Tag: God

So You May Believe!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Believe, Disciples, John, Miracles, WitnessLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – 30 Jesus did many other powerful works in front of His followers. They are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. When you put your trust in Him, you will have life that lasts forever through His name. John 20:30-31 – New Life Version (NLF)

THOUGHTS: I believe that in most cases in this life we quickly learn whose words we can trust, because often friends will either add on for emphasis, or simply tell their story so dramatically in order to gain our attention to what they are saying, that many parts of the story is simply placed in there and may not be in line with the truth of the story. I could only imagine that like me, you quickly discern who you have to listen very selectively to, and who you can trust with the whole truth. I remember my dad telling me that if a person has to swear by someone or something when telling you a story, be very careful as that story is probably riveted with lies! Similarly, many people will exaggerate so much in quoting quantities, until I sometime feel like I need to sift through a conversation to determine the real truth! In the gospel of John, we read so many facts about he and his fellow disciples interacting with Jesus, that one could very easily walk away feeling like they may have been present during the events described. I would strongly encourage my readers to take time to read the 20th chapter of John, and to closely examine the actions and words of those that visited the tomb of Jesus. Bear in mind that these were Jesus’ closest friends and followers. Can’t you imagine the content of their prayers leading up to this time, after seeing their Master taken from them, beaten beyond recognition, crucified on an old wooden cross in a public setting and buried in a borrowed tomb? Remember that these prayers were going up to the same One that they attributed multiple healings, bodily resurrection, and many other miracles to. Yet when they saw the miracle of resurrection, again they were flabbergasted. This story, combined with multiple others, which were only a small portion of all the events they witnessed throughout their time with Jesus, yet these things were written down by John for the specific reason written in our key verses above. John wanted to show us what it was like for he and his Brothers to be around Jesus, and how He made a believer out of them. He wanted us to have faith in the same Jesus, who was key in the stories shared with us, so that we might also become focused on Jesus, that we would also become a believer in Jesus, and surrender our lives to Him. John knew that as we are transformed, that we would go on to share our story of this same Savior that rescued us from damnation and the destination of Hell, and that Jesus would use our story to also impact lives for Himself. How are you doing with that friend? John’s story became a part of the best-selling Book in history. How do you suppose Jesus will view your story, and your effort to broadcast it to those within your realm of influence?

PRAYER: Father, You were faithful, You were miraculous in all Your works while in the presence of John and Your disciples. Your plan included the death and resurrection of Jesus to resolve the issue of redemption of our sin, as we seek Your face. You had a very strong influence in the lives of Your disciples. However, with all honor and praise to our risen Lord, we know that You are still in the miracle working business, the greatest of which was transforming the life of a sinner such as I into the likeness of Your very Son, Jesus Christ! So undeserving, yet You love me as a son of the Most High. Father, please provoke a desire into the lives of my readers, my family, my friends and myself to tell our story of Your wondrous works to which we have been a party to or at least a witness. Lord You are so good! We have every reason to share Your goodness with everyone we come into contact with who may not have accepted Your grace and Your offer of salvation yet. May this be a day that others will be transformed because of Your gracious transformation in our lives. Lord, I believe. Please help me to share that with all who may not have reached that state yet – all being for Your full glory and honor. For I ask this in faith, and through the gracious name of Jesus, my Savior and Lord, AMEN!

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

What will you do with Jesus?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Acceptance, Forgiveness, SacrificeLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – John 19:4-6 – New Living Translation (NLT): 4 Pilate went outside again and said to the people, “I am going to bring him out to you now, but understand clearly that I find him not guilty.” 5 Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said, “Look, here is the man!” 6 When they saw him, the leading priests and Temple guards began shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” “Take him yourselves and crucify him,” Pilate said. “I find him not guilty.”

THOUGHTS: Pilate presented Jesus to the crowd and asked them what they wanted him to do with Him. Each weekend most churches/pastors will present the gospel and ask their congregations to respond to a similar question. Most of us leave our churches having said something very similar to that of the crowd before Pilate. Perhaps by our unresponsive action we are saying: hey, you may as well crucify Him, for we have this ‘life’ thing under control. I don’t need this Jesus interfering and telling me what to do or how I should act, or highlighting my wrongs. Perhaps we totally ignore the message, and the idea that Jesus is in control of us and all of life’s happenings. Perhaps we conclude that since Jesus is available, we could easily and quickly call on Him if, and when, we need Him. Friends, in and of our natural selves we have no desire for godly things. If we ARE alerted to the things of Christ, we are actually being personally admonished by GOD Himself. We NEED to listen and obey, not aim to crucify Him. We are about to enter into another weekend of church services. What will you do with Jesus? He loved you so much that He gave himself upon the cross of Calvary as a sacrifice for your sin, so that you might have the means of getting into heaven and the forgiveness of your sin. How will you respond to that?

PRAYER: Lord God, thank You for loving us so much that You showed evidence of that love when You allowed Your precious Son to suffer the disgrace of the people that insisted on His death. Lord, we are not a whole lot better, for we stand by and watch our family and friends ‘spit in Your Son’s face’ still today, when they are convicted by You, yet they turn away in rejection as if to say that they would rather reject Your unbelievable love and accept the horror and disgrace of the Evil One. They would never be so evil to an earthly friend who blesses them today, by turning their face and rejecting them in spite of their sacrificial giving to them. Dear God, please don’t give up on my family members, friends and coworkers who have chosen to follow the pattern of the cruel, unappreciative, jealous, unloving crowd mentioned in the scripture today. Please, Heavenly Father, bear with them a little longer. Please tender their hearts yet again to the fact that You showed Your love in very obvious and sacrificial ways. Their acceptance of that gracious gift is so valuable that it contains the keys to Heaven and an audience for eternity with the creator of this entire universe. We are truly a blessed people, to have such a loving God. Thank You dear Lord, and hear my plea yet again for those I love. For I ask this in the wonderful name of Jesus – the crucified, sacrificial lamb of God, 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 so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

How Dare You Criticize The Man of God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Church Leaders, Love, Obedience, RespectLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – Numbers 12:5-10 – The New Living Translation (NLT): 5 …the Lord descended in the pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the Tabernacle. “Aaron and Miriam!” he called, and they stepped forward. 6 And the Lord said to them, “Now listen to what I say: If there were prophets among you, I, the Lord, would reveal myself in visions. I would speak to them in dreams. 7 But not with my servant Moses. Of all my house, he is the one I trust. 8 I speak to him face to face, clearly, and not in riddles! He sees the Lord as he is. So why were you not afraid to criticize my servant Moses?” 9 The Lord was very angry with them, and he departed. 10 As the cloud moved from above the Tabernacle, there stood Miriam, her skin as white as snow from leprosy.

THOUGHTS: I would strongly encourage you to read the short chapter from which this scripture reference was taken, for it had a profound impact on me. Click on the scripture reference above and you will be taken to a place where you could read all 16 verses. You will get a better understanding in verse 3 why God took such a fierce stand against the sister and brother of Moses, for the Word declares that Moses was the most humble man on earth at the time. I believe this was included to help us understand that Moses would probably have loved his siblings regardless of what they may have said about him. What a humbling honor to be considered as the humblest man on earth, wow! Does that not automatically cause us to question ourselves and what we might do to be more humble in God’s eyes? However, this criticizing of God’s servant, truly angered God, and He dealt with it head on, and severely. He had Moses and his siblings go to the tabernacle, and there He called Miriam and Aaron to step forward as He was about to speak directly to them, and He wanted Moses to witness this. Friends, I want you to read verses 6 through 8 and imagine yourself in place of Miriam and Aaron for anything derogatory you may have spoken or thought about your Pastor or other called church leader. Don’t you know that these men have sacrificed their entire lives to any possible worldly success, when they surrendered to the call of Christ to serve Him in the positions He has blessed them with? Are we then not like Miriam and Aaron, where we are criticizing God for the man He has placed as His leader in our local assemblies? I would strongly caution you that we had better be very careful to pray for our leaders and their humbleness to closely obey God’s commands for His local church. Notice that there is no indication that Moses complained to God about the bad things his siblings were saying. God knew their hearts, He heard their words, and He subsequently reacted very harshly – not just with a tongue lashing, but actually imposed the ringleader (Miriam) with leprosy, which caused her to be placed outside of the camp (city) for 7 days, even in spite of Moses’ plea with God to heal her. Friends, we must learn from this that we must respect God and His called representatives – our church leaders. We must also learn that God loves His humble servants so much that He will stand in the gap for them. So if you are a called person of God and reading this devotional, please know that God has your back. Be committed to Him and serve Him faithfully, knowing that He will take care of the back-biting, gossip and ridicule. If God has truly placed you as His leader to His people, it is He who is more hurt by the backlash from His people, as they are really questioning His authority. May we all be found faithful and true to our Master, until the day He calls us home to glory!

PRAYER: Lord God, Almighty Father, thank You for the picture of love for Your humble servant, and the reassurance that there is no reason why You would still not protect Your servants even today. It is so easy to get caught up in complaining or whining about our leaders, especially when they don’t pat our backs just right, or say the things that we like to hear. Please help us to stay focused on Your Word, for I believe that as we do, then we will appreciate the words from the leaders You have placed in charge of ministering to us. Please teach us to be humble like Your servant Moses, and also teach us to follow Your pattern of obedience when it comes to our spiritual leaders. As church leaders, we badly need encouragement for boldness before Your people, yet humbleness to always seek Your face so that we can seek Your favor for Your people. As followers of Christ, please help us to always pray for, and encourage our church leaders as they seek to obey You and follow Your commands for our respective churches. You are holy and deserving of our praise, worship and honor, and when we do this, perhaps we won’t have time to ridicule and/or gossip about our Brothers and Sisters! I love You lord for who You are, and I ask these things in faith and in the name of Jesus my 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 read through Biblical truths on How To Know Jesus, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Our Basic Sin Revealed

On By Ed AlgreenIn Judgment, Righteousness, SinLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – John 16:8-11 – The Message (MSG): 8–11 “When he comes, he’ll expose the error of the godless world’s view of sin, righteousness, and judgment: He’ll show them that their refusal to believe in me is their basic sin; that righteousness comes from above, where I am with the Father, out of their sight and control; that judgment takes place as the ruler of this godless world is brought to trial and convicted.

THOUGHTS: In talking about the coming of the Holy Spirit, the third part of the trinity, Jesus told what His primary focus will be. He would expose the godless world’s view of:

  1. Sin – Scripture says that the basic sin of this world is their refusal to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. I firmly believe that this is still a huge problem even today. No matter how much we try to impose laws, or even Jesus’ commands upon people, this will all be meaningless if they refuse to believe in God and His precious Son. Therefore, I believe that the number one priority is to pray for unbelievers to see Jesus and to accept Him as Lord of their life. As Jesus indicated, when their basic sin is taken care of, all other sin will be properly dealt with under the lordship of their new father/leader, Jesus Christ. I believe that many of our churches today will be held accountable by God for the soft stance they have taken on the subject of ‘sin’. Trying to win someone to attend church or be a better person, without dealing with the core problem, will achieve nothing in the life of that person. Jesus saw ‘SIN‘ as a huge problem, the main problem, and until we decide to follow in His footsteps and do the same, we cannot expect to see our world get any better;
  2. Righteousness – This can only come from above, for true righteousness comes only from the Father. Being as good, or righteous as your pastor, even though he might be the best pastor, preacher, leader, friend that you have ever known, yet he is ‘man’ just as we are, and subject to the temptations of this world and subject to imperfections just as we are. Seek to gain your righteousness after God Himself, the only true ‘righteous’ one;
  3. Judgment – Often judgment passed down by our courts could be marred by man’s rules and laws. God is our final Judge, so it is Him that we must answer to and be held accountable to on all the things that we say and/or do. God knows all things, so unlike this world where a good attorney could look for ways to keep you out of judgment by the courts, this is not an option when you stand before our Judge – God and/or His Son Jesus Christ.

I believe that the basic responsibility of the church today is to support the work of the Holy Spirit in exposing sin. How’s your church doing? Please pray for your pastor to be bold in following this command. He won’t be popular, so he could really use your ongoing prayers and support. Encourage him at every opportunity.

PRAYER: Lord God, there is so much that we can praise You for! You are so worthy of our praise, our honor and our glory and our obedience! Thank you for being so forthright in Your Word and for giving us direction on what Your Holy Spirit’s primary ministry will be. I believe that You have shared this so that we might catch a glimpse of what’s important to You and therefore direct our work and our ministry in the same direction. Please use us individually, and corporately as a church to expose the world’s twisted view of sin, and to teach, preach and individually share with friends how critical it is that they come to know the only sin-less One – Jesus our Savior. With Jesus inside of us, how can we do anything but spread the good news and joy of being His child forever! To God be the glory for the great things He has done, can do, and will always do through those who love Him and seek to serve Him! I ask these things in faith, and in the precious name of Jesus, AMEN!

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

Evidence of Attachment or Detachment

On By Ed AlgreenIn Branches, In Christ, Reflecting Christ, VineLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – John 15:15-8 – The Message (MSG):     “I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.

THOUGHTS: Throughout Jesus’ ministry He made it very clear that He only spoke what was given to Him by His Father, and He only did what was instructed Him by God also. Because of this it was virtually impossible to separate the character and work of Jesus from that of God. Now friends, let me be quick to say that in no way am I minimizing the work and uniqueness of the Trinity, for we could never explain the awesome work and power of that unity. But another way of relaying my point is that, if Jesus had acted differently from the Father, and went off on His own saying anything that came to His mind, would we truly look at Him as being inseparable from the Father? Would it be clear to us that He was on the same mission as His Father, or would we perhaps think that He had a totally different ministry to that of God? As ‘children of the King’, do you suppose that friends see us as being on mission for Jesus, or a rebel on a selfish or self-seeking mission, off doing our own thing, and attributing our connection to the Father when we find it necessary to try and validate our work? Friends, there is life, and power, and vitality in staying connected to our Savior, for when we do, we will not need to prove whose we are, it will be very obvious because of our obedience – and in spite of controversy, there will be miraculous results that can only be attributed to the power of God. We are merely instruments of God – servants in the work He has assigned to us. But remember friends, when we are detached from that power source, we are merely human pretenders who are so disjointed from God, that it will quickly become evident that we are total fakes, or ‘deadwood’, fit only for the bonfire. For those readers who have accepted Jesus as Lord, I hope that You will join me in seeking the face of Jesus and attaching ourselves so effectively to Him, that no storm or hardship will sever our graft to the Vine, and that our daily strength, protection and guidance will truly come from the Vine – the Christian’s true source of life, so that we may be worthy branches suitable for bearing fruit for the kingdom. If we are truly His, let’s commit ourselves wholeheartedly so that we may be of value to our Lord.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, I am so thankful that I serve a Savior who was obedient to our Father, that His words and His actions were those of the Father. Thank You for teaching us through Your humility; Your honesty; Your obedience; and Your love for Your Father, that You would never want to hurt Him by disobeying Him or trying to be independent of Him. Through accepting us as Your faithful servants; Your children; and Your followers, I believe that You have a strong desire for us to follow in Your footsteps and strive for obedience and total surrender to You, the ‘Vine’, so that You may nourish us (the branches) into usable vessels, worthy of being used to reach others for You (bearing fruit). Lord, it is very obvious that this sinful world in which we live, is in dire need of servants (branches) worthy of being used by You. Please inject us with a renewed desire to serve You wholeheartedly and to be so attached to You that Your love and power may flow freely through us. For those readers who will come across this and have not been introduced to the true ‘Vine’ yet, I pray that You will use this devotional to strongly impact them today. I humble ask all this in the precious name of Jesus, my true ‘Vine’ who brings everlasting peace, love and forgiveness to me daily, AMEN!

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

Who Do You Think You Are?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Example, Humility, Mortals, RulersLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – Psalm 8:3-6 – The Good News Translation (GNT): 3 When I look at the sky, which you have made, at the moon and the stars, which you set in their places – what are human beings, that you think of them; mere mortals, that you care for them? 5 Yet you made them inferior only to yourself; you crowned them with glory and honor. You appointed them rulers over everything you made; you placed them over all creation:

THOUGHTS: I believe that most people who tend to be humble, would probably respond to the question “Who do you think you are?” by saying “Nobody”, because we tend to compare ourselves to many who seem to have their act together; or who are popular with the masses; or who are successful in their jobs; or who have, what appears to be, ‘perfect’ families – especially compared to ours. However, if we can get our noses out of Social Media, or out of computer screens or personal wireless devices, and take a good look at everything that God has created around us, then perhaps we might appreciate why David looked into the heavens and questioned God as to why would He think so much of mankind who, compared to everything else that God made, seem so imperfect and so easily distracted by evil, and who fail so often to follow God’s commands and desires. Friends, David did just this, for he records having looked into the glories of the sky long enough to admire its expanse, beauty and glory. He also recognized the moon and the stars – their perfection, their significance and of course, to just see them suspended in space. Yet our awesome, powerful and all-knowing God, created us – mankind, to be like Him and to be in charge of everything that He created. Can you even imagine how we could be rated so highly in God’s eyes? I wonder if the positive side of all this is just that God wanted folk, just like Him, to represent Him here on planet earth? To do the very things that He commanded, and follow the example that He set for us, so that like Him, we too might minister to the needs of others and lead them towards the knowledge and love of the Savior who died for them. I don’t know about you friend, but when I stop and consider how poorly I do in following Christ like He has commanded in His Word, I can hardly raise my eyes towards the heavens, for I am so ashamed of the ways that I must let my God down. In fact, if it was not for His love, and His promise of forgiveness, I wonder if I would even feel at ease approaching His throne. Friends, our God created us with an awesome purpose in mind. Let’s keep this foremost in our minds, and like Paul, let us set our eyes on the things before us, praise God for the awesome love that surrounds us, and let us press on daily to depend on Him more – with the goal of being more like Him in every way. Who are we? We are children of the King! We are very special and super loved by the Master of this universe! He’s our King! To God be all glory and honor, forever, AMEN!

PRAYER: Lord God, I thank You for creating me in Your image. There is so much to be done here on this earth so that no one will be left behind, for each one was made in Your image. I pray that my readers and I will draw closer to You today, so that we might be usable vessels here on this earth. We touch a lot of lives, so I humbly ask that You might anoint us to be worthy representatives that might impact lives for You. May we be more like You each day is my humble prayer that I ask in the name of Jesus, AMEN!

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

Lord, Lead Me

On By Ed AlgreenIn Guide me, Lead me, Mold meLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – Psalm 5:7-8 – Amplified Bible (AMP): 7 But as for me, I will enter Your house through the abundance of Your steadfast love and tender mercy; At Your holy temple I will bow [obediently] in reverence for You. 8 O Lord, lead me in Your righteousness because of my enemies; Make Your way straight (direct, right) before me.

THOUGHTS: I believe that there comes a time in each of our lives that we wake up one day and question ourselves as to why did we do, or say certain things the day before. For some, this may mean that you are now thinking with a sober mind about the occurrences while you were under the influence. For some, this may mean that because you were under the influence of the Holy Spirit, you remember words coming from your mouth over which you may recall not personally having any control or influence at all. I feel like David (the Psalmist) is reminding us here that it is only because of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that we could ever be worthy enough to enter into His presence and reverently seek His face. Let’s take a moment and consider the righteousness of Jesus Christ – He’s the One who was divinely sent by His Father through the miraculous virgin birth; He’s the One who mentioned over and over again in scripture that His words and His actions were those dictated by His Father (God); He’s the One through whom God chose to heal, and even raise the dead to life again; He’s the One who sacrificed His life on Calvary for our eternal salvation, but whom God brought back to life again on the third day. This, friends, is the Holy Son of God that we bow before in prayer. Who are we, to stand before such a holy, loving, miraculous God? Yet, as David discovered and recognized in verse 7, through the abundance of His steadfast love and tender mercy, He entertains our presence and listens to our prayers. Are you feeling humbled yet friend? I certainly am! So let us not come before our Lord and Savior flippantly, or irreverently, or with any pretense of authority over Him, but let us enter His presence humbly, reverently and with utmost respect for the God who He truly is, and the littleness and meekness of the creatures that we are. It is only in this humble attitude that we can ask God to lead us into the path of His righteousness, to give up our earthly desire to be like the best human we could think of, and to follow in His footsteps, obey His commands, and to walk a path and lifestyle that imitates Him in every way. I sincerely believe that it is only then that our friends will discern that there is a God and that He is alive, because they see evidence of that in our lives. Friends, when we put all the earthly stuff aside, we can more clearly see the path that Christ has exampled before us, and the greater our desire will be to follow that path as our Savior leads us to, God being our helper.

PRAYER: Oh God, You are our God, our Designer, our Provider, and You have not only placed this world into existence, but allowed us to live here, knowing that our very life depends on You and the guidance of Your Son. Lord, it is very apparent that if we are to ever expect to live with You in glory, then we need to be obedient to You here on this earth and follow Your path designed for our holiness and our witness to others. Thank You for your patience with us. Please continue to mold us to be more like You in every way, so that Your work may be accomplished through us, and that our lives might be better attuned to You even while still here on this earth. Lord, lead me so that I might imitate You today, and that I might be one step closer to the path You have prepared for me to follow. May others see Jesus in me and through the words that I speak today, and may this be evident in all those who meditate on this devotional today, for this my humble and sincere prayer that I ask in the precious name of Jesus, AMEN!

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

The Main Attractors

On By Ed AlgreenIn Evangelize, WitnessLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – John 12:17-19 – New Living Translation (NLT): 17 Many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, and they were telling others about it. 18 That was the reason so many went out to meet him—because they had heard about this miraculous sign. 19 Then the Pharisees said to each other, “There’s nothing we can do. Look, everyone has gone after him!”  

THOUGHTS: Like the folk in Jesus’ day, we also have many folk today who are anxious to know what this ‘Jesus’ is all about, that they keep hearing friends talk about. But I wonder, what are they seeing? Are they seeing any difference in Christians than what they see in their sinner friend from work or in their friends they meet at the local bar? Let’s take a moment and consider some of the similarities and/or differences between the folk in the story told by John and in our particular scenario today. Many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the grave, and they were spreading the good news to others they came into contact with. Now granted, most of us may not have actually seen someone brought to life, but what about the answer to prayer for various challenges in your life that you have no explanation for, other than a miracle from God? Here’s my challenge for you: how many family or friends have you shared the good news about this miracle? If like me, I bet you’re ashamed to respond that you have shared no where near as much as you should have, considering the unbelievable miracle(s) that occurred in your life. So friend, what have we done to encourage those in our realm of influence to gain a desire to want to see, or meet our Jesus? Just like the Pharisees did, wouldn’t it be exciting to hear Satan’s cohorts give up in disgust, or throw their hands up in surrender, because there is nothing else they could think of that would help them regain their power over God’s children? Friends, the unsaved will be encouraged to see our Jesus, if they believe that we have enough value in our relationship with Him that might be attractive to them. But how will they know, if we don’t make that known? I was challenged in reading this because I realized that the welfare of others may be contingent upon my openness to share the goodness of my Savior. How about you?

PRAYER: Lord God, thank You for hearing our prayers and answering so powerfully in so many ways and in so many circumstances. Please forgive us for keeping that awesome news to ourselves and not sharing that openly with our friends. Just as John shared how the crowd showed up to see You because of the publicity by those who saw Your miraculous works, I pray that the ‘crowds’ today will have a greater desire to meet You and know You, because of our witness and the awesome story of Your great works. I ask all this in the wonderful name of Jesus, the great healer and miracle worker, AMEN!

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

Are You Known as a ‘Christ-Follower’?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Committed, Imitate Jesus, Take a standLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE 1 Peter 4:12-16 – Easy-To-Read Version (ERV): 12 My friends, don’t be surprised at the painful things that you are now suffering, which are testing your faith. Don’t think that something strange is happening to you. 13 But you should be happy that you are sharing in Christ’s sufferings. You will be happy and full of joy when Christ shows his glory. 14 When people say bad things to you because you follow Christ, consider it a blessing. When that happens, it shows that God’s Spirit, the Spirit of glory, is with you. 15 You may suffer, but don’t let it be because you murder, steal, make trouble, or try to control other people’s lives. 16 But if you suffer because you are a “Christ-follower,” don’t be ashamed. You should praise God for that name.

THOUGHTS: I believe that when we accept Jesus as Lord, we tend to think more about what the benefits might be, than thinking about what additional controversy our decision might create, or what additional persecution might arise in our lives. Think about it, when folk are really struggling, we tend to convince them that they need Jesus. What if we told them that what they are presently going through is only a ‘drop-in-the-bucket’ compared to what will be brought on them after conversion? Do you suppose that anyone would agree to surrender their lives to Christ? However friends, we must be honest in evaluating what happened to Jesus, for He healed the sick, raised the dead and caused the blind to see, yet He was sought after like a criminal. This same Jesus is to be our role model friends. I feel like what we are taught here is that we are to do good, and be a shining example of Jesus, even if we know that controversy will arise. On the way to a business party one time I was asked by an executive why Christians abstain from drinking alcohol. I believe that it was asked to embarrass me because it was asked in a jeering way hoping to get laughter from the other executives present. I responded honestly as I believe God would have me do, and although I waited for the repercussion, it seemed like my honest response was well accepted. I recently heard a request for prayer about persecution on the job at a local company. It really surprised me, but after reading this scripture this morning, I am convinced that although we are not expected to go out and be deliberate rebels in our workplace or at local diners, or any other place that we go, we are expected to let our lights shine for Jesus and not hide that light for the sake of popularity or because of possible persecution. In fact, I love the suggested attitude in verse 14 – when we feel persecuted, or picked on, or laughed at, or made fun of, because of our faith, it is a great time to praise God knowing that others are impacted by the Christian stance we just took on a matter or the Christ-likeness that our audience just witnessed. It’s not a show-off thing, it’s our every-day Christian life being displayed in all aspects of our life. Is this always easy for us? Absolutely not, but when done in sincerity and under the direction and power of the Holy Spirit, we will see great things accomplished for God. In fact, I would go as far as saying that if we feel forced into making a stand, then we need to question if it truly is a ‘God-thing’, or are we doing it to impress someone about us and our strengths and abilities.

PRAYER: Dear God, You gave everything You had so that we might have eternal life in glory with You and Your Son. Thank You Lord for Your goodness to me and Your invaluable gift! Lord, I pray that Your children who will meditate on this devotional today, might catch a glimpse, as I did, to the value of living our faith and making our witness known to all mankind, so that they might be convinced of our relationship with You. This witness will sometimes convince mankind of their need for a Savior, but it will sometimes offend those who are led by Satan and his demons. May we be strong in all circumstances, so that the world might know to whom we belong, and that we might be convinced in our heart that we are truly Yours, without a shadow of doubt. Lord, please have Your will and way in our lives today, and may Your glory shine through us as we stand firm in our faith in You. I ask these things in the powerful and awesome name of Jesus, and for your sake, AMEN!

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

Your Destiny – Per Your Choice Today

On By Ed AlgreenIn Heaven, Hell, SurrenderLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE Psalm 1:5-6 – The Contemporary English Version (CEV): 5 Sinners won’t have an excuse on the Day of Judgment, and they won’t have a place with the people of God. 6 The Lord protects everyone who follows him, but the wicked follow a road that leads to ruin.

THOUGHTS: As I read this Psalm this morning I remembered a time when a few cities in Florida received a lot of damage from an un-named storm some years ago that had a devastating effect on them. There was a lot of blame thrown on broadcasters and on weathermen because these folk felt like there just wasn’t enough warning given for them to protect their homes and belongings. I believe that we often try to find someone to blame for disasters that come our way and destroy those ‘things’ that we love. Does it not seem appropriate then that we should be constantly in the Word of God, since we know that the Good Book contains so much information on what our final destiny holds for us? May I encourage you to take close note of what the two verses noted above has to say to each of us reading this devotional today? Think about this friends:

  • To the unsaved (those without a commitment or relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ): – You are reminded that there will be no excuses allowed on that Day, for your life will be analyzed or judged based on the choices made today, or the excuses that you try to use today that result in such poor choices;
  • To the saved (those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior while here on earth): – The Day of Judgment will be like a homecoming celebration, for Jesus will welcome His children home! The protection referenced in verse (6) gives me the picture of a hen gathering her flock under her wings. I could only imagine how precious it will be for our Savior to welcome His children home to be with Him and His Father throughout eternity! What a glorious day that will be friends!

The challenge I have for those reading this devotional today, is that unless you know without a doubt that you fit into the second group referenced above, then I have a responsibility to warn you with all sincerity, that you are living ‘on the edge’ by not clarifying your position with God today. Yes, God has gifted us with the ‘present’, but not for any second after this, for you could be standing in the presence of the Almighty receiving your reward, or being convicted to damnation in the pits of Hell with the deceiver, Satan. The choice seems simple friend, but only you can make it, and the time to do that is today. Please contact me if there is anything I can do to help you deal with this friend. Your future hinges on your decision today!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You have provided such hope for those who know You. Please touch the hearts of all who read this devotional today and awaken their hearts to the importance of making right decisions today, while the opportunity is still available. I pray that there will not be one who reads these words who will choose to reject Your offer and continue following the road that leads to ruin, as indicated in vs 6 above. Your power can change lives, and I thank You for hearing my heart’s cry today and touching the hearts of Your precious ones. I ask all this in faith, and in 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 read through Biblical truths on How To Know Jesus, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!