We Have Everything We Need

On 2015-06-042015-06-04 By Ed AlgreenIn Everything We Need, God's Nature, Intimate with GodLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – 2 Peter 1:3-4): ³ We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. It was all given to us by God’s own power, when we learned that he had invited us to share in his wonderful goodness. ⁴ God made great and marvelous promises, so that his nature would become part of us. Then we could escape our evil desires and the corrupt influences of this world.

THOUGHTS: What a glorious thought! Can you imagine the self-confidence that will conjure up inside of you the next time that you are faced with the temptation to sin, or the impossibilities of life, when you can brush Satan aside and say confidently that greater is He that in in us, than he that is in the world? Wow! Can you even imagine the awesomeness of God to give us these promises with the intent of our character becoming more like His? Verse 4 declares that “His nature would become part of us”! Friends I don’t know about you, but I pray for that every day, that I might become more like Jesus, especially through my words and actions. As additional clarification of this, verse 4 ends with telling us that this special gift from God will serve to help us escape evil desires and the corrupt influences of this world. So why then do we (Christians) get caught in so many traps of sin? Could it be that we are so far from a true relationship with God that we are insensitive to the work of His sweet Holy Spirit in our lives? Yes, I know that you go to church at least once a week, and yes I know you give more money to your local church than ever before, but friend, God works in and through a real and intimate relationship with Him, not through a casual experience or through things we do to please our mother or perhaps the pastor. Relationships are developed through intimate, daily interaction in unison with the wishes and desires of the person with whom we have chosen to build a relationship. Let’s get serious about our relationship with God, and perhaps He will get serious with His blessings and miracles in our life! To the non-Christian reading this, you will not be able to identify with much of what I have shared. That’s because this type of relationship is only available to those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord. That can include you, starting right now! Please click on my hyperlink below on “How to Know Jesus”. Please contact me with any questions or just to pray with you about your relationship with God. He loves you deeply and wants you to have everything you need to live life like He intended!

PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You so much for loving Your children so intimately that You would reassure us through Your servant Peter that You have given us everything we need to live our lives pleasing to You. Often this seems impossible, but praise God You know what we need more than we could ever begin to imagine! Please anoint Your children with this confidence today as they are reminded of Your Word, Your promise. May we live like children of the Most High today, so that others might want to know You, or be drawn closer to You. Father, please tender the hearts of the unsaved today, so that they might see the need for a Savior and want to live in the light of Your sweet promises. Have Your will and way in our lives today dear God, for I ask this in the strong name of Your Son, Jesus my Savior, and for His sake only, 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 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!

He Cares Affectionately For You!

On 2015-06-022015-06-02 By Ed AlgreenIn Elders, Leadership, LoveLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Amplified Bible – 1 Peter 5:6-7): ⁶ Therefore humble yourselves [demote, lower yourselves in your own estimation] under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you, ⁷ Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. [Ps. 55:22.]

THOUGHTS: Peter had just appealed to church elders to take their jobs seriously and lovingly, not just for a paycheck. He then cautioned the younger leaders to be humble and obedient to their elders so that they might learn from them in obedience to God. He then immediately followed by assuring the leaders that no matter what they feel like their leadership responsibilities might be, they are to humble themselves under the overall power and might of God, for it is He who will one day exalt them before the Father in heaven. Friends, I believe that these two verses are also applicable to Christians in general, for who are we to lord ourselves over folk. Yes, we may have certain supervisory rights as part of our job responsibilities, but we are never to lord ourselves over folk and make them feel inferior to us. In fact, I have found where folk will respect you a whole lot more and be more obedient to you as their boss, if you treat them with humility and respect. Now, verse 7 goes on to cap this whole thing off by telling us that when the concerns of leadership, church leadership in particular, becomes overly burdensome, we are to take Jesus at His word, and cast those concerns at His feet, knowing full well that He has such love and affection for His children that He will wipe away the tears, ease the concerns and watch out for our eternal good. Don’t you feel comforted by that friend? We don’t have to wait until we have gotten to the end of our emotional, mental or physical ‘rope’ to then place our concerns before God, we can do it as soon as we feel concerned about something. I just love the remaining words of these two verses, for it reminds me that Jesus cares affectionately about me and He is watching out for me! What an honor! If you are not experiencing this kind of love and care today friend, then I would encourage you to reevaluate your relationship with the Master, for His Word is never wrong. He cares for His own affectionately! Surrender yourself wholeheartedly to Him today and enjoy the gracious and loving rewards of being His precious child!

PRAYER: Thank You Father for the reassurance of Your love and concern for us. You are awesome beyond all measure and I thank You for caring so much about even me. Lord You are well aware of all the pressure and hurt that face our church leaders and also similar experiences by lay persons as we try to be good representatives of yours in our everyday life. Please continue to remind us of Your presence, guidance and love as we try to work through every circumstance of life. Most of all, I pray that You will help us to never lose sight of Your faithfulness and Your promises to never leave us alone, but always caring about us. We need You more today than ever before Lord, so we come before Your throne yet again in humility asking for Your ongoing love for us. Thank You Jesus for Your arms of affection and Your watchful eye on us. I bring these petitions before You in all humility and love today, in the wonderful and blessed name of Jesus, AMEN!

Spiritual Refining

On 2015-06-012015-06-01 By Ed AlgreenIn Refining, Submission, SurrenderLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Message – 1 Peter 4:12-16): ^12–13 Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner. ^14–16If you’re abused because of Christ, count yourself fortunate. It’s the Spirit of God and his glory in you that brought you to the notice of others. If they’re on you because you broke the law or disturbed the peace, that’s a different matter. But if it’s because you’re a Christian, don’t give it a second thought. Be proud of the distinguished status reflected in that name!

THOUGHTS: Ever stop to think about the reason why ‘good’ people who always strive to do their very best, still struggle in their marriages or in their family structure? Could there possibly be any good come out of their struggles or failure? Do you tend to question their commitment to their marriage or their family? What about Christians who still suffer as much in this world as any other individual? Do you tend to question their Christianity? Perhaps you should be careful about doing that, because according to this scripture God may be testing them in order that they might grow in their spirituality. He may be getting their attention, because they may have drifted so far away from Him, or taken Him for granted. Friends, although we are to encourage one another, we need to be careful about trying to be god to them, or for them. God is very capable of taking care of His children. Sometimes this will be through obvious blessings, while other times it may appear to us to be suffering, or hard times, or lack of attention by God. I hope that you will be reminded by this scripture today, that God’s ways are not our ways, nor is our ways anything like His ways. Let us learn to place our faith and trust in Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, knowing that all things work together for good, for those who fully trust in God. Our position is to be subservient to God and allow His perfect will to be fulfilled. We can’t tell Him what to do or how to do it, but what we can do is to always be prepared for His mighty works, especially if He chooses us to bless us in the process, or if He chooses us to help enact any part of that. Oh that His touch on our lives today may be as a spiritual refining that draws us even closer to the Master, so that we may be of more, or better use to Him.

PRAYER: Dear God, may Your powerful hand be at work in our lives today, creating a spiritual refining process that will draw us closer to You and more available to Your service. It’s not all about us, but I truly believe that for us to be of any worthwhile use to You, we must be refined and closely tuned to Your image, Your likeness, Your character and in full obedience to Your perfect will. Please forgive us Lord where we have allowed self to step in and interfere with the work You have orchestrated. May we simply surrender fully to You and allow You to use us as You see fit, and in full cooperation with Your perfect will. Refine us daily oh Lord, so that we may look, act and truly reflect You in all that we say or do. I ask this in the precious and all powerful name of Jesus, my Lord, AMEN!

Being Faithful To God

On 2015-05-302015-05-30 By Ed AlgreenIn Faithfulness, Forgiveness, SubmissionLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – 1 Peter 4:1-2; 7-8): ¹ Christ suffered here on earth. Now you must be ready to suffer as he did, because suffering shows that you have stopped sinning. ² It means you have turned from your own desires and want to obey God for the rest of your life….. ⁷ Everything will soon come to an end. So be serious and be sensible enough to pray. ⁸ Most important of all, you must sincerely love each other, because love wipes away many sins.

THOUGHTS: I believe that couples enter into a marriage because of the couple’s love for each other. However, to sustain a good marriage, and a strong relationship with each other, the couple learns the likes and dislikes of their spouse and, as said in marriage vows, leaving all other relationships behind them, they devote themselves wholeheartedly to their spouse. These types of marriages go on, again as promised in marriage vows, until death do they part. Similarly in the life of a Christian, we know that Christ died to destroy sin; and though he cheerfully submitted to the worst sufferings, yet he never gave way to the least sin. Temptations could not prevail, were it not for man’s own corruption; but true Christians make the will of God, not their own lust or desires, the rule of their lives and actions. And true conversion makes a marvelous change in the heart and life. It alters the mind, judgment, affections, and conversation. When a man is truly converted, it is very grievous for him to think how the times past of his life has been spent. One sin draws on another. It is a Christian’s duty, not only to keep from gross wickedness, but also from things that lead to sin, or appear evil. The responsibility is ours fellow Christian, to live in light of whose we are, in respect of the One who made it all possible for us to enter into heaven’s portals, and with expectations of all that we will be when we are called away from this old earth. We have a hope, friend! Praise to the Almighty, the King of glory! Let us therefore be ‘sensible enough to pray’ as Peter advocates, because we need our Lord and Savior by our side every day and every hour. What a Might God We Serve!

PRAYER: Great is thy faithfulness oh God! You sacrificed Your One and Only Son so that we might have eternal life, yet often times we take that precious gift for granted and still live our lives without enough thought or appreciation for that precious gift. Thank You for not giving up on us Jesus, and thank You Father for Your precious Word that You place before us on days like this to help us realize how help is just a prayer away. Please forgive us for not always getting the point the first time, Thank You again for Your patience and consistency in always being there for us. Please today touch our lives with renewed strength, so that we might realize the truth of Your Word and be reminded of Your awesome power that is available to us. As we do this, may we gain additional appreciation for You and further commitment to renewed faithfulness to You like never before. Bless Your children today oh Lord. May You find us acceptable in Your sight oh Lord, so that we might be used as Your instruments in reaching the lost for You. I ask all this in the wonderful and faithful name of Jesus, AMEN!

Better to Do Good

On 2015-05-292015-05-29 By Ed AlgreenIn Humility, SubmissionLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (God’s Word Translation – 1 Peter 3:13-17): ¹³ Who will harm you if you are devoted to doing what is good? ¹⁴ But even if you suffer for doing what God approves, you are blessed. Don’t be afraid of those who want to harm you. Don’t get upset. ¹⁵ But dedicate your lives to Christ as Lord. Always be ready to defend your confidence in God when anyone asks you to explain it. However, make your defense with gentleness and respect. ¹⁶ Keep your conscience clear. Then those who treat the good Christian life you live with contempt will feel ashamed that they have ridiculed you. ¹⁷ After all, if it is God’s will, it’s better to suffer for doing good than for doing wrong.

THOUGHTS: I don’t believe we have ever heard of anyone getting into trouble for doing what is right. Of course in earthly terms, it will depend on who’s defining ‘good’ versus ‘evil’. However in God’s kingdom, good means that we are living according to the teachings of Jesus and for His name’s sake. A very key verse is buried into this same thought by Peter, and I could only imagine that God was teaching us through Peter, that when we concentrate on doing good, what is right, what is biblical, what may be totally opposite to the world’s view on something, it may be recognized that we must have a deeper and more powerful source working through us. So we are encouraged to not attribute our ‘good’ to happen chance, or good luck, or any personal contribution, but instead, be ready to explain the joy of the Lord that controls our life and directs our path. For when we give glory to the One who controls us, folk who may tend to gossip or destroy us, will then feel ashamed for putting us down, if we broach the subject with humility, gentleness and respect. Friends, it is an awful thing to find yourself in the hands of an angry God. So live according to His commands/instructions. Do good, just as He did when He was here on earth. And boast about the source of your goodness so that praise might be offered to the King of all kings, the Lord of all lords, the Savior of this world – all because of our personal relationship with Him and submission to Him. Praise to God for His wonderful works and His leadership in my life! I pray that we can stay closely attuned to Jesus, and His powerful works possible through us!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You are good, and Your mercy endureth forever! Thank You for loving even me. Thank You for saving my soul! Thank You for teaching me Your ways so that I may live in peace with You and my Brothers and Sisters here on earth. Please work powerfully in the lives of all who call on You today. May Your perfect will be evident in all that we do or say, so that others will desire to know more about You and Your wonderful works. May we be consistent in doing good, with Your help and for Your sake. Please touch the lives of my readers and myself in very meaningful and powerful ways today, is my humble cry that I ask in the precious and strong name of Jesus Christ, AMEN!

The Secret To Being Beautiful!

On 2015-05-282015-05-28 By Ed AlgreenIn Godly lives, Husbands, WivesLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – 1 Peter 3:1-7): ¹ If you are a wife, you must put your husband first. Even if he opposes our message, you will win him over by what you do. No one else will have to say anything to him, ² because he will see how you honor God and live a pure life. ³ Don’t depend on things like fancy hairdos or gold jewelry or expensive clothes to make you look beautiful. ⁴Be beautiful in your heart by being gentle and quiet. This kind of beauty will last, and God considers it very special. ⁵ Long ago those women who worshiped God and put their hope in him made themselves beautiful by putting their husbands first. ⁶ For example, Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her true children, if you do right and don’t let anything frighten you. ⁷ If you are a husband, you should be thoughtful of your wife. Treat her with honor, because she isn’t as strong as you are, and she shares with you in the gift of life. Then nothing will stand in the way of your prayers.

THOUGHTS: With all of today’s self-beautification cosmetics and/or tips and tricks, I smiled as I read this passage of scripture, because it’s all in the Book friend! For our females, there is no need for the frequent trips to the beauty salon and your favorite hairstylist, nor competing for the best gold jewelry or the most expensive clothes, in order to look beautiful. Instead, you are to have that inward beauty, through your gentle and quietness of mind and spirit. Your reward is that this kind of beauty will last throughout eternity – longer than any hairdo, and far exceeds the beauty of your expensive jewelry and clothes purchased. Most importantly, it is also especially pleasing to God as He considers a lady with those qualities very special! For our men, we are to be thoughtful of our wives; treat her with honor, especially after considering that she is not as strong as we are and that she shares with us the gift of life. The promised reward for us men, is that nothing will then stand in the way of our prayers. I believe this doesn’t just mean the answer to our prayers, but also means that we can communicate openly with God, without feeling like our prayers went no further than the ceiling, or that we hit a brick wall with our prayers. Friends, as we meditate on this today, I believe that it becomes clear why we see so many failed marriages; why we see so many marriage counselors today; why we see so many women, and men, doomed to fail in their endeavor to live godly lives. It is impossible to live godly lives, if we fail in important areas of our lives such as described in this devotional. I believe it is evident that because of our faith, our godliness, and our obedience to the Word of God, we can live godly lives pleasing to our Master. So I believe the challenge today is: How beautiful do we personally feel? How godly do we feel we are – when aligned with the expectations of the gospel? Have we attained true beauty, as described in this devotional? Is our relationship with God where it needs to be for us to experience true inner beauty? Individually we need to get before the Master and ask for His miracle working hand to endow us with power from above, so that we may see our faults and receive the necessary power and self-will to overcome the ‘ugly’ that has embedded itself in us. As children of the Most High God, we should be a thing of pure beauty!

PRAYER: Father God, You are beautiful in every way, and from this scripture today You have revealed to us that we can be beautiful also, as we strive to do Your perfect will and live more like You in every way. There are challenges given to both women and men, but because of the overpowering world that we live in, we sincerely need Your help, Your power and Your direction to achieve true holiness and godliness. Please humble us today to get over ourselves, and to accept the beauty tips offered in this passage, with the power of Your sweet Holy Spirit that You have blessed us with. Lord, we will not see much change in this world as long as we act just like Satan’s team. We need Your beauty to shine through our character, our actions, our attitudes and to overpower our self-will. Please humble us with the need and the desire to improve our inner beauty and to please You in every way, so that we might represent You well in this old world. Please bless my readers today as they meditate on this devotional. May their eyes be opened to the truth of Your Word and apply it to their lives. For I ask all this in the precious and strong name of Jesus, my Lord, AMEN!

Here’s What The Lord Wants

On 2015-05-272015-05-27 By Ed AlgreenIn Government Leaders, Obedience, What The Lord WantsLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (Contemporary English Version – 1 Peter 2:13-17): ¹³
The Lord wants you to obey all human authorities, especially the Emperor, who rules over everyone. ¹⁴ You must also obey governors, because they are sent by the Emperor to punish criminals and to praise good citizens. ¹⁵ God wants you to silence stupid and ignorant people by doing right. ¹⁶ You are free, but still you are God’s servants, and you must not use your freedom as an excuse for doing wrong. ¹⁷ Respect everyone and show special love for God’s people. Honor God and respect the Emperor.

THOUGHTS: I believe that at the center of every Christian’s prayer, is that we honor the will of God. We want to do what pleases God. I also believe that one of the most challenging things for humans to do, is to truly honor and obey government leaders. Friends, we may not like what they are doing, and we may think that some of their decisions are truly horrendous, but could that possibly be our fault? Did we seek God’s face and ask for His guidance before we voted, if we voted? Do we pray daily for our government leaders, so that decisions they make on our behalf, might truly be God-directed? God, through His servant Peter, is further instructing us to follow Jesus’ example by living right and doing good, instead of giving non-Christians equal opportunity to gossip about us like they would their equals. Yes, we are only human, and yes, we will fail from time to time, but when our heart is right and when we aim to obey God in all aspects of life, we will silence ignorant people who listen to Satan and try to find fault with us. Verse 17 really encapsulates all that was said in verses 13-16, so read it carefully friends, and make every effort to obey the Word of the Lord. Make it your daily aim to do what the Lord wants!

PRAYER: Father, thank You for Your Word. When we read it we can understand its truths and see every reason why You would include such words of instruction for us, because You knew we would struggle with these things in our lifetime. I am humbled that in all things instructed, we must come into Your presence and seek Your guidance and Your help to accomplish the totally different lifestyle that You desire for us as we represent You. Please help us to stay focused on You every day. Please help us to do our part for our government leaders by praying for them and supporting them with our obedience, while You work our Your perfect will in their lives and in their governing of Your chosen people. Without a doubt Lord, we need You in our lives to do Your perfect will. Please touch the hearts of Your servants today, beginning with me. Please once again tender the hearts of those who have yet to accept You, especially those on the hearts, and in the prayers of my readers. May we rejoice soon at the miracle You are performing even now on our unsaved loved ones. I ask all this in the precious name of Jesus Christ, and all for His sake alone, AMEN!

Live Like A Child of God

On 2015-05-262015-05-26 By Ed AlgreenIn Example, Righteous LivingLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (New Century Version – I Peter 2:11-12): ¹¹ Dear friends, you are like foreigners and strangers in this world. I beg you to avoid the evil things your bodies want to do that fight against your soul. ¹² People who do not believe are living all around you and might say that you are doing wrong. Live such good lives that they will see the good things you do and will give glory to God on the day when Christ comes again.

THOUGHTS: Apparently there are very strict laws in the US for anyone who defects and works with an enemy to harm this country. I fully endorse that, because after all, this country has provided a place of safety, security and comfortable living for its residents over the hundreds of years since its inception. I believe this is what Peter was trying to emphasize to us here in these verses today. He warned us that Satan and his cohorts (the world) will be tugging away at our lives every day trying to convince us that we made a mistake in following Christ, and that the ‘fun things’ really come from him (Satan). He fights against our soul and the decision we made in response to Jesus Christ. He further warned that we will see lots of folk following the way described by Satan – the opposite from what we are to follow in response to God’s Word. You can only imagine how convincing that gets when multiple friends tell you the same thing about those ‘godly’ actions you are guilty of, right? Friends, remember this: most folk today are so caught up in their own little world of sin, evil and selfish desires that they are anxious to see someone who is actually living out the Word of God, that might help convince them and really help them to accept, believe and obey. Please don’t disappoint them! The last thing they need is to look at you as just another one of those hypocrites. If you believe it and say it, then please for heaven’s sake live it out in your decisions, your words and your actions. Let them see and hear Jesus in everything there is about you. I would love to know that my living is having a godly impact on many of my unsaved family and friends today, won’t you? With God’s help, we can do this Christian friends!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, there is a battle brewing every day in the world we live in. We want to live in obedience to You, but this is in a world where so many are challenging us and persuading us to live like them. The enemy is very prevalent and is busy at work in every walk of life. Father, we committed to live for You until You call us home. Please be our constant Guide, our Deliver from the Evil One, and our Encourager when we begin to question our committed walk of faith. Please be very bold in our lives today, and so evident that we will walk without wavering and in full confidence knowing that the One we serve is right there with us. Thank for loving us enough to not only die for us, but to keep on showing us the way every day of our lives. We always need You Jesus, and we thank you for Your promise that You will be with us always, even until the end of the world! You are glorious, Heavenly Father, and I praise You for all that You are to me! I ask these things in the magnificent name of Jesus, my Lord, AMEN!

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

Maturity in Your Salvation

On 2015-05-252015-05-25 By Ed AlgreenIn Follow Christ, Humility, MaturityLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (New Century Version – 1 Peter 2:1-3): ¹ So then, rid yourselves of all evil, all lying, hypocrisy, jealousy, and evil speech. ² As newborn babies want milk, you should want the pure and simple teaching. By it you can mature in your salvation, ³ because you have already examined and seen how good the Lord is.

THOUGHTS: I believe that a very basic difference between an infant and an adult is that the infant is totally dependent on others, while the mature adult has experienced a lot, and looks for ways to share their experiences and/or knowledge with others. If we’re not careful, often we (adults) will become so independent that it becomes challenging to listen to advice and or follow good, sound advice. There are so many references in the Bible for us to consider the ways of a child, that I believe God is telling us to get over ‘self’ and be willing to listen to Him and or other saints that He may place in our path. Through Peter, God is warning us today that we should rid ourselves of some obvious sins that tend to impact our need for Him and/or His teachings. These include: all kinds of evil (think about this as a soiled garment that you should shed); all lying, all hypocrisy; all jealously and all evil speech. On the last item, I once heard: from the heart, the mouth speaketh. If your heart is full of Christ then You will speak of the One who was crucified, arose, and lives inside of us giving us hope and anticipation of one day living eternally with Him. I believe another way of saying this is that what’s inside will come out in our actions and/or our speech. In our group Bible study yesterday we learned from James 3:13-18 what we should look for in identifying our worldly actions vs our godly actions. I would urge you to read those verses in conjunction with this study today, because the sooner we could recognize Satan’s effect on our lives, the sooner we can realign ourselves with God and draw close to Him. When I think of maturing in our faith, I think of us realizing the futility in trying to solve all of the issues of the world ourselves, but instead realizing our dependence on God, who has proven Himself to us over and over again throughout our Christian life. So friends, I believe this is a message for all Christians today, let us shed off our cloak of evil, let us draw close to God, allow Him to draw close to us, and let’s be willing to stop and listen to Him as He works out His will and way in our lives. It is only then that we will be of any godly good to others.

PRAYER: Lord God, You are merciful to us, in spite of our littleness, our weaknesses and our selfish attitudes. Thank You for loving us in spite of ourselves. Thank You for Your Word that is so alive and applicable to our lives every day. There is so much to be done with this child of Yours, and I am pretty sure that there are many out there in similar condition to myself. So Lord, I place myself at Your feet once again today and pray that Your perfect will might be accomplished in me, so that it might also be accomplished through me, and have an eternal impact on those that I come into contact with. I have a strong suspicion that my readers might all be in a similar condition today, so I pray for their total surrender and obedience also. Lord, we are Your hands and Your feet on the ground here, may we represent You well, and without wavering. May You be exampled in our lives so that the unsaved might catch a glimpse of Jesus. Like a baby, I need You Every Hour. Like an adult, I need Your wisdom, protection, direction, love and boldness to touch lives in the same way that You have been merciful to me. I ask these things in faith, and in the awesome name of Jesus, my Lord and my Savior, AMEN!

Help In Seeing The Good in Your Trials

On 2015-05-222015-05-22 By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, Surrender, TrialsLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The New Living Translation – 1 Peter 1:6-7): ⁶ So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. ⁷ These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

THOUGHTS: We must be extremely careful not to doubt our salvation when we, as Christians, have troubles and trials arise in our earthly lives. Think about it friend, if we didn’t have these, what kind of witness would we be to those who need a Savior. For God would not have opportunity to show the unsaved how gracious He truly is to His earthly servants, and the handiwork of His miraculous hands in the lives of His children. Secondly, if we were spared from trials, how might we experience the graciousness of God to be especially loving, caring and powerful in helping us to overcome these things that are way beyond our reach and/or resolution? In this scripture today, this analogy is compared to the proving process used in the precious metal ‘gold’. For when it is brought to extreme heat, it is maximized in strength and durability. Likewise, when we face trials, it’s not that God doesn’t love us or care for us, for it is then that He is preparing us for battle, or to use the phrase of an old TV star, God is preparing us for the ‘big one’! Probably the most challenging thing for us to do, is to praise God, even in the midst of our trials, because we understand, and have faith to believe that He is strengthening us. Friends, when we say that we are Christian and we truly believe that we have placed our hand in the hands of the Almighty God, we must then hang on for the ride of our lifetime, knowing that we are under His control, His protection and His will, knowing full well that He loves us way too much to see any harm or hurt impact us. Can you imagine the admiration and pride that must come across the face of Jesus when He looks on His creation (us) and see us living in full submission to Him, and we finally get the scripture that indicates – all things work together for good, to those who love and have surrendered their lives totally to Jesus? My challenge today is first of all for self, that I may be totally surrendered to the Savior and allow Him full control over my life. Only then can I truly desire to see each of you do the same. However, for yourself, if it’s to be, it’s up to you! Therefore align yourself with the Lord of all lords and the King of all kings, who loved you enough to personally sacrifice His very best so that You might trust in Him, handle life’s circumstances and look forward to spending eternity with Him in glory!

PRAYER: Father God, I adore You, I love You and I praise You for who You are and for all that You have helped me through already in my short life. However, You have taught me through Your Word that I am not perfect, so I surrender my total self to You today and pray that You might use me in ways that might allow Your kingdom work to increase and flourish here on this earth. I am equally concerned for my friends who will read this devotional today, for I always want Your very best for them also. Please satisfy every doubt or weakness in commitment and/or total surrender. Please provoke decisions in their personal lives that will cause Your name to be lifted high and every soul be drawn closer to You in full obedience. May we learn to celebrate You in all aspects of our lives, even when going through tough times. You alone are worthy of our praise in all aspects of our lives, so I worship You and ask all these things in Your precious and holy name, Lord Jesus, AMEN!

Nuggets From God's Word

Tag: Humility