Put Your Affairs in Order

On 2016-11-08 By Ed AlgreenIn Choices, Cleanse me Oh God, Heaven, Hell, PrayerLeave a comment

Tuesday, 2016-11-08

Scripture

Bible Reference: 2 Kings 20:1–3

Bible Text: Some time later Hezekiah became deathly sick. The prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, paid him a visit and said, “Put your affairs in order; you’re about to die—you haven’t long to live.”

Hezekiah turned from Isaiah and faced GOD, praying:

Remember, O GOD, who I am, what I’ve done! I’ve lived an honest life before you, My heart’s been true and steady, I’ve lived to please you; lived for your approval.

And then the tears flowed. Hezekiah wept.

Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take

Without sounding too morbid today, I would imagine that some of you may have, at one time or another in your lifetime, been told those dreaded words from a doctor, that a loved one is about to die. Regardless of how you may have reacted, I want each of us to think about a moment like that, and then, reflect on the words told to Hezekiah about his own life, by the prophet Isaiah at the very beginning of our scripture today. I have heard about individuals becoming so angry at being given such a prediction by their doctor, and I have heard about individuals who have totally given up under such circumstances and not lasted nowhere near as long as predicted by doctors. Hezekiah has taught us through his actions, that it is best to have a time of solitude with your maker at that time, in calm assurance, knowing that if you are allowed to live a little longer, ‘great’, but if God is ready for you now, then as the apostle Paul reminded us, that to die is actually ‘gain’, because we would leave the evil, hatred and disappointments of this world behind us, and instead be present with the Lord, in all of His glory! Friends, I don’t know about you, but there’s an old hymn that constantly reminds me of what that day will be like – ‘Oh that will be GLORY for me, GLORY for me, GLORY for me, when by HIS grace I shall look on His face, that will be GLORY, be GLORY for me‘. The reason that I share this blog; the reason I would encourage you to read your Bible; the reason for accepting Jesus as your personal Savior; and the reason you are encouraged to share those joys with others through your local churches, is that each of us will be faced with coming before our maker one day. That is one of the sure things of this life, we will all die and face our Maker, or He might come for His church before we physically die here on earth, but either way, you WILL face your Maker. Friends, may I encourage you to do like Isaiah encouraged Hezekiah to do, ‘get your house in order today’, and that includes your personal life first, then work on the life-condition of those in your household, for you may very well be called away today! Are you ready to go? If not, why not? If for lack of knowing how to handle this, may I encourage you follow the suggestions in my Footnote? This is way too important to just brush this whole idea aside, trust me. In meeting your Maker, who knows your very heart, you are subject to one of two decisions, and they are totally based on who you have chosen for your savior. If you have personally and deliberately sought the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, then we will see each other in heaven, if not I regret to inform you that your earthly master is awaiting you in the very depths of Hell. In other words, your decision while alive determines your eternal destiny. I would love to see you make the right decision friend! May I count on you?

Prayer

Father, thank You for providing the means by which we can live with the same peace that Hezekiah expressed in his prayer. There was no pounding on the bed or table, but his prayer indicated that should God choose to let me stay a little longer, or if in fact He takes him right away, he felt like he had lived the life expected of him by God. No regrets. O that we may have that kind of peace Heavenly Father. Lord Jesus, in our scripture today, and in the clearest words I could share, I believe the gospel has been presented today. Please bless it and use it for Your glory. Holy Spirit, please prompt the hearts of those that need to make decisions today about ‘getting their affairs in order’. I pray that Your work will become evident in their lives in helping them not to find excuses, or be prompted by Satan to ignore this warning today, for today is the day of salvation! I ask these things in greatest humility and in sincere respect of all that You continue to do in our lives, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, 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!

A Model Prayer

On 2016-11-05 By Ed AlgreenIn God’s Word, Praise-worthy, Prayer, RespectLeave a comment

Saturday, 2016-11-05

Scripture

Bible Reference: Exodus 13:11-13

Bible Text: ¹¹But Moses begged God not to do it. “Lord,” he pleaded, “why is your anger so hot against your own people whom you brought from the land of Egypt with such great power and mighty miracles? ¹²Do you want the Egyptians to say, ‘God tricked them into coming to the mountains so that he could slay them, destroying them from off the face of the earth’? Turn back from your fierce wrath. Turn away from this terrible evil you are planning against your people! ¹³Remember your promise to your servants—to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. For you swore by your own self, ‘I will multiply your posterity as the stars of heaven, and I will give them all of this land I have promised to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’”

Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

My Take

Conversation with God is considered ‘Prayer’. So as we look at this prayer by Moses, I want to make sure that we see three specific methods used by Moses in this awesome prayer he had with an angry God. This may help give us direction in our prayer life:

God’s previous work for Israel (v. 11) – friends, when we bring a petition before God, it often hurts, or it may have us very upset that things are not going our way. Let’s be encouraged to reflect on situations where friends have testified of the awesome hand of God, where He had already answered similar prayers for them. This helps us to reflect on the possibilities of our powerful God, and it helps us pray in more earnest for our need(s), knowing that God did this already, and it therefore gives us confidence that He could do it again. The situation at hand where the Israelites had resorted to false gods, was no comparison to the sins they committed in Egypt, yet God showed His awesome power and delivered them from their oppressors, and then provided for them daily while in the desert;
God’s glory and reputation (v. 12) – Moses reminded God of how His righteous anger would appease the Egyptians by making them think that God’s plan all along was to get them in the desert where He could destroy them, not the likely story He told them about getting them into a ‘Promised Land’ filled with milk and honey. While this could almost sound disrespectful, I believe that God really wants us to share our heart with Him. In recent studies, I was reminded that God knows and judges our very thoughts, so it’s no use feeling all of this inside and saying only what you think God wants to hear. Share your heart with God friend! Be open and honest with Him. Deep in God’s heart you know that He is filled with such love that we could never comprehend the extremes He would go to in order to prove His love for us. Recognize that, and include that in your conversation with God. He longs to hear your heart!
God’s word (v. 13) – Allow God to help you bring scripture back to mind so that you can share that in your prayer. This does not mean that you must know every Bible verse and its reference, but in most cases you can come pretty close to quoting a scripture that you may have heard or studied in the past. Give your best rendition of what you remember. You’re talking to God, and He knows Your heart and what you are trying to relay to Him!

Friends, this is not intended to build rigidity in your prayer life, for just as I said at the beginning, prayer is conversation between you and God. However, I want you to be aware that in verse 14 of Exodus 13, we are told that God changed His mind about destroying the Israelites because of their idolatry! I am merely sharing a model prayer that Moses found useful and in which God responded in an awesome way. If it worked once, I see no reason why it can’t work again. Furthermore, I believe this gives us more ‘meat’ in our prayers, rather than rushing to your closet and demanding of God what He must do for you today. In prayer, you are actually meeting and speaking with the creator of this universe and of you and I. Let’s learn to speak with Him a little differently than we might speak with mom or dad when we issue our demands on them!

Prayer

Lord Jesus, teach us to pray like You did when You bowed before Your Father. We want to be just like You, Lord. Your servant Moses demonstrated a unique prayer to the Father, and as we have studied that today, we are reminded again that You are our Father and You long to hear us express our hearts and our innermost feelings. May this model prayer of Moses, remind us of even more intimate and expressive ways that we may connect with You in prayer, oh Lord, my Rock and my Salvation. To You be all honor, praise and continuous glory, AMEN!

Footnote

Training For What’s Ahead

On 2016-11-01 By Ed AlgreenIn Believe, Biblical Decisions, Know and Believe, Knowing Christ, Knowledge, Lamb's Book of LifeLeave a comment

Tuesday, 2016-11-01

Scripture

Bible Reference: 2 Timothy 3:15–17

Bible Text: There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.

Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take

There are times in my job where a vendor will tell us that if we abuse their help desk because we opted not to take the training they offered to us on recent product enhancements, we could very well see fees included in our monthly bill. Imagine if you have at least one Bible sitting on your coffee table gathering dust, then to stand before God in judgment and tell Him that you never knew it was necessary to accept His Son in order to get into heaven? Imagine how God will penalize us for continuing with our excuses of not knowing His Word well enough to share it with others? This is very much like the example I gave to you above! In the working world we find more practical help from users of a product we own, than we do from the text books written by the designer and producer of the products. These groups often meet together in something most vendors call ‘A User Community’. Did you know that one of the largest ‘User Communities’ of the Bible exists right in your own neighborhood, and its known as ‘The Church’! Many admit that these folk are flawed and need help just like yourself, who may not be a part of the community. Friends, the whole concept of a ‘Community’ is that we can share the way that we understand how a product works; how we use a product; and how it is practical for us. For those struggling with proper use of the product, they come to the ‘Community’ to unload their frustrations and misunderstandings. Those of us who successfully use the product every day, we simply share how we use it and how we understand the product should be used. One of the most productive communities that I’m a part of, is monitored by staff of the product owner, and they will chime in from time to time and share with the group about how the product is designed to work in certain scenarios. In the church ‘Community’, we have pastors and teachers and leaders who are equipped to chime in and speak to the way they understand the Word of God was written and what the writer probably intended. Community members are the church attendees, and are most often users of the Bible, because they have accepted the One whom God sent to love on them; to open their eyes to the truth of His Word; and to prepare them for the day of His return when He will come to gather His church, or community of believers, to go with Him and spend eternity in heaven worshiping Him and the Father. Friends, we were intricately designed and made by God. Because He turned us lose to live on this earth, His perfectly designed human beings quickly become flawed by the sin that abounds on earth. So God gave His Word to us through writers that He inspired, so that we could understand the concept that He intended for us, and also know how to unravel ourselves from sin by accepting Him as our Lord, Savior, Protector, Deliverer and soon coming King of all kings. His text-book (the Bible) teaches that this is the only means of us uniting with He and the Father. How are you doing with that friend? May I recommend that you look around the following page for more scripture and help in understanding this truth: https://nuggetsfromgodsword.org/to-know-jesus/.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Word, and thank You for all that is available to us today to help us understand Your Word more fully. Thank You for the church, a body of believers who strive to know more about God, so that they may be of help to others in the community (church), and to evangelize those who find excuses for their lack of acceptance or knowledge of the One who totally gave His life, so that we might see the likes of heaven and the Father. Lord, we find our way to the cross every time that we are in bad straights and need a quick fix. As we dig into the depths of Your Word and learn more about the enormous love expressed for us, may we accept that gift and study Your Word more intently so that we can understand all that You have to offer us. May we be participators in our church community to receive the benefits of being helped by others; may we willingly share with others so that we might help others; and as we anticipate the glories of heaven, may that bring such joy to our hearts that we will be totally enveloped in the hope of looking into Your wonderful face one day and singing endless praises to You and the Father throughout eternity! To God be the Glory, for the great things He has done – especially for us! AMEN!

Footnote

How To Be Changed From The Inside Out

On 2016-10-21 By Ed AlgreenIn Change, Know and Believe, Knowing Christ, Salvation, TransformationLeave a comment

Friday, 2016-10-21

Scripture

Bible Reference: Romans 12:1-2

Bible Text: ….Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take

We sometimes refer to kids as being ‘rude to the core’, meaning that we struggle to see any good thing in that particular child that we are dealing with at the time! Unfortunately I believe that adults probably say similar things about other adults also, and when we consider how devious we are in our minds, especially for those without the love and impact of Christ, then we should not be amazed by that statement! Friends, it is unfortunate, but we easily ‘melt away’ or blend into the culture around us. In other words, I believe that if a typical Christian settles into a community away from all churches, and filled with constant parties and celebrations, it may not be long before that ‘Christian’ is persuaded that if they expect to ever make friends with the neighbors then they had best ‘fit in with the crowd’. Paul encourages us in these verses to take every aspect of our lives and place it before God as an offering. I believe this means that we give what we have to God, ask Him to bless it, multiply its usefulness, and use us for His glory – so that His kingdom may benefit from every aspect of our lives. As indicated in the verses, when we fix our eyes and our attention on God, and not on what our friends, or the church, or the world can do for us, then God will be convinced that we are ready for His service and He will begin the change process – from the inside out. I believe this means that He will do away with the old thoughts and habits, and fill us with the glories of the heavenly, so that we may be usable instruments by the King of glory! In another part of scripture, Jesus warns that it makes no sense placing new wine into old wine-skins. Likewise, it would be highly unlikely for Jesus to leave the filth of the ‘old man’ in place and then ‘top him off’ with the joys and glories of heaven. I am convinced that God will empty us of the old sinful man and fill us with His grace, His love and His Holy Spirit, for our lost world will only be impacted when they see the purity of Jesus when they look at us. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit will not reside where sin abounds. So to my unsaved readers, may I plead with you to not be tricked into making a superficial decision to accept Jesus as Lord in order to satisfy mom, or the pastor, or that friend that keeps bugging you. Instead, be ready to allow God to wash you clean – from the inside out, and then fill you with the beauty of Himself. Ask a beggar to act like a rich man, and he wouldn’t know what to do. The totally opposite is also true. Asking a sinner to continue in sin and wear the look of Jesus is also a total misfit. However, to ALL who calls on the Lord Jesus Christ, to them will He accept (save) and totally change from the inside out. I pray that will be your decision today friend!

Prayer

Lord Jesus, please forgive us for the decisions we make that are so superficial that we change our minds at the whim of every wind or circumstance of life. Please help us to think deeply about offering ourselves as a total sacrifice, or offering, to You, for Lord we desire a heart like Yours, and the humility to please You in every way possible. We already dedicate ourselves in similar fashion to our workplace so that our business owners could succeed. Please teach us to be even more committed to surrender totally to You so that Your eternal kingdom may flourish through our witness. Lord, we have family and friends who are destined for eternal damnation and unless they see, understand and believe on You, they will never see the glories of Heaven. Please grant us the deep desire to allow You to rule and reign in every way through us, so that they may recognize the King of glory and desire to know You personally. Change my heart oh God, make it ever true, change my heart oh God, may I be like You! AMEN!

Footnote

Tough Love

On 2016-10-20 By Ed AlgreenIn Love, Loyalty, Prayer, Salvation, Saved, SaviorLeave a comment

Thursday, 2016-10-20

Scripture

Bible Reference: Jeremiah 48:35–36

Bible Text: 35 “I will put an end to Moab,” says the LORD, “for the people offer sacrifices at the pagan shrines and burn incense to their false gods. 36 My heart moans like a flute for Moab and Kir-hareseth, for all their wealth has disappeared.

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

As parents we are often pressed to express tough love with our children, as they are so clever in trying to manipulate us into spoiling them and providing everything possible for them. Because we have invested so much of our lives into our kids, and because of the deep love that we have for them, it is extremely challenging for us to say ‘no’ or handle them with ‘tough love’. Imagine then how challenging it is for the God of this universe to destroy parts of His creation that He made with such pride. Imagine the love expressed when He provided the ultimate sacrifice (His Son, Jesus) for us to overcome/throw off the filth of sin, and become eligible for His kingdom. In our scripture today we see an example of God’s tough love with the people of Moab. God loved them with such heart-felt love, that His very heart moaned in agony for their well-being. However the people were so immersed in sin that they chose to worship the gods that they could see – the ones that other leaders placed before them to worship and supposedly provide for them. As we read this account, we may be challenged to see the issue here, because we may quickly conclude that the Moabites deserved destruction because of their stubbornness, disobedience, worldly affection and for having taken their eyes off God. However, let me be quick to warn you friend, that in our world today, we are probably as bad, or worse than the Moabites. Please, no throwing of rotten eggs! Let me explain: a well-known verse of scripture that many have heard, and many may even be able to recite, tells us: (John 3:16) – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Please carefully note what that verse says, and hopefully you can rejoice in the promise that lies ahead for you, because you have surrendered your will and your life, to believe in the one true God, through His Son, Jesus. In comparison to the scripture on the Moabites, I want you to read John 3:16 again, and particularly notice what it does not say. Notice that the Word says that if you believe, or for those who believe, they will have eternal life. BUT, what do you suppose that verse is saying about those who don’t believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? Friends, recent statistics revealed that only 9% of Americans believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you suppose that the Moabite statistics were worse than that? May I remind you friend, that there are only two options for us, just as it was for the Moabites. We know from John 3:16 that the eternal destination for those who Believe on Jesus, is heaven (Praise the wonderful name of Jesus!!). However, scripture also tells us that all others are living for Satan and will join him in Hell for an eternity of damnation and destruction. I believe that God is very sad to know that so many of His kids have decided to live like the devil and settle for such damnation. Unfortunately, that’s 91% of Americans, and probably a similar percentage for other countries. For Christians who have sincerely yearned for the ‘heart of Christ’, I believe that our hearts are likewise saddened by this reality today. So much so, that I am hoping that you will join me in prayer for the unsaved today. 91 out of every 100 people that we come into contact with today could potentially be in danger of eternal destruction. Friends, let us pray……..

Prayer

Lord Jesus, Redeemer, Savior of this world, God’s very Son: thank You for the sacrifice You made so that we might have eternal life. I can only imagine how Your heart is saddened by the number of Your children who have chosen to reject that sacrificial gift of love that You have made available to them. Like the Moabites, many have chosen to ignore, refuse and reject the gift You have offered, and to worship the gods of entertainment, sports, pornography, self-fulfillment and lust that saturates their minds through constant advertising and frequent pop-ups on computer screens. It is so unfortunate that often it takes a disaster of some sort to really get the attention of many folk, but Lord in a proactive approach today, may I ask that You please burden the hearts of Christians to frequently bow their knees before You in prayer for their unsaved family and friends. Because the necessary decisions can only happen through changed hearts, we acknowledge that our part can only be in loving these ones, and lifting them up to You on a regular basis, so that You may impact the heart. We are concerned dear Lord. Please ease our concern as we pray. For I ask these things in the name of the only One who can change hearts, Jesus, the Christ, AMEN

Footnote

How To Stay Encouraged In A Challenging World

On 2016-10-17 By Ed AlgreenIn Christian, Faith, Humility, Obedience, Our Help comes from God, SurrenderLeave a comment

Monday, 2016-10-17

Scripture

Bible Reference: Philippians 4:8-9

Bible Text: ⁸Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise. ⁹You know the teachings I gave you, and you know what you heard me say and saw me do. So follow my example. And God, who gives peace, will be with you.

Bible Translation: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

My Take

Perhaps before you walk out of the door to your home this morning you already realized that there will be many challenges that you will deal with today. Perhaps there is overflow from the challenges you dealt with yesterday. There may even be unresolved contention that you know you must deal with today. You may be deliberating: why is it that you must awake from your ‘perfect’, ‘protected’, ‘uncomplicated’ dream of contentment and peace at home, and face the reality and cruelty of this wicked world. Friends, I want you to be encouraged with the words from God, through His messenger Paul, for I believe this can apply to all who are reading this devotional today:

First of all, to the believer in Jesus Christ, here are some tips on how to handle life under God’s leadership, strength, wisdom and guidance today:
- Don’t allow your minds to be swayed by this world and it’s leader – Satan. Instead, aim towards being like Jesus, for He is true (so important in this world filled with lies, hatred and deception); pure (there is no ‘make-believe’ with Jesus Christ, for He is the real deal. He loved us when we were still steeped in sin, and He gave up His own life to provide the means of us living eternally with the Father in heaven); right; holy (remember Jesus is one with God, so He is holy just as God almighty is holy); friendly; and proper;
- Think about everything that is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise – in other words, we are to seek God’s help to not be pulled into the gutter of gossip; hatred; and the evil deeds associated with Satan himself. In other words, if we find ourselves thinking about something that we cannot truly praise God for, then we are probably ‘off-track’ with what God is teaching us here. For we are to think on those things that are ‘worthy of praise‘ to our heavenly Father!
Secondly, I believe that there is help here for the non-Christian. Think about it friend: how can you possibly deal with life without the power of the Holy Spirit who is busy in the life of the believer? Without the power of Christ, Satan is free to beat up on you all he wants. Christians are not super beings with the capability of handling every aspect of life that is thrown at them. However, we are super excited about the promise that we can do ALL things through Christ, who strengthens us and guides us to all truth, through the awesome power and guidance of His Holy Spirit who controls us. I believe that your encouragement today is knowing that as long as you have life, there is hope in the option to also accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Know Jesus and know peace! That’s my recommendation to you today so that you may gain His everlasting joy and contentment in everyday living here on this earth.

Prayer

There are a few sayings that cross my mind dear Lord, “you are now entering your mission field” and “you are now entering the ‘real’ world”. I believe that most of us feel fairly secure and at peace in our own homes, and we fear the challenge of what this bitter world holds in store for us as we step into it today. Thank You for the encouragement given to us in this passage of scripture today. Lord, we believe in You, and we lift high the banner of truth contained in Your Word. We are more dependent on You today than ever before Savior, for we can only handle today’s challenges with You powerfully working inside of us, and helping us to be more like You. Lord, how will the world know about You if we don’t tell them? Oh that they may see everlasting hope and the love of Christ in all that we do or say today. For this is my humble prayer that I ask in and through the name of Jesus, AMEN!

Footnote

How to Guard Against Temptation

On 2016-09-08 By Ed AlgreenIn Overcomer, Temptation, Wait on the LordLeave a comment

Thursday, 2016-09-08

Scripture

Bible Reference: Mark 14:38

Bible Text: 38 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

I was touched by the fact that Jesus was going through so much emotionally in the Garden of Gethsemane, yet He didn’t get upset with his disciples over not caring about Him. Instead, Jesus gave them advice that they could use long after He had left them. He probably was also ministering to Peter for being such a ‘motor-mouth’, when he told Jesus that he would stick with Him through ‘thick and thin’, so Jesus had to remind him here that his spirit might be willing, but his body is weak. So what is the application in this verse for us today? I believe there are several things:

Unless we ‘watch‘, for the advisory (Satan) – being on guard for the things that are opposing God and His perfect design, then Satan will pounce on us through various temptations, causing us to sin against God;
Unless we ‘pray‘ to the Master and depend on His strength, His wisdom and His power, then we will quickly fall into the trap of Peter, where our spirit might be willing and wanting to obey God, but the weakness of our flesh will push us towards the things of this world and its master – Satan;
No matter how willing our spirit and personal desire might be, we are weak without the awesome power of the Holy Spirit that God has empowered us with. We must therefore learn to call on God and depend on Him for ALL things – even those things that we feel very capable of handling ourselves, to avoid failure and being ‘sucked in’ by the advisory. Remember, we can do ALL THINGS through CHRIST, who strengthens us! He’s our Rock, our Redeemer and our soon coming King!

Have you surrendered your life to Him friend? Will He recognize your voice when you call on Him as being one of His? It you have doubt, may I encourage you to read my ‘Footnote’ and follow my suggestions, so that you may KNOW – without a doubt, whose you are?

Prayer

Lord Jesus I thank You for Your awesome love and for caring for us, even when we should be thinking about others. You know what we need, and just as You expressed to Peter and his teammates in the garden, I believe You are still very interested in seeing Your children live according to Your will and way, because of being totally surrendered to You. In and of our own strength, we can do nothing towards being holy or totally dedicated to our calling of being ‘little Christs’ – Christians. We need You to help us live noble Christian lives in this world of hate, strife and sin. Not only will we be able to do all thing through Christ who strengthens us, but Lord I believe You will be at liberty to do all things through us – those who have totally surrendered to You and very open to allowing You to work through us. May You accomplish great things today Heavenly Father, and may we be found acceptable in Your sight, so that You may work through us, if need be. In total humility and surrender to You, I am asking these things dear Jesus, AMEN!

Footnote

The Faithfulness of God

On 2016-08-18 By Ed AlgreenIn Committed, Faithful, FaithfulnessLeave a comment

Thursday, 2016-08-18

Scripture

Bible Reference: 2 Thessalonians 3:3,5

Bible Text: 3 But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. 5 May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

Throughout the books written by Paul, it is very obvious of his love and concern for the people that he ministered to. At the end of each book, during Paul’s parting thoughts with each of the churches, he often shared his thoughts on what bothered him most about leaving a town. Unfortunately, Paul’s concerns, are still areas of concern today for most ministries, for the people do well while the heat and excitement of revival continues, but the sincerity of the people become evident when the evangelist leaves town and they are left on their own. I believe that these parting thoughts and prayers were not just for the benefit of the people, but represented the deepest concerns that Paul had for their spiritual self preservation. These thoughts could also serve to benefit us today friends. For when we feel like we are getting sucked into the temptations of this world, or that the evil one is working overtime in our lives, I believe it is important that we remind ourselves of what Paul shared in verse 3: our Lord is faithful, and we can depend on Him to strengthen us and protect us from the evil one. Let us therefore look to God for all things, especially when we feel like we are being pulled away, or distracted in our relationship with God. In Paul’s prayer, he is also reminding us that the same God who expressed His love for us by sacrificing His very own – His one and only Son, so that we might live eternally with Him, this is the same God who we can depend on to lead our hearts into a full understanding of His mercy and grace. I also love the conclusion, for in Paul’s prayer, we are reminded that we are to continue depending on the faithfulness of God until the time His Son returns to take us home to glory, so be patient as you wait! My encouragement to each reader today, is that we remain faithful to our Lord in every way, each and every day, for He’s coming back again real soon, and this time it will be for those of us who know Him and have been faithful to Him. How are you doing with that friend?

Prayer

In all aspects of life, may You find us faithful dear Lord. Thank You for this reminder today Heavenly Father. May we always remember the source of life itself, and may we always be faithful to the Sustainer of all life, until the day we are called home to be with You, our eternal Father, AMEN!

Footnote

A Glimpse of Heaven!

On 2016-08-08 By Ed AlgreenIn Choices, Heaven, SalvationLeave a comment

Monday, 2016-MM-DD

Scripture

Bible Reference: Revelation 21:21–27

Bible Text: 21 The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass. 22 I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. 24 The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. 25 Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there. 26 And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city. 27 Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

Have you ever been told so much about a certain place that you started picturing in your mind what it will look like? Well, let me say that I am so excited about being a child of the Most High, that each day in His presence is sweeter than the day before! But to add to this, I know that God has told me in His Word that He has a place prepared for me, and the rest of His children, and it just excites me to the very limit to know that one day I will be in His presence in, what must be, the most beautiful place that one could ever imagine. When someone tries to describe a beautiful place that they’ve visited, they will often say that no matter how much they try to describe the beauty of the place, you just have to go there for yourself. John tried to do the best he could in this chapter of Revelation, but friends, this is just a glimpse of heaven God gave us through His servant John, and I believe He is knocking at your heart’s door encouraging you to ready yourself for your eternal destination. Notice in verse 27 that entry into this beautiful, but very holy place (heaven) is conditional upon decisions that you make today. If you were taken out of this world today, do you suppose that you would be allowed into heaven? The Bible teaches that there is only One Way to get your name in the Lamb’s Book of Life, and I expanded on that in my previous blog writing. May I encourage you to look back, read that blog, and make sure that you have done this preliminary business with your Lord. All is in vain if you haven’t accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. We have such an awesome Savior to spend eternity with, and having been reminded again today, we also have an awesome heaven to enjoy our eternity with the King of kings and Lord of lords. You could very easily be the next person called out from this world, and your eternal destination will be determined by your spiritual condition. Acceptance of Jesus Christ leads to eternity in heaven. The only alternative takes you to the pit of hell with Satan and his demons. The decision is yours friend!

Prayer

Lord God, we came from You and we very much want to return to You after we leave this earth. It is clear in Your Word that there is only one way to make this happen, and You have given us the advantage of not having to guess, or decode the answer, for You have made it abundantly clear. Just to be in Your gracious presence will be enough, but we are overwhelmed at being reminded of the magnificence of heaven – Your home. Although I can personally sing with the songwriter in the words of ‘What A Day That Will Be’, yet my plea today is that You would work on the hearts of Your children who have not yet accepted Your free gift of eternal life. Please especially humble the hearts of my family and my circle of friends, including those who will read this blog, in their search for a closer walk with You. May this be the day that they will find peace in knowing You personally. You are most worthy oh Lord, and we are most undeserving, and so needy for Your gracious love and miraculous hand upon our life. To God be the glory, AMEN!

Footnote

Which Way?

On 2016-08-06 By Ed AlgreenIn Decisions, direction, Heaven, HellLeave a comment

Saturday, 2016-08-06

Scripture

Bible Reference: Revelation 21:6-8

Bible Text: ⁶And He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the one who thirsts I will give [water] from the fountain of the water of life without cost. ⁷He who overcomes [the world by adhering faithfully to Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior] will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. ⁸But as for the cowards and unbelieving and abominable [who are devoid of character and personal integrity and practice or tolerate immorality], and murderers, and sorcerers [with intoxicating drugs], and idolaters and occultists [who practice and teach false religions], and all the liars [who knowingly deceive and twist truth], their part will be in the lake that blazes with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Bible Translation: Amplified Bible (AMP)

My Take

I understand that one of the hardest things for a man to do, is to stop driving and ask for directions!!! For he tries to work out in his own mind and intuition ‘Which Way’ to go. Of course, choosing the right way will get you to the right place, in best time, and saving the most in fuel costs. And oh, less embarrassment from the wife!!! Now, I believe we all can conclude that choosing the wrong route will cause all of the opposite effects! I am convinced that occasionally we need to be reminded of what the impact that our decisions today have on our eternity. Our all knowing-God took this into effect when He showed John, the author of Revelation, what the impact would be. Thankfully God had John share this with us, so that we could be better informed of what the outcome will be based on our decisions today. In other words, because we are informed, we will go into eternity knowing whether we will be treated as sons and daughters of the Most High, or instead enter into eternal destruction and torment. Friends, the decisions we make today determines our eternal destination. May I remind you that we are naturally inclined to follow the evil desires of our heart. Further, we live in a world that promotes and encourages us to follow these evil ways. How then shall we get from what is natural, to the One who is supernatural? I love the way that this translation reads on verse 7, for it tells us that we are to adhere to the teachings of Jesus Christ. However, we will only do this if we surrender ourselves to that Teacher. For if our natural desire is to sin, we need supernatural power to help us overcome the natural, therefore we need to surrender ourselves to the supernatural One (Jesus), to be led by Him and directed in our path here on earth. Friends, I would encourage you to examine these verses very carefully, for we are given only One Way to change the design and destination of our life. There are no options for just good behavior; attending church; having a good attorney; having good Christian parents, or the such. ONE WAY friends. Please be sure you are on the right track. Please check out my Footnote for help on directions.

Prayer

Thank You dear God for providing THE WAY for us to prepare today for where we will spend eternity. It’s like an open book for us, so we know what it takes and what affects that decision. Please make us bold in making right decisions today Lord, for our desire is to enjoy the glories of Heaven with our Master throughout all eternity. We need You Lord Jesus. Amen!