Tag: Freedom

Free From The Power of Sin

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Easter, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Wednesday, 2022-03-30
WRITTEN AT: Astatula, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Romans 6:20-23 
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. 21 And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. 22 But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

APPLICATION: Paul found that believers need reminding of the world from which they came. This might be extremely troubling top some, because it makes them ashamed and they don’t even want to think about it. However, as we ponder our past, it serves to remind the Christian of where our neighbors, family and friends might be at in their lives, and therefore gives us a deeper desire to share the Word of God with them. Friends, in verse 21 we are told that the end for the unbeliever is eternal doom. Is that what we want for those we love? I pray that this lesson today may be a reminder that time is short before the Lord returns to take His church home to glory. We have friends and family who are destined for hell – eternal doom; are we OK with that? Easter is right around the corner and we will once again be reminded of the new life we have in our risen Lord. I pray that this will give reason for us to carefully and sincerely pray for those who are still deeply involved in sin and struggling to see the light and hope that we have in the glory of Easter and our risen Lord. This is a great time to encourage our loved ones to attend church with us, so let’s show them that we care, and pray earnestly for them that God will open their hearts to hear the truths of His Word. In self-preparation, let us examine our hearts and insure that The Light of the risen, living, all powerful God is evident in our lives every day. Perhaps as family and friends see Christ in action through us, they will desire even more to accept Him and allow Him to change their destiny!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Because of the free gift of eternal life, we can shout and sing of the glories of our Lord and King!

PRAYER: Lord, in the same way that we would be seriously upset over a neighbor or some other friend perishing in a fire, please make us just as desperate and upset in knowing that they have not accepted You as their Lord and Savior, for both lead to death. Please help us to always celebrate our risen Lord, and because of Your love for Your children, help us to strive to encourage others to accept and know You personally. Please make us ever mindful of the new life the sinner has in knowing You as personal Lord and Savior. May this inspire us to make every effort to rescue our unbelieving friends and family who are lost in the darkness of sin, and need You as their Risen Savior. Help us to live victorious lives through which You may be glorified! AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please 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 might 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 Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

How To Live Freely and Unconcerned

On By Ed AlgreenIn How to Live, Live in peaceLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   Matthew 11:28-30 (MSG)

TEXT:  28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

OBSERVATION:   Our God is so caring about us, that He recognizes when we are getting at the end of our rope on life’s issues. Extraordinary issues normally require extraordinary attention and care, and normally by someone or something outside of your daily routine, since that’s what caused you to become despondent in the first place. Our God is an awesome God, and no one cares for us like He does, so let’s look to Him for answers on this dilemma.

APPLICATION:   I’m sure that many of us can identify with being tired, for we all seem to be over-committed and overworked. And what do we tend to do about that, see a doctor or a therapist? But don’t they most often recommend that we exercise more, and try to distract our brains from the same old routine – which may stress some folk out even more? The other matter addressed in verse 28 speaks to being burned out on religion. For those heavily involved in church work, I bet you can identify with this one, for it seems like we are often involved in one ministry and often multiple ministries. Outside of that we often are committed to more than one committee with several projects or concerns at one time, correct? Well you see what today’s Scripture reads, but let me share an example for you to consider: A friend, who was a pastor at one time, started a new ministry as a result of something he felt led to try with his church leaders. He planned a weekend retreat, and here’s what he did: He and his group arrived at the retreat location with an empty sheet for the agenda. He shared with the group, that they will seek God’s face through His all-powerful Word (the Bible), and they would pray as they are led to do so by God, or they would sing praises to God as also led by Him. From an empty agenda, they were soon inundated with Scripture, prayer and singing out on a mountain top with no cell phones or other matters to worry about, but merely one-on-one time with God. Friends, when God says to us that we should learn to get alone with Him and share our burdens and concerns with Him – perhaps about why we feel so tired, or worn out, or so overwhelmed in ministry. Perhaps then we might see His wonderful face and be reminded through His love and care, why our mission is so important and understand more clearly that when we allow God to be a vital part of our lives and ministry, how rewarding it is. Oh that we might see people in our church, our community, our family and our friends reaching out to the Creator of this universe! I believe that not only will God be glorified, but this will bring peace, contentment, and rejoicing to us, instead of added stress with its associated burdens. It’s all about God friends. Let Him be God. Allow Him to use us in the process of winning people to the Lord and rejoicing in Him as we see Him glorified by all the people! Let’s strive for peaceful times with God, away from the hustle and bustle of this world, so that we might enjoy times of freedom and contentment in Him. Oh that we might be encouraged and prompted along in the ministry in which He has placed us to serve.

PRAYER:   Dear Lord, thank You for being so available to us. Thank You for caring enough for Your children that You encouraged us to find peace in You for You alone are our Shepherd, our Lord, our Majesty, our King and our Deliverer. As we seek to draw close to You, we will live in freedom and without the burdens of this world. Thank You Lord for helping us to find that peace, especially in the stresses of life that bombard us each day. Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please 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 Nuggets From God’s Word 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 Sebring, 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!