Month: November 2014

God’s Grace is All You Need!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Grace, PowerLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

7 So that I would not become too proud of the wonderful things that were shown to me, a painful physical problem was given to me. This problem was a messenger from Satan, sent to beat me and keep me from being too proud. 8 I begged the Lord three times to take this problem away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is enough for you. When you are weak, my power is made perfect in you.” So I am very happy to brag about my weaknesses. Then Christ’s power can live in me.

(Bible Translation and Location: New Century Version – 2 Corinthians 12:7-9)

Thoughts:

How often do we stand before our mighty and powerful God and question Him about all that is allowing to happen in our lives, and in the lives of His holy children? But wait a minute, isn’t that questioning the ways of God, the reasoning behind His decisions, His perfect will and design for us? I found it very humbling to be reminded of what Paul said in this scripture today, because I believe that God patiently waits for us to get over ourselves and totally surrender to Him so that He may actually have a chance to prove Himself to us. Friends, when we accept Jesus as Lord and King of our lives, it’s not for the purpose of a security blanket, although we are very secure in the blanket of His arms around us and the warmth of His love for us. Instead, we actually enter into a Father and son/daughter relationship with Him. Let’s remember that when we are totally surrendered to God and open to His powerful hand upon us, He can then have the freedom to bless us in ways that we would never have imagined or asked for. Friends, I was reminded that instead of beating my head against the wall when everything around me is collapsing and spinning out of my control, I need to remember that God’s grace is enough for me and through that weakness/trial/temptation, His mighty hand is still in charge and needing to take control of my situation. Oh that we can learn to surrender ourselves to Him much sooner than later! When we consider the pride we (dads) have when we see our children succeed and do well, to a great part because of our love and persistence in their lives, I cannot begin to imagine how proud God must be of His children who takes full advantage of His grace, His love and His instructions to live more noble and praiseworthy lives – the way that He designed us to be, and rejoice in seeing every day. So if our Father has full control, and loves us enough to have sent His only Son for our redemption, tell me again what might cause us to be down in the mouth and depressed in our souls? We are blessed beyond all words friends, let’s act that way and praise God with that in mind!

Prayer:

Dear Lord, please continue to impress upon us the need to live like Your blessed and admired children! We are covered by the sacrifice You made for us and the invitation we accepted to allow Your grace into our lives. We are loved enough that warranted You sacrificing Jesus so that we might live eternally with You. Oh that we may ‘get it’. The fact that we are blessed and loved children of the Almighty God! Lord, may Your power become perfect in us today, so that we may go on to be powerful ambassadors for You, is my prayer that I ask 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 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!

When Life is At Its Toughest

On By Ed AlgreenIn Seclusion, Time alone with GodLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

When life is heavy and hard to take,
go off by yourself. Enter the silence.
Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions:
Wait for hope to appear.
Don’t run from trouble. Take it full-face.
The “worst” is never the worst.

(Bible Translation and Location: The Message – Lamentations 3:28-30)

Thoughts:

I believe that we all respond differently to trials, struggles, and life when it seems to be at its toughest crossroads. I also believe that we have become a people who will go insane when faced with total silence! We seem to turn the television on while we work, just for the extra noise. We listen to music to calm us and help us go to sleep. We have music turn on automatically as our daily alarm. Our cars are filled with music or perhaps the spoken Word while we drive to and from work. However, in this scripture, we are told that when life seems to be tough and perhaps even at its worst for us, we need to slip away by ourselves and at some point in that silence bow in prayer before our heavenly Father. Friends, He knows exactly what we are going through and wants very much to help us through our challenging times, but He wants us to initiate the request for help. This teaches us patience, submission, humility and a heart full of respect for the Creator of this earth to care that much about us. I found it interesting that this was not just something that God thought to throw out just for us weaklings, because in the New Testament we are told that Jesus himself went to the garden to pray alone. While He could have easily prayed in the presence of His disciples, He chose to follow the pattern taught in this scripture, He went off into the garden alone to pray. Life was at its toughest for Him, and He followed this direction to give God His undivided, private, and full attention. I can’t be sure about you friend, but with me it seems like I can use this solution at least on a daily basis, due to the stresses, worries and concerns of life today. There is another verse that also comes to mind: Be still and know that I am God. I receive peace and resolve from knowing that God is not only available to me, but is also right beside me ready and willing to help me when I ask because of a need. He just loves me that much! What an awesome God that I serve! Friend, this same God is also available to you. Please consider this, and learn to lean on Him as Your everlasting Father.

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, thank You for reminding me that I don’t need to wait until I have exhausted all personal efforts before coming to You for help and direction. Thank You for being available to Your children at all times. Thank You for reminding me that You needed time with the Father during the tough times of Your life. How much more do I need You in my life today? I have friends who seem to be at wits end with all of their challenges also. Please give us all a yearning for You on a daily basis, so that You might be the first one that we turn to, rather than the last alternative. Thank You Lord for Your faithfulness, love and provisions so that I may live life to its fullest, without stress, and in line with Your perfect will! Bless those that might meditate on these words today, is my humble prayer that I ask in the name of 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 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!

Change

On By Ed AlgreenIn Change, SurrenderLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that everything comes — both calamity and blessing?
39 Why should any living person complain when punished for his sins?
40 Let us carefully examine our ways, and let us return to the Lord.
41 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in heaven

(Bible Translation and Location: The New English Translation – Lamentations 3:38-41)

Thoughts:

I have always been told that the truest meaning of insanity is: Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results! In verse 40 we are reminded that there should be a reckoning day where we have a serious, honest day of inflection with ourselves, especially when we realize that we the reason for our struggles and/or hardships might be because we are being punished by the Almighty because of our sin. For God is telling us that we should then stop, carefully examine our ways (compared to the ways taught by God in His word – not compared to your neighbor, coworker or your best friend), and return to the Lord. Now, I believe it is very evident to see that for us to redirect our lives from something that God dislikes, or something that is contrary to His Word and His will for our lives, then ‘Change’ has to take place. Otherwise we will continue doing the wrong thing knowing that we are living out of the will of God and contrary to His commands. The next verse (41) helps us to understand how we might achieve this change. In this world, whenever someone is caught doing something wrong, they are asked to surrender themselves to the authorities. When we lift up our hearts and hands to God, we are surrendering ourselves to His authority. To truly come before a righteous and holy God, we must first seek a cleansing from Him, and agree to accept the change that He might dictate to us, in order to be like Him. When last have you placed yourself before the God of all creation and asked Him to examine your very thoughts and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness, so that You may be more in line with His will for your life? To truly represent Him, be His child and be more like Him, we must surrender the ways (sin) of this wicked world, seek His face, and return to the ways of God. Anything less than this will merely be lip service and life as it is right now. Please let us commit to ‘Change’, right now!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, Your Word achieves its purpose every time. It drives deep inside and causes us to see our unfaithfulness and our sin, the reason for our separation from You, the reasons why our loved ones and friends are not being impacted by us for You. Please forgive us. Please don’t give up on us, but continue to patiently direct us towards all that You need us to see, and all that You need us to understand and follow in Your Word. Thank You for loving me enough to care about my future with You in Heaven. Thank You for providing The Way of us to enter Heaven’s portals one day and worship You in person. You are Holy, Almighty and worthy of our praise oh Lord. I thank You for Your amazing grace and Your indescribable love. Please touch each one reading this devotional today. Direct them to the areas of their lives that must be affected by ‘Change’ for them to know You personally, and/or draw closer to You, if they already know You. My prayer is asked in humility and thanksgiving, for I ask it in the precious name of Jesus – Lord, Savior, Almighty God and Everlasting Father, 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!

Give As An Indication of Whose You Are

On By Ed AlgreenIn GivingLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

25 Lazy people who refuse to work are only killing themselves; 26all they do is think about what they would like to have. The righteous, however, can give, and give generously.

(Bible Translation and Location: The Good News Translation – Proverbs 21:25-26)

Thoughts:

I have found wisdom in the book of Proverbs, but found it challenging to find something in them to share in these devotionals. However, God challenged me in these two verses that we are centering on today. For I believe that in today’s society, even Christians have obligated themselves financially to a state that they have to be totally, and perhaps even overly committed to earning the next dollar instead of relaxing in the peace of God’s love. In fact, I am convinced that most of us are working such stressful jobs and extended hours, and we are so tired when we finally get home, that several things are impacted:

  • Family structure – Look at how the family is so stressed that there is little time for love, devotion, sharing and worship? Divorce rates are at an all-time high. Kids are leaving homes often to do ‘their worldly thing’ that often excludes churchgoing, but often includes criminal mischief.
  • Daily time with the Lord – Often due to stress and tiredness, our family and friends are spending more time in bed and excluding time with the Lord. One of the most important things that we should do, yet it is getting neglected.
  • Biblical Practices – You can’t teach what you don’t practice yourself – Imagine trying to encourage your child to pray, when they never see you on your knees. Or force your child to attend church, but it is evident that church attendance is at the very bottom of your priority list. Or to read their Bible for their godly instruction, but you’re having trouble finding yours because you hardly ever use it.

These things that I mentioned are just a few of the things that show evidence of whose we are friends. The Bible says in Luke 12:27 that we should be as free to worship, and to give and spend time with the Lord as the lilies. What have we done to ourselves friends? Could Satan be getting too deep into our lives through things we have, or would like to have, that he is pushing out our desire to spend the necessary time with God? Remember, God is the giver of all good things in our lives, but He is a jealous God. Let’s not expects His gracious gifts but give our allegiance to Satan and all of his tactics to distract us. Let’s re-learn the art of giving to God, both of ourselves and of our gifts that He has blessed us with.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I come humbly before You today guilty of much of the above. You have blessed me immensely, however there are parts of my life that indicate my total allegiance might be a bit skewed. Please help me to get back on track, to re-learn the art of total allegiance to You and not to be so attached to this world that brings nothing but stress and heartaches. Please touch the hearts of my readers today that they too might be inspired to examine their lives and to give of themselves and their finances unreservedly to You and Your causes. Lord, I believe that our churches should be the one thing that survives all financial stresses, as You continue to go to give liberally to us even through earthly financial depressions. Oh that this might be evident in our lives and in the life of our churches today, is my humble prayer that I ask in the name of 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 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!

The Passion of Ministry

On By Ed AlgreenIn WitnessingLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

10 As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, no one in all of Greece will ever stop me from boasting about this.

(Bible Translation and Location: The New Living Translation – 2 Corinthians 11:10)

Thoughts:

I hope that no one will be turned off from the subject of today’s devotional, thinking that ‘Ministry’ is reserved only for your pastor, priest or congregational leader. For I believe that God’s Word is clear in designating each of His faithful children as His ministers, or imitators, or promoters, or believers responsible for sharing what we know about God. About the reason for our Joy, our Hope and our Eternal Destination! What really caught my attention in this short verse, is the point Paul made about not allowing anyone to stop him in what he was doing! Wow, do you realize how little the interruption might be that stops us from simply attending church? Can you recall how simple the reason was that prevented us from witnessing to that friend who was hurting and needing our Savior in their life? Isn’t it amazing how we tend to stay clear of those in a crowd who tend to openly witness? We hardly want to be seen associating with such a ‘freak’ or fanatic. Sad isn’t it? Interesting how we would probably place ourselves in harm’s way to protect a friend from danger, yet we would just as soon see them die and go to eternity in Hell with Satan and his cohorts, rather than simply sharing the joy in our hearts because of Jesus. Friends, time is short. Jesus could come today! That friend you’ve always felt God pointing you to share His salvation with, could go for his/her last drive or flight today and die in route to their destination. Please don’t let an opportunity pass by to share God’s love with them before it’s too late. Like Paul, don’t let anything or anyone stop you from sharing your passion, your ministry, your love for the Lord, with someone that God leads you to on this day!

Prayer:

Dear Father, You allowed Your very own Son to bear the shame of crucifixion as a sign of Your love for us, and as a sacrifice for us that enables us to one day be with You in glory! What amazing love! You sent men of passion to share Your Word with a world undeserving of the sacrifice they made, yet they did it because of Your love for them, and their dedication to, and love for, You. In spite of all that, today You have given us the choice to openly share the joy of our salvation with unbelieving family, friends and coworkers with a passion like that of Paul, or to simply hide the light and source of our happiness, and allow these ones to go on thinking that we are just that ‘good’ or ‘holy’. Please forgive us Lord. Please place a new boldness and passion in us that would ignite a new fire of desire and passion to openly share the source of our joy with all that we might come into contact with. Lord, may others have a desire to know You today, because of the change You will make in our lives. It’s all about You oh Lord, not us. I humbly ask this in the wonderful 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!

Things to Do While We Wait

On By Ed AlgreenIn Disciplined, ReadinessLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

7 The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. 8 Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay.

(Bible Translation and Location: The New Living Translation – 1 Peter 4:7-9)

Thoughts:

Living in a hurricane prone area of the world, we know how to be prepared for the often short notice about an approaching hurricane. However, when warned, we quickly hit the streets and pay a visit to our grocery stores and possibly to hardware stores for last minute items to make sure we are fully ready for eventual power cuts or breaks in deliveries to our local stores. Similarly, living in this world and having taken the first step of readiness for God’s eminent return, God, through Peter, is warning us of some last minute things we should really be doing to avoid any regrets when we stand before Him. Here are some things that we should be doing right now friends:

  • Be earnest and disciplined in our prayers – A Christian living in a world stained by sin, and where sin abounds, must stay close to God and constantly seek His guiding and protective hand to help us to stay on track and not be distracted by the sin that initially entrapped us and kept us at bay from God. “Being earnest and disciplined at it” gives me the impression that we are to make this a priority even when we don’t feel like it, but like vitamins and food itself, do it because we are told to, and because we know that we need it;
  • Show deep love one for another – Generally we will exude what’s inside of us. If God has filled us with His love, then we should have no trouble showing love for one another. However, I believe that just how a perfect God chose to love imperfect people like us, God wants us to love even those who might otherwise be unlovable. Ones we despise because they believe different to us, or act in ways that we have overcome (with God’s help). Ones that have hurt us, or who we may have hurt, because the Word says that this kind of love will be greater than the hurt, and also help us to overcome the hurt. Loving those who are different to us is much like what God was faced with when He looked down on us – sinners, yet He loved us anyway. Praise the name of the Lord!
  • Freely share your home and your food – Who blessed us with what we have, friends? Therefore, because all that we have, became possible because of our loving God, we should therefore pass the blessing along and bless others with it! Let’s truly be an example of the Savior that we worship and adore!

Friends, we are God’s very own and He has blessed us way more than we could ever imagine or deserve. As He has blessed us, let us therefore bless others! Let’s learn to pass along the blessings and not just hog them up to ourselves.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, I thank you for giving me Your Word to plainly tell me what I should be doing right now. As I was obedient in Your call upon my life to accept You as my Lord and Savior, please continue to nudge me along with reminders to live according to Your book of instructions so that I might do what You require of me on a daily basis. These verses today are excellent reminders of what I should be doing as I wait for Your return. Please give me strength today, and a willing and obedient heart as I strive to obey You and do Your will. Please allow Your Word to make an indelible imprint on the minds of Christians that read this today so that they also might be realigned to obedience. For others that You may point to this devotional today, please work a miracle in their life so that as they see the need to surrender their life to You, they may also catch a glimpse of Your expectations after their initial decision. Thank You for being so gracious to even me dear Lord. May I now be gracious and obedient in response to You. I am asking this in Your awesome, powerful and loving 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 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!

For No Selfish Gain, Just Glorify God

On By Ed AlgreenIn HumilityLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

17 As the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”(Jer. 9:24)

18 When people commend themselves, it doesn’t count for much. The important thing is for the Lord to commend them.

(Bible Translation and Location: The New Living Translation – 2 Corinthians 10:17-18)

Thoughts:

Here Paul is defending himself against a bunch of ‘super apostles’, who couldn’t stand seeing someone not from their group come in to share the gospel with their people. Do we have these type folk in our churches today? In my opinion, yes we do, and they are usually the troublemakers, much like Paul encountered in the early church. However what I feel like Paul was trying to clear up for us, is that Christians are to be loyal to God and always striving to please Him. If we please others along the way, then glory to God for whom the pleasing was intended! We should never have to boast on ourselves, after all it is God who created us; God who provides life each day; God who fills us with His love and the knowledge necessary to discern His Word and be able to share it with others. We are therefore just servants of the Master Designer and therefore He who should receive honor and glory from everything accomplished by Him through us. Friends, we are to be careful to pass the praises on to our Lord and Savior, and not soak them up in selfish pride with the assumption that it was due to anything we may have done. We are merely empty vessels with the love and power of God working in and through us as we open our mouths and or work any good deed. Please let us continue to please our Lord, and then worship Him together with others as we are blessed by Him. Don’t let our selfish pride get in the middle of this, for we are nothing without You.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, in all humility I come before You today asking that You might continue to receive glory for any and everything that You might accomplish through my efforts. Thank You for even considering using me to help others and to represent You. May I fade into the backdrop as You maintain prominence and receive praise for working in the lives of your people. Please keep me volunteering to help where You know that You can use me to receive glory, especially through people surrendering their lives to You. Please make me very aware of the times that I may be less than humble, as my desire and wish is to see people won to You, and only You can perform such a miracle. Please soften the hearts of Your messengers who may be less than obedient, or less than humble before an awesome and perfect God. May this be a day that we all learn to pass the praises up to You while continuing to seek Your face and Your perfect will for our lives as we serve You. Lord I ask these things humbly in Your name, 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!

Accountability for Gifts Given to Us by God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Spiritual GiftsLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

7 The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. 8 Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. 10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.
11 Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.

(Bible Translation and Location: The New Living Translation – ! Peter 4:7-11)

Thoughts:

I believe that the easiest way for us to explain gifts from God, is to explain the attributes of one another, or at least those of a saint that we look up to and admire. However, I believe that the Holy Spirit, through Paul, is seriously wanting us to internalize the fact that God has blessed us each with a divine gift that we should seriously strive to use for Him every day. When we, individually, can be accountable for our own gift, don’t you suppose that we might be less apt to find fault with the other person’s use of their gift? Think about the way that we grill our children when we pick them up from school, on how good they were that day or how pleased the teacher was that day with their behavior or scholastic achievements. Wouldn’t it be interesting for us, as adults, to grill each other on how we may have blessed someone that day because of the wonderful, and undeserved gifts we have been blessed with? Do you suppose that way too often we hide those talents in order not to be teased by our fellow workers or friends? Or do you suppose that way too often we undervalue the power of God and consider ourselves unworthy of any special gifts that God could really have blessed us with? In verse 11, Paul gives two examples of God’s gifts, and how they might be used for His glory. May I challenge you today to look inside at all that God may have blessed you with, and be determined to use your gift(s) as an instrument of blessing to someone that you may come into contact with? Let’s learn to acknowledge God’s power and gifts, even through us, so that He may be praised and glorified by someone today, because of our obedience! Our God is holy, loving and caring, and deserves all of our praise! Let us bring glory to God today because of His gracious gifts to us!

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, I have so much to be thankful for, and I praise You with all my heart today! Thank You for giving me hope for a future with You in heaven! Thank You for considering me worthy of the gifts that You have blessed me with. Please forgive me for the times that I sit back and think that I have no gifts, and would just as soon see someone more gifted do the work that You have set forth for me to do. Please redirect my thoughts and my praise to You for all that You have given me, and for all that you have used me to do. Lord, I humbly ask that You bless me each day with Your power, and the encouragement to reach out and touch You, so that Your divine power might be evident in and through me. I believe that I may not be alone in finding excuses not to fully serve You with all of my heart and blessed by Your awesome hand. Therefore, I ask that You would bless all who might meditate on this devotional today, so that we each might be renewed in our trust and understanding of Your gifts that are so prevalent in our lives, and that we might freely allow those gifts to pass through us to be a blessing to all that we might come into contact with. People Need the Lord, but how will they know Him if we hide His divine nature from them. Please bless us with Your power, is my humble prayer today that I ask in the precious, and all powerful name of 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 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!

With Thanksgiving – One for Another

On By Ed AlgreenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

3 Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. 4 Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, 5 for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. 6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

(Bible Translation and Location: New Living Translation – Philippians 1:3-6)

Thoughts:

With the Thanksgiving holiday quickly approaching, those of us in America focus our hearts and minds on ‘thanksgiving’. I believe that we primarily think of giving thanks to God for all that He has blessed us with, which is the right thing to do, when we consider that ALL things come from God, and through blessing us each and every day, we go on to bless others. However Paul, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, also saw the need to encourage us to look around us and thank those who, like us, are striving to reach the world for Jesus. In our country we have designated a month of the year to especially thank our pastors for their services. This is good, but what about the other 11 months of the year? And what about the other lay leaders/workers of the church, do they deserve a word of appreciation also? Our pastor recently reminded us that most folk come to know the Lord though the laypeople of the church, not through the preaching and/or teaching at the church. I believe you would see great encouragement among the members of our churches if we were to find something to thank each one for as we greet them at our worship services, or anywhere else we see them! Paul considered each of us as ‘partners’ in the ministry. In other scripture we, the people, are referred to as a ‘body’ with various parts, all of which are important. So friend, what is your area of ministry in the church? Think about it, in addition to the obvious ones like preaching and teaching, some are constantly offering prayers one for another, others might be encouraging a Brother or Sister who might be feeling despondent, while another might call to check on someone who didn’t make church service to make sure they are not ill. There are numerous other ways that we each may minister, but together we complete the circle of ministry ordained by God. Because we are reaching for the same goal and working for, and in the name of, the same Master, then we are partners in the ministry as indicated by Paul in the captioned verses. Be ready with an answer for a partner when they ask you about your area of ministry! Let’s be diligent in praying one for another, so that the work of the Lord might prevail and flourish!

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You for all you did for us, and for what You continue to do for us each and every day. Thank You for those who partner with us in ministry, as together we strive to reach the world for You. Bless us with courage, stamina and a deep desire to serve You through everything that we do. May we always bless those that we come into contact with, because of You! Lord You are good, and Your mercies endure each and every day! Thank You Lord Jesus. These things I ask in You wonderful and precious name, 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!

The Rewards of Giving

On By Ed AlgreenIn Giving, Rewards, SatisfactionLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God.

(Bible Translation and Location: The Message – 2 Corinthians 9:10-11)

Thoughts:

Over the past two days we have learned that God expects us to give out of what we receive, and to give with the right attitude. In today’s scripture we learn how God rewards us for our giving. I’m sure that many who meditated on the last two lessons may have questioned how they could possibly afford to give from the little they earn, especially considering the large amounts they owe. Friends, God answers that question in today’s scripture by reassuring you that He gives not only enough for ourselves, but also the where-with-all to supply the needs of others. In faith, we must show the reality of our subjection to the gospel, by works of giving. Remember this will be a reward to our faithfulness, and to bring praise and glory to God by others who are touched by our giving. Please also note that Paul was not just drumming up this idea of rewards to induce the giving he was asking his followers to do. For back in Matthew 10:42, Jesus told His followers that if they only give a cup of water to one of His, they would certainly be rewarded. In Hosea 10:12 we are told that if we plant righteousness (right-ness with God) we will reap a blessing! In Matthew 5:6 we are told that God will satisfy those whose greatest desire is to please Him. By now you are probably thinking that this is probably the way to go to bring you riches. To a certain degree I will agree with you, because there is nothing like building up the pleasure of our God with our obedience to His Word. Absolutely nothing like seeing those in need find reason to praise God for His wonderful gifts, knowing that we may have had a role to play in those gifts because of our obedience. I find way more delight in hearing that others are pleased with and/or blessed by something that I may have contributed to, rather than the richest dude on earth handing out $100 bills for everything they notice that I may have done. For you see, my actions are in response to God’s commands and for His glory, not for man’s attention or his returned praises to me. I would rather go unnoticed in my giving of finances or time. I am much more rewarded by hearing someone giving praise to God for answering their prayers about their needs. If God used something that I may have contributed to Him, then it is truly His to give away to a person in need. He’s the one that deserves the praise and glory. Give from a heart of obedience friend, and give it to the Lord, who gave it to you in the first place. Be ready to praise Him for the ability to give, and for the glory it might bring to a child of God in need, for your rewards are ‘out of this world’!!

Prayer:

Jesus, thank You for showing us how to give, by first giving of everything You had to us. Thank You for accepting that bitter cup You mentioned in the garden, so that I might enjoy the sweet cup of fellowship with You as my Lord and Savior. Thank You for blessing us daily with the love, assurances and resources that we might pass along blessings to others in need. I pray that my reader friends might, like me, gain a daily appreciation for Your goodness towards us, so that we may freely share with others and give liberally to You and Your work in response. I pray that through recognizing, and being reminded of the source of our blessings, we might be encouraged to give all the more. I so appreciate the rewards You have prepared for me, thank You Father! May we be reminded of those rewards daily so that our giving might be all the more joyful! All this I ask for You dear Lord, in Your precious and worthy name, 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!