Tag: Jesus

Remember, Remember…

On By Ed AlgreenIn Deliverer, Protector, RememberLeave 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: Nehemiah 4:12-14
Today’s Bible Text: Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.” Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
The Bible Translation: New International Version (NIV)

My Take Away: I believe that almost every day Satan sends his deceivers and destroyers our way. For the Christian, this comes because we are being a threat to his success. But friends, Satan is no ‘push-over’, which means that we had best start our day armed with the truth of God’s Word. We must take each and every step in the confidence of knowing that God is by our side, holding our hand, guiding us along right paths, and lifting us up when He sees the booby-traps that we are about to succumb to. So how do we get that reassurance, or confidence? May I remind you that each and every day you head out to work, that it behooves you to praise the Almighty because unlike your friend, or your relative, you have a job to go to, and that God is deserving of your thanksgiving and praise! Are you taking a lunch package with you? Consider your blessings when you glance over at the hungry, homeless man sleeping on that last bridge you passed under. Are you able to see the wonders of the skies and all that our Creator placed there for our enjoyment, our directional finders (the stars)? Did you praise Him for looking out for you? Did you read from His Word this morning? I was reminded how a great man of God, Nehemiah, was able to rest, knowing that should the army come at him and his people, he would be confident that God would fight the battle for him (vs. 20). Friends, we serve that same God that Nehemiah did! Will you keep that in mind, will you remember that He can also fight your battles of loneliness, depression, major medical problems, rejection or anything else that may pose a threat to you today? While Satan is a major threat for us, he can be trampled underfoot by God! Our God is an awesome God! Remember that, won’t you friend? Know Him and know peace in your life!

Prayer: Glory and honor and praise to my awesome God! Thank You for accepting me as Your very own Son dear Lord! It must be because of Your great love, because I can’t imagine anything that I could possibly have done to deserve royalty. Lord, I pray that You would touch the lives of others reading this devotional today and who are crying out to You for salvation, or for reassurance in hopes that It will see them through the battles or enemies they are facing. Lord that we may have the confidence of Nehemiah concerning You heading up our defense against Satan and his demons – this is my humble prayer that I plead before You today, and I ask this in the name of Jesus my awesome and powerful Redeemer, 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

Concern, Impact and Action

On By Ed AlgreenIn Government Leaders, Guidance, Voting2 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: Nehemiah 1:3-7
Today’s Bible Text: 3 They said to me, “Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.”

4 When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. 5 Then I said,

“O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, 6 listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! 7 We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses.
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: I want you to look at our scripture today in three  different, but important sections. In the blue font, vs. 3, lets consider that containing the concern of Nehemiah; In the purple font, vs. 4 let’s consider that the impact on Nehemiah; and in the green font, vs. 5-7, let’s consider that the action taken by Nehemiah. As we study this, I want to share with you how this challenged me in connection with the politics of our own country at this time. For those not in the USA, perhaps you might find an application for your particular situation.

The Concern: I believe that some of us may simply turn our heads to the concerns of our land, because we are afraid to become involved. We are so accustomed to segregating our job from the other person’s job, that we have become numb, or unconcerned about what is happening under someone else’s watch. Nehemiah wanted to know what was happening to his people so that he could be sure to do all within his power to improve their conditions.

The Impact: Perhaps we should open up ourselves to be impacted by our current conditions and/or our future. If things continue to deteriorate at the rate they are now happening, AND if our hearts are in gel with God and His Good Book, then I believe we will be brought to our knees in deep sorrow before God, our only hope. Throughout the Bible God has promised to love and care for His people who would choose to serve Him wholeheartedly.

The Action: If impacted, whether physically or emotionally, then we will be led to some very positive action. Of course, if a believer in Jesus Christ, then we will be forced to our knees in prayer before the Almighty God. Let me point out a few interesting things about Nehemiah’s prayer, as I believe that it could help us as we pray about such a major concern: Nehemiah took responsibility. He didn’t try to find someone to blame. Friends, when there’s sin in our house, let us be careful to seek personal forgiveness, before ever thinking about praying about the faults or shortcomings of our neighbor, or our government or our president. We must insure that they have something good to work with or work for, if we expect them to do a good job. If we had a godly leader/president, but an evil, sinful, ungodly people, what do you suppose they could accomplish for God? Nehemiah prayed that he and his people would obey God and His commands, not that the king would do better for them. Don’t you suppose that based on the experiences noted in God’s Word, that if we, the people, were to humble ourselves, seek God’s face, and pray for Him to make us more aligned with His commands, that perhaps then He would hear from heaven and heal our land? God’s Word said that He would do exactly this, just as He did in 2 Chronicles 7:14.

My wish is that we, the people, would spend more time seeking God’s face and listening closely to what He is teaching us in His Word, on how to be better aligned with Him, rather than making a fool of ourselves in trying to be politicians. Yes we should vote, but if we are closely aligned with God, then we will vote for the candidate that God wants in office to deliver the next round of events He has in store for us personally, and/or our state, and/or our country or even the world.

Prayer: Lord God, I believe that You spoke very clearly to Your servant Nehemiah, and after the above mentioned prayer He became a useful instrument in helping to improve life for his fellow citizens. Please help us to get beyond ourselves and to clearly understand how critical it is that we depend on You, especially during times of earthly challenges, such as politics. We are demanded to obey our government servants, as they were put in place by You for such a time as this. Please help us all to look beyond the debates and mud-slinging, and to seek Your guidance in all things. Thank You for loving us enough to help us through events such as elections. Only You know what tomorrow brings, so Lord we place ourselves and our decisions and our obligation to vote, in Your hands as we seek Your face and Your guidance. May Your perfect will be done, and may we be obedient to every part we take while here on earth. I ask these things in faith, and through the Son of God, Jesus the Christ, 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

Real Love

On By Ed AlgreenIn Love, Reflect JesusLeave 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: 1 John 4:10–12
Today’s Bible Text: This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: What if a person who is prone to depression, stopped and convinced themselves that no matter what may come, or no matter how bad they may feel about life’s circumstance, yet because they have Christian friends, they KNOW that someone loves them without requiring anything in return? Do you feel like that will make a difference in that person’s life and in their decisions? But wait a minute you might say, these folk know nothing at all about the Christian living next door, so how will this help them? Brothers and Sisters, I would ask that you read the verses again, and look for the explanation of ‘Real Love’. A ‘Christian’ means that we have accepted Jesus as Lord of our life, and that we are daily moving towards living our lives like Jesus lived – in word and in deed. In these verses today we are told that God loves us regardless of whether we love Him or not. We are told that God demonstrated His awesome love, by sacrificing His one and only Son to take away our sins. And He did this even though we didn’t love Him. Friends that is ‘Real Love’! So how can we demonstrate that kind of love? Let’s assume our responsibility of being a Christ-follower by loving not just those that demonstrate love towards us, but let us also love those who are unlovable. This may mean us going outside of our comfort zone to love those who are rejected by society, or those who pretend to be above society or even those who feel like a nobody. In John 3:16, we are told that God loves the world, and has offered His Son Jesus as a sacrifice for any and all that believes on Him. So as we live to be like Jesus, our obligation to love like Him extends to all that we come into contact with! If we surveyed a cross-section of the folk that you came into contact with yesterday on whether they saw Jesus during any part of their day, will they automatically reflect on your interaction with them? The kind of love I am referring to comes from God alone. Let us therefore fill ourselves with Him so that He may flow through our words and our actions everyday that He allows us to remain here on earth! Some may come to know Jesus because of what they see in us. Oh that they may see and witness Jesus!

Prayer: Father God, many are hurting today and many are even hospitalized or even die because of depression, and this often happens because they have not felt loved by anyone, yet they have rubbed shoulders with Your children. How can this be? I believe that we fail miserably in following Your example to love like You did. Please wipe away every obstruction that prevents me from loving another person. Please open my eyes to the hurting and the unloved, then show me the way to express Your kind of love to them. May others see You today, because of their contact with me. Please touch the hearts and lives of those who will read this devotional today. Use us to spread the joy of the gospel and the love of our Master. For I ask these things in the loving, precious and awesome 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. 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 Genuine Spirit of God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Dedicated, Example of Christ, Genuine example of Jesus, Genuine FaithLeave 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: 1 John 4:2–3
Today’s Bible Text: Here’s how you test for the genuine Spirit of God. Everyone who confesses openly his faith in Jesus Christ—the Son of God, who came as an actual flesh-and-blood person—comes from God and belongs to God. And everyone who refuses to confess faith in Jesus has nothing in common with God.
The Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take Away: Ever been questioned, or ever yourself questioned  whether a Brother is genuine, or a Sister sincere in her faith and teaching? I was in awe this morning as I read the Word, for John, gives us pointers about this very matter. I believe this also helps us to examine ourselves and the kind of witness we portray to others. Here are some of the key points we are to consider and/or portray to determine or prove the genuine Spirit of God:

  • Confesses openly about his/our faith in Jesus Christ;
  • Acknowledges that Jesus is the genuine, only Son of God;
  • Believes and declares that Jesus came to this earth in human form;
  • And that Jesus Comes from God; Belongs to God; And as verified in other scriptures, He is also God;

Friends, we are well aware of the awful feelings we have when we discover that we’ve been given a fake check, or a fake currency note, or encounter a person claiming to be someone they truly are not. This is very comparable to us bringing damnation on ourselves when we claim to be a messenger, or witness, or representation of God, without having a first-hand experience with His Son Jesus. Friends, others will see straight through our farce. Our Christianity is evidenced on the outside from a heart experience on the inside. Have you given Your heart to Jesus? Has He been allowed to control Your innermost emotions, convictions and decisions? Have you invited Jesus to take charge and to speak and work through you wholeheartedly? Can others see and feel the Spirit of God working in and through you on the outside and confirm the points suggested by John? Will they know you are a child of the King, or do you need to tell them? Will you commit to speak to God about this? He deserves genuine believers, because He showed His genuine love for us on Calvary in a very real way. He loved us with wide, outstretched arms!

Prayer: Dear God, I am amazed at the genuine love shown for me on Calvary’s cross. You were born into this world, lived among men and in spite of Your love for them, they crucified You. Lots of evidence of Your human experience here on earth. Thank You for continuing to accept humans into Your kingdom, and I especially thank You for accepting me. Please forgive us when we allow our peers to distract our walk with You. Lord, I am seeking Your help to make me more like You in every way while here on earth, so that others will not be distracted by a sense of false identity. I desire for them to see the hands and feet of Jesus, so that they may be drawn to You oh Lord. Please deal deeply in the hearts of those who will meditate on this devotional today, so that we might not only know You as Lord and Savior, but that we may follow Your example in everything we say and do. To God be the glory, for all that our surrendered, and fully dedicated lives might accomplish in Your name. 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

Freed To Receive From God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Forgiveness, Humbleness, Seek God's FaceLeave 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: 1 John 3:20–22
Today’s Bible Text: God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves. And friends, once that’s taken care of and we’re no longer accusing or condemning ourselves, we’re bold and free before God! We’re able to stretch our hands out and receive what we asked for because we’re doing what he said, doing what pleases him.
The Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take Away: Often Satan will bind us so tightly to our sin, that we feel that it is impossible for God to look at us through a lens of holiness and forgiveness, even when we seek His face and plead before His throne for His forgiveness. Friends, these verses that we are looking at today assures us that when we truly surrender our sin to God, accept His forgiveness and personally forgive ourselves for having allowed Satan to control our lives, that it is then that God takes charge of our lives and ask us to step aside from our weaknesses and our sin, and allow Him to be God – our God; our Deliverer; our Savior; our Master and our King. I believe that often our challenge is attributed to the fact that we might allow outside pressures to control our mouths and our actions. Parents are famous for trying to get their kids saved, and that is admirable, but we don’t just want our kids to say the words, or do something just to please us. As in any personal relationship, it must be a personal decision, a personal experience and a personal commitment. Let’s remember, it is God who draws man to Himself, not mom or dad or anyone else that pushes us towards God. Another aspect of life, is that we tend to be harder on ourselves than anyone else that we know of. That’s why many procrastinate in their decision to follow God, because they feel like there is so much that they must personally clear up first, before God would ever accept them. Friends, if we were able to overcome our sin personally, there would be no need for a Savior, and we would have done it a long time ago. Only God can forgive us of our sin, and only He can strengthen us, and help us to overcome our sinful actions/habits. Let’s work at the unfortunate habit of beating up on ourselves and, instead seek God’s face and accept His precious love for us. Only then, through His power and His grace, we will have the power to overcome our sinful actions and receive what we ask of Him, because we are doing what He said and what pleases Him.

Prayer: Father, it is very easy for us to disqualify ourselves from approaching Your throne, because we know deep inside how awful we have been. Please open the eyes of those that still feel like they must clear up certain sinful actions before they personally seek Your face. Please open our eyes to our inability to do anything about our sin, without a righteous and all-powerful God. It’s You that we need first, oh Lord, then all these things that seem impossible to us, will become very possible in and through your grace. Thank You Lord for Your love, Your grace, Your power, and Your forgiveness. It’s only because of this that I am a confirmed child of the Kind, who still needs you every hour of every day. Please open the blind eyes of my family and friends who still need Your precious love and forgiveness in their lives. Please touch the lives of those that will read this devotional today, for like me, they need Your awesome power also. I ask these things in faith and in the confidence of the Savior of this world, 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. 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

Give It Up, Friend!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Evidence of Faith, Faith, Faith in Action, SurrenderLeave 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: 1 John 3:16-18

Today’s Bible Text: We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.

The Bible Translation: New Living Translation

My Take Away: I’m sure that I am slower than most, therefore the reason that I overlooked exactly the point that God was trying to get across to us in this passage today! So I wanted to share with you how I feel like God revealed Himself to me, and the instructions He made clear to me. The first part of verse 16 is a given, in that we have always been taught that what Jesus did on the cross was not a win for the king and his people that ordered the crucifixion of our Lord, but Jesus went to the cross in total obedience to His Father, in total love for us. John 3:16 is probably the best known verse in the Bible, because it explains the love of Jesus in dying for every sinner, and the everlasting hope offered as a result of that sacrifice. Now, back to verses 17 & 18 of our highlighted verses today, we (Christ’s followers) are challenged to do the same thing for our fellow man. Go to the cross for another, you might ask? No, although we may not be forced to give up our life, we certainly might be called on to volunteer our time to help someone who is incapable of helping themselves. OR, someone that might be hungry when we have more than enough to sacrifice our next meal to give it to them. OR, perhaps another nation is unable or unwilling to fully care for their orphans, and even though we may not be able to feed them all for a week, perhaps we could join or support a local missions group who will go and work around the orphanage so that monies given to the orphanage can be used to better feed or clothe the orphans. OR, if called on to give financially to those in need, perhaps we can give of our excess, or sacrifice the money we would ordinarily spend on items we could easily do without. Think about it friend, when we consider our ‘life’ we generally consider all those things that make it worthwhile for us to get up each morning, or to keep on slaving away at work each day. How much of that are you willing to give up for the sake of a person in need? I believe we had best be very careful to not find excuses when God asks us to be His hands and His feet, and to minister in His name. Let us always remember that He gave it all so that we might have life eternally in heaven. Anything we are challenged with should be in the light of that sacrifice, and done with the love of that sacrifice. Only then will an unbeliever truly understand the love of our Savior that we might tell them about.

Prayer: Lord, please help us to keep our eyes fixed on You and not on our circumstances. Please help us to give, because You first sacrificed everything as You gave it all for us. Please help us to stop thinking so selfishly about the benefits of our greed and finding so many excuses about all that we could give to others, if only we would deal with our selfishness and give up the wants of self gratification. Forgive us Lord for being inconsiderate of the needs of others, especially while we gloat in the excess blessings that You have showered on us. Please teach us to follow Your ways, even when it causes us to sacrifice. Your love oh Lord, reaches to the heavens. May Your love be evident in everything we do or say, so that You may be glorified here on earth. I ask these things in the precious, holy, sacrificial name of Jesus, my Lord and 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 http://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!

How, Then Shall We Live

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bold Confidence, Commitment, How to LiveLeave 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: 1 John 3:1–3
Today’s Bible Text: What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are. But that’s also why the world doesn’t recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he’s up to. But friends, that’s exactly who we are: children of God. And that’s only the beginning. Who knows how we’ll end up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we’ll see him—and in seeing him, become like him. All of us who look forward to his Coming stay ready, with the glistening purity of Jesus’ life as a model for our own.
The Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take Away: I see such a sweet assurance in the beginning verse of how much my heavenly Father loves me, and how He calls us His children. My eyes were also opened to the reminder that the world may very well dislike us, because they do not have an appreciation for the things, or character of God. But then I realize that if we do not conform to their ways, they would hate us anyway, per Romans 12:2. In fact that verse tells us that God will change us from the inside out, so of course we will be different to anything we have ever witnessed before. But friends, the captioned verses today reminds us that our God will come one day to take us home to be with Him. Now that’s a day that we all look forward to, amen? But what about the here and now, what are we to be doing – how then shall we be living? Thankfully John covers this in verse 3, for he advised that we should aim to live like Jesus. I found it interesting that the Message chose to use such an awesome description of the life we are to live: ‘Glistening purity of Jesus’. That makes me think that we are to live squeaky clean, just as Christ was perfectly clean. Friends, I believe that the bottom line is that we live the changed life that we have committed ourselves to. How confusing it must be for nonbelievers to hear us preaching the goodness of the Lord from our mouths, yet living like the Devil in our actions and all of our practices. Jesus was pure in every way, and that’s what we are called to do as children of God. Will you be willing to commit to living the pure life exampled by Jesus Christ?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You lived a perfect life amidst lots of evil. We also are called to live the kind of pure life that You lived, and our world seems even more corrupt and sinful today than anytime in history. For those of us willing to live the example You have set before us, may You endow us with power, wisdom, determination and total surrender, so that the enemy might see Jesus in all that we do and say. We need You precious Savior. Please work miraculously through us so that Your work might be done, by even us. 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

Results of Sincere Prayer

On By Ed AlgreenIn Caring, Loving God, PrayerLeave 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: 2 Chronicles 33:12–13
Today’s Bible Text: But while in deep distress, Manasseh sought the LORD his God and sincerely humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. And when he prayed, the LORD listened to him and was moved by his request. So the LORD brought Manasseh back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh finally realized that the LORD alone is God!
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: When we read about evil kings in the Bible, we normally see where thousands of people were impacted by their evil minds and deeds. King Manasseh was one of those kings who had a very rough beginning, for he did everything possible to fight against God and all that He stood for. However, like Manasseh, we have to be very careful how we trifle around with God. We can’t on one hand treat God any way we like, and then wonder why everything in our lives seem to always be in constant disarray. Friends, we will quickly notice that God is quite the gentleman, and will remove His hand from us, if we choose to live our lives without Him. That is a very sad state of affairs when that occurs, because we see where Satan then takes total control and what he does after that could often be disastrous. But, as in the story of this king, we are once again reminded of the awesome love that the Father has for His children. For in the middle of his distress, when Manasseh cried out for help, God was right there and showered His love on Manasseh. Friends, I believe it is very obvious that God does everything possible to win us into heaven, and not the opposite. In the last few words of the verses chosen today, we see where this response by God caused Manasseh to “realize that the Lord alone is God.”  Hopefully we will come to our senses today and realize that the Lord our God is an awesome, powerful, loving, trusting, immovable, solid as a rock, kind of God, who is always deserving of our praise and our worship. He alone has the power to bring the dead back to life and to handle every care or concern we may be burdened with. He cares about that loved one that we were about to give up on, and only God has the power to get their spiritual attention. Our part is to recognize Him as God and allow Him access into our lives so that He might accomplish His will and way in us. The prayer of a very wicked man moved God and immediately got His attention. Is there anything so great that you would hesitate in taking before His throne today? I encourage you to do it friend! He loves you way too much to see you hurt personally, or hurt over a loved one’s sin. Give it to Him in prayer today friend.

Prayer: Lord You are good, and Your mercies endures forever! Thank You for loving and caring enough for us that You listen to our humble plea even in our weakest condition, and especially in our times of shame and/or disgrace. Lord, You know our weaknesses and You also know our concerns for our loved ones. I am totally grateful to You for hearing my prayers and answering in ways that only You are capable of. Please keep me true to Your Word, and may my witness always portray the love and witness of You, to a lost a dying world. Please touch the unsaved today, especially my family and friends. May this be a day of decision and conversion for them. These things I ask in sincere humility and in the powerful name of Jesus, Your Son, 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

Oh To Have Leaders or Men Like This…

On By Ed AlgreenIn Leadership of the Holy Spirit, Prayer, SurrenderLeave 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: 2 Chronicles 31:20–21
Today’s Bible Text: In this way, King Hezekiah handled the distribution throughout all Judah, doing what was pleasing and good in the sight of the LORD his God. In all that he did in the service of the Temple of God and in his efforts to follow God’s laws and commands, Hezekiah sought his God wholeheartedly. As a result, he was very successful.
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation  (NLT)

My Take Away: I can hardly imagine what our families, our churches, our cities and our nation would be like if we had men following the example of King Hezekiah! We are told in verse 21 that this king was extremely successful because….. everything he did was in a spirit of complete loyalty and devotion to God! Wow! What if we were to elect leaders for our country who practice what Hezekiah did? Can you even imagine what a country of peace and success would look like? Can you imagine how much better our workplaces would be if we (Christians) went to work with a spirit of complete loyalty and devotion to God. Friends, I know that many jobs will not allow Christianity to be advertised or practiced within its walls, but what is inside of us cannot be taken away! We take Christ into our jobs through our actions, our stands on certain issues, through our sincere dedication to our work and our bosses. Friends, this may sound like ‘pie in the sky’ to some that read this devotional today, but may I remind you that our God is still in charge, and He still has the power to touch the very heart of man, for His ultimate honor and glory. I firmly believe that what is missing in this old world of ours, is the commitment of our leaders to the grand leader of all mankind. Now before you say a loud Amen, may I also add that the other missing piece is the absence of the saints of God in constant prayer for our leaders. We expect them to lead us aright, but only God knows what tomorrow will bring, so if our leaders are to lead with tomorrow in mind, they must have the wisdom and direction of the only One who knows about tomorrow. Lord, may Your army assume our rightful position – on our knees, and seek Your perfect will for our own lives on mission for You, and for our leaders so that they may be drawn to You – the answer to all of life’s circumstances and challenges.

 

Prayer: Father in heaven, forgive us for our determination to manage our lives, our churches, our cities, etc. using only the weak and helpless abilities of self. Each of us face impossible situations everyday, because most decisions we make are impacted by things that could happen tomorrow – an unknown factor to mankind. It was so great being reminded today that Christians have a resource available to them that has the mysteries of tomorrow covered. Jesus, I was reminded once again how desperately we need You in every aspect of our life, especially in our decision-making. Lord, may You be glorified because of our surrender to You and our commitment to allow You to be King and Ruler over all things. Please impact our critical decisions this year as we vote, and also as we lift up our leaders in prayer. I ask these things in the all powerful, all knowing, yet all loving 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 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 Awesome is Our God!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Awesome God, Creator, VigilantLeave 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: Psalm 104:1; 5–9
Today’s Bible Text: 1 Let all that I am praise the LORD. O LORD my God, how great you are! You are robed with honor and majesty….. 5 You placed the world on its foundation so it would never be moved. 6 You clothed the earth with floods of water, water that covered even the mountains. 7 At your command, the water fled; at the sound of your thunder, it hurried away. 8 Mountains rose and valleys sank to the levels you decreed. 9 Then you set a firm boundary for the seas, so they would never again cover the earth.
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: The Psalmist shows us how to worship our King. One of the key triggers for worship, is to reflect on the beauty of God’s creation around us, and then on the One who made it all possible. We may visit certain locations where the on-staff horticulturist may have used plants of every description to create a beautiful garden or landscape that just blows you away. But let’s not forget who designed, created and made that plant available to us! That’s the God who created us and made provisions for us to one day join with Him around His heavenly throne for ever! Do you know Him? Do you take time, like the Psalmist, to recognize Him for His awesome power and His mighty works? Have you taken time yet today to worship and adore the God of all creation? You know, He not only made the beauty around us, but He also made you and I. It is way too easy for us to turn up our noses to some folk because we can’t stand how they act, or talk or treat us, but let’s never forget that they are a creation of our loving God, and if they could put up with us, we should make every effort to love them with the love of God. After all, how will you explain to God on Judgment Day that you believe He messed up when He made ______??? Friends, as we go about our day, let’s try to look at creation, or our family, or our coworkers as God’s creation, and let us give Him thanks for blessing us with each other. Remember, God knows even our smallest need, and He is well aware of our major challenges. He will place things and/or individuals in our path today to make us stronger in our faith, or that will draw us unto Him for eternal life. Be vigilant friend, and be ready to recognize God as He pursues your best interest today. He’s just that awesome!

Prayer: Father, You created us, yet we tend to find fault with your creation instead of praising You for ourselves and for those that cross our paths each day. You created awesome beauty all around us, yet we find something to whine about. Lord, from the bottom of my heart I want to thank You for creating me and allowing me to live on this small dot on Your perfect earth. Your majesty is beyond description. Your power is beyond anything we can imagine. Your love is greater than anything we could comprehend, for You allowed Your very own, perfect, Son to be crucified on a cruel cross, so that we would not have to endure that kind of torture in order to one day be with You around Your throne of mercy and grace. Father You are awesome in every way, and I adore You and worship You from the sincerity of my heart. Jesus, thank You for Your amazing sacrifice, so that I may live eternally with You and the Father. Please touch the hearts of all who might read this devotional today. Draw them close to You and help them to see You for who You truly are. In the strong and mighty name of Jesus I ask all this, 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