Tag: Christ

Things That Impact Our Words and Actions

On By Ed AlgreenIn Clear Conscience, Genuine, HonestyLeave a comment

The Holy Bible  (The Good News Translation – 1 Timothy 1:3-7): Some people there are teaching false doctrines, and you must order them to stop. 4Tell them to give up those legends and those long lists of ancestors, which only produce arguments; they do not serve God’s plan, which is known by faith. 5The purpose of this order is to arouse the love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a genuine faith. 6Some people have turned away from these and have lost their way in foolish discussions. 7They want to be teachers of God’s law, but they do not understand their own words or the matters about which they speak with so much confidence.

Thoughts:  Timothy’s mentor, Paul, instructed him to stay in Macedonia to help keep religious leaders accountable to the Word of God. Paul found this necessary because the leaders were getting caught up in false doctrines, old stories that were often untrue, and ancestry. As it was then, so it is today friends, for the church was established to tell the Good News of Jesus Christ. Imagine how hopeless Christianity would be today if we went to church to have our ears tickled by words that may or may not be true, but which sounds real good to the hearer. But Paul didn’t just tell Timothy what was wrong, he gave him leadership on what to look for and what to teach in order to help these people. I believe that Paul’s words and leadership is just as applicable to us today, as it was for Timothy in taking the message to the Macedonians. Our actions and our words must be those from a loving and pure heart, a clear conscience and a genuine faith. Some might question how Paul knew what filled the hearts of the church leaders. I would dare say to you friends that most people will quickly tell when you are speaking from a heart of love and genuine compassion. From a heart that has experienced the gospel of which you speak. Conversely, others can tell quicker than you imagine when you are fake, trying to impress, or speaking the words written by someone else without it ever impacting your own heart. There is an old saying “you can fool some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time”! However, putting aside who you can or cannot fool into believing a lie of yours, how would you feel lying in bed at night knowing that you were not totally honest with those that you shared the Word of God with that day? Furthermore, what type of expression would you imagine seeing on God’s face if you were not genuine, faithful and truthful in declaring His Word to a lost person, who will probably continue in their lost condition until they could possibly hear genuine Truth? Missed opportunities will cause you more grief than you might care to experience, friend. For many, there is no time for dancing around the subject, for they may never see another opportunity this side of heaven ….…… or hell. I want to strive towards seeing a smile on God’s face as He listens in to my conversations and/or my teaching, also in my actions, love and concern for the non-Christian. How is it with you friend? Do you suspect there is a smile or disappointment on God’s face as He looks in on your life?

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, You paved a perfect path for us to follow. Slogans such as WWJD have helped to attune ourselves to Your guidance, but we often fail in reacting with pure intentions to every scenario in life, and we often seek to please and/or impress our audiences. However, I was deeply reminded today that I may as well come before You as a child, in honesty, purity, innocence and openness, for You know my very heart – my thoughts and my intentions. Please forgive me for the times that I have tried to be anything else to anyone, especially if I misrepresented You or falsely represented myself. I pray that it will not be necessary for You to provide a Paul or Timothy to clear up misrepresentations of myself or my friends who will read this devotional today, for I pray that they will deal with any impacts on their lives, for we want to be pure and holy before You and our fellow man. Please continue to work on us when we stray away from these ideals and help us to stay true to You in our everyday lives. I pray for Your help, Your guidance and in accordance with Your will. I ask all this believing on, and in, the name of Jesus my Lord, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE:  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Get Rid of Idols

On By Ed AlgreenIn Forgiveness, Idols, SinLeave a comment

The Holy Bible  (The Contemporary English Version – Jeremiah 4:1-3): The Lord said: Israel, if you really want to come back to me, get rid of those disgusting idols.     2 Make promises only in my name, and do what you promise! Then all nations will praise me, and I will bless them. 3 People of Jerusalem and Judah, don’t be so stubborn! Your hearts have become hard, like unplowed ground where thornbushes grow.

Thoughts:  While I believe there was a lot of value in these verses for Israel and the people of Jerusalem and Judah, I also believe that this passage of scripture was included in God’s Word to us for self-application also. Let me explain, I believe that God spoke to me as I read this, and had me substitute ‘Israel’ with the family and friends that I am praying for. At times when I feel distant from God, I believe that this passage also applies to me. Friends, I want you to read this carefully to make sure that you too understand that when God seems far away from you, examine your lives and see what idols (priorities; things) have you allowed to step in the way of your open communication and dependence on God. The kinds of things that get in our way might be:

  • Work – for we can become so absorbed in our job that we have no quality time to spend with God;
  • Church – yes, even church. We can become a slave to the work of the church and exclude our study and worship time with the Lord, for whom we are presumably working;
  • Family – even though this item is of super importance, if we’re not careful Satan can use this as a tool to keep us away from God. Let’s learn to take our family to church, instead of feeling an obligation to spend quality time with them on our Sabbath. After all, we had other opportunities during the week to spend time with them, but with Satan’s help chose not to. Men/dads this is our responsibility as God’s leader in our homes;
  • Activities – we all know that the beach is always better on our Sabbath day than any other day of the week, right? But does it fit with God’s command of what we should be doing on our Sabbath?!!;
  • Sports – why would we consider giving our time to sports on our Sabbath day rather than assembling ourselves together to worship God and to encourage one another?;
  • Weariness – the toils of the week have left us so worn out that giving one hour of our time to refuel spiritually, and to give God thanks for our jobs, and the good health to do our jobs, seems to be challenging for us – at least until we lose our job or some other crisis comes up, right?;

Friends, I’m not judging, for that is God’s job. I merely listed a few things that may cause us to think about the possible idols that stand in our way of communion with God. May I encourage you to examine your own life and see if there is anything that distracts you in your walk with the Lord? Be honest with God as you consider this, for He knows your heart and your very circumstances, and He is willing to help you tear down those idols, so that you may be drawn closer to Him. Remember, sin must be put away out of the heart, else it is not put away out of God’s sight, for the heart is open before Him. The good news with this whole thing is that others will follow us, and God will bless us! Read verse 2 again! Imagine, your actions might actually revolutionize your world!!

Prayer:  Father, You know our hearts and You know our thoughts and our schemes. It is so unfortunate that in spite of Your goodness to us, we allow Satan to feed our thoughts, that often leads us to scheme and find reasons to not find time in the Word, in prayer and even church attendance. Please forgive us for our ingratitude and our unfaithfulness. You sacrificed Your very Son for our salvation, yet we find it challenging to make time to spend with You and/or Your people in corporate worship. Often this is just not a priority in our lives. Please forgive me oh Lord. Please touch the hearts of Your children who will read this devotional today, may they also be made aware of ‘idols’ that have become obstacles in their walk with You. Lord Jesus, we respect You and all that You stand for, however if we are to be true and honest representatives of Yours, we too must be living, walking and talking as You. We can only do this with Your help, direction and wisdom oh Lord, and we humbly seek that today. For this is my humble and gracious plea before You oh God, in the name of Your 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 so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Because of God’s Love

On By Ed AlgreenIn LoveLeave a comment

The Holy Bible (The Message – 2 Thessalonians 2:15-17): 15–17 So, friends, take a firm stand, feet on the ground and head high. Keep a tight grip on what you were taught, whether in personal conversation or by our letter. May Jesus himself and God our Father, who reached out in love and surprised you with gifts of unending help and confidence, put a fresh heart in you, invigorate your work, enliven your speech.

Thoughts: On a day that we celebrate ‘love’, and express our love towards our spouse or sweetheart, I am intrigued that my Bible reading would take me to a passage that encourages me to reflect on my love towards God, and my subsequent reciprocal actions towards God – The One who showed His love for me in a sacrificial way, by openly providing an attainable way to one day join Him in heaven! Not sure about you, but whenever I recognize love being expressed by my wife towards me, I quickly examine my life to see what I might be doing or saying to do the same towards her. If that’s a ‘normal’ reaction, and I believe it is, then I question if we (mankind) are truly and honestly recognizing God’s love towards us each and every day. Because if we were to react in the same manner as we do to our spouse, then this would be a whole different world we would live in. Imagine if only Christians did their part in expressing their love towards Jesus? Imagine if this rubbed off on all those that we come into contact with, and after seeing a better way to live, that they also tried to do better in their relationships? As God’s love fills us to overflowing today, I hope that we can pray as Paul did for his church members: May God, through His deep, unending and unmatched love, put a fresh heart in us, and may He invigorate our work for Him and enliven our speech so that God might be glorified, and others will be encouraged to know the One that we serve, love and adore. God loves us friend, and He wants our lives to be so affected that this evil world around us might be impacted. Take a firm stand today friends, will you?

Prayer:  Your love is amazing dear God! Thank You for loving even me! Thank You for Your Word that brings refreshment to my heart and invigorates me in ways that I pray might be a blessing to others. Please enliven my speech so that I might depend on You for the very words that I speak, as my desire is that my life might influence others for my Master. Thank You Jesus for all that You are and all that You mean to me. Please influence the hearts and souls of Your children who will meditate on this devotional today, so that Your love may be very evident to them. May Your actions impress upon them the need to show Your kind of love to all that they come into contact with today. May this ‘lovers’ day, be one where friends will not only be invigorated in their love for their sweetheart, but also for You. I ask all this because of Your love for me, and in the name of Jesus Christ, AMEN!

 

FOOTNOTE:
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Impossibilities to Man Are Very Possible With God!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Obedience, SurrenderLeave a comment

The Holy Bible (The Contemporary English Version – Jeremiah 1:4-8): 4 The Lord said: 5 “Jeremiah, I am your Creator, and before you were born, I chose you to speak for me to the nations.” 6 I replied, “I’m not a good speaker, Lord, and I’m too young.” 7 “Don’t say you’re too young,” the Lord answered. “If I tell you to go and speak to someone, then go! And when I tell you what to say, don’t leave out a word! 8 I promise to be with you and keep you safe, so don’t be afraid.”

Thoughts: I find it interesting how Moses felt unworthy to be used of God for the awesome job of freeing his people from slavery. Excuses such as unable to even speak properly, much less being used by God to lead a large number of people. Again with Jeremiah as he was told by God that he would go and speak to all the nations, he also found excuses to give God about his inabilities. In the New Testament we are told about tax collectors, fishermen and doctors, to name a few, that were called to share the Word of the Lord with others. As I look closer to our current times, I hear of great pastors and evangelists whose parents, school teachers and/or friends would never have projected their future to be in the ministry of Jesus Christ. In trying to imagine how these men must have felt, I thought that perhaps the reason for their doubt, or initial refusal, may have been their humility. Imagine with me for a moment, that the King of all kings were to visit us and tell us to leave our workplaces, our homes, our friends and our families and head out to a foreign country to speak with their king about all that he is doing wrong. No longer than it took you to read this devotional I bet you would have your bags packed and ready to go, right? I bet that not! But yet that’s how impossible these awesome tasks were to these great men of God when they were first given their orders. Friends, I believe that our takeaway in this scripture today is to note that:

  1. God can, and will, call the unqualified to do a work that must easily be credited to His mighty hand at work in accomplishing the task assigned;
  2. God made us, and if He could make a donkey to speak back to a troubled servant of His, I’m sure He can provide the talent, boldness and means to accomplish the work He assigns to us;
  3. God often chooses the most unlikely servants to do His work. It must always be evident that it is God busy at work, not some smart, talented bold servant that He could choose to do the work;
  4. To decline an invitation given by God is actually disobedience, because He really has the work cut out for YOU to do, not the qualified theologian you feel better able to do the job.

Friends, my take on this is that we are to be so attuned to God each day that we will understand His will and His call on us to do His work, and when He calls, we must be ready to follow through in obedience to Him. Please consider making this a day of tuning your life into alignment with God!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, please prepare us for the work You have in mind for us. Please keep us so aligned with You on a daily basis that we will easily recognize Your voice and Your commands so that we may quickly follow in obedience to Your call. Thank You for considering the most unlikely people, in our minds, to accomplish the great work that You are ready to do in our midst or through our lives. It is my desire to see Your will accomplished, and to welcome opportunities to use my talents and/or availability for Your service. Please tender the hearts of my readers to recognize You as Lord, and to follow in obedience to Your call, should You desire to use us for Your work and Your glory! Bless us again dear Lord, is my humble prayer that I ask in Your glorious and wonderful name, with thanksgiving, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!, and

Are You Prepared?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Salvation, The Return of JesusLeave a comment

The Holy Bible  (The Contemporary English Version – 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18): 14 We believe that Jesus died and was raised to life. We also believe that when God brings Jesus back again, he will bring with him all who had faith in Jesus before they died. 15 Our Lord Jesus told us that when he comes, we won’t go up to meet him ahead of his followers who have already died. 16 With a loud command and with the shout of the chief angel and a blast of God’s trumpet, the Lord will return from heaven. Then those who had faith in Christ before they died will be raised to life. 17 Next, all of us who are still alive will be taken up into the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the sky. From that time on we will all be with the Lord forever. 18 Encourage each other with these words.

Thoughts:  To help understand how the decisions we make today impact our future, I want to compare what happens when a natural disaster approaches, versus the decisions we make regarding our relationship with Jesus Christ. For when we evaluate our decisions in either scenario, the result can make the difference between life and eternal death. Here are some choices we have to consider in both scenarios:

  1. When the warnings of an approaching disaster are up – such as a hurricane, or other killer-type natural disaster/storm:

    Natural Disaster: We may have time to make some last minute preparations or purchase supplies to help us while we are displaced. But most importantly we must decide if we will obey the evacuation and/or preparation orders;

    Spiritually: Again in this scripture today we are given the warning that only those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior will go beyond life as we know it today. In other words, eternal life in heaven. We are either reassured of our impending resurrection with Jesus, or we are stubbornly deciding to continue in the way of this world and accept our destiny in Hell when Jesus comes to take His children home to glory;

  2. During the preparation period:

    Natural Disaster: We are warned at the beginning of each hurricane season about the items we should have stashed away for a quick evacuation, should it become necessary. After visiting with a friend up north and seeing his disaster kit in the trunk of his car, I know that in cold areas you are also warned to be prepared should you be forced to remain in your vehicles in extreme winter storms. In both cases, in advance preparation we are able to get quality items and avoid disaster at the stores before the last minute preparers hit the stores. We also stand the chance of getting to the stores and purchasing what we need while there is safety and time to do that. Plus the stress of entering an announced impending disaster period is much reduced when we are ready in advance;

    Spiritually: We are warned whenever we read the Bible. We are reminded when we read the newspapers and see all that is going on in our world today. Fellow Christians and/or pastors remind us whenever given the opportunity. As in the case of Natural Disasters, we have a choice to prepare in advance and enjoy the blessings of Christianity even while here on earth. However, of even greater importance, we stand ready to meet God, should sudden death come upon us.

  3. The results of our readiness, or lack thereof:

    Natural Disaster: We often hear of deaths resulting from unprepared citizens. They made a choice to be unprepared, and they paid the ultimate price. Even if prepared, the individuals still went through a lot of stress evacuating, and possibly still got caught in some of the fury of the disaster;

    Spiritually: Even so Come Lord Jesus, Come! Paul likened it to the greater joy that is to come, compared to the joy that is ours here on earth with our Master at the wheel of our lives. Imagine the sweet, sweet spirit of being in the presence of Jesus, worshiping and glorifying Him for endless days. What a Day that will be! This is the peace and joy that Christians have while here on this earth. We are happy here, but sure that we will be even happier with the Lord!

Please forgive me for writing such a long blog today, but sometimes it may take a side by side analogy to help some folk truly understand the importance of accepting Jesus Christ today, being prepared in advance, and anxious about the day that Jesus calls us home. Are you ready for that friend? See my Footnote for further instruction. Jesus is Coming Soon, let’s be ready to go!

Prayer:  Lord, Your Word has displayed a warning light for us again today, for it has reminded us of the need to be ready for that glorious day when You will call us home to glory! I know that this will not be a shining day for some, because they have chosen to ignore the warnings. If they are granted time enough to read this devotional today, I pray that You might graciously soften their hearts and convince them of the need to be prepared, for I believe that Your return is very near. I especially pray for family and friends who have not yet heeded the warnings from You, and I pray earnestly for their salvation. In Your own perfect way Oh Lord, please deal in their lives today, for I want to see them when I join all the saints around Your throne in Heaven. Thank You for drawing me to Yourself some 39 years ago, please continue to use me for Your glory while allowed to remain here on earth. I will praise and honor You for all things Oh Lord, for I ask these things in anticipation of Your perfect will being accomplished, and with thanksgiving, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE:  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

What Precedes the ‘THEN’?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Roadblock, SinLeave a comment

The Holy Bible (The Contemporary English Version – Isaiah 58:8,14 and 59:1-2): 8 Then your light will shine like the dawning sun, and you will quickly be healed. Your honesty will protect you as you advance, and the glory of the Lord will defend you from behind.

14 Then you will truly enjoy knowing the Lord.

59:1 The Lord hasn’t lost his powerful strength; he can still hear and answer prayers.
2 Your sins are the roadblock between you and your God. That’s why he doesn’t answer your prayers or let you see his face.

Thoughts: This reading in Isaiah really impacted me today, and I would encourage you to read both chapter 58 and 59 so you could see the scope, and the happenings from which Isaiah prophesied. God got my attention to think about the things going on in my life that might need to be attended to before he would bless me with the things after the ‘THEN’ mentioned in verses 8 and 14. Based on this scripture, here’s where I believe God wants to bless those that take care of the sinfulness that comes before the ‘Then’:

  • The light of Jesus would shine brightly through us to touch the life of another (vs 8);
  • Quick healing would occur in our physical and/or spiritual lives (vs 8);
  • Our honesty/integrity would be solidified to impress the lost for Jesus (vs 8);
  • Our lives would be so filled with Jesus that His glory would overwhelm us and act as our defense (vs 8);
  • We would truly enjoy knowing the Lord (vs 14)!

Friends, these things are very applicable to each of us. In fact, in 59:1-2 we are told to stop trying to blame God for unanswered prayer, for our sins are the roadblock. I believe that this affirms what precedes the ‘Then’; what needs our attention before we could expect to receive His rich blessings. So friends, as I have been challenged this morning, I will also challenge you. Please talk to God, seek His forgiveness for the hindrances in your life, and then ask Him to speak very clearly and openly to you through these chapters. See what He has to say to You. By using the contact information in the footnote, I would love to hear back from you on how God spoke to you in this passage! Better still, reply to the blog on my website so others may also be blessed by your response. It could be in totally different ways to how He spoke to me, for He knows what each of us need in our lives and will meet our needs! God loves you friend, and He wants to shower you with His blessings so that you may go on to be His loyal and effective representative!

Prayer: Lord, I am constantly amazed by Your Word and how I can find such truth and relevant direction each day for my Christian walk and witness. Thank You for giving us a glimpse of Yourself and Your mighty works! I’m sure that there is much to clean up in my life before I could be purely used by You in Your service/ministry, for a holy and righteous God cannot reside in a sin-infested soul. Father, this requires strength far beyond anything that I am capable of, but in faith I come before You asking for forgiveness of my sin and asking that you replace that ugly void with the sweet aroma of Your grace. I badly want to get beyond the ‘THEN’ and see Your will being fulfilled through me for Your glory and to affect the lives of unbelievers so that they too might follow You. I Need You Every Hour of every day oh Lord. Please impact the readers of this devotional today for a closer walk with You, is my humble and sincere prayer dear Lord, for it is in Your name and for Your sake that I ask, with a thankful heart, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

God Knows The Heart

On By Ed AlgreenIn Clean Heart, HolyLeave a comment

The Holy Bible  (The New Century Version – Isaiah 57:17-21): 17 I was angry because they were dishonest in order to make money. I punished them and turned away from them in anger, but they continued to do evil. 18 I have seen what they have done, but I will heal them. I will guide them and comfort them and those who felt sad for them. They will all praise me. 19 I will give peace, real peace, to those far and near, and I will heal them,” says the Lord. 20 But evil people are like the angry sea, which cannot rest, whose waves toss up waste and mud. 21 “There is no peace for evil people,” says my God.

Thoughts:  It is so easy for us to beat up on a friend because of the wrongs we see in them, but way too often others see very similar traits, or wrongs in us. I found it encouraging to read in these verses where, in spite of Israel’s sin and the punishment God was already extending to them, yet He still chose to heal them, guide them, comfort them and give peace to them. Friends, I believe this is evidence of God looking at the heart of mankind, and not the stupid acts that we are so often guilty of. Now please don’t assume that this means you can go on doing whatever you please, knowing that God has your back, for when you do that you are doing it in deliberate disobedience, and from a heart filled with total disregard for God. When we surrender our lives to Jesus, and do our very best to live according to His Word and His will, there is not a wave of perfection that comes over us. However, God’s Holy Spirit working in us, should give us a deep sense of guilt and a desire for forgiveness that leads us to beg God for strength to overcome that certain weakness and His guiding hand to help redirect us towards holy living going forward. I believe in the last two verses we are shown that when we feel unsettled, or angry about our actions and challenged in getting no rest over them, we may want to question ourselves about whether we truly have sought forgiveness from God over our actions. I believe when we act sinfully and have no remorse or desire to seek God’s face and His forgiveness, we had best examine the spiritual state of our heart. Remember, God knows our heart, and His Holy Spirit helps us to not only know our own heart, but directs us to all Truth so that we might have a heart like Christ. So how’s your heart friend? Does God reside in your heart as evidenced by your words and interactions with others? We might easily fool those around us friend, but God is the only One who truly knows our heart. Make Him proud today, won’t you?

Prayer:  No matter how hard I try to dress up my outward appearance and my outward reflection to my fellow man, I am convinced that only You know the condition and intent of my heart dear God. Lord, I want to be just like You in my everyday life, whether it’s inside my church doors; in the middle of the marketplace; in the presence of Your saints; or in the presence of unbelievers. Please take hold of this sinful man and make me into Your own image. May You see enough value in my intent that You have no reservation in accomplishing Your will through me. Many who might meditate on this devotional today might have similar challenges in this tough life here on earth, please touch them with Your powerful and almighty hand so that Your work might flourish in and through clean and holy vessels today. This my humble and respectful prayer that I ask in the precious and almighty name of Jesus, my Lord, with thanksgiving, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE:  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

A Model Prayer for One Another

On By Ed AlgreenIn Love, PrayerLeave a comment

The Holy Bible   (New Living Translation – 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13): 12 And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. 13 May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen.

Thoughts:   Wow, what a model prayer for us to consider! I would imagine that there were any number of needs Paul could have prayer for, after all he had sent a co-worker to go and check on the Thessalonians to make sure Satan hadn’t infiltrated their new found faith in God. I believe that God wants so bad for us to just act in obedience to His Word, and to show His love that was shown for us when He sacrificed His very life so that we might have eternal life. I also believe that as we practice love for one another, and strive to live that love out in our lives, we will protect ourselves, including our relationships, from the Evil one. When we slack off in allowing God full control of our lives, we start seeing the unfortunate impact of Satan acting out through us. Friends, we can’t win the lost or impact the needy when we are infighting worse than they are. God’s love will never be evident in our lives as long as we selfishly seek to love self above all others and demand our own way. Of course we should continue to accept prayer requests from friends, but friends I want to encourage you to pray this prayer modeled by Paul for your friends also. Yes, as long as we remain in human form here on this earth, we will have illnesses and ailments, but as far as the challenges we have with each other? I believe that the more we bath our relationships in prayer and shower them with the godly kind of love, then Paul’s prayer in verse 13 will surely follow us as we enter into the presence of our Lord and Savior. So let’s aim to love others, as God loved us and demonstrated His love for us. Let’s pray that the love of Jesus will overflow in the hearts and lives of each of us. All for the glory and honor of our Lord! Let’s take self out of the equation and love as He did, and for His glory and praise, only!

Prayer:   Lord, You are so good to us! Your love reaches beyond anything we are capable of, at least in our own strength. However, through faith in You and the awesome power that You are always willing to grant to us for Your good purpose, I pray that You might impress upon my readers and I today the love that we are to show for one another, if we are truly Your child. Jesus, You showed ultimate love when You surrendered to Your Father at Calvary so that Your children might enjoy eternal life with You. Please help us to show that kind of sacrificial and submissive love one for another. Please help us to take self out of the equation and love so that others might experience a touch of Your kind of love. There was a worldly song with lyrics “What the world need now, is love sweet love”. I can clarify that the world really needs the kind of love that only You can offer! As Your children and earthly representatives may we truly reflect Your love, so that You may be glorified because of us. This is my humble, unselfish prayer that I ask in the name of Jesus, the only One capable of loving me and this world without limitation or hindrance, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE:   If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Worthy of Worship

On By Ed AlgreenIn Holy, Worship2 Comments

The Holy Bible  (The Contemporary English Version – Isaiah 22:15): 15 My servant will make nations worthy to worship me; kings will be silent as they bow in wonder. They will see and think about things they have never seen or thought about before.

Thoughts: I believe that as a society we are facing a very challenging situation, with our churches almost going into extinction. Shocked? Well friend, I believe that you may need to move into reality and see how many churches are shutting down each week because of poor attendance or lack of necessary operating funds. So why do you suppose this may be the case? First let’s examine the makeup of the local church – it’s made up of folk just like you and I that attend, and give for the ongoing work of the Lord. So why do we attend? Perhaps some go out of tradition – meaning that it is the place to be on Saturday or Sunday morning. Others may go because they feel accountable to a family member. Still others attend out of pure devotion to God, and they look forward to not only worshiping Him for His blessings during the week, but they also want to learn more about what God has to say to us through His messenger. So why then are churches declining, and even shutting their doors? I believe that Isaiah made a very important point that we all must pay attention to. For I believe that in and of our own sinful selves, we have no desire to attend church, to be told about our sin, and stand corrected about our life styles and decisions. However, as in the day of the church that Isaiah envisioned, I am convinced that it is God who will call people to Himself and convince them of their need to worship Him. I believe that way too often our churches today come up with so many programs and tactics to attract people into their churches, that attendees remain uncommitted when their ‘program’ is weakened or discontinued. Friends, this is not a problem when we allow Jesus to remain in charge of His church. So I believe that as church leaders constantly seek Him, allow Him control, and plead for His interaction with His people, then He will have freedom to work on the worthiness of His people and the churches in which they worship. Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would ‘make’ the people (nations) worthy. To do this will require getting to their hardened hearts and turning around some evil thoughts that have been permitted in. I believe that God still has the power to impact our towns, our country and our world for Himself today, friends! For those of you who know Him as Lord, may I encourage you to surrender fully to Him today, then pray for family, co-workers and friends who have not seen the need to attend church where they might join in corporate worship? If you are one of those who have not seen the need to attend worship services, may I suggest that God is already dealing in your heart friend! I say this based on the knowledge that it is only God that would have encouraged you to read all the way to this point in this devotional! So listen to the voice of God and follow through in what you feel He is prompting you to do. He has prepared a very bright future for all of us who know Him personally. I would love to see you be among the number who will see Him face to face in heaven! I am excited about the opportunity, and I pray that you will be also!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are so good to us! Thank You for loving us enough to provide the means for us to one day join You in Heaven! I plead with You today heavenly Father, that the hearts of Your children will be humbled to fully understand the love laid upon Calvary’s cross so that we might be afforded the gift of eternal life with You in glory! I pray that each person meditating on this devotional today will not only place themselves on the altar of sacrifice and worship before You, but that we might begin in deep earnest to pray for our family, coworkers and friends, so that Your church here on earth might be reinvigorated and recommitted to true and sincere worship of You. Perhaps at that stage, unsaved loved ones will be open to uniting with sincere and loyal followers freed form hypocrisy and self-righteousness. Lord You are the only one worthy of our worship! May we commit ourselves to clean and holy lives so that our worship might be a sweet aroma in your ears. I ask all this in the precious name of Jesus, with thanksgiving, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Be Encouragers of God’s Messengers

On By Ed AlgreenIn Encourager, PastorsLeave a comment

The Holy Bible (The Contemporary English Version – 1 Thessalonians 2:2-6): God gave us the courage to tell you the good news about him, even though many people caused us trouble. 3 We didn’t have any hidden motives when we won you over, and we didn’t try to fool or trick anyone. 4 God was pleased to trust us with his message. We didn’t speak to please people, but to please God who knows our motives. 5 You also know that we didn’t try to flatter anyone. God himself knows that what we did wasn’t a cover-up for greed. 6 We were not trying to get you or anyone else to praise us.

Thoughts: I believe that when one does a job in spite of opposition, or in spite of whining and complaining by those they are trying to help, then we should appreciate that they are specially called for that job, and they are therefore working as a result of their obligation to a higher calling. This is what we see in this message by Paul, and if we are real honest, this is what we see in our pastors and teachers at our local churches. Although they may never openly complain, I believe that our pastors face a lot of correction, ideas, suggestions and self-proclaimed righteousness from their congregations to whom they preach and teach. Please don’t get me wrong friends, I believe pastors welcome your constructive input, because it helps to show them that you were listening and indeed care enough to correct them or encourage them with your words. But let’s try to be careful to be encouragers, and not on the list of ‘trouble makers’ or ‘opposers’ to the gospel. When our pastors have the freedom to share the unfiltered Word of God with us, then perhaps we can hear directly from God. If they have to speak in parables to make sure they don’t hurt the feelings of some, then many of us will totally miss the point! Paul shared that he had no other motive than to see Jesus accepted and God magnified and lifted up by the folk he was ministering to. I believe that we still have men of God who endeavors to do this through their preaching, teaching and actions in their life. I hope that even today we can commit to aiding these gentlemen – these men of God, to be transparent in what God wants to say to us through them, and not be hindered by us in any way. I was taught many years ago that each of us might mess up at times, but let’s learn to look at the heart and see what the other brother’s heart might be. Many times we will be convinced that although he may have said something differently to what we would have said, his intent was to help and/or to magnify God. So where do you best fit in this scenario today: Encourager; Opposer or just don’t listen close enough to care? I believe God wants us to all be encouragers, and we can do this through an encouraging word to our pastors and/or teachers, or we can pray for God’s ongoing hand upon them as they surrender to Him and try to share His Word with us. Let’s commit to improving our stance, so that our pastors might be improved in their walk and their talk!

Prayer: Lord, You have indeed blessed us with great messengers who sacrifice daily so that they might share Your heart and Your will with us. I sincerely thank You for my pastors and teachers and I pray that they might be even more energized by Your touch on their lives today. May they be drawn so close to Your bosom today that they might be reassured of Your love and Your direction for them as they lead us. May they receive a fresh anointing of Your divine Holy Spirit so that as they stand before us this weekend we may hear the unfiltered Word of God and not have to guess what You are trying to say to us through them. May our pastors have the freedom to be transparent in what You might need to say to us through them, is my humble and sincere prayer that I ask in Your precious name, with thanksgiving. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!