How To Stay Encouraged In A Challenging World

On 2016-10-17 By Ed AlgreenIn Christian, Faith, Humility, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, SurrenderLeave a comment

Monday, 2016-10-17

Scripture

Bible Reference: Philippians 4:8-9

Bible Text: ⁸Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise. ⁹You know the teachings I gave you, and you know what you heard me say and saw me do. So follow my example. And God, who gives peace, will be with you.

Bible Translation: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

My Take

Perhaps before you walk out of the door to your home this morning you already realized that there will be many challenges that you will deal with today. Perhaps there is overflow from the challenges you dealt with yesterday. There may even be unresolved contention that you know you must deal with today. You may be deliberating: why is it that you must awake from your ‘perfect’, ‘protected’, ‘uncomplicated’ dream of contentment and peace at home, and face the reality and cruelty of this wicked world. Friends, I want you to be encouraged with the words from God, through His messenger Paul, for I believe this can apply to all who are reading this devotional today:

First of all, to the believer in Jesus Christ, here are some tips on how to handle life under God’s leadership, strength, wisdom and guidance today:
- Don’t allow your minds to be swayed by this world and it’s leader – Satan. Instead, aim towards being like Jesus, for He is true (so important in this world filled with lies, hatred and deception); pure (there is no ‘make-believe’ with Jesus Christ, for He is the real deal. He loved us when we were still steeped in sin, and He gave up His own life to provide the means of us living eternally with the Father in heaven); right; holy (remember Jesus is one with God, so He is holy just as God almighty is holy); friendly; and proper;
- Think about everything that is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise – in other words, we are to seek God’s help to not be pulled into the gutter of gossip; hatred; and the evil deeds associated with Satan himself. In other words, if we find ourselves thinking about something that we cannot truly praise God for, then we are probably ‘off-track’ with what God is teaching us here. For we are to think on those things that are ‘worthy of praise‘ to our heavenly Father!
Secondly, I believe that there is help here for the non-Christian. Think about it friend: how can you possibly deal with life without the power of the Holy Spirit who is busy in the life of the believer? Without the power of Christ, Satan is free to beat up on you all he wants. Christians are not super beings with the capability of handling every aspect of life that is thrown at them. However, we are super excited about the promise that we can do ALL things through Christ, who strengthens us and guides us to all truth, through the awesome power and guidance of His Holy Spirit who controls us. I believe that your encouragement today is knowing that as long as you have life, there is hope in the option to also accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Know Jesus and know peace! That’s my recommendation to you today so that you may gain His everlasting joy and contentment in everyday living here on this earth.

Prayer

There are a few sayings that cross my mind dear Lord, “you are now entering your mission field” and “you are now entering the ‘real’ world”. I believe that most of us feel fairly secure and at peace in our own homes, and we fear the challenge of what this bitter world holds in store for us as we step into it today. Thank You for the encouragement given to us in this passage of scripture today. Lord, we believe in You, and we lift high the banner of truth contained in Your Word. We are more dependent on You today than ever before Savior, for we can only handle today’s challenges with You powerfully working inside of us, and helping us to be more like You. Lord, how will the world know about You if we don’t tell them? Oh that they may see everlasting hope and the love of Christ in all that we do or say today. For this is my humble prayer that I ask in and through 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!

Exposed By The Holy Spirit

On 2016-10-152016-10-15 By Ed AlgreenIn Holy Spirit, Leadership of the Holy Spirit, Power of Prayer, PrayerLeave a comment

Saturday, 2016-10-15

Scripture

Bible Reference: Romans 8:26–29

Bible Text: ²⁶And in the same way — by our faith — the Holy Spirit helps us with our daily problems and in our praying. For we don’t even know what we should pray for nor how to pray as we should, but the Holy Spirit prays for us with such feeling that it cannot be expressed in words. ²⁷And the Father who knows all hearts knows, of course, what the Spirit is saying as he pleads for us in harmony with God’s own will. ²⁸And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans.

Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

My Take

I’m sure that each one reading my blog today will admit that there were times when you wanted to pray, but just could not get your mind together, or get the right words to express in your communication with God. Having been married for 41 years, I sometime feel like I know what my wife is thinking, or about to say. However, after reading these verses today I am reminded that our relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is a lot more intimate than anything I could imagine. Friends, often when we think about praying out loud, we become so self aware of our inadequacies in the face of those who may be around us, so we remain silent. Ever thought about how this is not an issue with God? Scripture says that He knows our heart, our mind and our thoughts, so what does it matter about what blabbers out of our mouth? I believe that our part in this whole relationship with God, is that we are to concentrate on having the mind of Christ and be willing to surrender our will to the perfect will of God. There’s a saying ‘from the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks’. In the context of this scripture, I would challenge us all to make sure that our heart, mind and soul is filled with the qualities of the one whom we claim to serve. If you are a child of the King, then the Holy Spirit will not only prod you to draw closer to God and be filled with the mind of Christ, but He will also share the content of your heart, soul and mind with the Master. What will that look like friend? Are you proud of all that God is hearing about you today? Deep inside are you really anything like what you believe God expects of You? Remember now, you can probably pull off exactly what your pastor, or your spouse or your friends expect to see from you, but through the Holy Spirit, God knows the very innermost depths of your heart, soul and mind. To quote a phrase from my earlier life in the islands, “come clean man” – which means – Brother, be honest and totally open with yourself and with your God. There is no time for ‘blowing smoke’, for God knows your very heart, regardless of what the world hears from your mouth..

Prayer

I am amazed by the power, the love and the wisdom of You, my Almighty God. For You knew how weak we would be in saying what our heart really cries out with, and how we would be so ready to show off our own strengths and abilities, instead of truly giving You access to our hearts. Lord, I am convinced that without a changed heart, You will never see a changed man. Thank You for sending Your awesome Holy Spirit to reside inside of us and help us in our walk with You, for we want others to see Jesus and not the weakness of mere human efforts, thoughts or actions. Please touch us once again today Father, and help us to surrender fully to Your will and Your way. May Your Holy Spirit have free and full access to our heart, with every right to convince us of wrong doings and evil thoughts. Lord, may others be encouraged today because they have felt Your presence working through us. Thank You for loving us so much, and being so considerate of our needs, and to ensure that our representation of You is totally genuine. I submit myself wholly and solely to Your will oh Lord. Please impact the hearts and lives of my readers in ways that You know will allow them to best represent You. AMEN!

Footnote

A Life Dominated By The Spirit of God

On 2016-10-14 By Ed AlgreenIn Acknowledge God, Filled With The Spirit, Know and Believe, Know Jesus, Knowing Christ, SalvationLeave a comment

Friday, 2016-10-14

Scripture

Bible Reference: Romans 8:5–8

Bible Text: 5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

Paul shared with his Roman friends/church, and I believe that God is challenging us today as we meditate on this scripture, to consider: who, or what is dominating our lives. First of all, our minds can only be controlled by the Spirit of God when we have surrendered our own sinful nature, and accepted the free gift of eternal life, made possible through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus assumes control of our minds and our lives when He is invited, and accepted, to become our Lord and Savior. When this occurs, the Holy Spirit assumes control and sets us on a path towards a life of peace and anticipation of our heavenly home. I believe that the scripture is clear in pointing out to us that if we are not enjoying that peace, and if we still feel hostile towards God, and if we find it impossible to obey God’s laws (His instructions from the Word of God), then we must pay close attention to those red flags, as we are still under the control of our old sinful nature that will never please God. Unfortunately, this life without God will never see the face of God, nor His heavenly home – heaven. So friends, may I encourage you to take a moment and talk with God about what is dominating your life right now? If you are confident that your thoughts and your actions imitate Jesus and His teachings, and that you are always seeking to serve Him more fully, then I believe that you can use this time to praise God for His saving grace and for placing His Holy Spirit prominently in your life to guide and direct you. However, in the very next verse (9), we are warned that if we cannot identify the Spirit of God evident in our lives – our thoughts, our words, our actions and our desires, then we do not belong to Jesus Christ. Fortunately, your pastor, your spouse, your friend nor myself can judge that and question you about your eternal destination. This is a matter strictly between you and our heavenly Father – God almighty. Because this impacts your daily walk in life, and your ultimate destination even after death here on this earth, I would strongly suggest that you go before God and evaluate your position with Him urgently. Why urgently? Because you have no assurance that you will have another opportunity to do so. There is a very old hymn that addresses the subject “Is your heart right with God?”. That’s my plea that I trust you will ponder today friend. Read my Footnote and click on the menu item above to read more scripture on the matter of “To know Jesus”. There’s no greater assignment for you today friend.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, I am reminded that if I am a child of an earthly monarch, then I will feel like, live like, and present myself to everyone that I meet, as a ‘prince’. My default lifestyle will imitate the sinful nature of this world in which I live. However, having accepted You as my Lord, and asked You to rule and reign in my life, then my words should sound like Yours, my actions should remind folk about Your actions while here on earth, and my thoughts should always reflect the hope, joy and love of Your sweet Holy Spirit that resides inside of me, and leads me throughout my day. My prayer is that You will not only touch my life miraculously with Your Holy Spirit every moment of every day, but Lord, may that be multiplied times over in the lives of those that may be touched by Your Word today. May the world see Jesus very much alive in Your children today, is my sincere prayer that I ask in the matchless name of Jesus, AMEN!

Footnote

Wrong Doing Infuriates God

On 2016-10-132016-10-13 By Ed AlgreenIn Obedience, Obedient, Pleasing to GodLeave a comment

Thursday, 2016-10-13

Scripture

Bible Reference: Jeremiah 32:26–31

Bible Text: 26 Then this message came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 27 “I am the LORD, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me? 28 Therefore, this is what the LORD says: I will hand this city over to the Babylonians and to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and he will capture it. 29 The Babylonians outside the walls will come in and set fire to the city. They will burn down all these houses where the people provoked my anger by burning incense to Baal on the rooftops and by pouring out liquid offerings to other gods. 30 Israel and Judah have done nothing but wrong since their earliest days. They have infuriated me with all their evil deeds,” says the LORD. 31 “From the time this city was built until now, it has done nothing but anger me, so I am determined to get rid of it.

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

I know that many would prefer to see the positive spin to scripture than the negative, so perhaps I could have titled this blog “Pleasing God invokes His blessings”! However, part of my study this morning took me into Romans 7 where Paul was pleading with God to help him overcome a very big problem that he had. Paul realized that he often did those things that he was determined not to do, and he always seem to do those things that he knew he shouldn’t do. So because of this same dilemma, which I am convinced that we still battle today, I felt like I should just present the challenge by Jeremiah in the light that it is presented in the Bible! Friends, I believe it is time that we stop and ‘call a spade a spade’. Let’s be honest with ourselves, how hard are we trying to please God in our personal lives, or in our families, among our friends, in our workplaces, our churches, cities, states, or countries? I know, our pet answer would probably be that we are doing better than our neighbor next door, or that our church doors are still opened and occasionally we see some numerical growth, so we assume that we must be on track. Friends, I would like for us to take a moment and look at our specific country from God’s perspective, and see if you can come up with a few things that you could brag on before God. Consider this: in His Word, God detailed the reason He made us and the reasons He would allow us to continue on as His children. He provided beautiful landscapes for us to enjoy and He provided food for our nourishment. Would you consider that most of the other things that we have brought into the equation, serve to enhance our worship of the Master, or to promote the ministry of the gospel to the lost and dying in our communities and the rest of the world? If God was to send in His forces to destroy our towns, which parts of the town might you be able to defend before Him as being holy and totally in place for the benefit of the gospel? Please don’t automatically go to the churches, for I am not convinced that they all serve the purpose for which they were intended. Furthermore, can we really present our churches as effective messengers of the gospel message? If they were, don’t you suppose that they would be more effective in attracting the lost and/or the un-churched? Friends, I believe that we are probably worse off than the Israelites were at the time that God declared (in verse 31) that He was so angry He would totally get rid of everything they built – everything that distracted them from the purity of their hearts and their worship of Him. In the case of the Israelites, this included total demolition of the city. Would our situation be any better off? We have so many personal idols and/or ideals and/or beliefs that it is often very challenging to remove the ‘cobwebs’ so that we could clearly see the face of God and know what He desires of us. Some who will read this devotional will be faced with country-wide general elections soon. May I remind us that while this is an important part of our earthly obligations to vote, it is secondary to all that I have shared with you this morning. God will not ask us if we voted, or who we may have voted for. He is more concerned with the purity of our heart and our everyday decisions, and how they align with His will for our lives. Let’s keep that part in order, then I am assured that God will direct us to the right candidate to vote for, so that He may be honored, praised and worshiped by His people.

Prayer

Father, thank You for being patient with us. Thank You for providing Your Word as direction for our daily path. Lord, please forgive us for allowing so many things to interfere and distract us from the actual path that You have set before us, especially our selfish and personal ideals. It’s not about us, so Lord may our lives be so in tuned with You that our decisions will be based on Your desires and Your heart. I admit that this may not always be the popular thing to do, but our desire is to please You oh Lord, and not the general public looking to feed their fancy. We need You every minute of every day Lord. Please touch Your children today in ways that we may recognize Your voice and be reminded of Your power. For I ask these things in and through the precious name of Jesus, my Rock, my redeemer and my soon coming King, AMEN!

Footnote

Slaves to Whomever We Obey

On 2016-10-12 By Ed AlgreenIn Biblical Decisions, Choice, Choices, Decisions, Follower of Christ, Jesus led decisionsLeave a comment

Wednesday, 2016-10-12

Scripture

Bible Reference: Romans 6:15–18

Bible Text: 15 What does all this mean? Does it mean we are free to sin, because we are ruled by God’s wonderful kindness and not by the Law? Certainly not! 16 Don’t you know that you are slaves of anyone you obey? You can be slaves of sin and die, or you can be obedient slaves of God and be acceptable to him. 17 You used to be slaves of sin. But I thank God that with all your heart you obeyed the teaching you received from me. 18 Now you are set free from sin and are slaves who please God.

Bible Translation: The Contemporary English Version (CEV)

My Take

I believe it is safe to say that if asked the meaning of the word ‘Slave’, we would probably respond with one of the typical dictionary meanings “a person who is the property of, and wholly subject to another“, and I believe that we would immediately cringe at the connotations represented by that word. However, what do you call it when you go to work every day and do a serious of tasks that you’ve been ordered to do, that are quite contrary to your description of a happy and successful day for you personally? It sounds like you didn’t personally choose to do those tasks because they were the top 10 on your list of favorite things to do. Similarly in marriage, you are expected to change from the things most kids your age find to do together in the name of ‘fun’, to a life of dedication, support and love of another individual. In our verses today, Paul is helping us to understand that although we may have subjected ourselves to the things and leadership of our friends, to do the things that the world calls ‘fun’, our life-direction does not change and we are still destined for Hell. In fact, we become so caught up in the things of the world (things recommended or promoted by our friends), that we find ourselves doing them without any personal desire or satisfaction. Does that sound just a little like your initial description of ‘slave’? Could it be that you may have become a ‘slave’ to the things of the world? Paul therefore saw where his audience, and many of our friends today, need to be apprised of the only alternative to this dilemma. Jesus came so that we might be free from the hold of this old world, or slavery of this old world. Jesus said that for all who accept Him as Lord and Savior of their lives, He would set them free from the slavery of this world and its ruler, Satan. In fact, Paul likens this to us being determined to become slaves of Jesus Christ, in that we surrender our will to His leadership, so that we might experience the joys of heaven and the promise of everlasting life with He and the Father. This is like comparing night to day; death to life; hell to heaven; everlasting death to everlasting life; children of Satan to a child of the King of all kings; the darkness of hell to the bright and shinning promises of Heaven. Is this really something that you need to stop and consider, or is the choice as straight forward as it appears to me? Think about it friend and make a good choice today. To whom will you commit your allegiance? Unless you decide to follow Jesus, you are a slave to this world and its leader, Satan. Is that really what you want?

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You for sacrificing Your life, so that I might live forever with You and the Father in Heaven. You have offered compelling reasons for us to leave the slavery of this old world and its leader of death and destruction, to follow the Savior of this World that leads us to life everlasting in heaven with You and the Father. Thank You Lord Jesus! May this renewed faith, and renewed hope, and brand new life, be so evident in the lives of Your children today that those who are still slaves to sin, will develop a new desire to know You today. May we be obedient to Your will and Your way, so that You may be glorified through us today. I ask these things in faith and because of Jesus, AMEN!

Footnote

God’s Plan For You

On 2016-10-11 By Ed AlgreenIn Obedience, Obedient, Tested, The PlanLeave a comment

Tuesday, 2016-10-11

Scripture

Bible Reference: Jeremiah 29:11–14

Bible Text: 11 I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. 12 “When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen. 13–14 “When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. “Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.”

Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take

I believe that verse 11 above is probably one of the more popular verses used from the Bible, especially when we tend to look at how upside down our lives seem to be at times, so we grasp at every possibility of how God could rescue us and turn our lives around. We want to believe that He has good plans for us! But friends, I encourage you to look very carefully at the whole context of these verses, for they were directed at the obedient Israelites who trusted God, in spite of their strong disbelief and personal desires. God had them surrender to the Babylonians, whom they despised, but He knew that is was for reasons that would be for their long-term safety. Aren’t we the same friends? Don’t we often go to God in a panic because it seems like we would have to surrender to the Babylonians? You know, to those things, those people, those places, those leaders that we want absolutely nothing to do with? In fact, we foresee nothing but heartaches in the way our lives, or our family, or our churches, or our city, state or country is headed, and we just know that God would rather take us out of this situation than to make these drastic changes in our lives that might include things we dislike, or that we feel are ungodly? Of course we do. In fact, some of us even get mad at God when He refuses to honor our demands of Him. Friends, let’s be reminded today that we are a chosen people, a loved people, a forgiven child because of the sacrificed blood of Jesus Christ. If He tells us to do something, don’t you know that it is for our own good, and not to harm us or to make us miserable or to disown us? I love words included in the last two sentences – First – “when you get serious about finding Me” – that tells me that God is talking about something a little more serious than us realizing there is a God when an urgent need arises. If we are serious about finding God, I believe we will want to know everything possible about Him through daily time in His Word (the Bible) each day; through talking with Him on a regular bases – that praying to Him at least daily, but often more frequently; and for spending time with other like believers to be encouraged by them or to encourage them because of God’s mighty work in your life – that’s church. Secondly – “I’ll make sure you are not disappointed” – wow, praise the name of Jesus! He will make sure that His kids receive every good and perfect gift that He has in store for us. I believe that this will be far more than we could ever think or imagine! Test Him friend, and prove His Word. I don’t believe you will be disappointed!

Prayer

Heavenly Father; Master; Savior and Friend; thank You for the assurances You give in Your Word about Your love for us and Your ultimate, long-term plan for our happiness and our future. Lord You are good and Your mercies endures forever. I love You Lord and I life my voice in awesome praise and thanksgiving for Your goodness towards me. Please be especially loving and kind to my readers today as they meditate on this devotional. May they encounter the love of our Savior in such awesome ways, that their lives will be full and running over. May this be apparent to all those they come into contact with today so that the lost might be curious and ask questions about the immeasurable love and hope that they see in them. Draw us all closer to the cross today, and as You fill us, may that overflow to the unsaved observers we will encounter – all for Your glory and Your honor. I ask this in the name of Jesus, my Lord and Savior, AMEN!

Footnote

How To Be Made Right

On 2016-10-06 By Ed AlgreenIn Heaven, Righteous, SurrenderLeave a comment

Thursday, 2016-10-06

Scripture

Bible Reference: Romans 3:22-25

Bible Text: ²²We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. ²³For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. ²⁴Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. ²⁵For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

As one reads through the Bible you will see where people sacrificed animals and various other things in order to make themselves right. But while all of this gave some the feeling of satisfaction that they were pleasing their gods, it never did give them any assurance of ever being in heaven one day and worshiping at the feet of Jesus and His Father. It never gave any hope to a new and different life filled with the love and leadership of Jesus and the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. Paul saw that this was still causing issues in his day, with the added pressure of his Jewish audience feeling superior to the Gentiles when it came to being right with God. Paul had to clear this up for his audience, and I believe this was placed in God’s Word to help us clear up any misconceptions. There is no magic formula, nor does it apply only to a certain group or nationality. The Word of God says in John 3:16 that ‘whosoever believes on the name of Jesus’. Verse 22 above says that ‘for everyone who believes’. We all have one thing in common – we all have sinned. The solution to that problem also applies to all of us, for in verse 24 and 25 we are reminded that Jesus came so that we might be freed from our sin, and the way that this happens is when we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ – especially the sacrifice He made at Calvary, including the shedding of His precious blood. Sounds easy, right? It definitely was not easy of Jesus, but God wanted this to be straightforward for us. So as you examine your life today friend, know that unless you have submitted your life totally to the King of kings, and believe wholeheartedly on the Lord Jesus Christ, then you are still wallowing in the stench of your sin and destined for hell with Satan as your tormenter and destroyer. This creates a great divide between you and those relatives and friends who have accepted Jesus. This is an individual choice, but friends I hope that each of you would have made the right choice today, and allowed God to make things right for your eternity, for I want to see you in glory!

Prayer

Lord Jesus, I pray that not one who reads this devotional today will gloss over the decision that they need to make in order to know without a shadow of doubt that they are destined for Heaven for a glorious meeting with our Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Some are facing grave danger today, and for some this may be the last day they will have an opportunity to accept Jesus as Lord. I pray that there will be no wasted opportunities by my friends who read this. Please remind them that today is the day of salvation, as they have no assurance of tomorrow. Lord, I believe, please help me overcome any unbelief. AMEN!

Footnote

Know and Do What God Commands

On 2016-10-05 By Ed AlgreenIn Accept Jesus NOW, ObedienceLeave a comment

Wednesday, 2016-10-05

Scripture

Bible Reference: Romans 3:19–20

Bible Text: 19 Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. 20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

I believe that we all have heard it at one time or another from a friend, that they, or perhaps a loved one, would never be subjected to hell because of how good and honest they have been all of their lives. First of all, that statement is not biblical, because we can see from God’s Word today that living by man’s law will only help us recognize that we are sinful, because we are constantly breaking the law. So if we approach the real dilemma in my first statement about our going to heaven because we obeyed the law, I believe we will quickly see that our world’s lawmakers really have nothing to do with who enters heaven and under what conditions. That decision is strictly up to God, who controls heaven. Friends, it is super important that we obey man’s laws, because God expects us to be good, law abiding citizens of this earth. However, when it comes to matters of heaven, we must look to the ‘rule-book’ of heaven, and God has ordained it through various writers and we call it the Bible. This has peaked the curiosity of millions around the world, because the Bible is the greatest seller in the world. May I encourage you to read it and understand that God went to great pains to make it as easy as possible for us to enter heaven. In pain and agony, He had to watch His very own Son, Jesus Christ, suffer through the pain of death on a cruel cross. However, because of the blood shed by Jesus, God demonstrated to us that if only we would give up self and surrender our lives to the will of God, by accepting His risen Son, then His blood would wash away our sin and we would be acceptable to Him (God), and in turn, be accepted into His heaven. Notice that the latter statement had nothing to do with any law concocted by man. So friends, I believe that these verses are intended to help us clearly separate what the laws of our land will do, versus what the forgiveness of Jesus Christ will do. Once we could get that straight in our minds, hopefully we can go on to help others that struggle with this same dilemma everyday. There’s only One Way to enter heaven friend, and being good or obeying the laws of our land, do not form a part of that One Way. But Jesus Christ is THE Way! Won’t you trust Him today with your whole being? According to God’s Word, you too can be assured of Heaven, if you accept Jesus as Lord.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, You have made it clear in Your Word how we are to surrender our lives to You for our eternal salvation, as nothing else will secure our path to heaven or our eternity with You and the Father. Please touch the heart of each one that will read this devotional today and fill them with a renewed understanding of Your will for their lives.The words of a gospel song comes to mind: “nothing good have I done, to deserve God’s own Son”. Father, may the eyes of all who have not surrendered to You, be opened to the things of God today, and may they surrender to Your will and Your way, for their eternal salvation. I ask these things through the powerful and awesome name of Jesus, AMEN!

Footnote

Helping Others

On 2016-10-04 By Ed AlgreenIn Bless Others, Help, Helper, Love others, Needs of others, Others firstLeave a comment

Tuesday, 2016-10-04

Scripture

Bible Reference: Ephesians 2:9-10

Bible Text: ⁹Salvation is not a reward for the good we have done, so none of us can take any credit for it. ¹⁰It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others.

Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

My Take

After reading this scripture today, I feel like we should carefully examine whether we are living as God intended – helping one another. It’s almost frightening to think how greedy, and self-engrossed we have become with living our days to get as much as possible out of life for self. It seems like we are always expecting the needed help for our friends or family to come from someone else. Friends, I believe that it goes with saying, that if God sent His Son, Jesus, through the miraculous means of a virgin birth, and then He followed years later with a cruel death on the cross and a supernatural resurrection, so that our sins might be forgiven and therefore attain brand new lives, that He must have had intentions far greater than anything we could imagine. Yes, I believe that part of this plan was to make it possible for us to attain assurance of our salvation and an eternal home with our Maker, but what do you suppose he meant for us to do until the day He calls us home? Our scripture today tells us that it was God’s intent from the very beginning that we use these ‘new’ lives to help others. Think about it friend, you can tell some folk how to receive eternal life, but for others you have to show them. If we are truly Jesus’ kids, then we will act just like Him and display the same characteristics that He did. He was loving and kind even to those who were against Him and despised Him. How are you doing friend? Are you being mistaken for just about any other ‘Joe Blow’ on the street, or is it evident that You have walked and talked with Jesus and living according to His purpose? Only what’s done for Jesus will last, friend! Make it count today!

Prayer

Dear God, we have become so self-centered and greedy for all that we can personally benefit from, that we truly needed this reminder from Your Word today. Praise God that You saved us from our sin! Now Lord, please use us for the purpose You intended right from the beginning, that we help others. You placed us here on earth as brothers and sisters, not as enemies and not as one to lord over another, but in humility that we might help each other. Please open our eyes to the opportunities available to us today, and may we make You proud as we pick up the banner and help others along the way. Thank You Lord for saving my soul, and thank You for touching the hearts of so many others out there. AMEN!

Footnote

God Wants You To Turn To Him

On 2016-10-03 By Ed AlgreenIn Jesus Loves you, Surrender, What The Lord WantsLeave a comment

Monday, 2016-10-03

Scripture

Bible Reference: Romans 2:3–4

Bible Text: ¹ Some of you accuse others of doing wrong. But there is no excuse for what you do. When you judge others, you condemn yourselves, because you are guilty of doing the very same things. ²We know that God is right to judge everyone who behaves in this way. ³Do you really think God won’t punish you, when you behave exactly like the people you accuse? ⁴You surely don’t think much of God’s wonderful goodness or of his patience and willingness to put up with you. Don’t you know that the reason God is good to you is because he wants you to turn to him?

Bible Translation: The Contemporary English Version (CEV)

My Take

Years ago in the United States, there was a commercial that read “I Want You”, and this was used in the recruiting program of the US Army. Of course, there’s also a number of songs by this title with men singing to their girl, or girls singing to their man. In the case of the US Army, there are stringent requirements of all applicants. In our scripture today we are challenged to be thoughtful of how patient God is with us, in spite of how we tend to ignore His warnings. In fact, Paul is challenging us to be careful that we live like God demands, for many of us tend to live like the very ones we accuse of evil doing. Friends, we must always remind ourselves when we point a finger at someone else, that there are several that are pointing right back at ourselves. Oh that we may use the evil that we see in others, as a reminder of the weak condition that we ourselves are in, and how susceptible we are to the same sin that we see our brother or sister weakened by. May our recognition of their sin be a reminder of the even stronger need of prayer for ourselves. Friends, our desire should always be that we become as strong, loving, caring and sinless as Jesus, and not as weak or weaker than our brother or sister who may be suffering from the result of their sin. In verse 4, we are reminded of the immeasurable goodness of Jesus to us, and this is not only because He loves us more than we could ever imagine, but also because He wants to attract us to Himself. From our very earliest days, we have probably heard that Jesus loves us. In these verses today we are reminded again that Jesus loves us and wants us to accept Him as Lord over everything in our lives. Have you responded to His call yet friend? Please be reminded that today is the day of decision, for we have no assurance that we will be around tomorrow. May I encourage you to read my Footnote, and seek the face of Jesus for yourself?

Prayer

Lord, You are good and Your mercies endure forever! Thank You Lord for being so good to us. Thank You for opening our eyes to the sin of others. May we use these opportunities to seek Your face and clean up our act, instead of beating up on the brother or sister who may be weakened by the temptation of sin. Thank You for desiring to have us in Your family and kingdom. Please help us to keep that foremost in our minds as we face the challenges of this day. May we always resolve to follow You, instead of the temptations of this world. In deepest love and appreciation I ask these things heavenly Father, AMEN!