Category: Salvation

He Did That For You!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Forgiveness, God-honoring, Salvation1 Comment

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

Today’s Bible Reference: Titus 2:11–14
Today’s Bible Text: God’s readiness to give and forgive is now public. Salvation’s available for everyone! We’re being shown how to turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life, and how to take on a God-filled, God-honoring life. This new life is starting right now, and is whetting our appetites for the glorious day when our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, appears. He offered himself as a sacrifice to free us from a dark, rebellious life into this good, pure life, making us a people he can be proud of, energetic in goodness.
The Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take Away: Ever heard a spouse, or a girlfriend or boyfriend say to their partner “And you did that for me?” You know – they are in shock that someone loves them enough to make a sacrifice on their behalf, just because they love them? It tends to put a whole new level of trust in that person, and a strong belief in your relationship! Suddenly you realize that they must truly love you! In our scripture today, it seems like Paul felt it was important for the ministry of Titus that no matter what he felt the people already knew about Jesus, that he should remind them again that there is no secret about how much God loves them, and about the awesome sacrifice He made at Calvary to prove His love for them. I feel compelled to share with my readers today the same message given to Titus, for it seems like depression in our friends and family is worsening, and impacting even children today. Don’t you realize friend that no matter how underserving you may feel, God is ready to forgive you, and give you eternal life filled with His wonderful love that is beyond human understanding or description? Don’t you know that you can be saved from your life of sin and disregard of God and take on a blessed, God-filled and God-honoring life? Don’t you know that this new life can begin right now, even though it may only be a sampling of the glorious life you will enjoy with Jesus when you leave this world that is so saturated with sin? Don’t you know that in spite of your present tendency to be mean and unforgiving towards others, that God will make you into a person energized in goodness? Friends, the above is not just vain promises that this Brother is offering to entice you into a relationship with God, although I wish there would be such an enticement possible, but I have merely expanded on the actual scripture written by Paul under the leadership and direction of the Holy Spirit. Please consider allowing that same Holy Spirit to guide you in your decisions today friend!

Prayer: Father, You are merciful and so forgiving. For while we were still sinners, You went to the cross of Calvary as a statement of Your love for us, and faced public shame and disgrace by the same folk that You would later forgive them of their sin. Unfortunately we are no better than most of them that tortured You that dark day, because in spite of Your love for us, yet we openly sin and disgrace Your precious name. Please consider once again forgiving us of our sin dear Lord. Please go to the extreme once again to melt our hardened hearts and convince us of our sin and our need for the Savior. Lord, I pray that You would have Your perfect way in our lives today and in the lives of those that we love. May this be the day of salvation for may who will read this devotional today, I pray this in the precious name of Jesus, AMEN!

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

2016

God Wants You!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Forgiveness, Salvation, SaviorLeave a comment

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

Today’s Bible Reference: 1 Timothy 1:14-17
Today’s Bible Text: Oh, how kind our Lord was, for he showed me how to trust him and become full of the love of Christ Jesus. How true it is, and how I long that everyone should know it, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—and I was the greatest of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as an example to show everyone how patient he is with even the worst sinners, so that others will realize that they, too, can have everlasting life. Glory and honor to God forever and ever.
The Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

My Take Away: We hear about lots of evil that impact so many today, and we wonder when will God come to take us out of this mess. However, seldom do we stop and study what took place in the days of Jesus, and how His believers were impacted back then. We admire Paul as such a valuable servant of God, for we read about his bold witnessing, his imprisonment for witnessing in places where it was prohibited, and many other attributes of this saint of old. We are also blessed by the many writings of Paul in the New Testament. However, in these verses we are looking at today, Paul is reflecting on where God truly brought him from. For God stopped this persecutor of Christians right in his track, convicted him of his wrong doing (his sin) and showed him that through the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross, even he could be saved. I still hear people say today, what Paul must have thought and said back then, how could such an evil person as I (a sinner) stand a chance of being accepted by the pure and holy Son of God? Friends, I believe that God wanted me to share with you yet again today, that His Son was sacrificed on Calvary especially for those who question like this. For His sacrifice was made with full knowledge that we cannot save ourselves and, nothing, or no one else could stand in the gap for our sin, except the one true Savior, Jesus Christ. So there is no need to continue in sin dear friends. There just is no reason to continue carrying that load around any longer. Stop, drop and pray to the Father right now – right where you are at, admit your sin before Him, ask His forgiveness so that He could save you from your current path you are on to Hell. He WILL save you friend! Just imagine the thought of God sacrificing His only Son, and for us to reject that offer of love and continue on our journey to Hell. It must hurt our Father beyond anything we could imagine. He sent His Son so that all might be saved, so of course that includes you. Of course He desires a relationship with even you, for He loves you beyond anything words can describe, friend! Paul acknowledged that his changed life served as a witness to many others who needed Jesus. There may be others needing you to make your big step, to give them the boldness needed to move towards Jesus. Please don’t be a stumbling block for them.

Prayer: Thank You Father for loving us so much that You gave. It’s beyond me that You would give such a sacrifice for mere sinners – people You created to be like You, yet have chosen to do their own thing and live in total opposition to Your teachings, and Your will for their lives. Please forgive us Heavenly Father. Please forgive us for the lack of appreciation for the sacrifice You made Lord Jesus. Please soften the hearts of Your people today so that we might seek Your face, accept Your precious gift, and live according to Your will in full appreciation of all that You did for us. Lord, may this be a day of change for many, especially those who might stumble across this devotional today. I ask all this in the precious name of Jesus, my Savior and Lord, AMEN!

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

2016

The Value of Knowing Jesus

On By Ed AlgreenIn Know Jesus, SalvationLeave a comment

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

The Bible Reference: Philippians 3:8-9
The Bible Text: Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him.
The Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take Away: I love the illustration Paul used to show how much he valued the relationship he had with the God of this universe. A few months ago my family and  had the daunting task of moving out of our home of 27 years into a much smaller accommodation. We had to evaluate all of our earthly possessions to conclude that each item either: 1). Must go with us – meaning we had to find space for it in our smaller accommodation, or 2). We would hold on to the item in storage until we decide if we would ever need it, or are willing to dispose of it, or 3). We could no longer see a need to hang on to the item, and were willing to sell it or give it away. Think about that, together with the mindset of Paul, who was once a valuable resource to earthly kings and nobles, because of his readiness to destroy anything or anyone attributing its value to Jesus Christ. What Paul did could be likened to the example given above about my personal experience, dumping everything we once had, and starting from scratch. Paul did this in giving his total allegiance to Jesus Christ, without the possibility of any interference from anything he may have owned in his past. Paul said that he ‘dumped it all in the trash, so that he could fully embrace the unencumbered grace of Christ’. Friends, it was not until my family and I came to the place that we realized that our earthly belongings was merely ‘stuff’, and added no value to our eternal destination, that we were able to commit to our move. Paul is teaching us in this passage that it is not until we are willing to make Jesus the primary focus in our lives, that we would truly embrace Him and be embraced by Him. Jesus went to the cross with only the wrappings around His body, but He did it because of Him supernatural love for us, and to provide the means for the forgiveness of our sin. How much are you willing to sacrifice today to truly enhance your relationship with such a Savior as this?

Prayer: Jesus, You are my King – my soon coming King! Thank You for humbly following the Master’s will, to prove Your love for myself and all mankind who would choose You as the focus of our lives. You gave it all for us oh Lord. Please use this reminder by Paul to help us examine our motives and our intentions. Whether we choose to publicize our decision like Paul did, or whether we commit one-on-one with You, I pray that at the end of the day we will reflect back on the decision we made. Each day we make decisions, some are very deliberate and very firm, while others are simply made by doing nothing at all and being satisfied with status-quo. Touch Your children today oh God and cause them to deliberately make decisions that will draw them to Yourself and to a glorious promise of one day being with You in heaven. I love You Lord and I thank You for first loving me beyond my wildest imagination. These things I ask in the name of Jesus, the Christ, AMEN!

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

2016

Do You Really Belong To Jesus?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Commitment, Salvation, SurrenderLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – John 13:6-10 – The Contemporary English Version (CEV): 6 But when he came to Simon Peter, that disciple asked, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered, “You don’t really know what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8 “You will never wash my feet!” Peter replied. “If I don’t wash you,” Jesus told him, “you don’t really belong to me.” 9 Peter said, “Lord, don’t wash just my feet. Wash my hands and my head.” 10 Jesus answered, “People who have bathed and are clean all over need to wash just their feet. And you, my disciples, are clean, except for one of you.”

THOUGHTS: There’s a lovely old hymn entitled ‘Are You Washed In the Blood of The Lamb‘, and unless we grasp the full understanding of those lyrics, we may miss the whole point of the song, and this scripture that we are looking at today. Friends, even in the case of the disciples, Jesus saw where it was necessary to challenge them into surrendering themselves fully. Way too often, I’m afraid that we make a decision to accept the Lord because of outside pressures – perhaps it was mom who prayed endlessly for us and provoked us at every opportunity to surrender to the call of Jesus. Perhaps it’s a spouse who is threatening to leave us, unless we give ourselves to the lordship of Jesus Christ. Or perhaps that old preacher who ‘bugs the tar out of us’ every time he sees us. Often when we do something for the sake of others, we tend to get them off our back, but nothing has really impacted our heart. For a moment, consider a decision made under one of the scenarios I just gave, and compare this to a case where God truly got a hold of your heart and caused you to personally, willingly, and not under any outside pressures, provoked you to personally decide that today is the day of salvation. In other words, you are personally seeking the face of Jesus. Which one would you suspect might have the longest lasting impact? Let’s remember, Jesus knew the heart of each disciple, so as He knelt before them to wash their feet He really knew and understood what the motives were behind their being there, and what was going on in their minds at the time. But friends, nothing has changed in the power of God to know and understand our hearts and our minds today. He knows how committed we truly are to Him. He knows whether our walk is sincere, or whether our words are the same around church as they are out in the field where we interact with abrasive coworkers. He knows if we claim Him as Lord on church day, but put Him ‘on a shelf’ until we need Him or find ourselves around church folk again. Friends, like Jesus told Peter, unless He washes every piece of our being with His cleansing power – His blood that was shed on Calvary for the cleansing of our sin, then our lives will be a farce, and we will always pretend that we are something that we really are not in our hearts. You know, this Christianity thing – this salvation thing – is all relational, it’s not a game, or a thing that is dependent on who could act this thing out the best. Is it truly evident from the way you live, that Jesus has truly gotten hold of your life, washed away the old selfish life of sin, and given you a brand new life where it is evident that you are not the ‘pilot’, but instead, you are led by the Savior of this world – the God of this universe, and the King of all kings? If not, may I encourage you to read God’s Word daily to seek His perfect will for your life? May I also encourage you to chat daily with our Lord? This opens the doors of communication with Him, and this is vital to every relationship – especially the one you should develop with Jesus Christ.

PRAYER: Father, I am concerned that many may be in the same boat as Peter, where they feel like they have everything under control – their control. Your Word is very clear that unless You wash us clean of all our sin, we are not really Yours. Please open the eyes of those pretending today, so that they may fully understand Your call on their lives. Please open eyes and soften hearts so that each reader will closely examine themselves and see the need for a thorough cleansing by You. Full surrender is a must, and I pray that no one will miss that point to consider seriously today. May You be very active in each of our lives today, is my humble and sincere prayer that I ask in the strong name of Jesus, AMEN!

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

Jesus Can Help Even If Blinded By Sin

On By Ed AlgreenIn Blinded by Sin, Hardened Hearts, SalvationLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – John 9:39-41 The Voice (VOICE):

Jesus: 39 I have entered this world to announce a verdict that changes everything. Now those without sight may begin to see, and those who see may become blind.

Some Pharisees (who overheard Jesus): 40 Surely we are not blind, are we?

Jesus: 41 If you were blind, you would be without sin. But because you claim you can see, your sin is ever present.

THOUGHTS: Ever noticed how easy it is, and how prone we are, to assume that the preacher is talking to the guy behind us, or perhaps right beside us? You know, the message just seems to fit the other person so well! In fact, you couldn’t have said it any better yourself, right? This is so unfortunate, and really very scary, because if we are not careful we can walk away from a sermon, or read a devotional like this one, and never be personally impacted by the Word of God, because these lessons must have been intended for ‘the other person’. So having said this up front, may I encourage you to take a moment and speak to God? Ask Him to melt, and humble your heart, so that you might be open and attentive to His Word today, and apply it very squarely to your life. Let’s try to put this in perspective friends. I would imagine that if you met a group of friends at church and decided to go out and do some door-to-door evangelism, you would probably choose to visit those homes where no one attends your church. Why? Because we are caught into a trap like the Pharisees, where we assume that all church attendees are saved. Let me suggest another view on this. Let’s assume that an investigator approached you for help in finding a criminal who has been tormenting the neighborhood. How many church attendees would you suggest that the investigator visit and question? Friends, this scripture is a great eye-opener for us, because Jesus is saying to us that because we say we are saved, then anything that we do contrary to His teaching, is sin. In other words, the day we asked Jesus into our hearts, there was an awesome Helper assigned to us, because we were given a new ‘plumb line’ (standard) to live by – God’s Word and His teachings. When we deliberately reject the guidance and help of the Holy Spirit and live any which way we want to, then we become like those Pharisees that Jesus spoke to in these verses. We know the right way, or God’s way, yet we have chosen to disobey and do our own thing. This is blatant sin, friend! For non-Christians reading this today, please don’t think that you are off the hook, because your whole life has not been reconciled with God yet. Your responsibility lies with working out your own salvation. God Loves you so much that He gave His precious, and only, Son to die on a cruel cross so that you might have a means of seeking forgiveness of your sin. To my Christian friends, please be reminded that accepting Jesus as Lord was the first and primary step in knowing Him as Lord. If you were sincere in that decision, then your life will reflect that by the way you live. If you are His child, you will live like Him. Thinking that you are His child and reflecting no change in your lifestyle may be a case of you having repeated a few words suggested by a pastor or friend. A true commitment to Jesus, creates a relationship with Him. Success in any relationship comes through knowing more about the other person and doing everything possible to please them. Are you there yet in your relationship with Jesus?

PRAYER: Dear God, please forgive us for assuming that we have this thing called ‘life’ all worked out. So often we are induced into making decisions in order to please parents, spouses or friends, but without taking personal responsibility to live according to the commitment we made. Unfortunately our commitment to You is much like that, for we enjoy the security of Your love, Your protection and Your eternal security, but we go on to live our lives without the full impact of change that is necessary to be obedient to You and Your commands. This causes us to get caught in a trap of hardened sin in our lives, that makes it challenging for You to pierce our hearts and get our attention. Distancing ourselves from You makes it challenging for us to recognize sin in our lives. Please soften hardened hearts today oh Lord, beginning with me. May we be sensitive to the work of You Holy Spirit so that we may be more like You before a lost and dying world. We need You Heavenly Father, and I ask that You break down walls today so that we might recognize You and go on to be more obedient children, for this is my humble plea that I ask in the name of Jesus, AMEN!

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

Who Is Jesus To You?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Decisions, Forgiveness, SalvationLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Living Bible – John 7:40-43): 40 When the crowds heard him say this, some of them declared, “This man surely is the prophet who will come just before the Messiah.” 41-42 Others said, “He is the Messiah.” Still others, “But he can’t be! Will the Messiah come from Galilee? For the Scriptures clearly state that the Messiah will be born of the royal line of David, in Bethlehem, the village where David was born.” 43 So the crowd was divided about him. 

THOUGHTS: Individually we have our own ideas of who Jesus is. So much so that I would imagine if we polled an audience of 50 people, we would probably get 50 slightly different responses. In our pastor’s sermon last week we heard of someone whose life has been radically changed, and how this is so evident in writings or correspondence from this individual, because now it is very evident that words/expressions are coming from very deep in this individual’s heart, compared to his previous educated mind and intelligence. I believe this is representative of what we might hear from an audience as well, but the BIG question today is “who is Jesus to you“? Someone reading this devotional may have only heard about Jesus through curse words used by those with no regard for my Lord. Some may have heard their mom or grandmother talk about this Jesus that they seemed to have known. Some may have accepted Jesus as Lord in their earlier days and have found no room for Him in their adult life, because they have managed to survive on their own and really don’t need Jesus. However, some are passionate about their Lord, because they live and breathe the Word of God daily. They have an intimate relationship with Jesus that incorporates daily talks with Him (prayer), and daily hearing from God as they are faithful to read His Word on at least a daily basis. My Savior might be known as ‘Healer’; ‘Deliverer’; ‘Comforter’; ‘Encourager’; ‘Confidant’ or even as ‘Soon Coming King’ to saints who have a personal, living and vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ. Yes, the crowd is still divided, as the responses are still so varied. However, Jesus is still the same today as He was yesterday and the day before. My God’s Not Dead, for He is very much alive in me each and every day. Please allow me to ask again, who is Jesus to you? May I remind you that there will be a reckoning day soon for each of us, where the answer to this very question will be the determining factor on whether you are allowed into the glories of heaven, or whether your earthly decisions on heavenly questions were unimportant to you, and therefore your destination is predetermined by you to the place of eternal damnation – Hell. Friends, our decision today determines our eternal destination. Our God is not mean and out to get you, He is in fact a perfect gentleman and allows you to decide for yourself where you would rather spend eternity. Being smart enough to read this devotional, also qualifies you to make sensible decisions. Ones that you can live with today, and after you pass from this world into the next. Listen to your heart friend. Invite Jesus in and commit your life to the One who holds the future – your future. I’m waiting for the day when I see the smile of the face of my Lord, and I pray that each of you are ready for the same, God being your helper.

PRAYER: Lord God, this world has taken its toll on mankind and influenced mankind to become so independent, yet terribly influenced by sin and the devil. Your Word is clear, that this leads one to Hell itself and eternal damnation without further access to God. You have given us time up to this very moment to make wise decisions that could lead us to our eternal home in glory with You and Your son Jesus. Unfortunately many have not taken time to make wise decisions, and I am very sad, because many of these are my friends and family, and ones that I would never want to see any harm come to them. Lord, I pray that today will be the day of salvation for them. Please tender their hearts once again, convince them of their sin and remind them of Your love that is available to them. I love You Lord, and ask all these things in the name of Jesus Christ, and for His glory, AMEN!

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

How It All Starts and Ends

On By Ed AlgreenIn Forgiveness, Obedience, SalvationLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (Easy-To-Read Version – John 6:43-44): 43 But Jesus said, “Stop complaining to each other. 44 The Father is the one who sent me, and he is the one who brings people to me. I will raise them up on the last day. Anyone the Father does not bring to me cannot come to me.

THOUGHTS: Many who were following Jesus and listening to His teaching just didn’t get it. In fact, in this very chapter we read about many turning away because they just wasn’t sure that Jesus was the ‘real thing’. Friends, are either of these first two statements any different than what we see today? I don’t think so. Just imagine, there are folk that attend our churches today that are there because mom or dad insisted that they attend; or perhaps a man is attending because his wife came from a church background and insisted that he come to church with her. However, let me encourage you by saying that much like Jesus described and announced to His followers in this scripture, there are many ‘true’ or ‘real’ Christians that we know and fellowship with, who have been touched by the mighty hand of God – the same God that sent Jesus – our Redeemer, Mediator and Savior. These folk have committed their lives to the lordship of the Lord Jesus Christ in total surrender. To better understand the imagery of what Jesus is teaching here, I want you to think for a moment of the number of folk that you walk up to, next to, or alongside each day. Are you committed to them? No, you happened to have entered into their space because of normal circumstances. Now, let’s imagine that you have been invited by the White House staff to appear before the president of the United States. Would there be a difference in how you prepare yourself with how you will appear in his space? I’m sure there will be! Now think for a moment that something has occurred in your life where you feel certain that the Holy Spirit of God is urging you to accept an invitation to attend church this weekend, or perhaps to accept that luncheon request from an old Christian friend who’s been inviting you for a while now. Let’s assume that at either of these meetings the truth of God’s Word is shared and an invitation given to you to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Having been urged by the Holy Spirit, do you suppose that you would have a very strong desire to accept, based on how everything came together? Friend, may I suggest to you that you look beyond situations that many might call coincidences, or mere luck? May I suggest that you recognize the hand of God when He touches your life; penetrates your life with His divine presence; and calls you to a decision to follow Him? To all who surrender; to all who believes on Him; to all who commits to His invitation and call; to them He offers life eternal, just like He said in verse 44 – “He will raise you up” to be with Him and the Father on Resurrection Day! I am anxiously looking forward to that day friend, I hope that you will be obedient to His call today and ready yourself for the same. The promise of Heaven is reserved for those who know and have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior. Others will be presented with quite the opposite experience – hell and damnation. The choice we make today in response to the call of the Father determines our final destination. Please don’t disappoint me, nor my heavenly Father.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your provision for us to one day join You in heaven. Who is man that You should care enough for us to make such a provision? Thank You for loving Your children enough to speak with us one-on-one and for providing us the sacrificial means for the forgiveness of our sin and our subsequent entry into heaven. Thank You for Jesus! I have friends and family who have rejected Your call on their life, or they are perhaps of the wrong impression that their sinful lives are ‘good enough’ to see them into heaven. Lord, have mercy on them. Please tender the hearts of the stubborn and unconcerned today. May they recognize Your voice and adhere to Your calling today, before it is eternally too late for them to do so. All these things I ask humbly, and in the powerful name of Jesus, my Savior, AMEN!

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

Then They Will Know

On By Ed AlgreenIn Salvation, WitnessLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The New Living Translation – John 4:42): Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world.”

THOUGHTS: Humans are generally designed to share with others the news of happenings in their lives. God especially teaches that believers share the Good News of Jesus Christ at every opportunity. In the chosen verse today, we are reminded that Jesus had such an impact on the Samaritan woman He met at the well, that she immediately went to work telling her town’s people about her encounter with Jesus. I was intrigued by the Samaritans who later came back to the woman and acknowledged that although her story impacted their lives, now that they had a personal encounter with Jesus, they indeed KNEW that He is the Savior of the World. I found this encouraging, because although we are told to go into the world and share our story, seldom do we ever know of the impact our story may have had on another person’s life. However, I believe that we need to also realize that when the Samaritan woman left the well and went into town sharing her story, that it was not necessarily to achieve popularity or even to win the lost for the Lord, but she had great news of how her life was impacted by this meeting with Jesus, and she wanted to share that joyous story with anyone who would listen. Think about it friends, not only was this evident to the Samaritans, but don’t you know that there was joy in heaven knowing that a life was impacted to such an extent that the woman was overflowing with excitement and joy, and just needed to share it with anyone who would listen? So how does this story differ from your story? Have you met the Master? Has He impacted your life in such a way that you are a living witness for Jesus in everything you say or do? On this side of heaven, we may never have the honor of knowing how our lives impacted someone else, but I long to hear the words of my Savior say “Well done my son, you were a good and faithful servant”! Praise be to the wonderful name of Jesus! Another great reminder here, is that all the woman could do was to share her story, it was Jesus who impacted their lives, and to acceptance of Himself. This is the same in our case friends. We must be witnesses, while only Jesus can do the life-changing and heart surrendering necessary for our friends to truly know Him and accept the free gift of eternal life. Perhaps there are friends you are praying for their salvation. Are you helping them by the way you live before them, or are you hindering them?

PRAYER: Thank You Father for the gift of salvation! Thank You for the friends whose witness convinced me to find You and know You personally. My readers and I stand before You in awe today, knowing how much You love us and acknowledging all that You have provided for us. Because we see such a need all around us, and because of the reminder shown in this passage of scripture today, I pray that You might truly impact our lives in a way today that we might bubble over with the joy of knowing You as our Lord and Savior. In turn, may those whose lives we touch, encounter a deep desire to know You personally and follow with surrendering their lives to Your lordship and Your care. I’ll be careful to praise You for all that You accomplish dear God, for it’s in the awesome and powerful name of Your Son, Jesus, that I pray, AMEN!

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

Do You Believe?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Choices, Eternity, Salvation, Saved, SurrenderLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (New Living Translation – John 1:10-12): 10 He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

THOUGHTS: Some of us tell stories about meeting our spouses, and those stories could sometimes sound somewhat like this passage. We struggled to get along with the person when we first met them, then they gained our confidence and we began trusting them. This followed with actually falling in love with that wonderful person and we wound up marrying them! With God, we tend to look at all the beauty around us; we hear of all the miracles He has performed, and sometimes we hear of the miracles performed in the lives of our loved ones even today. We come across folk who hate Him, yet we come across some who are crazy in love with Him. We just can’t escape knowing that God exist because of all the reasons mentioned but yet something still confuses us about wanting to fully accept Him for who people claim Him to be. Friends, may I tell you bluntly that Satan will do everything possible to distract you from trusting in his opponent, for when you believe in; trust in; and surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, Satan loses. However, let me draw to your attention the truth of verse 12. The verse speaks to the glory of becoming a child of God, if you believe in Jesus Christ and accept Him as Lord of your life. But let’s really look at this from a perspective of what happens if you do not believe in Him and accept Him. Doesn’t that mean that Satan wins? Doesn’t that mean that you have chosen instead to follow the ways of Satan and agree that you would rather go to the pits of hell with him to be punished eternally? In life, smart folk don’t make those kinds of choices deliberately, friend. Why would you knowingly settle for that? In religious based movies we hear of people facing death by an evil person if they say they are a Christian. Please hear your friend carefully today when I tell you that there is no known punishment that you can think of that will compare to the pain, anguish and punishment that will be for those who stand before the Lord and say that they have chosen the evil one. The Bible tells us this friend. Granted, you would never deliberately surrender to Satan, right? I bring bad news friend, unless you surrender your life to Jesus Christ, you have decided to accept the alternative, and Satan will do with you what comes natural to him – punish you throughout eternity. Only you can change your destiny friend, and God will help you, if you let Him. He loves you that much!

PRAYER: Lord God, this short passage can be a treacherous one to think about today, or we can chose to see it as a bright and glorious opportunity we have in being called Children of God, because we have surrendered our life to You, through Your Son Jesus. May our choice be a wise one today as we meditate on Your Word? Many will quickly say that they never deliberately make bad choices. Please open their eyes of understanding Lord, so that they may realize that anything less than making a choice to accept You as Lord of their lives, is deliberately making a choice to allow Satan to control their lives. We need You oh Lord, for we have family and friends who still don’t understand the impact of the choice they have made up to this point in their lives. Because they have not been promised anything beyond the present time, I sincerely pray that their eyes of faith will be opened and their hearts softened to allow them to surrender to You before it is eternally too late. I ask all this in the name of Jesus, and because I know that You are the only One who can truly have a positive impact on lives, even today. All glory to You oh Lord, my Savior, AMEN!

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

Why Jesus Came

On By Ed AlgreenIn Forgiveness, Salvation, SaviorLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – Hebrews 2:14-18): 14 We are people of flesh and blood. That is why Jesus became one of us. He died to destroy the devil, who had power over death. 15 But he also died to rescue all of us who live each day in fear of dying. 16 Jesus clearly did not come to help angels, but he did come to help Abraham’s descendants. 17 He had to be one of us, so that he could serve God as our merciful and faithful high priest and sacrifice himself for the forgiveness of our sins. 18 And now that Jesus has suffered and was tempted, he can help anyone else who is tempted.

THOUGHTS: There once was a gentleman running for governor who went to various job sites and worked at least a day in the workers’ shoes in order to see what he needed to correct or improve upon when we became governor. There is a local rehabilitation center that sends out it’s trainers to various job sites, so that when their clients are hired, the trainer will know exactly how to best train them for that specific job. I am in awe of how, the God of this universe could easily call into existence any and everything for us to benefit from, or protect us from the greatest fears that we might have, yet He knew that we would more easily accept someone who has been there and done that. He foreknew that this would be super important when it comes to us taking our petitions and our fears and our needs and our frustrations before Him! We are reminded in this scripture today that Jesus, God’s only beloved Son, was sent to earth for us and only us. He became just like us, so that He could witness firsthand why we would feel so despondent when coming before Him over the loss of a family member or friend, for He witnessed this through the death of His dear friend Lazarus. Or how we must feel when we are left alone to fend for ourselves, perhaps because of our blindness or because we might be crippled or otherwise immobile, for He stopped a procession to speak with, and heal a man waiting along the roadside, because the crowd chose to quiet him down rather than help him up. Remember that He also placed simple dirt on a man’s eyes to restore his sight? Friends, I believe this scripture is an awesome reminder that when we take our burdens, our concerns, our heartaches and share how despondent we are, before our gracious, all powerful, almighty God, we will know that He can identify with us. Jesus was saddened to tears when His friend Lazarus died, don’t you know that He also feels our pain when we hurt so badly at times because of life’s circumstances? For those of us who have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, may I remind you that we have a definite hope dear friend? We have a Savior, who not only hears our cries, but has already prepared a place for us in Heaven where we will spend eternity with He and His/our Father! This is exciting, and fills my heart with hope, especially as I deal with so many of life’s circumstances each day. For those who have not surrendered your life to Jesus yet, may I suggest that there is nothing to compare to the hope and joy of knowing Jesus. It’s like looking forward to the end of the day knowing that you have a peaceful home to go to with a loving spouse who awaits you! Jesus is ready to welcome you home friend, but you must make the first move in the ‘free-will’ given to you over your life by God. May I encourage you to take advantage of the day and hour in which you might read this reminder? Jesus tells us in His Word that “Today is the accepted day”. Won’t you be obedient to His call?

PRAYER: Father, there are many days when life here on earth seems so hopeless to many of Your children. May this be a reminder today that because of Your love for us, You have made every provision for our future. May the unsaved be reminded that this is not an automatic protection for every person, but rather for those who would like to see a brighter future and have accepted Your offer of salvation – the only means for us to enter an eternal future in heaven with You. Thank You for coming to earth to better identify with our challenges. May this serve to help unbelievers more openly share their heart with You and accept the love that You offer. With a heart of thanksgiving and love, I want to thank You Lord for hearing my prayer, for I ask this in and through the strong name of Jesus, the name above all other names, AMEN!

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