Tag: Know Jesus as Lord

Share Your Encounter with Jesus: Devotional Insights

On By Ed AlgreenIn Accept Jesus NOW, Acknowledge God, All have sinned, Awesome God, Evangelism, God Cares For Us, God’s Word, Personal Witness, WitnessingLeave a comment

DATE POSTED
Sunday, June 29, 2025, and I was blessed to be at Westgate Vacation Villas, Kissimmee, FL when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. My Footnote will tell you how to find and read any and all episodes that I have shared over the years.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Read John 4:39-42 in your Bible or click on it to read it online in the Living Bible (TLB).

APPLICATION – as inspired by the Holy Spirit
No matter where we are in life, which church we attend, which Bible version we prefer, or our current perspective on life, there will come a moment when we must confront the challenge of hearing God’s voice and deciding how to respond. This devotional might offer another chance to hear from God, just as the Samaritans did in our Scripture verses. First, let me remind those who have never committed their lives to Jesus Christ. You may have built your life around the ways of this world and its distractions. If you ever feel drawn to learn about Jesus or wonder about His life and teachings, know that this is the Holy Spirit working to draw you out of the world’s ways and into a relationship with Jesus. The world, influenced by Satan, resists the Holy Son of God. If you find yourself being drawn to Jesus, it’s beyond anything your family or friends could orchestrate; it’s the power of God or the Holy Spirit stirring within you. As an unbeliever, this might feel completely unfamiliar due to a lack of experience with God’s Word and ways. Trust that only the Holy Spirit has the power to reach a heart indifferent to Jesus. In today’s Scripture, we see a neighbor who simply returned to her town and shared the love and power of the One who knew everything about her and offered her a new and fulfilling life. How do your encounters with Jesus impact you? Is your life transformed enough by your devotional time with the Lord or church attendance that others see His love shining through your words and actions? Do your neighbors know you are walking with Jesus and want them to do the same? Notice that the Samaritan Woman didn’t run to her neighbors with a big Bible, preaching at them. She simply wanted them to meet the amazing man she encountered, telling them how He reminded her of the Son of God. Many pastors deliver sophisticated sermons that can sometimes challenge our attention spans in church. However, a few heartfelt words from one neighbor to another often capture attentive ears. And if you pray before sharing, your words might touch open hearts eager to know the Jesus you’ve met and are so excited to talk about. The woman’s message was simple and direct. She shared her story, they followed her, listened for themselves, and believed. While I hope your pastor is truly God-ordained, dedicated to winning souls and guiding believers, nothing can replace the love you show by sharing your story with those around you. Let them know how Jesus saved you – and how He can save them too.

PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for the blessing of friends and the opportunities You give us to share our likes, dislikes, wants, needs, and opinions with them. Often, they trust us enough to adopt our good ideas. I believe they would quickly act if I warned them about a storm approaching, and just like the Samaritan Woman in today’s story, I believe they would also want to come and meet the Savior I have encountered. Jesus, I pray to overcome fears of rejection or doubts about not having the right Bible references, and instead, like the Samaritan, share my encounter with the King of kings and the immense blessings of accepting You as Lord and Savior. Help me to keep my testimony personal and honest. You are exactly who You say You are, so there’s no need for me to add anything to Your Word; please guard me against that temptation when convincing others. In today’s story, the people saw You, heard You, and believed. It’s all about You, Lord! Just as You’ve transformed my life for Your glory, I am confident You can do the same for those I care about and witness to. Be glorified in everything I strive to do in Your name, Lord! I sincerely pray that readers will also want and commit to doing the same AMEN!

FOOTNOTE
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please take advantage of the information provided on my page ‘To Know Jesus’. Alternatively, consider speaking with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. One of God’s servants will pray with you and offer help and encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. If you would like to read more of my devotionals or subscribe to receive a daily email containing each new devotional, please visit NuggetsFromGodsWord.org. Friends, I encourage you to find a Bible teaching church home near your residence and attend as frequently as possible. Get to know God and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk while you make every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider being a part of that while also growing in your faith as you worship with fellow believers!

The Moment of Truth

On By Ed AlgreenIn Moment of Truth, Salvation, SinnerLeave 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: Luke 5:8-11
Today’s Bible Text: 8 When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.” 9 For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. 10 His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed.
Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” 11 And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: In earlier verses we read where Simon Peter and his team had been fishing all night, but without any luck. So when Jesus approached them and told them to go out from the shore and cast their nets, Peter responded along the lines of, “now even though we have just returned from an all-nighter, and because You have asked us nicely to do this, we will”. In other words, we realize this may be a case of just extending our bad luck out on the waters, we will do it just because Jesus asked them to do it. What struck me about verse 8 is that, so often we go through the motions of church attendance, perhaps because of a spouse, or a parent, or even a friend, but there is nothing like the time that we have a personal, one-on-one experience with the Master! Suddenly our eyes are opened and we feel a connection to the Savior of the world! We realize that He truly died for our sin and that we can go on to have a personal, intimate relationship with Him. Like Peter, the encounter opens our eyes to the fact that we have been such a ‘dork’ and have totally missed the boat on the love that the Lord Jesus Christ has for even us. No doubt Peter had other earlier experiences with Jesus, or else he would not have obeyed Him in pushing his boat off the shore yet again. But friends, just like Peter, we must quickly realize that our encounter with the King of all kings, and Lord of all lords leads us to realize that we are so unworthy and needy, while He is so awesome and worthy of our honor, respect, obedience and love. We also can be the recipients of the blessings from the hand of Jesus, just as Peter and his friends were. However, we also must be acutely aware that a lot must change about our earthly lives for us to become more aligned with our Heavenly Father, so it may mean that we ditch our lives of contempt and sin, and follow Him, just as Peter did. A moment of truth with the Savior of the world, will cause us to quickly recognize our sinful condition and bring us to our knees, seeking His forgiveness. A time where we leave the old behind and seek to follow our new-found King and His will for our lives. I pray there will be at least one reading this devotional today whose eyes will be opened to the truth of God’s Word, just as Peter received new insight.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I pray that everyone reading this devotional will be reminded of the incredible power of our God, and the importance of leaving all earthly things alone so that You may receive our undivided attention and dedication. Thank You for loving us and caring for even us in such awesome ways. I ask these thinks in the wonderful 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