Jesus Can Help Even If Blinded By Sin

On 2015-11-042015-11-04 By Ed AlgreenIn Blinded by Sin, Hardened Hearts, SalvationLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – John 9:39-41 _{The Voice (VOICE)}:

Jesus: ³⁹ I have entered this world to announce a verdict that changes everything. Now those without sight may begin to see, and those who see may become blind.

Some Pharisees (who overheard Jesus): ⁴⁰ Surely we are not blind, are we?

Jesus: ⁴¹ If you were blind, you would be without sin. But because you claim you can see, your sin is ever present.

THOUGHTS: Ever noticed how easy it is, and how prone we are, to assume that the preacher is talking to the guy behind us, or perhaps right beside us? You know, the message just seems to fit the other person so well! In fact, you couldn’t have said it any better yourself, right? This is so unfortunate, and really very scary, because if we are not careful we can walk away from a sermon, or read a devotional like this one, and never be personally impacted by the Word of God, because these lessons must have been intended for ‘the other person’. So having said this up front, may I encourage you to take a moment and speak to God? Ask Him to melt, and humble your heart, so that you might be open and attentive to His Word today, and apply it very squarely to your life. Let’s try to put this in perspective friends. I would imagine that if you met a group of friends at church and decided to go out and do some door-to-door evangelism, you would probably choose to visit those homes where no one attends your church. Why? Because we are caught into a trap like the Pharisees, where we assume that all church attendees are saved. Let me suggest another view on this. Let’s assume that an investigator approached you for help in finding a criminal who has been tormenting the neighborhood. How many church attendees would you suggest that the investigator visit and question? Friends, this scripture is a great eye-opener for us, because Jesus is saying to us that because we say we are saved, then anything that we do contrary to His teaching, is sin. In other words, the day we asked Jesus into our hearts, there was an awesome Helper assigned to us, because we were given a new ‘plumb line’ (standard) to live by – God’s Word and His teachings. When we deliberately reject the guidance and help of the Holy Spirit and live any which way we want to, then we become like those Pharisees that Jesus spoke to in these verses. We know the right way, or God’s way, yet we have chosen to disobey and do our own thing. This is blatant sin, friend! For non-Christians reading this today, please don’t think that you are off the hook, because your whole life has not been reconciled with God yet. Your responsibility lies with working out your own salvation. God Loves you so much that He gave His precious, and only, Son to die on a cruel cross so that you might have a means of seeking forgiveness of your sin. To my Christian friends, please be reminded that accepting Jesus as Lord was the first and primary step in knowing Him as Lord. If you were sincere in that decision, then your life will reflect that by the way you live. If you are His child, you will live like Him. Thinking that you are His child and reflecting no change in your lifestyle may be a case of you having repeated a few words suggested by a pastor or friend. A true commitment to Jesus, creates a relationship with Him. Success in any relationship comes through knowing more about the other person and doing everything possible to please them. Are you there yet in your relationship with Jesus?

PRAYER: Dear God, please forgive us for assuming that we have this thing called ‘life’ all worked out. So often we are induced into making decisions in order to please parents, spouses or friends, but without taking personal responsibility to live according to the commitment we made. Unfortunately our commitment to You is much like that, for we enjoy the security of Your love, Your protection and Your eternal security, but we go on to live our lives without the full impact of change that is necessary to be obedient to You and Your commands. This causes us to get caught in a trap of hardened sin in our lives, that makes it challenging for You to pierce our hearts and get our attention. Distancing ourselves from You makes it challenging for us to recognize sin in our lives. Please soften hardened hearts today oh Lord, beginning with me. May we be sensitive to the work of You Holy Spirit so that we may be more like You before a lost and dying world. We need You Heavenly Father, and I ask that You break down walls today so that we might recognize You and go on to be more obedient children, for this is my humble plea that I ask 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 read through Biblical truths on How To Know Jesus, 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 www.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! 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 Value In Experiencing God

On 2015-11-032015-11-03 By Ed AlgreenIn Honest, Sincerity, True, WitnessLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The New Living Translation – John 9:24-25): ²⁴ So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.” ²⁵ “I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!”

THOUGHTS: Try asking me what it was like to land on the moon the very first time, and I would have to look to the internet and/or the local library to find information on the first landing. No doubt I would share some of the personal feelings of those first pioneers as they landed and as they walked around on the surface of the moon. Now, think about the difference in that story versus the response I might write to the question: “what is it like to live in the Bahamas?” You see, I am originally from the Bahamas, having lived the first 33 years of my life there. So I don’t need to do research in order to share a valid response with you. In my response to the first question I would share feelings and facts from the hearts of the first adventurers that landed on the moon. In response to the second question, you would hear about those things I personally experienced, and more about the physical descriptions of the beautiful waters and beaches. You will quickly discern the passion in my response, because my life was, and always will be, impacted by the people and places of the country where I was raised. In our Bible verses today, we see where a man who was once blind, is passionate about Jesus who impacted his life forever. For through His majestic touch, this man could now see for the first time in his life. In fact, the man is getting very frustrated because the Jewish leaders are trying to convince him that the healer is a fraud and that there must be something erroneous about his experience. Friends, this is representative of what happens in Christianity. To those of us who have surrendered our lives to the lordship of Jesus Christ, we have experienced His saving power; His love that was poured out for us on Calvary, in spite of our sin and evil ways; and the eternal hope that is ours to one day unite with Him around the throne of grace in heaven. Anyone carrying the title without the personal experience or interaction with their Master and Lord, can tell you about a Savior they read about or heard testimony of, but they can be easily swayed and distracted to another story that may sound more convincing. A personal experience is embedded in us and will help us to stay firm in the faith and true to our commitment until the day we are called away to be with the Lord in glory! As in any relationship, this experience will only happen as we dedicate ourselves to true and honest servanthood to the One we have surrendered our lives to. I pray that each of you reading this devotional will stop the pretense and seek a personal relationship/experience with a very personal, yet powerful God, through His Son Jesus Christ. Please use information in the ‘Footnote’ to contact me with any questions this may have aroused for you. It is super important that we each seek and experience a ‘personal’ relationship with Jesus. Today can be the day for you, friend!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for reaching down from the glories of heaven to touch my life in such miraculous ways that I can declare today that I know my Redeemer Lives, because He is Alive in me. Lord, may this be evident in every aspect of my life so that others will experience the risen Lord, and not just hear about an event that may have impacted my life. Although I know that You are our main defense against the enemy, I believe that our personal and intimate relationship with You brings peace, solidarity and a witness that will stand firm against the attacks of Satan and his earthly cohorts. May others look to us with a hope today, and not consider us just another hypocrite. I thank You for saving my soul Lord Jesus. May my life exemplify You so vividly today that others will be convicted of their sin and want to know you personally. I ask these things in the strong name of Jesus, my Savior and Lord, AMEN!

The Plan of God for You and Me

On 2015-11-022015-11-02 By Ed AlgreenIn Honor, Love, PraiseLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (New Life Version – John 9:1-3): ¹As Jesus went on His way, He saw a man who had been born blind. ² His followers asked Him, “Teacher, whose sin made this man to be born blind? Was it the sin of this man or the sin of his parents?” ³ Jesus answered, “The sin of this man or the sin of his parents did not make him to be born blind. He was born blind so the work of God would be seen in him.

THOUGHTS: There were two things that God really drew to my attention in these verses today, and I want to share them with you so that you might also be encouraged by the Word of God. First of all, I can only believe that there were lots of people watching along the way as Jesus and His disciples passed by. Imagine how word had gotten around that this miracle-working man, or prophet was going to be within sight distance of the people. You will remember that one lady at one time felt like if she only touched the hem of Jesus’ garment she would receive enough power to totally heal her of her decease, so don’t you know that every person possible tried to make their way near to the path that they heard Jesus would travel? But more than all this, Jesus actually ‘tuned in’ on one particular man who had been blind since birth. So why do I feel like Jesus was ‘tuned in’ to this man? Let me give you a personal explanation. While at church yesterday I saw hundreds of people, but there were some that I can tell you particular details about because I ‘tuned in’ to them for one reason or another. I believe that it was obvious to the disciples that Jesus had ‘tuned in’ to the blind man, because they started to ask Him questions without having to first explain who they were talking about. So why is this important? Friends, I don’t know about you, but I often question “Who am I Lord, that a King should bleed and die for“! Imagine the crowd, who was this blind man that it warranted the close attention of the Savior that day? Now what really brought this home for me, is when I tie that together with the second phrase that spoke to me. Friends, we must realize that God not only sees us as His special jewel, but imagine that we are so special, in spite of what we may look at as natural imperfections, that Jesus would use us in accomplishing His will. This blind man was very special to Jesus, because He declared that even through his infirmity, His mighty works could be accomplished. Others will see God and recognize His power and His might as He declares His handiwork through him. So can God use even us for His mighty work? You bet! He designed us just the way we are, for a purpose. Are you ready to surrender your life to Him to be used for His glory in whichever way He sees fit today? This is what He is looking for friends! Let’s just be obedient to His call, and watch Him perform mighty works even through us, if He chooses to, so that He might be glorified!

PRAYER: Father, Just as You chose to use a blind man to display Your mighty works, I believe that You also have a plan for each one reading this devotional today. We are a masterpiece made by You, yet so often we allow Satan to defeat us by showing us everything that wicked men might look on as proof of success, or love or worth. Please forgive us Lord for allowing our worldly eyes to take over and cause us to lose sight of the wonderful worth of being a child of the King of all kings. Lord, may Your perfect will be accomplished in and through the lives of my readers and myself this blessed day. Please rule in us, so that You may display Your mighty works through us, all for Your glory, Your honor and Your praise. To be considered as Your son is an honor worthy of my unending praise. Please use my readers and I for Your glory today, is my humble prayer that I ask in thanksgiving and through the precious and worthy name of Jesus, my Lord, AMEN!

Your Faithfulness Will Prove To Whom You Are Faithful

On 2015-10-312015-10-31 By Ed AlgreenIn Disciple, Faithful, Obedience, TeachingsLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (New Living Translation – John 8:30-32): ³⁰Then many who heard him say these things believed in him. Jesus and Abraham ³¹ Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. ³² And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

THOUGHTS: I believe that the phrase where I bolded two items (in verse 31) is really very applicable to many areas of life. For one will be fired if they were not loyal to their employer; or military authorities would not permit a soldier to serve unless he could be loyal to his/her country. So why then would we ever think that the God of this universe, the Creator of everyone and everything, would sit idly by and permit us to serve any god we want, or to blatantly disobey His teachings and still be acceptable in His sight? Friends, in the very words of Jesus, the evidence of whether we are His followers, or His disciples, is whether we remain faithful to His teachings. So what is your evaluation about yourself? Are you a disciple of Jesus Christ? Often a good accountability partner would be very helpful to you with this, for they will look beyond your excuses and compare your actions with the Word of God – God’s teachings. If you don’t have an accountability partner, may I suggest that you look for one? Make sure this is not a ‘Yes’ man or woman, because you need their honesty and you need them to help you draw closer to God and His Word, not make you feel better about what you are doing. Friends, the time for us to meet one on one with Jesus is drawing near, for the signs of the times are very near. Please look closely into God’s Word and be obedient to His teachings. It’s for your own good! Based on your actions yesterday, to whom do you suppose the world think that you are faithful to?

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your awesome Word – Your directions for righteous living and for testifying of Your love and care for mankind. Please work in my life today that I may be honest in all my ways and may my actions be a true reflection of You and show obedience to Your teachings. For all my readers, family and friends today, Lord may their eyes also be opened to the importance of declaring their loyalty to You through the things they say, do and practice. You know our hearts Lord, so You know where we stand. May it be evident to our family and friends through our actions today, I pray. I humbly ask these things in the wonderful and outstanding name of Jesus, my Lord, Savior and soon coming King, AMEN.

Light Your Path

On 2015-10-302015-10-30 By Ed AlgreenIn Light, Truth, WayLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (Contemporary English Version – John 8:12): 12 Once again Jesus spoke to the people. This time he said, “I am the light for the world! Follow me, and you won’t be walking in the dark. You will have the light that gives life.”

THOUGHTS: Having recently had surgery, the doctor was emphatic about making sure there was adequate light at night to make sure I didn’t trip on anything. Earlier this week I was working on a project that involved using a screwdriver. Once it got dark enough I could not continue, because without light I just could not find the screw-head. I believe that you are probably getting the point, that without sufficient light you just cannot do a whole lot. But what about in other aspects of life where we don’t necessarily depend on natural light versus the absence of light? There are times when we need to make decisions, and we feel totally blinded because we just don’t know what impact our decision will have on us. For example, retirement. We may want to begin retirement at age 50, so we could enjoy our dream vacations and destinations while we still have fairly good health. However, we worry about there being enough money in our retirement fund to keep us out of poverty, because who knows how long we will live into retirement? There seems to always be a part of decision making that is impacted by the unknown, so we stumble around in the dark, hoping that we will make good decisions. For those who read their Bibles, we know that there are two final destinations that awaits us after death from this world. If we have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, then Jesus has lifted the vail and showed us what our eternal kingdom will look like, and who will be in charge there. God created this universe, so we know He is there, and His Son, Jesus, is already there waiting for us. For those who have not made a decision like this, then the Bible is also clear on their destination, and who will be in charge there, for Satan and his angels awaits those who have deliberately chosen to walk in darkness. Unfortunately folk, if you are like many here, who have already had your share of earthly sufferings, please allow me to gently break the bad news to you: ‘You ain’t seen nothing yet’. Won’t you consider being obedient to the Light of this world today friend? Jesus loved us and suffered on a cruel cross just so that we might have the keys to heaven, or know the pathway to heaven. He has provided light to the dark path that we are traveling, for He is the Light of the world. Why go on blindly as if in total darkness, when we know who the Light is, and where we can find it/Him? Jesus loves us way too much to see us plunder around in darkness and lose our battle to Satan, but He also loved us enough to allow us to make the choice of whether we will invite Light into our dark pathway of life. The choice seems plain, and obvious to me. Will you please do me a big favor and make the right choice, for I really want to see all of my friends and family in heaven on celebration day, especially you, friend!

PRAYER: The picture is clear dear God, for You have provided the Light that this world needs. Not only to prevent our stumbling around in the dark here on earth, but also for providing a clear, lighted path to heaven, where we are told that no light will be necessary there for You are the light. Praise God forever and forever! Please touch the lives of the unsaved today dear God. Please light their path so brightly that they will recognize their need for the Savior. Thank You for so adequately providing the Light of the world Heavenly Father, to be my Savior from Hell and damnation. My deepest desire is to see my family and friends do the same, so I am humbly placing this request at Your feet, praying that Your perfect will might be accomplished today. I ask these things in the precious name of Jesus, THE Light, THE Truth and THE Way, 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! 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!

Be Filled With Mercy

On 2015-10-282015-10-28 By Ed AlgreenIn Imitating Christ, Mercy, WisdomLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (New Living Translation – James 4:17-18): ¹⁷ But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. ¹⁸ And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.

THOUGHTS: The love of God, and the wisdom of God combined with the sweet Spirit of God that indwells us, helps us to overcome the evil desires of this world and to live a life filled to overflowing with mercy that produces wonderful fruits of good works and deeds. How is this accomplished? Jesus said that if we abide in Him and He abides in us, we will be capable of doing many mighty things! So we must learn to call on, and depend on the source of our power, Jesus Christ. In these two verses we are told that God’s wisdom is:

Pure – when I think of this I think of our lives being free from the impurities of this world that is filled with hatred, jealousy and strife. Scripture refers to us presenting ourselves blameless before the Master. Pure!
Loving – Our Role Model loved everyone, even those who despitefully used Him. With God’s help, we must strive to do the same, for scripture tells us that even the adversary can love those who love and follow him. It takes God’s power to love those that seem to strive towards destroying us.
Gentle – I believe that God would have us approach others in a respectful and loving way, that will show consideration for the other person, and that you are looking out for their best interest. In this way, our approach and our handling of situations involving others will be filled with gentleness.
Yielding – Others first, you last. Be willing to give in to what the other person wants, if it aligns with God’s will and purpose for you. It doesn’t have to always be done your way!
Not showing favoritism – Similar to the characteristic of ‘yielding’. Treat everyone with the same respect as you would expect. Treating one sex, or one race or one nationality any different will not reflect the love that God has for ALL His children.
Sincere – Don’t do the above things because Brother Ed told you to do them, or your mom may have taught you to act that way since early childhood. Let these characteristics melt your heart and your way of thinking. Our natural character will reflect the ways of the world, however if we are truly a child of God, we will display the character of God.

Please be conscious of these characteristics each and every day. Ask God for a fresh indwelling of His Holy Spirit every day, so that you may think like Him and act like Him. Be filled with the holy wisdom of God, friend!

PRAYER: Father, as I listed those characteristics above, I was reminded of the awesome God that You are, because these describe Your very nature, yet they highlight our ungodly weaknesses. We need a touch from You Father. We need Your Holy Spirit to constantly work on our hardened hearts and to fill us with Your wisdom and Your grace. If others are to see Jesus in every aspect of our lives, we need help badly. I acknowledge that we will never be God, but I humbly plead for Your grace and Your power, so that we may consistently display the qualities taught and modeled by Your Son Jesus. I believe that the world must see a difference in Christians, if we ever expect them to see the need to change their evil ways. May we be Your ambassadors today Lord, is my humble plea that I ask in the name of Your awesome, powerful Son, Jesus, AMEN!

How It All Starts and Ends

On 2015-10-242015-10-24 By Ed AlgreenIn Forgiveness, Obedience, SalvationLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (Easy-To-Read Version – John 6:43-44): ⁴³ But Jesus said, “Stop complaining to each other. ⁴⁴ The Father is the one who sent me, and he is the one who brings people to me. I will raise them up on the last day. Anyone the Father does not bring to me cannot come to me.

THOUGHTS: Many who were following Jesus and listening to His teaching just didn’t get it. In fact, in this very chapter we read about many turning away because they just wasn’t sure that Jesus was the ‘real thing’. Friends, are either of these first two statements any different than what we see today? I don’t think so. Just imagine, there are folk that attend our churches today that are there because mom or dad insisted that they attend; or perhaps a man is attending because his wife came from a church background and insisted that he come to church with her. However, let me encourage you by saying that much like Jesus described and announced to His followers in this scripture, there are many ‘true’ or ‘real’ Christians that we know and fellowship with, who have been touched by the mighty hand of God – the same God that sent Jesus – our Redeemer, Mediator and Savior. These folk have committed their lives to the lordship of the Lord Jesus Christ in total surrender. To better understand the imagery of what Jesus is teaching here, I want you to think for a moment of the number of folk that you walk up to, next to, or alongside each day. Are you committed to them? No, you happened to have entered into their space because of normal circumstances. Now, let’s imagine that you have been invited by the White House staff to appear before the president of the United States. Would there be a difference in how you prepare yourself with how you will appear in his space? I’m sure there will be! Now think for a moment that something has occurred in your life where you feel certain that the Holy Spirit of God is urging you to accept an invitation to attend church this weekend, or perhaps to accept that luncheon request from an old Christian friend who’s been inviting you for a while now. Let’s assume that at either of these meetings the truth of God’s Word is shared and an invitation given to you to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Having been urged by the Holy Spirit, do you suppose that you would have a very strong desire to accept, based on how everything came together? Friend, may I suggest to you that you look beyond situations that many might call coincidences, or mere luck? May I suggest that you recognize the hand of God when He touches your life; penetrates your life with His divine presence; and calls you to a decision to follow Him? To all who surrender; to all who believes on Him; to all who commits to His invitation and call; to them He offers life eternal, just like He said in verse 44 – “He will raise you up” to be with Him and the Father on Resurrection Day! I am anxiously looking forward to that day friend, I hope that you will be obedient to His call today and ready yourself for the same. The promise of Heaven is reserved for those who know and have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior. Others will be presented with quite the opposite experience – hell and damnation. The choice we make today in response to the call of the Father determines our final destination. Please don’t disappoint me, nor my heavenly Father.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your provision for us to one day join You in heaven. Who is man that You should care enough for us to make such a provision? Thank You for loving Your children enough to speak with us one-on-one and for providing us the sacrificial means for the forgiveness of our sin and our subsequent entry into heaven. Thank You for Jesus! I have friends and family who have rejected Your call on their life, or they are perhaps of the wrong impression that their sinful lives are ‘good enough’ to see them into heaven. Lord, have mercy on them. Please tender the hearts of the stubborn and unconcerned today. May they recognize Your voice and adhere to Your calling today, before it is eternally too late for them to do so. All these things I ask humbly, and in the powerful name of Jesus, my Savior, AMEN!

What God Wants From You

On 2015-10-232015-10-23 By Ed AlgreenIn Believe, Love, SurrenderLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (Contemporary English Version – John 6:28-29): ²⁸ “What exactly does God want us to do?” the people asked. ²⁹ Jesus answered, “God wants you to have faith in the one he sent.”

THOUGHTS: When someone does something special for an appreciative person, the first thing they try to think of is “what might I do to show my appreciation in return”. A humble person is often left with an unworthy feeling when someone does something special for them, because they realize how many other people are so much more deserving of the good works than they are. So let’s look at what the God of this entire universe desires of us in return to the greatest gift ever given. After all, He not only created us and the world in which we live, but God also saw the terrible time that mankind was having in trying to obey the law in order to stay free from sin, so He took the ultimate step of also sending His only offspring, Jesus, as a baby. He worked many recorded miracles through Jesus while here on this earth, but He also realized that He had to make things real simple for humans to ever see the light of heaven, so instead of the many sacrifices that mankind knew since the beginning of time, He decided to make one final sacrifice to prove His ultimate love, and to provide the clear path/access to heaven. This came through the sacrificial death of God’s only Son on the cross at Calvary. However, in the same way that we see many doubters and nay-sayers today, John shows us that their doubt is fed from those who doubted long before our time. Jesus proved His sovereignty in many ways while here on earth, yet in this passage of scripture today we hear, through minds filled with doubt, a question that many will eventually have on their mind, and that is: “what exactly do You want from me Jesus?” Notice how simple the response was in our scripture, and how simple the answer has remained. God simply wants us to acknowledge that we have come to a point where we realize that we cannot personally do anything in and of ourselves to gain righteousness and freedom from this world’s sin, so the only choice is for us to surrender ourselves to the One He sent for the redemption of our sin, His precious, only, Son, JESUS. Having accepted Jesus as my Savior and Lord, my heart is filled with the desire to make sure that no one that I know and hold dear to my heart is left behind. This includes family, friends, coworkers, and yes, ‘YOU’ friend, for you are reading this devotional today because of God’s design for you, and through me as His humble servant. You are therefore very special in His eyes, and mine, and I would be overjoyed to know that because of God’s precious Word today, you and I will have a central meeting place – at the feet of Jesus in glory! See you soon? Only God knows how soon! Please take time to read the ‘Footnote’ for help on taking the next step towards becoming a Jesus follower.

PRAYER: Dear God, Your love is beyond anything I can think or imagine, for You provided a way for filthy sinners to see the gates of heaven, by sacrificing Your one and only Son, Jesus as our eternal sin sacrifice. Thank You Heavenly Father! Thank You Jesus, Son of God, Redeemer, Deliverer and everlasting Savior! Lord, I pray that today will be the day of salvation for many who will meditate on this devotional and that they would be reminded once again of Your precious love and provision for them. May the words of verse 29 echo in the hearts of many that You will work on today “God wants you to have faith in the one he sent”. This is not just a statement that You are wanting us to be aware of, but it is a statement of love and desire to have us decide today to be with You, as badly as You want us to be with You. Thank You for expressing love in its purest and unselfish way, just for us. I love You Lord, and I ask all these things in faith, in the name of Jesus, AMEN!

Fully Funded Projects

On 2015-10-222015-10-22 By Ed AlgreenIn Gift, Giving, Obedience, Offering, TitheLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (New Living Translation – Exodus 36:4-7): ⁴ Finally the craftsmen who were working on the sanctuary left their work. ⁵ They went to Moses and reported, “The people have given more than enough materials to complete the job the Lord has commanded us to do!” ⁶ So Moses gave the command, and this message was sent throughout the camp: “Men and women, don’t prepare any more gifts for the sanctuary. We have enough!” So the people stopped bringing their sacred offerings. ⁷ Their contributions were more than enough to complete the whole project.

THOUGHTS: When was the last time your pastor stood in your church pulpit and followed Moses’ words in telling the people that a project was fully funded and it would not be necessary to continue giving to that project? In this sense, project may sound fairly insignificant in size, but what if the project was building your next sanctuary? Do you remember the last time you may have heard a pastor tell you to lay off giving to that project because the church has more than enough to complete it? So let’s consider why things may have changed. First of all, the scripture is clear that not all of the people freely gave to the cause. In 2:21 we are told that those whose hearts were stirred by the message from God through Moses, responded to the plea for help in providing material for the building project. This sounds pretty much like our churches today, don’t you think? As a result of surveys, we are told that less than 20% of the people do more than 80% of the giving! So why have the others ignored the plea? Friends, I believe that the Word of God is clear on this. Just as the Word tells us that if we humble ourselves and pray, then God would save our nation, I believe that many of us need to humble ourselves to recognize that we have nothing personally to brag about. It is because of God’s grace that we have the health to work, the job to go to, and the income to survive. If we truly acknowledge that fact, why would we withhold giving to Him in proportion to what He has blessed us with? The Word gives us guidance – at least 10%. Because there are other biblical references to ‘first fruits’, I believe that the guidance actually refers to 10% of your gross income. Now because our relationship is one built around love, I don’t believe that we would dare use this as a legalistic demand. People ‘in love’ will generally give freely, and way more than might be expected of them. In a love relationship, there is no such thing as excuses why we can’t give 110% of ourselves to our mate. Should there be when it comes to giving to our Lord and His earthly work? Don’t you know that if each person in our congregations gave like this, that our pastors would frequently be faced with an overflow of income, where pastors and church leaders could decide to expand the ministry after meeting all the needs that they are aware of? I believe that the stress level on our pastors will be drastically reduced, when they don’t have to worry about funding the projects that God has shown them might be necessary to grow the ministry. When we receive our paycheck, there is no negotiating on amounts taken out for government taxes, why should there be constant decision making on how much to give towards God’s work? Determine in your own heart how much you will give and stick to the plan Brother and Sister. We are promised that we will receive more than we could ever imagine or expect. Furthermore, we will receive in proportion to what we have given. May I encourage you to always expect more from God, knowing that you have given in abundance towards His work? Furthermore, rejoice, knowing your loving and all powerful God will abundantly bless you and meet your needs!

PRAYER: Father, it is exciting to see how You work. We give to bless others, yet You wind up also blessing us in return! There just isn’t a way that we can out-give You! Thank You for being so generous, loving and kind to us! I would say that we are so undeserving, but then I am reminded that even while we were undeserving, You sent Your only Son as a sacrifice for us, so that we might have a chance at eternal life in heaven with You. Thank You Father! Thank You Jesus, Son of God! Lord may we learn to give in similar fashion – regardless of whether we feel the receiver or the project is worthy of our love, may we react in obedience to Your will for us. Please bless us as we give, so that our own needs may be met each and every day. May souls be touched for You because of our obedience in giving. I ask these things humbly, yet undeserving, but in the powerful name of our all-giving Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, AMEN!

Tested Faith

On 2015-10-212015-10-21 By Ed AlgreenIn Dependence on God, Faith in Action, ObedienceLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The New Living Translation – John 6:5-9): ⁵ Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” ⁶ He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do. ⁷ Philip replied, “Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!” ⁸ Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. ⁹ “There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?”

THOUGHTS: When faced with monumental decisions, how do you normally respond? Think about a child. Ask them how they could possibly get something done that may appear ‘huge’ for them, and in most cases they would refer you to their role model – their dad, mom, grandpa, uncle, etc. However, adults are also faced with similar questions every day, just as Philip and Andrew were faced with the very challenging question by Jesus. I believe that our response will be based on our level of faith at the time. In spite of the many miracles Philip would have seen performed by Jesus, still he responded from a human perspective on how much money it would take to purchase the food necessary to feed the crowd. Now, Andrew was able to think ‘outside of the box’, and mentioned to Jesus about a token amount of food that he had seen while walking around the crowd. So Andrew’s response shows a little faith, because if he hadn’t, he would not have mentioned the fish. However, neither of these two disciples showed faith in the awesome power of the man they had followed, and watched perform unimaginable miracles time and time again. I wonder how we will respond to life’s circumstances today. We will be faced with situations that appears like we can easily handle – may I suggest that you seek the will of God and His power so that you might do His will even in those cases? We might also be faced with God-sized challenges today, where we don’t have a clue on how, or what we should do. I would respectfully and faithfully suggest that we surrender our day to God, so that His mighty hand might be upon us – causing us to exercise our faith, depend on Him, and glorify Him for how He will interact in our decision making and in every aspect of our surrendered life. Our response in life shows the unsaved who’s in control of our lives, our thoughts and our decision making.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I pray that we will be about our Master’s plan today. I pray that the evidence of who’s inside of us will be evident in all that comes out from us. May our words, our thoughts and our actions reflect the awesome God that You are. May the world know that we’ve been with Jesus, and may they have a growing desire to know You, the more they are around us. As You test our faith today, may we depend on the power of the One within us to pass the test with flying colors! Depending on You as my all in all, I ask these things in the name of Jesus, my King, AMEN!

Nuggets From God's Word

Tag: master