Tag: Obedience

Proof That You Truly Know God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Hypocritical, Love, Lying, UntrustworthyLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (New Living Translation – 1 John 2:3-6): 3 … we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. 4 If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. 5 But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. 6 Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.

THOUGHTS: Obedience reveals commitment to Christ! In fact, this is a good test for yourself: If you find yourself generally at odds with obeying the Word of God and His commands, then it is time for a self-examination and a humbleness before God, asking Him to reveal the area(s) of your life that you need to recommit to Him and/or realign with His will. When you feel unloved by God, or distanced from Him, then according to John 15:10 there may be areas of your life where you have taken personal control and no longer allow God full control. Friends, I believe there are several keywords that are important in this fact finding, internal evaluation: Think about ‘hypocritical’ – for you are saying that you love God and know Him intimately, yet doing your own thing and ignoring His commands. This is very damaging to your witness to others; Think about ‘lying’ – for you are saying with your mouth that you know God but really ignoring His commands. Verse 4 plainly spells this one out for us; Think about ‘untrustworthy’ – for how can God or man trust someone who cannot be trusted to live as he claims to be? Friends, today you will have opportunity to evaluate your actions in light of your relationship with God. I pray that there is lots of evidence that you truly know God and are living according to His perfect will for your life. Remember, He loved us enough to send His only Son to die on Calvary’s cross for our benefit. Is it not way less impacting on our lives to simply love God in return, and obey His commands? I propose to you friend, that this is the least we can do to prove our faithfulness and commitment to Him. Please use the information provided in my ‘Footnote’ to contact me if there is anything I can pray with you about, regarding this subject or anything that is impacting your commitment to God. I would love to pray for you and with you!

PRAYER: Dear God, we say with our lips that we know You, we love You and adore You, yet we try to live our lives like we’ve always done. This is not right in Your sight, nor does it align with Your Word. We are making a mockery of ourselves in the sight of others, and especially in Your sight. Please forgive us for our failures, lack of commitment and true evidence of love for You, oh Lord. Yet again today Your Word has opened our eyes to our weaknesses and our constant need for You. Please open our minds to fully see ourselves for who we truly are, and our desperate need for You in every aspect of our lives. Lord, not only do we want to be in Your presence in glory one day, but we want to live like You here on this earth so that our lives might have an impact on those who need You as their Savior and Lord. Please continue to work on us Lord. May Your glory shine through in every phase of our lives so that You might be lifted up and the lost won to Christ. We love You Lord, and thank You for Your immense love for us. I ask all these things in the glorious name of Jesus, my Lord, with thanksgiving and in utmost praise to my King, my Lord and my Savior, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or 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 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 Power in What We Say and Do

On By Ed AlgreenIn Honest, Hypocritical, Without PretenseLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (God’s Word Translation – 1 John 1:6-10): 6 If we say, “We have a relationship with God” and yet live in the dark, we’re lying. We aren’t being truthful. 7 But if we live in the light in the same way that God is in the light, we have a relationship with each other. And the blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from every sin. 8 If we say, “We aren’t sinful” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 God is faithful and reliable. If we confess our sins, he forgives them and cleanses us from everything we’ve done wrong. 10 If we say, “We have never sinned,” we turn God into a liar and his Word is not in us.

THOUGHTS: There is a saying, that if something quacks like a duck, and swims like a duck, it probably is a duck! In these verses this morning we must first recognize that in the introductory words to these verses John tells us that he is sharing words with us that came directly from his interaction with Jesus Himself. I believe that the words in these verses are really powerful, yet simply very true. For how can we say that we belong to Christ, yet no part of our actions or words show any evidence of that? Friends, if we have committed to a change in our lives, then that change will be evident in every aspect of our lives. Let’s always be cognizant of the fact that God knows and sees all things, so there is no value in trying to fool Him like we do our friends or relatives. Ever heard of a chain smoker that tells everyone that they stopped smoking, yet every evening their spouse could smell smoke on their breath and on their clothes? This is precisely what happens in the face of Jesus when we tell Him, and the world, that we have sought His forgiveness and committed our lives wholeheartedly to Him, yet we live like we always did prior to our conversion. We make a mockery of ourselves and have just shown everyone that we can’t be trusted by our word. Friends, we may think that we can fool some of the people some of the time, but rest assured that we can never fool all of the people all of the time. Furthermore, we can never fool God. As I have been challenged and reminded to always live in the light of knowing that God knows, hears and sees every detail of my life, may I also encourage you to do the same? Our God is an awesome God, who loves and cares about us a great deal. Let’s not disappoint Him with our littleness in trying to fool the Creator of all things, our all-knowing God.

PRAYER: Father, what an eye-opener/reminder for us today! We are so accustomed to making ourselves look good in the face of our friends and/or bosses, that we perform, say and act the way that we know they are expecting from us. We have been reminded that You are well aware of our outward expressions that are representative of our inward self, and that there is no value in Your eyes when we do this, other than to prove to humans that we have really not changed anything about our lives. Please forgive us Lord, and please continue to work on us towards an honest relationship with You that will be reflected in every aspect of our lives. We Need You every Hour and every day, oh Lord. Thank You for Your faithfulness! I bring my petitions before You 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 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!

APB – Are You Ready?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Christ's Return, Heaven, Ready to GoLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Message – 2 Peter 3:7-13): 7 The current galaxies and earth are fuel for the final fire. God is poised, ready to speak his word again, ready to give the signal for the judgment and destruction of the desecrating skeptics. 8–9Don’t overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change. 10But when the Day of God’s Judgment does come, it will be unannounced, like a thief. The sky will collapse with a thunderous bang, everything disintegrating in a huge conflagration, earth and all its works exposed to the scrutiny of Judgment. 11–13Since everything here today might well be gone tomorrow, do you see how essential it is to live a holy life? Daily expect the Day of God, eager for its arrival. The galaxies will burn up and the elements melt down that day—but we’ll hardly notice. We’ll be looking the other way, ready for the promised new heavens and the promised new earth, all landscaped with righteousness.

THOUGHTS: If there was a hurricane approaching our shoreline, or any other known natural disaster about to hit us, the weather staff at our local television stations would not go to sleep, because they know that their viewers are depending on them to keep them alerted on every shift in direction or velocity of the system, that might worsen the impact on the residents. There would be All Point Bulletins flying every 30 minutes to keep viewers updated. That’s why I felt compelled to share these verses with you today, friends. Peter was compelled to share the Word of the Lord with his current day listeners, and through the written Word, so that we also would know what God says about His return, and thus be ready to go to heaven with Him. Some might try to convince us of a date, and possibly a time when all this will occur. The truth is, that Jesus Himself said that only the Father knows the day and the hour of His return. Furthermore, in verses 11-13 we read where there will be some folk busy looking for all the details and reasons, while others will be so busy looking towards the heavens in anticipation of being carried away to be with our heavenly Father, that we will hardly notice that the greatest event of history, of this life, and of this earth, is really occurring. For those that have reconciled with the Father through accepting His Son Jesus, as their Lord and Savior, we have a hope, friend! We have no reason to panic and worry about the exact time and date, for Christ will return to gather His bride (those that have accepted Him as Lord) and take us away from this old world, into the glories of heaven and in the presence of His Father, God Himself! Oh, What A Day That Will Be, when my Jesus I shall see, when I look upon His face….. So the question, or challenge for each of my readers today is the same that faced me as I read this passage. Are you secure in Your relationship with the Master and really looking forward to the Savior’s return, or are you one that might be searching every piece of scientific evidence to see if this is possible, true and filled with enough proof that it could actually happen? I’m sure that you would never ask the weatherman for proof that a hurricane is approaching, why would you let Satan convince you to doubt what God says in His Word? God has proven Himself, and His Word, over and over again. Ready yourself for the biggest event ever known to mankind. Please don’t delay, this could happen even today! Many of the warning signs are already in place. Please read through my ‘Footnote’ and feel free to contact me with any questions or perhaps to just pray with you about this important revelation. This is way too important to just brush aside and ignore, friend.

PRAYER: Lord God, thank You for Your precious love, to prepare a home for Your children to spend eternity with You and Your precious Son, our Savior and Lord! Thank You for Your Word that tells us about our glorious home gathering, and its many warnings about that great reunion day, that could actually happen as early as today! For those of us that have accepted You as Lord and Savior, we can say ‘Even so Lord Jesus, come today’ for we have made our preparations and we are ready to meet You. Thank You for Your patience with our loved ones who have chosen to let Satan rule in their lives and ignore the truth of Your Word. Oh may this be the day that they surrender their all to You Lord Jesus. May this be the day that all readers of this devotional will step aside, spend time with You, and allow You to miraculously work in the lives to accept You as Lord. If they know You intimately already, please touch their lives so that they may be the witness to a relative who really needs You. May we all be found ready and waiting for Your return, is my humble and sincere prayer today, oh Lord. This I ask in the name of Jesus, God’s only Son, AMEN!

 

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or 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 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!

What You Should Be Doing, Based on the Times

On By Ed AlgreenIn Actions, How to Live, Warning SignsLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (God’s Word Translation – 2 Timothy 3:1-5): 1
You must understand this: In the last days there will be violent periods of time. 2 People will be selfish and love money. They will brag, be arrogant, and use abusive language. They will curse their parents, show no gratitude, have no respect for what is holy, 3 and lack normal affection for their families. They will refuse to make peace with anyone. They will be slanderous, lack self-control, be brutal, and have no love for what is good. 4 They will be traitors. They will be reckless and conceited. They will love pleasure rather than God. 5 They will appear to have a godly life, but they will not let its power change them. Stay away from such people.

THOUGHTS: I believe that if I would have stripped out the scripture references on this passage this morning, you may have assumed that I was quoting the local newspaper, or sharing with you what might be happening in my realm of friends. I discovered two very important things in these verses that I want to share with you friends:

  1. Warning signs of the last days (before Jesus comes) – Keywords such as bragging (in order to promote self); arrogance (placing yourself above others because you have such confidence in self); abusive language (we hear it in the music being blasted as cars pass us by, or we hear it from the passengers – like I heard from my back yard yesterday while a car was passing); curse their parents (I don’t know if there has been a time in history where there has been as much animosity as today between parents and their children. It really hurts me beyond explanation); lack of gratitude (in spite of the generosity of many, there are some very ungrateful folk who receive without any thought of gratitude); no respect for what is holy (so hurtful to hear of robberies and defacement, but especially sad to hear when this happens to a church. I’m really surprised that God has not yet stricken the offenders blind or hurt them seriously during such acts); Friends there are several other signs in verses 3, 4 and 5 that I could also expand on, but I believe you and I can appreciate that these are not ‘pie in the sky’ actions and/or characteristics, but actual actions that we see occurring almost daily in our circles, right now in 2015. Why, you might ask? The scripture tells us that these are all signs of the last days before the last trumpet call, when Jesus will come to take His bride (the church – believers – Christians) home to be with Him in glory.
  2. What must Christians be doing? – We are instructed to stay away from such people as described in (1). Why do you suppose God would instruct us towards such segregating actions? Friends, if you swim in a septic tank, you will come out very smelly. We are to distance ourselves from folk that have characteristics described in this scripture, and instead show them by our character, our speech, and our bold witness that there is a better way to live. With God’s help, it is possible to be holy and righteous. It is possible to live our lives free from conceit and self-worth, but totally controlled by the Holy Spirit and in line with what our circles would expect from Christians – free from hypocrisy.

Friends, to live like God intended, we must be sincere in our relationship with God, and we must be willing to be controlled by His Holy Spirit dwelling inside of the Christian who will steer us towards love and good works. Do you feel that kind of power today? Let us draw close to God so that He might draw close to us and mold us into His likeness. Please feel free to use the information in my ‘Footnote’ to contact me, if there is anything that I might pray with you about, especially in regards to this lesson today. I’m sure that your local pastor and/or church leader would also welcome the opportunity to sit and chat with you about any questions God might have provoked in your mind today after reading this devotional.

 PRAYER: Lord God, Your Word is very plain and it is filled with ‘Nuggets’ meant to convict us of our sin, and show us the way to live more like You. Thank You for loving Your children so intimately, and for caring enough about our witness after we commit to You. We want to be more like You every day, and every day we are more and more convinced of the need for Your power and Your strength to guide us through this life and protect us from the evil one. Please use us as Your instruments today to win the lost and encourage the fallen or despondent. May we be alert to your soon return and more excited every day with anticipation of worshiping You endlessly in heaven very soon! I ask these things in the perfect and all loving name of Jesus, the name above all names, and Your only Son, AMEN!

 

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or 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 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!

Our Awesome God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Human Trafficking, Love, SurrenderLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – Ezekiel 35:10-13): 10 You thought the nations of Judah and Israel belonged to you, and that you could take over their territory. But I am their God, 11 and as surely as I live, I will punish you for treating my people with anger and hatred. Then they will know that I, the Lord, am punishing you! 12 And you will finally realize that I heard you laugh at their destruction and say their land was yours to take. 13 You even insulted me, but I heard it all.

 THOUGHTS: It is one thing to brag about an event that happened somewhere else, or to someone you heard about or once knew, but in this passage of scripture I was made very aware that the God who instructed Ezekiel, is the same God that I serve! For throughout scripture God assures us that for those who have accepted His Son, that we are considered His people and that we will actually live with Him throughout eternity! I was also made keenly aware that God will not sit idly by and see His children suffer or taken advantage of. Therefore I believe that we are to stop living for self, and get rid of the selfish and greedy attitudes that we may have developed. We are to take our roles as God’s children very seriously, and to be all that we can be for His honor and His praise. As an example of a current situation that we permit to happen without, in many cases, doing anything about it: Unfortunately, because of my job, I have become keenly aware of the most hideous crime in the world today – Human Trafficking. Let’s ask ourselves how this could possibly have started, and how could it possible continue right in our own backyards, and with our blessing. If we are truly God’s representatives, would we not be as determined as God was in Ezekiel 35, to see our neighbors and/or our town’s people won to the Lord? I can assure you friend that no one can possibly say that they have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ and then treat another human being with such contempt. Furthermore, if we love the Lord like we think we should, I don’t believe that we can honestly sit idly by, know that a neighbor is possibly performing criminal acts, and not get the law involved in order to see justice served and innocent people saved from such a crime. In Ezekiel, God saw that His chosen people were being abused, so He stepped in and told the prophet that this was just not going to happen to His people, for He alone is their God! With all my heart, I believe that God is just as jealous about His children today, for He is still God – our God, our Deliverer, our Savior and our Protector! If you know Him, then let’s claim Him as our awesome God and serve Him with everything we have, every day! If you have not accepted my Lord as your Savior yet, then I plead with you friend, to consider the God who made you and who is very protective of His kids. Surrender your life to Him today, won’t you? There is help available in my ‘Footnote’ towards this end. Please don’t delay this vitally important decision friend, God loves you way too much to see you doomed to the pits of Hell because of your indecision.

 PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for loving Your children with such passion. Thank You for convicting me of my sin and causing me to surrender my life to You some 39 years ago. I believe that You will send children to this devotional who vary in their understanding of You and Your love for us. As You have provoked them to this source, I pray that You will also deal decisively in their lives to cause them to fully surrender to the gift of Jesus Christ. May this be a day of decision for Your children – my family, my friends, my coworkers and those that I know personally. Please cause them to fully understand Your deep and sincere love for us and Your promise to never forsake or leave us. With all that is going on around us today, it is evident that we need You more today than ever before. Please have Your will and way in our lives oh God. I ask this in faith, believing with all my heart that You have a deep and sincere love for us that surpasses all human understanding! This is my prayer that I ask, and celebrate, in the wonderful name of Your precious Son, Jesus, with thanksgiving, 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 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!

How To Improve Your Faith

On By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, Like JesusLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – 2 Peter 1:5-9): 5 Do your best to improve your faith. You can do this by adding goodness, understanding, 6 self-control, patience, devotion to God, 7 concern for others, and love. 8 If you keep growing in this way, it will show that what you know about our Lord Jesus Christ has made your lives useful and meaningful. 9 But if you don’t grow, you are like someone who is nearsighted or blind, and you have forgotten that your past sins are forgiven.

 THOUGHTS: Whenever trials and/or temptations come, I believe we quickly reflect on how our faith is tested! However, we find directly from God’s Word how we might maximize our faith, so that we can be better equipped to handle the trials and/or temptations of life. Here’s what God instructs through His servant Peter that we add to our lives so that our faith might be improved:

  • Goodness – This refers to moral excellence. Where a Christian lives up to his/her calling as a child of God;
  • Understanding – Make every effort to know what God has revealed in His Word. I don’t know about you, but I am challenged in being able to quote book and verse references, but I believe God has blessed me with a keen ear to know when something is said that either lines up with His Word, or not. We must make every effort to learn and understand what God placed in His instruction Book for us!
  • Self-control – the God-given ability to master oneself and to control one’s desires and/or passions. Without this, we will be much too selfish to help anyone else, or to please God unselfishly;
  • Patience – We must seek this quality to be able to continue on in the faith in spite of adversity. Satan can easily hinder our walk and/or our witness when he finds us weak in times of trouble. Endurance is super important to our ongoing faith in Jesus Christ;
  • Devotion to God – A desire to please God, and a behavior that reflects the character of God;
  • Concern for others – Brotherly kindness. Being thoughtful about fellow believers. I have often found that as I’ve tried to encourage and/or help others, I am the one lifted up and encouraged! Intentional acts of kindness, or ways that we search out so that we can be kind to others;
  • Love – Not just a word that we may flippantly throw out in conversation, but to actually strive to love like God loves us.

So why do you suppose these are so important? I believe that in His infinite wisdom, God knew that if we didn’t strive for these qualities, we would be deteriorating in our faith – worsening, weakening, going backwards, and becoming less like Him instead of more like Him. Friend, are you like me, where I must really seek God’s help and guidance for a deeper growth in these qualities of my Christian life? I believe that the mission of God’s Word has been accomplished, for It has truly opened my eyes towards a stronger need for God’s strong hand on my life, my character and my faith. Let us therefore draw closer to God, so that He may freely draw closer to us and mature us in our faith.

 PRAYER: Dear God, I believe that You have created us in Your image so that our lives might reflect Your love for mankind and draw others closer to You, even unto salvation. It is obvious in the study of Your Word today that there is much that still needs accomplishment in our lives if we are to truly represent You. Please work on us. Draw us closer to You so that our faith might be enhanced and our lives made more pliable and usable by You. We want to be perfect representatives of the Savior that we love and adore, but we know this can only be accomplished when You have sovereign reign over our lives. Please help us to daily surrender ourselves to Your perfect will. I ask all this in faith, and in the name of Jesus, God’s perfect Son, AMEN!

 

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or 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 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!

We Have Everything We Need

On By Ed AlgreenIn Everything We Need, God's Nature, Intimate with GodLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – 2 Peter 1:3-4): 3 We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. It was all given to us by God’s own power, when we learned that he had invited us to share in his wonderful goodness. 4 God made great and marvelous promises, so that his nature would become part of us. Then we could escape our evil desires and the corrupt influences of this world.

 THOUGHTS: What a glorious thought! Can you imagine the self-confidence that will conjure up inside of you the next time that you are faced with the temptation to sin, or the impossibilities of life, when you can brush Satan aside and say confidently that greater is He that in in us, than he that is in the world? Wow! Can you even imagine the awesomeness of God to give us these promises with the intent of our character becoming more like His? Verse 4 declares that “His nature would become part of us”! Friends I don’t know about you, but I pray for that every day, that I might become more like Jesus, especially through my words and actions. As additional clarification of this, verse 4 ends with telling us that this special gift from God will serve to help us escape evil desires and the corrupt influences of this world. So why then do we (Christians) get caught in so many traps of sin? Could it be that we are so far from a true relationship with God that we are insensitive to the work of His sweet Holy Spirit in our lives? Yes, I know that you go to church at least once a week, and yes I know you give more money to your local church than ever before, but friend, God works in and through a real and intimate relationship with Him, not through a casual experience or through things we do to please our mother or perhaps the pastor. Relationships are developed through intimate, daily interaction in unison with the wishes and desires of the person with whom we have chosen to build a relationship. Let’s get serious about our relationship with God, and perhaps He will get serious with His blessings and miracles in our life! To the non-Christian reading this, you will not be able to identify with much of what I have shared. That’s because this type of relationship is only available to those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord. That can include you, starting right now! Please click on my hyperlink below on “How to Know Jesus”. Please contact me with any questions or just to pray with you about your relationship with God. He loves you deeply and wants you to have everything you need to live life like He intended!

 PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You so much for loving Your children so intimately that You would reassure us through Your servant Peter that You have given us everything we need to live our lives pleasing to You. Often this seems impossible, but praise God You know what we need more than we could ever begin to imagine! Please anoint Your children with this confidence today as they are reminded of Your Word, Your promise. May we live like children of the Most High today, so that others might want to know You, or be drawn closer to You. Father, please tender the hearts of the unsaved today, so that they might see the need for a Savior and want to live in the light of Your sweet promises. Have Your will and way in our lives today dear God, for I ask this in the strong name of Your Son, Jesus my Savior, and for His sake only, 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 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 on Guard

On By Ed AlgreenIn Dependence, On guard, ProtectionLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – 1 Peter 5:8-11): 8Be on your guard and stay awake. Your enemy, the devil, is like a roaring lion, sneaking around to find someone to attack. 9 But you must resist the devil and stay strong in your faith. You know that all over the world the Lord’s followers are suffering just as you are. 10 But God shows undeserved kindness to everyone. That’s why he had Christ Jesus choose you to share in his eternal glory. You will suffer for a while, but God will make you complete, steady, strong, and firm. 11 God will be in control forever! Amen.

 THOUGHTS: Ezekiel 33:7-9 was part of my Old Testament reading where God ordered Ezekiel to be on guard for Israel, which included watching out for their sin and quickly warning them of the ultimate penalty for their sin. So of course when I got to the New Testament reading and found where once again God is asking us to be on guard, God immediately got my attention. Friends, I’m pretty sure that you too have experienced how easy it is to worship God, and serve Him inside the church, and often inside of our homes, but why do you suppose it is so challenging to live out our convictions in the world? Why do you suppose that it appears like Satan is on our heels trying to trip us up in every aspect of life where we want to be strong and declare a good testimony for the Lord? I don’t believe this will surprise you, but this is the primary function on his job description! So how do we defend ourselves? Without God on your side, this is virtually impossible. With God’s help, and with our constant determination to serve only Him, and our keen ear to what God has to say to us, we can defend ourselves against Satan. In other words, we can be vigilant, or on guard against the enemy. God will watch out for His children, if we know Him, if we trust in Him, and if we allow Him to have His way with us. Will you commit to serving only Him today friend? If you already know Him personally, will you let go of self and truly trust Him to teach you how to guard against the evil one, who is out to kill, steal and destroy your soul?

 PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I realize that You are well aware of the many traps set for us each day by Satan as he tries to destroy our witness for You and the godly character You have developed in us. Please hear our cry for mercy, protection, guidance and peace as we aim to serve You wholeheartedly today and every day of our lives. We want to represent You well and we want our lives to be more in line with Your will and Your Word every day. Please build a shield around us that can’t be penetrated by Satan, and then give us the boldness to share Your love and Your witness with all that we come into contact with. We are Yours Lord, please protect us and use us as Your instruments of light and life to this dark sinful world that is wide open to the enemy, Satan. We need You more today than ever before Lord. Please protect Your children and Your witness. I ask this in the precious name of Jesus Christ, AMEN!

 

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or 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 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!

He Cares Affectionately For You!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Elders, Leadership, LoveLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Amplified Bible – 1 Peter 5:6-7): 6 Therefore humble yourselves [demote, lower yourselves in your own estimation] under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you, 7 Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. [Ps. 55:22.]

 THOUGHTS: Peter had just appealed to church elders to take their jobs seriously and lovingly, not just for a paycheck. He then cautioned the younger leaders to be humble and obedient to their elders so that they might learn from them in obedience to God. He then immediately followed by assuring the leaders that no matter what they feel like their leadership responsibilities might be, they are to humble themselves under the overall power and might of God, for it is He who will one day exalt them before the Father in heaven. Friends, I believe that these two verses are also applicable to Christians in general, for who are we to lord ourselves over folk. Yes, we may have certain supervisory rights as part of our job responsibilities, but we are never to lord ourselves over folk and make them feel inferior to us. In fact, I have found where folk will respect you a whole lot more and be more obedient to you as their boss, if you treat them with humility and respect. Now, verse 7 goes on to cap this whole thing off by telling us that when the concerns of leadership, church leadership in particular, becomes overly burdensome, we are to take Jesus at His word, and cast those concerns at His feet, knowing full well that He has such love and affection for His children that He will wipe away the tears, ease the concerns and watch out for our eternal good. Don’t you feel comforted by that friend? We don’t have to wait until we have gotten to the end of our emotional, mental or physical ‘rope’ to then place our concerns before God, we can do it as soon as we feel concerned about something. I just love the remaining words of these two verses, for it reminds me that Jesus cares affectionately about me and He is watching out for me! What an honor! If you are not experiencing this kind of love and care today friend, then I would encourage you to reevaluate your relationship with the Master, for His Word is never wrong. He cares for His own affectionately! Surrender yourself wholeheartedly to Him today and enjoy the gracious and loving rewards of being His precious child!

 PRAYER: Thank You Father for the reassurance of Your love and concern for us. You are awesome beyond all measure and I thank You for caring so much about even me. Lord You are well aware of all the pressure and hurt that face our church leaders and also similar experiences by lay persons as we try to be good representatives of yours in our everyday life. Please continue to remind us of Your presence, guidance and love as we try to work through every circumstance of life. Most of all, I pray that You will help us to never lose sight of Your faithfulness and Your promises to never leave us alone, but always caring about us. We need You more today than ever before Lord, so we come before Your throne yet again in humility asking for Your ongoing love for us. Thank You Jesus for Your arms of affection and Your watchful eye on us. I bring these petitions before You in all humility and love today, in the wonderful and blessed 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 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!

Spiritual Refining

On By Ed AlgreenIn Refining, Submission, SurrenderLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Message – 1 Peter 4:12-16): 12–13 Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner. 14–16If you’re abused because of Christ, count yourself fortunate. It’s the Spirit of God and his glory in you that brought you to the notice of others. If they’re on you because you broke the law or disturbed the peace, that’s a different matter. But if it’s because you’re a Christian, don’t give it a second thought. Be proud of the distinguished status reflected in that name!

THOUGHTS: Ever stop to think about the reason why ‘good’ people who always strive to do their very best, still struggle in their marriages or in their family structure? Could there possibly be any good come out of their struggles or failure? Do you tend to question their commitment to their marriage or their family? What about Christians who still suffer as much in this world as any other individual? Do you tend to question their Christianity? Perhaps you should be careful about doing that, because according to this scripture God may be testing them in order that they might grow in their spirituality. He may be getting their attention, because they may have drifted so far away from Him, or taken Him for granted. Friends, although we are to encourage one another, we need to be careful about trying to be god to them, or for them. God is very capable of taking care of His children. Sometimes this will be through obvious blessings, while other times it may appear to us to be suffering, or hard times, or lack of attention by God. I hope that you will be reminded by this scripture today, that God’s ways are not our ways, nor is our ways anything like His ways. Let us learn to place our faith and trust in Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, knowing that all things work together for good, for those who fully trust in God. Our position is to be subservient to God and allow His perfect will to be fulfilled. We can’t tell Him what to do or how to do it, but what we can do is to always be prepared for His mighty works, especially if He chooses us to bless us in the process, or if He chooses us to help enact any part of that. Oh that His touch on our lives today may be as a spiritual refining that draws us even closer to the Master, so that we may be of more, or better use to Him.

PRAYER: Dear God, may Your powerful hand be at work in our lives today, creating a spiritual refining process that will draw us closer to You and more available to Your service. It’s not all about us, but I truly believe that for us to be of any worthwhile use to You, we must be refined and closely tuned to Your image, Your likeness, Your character and in full obedience to Your perfect will. Please forgive us Lord where we have allowed self to step in and interfere with the work You have orchestrated. May we simply surrender fully to You and allow You to use us as You see fit, and in full cooperation with Your perfect will. Refine us daily oh Lord, so that we may look, act and truly reflect You in all that we say or do. I ask this in the precious and all powerful 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 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 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!