Tag: creator

It’s Difficult To Counterfeit LOVE

On By Ed AlgreenIn Love, Love of God, Love your NeighborLeave 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: 2 John 1:5–6
Today’s Bible Text: Dear friend, I am not writing to tell you and your children to do something you have not done before. I am writing to tell you to love each other, which is the first thing you were told to do. Love means that we do what God tells us.
The Bible Translation: The Contemporary English Version (CEV)

My Take Away: There is a lot of emphasis in the Bible about how much God loves us, and about how we are to love one another. Ever wondered why, especially in the New Testament, there are references on the impact this has on the believer? As I studied this today one of my commentaries suggested that there is a lot of emphasis placed on showing our love for others, because it is probably the most challenging thing to counterfeit. Wow, never thought of it that way – but there is a lot of truth in that. There are numerous occasions where Jesus openly showed His love, the greatest of which was to die a cruel death on the cross. With His arms totally outstretched, He showed us that His love was limitless – no end or perimeter to His love. He also demonstrated that His sacrifice was for ALL who would believe on Him, and ALL has no restrictions if one would only believe on Him. So I must challenge you with a very key question/thought today: do you sometimes feel like you are faking it around some Christians? I’ve heard some say that they only love a person for Jesus’ sake. Friends, love comes from your heart, so if you can’t find it in your heart to love that one, then I believe that it is seriously time to talk with God about righting your heart. After all, none of us are perfect, and we expect Christian friends to love us just the way we are. So if they could ‘bight the bullet’ and love us in spite of our failures or peculiarities, ought we not do the same? I believe one of the easiest ways to overcome this issue friends, is to start praying for that individual you are challenged to love. Pray for their success in life, their health, their family and their welfare. You will quickly realize that it is easy to love someone who you are praying for, and in whose life God is actively working. 1 Corinthians 13 is a whole chapter dedicated to the Biblical meaning of ‘Love’. Re-read it as you ask God to re-orient yourself to loving like He expects.

Prayer: Father, we acknowledge that way too often we allow the works of Satan to interfere with the true design for our lives that You would have us follow. Very often we fail in displaying Your perfect love, one for another, and we come before You today in shame because of counterfeit and pretense that we have shown to our Christian Brothers and Sisters. What’s inside of us, is what comes out, so we sincerely ask that You fill us again with Your holy presence, reinvigorate us with the love that You demonstrated for us, so that the love of Christ will flow from us to all that we come into contact with. Lord, because of our love towards others today, may they see Jesus – please? I ask these things in the wonderful, loving and precious 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 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

Let Nothing Take God’s Place in Your Heart

On By Ed AlgreenIn Awesome God, Priority, SacrificeLeave 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 5:18-21
Today’s Bible Text: No one who has become part of God’s family makes a practice of sinning, for Christ, God’s Son, holds him securely, and the devil cannot get his hands on him. We know that we are children of God and that all the rest of the world around us is under Satan’s power and control. And we know that Christ, God’s Son, has come to help us understand and find the true God. And now we are in God because we are in Jesus Christ his Son, who is the only true God; and he is eternal Life. Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts. Amen.
The Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

My Take Away: I was immediately drawn to the first part of this scripture that says that if we are truly a child of the King, we are held securely in His hand and under His protection from the Evil One. Then John clearly delineates who truly is controlled by Satan, and I pray that each one reading this devotional have made a firm commitment to graduate from that dark, sinful world, into the welcoming, loving, forgiving hands of our Lord and Savior. If you are still struggling with sin dear friend, then I would recommend that you go back to step one and check your son-ship with the Father. Was that an automatic thing you assumed because you were attending church every time the doors were opened? Was it something you felt pressured into making a decision, or did you ever feel drawn by God’s Holy Spirit to surrender your old life of sin and accept Him as Your personal Savior? May I encourage you to use the place, date or time of your adoption into the kingdom of Light, especially the next time that Satan tries to cause you doubt about whose you are? But friends, in spite of all the great insight already mentioned, the very last sentence is a powerful statement. When I think of what might take God’s place in our hearts, I tend to think of anything that might interrupt our personal time with the Lord. These are the times where you are spiritually refueled to go on stronger in the faith. And if anything steps into that space, or disrupts the time you had set aside to be with God, then I wonder if perhaps that’s what John was cautioning us about? For any relationship to flourish, I feel it is important for daily time together. When you are not meeting those committed times, then obviously something else is taking priority over your time alone with God. Perhaps another area might be church attendance. I know, just as staying in your garage overnight will not turn you into a car, so church attendance will not save you! However, I believe that a true child of God would want to be with God’s people at every opportunity. In fact, the Word infers this to be a characteristic of a believer. Furthermore, church attendance gives you the opportunity to praise and worship our Creator – the giver of all good things in this life; you also have the opportunity to be blessed by hearing how God has blessed others and answered their prayers; plus you have the opportunity to minister to others by sharing your God experiences with them. So if you’re not there, will someone go lacking that night, or that day? Will God understand what took priority over Your time with Him? Is another god slipping into the picture?

Prayer: It seems like I may have run on a bit long this morning, but Lord I pray that You might use this devotional to awaken me to the desires of Your heart and Your relationship with me. May I be found faithful in all things oh God, and may You have prominence in all that I am. Touch the hearts of my readers dear Lord. May each of us be reminded of the priority You placed on making sure that our sins are forgiven, forever. With that same determination, commitment and priority may we be extra careful to not let anything interfere with the overwhelming and powerful role that You play in our lives. I believe that others will see and believe! Thank You gracious and loving God for loving us so much. 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

Wonderful, Merciful Savior

On By Ed AlgreenIn Love of God, Merciful Savior, Wonderful SaviorLeave 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 9:29–31
Today’s Bible Text: “You warned them to return to your Law, but they became proud and obstinate and disobeyed your commands. They did not follow your regulations, by which people will find life if only they obey. They stubbornly turned their backs on you and refused to listen. In your love, you were patient with them for many years. You sent your Spirit, who warned them through the prophets. But still they wouldn’t listen! So once again you allowed the peoples of the land to conquer them. But in your great mercy, you did not destroy them completely or abandon them forever. What a gracious and merciful God you are!
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: In verse 2 of this chapter I underlined the fact that the Israelites were not only praying about their sin but also the sins of their ancestors. I thought that strange until I got down to these verses where it seems like the people were just ashamed at how their ancestors acted in response to God’s goodness to them. Friends I admire the fact that these Israelites didn’t follow in the footsteps of their ancestors, but instead they recognized God for who He was to them. Yes, in spite of being ashamed, yet they knew that God loved their ancestors anyway, as He did not destroy them all. I love the ending sentence, that in spite of everything bad that had gone down, yet God’s love shone through – “What a gracious and merciful God You are”. Friends, that’s the kind of God that we serve! There an old gospel song ‘Wonderful, Merciful, Savior’ that speaks so much to this thought. I hope that you will click on the link and listen to the song as you finish reading this devotional. May I encourage you today to seek God for yourself. He wants to have a personal relationship with you, regardless what has gone down with your family or friends. Know that He loves you personally and individually!

Prayer: Dear God, thank You for looking beyond the sins of my forefathers and loving me just as I am. I also realize that no matter how good my ancestors were, I still had to come to the throne of grace for myself also. You are indeed a gracious and merciful God, a wonderful Savior and friend. Please touch the lives of those that read this devotional today that may not have come personally before Your throne to seek forgiveness and righteousness. Lord, please touch Your people once again today as Your Word goes out. May it not return to You void of having touched hearts and lives. I ask these things in Your precious and holy name, 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

Be Not Ashamed of the Gospel

On By Ed AlgreenIn Ashamed, Boldness, Stumbling blockLeave 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 8:1–3
Today’s Bible Text: On the first day of the seventh month, the people came together in the open area in front of the Water Gate. Then they asked Ezra, who was a teacher of the Law of Moses, to read to them from this Law that the LORD had given his people. Ezra the priest came with the Law and stood before the crowd of men, women, and the children who were old enough to understand. From early morning till noon, he read the Law of Moses to them, and they listened carefully.
The Bible Translation: The Contemporary English Version (CEV)

My Take Away: I found it awesome that the Israelites gathered in the square, in unity, and asked that the book of Moses be read to them. Friends, I had to stop and think carefully about when church goers would ever call the pastor and ask that he come and read the Bible in their large, public group setting. Also, think with me about the length of time that Ezra was allowed to read, and compare that to the length of time that we would sit around in a church service or allow a pastor to participate in a public setting. Could it be that we have come so far – perhaps in our knowledge and our modern day conveniences and technology, that we feel like we have a lot of things worked out on our own and really don’t need to sit through an extended period of training in the basics of God’s Word? I recently attended a prayer summit, and many attendees were very curious as to how we would handle sitting through a conference where all we would do is to wait before God, pray, read His Word and sing. However, we saw God come and bless us with His awesome presence, and the time slipped by without anyone losing their mind! I believe it comes down to what we are willing to set as a priority in our life. God is waiting for us to open our hearts and reach out to Him, so that he could fill us with His awesome presence. What are you willing to do in order to draw closer to God and allow Him to speak to you? Are you willing to fully surrender your life to Him? Are you willing to take God with you into your homes, into our churches and even into our public places? He hung on a cruel cross and died a criminal’s death for you and I, and never considered it ‘shameful’. Are you willing to do the same for His sake? I started this devotional yesterday, but due to illness I had to return to my bed. Praise God that I was able to pick it up again, because this chapter is loaded with great truths that can benefit us all.

Prayer: Father God, You endured it all for us. Please strengthen us so that we may be willing to allow You to shine through us wherever we may find ourselves. Please help us to never be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, no matter where we may find ourselves. Perhaps if Your children would truly be Your people out in the highways and byways, perhaps the lost might stand a chance of seeing Jesus and having a greater desire to know Him personally. Lord, unfortunately I believe that if we are not representing You well, we may very well be a stumbling block to someone coming to know You because we are not living the life we are claiming. Lord may that never be the case, I pray. I ask for boldness to be a better witness for You, and I ask this in the 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 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

How To Measure the Extent of Your Love For Others

On By Ed AlgreenIn Christian love, Love, ObedienceLeave 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 5:1-4
Today’s Bible Text: If you believe that Jesus is the Christ—that he is God’s Son and your Savior—then you are a child of God. And all who love the Father love his children too. So you can find out how much you love God’s children—your brothers and sisters in the Lord—by how much you love and obey God. Loving God means doing what he tells us to do, and really, that isn’t hard at all; for every child of God can obey him, defeating sin and evil pleasure by trusting Christ to help him.
The Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

My Take Away: Do you love God? How about God’s children, do you love them also? I bet I should have put those questions right at the end of my Take Away, because by now you have probably answered ‘yes’ to both and about to close out of this devotional! Not So Fast Brother! Wait a moment Sister! Through John, God has actually given us the formula for measuring how well we’re doing on this! We are told in these verses today that the degree to which we love fellow believers is proportionate to how much we love and obey God. Ok, so I’m sure that you will assume you must truly love one another, because you know that you really love God. But do you really?  The Word declares that the love referenced here is not just a verbal thing, or a feeling, but instead if we truly love God, we will do what He tells us to do. For some that will be easy, because we pray and we seek God’s face through His precious Word. When we truly do this and not only listen to His commands, His teachings, His instructions for us, and His example that He set for us to follow, then we should know what to do. Friends, this will not just come from the pulpit on the weekend, or from a Bible teacher, but I’m talking one-on-one communion with your maker. Don’t know where to start? You may want to follow a good devotional, such as the one you’re now reading, or you may want to look for a Bible Reading Plan of your own. Whatever you decide, just remember to seek God’s face first – as it takes the Spirit of God to truly open your eyes to the spiritual truths of our awesome God. Not much of a reader? It doesn’t matter, when you seek God’s face first and ask Him to open your mind to His, you will find that what may appear to be simple words on a page, actually reveals the perfect will of God for your life right where you’re at during that very moment. Highlight as He speaks to you, and make notes to remind yourself how He spoke to you. Now, todays scripture says that through loving God and obeying all that He instructs you, then you will defeat sin and evil pleasures. Your love for God will become so pure and so real, that you will also love everything that God loves and everyone that He loves. So are you struggling with any part of this today friend? Try following this direction for at least seven days, and I believe God will give you a burning desire to continue doing the same for the rest of the time you remain on this earth! Love and obedience to God leads to love for the brethren friend!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You not only tell us to love one another, but You have even gone the extra step of showing us just how to accomplish that. How unfortunate, that a God who sacrificed His only Son for us on Calvary, must now tell us how important it is for us to love You. How deep the Father’s love for us, in spite of our unworthiness. Yet how easy it is for us to say that we struggle in loving our Christian Brothers and Sisters, when we don’t fully appreciate the love of our Father, or see fit to obey His simple commands. Please forgive us dear Lord and continue to draw us to Yourself with an even deeper determination to love and obey You. I sincerely thank You for Your love, and for all these things I have asked throughout this devotional, for it is in the precious and loving name of Jesus that I ask, 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

Concern, Impact and Action

On By Ed AlgreenIn Government Leaders, Guidance, Voting2 Comments

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 1:3-7
Today’s Bible Text: 3 They said to me, “Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.”

4 When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. 5 Then I said,

“O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, 6 listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! 7 We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses.
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: I want you to look at our scripture today in three  different, but important sections. In the blue font, vs. 3, lets consider that containing the concern of Nehemiah; In the purple font, vs. 4 let’s consider that the impact on Nehemiah; and in the green font, vs. 5-7, let’s consider that the action taken by Nehemiah. As we study this, I want to share with you how this challenged me in connection with the politics of our own country at this time. For those not in the USA, perhaps you might find an application for your particular situation.

The Concern: I believe that some of us may simply turn our heads to the concerns of our land, because we are afraid to become involved. We are so accustomed to segregating our job from the other person’s job, that we have become numb, or unconcerned about what is happening under someone else’s watch. Nehemiah wanted to know what was happening to his people so that he could be sure to do all within his power to improve their conditions.

The Impact: Perhaps we should open up ourselves to be impacted by our current conditions and/or our future. If things continue to deteriorate at the rate they are now happening, AND if our hearts are in gel with God and His Good Book, then I believe we will be brought to our knees in deep sorrow before God, our only hope. Throughout the Bible God has promised to love and care for His people who would choose to serve Him wholeheartedly.

The Action: If impacted, whether physically or emotionally, then we will be led to some very positive action. Of course, if a believer in Jesus Christ, then we will be forced to our knees in prayer before the Almighty God. Let me point out a few interesting things about Nehemiah’s prayer, as I believe that it could help us as we pray about such a major concern: Nehemiah took responsibility. He didn’t try to find someone to blame. Friends, when there’s sin in our house, let us be careful to seek personal forgiveness, before ever thinking about praying about the faults or shortcomings of our neighbor, or our government or our president. We must insure that they have something good to work with or work for, if we expect them to do a good job. If we had a godly leader/president, but an evil, sinful, ungodly people, what do you suppose they could accomplish for God? Nehemiah prayed that he and his people would obey God and His commands, not that the king would do better for them. Don’t you suppose that based on the experiences noted in God’s Word, that if we, the people, were to humble ourselves, seek God’s face, and pray for Him to make us more aligned with His commands, that perhaps then He would hear from heaven and heal our land? God’s Word said that He would do exactly this, just as He did in 2 Chronicles 7:14.

My wish is that we, the people, would spend more time seeking God’s face and listening closely to what He is teaching us in His Word, on how to be better aligned with Him, rather than making a fool of ourselves in trying to be politicians. Yes we should vote, but if we are closely aligned with God, then we will vote for the candidate that God wants in office to deliver the next round of events He has in store for us personally, and/or our state, and/or our country or even the world.

Prayer: Lord God, I believe that You spoke very clearly to Your servant Nehemiah, and after the above mentioned prayer He became a useful instrument in helping to improve life for his fellow citizens. Please help us to get beyond ourselves and to clearly understand how critical it is that we depend on You, especially during times of earthly challenges, such as politics. We are demanded to obey our government servants, as they were put in place by You for such a time as this. Please help us all to look beyond the debates and mud-slinging, and to seek Your guidance in all things. Thank You for loving us enough to help us through events such as elections. Only You know what tomorrow brings, so Lord we place ourselves and our decisions and our obligation to vote, in Your hands as we seek Your face and Your guidance. May Your perfect will be done, and may we be obedient to every part we take while here on earth. I ask these things in faith, and through the Son of God, Jesus the Christ, AMEN!

Footnote: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. 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

The Genuine Spirit of God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Dedicated, Example of Christ, Genuine example of Jesus, Genuine FaithLeave 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 4:2–3
Today’s Bible Text: Here’s how you test for the genuine Spirit of God. Everyone who confesses openly his faith in Jesus Christ—the Son of God, who came as an actual flesh-and-blood person—comes from God and belongs to God. And everyone who refuses to confess faith in Jesus has nothing in common with God.
The Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take Away: Ever been questioned, or ever yourself questioned  whether a Brother is genuine, or a Sister sincere in her faith and teaching? I was in awe this morning as I read the Word, for John, gives us pointers about this very matter. I believe this also helps us to examine ourselves and the kind of witness we portray to others. Here are some of the key points we are to consider and/or portray to determine or prove the genuine Spirit of God:

  • Confesses openly about his/our faith in Jesus Christ;
  • Acknowledges that Jesus is the genuine, only Son of God;
  • Believes and declares that Jesus came to this earth in human form;
  • And that Jesus Comes from God; Belongs to God; And as verified in other scriptures, He is also God;

Friends, we are well aware of the awful feelings we have when we discover that we’ve been given a fake check, or a fake currency note, or encounter a person claiming to be someone they truly are not. This is very comparable to us bringing damnation on ourselves when we claim to be a messenger, or witness, or representation of God, without having a first-hand experience with His Son Jesus. Friends, others will see straight through our farce. Our Christianity is evidenced on the outside from a heart experience on the inside. Have you given Your heart to Jesus? Has He been allowed to control Your innermost emotions, convictions and decisions? Have you invited Jesus to take charge and to speak and work through you wholeheartedly? Can others see and feel the Spirit of God working in and through you on the outside and confirm the points suggested by John? Will they know you are a child of the King, or do you need to tell them? Will you commit to speak to God about this? He deserves genuine believers, because He showed His genuine love for us on Calvary in a very real way. He loved us with wide, outstretched arms!

Prayer: Dear God, I am amazed at the genuine love shown for me on Calvary’s cross. You were born into this world, lived among men and in spite of Your love for them, they crucified You. Lots of evidence of Your human experience here on earth. Thank You for continuing to accept humans into Your kingdom, and I especially thank You for accepting me. Please forgive us when we allow our peers to distract our walk with You. Lord, I am seeking Your help to make me more like You in every way while here on earth, so that others will not be distracted by a sense of false identity. I desire for them to see the hands and feet of Jesus, so that they may be drawn to You oh Lord. Please deal deeply in the hearts of those who will meditate on this devotional today, so that we might not only know You as Lord and Savior, but that we may follow Your example in everything we say and do. To God be the glory, for all that our surrendered, and fully dedicated lives might accomplish in Your name. 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

Freed To Receive From God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Forgiveness, Humbleness, Seek God's FaceLeave 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 3:20–22
Today’s Bible Text: God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves. And friends, once that’s taken care of and we’re no longer accusing or condemning ourselves, we’re bold and free before God! We’re able to stretch our hands out and receive what we asked for because we’re doing what he said, doing what pleases him.
The Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take Away: Often Satan will bind us so tightly to our sin, that we feel that it is impossible for God to look at us through a lens of holiness and forgiveness, even when we seek His face and plead before His throne for His forgiveness. Friends, these verses that we are looking at today assures us that when we truly surrender our sin to God, accept His forgiveness and personally forgive ourselves for having allowed Satan to control our lives, that it is then that God takes charge of our lives and ask us to step aside from our weaknesses and our sin, and allow Him to be God – our God; our Deliverer; our Savior; our Master and our King. I believe that often our challenge is attributed to the fact that we might allow outside pressures to control our mouths and our actions. Parents are famous for trying to get their kids saved, and that is admirable, but we don’t just want our kids to say the words, or do something just to please us. As in any personal relationship, it must be a personal decision, a personal experience and a personal commitment. Let’s remember, it is God who draws man to Himself, not mom or dad or anyone else that pushes us towards God. Another aspect of life, is that we tend to be harder on ourselves than anyone else that we know of. That’s why many procrastinate in their decision to follow God, because they feel like there is so much that they must personally clear up first, before God would ever accept them. Friends, if we were able to overcome our sin personally, there would be no need for a Savior, and we would have done it a long time ago. Only God can forgive us of our sin, and only He can strengthen us, and help us to overcome our sinful actions/habits. Let’s work at the unfortunate habit of beating up on ourselves and, instead seek God’s face and accept His precious love for us. Only then, through His power and His grace, we will have the power to overcome our sinful actions and receive what we ask of Him, because we are doing what He said and what pleases Him.

Prayer: Father, it is very easy for us to disqualify ourselves from approaching Your throne, because we know deep inside how awful we have been. Please open the eyes of those that still feel like they must clear up certain sinful actions before they personally seek Your face. Please open our eyes to our inability to do anything about our sin, without a righteous and all-powerful God. It’s You that we need first, oh Lord, then all these things that seem impossible to us, will become very possible in and through your grace. Thank You Lord for Your love, Your grace, Your power, and Your forgiveness. It’s only because of this that I am a confirmed child of the Kind, who still needs you every hour of every day. Please open the blind eyes of my family and friends who still need Your precious love and forgiveness in their lives. Please touch the lives of those that will read this devotional today, for like me, they need Your awesome power also. I ask these things in faith and in the confidence of the Savior of this world, 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