Tag: Calvary

Analyzing For entry into God’s Kingdom

On By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, Rewards, TrustLeave a comment

Friday, 2021-02-12

Bible Reference: Matthew 13:41-43
Translation: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Bible Text:  41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everyone who does wrong or causes others to sin. 42 Then he will throw them into a flaming furnace, where people will cry and grit their teeth in pain. 43 But everyone who has done right will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. If you have ears, pay attention!

OBSERVATION: The Holy Spirit impacted me as I read through these verses today and caused something to really pop out to get my attention. Jesus said in verse 41 that His angels will gather from HIS kingdom – meaning HIS children, in other words – those who claimed to belong to the Master, and they would be taken out and thrown into the flaming furnace. I believe it is important for us to really meditate on, and understand, this Scripture lesson today.

APPLICATION: To read that there are thorns among the wheat, and that these thorns will stunt the growth of the wheat, if left there during the growing period, is mind boggling. Yet we are told that the thorns should remain there. What do we make of this? I believe we would understand it very clearly if the Scripture said that those thorn bushes must be removed and burned, so that the wheat would mature without hindrance from the weeds. But that’s not exactly what Jesus said, is it? In my studies, I found out that back in verse 24 and following, Jesus told His audience that these weeds were planted to look just like the wheat, as they grew together. But let us consider this idea in its proper context. For example, in our beautiful, plush and proper churches today. Wouldn’t it be extremely challenging to look out over our congregation, or even rub shoulders with many of them, and try to imagine that some will produce fruit (wheat) during their lifetime, while others are uncommitted and are their as decoys (known as ‘weeds’ in this Scripture). However, Jesus reminds us that because everyone walking through our doors are dressed just like us, look just like us, sing just like us, and may even give to the ministry just like us, we must not conclude that they are children of the kingdom. In Psalm 1:5, we are told that “sinners will have no place among the saved” on Judgment Day. Therefore let us pay close attention to what Jesus is teaching here. Friends, I believe that way too often we look at what our coworker is succeeding at, or how happy that new Sunday School member seems to be in their life, and we start emulating their lifestyle, or we join them in the things that seem to successfully bring joy in their life. But Jesus is teaching us today that we have only one role model, only one Savior and only one Lord. He tells us throughout His Word how we are to seek His righteousness, and the things of this world will grow strangely dim. I believe that when we start desiring what another person has – whether it’s happiness, a great spouse, wonderful children, a healthy lifestyle, an expensive car, etc., then we are permitting ourselves to seek our happiness and pleasure in another person (wheat or thorns), rather than in the joy, peace and wisdom of our almighty God, who proved His love for us on Calvary. In our times of meeting at church, or any gathering, with fellow believers, or those we assume are fellow believers, we tend to lift up and encourage each other. But let us always remember that we are there for one purpose only – to corporately lift up the name of Jesus and worship Him from the very depths of our heart. It’s a given fact that some fellow church members may have more knowledge than us about the teachings of God, and some may even have experienced miracles from God, but if you miss your one-on-one encounter with your Maker, and if you confuse His direction that He has planned for your life, by following the lead of your fellow worshipper, then you are missing out on the importance of corporate worship. Remember, He has laid out a plan for you, and that plan will involve experiences that you may totally miss, if you receive your guidance and leadership from a friend. We all must accept Jesus individually, and we all must seek His perfect will for our individual lives, if we are to live the perfect life He has in store for us. How are you doing with this dear friend? Do you have a really intimate relationship with Jesus, and listening to His every command for your life? If not, let me encourage you to seek Him while He may be found. Draw near to Him, my friend, and He will draw near to you. You are the apple of His eye. He loves You and would like nothing better than to welcome you through the gates of Heaven when He calls you out of this world. Sure things up today, won’t you?

PRAYER: A challenging parable, but a much needed message for each of us today, dear God. Thank You for speaking to us in such unexpected, but important ways throughout Your Word. Thank You for drawing our attention to the real source of revival in our land. It’s not my brother, or my sister, but it’s me oh Lord, standing in the need of prayer and needing to draw even closer to You. Please speak to the hearts and souls of Your people today. Draw us to yourself, so that all doubt will be removed whether we are Yours – redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Lord, may those who are considered ‘weeds’ in our midst be reminded of the One in whose name they’re are known. Encourage them to grow in their relationship with You and cement their decision to follow You until Your return. People still need the Lord – yes especially those who feel comfortable in church, even without ever having experiencing You in their lives. May today be the day that they are introduced to the Master, and may they surrender their whole being to You and to Your will for their life. AMEN!

Though So Unworthy, Yet a Child of the King!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Worship, WorthyLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Wednesday, 2021-02-10
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Genesis 32:9-12
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: 9 Then Jacob prayed: You, Lord, are the God who was worshiped by my grandfather Abraham and by my father Isaac. You told me to return home to my family, and you promised to be with me and make me successful. 10 I don’t deserve all the good things you have done for me, your servant. When I first crossed the Jordan, I had only my walking stick, but now I have two large groups of people and animals. 11 Please rescue me from my brother. I am afraid he will come and attack not only me, but my wives and children as well. 12 But you have promised that I would be a success and that someday it will be as hard to count my descendants as it is to count the stars in the sky.

OBSERVATION: Isn’t it amazing that God, the One who made the heavens and the earth and little moving creatures like you and me, will stop everything to listen to our cry and to grant our requests? Like Jacob prayed, so should we, in acknowledging that we have done absolutely nothing to deserve all the blessings that God showers upon us. However, God still wants us to recognize Him and fellowship with Him. As we meditate today on the Scriptures, let’s do a self evaluation on how well we are doing in fellowship with our God.

APPLICATION: If we’re not careful, we could easily fall into a place where we feel like God will place all of heaven into our lap and all we have to do is soak up His goodness and enjoy His blessings. Our Scripture reminds us that Jacob reflected on the fellowship that his grandfather, Abraham, and his father, Isaac had with God, but he was not riding on their coattails of commitment to God. For Jacob then reflected on what God had ordered him to do and on how God blessed him from rags to riches. But notice that even in riches, Jacob still found a desperate need of the only One who could calm his nerves and give him confidence in approaching his brother after so many years. Friends, I was reminded that no matter how insignificant we may sometimes feel, no matter how uneducated we may feel, no matter how good others appear to be at what they’re doing compared to us, we must always remember that we are a product of the Master of this universe! He created us, and he did it for His honor and His praise, so He would never make ‘junk’. He also created all of us equal in His eyes, so when we allow Satan to buffet us with doubt and insignificance, we must always remember that is only our evaluation and not God’s. As a child of the King, we are always highly thought of by Him and valued higher than the angels. He promised that He will never leave us or forsake us, and in spite of our meager efforts here on earth to provide a roof over our heads, He has prepared nothing less than mansions in our eternal home – heaven! Will we still doubt while here on earth? Will we still become afraid here on earth? Notice that Jacob did. He was besides himself in fear of what his brother might do to him and his descendants. However, we must always remember what Jacob knew that there was only One who could do anything about his fear, and only One who could protect him if there was as much danger as he feared there would be. My friend, that’s still the same for us. We may feel so unworthy and that we are undeserving of attention from the God of this universe, but we are His creation; He sacrificed His one and only Son as our salvation from sin; He sits at the right hand of the Father interceding on our behalf; so of course He will gladly calm our minds, ease our burdens and love and nourish us back to good physical and mental health. Do like Jacob, share your concern with your Savior and ready yourself for His response, dear ones.

PRAYER: You have made endless promises to us in Your Word oh Lord, and I am not only humbled by that, but extremely thankful for all that You shower on me every day. Thank You for the reminder in today’s Scripture of where our hope lies, and in whom we gain our confidence and courage to go on. Jacob needed You, and so do each of us studying Your Word today. You are the God who cares, the God who is all powerful and could handle all of our challenges and heartbreaks. So it’s in You that we place our faith, our trust and our everlasting hope, knowing that You will do all things for Your glory, and You may even use us to touch those around us. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog at https://NuggetsFromGodsWord.org that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and see all of my posts, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

Determined To Be With Jesus

On By Ed AlgreenIn Cross, Determined, Easter, Good News, Greatest Need, Healing, Needs, Persistence, SalvationLeave a comment

Tuesday, 2019-04-16

Bible Reference: Mark 2:2-5
Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

Bible Text: 2  ….While he was preaching God’s word to them, 3 four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. 4 They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. 5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.”

OBSERVATION: The determination of these men carrying the paraplegic is to be admired. They didn’t let the crowds stop them, nor the leaders that were probably there helping with crowd control. They didn’t let the walls of the building stop them, for they got up on the roof with the man on the stretcher. The roof was no hindrance, for they dug a hole through it that was large enough to fit a stretcher through it – probably 80″ by 30″ or more. They had a determination to get their friend before Jesus, no matter what obstacles stood in their way.

APPLICATION: I wonder how disappointed the men were after going through all that they did, yet when Jesus saw the young man He didn’t immediately address the issue of paralysis, but rather attended to the condition of his heart and his readiness to meet God. I wonder how much this story parallels our earnest prayers to God, where we are concerned for our family and friends’ welfare or health, but seldom show deep concern for the salvation of their soul for eternity? Would we ‘go to bat’ over their salvation as much as we would for other things in their life that we feel might impact their normal living here on earth? How often do we forget that the things of this earth are temporal and could very easily be gone today or tomorrow? Yet the condition of their soul will determine their eternity. Should we be concerned for the physical, financial and personal welfare of our friends? If we didn’t then one would question if they are truly our friends, but I believe Jesus showed the Pharisees, and is showing us, that there is one concern that trumps all other concerns in life, and that is the spiritual condition of the individual. When you know that your friend is ready to meet their Savior and Lord, and that they are living daily to be more like Him here on earth, then all other needs will fall into place, for God cares intimately for His children and He will not bring anything on us beyond what we can bear, nor will He burden us with anything that will not bring glory to Himself. So friends, let me encourage you this Easter weekend, to look just a little differently at those you love and will spend time with this weekend. Look beyond their physical and material needs and pray with them about their spiritual needs, should there be a need to do that. Our greatest need in life is to be the individual that God designed us to be – one that will worship Him and bring glory to Him, in everything we do, until Jesus returns to take us all home to heaven to spend eternity with He and His Father. I’m ready for that reunion friends, and I want each of you, and all of my family and friends to also be ready to join me for that meeting at the foot of the cross! Oh ‘What a Day That will Be’!

PRAYER: Than You Jesus for all that You willingly did that very first ‘Good Friday’ and the glory of that first ‘Easter’ morning! As we celebrate the events of that occasion again this year, I pray that although we will be touched by the drama of all that You went through, yet we will never lose sight of the fact that You did it all for us. Thank You Lord Jesus! I am eternally grateful Heavenly Father! In much the same way that You were willing to do whatever it took to save Your children from the awful stain of sin and damnation, I pray that each of us will commit to being so concerned about our family and friends that we would recommit to sharing Your love with them and allowing them to see the meaning of the cross and the possibilities of their eternity with You. There was nothing more important to You Lord Jesus. I pray that we would be very much the same in our concern for others. May You be glorified and lifted up this weekend, for I ask these things in the precious name of the crucified, yet risen Lord Jesus, AMEN!

Are You Paying Attention?

On By Ed AlgreenIn direction, God's Guidance, Guidance, Leadership, Leadership of the Holy SpiritLeave a comment

Post Date:

 Saturday, 2017-06-10
SCRIPTURE

From:

 Numbers 22:32-33 (GW)

Text:

 32 The Messenger of the Lord asked him, “Why have you hit your donkey three times like this? I’ve come here to stop you because the trip you’re taking is evil. 33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away from me, I would certainly have killed you by now but spared the donkey.”
OBSERVATION:
Balaam had some ulterior motives to go and see King Balak. Knowing how self focused we could be when dealing with selfish desires, God warned Balaam before he left home, but He decided to warn him yet again along the way. He did this by placing a messenger in the path of Balaam’s donkey to try and get him off track. Balaam was so upset with the donkey seemed self controlled instead of obeying his master, that he would have killed the donkey did he have the right gear at the time. Let’s apply this to our lives today….
APPLICATION:
Just as God tried to redirect Balaam, He also dealt with Jonah in a similar fashion. For He had a ministry in store for Jonah, but instead Jonah decided to take a boat elsewhere. After winding up in the belly of a huge fish for three days, Jonah got the message. What does it take for God to get our attention? Ever looked back on life and realized how disastrous life would have been had you followed your own inclination? When we sought God about moving to the US from our home country, the Bahamas, it all came through very quickly. Family members thought we were absolutely nuts and possibly going through a midlife crisis. Within one year of our move, one of those same family members told me, after having his heart repaired following a heart attack, that now he could see clearly why God moved us here. A similar incident occurred within a few years and it was once again reaffirmed that we followed God’s will. In man’s eyes, there is nothing special about this servant of God, but in God’s eyes, I’m His son, a recipient of the blood He shed for us at Calvary, and He wants His very best for His kids. Have I also been disappointed in life, you betcha, but understanding that I have the God of this universe directing me – opening doors of opportunity and closing doors that may have thrown me off-track, I am convinced that He who started a good work in me, will continue to see me through life until the day I stand in His presence in glory! I was reminded of these ‘building stones’ or highlights one night when given the opportunity to share my story with another Christian Brother. Try that some time friend. I believe that you too will reflect on times when God spoke to you and you may have declined His invitation. For those of you that did accept His invitation to permit Him to rule and reign in your life, I believe you too will reflect on times that God would have opened doors for you, and times when He placed an angel in your path, like Balaam, to prevent you taking the path you were asking Him permission to take. God loves us friend, and He will honor His Word that He will take care of those entrusted into His care. Let Him guide and protect you Friend. Pay attention to the ways that He is directing You. Always pray for guidance and His perfect will for your life, then pay attention!
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, the adversary is pushing at every turn to indulge in our weaknesses and try to get us off-track in our mission to serve You and be obedient to Your every command. Please help us to keep our eyes so permanently fixed on You that our path is directed by You and very clear to us which way we should turn. Lord, I believe that there will be some who reads this blog that are currently going through testing and times of decision on which way to turn next. Please give each of us assurance today, that You are still God and that You will take care of Your own. Help us to totally surrender our will to You and be willing to accept all the ways that You will guide us, for Your eternal glory. Lord we praise You in advance knowing that as You have guided us already, You will continue. AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please 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 Nuggets From God’s Word 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!

Our Greatest Need

On By Ed AlgreenIn Cross, Good News, Greatest Need, Needs, SalvationLeave a comment

Post Date:

 Saturday, 2017-04-15
SCRIPTURE

From:

 Mark 2:2-5 (NLT)

Text:

 2  ….While he was preaching God’s word to them, 3 four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. 4 They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. 5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.”
OBSERVATION:
The determination of these men carrying the paraplegic is to be admired. They didn’t let the crowds stop them, nor the leaders that were probably there helping with crowd control. They didn’t let the walls of the building stop them, for they got up on the roof with the man on the stretcher. The roof was no hindrance, for they dug a hole through it that was large enough to fit a stretcher through it – probably 80″ by 30″ or more. They had a determination to get their friend before Jesus, no matter what obstacles stood in their way.
APPLICATION:
I wonder how disappointed the men were after going through all that they did, yet when Jesus saw the young man He didn’t immediately address the issue of paralysis, but rather attended to the condition of his heart and his readiness to meet God. I wonder how much this story parallels our earnest prayers to God, where we are concerned for our family and friends’ welfare or health, but seldom show deep concern for the salvation of their soul for eternity? Would we ‘go to bat’ over their salvation as much as we would for other things in their life that we feel might impact their normal living here on earth? How often do we forget that the things of this earth are temporal and could very easily be gone today or tomorrow? Yet the condition of their soul will determine their eternity. Should we be concerned for the physical, financial and personal welfare of our friends? If we didn’t then one would question if they are truly our friends, but I believe Jesus showed the Pharisees, and is showing us, that there is one concern that trumps all other concerns in life, and that is the spiritual condition of the individual. When you know that your friend is ready to meet their Savior and Lord, and that they are living daily to be more like Him here on earth, then all other needs will fall into place, for God cares intimately for His children and He will not bring anything on us beyond what we can bear, nor will He burden us with anything that will not bring glory to Himself. So friends, let me encourage you this Easter weekend, to look just a little differently at those you love and will spend time with this weekend. Look beyond their physical and material needs and pray with them about their spiritual needs, should there be a need to do that. Our greatest need in life is to be the individual that God designed us to be – one that will worship Him and bring glory to Him, in everything we do, until Jesus returns to take us all home to heaven to spend eternity with He and His Father. I’m ready for that reunion friends, and I want each of you, and all of my family and friends to also be ready to join me for that meeting at the foot of the cross! ‘What a Day That will Be’!
PRAYER:
Thanks You Jesus for all that You willingly did that very first ‘Good Friday’ and the glory of that first ‘Easter’ morning! As we celebrate the events of that occasion again this year, I pray that although we will be touched by the drama of all that You went through, yet we will never lose sight of the fact that You did it all for us. Thank You Lord Jesus! I am eternally grateful Heavenly Father! In much the same way that You were willing to do whatever it took to save Your children from the awful stain of sin and damnation, I pray that each of us will commit to being so concerned about our family and friends that we would recommit to sharing Your love with them and allowing them to see the meaning of the cross and the possibilities of their eternity with You. There was nothing more important to You Lord Jesus. I pray that we would be very much the same in our concern for others. May You be glorified and lifted up this weekend, for I ask these things in the precious name of the crucified, yet risen Lord Jesus, AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please 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 Nuggets From God’s Word 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!