Tag: Bible Fellowship Church

Empowered To Share

On By Ed AlgreenIn Empowered, Evangelize, WitnessLeave 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: 2 Timothy 1:7-8
Today’s Bible Text: … the Spirit that God has given us does not make us timid; instead, his Spirit fills us with power, love, and self-control. Do not be ashamed, then, of witnessing for our Lord;
The Bible Translation: The Good News Translation (GNT)

My Take Away: Paul had recognized a precious gift given to Timothy on the day that he laid hands on him for ministry, and now that Timothy was about to go and minister, Paul encourage him to rekindle that gift that was once very obvious. Many churches today still hold revival services. A time where Christians can be reminded about the decision they made to accept Jesus as Lord. In doing so, they are often reminded about the precious gift of the Holy Spirit that once enveloped them, and they plead with God to wipe away any roadblocks that might be currently preventing the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Friends, Paul and Timothy were two very special, dedicated servants of God, but may I remind you that they were just like you and I. They desired to be used of God to help accomplish His work. God went on to save others, like you and I, and He continued to empower us to also share the Good News of Jesus Christ. How do you feel like you are doing? Notice from these verses today, that if we are feeling timid, or ashamed, or powerless, then we have clear evidence that it is time for us to rekindle the gift that God has given to us. Remind ourselves of the awesome Holy Spirit that is so close to help us, that He resides inside of us. Remember the boldness that is ours when we put self aside and let God’s Holy Spirit take control to lead, direct and control us. Friend, be reminded of the power, love and self-control that is ours when we reconnect with our power-source! Imagine all that God can do in our circle of friends and family, when we step aside and allow Jesus to witness, rule and reign through us! He can do it again friend! Just like He used his servants of old to heal the sick and minister to the hurting in His name, He can do all that through us also, if only we would let Him. But we must move self aside, as only God can do the work in and through us.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I believe that there are friends who will approach my readers and I today and they will test us to see who truly resides inside of us. Thank You for preparing us for this by showing us what Timothy was challenged with, or reminded of. When we are feeling powerless, or timid, or ashamed or unloved, may we immediately be reminded of the missing source – our dependence on Your Holy Spirit that is already living inside of us. For the one meditating on this today and feels helpless, may I ask You Lord Jesus to please show them Your message on accepting You as their Lord and Savior, for it is then that they will empty themselves of self, and allow Your Holy Spirit to refill them with all that I have spoken about in this devotional. We understand that only You can get through to the very heart of a person, so please help us to let you do Your miraculous work, and if You are willing to use us in that process oh Lord, we will be willing and eternally thankful. I ask these things in the matchless 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’s Will, Not Yours

On By Ed AlgreenIn Discerning, God's Will, Submission, TrustLeave 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 Chronicles 14:8-10
Today’s Bible Text: When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, they mobilized all their forces to capture him. But David was told they were coming, so he marched out to meet them. The Philistines arrived and made a raid in the valley of Rephaim. So David asked God, “Should I go out to fight the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?” The LORD replied, “Yes, go ahead. I will hand them over to you.”
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: I want you to imagine with me for a moment that you were faced with a very challenging situation in life where, if you didn’t take action, it would probably be disastrous for you. Next, I want you to assume the role of David where you are told that an army of giants are coming out to get you. Before long you look out and there is the army coming towards you, and your battalion of soldiers are ready to whip the army who is threatening you. May I ask that you consider what your next move would be? If you read the verses above, you know that David stopped, dropped and prayed, asking God what He wanted him to do. More specifically, David must have felt like it was pretty near impossible for him to fight such a great army, because he asked God if He was going to handle the battle for him. Now, imagine the confidence that David and his troops marched forward with. Imagine how David didn’t have to stress over the situation, because the same God that He had trusted before, was now in control of this battle, and furthermore David was content that he was doing precisely what God wanted him to do. Would this not be the same for us if, in our desperate situations – those that seem impossible to us, or leaves us totally helpless, yet gloriously we know that we could move forward in confidence, knowing that our God has the wheel! He’s in control of the situation at hand! He is capable of conquering the situation and delivering us, free from stress, and victorious! Can you handle that friend? Will you trust God like that, friend? He hasn’t changed, and He is definitely just as awesome and strong as He was for David, so there is no need to hesitate or doubt. Let us practice asking God before we jump into battle, not asking for His endorsement after you make your decision. Your decision is made from a human perspective and may often not be in the way that God would direct. His ways are perfect, friend! Let’s learn to do it His way at all times, won’t you?

Prayer: Father God. Almighty, all powerful and awesome Father who is filled with wisdom and knowledge. Thank You for getting our attention this morning to probably the greatest shortcoming of the Christian. For in our weakness, we feel like we are strong and could fight our battles alone, or at least until it’s time to call You in to our rescue. On the other hand, I believe that non-believers feel they could call on You in trouble, but have nothing to do with You the rest of the time. Lord, we are failures in our relationships, especially the all important relationship with You. Please forgive us Lord. Cause us to humble ourselves and ask for Your help before advancing in to the obvious, or our selfish desire. Please help us to learn from David, for twice in the same chapter of 1 Chronicles 14 did he recognize Your lordship and Your awesome power, so he asked You before making decisions. May we learn to be obedient to Your will oh Lord, and not default to our selfish and prideful will first. As You deliver our enemies to us, or are victories over our life-challenges, may we be ready to celebrate and use those moments as a testimony to our lost world. In love and awe-felt respect and honor, 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

Faultless Until Jesus Comes?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Committed, Dedicated, FaultlessLeave 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 6:11-14
Today’s Bible Text: But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses. And I charge you before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate, that you obey this command without wavering. Then no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: Timothy’s mentor, Paul, wanted to make sure that Timothy kept the faith and remained true to his calling. Is that any different to us, and the decisions that we make to serve God? We want to remain true and faithful in the decision we made to live like Jesus. So what can we learn from Paul’s advice that might help us? Paul instructed Timothy to:

  • Run from the appearance of evil – I believe that we tend to think that we are strong enough to stand firm even in challenging situations, and even when there is the appearance of evil. But then we are deeply trapped before we realize that we have been distracted in our Christian walk, and unable to easily escape. What if we intentionally stayed clear of those scenarios altogether?
  • Pursue, or intentionally go after: righteousness; a godly life; faith; love; perseverance and gentleness;
  • Fight the good fight for true faith – don’t just read about it, or speak about it, but fight evil and pursue after the faith that saves mankind, and that God has delivered you into;
  • Hold tight to eternal life that is yours in Christ Jesus – keep the end in mind when you are making decisions today. Don’t just say things and do things that might misrepresent whose you are. You’re a child of the King and living in anticipation of  the home He has prepared for you, where you will rejoice and praise Him throughout all eternity! Don’t be distracted in your walk towards that eternal goal!

Being faithful in these things will help you stay faultless before a generation whose aim is to tear you down and win you over to their evil ways and practices. The aim of the Christian is to live with Jesus one day, for eternity in heaven. To accomplish that, we need to live our lives today in honor of Him and for His glory. Are you there yet, friend? How about asking God to guide you, like Paul guided Timothy. Reading God’s Word and looking for characteristics like these presented by Paul in our scripture today is a start towards a life of holiness. May I encourage you to keep on reading and keep on looking for the character of Jesus Christ, our mediator and our guide to all things ‘God’ ordained!

Prayer: Thank You for Your Word oh Lord, and thank You for loving us enough to care about how we live. Thank You for giving us the guide to living life in accordance with Your desire for us. Please give us a daily desire to be more like You in every aspect of our lives. Please enlighten our minds as we read Your Word so that Your Holy Spirit might prompt us to overcome our weaknesses and faults. Lord, it would seem that we need to be faultless before our fellow man if we ever expect to be the hands and feet of Jesus, but we can only do that through Your strength, guidance and wisdom. Please work in us even today Lord Jesus, for I ask these things in Your strong and matchless name. 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

A Better World

On By Ed AlgreenIn Accountability, Do our part, Personal InvolvementLeave 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 5:1-3
Today’s Bible Text: Don’t be harsh or impatient with an older man. Talk to him as you would your own father, and to the younger men as your brothers. Reverently honor an older woman as you would your mother, and the younger women as sisters. Take care of widows who are destitute.
The Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take Away: I believe that most of us could chime in with ideas on what it would take to see ‘a better world’ for us to live in. In fact, there was a song named just that in earlier days as well! I believe if our country’s leaders needed to know how to best govern its people, they should just ask you and I and we will have a word or two for them! I’m sure that our pastors probably get an ‘ear full’ almost every day on how to best run the church, because from where we are sitting we could give vast knowledge and insight on the matter! Yet in reading this part of the scripture this morning, I believe that God is speaking very clearly to us in telling us how we could be a part of improving our world, just by doing what He expects of us. Think about this friends, God knew what Paul needed to pass on to Timothy to improve the situation in the areas that he would minister. God also knew that by including this in His Word, this would also give much needed direction to His children in 2016 who would be looking at life from a lens of hopelessness as we look at failing country leaders; churches that are closing because of lack of attendance and failing spiritual leaders; and families falling apart because of selfish individuals who insist on doing life ‘their way’. So God gave us some principles on how to treat each other – how to get along. Imagine for a moment if we were to:

  • Don’t be harsh, but talk to, and treat older men as our father
  • Don’t be harsh, but talk to, and treat younger men as our brothers
  • Reverently honor older women as our mother;
  • Reverently honor younger women as our sisters; and
  • Take care of widows who are without help (destitute).

Imagine us doing this both inside the church, and outside. In other words, with everyone that we come into contact with. I dare say that we would build a ‘Better World’ without ever feeling the urge to get politicians, pastors, or anyone else straight! The challenge is, that if this is to be – it’s up to you and me. There’s no one for us to blame or try to straighten out. Are you willing to look to God and ask for His strength and direction to do this today friend?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are beyond anything we could imagine, for You not only created us, but You have given us commands, rules and instructions by which to live in accordance with Your intended purpose. Thank You for directing me to another section of these directions this morning. These have already been tested by Timothy, so they are tried and proven! Please forgive us for our selfish attitudes and the ways that we try to manipulate life into our own broken, and often failed ways. We have strayed a long ways off the path You have intended for us and we so desperately need reminding of Your perfect will for our lives. Lord, may we personally be found faithful, is my humble plea to You today. For I ask these things in the precious and all powerful 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

Spiritual Fitness

On By Ed AlgreenIn Consistent, Spiritual Fitness1 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 4:6-10
Today’s Bible Text: You’ve been raised on the Message of the faith and have followed sound teaching. Now pass on this counsel to the followers of Jesus there, and you’ll be a good servant of Jesus. Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion. Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever. You can count on this. Take it to heart. This is why we’ve thrown ourselves into this venture so totally. We’re banking on the living God, Savior of all men and women, especially believers.
The Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take Away: I believe that a lot of money is spent on gym memberships, and a lot of time is well spent on physical fitness in order to keep our heart and muscles in great physical shape, due to the stationary, inactive lifestyles we have in our desk jobs or just the choices we make to watch TV or play on computer devices. So what if we did to our physical bodies what we do in our spiritual lives? You know, we may open our Bibles once a week when we attend church, or in some cases two or three times per year for special occasions. Do you suppose that we might see more physical deaths if we only exercised that infrequent? Do you suppose that this might be the reason we see so many spiritual ‘deaths’ in the church? If we only connect with the Master of this world on a very occasional basis, will that develop ‘relationship’ with Him? Physical exercise requires commitment to a designated time of fitness each day. It means sacrificing a warm bed for working out at the gym or jogging down a long, dark path, often until we feel like we are about to drop! It means ‘beating’ ourselves into submission, so that we can do it even when we don’t feel like it. Now, think about Spiritual fitness. Should it be any different? The results, or the outcome, is way more important, for it leads to an active, participating relationship with the King of this universe, One who sent His Son to die for us so that we might accept His sacrifice and therefore ultimately be with Him in glory one day. Physical fitness helps you condition your bodies to fight off diseases, have less pain and recover much faster from illnesses, and it may extend your life here on earth by a few years. Spiritual fitness opens the doors of heaven for you while here on earth and to life ever after with the Creator. It gives you hope, peace and love here on earth and rewards for eternity that are out of this world! Spiritual fitness is suitable for all walks of life, for those fit enough to do Physical fitness or not. Please don’t make excuses Brothers and Sisters. Seek to strengthen your spiritual lives so that you may be usable by God here on earth, until He is ready for you in Heaven. Each of us will face Him at Judgment Day, will you be prepared to smile and thank Him for allowing You to stay Spiritually Fit while here on earth? I hope there will be no regrets.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we are such a blessed people, because of Your persistent love for us, and the way that You show that in so many ways to us daily. Please touch the lives of each one reading this devotional today with a desire to enhance our Spiritual fitness so that we might be drawn closer to You in every aspect of our lives. Others are watching to validate that we are who we say we are. May we be so engrossed in Your Word, and have such a determination to follow Your teachings, that the evidence might be obvious in all that we say or do while here on earth. We want them to see Jesus. May we be fit vessels that You can work through to reach those in our realm of influence dear 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

Building A Better Generation

On By Ed AlgreenIn Generational Responsibilities, Obedience, TeachLeave 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: Psalm 78:6-8
Today’s Bible Text: [Teach] So that the coming generation would know them [His holy laws] by heart, even the children who are not yet born, So that they might one day stand up and teach them to their children, tell them to put their confidence and hope in God, and never forget the wondrous things He has done. They should obey His commandments always and avoid following in the footsteps of their parents, a hard-headed and rebellious generation – A generation of uncultivated hearts, whose spirits were unfaithful to God.
The Bible Translation: The Voice (Voice)

My Take Away: I’m sure by now you have read the scripture today and concluded that the Psalmist was referring to the Israelites, right? Are you wondering yet how this might impact you and I today? Friends, with very few exceptions, I believe that churches you know, have either closed over recent years, or seriously declined and in fear of possibly closing their doors. This is critical to consider, because I would question how many homes have parents who are committed seriously to God – to the degree that they teach God’s Word in their homes and/or practice the truths of God before their kids. At my church, we have more kids at our mid-week Children’s Ministry than we do on Sunday, yet we have only a very small group of adults who actually stay at church for an adult prayer or Bible study class. This tells me that although God demanded our ancestors to teach their children the Word of God, and that the children learn to also teach their children, somewhere along the way that process didn’t transition over properly. Does this mean then that each generation will do better or worse, in regards to standing firm on the Word of God? I believe the answer to that is evident. Today we see and/or hear about some of the most horrendous crimes imaginable, and yet we question if there is no God. If our children continue to drift away from God, what do you suppose the future will look like? Will we be charged with failing to pass along/teach the Word to our children? I believe the challenge to each of us today is to get before God and ask if we are doing all that He expects of us. We often talk about having a balanced diet, may I suggest that living life without being true to your Creator and the Savior who gave His life for you, is like living with a key ingredient of life missing – unbalanced. Please consider drawing closer to God, and ask for His help in disseminating His truths to your children – His precious kids.

Prayer: Oh Lord Jesus, how sorry we are for dropping the ‘ball’ – our responsibility to learn Your Word and to pass it on to our children. We have failed You miserably in this, and we are seeing the consequences of this in an awful way everyday and in all aspects of our lives. Please teach us again to pray – so that we might recognize our Master, and our weaknesses. Please teach us again the importance of studying our ‘rule book’ – our Bible, each and every day so that we might clearly follow the path You intended for us to follow. Please continue to remind us of our responsibility to teach and lead our children – our generation, about the God who loves them, who cares for them, and who wants to be their Father, and the One who will help them through this challenging life. May we be found faithful oh God. I humbly ask this 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

Think About All God Has Done

On By Ed AlgreenIn Obedience, Prayer, Seek God's Face2 Comments

THE HOLY BIBLE – Psalm 77:11-12 (NLT) –  But then I recall all you have done, O Lord; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.  They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works.  

THOUGHTS: In the verses leading up to verse 11, we read about all the questions David had for God. You know, much like the questions we have when we think that God is doing ‘His own thing’ and seems uninterested in what we are telling Him to do?  Oh you say that you would never do that? Friends I want to challenge you to think about how often we unconsciously do this every day. We ask God to clarify a decision we have already made for ourselves, and when God responds differently to what we expected, or demanded, we immediately think that God’s not there, or doesn’t care about you. Let’s not forget that for every yes/no question we ask, there is that choice in responding! Let me explain, way too often we go before God with a question, and because we have our minds made up with what the response must be, we tend to think that God didn’t hear us, or chose not to respond to our demands. Over time, I believe that we will realize that the greatest love that can be shown to us is for God to say ‘no’ when He knows full well that it is the best decision for our situation. I believe there are also times that we just can’t muster up the faith to ask God for help with our situations. David showed us that these are the times that we stop and reflect on the mercies of God and the proven power of God in our very own lives, so that we might gain strength in our weakness, and faith in our time of doubt and unbelief. Friends, we serve a GREAT BIG God, and until we stop to reflect on His awesomeness and our ‘littleness’ then we might be missing a lot of blessings. Please take time to reflect and praise God for His awesome power, then proceed in the confidence that swells up in you to place your needs (small and great) before the God of this universe! He’s my God, and I know that I can trust Him! I would challenge you to draw close to God so that He can show His power, grace and mercy as He draws close to you!

PRAYER: thank You Father for being my Creator, my Redeemer, my Savior and my King! I know that there is nothing unreadable or impossible for You. Thank You for hearing my heart’s cry when I call out to You. Please touch the heart of each person reading this devotional and cause us to draw closer to You in every aspect of our lives, so that our faith may increase and relationship with You become strong enough that we will trust You with every part of our life, and not just the portion that we feel inadequate in handling.  Thank You Father for handling life today – our lives with all of the complexities that we have added to them. In the name of Jesus, I ask these things oh 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 http://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!

Always Praising God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Glory of God, Praise, WorthyLeave 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: Psalm 75:9-10
Today’s Bible Text: But as for me, I will always proclaim what God has done; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob. For God says, “I will break the strength of the wicked, but I will increase the power of the godly.”
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: I wish that one day people will be able to look around and observe from the positive attitudes and the praising mindset, that certain folk are true children of God. Most folk are so accustomed to people whining and complaining that they almost expect it. In fact, we have to be extra careful that we don’t encourage it! I believe that we often need to take a closer look at those saints who preceded us. Take, for example Paul, who declared the glory of God even while in chains, inside of a cold, damp prison, and he won prison guards to the Lord! In our scripture today, David shares that he would always brag about what God had done, and sing His praises. Friends, David had some pretty trying times, but yet he vowed to honor God and praise Him. I believe that when we learn to praise God in ALL circumstances of life, we acknowledge that He is in charge, even when things don’t go our way. It also shows that we have confidence that our God will be with us through every phase of life here on this earth, until He calls us home to be with Him. Sinners will notice when we praise God even in our storms of life, for they are so used to the cursing, whining and complaining from folk all around them, when times are tough. They will instantly recognize the power of God in us. Let me be quick to follow this by saying that we don’t just praise for the purpose of showing others, for it’s through our sincere praise, and our worship to God that others will recognize whose we are. We should never have to tell anyone that we are a Christian, for it should be evident in our lifestyle, our priorities, our words and our actions. If Christ abides within, His joy, His peace, His love and His glory will exude from us in all aspects of our life. I trust that your praises, will be a meter to indicate how blessed you are by the King of all kings, our Lord and our Redeemer!

Prayer: Jesus, You are more than amazing, more than wonderful, more than worthy to me. I am blessed beyond measure and so amazed by Your love for me. Please touch the hearts of Your children today so that they may acknowledge Your presence in their lives, and then allow the overflow of blessings to pour forth from them, so that others may be drawn to You. Lord, You are worthy of our lifelong praise! May we be found faithful in lifting holy hands to praise You in love and sincerity of heart, because of who You are and for all that You do for us every day. May Your name be glorified today oh Lord, for this is my humble plea on behalf of myself and all of my readers, 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

Is God Angry With You?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Humility, Prayer, Seek God's Face2 Comments

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 2:1-4, 8
Today’s Bible Text: I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.
8 In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy.
The Bible Translation: The New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: It wasn’t until I got over in to my Old Testament reading in Psalm 74 where God was being asked why was He so angry, that my eyes were opened to these verses that I had just read. You see, in verse 4 above Paul tells us that if we pray as we should, then God will be pleased. I am one that tends to take a verse like that and say, OK but what if we don’t pray like we should? The answer to that question was answered by the Psalmist when he realized that God was angry with His people. Friends, I believe that God is showing us in His Word today how important it is that we follow through in obedience to Him, His teachings and His commands. There are two main aspects to the prayer items that Paul taught Timothy as very important considerations when he ministered, and I believe these things are no less important today. Here they are:

  1. Pray for all people – Start with yourself, then your family, your friends, your coworkers, your fellow church members, your enemies and then everyone else. Pray specifically that:
    1. God will help them – live righteous and noble lives;
    2. God will grant the desires of His heart, and your wish for them – intercede for them. Pray for what you know to be the desire of their heart;
    3. Give thanks for them – yes, even your enemies! We are told to pile heaps of coal, or goodness, or love, or best wishes on them. God created them, and He looks on them just as He does on you!
  2. Pray for your king, or your president, or your prime minister, or your queen – your national government head, and for all others in authority. – The Word encourages us to pray for them as we would pray for those in our first group.

In complying with the above, the Word says these are important so that we will live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity, as this pleases our God. Friends, may I encourage you to check your ‘happiness meter’ and determine if you are being faithful to what God demands of you? If you feel like God is not happy with what is going on, then I would encourage you to go back to step one above and follow through on the expectations of God. I found it interesting that these verses in 1 Timothy was labeled as ‘Instructions to Worship’! That tells me that we must breakthrough in prayer before we could get anything out of singing our praises or learning from God’s Word. I believe that it behooves us to ‘clear the air’ in our relationship with God and others before approaching our holy God. Then perhaps we will hear from God, and He will heal us, and our land!

Prayer: Father, Your Word is powerful and it impacts our lives every time we open its pages and read to understand Your desire for us. Please forgive us for constantly trying to do our own thing in ways that we think best. Without Your touch on our lives we are so unworthy, and we minimize ourselves to praying selfishly. You have made it clear today that unless we pray right, we will not gain Your peace, godliness and dignity. I can’t imagine what value we will be to anyone, without Your precious hand upon us oh Lord. We need You more today than ever before, because I believe that there are more distractions today than ever before. One thing that remains – Your constant love, and Your desire to see us be more like You in every aspect of our lives. Please continue to draw us to You so that we may be used by You to win the lost in our realm of influence. I ask all this in total respect of You oh God, and in the name of Your awesome Son, 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