Category: Savior

Our God Reigns!

On By Ed AlgreenIn King, Ruler, 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!………

The Bible Reference: John 3:27-30
The Bible Text: John replied: No one can do anything unless God in heaven allows it. You surely remember how I told you that I am not the Messiah. I am only the one sent ahead of him. At a wedding the groom is the one  who gets married. The best man is glad just to be there and to hear the groom’s voice. That’s why I am so glad. Jesus must become more important, while I become less important.
The Bible Translation: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

My Take Away: John’s disciples were rather indignant that the crowds who once followed John, were now hot on the trail of Jesus. However, John quickly reminded his followers that he was only sent as the precursor, the one who would prepare the hearts of the people for the Messiah. And that whenever He came, that his ministry (John’s) would decrease as Jesus became known to the people. This made me think of ministry today, for we often attribute the success of the church to the pastor, or the music minister, or something other than God. I heard of a great preacher from our past who, while preaching, had a team of prayer warriors in the church basement praying for God to soften hardened hearts and impact lives while the gospel was being proclaimed. That church was especially successful in ministry, but I believe that we will hear Jesus say that it was more because of the people praying, than the preacher who tried hard to proclaim the Word of God in a form that would touch lives for the Creator. I believe that churches that succeed in ministry today, are those who lift up the name of Jesus, and who give Jesus full charge of their church. Logically speaking, I believe we can safely say that church attendees will only see Jesus when they hear the Sunday School teacher talk more about Jesus than anything else. When the Music Minister clearly gives control of the praise and worship time to Jesus and that the lyrics declare Jesus more than anything else. When the preacher concentrates on the Word of God and does his very best to apply Biblical principles to everything that members face, and struggle with today. When invitations are given to accept Jesus, more than to join the church. When giving is tied to Biblical principles more than the wants of the church leaders for bigger buildings or more comfortable pews. Friends, I believe by now you are probably getting the picture. This Christian life, and the ministry of the Christian church, is more about God than anything else. We must decrease – the church, its leaders, its members, its followers. Jesus must be promoted and/or increased. Then, perhaps there may be a breakthrough for unbelievers who are searching, and then perhaps, the eyes of church attendees looking for answers to life’s challenges might be opened. It’s not about us friend. It’s all about our Savior who sacrificed His life just for us, and for those we think that we can minister to. Let’s give the reins back to God friends.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You for allowing Your humble servant to mix with others and proclaim Your praises in many different ways. Please touch my life that I will never promote self for any achievements of my own, but to give You full charge over all that I say and do. Lord may You be lifted up in everything that my readers and I attempt today. May it be obvious that our lives are all about You, and that it’s only because of Your grace that we can even claim You as Lord. Father, there are many in our circles that need to know You as Lord, may they be inspired by our actions and/or our words to reach out to the Savior that we know, and have surrendered to. We want You to rule and reign in our lives, our families, our churches and our workplaces so that You may touch lives of individuals that we touch. We love You Lord, we lift up our voices to You, we claim You as Lord, and we ask our deepest desires 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 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

Your Source of Strength and Guidance for 2016

On By Ed AlgreenIn King, SaviorLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – The Good News Translation (GNT)~ Psalm 44:4-8 ~You are my king and my God; you give victory to your people, and by your power we defeat our enemies. I do not trust in my bow or in my sword to save me; but you have saved us from our enemies and defeated those who hate us. We will always praise you and give thanks to you forever.

THOUGHTS: In this Psalm, David is recognizing that his ancestors made it into the Promised Land because of the victory and the power of their God, and because of the trust and faith of his ancestors. What is the difference for us as we face 2016? There will be some among us who will face the year on their own, because they have not chosen to follow our God and therefore cannot place their trust in an unproven being. There are yet others, who have accepted Jesus as Lord, but have never learned to lean on Him, or have never given their life totally under His control, so they still handle ‘life’ on their own and quickly call on God when trouble arises. My prayer today is that, there would be many out there who knows without a shadow of a doubt Who holds tomorrow, and the One who can prepare us for it and see us through it! This involves a totally surrendered life, friends, because we are acknowledging that we may not have all the answers, or have everything under control. Think about the Israelites. Their scouts had brought back news of the thousands of people, and the giants that they were, yet they were being told by Moses and Joshua to forge forward, because God was going to take care of them and protect them. We are facing a brand new year and again God is saying to us to forge forward in His might, His strength, His guidance and His will, because He loves us enough that He will prepare our way, and that we will be under His protecting hand. Friends, may I encourage you, that as you ask for this guidance and protection by God, be ready to look at every move, every success, every protection and every decision to quickly give God the praise and glory that He so deserves? Notice the last sentence of the scripture today, where David promised that “We will always praise You and give thanks to You – FOREVER”. Oh that we may follow in David’s promise, to always praise our God, and to give thanks always for His answered prayer!

PRAYER: Dear God, just as David recognized the source of strength and guidance for He and His ancestors, we are again reminded that You are still God, and that You are the source of strength and guidance for all who will place their faith and trust in You and surrender to Your lordship. Lord, I feel such a heavy burden for Your church today, because I believe that we are the ‘David’ and the ‘Moses’ that You used to lead Your people. For I believe that it is critical for Your church to be the hands and feet of Jesus, the voice of one crying in the city, just as John cried out in the wilderness. Many will make spiritual decisions in 2016 based on what they see of the church. May we be to them what You are to us, and what Your Word declares as truth for mankind. Many of the Israelites went into the Promised Land having encountered the hand of God in numerous ways, yet they quickly turned their backs on You. Please use us, Your servants, to be a strong witness for You, even when times appear to be rough and/or slow moving spiritually. You have always been as solid as a rock in meeting Your promises for us. May we follow that pattern as we commit to serving You faithfully in 2016. I ask these things in the same, powerful, name of the One who brought us through 2015, Jesus my Lord, AMEN!

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

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!