Tag: Know Jesus

The Law vs Salvation

On By Ed AlgreenIn SalvationLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   Romans 3:19-20 (VOICE)

TEXT:  19 We want to be clear that whatever the law says, it says to everyone who is under its authority. Its purpose is to muzzle every mouth, to silence idle talk, and to bring the whole world under the standard of God’s justice. 20 Therefore, doing what the law prescribes will not make anyone right in the eyes of God—that’s not its purpose—but the law is capable of exposing the true nature of sin.

OBSERVATION:   Paul was dealing with the same thing that we still hear today…. I know that God will allow my dad into heaven, because he is truly a good all around man. He loves his family, gets along with his neighbors and he is a true example of all the law expects from anyone. It sounds like am image was drawn of a ‘good’ man according to his obedience of the laws of the land and what mankind has defined in their minds. But is that really all that’s necessary to enter the kingdom of God?

APPLICATION:   The law of the land may dictate that: the speed limit on Main Street USA is 30 MPH. Obedience of that law will stop the cops from pulling you over, vs disobedience costing you up to $200 for a speeding ticket. There are a multitude of laws in the Old Testament, and some people choose some of those laws to ‘hang their hats on’ and insist on following them. Friends may look at these people as being kind of weird for following such traditional laws, but they can be praised for being so disciplined and motivated to obey rules that God may have dictated for His rulers and saints of old, because they had no other guidance for right living. However, in light of what God expects of us today, based on what He did for us at Calvary, does that obedience of law have anything to do with the divide between us and our Father? Absolutely not, for the Word is clear, that ‘Whosoever believes on the Son of God will have everlasting life’. Now friends, I am sure that God would delight in His born again saints today, if they studied the laws He gave to His Old Testament saints, and if they try to live according to the laws that still make sense today. But know that Your relationship with Jesus Christ is the deciding factor for allowing you into Heaven. Following the laws of the Old Testament may very well give you good principles to follow in life, but they have no saving grace associated with them. Studying the Old Testament is an excellent way of learning the ways of God and understanding those things that please Him and/or upset Him. It’s an awesome way of seeing the awesome power of God through the many miracles He performed through His prophets there. But at the end of the day, we walk away identifying the good deeds of some versus the bad deeds of many. We’re able to identify that, by comparing what they did vs the law established for them. And afterwards, we are no closer to heaven than when we first started, for the Word of God goes on to tell us how, because of our sin, God sent us Jesus – the only means by which we might be saved from our sin, and through whom we might know that we have eternal life with the Father, Son and Holy Ghost in heaven. Where are you at today friend? Do you know from the laws of God that you’re a pretty good person, or do you have a personal, intimate relationship with the King of all kings and Lord of all lords, Jesus Christ? Without the latter relationship you might obey the laws of God, yet never see the glories of Heaven. Don’t risk that my friend.

PRAYER:   Thank You Jesus for saving my soul, that You Lord for making me whole, thank you Lord for giving to me, Thy great salvation – so rich and free! Oh what a Savior! For You came to fulfill the many laws that You laid our for Your children to follow, and because of that we can look forward to the glories of heaven with You and the Father one day! Thank You precious Lord. Please use this devotional to bring You glory through touching the lives of those who read this and whose eyes are opened to the truths of Your Word. I ask these things humbly and with great expectation, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please 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 Nuggets From God’s Word 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 Sebring, 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!

 

God’s Unconditional Promises

On By Ed AlgreenIn Promise, Unconditional, Unconditional loveLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   Romans 3:2-4 (TLB)

TEXT:  2 ….. First of all, God trusted them with his laws so that they could know and do his will. 3 True, some of them were unfaithful, but just because they broke their promises to God, does that mean God will break his promises? 4 Of course not! Though everyone else in the world is a liar, God is not. Do you remember what the book of Psalms says about this? That God’s words will always prove true and right, no matter who questions them.

OBSERVATION:   It seems obvious that Paul had received word that the community was questioning how God could possibly trust the Jews with His Word, when some of them were so unfaithful, and they even break God’s commands at times. In response to these accusations, Paul takes us back to something that the Psalmist declared in Psalm 51:4,  that I believe is still very true today: ‘God’s words will always prove true‘! 

APPLICATION:   Most churches will show you from their bylaws that they were formed because of  various Scripture passages that spoke to the hearts of their founding fathers. Hopefully many of us surrendered our hearts to the lordship of Jesus Christ, because of various Scripture verses that spoke to us and resulted in Jesus calling us to repentance. So when we hear grumblings about our respective churches – sometimes because a church member or leader was weakened by sin, do you suppose that does anything towards weakening the church, that God built with His hands and promised to bless it?How does it impact your walk with the Lord, dear Christian? Yet we often hear that a good friend will not attend a certain church if Mr. X still goes there, or we might hear that someone’s children is not allowed to associate with Mr. X’s kids because of what he did 15 years ago.  Friends, I’m afraid that these types of silly things like I mentioned, happens all too often. Is it not obvious that we take our eyes off the one thing that is constant and forever true, and instead allow the weaknesses of another Brother or Sister to interfere with our walk with the Lord? May I remind you that in another part of the Bible, we are told to pull up alongside that Brother or Sister who has sinned, and try to help them overcome their challenges, for one day we might be in the same weakened position and need a helping hand. The basic truth that I pray God will give us for a takeaway today, is that His Word never fails, even if we do, or our neighbor next door does. So may I encourage you to stand on the promises of God, not the weaknesses of mankind. Be reminded that although a fellow church member may have shifted their friendship to someone else, you can still stand firm in the fact that Jesus said that He will never leave us alone, and that His love endures right up until the end of time. Those are the facts that you can trust friends, everything else that happens between humans are merely incidental, or can be viewed as opportunities for you to minister to them, with the help and leadership of the One who promised to love them in spite of their mistakes.

PRAYER:   In deepest appreciation and love, I am overjoyed and honored to pray to the Creator of this universe and of you and I. In fact to the One who promised to love me until the very end – no conditions. Lord may each one reading this devotional today recommit themselves to a direct relationship with You – the only One that has promised to stick closer than a brother, and love us unconditionally until the very end. As we do that, please help us to ignore the ‘white noise’ of Satan and his cohorts who try every day to distract our relationship with You, through fixing our eyes on individuals who struggle in life, just as we do at times. Teach us to be the image of Jesus to them, while keeping our eyes fixed on You and Your unrelenting love for us throughout this world and the next. I love You Lord, and I lift my voice, heart and song to You in praise this day, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please 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 Nuggets From God’s Word 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 Sebring, 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!

 

Jesus Can Calm The Storms of Your Life

On By Ed AlgreenIn Caring, God Cares For Us, Jesus Loves youLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   Mark 4:38-40 (ERV)

TEXT: 38  ….. “Teacher, don’t you care about us? …..” 39 Jesus stood up and gave a command to the wind and the water. He said, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind stopped, and the lake became calm. 40 He said to his followers, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

OBSERVATION:   In our verses, the disciples were frightened by the storms all around them, for the waves were much bigger, and more powerful than their boat. Furthermore they had responsibility of keeping the Savior of the world safe, and they weren’t sure how much longer they could do that. However, after they woke Jesus up from His nap, He calmly stood and beckoned to the waters, that His Father had created, to quiet down and be still. Read the Application to see how this might apply to other storms we have in life.

APPLICATION:   There are times that we feel like we are in a storm that’s way beyond our understanding or ability to overcome, and we call out to Jesus, knowing that He is the only one who could help us through our storm, or He may even calm our storm for us. In our Scripture, the storm was at sea, and these storms still occur – so some may still call on Jesus to protect them from the angry waves and the boisterous winds. However, for some of us, our overwhelming storms of life might involve work; financial; family; friends; medical issues; or even loved ones who need more care than you can offer them. These are times that we feel like the overwhelming waters are about to flood over our heads, and we need help. But from whom? For relatives and friends are just as bad, or even worse than us. Friends, let me remind you that just as Jesus used His supernatural power to reach out and calm the powerful waters, He can also reach out and calm you down on the issues you feel so overwhelmed with. He may not see the need to make you a millionaire, but He can place the funds at your disposal to meet your needs. He may not do exactly what you ask, in the same fashion as the way you want it to happen, but He knows what’s even better for us. May I encourage you to know my Jesus personally, so that He will recognize the sound of His ‘sheep’ when we have the need to call on Him? May I suggest that you start depending on Jesus for small and large ‘waves’ or struggles in life. Call upon Him while He is near my friend. He’s still God, He will love you without limits, and He still hears our cry for help even today. 

PRAYER:   Dear God, we are lost without you, just as the disciples were , when they began to feel overwhelmed by the waves hitting their boat that night on the Sea of Galilee. So many times in life today we feel like the waves of doubt; overwhelming financial issues; or just the stress of so many health challenges are about to consume us… but then we remember the God who created these things that worry us, and we remember that He loved us so much that He sent His very own Son to rescue us from a world of sin. Then we come to our senses and recognize that we are loved beyond anything we could ever expect or deserve. Lord, may we be quick to surrender our cares and concerns to You and allow You to calm our ‘stormy seas’ – our worrying minds and our overwhelmed spirits, so that You – the only One who can, will resume charge and calm us to do Your work under the power and authority of the Holy Spirit. Lord, have Your will and way in our lives today, AMEN! 

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please 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 Nuggets From God’s Word 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 Sebring, 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!

 

Our God – Loving, But Also Just

On By Ed AlgreenIn Correction, direction, Discipline, Disciplined, Spiritual CorrectionLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   2 Chronicles 36:15-17 (NCV)

TEXT:  15 The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent prophets again and again to warn his people, because he had pity on them and on his Temple. 16 But they made fun of God’s prophets and hated God’s messages. They refused to listen to the prophets until, finally, the Lord became so angry with his people that he could not be stopped. 17 So God brought the king of Babylon to attack them. The king killed the young men even when they were in the Temple. He had no mercy on the young men or women, the old men or those who were sick. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar. 

OBSERVATION:   We can see right at the beginning how God showed His love in trying to do everything possible in order to get to the hearts of His children who were disobeying His commands. However, in verse 17 it is clear that God may have to punish at times, in order to get our attention. I know that we don’t like to concentrate on the bad, or the corrections, but that makes it no less real or effective in our lives. God knew what it took to get the attention of the Israelites, and He also knows what it takes for Him to work on you also, child of God.

APPLICATION:   While at your favorite restaurant, you might look across the room and see a dad cuddling with his young son and enjoying some quality time with this child that he loves so much. Later during your visit, you hear a child screaming, and you look around only to see a mom taking her son outside, and you can only imagine what’s in store for that boy when he gets outside! Is that a representation of how a dad loves his child vs how a mom shows love to her child? I believe that most of you reading this devotional will understand that both the mom and dad showed equal love towards their children in the above scenario. However, most of the time that we hear about God, it is mostly about His awesome love and how good He is, which I totally endorse. However, let’s also remember that God established His Word to teach us about His commands and His teachings. He tells in His Word of the ways that He shows His love for us and, as in these verses chosen today, He also tells us what action He may bring on us if we are persistent in disobeying Him, or if we decide to follow our own desires and rules and ignore His. Friends, please know that God is known as a loving and just God. He showed His love for mankind by sending His very own Son to die on a cruel cross, just to display the extreme love that He has for us. However, please know that God also loves us enough to correct us. To draw our attention to the wrong we may be involved in. And He may use anyone or anything within His reach to effect our attitude, our obedience, or our love for Him and our fellow man. May I suggest that you speak with God when things are happening that may impact you and/or your world? See if He is trying to get your attention about something that you thought no one else knew about besides you. Remember, He brought in the king of Babylon to attack the Israelites and even kill off some of the people in the temple. Do you suppose there is a limit to what He might do to get your attention?

PRAYER:   Lord, I believe that You show Your love for us in many, many ways. Often this may be through blessings that we enjoy every day. However, that will never get our attention to correct the wrongs that we do, so You are forced to discipline us in order to effectively change our course of action, and in order to draw us closer to You. Lord, may we be grateful in the good things that we are quick to acknowledge and give You praise for. However, please help us to recognize the steering currents that You use to change our course of direction that was leading us to disobedience or disrespect. Lord, may You be glorified in every way through us, and may God receive honor and glory from all things. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please 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 Nuggets From God’s Word 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 Sebring, 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!

 

Struggling Churches Need This

On By Ed AlgreenIn Godly lives, How to Live, Leadership, Leadership qualifications, Lives ImpactedLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   2 Chronicles 35:17-18 (TLB)

TEXT:  17 Everyone present in Jerusalem took part in the Passover observance, and this was followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread for the next seven days. 18 Never since the time of Samuel the prophet had there been such a Passover—not one of the kings of Israel could vie with King Josiah in this respect, involving so many of the priests, Levites, and people from Jerusalem and from all parts of Judah, and from Israel. 

OBSERVATION:   It is interesting to note in these 2 verses how, under good leadership, the Israelites came to their senses, listened to their king, and followed him in worshiping the God of the universe for seven days as they celebrated the Passover. Something was different, but it worked. It encouraged them enough to participate willingly and honestly. Let’s look closer into how this happened, because we could definitely use more of this attitude and corporation today!

APPLICATION:   There are so many churches that are either struggling to survive, or have already given up and closed their doors. However, there are flourishing churches that continue to grow almost weekly. Throughout the chapters leading up this one, we read where there were lots of issues and corrections by God, because the ruling kings did things that were not pleasing to God. However, at the very beginning of chapter 35 we are told that Josiah was a different kind of king, because he did what was pleasing to God. Friends, the same is true in business, we see where people will follow a good leader who is trying to grow themselves in their field of expertise, and develop good workers who will do the same. This benefits the company, who in turn, can develop more leaders and even better employees. But how does this benefit Christendom? How do we encourage the growth of the kingdom? I believe that it starts at the top. If our leaders are ‘on fire for the Lord’, then there is a chance in rekindling a fire in the pews. If our leaders are deep into the Word, and they make it a principal upon which they base their daily character and decision making, then what do you suppose the people who are following them will do? So my challenge today is for everyone who takes a leadership role in their company, or in their church. Will your followers be led astray based on whether you are growing; or by what you are saying; or by what you are doing? Without having to preach a sermon, do they have a clue where you stand with Christ? Will Jesus find you faithful, if He returns today to take His children home to glory? When God interviews those who worked for you or with you, do you suppose they saw enough of Jesus in you that it led them to seek Him personally? Jesus died, so that we may live eternally. The Bible is filled with examples of how Jesus lived a perfect life on earth. He is our mentor and our example. Please don’t allow any leader to lead you along a path contrary to God’s teachings. Remember, others are following you, and they want to see Jesus!

PRAYER:   Father God, thank You for Jesus – the perfect Son of God. Thank You for showing us the way to live in a way that’s pleasing to You and that might also lead an unbeliever to the cross – to salvation. Please continue to guide us and direct our path each and every day. Please make us keenly aware of our character, especially when we are about to mess up. We want to be just like You Lord, so that others might follow the ways of Christ when they follow us. In love, humbleness, and much gratification we ask these things dear Lord, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please 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 Nuggets From God’s Word 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 Sebring, 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!

 

The Listening Ear of Our Awesome God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Listen to the Word of God, Obedience, ObedientLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   2 Chronicles 33:12-13 (Voice)

TEXT:  12 From this position of complete powerlessness, Manasseh finally humbled himself and begged the forgiveness of the Eternal God of his fathers. 13 He heard Manasseh’s prayer and found it sincere; He returned Manasseh to the throne in Jerusalem. From that day forward, Manasseh never doubted that the Eternal was the True God.

OBSERVATION:   The evidence of a stubborn child who was given lots of power at a young age, is evident in the first 11 verses of this chapter. A young man who watched his dad rule most his life under the watch-care of the Almighty God, yet Manasseh joined in with those who opposed God and together they turned their country totally around to serve the evil one. As a last resort in trying to regain the hearts of Manasseh and his people, God was forced to the very extreme. He sent the Assyrian army in to capture Manasseh and to totally disrupt his people. In spite of all his evil doings, Manasseh finally called out to God during his awful punishment by the Assyrians. And in spite of all that Manasseh did, God still listened to his cry, forgave him, and took him safely back home. Did you ever think that your deeds were much too evil to approach a holy God?

APPLICATION:   Can you think of a time that you felt like you were so far from God, that you felt estranged from Him, and you wondered who you could possibly call on now? If we were to be honest, I believe that we would all agree that there were certain times in our life since accepting Jesus as Lord, that this occurred to us. What a distant feeling. What a lost and alone time for us. A time that we felt like no one cared what happened to us. So what caused this, friends? Do you supposed there was a purpose in this by God? I believe that all too often we know very well why God is disciplining us individually. To the outside world, they have seen only the side of you that you opened up to them, but with God, there are no secrets. For He knows the very hairs on our head, and He knows the very innermost thoughts that we have. Isn’t that scary? Or shall I say, mind-sobering to the extent that we realize that we can remove the ‘wall’ that we’ve been hiding behind, or sheltering ourselves behind, from those that we would just as soon not be privy to those actions, words or thoughts. So why do you suppose that God finds it necessary to make us go through these challenging times in life? Allow me to give you a real life  example: last week a retired missionary asked for prayer for her grandson who told his missionary parents that he felt haunted by an evil spirit, who was following him around. The church body gathered around and prayed over these grandparents on behalf of their troubled grandson. I followed up on that request this week, and the grandmother shared about a strange encounter that her daughter had with a lady she met over recent days who shared a concern about her son being troubled by what felt like an evil spirit following him around! The daughter explained to this non-christian how the prayers of her family and home church prayed to God for the same thing that was happening to her son, and how God removed those thoughts from her son! So why does evil things come our way at times? Well, they came to Manasseh to open the door for God to work in his life, for the good of his nation and for the glory of God. Why did this evil spirit interfere in this your grandson’s life, it could have been for the sole purpose of opening the eyes of this nonbeliever and to draw her to the God who loves her and her son who was impacted by an evil spirit. It is not our jobs to question dear one, but rather to open our hearts to Jesus and allow Him to have His perfect will in our lives, for His precious glory, and for the eternal welfare of those that He touches, even through us.

PRAYER:   Precious Lord, have thine own way in us today. You took Manasseh to a very low point in his life in order to get his attention, and to turn his eyes towards the living God. His redirection in life caused his people to worship his God in lieu of the many gods they knew and worshiped. I pray that we might learn from this experience with our ancestor, and consecrate our lives wholly and solely to the one true God, who has our best interest at heart. In turn, I pray that God will start a new work within us and through us, so that He might be glorified through everyone that we come into contact with. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please 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 Nuggets From God’s Word 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 Sebring, 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!

 

When We Seek God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Seek God First, Seeking GodLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   2 Chronicles 31:20-21 (NLT)

TEXT:  20 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. 21 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.

OBSERVATION:   King Hezekiah may not have had the best army, and he may not have been highly regarded by the leaders of his neighboring countries, but I believe that God saw one of His children who was first of all ‘a child of the King’ and then a king of his country. He saw a man who put God first in everything and who shared his personal concerns with God for the best resolution. I wonder how our world would change if we sought God first in everything, and we waited for His response and direction!

APPLICATION:   As we read the Scripture that leads up to our chosen verses, we see quite a contrast between King Hezekiah and his neighboring kings reigning at that same time. There was evidence of self pride, selfishness, mockery of God, and a display of selfish power, compared to a humble heart, a serving spirit and an obedient servant. There was self dependence and lots of soldiers, compared to a man that sought the power and leadership of His God. I love the way the verses are translated in the New Living Translation, for it indicates that because of Hezekiah’s wholehearted dedication to God, he was very successful. This tells me that because Hezekiah dedicating his life to; having total faith in; and trusting wholeheartedly in the King that he served, God made him successful in all that he did. So where do we fail in similar scenarios to those that Hezekiah faced? Friends, I believe that it begins with making the God, who gave His only Son to die on a cross for our sin, a top priority in our lives. This means that if we get nothing else done in our day, we make time to be alone with God – to praise Him for all that He does for us, and to place our concerns at His feet asking to take charge of those things. Further, that you calendar out all meetings that you feel will draw you closer to God, and manage all other invitations as secondary – after all who is your priority? Seek God for all small life decisions, but also the huge decisions. Allow God to be your God, and ready yourself to worship and praise Him as you see Him actively involved in your life. Look at the Scripture again: because of Hezekiah’s wholehearted devotion to God, He made him very successful. Let me encourage you to repeat this statement frequently: ‘because of ____________ (your name) devotion to God, I know that He will meet my needs and make me successful.’ Praise the precious name of Jesus!

PRAYER:   Lord, please touch the hearts of Your children and make us wholly devoted to You. Help us to understand true devotion, and that it’s not measured by the number of times that we attend church in a week, but by our total devotion , trust and obedience in You. May we be children of the Book, and may it be evident whose we are, through the things that we say, do and think. I ask these things in the strong name of Jesus, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please 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 Nuggets From God’s Word 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 Sebring, 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!

 

Come Back

On By Ed AlgreenIn Dedicated, Dedication, Rededication, Renewal, RevivalLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   2 Chronicles 30:9 (ERV)

TEXT:  …. The Lord your God is kind and merciful. He will not turn away from you if you come back to him.

OBSERVATION:   King Hezekiah had done an awesome job in restoring the temple, getting the priests back to the temple to prepare themselves before God, and then inviting the people to join him for the Passover. Just like today, when someone has drifted away from the Lord, there is great hesitance in returning to Him, because they are so afraid that God would not accept them back. Hezekiah assured his people in much the same way that I can assure you today, that if you return to God, He is kind and merciful, and will return to you!

APPLICATION:   I believe it is important for us to think about what brings separation between God and man in the first place. Our first tendency is to believe that God gave up on us. But friends I believe you can look at the Scripture inside and out, and you will never see where God walked out on any of His children. In this case of King Hezekiah, he came to the throne after years of seeing his people worship idols and perform all sorts of public sin against God. However Hezekiah was determined in his heart to worship the God of this universe, and he wanted to see his earthly kingdom do the same. In our world today, we don’t see things quite as clear cut as I just explained, but we often come across folk who would admit that many years ago I attended that church, or I taught Sunday School, or I was a deacon in my church, BUT…….. Then you might hear 1001 excuses why they stopped coming to church. I can assure you that none of the excuses have anything to do with God walking away from them. I heard someone say at one time that such a person allowed the gossiping woman at church to get nearer to God than them, since they are the ones who drifted away from God! So let’s cover this idea of abstaining from church attendance, being the equivalent of drifting away from God. Based on the excuses I hear, let me say that I know you can worship God in your back yard, or out in the middle of the lake with a rod active in the water, or in your hunting stand with your rifle cocked, but do you really think that happens often? Furthermore, what do you respond to God when you read in His word about not forsaking the getting together with other believers to worship Him? If I might be totally honest with you, I believe that God does everything possible to encourage His children to get along with others and to worship their Father together. On the other hand, I believe that Satan does just the opposite. Nothing he loves more than to see Christians fighting and separating from the church of Jesus Christ. So to all my readers who may read this particular blog today, and who might be struggling with church attendance, or getting along with other believers, let me use the same words of Hezekiah in saying to you, come back home dear one. I truly believe that if you come back to Jesus and allow Him to guide your steps, your heart, your tongue, and your daily walk, He will come back to you in a very powerful way. He loved you enough to die for you, please allow Him to show that same kind of love in helping you to draw closer to Him, and to His children.

PRAYER:   Lord there are so many that drift away from You for very trivial reasons, although some have been hurt by others who should know better. Our relationship with You is far more important than any of the stones that can be thrown at us by other struggling saints, so please work on each of us today dear Lord. To the saints in relationship with You, that we may seek the mind of Christ and live like He did. This will draw mankind unto You and in Christian love with one another. To those that feel hurt and have allowed that hurt to separate them from You, please call them back home to You dear Lord. May they reunite with You and allow Your love to cleanse their hearts so that they may love their fellow man. I ask these things in faith, believing in the awesome love of my Lord and Savior, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please 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 Nuggets From God’s Word 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 Sebring, 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!

 

Think About Your Life Work

On By Ed AlgreenIn Consistent, God's Work, Work Til Jesus ComesLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   2 Chronicles 29:11 (MSG)

TEXT:  Children, don’t drag your feet in this! God has chosen you to take your place before him to serve in conducting and leading worship—this is your life work; make sure you do it and do it well.

OBSERVATION:   Our challenge is: Children, don’t drag your feet in this! God has chosen you to take your place before him to serve in ___________________ – this is your life work; make sure you do it and do it well.”

APPLICATION:   Friends, I believe that God has a work for each of us to do, so I would encourage you to fill in the blank above, then repeat that verse as many times as you care to, so that God’s message might get through to each of us today, that He has a work for us to do, and He wants us to consider it a life work, because He wants to see us commit to doing it well! I’ve heard friends say: but I’m not a preacher; and – but I can’t stand in front of people and teach; and – but I can’t even pray in public; and – but the preacher will have to talk to them about salvation, because I’m not intelligent enough to do that. Now I realize that there is a comeback for each of these excuses, but I will only encourage you today to simply tell your story. If God leads someone to you, then I believe that He obviously has a plan for you to share something about your faith with them, so that He might be glorified. Think about this: if God leads someone to you and you tell them that you really can’t share with them the secret of God’s grace, or how He saved you, they may wonder if what you think you have is real. Ask any of us if we are married, when we got married, where we got married and how long we’ve been married, and most spouses could respond in a heartbeat. But we can’t answer the same questions about our relationship with the Savior of the world? May I dare say that your latter relationship must either be a farce, or you are a puppet who simply did something or said words dictated to you, or you receive no nourishment and/or companionship from the relationship? Friends, your testimony/story should include what your life was like before Jesus; How you met Jesus; and what your life has been like after accepting Jesus. If you then invite your friend who is asking to know this Savior of yours, then you have just done the equivalent of what pastors do week after week in our pulpits. I believe you can share your story, if you want to and if there is a story to tell. Please don’t talk yourself into being a Christian because of peer pressure or any outside influence, as that will create false hope. There is only one way – invite the Lord Jesus to forgive you of your sin and become Lord and Master of your life, through your faith in this simple act. You will grow in your faith through studying the Word of God, so that He could speak to you; have an active prayer life, so that you could speak to God; and fellowship with other believers (most believers do this through obeying God’s Word – where He tells us to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together). In doing the latter we grow from each other and remind each other of the wonderful works of our awesome God! Friends, God has placed us here on earth to complete His work for His glory. This is our life work that he expects us to do for His glory until the very end. Let’s do it well!

PRAYER:   Lord, thank You for blessing Your children beyond anything that we could wish or ask for, beginning with Salvation itself. Help us to activate the love you have instilled in us, and be willing to share the many blessings that You have given to us. Lord, if you see fit to bless us in return, like you promised to the sons of Hezekiah, then we will be forever thankful, but please help us to bless others, and be diligent about our life work. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please 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 Nuggets From God’s Word 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 Sebring, 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!

 

All Eyes on Jesus!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Accountability, Commitment, Committed, Totally committed, Unconditional commitmentLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   2 Chronicles 26:5; 16 (MSG)

TEXT:  5 He (King Uzziah) was a loyal seeker of God. He was well trained by his pastor and teacher Zechariah to live in reverent obedience before God, and for as long as Zechariah lived, Uzziah lived a godly life. And God prospered him.    16 But then the strength and success went to his (King Uzziah’s) head. Arrogant and proud, he fell.

OBSERVATION:   King Uzziah, a descendant of King David, had a great mentor in the person of Zechariah. This not only led Uzziah close to God, but also served as an accountability partner for the king. As long as Zechariah was around, King Uzziah depended on God, and he in turn, was successful. However, it soon got to the point where Uzziah started to feel totally capable on his own. This was a fatal mistake, as anytime we take our eyes off Jesus, we are going down, much like in the case of Peter walking on the water towards Jesus. So let’s look inward and determine if our eyes are on Jesus, or off.

APPLICATION:   Business owners often look deep for reasons why their business is doing so well, and of course, why the business might be struggling. This helps to direct management into correcting the things that seem to be causing harm to the company, and they try to tweak those things that are helping their success, hoping that they will do even better. Throughout the Old Testament we read of kings who did what pleased the Lord, or ones who did not. Normally there is a wide contrast between what each one accomplished, but it could often be associated with how much access the king gave God to their leadership. We may have all heard a parent say to an adult child that struggled in business, well son, I saw that coming, because I have never seen a business person establish himself in quite the same way that you did. I wanted to suggest things to you, but I wanted you to ask first. Friends, this is exactly the way that God works. Yes, He’s always with us, but He wants us to stay in communion with Him. I believe that as empty vessels we run to the Master to be filled. I believe that we are being taught in this Scripture today that if we have truly surrendered our lives to the Master, then we will seek His face for all decisions in life, for only God knows what we need, when we need it and how much we need. Furthermore, do we expect failure if God directs our business-plan? But let’s think a bit more deeply about how this works. I’m sure that no one expects to arrive at work one day and find God arranging the inventory on the shelves, or continue on to the accounting department and find God there balancing the books. You see, God works through His children – those who have invited Him to be Lord and Savior of their lives. When a business owner knows God personally, and he daily speaks with Jesus about his blessings, and his concerns about his business, I believe that Jesus will be mindful of the man’s concerns – period. Therefore when he arrives at work and needs to make important decisions, he is still under God’s leadership, and those business decisions will be aligned with God’s will for him and his business. King Uzziah was encouraged to serve God faithfully, as long as Zechariah the priest was there as his support and mentor. Who do you have standing with you as your mentor? Who is your ‘Zechariah’? If you have one already, you are a very blessed person! If you don’t, may I encourage you to find an accountability partner who will support you in your effort to be a faithful servant of our most high God?

PRAYER:   Lord You are good to us in so many ways! You know our strengths, and unfortunately, You also know our weaknesses. Please help us to celebrate our blessings often in our praises of thanksgiving to You. Please also help us in our struggles, both at home and at work. I don’t believe You have Your love separated between our home life and our business life, because I believe that You care about us individually. Please help us to find good accountability partners where we could pray for each other, with one another, and be that encourager for each other, as we walk through the ups and downs of this earth. Lord, I am eternally thankful to You, please continue to bless both personally and in my work place. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please 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 Nuggets From God’s Word 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 Sebring, 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!