Tag: commitment

God’s Way of Getting Our Attention

On By Ed AlgreenIn Follow Christ, Follow Jesus, Listen to the Word of God, ObedienceLeave a comment

Wednesday, 2016-07-27

Scripture

Bible Reference: Job 36:15–16

Bible Text:  15 Hard times and trouble are God’s way of getting our attention! 16 And at this very moment, God deeply desires to lead you from trouble and to spread your table with your favorite food.

Bible Translation: The Contemporary English Version (CEV)

My Take

My dad had a 30-year old nephew electrocuted while working high up on a power poll one Sunday afternoon. This ultimately influenced my dad into asking Jesus into his heart. An extremely sad time for this young man’s mother, yet God used it to open the eyes of my dad. Praise the Lord! Job was an honorable man who loved the Lord and obeyed His commands, yet God allowed Satan to run him through some extremely trying, tough times. As his friends tried to console him and help him through this rough time in his life, the words of these verses were shared with Job. Friends, what do you suppose it would really take to get our attention sometimes? I believe that because God loves us so much, He is very patient in trying to lead us in the right direction and towards right decisions. However, because we are so stubborn, He often has to resort to some very serious actions at times, just to get us thinking outside of our ‘box’ that we consider ‘right living’. Let me remind you friends that you could never be good enough to get into heaven, or to be like Jesus. That’s just doesn’t work. It is interesting though that once we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and we are obedient to His Word, how we seek to become ‘better’ citizens of earth! In fact, following the teachings of Christ will create in us a clean new heart, where we tend to do things just like Jesus did – loving, kind, respectful, obedient, caring and sacrificial. These things are very opposite to the teachings of the world, that is directed by Satan. When bad things happen, may I encourage you to seek the face of God and ask if He is trying to get your attention on some aspect of your life? Also, please note that the response might be totally opposite to what the world will do, so be careful to follow the right path on this!

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for being persistent to get my attention to my lost condition. You created us to be holy, just like You, yet we have allowed the ruler of this world to tempt us with his many vices and evil deeds, that have caused us to look more like the world. Lord, I have many family and friends that I love dearly, and would love to see the very best for them while allowed to remain here on earth. Please gently get their attention again today so that they may be encouraged to surrender their lives wholeheartedly to You. Please also touch each reader of this blog today, so that Your Holy Spirit may be actively working in their lives to draw them closer to the cross. May we all be better prepared to handle the events of this day, week and year as a result of Your activity in our lives, and may we praise You like never before for all that You accomplish in our circle of influence, 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!

How to Find ‘Real LIFE’

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Biblical Decisions, HeavenLeave a comment

Saturday, 2016-07-23

Scripture

Bible Reference: Ezekiel 20:11,13

Bible Text: 11 There I gave them my decrees and regulations so they could find life by keeping them.

13 ……. They wouldn’t obey my regulations even though obedience would have given them life.

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

No matter if we are talking to friends, listening to advice from our doctor or watching television, there is always tons of advice for us on how to improve our lifestyles, improve our health, enjoy our lives, look as good as the top model, etc. However, as with all other aspects of life, we have access to life’s Instruction Manual (the Bible), and It has answers for all walks of life for us. And I don’t know about you friend, but I would much prefer listening to God, who created us and loves us enough to have sacrificed His very Son for us, than to listen to a product manufacturer compelled to sell their product in order to save their company. So let’s take a peak into what God has placed in His Word for us. He reminded the prophet Ezekiel about His love, and all that He had done, for the Israelites. He also reminded him of how He had given the Israelites very special instructions so that they could preserve the awesome life He had brought them to. It was a simple thing of: here’s my instructions to life, now obey these and you will have all those aspects of ‘life’ that I have promised you. Does this not sound familiar friends? God created the beautiful planet of earth for His children that He would later create. He even took things into consideration that He knew we might find fault with, for there are various places where we can ‘plant our roots’ with just the right temperature that we enjoy! God then gave us life’s Instruction Manual – His Word – The Bible. Follow this, and you will not only find peace, love, joy and happiness while on earth, but you will also have everlasting joy in Heaven with our Father. Of course everyone in their right mind would assume that God’s children would automatically do these things, for ‘life’ could never get any better than promised by God. Unfortunately everyone with a sound mind will quickly recognize that we are still very much like the Israelites that God referred to in verse 13 above. In the greatest love that I can can possibly offer friend, I must warn you that the Israelites who disobeyed God and didn’t follow His decrees, never saw the wonderful gift of the Holy Land. This will be no different for those on earth who choose to disobey the Word of God – we will never see the gift of Heaven promised to all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and obey the wonder gift of God’s special instructions to us – The Bible. Where do you stand on this Brother? Will you receive the prize Sister? Why not settle this today friends? Speak with God about your decision, won’t you?

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You for providing the means for me to have eternal life in heaven with You and the Father one day. Thank You for my friends who are reading this blog today and have not only been rescued from sin, like the Israelites were rescued from Egypt, but I pray that unlike the Israelites, each of us will dig deep into Your Word each day and not just look for Your glorious promises, but also be challenged to live according to Your teachings/decrees. As this occurs, I pray that those that we come into contact with each day will be impacted with the love of Christ that will be evident in everything we say or do. It’s all about You God. May we look and act just like You. I ask these things in greatest humility and love, AMEN!

Footnote

If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to http://www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely 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!

Accountability

On By Ed AlgreenIn AccountabilityLeave a comment

Friday, 2016-07-22

Scripture

Bible Reference: Ezekiel 18:30–32

Bible Text:  30 I will judge each of you for what you’ve done. So stop sinning, or else you will certainly be punished. 31 Give up your evil ways and start thinking pure thoughts. And be faithful to me! Do you really want to be put to death for your sins? 32 I, the LORD God, don’t want to see that happen to anyone. So stop sinning and live!

Bible Translation: The Contemporary English Version (CEV)

My Take

I want to try something a little different today in my blog, as I want to illustrate the various ways that we are held accountability, and the subsequent results, so that together we will get a better understanding why God also holds us accountable:

  • Home:
    • Unless we take our roles seriously, and treat each one appropriately with love, respect, care and understanding, we could very easily lose our spouse or our children or even our parents. We are accountable to each other, or we lose them;
    • For the safety of our homes, we lock doors and windows, and some may even have alarm systems. Unless we take time to do these things, we could attract robbers and wind up with injuries or losing the contents of our home;
  • Work:
    • Unless we follow the rules and expectations of our employer, we could very easily wind up losing our jobs. We are accountable to them for satisfactory work, in return for the right of being paid a salary;
  • Church:
    • Pastors and leaders have a responsibility to God to preach the Word and provide opportunity for their congregation to worship God. Failing to take this responsibility seriously could lead to personal discipline from God, but also result in losing the church because of missed opportunities to meet the needs of members and/or followers;
  • God:
    • In the verses we are looking at this morning, God said that if we continue on sinning, we will be punished, and this may even lead to death;
    • God also said that unless we start thinking pure and upright thoughts, we will sin and it will lead to His strong hand of discipline.

Friends, God is not pulling any punches here. He is very forthcoming in telling us that the consequences for our evil thoughts and our sin will lead to eternal death (Hell with Satan). Jesus provided for us the way of redemption, which is the way to eternal life and the glories of heaven with He and the Father. It just don’t get any better than that! So why not hold yourself accountable to doing the right thing. Accept the love offered by God. Ask Jesus to be your Savior and Lord, and aim to live victoriously in His grace and wondrous love. This can happen today friend! In fact, you are not promised a minute after the very time that you ready this blog, for we are promised only the very moment in which we find ourselves. The next minute could find you standing before the throne being held accountability for your decisions made here on earth. Make it count friend, and do the right thing – now, while you have the opportunity.

Prayer

Father, You’ve given us the rules for this life that could result in where we will spend the next life. Having also given us the will to make our own decisions, You hold us accountable for the choices that we make. Please speak to those who know you already, but that You are holding accountable to live the life prescribed in Your Word. Please also speak to those You have created and made Your Word available to them, but they have rejected it and continue to live in sin. Please encourage each one today with the truth of Your Word, and help us to make appropriate decisions that will draw us closer to You. I ask these things believing with all my heart that You can do all things! 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!

Are You Ready For Your Blessing?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Idols, SacrificeLeave a comment

Monday, 2016-07-18

Scripture

Bible Reference: Ezekiel 11:18–21

Bible Text:  18 ….. I want you to clear the land of all disgusting idols. 19 Then I will take away your stubbornness and make you eager to be completely faithful to me. You will want to obey me 20 and all my laws and teachings. You will be my people, and I will be your God. 21 But those who worship idols will be punished and get what they deserve. I, the LORD God, have spoken.

Bible Translation: The Contemporary English Version (CEV)

My Take

I have a relative who got saved and immediately went home and broke up his music records and tapes, and burnt up all of his cigarettes that he had on hand. He felt like these were ‘idols’ that would tempt him back into sin. In our scripture today, there were many Israelites that were scattered away from their home country and God told Ezekiel that He would bless them after they returned, provided that they first clear the land of the idols. This made me think about what idols may be interfering with our blessing today. I know, we don’t have the huge idols that our people go up to and worship, as if they have power to help them overcome some issue they might be going through. But friends, these chosen verses today really spells out what types of idols may be applicable to us today, for God actually explains to Ezekiel what He will do to actually bring the people more in line with himself. Here are some of the things, with a few ideas from me:

  • Take away stubbornness – Isn’t this brought on by us wanting our own way? Wanting our own will, instead of totally surrendering to the will of a righteous and holy God?
  • Eager to be completely faithful to God – I wonder what all God would need to de-clutter from our lives so that we might be completely faithful to Him? How about things like: televisions; phones; tablets; cars; boats; finances; shopping; etc? Friends, when you stop and think good about it, God (and the things that tend to draw us closer to God) often takes second place to many other things in our lives, some of which I just gave you as an example.

Isn’t it unfortunate that God really only moves into first place on our priority list, when a need arises that we can’t solve via Google, or that our TV shows really haven’t addressed yet? I realize that all of this probably don’t apply to all of my precious readers, but may I ask you anyway to consider the following: First thing each morning, do you reach for your Bible, or some idol (device)? After getting your cup of coffee or tea, do you stop and get energized for the day mentally through the Word of God, or do you depend on what you are fed from your idol (TV; Mobile Device; Newspaper; etc)? In spite of God’s Word declaring that we should assemble ourselves together for worship and fellowship on our Sabbath, which of your idols tend to interfere with that? God said that He would really bless when we get rid of our ‘idols’. May I encourage you to take a missions trip to a third world country where many of these idols are not readily available and see how this might feel? It’s amazing how we easily find uninterrupted quiet time with the Lord! It can be done friends! Are you ready for your blessing?

Prayer

Father, You have blessed us beyond measure and I thank You. It is so unfortunate that we are now idolizing the very things that You have blessed us with, and often to the extent that we are excluding You, or at least distracted from all that You have to share with us. Please open our eyes to all that we have allowed ourselves to become, and instead help us to become more in love with the One who sacrificed His very own Son so that we might have a way into heaven. Lord, be glorified in us today. Help us to place aside our ‘idols’ for very specialized and personalized time with You. I ask this humbly in the Name of Jesus, my Lord and Savior, 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!

What Goodness Is

On By Ed AlgreenIn Fairness, Humility, Kindness, Loyalty, ObedienceLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (Easy-To-Read Version – Micah 6:6-8): 6 What must I bring when I come to meet with the Lord? What must I do when I bow down to God above? Should I come to him with burnt offerings and a year-old calf? 7 Will the Lord be pleased with a thousand rams or with ten thousand rivers of oil? Should I offer him my first child to pay for my wrongs? Should I sacrifice my very own child for my sins? 8 Human, the Lord has told you what goodness is. This is what he wants from you: Be fair to other people. Love kindness and loyalty, and humbly obey your God.

THOUGHTS: One commentary said that verse 8 relays the meaning of ‘spiritual reality’ compared to mere ‘ritual worship’. I believe that helps me to understand what God was saying through Micah here. Weekly we see where thousands of people attend church, but in our experience with them throughout the week, we see unchanged lives – seldom do they exude the love of Jesus in every way through every phase of their lives? Micah chose to expose some of the things that the Israelites brought to the temple, or shared in normal conversation, when describing how they thought they could please God or seek His forgiveness, or just to get right with God. Micah explained that it was not necessary to reinvent what God had already made clear to them. Friends, I believe these words are extremely applicable to us today also, for some of us may feel like our church attendance makes us right with God, or perhaps the offering we give, or perhaps the way we express ourselves over right vs wrong. However, what God relayed through His prophet in verse 8 are some very simple and basic things:

  • Be fair to other people – Try to understand others. Appreciate where they might be coming from in their thoughts and their actions. Never think that you have all the answers to everyone else’s wrongs. Think about them like God thinks of us – we may be unworthy, but He loved us enough to sacrifice His one and only Son so that we may stand a chance at eternity with Him;
  • Love kindness and loyalty – This involves being kind to those that Jesus loves. This may involve folk that appear to hate your guts or despise what you believe or stand for. This may involve folk who live totally different to the way you do. But imagine, if you can live beyond what they expect, how will you prove that you are any different to them? Be loyal as if you were serving the King, not just enough to get by in the eyes of those that might observe you.
  • Humbly obey the Lord – Set pride and personal aspirations aside and obey what the Master desires of you. Humility means emptying yourself of self and refilling yourself with God. I love that old hymn normally sung as an invitation – “I surrender all”, for I feel like my life should be in a constant state of surrendering all of me to all of God.

Anything you need to work on friend? Anything that will help you enhance your spiritual reality while here on earth? Examine yourself and decide to surrender all to Jesus today. When you do, refill yourself with the attributes of God so that He might be able to use you even more while here on earth.

PRAYER: Lord God, Your Word is all powerful and very applicable to our lives today. I therefore believe that You placed this scripture before me today to enhance my walk with You, and to use this blog to help others to also recognize where their strength lies, and the direction that you would have them go in order to become more like You in the eyes of those that they will witness to today. This old world needs Jesus, and we only get in the way when we try to give them more of ourselves. We need to be an open book that Jesus can fill and use its pages to speak to the unsaved. Lord, please have Your perfect way in our imperfect lives, so that the miracle of rebirth might occur in the lives of all that we will touch today. I ask all this in the precious and life-giving 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!

How Christians Are To Avoid Heartaches

On By Ed AlgreenIn Focused, Heaven, WorryLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Living Bible – Colossians 3:1-3): 1 Since you became alive again, so to speak, when Christ arose from the dead, now set your sights on the rich treasures and joys of heaven where he sits beside God in the place of honor and power. 2 Let heaven fill your thoughts; don’t spend your time worrying about things down here. 3 You should have as little desire for this world as a dead person does. Your real life is in heaven with Christ and God.

THOUGHTS: When Christians worry, do you suppose it’s because we are worried that God will not do what He promised? When we doubt and stress out to the limit, do you suppose that we are concerned that God is unfaithful? When we feel unloved and like no one cares, do you suppose that we allow ourselves to ponder why God must have left us alone and no longer care about us? Friends, I believe that when we allow these types of feelings and/or thoughts to enter our minds, it’s because we have taken our eyes off Jesus and looking for the attention of earthly friends or loved ones. I believe it is times like these that Satan moves in for the attack, for he sees that we have taken our eyes off Jesus and allowing the distractions of this world to take hold in our lives. I would highly recommend these verses to all Christians today, for if we follow the advice in verse 2 and fill our thoughts with heaven – our future home, then we will be reminded that it is a place prepared just for us. A place where we will unite with Jesus at the foot of the cross and worship Him with unending praises. A place where we will hear the voice of the Father who will encourage us with words such as “well done good and faithful servant”! A place where the creator of love, especially love for you and I, will help us to appreciate His handiwork and find reasons to worship Him for it. A place where there will be no distractions, but instead attract our full undivided attention! I recently took a missions trip into another country, and we disconnected from cell phones for a week. Wow, what a release! Friends, I must remind you that we have allowed so much interference in our day that we not only lose sight of our one-on-one time with the Lord, but we also have lost sight of one-on-one time with our spouses, our children, our friends, our coworkers and all others. Is it any wonder that we have trouble evangelizing to them? If as verse 3 indicates, that our real life is in heaven, then I would dare say that our minds, our attention, our aim and our devotion should be there also. Does that describe you friend? If not, why not? Is this something you need to take time to talk with God about?

PRAYER: Lord God, we are such worry warts, but it’s always over things that really don’t matter – things of this world. Being reminded in this scripture that our minds are to be set on our heavenly home, and our time with You, we humbly come before You today asking for forgiveness for our misguided thoughts and worries. We realize that all these things do is distract us in our walk with You and our witness of You. For when we become solid in our faith and in our walk with You, we will influence those who follow in our steps. Lord I pray that You will do an awesome work in my life and in the lives of my readers, so that we might become healthy Christians focused on the ‘main thing’ – our heavenly home. I further pray that this new focus will have such an impact on others that Your name might be lifted high as Your children become better aligned with Your perfect will. I ask these things in the strong, mighty and holy name of Jesus, your Son and my 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 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!

How to Hear From God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Obedience, RelationshipLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (New Century Version – Job 33:12-14): 12 … God is greater than we are. 13 Why do you accuse God of not answering anyone? 14 God does speak—sometimes one way and sometimes another— even though people may not understand it.

THOUGHTS: I believe that one of the most challenging things we face today is very similar to what Old Testament folk faced in the days of Job, and that is, our claim to silence from God when we need Him. For Christians, I believe that we often feel like we have a puppet who must respond every time we tell God what to do. For non-Christians, I believe most feel like there is a God and that He should be available to even them, in spite of their distance from Him in all other aspects of their life. Friends, I believe that we must first be reminded of who created us and who is the only one that not only knows what we are going through, but also knows what will result in our lives at a later time. Furthermore, we must be reminded of who actually runs this universe. Let’s remember that the sun doesn’t just rise on a whim. The ocean tides do not just occur based on a timer set by some super scientist somewhere, but is intricately controlled by the Master who created the waters and decided how sea life would best survive with moving waters. Now, for a moment just think about mankind, knowing that God created us in His likeness, don’t you know that He is also concerned about our well-being and our ultimate happiness? Don’t you know that God is there with outstretched hands waiting to receive us when we call on Him? I know, you cry out to Him all the time, right? Well, as I indicated above He is not a puppet. So for you to hear from Him and commune with Him you must first of all recognize Him as God and develop a relationship with Him. This can be done through daily Bible study, and/or becoming intimately involved in a local church. In other words, draw close to Him and allow Him to draw close to you. Ways that you would hear from God would be through prayer; Bible study; a God inspired sermon; a God inspired Christian Brother or Sister; circumstances in your life, etc. God has proven His love for you and will continue to love on you and direct your path, if you give Him control and let Him have His way in your life.

PRAYER: Lord God, we have drifted so far away from You and into doing so much of life our own way, on our own time, and with no one’s help. Yet when things come to a screeching halt, we often feel like we could conveniently call on You. The trouble is, we have drifted so far away from You that we can’t hear Your response. I know that You are there Father, and I know that You hold all of the answers and the power to perform miracles much like the ones we read about in Your Word. I pray that my readers and I will draw close to You and build such relationships with You, that we will call on You in our times of need and in many times of praise and thanksgiving. I pray that we will develop such a relationship that we will clearly recognize Your voice and discern Your direction for our lives. Thank You for being my Master, my creator and my Lord! I ask these things in the wonderful and strong 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!

Our Personal God!

On By Ed AlgreenIn PersonalLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Message – Isaiah 43:2-4): “Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you. I’ve called your name. You’re mine. When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end— Because I am God, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Savior. I paid a huge price for you:

THOUGHTS: It seems like we are in very dire times where we often feel like we are in way over our heads – whether it’s finances, health issues, family issues, work challenges or just coping with everyday life. I was extremely happy to be reminded of the awesome love, power and overwhelming concern my heavenly Father has for even me, when I read these verses today. Friends, just imagine:

  • I’ve been redeemed by the King of all kings;
  • He has personalized our relationship to the extent that He calls me by name and reassured me that I am His!
  • I am assured that even when I feel like I am in over my head that He is there with me!
  • At times when it seems like the waters are rough and I struggle to see light at the end of the tunnel, God assures me that I will not go down, for my hand rests in the hand of the Rock of all ages! My Strength and my everlasting Guide. My Savior and my Lord! No worries about hitting a dead end!

Friends, I am reassured in the latter part of these verses that because God paid such a huge price for me, I can rest assured that He has my back and that I am in good hands. You can have this same assurance friend. Contact me using the information in the Footnote and allow me to introduce you to my Friend! My Master and my personal God!

PRAYER: Oh what a Savior, oh hallelujah! Thank You Father for loving me enough that You’ve allowed me to have a personal relationship with You, the designer and maker of this entire universe. Wow, who am I that a King would die and live for? I am so thankful that You drew me to You and rescued me from a world of sin – pointing me instead towards the joys of heaven and eternity with You in heaven. There is nothing more that I can live for Jesus! Thank You for the cross and for the joys of heaven that is mine, because of all that You did for me. Please touch the lives of all that will read this devotional today. May they also find joy in serving You and drawing closer to You every day. I ask all this in the awesome and powerful name of Jesus, AMEN!

 

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or 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!

Instruments To Be Used of God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Humility, Instruments, SurrenderLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Message – Romans 11:16-18): 16-18 Behind and underneath all this there is a holy, God-planted, God-tended root. If the primary root of the tree is holy, there’s bound to be some holy fruit. Some of the tree’s branches were pruned and you wild olive shoots were grafted in. Yet the fact that you are now fed by that rich and holy root gives you no cause to crow over the pruned branches. Remember, you aren’t feeding the root; the root is feeding you.

THOUGHTS: The scripture that includes the verses above is rich, for it reminds me that I must be careful that my faith and trust is so grounded in God that my life is a reflection of all that God shows Himself to be in His Word. I’ve heard folk say that a child is a branch off the old tree – meaning that the child reminds them so much of the parents that one can’t help knowing who the child belongs to. Friends, there is a God who loves us unconditionally and with such great love that He sacrificed His only Son for our benefit. When we surrender our lives to God and ask Him to be our God, and to live and work in and through us, we essentially ask Him to plant Himself steadfastly in us so that our lives might be a true reflection of Him. Paul explains in these verses that God is able to implant within us His Holy Spirit to guide and direct us – to make us holy – just as He is holy. However, we are immediately warned that when we recognize this added strength and wisdom, we are to never lose sight of where that new character comes from. It is the root, or strength of the Almighty that lives within us, and nothing that we ourselves can boast of. Friends, I believe that there is nothing more obvious to a non-Christian than a fake, or self-serving Christian living life in their own pride. We are what we become, only through the grace of God, and only because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Let us therefore learn to boast only of Him and give Him the glory for any accomplishments in and through our lives. It is only through the precious fruit that He implants in us and magnifies through us that result in our unsaved friends recognizing the source of our hope. It’s all about Jesus, friend. He is the root that supports our strength and feeds our growth. It’s Jesus that our unsaved friends need, not us. I pray that we will continue to be vehicles in which Jesus can travel as we come into contact with our friends and loved ones.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, Israel may have gotten cocky because of the manifold mercies You bestowed on them. I recognize that we may tend to get like that at times also, because for some reason we may feel like we have the power to save or touch lives that really need You. Thank You for reminding us through this scripture today, that we are only the branches that are plugged into the most powerful source available to mankind – the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ! Please help us to never boast of self, for we are nothing without our power source – Your sweet Holy Spirit. Please help us to always be available to be used of You, and never assume the leadership role hoping that You will jump on board our vehicle. Miracles, like that of new birth in the lives of our family and friends, will only be possible when You touch their lives, so please help us to take our rightful roles as Your instruments that can only work when the Master chooses to use us for His glory and His honor. People Need the Lord more today than ever before. May we be usable instruments in Your hands oh Lord. I ask this in faith and in the awesome and strong 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!

Justice, Fairness and Righteousness

On By Ed AlgreenIn Righteousness, Things God lovesLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Message – Amos 5:21-24): 21–24 “I can’t stand your religious meetings. I’m fed up with your conferences and conventions. I want nothing to do with your religion projects, your pretentious slogans and goals. I’m sick of your fund-raising schemes, your public relations and image making. I’ve had all I can take of your noisy ego-music. When was the last time you sang to me? Do you know what I want? I want justice—oceans of it. I want fairness—rivers of it. That’s what I want. That’s all I want.

THOUGHTS: I have just returned from a trip into another world, it seems, so I hope that my view on the scripture that really spoke to me this morning will not be too slanted! It was good to step back from our busy world and enjoy the peace, obscurity, simplicity and humbleness of all that God provides for us, if only for a week. Yes, we missed the conveniences and pleasures of this world and all that we are blessed with in our modern world. However, after being reminded by Amos in this scripture today about how God must feel when we feel obligated to provide everything that our world demands, just so that they might listen to the gospel message, then I wonder how much of God we must truly portray to the world. In these few verses, God not only said what He was displeased with, but He also told us what would really make Him pleased: Oceans of justice; Rivers of fairness and a true, honest, one-on-one, heartfelt song to the Master. Sounds fairly simple right? Sounds like something we do almost every day, but at least once a week during our church service, right? Friends, I believe that God is just as anxious today, as He ever was, to hear from us personally with our praise and worship and not just to raise our hands and voices in worship when asked to do so by our worship leader. Think for a moment how thought provoking it is to prepare a day of celebration for a loved one’s birthday or anniversary, yet how little thought we put into preparing for our daily worship of God, or even our weekly corporate worship time. Yes, we really put time into planning what we will wear to church, but do we stop to ponder what all God has blessed us with during the week so that we might truly look full into His wonderful face and just worship Him with a thankful heart? One translation includes ‘righteousness’ (right-with-God) as a characteristic in verse 24 that God is looking for in His people. May I suggest that as we look for justice in God’s form, fairness in His example and righteousness sampled after His righteousness, that we will have no trouble lifting up holy hands and hearts in worship to our King in a manner acceptable to Him?

PRAYER: Lord God, You alone are holy, just, fair and righteous. You have blessed us with so much and shown us how to live this life imitating Your characteristics in every way, yet we so easily allow this world to sway our thoughts, our character and even our appreciation of You. Please forgive us for straying so far away from Your ideals and the example You set for us. Please help us to return to the basics of what You have taught us, what You have exampled for us and what You expect from us – as detailed in Your Word. May we learn to be more like You every day and in every way, is my humble prayer that I ask in the precious 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!