Jesus – Our ROCK!

On 2017-06-282017-06-28 By Ed AlgreenIn Defense against the enemy, Fear, Fortress, Rock, SalvationLeave a comment

Post Date:	Wednesday, 2017-06-28
SCRIPTURE
From:	Psalm 62:1-2 (TLB)
Text:	¹ I stand silently before the Lord, waiting for him to rescue me. For salvation comes from him alone. ²Yes, he alone is my Rock, my rescuer, defense and fortress. Why then should I be tense with fear when troubles come?
OBSERVATION:
It seems very evident that the Psalmist spent some valuable time alone with God. It is also evident that David experienced very intimate times with God, that helped him to conclude that God had not only saved him, but been his rescuer, defender and his very fortress. I am convinced that we serve an awesome God!
APPLICATION:
Based on our personal experiences with God, I wonder what words we might use to describe our God. Let’s look deeper at the adjectives of David and decide whether we have witnessed any of these same characteristics of God in our lives: Our salvation: Can you thank God for the salvation that you found through the precious gift of Jesus – our Savior and our Redeemer? There is no other way into heaven than through the shed blood of Jesus, my friend. How often do you thank Him for that precious gift, and brag on it before others, as David did in these verses? Our Rock: Solid; impenetrable; immovable; dependable; will not give in or crumble under extreme weight or pressure – these are some of the words that can be used to describe a rock. David described God as his ‘Rock’ because he had seen many of these characteristics and strengths in his relationship with God. Can you add to that list friends? Would you remove any of the same attributes mentioned by David, because you have not experienced them in your relationship with God yet? Our Rescuer: This makes me think of times that one has been in deep trouble and have been noticeably rescued from that trouble because of prayers asked of God to pull you to safety. Having a personal relationship with the God of this universe, means that He can rescue you even when it may seem hopeless in your own eyes. Remember, He’s the one who walked on water; parted the Red Sea for His people to walk safely through and performed miracle after miracle in the lives of many. Surely He could rescue you from any situation you may have gotten into! Our Defender: I tend to think of someone who will defend against those intending to harm us. Our primary worry here on earth is Satan, for his intentions are simply to distract us, and lead us away, from God. In knowing Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we can agree with David on this one, because our God will defend us from the evil one (lead us not into temptation), and deliver us from evil. Asl Jesus to do this, child of God. Then be ready to brag on Him as your Defender, just like David did! Our Fortress: In the Bahamas, and here in Florida, we can find forts that were built to help our ancestors defend against invaders. The walls are several feet thick in some places, and were built to keep our soldiers safe from even an incoming cannon ball. So when the enemy was approaching, they all went to their ‘fortress’. I believe that’s about how David felt, and I believe that’s about how we should feel. In our case, the enemy is waiting to attack every time we turn around, so being safely inside our fortress means that we know the ‘Fortress’ and He knows us and will let us into the safety and security of His loving arms. I trust that today you are very confident in knowing that you can run to the security of your Fortress, safe in the arms of Jesus our Savior and Lord! A stranger knocking on the door of the fortress in the height of battle will not be allowed in, for they personally chose to exclude themselves from that security. Let that not be your case friend. Look full into the eyes of Jesus today and accept His offer to be your Fortress.
PRAYER:
Thank You Father for sending us Your Son to be our Salvation; our Rock; our Rescuer; our Defender; and our Fortress! Lord, I pray that today many will come to the foot of the cross and accept You as Lord and Savior, for all the reasons already mentioned in this devotional. I am proud to know that You accepted my plea for forgiveness and acceptance into Your kingdom, and I thank You from the bottom of my heart for being all of these things mentioned, and much, much more. Lord I look forward to being with You in glory some sweet day, but while allowed to remain here on earth, I ask that You continue to watch over me and lead me to help another beggar looking for bread – the Bread of Life! 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 Hope is in The Lord

On 2017-06-252017-06-25 By Ed AlgreenIn Christ-Like, Hope, Like JesusLeave a comment

Post Date:	Saturday, 2017-06-24
SCRIPTURE
From:	Psalm 39:3-7 (TLB)
Text:	³…. Then at last I spoke and pled with God: ⁴Lord, help me to realize how brief my time on earth will be. Help me to know that I am here for but a moment more. ^5-6My life is no longer than my hand! My whole lifetime is but a moment to you. Proud man! Frail as breath! A shadow! And all his busy rushing ends in nothing. He heaps up riches for someone else to spend. ⁷And so, Lord, my only hope is in you.
OBSERVATION:
The Psalmist had just come through a very upsetting time where, had it not been for losing his witness in the presence of the wicked, he probably would have exploded. It was at this point that he asked God to please open his mind and his understanding about what is really important in life. He went through multiple thoughts about what humans consider important, but it all boiled down to a strong relationship with the Master, because it was the only hope that resulted in strength, stability and any sort of meaningful eternity with any sort of hope.
APPLICATION:
Like the Psalmist I believe that today we become all heated and bothered over lots of things that, in the end, really boils down to holding no value in eternity. Things such as our employment, our church, politics, family and our friendships. This Scripture reminds us that should we really concentrate on our key relationship with our Lord Jesus, we will not only secure our eternity with He and the Father, but all these other temporal things that we tend to worry back will fall into place, because we will start to look at them from a heavenly perspective instead of a worldly one. Friends it is nothing less than amazing when we take on a new perspective about the way we look at things. From a selfish, greedy, worldly view, we tend to look at things from a very self-centered way. With Jesus in our heart directing our path, giving us wisdom, and a mind fixed on serving Him and being like Him in every way, we tend to respond and act in ways that reflect the love of Jesus and the exemplified life that He portrayed for us to follow. The way that our world is headed right now, we will self destruct to the detriment of our family, friends and ourselves. Recognizing the hope that we have in our Lord Jesus, and in faith accepting His kingship, could lead us towards a mighty revival in our land that demonstrates to the world that our God reigns and that it is obvious from our actions that He reigns and rules in our hearts. Friends, it’s all about Jesus, and not us. Let’s treat those around us with the unconditional love that He showed for us. Our only hope lies in Jesus, and I am convinced that He could revive us to be just like Him. Are you prepared to give Jesus a chance to prove Himself? Our world will be so much better off, and so will we!
PRAYER:
Thank You for Your Word Lord Jesus, and thank You for Your direction in this Scripture on how we could help in making this a better world, through giving You full reign in our lives. Please forgive us for the times that we have messed up and done things in our own strength and in our own way. Your ways are perfect, because You have such a committed and perfect love for mankind. For those of us that know You personally, I pray that it would be very evident to those around us that we are resting our hope in You and allowing You to rule and reign in everything we do or say. Have Your perfect way in our lives oh Lord, and may You touch the lives of those that we will witness to today, so that Your will might be revealed in them also. You are our only hope oh Lord! We acknowledge that today and seek Your guidance so that we might also spread that hope to this lost world. 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!

A Warning Sign

On 2017-06-21 By Ed AlgreenIn Accept Jesus NOW, Acceptance, Rejection, Road signs, signs, Warning, Warning SignsLeave a comment

Post Date:	Wednesday, 2017-06-21
SCRIPTURE
From:	Luke 2:33-35 (CEV)
Text:	³³Jesus’ parents were surprised at what Simeon had said. ³⁴Then he blessed them and told Mary, “This child of yours will cause many people in Israel to fall and others to stand. The child will be like a warning sign. Many people will reject him, ³⁵and you, Mary, will suffer as though you had been stabbed by a dagger. But all this will show what people are really thinking.”
OBSERVATION:
Mary and Joseph had been forewarned that the child born of Mary would be the Son of God, but they were still astonished by what Simeon shared with them. The awe of a newborn baby sometimes put the parents into a dreamsicle world, where all they could think of is the awesome child this will turn out to be, and the pride that will fill the hearts of the parents! But to hear so early in the process that Jesus could lead to the fall of many, hurt like a dagger through the heart of Mary. This was all very shocking to both Mary and Joseph. We will examine how this is still very real in our world today.
APPLICATION:
Simeon said that the presence and ministry of Jesus would be as a ‘warning sign’ to the people. Think about warning signs that we see today and how we react to them. Take for instance the school zone warning signs: some are very respectable of those signs and they slow right down to the designated speed limit while watching diligently for children trying to get to school, that may themselves walk dangerously across the street in their rush to be on time. Other drivers are on a mission to catch up for lost time at home, while still trying to get to work on time. However while rejecting the posted warnings, flashing lights and reduced speed limits, they may be brought to their senses and corrected for their actions by a cop monitoring the area. Unfortunately there are members of our family, our team mates at work and our circle of friends and possibly even at our churches, that make every effort to ignore the warning signs and Biblical teachings of Jesus’ return. This hurts those of us that care, because we know the outcome on the day that they meet Jesus face-to-face. For it saddens us to think that because they never knew Him here on earth, He will disown them when they arise from the dead, and then point them to their home of eternal damnation – Hell. This hurts a mother’s heart, a friend’s heart and all those who knows someone who refuses to listen and honor the sacrifice made for their eternal hope and salvation, yet they make a deliberate choice to do life their own way in spite of the consequences. What has been your personal choice to the ‘Warning Signs’ presented by Jesus? A choice to concede to the Master and follow His commands results in a glorious life in Heaven for all eternity with Jesus and His Father – God. Selfish desires, disobedience and rejection of Jesus Christ means that you would prefer to take your punishment and spend your eternity in Hell with Satan and all of his demons. If you have never made either of these choices, then by default you are assigned to the latter, because accepting Jesus is a deliberate, personal act that you must make for yourself. So it’s up to you friend. My wish for all who will read this devotional is that you have surrendered your life to Jesus and that there is assurance that we will meet in Heaven’s portals one day! If not 100% assured of that, please follow the tips in my Footnote. This is way too important to ignore or delay.
PRAYER:
Dear God, thank You for loving us enough that You provided the WAY and the means for us to be assured of our time in heaven with You one day! You also provided Warning Signs for us to know that we need a Savior. Lord, there are many who are still living dangerously through those Warning Signs and taking the risk of consequences, including Hell. Please touch each one reading this devotional, each family member, and each friend or acquaintance, that they would meet with You and clarify their position with You. This is way too important to ignore, friend. May God be glorified today, because You listened to and followed His Warning Signs, 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!

No Room For Jesus

On 2017-06-19 By Ed AlgreenIn Priority, Relationship, TimeLeave a comment

Post Date:	Monday, 2017-06-19
SCRIPTURE
From:	Luke 2:6-7 (NCV)
Text:	⁶While they were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to have the baby, ⁷and she gave birth to her first son. Because there were no rooms left in the inn, she wrapped the baby with pieces of cloth and laid him in a feeding trough.
OBSERVATION:
Very familiar verses that we hear a lot during the Christmas season. Notice that similar words were echoed throughout the physical reign of Jesus Christ, that there was no room, or time for Jesus. Although the people begged His power as desired, yet He was rejected and mocked at almost every venue throughout His ministry. His closest partners in ministry denied Him when placed under pressure, and He was arrested and crucified because of the good He did for others. Surely all of this must have changed after He arose victoriously, like He said He would. Let’s examine this prospect….
APPLICATION:
It is so easy to look down our pious noses and criticize the Jews for what they did to Jesus, because He didn’t fit their mold of what their king should look and act like. It is so easy for Christians to look down their pious noses at unbelievers and strongly criticize them for rejecting our Savior and Lord. But I would like for us to stop and consider both groups in this devotional: Unbelievers – We often hear excuses like: I would like to have all of my earthly fun before surrendering my life to Jesus, or in other words: before I could find room or time for Jesus; I see so many cases where those ‘Christians’ have just as many struggles as I have, plus most of them are hypocrites anyway; I have way too much to do with my time than all this church stuff; The church can’t relate to us younger folk, because there are so many traditional, old-heads running the church; etc, etc. It all boils down to you not wanting to find time or availability for Jesus, and you are not willing to make it a priority; Christians – Unfortunately, we hear many of the same excuses as listed above, because there is a ‘human’ aspect living inside both groups. However, it is sad to ask a Christian for their testimony and they can’t share the point in time that they truly accepted Jesus. We hear a lot about how they’ve attended church all of their life, so they know Jesus, or they hung around ‘good’ people and that ‘goodness’ rubbed off on them and they therefore now know Jesus. Compare this to your marriage and see if you can get away with telling a friend something similar in the presence of your spouse! Consider what you are saying to Jesus when you can’t find time, or you can’t be bothered to spend time each day communing with Him. Try this friend, each evening before bed try saying a simple prayer of truth along these lines to your Savior: Thank you for dying for me Lord Jesus. I apologize that I didn’t make it a priority in my day to even say thank You, or welcome You to guide my day. You see, it’s not a matter of ‘time’, it’s a matter of ‘priority’. It’s the same as saying something similar to what the innkeeper said to Joseph and Mary, so sorry but there is no room here for Jesus. Jesus sacrificed His very life for you friend. What’s the minimum that you are planning to do for Him today? Do you have room for Him in your time, your life, your work, or your marriage? I believe He is waiting to bless you, if you can make time and room for Him today!
PRAYER:
Thank You Lord Jesus for the awesome sacrifice You made, so that those of us that could make room for You in our lives, could one day worship You endlessly in the glories of heaven. Please forgive us Lord for the times that we ‘shut the door’ on You because we have no room for You at the time. Please open our eyes and our understanding to allow You full reign in our lives, for we need You every hour of every day dear Lord. Please help us to always make room for You, so that others may see Jesus and believe. 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!

Are You Paying Attention?

On 2017-06-102017-06-10 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:	³²The 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. ³³The 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!

‘Mountains’ That Seem Impassable

On 2017-06-09 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Power of Prayer, PrayerLeave a comment

Post Date:	Friday, 2017-06-09
SCRIPTURE
From:	Numbers 21:33-35 (GW)
Text:	³³Then they turned and followed the road that goes to Bashan. King Og of Bashan and all his troops came out to fight the Israelites at Edrei. ³⁴The Lord said to Moses, “Don’t be afraid of him. I’ll hand him, all his troops, and his land over to you. Do to him what you did to King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon.” ³⁵The Israelites defeated him, his sons, and all his troops, leaving no survivors. And they took possession of his land.
OBSERVATION:
God delivered His people, the Israelites, from the hands of the Egyptians. He led them by day and by night through the wilderness and taught them many lessons, including how they should conquer fear; obstacles; times of need and desperation; and situations that would remind them of huge ‘mountains’ that may seem impassable in their eyes.
APPLICATION:
I’m sure you’ve heard the slogan ‘If God takes you to it, He will see you through it’. Real neat thought to hear from your preacher when you’re sitting in a ‘cushy’ church and everything is great at the time, right? But what happens when disaster hits; or huge medical decisions become necessary; or you encounter battle after battle each day? In fact, you begin to feel like each day you awake, you are faced with ‘mountains’ at every turn. Can you imagine what Moses must have felt when he saw the many ‘mountains’ each day that faced the thousands and thousands of people that were looking up to him for leadership, protection and direction? Let me suggest to you that your hope and your security in Jesus Christ begins with a personal relationship with Him. Not because you attend church with your parents, or even attend church now with your own family. A personal relationship begins with a heartfelt decision to accept Jesus not only as you would another friend, but to give Jesus full leadership and control in your life. Notice how Moses sought out God about the battle he and his group were facing at Edrei? We all know that in any battle, we need to strategize and get out there and fight. However, when God is your King and your Lord, you are to always seek His will. For when ‘mountains’ stand in our way, we should always remember that God created the ‘mountains’, so if He wants to remove them, or make a way through them for us, He can simply speak the word. I gave several examples of ‘mountains’ you may be facing today, may I encourage those of you that have a personal relationship with Jesus to seek His face and worship Him, for He is still God. Thank Him for the blessings and the challenges He has helped you through. Then seek His reassurance and/or direction for all you are facing, or will face in the days ahead. Allow Him to love on you and comfort you through every facet of your life, including all the ‘mountains’; miracles; opportunities; disappointments; and encouraging times. ‘He’s got this’ friend, we just need the faith, humility and confidence to let Him. Can you commit to that today?
PRAYER:
So many times in life we may stop and question ‘Why me Lord’. However Lord, as we are reminded of Your power shown to Moses and the Israelites, we recognize that had it not been for the challenges, they may not have sought You out at all. Had it not been for the miracles, they would not have known about Your awesome power. Please teach us to always praise You, and accept Your response to our prayer request when you say ‘no’, realizing that it is not the same as not answering our prayer at all. We petition You because we know the answer could be ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Lord, we pray that we may be an extension of You to a lost world. This will include giving Your ‘no’ answer even at those times that we may personally wish it was ‘yes’. Please grant us more faith to be more like You; act more like You; and obediently follow Your Word and Your perfect will for us, and those we lead or influence. 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!

Of Highest Importance

On 2017-05-252017-05-25 By Ed AlgreenIn Love, Love God, Love others, Love your NeighborLeave a comment

Post Date:	Thursday, 2017-05-25
SCRIPTURE
From:	Mark 12:28-31 (ERV)
Text:	“Which of the commands is the most important?”²⁹Jesus answered, “The most important command is this: ‘People of Israel, listen! The Lord our God is the only Lord. ³⁰Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ ³¹The second most important command is this: ‘Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.’ These two commands are the most important.”
OBSERVATION:
A teacher of the law wanted to ‘cut to the chase’ and get the short answer by asking Jesus to tell them the most important commandments. Although I’m sure that Jesus could very easily have said that they all were important, knowing their hearts and the struggles that they dealt with each day, Jesus shared the two that, if closely followed, all other commandments would fall into place for them.
APPLICATION:
Like the teacher of law who approached Jesus, we often do this in conversation, especially when someone is known to be long-winded, for we would ask them to give us the short answer, or the 30,000′ high-level answer. Because we are so like the Sadducees, Jesus immediately knew that if they, or we, would commit ourselves to honoring God, and loving Him with all of our being, then our priorities would be in order, for there is no other God but He. Furthermore, our God is a jealous God, for He formed us in His likeness and desires our praise, worship and adoration. It’s not easy for us to apply this if our eyes are on other gods, or if we attend a worship service and our hearts are elsewhere. In the case of the second commandment, let’s not think for a moment that we could love our God and not love and honor His children – our neighbors. Friends, when we have these two things aligned in our lives, can’t you see where it would be especially challenging to commit sin against our God and our neighbors? In other words, we will easily honor the other commandments if we are truly committed to dealing with these two. So based on this Scripture, I believe that God wants us to evaluate our relationship with Him, and with our neighbors. What might He say about that if you stood before Him today?
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, may it be evident to You and to the world that we love and adore You and that we honor you with our worship at every opportunity. May our relationship with our neighbor be one that is filled with love, just as You first loved us, and may we encourage each other towards love and good works. Lord, as this becomes evident to others, may You receive honor, glory and acceptance by those in our circle of family, friends and coworkers. 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!

Strive For Peace

On 2017-05-20 By Ed AlgreenIn Live in peace, PeaceLeave a comment

Post Date:	Saturday, 2017-05-20
SCRIPTURE
From:	Psalm 34:13-16 (GNT)
Text:	¹³Then keep from speaking evil and from telling lies. ¹⁴Turn away from evil and do good; strive for peace with all your heart. ¹⁵The Lord watches over the righteous and listens to their cries; ¹⁶but he opposes those who do evil, so that when they die, they are soon forgotten.
OBSERVATION:
No doubt the people of David’s day were no different to us, for he pleaded with them, as he does for us, to look for ways to live in peace. In fact, David tells us that our God is a God of love and He therefore blesses those who love one another, and who creates an atmosphere of love. David assures us that God is so opposed to those who don’t follow His plan to love and live peaceably together, that He does nothing to bless them here on earth, and that He ensures that they are soon forgotten when they die.
APPLICATION:
I’m sure that as you read these verses, there are some folk who come to your mind. In fact you may even be reminded of how it feels in your own home, or church, or workplace when there is unrest. Countries go to war over unrest and many are often killed as a result of the battles that ensue. Homes are destroyed, bringing ill fate to couples and this often results in troubled children. Families are separated, with years of unhappiness and many situations of losing touch with each other. Friends, unless we live in peace with one another, we tend to create unrest instead of peace and love. Please let’s learn to hold our tongue and look for ways to promote peace. When we do this under the guidance and help of our Lord, and live in a manner that imitates His life here on earth, we are bound to create peace instead of strife. Verse 14 is God’s words to us, telling us to strive for, and make every effort to, ignore what the world or the devil tells us to do, and promote peace, in as much as we are concerned. Please notice that nothing is said about conditions for us to act this way. In other words, the Bible teaches just the opposite, for we are taught to love and live peaceably in every way that we can, and that means that we do this when folk are loving and kind back to us, or even if they continue to act like Satan himself. That’s why we need the overflowing love, and power of Christ inside of us, for only through His awesome grace and power can we strive for peace with folk who are bound and determined to destroy us or break down our good intentions. So friends, it’s up to us. With God’s help we can do this!
PRAYER:
Lord, it is very evident that what the world needs most is to have more folk living exactly as described through Your servant David. Please humble and enable us to be more like You every day, and give us the strength and grace to do this in spite of the attitude or intent of the other party. Lord, please unite our families, our churches, our towns and our country, so that we may one day look more like, and act like You in every way. Most will know that You are King when they see us allowing You to rule and reign through our lives. Please grant us the will to live in peace and love with one another. 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!

That’s Our God!

On 2017-05-112017-05-11 By Ed AlgreenIn Awesome God, Love, The Father's Love, The love of GodLeave a comment

Post Date:	Thursday, 2017-05-11
SCRIPTURE
From:	Psalm 33:6-9 (NLT)
Text:	⁶The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. ⁷He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs. ⁸Let the whole world fear the Lord, and let everyone stand in awe of him. ⁹For when he spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command.
OBSERVATION:
This is one of those times that David just stopped and reflected on the awesome power of God. Did David have challenges in life like you and I? Of course he did. Did David have reason to be down because of life’s trials and problems? Of course he did. But in spite of it all David realized that there was an awesome God that created life and everything around him, and it was that same God that loved him unconditionally!
APPLICATION:
Like David, don’t you suppose that we have every reason to complain; be upset; feel distraught; feel like giving up; or even feel like we may not make it through another day? However friends, I want you to look closely at some of the reasons for which David found hope, and how he found cause to worship and praise his God. I believe that you will easily find many other personal reasons to add to David’s list, that might give you cause to lift up the name of Jesus, in spite of all that you face each day. Friends, we serve an awesome God. One who is worthy of our praise and honor. I believe that when we make time to concentrate on Him and give Him the praise He deserves, then we will notice a slow fade on the emphasis we once placed on our issues that we thought were so overbearing. There is no god like our God, friend. Know Him today and know peace, love, joy, and true happiness that comes from our Father above. There is no greater peace than knowing that the Creator of this universe is in charge of all it’s everyday affairs and so loves us that He is constantly looking out for our good. That’s my God, friend! Do you know Him? Trust Him today, won’t you?
PRAYER:
Lord, how we praise You today for who You are, and for all that You do for us. Nothing good have I done, to deserve God’s own Son, yet because of His awesome love, God sent His Son, (Jesus) so that everyone of us that believes on Him, might receive everlasting life. It’s the greatest gift of love ever given to mankind. Praise God that I am a child of the King. Thank You Jesus! Lord, please also soften the hardened hearts of my family, friends and every subscriber and reader of this blog, so that they might surrender their lives to you. Lord, we want to see Jesus! What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see! Hopefully I will also see all of these I am praying for 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!

Answers to Life’s Dilemmas

On 2017-05-092017-05-09 By Ed AlgreenIn Acknowledge God, Eternal Life, Heaven, Know and Believe, Know Jesus, Salvation, SecurityLeave a comment

Post Date:	Tuesday, 2017-05-09
SCRIPTURE
From:	Psalm 32:6-8 (TLB)
Text:	⁶Now I say that each believer should confess his sins to God when he is aware of them, while there is time to be forgiven. Judgment will not touch him if he does. ⁷You are my hiding place from every storm of life; you even keep me from getting into trouble! You surround me with songs of victory. ⁸I will instruct you (says the Lord) and guide you along the best pathway for your life; I will advise you and watch your progress.
OBSERVATION:
Clicking on the Scripture reference above will give you all of the verses in chapter 6. You will see that before David went into telling his readers what they should do, he shared his own personal experience. David knew from first hand experience that a life fully surrendered to God is one that rests peacefully in the arms of Jesus, blessed by, and enjoying His love and protection both here in this life and in the next.
APPLICATION:
The words of many preachers ring in our ears, “if ever we needed a Savior like the one described by David, it is now”. I believe we hear those words and quickly brush them off our shoulders convinced that they are meant for the person behind us or besides us, because of all the issues they currently have. However, I have also heard saints of God rejoice in the fact that they are ever so thankful that they had a loving and caring God by their side as they went through various aspects of life that might otherwise have taken some people under. Friends, because of my relationship with my Savior, I can safely say that it is well with my soul. My sins have been forgiven, and I am not only a child of the King of all kings, but He has given to me His very own Protector and Guide, through the Holy Spirit that has taken up residence within me. I am destined for a perfect place with a perfect God, and regardless of anything that might come my way here on this earth, nothing can change my eternal destination nor my Master and Lord. With that kind of peace and eternal security, I am constantly concerned for those in my family and circle of friends who have decided to do this life on their own. I can therefore identify with David in verse 6. For I too am concerned about all that are outside of the fold, without hope, without security and without relationship with the Savior of the world. Friends, know God and be convinced about who’s in charge of your life today and throughout eternity. Without God, your suffering and complexities of life are only beginning, for there is no mercy, no love and nothing to look forward to under Satan’s control.
PRAYER:
Thank You Father for making provisions for us to find peace in this world through Your Son Jesus. Thank You also for the bright hope that we have in tomorrow when we have a personal relationship with Your Son. Please touch the hardened hearts of family and friends who have yet to accept You as their Savior and Lord. Please don’t give up on them for, like David, it is my desire to see them overcome the tug of Satan on their lives and to see them give total control to You. Lord, please find ways to once again speak to them today. May this be the day of salvation for all in need of You, who will read this and need the hope of eternity. May they find peace in knowing You, 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!