Tag: Jesus

Committed – Through ALL Circumstances

On By Ed AlgreenIn Stuff, Surrender, WorshipLeave a comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider feeding even us with His Word! May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………

Today’s Bible Reference: Job 1:20–22
Today’s Bible Text: Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship. He said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The LORD gave me what I had, and the LORD has taken it away. Praise the name of the LORD!” In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God.
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: Some Spoiled kids fall face to the ground and bang their heads on the ground while screaming, when things don’t go the way they want. I’ve seen where adults have left the church; hit a wall so hard that it broke their hand; Pouted all day when their angers flare up; and I’ve also seen where folk will go into total depression when they lose someone or something important to them. In this chapter of Job, I believe we can understand how Job could have responded in any of the above ways, based in the many disappointments and losses that he faced at one time, and we would have totally understood his actions. But friends, if you are not fully familiar with the story of Job, I must share briefly what caused him to tear his robe and shave his head. Various servants came in to Job one right after the other excitedly telling of certain disasters that had occurred with his Oxen; his sheep; his camels and his children. In each case, each of these had been killed together with the servants who watched over them. So I must ask you to consider: what would you have done if you were in Job’s place? In purple I highlighted the words of Job’s prayer to God. Could you have done that? Friends, I’m afraid that we place so much emphasis on the ‘stuff’ that we own and the precious gifts that God has blessed us with in family, that it becomes a thing of pride and boasting about what we did to achieve all that we have. When Jesus hung on the cross, about to die sacrificially for our sin, His only concern was that His mother be taken care of. There was no real estate or equipment or cattle for Jesus to worry about. Unless Jesus comes back first, we will all die; and based on decisions we made while alive, we will wind up just like Job, where we stand before the throne of God, just as we came into the world. This could happen this very day friend, so may I encourage you to emphasize on what’s really eternally important to you today. May I suggest that your relationship with the God of this universe, the One you will face after life here on earth, is the most important thing for you to concentrate on. Only then will you be able to separate yourself from the chaos of everyday earthly greed, and keep your eyes fixed on the one who truly holds tomorrow. Jesus loves you friend, and He wants your undivided attention. Job did it, and so can you and I.

Prayer: Father it seems almost farfetched how faithful Job was, especially as we get so attached to all that we are blessed with here on this earth. But Lord, our attachment to ‘stuff’ takes away from our total attachment to You. Please forgive us for all that we have allowed to distract us in our walk with You. Please teach us to place You first in all things, so that our priority in this life here on earth will be to worship, adore and serve you. May we stay focused on You so that earthly belongings and desires will become secondary in our lives. Fill us with so much of Yourself that it will become very evident whose we are, and may this serve only to promote You in all aspects of our character. Praise the name of the Lord! AMEN!

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

2016

Extreme Testing

On By Ed AlgreenIn Committed, Proven, Tested, Testing, Tried1 Comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Be thinking in advance how you would act under pressure today. Satan wants to see you fail. However God wants you to be His hands and feet on the ground! What’s inside will surely come out when put under pressure. I pray that nothing but the character of Jesus Christ will pour out from you today!…….

Today’s Bible Reference: Job 1:12
Today’s Bible Text: “All right, you may test him,” the LORD said to Satan. “Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don’t harm him physically.”
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: Right at the very beginning of the book of Job. in the very first verse, Job was announced as a blameless man filled with total integrity. Hopefully you know a few men that you would feel comfortable in calling them ‘men of integrity’. In fact, I once heard a preacher say that it is the same as someone coming up to you and telling you all sorts of evil about this ‘man of integrity’ that you have in mind right now, and you saying to them that although you weren’t on the scene, you can comfortable vouch for your ‘man of integrity’ knowing that he was not involved in any sort of evil. That’s about the impression of what I discerned in verse 1, only realizing that God knows even our deepest thoughts, intents and purposes, and still He announced Job as a man of deep convictions to which he was totally committed. So in this verse 12, we see where God is so confident in Job that He allows Satan permission to test him and try him. Knowing the successive verses that this testing became extreme, this whole thought made me stop and ponder: what if God wanted me to dig deep into my  thoughts, my words and my actions to see if I am truly all that I claim to be before the church, before my family, my friends or my coworkers? I wonder what His evaluation of me reveal? Will I past the test and still be strong in my witness for the Lord even through such extreme times? What about you friend? There’s a song ‘I’m Standing on the Solid Rock’. Are you truly where you need to be with Christ, or have you just been successful in fooling the world around you? I’ve been married over 40 years, and there’s no fooling my wife. She knows when something is bothering me and she knows when I am feeling ‘on top of the world’. I pray that I will never assume that God is anything less than my wife and that I can act any differently before folks in my world than who I truly am deep inside. I pray that I will constantly be confused for Jesus, because my character mirrors His character so closely. Where are you at friend? Will anything be revealed that would surprise others should you be put under this type test?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I thank You for giving us free will, but I also thank You for hearing our heart’s cry when we call out to You. I pray that my readers will join me in pleading with You to give us the boldness and stamina to stand firm in our faith, and may we not just pretend but rather, that our lives in every way will reflect our hearts that are filled in every way with Your character. We would prefer not to be tested to the extreme that Job was tested, yet we know that Satan is ready to pounce on us each and every day to discredit our witness for You. I ask for Your ongoing strength and guidance to always prove Satan wrong and instead to be a total witness to You before a hurting and dying world. I ask these things in the name of Jesus, my Everlasting Strength, Protector, Guide and Loving Savior. AMEN!

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

2016

Rescue The Perishing

On By Ed AlgreenIn Caring, Holy Spirit, Prayer, Submission2 Comments

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider feeding even us with His Word! May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………

Today’s Bible Reference: Jude 1:20–23
Today’s Bible Text: But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love. And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: Interesting how God used Jude to not only share this with his church as he prepared to leave them, but also to have this included in His Word for our ongoing benefit. Friends, have you ever stopped and thought real good about the folk that God directs your way for your weekend services? They are looking to escape the cruelty and hatred of their world, and hoping to find the opposite at your church – God’s House. As they walk in, some might look them up and down because their dress code may not be quite like that of your regular church membership, or perhaps they may not have had water turned on at their place for a shower. So let’s look at Jude’s advice here: “Pray in the power of the Holy Spirit” May I suggest that when you pray in this way, I believe God, through His Holy Spirit, will direct your thoughts to be better aligned with His thoughts, so that you might see the heart of that visitor, without being impacted by anything else. Fill yourself with God’s Holy Spirit and you will speak His words without having to worry about saying something that may ordinarily upset someone. You will quickly see the spiritual need of the individual without being distracted by, or worrying about their immediate physical needs. Friends, Jude also goes on to encourage us to deal with believers from a Holy Spirit filled heart. This is where we show mercy and love towards a Brother who is drifting away and not always living up to the mark. Satan is working seriously on the person and unless you intervene and gently speak to, and love on that person, they will be torn away by the forces of evil. In fact, it will be just like you are snatching that weaker Brother or Sister from the flames of Satan and his wicked and evil judgment. Please be concentrated on the heart today friend. The words and the actions may appear ugly and extremely sinful, but as the heart of the individual is touched, the outside stuff will be cleaned up as they invite God in. At the end of the day, this also helps you to reconcile with God about where your heart is. Interested in the restoration of a soul for Christ, or satisfied to see them fail and feel even more rejected by the world – and even worse, by Christ and His ‘representatives’?

Prayer: Lord, this is serious business for Your children, for our words and our actions can either serve to help restore one who has fallen, or one who is desperately looking for a better way, OR we could totally turn them off from ever wanting to know You at all. That’s quite a responsibility Lord Jesus, however we have been reminded that we must become better aligned with Your Holy Spirit so that we may be led daily by Him. My readers and I need You Lord Jesus, because we tend to be so critical of those that just don’t seem to have their act together quite as good as we think we do. Please forgive us for acting this way, for we have seen so often that mankind will fail in and of their own merits. Only things that are done for Jesus will last, and only things directed by Your Holy Spirit will lead to spiritual goodness that could be used for Your glory. Please have Your will and way in our lives this day, Oh Lord. For I ask these things in the all-powerful name of Jesus, my Lord, AMEN!

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

2016

Reasons To Defend The Faith

On By Ed AlgreenIn Convinced of the gospel, Defend, Stand FirmLeave a comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? This might be a day, or a week that you may need to challenge a ‘Christian’ worker about a false teaching. Do you feel fully equipped to do that? May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for your blessing, friend!………

Today’s Bible Reference: Jude 3–4
Today’s Bible Text: …. I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: I believe that some early believers will look at our churches today and wonder why do we bother to call it a ‘House of God’ because it is so far from their traditional idea of what God’s house should look like. Think about it friend, in earlier churches, ladies had to cover almost every piece of skin, compared to many today that aim to expose as much as they feel like they can get by with, or at least tightly wrap it. Women had to be silent in church, but today men are so passive in their roles, that many churches survive because of the work, and in some cases teaching of the Word, especially to our kids. Some churches even have female pastors, because of the shortages of men willing to step up to the place of responsibility in their denomination. Styles of music has drastically changed, and I won’t get further into that because even today it is a very controversial subject among church goers. So because we have become so tolerant of these few things that I mentioned, among the many other things out there, I believe that Jude could just as easily have addressed His letter to either of our churches today. The words that God caught my attention with are the words where Jude challenged the church to ‘defend the gospel’  or ‘defend the faith that God has entrusted to us’. This tells me that we must be so convinced of what we truly believe that we would be willing to defend it among our friends, our coworkers, or even in a doctor’s office waiting room area, when others speak falsely or derogatory of it. Defending the Word of God becomes critical when our faith tells us that what is being declared disagrees with the Word of God, and when we are prepared to go to battle to defend it. I know, we never like to argue over religion, and I’m with you on that, but what if the circumstances that Jude recognized at his local church was happening at your church, where members became teachers and then started out to ease what God really intended believers to adhere to? What if we got a few new members and within a short period of time they were sharing some beliefs with us that we had never heard of before? They may have even wiggled themselves into a teaching position, as most churches today could always use more workers, and we wound up under their teaching. Would we recognize any false doctrines being taught and then be willing to defend against the hypocrisy? Even if it meant that we would lose that wonderful new couple who joined our church and were already paying good tithes into our church treasury? God had Jude include this very short one-chapter book in His Word, because He knew that all down through the ages we would need to be reminded of this. I would encourage us to soak this in real good today, and be willing to defend the Gospel of Jesus Christ in every circumstance of life – especially in our local churches.

Prayer: Lord, we have become a people willing to compromise our souls because of numbers in our church membership, or in order to satisfy our church budgets, or even to fill the teacher voids in our Bible schools. Unfortunately, I believe we may also easily let someone slide in with varying beliefs who might influence our church memberships or at least cause them to question what they truly believe. Forgive us Lord. We have such a large percentage that attend our churches without any intention of maturing spiritually, or becoming confrontational about Your precious Word, should it become necessary to defend the Gospel as Jude has taught us today. Please forgive us Lord. Draw us close to thee dear Lord and give us a clear understanding of Your Word so that we might defend its truths when and as needed. We need You precious Lord. Amen!

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

2016

Live Today With The End In Mind

On By Ed AlgreenIn Exemplary Living, Live in peace, Without SinLeave a comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? You will be encouraged to live in the light of eternity each and every day. We can do this friends! Read on for your ‘Nugget’ from God!

Today’s Bible Reference: 2 Peter 3:10-14
Today’s Bible Text: 10 The day of the Lord is surely coming, as unexpectedly as a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the heavenly bodies will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be burned up. 11 And so since everything around us is going to melt away, what holy, godly lives we should be living! 12 You should look forward to that day and hurry it along—the day when God will set the heavens on fire, and the heavenly bodies will melt and disappear in flames. 13 But we are looking forward to God’s promise of new heavens and a new earth afterwards, where there will be only goodness.14 Dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen and for him to come, try hard to live without sinning; and be at peace with everyone so that he will be pleased with you when he returns.
The Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

My Take Away: Without sounding too morbid today, I just want to say how interesting it is how loved ones react to the passing of their relatives. I have seen cases where close relatives want to be near to their loved ones during this time, while others rather remember them as they were. Some relatives cry and react boisterously while others mourn silently and barely shed a tear. I believe a lot that affects the reaction of loved ones is based on the relationship that the mourner and the deceased had while both were alive. There will come a time when all life here on earth will end, and Peter  wants us to catch a glimpse of what to expect at that time. For those with a purpose – a plan to be with the Master of this universe throughout eternity, we are advised to live without sinning and be at peace with everyone, while we wait for God to put His plan into motion, so that He will be pleased with us when He returns to take us home to heaven with Him. Friends, I sincerely believe that if we know Jesus as Lord, we will have a very strong desire to do just this. I believe that our daily lives will be examples of what we learn about Jesus in His Word. I believe that we will live in anticipation of the day that He returns to gather His church together for the most exciting last trip of our lives! I believe our Master will return soon, because He has given us certain landmarks, or indicators that will signal His return. May I encourage you today to live without sinning (opposing God’s commands) and be at peace with everyone today? This will be a strong indication of your faith in the Word of God, for our study verses today indicate that this will be an indicator of whose you are and the goal you are striving to achieve. Be faithful and true to the Master, friend!

Prayer: Dear God, thank You for a place called Heaven, that You have prepared just for us! Thank You also for providing a way for us get to our eternal home with You. In our study today You have reminded us that we have certain responsibilities to fulfill while we wait to be with You. Please bless us with Your presence today Lord, so that we might live in the light of our eternal destination in the presence and care of our Lord and Savior. Father, please speak again to my family and friends who do not know You as Savior. May they make the most important decision in life, this day, please? We depend on You daily to teach us Your ways so that we may live according to Your will and in full reflection of all that You did while here on earth. I ask these things in the name of Jesus, and fro His glory, AMEN!

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

2016

A Warning To Those Running From God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Devoted, Unswerving, Warning2 Comments

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? We tend to adhere to warnings about approaching natural disasters like hurricanes or earthquakes, but today I am sharing a warning about turning your back on God. Read up, take heed, and be blessed friend..

Today’s Bible Reference: 2 Peter 2:20-22
Today’s Bible Text: 20 People can be made free from the evil in the world. They can be made free by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But if they go back into those evil things and are controlled by them, then it is worse for them than it was before. 21 Yes, it would be better for them to have never known the right way. That would be better than to know the right way and then to turn away from the holy teaching that was given to them. 22 What they did is like these true sayings: “A dog vomits and goes back to what it threw up.”[Prov 26:11]And, “After a pig is washed, it goes back and rolls in the mud again.”
The Bible Translation: Easy To Read Version (ERV)

My Take Away: I will do my very best to keep personal feelings out of this friends, because the Word of God is very capable of speaking earth-shattering truth to us all by itself! These verses come at the end of a discussion about false teachers who looked for opportunities with weak Christians to lure them back into their previous worldly lifestyles. I believe that if we think about the two choices here: (1) to encourage and promote someone on their walk for the Lord, or (2) to tempt someone with things from their past; we all may have some guilt here! However, Peter also saw this as prevalent in the day he wrote this book, and I believe God used the opportunity for Peter to warn all of us, because He knew we would fall into the same traps today. But here is a vivid picture of what Peter is talking about:

  • Where you were: You were a part of the world controlled by Satan and filled with sin and all kinds of acts and habits that lead a person to sin against the commands of the God who placed us here in the first place;
  • Christianity: You recognized the voice of Jesus who called you from this old world of sin, so you surrendered your life to Jesus and accepted Him as Lord. You learned about His commands and you did your level best to be obedient to God in every way;
  • Your return: Through a gradual slipping away from God; From many invitations from friends in your prior life; From a lack of plugging yourself into a Christian environment and friends; Through listening to the temptations of Satan through his earthly followers, you returned to a place in your life that was once attractive to you.

I believe you might get the picture, right? So I believe the warning is this for the child of God: If there was a time in your life that you stepped from the first stage above into the 2nd stage mentioned. You probably learned a lot about the character of God; the love of God and the instructions of God. Just because you might return to your former life, you did not have a strong magnet that erased all memory about what you learned, lived and experienced as a child of God. Therefore you return to a life of sin, while daily acknowledging to yourself that you know what you are doing is wrong, but you’re going to do it anyway. Friends, our God is a very faithful God, but He is a very jealous God. I don’t believe He has extended patience for a stubborn and obstinate child that looks Him in the face and says that I’m going to do it anyway, even though I know better and that it opposes the will of God. Be warned friend. Read the Old Testament and be reminded of how many were killed because they ‘chose’ to disobey or turn away from the God of this universe. Please don’t be fooled into thinking that this can’t happen again, especially to dear ones that you know, or perhaps to you personally.

Prayer: Dear God, You showed us sincere, sacrificial love like we have never seen before, yet some have chosen to leave a life that You have called them into, and return to the superficial love that this old world has to offer. Please once again work in the lives of my family and friends, and in the lives of those who will read this devotional today. May they feel Your holy presence so strongly that they would surrender their live to You today, oh Lord. I would be forever thankful. Please protect me with a wall of strength that will help me to stay strong in the faith and eternally grateful for the Savior who loved me so much. I ask these things in the precious and loving name of Jesus, AMEN!

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

2016

Intimacy with God!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Daily communion with God, Guidance, Intimacy with God, Love, Obedience, Prayer2 Comments

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider feeding even us with His Word! May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………

Today’s Bible Reference: Psalm 143:8–10
Today’s Bible Text: Each morning let me learn more about your love because I trust you. I come to you in prayer, asking for your guidance. Please rescue me from my enemies, LORD! I come to you for safety.  You are my God. Show me what you want me to do, and let your gentle Spirit lead me in the right path.
The Bible Translation: The Contemporary English Version (CEV)

My Take Away: The Psalms is filled with David’s intimacy with God. Sometimes David was upset at God because things happened that David felt like he could have done them a whole lot better than God, or at least different than He did. David was at times very close to God because it was evident in his writings, but then there were times that David felt like he had distanced himself from God. There are some Psalms that begin with David being very upset at God, and by the end he realizes that his God really is on top of things and has everything under His control. Throughout the book David found many ways to express his love to, and his respect of God, yet in these verses today he is still calling out for God to help him love and trust Him more. David is still asking God for guidance, protection and wisdom on how to best deal with his enemies. David is still surrendering himself to the safety and security of our awesome, strong, caring and loving God, for he reflects on, and feels assured of God’s love and security. Although he has a very intimate, lasting and proven relationship with God, yet David still pleads for direction, leadership and guidance so that he might travel down the right path where he may remain victorious, but true and committed to his God. So what about you friend, are you like me where, too often we tend to do our own thing and only seek God’s help when we run into trouble? Is there a time of daily intimacy with God? Do you carve out time to spend meditating on the Word of God so that you might be reminded of the heart of God and learn about His instructions and direction for you that day? Friends, intimacy with, and trust in God, is not something you can purchase at the local Christian Bookstore, or acquire at church over the weekend if you pay your tithes. This comes ONLY from an intimate two-way relationship with God. Pouring your wants, needs and desires out to God is one thing, but unless you are willing to stop, listen to Him, and obey His commands, then at best you have succeeded in pouring your heart out to Him without caring enough about what He has to say back to you. Intimacy is a two-way thing. May I encourage you today to seek two-way intimacy with God, each and every day? He created us, longs to be allowed to lead us while here on earth, and I believe that He can’t wait to have us in Heaven when we graduate from this earth! Let’s live with the end in mind, knowing that we can enjoy His presence here on earth also!

Prayer: Lord God, thank You for loving us enough to care about our every move, thought or word. For those who have accepted You as Lord, we are living life down here as just a taste of all that You have in store for us as we come to join You in glory! May we live in daily communion with You and may we always be obedient to Your call on our life, and the direction You point us in here on earth. May we love You more, listen to You more and then be totally obedient to all that You direct us in, so that Your glory might be fulfilled in and through us. I ask these things 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 contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

2016

The Word–Like Light to a Dark World

On By Ed AlgreenIn Impacted by the Word, Light, The WordLeave a comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? We live in such a dark, cold world, but praise God we know and represent the only true Light of the world. In this devotional you will be reminded of the importance of allowing THE Light of the world to shine through you every day!

Today’s Bible Reference: 2 Peter 1:19
Today’s Bible Text: 19 So we have seen and proved that what the prophets said came true. You will do well to pay close attention to everything they have written, for, like lights shining into dark corners, their words help us to understand many things that otherwise would be dark and difficult. But when you consider the wonderful truth of the prophets’ words, then the light will dawn in your souls and Christ the Morning Star will shine in your hearts.
The Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

My Take Away: Based on an encounter by Peter, he spoke with great assurance in his text about how his eyes were opened – much like light being brought into a dark room, and how his life was impacted by that experience. I felt compelled by God to recognize that this is what I am faced with each day. I recognized that unless you, my Christian friend, and I stop our selfish view on life and get serious about seeking God’s His love and His faithfulness, and then share that with everyone we come into contact with, how else will our family and friends know? How will they know that there is a Light just waiting to brighten their dark world and fill their life with encouragement and hope? Friends, how will they know if we don’t tell them? In a more personal perspective, how are you doing in your daily, personal, intimate experience with God? Are you going so fast and furious that you are hoping God would catch up with you and impress upon you how much He cares about you? Friends, remember that God loved us so much that He allowed His very own Son to die a cruel death so that we might have a chance at heaven and enjoy eternity with Him. In appreciation for all that God did, what can be considered too much to ask of you in return? Are you ok in telling God at the end of the day that it just wasn’t a priority for you to meet with Him that day or study His Word? Throughout the Word of God, we are encouraged to tell everyone about this same Jesus and how He has impacted our lives. We may not be impacted because we hear the pastor tell us about God at a weekend service. We may not be impacted because of the awesome, Christian parents or grandparents that we have. There’s a song that says it well: ‘Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path’, but I am convinced that this not only happens to enrich our life, but to create a glow in us that tells those around us that we must have the Light of all lights deep within us. God’s light within us must not only serve as a light for our path, but as a hope for others who see that light. Be intentional about letting Your Light shine brightly today so that the world will see and believe!

Prayer: Loving Father, thank You for providing the means for us to be saved from this old sinful, dark world. Please help us to be conduits of the love You have promised to those who need Your forgiveness and Your love, and not an obstacle that sheds no Light into this dark world of sin and hopelessness. May we stay close to the source each day, for it is only through a connected, vibrant relationship with the Light that we can ever expect to ‘glow’ and impact those we come into contact with. Lord, may they see the Light of the world today as they encounter this messenger of the Light. I ask these things in faith, believing in the only true Light of the world, AMEN!

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

2016

Prove It

On By Ed AlgreenIn Committed, Proof-positive, TrueLeave a comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? In our lesson today we are reminded that if we claim Jesus as Lord, our lives will reflect it in everything we do or say. We will prove it – daily!

Today’s Bible Reference: 2 Peter 1:10-11
Today’s Bible Text: 10 My brothers and sisters, God called you and chose you to be his. Do your best to live in a way that shows you really are God’s called and chosen people. If you do all this, you will never fall. 11 And you will be given a very great welcome into the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, a kingdom that never ends.
The Bible Translation: Easy-To-Read Version (ERV)

My Take Away: I believe my readers will agree with me that there is nothing worse than a person saying that they are something but yet you never see evidence of that in the way they actually live. I believe there are two reasons God is indicating through Peter that we live out our testimony:

  1. So that others could be convinced of our changed lives – imagine if we announce to the church and the community that we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, but yet they see no change in our lives. For example the very next night we are at the same bar and with yet a different woman, while our wife and kids are at home worried about us? Would that convince those we told about our conversion that this is something they really would want to seek after?
  2. Accountability to ourselves to live the life we claim to have in Christ Jesus – Think about it friends: if we tell our friends that we got married over the weekend, they will want to see our spouse, and they would hope to not see you hanging around the streets looking for a different lady every night. In fact, you should feel really guilty if those friends saw you chatting intimately with a different lady at a nearby club. That guilty feeling is ‘accountability’ kicking in. So then, what would be the difference if you say that you had a life changing event happen over the weekend, where Jesus actually transformed your life, and you were convicted of your sin, and impressed upon you a need to give the Savior of the world total control of your life? Can you imagine what would happen, if on Monday morning you are back to the challenges of the work week, and you automatically put your ‘worldly’ hat back on to deal with the various challenging circumstances? Do you suppose anyone would believe that you changed? Friends, please allow your friends to help keep you accountable – Christian and non-Christian friends alike. Tell them about your new life in Christ, and live the life taught by the Bible, not the old life you were taught by the world. Live so that they never see you say or do something that would be contrary to Biblical teachings. Allow them to keep you accountable to the commitment you told them that you made. Some friends will try hard to pull you back into the sinful things of this world, but quickly recognize Satan’s pull for your life and know that greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world!

Friends, there are real rewards awaiting those of us who stay true to God, verse 11 says that God will welcome us warmly into His heaven, a kingdom that lasts forever and that has no temptation or weakness like we find at work each day. Won’t that be a glorious day fellow Christian? I long for that day, and I long to see you there!

Prayer: Thank You heavenly Father for providing a way for us to one day be with You in glory! Oh, what a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see, when I look upon His face, the One who saved me by His wonderful grace! Thank You for loving me that much dear God. Thank You for touching my life and reminding me of the importance of living the life I claim to possess. Please also impact my readers with Your Word today, so that Your army might hit the road of life in good standing and stay true to the commitment we have made with You. We want to aid Your kingdom today oh Lord, and not be a hindrance in any way. Have Your way in our lives, I pray, AMEN!

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

2016

How To Improve Your Faith

On By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, Obedience, SubmissionLeave a comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? In today’s world we are constantly looking to ways to improve ourselves. Our study today encourages us to improve our faith, then goes on to tell us how. Look for a blessing, friend!………

Today’s Bible Reference: 2 Peter 1:4-8
Today’s Bible Text: … by that same mighty power he has given us all the other rich and wonderful blessings he promised; for instance, the promise to save us from the lust and rottenness all around us, and to give us his own character.   But to obtain these gifts, you need more than faith; you must also work hard to be good, and even that is not enough. For then you must learn to know God better and discover what he wants you to do. Next, learn to put aside your own desires so that you will become patient and godly, gladly letting God have his way with you. This will make possible the next step, which is for you to enjoy other people and to like them, and finally you will grow to love them deeply. The more you go on in this way, the more you will grow strong spiritually and become fruitful and useful to our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

My Take Away: We are reminded that God has showered His rich and wonderful blessings on us and He is doing everything possible to form us more and more into His character. However, there is work for us to do, so that He might have freedom to work in our lives, and mold us into His likeness. I believe these additional qualities help us to be devoted to our calling and gives God opportunity to respond in marvelous ways to help us attain. Can you imagine us accomplishing anything by just sitting back and allowing someone to do it for us? Don’t you know that the more we are involved in something, the more that we ‘buy-in’ on the idea and the more committed we are to the end result? So let’s look closely at some of the things we are told to work on:

  • We need more faith – Remember, Jesus told Peter about his lack of faith when he took his eyes off the Master.  Remember that James said that our good deeds and our actions will prove our faith. Friends, if we say we have it, then our lives should reflect it!
  • We must work hard to be good – moral excellence
  • We must be studious in knowing more about God – get in the Word for yourself. Get to know as much as possible about the Savior who gave up His very life so that you might live eternally with the Father!
  • We must ‘dig deep’ and discover what God wants us to do – The only way to be obedient to the will of God is to go before Him in daily prayer and study His Word for all that He will guide you to do.
  • We must put aside our own desires and be more subjective to God’s will for our lives – Often you will find that the worldly things that you want to do is opposed to what you might discern that the Word of God wants you to do. Be willing to put aside your personal agenda so that you might be totally obedient to God.
  • Enjoy other people and grow to love them deeply – When the love of God is deeply entrenched in you, then you will begin to love His people. When you grow to desire all that God desires, your love for others will grow as deep as God’s love for them. Remember how much He loves them? He sacrificed everything for their eternal welfare! Glory to God for loving me that much!!

Our reward: We will grow strong spiritually AND become fruitful and useful for our Lord!

Is it worth it all? I desire to commit fully to all that God teaches and directs me to do, including all of the above. I hope that you will do the same!!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for showing me the way to the Father, and thank You for sacrificing Your very life so that I might have the only avenue opened for me to one day see You in heaven. I pray that my readers, my family and my friends might find this same peace today! Please continue to direct our path so that we might grow in our faith; in the knowledge of Your Word; and the unhindered obedience of Your will for our lives. Thank You Lord Jesus! AMEN!

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

2016