Filled With Hope!

On 2015-03-202015-03-20 By Ed AlgreenIn Hope, SalvationLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – Titus 2:11-14): ¹¹God has shown us how kind he is by coming to save all people. ¹²He taught us to give up our wicked ways and our worldly desires and to live decent and honest lives in this world. ¹³We are filled with hope, as we wait for the glorious return of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. ¹⁴He gave himself to rescue us from everything that is evil and to make our hearts pure. He wanted us to be his own people and to be eager to do right.

THOUGHTS: There are things in this life that excite us and causes us to be anxious about their effects upon our life. I have a friend who, together with his wife, they are expecting their first child. Lots of excitement and anticipation as they work through the remaining days of pregnancy, and they are anxious to finally hold that precious child. I have a friend who will be married soon – he has similar anxiety as he awaits the ‘big’ day, hoping for a very positive change in his life, with even increased happiness as he brings a life partner alongside him. For those of us that have accepted Jesus as Lord of our lives, we are truly blessed each and every day as we live in anticipation of what He might accomplish in and through us, for the ultimate salvation of our family and friends and for His glory. Because of the sweetness in our relationship with Jesus, and because we see God at work each day in such marvelous ways, we anticipate each day with a hope that Jesus might return today to take us home with Him, or anxious about what God might have in store for His servant today. Friends – Brothers and Sisters in the Lord, it just doesn’t get any better than that! But what about those who have chosen to go their own way and continue to live in the ways of this world, without Christ? We see and hear about the results of their careless living and we pray all the more for their eyes to be opened by God to see the need for a Savior. We also know that Jesus died on a cruel cross so that they too might accept Him as Lord and Savior. Therefore let us not grow weary in well doing, in praying for their hearts to be softened to the reality and results of their sinful life. Let us freely share the gospel with them in very meaningful ways – through our Godly actions and our kind, Godly words. Let them see Jesus in us, and pray that God will place an urgent desire in their hearts to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. To the unsaved person that God may have directed to this devotional in search of ‘hope’ in your life – please allow me to introduce you to the Creator of this earth, and each of us, the only One that ever loved us enough and was capable of providing redemptive means for our sin, and has the power to redirect us towards God the Father. I have details in the ‘Footnote’ that might help you overcome everything that you might be going through. God especially loves you, and sincerely wants you to commit your life to Him. Allowing Jesus into your heart and life is the answer to the turmoil, heartache and unnecessary anxiety you are encountering each day, for God is in control and can easily handle your situation, giving you extreme peace and tranquility. Please consider surrendering your life to Him today. Accept this Jesus of mine and allow Him to be Lord of your life. You too can have ‘HOPE’ today friend!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank You for the hope you have given me as Your precious child. Thank you for a day back in 1976 when You convicted me of my sin and my need for a Savior. I appreciate every day that You have blessed me with and I am excited about the prospects of each day, because I know that You can use even me to encourage my family and friends to meet You, and to listen to Your voice as You tug on their heart’s door. I believe that You have a plan for them dear God, and I thank You for looking beyond our faults and our sin, to see our heart and be concerned about our spiritual well-being. Thank You for being such an awesome Savior, loving Jesus and all-knowing, all-powerful God who can change even the vilest sinner. You rescued me from a life of sin and disregard, and I am convinced that You can do the same for my friends. Please speak to the hearts of those we will encounter today, so that our words and our actions might be acceptable to You and serve the purpose of drawing them closer to You. I ask all this in faith, and believing in the only true and loving God, in the name of my precious Lord and 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 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!

Patience Without Limit

On 2015-02-192015-02-19 By Ed AlgreenIn Patience, Salvation, SurrenderLeave a comment

The Holy Bible (New Century Version – 1 Timothy 1:15-16): ¹⁵What I say is true, and you should fully accept it: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst. ¹⁶But I was given mercy so that in me, the worst of all sinners, Christ Jesus could show that he has patience without limit. His patience with me made me an example for those who would believe in him and have life forever.

Thoughts: I believe that these verses speak very loudly to both the believer in Jesus Christ, and to the non-believer (if they would read and accept the written Word of God).

To the believer: I believe that Paul is helping his associate, Timothy, know that he needn’t go into ministering and causing folk to believe that he is superior in faith to them. To us (believers), I believe that God wanted Paul to get across to us that sin is sin, and where God brought us from is no better than where we see those that we are witnessing, or ministering to. However, we are reminded that because of the grace of our Lord Jesus, He looked down in mercy, and because of our separation from God, our unholy lives bore no resemblance to His, however in mercy He heard our prayer, forgave us of our sin and crowned us as children of the King of all kings. As we constantly remind ourselves of where we came from, friends we will better identify with the needs of the unsaved, and we can more readily share with them the kind of loving, merciful, forgiving God that we are recommending to them. Just as Paul shared, we are plain evidence of God’s love and mercy, and we were no more special than the person we are witnessing to, other than we humbled ourselves and surrendered to His call. We gave up that old life and now stand as princes and princesses of the greatest King, only God and Creator, Jesus the only Son of God! Praise be the name of the Lord forever!

To the unbeliever: I believe it is evident that God wanted Paul to make it clear that the same power is available to the unbeliever today that saved Paul, a sinner who was feared by the church because of his undying desire to persecute the church and destroy anything or anyone who claimed the name of the Lord. Yes, in the eyes of many you may be considered a very bad person, but God sees you as His creation, one for whom He allowed His only Son to die on a cruel cross, and one for whom God loves way too much to see you die and go to Hell. Friend, I can safely and accurately tell you this from my personal experience, because I realized some 40 years ago that I needed Christ, and He looked down in love and accepted my plea for forgiveness and oneness with Him. He did it for me, for Paul, and I have every confidence that He will do it for you also friend. Jesus is patiently waiting for your word, what will it be today? Remember, no word at all means ‘No’, and I believe that anyone led to read this devotional today will not make that kind of decision! May God deal gently, but boldly in your heart today, is my sincere and humble prayer for you friend …. because I know that God loves you, and so do I!

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for going to such an extreme to show Your unswerving love for me and all of mankind. Please help me to never forget where You brought me from, in hopes that I can better identify with those that might be far away from You today. I am concerned for my family, friends, coworkers and church attendees who still have not accepted You as Lord, because I firmly believe that Your return is not only eminent, but will happen at any time. I want to meet around Your throne with all my family and friends present. I plead with You today to please melt their hardened hearts and create a desire in them to fully surrender their lives to You, like Paul did and like I and many others have already done. May this be the day of salvation for them today, please, dear Lord. May the unsaved see Your mercy and grace in action today through the many miracles You perform each day in and around us. I bring my praises, these petitions and awesome thanksgiving in the name of the only Savior, Jesus my Lord, AMEN!

Perspective on Who We Are

On 2015-02-102015-02-10 By Ed AlgreenIn Clay, Potter, SurrenderLeave a comment

The Holy Bible (New Living Translation – Isaiah 64:8-9): ⁸And yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your hand. ⁹Don’t be so angry with us, Lord. Please don’t remember our sins forever. Look at us, we pray, and see that we are all your people.

Thoughts: For those of you who have worked with clay, no doubt you have worked endlessly on a project without making the desired progress, then you may have given up, squished it back to a ball of clay and started all over again, right? I’m sure that the clay didn’t speak back at you, or lash back at you for your inabilities or lack of talent to complete the project perfectly! This passage reminded me that God is my designer – my potter. He made me in the image of himself, yet I am much different to any of His other children that He also made. I believe that God will continue to work on me until the day that life leaves my body. Yes, He is God and He could instantly make perfection, however with each bump that He perfects in my sinful life, I learn a lot more about Him and about my shortcomings. In fact, many times these bumps bother me, and I have to call on God, depend on Him, and ask Him to please ease the corrective steps. Because God is my Master, my Provider, my Potter, my Divine Healer and my Friend, I have to be constantly reminded that He deserves my praise, my thanksgiving, my recognition and my obedience. I am acutely aware that in my position as mere clay in His hands, I must be daily looking into His Word for ‘Nuggets’ of Truth and grace that will help me along my road to perfection. I am reminded that because I expect His touch on my life daily, then my obligation to return thanks, to worship and adore my Lord, must be at least daily also. Surely there are many of you out there that are not as weak and sinful as I am, so you may be challenged to understand just what I am feeling in this devotional today. If there are any who feel this way, let me remind you that you would not want God to withdraw His hand from your life, or this world, for just one day. Believe me, it will not be pretty. You would quickly change your line of thinking, just as the Israelites did in this scripture today. Don’t take that chance friend. Know that You are God’s very own, by insuring that You know Jesus as your Lord and personal Savior. Then respect His authority as your ‘Potter’ so that He could continue the great work in you that He has planned for you!

Prayer: What an awesome reminder dear Lord! You created us from just a lump of clay, and no matter how we fight for our independence in smoothing out our imperfections, only You can continue perfecting the clay that You created. Only You know the end result of what You want us to look like. Only You know what we need to look like in order to effectively minister to that brother that need the Lord, or that sister who might be hurt from the evil of this world. I feel like I need to surrender to You all over again today, because although I gave my heart to You, I know that I often get in the way of You molding me into a usable vessel for Your glory. Please forgive me for my interference, and help me to daily surrender my life to You for Your service and usability. Lord, I believe that You can use even me to touch the life of an unsaved person today so that You can get to their heart and deal effectively in their life. I acknowledge that You can do it without me, but in using me I will be encouraged and blessed, and Your work will still be accomplished. I surrender all to You oh Lord. Use me as You will. For all who will be directed to read this devotional today, I pray that Your work in their heart will be evident in the way they live today. I ask all these things in the precious name of Jesus, my Lord, with thanksgiving, AMEN!

Worthy of Worship

On 2015-02-022015-02-02 By Ed AlgreenIn Holy, Worship2 Comments

The Holy Bible (The Contemporary English Version – Isaiah 22:15): ¹⁵My servant will make nations worthy to worship me; kings will be silent as they bow in wonder. They will see and think about things they have never seen or thought about before.

Thoughts: I believe that as a society we are facing a very challenging situation, with our churches almost going into extinction. Shocked? Well friend, I believe that you may need to move into reality and see how many churches are shutting down each week because of poor attendance or lack of necessary operating funds. So why do you suppose this may be the case? First let’s examine the makeup of the local church – it’s made up of folk just like you and I that attend, and give for the ongoing work of the Lord. So why do we attend? Perhaps some go out of tradition – meaning that it is the place to be on Saturday or Sunday morning. Others may go because they feel accountable to a family member. Still others attend out of pure devotion to God, and they look forward to not only worshiping Him for His blessings during the week, but they also want to learn more about what God has to say to us through His messenger. So why then are churches declining, and even shutting their doors? I believe that Isaiah made a very important point that we all must pay attention to. For I believe that in and of our own sinful selves, we have no desire to attend church, to be told about our sin, and stand corrected about our life styles and decisions. However, as in the day of the church that Isaiah envisioned, I am convinced that it is God who will call people to Himself and convince them of their need to worship Him. I believe that way too often our churches today come up with so many programs and tactics to attract people into their churches, that attendees remain uncommitted when their ‘program’ is weakened or discontinued. Friends, this is not a problem when we allow Jesus to remain in charge of His church. So I believe that as church leaders constantly seek Him, allow Him control, and plead for His interaction with His people, then He will have freedom to work on the worthiness of His people and the churches in which they worship. Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would ‘make’ the people (nations) worthy. To do this will require getting to their hardened hearts and turning around some evil thoughts that have been permitted in. I believe that God still has the power to impact our towns, our country and our world for Himself today, friends! For those of you who know Him as Lord, may I encourage you to surrender fully to Him today, then pray for family, co-workers and friends who have not seen the need to attend church where they might join in corporate worship? If you are one of those who have not seen the need to attend worship services, may I suggest that God is already dealing in your heart friend! I say this based on the knowledge that it is only God that would have encouraged you to read all the way to this point in this devotional! So listen to the voice of God and follow through in what you feel He is prompting you to do. He has prepared a very bright future for all of us who know Him personally. I would love to see you be among the number who will see Him face to face in heaven! I am excited about the opportunity, and I pray that you will be also!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are so good to us! Thank You for loving us enough to provide the means for us to one day join You in Heaven! I plead with You today heavenly Father, that the hearts of Your children will be humbled to fully understand the love laid upon Calvary’s cross so that we might be afforded the gift of eternal life with You in glory! I pray that each person meditating on this devotional today will not only place themselves on the altar of sacrifice and worship before You, but that we might begin in deep earnest to pray for our family, coworkers and friends, so that Your church here on earth might be reinvigorated and recommitted to true and sincere worship of You. Perhaps at that stage, unsaved loved ones will be open to uniting with sincere and loyal followers freed form hypocrisy and self-righteousness. Lord You are the only one worthy of our worship! May we commit ourselves to clean and holy lives so that our worship might be a sweet aroma in your ears. I ask all this in the precious name of Jesus, with thanksgiving, AMEN!

What’s Next?

On 2015-01-242015-01-24 By Ed AlgreenIn Follow Jesus, SurrenderLeave a comment

The Holy Bible (The Contemporary English Version – Colossians 3:1-6): ¹ You have been raised to life with Christ. Now set your heart on what is in heaven, where Christ rules at God’s right side. ² Think about what is up there, not about what is here on earth. ³ You died, which means that your life is hidden with Christ, who sits beside God. ⁴ Christ gives meaning to your life, and when he appears, you will also appear with him in glory. ⁵ Don’t be controlled by your body. Kill every desire for the wrong kind of sex. Don’t be immoral or indecent or have evil thoughts. Don’t be greedy, which is the same as worshiping idols. ⁶ God is angry with people who disobey him by doing these things.

Thoughts: New commitments normally require changes for us. Consider a single man getting married – can you think of all the changes that might be needed? If the man is sincere in his new commitment, there is no way that he will continue hanging out with the guys and not pay attention to his new wife. If I owned my own business, then went to work for corporate America, I would have to drop my own business and give my allegiance to the new company if I expect to succeed in my new job. In today’s scripture, Paul is drawing our attention to the fact that when a Christian surrenders his old life to Christ and commits to allowing God to control and lead him in his ‘New’ life, then he must forget the ‘old’ life and seek to serve God wholeheartedly by taking on the characteristics of His Son Jesus. The temptations of this world are very convincing, but in scripture we are reminded that our God can help us to be overcomers! Satan will try to convince us that we can’t survive without doing some of the things we did in our ‘old’ life, but in scripture we are reminded that our God can meet all of our needs and that we are more than conquerors because of His power available to us! So friends, may I remind you, much like Paul did to his church at Colossae, that when we accept Jesus, we become brand new creatures in Him and, with our new-gained strength, we can start again – a new life that is totally dedicated to Christ, and overcomers of the ‘old’ ways and sinful acts that we left at the foot of the cross for Jesus to bury. God’s Word shows us the ‘new’ way, the character and expectations of our new Master. I believe that the challenge for us today is twofold:

If we have accepted Jesus as Lord, are we truly living a totally surrendered life free from its old sinful nature? Have we truly given full control to Jesus? If not, we need to get this straight today friend. A divided allegiance lacks true commitment to either ‘life’. Please decide today whom you will serve, and follow through to ensure nothing is hindering that! God can help you friend!
You may not have accepted Jesus as Lord of your life yet, because you feel like you are not ready to give up the fun and excitement that this world offers to you. Friend, an un-surrendered life leads to Hell and damnation without the love and hand of God’s protection upon you. Please don’t make this mistake with your eyes being opened to the plain truth again today. Jesus loves you so much that He sacrificed His very life so that You might accept Him and subsequently live in glory with Him some day. There is nothing for you to ‘sacrifice’ or miss out on by asking Jesus into your heart, friend. For in Him, you gain genuine love, a heavenly palace and the guidance and direction to the only One who holds tomorrow in the palm of His hand. You will gain a hope that satisfies your soul like nothing else can! I believe your only question might be, “why didn’t you do this a long time ago”! Please read the Footnote for help on how to correct your lost condition!

Prayer: Lord, I believe that there are decisions that need to be made today. For we see Christians living just like the world, and we see non-Christians unaffected by the gospel. Please give us a sweep of Your precious Holy Spirit today so that our minds might be cleared from the confusion and misdirection of this world and its leader, Satan. I pray that everyone reading this devotional will receive a special touch from You today that will convince them of their lost or misdirected condition. May we learn to surrender our lives totally to You so that You would gloriously use us in accomplishing Your will here on this earth. Please forgive me for my weaknesses and lack of total surrender. May this be a turn in my life, and the lives of my readers today, is my humble, respectful, but sincere prayer today, for I ask in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ, with thanksgiving, AMEN!

Dependence on God

On 2015-01-212015-01-21 By Ed AlgreenIn Dependence, OvercomersLeave a comment

The Holy Bible (Contemporary English Version – Isaiah 40:29-31): ²⁹ The Lord gives strength to those who are weary. ³⁰ Even young people get tired, then stumble and fall. ³¹ But those who trust the Lord will find new strength. They will be strong like eagles soaring upward on wings; they will walk and run without getting tired.

Thoughts: I remember my parents emphasizing to me that I should wait for them before doing some things that really made them nervous. I remember coaching my daughter to do the same. However the one being coached is usually the one trying to be independent and do things on their own, and of course the ones that wind up learning from their mistakes or possibly even getting hurt. But isn’t it interesting that we who try to help, guide and protect our young, find it so difficult to place our faith and our trust in our God who loves us and wants to help, guide and protect us? Like our kids, we still fight for our independence and often live in unbelief, pride and self-confidence. We try to do things in our own limited strength that often results in failure and moving in a direction out of God’s will. This scripture is encouraging us to live life to its fullest by trusting in God, allowing Him to control us and our situations, so that we can find new strength for the day, so that we can soar above our problems and enjoy this walk of life without tiring. Friends, our dependence on God can give us independence from all that this world burdens us with each day. This is the way for us to follow. Will you recommit with me by surrendering our lives, our challenges and our struggles to God and totally trust Him to guide us through? It’s only then that we will soar above the concerns of this life and look forward in peace to all that God has in store for us!

Prayer: Lord God, it has become increasingly challenging to trust others, because of past disappointments, but thank You for Your precious Word today that has reminded me that I can place my full faith and trust in You. This world has proven to be way more than I can handle on my own, so please help me to stay focused on the truth of Your Word, and to depend on You for renewed strength each day. I want to soar above the troubles and challenges of this life, but I need Your wings to do this. You are my strength when I am weak, my sight when I am blinded by the enemy and my hope when everything seems so out of control and hopeless. Please use Your Word to encourage all that might read this devotional today. Please direct ones to read this who need encouragement or a sense of redirection in their life today. Teach us to be totally dependent on You, so that we may soar above the challenges of this life. May You receive praise and glory from all that is accomplished in our lives today, for it is in the name of Jesus Christ that I ask it, AMEN!

God’s Plan – Our Purpose

On 2015-01-192015-01-19 By Ed AlgreenIn Purpose, WorshipLeave a comment

The Holy Bible (The Message – Colossians 1:15-18): We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.

Thoughts: At times we might purchase something, use it for whatever we intended, or had in mind when we purchased it. After seeing it break down and fail so often, we might pull out the instruction book and discover that there were some important steps we were neglecting, that could easily have caused a failure in the expected life of the item. Now, re-read the scripture verses and see if it doesn’t spell out for us why we fail individually, and especially why our churches are failing to reach the masses. Friends, it is obvious that all things were created by God and for Him. Being made by his power, we were made according to His pleasure, and for His praise and glory. He not only created us, but it is by the word of His power that we are sustained or upheld. Christ as Mediator is also Head of the body of believers, the church; all grace and strength are from him; and the church is His body. So who are we to interfere with God’s plan – His purpose for us? I want to challenge you today to look inward at yourself (not your sister or your brother) and ask God to examine you and highlight the parts of your life that you have not totally surrendered to your Maker and Designer. There may be good reason why you are struggling with worshiping God or representing Him fully to your unsaved loved ones. If you truly belong to God, then according to these verses, I believe that you should be a miserable person anytime you are doing something other than worshiping or serving God. He made you to worship Him. Your very existence is purposed in Christ. The last part of these verses speak to unity in the church (the body of believers in Christ). Friends, if you are upside down in your relationship with God, don’t you know that you will also have the same negative impact on anything that you take part in, even church leadership? Always remember and respect who the head of the church is. The last thing you want to be guilty of is having a negative impact on the work of God’s church to reach, minister and glorify Him, through the ministry of Christ, to the folk that He died for. So I believe that the message in these verses today is that we reevaluate our relationship with the Lord. Are we glorifying Him in everything we do in or out of the church? Do we recognize the local church as God’s body of believers that He put in place to glorify Him? Be sure not to place self in the middle of that friend!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for placing me here on this earth with such honorable purpose. Please reveal to me areas of my life that I must seek Your help on. Areas that I must reevaluate and allow You to change so that I might glorify You more completely. Please forgive me if I have allowed self to step in the way of Your work in and through Your local church. I beg Your guidance so that I might give glory to You for being head of any church that I become a part of and through which I seek to serve You. I know that You are head of the church, and I must therefore always seek Your will and Your guidance to be a part of it and it’s ministry to my community. Thank You for the church in which I now serve! Thank You for all the churches represented by readers of this devotional. May we all take our rightful places and honor You with our praise and worship so that You might receive glory from us individual and corporately. For I believe it is then that You will have freedom to reach into our families and minister to the unsaved. I am seeking Your favor oh God, through asking all this in the precious name of Jesus, with thanksgiving, AMEN

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

How To Handle Life Challenges

On 2015-01-172015-01-17 By Ed AlgreenIn FaithLeave a comment

The Holy Bible (Good News Translation – Isaiah 37:16-17): ¹⁶ “Almighty Lord, God of Israel, enthroned above the winged creatures, you alone are God, ruling all the kingdoms of the world. You created the earth and the sky. ¹⁷Now, Lord, hear us and look at what is happening to us. Listen to all the things that Sennacherib is saying to insult you, the living God.

(Contemporary English Version – Isaiah 37:18-20) ¹⁸ It is true, our Lord, that Assyrian kings have turned nations into deserts. ¹⁹ They destroyed the idols of wood and stone that the people of those nations had made and worshiped. ²⁰ But you are our Lord and our God! We ask you to keep us safe from the Assyrian king. Then everyone in every kingdom on earth will know that you are the only Lord.

Thoughts: So many times we are faced with circumstances where we realize that we have allowed our walk with the Lord to fall into second place. Notice that I said ‘we’ allow, instead of indicating that God leaves us and moves on. Friends, I believe that when we sense a distance between God and us, we needn’t wonder whose fault it is, for our God is always the same – He loves us, cares for us and will remain with us to the very end. Way too often we beat up on ourselves so badly that we convince ourselves that there is no way that God could love us in our sorry state. I’m here to tell you that anytime you sense a distance between you and God, please search your heart and His will for what He would have you do. Notice in verse 16 that King Hezekiah recognized God for who He is – ‘You alone are God’. That’s a very powerful acknowledgment that each of us must recognize, especially when we are feeling isolated, alone and powerless. However, it will be challenging for you to recognize this fact when you’re in need, if you didn’t also acknowledge Him as God when everything was going well for you. The way that God got my attention in the second set of verses is that the king acknowledged that in spite of the overwhelming circumstances, he knew that the balance (final say) remained in God’s hands. Friends, this is an awful lot like us when we face very challenging circumstances, for in faith we must say that: in spite of what the doctors say, or in spite of what my check book says, or in spite of all odds ‘You are our Lord and our God’ and it is in You that I place my faith, believing that all things work for best, for those who love and serve God! King Hezekiah went before God in great confidence. We serve the sane God and we can go before Him in the same faith and confidence that the king did! Anything stopping you friend?

Prayer: Dear Jesus, we are weak, but You are so strong. Please help me/us to place our faith and trust totally in Your hands and depend on You in every walk of life and through every circumstance, especially those times when we realize that things are way out of our hands and/or abilities. As indicated above, I realize that such trust can only be achieved through our faith in You during the ‘good’ times also, for if we only come to You in trouble, how would we know to trust You. So Lord, I plead with You to touch my heart, guide me and lead me in the path of righteousness. Teach me Your ways and help me to live so that my life will glorify You. May I learn to trust in Your ways and allow You control of my circumstances, even when the way seems dark and impossible to me. May Your Word touch some soul today who may be facing circumstances such as this, for I ask this in the precious and holy name of Jesus, AMEN!

He’s Still God!

On 2015-01-102015-01-10 By Ed AlgreenIn Commitment, Compassion, SurrenderLeave a comment

The Holy Bible (The Good News Translation – Isaiah 30:19-21): The Lord is compassionate, and when you cry to him for help, he will answer you. ²⁰The Lord will make you go through hard times, but he himself will be there to teach you, and you will not have to search for him any more. ²¹If you wander off the road to the right or the left, you will hear his voice behind you saying, “Here is the road. Follow it.”

Thoughts: Friends, I am a firm believer that our God never changes, and that He is the same today as He was yesterday and He will be same until He calls us home to be with Him in glory. I also believe that God inspired His written Word, the Bible, so that we might be drawn to Him, grow in Him, encouraged in Him and be counseled and/or corrected by Him to enable a consistent walk with Him. I therefore believe that just as these highlighted verses were prophesied by Isaiah to challenge the people of Israel who had strayed from Him, that God is also encouraging us today to keep our heads up, to return to Him, and to be encouraged in knowing that no matter what struggles and discouragements and challenges we face, that He’s still God, that His love for us is everlasting, and that we can come to Him, or return to Him, in confidence knowing that He is compassionate and that He will answer our cry for help. Please be reminded that God is not a yo-yo, or a puppet, but instead He loves you enough that He will answer your prayers in ways according to His will for You, and that would best satisfy your needs. In other words, if you ask Him for a new Cadillac and He knows that you will remain humble, and could afford a Toyota Corolla better, then you may receive transportation (answer to prayer), just not the car you asked for, because it would increase your struggles and not help your situation. Some reading this devotional today may also feel like they, or a loved one, is ‘at the end of their rope’, because life seems so impossible. May I encourage you to look to God, place your faith and trust in Him, and surrender your life totally to Him? As you do this friend, You will:

Have peace in knowing the ‘hand-off’ has taken place!
Find peace in your circumstances, knowing that the God of this universe is working on your behalf! Remember, He is a great big God, who has this world in His hands, so He can easily handle your circumstances;
Be encouraged in knowing that God loved you, even as a sinner, enough to sacrifice His only Son so that you may have life, and have it more abundantly in and through Him. And it is that type of deep love that is your today as you trust in Him!

Because He’s still God, I must remind you that He loves you today friend! I believe that His love is even more intense, but He will not force Himself on you. He wants you to take the first step, by surrendering your will to Him and allowing Him to do all that I have shared above. If you have never made a personal commitment to Jesus and invited Him to rule and reign in your life, then I would encourage you to make this most important decision today. Perhaps there is one meditating on this devotional who has previously invited Jesus into your life, but has strayed far away from Him. Friend, you will see from these verses that Israel had strayed far away, yet God was ready to welcome them back and love them with the intense love possible only by God. He’ll do the same for you, if you recommit to Him! I have included helps for you in the ‘Footnote’ below. Please make this the first day of ‘real’, ‘committed’, life in Christ today!

Prayer: Thank You Jesus for the reminder in these verses today of Your awesome love for us, and how You are so ready and willing to accept us, Your children, when we call upon Your name in humility and forgiveness. Many of my friends are hurting and filled with one disappointment after another because of worldly circumstances or possibly bad choices by them. Please use Your Word, and possibly this devotional to encourage them, to soften their hearts to the point of surrender, and a new life in You. This my humble prayer that I ask in faith, and in the name of Jesus my Lord, AMEN!

Our God Can Do Anything!

On 2014-12-202014-12-20 By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, SurrenderLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

(Bible Translation and Location: The Message – Ephesians 3:20-21)

Thoughts:

This is generally a time of the year that we reflect back at all of the challenges we have faced. Obviously we have conquered the circumstances because we are here to tell the story, however in spite of the awesome pressure and anxiety in dealing with the challenges, we can now use this time to glorify God for His awesome hand upon us! In reading this passage from Ephesians, we are reminded that our God is capable of doing far more than we could ever imagine! In fact, in order to make sure that we have all His power available to us, He sent His Holy Spirit to live and reign within us. So friend, I hope that we will be careful how we whine, for when we do, we are really questioning the ability of the Holy Spirit to see us through our circumstances. Let’s learn to place our faith and trust in Him, lean on Him, depend on Him and allow Him free reign in our lives, knowing that all things work together for good, to those who place their faith and trust in Jesus. We have seen evidence that He can do all things and that He will work in our favor, after all, we are His beloved children. Let’s stop stressing friend, and ask God to give His Holy Spirit free reign in our lives this Christmas season and throughout 2015! There’s no better resolution we can make than this!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You are so good to us, yet we have only touched the tip of the iceberg. Please teach us to release this stressful life to You so that Your Holy Spirit might have free reign in our lives. Please help us to consult with You, take instructions from You and obediently carryout Your will for our lives. We need You in our lives and we need to depend on You daily. Lord, may we be Your humble servants and do exactly this as we continue on in this tough, rugged and stressful life. Thine be the Glory Lord, for You are so good to me! I’m praising You and asking all this in Your precious name, AMEN!

Nuggets From God's Word

Tag: Surrender