Tag: Christian

A believer in Jesus Christ!

On Being ‘Religious’

On By Ed AlgreenIn Religious, SalvationLeave a comment

Thursday, 2016-06-30

Scripture

Bible Reference: Acts 17:22–23

Bible Text:  22 So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, 23 for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

If you walked into a young man’s bedroom, and he had the walls plastered with large posters of young ladies, some dressed and some barely clothed in a swim suit, might you conclude that the young man is a true ladies’ man, or that he is a good, loyal, faithful husband? How about if this was a young man from your Sunday School class, would you be more, or less convinced that he is a religious person? If you met a store clerk who wore a cross on her chain and appeared to have a great attitude, might you conclude that she was a very religious young lady? How about when you walk into a church on the weekend and see hundreds of attendees, surely they are religious, right? Friends, Paul had to address this misconception of being ‘religious’ and how it may trick someone into believing that they are a born-again Christian because they feel like they are ‘religious’. I believe that the Holy Spirit prompted me to remind this audience that there is only one way by which you are saved, and the only way into heaven is when God is convinced that you are saved. The one way that you are saved is by getting before the Lord Jesus Christ, asking for His forgiveness of your sin, and inviting Him to take charge of your life – total surrender on your part. This is totally scriptural and can be supported by scripture, so it is gospel truth. I believe you will conclude none of what I have described to you fits the image that you may have around being ‘religious’. However, one will assure you of your eternal destination with the Master of the Universe, and the other (being religious) will do nothing more than confuse you and your friends about what you truly believe and whether you have given any forethought into your life after the struggles and challenges of this earth. Please don’t get me wrong friends. I am not saved to prove anything to my friends who truly love me, but because I am saved they can tell from the life I live and the hope that is evident in my character, that I have a hope, I have a future, and it is in heaven with my precious Lord and Savior. Would you please put your mind at ease, and the concern of your friends and family, by seeking out Jesus today? Enough with being religious, try to button up this critical decision by surrendering your life to the Master – today!

Prayer

Father God, You are so awesome that You not only created us and gave us a very successful life to enjoy here on earth, but You went a step further by providing the means for us to be assured today about our future with You. Although not automatic, yet You knew that it was not something that we could attain on our own, so You provided Your Son as a living sacrifice for our sin. So that through Him, we might become sons and daughters of the most high! Thank You for loving me with such passion and grace! Thank You for assuring me that it’s OK to share this message with friends who can make the same decision as I did, and they too might be assured of their salvation. Lord, may this be the day of decision for all who reads this devotional. AMEN!

Footnote

If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Prove it!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Follower of Christ, Proof-positive, ProvenLeave a comment

Tuesday, 2016-06-28

Scripture

Bible Reference: 1 Thessalonians 2:12

Bible Text:   12 you should live in a way that proves you belong to the God who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

Bible Translation: God’s Word Translation (GW)

My Take

There is a six-year old in my life that will often say “prove it” whenever we respond to a question differently than he expects! In this short verse Paul is not only reminding the church at Thessalonica to not forget all that he and his missionary friends taught them, but he encouraged them to live their lives as evidence that they accepted his teachings with confidence, and in full obedience to what the Word of God instructed. This is very applicable to us today friends, for we attend church, perhaps Sunday School and perhaps even a Bible study or two each week. Should there be any possible reason why we would live our lives contrary to all that we are being taught? Furthermore, when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are not just doing that in expectation of a free ticket into heaven, but we are essentially committing to a life that will duplicate all that Jesus lived, and all that He taught us through His Word. Think about it: Jesus lived the same way, for He said that He only spoke the words given to Him by His Father and He only did those things instructed by His Father. If we are committed to being Jesus’ followers, shouldn’t we be doing the same thing? The world will look at us for proof that we are who we say we are. Will they be convinced about you today?

Prayer

Dear God, it may seem unwarranted, but it seems like this world needs proof for everything before they are convinced that things are as we say. I believe that it is all the more important that Your children not only speak of You based on stories from the greatest book ever written, but if Christians truly believe in You, then we will live out what we believe in. If Your love is in us, then our lives will exude Your love in every action. If Your words fill our hearts, then our words will be filled with Your grace and Your love. Paul told the church to prove their faith to everyone they came into contact with, by the way they lived, loved and spoke. Lord, may our words and our actions prove to the world today that Jesus rules and reigns in and through us, so that they may have a desire to know You personally. AMEN!

Footnote

If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Who is Unworthy of Eternal Life?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Eternal Life, Salvation, WorthyLeave a comment

Saturday, 2016-06-26

Scripture

Bible Reference: Acts 13:46

Bible Text: Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, “It was necessary that we first preach the word of God to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles.

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

I’Ve been in situations before where a parent or another adult may have said “well you don’t deserve that anyway”! Perhaps out of anger that I failed an exam, or didn’t listen to a lecture as closely as they thought I should have. But the words chosen by Paul and Barnabas were especially interesting in this particular verse. Paul and his partner had been preaching their hearts out to the Jews gathered, and while some may have listened, it was obvious that most were satisfied with the same message they had been taught all along, and had no interest in hearing about this new ‘miracle worker’ (Jesus) who had just entered their scene of life. Paul and Barnabas therefore told the Jews that unfortunately they had just considered themselves unworthy of this prize (the Messiah, the Christ, the Savior of the world), and they would therefore go on to preach the Good News to the Gentiles, who were thought unworthy by the Jews for anything worthwhile. I wonder how many of our friends have entered our church doors, listened to the message of the cross and left thinking that they are so unworthy of this awesome gift of love that God sent to earth for us? I wonder how many reading this devotional sometime feel like the message of the cross is for those who are good; those from good families; those who have attended church all their lives; but unbelievable that it would also cover the sins of such a worm as I. Friends, let me be quick to remind you that God has no favorites, other than the children that He created – and that includes us all. He died so that everyone (whosoever will) may ask for forgiveness of sin and accept the prize available to us through the Lord Jesus Christ. ‘All’ means that no one is excluded! ‘All’ means even you and I, friend!

Prayer

Father, thank You for not only creating my friends and I in Your image, but for also sending Your Son so that we might have the means of enterring Your kingdom to personally be with You throughout eternity. Please touch the hearts of Your people today with the assurance that You made this sacrifice so that we all may know, believe, and be assured of our eternal salvation. This, being the weekend, many may hear the gospel message again. May this loving message resonate throughout all of our churches so that Your people may hear and know that they are loved and accepted by their Creator, and therefore surrender their lives to His precious Son, Jesus. We love You Lord! AMEN!

Footnote

If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Correlating Prayer with Answers

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, PrayerLeave a comment
Thursday, 2016-06-23

Scripture

Bible Reference: Acts 12:5; 14-15

Bible Text:   5 But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him

14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, “Peter is standing at the door!” 15 “You’re out of your mind!” they said. When she insisted, they decided, “It must be his angel.”

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

In verse 5 of this chapter of Acts we are told that the believers were diligent in prayer for their Brother (Peter), who was in prison. Now, after hearing about the death of James, one can only imagine how urgent, deep, and sincere this time of prayer must have been by these fellow believers. We’ve been there and done that, right? There have been very serious times of prayer for very urgent matters that we may have been willing to set aside meal times, or other obligations, so that we could get together in deep, sincere prayer. Most of us may never have prayed for the safety and/or life protection for a friend because of other friends being murdered for the sake of the gospel, but no doubt we have had urgency of prayer because of circumstances that we knew were way beyond our control. So now let’s move beyond some supernatural events that took place inside of the prison where Paul was incarcerated, and look at an interruption that came to the group praying. There was an annoying knock on the door. Can you imagine that someone would have the audacity to actually go and knock on the door of a group praying? Can you imagine the aggravation of the group praying, when the servant girl returned to tell them that Peter (the one they were praying for) was at the door? If she was losing her mind, why would she lose it with this bunch of ‘serious’ prayer warriors?!! So I wonder what this group was really hoping for from God? That He would feel sorry for them in their anguish? That He would comfort them by saying that He would look into their request? I wonder what’s on our mind when we pray? Is it just words that might help our hearts feel better that we have asked, and we could rest knowing that our obligation is over? Do we ever pray with one eye opened so that we could watch for the answer to our prayer request? It really could be that fast, right? Might I dare remind you that if we ask the God of creation, the God of this universe, the Healer of all things, for anything that matches His perfect will, then we must be prepared for instant answers – if He so chooses? Can we learn to pray with that sort of urgency and expectancy?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, You taught us to pray. You gave us an avenue where we can share our concerns with You and place our petitions before You. Thank You for reminding us through Your Word that we are not just leaving a note at the foot of the cross, but actually having an open dialogue with the Creator – the Master and Lord of this universe, and that You are not like us, where You need time to think about it, or check with Your mentors, but that You may very easily begin the process before the words ever even leave our lips. Please help us to be a people of faith – true faith, where we are always thankful, but never surprised with Your response to our prayers. Lord, we stand amazed in Your presence because of who You are, not because of what You have done, or might do for us. Thank You for hearing our prayers – our concerns and our desires. May we always be prepared to praise You as we see Your hand at work in marvelous and wonderful ways. AMEN!

Footnote

If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

 

The Gospel is for Everyone

On By Ed AlgreenIn Eternal Life, SalvationLeave a comment

Wednesday, 2016-06-22

Scripture

Bible Reference: Acts 10:42–46

Bible Text:   42 God told us to announce clearly to the people that Jesus is the one he has chosen to judge the living and the dead. 43 Every one of the prophets has said that all who have faith in Jesus will have their sins forgiven in his name.

44 While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit took control of everyone who was listening. 45 Some Jewish followers of the Lord had come with Peter, and they were surprised that the Holy Spirit had been given to Gentiles. 46 Now they were hearing Gentiles speaking unknown languages and praising God.

Bible Translation: The Contemporary English Version (CEV)

My Take

The Gospel speaks so clearly to us individually that if we’re not careful we may easily forget where God has brought us from, and we may begin losing sight of how the gospel tells of God’s love for everyone – even those who we may tend to feel is so undeserving. A good example of this is included in our scripture today, for Peter saw God reach down and touch even the Gentiles through His Word. Now in the eyes of Peter, and the other Jewish followers traveling with him, this was impossible for them to fathom. Yes, they heard the prophets foretell that ‘everyone’ who placed their faith in Jesus Christ would receive forgiveness of sin and be saved from eternal damnation, but never did they ever imagine that this included even the dejected and undeserving Gentiles, that were often looked down on by the Jews? Friends, I don’t believe that anything has changed about this theory, for I believe that still today we may exclude certain people from the gospel because of certain prejudices that we may have personally inherited, or perhaps developed. There are times that we feel downright intimidated by some folk – perhaps the less educated may feel inadequate in communicating with the higher educated folk, or they may feel like more educated folk may find it extremely challenging to simply believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved – without a full explanation on how that works. May I remind you, that Jesus asked us to share, not analyze and then develop a story that you feel the person might better identify with. Think about this: what would there be to question about the simplicity of the gospel message? Lots, right? But does it change the fact that God created us all alike, saw the need to provide a Savior for us to overcome the sin and grime that we resorted to on our own? But God loved us enough that He didn’t want to see us live aimlessly without Him and die without hope of ever being with Him in heaven? That’s our story friends, and because of the freedom given to us to live on this earth, our unfortunate destiny will be Hell, if we don’t accept that free gift of eternal life from God. So the accepting, and the change is necessary for us all, and the gift of eternal life is available for us all. Let’s not allow Satan to distract us from sharing that story with all who will listen and believe – without exception. Every nationality, every race, every man, woman and child – we all need Jesus in order to one day be with He and the Father in heaven. If you have already accepted Jesus as Lord of your life, then consider joining me as we love others towards making the same decision in their life. Everyone!

Prayer

Lord Jesus, You provided the way, and I believe that You have not given up on us. Please touch the lives of those who will read this devotional today in search of more happiness, more purpose and a brighter future than what they see possible here on this earth. May we, Your messengers, be filled with Your love today, so that those that we come into contact with, will be impacted with the hope, love and joy that is ours in Christ Jesus. As You are lifted up today, may all men, women and children be drawn to You. For I ask this in the precious name of Jesus, my Savior and Lord, AMEN!

Footnote

If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

 

Live Today With The End In Mind

On By Ed AlgreenIn Exemplary Living, Live in peace, Without SinLeave a comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? You will be encouraged to live in the light of eternity each and every day. We can do this friends! Read on for your ‘Nugget’ from God!

Today’s Bible Reference: 2 Peter 3:10-14
Today’s Bible Text: 10 The day of the Lord is surely coming, as unexpectedly as a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the heavenly bodies will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be burned up. 11 And so since everything around us is going to melt away, what holy, godly lives we should be living! 12 You should look forward to that day and hurry it along—the day when God will set the heavens on fire, and the heavenly bodies will melt and disappear in flames. 13 But we are looking forward to God’s promise of new heavens and a new earth afterwards, where there will be only goodness.14 Dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen and for him to come, try hard to live without sinning; and be at peace with everyone so that he will be pleased with you when he returns.
The Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

My Take Away: Without sounding too morbid today, I just want to say how interesting it is how loved ones react to the passing of their relatives. I have seen cases where close relatives want to be near to their loved ones during this time, while others rather remember them as they were. Some relatives cry and react boisterously while others mourn silently and barely shed a tear. I believe a lot that affects the reaction of loved ones is based on the relationship that the mourner and the deceased had while both were alive. There will come a time when all life here on earth will end, and Peter  wants us to catch a glimpse of what to expect at that time. For those with a purpose – a plan to be with the Master of this universe throughout eternity, we are advised to live without sinning and be at peace with everyone, while we wait for God to put His plan into motion, so that He will be pleased with us when He returns to take us home to heaven with Him. Friends, I sincerely believe that if we know Jesus as Lord, we will have a very strong desire to do just this. I believe that our daily lives will be examples of what we learn about Jesus in His Word. I believe that we will live in anticipation of the day that He returns to gather His church together for the most exciting last trip of our lives! I believe our Master will return soon, because He has given us certain landmarks, or indicators that will signal His return. May I encourage you today to live without sinning (opposing God’s commands) and be at peace with everyone today? This will be a strong indication of your faith in the Word of God, for our study verses today indicate that this will be an indicator of whose you are and the goal you are striving to achieve. Be faithful and true to the Master, friend!

Prayer: Dear God, thank You for a place called Heaven, that You have prepared just for us! Thank You also for providing a way for us get to our eternal home with You. In our study today You have reminded us that we have certain responsibilities to fulfill while we wait to be with You. Please bless us with Your presence today Lord, so that we might live in the light of our eternal destination in the presence and care of our Lord and Savior. Father, please speak again to my family and friends who do not know You as Savior. May they make the most important decision in life, this day, please? We depend on You daily to teach us Your ways so that we may live according to Your will and in full reflection of all that You did while here on earth. I ask these things in the name of Jesus, and fro His glory, AMEN!

Footnote: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

2016

Remember, Remember…

On By Ed AlgreenIn Deliverer, Protector, RememberLeave a comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider feeding even us with His Word! May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………

Today’s Bible Reference: Nehemiah 4:12-14
Today’s Bible Text: Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.” Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
The Bible Translation: New International Version (NIV)

My Take Away: I believe that almost every day Satan sends his deceivers and destroyers our way. For the Christian, this comes because we are being a threat to his success. But friends, Satan is no ‘push-over’, which means that we had best start our day armed with the truth of God’s Word. We must take each and every step in the confidence of knowing that God is by our side, holding our hand, guiding us along right paths, and lifting us up when He sees the booby-traps that we are about to succumb to. So how do we get that reassurance, or confidence? May I remind you that each and every day you head out to work, that it behooves you to praise the Almighty because unlike your friend, or your relative, you have a job to go to, and that God is deserving of your thanksgiving and praise! Are you taking a lunch package with you? Consider your blessings when you glance over at the hungry, homeless man sleeping on that last bridge you passed under. Are you able to see the wonders of the skies and all that our Creator placed there for our enjoyment, our directional finders (the stars)? Did you praise Him for looking out for you? Did you read from His Word this morning? I was reminded how a great man of God, Nehemiah, was able to rest, knowing that should the army come at him and his people, he would be confident that God would fight the battle for him (vs. 20). Friends, we serve that same God that Nehemiah did! Will you keep that in mind, will you remember that He can also fight your battles of loneliness, depression, major medical problems, rejection or anything else that may pose a threat to you today? While Satan is a major threat for us, he can be trampled underfoot by God! Our God is an awesome God! Remember that, won’t you friend? Know Him and know peace in your life!

Prayer: Glory and honor and praise to my awesome God! Thank You for accepting me as Your very own Son dear Lord! It must be because of Your great love, because I can’t imagine anything that I could possibly have done to deserve royalty. Lord, I pray that You would touch the lives of others reading this devotional today and who are crying out to You for salvation, or for reassurance in hopes that It will see them through the battles or enemies they are facing. Lord that we may have the confidence of Nehemiah concerning You heading up our defense against Satan and his demons – this is my humble prayer that I plead before You today, and I ask this in the name of Jesus my awesome and powerful Redeemer, AMEN!

Footnote: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

2016

Real Love

On By Ed AlgreenIn Love, Reflect JesusLeave a comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider feeding even us with His Word! May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………

Today’s Bible Reference: 1 John 4:10–12
Today’s Bible Text: This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: What if a person who is prone to depression, stopped and convinced themselves that no matter what may come, or no matter how bad they may feel about life’s circumstance, yet because they have Christian friends, they KNOW that someone loves them without requiring anything in return? Do you feel like that will make a difference in that person’s life and in their decisions? But wait a minute you might say, these folk know nothing at all about the Christian living next door, so how will this help them? Brothers and Sisters, I would ask that you read the verses again, and look for the explanation of ‘Real Love’. A ‘Christian’ means that we have accepted Jesus as Lord of our life, and that we are daily moving towards living our lives like Jesus lived – in word and in deed. In these verses today we are told that God loves us regardless of whether we love Him or not. We are told that God demonstrated His awesome love, by sacrificing His one and only Son to take away our sins. And He did this even though we didn’t love Him. Friends that is ‘Real Love’! So how can we demonstrate that kind of love? Let’s assume our responsibility of being a Christ-follower by loving not just those that demonstrate love towards us, but let us also love those who are unlovable. This may mean us going outside of our comfort zone to love those who are rejected by society, or those who pretend to be above society or even those who feel like a nobody. In John 3:16, we are told that God loves the world, and has offered His Son Jesus as a sacrifice for any and all that believes on Him. So as we live to be like Jesus, our obligation to love like Him extends to all that we come into contact with! If we surveyed a cross-section of the folk that you came into contact with yesterday on whether they saw Jesus during any part of their day, will they automatically reflect on your interaction with them? The kind of love I am referring to comes from God alone. Let us therefore fill ourselves with Him so that He may flow through our words and our actions everyday that He allows us to remain here on earth! Some may come to know Jesus because of what they see in us. Oh that they may see and witness Jesus!

Prayer: Father God, many are hurting today and many are even hospitalized or even die because of depression, and this often happens because they have not felt loved by anyone, yet they have rubbed shoulders with Your children. How can this be? I believe that we fail miserably in following Your example to love like You did. Please wipe away every obstruction that prevents me from loving another person. Please open my eyes to the hurting and the unloved, then show me the way to express Your kind of love to them. May others see You today, because of their contact with me. Please touch the hearts and lives of those who will read this devotional today. Use us to spread the joy of the gospel and the love of our Master. For I ask these things in the loving, precious and awesome name of Jesus, my Savior and Lord, AMEN!

Footnote: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

2016

Trusted and Proven Source of Help

On By Ed AlgreenIn Help, Surrender, TrustLeave a comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider feeding even us with His Word! Read on and be blessed friend!………

The Bible Text: Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.
The Bible Reference: Psalm 55-22
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: Generally when one hears words such as relayed to us in verse 22 of Psalm 55, they tend to brush it off thinking that it’s the same old religious lingo that they heard their forefathers talk about, but the idea is so out of touch with the issues they are dealing with in this 21st century. Friends, let me take you back to the beginning of this very chapter when David was pleading before God for help. In fact, it sounded pretty desperate to me. However some 21 verses later and David is bragging about proven results, for He is now telling us the awesome news of what we might expect when we place our burdens at the feet of Jesus, like he did in verse one. I believe that almost any child of God can identify with David, for there are times that we have felt, what appears to be, the weight of this world on our shoulders, yet when we take those concerns before our Lord, and surrender our weaknesses before Him, we quickly see where He intervenes and lightens that load for us. Notice I didn’t say that God removes the load. He never said that we would be free from concerns, He just assures us each and every day that no matter what the concern may be, we are to be comforted in knowing that we know who holds tomorrow, and we know who holds our hand. So for my friends reading this who have not accepted Jesus as Lord of your life, may I give you the good and the bad news? Verse 23 goes on to tell us that God is honoring your choice to run your own life without His help. The good news is that His ear is always attuned to your cry for salvation, so may I encourage you to first recognize that the missing factor is a personal relationship with the Creator of the universe. Just as you won’t walk up to a stranger and ask for something, I would impress upon you to know my Lord and Savior personally before discussing your needs with a stranger. God loves you so much that He allowed His one and only Son, Jesus, to die on a cruel cross at Calvary. This was the sacrifice He made for you friend. Won’t you accepts His gift of salvation today? He cares for You, and He wants to be available to help you through your daily challenges. However, He is a perfect gentleman and will only respond to you, not barge in on the desire of your heart to do life all by yourself. I am thankful that I can identify with the words of the Psalmist and thank God daily for His hand of protection, love and uplifting each and every day! He is available to you also friend!

Prayer: Oh Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all that You have done for me and provide for me each day, I can only shout and praise You for Your awesome goodness. Please touch the hearts and lives of my friends reading this devotional today, so that they also may know and believe in You. Lord may they surrender the vast concerns of this challenging world to You and allow You to be God over ALL things, especially over us individually. Lord, may unbelievers come to know You as Lord today, and may your children be drawn to a closer walk with You, for this is my humble prayer that I ask 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. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

2016

Who Do You Think You’re Fooling?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Sacrifice, WitnessLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – Matthew 12:33-37): 33 A good tree produces only good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. You can tell what a tree is like by the fruit it produces. 34 You are a bunch of evil snakes, so how can you say anything good? Your words show what is in your hearts. 35 Good people bring good things out of their hearts, but evil people bring evil things out of their hearts. 36 I promise you that on the Day of Judgment, everyone will have to account for every careless word they have spoken. 37 On that day they will be told that they are either innocent or guilty because of the things they have said.

THOUGHTS: I am intrigued by the different ways that people act in one environment versus when in a different setting altogether. Think about the church member who acts prim and proper while on church property, yet so different in another setting that their friends hardly recognize them. Farfetched you might say? I witnessed a situation recently where an individual was advertising their faith through the words on a tee shirt, yet acting in way indicative of the world. It embarrassed me, so I can’t imagine what it must have done to God who expects so much more out of us – seeing that we are to imitate His Son. Friends I believe that often we must remind ourselves that at one point in our lives we may have done certain actions or said certain things, but now that we have God’s Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us, and now that we know about what God expects from us through His written Word, we just don’t live like that anymore. Jesus basically told the Pharisees that what’s inside, is bound to be exposed through the things we say and the way we act. Don’t you know that people we come into contact with are bound to be confused when we boldly proclaim our faith in Christ, yet our actions declare the prevalence of Satan leading and directing our path? Friends, living life according to God’s instructions in a world led and controlled by Satan, is almost impossible for us to do on our own. We need Jesus each and every day to guide our path and protect our thoughts and words, if we are going to be like Him. At the beginning of each day, consider asking for God’s guidance, direction and power to help you be more like Him during the day while exposed to so much of Satan. Then at the end of each day, reflect on the day and question yourself as to whether friends may have witnessed enough evidence to find you guilty of being a Christ follower. No one to fool in this evaluation, because God sees and knows all things and He could help you honestly evaluate, and help you rediscover His love and His power to help you live life pleasing to Him. To the unbeliever who would like to partake in this God-directed life, please read the information in my ‘Footnote’ for help in finding Jesus. I would be thrilled to tell you more, so feel free to contact me.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the freedoms that You give us. These often get us in trouble, because we often do our own thing instead of begging You for power, grace and mercy to live in a ‘foreign’ land as saints of Your wonderful kingdom. We can only succeed in our Christian walk by depending heavily on You to guide us, protect us, and strengthen our will to be more inclined to Your ways. We need You each and every day to help us in this daunting task oh Lord. I ask this in the strong and holy name of Jesus, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or read through Biblical truths on How To Know Jesus, 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 www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, 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!