Tag: Love

WARNING! – Seven things that God Hates

On By Ed AlgreenIn Obedience, Peace, ReconciliationLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

Here are six things God hates, and one more that he loathes with a passion:

    • eyes that are arrogant,
    • a tongue that lies,
    • hands that murder the innocent,
    • a heart that hatches evil plots,
    • feet that race down a wicked track,
    • a mouth that lies under oath,
    • a troublemaker in the family.

(Bible Translation and Location: The Message – Proverbs 6:16-19)

Thoughts:

As a young child, we learn that obedience to our parents results in their happiness with us, and often brings rewards. On the other hand, disobedience make them unhappy with us, disappointed in us, and often brings punishment. We also quickly learn that their instruction is filled with the wisdom of years of experience filled with tested and proven actions. They lovingly try to help us avoid and repeat the same mistakes that they made. God’s Word is also filled with experience after experience that teach us what is pleasing to God and what is not. In the highlighted verses today we can clearly see that there are some obvious things that God hates, with one of them being one that He hates with a passion. These seven practices deal with attitude (pride); thought (a heart that plots evil), speech (lying), action (murder, crime), and influence (a person that sows discord in his family). In learning and/or being reminded of these things, I believe there are at least a couple things that we need to be aware of: 1). When we (Christians) reflect on our day and find ourselves guilty of any of these actions, we should humble ourselves like a child, and go to our Father in repentance, asking for His forgiveness, and for His strength to correct our ways to avoid repeating the same sin; 2). When we see others committing these offenses, we should not be silent. For we can either help the Christian (in love) to see their weakness, or in the case of the non-Christian, love them into a relationship with our Savior who can eradicate their sin and guide them in the right path, as Solomon is doing in this scripture. I would especially like to point our attention to the one sin that God hates with a passion: the troublemaker in the family. Friends, I believe this is referring to our blood family and our church family. Over recent months I believe that I have heard more about family hurts than ever before. Family members not talking to each other, in some cases for years. Church splits because of hurt between ‘Christian’ families. Wow, Brothers and Sisters, this is awful because the end result is that God’s work is minimized at a time when we know that His second coming is near. Like any good family member would feel, we are devastated that some will be left behind, and in many cases this means some of our very family members. Perhaps a day of mourning and fasting is due so that we may deeply concentrate and present ourselves to God as living sacrifices for the betterment of His children – our families. Let’s stop pointing fingers at the ones we feel are at fault. We have a lot to do ourselves. Love will bring us together with a common goal of better connecting with God and obeying His commands. Let us seek His face and present ourselves to Him for correction, and a clearer mind on what we can do to enhance the work of the Lord in our blood families and in our churches. Jesus is coming soon friends, let’s not be ashamed of the effort we have given to obedience and to loving our families!

Prayer:

Dear Father in heaven. This morning I personally come before you ashamed of all the disharmony that I am aware of in my extended family, and in church families that I know of. Please give me a new boldness to do my part in reconciliation. Please help me to help others that need reconciliation, by being a God-like mentor to them. Other than the opportunities You might give me to help and/or minister to them, please help me to stay clear of any deceiver out to destroy an individual or a family. I’m sorry that I am a part of a family that is torn apart by things You taught through Your wise servant, Solomon. I’m also sorry for not being bold in my witness, that might ultimately lead to unity among Your believing children. I know that we must be united and looking more like You, before we can be a witness to an unbeliever. So Father, I ask that You pour out a sweet spirit of love and revival among Your believers. Help us to mend our ways and our relationships from inside our homes, and inside our churches, so that we can be the witnesses that You would proudly allow to represent You among our non-believing family, friends, neighbors and community. I humbly ask all this believing that Your children are in need of revival so that we might be reacquainted with Your power and love for us, and for the unsaved. I also ask that You might challenge the heart of any that might meditate on this devotional today, to deeply consider their relationship with You and their families, and to also seek Your face for ways they might be better witnesses for You, while there is still time. I ask this in the name of the only One with power to bring this about, Jesus my wonderful 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 so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day‘s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL!

Love The One You Got!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Love, Marriage, Surrender1 Comment

The Holy Bible

18So be happy with your wife and find your joy with the woman you married- 19pretty and graceful as a deer. Let her charms keep you happy; let her surround you with her love. 20Why should you give your love to another woman, my son? Why should you prefer the charms of another man’s wife? 21The Lord sees everything you do. Wherever you go, he is watching.

(Bible Translation and Location: Good News Translation – Proverbs 5:18-21)

Thoughts:

There’s an old hip-hop song with the same title I gave to our devotional today, because as I meditated on these verses this song came to mind, so I didn’t intentionally use bad English!!! However, God not only spoke to a man that He made to be the wisest man on earth, but He also inspired him to write down these wise words to share with folk that came along after he (Solomon) died. God, in His wisdom, knew that you and I should be told from His Word how to truly live holy and happy lives, even when it concerns our lives with our spouses. Now friends, there are a few things in here that really step on the toes of some that have supposedly convinced themselves of what God should have included in His Word, so they may become offended, but I would encourage them to politely and respectfully pray to God about those things. These verses follow verse 15 where Solomon gave us these words of wisdom: “Be faithful to your own wife and give your love to her alone”, so I believe that what God is drawing to our attention in order to have happy marriages, is that:

  1. Men must be the husband of one wife and find your joy with her – Notice the verse didn’t indicate “one of your wives” or “one of your women”. Also note that the verse didn’t say that you will find joy waiting for you, but rather you will “find joy”. That gives me the impression that we must seek after it, or work at it. If you sow in happiness, you will reap joy! Please note that to find joy with your wife, you cannot have other women trying to win your affection, otherwise you could never give your wife the attention and love that she, and you, deserve;
  2. Pretty and graceful as a deer – I’m sure that no one ever married a woman because she just wasn’t pretty in your eyes. So if she was pretty when you married her, and you have tried in every way to find joy with her every step along the way, why might she not be pretty now? I am reminded of something an elderly gentlemen told me at one time when I was finding fault with a vehicle I owned. He said, it is so interesting the fault we will find with our current vehicle when we have our minds set on a new one we want to buy! Funny, but very true words that also apply to our view of our wives! They are very pretty until we set our eyes on someone else that we are becoming attracted to. One word of advice to husbands and wives, don’t look elsewhere because you feel your spouse has lost their beauty, you are also growing old at the same rate of your spouse, and you may not be getting any more handsome either!!
  3. God is watching – God not only hears the words we speak, but He also knows our thoughts. You absolutely cannot straighten Him out with the poor excuses you give your spouse, so live upright, honest, loving and happy lives like God intended for you.

Friends, I am not a Marriage Counselor, but I am a Christian and would be happy to rejoice with you on any happy stories this devotional may have reminded you of, or if there is an area that you are struggling with, I would be happy to pray with you. So I encourage you to use the information in the footnote to contact me and allow me to pray with you about your marriage or your relationship with the Lord.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, unlike anything we can see, or ever imagine, about the condition of marriages and Christian life in general today, I am convinced that You see and know every little detail. I humbly ask that You help us to overcome our carnal minds and worldly desires. Please help us to keep our minds fixed on You, and make decisions inspired by You and for Your glory. Happy marriages will result in happy couples who will have happy children. This is not the case today, even from our eyes dear Lord, so we know that You see the weaknesses evident in Your children who claim You, especially when it is convenient or needed. Please touch the hearts and minds of Your children today, beginning with me. I believe that as we draw close to You and refocus our desire to please You in all walks of our lives, then we will live according to Your Word, without It becoming burdensome to us. Our marriages and our families are in trouble Lord. We need You more today than ever before, to heal our land, revive Your very own children, and to melt the hearts of those spouses that do not know You as Lord. Marriage is instituted and blessed by You, and I question how this could be possible if a spouse raises the stop sign to not allow You in. We need You Lord! I know that You have this under control, please give me peace to leave You at Your job, knowing that You are the Master of all things! I love You Lord, and I ask all of these things believing, and in the precious name of Jesus, Amen!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day‘s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL!

Our Legacy

On By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

13 Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous (brave). Be strong. 14 And do everything with love.

(Bible Translation and Location: New Living Translation – 1 Corinthians 16:13-14)

Thoughts:

I believe that most of us have a desire to leave a legacy of some sort. Yes, but I can also assure you that the way we live our lives today will be remembered by those who know us long after we leave this world, whether we specifically aim towards a planned ‘legacy’ or not. Sounds scary, but consider that thought carefully! If we are prone to do good, we will be referred to, in comparison, when someone else also does good to our loved ones. Unfortunately, the reverse also happens. After reading Paul’s admonition to his fellow Christians at Corinth during his farewell wishes, God really spoke to me through these two verses. You see, to me, each of the short phrases in these verses carry a very important message. Let me explain:

  • Be on guard: Always be ready. We are often told that we should never go to bed mad at our spouse. How much more powerful are these words when it comes to our relationship with Jesus? Always be ready to defend your beliefs. Always be in such close communion with God that You are ready (without regrets) whenever He calls you home. I was reminded last night of a friend who was watching TV and fell asleep. He woke up in heaven. There was no time to clarify and/or correct any misgivings. We must be on guard, for the Bible says that Jesus will come in an instant for us! Be ready, and stay finely tuned with the Master!
  • Stand firm: Know what you believe and stand firm in that. There are numerous agents of Satan that will attempt to lead us away from the Truth. It may even look and sound like the Christian faith, but without full knowledge and a close relationship with the Master, we might be easily misled.
  • Be courageous and strong: Those with opposing views to yours, will try to trip you up, ‘beat you up’ and try to force their point of view upon you. Don’t lose hope brothers and sisters. Let God be your guide. Be brave and proud that you are standing on the Word of God and representing the King of all kings! You are royalty, because your Father is THE KING!
  • Do everything in love: I find it very interesting how one person can say something and it creates havoc in a whole audience, while someone else can say the same thing in a different tone of voice, in love, and convince the audience of their need for change. Friends, we have the wonderful love of Jesus living inside of us. We represent the One who loved us enough to sacrifice His only Son so that we might live eternally with Him. When we surrender our hearts to Him, He sends His Holy Spirit to live inside of us. Think about the agony He must feel when we allow sin to govern us, instead of the One living inside of us. When we can’t figure out how to say something loving, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and give you the words. He’s as close as the whisper of His name. Friends, we must truly imitate Jesus if we stand a chance of impacting this world for Him!

If you are reading this and wondering how you might accept this Jesus of mine, so that His Holy Spirit lives within you, please read the footnote and allow a Christian Brother or Sister to help you. I would be honored to help!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You told us in Your Word that You did nothing without the direction of Your father, God. May we be Your faithful follower and do the same. Thank You for loving us enough for providing the means by which salvation is available. Thank You for assuring us of Your power and strength that can guide us lovingly through this life, yes even life today that is so filled with a multitude of sins that temp and bombard us in every walk of life. Your very nature is ‘LOVE’ and because You reside inside of us through Your Holy Spirit, we too can be loving in all we do and say. Please give us the boldness to do exactly that. May we be faithful examples of our Father and His Son, Jesus, because of whose we are! I ask this believing and trusting, in the 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 so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day‘s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL!

Depend on God

On By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

Who fills the sky with clouds,

    preparing rain for the earth,

    Then turning the mountains green with grass,

    feeding both cattle and crows.

    He’s not impressed with horsepower;

    the size of our muscles means little to him.

    Those who fear God get God’s attention;

    they can depend on his strength.

(The Message – Psalm 147:8-11)

Thoughts:

When we depend on God, several things occur:

  • We gain faith in Him: Imagine as a child you not would invite a friend over nor take something out of the refrigerator without first asking your parent(s). So it is with God. If we would learn to depend on God for His provision, and for His direction, and for His wisdom, can you imagine the faith that we would truly develop in Him? The truth is, God provides everything for us already, we just need to stop and recognize His goodness and His provision.
  • We learn to depend on Him: I have heard stories of missionaries who went overseas to teach folk how to farm, because they learned that as long as their church/group continued sending food, the people would sit and wait for the food to arrive. However when they taught them to farm, they actually taught them to depend on God for rain, mentioned in the first part of this passage, and to wait on God instead for His provision. Imagine if we would learn to depend on God for the simple things in life? I’m not advocating that we not try to help ourselves, but we should always acknowledge the role that God plays in our everyday necessities (the very air that we breathe, the good health to rise and care for our families, the precious love of Jesus when we feel so alone, etc).
  • We learn to fear God: Fear is another word for respect, or stand in awe of God. What if a farmer stopped being blessed with rain from above? What if we stopped being blessed with the daily provisions of God? When we depend on Him and recognize that we can do nothing without His powerful, strong hand upon us, then we grow to honor Him, stand in awe of His majesty, stand amazed in His love for even us, and respect Him for His very nature, for He is a loving and caring God to such an unloving world. I am overwhelmed by His love for me!

Friends, I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus, my Lord. His ways are not my ways, but always the best way! I honor Him, respect and fear Him and I have developed a great faith in Him. Please allow Him to work in your life, to love you, care for you and always provide for you. He truly deserves our praise!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You breathed life into mankind and each and every day provide the very things that we need to survive. Thank You for being such a loving and caring God. There is so much that I can praise You for each day. So much that can really serve to open my eyes to Your awesome presence and willingness to care for me. Lord, I pray that should one of Your children read this devotional today, who has not recognized the truth of Your goodness because they really don’t know You personally, that You will work in their hearts and make them curious enough that they might follow my tips in the footnote as they personally seek You and come to know You in a very personal way. I love You Lord! You are so good to me! I praise You and ask these favors 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 so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL!

The Results of Getting Along

On By Ed AlgreenIn Getting Along, LoveLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

 How wonderful, how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along!

    It’s like costly anointing oil flowing down head and beard,

    Flowing down Aaron’s beard, flowing down the collar of his priestly robes.

    It’s like the dew on Mount Hermon flowing down the slopes of Zion.

  Yes, that’s where God commands the blessing, ordains eternal life.
(The Message – Psalm 133:1–3)

When we worship the right way, God doesn’t stir us up into confusion; he brings us into harmony. This goes for all the churches—no exceptions.
 (The Message – 1 Corinthians 14:33).

Thoughts:

I normally read an Old Testament reading and a New Testament reading each morning. I had already sensed that God wanted me to share the passage in Psalm 133 when I turned to 1 Corinthian 14, only to find the same theme. To those meditating on this devotional but have not yet surrendered their life to God, you might consider this a great coincidence. However, I believe that finding both readings to contain a similar theme only confirmed what God wanted me to share. For God is just that awesome! The first passage dealt with individuals, while the second dealt with harmony in the church. However friends, the church is made up of individuals, and if the individuals (church members) are not getting along with each other in their homes and in their family relationships, can we truly expect anything different in the church, or anywhere else that the individuals find themselves? I would dare say that there is little chance of seeing a difference in one venue vs another. So how important is this to God? In the Psalm, David calls the act of getting along as ‘harmony’. He then compares harmony to the dew that drops off the steep slopes of the great Mount Hermon, and he declared that God had commanded His blessing on that type harmony, and even ordained eternal life to it. Now think about this friends, we know that it is only through Jesus Christ that we can obtain eternal life, so obviously David was prophesying that those who accept Jesus as Lord (Christians) who live in harmony, will receive the eternal life that only He offers. You see, it’s very evident that living in harmony is a gift of the Spirit, and therefore if we live in disharmony, we should really go back to the cross and seek the face of Jesus so that He might pour out His Holy Spirit upon us and allow us to live in peace, in harmony with one another. For this results in the greater gift of eternal life that can truly be yours. For my Christian brothers and sisters who have allowed disharmony to sneak into your holy lives, let us go before the throne, ask for forgiveness, and seek a fresh anointing from our heavenly Father. Our aim should be to please Jesus in all that we do. Let’s make sure that we get along with others like He expects of us.

Prayer:

Lord, Your Word is extremely powerful and often used to correct areas of our lives that need attention, and truly needs be better aligned with You and Your awesome example detailed in Your Word. There is a powerful song “Lord, I want to be Just like You”, and I pray that this will not just be my desire today, but that Your Word might provoke the hearts of all that will read this devotional and also help them commit to living a more dedicated and committed life for You. Please help us to live in perfect harmony with one another, just like You would. I ask this in the precious name of Jesus, my Lord, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL!

Love Is….

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Love, Love God, Love your Neighbor, ObedienceLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

4 Love is patient, love is kind.
Love does not envy,
is not boastful, is not conceited,
5 does not act improperly,
is not selfish, is not provoked,
and does not keep a record of wrongs.
6 Love finds no joy in unrighteousness
but rejoices in the truth.
7 It bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Thoughts:

If we paid attention to the television, then we will know that ‘love’ is one night stands, beauty, riches, sex or even products, because we are fed all the advertisements that is prevalent way more than the actual movie that we are watching. So grows our children who stay fixed on television each day. But what about the adults, anything different for us? Of course not, unless we concentrate on the Word of God, embed it into our lives and be obedient to its teachings. I want you to think about a typical evening in the life of married couples, so that we can compare that to our understanding of God’s Word, and I believe it will be evident why our country is so filled with cohabitating adults and/or divorcees, from which more broken homes are developed by their kids. First of all, both parents are out working all day – sometimes late into the evening, they arrive home tired, stressed and ready for bed, but their habitual ‘meal clock’ tells them that it is time to eat. So a fast food item is placed in the microwave, or soup is warmed, to satisfy any hunger pangs. In the meantime, the television is on, text and/or Facebook messages are dinging in and demanding the attention of the modern day adults, while we sit down to gobble our food and prepare for bed. Did I forget to include the time needed to sit and truly give our undivided attention to each other to hear about their day, or whether they still have a job. Oh, and what about time to celebrate what God may have done in our lives that day? When this routine repeats itself day after day friends, can you see how verse 7 above can possibly be developed, or matured? Unfortunately, many homes are facing this challenge. Unfortunately many couples are finding little time to express love towards each other, because they have absolutely worked true ‘love’ out of the picture. There’s no time for it and even if there is a minute, our minds are so wound up that we just want to be left alone in a corner with some peace and quiet. Has Satan sneaked his way into our marriages and into our homes to destroy something that God has designed? I believe that Satan would like nothing better friend. Please re-read the above verses, reflect on God’s design for true ‘love’ one for another, and don’t look at what needs to change in the life of your spouse or children, but what do you/I need to do personally so that we may be true followers of Christ and His commands. Our spouse, our families and our world deserves better. Can we do it? What does ‘love’ mean to you? What must be realigned in your life to help you align you life with the true plumb-line – the Word of God?

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You have inspired great writers like Paul to share Your Word with us so that we may be better aligned with Your expectations for Your children. I can only imagine how You must shake Your head in disgust sometimes at the mess we have made of life in today’s society. I know for sure that we need You more today than we have ever needed You before. I know for sure that we have really failed to do this thing called ‘love’, in its truest form, and that we need Your powerful hand upon us for the strength, guidance and overwhelming power to overcome the evil one. We need the encouragement of Your loving arms around us to cheer us along and to give us the confidence that we need to lay the things of this world aside and truly give our undivided attention to our spouses, our children, our family and all those that take time to listen and/or share with us. I’m afraid that if we are to truly be Your example, we must overcome these weaknesses and depend on You for strength to be the man/woman that You intended and the ones that You can use to minister to unbelievers today. Please be my strength and my guide today dear Lord. Please forgive me where I have failed to express my love to You and to others. Please touch the hearts and lives of Your children who will meditate on this devotional today Oh Lord. We all need You! I place my desires at Your feet and ask all these favors in the precious and loving name of Jesus, my soon coming King, AMEN!     

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the .devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray.

Warning! Danger Ahead!!

On By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Bible – The Message

1 Corinthians 10:11–13

 11–12        These are all warning markers—danger!—in our history books, written down so that we don’t repeat their mistakes. Our positions in the story are parallel—they at the beginning, we at the end—and we are just as capable of messing it up as they were. Don’t be so naive and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence.

13             No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.

Thoughts:

In the first 10 verses of chapter 10, Paul shared with the Corinthian church much of what their ancestors had done and how they were punished for their sin. In verse 11 he tells them that these were all recorded so that they might be warned not to repeat the same sins, otherwise they would face the same consequences. Friends, our Bible today is totally inspired, and ordered by God so that we also may be reminded of the many sins of our ancestors and the ensuing consequences. With any common sense at all, we should take note, and not repeat the same sins, but I am reminded that without Christ in control of our lives, we are led by the same Satan that our ancestors were, and we are bound to repeat the same sins, and perhaps even more hideous – even as we read about, or see on the evening news. Like Paul, I must remind you friend, that we will be punished just like our ancestors. Sin will not enter heaven, and there is only one other place for you to go, and unlike David’s wish in Psalm 109 about his enemies, I would not wish the alternate place on my worst enemy. Friend, think about this real good, we are careful to take very seriously the warnings about possible tornado touchdowns, or hurricanes, or heart attacks, etc. I would so like to see us also take the warnings God has placed in His precious Word very seriously and take our precautions to prevent the danger that will result by simply placing your faith and trust in Jesus my Savior. He made special provisions just for us so that we might one day be with Him in glory where there is love, peace and joy forever in store for those who believe. The warnings are evident friend, and the provision for a safe and secure passage to safety is very clear. Please don’t continue to live your life in danger of not being prepared for something that could happen in an instant. Enjoy heaven’s glory while still here on earth by knowing my Savior today. He loves you and will welcome your decision, without regard to your present condition. Use information from the footnote to help you make this vital change. I assure you that you won’t regret it!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank you for opening my eyes to my life of sin, a life without You in it. Thank You for encouraging me to make a right decision back in 1988, and thank You for working with me to maintain a life pleasing to You. I regret that it has not been perfect, but I thank You for being a forgiving God; an encouraging God to help me along the way and prod me of sin that was lurking. Thank You for working in my life to help me be more like You every day. I realize that Satan tries every trick in the book to trip me up, so I plead with You to continue to guide me, protect me and show me the ways of righteousness. May You receive glory because of something that I may say or do in the matchless name of Jesus. Paul’s warning reminded me that there is no time to waste, so I humbly ask that You immediately bring to my attention when I fail and lead me to the cross for forgiveness so that my life will not be marred by sin. Lord, I have unsaved family and loves ones, unsaved friends and coworkers, tender their hearts and minds so that they may heed the same warning of which Paul warned us about in 1 Corinthians 10. Please use my life to be a witness to them so that they may surrender their lives to You before it’s too late. Please be especially gracious to those led to this devotional today, may they shore up their position with You this day. These requests can only be handled by You dear Lord, so I humbly ask these in Your precious and holy name, AMEN!

NOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray.

Let The Love and Truth of God be Evident in Us!

On By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Bible – New Living Translation

Psalm 106:6–8

6 Like our ancestors, we have sinned. We have done wrong! We have acted wickedly!

7 Our ancestors in Egypt were not impressed by the Lord’s miraculous deeds. They soon forgot his many acts of kindness to them. Instead, they rebelled against him at the Red Sea.

8 Even so, he saved them — to defend the honor of his name and to demonstrate his mighty power.

Thoughts:

I believe that way too often we look down our pious noses and try to convince ourselves of our greatness, and our sinless lives. Friends, whenever we feel that boastful and proud again, may I encourage you to look around and count the family, friends, coworkers or neighbors that have seen enough of Jesus in us that they have surrendered their lives to Jesus and to the leadership of His Holy Spirit, because of our actions and/or words. It is so very easy to look at someone and immediately analyze their problem, without first acknowledging our own, and seeking forgiveness for our own sin and littleness. It is unfortunate that we can train pets so well and they can generally be very obedient, however when it comes to training ourselves to be obedient to God, our Master, our designer, our Savior and our Friend, we suddenly take on a superiority complex as if we are in charge. Friends, just as God held back the Red Sea for our ancestors, why don’t we recognize His awesome intervention in our lives every day? You see, for our world to be impacted, our friends, family, coworkers and other contacts must see and hear the evidence of Jesus in our lives. They will not be impacted simply by us telling them about the miracles at the Red Sea or how Moses struck the rock with his rod and God produced water for His people. Our lives and our witness give validity to the Word of God. It’s the living witness of who God says that He is. Our unsaved loved ones must see this, friends!

Prayer:

Lord, I am reminded of a story about a man who had a lot of faith in a friend that he could push a wheelbarrow on a tight rope across the Niagara Falls. With all that faith, his friend invited him to ride in the wheelbarrow as he pushed it over the Falls!! This is the type of faith it took for the Israelites to follow Moses through the bottom of the Red Sea while the waters were rolled back. We are also faced with similar challenges each day and we make decisions that prove where our level of faith is. Dear Jesus, I am convinced that others will not be impacted to follow You if they see doubt in us, and if they see us living a double life, I pray that You will touch the lives of Your children today and convict us of our sin and our shortcoming. May we follow You through the little things and through the major crisis events. Today marks the anniversary of a terrible disaster here in the USA, a day that showed a lot of people their need for Your love and Your power. I pray that it will not take another disaster to draw the people to You, oh Lord, but rather, may they see Your love and our faith in You so prevalent, that they may be drawn to You, our Savior and our King. Please touch Your children who claim You as Lord today, then I ask that You please consider using Your servants to reach others, because of their faith that might become more and more evident every day. I ask this in the precious name of Jesus, my Lord and King, AMEN!

NOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray.

Rewards of Being Reconciled with God!

On By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

God’s Word Says….

Acts 28:24-27 (MSG)

Some of them were persuaded by what he said, but others refused to believe a word of it. When the unbelievers got cantankerous and started bickering with each other, Paul interrupted: “I have just one more thing to say to you. The Holy Spirit sure knew what he was talking about when he addressed our ancestors through Isaiah the prophet:

Go to this people and tell them this: “You’re going to listen with your ears, but you won’t hear a word; You’re going to stare with your eyes, but you won’t see a thing. These people are blockheads! They stick their fingers in their ears so they won’t have to listen; They screw their eyes shut so they won’t have to look, so they won’t have to deal with me face-to-face and let me heal them.” (Isaiah 6:9-10)

My Thoughts…..

Isaiah was a prophet sent and directed by God. When he prophesied under the inspiration of God, the people listened. However some of the things that he prophesied about was things that God allowed him to see about why some of the folk were just not listening. Paul came across this same phenomenon in his days of ministry, so he shared this with his Jewish listeners who were also refusing to believe the Word of God. I found this extremely revealing, because our pastors can preach the same sermon in our churches today. Think about it: we have folk that attend church who hear the Word of God, but they are convinced that it is for the person behind them. Their ears are shut to the application of the Word to their personal lives. However the most hurtful thing to me, are the ones that just refuse to listen and believe. It saddens me deeply how God has to send a disaster to awaken the hardened hearts of some people. Our churches were filled for a few Sunday’s after 9-11 and after our major hurricanes in Florida, as folk found the need for God to protect them and help them through their personal problems. Then, as soon as they felt they had regained control, life went back to ‘normal’ for them. God is not trying to impose Himself on anyone, He just wants to heal us and give us the very best in store for us that heaven affords to its residents. Isn’t that a good thing that we should always desire?

Challenge……

Friends, God has blessed us with so much, yet we use these gifts to oppose the very One who has blessed us. We have great knowledge, yet we reason away on why we are blessed, or not blessed, instead of giving all praise to God. We have great eyesight, yet like the prophet Isaiah said, we screw our eyes shut to the things of God and therefore preclude His healing and amazing blessings on us. Our hearing is perfect, yet we allow Satan to interfere and tell us that the Word of God is intended for that neighbor of ours who is much worse than us. The very last phrase of the quote from Isaiah really touched me: we have shut out everything about God because we don’t want to deal with our Maker, yet if only we would change this, He would heal us! I believe this healing is one of not just our physical sickness, but also our disappointments, our brokenness, our loneliness, our defeats and ultimately, our sin. Friend, I serve a God just as I have described, and I would love to introduce you to Him. He will make your day brighter and so much more meaningful and purposeful. Please contact me if I can pray with you or help you in any way with this important decision. This could be the first of many days of joy in the security of my Lord!

Prayer……

Dear Lord, in spite of Your gracious hand upon Your people, and Your outstanding blessings outpoured on us, yet You must be saddened by seeing us exclude You from our decision making, exclude Your active role in our lives when praise is directed towards us, and especially ignore You when You speak to us about the lost condition of our lives. I clearly got the picture in this scripture this morning, You want to heal us, yet we say ‘No thank You’. Father I thank You for softening my heart and giving me the boldness to accept You as my Lord and Savior back in 1976. I have many family and friends who are still hardened to the necessary commitment to accept You as their Lord. Please humble them and soften their hardened hearts again today so that they may commit the rest of their lives to You and allow You control, and ultimate healing of their sin problem. Dear God, there are important decisions we make every day, but none as important as the one that decides our eternal fate. May this become very evident to my lost relatives today is my sincere prayer, that I ask in the name of Your only Son, Jesus the Christ, AMEN!

Action…..

In response to God leading You through this devotional today, please get with a Bible teaching Pastor you may know and allow him to guide you. Otherwise feel free to reply to my post online, or you may email me directly at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. I will gladly add you to my prayer list, and/or respond to your request(s) ASAP.

Attention Please?

On By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Unfortunately there are times in the lives of individuals that, although God made them to love Him, Worship Him and Obey Him, yet in their minds, confused and controlled by Satan, they decide to do their own thing. In doing the opposite of what they think God might want from them, they often attack the people and things of God – Christians and the church as a whole. Saul was a good example of this. But also in my Old Testament reading this morning another such character is identified – Manessah (2 Chronicles 33:1-20).  In Manessah’s case, God got his attention by allowing his enemy to attack him and badly hurt him (almost to the point of death). While in a vulnerable position, he pleaded to God for help and, because of God’s mercy and love, He forgave him and Manessah made a 180 degree turn/change in his life’s direction and purpose. In Saul’s case, God boldly got his attention while on the road to his next mission to destroy the Christians in Damascus. He, also, made a 180 degree turn/change in his life. I feel compelled to remind Christians that there are misguided folk that we come into contact with every day. I challenge you to be that forgiving, loving, accepting, life-changing representative of God that will help them to make that same 180 degree change that Saul and Manessah made. It will make the difference of eternal death or eternal life to them, and you will then boldly stand before Jesus on the day of His return and not be ashamed of having obeyed Him, even in challenging circumstances. I also feel compelled to warn those who have not yet accepted Jesus as Lord of their life that it is important that you listen and obey the voice of Jesus when He touches your life. Just as He was powerful enough to touch the lives of these two men whose mission it was to destroy God’s work, He too can lift you up from the evil things that you may be involved in. Remember, there is only one God, and He alone is powerful enough to help you make a 180 degree change in the way you are living your life. He is seeking your attention and wanting to see you on the right path that He sacrificed His life to provide for you. Won’t you stop, listen and obey today? Jesus loves you right where you are at, just let Him work in you friend!

Book cover

As Saul was coming near the city of Damascus, suddenly a light from the sky flashed round him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul! Why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” he asked. “I am Jesus, whom you persecute,” the voice said. “But get up and go into the city, where you will be told what you must do.”