Category: Sincere

Your Walk Is Under Scrutiny

On By Ed AlgreenIn Honest, Sincere, Witness2 Comments

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………

Today’s Bible Reference: 1 Peter 2:11–12
Today’s Bible Text: 11 Dear brothers, you are only visitors here. Since your real home is in heaven, I beg you to keep away from the evil pleasures of this world; they are not for you, for they fight against your very souls. 12 Be careful how you behave among your unsaved neighbors; for then, even if they are suspicious of you and talk against you, they will end up praising God for your good works when Christ returns.
The Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

My Take Away: I believe there are really two things that can result from today’s scripture challenge. People that you hang around will have one of the following to say about you:

  1. You are who you say you are – This means that your life around them has proven who they thought you were, or who you claim to be. This is where they have seen proof of your Christian walk, and your talk has aligned with the Word of God. Friends, I have seen this go both ways, for there have been proclaimed Christians who have lived among friends with no distinct witness. In other words, you could not tell the difference. However there have been times where Christians have lived their claim to the gospel in front of their friends, just like they would do in front of their pastor. I believe that Peter is reminding us that we must be very careful not to be a stumbling block to those we hang around, for although they may live like the devil himself, they will not consider changing that lifestyle if they are afraid of being hypercritical like they may see in you and I. In another part of scripture we are told that we should let our yes be yes and our no be no. Don’t say that we are a child of God, but not evidence that in our character. It should be evident to those we hang around, even without walking around with a huge Bible under our arms.
  2. You are indeed a fake, just like everyone suspected – Friends, this is probably the worse thing that could happen to us. Our neighbors have seen us rushing out of our homes to go to church at the appointed times, yet they can’t get to sleep most weekends because of our loud parties. They refuse to let their kids hang around us because of our foul language. They wish everyday that they would have the opportunity to speak with your pastor, so they could really tell him who his parishioners really are. Do you suppose that you could ever witness to that neighbor and ask them to accept your Lord as their Savior?

I believe that Peter is telling us that it is best that we live in such a way, that if someone is spreading gossip about us possibly fitting the 2nd description, that there is enough evidence preceding that incident, that your non-Christian friends would speak up and try to correct the false statements about you. So where do you think that you stand friend? Do you live the life that you claim to your Christian friends? Others will watch your actions a whole lot closer than they would listen to your words. May I encourage you to be sure that your life always reflects whose you are? Be careful to not cave in to the things of this world when backed into a corner with a bunch of friends. Be a Christian at work, at home and at play, just as you are in church.

Prayer: Precious Lord, You stood up to all opposition and hesitated enacting Your awesome power on the cross because of Your commitment and obedience to the Father . Please help us to be just as committed to following You in obedience and dedication to our Lord and Savior, especially out in the world as we hang around folk that need to see physical proof of You in and through Your children. Lord, may it always be evident whose we are, even when it may mean us standing out from the crowd. May our lives always be about You and in full obedience to You. I ask these things in the precious name of Jesus, my Master and 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 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

Seeking, or Abandoning God?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Godly lives, Humility, Seeking God, Sincere1 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: 2 Chronicles 7:14–15
Today’s Bible Text: Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer….
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: Solomon had just spent a number of years building the temple and now at its dedication he prayed that God would use it for His glory and for the salvation of His people. In the verses immediately preceding the ones above, God spoke to Solomon and said that He would hear his prayer, but there might be times that He might withdraw His hand of blessing from the people because of their sin. However, all they had to do was to humble themselves; pray; seek God’s face and turn from their wicked ways, then God promised that He would hear from heaven, forgive their sins and restore their land. That sounds so simple a process for Christians to follow, and such a neat reward from God in return! In fact there are many church revivals designed around this very verse. But you might ask: but what happens if we continue in our sinful ways, or are not committed to do exactly what God has demanded? Well, God actually covers this in the verses following these, for He knew that with the individual minds that He gave to each of us, some might choose to remain in the lust and evil of this world for the sake of presumed ‘happiness’. In verse 19, God actually called this abandonment. In other words, you may decide to abandon the Creator and Designer of this universe, and ‘do your own thing’. Friends, as you can imagine, and as you will read in the caution given in verses 20-22, God will respond in quite different ways than He promised in verse 14 above. So I would challenge you to consider two things with me today:

  1. When we hear about the atrocities occurring in our nation today, do you think of a ‘seeking’ nation of people, or one of ‘abandonment of God’? What role are you playing – living the life and praying for a turn around, or are you a part of the problem?
  2. Would you consider that your church is flourishing in the good graces of God, or floundering as if many have abandoned the faith? Are you part of the problem, or an agent of change praying diligently for the Master to heal your church?

I really don’t see any ‘in between’ in these two options friends. I believe that we are either in (as in staying true to our commitment to serve God faithfully and therefore praying for His hand of mercy), or you are part of the problem where you are falsely thinking that God will bless – in spite of your sin and disobedience. God knows your heart, and He wants you to reconcile your position with Him. Will you do that today friend?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I am ashamed that often I and many ‘who are called by Your name’, often straddle the fence and act as though we are in control of our own destiny. We are quick to call on You when it is apparent that things are not going as well as we want them to, otherwise we are often a part of the roadblock to the revival that is needed in our churches and in our land. Please forgive us Lord. Please soften our minds to always recognize Your awesome power and perfect will for our lives. May we be aides of godly change in our churches and in our land, especially in a year of elections that so often tends to divide. I pray earnestly that I may be obedient to Your perfect will in my life, so that I may do my part to encourage my church, my city. my state and my country towards faithfulness to You and Your commands. I ask this in the name of the only One with power to change and effect such a change, Jesus my Lord and 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 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

Living A Godly Life

On By Ed AlgreenIn Godly actions, Godly lives, Like Jesus, SincereLeave a comment

Arbuckle

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: 2 Timothy 3:12
Today’s Bible Text: Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: On reading the subject of this devotional, one may have thought that I would be giving you reasons to worship today, because surely I would be rejoicing over the joys of being a follower of Christ! And yes, there is much to rejoice in as we, Christians, think about our eternal home in glory with our Master. However, what Paul is warning about in this short verse, is what we might expect to see while Christian remains here on earth. Of course you might respond that of course, we spread the joy of the Lord with everyone, and we worship and adore our Savior at every opportunity. As true as that may be friend, notice carefully the verbiage used by Paul, for he said that for us to live a ‘GODLY’ life, we should expect persecution. Living a ‘godly’ life means that you are not just going to obey the commands of God, but you have committed to study His Word carefully and then live your life patterned after Jesus. Think about this friends, Jesus was not a ‘yes man’ to all that the Pharisees expected of Him, for He showed them the true meaning of unconditional love; of unselfish leadership; of placing others before themselves; of standing up for God, even if it may have damaged their political careers; and of changing certain rituals because they were not in the image or expectation of Jesus Christ. In short, Jesus upset the ‘apple cart’ every time He recognized wrong or ungodly living, regardless of who was caught in the crossfire. Let’s look at this from our current scenario. In almost every conversation with Christians, we recognize that we have mellowed a lot from the ways of our ancestors, because we have calculated that their ways were just too strict, or too literal of Biblical teachings. We allow things in our churches now that were unheard of in the early church. When last have you heard of a summit where church leaders would humble themselves before God and surrender totally to His will for the churches they are leading? How long would church leaders be permitted to stay in their roles, if they returned from a conference and started making changes, because they felt God was wanting them to help steer His church back to Him? Are we ready to challenge our work bosses because we see the need to stand up for what we discern to be ungodly principles and/or practices? I don’t believe we will find anywhere in the Bible that Jesus caved in to the practices of the day because He was being too literal with the commands of His Father. If we have committed ourselves to live just like Jesus, should we cave in to worldly practices and demands? How will we explain that to God on Judgment Day?

Prayer: Dear God, You have placed Your perfect Son before us so that we might have the pattern for life that would be pleasing to You. Yet, much like the Pharisees, we have designed our own pattern of living. Unfortunately not all aspects of our design meets the standards that were demonstrated by Jesus. Father, we want our lives and our churches to be aligned with You, yet we tend to place our own little spin to the perfections You have taught us. Please forgive us for doubting; for changing Your ways to conform with the ways of this world; and for assuming Your role, when we should really be seeking Your face and Your will. To win the world for Jesus Christ, I feel like we should first be willing to demonstrate before them a sincere ‘godly’ life so that they can clearly see what they are committing to. Lord Jesus, please have Your will and Your way in the lives of Christians today, beginning with me. Please work miraculously in our churches so that we may truly be the cornerstone of Your worldwide mission to reach the lost while we wait for Your Big Day when You will come to take us home with You. I ask these things 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

How To Prove You Are A Follower of Christ

On By Ed AlgreenIn Follower of Christ, SincereLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE John 13:34-35 – New Living Translation (NLT): 34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

THOUGHTS: When you walk into a doctor’s office you will often see the walls plastered with a wide range of certifications they received, and the doctorate degree they earned upon graduating med school. Jesus knew that just as His authority was questioned while here on earth, His followers would also be questioned. So He prepared us for this by telling us how to prove we are His follower. First of all, unlike a doctor’s office where there are signs posted over the office door, we will not be recognized as a follower based on a name badge showing our title, nor a badge across our forehead. However, I believe that it will be evident from our outlook on life, for we will have such an appreciation for the Savior who gave His life so that we could expect life eternally with Him. Just as natural born children inherit the qualities of their parents, I believe that the more Christians learn about their heavenly Father and His teachings on how we should live, and follow the example that Jesus demonstrated while here on earth, then the more that we would be apt to follow in His teachings and example. For example, Jesus loved us enough that He gave His all for us. It is that kind of love that we are expected to demonstrate one for another. When we do, we will prove whose we are, to a world that is so self-centered and looking out for number one. In fact, the ‘Jesus’ kind of love demonstrated by us will be so different to that of the ordinary citizen of this world, that it will be immediately evident that something is different about us. How is it with you friend? Based on your God-like love for your fellow man, is it evident that Jesus is playing a major role in your life? If we only love those who show love to us, how does that make us any different to our friends of this world? If we only give because of what we expect to receive in return, does that make us any different to the average citizen of this world? When we think of ‘love’, we think of Jesus, for the Word of God says that “Jesus is LOVE”. Can the same be said of you and I Christian Brother and Sister? If not, we make it impossible for others to know that we are a follower of Christ, and why would they listen to our testimony or our witness, if we need preaching to ourselves?

PRAYER: Father it often seems like we are losing the battle to win the lost to You. Yet when we read passages like this one today, I believe You are telling us to make sure that those of us who claim You as Lord actually live like You demonstrated for us, and taught us throughout Your Word. In other words, I believe You are telling us to live out the talk, and to let our actions be reflective of Your actions and Your teachings. Then, perhaps, others might recognize that we are children of the King, and worthy of their attention. We can only do this with Your help and through Your power, oh Lord. Please hear our prayer and our heart’s desire, then fill us with Your power so that we may be true imitators of You. I ask all this in the precious name of Jesus, my Lord and 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!

May Only The Sinless Accuse The Sinful

On By Ed AlgreenIn Acceptance, Righteous, Sin, SincereLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (New Living Translation – John 8:4-7): 4 “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” 6 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” 

THOUGHTS: We are so easy to ridicule others, but yet our own lives are so riddled with sin also. I believe that our pastors’ offices would be very manageable if they truly took the stand of Jesus and posted a sign on their doors that only those who have no sin are allowed in to talk about another member! What if we practiced that in our everyday lives? Don’t you suppose that there would be a whole lot less gossip among so called ‘Christians’? Friends, we can clearly see why Jesus taught this lesson. It totally agrees with everything else He taught about how to treat your Brother. For there were many lessons on love; good works; encouraging one another; lifting up one another; praying for one another. Don’t you know that for Jesus to have taught all these great and positive things, then to turn around and entertain such an accusation from individuals who were practicing sin themselves, would be a very strong contradiction? So is it any different with us today friends? Why do we entertain gossip, and worse still, why do we nod our heads in agreement when one is clearly putting down or accusing another of sin? I had a pastor who encouraged us to not even mention out loud the reason we were asking for prayer for another person, because often the prayer meetings would become a huge gossip center around all that’s wrong with another person. Our God knows way more about the needs of the individual than we could ever attempt to inform Him. Just mention the name, God knows the needs. Let us learn to care for one another and pray for them by name, while allowing God to meet all their needs. Let’s be sure to ask God’s forgiveness for our own shortcomings and sin so that we might come boldly before His throne in prayer. There’s a wonderful own hymn I love to sing “Cleanse Me Oh God and Know my Thoughts I pray, see if there be any wicked way in me”. May this be our prayer today I pray!

PRAYER: Father only You know how truly sinful we are. Yet we have the audacity to come before You with the sin of others. We pester our pastors with accusations about one another. Please Heavenly Father, touch the hearts and lives of Your children today and help us to be more like You in every way. We have a full-time job on our hands trying to keep ourselves in line with Your teachings and following in Your footsteps. Yes, I believe we should care enough to pray for our Brother and our Sister and the many things that beset them, but please help us to not be critical and accusing, but to lovingly pray for their welfare and to seek Your desire for their lives. Lord, may be be so busy about Your work, and have such a desire for the Godly attitudes of Your children that we will have no time to accuse others or point fingers to their shortcomings. I need You each and every hour of each and every day so that I might be more like You, dear God. Please touch the lives of my readers in a similar way, I pray. For I ask these things in the wonderful and precious name of 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 so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Who do You Say Jesus Is?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bold Confidence, Honest, SincereLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – Matthew 16:13-15): 13
When Jesus and his disciples were near the town of Caesarea Philippi, he asked them, “What do people say about the Son of Man?” 14 The disciples answered, “Some people say you are John the Baptist or maybe Elijah or Jeremiah or some other prophet.” 15 Then Jesus asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

THOUGHTS: To my mother, I might be known as her firstborn and perhaps the one who gave her and my dad the most, or the least, trouble during their childrearing days. To my childhood friends I might be known as someone slightly different than I would be known as by my adult friends. To my child, I might be known as a good dad, or perhaps just the opposite if she couldn’t get her own way with me! In the case of my wife, I am probably most transparent to her, but still if asked who I really am, she might have a very biased or personal opinion. Jesus had been performing miracle after miracle around the towns He visited and especially around His disciples, so I’m sure that He would have expected an overwhelming response to His two basic questions: (1) Who do they (the people) say that I am? And (2) Who do you say that I am? As I meditated on this I couldn’t help but think about what response I would have for an unbeliever who might ask me. Then I wondered what I might respond if asked by a child, or my pastor, or my Bible School Teacher. I wondered what my wife or child might respond if Jesus asked them “what does Ed say about the Son of Man (Jesus)”? Friends, how would you respond to that question if it was posed to you by your boss? Your best friend – who may not be a Christian? By a classroom full of folk trying to decide if Jesus is for them, or not? How about if asked by Jesus in a variety of circumstances? Or how would folk say you feel about Jesus, based on your behavior, speech or witness around them? May I leave this challenge with us to contemplate today? I’m hoping that this might help us to become more transparent in God’s presence, and that includes at church, at work, at play or wherever else we might find ourselves. Friends, if Jesus is not Lord of all circumstances and in all areas of our lives, then He may not be Lord at all to us. May this be the day that you truly decide who He really is in your life. If you are reading this devotional today and have never invited Jesus into your heart and life, please read the tips in my ‘Footnote’ and feel free to contact me should there be any unanswered questions. I want you to know this Jesus I call Lord, Savior and King of my life!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I acknowledge You as Savior and King. I thank You for providing the means for me to look forward to life eternally with You in glory. May my Christian friends and I boldly acknowledge You as Lord today. Father, I believe that when we deny You in our conversation and before our earthly unbelieving friends, we totally disappoint You and grieve Your precious Holy Spirit. Please forgive us for the times we have done exactly that. But please give us a new boldness today to stand firm in our faith and to acknowledge You before mankind. Unbelievers are looking for sincere, true and honest believers to help convince them that Jesus is alive because they see Him alive and reigning in our lives. Oh that they may truly see and believe today, is my humble prayer for all that claim You as Lord today. For I ask this in the strong, awesome, 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!