to the newest Christian who surrendered their lives to Jesus. And when we see God at work, let’s try hard to recognize, thank God for, and celebrate the work of the Holy Spirit, and stop picking everything apart that we see in whomever may have communicated with God through prayer for our miracle. Let’s not shroud the blessings of the Almighty with the human frailties of those touched by God in any miracle He sees fit to extend. If I am healed by God, and a friend who never shared their spiritual condition with me, tells me that they had prayed for that healing, my heart should always be fixed on praising God for His miraculous touch, and never complain or gripe about who He may have received the request from. To God be the glory, for all that He chooses to do for His children!

PRAYER:   Lord Jesus, please forgive us for our littleness in always trying to prove our worth, instead of looking for, and celebrating Your unlimited worth, and for all that You choose to bless us with. I love the song that includes these words: I have a Father, He calls me His own, He’ll never leave me, No matter where I go. He knows my name….. These words remind me that You are my personal Savior, and no matter how many may call on Your name today, You will never leave me helpless. Please help me to praise You when I see this same miracle happening in the lives of others also, for I am reminded that all of Your children are special in Your eyes. Thank You for all who witness, teach and preach about Your never ending love for all who believe on the name of Jesus Christ. To You be all glory, honor and praise, precious Jesus. AMEN!

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

 

A Love That’s Greater Than…

On By Ed AlgreenIn Love, Love of God, The Father's Love, The love of God, Unconditional loveLeave a comment

Post Date:

 Friday, 2017-09-29
SCRIPTURE

From:

 Ephesians 3:18-20 (ERV)

Text:

 18 … I pray that you and all God’s holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ’s love—how wide, how long, how high, and how deep that love is. 19 Christ’s love is greater than anyone can ever know, but I pray that you will be able to know that love. Then you can be filled with everything God has for you.

20 With God’s power working in us, he can do much, much more than anything we can ask or think of.
OBSERVATION:
In leaving his beloved Ephesians, Paul shared that in spite of everything he had dealt with throughout his letter, and while on site with them, he was really hoping that they would remember the sincere love of Jesus Christ that filled his heart before coming to visit with them, filled him while with them and even as he left them. Can’t you imagine that this sort of love will help you to overcome insults and ridicule, and to look at life’s circumstances in a much more meaningful way?
APPLICATION:
Like me, you may remember being spanked by your parents while being told that they were only doing that because they loved you!! That was extremely hard to understand as a child, because we thought that love equated to giving us everything we asked for!! Even as adults, I’m not so sure that we have really grasped the unconditional love of Jesus for us. What could you find to say to a mother who buries her son or daughter, or even a grandchild, that could convince them that God loves them unconditionally? What could a preacher find to say after preaching Hell and damnation to a congregation of believers, and then try to follow that by reassuring them that Jesus loves them more than anything else in this world? I believe that even if we start our day in God’s Word and assure ourselves of His precious love for us, it is extremely challenging for us to stay strong in the faith as we are beat up on during the day and feel like the whole world is against us. However friends, let me encourage you to read the verses again, with particular interest in finding the conditions for God’s love. In finding none, I can only encourage you to stand firm in your faith and never doubt the love of God. Whether in very positive news, or very negative news – God still loves you! Whether you are on ‘cloud nine’ with very positive and encouraging things happening in your life, or quite to the contrary – remember that God still loves you! Whether things are going way better than you could ever have expected under today’s circumstances, or whether it feels like the bottom has fallen out and no one is in control today – know that God loves you unconditionally and that He is always in charge of His universe. Why sweat it friends? Know that God has every little thing under His complete control and that He will always look after His precious children and everything that affect us.
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, what a privilege to know that we serve a God who loves us in spite of who we are, and in spite of all the circumstances that may be impacting the world around us. The greatest love ever demonstrated was the sacrifice You made at Calvary so that we may have life eternally in heaven with You. Thank You Father, thank You Lord Jesus for loving us so much. May that assurance bring peace and contentment to each of Your children, in every circumstance of life. 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!