Are You Registered Yet?

On 2023-02-202023-02-20 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Assurance, Believe, Heaven, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Salvation, Saved, Savior, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Monday, 2023-02-20
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 10:17-20
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁷When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!”¹⁸“Yes,” he told them, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! ¹⁹Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. ²⁰But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.”

APPLICATION: Often we only need to be associated in a group who is experiencing success in some area of their ministry, for us to start bragging about what God is doing in and through our church, or group. Praise the Lord that you can do that, and I pray that there will be many opportunities to experience success in your work, and then rejoice in the celebration of that success. The 70 disciples were given authority by Jesus to heal the sick, tell them about Jesus and cast out demons. These guys returned in such rare form! They bragged to Jesus about how they saw demons obey their commands when they used His name to cast them out. You can only imagine the excitement! Why, we do the same thing when we see people saved and their lives totally transformed. We are thankful to God when we see people leave their worldly offerings of ball games, beach parties, family times around the television, and so on, so they could be in church worshipping together with us. We know that coming to God’s house to worship together and hear a message from God, will speak truth intro their lives and could create an environment where Satan is not welcomed, so we rejoice and celebrate in God being at work. BUT, do you really get the jest of what Jesus told His disciples? In this world, there will be many reasons to rejoice, to celebrate, or even thank God for moving in the ministries of our church! But what what do you suppose will happen in our churches if our people would remind themselves of their eternal destination as often as they meet? Just talking about heaven should excite us beyond words, and cause us to worship, adore and praise the Lord Jesus for making this all possible to us. Don’t you know that when God’s children truly act like children of the King, and they respond to the reminder of whose they are and where they are going, this is bound to excite those worshipping together with us, and they will want to make sure that their names are registered in heaven and they have the assurance of eternity with our Creator, God Almighty, and His precious Son? The challenging part of corporate worship is that almost everyone will sing, or raise their hands in worship, while some may even sing in a choir, receive the offering or greet visitors. This might help everyone subscribe to a thought that they are all in the same boat and everyone is headed to heaven. But God’s Word declares that the latter only occurs when one has accepted Jesus as Lord of their life and repented of their sin. To repent means that you ask for the help of God to turn away from your sin, so that you might, instead, follow a totally opposite direction in life – one that is obedient to God, and following in His will for your life, as detailed in the Word of God. Friends, just as Jesus told His disciples who had been out ministering in His name, there is nothing more important than to know that your name is written in the book of heaven. If you are unsure, or if you have reason to doubt your assurance of this, please get with a local, Bible teaching Pastor, or drop a note back to me so I could help you with this most important question.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: For those who have their name registered in Heaven, Jesus is ready to welcome you home when that time comes! Glory to God in the highest!

PRAYER: I find it fascinating that even after sending out the 70 to minister and heal in Your name, that You still saw the importance of them knowing without a shadow of doubt that their name is written, or registered in heaven. It is so easy for us to feel such a part of a group, that we may convince ourselves that we have the same privileges as the overall group has. Thankfully, I am reminded by Your words today, Lord, that a group setting will not save me. It’s only through accepting the new birth that is offered through Jesus Christ alone that I am saved, my name registered in the book of heaven, and I am on my way to spending eternity with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit! Please Lord, use this simple reminder from You, and the simple explanation of this devotional to open the eyes of those blinded by Satan, pride and the greed of this world. Please show them the way, the truth, and the glories of heaven that can be theirs if they would simply accept You as Lord and Savior. Give each reader and/or listener new reasons to truly worship and adore You today! AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

Guilty Of Following Christ’s Example

On 2022-03-212022-03-21 By Ed AlgreenIn Character, Characteristics, Christ-Like, Example of Christ, Genuine example of Jesus, Godly example, Like JesusLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Monday, 2022-03-21
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

Bible Reference: Romans 2:21-24
Translation: Living Bible (TLB)

Bible Text: ²¹… you teach others—then why don’t you teach yourselves? You tell others not to steal—do you steal? ²²You say it is wrong to commit adultery—do you do it? You say “Don’t pray to idols” and then make money your god instead. ²³You are so proud of knowing God’s laws, but you dishonor him by breaking them. ²⁴No wonder the Scriptures say that the world speaks evil of God because of you.

APPLICATION: I cringe when I hear folks say things like “your actions speak so loudly that I can’t hear what you are saying”. Because, unfortunately these folk are often right in saying these things. It hurts me deeply when I hear of church leaders caught in certain acts of sin, because they often have such a large following who is looking to them as a role model. No matter how often we tell folk that they should model their lives after Christ, not man, yet we see more fall out from church members when a pastor leaves, or a church leader is caught in an act of sin. The bottom line is that we all should be guilty of following Christ’s example so closely that people around us would see no difference between our actions and those they expect from Christ. When we surrender Lordship of our lives to Jesus, we ask Him to guide our footsteps every day so that we may walk like Him; guide our tongues each day so that we may talk like Him, and care so much for us each day that we may, in turn, love others like He would. Without Jesus Christ, it is virtually impossible to follow His ways each day in this world we live in, however, rest assured that in Christ, ALL things are possible. If friends of yours never read the first thing about the Bible, but they trust you enough to follow in your footsteps and obey your verbal instructions to them, who would they look like, Jesus Christ or the world? Remember, we are to be little ‘Christ’s’, so our friends following us could ultimately look the same! How are you doing? Do you have portions of your life still left to surrender to God, or are you comfortable that your life is in line with Jesus Christ? Please don’t let Jesus say to you on Judgment Day what Paul said to his fellow Jews, that people are cursing Christ because of you. As a parent we gloat at the times when others praise our children, because we feel a sense of pride in the job that we did in parenting. Let’s live our Christian lives following the same formula, so that Jesus may one day say “Well done good and faithful servant, when these children of Mine followed you, it was the same as them following Me, receive now the crowns I have prepared for you”! Let’s live with the end in mind friend!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I respectfully ask that I not be a stumbling block to anyone here on this earth. I pray that others may see enough of You in me that they will not be disappointed over their expectations of You. Lord, may I always represent You in ways that might lead others towards You. Please gently speak to my friends that may meditate on this devotional today, and lead them into a time of soul-searching and revival in their personal lives. Lord, it’s You that we live for. May that be evident in our words and actions today, is my humble prayer that I ask in Your very precious and holy name, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog at https://NuggetsFromGodsWord.org that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and see all of my posts, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

Preparing For Baptism

On 2022-01-122022-01-12 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Forgiveness, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Wednesday, 2022-01-12
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Matthew 3:5-9
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁵People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John. ⁶And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River. ⁷But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize, he denounced them. “You brood of snakes!” he exclaimed. “Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? ⁸Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. ⁹Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones.

APPLICATION: Ever noticed how some will dye their hair blue, if they see a friend or two doing the same thing, and getting attention over the strange practice? Ever noticed at an altar call in your church how challenging it is to get the first person to respond to the gospel message, and how much easier it is after the first person makes the walk down to the altar? We don’t want to be the first to make a move, but we are quick to follow the flow by our friends. People from the neighboring towns came to hear for themselves what all this ‘wild man’, John, was preaching about. His message touched their heart, so they confessed their sin and was ready to be baptized. This is still pretty customary in churches today, especially during revival or evangelistic services. But what would your church, or your pastor, do if at the baptismal service a number of people showed up for baptism who had never visited your church before? I believe we all can agree that at such special services, many might get in the spirit of what is occurring , and they may want to be baptized also. John recognized that the Pharisees and Sadducees who showed up and wanted to be baptized, felt like they were already good enough on their own reconnaissance and at least as good as the persons there who may have received forgiveness of their sin that day. However, John addressed this by drawing their attention to the change that occurs in a believer’s life. I believe John’s teaching on this is well worth our time to reflect on. Think about it – if we are a child of the King, then we will look like; sound like; and act like the King. It would be highly hypercritical of us to say that we are a child of the King, yet continue to behave like our old sinful selves. Who are we trying to fool? I also appreciate that John included the piece for his audience not to feel ‘saved’ because of them being from the seed of Abraham. You see, when we have grown up in the church, or if we happen to be a child of the pastor, deacon or elder, we may try to fool the world into thinking that because of our heritage, we too are saved. Notice what John taught here: we are each to approach the throne of God individually. Nothing done, said, or practiced by our ancestors could cleanse us of our sin and make us right with God. It is only through the shed blood of Jesus Christ that we are saved. That’s the sole purpose in God sending His Son, and He will have it no other way. We cannot slither our way into heaven through any other means. Be encouraged today Brothers and Sisters. We may not be a son or daughter of any earthly king or queen, but as a son of the Most Hight God – King Jesus, we are born again and ready to meet our Savior whenever He calls us home to glory. We are never too bad, or never too much of a pretender for God to accept us. Repent of your sins and ask God to become alive in You so that your words, actions and witness will be all about your heavenly Master.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Jesus can save the hardened criminal or even the one who feels like they’ve always been ‘good enough’ according to the word’s standards.He came to seek and save ALL that are lost. That includes you, me, our neighbor or the drunk down the road.

PRAYER: Father God, we are reminded that there is nothing we can do of our own selves to save ourselves from our sins and ready ourselves for the portals of Heaven. John was very blunt about this with the Pharisees and Sadducees, and he may have even found reason to preach at some of our churches today. Yes, we must be saved through the righteous sacrifice of Jesus alone. But our life will always reflect who takes center place in our lives. May that always be you, and you alone dear God. As the world see Jesus in us, they might become convinced of the power of the One who sacrificed His life for the remission of our sins. Please forgive us for trying to play the fool before You, like we so often try to get away with before our fellow man. You are the one, and the only one, that we must be honest before. Please deal in our hearts and our lives so that we may have an honest relationship with You, and the one who will naturally display to the world who controls every fiber of our being. We love You Lord and we want You to be evident in all that we are. AMEN!

Comfort and Encourage Each Other With This

On 2020-08-18 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Death, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Tuesday, 2020-08-18
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁶For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a mighty shout and with the soul-stirring cry of the archangel and the great trumpet-call of God. And the believers who are dead will be the first to rise to meet the Lord. ¹⁷Then we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with him forever. ¹⁸So comfort and encourage each other with this news.

OBSERVATION: While some might consider this a morbid subject, I can assure you that each of us will travel this road some day! Having just lost a friend, and seeing the awesome strength in his wife, I thought it is perfect timing that God would have this Scripture come up as part of my daily Bible reading plan, because I want us all to be as prepared for the inevitable – death of a loved one, as this dear wife has been. Prepare your hearts for the Word of God and meditate with me, dear friends.

APPLICATION: Many folk struggle to survive the loss of a loved one, especially where there was a great relationship enjoyed. In fact, we often hear of surviving spouses following in death very soon after losing their mate. But why is this? Often we live in such a manner that it may sometimes appear to a loved one that you could care less if they were there or not. But, there are many, many relationships where one partner could easily speak for the other, because they are so closely knit and their minds are so intertwined after happily living together. For the Christian, I firmly believe that the awesome God we serve, knows all about our relationships, and He knows what an awful time we will go through when we lose that favorite person in our lives. At times He prepares us for that, by providing a new baby, or grand baby as a distraction. My wife witnessed this when she lost her mom just a few short years after we got our first and only child. At other times, God might bless us with rich moments together, where the memories of that loved one will last a lifetime. He might also bless us with such assurance about what might be a very short separation, or about the relief from medical issues for the one about to leave us. Whatever the circumstances, please know that we serve a God who knows all things, both past and present. He knows what we will need to go on without a parent, friend or spouse that we have been attached to at the hips. Notice in our Scripture that God wanted Paul to encourage his church at Thessalonica, and He wanted these words penned so that we who are alive today could also benefit from them. So pay close attention to how this will all play out friends. Although we are forced to bid farewell to our loved ones here on earth, there will come a day that Jesus will return for us, and God has outlined in granular form how this will all happen. When He appears, those in the graves, who died knowing Jesus as Lord and Savior, will rise first and meet with Jesus in the heavens! Then those of us who are still alive, and have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior will then rise to meet Jesus and our loved ones who went on before us, and we will remain with the Lord forever! So God wants us to encourage each other with these words, so that sorrow will not overcome us when a loved one goes on before us, for we know that one day we will see them again, and together meet our Savior and Lord! To my readers that will happen across this blog and you have not met this Jesus of whom I have spoken, please carefully notice that you will not be in that collective meeting with Jesus – for that is reserved for those who have already said ‘YES’ to Jesus. However, as long as there is breath in your lungs, and the Master has not yet returned, you still have an open option. May I introduce you to my Lord and Savior? I went into detail in my Footnote so that you might see from Scripture how to do this. Please take time to understand the Word of God and accept Jesus as Your Lord today. Without Him, you will not hear the voice of God on that day when Jesus returns. Please, please, please, accept Jesus today!

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for the reminder today that our hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus blood and sacrifice. Thank You that we can know today that should I go first, or should I remain, one day soon we will all be together around Your throne singing Your praises and glorifying You for ever and for ever! As related by the surviving spouse of my friend, What a Day that Will Be, When my Jesus I shall See, When I look Upon His Face, the One who saved me by His grace….. Come Lord Jesus, come, for Your servant awaits Your call! AMEN!

To Appreciate God’s Power

On 2020-05-13 By Ed AlgreenIn All-powerful, Almighty, Appreciation, Awesome God, Miraculous, Wonderful Savior2 Comments

DATE WRITTEN: Wednesday, 2020-05-13
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

Bible Reference: Job 26:7&14
Translation: New Century Version (NCV)

Bible Text: ⁷God stretches the northern sky out over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing.
¹⁴And these are only a small part of God’s works. We only hear a small whisper of him. Who could understand God’s thundering power?

OBSERVATION: As we meditate on these verses, I want to remind you that this is Job speaking to one of his encouragers! For he had been beaten up on and robbed of everything by Satan, yet he knew deep inside that no matter what happened to the flesh, his God still loved him and cared for him! Wow! In fact, although I only chose to show two verses, the whole chapter of 14 verses are filled with the many praises of Job! He showed us that no matter what earthly trials come our way, let us never lose sight of the mighty hand of God, whose love constantly abides within us and is available to us.

APPLICATION: Wow, what an example for those of us that whine and complain our whole day. We just have to look outside of our personal problems, many of which we have brought on ourselves. We have to look for the ways that God has provided for us, especially when we see so many in need around us. We have to thank God for the good health we enjoy, especially when we look at the number in our hospitals and the numerous sick people who are much worse off than we are. We must remind ourselves of the serious need for diet in our lives, while we reflect on the number of persons that go to bed hungry worldwide. We have so much to be thankful for that it would take much more than 14 verses to truly reflect our praises. So much to be thankful for, that we should never have time to complain! We should express so much praise from our thankful hearts that others who truly have needs would be encouraged by just listening to our praises, and there would be ample proof to those praying for desperate needs in their life that they would pray in renewed confidence, knowing that they are praying to a God who cares and loves them, seeing how much we are constantly bragging about Him. God is truly, amazingly and wonderfully amazing to us friend! Let the whole world know to whom you belong!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I praise You this morning for who you are! Not just someone I have read about, although I have read the praises of Job, but I too can testify of Your love and goodness towards me! Not just for the love that I read about, or that the pastor preached about, but for the genuine love that I feel deep inside when reminded of the sacrifice that You made for mankind (especially myself) when You hung on that cruel cross at Calvary, with all the power to totally reverse the scene, but yet You chose to show Your love towards all mankind, by suffering under the hands of those You were dying for. Please forgive me Lord for my ungrateful spirit. Please help me to always look for the ways You have blessed, and still are blessing, so that I might exalt You for Your active role in all these things. You have created us with a free choice, please always remind us that we have a choice to praise You or to complain. I pray that we will always make the right choice to praise You in our storms of life, and let You control and help us to overcome the difficulties. I ask all this in Your loving and wonderful name Lord Jesus, AMEN!

Transformed Relationships

On 2020-04-14 By Ed AlgreenIn Born Again, Christian, Encourage, Example of Christ, Forgiveness, Fruit of the Spirit, Genuine example of Jesus, Getting Along, Godly example, Heaven, Holy Spirit, Humility, Imitator of Christ, Love, Love your Neighbor, ObedienceLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Tuesday, 2020-04-14
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

Bible Reference: Romans 12:9-12
Translation: The Passion Translation (TPT)

Bible Text: ⁹Let the inner movement of your heart always be to love one another, and never play the role of an actor wearing a mask. Despise evil and embrace everything that is good and virtuous. ¹⁰Be devoted to tenderly loving your fellow believers as members of one family. Try to outdo yourselves in respect and honor of one another. ¹¹Be enthusiastic to serve the Lord, keeping your passion toward him boiling hot! Radiate with the glow of the Holy Spirit and let him fill you with excitement as you serve him.
¹²Let this hope burst forth within you, releasing a continual joy. Don’t give up in a time of trouble,^[e] but commune with God at all times.

OBSERVATION: Often times we will read about ways to, and often we are encouraged to, transform our lives into one that aligns with the will of God and in obedience of the Holy Spirit. Paul encourages us to meditate also on how these transformed lives will look to those that we connect with and call our friends. Perhaps you might be willing to join me in looking deeply into our personal relationships with others, and whether there is evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work within us as we fellowship with each other. Paul gives great guidance to us, so let’s dig in…

APPLICATION: Often times we struggle in relationships, both with family members and with friends. For there is jealousy between one another and envy and hard feelings that could quickly result, in fact, to the extent that we can’t stand to be in each other’s presence. Coworkers tend to be so competitive to reach for the top, or earn more commissions and/or recognition, so they step right over another employee, and may even do certain things to prevent that coworker from doing their best. Church members want to be in charge, or favored by the pastor, or perhaps they just can’t have their own way, so we see churches split or families leave the church and move on to another. I wonder if the result would be any different if we were to follow the advice of Paul in these two verses? Friends, Christians are to be deep into the Word at every opportunity, but not less frequently than daily, looking over God’s instructions to be sure that we live and love like Him. You see, God’s Word contains our template for love, it tells us about our Role Model, Jesus Christ. Our responsibility according to the Word, is to go and minister to the world so that all may know Jesus. Don’t you know that we are actually teaching them our evil ways when we act like the world, or like the above examples? Remember, our actions speak so loud that others will rarely hear what we are saying to them. I believe Paul is saying that we are not to be hypocritical. If we claim Jesus as Lord, then we are to live like Him and seek to squash all evil thoughts that Satan will buffet us with. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, we will seek to act like Jesus. and in no way follow the path of least resistance that are led by Satan – whose aim is to kill, steal and destroy the work of God. Friends, Jesus is coming soon and we must live with that in mind. Don’t dare live like the devil and think you’ll have time to seek forgiveness when you hear that Jesus is coming down the street. The Bible says that we must live in a state of readiness, because Jesus in no way needs our permission that the coast is clear for Him to come and gather His bride (the church – us). This means that we are to live and love like Jesus demands of us today. Don’t delay, please?

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, the creator of love, the One who showed ultimate love, please forgive me for making a mockery of living and loving like You exampled for me. You showed me how to live, and I have totally blown it. Thank You for Your servant Paul, who has reminded us that we need to live and love in ways that others might recognize as an imitation of God. This is impossible to achieve, as long as we continue to give in to the ways of this world. Father, please give my readers and I strength to be true victors in living our lives according to the model You displayed. Please help us to stay so in tuned with Your Word that it will not only impact the words from our lips, but the desires of our heart and the actions of our whole being. Lord, sadly, we must confess that we have ‘Christian’ family and friends that are living in sin, because they are acting just like Satan, and in similar ways to the above examples given. Please use this devotional today to speak to the hearts of those claiming You as Lord. Please also speak to those who have not yet accepted You as Lord, for today is the day of salvation, and there is no better time than today for them to seek Your power and Your strength so that they too might live and love like You. Lord, this old world is getting in extremely poor shape morally, for folk are becoming more and more hardened to their sin. Please, I beg You, do a mighty work in Your people today. Begin with us, Christians. Get us straight first, so that we may be Your hands and Your feet on the ground seeking to impact the lives of those that don’t know You. These things I ask humbly in Your precious name and for Your sake, AMEN!

Your Level of Concern For Unsaved Loved Ones

On 2020-04-06 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Salvation, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Monday, 2020-03-06
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Romans 9:1-3
TRANSLATION: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

BIBLE TEXT: I am in Christ and I am telling you the truth. I am not lying. And my conscience, ruled by the Holy Spirit, agrees that what I say now is true. ²I have great sorrow and always feel much sadness ³for my own people. They are my brothers and sisters, my earthly family. I wish I could help them. I would even have a curse on me and cut myself off from Christ if that would help them.

OBSERVATION: Less we become complacent about the eternal destination of our loved ones, I believe that we should be willing to publicly share how concerned we are about them and their long-term prospects. I believe there are some sure-tell ways that we could show we care, show that we are concerned and even set an example for them to follow. Paul stated his, now as we meditate, let us open our hearts before God on this matter.

APPLICATION: I believe that one of the things we see with Facebook, or perhaps other similar social media, is that many people feel free to express their personal views about a situation, and sometimes about an individual. Some examples: a mom might say to a son or daughter ‘I love you to the moon and back’; a husband might say to a wife ‘life would be meaningless without you’; a friend might share ‘we are like two peas in a pod and one would not survive without the other’! Of course, there are a many other sayings that we read on social media, but as we meditate on Paul’s words in our Scripture today, I wonder how many Christians would be willing to say to a loved one: I love you so much that I have decided to fast all morning meals and use that time to pray for you to recognize the great ‘I Am’ – my Savior and my Lord, and I will maintain this stance until I hear of your change of heart; or – Life would be meaningless without you here on earth, and I’m afraid that I might feel the same way in heaven, so I am praying that you will be prompted by God to receive Jesus as Lord real soon; or – We are like two peas in a pod, and I could never imagine life without you – ever, so since we are on two different tracks to eternity, I have made it my most important goal to pray for God’s touch on your life and be drawn to Him through His Son, Jesus. Friends, Paul went further than any of these things that I’ve suggested so far, for he said that he would be willing to call for a curse on himself, if he thought that it would help his friends draw close to God. Perhaps there are some out there who might be as bold as our Brother Paul was, and that’s entirely between you and God, but I believe that the bottom line is that we might reach the stage in our lives where we might be willing to said to God and even to our unsaved relative/friend that there is absolutely nothing more important to me right now than knowing that we will be in the same location throughout eternity. When we reach that stage, we can finally say to our friend, like Paul, that it is my single purpose in life to seek God on your behalf and to plead with Him for His power in your life and to draw you to Himself. In doing so, I want to convince you that there is no greater love than this. Can you do this for your brother, sister, mother, father, spouse or best friend? Are you willing to do this with the help of our great big Father? With His help and direction, we are more than conquerors!

PRAYER: This is a serious sermon to self, more than anyone one else oh Lord, for I find it easier to talk to another friend about the serious need for salvation of another. I find it easier to smooth things over and try to stay on the ‘good side’ of my family and my best friends, and I hate conflict. Precious Lord, please strengthen me to love the people You love, and to show my love in ways that will show them my Savior who loved me enough to die on a cross. My desire is that none will be lost, none will go to Hell and therefore none will be left behind. May Jesus guide all my readers and myself to touch the lives of others today in ways like never before, so that they may see and experience the goodness of our King. AMEN!

Your Eternal Destination Is Based on Your Choice Today

On 2020-03-30 By Ed AlgreenIn All have sinned, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Heaven, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Salvation, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Monday, 2020-03-30
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Romans 6:20-23
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: ²⁰In the days when you lived as slaves to sin, you had no obligation to do the right thing. In that regard, you were free. ²¹But what do you have to show from your former lives besides shame? The outcome of that life is death, guaranteed. ²²But now that you have been emancipated from the death grip of sin and are God’s slave, you have a different sort of life, a growing holiness. The outcome of that life is eternal life. ²³The payoff for a life of sin is death, but God is offering us a free gift—eternal life through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, the Liberating King.

OBSERVATION: It is clear in our Scripture today that these verses can be easily given three subtitles: (1) Before, or Without Christ – Vs 20-21; (2) With Christ – Vs 22; and (3) The Difference – Vs 23. As we meditate, it will become very evident which area each of us fit into. As shown in section 3, the difference is very evident. But only while you are alive can you make the step from Step 1 to Step 2, with God’s help and direction. Since the present is the only gift given to you, I would suggest that you consider making that switch today, dear friends.

APPLICATION: Please allow me to expand on the steps mentioned in my Observation. Many will try to defend themselves on this, because they feel like no one knows whether they have accepted Christ or not, and their argument would be undeniable. However, there are many who try to convince themselves that they have always been a good person, or they have always helped the poor, or they have always attended church, or perhaps helped a classroom teacher in Sunday School, or given generously to the church. Given these many good deeds, some might try to convince others that God will definitely accept them in His heavenly realm. The good news is that these folk have no reason to convince their pastor, their parents or their best friends, for there is only One who will decide whether they see Heaven and our wonderful Savior. The Almighty God, the One who made heaven and earth and each of us. He left us a ‘cheat-book’ – a Book with all the answers spelled out. So on the day we are called out of this world, God will simply refer to that Book (the Bible), and based exactly on what He told us in that Book, He will confirm what each of us already know, the exact category into which we fit, based on our decisions while here on earth. If you never acknowledged Jesus as Lord and invited Him as Master and Lord of your life, then the answer is clear. You are considered part of the first group – Before, or Without Christ. However dear friends, many of us have listened to the voice of God, and we have surrendered our lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and we live in anticipation of the soon, and expected return of Jesus to take His bride home to heaven. We have obeyed the Word of God, we know what His response will be, and we can rejoice in worshiping our Savior in person on that glorious day! Through the writing of Paul, God tells us in verse 23 that each one will be given a verdict – eternal death (in Hell with Satan and his demons), or eternal life (in Heaven with the Father and the Son). Now that you could clearly determine where you will spend eternity, please don’t forget what I said above. It’s not too late to change from Step 1 to Step 2 right now, by inviting Jesus to be your Lord and Savior. If you are unsure, or uncomfortable in making this step alone, please call a local Bible teaching pastor, or contact me. We would be thrilled to pray with you and for you as we welcome you into the kingdom as part of the family of God.

PRAYER: I am always overjoyed to sing that chorus ‘I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God’, because I know that You have given us clear instructions on becoming a part of Your family, dear Lord. Thank You for making that provision very clear and I thank you for speaking intently to us and helping us to make the bold step from a life of sin, into Your wonderful arms of love, protection and provision. Please dear Lord, speak to those who will read this devotional who may not have accepted You as Lord. Please tender their hearts and open their eyes and ears to your call on their life. I would also ask that You do the same for my family and friends who have yet to accept You. There would be no greater joy for me than to know that none of the above will hear that fatal judgment of ‘eternal death’. Please remind them of the urgency of the hour – today is the day of decision. Thank You Jesus for providing a way for us to receive eternal life with You and the Father! AMEN!

Character Reflective of God

On 2020-03-20 By Ed AlgreenIn Character, Characteristics, Christ-Like, Like JesusLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Friday, 2020-03-20
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

Bible Reference: Romans 2:23-24
Translation: The Voice (VOICE)

Bible Text: ²³If you pride yourself in having God’s law, then stop dishonoring God by failing to keep its teaching. ²⁴Here’s what it says: “Because of you, God’s reputation is slandered by those outside the covenant.”^[b]

OBSERVATION: Like me, I bet you also heard your parents use the phrase ‘Practice What You Preach’ at every applicable opportunity! In this passage of scripture Paul is also using this principle in his teaching to the Jews, and because it is God’s inspired Word, I believe it serves as a reminder to us as well. I believe that this is still a very real problem for us even today. Please meditate further with me as we contemplate this scripture from the book of Romans today.

APPLICATION: I cringe when I hear folks say things like “your actions speak so loudly that I can’t hear what you are saying”. Because, unfortunately these folk are often right in saying these things. It hurts me deeply when I hear of church leaders caught in certain acts of sin, because they often have such a large following who is looking to them as a role model. No matter how often we tell folk that they should model their lives after Christ, not man, yet we see more fall out from church members when a pastor leaves, or a church leader is caught in an act of sin. The bottom line is that we all should be guilty of following Christ’s example so closely that people around us would see no difference between our actions and those they expect from Christ. When we surrender Lordship of our lives to Jesus, we ask Him to guide our footsteps every day so that we may walk like Him; guide our tongues each day so that we may talk like Him, and care so much for us each day that we may, in turn, love others like He would. Without Jesus Christ, it is virtually impossible to follow His ways each day in the world we live in, however, rest assured that in Christ, ALL things are possible. If friends of yours never read the first thing about the Bible, but they trust you enough to follow in your footsteps and obey your verbal instructions to them, who would they look like, Jesus Christ or the world? Remember, we are to be little ‘Christ’s’, so our friends following us could ultimately look the same! How are you doing? Do you have portions of your life still left to surrender to God, or are you comfortable that your life is in line with Jesus Christ? Please don’t let Jesus say to you on Judgment Day what Paul said to his fellow Jews, that people are cursing Christ because of you. As a parent we gloat at the times when others praise our children, because we feel a sense of pride in the job that we did in parenting. Let’s live our Christian lives following the same formula, so that Jesus may one day say “Well done good and faithful servant, when these children of Mine followed you, it was the same as them following Me, receive now the crowns I have prepared for you”! Let’s live with the end in mind friend!

Paul’s Story Vs Our Story

On 2020-02-242020-03-09 By Ed AlgreenIn Evangelism, Evangelize, Personal testimony, Salvation, TestimonyLeave a comment

Monday, 2020-02-24

Bible Reference: Acts 22:7-11
Translation: New Century Version (NCV)

Bible Text: ⁷I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ ⁸I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The voice said, ‘I am Jesus from Nazareth whom you are persecuting.’ ⁹Those who were with me did not understand the voice, but they saw the light. ¹⁰I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ The Lord answered, ‘Get up and go to Damascus. There you will be told about all the things I have planned for you to do.’

OBSERVATION: Like Paul, we have a ‘story’ that we should share with folk. Often in conversations we step up to the plate and tell a story about an incident in our lives that we believe is far greater than anything said so far by anyone else. Imagine the quiet that would fill the room if, in the middle of discussions about sports, or hunting or family, we jump in and share our story about our conversion? This is basically what happened with Paul!

APPLICATION: There are several miraculous things about this experience shared by Paul:
~ It was Personal – Paul didn’t share a story with the group arresting him about a friend of his, or a story he had read in ancient transcripts, he shared his story;
~ Recognized it was God speaking – Paul’s first response to the voice he heard was “Who are you, Lord?” When God gets our attention, we know that it is divine, holy and very personal;
~ It was transformational – Paul, a persecutor of Christians and a destroyer of churches, immediately recognized it was God, and instead of cursing God, as he had been doing, he asked for further instructions!
~ It was shared without regard to the place or occasion – Paul didn’t wait until he was in the synagogue, or among fellow believers, or until it was church time. In fact, this seemed like a very odd time to share his testimony, but Paul shared his story anyway!

I believe that the whole purpose of Paul sharing his story was that his captors’ eyes would not only be opened to the fact that he was a fellow Roman citizen, but also that they might hear, understand and come to know the God that touched, and ministered through, Paul. He was a true evangelist, both in the pulpit and out of it. Among all the confusion and excitement of calming the crowds and making an arrest, Paul asked for a moment to share his story. Wow! Friends, God can use us for His glory in any circumstance that He chooses, if we let Him. But it will only be impactful if we share our story for His ultimate glory and not ours. So why do you suppose that we don’t do that more often, friend? We need to do this as often as we can, because we have no promise of a future moment with that individual or group that we are meeting with. Don’t be shy or afraid, God will never lead you into a situation that He will not help you through! Allow Him to do His great work through you!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, in Your precious and holy name, I come humbly before You to first say thank You for getting my attention back in 1976 and leading me to accept You as Lord of my life. Thankfully, You have since lead me through many situations and given me ample opportunities to share Your saving power with many people. Please forgive me for lost opportunities, and give me wisdom, humility, boldness and power to share my story with many more folk in all walks of life, so that others might see the glow of Your presence in and through me, and subsequently want to also accept You as Lord. Father God, it is only through Your continued grace that the wicked and lost of this earth can come to know a holy and righteous God, so I ask that You touch lives that I interface with today so that in something that I might say or do, You might impact their lives for Your ultimate glory. I ask all this in the name above all names, King of all kings, Your one and only Son, JESUS. AMEN!

Nuggets From God's Word

Tag: Saved