Month: December 2015

Our Response to the Christmas Child – Jesus

On By Ed AlgreenIn Christmas, Committed, Faithful, Worship, WorthyLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – The Good News Translation (GNT) ~ Deuteronomy 10:20-21 Obey the Lord your God and worship only him. Be faithful to him and make your promises in his name alone. Praise him—he is your God, and you have seen with your own eyes the great and astounding things that he has done for you.

THOUGHTS: If you have not discovered this already, I believe that as you read the Word of God, you will recognize that mankind has not changed a whole lot. Yes, in spite of all that we read about that happened in the days of Moses, you and I are still just a stubborn and sinful as our ancestors were. The Israelites spent 40 years in the wilderness, which you would have thought was plenty enough time for God to work on them. Plenty enough time for them to see God at work, in how He provided for their every need, and how He fought their battles for them, protected them from harm, and loved them enough to see them rise from the life of slavery they were subject to in Egypt. Now that they are in sight of the luscious, fruitful, beautiful land to which God had led them, wouldn’t you think that they would probably be flat on their faces before God in praise and thanksgiving? But wait just a moment, we have learned about the great works of God all of our lives; we have the added knowledge about Jesus and how he came miraculously as a child, then 33 short years later was murdered at the hands of folk just like you and I – all for the forgiveness of our sin. In fact, during His short life, and even still today, He has performed mighty miracles in many forms. If we had done a better job than the Israelites in learning from our past, I believe that one would conclude that we must be building churches every time you look around to accommodate appreciative Christians. You know, the ones who can’t wait on church doors to open for corporate praise and worship services; and who are so anxious to attend midweek corporate prayer services, if only to lift up holy hands and hearts in an attitude of thanksgiving. Friends, I don’t know about your church, but this is not what I am seeing at my church. I don’t know what conclusion you have come to, based on the excuses you hear why our friends and/or family see no need to prioritize this important act of worship, but in most cases it’s very similar to the Israelites: “it’s the only time I have for myself”; “my husband has a cold and I needed to stay with him”; “my kids had a sleepover”; “this is the only day of the year that I could possibly make it to the beach”; “my favorite sports team is playing this afternoon and I had to prepare for friends coming to watch the game with me”, etc, etc. Would you please remind me again why we are so tough on the Israelites who messed up time and time again in the wilderness? What do you suppose God is comforting His Son with when He hears some of our excuses? Might He be wondering again why it was necessary to die for such an ungrateful bunch? We are in the Christmas season, and you would think that we are on our way to the manger to worship the new born King, but where again are the majority of folk you know? Can’t you hear the many, many excuses much louder than the carols of Christmas or the message that the angels first proclaimed? Isn’t it unfortunate that we hear the cash register dings, much louder than the Christmas bells proclaiming the birth of our Savior? Moses pleaded with his people who were about to make some important choices as they left him, to be faithful to the God who brought them through. I would humbly plead with all those reading this devotional, to be faithful to the God that loves you so much that He gave you everything He had, and it wasn’t even Christmas! How do you plan to react to that kind of love?

PRAYER: Lord God, thank You for taking such awesome care of our ancestors while traveling to the land You had promised them. May I humbly ask that You tender our hearts today and help us to recognize the outstanding God that You are to us each and every day? Please help us to ‘Think God First’ so that nothing else will come between us and our times for praise and worship to Your powerful name. Lord, You are good and Your mercies endures forever! Thank You for having loved us when we were unlovable. Thank You for loving us in our current state, and praise to Your wonderful name Heavenly Father. Thank You for loving us enough to provide a promised land for us – heaven, where we will one day soon united with You and worship You through all time and eternity. We are so needy, but praise God You are so worthy! Blessed be Your wonderful and powerful name! AMEN and 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!

Choose This Day Whom You Will Serve

On By Ed AlgreenIn Obedient, Servants of God, ServeLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – New Living Translation (NLT) ~ Deuteronomy 7:5-6 You must break down their pagan altars and shatter their sacred pillars. Cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols. For you are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Of all the people on earth, the Lord your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure.

THOUGHTS: I believe that we have gotten into such a feeling of ‘trying to fit in’, that we would do almost anything to please our friends. Some say, “we don’t want to be a stick in the mud”, while others say, “I just don’t want to call attention to myself by being different”. Friends, God brought the Israelites through a wilderness over a period of 40 years, and during this time they depended on God for their next drop of water, and their next morsel of food, in order to survive. Do you suppose that they learned how to depend on God? Do you suppose this changed the hearts of these people to trust in God for everything? Do you suppose they learned very quickly what actions pleased God and which ones really upset Him? Do you think that in this world that we now live in where everything is placed at our fingertips, that we could identify with the Israelites? These chosen verses made me think of a current day scenario where a parent is about to release their adult child ‘into the wild’. In other words, from their family home, into a world where they would make their own home and own decisions. For then a parent feels like no matter how thoroughly they may have raised the child in a godly home, they just want to make sure that the child will continue to live as they were taught, as they now ‘fly the coop’! It’s nerve wrecking because we worry that we may not have done enough! In this scripture today, the Israelites were reminded how important it would be for them to stay away from the traps of Satan, and to stay true to the teachings and practices of God, and to not tolerate the things of Satan that may be attractive to them. Friends, this opened my eyes to consider the same challenges that we face each day. There are things that we know we should do that would please God. We know there are practices, places and/or people that we will come into contact with that will distract us from our walk with the Lord. I believe that God is telling us today that ‘we are to choose ye this day whom you will serve’. We may not face pagan altars and Asherah poles, but we will face worldly practices that Satan will use to distract us away from the Holy One, God Almighty. What will you do with Jesus? He gave His life so that we might live eternally with Him in heaven. What will you do today in appreciation for that?

PRAYER: Dear God, Your servants have become so comfortable with the things of this world, that it must be challenging for the world to clearly discern to whom we belong. I am convinced that ‘children of God’ who act like ‘children of the world’ will never impact the world for You, because nothing different is noted. May I be bold enough to ask You today dear God, to please touch Your children – those who have surrendered their lives to You for the sole purpose of being used by You, and renew a right spirit within us; draw us closer to You; direct us to be more like You; so that the world might be reminded of the love; patience; determination; dedication and strength of our Master. You are different to anything we see in this wicked world. May Your children strive to be the same, God being our strength, our helper and our guide. For this is my humble prayer that I ask in the name of Your Son, Jesus, so that we may impact the world for You, 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!

In Awe of Our God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Awe, Praise, WorshipLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – New Living Translation (NLT) ~ Psalm 33: 6-9 The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born.  He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.  Let the whole world fear the Lord, and let everyone stand in awe of him.  For when he spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command.

THOUGHTS: I believe that if the news channels announced that a certain man was coming to our town who could do miraculous things, we would probably all head out to the largest stadium in the area to see him, witness his miracles, and even take our sick and disabled to receive a touch from him, with hopes that they would be healed. In fact, we would probably even go as far as kneeling before him as we plead for his touch, and I know we would brag about him all over town as we see his works performed. I also believe we would pay good money to get into the stadium to see this man. But wait a minute, the last time I went to church I was told about a man who did the same thing as already described, and the audience (congregation) didn’t seem anywhere as excited as if they would have attended the stadium that I mentioned above. In fact, their lips seemed sealed when they left the sanctuary also. What’s with that? Friends, the Psalmist is reminding us again today that our God made everything that exists today, right down to the very air that we breathe, the sunshine that we enjoy and depend on for certain vitamins, the rain that blesses our crops, the cold that ripens our citrus, the family that we often hang around and the boss that created job opportunities for us. In fact, nothing would exist had it not been for God. But take note of this as you celebrate Christmas this year – our God is so awesome that He miraculously impregnated a virgin girl with a baby boy – His Son, we know as ‘Jesus’ – the One who ultimately gave His life so that lost sinners like you and I could have the means of getting into heaven to live eternally with He and the Father (God). The Psalmist suggests that as we recognize the awesome power, love and protection of our God, then perhaps we would stand in awe of Him, worship Him with thankful hearts, have a yearning to know more about His teachings, and praise Him for all that He provides for us every day. Collectively, these very actions constitute ‘church’ friend. It’s not a big secret place set aside for only a select group, for this God that I described, and that the Psalmist described, is supreme to all inhabitants of this earth. One God, for us all. So please be encouraged to visit a church this weekend as we stand in awe of our God and celebrate the many blessings that is ours, because of who He is and for all that He does for us!

PRAYER: Father God, so often we lose sight of the awesome God that You are, especially at those times when everything around us appears to be so huge and insurmountable. Yet, the Psalmist has reminded us that You created everything from nothing at all, just using the awesome power of the only true God of this universe. What a privilege it is to call You Father, for who are we that such an awesome God should consider sending His only Son as our redemption from sin? Obviously You loved us more that we can humanly imagine. Thank You Father! Thank You Lord Jesus! May we always be found in an attitude of worship, and may we always seek opportunities for corporate praise, worship and a message from Your Word. In humble thanksgiving and awe, I praise You Heavenly Father, and ask these requests today, 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!

Pass It On

On By Ed AlgreenIn Evangelism, Love, Pass It OnLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – Deuteronomy 4 ~ Contemporary English Version (CEV) ~ 9 You must be very careful not to forget the things you have seen God do for you. Keep reminding yourselves, and tell your children and grandchildren as well. 

THOUGHTS: Moses was preparing to see his people, whom he faithfully trusted in God to lead out of Egypt over the past 40 years, now he was about to witness them drift off into the land promised to them by God, but without him (Moses)! An exciting moment, but think about how cautious you were when your young adult was about to leave the nest and move out into this big world on their own. Think about the cautions and precautions you tried to cram in at the last minute to make sure that your young adult stayed on track and continued the legacy that you had taught them for the past two decades. Friends, this is a normal part of the cycle of life, for we all reach a time in our life where something had a major impact on our lives, and we have to decide how, or whether we will allow that thing to impact our lives for good. When God created us, He gave us the option of personal choice. Like in the case of our children, God expects that we would take our encounter with Him and allow it to positively impact our lives to the extent that our lives would be changed forever. Fortunately, this is true for many, but for some, unfortunately they brush off the powerful hand of God and decide to do life on their own. For those of us who accepted Jesus as Lord of our lives, we were/are faced with the same challenge as the Israelites faced when they were about to leave the guidance, protection, encouragement and direction of their leader. We must decide what we will do to stay confident in our faith, and we must decide whether we keep this miracle to ourselves. Friends, how will others know, if we don’t tell them? What will help us keep the faith during challenging times, if we don’t keep reminding ourselves of the God who impacted our lives, or look for encouragement of another like person who is going through tremendously good times of answered prayer at that very moment? Unless we do this, Satan will quickly find a very vulnerable opportunity to batter and bombard us with disappointment and disillusionment. This is exactly the reason why it is so important for us to share the experiences of our walk with the Lord. It could very easily make all the difference in the world in the life of one who is down and out. It could make all the difference in the world to one is has only known or witnessed the very negative aspects of life. Your child(ren) will grow up facing the challenges of life using the principles of life that you have taught them – good or bad. Are you currently passing on the good news of the Savior who rescued you from sin and giving you daily strength and encouragement to face every day? Please don’t leave it for the ‘other person’ to do this for you. God has placed us individually where He wants us. We know all too well that He still has a lot to do in this old wicked world. Be reminded that we are His servants with grave responsibilities to ‘Pass it On’ – the wonderful and blessed good news of the One that help us through each and every day.

PRAYER: Just as it only takes a spark to get a fire going, so it could be in the life of one who is lost, if we open our mouths and share the love of our Savior with that lost person. Father, I believe that we need to do this under the inspiration and help of Your Sweet Holy Spirit though, as we want the weaker ones to be inspired by You and not any pretense of our own. Lead us and guide us dear Lord, so that we may pass on the legacy of all the miracles You have performed in our lives, especially the miracle of new birth. Lord, may You therefore impact lives for Yourself through our lives. Thank You Father for loving even me. Please help me to pass Your precious love along to others. For I ask this in and through the precious name of Jesus, AMEN!

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

God Keeps Us Focused on Himself

On By Ed AlgreenIn Dedicated, Focused Christian, Transparent, UncompromisedLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – The Message (MSG) ~ 2 Corinthians 1 ~ 12 Now that the worst is over, we’re pleased we can report that we’ve come out of this with conscience and faith intact, and can face the world—and even more importantly, face you with our heads held high. But it wasn’t by any fancy footwork on our part. It was God who kept us focused on him, uncompromised.

THOUGHTS: As I meditated on these verses today, I actually thought of additional words by Paul in 2 Timothy 4 where, right at the end of his life, he said: 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. 8 And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing. This combination of verses made me realize that, like Paul, we also can remain faithful, and stay focused on the Lord, if we would keep our minds fixed on Him, our minds made up to serve Him faithfully, our determination to remain obedient, and our constant prayer of faith in the only One who can direct our path and keep our eyes fixed on Him. Paul’s words right at the end of our focused verse convinces me that we must live such a determined and consistent life that our friends will recognize it, and the Good Lord will know it, that we have kept the faith, uncompromised, and dedicated our lives fully to our Savior and the truth of His Word. Friends, it is this type of life that will touch the hearts and lives of our unsaved friends, for we are a lot more transparent to our unsaved friends that what we may care to think. They know when we are sincere and uncompromised, and they can discern when we are faithful and true. I believe that God will only use us when we are prepared to allow Him to be portrayed in and through our lives – our actions and our words. Where are you at today friends? What do you suppose that God would say, if you stood before Him today? And don’t be fooled friend, that face-to-face meeting could actually take place today. We have no assurance of tomorrow. Get things straightened out today, won’t you friend?

PRAYER: At this time of the year we concentrate on the greatest gift ever given to mankind, the gift of God’s only Son, Jesus. While we love to celebrate at Christmas, Lord, we must acknowledge that we feel so awesomely blessed each and every day by the works of Your hand in our lives through the many blessings that You bestow on us. We can hardly imagine that such an awesome God, would use the vehicle of mankind (my readers and I included) to spread Your Word, to witness to the unsaved, and to actually participate in convincing them of their need for salvation. Thank You Lord Jesus, thank You Father God! May You receive our uncompromised walk and talk today, is my humble request, and I ask these things in the wonderful, blessed name of Jesus, AMEN!

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

Hope For Our Greatest Fears!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Fear, Hope, Reflection, RememberLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – 29–33 I tried to relieve your fears: “Don’t be terrified of them. God, your God, is leading the way; he’s fighting for you. You saw with your own eyes what he did for you in Egypt; you saw what he did in the wilderness, how God, your God, carried you as a father carries his child, carried you the whole way until you arrived here. But now that you’re here, you won’t trust God, your God—this same God who goes ahead of you in your travels to scout out a place to pitch camp, a fire by night and a cloud by day to show you the way to go.” ~ Deuteronomy 1:29-33 ~ The Message (MSG)

THOUGHTS: I believe that we can all easily identify with the fears of the Israelites, and that we all need a ‘Moses’ word every now and then to reassure us and get us back on track! As I meditated on the Word today, and saw the fears that Moses had to deal with, God reminded me that we are still very much like the Israelites, as we worry a lot about everything that God has not answered yet, at least in the way that we have instructed Him to. Think about it friends, God has been so merciful, kind and supernatural to, and for us. In fact, if we stop to consider the ways, we will quickly ascend to the clouds in awe and thanksgiving. However, for those things that really concern us, and for those things that God has yet to answer in the way we have asked Him to, we unfortunately fall into depression, thinking that God turned a deaf ear to our requests. I believe we need to quickly remind ourselves who is really in charge here. Whose timing is best? Why would God place a ‘pot of gold’ in our hands today when He knows so well how we will gloat in our accomplishments? In His time He will make everything beautiful. We belong to Him friend. Our lives are His, our family is His, our church is His, our country is His, including our government leaders, and truly our future is His. Will He really send us down the wrong path? Do we think for a moment that He has lost His power and can no longer handle everything that goes on in this old world, in our lives and every other concern that we might have? Moses reminded the Israelites, and I believe God is reassuring us today through the words He gave to Moses, that we are to reassure ourselves, based on His accomplishments this year, that we can anticipate even greater works in 2016, yes even in spite of how dismal things may appear to the carnal man right now. Let me remind you friend, that Our God Reigns, we just need to align our thoughts and our ways with His, and allow Him to reign in full power and majesty. Let’s prepare ourselves to meet Him and receive His blessing for having trusted Him fully each and every day. Let our times of reflection on all that He has already done, be our comfort for tomorrow, God being our helper!

PRAYER: Father God, You are so awesome, and You shower us with Your love each and every day, even in spite of our tendency to doubt and fear. Thank You Lord for being our awesome, Great BIG wonderful God! We’ve seen time and time again that it was not just the Israelites that You parted the waters for, and provided water for them from a solid rock, but Lord You are still God, and You have worked miracle after miracle among us also! Unfortunately, we have allowed the clouds of doubt and worry to overshadow the mighty works that You have performed in our lives, our families, our churches, our communities, and even in our country. May I humbly ask Your continued patience with us while we adjust our mindset to the awesome power of our wonderful God? Satan has no place in our lives, please give us strength and fortitude to stay so focused on You Father, that the doors to temptation, discouragement, lying, cheating and sin as a whole will find no footing in our lives. Lord, You are Good, and Your mercies endures forever! Praise be to the wonderful name of Jesus, in whose name I ask all this, 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!

Guidance For Any Kind Of Day

On By Ed AlgreenIn Guidance, The WordLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – 13 Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. 14 And do everything with love. ~ 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 ~ New Living Translation (NLT)

4 Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name. 5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning. ~ Psalm 30:4-5 ~New Living Translation (NLT)

THOUGHTS: Nearing the conclusion of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians he continued to speak to them as a father would to his children, especially in light of everything they were facing at the time as a church under persecution. In light of everything that we face in our world today, I was extremely encouraged by Paul’s blessing, because here’s what I got from the first two verses above. Paul admonished the church to:

  • Be on guard, or be alert – Don’t you feel some days like it may have been better if you had just stayed in bed? It is so obvious that Satan is out to tear us down at every possible opportunity. Paul, in telling the Corinthian church, is also telling us, to be strong in our relationship with the Lord, so that we will be armed with God’s love and His power and His strength, to face any and all circumstances that Satan may fire our way. Imagine leaving home with an armed guard by your side, and one who knows all things, sees all things, made all things and who happens to be the one who loved you enough to have given His very life for you. Wouldn’t that be an ultimate way to guard your way and keep you alert to the attacks of Satan that are just lurching around the corner?
  • Stand firm in the faith – Friends, it’s impossible to do this if you don’t have faith. Likewise, if you don’t maintain, and grow in your faith, do you really have something that you can trust when under pressure? I would encourage you to get connected to God in Bible Study and Prayer, and further strengthen your faith by getting with folk of like faith as often as you can. ‘Iron sharpens iron’ is a phrase used in the Bible. I would suggest to you today that not only do you need the strength and encouragement of other believers, but they need you also. As your faith is sharpened and strengthened, you become better equipped to not cave in to the things of this world – Satan’s tools that he has placed to trap you;
  • Be courageous – I believe that we must be willing to stand up for what we believe, and often this will involve a courageous spirit, especially to one who is generally timid in life;
  • Be strong – This is especially important, because folk are judging whose inside of your heart based on your actions, your attitude and your words. When we consider all that God has done, all that He is doing and all that He has prepared for our future in heaven, and then to imagine that He is the one controlling us, protecting us and guiding us, whom then shall we fear?
  • Do everything in love – It’s so easy to do loving things for those who show love towards us, but we know all too well how challenging our job is when folk are unkind to us. Perhaps we should take our eyes off others and stay focused on God, then perhaps we will more easily ‘do everything in love’ knowing that God will be pleased with us? Imagine the smile on His face when He recognizes that we have depended on Him and done amazing things for others, knowing that we are aiming to please Him, regardless of how others may react to our actions?

I realize that I have gone a bit long today, but friends would you take note of these two verses and my commentary, then read the two verses I included from Psalm. Don’t you see that we serve a most awesome God, and that joy will come in the morning, regardless of what the night has revealed? My earthly energies are geared towards honoring, worshipping, pleasing and adoring the God that I plan to spend eternity with. Where do you spend your energies each day? The above information gives you guidance on how God expects you to spend your day!

PRAYER: Father, You are awesome, and I thank You for conveying Your principals, Your character, Your will and Your encouragement to us through your Holy Word. May it be a light to our feet and a constant guide to our path each and every day, so that others may see and believe on You. I ask these things in the name of the One who gave it all for me, 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! 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!

Stand Firm

On By Ed AlgreenIn Perseverance, Stand Firm, UnshakenLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – 56 Sin is what gives death its sting, and the Law is the power behind sin. 57 But thank God for letting our Lord Jesus Christ give us the victory! 58 My dear friends, stand firm and don’t be shaken. Always keep busy working for the Lord. You know that everything you do for him is worthwhile. ~ 1 Corinthians 15:56-58 ~ The Contemporary English Version (CEV)

THOUGHTS: I’ve heard terms like ‘hunker down’ and I’ve heard it used in scenarios where all preparations have been completed, so now settle in for the main event. Before I give you another scenario, I promise you that I will not talk politics on this blog, because my story, and this blog, is about a much more important matter and individual. However, I’ve seen in every case where politicians will begin their campaigns in fairly low gear as they try to organize their campaign and gear up towards the BIG day, but they will stand committed to their campaign principles and goals. Now, let’s think about all that Paul is sharing in his admonition to the Corinthian church, and why I believe that God placed this in His word especially for us. In the verses preceding the ones above, Paul explained what happens to our bodies after they wear out here on earth. I realize for the non-believer reading this devotional, this simply means that life is done, so no need to worry about any possible future life. The Bible teaches otherwise, friend, and I would love to share more on that with you. However, for the believer, it’s almost like a kid looking towards Christmas and counting down the days, for we know that the greatest gift ever imagined, was given for us through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Knowing that the time for us to see Him, builds our anticipation towards that day, and it causes us to rejoice in anticipation of His presence throughout all eternity! Praise to the everlasting Prince of Peace! When a child builds up so much excitement about Christmas, parents must find ways to really keep them busy, so they don’t become overwhelmed with anticipation. Paul knew that we would have that same type of anticipation, but yet face ongoing pressure and distractions by the evil one while we remain in his territory here on earth, so Paul advises that we are to ‘hunker down’, or stand firm in our faith, so that He in whom we have placed our faith, will be our strength, our deliverance, our provider, our encourager and therefore, become the focus of our faith and our trust while we wait for His return. As we do this, we encourage those who are still in doubt and who tend to waiver when faced with challenges and distractions. There’s a little children’s chorus with words “if you’re happy and you know it clap your hands”. I would like to encourage all God’s children with the words we are reminded of in these verses today, “if you’re truly His and you know it, stand firm and don’t be shaken by anything Satan will fire at you while living in his territory here on earth, for we have a much brighter future to look forward to and an awesome Savior awaiting our welcome home to spend eternity with He and His Father – God”! It just don’t get any better than that friend! The great news for everyone – especially the unbeliever, is that you can have this truly awesome experience also, if you surrender your life to, and accept the invitation of, my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Even better news is that there is no big secret in how you can be saved, in fact, I have all the help you need in the Footnote below! Make your decision and commitment today friend, then join us in standing firm in our faith as we await that awesome day, when our Lord will welcome us home!!

PRAYER: We are so blessed by the Gift that You provided for us dear God, so that we might have a means of seeing You and worshiping You in person one day! Thank You dear Father, thank You dear Jesus for the greatest gift ever given! Please help us to stay focused, stand firm in our faith, so that we would not cave in to the snares of Satan and his many cohorts here on earth. As we focus on eternity with You, may we aim to live like You and in full obedience to all that You have instructed us, may we stand so firm in our faith, that it will become obvious to all that we come into contact with, whose we are. It’s You we love, and live to be with, dear Jesus. Please grant us strength and perseverance to live our life pleasing to You, for I ask these things in the precious name of Jesus, AMEN!

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

Bursting Into Songs of Thanksgiving!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Praise, Prayer, ThanksgivingLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE – 7 The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. ~ Psalm 28:7 ~ New Living Translation (NLT)

THOUGHTS: David, the Psalmist, had such great results in his prayer life that he would often break into outbursts of praise, such as seen in this verse from Psalm 28. Was he always this pumped up about his prayer life? No, David was very much human, as we are, so he often became impatient, despondent and felt abandoned by God, especially when God’s timing and David’s immediacy was at odds. Friends, as we build solid relationships with God, perhaps we too may one day identify with the Psalmist in saying, Oh Lord…:

  • You are my strength – because so often I am overwhelmed by life and the circumstances that result from my being here. You help me to overcome and You give me strength to carry on;
  • You are my shield – for in every circumstance of life I am protected from the evil one, and you shield me from the wicked that would otherwise pull me down and destroy my witness;
  • I have learned to trust You – for you are my only constant in life. You are always there for me, and You love me enough to not answer all of my prayers in the manner in which I selfishly and ignorantly ask without any vision of tomorrow;
  • You help me – especially when I am weak, down and out. You have restored my faith in You and assured me of Your awesome power. You along are God!
  • I am so overwhelmed with Your goodness that – I can barely contain myself. My soul rejoices in the awesome God that I adore and serve, for You are God, and besides You, there is no other. I burst into thanksgiving right now as I reflect on Your goodness. Please help me to consistently thank and worship You, because even when I am weak, distraught and feel so far away from You, yet You are always there for me. Thank You Father! Thank You Lord Jesus for being my awesome and loving God!

Lord, may we daily burst into songs of thanksgiving as we recognize Your awesome power and love in our lives and through our walk with You. Lord, You are good and Your mercies endures forever!

PRAYER: Lord, may we daily burst into songs of thanksgiving as we recognize Your awesome power and love in our lives and through our walk with You. Lord, You are good, and Your mercies endures forever! You are so worthy of our praise, and we are so needy of our awesome, powerful, loving God. Thank You Lord Jesus! We are Your humble servants, so I ask these things in the name of our loving Savior and Lord, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com 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!

Wait Patiently For The Lord

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

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

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

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

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