No Fear of The Day of Judgment

On 2015-06-242015-06-24 By Ed AlgreenIn Day of Judgment, Faith, Hope, LoveLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (New Living Translation – 1 John 4:16-19): ¹⁶ ….God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. ¹⁷ And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the Day of Judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. ¹⁸ Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. ¹⁹ We love each other because he loved us first.

THOUGHTS: If we are faced with a court case, we will no doubt live in fear of the outcome, especially on the day that the Judge concludes the case and issues the sentence. If we are summoned to the boss’s office at work, our natural tendency is to well up in fear, as our first reaction is to question in our minds if we have done anything wrong. In our daily walk here on earth, whether we know Jesus personally or not, we live in hopes that our lives would not be in vain, but instead, a blessing to someone else. For those who have invited Jesus into their heart, we live each day praying that we would please God in the way that we live, in total harmony with Him, and in total obedience to all that He has commanded in His Word. John summarizes this for us in these verses today, by saying that we must live in love, for as we do, we will live in the image of God, who loved us sacrificially and unconditionally, in spite of who we were in character and entrenched in sin. When we make it our mission to live like Jesus taught us, our love becomes more perfect (more like the love expressed by Jesus, and expected by Him of us). And when this occurs, we live with a clear conscience and without fear of the Day of Judgment when we stand before Jesus. You see, ‘Judgment’ can result in one of two types of emotion for us: Gladness/happiness/joy as we are declared ‘not guilty of the crime, or sin; or sadness/disappointment/rejection/fear as we are found guilty of the crime, or sinful and without a Savior. So friends, we do have a choice – do nothing about your eternal salvation and be found guilty of sin – without a Savior – with the advanced knowledge that our sentence is eternity in Hell with Satan; OR we can say ‘Yes’ to Jesus, live in obedience to His Word, expressing love to all those we come into contact with and representing the King of all kings in everything we do and say – with a known sentence of eternity in Heaven with Jesus where we will worship and adore Him and His Father (God) forever and forever, amen!! The choice seems obvious to me, but my sole reason in sharing these devotionals each day is in hopes that Jesus will touch the heart of my readers so that you also might come to know Him intimately/personally and therefore live the rest of your life in Hope! In a state of constant celebration and in joyous anticipation of our Judgment Day when we stand for the King. Make it right friend, and make it today, while you are still able to.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, Your Word is very powerful! As You have touched my heart today and spoken to me through Your written Word, please also impact the lives of those that will be led to this devotional that I have shared under Your direction. May Your children be Your children – a splitting image of You in every way – especially in our love for others. However, there will be some who will read this who may be trying to live life on their own and love others as just the right humanly thing to do. Please tender their hearts today oh Lord and help them to see You – the originator of perfect love. May they realize that they too can become Your child if they choose to surrender themselves wholeheartedly to You. May this be the day of great decisions oh Lord, and may all glory be offered up to You for the great work that You will accomplish, because of Your Word being shared. I ask all this in perfect faith and in the name of Jesus, my Savior, AMEN!

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

Love – A Self-Evaluating Tool

On 2015-06-232015-06-23 By Ed AlgreenIn DNA, Good works, Love, Unconditional loveLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Message – 1 John 4:8-11): ^8–10 The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.^11–12 My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!

THOUGHTS: Sometimes, people go to great extremes to determine, or prove who they are, or where they may have come from. I’ve especially heard of grown-up children having a DNA test done to help them determine who their father is, for they want to be identifiable with a birth mother and father. John laid out some tests that we could perform to help us identify to whom we belong, beyond the tests of physical parents and/or children, and this all evolves around one key characteristic – ‘LOVE’. He first demonstrates the true meaning of this word by showing us how much God loved/loves us. Imagine for a moment that you have just been told of God. One of the first things you may hear about is His amazing, unconditional love for you. But to take it one step further into the amazing explanation of God’s love is to learn about Him sacrificing His One and Only Son to die for us, so that we may have the means to eternal salvation with the God of this universe. Now, understand that at the time God did this, everyone in the world was underserving of this awesome love, as you might be at this time. Yet God did this out of pure love for us! So now, put that into perspective. Those who have accepted the gift of God (Jesus, His Son) – our directive is that we imitate His love as we interact with Him and/or others in this world. In your self-evaluation, how would you rate yourself when it comes to loving God in every circumstance of life – yes, through the good and challenging circumstances of life? What about in your relationship with others – yes, not just with those who think the world of you, but for those who make it very challenging for anyone to love them? The scripture indicates that God, and/or your contacts will know to whom you belong, based on your demonstration of God’s love. How do you suppose you are doing?

PRAYER: What Have I Done to Deserve God’s Only Son? Thanks be to God, that the love of God for undeserving folk such as I, is a key attribute of the amazing God that I serve. Please remind me of this love, oh Lord, because I tend to forget, especially when I try to imitate You in everything that I do here on this earth, like loving others that I come into contact with each day. Lord, may it be evident to whom I belong – especially when looking at the love that I demonstrate to others. Father, I believe that my readers might have similar needs today, because we see such a lack of love demonstrated by everyone. We need your power to help us be more like You dear Lord. Please touch us very powerfully today and prompt us towards love and good works in all that we say and do. May we be good representatives of You today. For I ask this in the loving name of Jesus, AMEN!

How To Know If From God

On 2015-06-222015-06-22 By Ed AlgreenIn Discern Truth, Unconditional commitmentLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (New Century Version – 1 John 4:4-6): ⁴ My dear children, you belong to God and have defeated them; because God’s Spirit, who is in you, is greater than the devil, who is in the world. ⁵ And they belong to the world, so what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶ But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. But those who are not from God do not listen to us. That is how we know the Spirit that is true and the spirit that is false.

THOUGHTS: John noticed that some of the people listen to him, and to what God had directed him to say, while others had no interest in him and his workers. He wanted Christians to learn from this, because ordinarily they would be faced with similar challenges. I believe that this was strategically placed in the Word of God so that we today will also know how to discern if folk that come to teach us, or preach to us, actually come from God, or if they are after their own selfish desires and more interested in spreading the misery and hatred of the Devil. Friends, there are other places in the Bible that we are told that not everyone who says that they come in the name of the Lord, are actually as they say. Satan will use every attempt to distract Christians, especially ‘weak’ Christians. Please don’t judge me for calling some ‘weak’, but when we are doing only the very minimum to, supposedly, be included in the ‘God crowd’, in other words we may walk forward at the end of a church service and please our mom, or our friend by saying ‘yes’ to Jesus, but our lives reflects no change, and our walk continues along the same path that we have always walked, then God might question you, as to whom do you belong. When we think no more of our ‘Christianity’ than to visit church a few times each year, and our study of God’s Word is limited only to what we do in Bible School or what we hear from the pulpit, then I’m afraid to break the bad news to you, but you will become fertile ground for false prophets, for you will believe anything and anyone, because you are not used to discerning truth, or leaning on the Holy Spirit that God makes available to us. Friends, for those who know Jesus intimately and have a desire to follow His ways and His commands, we are truly a blessed people and we have the Holy Spirit deep within us to prompt us unto all truth and point us towards the Author of all things. We have an advocate friend, and His name is Jesus! Do you enjoy a personal relationship with Him today, or do you just know of Jesus from a distance? Don’t just say, or think that you know Jesus, but love Him enough to study His Word; obey His commands and serve Him unconditionally. Greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world! We can do ALL things through Jesus, our Savior, our Lord, our Redeemer, our Comforter and our Deliverer. We’re His children and He is the ultimate Father. Don’t be a stranger to Him. Commit wholeheartedly to Him and obey Him unconditionally!

PRAYER: Father, we are committed to serving You, the only true God. Many will continue to come ‘in your name’ but will not be of You. Please keep us faithful only unto You so that we might discern ungodliness and false prophets. For we want to be pure, holy and righteous as Your children, and in our witness of You. Please protect us from the evil one and his worldly partners who may go as far as claiming You as their leader in order to distract Your children from their walk with You. May we always be reminded that greater by far is He who is in us, than he that is in this world. Get thee behind me Satan. Fill me with all truth and wisdom from above dear Jesus so that I might know You intimately, and discern the way that I should go every day. May I represent You well and in all ways. Bless my readers today with this same power from above so that Your army might be alive and well. I ask these things in the powerful, strong name of Jesus, AMEN!

Evidence Of Whose We Are

On 2015-06-192015-06-19 By Ed AlgreenIn Believers, Honesty, Righteousness, SinLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (New Living Translation – 1 John 3:9-10): ⁹ Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. ¹⁰ So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.

THOUGHTS: I remember at one point in my life I was at a gas station pumping gas, when suddenly someone called me by my dad’s name. My head quickly popped up to see who knew my family. Apparently there was enough facial resemblance, or actions, to remind the person of something he had seen in my dad! I find it exciting when I walk away from a sales clerk knowing that they must be a brother or sister, because their actions, their concern, their unselfish care for me as a customer, were all indicators that they must share the same faith that I do, and have the same Father that I have learned about over the years from His handbook, the Bible. Friends there are a few tests in these verses today that I would encourage you to use as a self-examination tool:

Do not make a practice of sinning – When we invite Jesus into our hearts and lives as our Savior and Lord, not only does He forgive us of our sin, but He shows us a new way to live – like Him. Through His example, we are guided and encouraged to live holy lives, even as He is holy. To depend on the power within (the Holy Spirit) to prevent us from performing the same sin that we may have committed without thought, prior to our conversion;
Do not keep on sinning – Very similar to the above, but the difference is that once we have been prompted by the Holy Spirit to stop doing something that He considers sin, we are to make every effort to not repeat that sin. We must not let it rule us. God’s Holy Spirit cannot reside where sin abides!
Live righteously – Live our lives ‘right with God’. We are shown throughout the Bible what God expects of us – what is right and what is wrong. With the awesome power of the Holy Spirit, we are to live our lives ‘right with God’!
Love other believers – We are to live life expressing our love and concern for each other, even if they don’t love us back, or show any appreciation for what we do for them. Sadly there is a saying that “Christians in particular, tend to shoot their wounded”. We are taught in this scripture that when the world sees us loving each other, they will know that we are different and controlled by a greater power. Selfishness and Satan-led malice, jealousy or envy will eat up our desire to love like Jesus did. The power of the Holy Spirit within us will help us to love even those who despitefully use us.

Friends, living like I described above will help us to internalize whether we truly did commit to accepting, loving, serving and practicing the love of God. It will also help confirm to the world that we are who we say we are. However, please remember that God knows our heart, so He knows whether we honestly dedicated our lives to Him. I believe He is ashamed when we act up, but our outward actions only influences the world, they’re not needed to prove anything to God.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help us to be a people who acts, responds and loves like the people we say we are. ‘Hypocritical’ is a word often used when we don’t. Furthermore, folk tend to mistrust us when they feel we are hypocritical, and this destroys our possibility to honestly witness to them. Please help us to live consistent, open lives that will represent You well. Beginning with me Lord, may Your children rededicate themselves to being transparent to those that we come into contact with. May they see Jesus in and through our words and actions so that they may be influenced to follow You, and so that Your kingdom might be glorified even now, here on this earth. Your love is amazing, and Your rich blessings are beyond compare, and more than anything that we can imagine. Please forgive us for the times we fail, and grant us strength and a quick rebound so that we might get back on track without causing damage to our witness of You. I need You every hour of every day, please continue to work on me oh Lord, so that I might be all that You need me to be for the ministry/witness You have in store for me. Bless my readers today with similar grace, so that You may be lifted up more than ever before, for I ask all this in the precious name of Jesus, my Lord, AMEN!

So That We Might Know

On 2015-06-182015-06-18 By Ed AlgreenIn Honesty, Knowledge, SincerityLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The New Living Translation – 1 John 3:4-10): ⁴ Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God. ⁵ And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him. ⁶ Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is. ⁷ Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. ⁸ But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. ⁹ Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. ¹⁰ So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.

THOUGHTS: You would think that mankind would know if they had surrendered their heart, their life, and their whole being over to God. However, we also know that when placed under peer pressure, or the constant nagging of a parent or even a pastor, we tend to make certain decisions in order to get them off our back. I’m not saying that the only excuse we make is peer pressure, for some of us just renege on the decision we made because we have been distracted by the things of this world. This is pretty normal for many, where they will stick to one thing as long as nothing better comes up! But friends, I want you to put all of the excuses aside today and concentrate on what the Word of God says. It is very simple, and we don’t need a theological degree to understand it, or to apply it to our lives. If we break God’s laws, or commands detailed in His Word, then we sin, and sin will never enter heaven. However, we are well aware that Jesus never sinned, and if we are to live like Him and follow His example wholeheartedly, then we also must make every effort to avoid sin. If we don’t, and if we keep on sinning, then the Word is clear – see verse 6 – that we are truly not children of the King. We also know that when a person invites Jesus to take charge of their life, that God sends the Comforter (His Holy Spirit) to take up residence in their lives. However, we also know from God’s Word that He will not reside in a temple where sin abides. So friend, as our subject declares today: there are indicators for us to confirm that we are children of God and, unfortunately, there are ‘sin’ indicators that help us to identify, or recognize our lost condition. The BIG challenge that I believe we face today is: now that we know the Truth, what will we do with it? Jesus could return to take us home at any moment friend, and He will only take those who have honored His Word and sought after His righteousness. Are you a part of that group that will be taken up to meet Jesus in the air, or have you determined in your heart that you would rather hang on to things of this world – of Satan? These Bible verses today takes away the doubt of where you will spend eternity. Only you, with God’s help, can change that and make it right today!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, the decisions we make today sets the stage for where we will spend eternity. We can’t fool You. And based on this scripture today, we are probably an open book to everyone around us, because they can see if our lives truly reflect any decision we may have made in sincerity to follow You. Please help us to get real, to do away with the pretense and to make honest, heartfelt decisions today that will impact our future destination. May we live in the light of Your Word today, and may our minds be set on one day uniting with You around the throne. This is my desire Lord, and I humbly ask that You will impact the hearts of all of my readers today also. For I ask this in faith, in Your holy name, believing in You as my Lord and everlasting Savior, AMEN!

The Prospect of Seeing Jesus Motivates Us

On 2015-06-172015-06-17 By Ed AlgreenIn Christ's Return, State of ReadinessLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Message – 1 John 2:28-29): ²⁸ And now, children, stay with Christ. Live deeply in Christ. Then we’ll be ready for him when he appears, ready to receive him with open arms, with no cause for red-faced guilt or lame excuses when he arrives. ²⁹ Once you’re convinced that he is right and righteous, you’ll recognize that all who practice righteousness are God’s true children.

THOUGHTS: I want us to take a moment and think about the motivation that floods our minds when we center our hearts on certain things. Perhaps your spouse has been away for a while, and you learn about their returning home soon. Think about the energy that builds as you scurry around to make your home presentable; the nice meal that you labor over for hours; and the extra effort to make yourself look exceptional! You want that moment of re-entry into your home and marriage to be extra special and meaningful! Now on the flip side, imagine if your spouse returned without notice and you didn’t have time to make all of the above preparations. I know for some that would be a problem, because you are not as careful to keep everything in order when you know it’s only you there to see the mess! Friends, John is presenting a case to us today whereby he is recommending that we keep ourselves in a state of readiness at all times for Christ’s return. After all, He could return even today! We are admonished to live ‘deeply in Christ’. That gives me the impression that we should live holy and dedicated lives to the Lord, as if He is in transition to get us right now. We know Jesus is coming back to get us to take us home with Him for all eternity, so why be careless and sneaky? Let’s live in the full light of His return; in full light of His constant presence with us every day; in full obedience to His Word; so that we would not be ashamed at any time that the Lord returns to gather His bride – the church/us. Friends verse 29 caps off this devotional by adding that as we strive for righteous, holy lives, we will not only stay in a state of readiness to welcome the Father’s return, but we will show that we are God’s true children! Can others see enough evidence in your life to know that you are a child of the Almighty? God knows, hears and sees all things, does He see the evidence that you belong to Him?

PRAYER: Father in heaven, thank You for loving us enough that You showed evidence at the cross that Your love is beyond anything we could ever imagine or rival. Thank You for Your Word, and the energy and determination to dig into Your Word each day, so that It may be a light unto our path and a guide towards righteousness. Lord, may my readers and I find ourselves faithful to You in every way, so that there will be nothing that hinders us from a sincere, open, welcoming return when You come to take us home to glory with You. Today might very well be the day, so may we find ourselves in a full state of readiness today. Please forgive us for the times that we so easily allow Satan to barge in on Your reign over our lives. May we commit today to You, our sovereign, loving, caring and soon returning King! May our lives be such a strong representation of You that others will see the need for our Savior and surrender their lives to You before it’s eternally too late. I ask these things in faith, and in the strong name of Jesus, my Savior, AMEN!

Why Christians Are Left In Satan’s Domain

On 2015-06-162015-06-16 By Ed AlgreenIn Christ's Representative, Christ-Like, ConquerorLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Message – 1 John 2:15-17): Don’t love the world’s ways. Don’t love the world’s goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.

THOUGHTS: We know that the evil one is not a friend of God’s children, and that he will do everything possible to trip us up and cause us to fall flat on our faces, and fail miserably on our walk with Christ, that we committed to when we accepted Him as Lord and Savior. Would it not make sense then, that if we dislike and despise the evil one, that we should also do the same in regards to his domain – the place where he hangs out? As I read the surrounding verses, I believe the Holy Spirit caused me to question: Why then are we left here in Satan’s domain after we commit our lives to Jesus Christ? I believe that the biggest reason is that since Jesus had to come and speak to us here in this domain, why should we be exempted from the same trials and temptations that He faced? I cannot imagine what this earth would look like if all Christians were pulled out of it, for we are to give balance to the evil that is led by Satan. We are to show ‘right’ (the ways of God), when it seems like only wrong prevails. We are to show hope (the hope of our living, loving and saving Lord), when it seems like everything around is doomed for death and failure. We are to show peace and love (the uncompromising, unconditional love of Jesus Christ) for everyone, not just for those that the world can easily find in their hearts to love. We are to demonstrate our satisfaction with what we have, solely in the precious gift of Jesus Christ, and that having more ‘stuff’, or money, or larger homes and/or cars is in no way a necessity, nor a requirement for our happiness, for our joy comes in the morning – the first day for all eternity in heaven with our Master, our Lord and our Savior! So we have responsibilities on earth to be representatives of the King, not to feel like we need any part of what it has to offer. Remember, it is Satan’s domain, and everything in it is influenced by him, for his glory. We are to look to our King, and no one else friend! We are to be His representatives under every circumstance in life friend! We are to appear as light, when it seems like there is only darkness friend!

PRAYER: Father, I realize as I have written my thoughts that all of this sounds good, and is very Godly in form and intention, but I also realize that this often means ‘swimming upstream’, living, acting and speaking in ways that oppose what the world may think is ‘normal’. However, I am convinced from Your Word, that we are left on this earth to imitate You, and nothing of this world will blend or match that. Please forgive us for allowing the things of this world (Satan’s domain) to slip in on our actions, words and daily living. It has impeded our witness for You and often feels like Satan is winning. Please forgive us Lord for our weaknesses and failures. Please fill us again with Your grace, Your power and Your love so that we can be more than conquerors, and represent You well with every intent of our heart. May it be obvious through our words and actions whom we serve! I ask all this in the matchless name of Jesus, my Savior and soon coming King, AMEN!

Proof That You Truly Know God

On 2015-06-152015-06-15 By Ed AlgreenIn Hypocritical, Love, Lying, UntrustworthyLeave a comment

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

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

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

The Power in What We Say and Do

On 2015-06-132015-06-13 By Ed AlgreenIn Honest, Hypocritical, Without PretenseLeave a comment

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

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

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

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

APB – Are You Ready?

On 2015-06-102015-06-10 By Ed AlgreenIn Christ's Return, Heaven, Ready to GoLeave a comment

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

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

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

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

Nuggets From God's Word

Tag: Surrender