Pay Attention!

On 2015-09-102015-09-10 By Ed AlgreenIn Peace, Righteousness, SurrenderLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – Matthew 13:37-43): ³⁷ …The one who scattered the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸ The field is the world, and the good seeds are the people who belong to the kingdom. The weed seeds are those who belong to the evil one, ³⁹ and the one who scattered them is the devil. The harvest is the end of time, and angels are the ones who bring in the harvest. ⁴⁰ Weeds are gathered and burned. That’s how it will be at the end of time. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everyone who does wrong or causes others to sin. ⁴² Then he will throw them into a flaming furnace, where people will cry and grit their teeth in pain. ⁴³ But everyone who has done right will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. If you have ears, pay attention!

THOUGHTS: The disciples were getting frustrated with the many parables that Jesus used to draw attention to the matters He chose to share with them, so they asked Him about this. I believe that because of their culture, the disciples were particularly interested in understanding the parable of the farmer, the wheat and the seeds, as detailed beginning in vs 18. The whole reason Jesus used parables was to give His message to His audience in terms that they could understand and relate to. He wanted to make sure they got the point that He was trying to relay to them, and of course in this instance it truly struck a nerve with the disciples. Before proceeding with reading the rest of my remarks, may I suggest that you stop and read the subject verses very slowly? Then I want you to determine which category you fit into. You see, only you and God knows your true, personal, spiritual condition or status. I challenged you yesterday on trying to ‘fool’ me or your friends, but let me remind you that God knows even the very thoughts that you mull over in your mind. The NET Bible translation has vs 43 as ‘Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. The one who has ears had better listen!’ Please notice that there are only two types of individuals here: ‘The righteous (those who are right with God)’ and ‘The unrighteous (those who have not made peace with God, by asking His forgiveness of their sin and invited Him to rule and reign in their lives’. Just as the decisions are at totally opposite ends of the spectrum, so is the end results. The righteous will shine like the sun with the Son (Jesus) and His Father (God). The unrighteous will be thrown into a flaming furnace where others are crying and gritting their teeth in pain (vs 42 vividly explains this). Friends, I don’t want there to be any doubt or misunderstanding for you – a very good reason why I share these ‘Nuggets’ each morning. Please know that attending church will not make you ‘right with God’, however when you have surrendered yourself to God by inviting His precious Son into your life, and made yourself ‘right with God’ you will have a desire to attend church and be around God’s people. There is a help document hyperlinked in my ‘Footnote’ that will give you more details on becoming a Christian, however feel free to contact me should you have additional questions or would like a prayer partner. God truly loves you friend. You’re one of His dear children that He gave up His Son’s life for, so He would be tickled to welcome you if only you will ask. Are you listening? Pay attention friend!

PRAYER: Father, I just want to thank You for touching my life some 39 years ago and prompting me to a decision regarding my righteousness. Many will read this devotional today and have a need to seek Your righteousness, while others will celebrate with me about being right with You. This is a very personal decision that can only be made between a child and their Father (You). I pray that blinded eyes will be opened today and hearts touched in such a way that decisions will be made to surrender to You, the only way that leads to righteousness with You. I ask this very special request in the saving and all powerful name of 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 www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Who Do You Think You’re Fooling?

On 2015-09-092015-09-09 By Ed AlgreenIn Sacrifice, WitnessLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – Matthew 12:33-37): ³³A good tree produces only good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. You can tell what a tree is like by the fruit it produces. ³⁴ You are a bunch of evil snakes, so how can you say anything good? Your words show what is in your hearts. ³⁵ Good people bring good things out of their hearts, but evil people bring evil things out of their hearts. ³⁶ I promise you that on the Day of Judgment, everyone will have to account for every careless word they have spoken. ³⁷ On that day they will be told that they are either innocent or guilty because of the things they have said.

THOUGHTS: I am intrigued by the different ways that people act in one environment versus when in a different setting altogether. Think about the church member who acts prim and proper while on church property, yet so different in another setting that their friends hardly recognize them. Farfetched you might say? I witnessed a situation recently where an individual was advertising their faith through the words on a tee shirt, yet acting in way indicative of the world. It embarrassed me, so I can’t imagine what it must have done to God who expects so much more out of us – seeing that we are to imitate His Son. Friends I believe that often we must remind ourselves that at one point in our lives we may have done certain actions or said certain things, but now that we have God’s Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us, and now that we know about what God expects from us through His written Word, we just don’t live like that anymore. Jesus basically told the Pharisees that what’s inside, is bound to be exposed through the things we say and the way we act. Don’t you know that people we come into contact with are bound to be confused when we boldly proclaim our faith in Christ, yet our actions declare the prevalence of Satan leading and directing our path? Friends, living life according to God’s instructions in a world led and controlled by Satan, is almost impossible for us to do on our own. We need Jesus each and every day to guide our path and protect our thoughts and words, if we are going to be like Him. At the beginning of each day, consider asking for God’s guidance, direction and power to help you be more like Him during the day while exposed to so much of Satan. Then at the end of each day, reflect on the day and question yourself as to whether friends may have witnessed enough evidence to find you guilty of being a Christ follower. No one to fool in this evaluation, because God sees and knows all things and He could help you honestly evaluate, and help you rediscover His love and His power to help you live life pleasing to Him. To the unbeliever who would like to partake in this God-directed life, please read the information in my ‘Footnote’ for help in finding Jesus. I would be thrilled to tell you more, so feel free to contact me.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the freedoms that You give us. These often get us in trouble, because we often do our own thing instead of begging You for power, grace and mercy to live in a ‘foreign’ land as saints of Your wonderful kingdom. We can only succeed in our Christian walk by depending heavily on You to guide us, protect us, and strengthen our will to be more inclined to Your ways. We need You each and every day to help us in this daunting task oh Lord. I ask this in the strong and holy name of Jesus, AMEN!

God Specializes In Impossibilities

On 2015-09-082015-09-08 By Ed AlgreenIn Possibilities, Righteousness, StrengthLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (New Living Translation – Genesis 15:4-6): ⁴ Then the Lord said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.” ⁵ Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!” ⁶ And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.

THOUGHTS: In spite of all the special skills given to man, there are still times that we throw our hands up and surrender to the fact that a problem is beyond our God-given abilities, or out of our reach. Yet very early in the pages of this awesome book that God has inspired to be our guide through life, we have already learned that God took a mass of darkness and formed this world – earth, water, stars, etc.; He created man, followed by a help mate – woman; He took a couple who was childless, and promised to make a great nation from their offspring. In this passage today I was also encouraged to note that no matter how much power is revealed to us by God, yet He is always still so very conscious of us – our sincerity in wanting to obey Him and our need to draw close to Him. In fact, Abram believed that God would do what appeared impossible to him, and this resulted in God considering him ‘righteous’ (right with God). To gain what I believe is the best meaning of a phrase, I like to consider its impact if the opposite were true. So in this case, if Abram would have laughed at God or showed doubt about what God would do, then perhaps God would have considered Abram ‘unrighteous’? How often would God consider us ‘unrighteous’ because of our unbelief and doubt? Friends, unbelievers may laugh at our faith, because they simply have not been around this awesome God of ours, to build faith in His abilities and to understand His unlimited and awesome love for us. But for those of you that know Jesus, what’s your excuse? Can God consider you ‘righteous’ because of your overwhelming faith in Him? Do you truly believe in Him? If not, may I introduce you to this Savior that I know, love and adore? Remember, only those who are right with God (righteous) will be allowed into heaven. May I count on seeing you there friend? I have provided a guide for you in my ‘Footnote’, and would be thrilled to personally help guide you towards meeting my Lord in a very personal and intimate way. Please make this choice a priority today, it truly is that important!

PRAYER: Father God, Your ways are so much greater than our ways, yet You have sacrificially provided the means for us to overcome sin and one day join You in heaven. Please forgive us when we doubt, and use those incidences as stepping stones to lead us into a deeper faith that will draw us even closer to You. Lord You are good and Your mercies endure forever and forever. Please keep our ‘faith’ tank filled and energized to trust in You in all circumstances of our lives. You have proven that things that seem impossible to us are handled with just a spoken word by You. Again today I am reminded that Nothing is Impossible when I place my faith and trust in You. Please touch the heart and life of each one that will meditate on this devotional today. May we all draw strength from being reminded of the awesomeness of our mighty God again today and use this to help us confidently spread the joy of our salvation with all those we come into contact with. For this is my humble prayer that I ask in the name of my King, the King of all kings, Jesus the Christ, AMEN!

Go In Jesus’ Name

On 2015-09-072015-09-07 By Ed AlgreenIn Generous, gifts, GivingLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (New Living Translation – Matthew 10:7-10): ⁷ Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. ⁸ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received! ⁹ “Don’t take any money in your money belts—no gold, silver, or even copper coins. ¹⁰ Don’t carry a traveler’s bag with a change of clothes and sandals or even a walking stick. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve to be fed.

THOUGHTS: I was recently blessed with being able to take a missions’ trip with my church to a foreign country. We went through months of coaching, encouragement, spiritual strengthening and fund raising to prepare for the eventual day that we would travel for a week. Because of our preparation and excellent leadership, our trip was flawless. As I read this passage of scripture today, I couldn’t help but think how quickly we may have dropped to the floor in shock if we were given instructions similar to what the disciples were given. Take your trip, but: no money, no extra clothes or sandals, just go with all that you’ve been blessed with. Of course when we think about what we have been blessed with, we tend to think about all of these very things mentioned. Think about what the disciples were blessed with: the power to heal the sick; raise the dead; cure leprosy and cast out evil spirits. We may marvel that we shouldn’t need anything else, if given that kind of power from above, however I’m sure that we will worry about how those gifts will help us at the airport with plane tickets, or at the van rental company. Friends, I believe that the most important words in this scripture are the words that I bolded. Jesus freely empowered the disciples with gifts that would prove His power among the Israelites. What do you suppose He has empowered us with that might help those that we will come into contact with today that will be reflective of His love and His power? Friends, be reminded that Jesus was a great example for us to follow – He wept when His friends were sad over the passing of a brother; He rejoiced at a wedding with His friends and even performed miracles so that the party could go on; He stood up for wrong when He visibly showed His anger in the temple when He found that His house was being used as a commerce center; He recognized needs and met those needs; He loved sacrificially, even when the people hated Him so much that they led Him to a cruel death. This is our role model for us friends. There are many gifts that we have been blessed with, and this scripture is encouraging us to give of these gifts ungrudgingly, just as they have been given to us ungrudgingly. Will you do it friend?

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for loving us, and thank You for giving to us from the abundance of Your love for us. When presented with opportunities to share those gifts with others today, may we openly and willingly share, so that others might recognize the love of Jesus as expressed through us. It is very evident that people need the Lord – all people. May they see enough of You in and through us that they might desire a more intimate relationship with You. Provoke us to be channels of Your blessing, Your love and Your power today, for I ask this in the loving and powerful name of Jesus, AMEN!

What’s Most Important To Us?

On 2015-09-052015-09-05 By Ed AlgreenIn Forgiveness, Heart, PrioritiesLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Message – Matthew 9:2-8): ^2-3
They were hardly out of the boat when some men carried a paraplegic on a stretcher and set him down in front of them. Jesus, impressed by their bold belief, said to the paraplegic, “Cheer up, son. I forgive your sins.” Some religion scholars whispered, “Why, that’s blasphemy!” ^4–8 Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, “Why this gossipy whispering? Which do you think is simpler: to say, ‘I forgive your sins,’ or, ‘Get up and walk’? Well, just so it’s clear that I’m the Son of Man and authorized to do either, or both.…” At this he turned to the paraplegic and said, “Get up. Take your bed and go home.” And the man did it. The crowd was awestruck, amazed and pleased that God had authorized Jesus to work among them this way.

THOUGHTS: As with anything we try to make a decision on, we should be guided by the Word of God and see how important things were to God. I believe that we are a very compassionate people in general. However, let’s consider the needs that come before us. The needier someone, or something sounds, the more it/they receive our attention, our money and our apathy. What then do you think about the way Jesus reacted to the paraplegic here in this story? Firstly, I found it interesting how several Bible translations clearly say that Jesus, seeing the faith of those who took the man before Him….. Isn’t it odd that Jesus appealed to the outward expression of the group that took the man, yet He acted upon the need of the man they took? However, also note that Jesus observed a man being brought in on a stretcher, unable to walk, yet the first action from Jesus was to forgive the man of His sin. Friends, as I said in my opening comments, we are so easily swayed by the physical needs of people, and we very well should do that, however I believe that we need to gain more of the heart of Jesus, and be way more concerned about the ‘heart’ of the people brought before us with needs. What good will result if we help satisfy the physical needs of folk, yet before and after our help they are still headed straight to Hell? I believe that, like Jesus, we need to first become ‘heart’ specialists! We need to gain a priority for making sure that the heart of those that we come into contact with, is right with God. Have they met Jesus? Have they accepted Him as Lord? Do they practice their faith by openly serving Him in all aspects of their life? I believe that our biggest fear is that this might appear like we would then become judge and jury. Friends, I believe that most of us would not hesitate for a moment to run across the street and protect a blind person from an oncoming speeding auto – from sure death. Why then would we hesitate from saving a person blinded by the distractions (sins) of this world, knowing that they are headed to certain death without knowing the Savior of this world, Jesus Christ? I would dare say that if Jesus saw salvation as the most important thing in the paraplegic’s life, we too should follow suit and make this a priority in look at the needs of those who come before us.

PRAYER: It’s amazing how skewed our priorities have become Lord Jesus, yes even when it comes to the ultimate destination of our dearest friends and family. Please help us to be more like You in concentrating on the ‘heart’ first and the ultimate results a person will be left with after living life here on this earth with us. In our hearts we know that only what’s done for Jesus will last, and only what we’ve done with Jesus will matter when we stand before You in eternity. Please help us to be diligent in showing that we care about these qualities by the way we choose our priorities each day. We want to do this under Your direction and authority Lord Jesus, so please touch Your children today, beginning with me, and especially through those that will meditate on this devotional today. Please help us to show that we care more about the ‘heart’ than any other aspect of life here on this earth. I ask this in the strong and precious name of our first and most valuable ‘heart’ specialist, Jesus my Lord, AMEN!

Obedience Results in Rewards

On 2015-09-032015-09-03 By Ed AlgreenIn Forgiveness, Giving, Prayer, Rewards, RighteousLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (New Living Translation – Matthew 6:4; 6; 14-15; 17-18; 33): ⁴ Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.| ⁶ But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. | ¹⁴ “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. | ¹⁷ But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. ¹⁸Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. | ³³Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

THOUGHTS: I found a common theme in reading Matthew 6. God had some awesome teachings, and He emphasized, or stood behind His teaching so strongly that He added rewards after each area of His teachings. Beginning in verse 4, on the subject of Christian based giving, I believe that if I am led to give to a person in need, God uses me to respond to the prayers of that needy person. While I might be eternally grateful for the opportunity to respond in giving, the act of me giving from my overflow of blessings is not intended for me to boast, but instead to allow praises for answered prayer from the recipient, so that God might be magnified. Then on the subject of prayer, we are taught to pray in private. Imagine the irreverence in telling our spouse everything, intimate or not, in a public setting? We are to have an intimate relationship with our Savior, so we are to pray to Him in private. In verse 6 we are promised that God will then reward us, or grant our sincere desires, as they fit within His perfect will for us. I included verse 14 because I wanted us to be reminded that God is not a push-over, or a Santa Claus just waiting to reward us no matter how we act or respond to His goodness. He tells us that He will forgive us based on our degree of forgiving one another. We must be willing to ask, pray and forgive in a manner pleasing to God, not for our own selfish reasons. Our submission to fasting is another example for us to show our humility to the God that we serve, and to reveal the honesty in the very reason for which we are fasting. When we do this in the right spirit and for the right purpose, God says that He will once again reward us. Friends, when we seek the Kingdom of God more than everything else, and when we live righteously before a righteous God, He promised that He will give us everything we need! Are you there yet? If you are not being rewarded in one of these areas mentioned above, then perhaps there are self-inflicted roadblocks preventing God’s outpouring of His rich blessings that He would really like to shower on us. Friends, let’s clear the path to blessings! God wants to bless His children, I believe. We just need to do our part to be vessels worthy of His blessings!

PRAYER: Father, please forgive us for our littleness, our selfishness and our desire to please and promote self, instead of You. It is evident that You have such awesome rewards in store for Your children. Now if only we can learn to be humble and obedient servants so that You may freely pour out Your blessings on us. You alone are worthy oh Lord, and we cannot do this thing called ‘life’ without You. We are fully dependent on You, yet Satan is so determined to distract us from all the rich blessings You have in store for us. Please forgive us for our desire for independence, and help us instead to be totally dependent on the God who can do all things. We’re at Your mercy dear Lord. Please fill us with more of You and Your promised rewards. I humbly ask all this in the strong and powerful name of the only One worthy and able to intercede for us, Jesus my Lord, AMEN!

Good Deeds That Trigger Praise To God

On 2015-09-022015-09-02 By Ed AlgreenIn Encourager, Light, Salt, WitnessLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (New Living Translation – Matthew 5:13-16): ¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. ¹⁴ “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

THOUGHTS: Jesus always taught using object lessons that His hearers could identify with. Fortunately, we can still identify with many of the things Jesus chose to use in His lessons. Although salt is still important in most kitchens today, I believe that it has developed more of a negative spin from our health conscious contemporaries because of the abuse by many chefs. However, let’s look at why Jesus may have chosen such a key element to demonstrate His point. It was used by the people being taught to preserve food. Without refrigeration, meat was salted to preserve it and stop decay. Then, and now, salt was/is used to flavor food – make it more palatable for the consumer of the finished product to enjoy the meal because of its greatly enhanced taste. So let’s compare this to the Christian’s life: we are a chosen people, and just like salt is not intended to stay on the ground and go unnoticed, but be used to preserve food, we too are designed to preserve the lives of those who would otherwise die and go to hell without a Savior. Our lives are to bring such ‘flavor’ (a sweet aroma, a desired transformation, a comfort, a satisfaction and a calm assurance) to an unbeliever’s life that they would gain a desire for the same attributes, and a desire for the Savior that we would constantly and consistently attribute the origination of our gift(s) to. Friends, I believe that we should have such an impact on those that we come into contact with, that their lives might be enhanced, just life salt enhances food to be more palatable. The other attribute taught by Jesus is ‘light’. Friends, please try this simple little illustration. Make a room totally dark tonight and then try moving around in the room. Then turn on just a very small flashlight, and notice the difference it makes in the large dark room. It makes a huge difference. We too live in a very dark world – darkened by sin. Jesus wants us to be relief to those who struggle in darkness – perhaps no hope, perhaps no light at the end of their dark and dreary tunnel. In the Bible Jesus is known as ‘light’. When the unsaved discovers a ray of hope in us, it reminds them of Jesus, the Light of the world, and it draws them closer to Him. To a mariner, a small light at the top of a lighthouse gives direction and hope. An unbeliever struggling in a dark world will receive a ray of hope and new direction from a Christian who lets the light of Jesus shine out from them in their actions and words. So friends, may I encourage you to allow your life to impact the lives of others like salt impacts the taste of food, and to allow the light of Jesus to shine bright enough through you that the unsaved receives hope when you walk into a room with them? May Jesus be praised today because of the difference you will make in someone’s life!

PRAYER: Dear God, as Your humble servants, may we seek Your face and allow You to impact our lives in such a way that we, in turn, may impact the lives of those that we come into contact with. May we be ‘salt’ to their dull and meaningless lives, and may we be as a ‘light’ in their dark world where there seems to be no hope. We are capable of nothing like this without Your supernatural power in and through us, so Lord I pray that You might be given full reign over us today. Touch the lives of those that You know need refreshment, restoration or a new outlook on life – life eternal. Please use us in Your own special way today is my humble and sincere prayer that I ask in the name of Jesus, AMEN!

How To Be Faithful in Following Jesus

On 2015-09-012015-09-01 By Ed AlgreenIn Committed, Sold out, UnwaveringLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (New Living Translation – Matthew 4:18-22): ¹⁸ One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. ¹⁹ Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” ²⁰ And they left their nets at once and followed him. ²¹ A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. ²² They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.

THOUGHTS: Imagine for a moment if Peter and Andrew had concluded after meeting Jesus that He was a good man and would make a wonderful Savior for many people, especially for those who had time to follow Him around and observe His marvelous works. Imagine how little impact Jesus would have had on these two men if they chose to continue making a living and left Jesus alone to go and impact the brothers up the road who had nothing better to do. James and John had similar choices to make in verses 21 and 22, but like Peter and Andrew, these guys immediately dropped what they were doing and followed Jesus. Friends these stories were included in the Word to show us the impact of total surrender. I don’t believe for a moment that God intends for every Christian to give up our jobs to be obedient followers of His. However, I do believe that God is showing us that it is important for us to take a 180 degree turn from what we did as a sinner, so that we might prove to whom we now belong. We don’t need to prove it to God, for He knows our very inmost thoughts and desires, but we need to convince ourselves that we have seriously redirected our lives to following the Savior, the King of all kings, Jesus Christ. We need to prove it to our friends. We can’t continue doing the things of this world (Satan approved things) and still expect our friends to see a difference in our lives. Think about everyday scenarios: what do you do when you go on a diet? You can’t lose weight eating the same junk food and sweets that brought you to your obese state in the first place. What do you do when you get married? You can’t hang out with your buddies until the wee hours of the morning and expect to go home and find your new spouse happily waiting for you. So what about the Christian walk? I would dare say that you can’t live like the Devil and say that you are a Christian. We have to leave the garbage behind, much like the disciples left their nets and their boats behind, and choose to give God our all – our undying allegiance, our unwavering love and dedication. Show Him that You are serious about the decision you made to follow Him – perhaps He will use you like He did in the case of the disciples mentioned! Won’t that be awesome!

PRAYER: Gracious Lord, thank You for being patient with us. I’m afraid that too often we tend to try and continue doing what we’ve always done, yet expect different results, or worse still – try to convince ourselves that our allegiance has changed. Lord, I believe that these four disciples were so sold out to you that they gave up their fishing careers to become ‘fishers of men’ in your kingdom work. I am convinced that we need more folk like this today Lord, so that the world might know without a doubt who rules in our lives. Please work on us today and convict us of any shortfall You see in our lives and our commitment to You. May we be usable instruments in Your hands to reach the lost. I ask this in the strong and unwavering name of Jesus, AMEN!

God the Creator

On 2015-08-312015-08-31 By Ed AlgreenIn Almighty, Beginning, CreatorLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (New Living Translation – Genesis 1:1-3): ¹In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. ³ Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

THOUGHTS: Friends, I just completed my study through the entire Bible and found that God was not only the Creator and Author of life and all aspects of this earth and living forms, but He is still Savior and Redeemer of our sins, and is actively involved in every aspect of every detail in keeping this world going as we know it. You see, He has an eternal purpose for us, and He wants us to survive the evil and hardships of this old world! At the end of the Book, I found where He has a much better place prepared for us, praise to the Almighty, the King of glory! What I find exciting as I begin my journey again through this great Book, is the reminder right up front that “in the beginning was God”. In other words, nothing existed before Him, and based upon what I shared about the end of the Book, all roads for the believer in Jesus Christ, leads to eternity with Him! What an exciting journey! For the non-Christian, may I encourage you to seek Jesus while He is available to you! I will not go into detail about what happens if you don’t, but simply remember two key words: Satan and Hell. Unfortunately you are headed towards an ugly finish unless you humble yourself before Jesus Christ and accept the free gift of eternal life that only He can provide. Please look deep into my ‘Footnote’ for details on how you might turn your life around. To the Christian Brother or Sister meditating on this devotional, may I encourage you to be faithful, and to place your hand in the hand of the One who created everything from nothing at all? Our God had the power to take a formless, dark, empty planet and create the beauty that you and I enjoy today! Can you even imagine that? Can’t you imagine how God can easily handle our problems, even though they may seem so overwhelming to us and impossible to overcome in our eyes? Won’t you trust Him with your whole life today friend? I’m sure He can handle it!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for reassuring me of Your awesome power in creating everything – from nothing at all. You provided such peace and tranquility to calm us and even the foods for us to eat. As I begin my study back at the beginning of Your great Book, thank You for this great reminder of how You were there before anything else was, and that You, who had the power to create everything, can be trusted to handle my problems – big or small in my eyes. I serve such an awesome and all powerful God! Please impact the mind and lives of those who will meditate on this devotional today so that they too might be encouraged, for we place such pressure on ourselves when we cannot handle all of life’s challenges. We are reminded that nothing is too big for You oh Lord, including our problems, if only we will surrender them to You. I respectfully ask that Your perfect will be accomplished in our lives today, for I ask all this in the strong name of Jesus, AMEN!

Invitation and Rewards

On 2015-08-282015-08-28 By Ed AlgreenIn Evangelism, Humility, WitnessingLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (Easy-To-Read Version – Revelation 22:12-13; 17): ¹² “Listen, I am coming soon! I will bring rewards with me. I will repay everyone for what they have done. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
¹⁷ The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Everyone who hears this should also say, “Come!” All who are thirsty may come; they can have the water of life as a free gift if they want it.

THOUGHTS: Depending on who’s pitching a party it could be well attended, because invitees look forward to the eats, drinks and favors that normally abound. In other words, the rewards. Our scripture today is very comforting in many respects and I want us to be encouraged in several ways by what it reveals to us. Through John, God reassures us that He is coming back soon, and that He is bringing rewards with Him. I don’t believe that this is intended to bribe, because throughout the Bible we are told about the hope, the everlasting life, the worship around the throne and the joy that believers in Christ can look forward to when Jesus returns to take His bride with Him. So I believe that this is just reassurance of the promises already given to us in the Word. Now in verses 14 thru 16 we are shown how God will recognize and accept those who claim Him as Lord, but in verse 17 we are encouraged to spread the Word (invite) at every opportunity, for it says that if we hear this call of God to come, we are encouraged to spread this word to those that we come into contact with. The invitation is extended to everyone (ALL) – even those who are parched by the lack of love and understanding from this world, for they will receive refreshment – water that provides life like never experienced before. Friends, notice that there are no conditions or special classes qualified in either of these types mentioned. The Word says that for everyone who hears, they should invite others to come. We tend to feel like that’s the preacher’s job. If you received a gift of money, you wouldn’t wait for the bank to tell everyone, you would be telling everyone how blessed you are financially. Look also at who are filtered from the list of those who can come to satisfy their thirst. The Word specifically reaffirms what was said in John 3:16 – ALL may come to the fountain of life to satisfy their thirst, or as relayed in John “that whosoever believes on Him may have eternal life”. To the Christian, we dare not limit to whom we will share the gospel. To the uncommitted, unsaved, non-believer, be encouraged that this invitation in opened to you. Lay aside the weights (sin) that might be holding you down, and accept the invitation from my Master today, is my humble plea to you. You deserve the best from the King of all kings, and God wants you to have it!

PRAYER: Thank You Father for Your precious and holy Word. Thank You that even right up to the end of the Book Your promise is still there and Your desire to see us in heaven with You is still very real! Thank You for once again reminding Christians to share the Good News, and to be a light in this dark world of sin. A light that represents the Light of the World. Thank You for sharing a message of hope for the lost right up to the end of this great Book. There is hope for us all, and I thank You for thinking of us all. I pray that I might be the messenger of hope that You expect of Your children, so that those that I rub up against might know that my Redeemer lives and is available to them. We are blessed with Your Word, now may we be a blessing to others, is my humble prayer that I ask in the precious name of Jesus, AMEN!

Nuggets From God's Word

Tag: Savior