Tag: Savior

Coming Soon!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Come Soon, Ready to GoLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – Revelation 22:6-7): 6 …These words are true and can be trusted. The Lord God controls the spirits of his prophets, and he is the one who sent his angel to show his servants what must happen right away. 7 Remember, I am coming soon! God will bless everyone who pays attention to the message of this book.

THOUGHTS: Often the entertainment world will use the term ‘Coming Soon’ to build excitement about an upcoming movie that movie makers may have invested millions of dollars to produce. Perhaps a popular entertainer has been booked to perform near you, and this same phrase may be used to build excitement and help you invite friends to attend the event near you. In this passage of scripture, I feel like the phrase was used to both warn and build excitement. A warning because God knew that He had created humans prone to procrastinate – wait until the last minute to do something. Throughout the Bible we have been taught about our Master and Lord. Told about how He sacrificed His one and only Son, Jesus, so that we could enjoy eternal life with Him in glory. There are still way too many folk who keep that promise in the back of their mind as an alternative, or option, should they ever feel like their end is nearing. I feel like we should carefully weigh the impact of what will happen to those who have chosen to ignore this warning. Think about the opposite of what was said in verse 7. Not good. However, when we think about the excitement that builds in the minds and lives of those who have accepted Jesus as Lord and are obedient to the things told to us in the Bible, this phrase brings the excitement of expectation and impatient anticipation. We just wish that Jesus would go ahead and come now, so that we don’t have to worry about stuff like another possible financial market crash, or a hurricane that looks like it is quickly approaching our shores, or possible medical challenges that seem inevitable. In fact, when you’re ready for an event, you often wish that it would go ahead and happen! Friends, I feel like the excitement often prods us to reach out to others and share the coming news/event and to invite our friends to participate. That’s called ‘evangelism’ or ‘witnessing’ in the Christian’s ‘world’, because we don’t want anyone to be left behind. We also get very tired of the negative impact of the adversary in our everyday walk of life. In fact we often cry out ‘Come Soon Lord Jesus‘!

PRAYER: The promise is real and the anticipation is building oh Lord! Please Come Soon, and take Your church away from this wicked world, for we want to be with You. We want our heavenly home and we want so badly to be absent from this world and present with the Lord. This scripture today has inspired me to think less of the everyday concerns of this world, and instead, keep my eyes focused on the light at the end of the tunnel! Thank You for the reassurance, the reminder and the excitement that builds every time that we are reminded of being in the presence of our Father, the forgiveness of our sins, the reinforced truth of God’s Word and the anticipated worship time around the feet of Jesus! Come Soon Lord Jesus! I worship You and ask these many things in the worthy name of Jesus, For Thou Alone are Worthy, 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!

Permission Granted To Enter

On By Ed AlgreenIn Lamb's Book of Life, Salvation, Saved, WorthyLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – Revelation 21:27): 27 But nothing unworthy will be allowed to enter. No one who is dirty-minded or who tells lies will be there. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life will be in the city.

THOUGHTS: I recently took an international trip. Because I was leaving my country of citizenship, I needed proof to show the authorities of the visiting country that I was who I said I was. They saw from my passport that I was a legal person in my home country, now they had to decide if they felt OK about letting me into their country. They were not at all interested in allowing a ‘bad’ person into their country. In fact, most immigration officers would check to make sure that I was not on a ‘bad’ list of persons that should not be allowed entry. In every case, it is highly advised that you never attempt to enter another country unprepared, otherwise they will use their option to decline you entrance into their country. In our scripture today John is sharing with us what we might expect when we make our final crossing – the one from planet earth to our final destination. I will point to the very last sentence in our scripture today, where we are told that only those whose names are in the book of life will be allowed into heaven. Friends, you will recall from many earlier devotionals where we discussed such things as salvation, redemption, a loving Savior, a sacrificial death for the forgiveness of our sin, only one way, and many other like phrases and or studies to help remind ourselves of the need, and the only way of preparing ourselves for acceptance into God’s heaven. In my above travel story, notice that I had to ask for permission to enter the foreign country. Notice that based on my past behavior, they opted to allow me entrance. Notice that John is given a very similar scenario in this verse. You must have accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, and therefore gotten your name into the Lamb’s book of life. However, this is not like an airline ticket that you purchase, and then live any way you want until the day of your trip. For we are told that nothing unworthy, no dirty-minded person, nor liars would be permitted there. In other words, if you have accepted Jesus and lived your life like He personally demonstrated, and as explained through His biblical saints, then chances are that you are who you say you are. Although I sincerely hope that none of you reading this devotional would ignore the warnings here, I want to be sure and remind you that failure to be accepted in heaven automatically directs you to hell. There are only two destinations. Hell is the Lake of fire that we talked about yesterday, so I sincerely pray that you have either made your travel preparations for heaven already, or that God will melt your hardened hearts today so that you might seek the face of Jesus and His righteousness, and invite Him into your heart and life. This is the only means into heaven. I want to see you there friend, please don’t disappoint me!

PRAYER: Thank You Father for the reminder of what we must do today to prepare for our final crossing of the border between our current home and the next. For those of us that know You, our minds are fixed on heaven and our celebratory time we will enjoy worshiping at Your feet. However this scripture has reminded us that for those who are not prepared for heaven, they are destined for hell – a place of eternal torment. The main reason we live today Lord, is to evangelize and encourage those that have not made a decision yet to accept You as Lord and Savior. May this be a day that your saints will be energized to share, to encourage and to live life as a full demonstration of God’s love for us, so that our family, friends and coworkers might see the results of Your grace in our lives. We long to be with You oh Lord. Please make our waiting time here worthwhile by using us to touch the lives of those needing You. I ask all this in the strong name of Jesus, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or read through Biblical truths on How To Know Jesus, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Describe Your Dream City

On By Ed AlgreenIn Heaven, Reunion Day, SalvationLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (New Century Version – Revelation 21:18-21): 18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city was made of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundation stones of the city walls were decorated with every kind of jewel. The first foundation was jasper, the second was sapphire, the third was chalcedony, the fourth was emerald, 20 the fifth was onyx, the sixth was carnelian, the seventh was chrysolite, the eighth was beryl, the ninth was topaz, the tenth was chrysoprase, the eleventh was jacinth, and the twelfth was amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate having been made from a single pearl. And the street of the city was made of pure gold as clear as glass.

THOUGHTS: If asked to describe your current city where you live, you may describe its economic makeup, its average temperature, its major historic sites or perhaps its key visitor points of interest. However if asked to describe the place in which you may want to retire, the description might be more ideal to the things you have always wished you could do, or perhaps tend to be the opposite of anything you don’t care for in your current town! Now I want you to imagine the city where we will meet with our Heavenly King. What might that city look like if it is to truly house our Lord and Savior, our God, all the great saints that have gone on before us? Could anyone possible construct it in such a way to present our creator in all of His glory? Isn’t it awesome to imagine that the God of this universe has a special city that will house His saints that will be totally perfect? Read the description given by John in these verses and catch a glimpse! Now, let’s take this one step further. Imagine arising for the first time in such an awesome city and you have absolutely no interest in the beauty of its walls or streets, but rather, your mind is fixed on meeting your Creator, your Redeemer, your Savior, your Healer, your Deliverer, your Sacrificial Lamb, your King who is King over all kings! Imagine how insignificant everything else will be? Friends, this is just a taste of the rewards that the redeemed of the Lord is looking forward to, for we have met the King of which I referred, and we absolutely believe Him when He declared in His Word that He is preparing a place for us. Our hearts are overwhelmed with joy when we read accounts like this, because we are reminded of how soon that reunion day will really be. Down here I love to sing that old gospel hymn “What A Day That Will Be, When my Jesus I Shall See“. On days like this when I think about my eternal home and my loving Savior who will greet me, I can only sing “Oh that will be, Glory for me“! Friends, it’s not really about the ‘city’, even though I could only imagine that it will be superb. It’s all about the Savior who will reside there, and that Glad Reunion Day when all the saints will gather to meet Him face to face. I’ve made arrangements to be there friend, have you? If unsure, I’ve provided help in my ‘Footnote’ and would encourage you to study it closely and follow through with a decision today. It’s that important!

PRAYER: Father, it’s not really about the ‘city’, it’s about that glorious reunion day with You! Everything else will be insignificant. I thank You Lord for touching me, convincing me of my sin and leading me to the cross of Calvary to meet You, the One who gave it all that I might be considered ‘not guilty’, but worthy of a crown from the Master. Father, I would humbly ask that You soften the hearts of my relatives and friends who have been stubborn to Your call on their life so far. I really want to know that they will join me in that beautiful city where we will meet You face to face. Lord, may this be a day of decision for them, please? Touch the hearts and encourage the souls of each one that reads this devotional today dear God. May they see Jesus and look forward to His return! I glorify in Your wonderful name oh Lord, and I look forward with great anticipation to that Great Day. Come quickly oh Lord! For I ask all this in the all-powerful and wonderful name of Jesus, my risen 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 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!

Do You Believe?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Faithful, PersistenceLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (Easy To Read Version – John 6:64-69): 64 …some of you don’t believe.” (Jesus knew the people who did not believe. He knew this from the beginning. And he knew the one who would hand him over to his enemies.) 65 Jesus said, “That is why I said, ‘Anyone the Father does not help to come to me cannot come.'” 66 After Jesus said these things, many of his followers left and stopped following him. 67 Jesus asked the twelve apostles, “Do you want to leave too?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, where would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. 69 We believe in you. We know that you are the Holy One from God.”

THOUGHTS: Divorce rates are at an all-time high. Churches are closing their doors because of low attendance, lack of commitment and/or lack of financial resources. What do you suppose might be the reasons for this decline in Christian/Biblical principles? Where do you stand friend? Isn’t it interesting to note from this scripture that this is not a new problem? In fact, these disciples who turned away and stopped following Jesus even had the opportunity to see Jesus physically, and hear Him speak in person, yet because they couldn’t grasp exactly what Jesus was teaching they decided to stop following Him? To put this into perspective, I believe this would equal the same thing as some today that leave the church because they don’t understand or don’t agree with the things taught about God, even if directly from His Word. I believe that we have become such a ‘politically correct’ world, that people are used to the idea of not being told directly that what they are doing is ‘SIN’. Folk have become accustomed to having things ‘sugar coated’ so that their blatant sin is dismissed as just a difference of opinion, or old school philosophy. A good friend had a pastor tell him and a group gathered this summer, that the Lord’s Prayer is outdated. Really? Unfortunately we have become so wishy-washy in our beliefs and our stand on what we believe, that we find it very easy to just walk away, like these disciples did with Jesus, instead of supporting our pastors and teachers with our prayers, our moral support and our attendance. Could it be that we have become so lax in studying the Word of God that we have lost sight of what it says, what it means, what it stands for, and the Master Designer that it teaches about? Could it be that we, like the disciples, turn a deaf ear to teachings that challenge our sin, and we find it very easy to just turn away and run from such direct teachings? Friends, let’s remember that we have a sinful nature, and since God’s Word is designed to challenge us on that ungodly nature, we will have our toes stepped on and our sinful beliefs and habits challenged. The BIG questions is: “What then will you do with Jesus”? Judas turned Him in and He was subsequently crucified. You may not be that cruel, but running from Him will hurt Him just as bad. Especially after He considers the return thanks for His enormous sacrifice that He made for you, even while you hated and rejected Him. You may attend church friend, you may have even walked the isle at church or you may read your Bible whenever you can get around to it, but do you truly believe in Christ? Have you invited Him to rule and reign in your life? Remember, there is no forgiveness of sin without first becoming intimate with God and asking His Son Jesus into your life as your Lord and personal Savior. Reading this devotional today is proof that it is not too late for you to seek Jesus, and His righteousness. Please read through my ‘Footnote’ for tips on how to know Jesus. Then commit to giving Him full control of your life, for the rest of your life! No turning back, friend!

PRAYER: Lord, I believe. Please help any and all areas of unbelief that may develop in me. Please touch the hearts of those reading this devotional who may think the same way as the disciples who walked away. We may not always understand why, but please help us to trust You with every fiber of our being and therefore find comfort in knowing that all things work together for good, to those who place their trust in You. We’re not prone to quit in other areas of our life, so please give us strength and confidence to never give up on You. It seems like there will be more and more pressure on Christians to stand firm in our belief. Lord, may we never sell out, but rather stand firm to the end. You did that for us and I pray that we will always be faithful to You. I ask for strength, persistence, commitment and assurance for believers today, so that Your people will be sure of the One in whom they believe and bold in standing firm in the faith right until the end of time. In the precious and everlasting name of Jesus, I ask all this oh God, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or read through Biblical truths on How To Know Jesus, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

The Rest of the Story!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Choices, Eternity, SurrenderLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – Revelation 21:3-8): 3 I heard a loud voice shout from the throne: God’s home is now with his people. He will live with them, and they will be his own. Yes, God will make his home among his people. 4 He will wipe all tears from their eyes, and there will be no more death, suffering, crying, or pain. These things of the past are gone forever. 5 Then the one sitting on the throne said: I am making everything new. Write down what I have said. My words are true and can be trusted. 6 Everything is finished! I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give water from the life-giving fountain to everyone who is thirsty. 7 All who win the victory will be given these blessings. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 8 But I will tell you what will happen to cowards and to everyone who is unfaithful or dirty-minded or who murders or is sexually immoral or uses witchcraft or worships idols or tells lies. They will be thrown into that lake of fire and burning sulfur. This is the second death.

THOUGHTS: For those of you who have followed Nuggets for a while will remember that we covered from the creation of the world, to the birth of Jesus, through the miracles and life changing events that occurred during His short life, then through His death/crucifixion and resurrection. All of this happened in perfect timing, and this information has been widely available for years, to show that although we are born into a world of sin and perhaps little hope, we realize when we read the last book of the Bible that all these happenings were for a reason. They brought us hope and a promise, that if we surrender our lives to Jesus – God’s sacrificial gift to man, then we would be included in the family of God referred to in verse 3. The whole plan comes together friends! For those who wisely surrendered their lives to the lordship of Jesus Christ during their lifetime, we can look forward to having God live among us in an atmosphere of peace, comfort and tranquility – no more tears, death, suffering, crying or pain. Everything new! Everything as we know it today will be finished! Fortunately we are also warned about what will happen to those who choose to do life their own way. In verse 8 these folk are given just the opposite treatment. Friends, we know the Bible is true, for it is one of the most widely printed and studied books there is, plus its content has been proven over and over again. In the financial world, if we know of impending doom we try to avoid it by investing much more conservatively. In our physical environments, we try to protect ourselves when we are warned of hurricanes and/or other acts of God. I am very concerned for the millions of people who have chosen to accept the latter conditions mentioned in verse 8. There are choices that our family and friends can make to improve their eternal destiny. Are we praying enough, or encouraging enough, or doing enough to help them make wiser choices today Christians? The end of the story is very exciting for those who have made arrangements to be in the presence of Jesus and His Father! It can be the same for those of you reading this who are not sure of your position/destiny. Please follow the steps in my Footnote to receive help and sure up your position about heaven or hell as your destination, and God vs Satan for your eternal master. I would welcome the opportunity to help!

PRAYER: Thank You Father for providing everything for Your children. It is unfortunate, but we believe that there are still many who have chosen to ignore Your gift of eternal life and settle for the Lake of Fire referenced in our scripture this morning. Many of these are our family, friends and coworkers, and we are very concerned about their sanity in this kind of decision. I realize that Satan is busy at work, distracting his followers from the truth of which I have referenced here today, but I am blessed and assured to know that Christians are following the same Savior today as will lead us on that day referenced in verse 3 above! Oh Lord, please use Your saints to be an influence in the lives of those who do not call You Lord. Please keep us from being stumbling blocks, but to stay firm in our belief and always lift up the name of Jesus in all that we do and say. May lives be impacted for You today, is my humble plea oh Lord. All this I ask in the bountiful name of Jesus, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or read through Biblical truths on How To Know Jesus, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Do Everything For The Glory Of God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Glory of GodLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Living Bible – 1 Corinthians 10:29-33): 29 ….you may ask, must I be guided and limited by what someone else thinks? 30 If I can thank God for the food and enjoy it, why let someone spoil everything just because he thinks I am wrong? 31 Well, I’ll tell you why. It is because you must do everything for the glory of God, even your eating and drinking. 32 So don’t be a stumbling block to anyone, whether they are Jews or Gentiles or Christians. 33 That is the plan I follow, too. I try to please everyone in everything I do, not doing what I like or what is best for me but what is best for them, so that they may be saved.

THOUGHTS: To a very large extent we tend to build our lives around people who please us; doing all the things that please us; and having all the things that make us happy. Paul had to address this in the Corinthian church, and I believe that his teaching is included in the Word of God, because we need to be reminded of this today also. In this particular chapter Paul was addressing the subject of some being convinced that they could not eat certain foods, while others were quite OK with that and saw nothing wrong with that, nor how it would affect their relationship with God. Paul’s conviction was that we should be careful to do what pleases God, not just ourselves. In fact Paul directed us to do only those things that will glorify God, and that opens a much wider spectrum of principles about we should do, why we should do it and how we should do it. For God has taught throughout His Word the wide variety of principles and characteristics that He has modeled, and that He is pleased with. So let’s take the example of food that Paul taught about in this chapter. This still exists today, because there are some who feel like there are certain foods that would defile their bodies, and some even feel that this is based on Biblical references – and therefore may displease God. I believe that we are being taught to make every effort to please God in our own convictions rather than creating animosity with that Brother or Sister who is trying to please God through what they eat. Unfortunately, we sometimes become so wrapped up in the unimportant aspects of a Christian’s beliefs and practices, that we lose sight of their relationship with God. In other words, whether we force them to eat what we eat or not, it’s a matter of personal relationship with God and the decisions made by the individual about accepting Jesus as Savior that makes a difference of where they will spend eternity. If we are not careful, we could become a stumbling block to the very people we feel led to help. As a child of God, our aim should always be to please Him through the way that we live, not by trying to be ‘God’. Our path to living like God designed is very clear in His Word, let’s learn to live like that and rub off on as many as we can as they try to do the same. Maybe at that point we will have more impact on the unbeliever also, for we will truly imitate our loving Lord, and act more like He intended. It’s all about God friend, not our personal ideals.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for loving us in spite of our silly personal ideals. Thank You for speaking through Paul to redirect our attention towards You instead of trying to impose our imperfections onto others. May our daily goal always be to please You in all that we do and say. To be more like You and to draw closer to You in every way. You have taught us to love everyone and to encourage them instead of tearing down and destroying. May we be more like You every day, and may it be evident to all that we come into contact with, is my humble plea that I ask for myself and encourage my readers to do the same also. For I ask this in the loving and awesome name of Jesus, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or read through Biblical truths on How To Know Jesus, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

The Consequences of Disobedience

On By Ed AlgreenIn Forgiveness, Obedience, SurrenderLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Message – Zechariah 7:9-14): 9-10 Well, the message hasn’t changed. God-of-the-Angel-Armies said then and says now: “‘treat one another justly. Love your neighbors. Be compassionate with each other. Don’t take advantage of widows, orphans, visitors, and the poor. Don’t plot and scheme against one another—that’s evil.’ 11–13 “But did your ancestors listen? No, they set their jaws in defiance. They shut their ears. They steeled themselves against God’s revelation and the Spirit-filled sermons preached by the earlier prophets by order of God-of-the-Angel-Armies. And God became angry, really angry, because he told them everything plainly and they wouldn’t listen to a word he said. 13–14 “So [this is what God-of-the-Angel-Armies said] if they won’t listen to me, I won’t listen to them. I scattered them to the four winds. They ended up strangers wherever they were.

THOUGHTS: I am fascinated how history repeats itself in spite of the lessons we should learn from our past. Much like Zechariah did when sharing the visions he was blessed with from God, our pastors today dig into God’s Word seeking what God might reveal to them that would bless and/or convict their church members. They share with us the consequences of disobedience by our ancestors, hoping that we would see the error of our ways, turn from our sin and obey God without the need for further consequences for us. A few sins were mentioned in verses 9 and 10, and not only do we still see these unfortunate sins recurring today, but they were also concerns mentioned in the New Testament. Several translations used the same verbiage in verse 11 that indicates to me that it is of grave concern to our Master. I believe that it truly concerns Him when He sees us plot and scheme against one another. When we look for ways to hurt one another. He announces this as pure evil and I believe this is something that we must not only be on guard for personally, but also look for ways to help each other fight against this awful sin. Let’s learn to pray for each other, that we would see the good in fellow humans and learn to celebrate it. Let us learn to pray for the parts of life where others find it challenging to do it just like Jesus would have done it, or perhaps expects of us. I believe the biggest thing that got my attention in these verses today, is the consequences of disobedience. The Word says “if we don’t listen to/obey God, He won’t listen to us” Oh my, oh my! Do you suppose that this is the reason we feel like we are hitting brick walls with our prayers, or feeling ignored by God? There’s an old spiritual that I learned later in life that I am reminded of as I meditated on these words today: “It’s me, it’s me oh Lord, Standing in the need of prayer“, it’s not my brother or my sister that I need to be most concerned about, but I need to get my act together first and take care of my personal cleansing before God first, before attempting to help a brother or sister where I easily see glaringly obvious sin. I don’t know about you friend, but I need God to listen to me, so it is imperative that I listen to Him and obey Him. Will you commit to doing the same? It is so critical that we have believers who are actually getting through to God with our needs and concerns. Let’s do our part in being obedient.

PRAYER: Dear God, please forgive us for so easily attempting to do Your job by zoning in on the wrongs of others, while overlooking the sin in our own lives. “It’s me, it’s me oh Lord, standing in the need of prayer – not my brother or my sister, but me….” I need thee every hour of every day, for in my own strength I cannot overcome the evil pull of this life. Please touch the lives of each one that will read this devotional. Please impact their lives with a desire to surrender full control of their lives to You so that we all may be usable instruments for Your kingdom work here on this earth. I humbly ask these things in the wonderful, and strong name of Jesus, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or read through Biblical truths on How To Know Jesus, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

The Reason We Worship

On By Ed AlgreenIn God alone, WorshipLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – Revelation 19:10): 10 I knelt at the feet of the angel and began to worship him. But the angel said, “Don’t do that! I am a servant, just like you and everyone else who tells about Jesus. Don’t worship anyone but God. Everyone who tells about Jesus does it by the power of the Spirit.”

THOUGHTS: In this particular revelation (vision) John had been shown and told about the Wedding Feast of the Lamb and he was told to put it in writing that everyone is invited to the feast. John was so overwhelmed with joy about this that he dropped to his knees in worship to the angel revealing this. I believe that God particularly got my attention on what John was warned about, because I believe that we are so close to doing the same thing today in various ways. Think about the reason you give to someone you are inviting to church. Do you ever tell about the miraculous work that God is doing in and through the congregation? It seems to me that it’s always more about the beautiful church building that they must come and see, or the wonderful worship leader who provides the best entertainment this side of heaven, or the pastor who really has his act together and can keep your attention with exciting and humorous sermons. Is it any wonder why we hear of folk going to church and leaving empty, unfulfilled and getting absolutely nothing from the service, if they attend for the wrong reason(s)? I heard a young worship leader say that he always prays that he would not be a worship leader, but a leader that worships and others follow suite. I believe that many of our Christian leaders stand before us with similar heart desires. When we invite folk to come and see/worship the qualities of our leaders, then we are showing our leaders that they are totally ‘missing the point’ in their endeavors. I also believe that most unbelievers who hear us brag about anything other than Christ alone, quickly get the point that this is not what they are looking for. A lost person looking to return, or gain a relationship with Christ, wants to hear how open your church is in allowing you access, and leading you, to the Father. They find beautiful buildings around town, and they have leaders who draw attention to themselves at work every day. When the unsaved hear that we have found the King of kings and Lord of lords, and a place that we can connect with Him corporately each week, they want a piece of that because that can’t be found in their workplace or anywhere else that they frequent every day. Please join me in telling others about the joy of the Lord, not the happenings of our church, or the messenger God blessed us with to help point us to Him. Please click on the following link and be led into worship as the song plays and you prepare to address God in prayer: For He (God) alone is worthy of our worship!

PRAYER: You alone are worthy of our worship and praise oh God! May we keep our personal and corporate worship aligned with Your original design for us. May we find You in our worship, and not just a beautiful church building in which to worship, or a wonderful worship leader or pastor that has the ability to lead us into an atmosphere of worship. For it’s You that makes a difference in this world, and it’s You alone who can change a broken and contrite heart to be better aligned with Your original design. Please forgive us for allowing the things of this world to change us, instead of the creator of this world who truly has the power to change us. Please change our concept of how to invite others to corporate worship with us. Constantly remind us that it was You who changed our hardened hearts and not anything, or anyone else. As we are reminded of that, please help us to share the root of our salvation and not the after effect or result of our salvation. People need the Lord, not just another church or human leader. May we always point to You dear God, the author and finisher of our faith. I ask all these things in the name of the One who sacrificed His life for my sin, Jesus the 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 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!

What Triggers Your Praise?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Faithfulness, Loving-Kindness, WorshipLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Living Bible – Psalm 138:1-3): 1 Lord, with all my heart I thank you. I will sing your praises before the armies of angels. 2 I face your Temple as I worship, giving thanks to you for all your loving-kindness and your faithfulness, for your promises are backed by all the honor of your name. 3 When I pray, you answer me and encourage me by giving me the strength I need.

THOUGHTS: In this Psalm we can see where David was touched by, or reminded of the love of God and His undying faithfulness, and it triggered his worship of God. Notice that David said he faced the temple as he worshipped, but he didn’t wait until the next worship service where he could watch the praise team worship or the pastor rejoice over a passage of scripture that God spoke to him about. Friends please don’t get me wrong, each of these things I mentioned are important, but I truly believe that when we recognize the love of our God, when we feel His precious love for us individually and we realize that He is faithful to us in every aspect of our lives, then we will be moved to worship God on a very personal level. When we do that, I believe that our corporate worship services will take on a whole new dimension, for our churches will be filled with worshippers, not just Christians looking for a place to be electrified, or energized by a good worship leader or an awesome praise team. David goes on in these verses to say that he is reminded that all of the promises of God are backed by the honor of His holy name – the name above all names! He is also encouraged that the God of this universe answers his prayers and encourages him by giving him the strength that he needs to go on each day and live a strong and noble life for the Lord. These are all wonderful reminders for us to also worship our God, but this list is not all inclusive. For I think of the wonders of nature that He places before me as I drive to work, the beauty of another sunrise, the blessing of rain, of cows and wildlife playing in the fields and pastures. Most of all, like David, I am amazed that the God of this universe takes time to listen to my prayers and answers/comforts my concerns. Who am I that a Kind should bleed and die for? Yet, I am convinced that He would have sacrificed himself on that old cruel cross if I was the only one in need of a Savior. He loved me that much, and it is no different in the love that my Savior has for each of you today friend. Worship Him! Thank Him! Recognize His goodness and never attribute His careful and deliberate love for you as mere chance or good luck. Make every effort to be a personal, worshipping believer, not just one looking for a place for corporate worship of the Savior who loves you personally so very much.

PRAYER: Father in heaven, You have given us so much reason to worship You from the depth of our heart. Please awaken Your saints from the sleep of laziness, or dependence on others and/or other influences to invoke a heart of worship within us. Please help us to rest from the busyness of this life long enough to reflect on Your goodness, Your love and Your undying faithfulness. The Psalmist has triggered our minds and reminded us of the awesome joy in lifting up praise and worship to You, may this be a day that our eyes will be opened to reflect on Your beauty and Your goodness and may we recommit to a personal relationship with the God of this universe who loves us personally and cares for us intimately. Thank You Father for loving and caring for even me. These things I ask of You in the precious name of Your Son, my Savior and King, Jesus. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or read through Biblical truths on How To Know Jesus, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Blessings Based on Priorities

On By Ed AlgreenIn Appreciation, Giving, ObedienceLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (Contemporary English Version – Haggai 1:8-11): 8 But first, go to the hills and get wood for my temple, so I can take pride in it and be worshiped there. 9 You expected much, but received only a little. And when you brought it home, I made that little disappear. Why have I done this? It’s because you hurry off to build your own houses, while my temple is still in ruins. 10 That’s also why the dew doesn’t fall and your harvest fails. 11 And so, at my command everything will become barren—your farmland and pastures, your vineyards and olive trees, your animals and you yourselves. All your hard work will be for nothing.

THOUGHTS: I found it interesting how God got His point across to Haggai about why his people were not being blessed. I believe it is obvious that our God is a jealous God, yet we have clearly been forced to think about what a selfish and ungrateful bunch we are. Let’s reflect for a moment on how we act. We were created to worship and serve God. We are blessed beyond compare in the homes that we have and the food that we eat, plus the rich churches and church leaders who welcome us under their care. We enjoy fair health, and many of us enjoy jobs that help us to care for our families. So I believe you might agree with me that God keeps His end of the bargain in our lives. In the case of Haggai’s people, the Israelites, is it any wonder that God became upset when He declared that the people thought so little about Him that they allowed His temple to run into disrepair while their houses were extravagant and plush? In other words, their priority was definitely not on worshipping God and giving of their best to Him in their lives. So now let’s see how this might relate to us today in a comparative scenario. In spite of fairly high levels of unemployment and poverty, I believe that there has never been a people as blessed as we are. Yet we still see folk starving in our world, and we see churches closing their doors because of lack of finances. We make decisions about our church attendance based on the weather – good weather equals beach and/or family time versus bad weather means that since there’s nothing better to do we may as well go to church. Some have enormous incomes while others have only minimal wages, yet some won’t give a tithe because it sounds like way too much to give to the church, while others feel like they can’t afford a tithe, even though God promised to bless the remaining 90% in both scenarios, beyond anything we could imagine. When God orders that we give, do we not trust Him to properly handle the gifts we give, or the remaining portion to meet our needs? Did He really mean for us to put conditions on everything that He ordered for us to do or give? Yet we have become a people that expect everything promised without any conditions being applied to us! John 3:16 says that God loved the world so much that He gave…. No conditions, just that He gave… Can we love Him enough today to just give…. without conditions? Perhaps our blessings are in direct proportion to the heart of our giving, friend!

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for giving unconditionally to us. Please continue to work on us so that we might eventually learn to give in appreciation for all that You give and do for us. May we give of ourselves and in in return for all the ways that You bless us. May we learn to trust You to do all that You have promised, and to properly handle all that we give in response to Your commands. You gave out of love for us, may we learn to love You enough that we will gladly give unconditionally back to You. Please forgive us for our littleness and selfishness, and make us obedient servants willing to do, or give whatever is asked of us by the Master. This I ask in the blessed name of Jesus, my wonderful Savior, AMEN!

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