Tag: Surrender

The Gospel is for Everyone

On By Ed AlgreenIn Eternal Life, SalvationLeave a comment

Wednesday, 2016-06-22

Scripture

Bible Reference: Acts 10:42–46

Bible Text:   42 God told us to announce clearly to the people that Jesus is the one he has chosen to judge the living and the dead. 43 Every one of the prophets has said that all who have faith in Jesus will have their sins forgiven in his name.

44 While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit took control of everyone who was listening. 45 Some Jewish followers of the Lord had come with Peter, and they were surprised that the Holy Spirit had been given to Gentiles. 46 Now they were hearing Gentiles speaking unknown languages and praising God.

Bible Translation: The Contemporary English Version (CEV)

My Take

The Gospel speaks so clearly to us individually that if we’re not careful we may easily forget where God has brought us from, and we may begin losing sight of how the gospel tells of God’s love for everyone – even those who we may tend to feel is so undeserving. A good example of this is included in our scripture today, for Peter saw God reach down and touch even the Gentiles through His Word. Now in the eyes of Peter, and the other Jewish followers traveling with him, this was impossible for them to fathom. Yes, they heard the prophets foretell that ‘everyone’ who placed their faith in Jesus Christ would receive forgiveness of sin and be saved from eternal damnation, but never did they ever imagine that this included even the dejected and undeserving Gentiles, that were often looked down on by the Jews? Friends, I don’t believe that anything has changed about this theory, for I believe that still today we may exclude certain people from the gospel because of certain prejudices that we may have personally inherited, or perhaps developed. There are times that we feel downright intimidated by some folk – perhaps the less educated may feel inadequate in communicating with the higher educated folk, or they may feel like more educated folk may find it extremely challenging to simply believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved – without a full explanation on how that works. May I remind you, that Jesus asked us to share, not analyze and then develop a story that you feel the person might better identify with. Think about this: what would there be to question about the simplicity of the gospel message? Lots, right? But does it change the fact that God created us all alike, saw the need to provide a Savior for us to overcome the sin and grime that we resorted to on our own? But God loved us enough that He didn’t want to see us live aimlessly without Him and die without hope of ever being with Him in heaven? That’s our story friends, and because of the freedom given to us to live on this earth, our unfortunate destiny will be Hell, if we don’t accept that free gift of eternal life from God. So the accepting, and the change is necessary for us all, and the gift of eternal life is available for us all. Let’s not allow Satan to distract us from sharing that story with all who will listen and believe – without exception. Every nationality, every race, every man, woman and child – we all need Jesus in order to one day be with He and the Father in heaven. If you have already accepted Jesus as Lord of your life, then consider joining me as we love others towards making the same decision in their life. Everyone!

Prayer

Lord Jesus, You provided the way, and I believe that You have not given up on us. Please touch the lives of those who will read this devotional today in search of more happiness, more purpose and a brighter future than what they see possible here on this earth. May we, Your messengers, be filled with Your love today, so that those that we come into contact with, will be impacted with the hope, love and joy that is ours in Christ Jesus. As You are lifted up today, may all men, women and children be drawn to You. For I ask this in the precious name of Jesus, my Savior and 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 contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. 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 could 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 to 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, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! 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!

 

Freed To Receive From God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Forgiveness, Humbleness, Seek God's FaceLeave a comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider feeding even us with His Word! May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………

Today’s Bible Reference: 1 John 3:20–22
Today’s Bible Text: God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves. And friends, once that’s taken care of and we’re no longer accusing or condemning ourselves, we’re bold and free before God! We’re able to stretch our hands out and receive what we asked for because we’re doing what he said, doing what pleases him.
The Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take Away: Often Satan will bind us so tightly to our sin, that we feel that it is impossible for God to look at us through a lens of holiness and forgiveness, even when we seek His face and plead before His throne for His forgiveness. Friends, these verses that we are looking at today assures us that when we truly surrender our sin to God, accept His forgiveness and personally forgive ourselves for having allowed Satan to control our lives, that it is then that God takes charge of our lives and ask us to step aside from our weaknesses and our sin, and allow Him to be God – our God; our Deliverer; our Savior; our Master and our King. I believe that often our challenge is attributed to the fact that we might allow outside pressures to control our mouths and our actions. Parents are famous for trying to get their kids saved, and that is admirable, but we don’t just want our kids to say the words, or do something just to please us. As in any personal relationship, it must be a personal decision, a personal experience and a personal commitment. Let’s remember, it is God who draws man to Himself, not mom or dad or anyone else that pushes us towards God. Another aspect of life, is that we tend to be harder on ourselves than anyone else that we know of. That’s why many procrastinate in their decision to follow God, because they feel like there is so much that they must personally clear up first, before God would ever accept them. Friends, if we were able to overcome our sin personally, there would be no need for a Savior, and we would have done it a long time ago. Only God can forgive us of our sin, and only He can strengthen us, and help us to overcome our sinful actions/habits. Let’s work at the unfortunate habit of beating up on ourselves and, instead seek God’s face and accept His precious love for us. Only then, through His power and His grace, we will have the power to overcome our sinful actions and receive what we ask of Him, because we are doing what He said and what pleases Him.

Prayer: Father, it is very easy for us to disqualify ourselves from approaching Your throne, because we know deep inside how awful we have been. Please open the eyes of those that still feel like they must clear up certain sinful actions before they personally seek Your face. Please open our eyes to our inability to do anything about our sin, without a righteous and all-powerful God. It’s You that we need first, oh Lord, then all these things that seem impossible to us, will become very possible in and through your grace. Thank You Lord for Your love, Your grace, Your power, and Your forgiveness. It’s only because of this that I am a confirmed child of the Kind, who still needs you every hour of every day. Please open the blind eyes of my family and friends who still need Your precious love and forgiveness in their lives. Please touch the lives of those that will read this devotional today, for like me, they need Your awesome power also. I ask these things in faith and in the confidence of the Savior of this world, Jesus, my Savior and 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 contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. 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 could 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 to 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, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! 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!

2016

What If We Say Only What God Says

On By Ed AlgreenIn Accountability, Acknowledge God, Ask and Receive, Commanding Officer, Confidence, Dependence on God, Godly ConfidenceLeave a comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider feeding even us with His Word! May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………

Today’s Bible Reference: 2 Chronicles 11:13-14
Today’s Bible Text: Meanwhile, the messenger who went to get Micaiah said to him, “Look, all the prophets are promising victory for the king. Be sure that you agree with them and promise success.” But Micaiah replied, “As surely as the Lord lives, I will say only what my God says.”
 The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: I believe that much like our ‘worldly’ counterparts, Christians are often guilty of trying to be the popular one in a conversation, or a party, or a family, or among our friends. We all want to be thought highly of, and we would really like to be the popular one in the group. But let’s think that through for a moment. Did we commit our lives to God so that we could have one more on our side, or on our team? Do we need to have one more that we could tell what to do? Friends stop and think this through, did God need us when He created the earth, or the skies, or the heavens? What about when He created you and I, did He do all that alone – without us telling Him what to do or how to do it? I would dare say that I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ because I realized that I didn’t have all the answers; that I have no idea about what tomorrow will bring. I was convinced that Jesus was the answer to all of life’s questions, hopes and dreams. I knew there must be a God, but I also knew that He was far beyond anything I could imagine. I knew that I needed a Savior to fill the gap between myself and the Master, and praise God I found that to be the Lord Jesus Christ! So recognizing that this was a need, why on earth do I try so hard to still make decisions on my own and try to please my peers/friends? Can I possibly be a ‘Micaiah’? Friends, Micaiah’s bravery and determination to be God’s spokesman is a challenging thought for us, because as we can gleam from this story, he declared what God had revealed to him in a dream, even though it was the unpopular thing to do, and even though it led to his imprisonment, and not his place at the head of the king’s banquet table. So why is this important, you might ask. First of all, can you imagine the freedom this must have given Micaiah? He spoke exactly what he knew the Lord had given him to him say. No guilty conscience, but a freedom in knowing that the God of the universe was then controlling his mouth and his words. Can you remember taking a message to your young siblings and adding the words “hey, don’t look at me, that’s what daddy said. I’m just the messenger”!! What if we took that stance in all walks of our Christian life? But wait, that’s exactly what God expects of us. We surrender our lives to Him, because we trust Him to be totaly in charge of all aspects of our life. Are you ready to let Him do exactly that? Our stresses would be greatly reduced, and God will actually make a lot more difference in this world, if only mankind would step away and let Him be God!

Prayer: Oh Lord, may we do exactly what You taught us in and through Your Word today. Micaiah’s boldness proved to us that it is important that we allow You to perform Your mighty works without interference from us, and in spite of what might be the popular or even demanding thing to do. Lord, we mess up way too often and I believe that we stand in the way of Your perfect decisions and will, way too often. Please touch the lives of Your saints today and give us boldness to stand firm for what we believe, and confident in whom we believe. You are Lord of all – or really not Lord at all to those who doubt Your power and who run interference in all that You want to accomplish in and through Your people. Please forgive us Lord, and please redirect our thoughts to one of total dependence on You. I ask these things in the name of the one and only Savior of this world, 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 contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. 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 could 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 to 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, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! 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!

2016

Prepared For Worship

On By Ed AlgreenIn Musicians, Participators, Praise, Worship2 Comments

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider feeding even us with His Word! May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………

Today’s Bible Reference: 2 Chronicles 5:11–14
Today’s Bible Text: Then the priests left the Holy Place. All the priests who were present had purified themselves, whether or not they were on duty that day. And the Levites who were musicians—Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and all their sons and brothers—were dressed in fine linen robes and stood at the east side of the altar playing cymbals, lyres, and harps. They were joined by 120 priests who were playing trumpets. The trumpeters and singers performed together in unison to praise and give thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments, they raised their voices and praised the LORD with these words:  “He is good! His faithful love endures forever!”    At that moment a thick cloud filled the Temple of the LORD. The priests could not continue their service because of the cloud, for the glorious presence of the LORD filled the Temple of God.
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: A momentous occasion – the first service in the beautiful, huge, worship center designed by King David and built be his son, King Solomon. However, I want to draw your attention to the readiness of the people, and I want you to reflect on what might need attention at your church, in order to possibly witness God’s holy presence, or see His mighty works at your church. Catch a glimpse of these highlights from today’s scripture:

  • A new temple/sanctuary carefully built with the very best that was possible in that day;
  • The ark of the covenant had just been taken in. This represented a very special promise, or agreement between God and His people. In fact, I could only imagine all sorts of emotions filling the hearts of the people as this placement materialized;
  • All of the priests had purified themselves for the occasion;
  • All the Levite musicians, together with their sons and brothers, dressed in fine linen robes, stood on one side of the 30’ altar playing musical instruments;
  • 120 priests/trumpeters joined the Levites with their trumpets blasting to the glory of God;
  • Other musicians joined with cymbals and other instruments; and
  • A choir of singers joined in;
  • As they all played and sang in unison together, praising God with the words: He (the Lord) is good! His faithful love endures forever!

Friends, if you were able to immerse yourself in the middle of that worship service described above, is there any wonder that God came down in a mighty way that day? His Spirit filled the temple, as a cloud. This was all so awesome that the priests were awestruck and had to pause the service. Can you even imagine the awe of that moment? Can you even imagine this happening at your worship service this coming weekend? Are you prepared in your heart for the holy presence of God? Are you praying for the purity of your church leaders and musicians as they lead your congregation in worship? The piece I found interesting about the story relayed here, is that there was no mention of onlookers, or pew warmers. There was only mention of participators and worshipers! Which one of those roles will you take on in you upcoming weekend services?

Prayer: Lord God, You are so worthy of our praise each and every day, yet we often take on the role of an onlooker during our worship services. Please forgive us for our littleness in such important times as when we get together to recognize Your goodness, Your mercy and Your grace. Help us to put self aside and instead recognize You for who You are and for all You have done. Although You have no obligation to give more of Yourself in return for our worship, I would humbly ask that You fill our hearts with praise, and our worship services with Your sweet Holy Spirit, and may it be so evident to us that we would be stopped in our tracks of selfishness and pride. Oh Lord, may our eyes become fixed on You and our hearts so in tuned with You that Your presence may be evident to those who we come into contact with. May it be convincing to You that we have surrendered ourselves to You with all of our heart, soul and mind. For it is in the precious name of Jesus that I ask these things, AMEN!

Footnote: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. 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 could 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 to 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, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! 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!

2016

The Value of Knowing Jesus

On By Ed AlgreenIn Know Jesus, SalvationLeave a comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider feeding even us with His Word! May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………

The Bible Reference: Philippians 3:8-9
The Bible Text: Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him.
The Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take Away: I love the illustration Paul used to show how much he valued the relationship he had with the God of this universe. A few months ago my family and  had the daunting task of moving out of our home of 27 years into a much smaller accommodation. We had to evaluate all of our earthly possessions to conclude that each item either: 1). Must go with us – meaning we had to find space for it in our smaller accommodation, or 2). We would hold on to the item in storage until we decide if we would ever need it, or are willing to dispose of it, or 3). We could no longer see a need to hang on to the item, and were willing to sell it or give it away. Think about that, together with the mindset of Paul, who was once a valuable resource to earthly kings and nobles, because of his readiness to destroy anything or anyone attributing its value to Jesus Christ. What Paul did could be likened to the example given above about my personal experience, dumping everything we once had, and starting from scratch. Paul did this in giving his total allegiance to Jesus Christ, without the possibility of any interference from anything he may have owned in his past. Paul said that he ‘dumped it all in the trash, so that he could fully embrace the unencumbered grace of Christ’. Friends, it was not until my family and I came to the place that we realized that our earthly belongings was merely ‘stuff’, and added no value to our eternal destination, that we were able to commit to our move. Paul is teaching us in this passage that it is not until we are willing to make Jesus the primary focus in our lives, that we would truly embrace Him and be embraced by Him. Jesus went to the cross with only the wrappings around His body, but He did it because of Him supernatural love for us, and to provide the means for the forgiveness of our sin. How much are you willing to sacrifice today to truly enhance your relationship with such a Savior as this?

Prayer: Jesus, You are my King – my soon coming King! Thank You for humbly following the Master’s will, to prove Your love for myself and all mankind who would choose You as the focus of our lives. You gave it all for us oh Lord. Please use this reminder by Paul to help us examine our motives and our intentions. Whether we choose to publicize our decision like Paul did, or whether we commit one-on-one with You, I pray that at the end of the day we will reflect back on the decision we made. Each day we make decisions, some are very deliberate and very firm, while others are simply made by doing nothing at all and being satisfied with status-quo. Touch Your children today oh God and cause them to deliberately make decisions that will draw them to Yourself and to a glorious promise of one day being with You in heaven. I love You Lord and I thank You for first loving me beyond my wildest imagination. These things I ask in the name of 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 contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. 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 could 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 to 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, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! 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!

2016

Our God Reigns!

On By Ed AlgreenIn King, Ruler, SaviorLeave a comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider feeding even us with His Word! May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………

The Bible Reference: John 3:27-30
The Bible Text: John replied: No one can do anything unless God in heaven allows it. You surely remember how I told you that I am not the Messiah. I am only the one sent ahead of him. At a wedding the groom is the one  who gets married. The best man is glad just to be there and to hear the groom’s voice. That’s why I am so glad. Jesus must become more important, while I become less important.
The Bible Translation: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

My Take Away: John’s disciples were rather indignant that the crowds who once followed John, were now hot on the trail of Jesus. However, John quickly reminded his followers that he was only sent as the precursor, the one who would prepare the hearts of the people for the Messiah. And that whenever He came, that his ministry (John’s) would decrease as Jesus became known to the people. This made me think of ministry today, for we often attribute the success of the church to the pastor, or the music minister, or something other than God. I heard of a great preacher from our past who, while preaching, had a team of prayer warriors in the church basement praying for God to soften hardened hearts and impact lives while the gospel was being proclaimed. That church was especially successful in ministry, but I believe that we will hear Jesus say that it was more because of the people praying, than the preacher who tried hard to proclaim the Word of God in a form that would touch lives for the Creator. I believe that churches that succeed in ministry today, are those who lift up the name of Jesus, and who give Jesus full charge of their church. Logically speaking, I believe we can safely say that church attendees will only see Jesus when they hear the Sunday School teacher talk more about Jesus than anything else. When the Music Minister clearly gives control of the praise and worship time to Jesus and that the lyrics declare Jesus more than anything else. When the preacher concentrates on the Word of God and does his very best to apply Biblical principles to everything that members face, and struggle with today. When invitations are given to accept Jesus, more than to join the church. When giving is tied to Biblical principles more than the wants of the church leaders for bigger buildings or more comfortable pews. Friends, I believe by now you are probably getting the picture. This Christian life, and the ministry of the Christian church, is more about God than anything else. We must decrease – the church, its leaders, its members, its followers. Jesus must be promoted and/or increased. Then, perhaps there may be a breakthrough for unbelievers who are searching, and then perhaps, the eyes of church attendees looking for answers to life’s challenges might be opened. It’s not about us friend. It’s all about our Savior who sacrificed His life just for us, and for those we think that we can minister to. Let’s give the reins back to God friends.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You for allowing Your humble servant to mix with others and proclaim Your praises in many different ways. Please touch my life that I will never promote self for any achievements of my own, but to give You full charge over all that I say and do. Lord may You be lifted up in everything that my readers and I attempt today. May it be obvious that our lives are all about You, and that it’s only because of Your grace that we can even claim You as Lord. Father, there are many in our circles that need to know You as Lord, may they be inspired by our actions and/or our words to reach out to the Savior that we know, and have surrendered to. We want You to rule and reign in our lives, our families, our churches and our workplaces so that You may touch lives of individuals that we touch. We love You Lord, we lift up our voices to You, we claim You as Lord, and we ask our deepest desires in the name of Jesus, AMEN!

Footnote: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. 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 could 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 to 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, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! 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!

2016

God – Our Hope, Our Rock & Our Fortress

On By Ed AlgreenIn Fortress, Hope, Rock, TrustLeave a comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider feeding even us with His Word! May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………

The Bible Reference: Psalm 62:5-8
The Bible Text: Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: David, the Psalmist, achieved a whole lot, and could have done a lot of boasting about his great works, but instead he is known throughout the Psalms for his humility before God. In these verses today, I feel like God is directing us to:

  • Slow down from the busyness of our world, as it will only distract us from the things He has planned for us;
  • Quiet ourselves so that we can concentrate on Him and His greatness. Our blessings and our goodness comes from our God who loves and cares for us. Furthermore, this results in an enhanced walk, talk and overall witness for our Master, who we represent;
  • Remember, our God is as solid as a rock in that He is immovable, unchangeable and He never changes, or wavers from His mighty stand as God!
  • Remember, He is our fortress in whom we can depend – as our shelter, our protector and our shield. While sheltered there, no enemy can reach or touch us, praise the name of our Almighty God!

Friends, we serve an awesome God! We can trust Him with our lives – and everything that affects us. Just wait before Him, trust Him and obey His commands. He can be Your God, if you humble yourselves and let Him. Won’t you do that today?

Prayer: Father God, we are humbled by the awesomeness of Your almighty hand and yet, Your extreme love and care for us. Wow, what a blessed people we are! Please continue to be patient with us as we work through and accept our weaknesses and unworthiness. We know that You are in control and that You can handle everything that we need, if only we will surrender our will to Yours. Touch the hearts of Your people who will read this devotional today oh God, and we will be careful to praise You for all things. I ask these things in the name of Your Son, my Savior, Jesus Christ, AMEN!

Footnote: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. 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 could 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 to 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, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! 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!

2016

Stop, Drop, Listen and Obey!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Control, Faith, Listen, SurrenderLeave a comment

May I encourage you to incorporate your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ into starting your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider even us, to nourish us for His glory, through His Holy Word! Read on and be blessed!

The Bible Translation: The Message
The Bible Reference: Psalm 46:9-11
The Bible Text: “Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything.” Jacob-wrestling God fights for us, GOD-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

My Take Away: I’m not on Facebook a whole lot, but by now I have seen many evaluations of 2015 – good and bad, and then I have seen many wishes for 2016 – worldly and spiritual. Whether you’re a Facebook fan or not, it’s a place where people express their views. Unfortunately, I believe that what I have read, expresses the minds and thoughts of the average person alive today. But when I read this passage of scripture in various translations, God helped me to  realize that Facebook is not the place I should go to for a spiritual meter on how well God did in 2015 nor a general opinion about how He might rule in 2016. Here are some of the thoughts that I believe God embedded in my mind during my study today: a) Get away from the noises of this world. Get to a place where it’s just you and God. ‘Step out of the traffic’ of everyday noises and seek the face of God. ‘Be still and know that I am God’ is the way one version put it. b) Don’t be one to look for the general consensus of the world, or even the church, but reflect on the proven power of your God and be reminded of His awesome power. Know that He is in control of each one of us, and if we allow Him to direct our path and control our tongues, then perhaps we too can be used for His glory, and then we just might see God’s mighty works performed in our land. We should be reminded that God is in charge of us individually; our families; our respective churches; our workplaces; our towns; yes, everywhere and in everything that He has created. Knowing all this then, why would we worry our pretty little heads with what might happen in each of these scenarios? In other words, we have no idea what may happen in our lives – health-wise, relationship-wise or in any other area of our lives, but after being reminded of who’s in charge, will our worries amount to anything other than degrading our mental health? Friends, you can say the same things about each of the other scenarios mentioned. For the United States, we have entered into a year of major elections. God is telling U.S. Christians to be still and know that He is God over everything in our lives, especially our elections. We are told in Romans 13 that God places our rulers in authority over us, so are we worrying our little heads because we fear that God might mess up? Be still Brothers , and know that He is God over everything that we know and have committed to Him. Sisters, be still and allow God to be God. He is very capable, willing and able to handle our affairs today, just as He did for Jacob, Moses and all other Biblical accounts written in God’s Word to support our theory on this. Be still! Listen! Surrender control to God and return thanks to Him in all things!

Prayer: Lord God, we acknowledge that You are indeed God of our lives, and God of this universe. Please forgive us for so often trying to reverse that order, especially when we think that we know better than You, how things should go here on earth. Thanks for the reminder that You made it all and that You are still very capable of managing everything, even today. Forgive us Lord for our lack of faith. Even as I write this, I am very concerned about many matters that I already know are hot agenda items this year, especially our national elections. Please forgive me, and give me extra strength and boldness to declare Your glory, Your power and Your majesty as You continue to control my ‘world’. I am very weak, but praise be to the God of this universe, You are immensely strong, and very much in control of Your creation. In total surrender, I join with my Christian Brothers and Sisters – Your servants, to lead the pack in glorifying You as our Leader, our God, our Savior and our Lord. For these things, and for Your glory, I ask all this in Your strong and mighty name, ‘Jesus’ my Lord, AMEN!

Footnote: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. 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 could 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 to 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, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! 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!

2016

Clear the Contaminants, God Wants to…..

On By Ed AlgreenIn Boldness, Holy Spirit, PurityLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – New International Version (NIV) ~ 2 Corinthians 7:1 ~ Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

THOUGHTS: I believe that every believer in Jesus Christ would probably have as a primary objective in 2016 to surrender ourselves so fully to Christ that He might perfect in us His holiness. And there poses an awesome challenge for you and I friends, for we already know from the Word of God that He will not allow His Holy Spirit to reside in any earthen vessel where sin abides. Now before you piously think that you are clearing the mark, I want to open your eyes to one fact that might put you on a level playing field with myself, and others like me, who are also striving to be holy. In this subject verse, Paul declares that this refers to contamination of the body and the spirit. In the verses leading up to the one highlighted, we are told that God’s Holy Spirit resides inside of us. This is exciting, because we never have to worry about Him always being present to meet our needs. However, I want us to also remember that if you have sinned in your mind, you have contaminated the temple of God also. Friends, this is a major problem for us, because Satan does his very best to bother with our minds in order to distract us away from God. Remember those times that you’ve thought to yourself that it was good the other person couldn’t read your mind, otherwise they would know how corrupt you really are? As we consider what we might do to be more like Jesus in the upcoming year, may I suggest that you flood your mind with the Word of God? May I implore you to stay in touch with the Master on a very frequent basis so that as He floods your soul, only those things that He approves of, will spew out of your mouth and call you to action for the benefit of others? I believe that ‘purify’ means that we cleanse our minds of anything that would distract our minds (our spirit) away from truly Christ-like actions and/or words. Are you there yet? If not, please consider joining me in rededicating our lives, and especially our minds, to the lordship of Jesus Christ. Ships stay in the port when contaminants are found on board, and hospital rooms are closed until all contaminants are properly cleaned up. Let’s get some quality time alone with God so we can clear the contaminants of our lives before we enter a brand new year. Let’s strive to be the kind of Christian that will reflect Jesus in everything we say or do, because of His mighty presence inside of our purified bodies. Let’s allow Him to fill our spirit with Himself.

PRAYER: Dear God, You are more wonderful than anyone or anything we can describe, and we will say all day long that it’s You that we desire to imitate here on this earth. However, we are very easily distracted by all that appears to be better, or more joyful, or pleasing on ‘the other side’. Lord, we know that this is Satan’s desire for all of Your chosen people, yet we cave in and allow him control. Being reminded today that our weakness leads to us actually contaminating the temple of our precious Lord, makes us sad, and we are reminded of how important it is for us to purify ourselves and protect at all costs the temple in which you reside. Lord, I pray for Your forgiveness. I pray for your strength that can easily overpower our will, if we are willing to surrender ourselves to you. Only You can impact our minds and our soul so that we might rededicate ourselves fully to you. Please have Your will and Your way in our lives today, beginning with me. May we end this year with a re-enforced determination to protect Your temple and seek Your boldness daily so that we might stand firm in our faith and in sharing our faith with other. I ask these things in and through the name of 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 contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. 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 could 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, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! 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!

Wait Patiently For The Lord

On By Ed AlgreenIn Prayer, Wait on the LordLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – 11 Teach me how to live, O Lord. Lead me along the right path, for my enemies are waiting for me. 12 Do not let me fall into their hands. For they accuse me of things I’ve never done; with every breath they threaten me with violence. 13 Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. 14 Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord. ~ Psalm 27:11-14 ~ New Living Translation (NLT)

THOUGHTS: David had gone through many obstacles, battles and setbacks, and we often do as well in our everyday walk of life here on earth. Fortunately, David realized that he needed the God of all creation to lead him, protect him and guide him, so that he could make if safely through the traps of his enemies. Just because we have been blessed to enjoy life in a different century than David, we know that our challenges are just as real today as they were for David. We have the benefit of reflecting back on the awesome hand of God upon David, and we know that we serve the same living God that he served, and that God can do it all over again just for us. David gave us direction on how to overcome; how to get the help we need and where to get it from. We are instructed to wait patiently for the Lord, for He is not a puppet waiting for us to press a button for immediate action. He knows the perfect timing for us, no matter what the circumstances are, so let us learn to wait on His timing. I found it interesting that the Psalmist would add that we should be brave and courageous. I believe that this is a reminder that ‘waiting on God’s timing’ and Him answering our prayers in His timing, all serve to remind us that God is in control and we are not. He is the potter, and we are mere clay waiting to be molded by the Potter’s hand. I believe this reminds us that since our prayer life is more than just one way posting of our needs list, and that God actually talks back to us, He may very well give orders that may take us outside of our comfort zone. Are you ready to do whatever He says today friend? Yes, we must learn to be patient and obedient, but we must also be prepared for God to possibly steer us outside of our comfort zone.

PRAYER: Lord God, You proved Yourself over and over to our ancestors, and in many of our lives You have already done the same for us. We are such an impatient bunch, please don’t give up on us. We seriously need Your patience with us Lord. Please help us to always wait on the Lord, for only You have all the answers and the power to change hearts and lives so that You might receive the glory due to You. I humbly ask these things in the name of Jesus, AMEN!

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