Tag: Deliverer

The WARNING Signs

On By Ed AlgreenIn Accept Jesus NOW, Decisions, Don't Procrastinate, signsLeave 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: Luke 21:25–28
Today’s Bible Text: 25 “And there will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. 26 People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. 28 So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!”
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: I am not a meteorologist, but it seems like there are computers that are constantly analyzing the weather events of the past, so that based on certain wind flows and other conditions today, our favorite weather announcer could be prized with being the first to warn us about a predicted upcoming event, for our safety and security. Jesus shared with us in these verses today about various (obvious) WARNING signs that the Holy Spirit will cause us to stand to our feet and look up in full awe and anticipation to welcome our King, our Savior, our Messiah as He comes to take us with Him! Friends, when events such as this occur, there are often some folk who are waiting for the moment and are ready to go with their Master. However, there will unfortunately be those who have procrastinated, or refused, to surrender their life to our Savior. Please consider me your biblical ‘meteorologist’ today, as based on God’s Holy Word, it is written that the first group mentioned above will be taken with Jesus to reside with His Father, our Almighty Father, to live and reign with Him, to worship and adore Him throughout all eternity. This same good book also tells me to warn you that the second group will cry aloud for the Savior at this time, but because the decision was not made prior to His coming, He will have no choice but to disclaim them at that time and leave them behind with their earthly master, Satan. Friends, until the actual return of the Savior, you still have time to surrender your life to Him. However, because His return could be any minute now, you could very easily be totally out of time. May I encourage you to not tarry; please do not procrastinate, but instead make this a priority over anything else you have planned for today. Not sure how to handle this? Please read my ‘footnote’ for further instructions, or respond to me and I will personally give you guidance. This is way too important to procrastinate friend, please heed the WARNING!

Prayer: Father, I am grateful that Your Holy Spirit visited with me and prompted me of the warning signs regarding my eternal destiny. Thank You for convicting me of my sin, and convincing me of my need for a Savior. I hurt today because of the multitude of friends and family that are playing with their commitment because they are not convinced of the warning signs. Lord, Your Word has been so clear and proven so true in so many ways. Please tender the hearts of my readers and those that are near and dear to each one of us today. May this devotional lead to a time of decision making by many as they listen to Your still small voice regarding your return and the certainty of eternity. We can only depend on You oh Lord, our Master and King, 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

What Is This?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Allegiance, Commitment, DedicationLeave 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: Isaiah 52:4–6
Today’s Bible Text: 4 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “Long ago my people chose to live in Egypt. Now they are oppressed by Assyria. 5 What is this?” asks the LORD. “Why are my people enslaved again? Those who rule them shout in exultation.* My name is blasphemed all day long. 6 But I will reveal my name to my people, and they will come to know its power. Then at last they will recognize that I am the one who speaks to them.”
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: I believe there are times that Christians drift so far away from God, and lose sight of all that God has done for us, that God must look down in amazement, shake His head and say “young man/lady, what have you done now? What have you gotten yourself into now? Just a few days ago I rescued you from deep trouble (health issues; job reemployment; family issues; financial impossibilities; etc.) yet today you appear so far away from me. What is this?”. This would be similar to the situation God found with the Israelites. For He had rescued them from slavery, brought them into a happy place – the Promised Land, and made sure they were well taken care of. Now as He looks on them, He finds them back in slavery again while those who rule over them, blasphemes the name of their Lord. Friends, our lives will drift towards the very lifestyle that we live. If we drift towards the world, it will make its way into our lives and control the way we live, the things we say and the way we act. It will enslave us. May I encourage you to stop and consider the awesome price that God paid for us when He sacrificed His only Son for the redemption of our sin? May I suggest that you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and draw closer to Him in every way, each and every day? He truly deserves our praise and our ultimate dedication, friends. When we do this, we’ll not leave room for the world/Satan to slip in, distract us and pull us away from the cross. Jesus paid it all for us, and I feel like He deserves our all in return. We can do this!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for giving Your all for me, so that I may have access to the throne of God. Please fill my life to overflowing each and every day, so that I may gain strength to stand up against the temptations of this world and the enslavement of the Evil One. Lord, I believe that my friends face very similar issues in a day, so I humbly ask that You also surround them with Your love and Your strength, so that they may determine in their own minds to not cave in to this old wicked world, but to be fully dedicated to Your kingdom. We need You blessed Jesus. I ask these things in faith, and through the all-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 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

You Are Part Of A Much Bigger Picture

On By Ed AlgreenIn Connected, Honest, Loving God, Surrender, WitnessLeave 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: Romans 12:4-5
Today’s Bible Text: 4-5 Just as there are many parts to our bodies, so it is with Christ’s body. We are all parts of it, and it takes every one of us to make it complete, for we each have different work to do. So we belong to each other, and each needs all the others.
The Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

My Take Away: Friends, I believe that we can all agree that when a member of our family hurts, we all hurt. When there’s reason to celebrate by one member of our family, we all tend to celebrate with them. There is just that oneness that tends to penetrate our very soul. I believe that our scripture today reminds us that this ‘oneness’ is apparent in our Christianity also. For when our God looked at the enormous demands He had placed on us through sacrifices, and because He then found a better way, by sacrificing His only Son on Calvary’s cross, He showed His unexplainable love for us, and He showed us that He is an integral part of our lives. When we accepted Jesus as Lord, we committed to being united with Him. Because we are united with Christ, when others also become united with Him, we also have a unique oneness with them. Friends, don’t you see the picture? Just as you will do everything possible to make sure that you have healthy limbs, so that you could live without pain, you will want to do the same thing for those you are united with in Christ. There will be times that you will need them to help you through, and there will be times that they will need you. God created us to fit together in His perfect plan. Can we try all the harder to fit into His plan; to love one another; and to promote good health between each other so that we may all grow in Christ until the day He calls us home? I believe this will fulfill God’s desire for His church, and in doing so, we will be drawn closer to God and to each other. This kind of witness will speak volumes to the lost around us, for they need to see this ‘God-thing’ in action, for them to be convinced that it works! Are you ready to do your part, friend?

Prayer: Thank You Lord Jesus for all that You have done to provide for our happiness here on earth and the contentment in knowing that we have a common thread that will unite Your children while here below. Thank You for the assurance of having everything aligned for our future with You also. What more can mere man ask for. Lord, I ask that You give us strength each day to fight off the attempts by Satan to destroy unity among Your children here on earth. As You have shown ultimate love for us, may we also love one another, and by that love, may the unsaved grow in desire to know You. This is my plea, Lord. May Your perfect will be accomplished in my life today and in the lives of my readers who are willing to surrender to Your will and way, 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

Our Awesome God!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Awesome God, Eternal Life, Salvation1 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: Isaiah 48:11–13
Today’s Bible Text: 11 I will rescue you for my sake – yes, for my own sake! I will not let my reputation be tarnished, and I will not share my glory with idols! 12 “Listen to me, O family of Jacob, Israel my chosen one! I alone am God, the First and the Last. 13 It was my hand that laid the foundations of the earth, my right hand that spread out the heavens above. When I call out the stars, they all appear in order.”
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: I believe that God spoke to me on two items in these verses this morning, and I wanted to share this with you friends:

  1. The preceding verses spoke about God purifying His people with fire. Then He said something very powerful in verse 11: “I will not let my reputation be tarnished”. Friends, we may claim the name of ‘Christian’ or ‘follower’ or we may have a desire, and commit to live like Jesus. However, this may sometimes result in no change in our lives. I believe that God will then quickly step in to make sure that His reputation is not tarnished. We hear about Christian leaders being caught in adultery or some other sin, and we may sometimes wonder how did they get caught. Friends, God said that He will not allow His reputation to be tarnished. I believe that this still very much applies today! Christianity is not a ‘pretend’ thing, it’s a lifelong commitment to the very One who sacrificed His life for our salvation. He’s the One who holds our future in His hands, and may I remind you that He will not allow His reputation to be tarnished!
  2. In verses 12 and 13 God reminds us of His awesome power and supremacy. Let’s try to keep in mind that this God that we serve, created the universe that we enjoy today. He is the ONLY God – the Alpha and Omega; the beginning and the end. Let’s also note that it is just not the human race that are under the obligation of obeying our Master, but even to the stars that we enjoy looking at – God also made them and they are obedient to His call. When we think of the awesomeness of our God, do we need to go any further than to simply read His Word and savor the awesome descriptions of our Creator? Friends, may I remind you that we serve a strong, awesome God!

Friends, do you know this awesome God of whom I have spoken in this devotional? If you do, please enjoy His presence today and rejoice in the awesome God that He truly is. If you don’t know my God, please allow me to introduce Him to you. There is information in my ‘Footnote’ that might help you, but I would welcome your email asking for my help. It would be my honor to introduce you to the One who will make the difference between eternal life and endless death in the presence of the Evil One – Satan.

Prayer: Praise God, I can rejoice in the joy of my salvation, the Creator of this universe and the One who lives forevermore! Lord, please deal in my heart daily so that I may never misrepresent You or tarnish Your name. Please touch the hearts of my readers today so that they may also commit to a pure, dedicated life that is totally sold out to You – a life that will never sacrifice or tarnish the wonderful name of Jesus. May others see Jesus through our actions and through all areas of our character, for I ask this 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 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

Appreciative To God!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Appreciation, Healing, ThankfulnessLeave 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: Luke 17:14–17
Today’s Bible Text: 14 He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. 15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” 16 He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine?
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: We are a very needy people. It seems like there would never be a shortage of things to ask for whenever we go before God in prayer, for He is so worthy, so powerful and so loving in wanting to supply our every need. But this scripture today is a reminder that we are to be a people of thanksgiving and praise even more than a people who constantly ask/plead/beg for God’s grace and favor. Think about it friend, God provides so much more than what we ask for, and His responses to our requests are so much more than we could ever imagine. There is no other God like our God! As I look outside my window this morning I can see sunshine; a beautiful lake with fish jumping from the water; greenery; birds and the accompanying chirping from them. So far I’ve listed several things that I never asked God for this morning, but for which I can give Him thanks. Unfortunately I believe many of our prayer lives are much like the lepers in this story. We are probably quick to run to God with our needs and our wants, but how often do we return to thank Him for His attention and answers? Let’s never forget that there are times that we ask God, but we tend to think that He never heard us if He answers differently to what we told Him. There is much to thank God  for in the ‘no’ responses as well! Friends, may I encourage you today to try and follow in the footsteps of the one leper who gave thanks to Jesus, and not the other nine who took the healing for granted, and were ungrateful in returning to give thanks! God deserves our praise and our thanksgiving!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You bless us so powerfully every day in so many wonderful ways. Please help us to always, always return to give thanks to You for not only hearing our prayers, but responding to them in such divine ways. Please help our times of prayer to always be deeper in praise and thanksgiving than any of the needs that we have to pray about, no matter how severe those needs may appear to us. Leprosy was pretty serious, yet when healed, only one returned to give thanks. May we be a part of that group that will remember, and will return to give thanks, for we are so appreciative of all that You bless us with each and every day. In thanksgiving, I ask these things, all for Your ultimate glory, AMEN!

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

2016

Confidence In Knowing God Is With Us

On By Ed AlgreenIn Confidence, Knowing Christ, Without doubtLeave 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: Isaiah 43:1-3
Today’s Bible Text: “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:
The Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take Away: God was open in saying that He would punish sin and evil, but in this passage of scripture He was very open in assuring His people that He was with them in every circumstance of life. Friends, this is a message for us today, for I believe that God still hates sin and will still frown on and punish disobedience. As He emphasized right at the end of this scripture, He paid a huge price for our sin, so why should He sit back and smile at our deliberate sin and rejection of His sacrifice. However, the positive side of this scripture comes in the verses where God assures us that for those of us who have claimed Him as Lord and Savior of our lives, and have totally surrendered ourselves to His lordship, we can be assured of the following:

  • He claims us as His very own;
  • He promises to be with us, even when we are in over our heads and feeling overwhelmed;
  • He is ready and willing to rescue us when we feel like we are sinking in life’s troubles and struggles;
  • He will show us a way out when we feel like we have used up every possible option

Best of all friends, all of the above is possible because He is God – our personal God! So I ask you, is there anything too big for our God? I pray that you can confidently respond a resounding ‘no’ to that question. I would encourage you know my Savior today on a very personal way, so that you too may claim His promises.

Prayer: Lord God, thank You for reminding us of Your awesome power and Your unending and limitless love for us. Thank You for assuring us of Your power that You displayed to Israel in the above scripture, and the reassurance that You are still just as powerful and awesome today. Please help my readers to understand that You are not a ‘Santa Claus’, but rather a very relationship based God who not only created this universe and each person, but yet You are very willing to be our Savior and our God – a very personal God who cares about us. Please help us to surrender our lives completely to You and to depend on you each and every day. Thank You from the depths of my heart for the amazing sacrifice that You paid for my sin. I am eternally grateful. I ask these things in the wonderful name of Jesus, my Lord, AMEN!

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

2016

How BIG Is Our God?

On By Ed AlgreenIn All-powerful, Almighty, Our Great BIG God1 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: Isaiah 40:12–14
Today’s Bible Text: 12 Who measured the oceans in the palm of his hand? Who used his hand to measure the sky? Who used a bowl to measure all the dust of the earth? Who used scales to measure the mountains and hills? 13 Who could know the Lord’s mind? Who could be his teacher or give him advice? 14 Did the Lord ask for anyone’s help? Did anyone teach him to be fair? Did anyone teach him knowledge? Did anyone teach him to be wise?
The Bible Translation: Easy-To_Read Version (ERV)

My Take Away: If you were preparing your heart to meet with someone, to encourage them, and to really share the power and the width and the breadth of our God, where would you begin?  When you prepare yourself to kneel at the feet of Jesus and place your petitions before Him, how convinced are you that He could handle your needs? In verse 31 of this same chapter, Isaiah shares the following:

But those who trust in the Lord will become strong again. They will be like eagles that grow new feathers. They will run and not get weak. They will walk and not get tired.

Friends, this scripture today is intended to remind us that no matter how burdened we are about circumstances, or about our needs, or about our finances, or how needy we or our family members really are, we have a great BIG awesome God who has successfully managed to handle a whole lot more than any ‘mountain’ we may be facing! Look at the examples given by Isaiah in verses 12-14 above and convince yourself of the supernatural God who loves you, who cares for you, who ‘goes to bat’ every day for you, and know that there is nothing too big for Him. Furthermore, be reminded that He loves you individually, therefore He wants to help you in every way possible! So don’t hold back friend, take your needs before God and be ready to praise Him as you evidence His hand at work in miraculous ways. He’s just  t h a t  BIG!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we bow before You in adoration of who You are, and for all You have done for us. Though so unworthy, still I’m a child of the King! Praise be to my almighty, all-powerful, ever-loving, incredible great BIG God! Please continue to bless Your kids again today, especially since we have been reminded of your outstanding power and magnitude. We will be eternally grateful dear God, for we ask these things in faith, and through the powerful name of our almighty 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!

2016

Will Jesus Know You as His Follower?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Commitment, Know and Believe, Know 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: Luke 13:23–25
Today’s Bible Text: A bystander said, “Master, will only a few be saved?” He said, “Whether few or many is none of your business. Put your mind on your life with God. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires your total attention. A lot of you are going to assume that you’ll sit down to God’s salvation banquet just because you’ve been hanging around the neighborhood all your lives. Well, one day you’re going to be banging on the door, wanting to get in, but you’ll find the door locked and the Master saying, ‘Sorry, you’re not on my guest list.’
The Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take Away: Ever had someone sneak up behind you and blindfold you to see if you could guess who it is? Ever had a situation that you didn’t recognize the person, even after they revealed themselves to you? Perhaps you were mistaken for someone else they knew. It’s embarrassing when someone strongly believes that they know you, but you don’t recognize them in the slightest, isn’t it? This kind of reminds me of what it is like when someone appears insulted by asking them if they are a believer in Jesus. They may look at you and remind you that they are the one who attended Vacation Bible School with you in the 5th grade, and they have continued their belief in God by attending your church at least three times in the last year! So why would you possibly ask such a question of them? Friends I could go on giving you examples of those, whom I feel, might be surprised on Judgment Day. However, just like this translation indicates: Jesus responds that “this is none of my business”; for this is strictly something that He will work on each day until the time He calls that person out of this world. What God really wants you and I to do, is also in this scripture, for Jesus demands that we concentrate on our own relationship with the Lord. In other words, we have a fulltime job working on our own relationship with God instead of being so caught up in the affairs of others. Let me suggest that we look around and try to identify happily married couples. I believe you will do that by looking at the way they look at each other; the things they say to each other; the unending times that they strive to be together; the things the husband may do for his wife and/or her friends just to prove his love for her. Now, should that be any different when we try to show our love for our Lord? We will want to talk to Him as often as possible (prayer); We will want to be with Him and/or His people as often as possible (church); We will want to study His habits – His likes and dislikes and His desires for us (Bible Study and/or quiet times with the Lord); It will excite us to be around other folk who also love Him and is seeking to serve Him (church gatherings). Friends, these are just outward expressions of love for your Master that your friends will notice. Jesus knows your heart, so He knows what makes you ‘tick’ and why you do what you do. He knows if you’re serious about Him or just trying to impress mama by being in church each Sunday. Bottom line is that you may be successful in fooling all of the people all of the time, but God truly knows the heart of each man and woman. God will open the gates of heaven to you when He is convinced that you are sincerely in love with Him.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we often go through the motions of church attendance because we don’t want to disappoint the pastor, or because we promised mom that we would be in church at least each Sunday morning. It is obvious from this scripture today, that You look a lot deeper than that, for just like we can’t ever expect to sleep in our garage and wake up looking like a car, nor can we expect that church attendance will make us a Christian, or follower of Christ. Lord, please forgive us for our littleness in thinking that because we can impress our friends, that we can also trick You into believing we are a follower by going through the motions the world expects of a Christian. Lord, may Your Word penetrate our hearts and convince us of our sin. May we seek Your forgiveness of that sin, and may we strive daily to live for You, without being distracted about how our neighbor may be handling their lives. You are my all in all Jesus. May my life reflect that in all aspects of my character. 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

Priority–Seek God First

On By Ed AlgreenIn Believe, Priority, Seek God FirstLeave 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: Luke 12:29-31
Today’s Bible Text: 29 “And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. 30 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. 31 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT),

My Take Away: Friends this is a very logical thing, but none the less, Jesus emphasized this with His disciples, to stop worrying as children of the most high God. Let’s think this through: If we are foolish and never seek God for anything in our life, then we are probably unbelievers and feel like we have everything in this life under control. When things fail to materialize, or may not happen the way we want them to, then we start to panic and worry, because we quickly run out of options, resulting in worry over how our needs will be met. On the other hand, when we surrender our lives to our Lord Jesus, we acknowledge before Him that He is most worthy and deserving of our praise. We are convinced from His wonderful book, the Bible, that He is the author of all things and the provider for His precious children. We develop a faith, based on everything that we read about all throughout the Bible. Also, knowing the love promised by our Maker, we develop a confidence that our Master will take care of our every need. This all begins with a relationship with our Savior, friend. As part of this relationship, as sons and daughter of the King of all kings, we develop a strong sense of faith, trust, love and contentment, knowing that He cares for us and that He watches out for His own. Unlike anyone else that we have ever known, our Savior loved us so much that He willingly gave up His life so that we might live eternally with Him. If He loved us enough to do that friend, don’t you know without a doubt that the words of these verses are also true? AS totally surrendered
children of God, we can be assured that He will give us everything we need.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I believe in You. I claim You as my Savior and Lord, because of a decision many years ago when I invited You into my heart. Thank You for the reminder today that You have given to my readers and I, that in knowing You, we can place our faith and trust in You for all things. Please help us to develop such a trust that we will learn to not worry about anything material here on this earth. Please open our hearts to be children of constant praise to our King for Your precious gifts to us on a daily and consistent basis. There is no need to worry when we place our faith and trust in the One who holds the key to all areas of our life. In deepest love and appreciation Lord, I ask these things, AMEN!