It’s GOD!

On 2020-05-30 By Ed AlgreenIn Awesome God, Chosen by God, Encounter with God, Saved2 Comments

DATE WRITTEN: Saturday, 2020-05-30
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

Bible Reference: 1 Corinthians 12:6-7
Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

Bible Text: ⁶There are many ways in which God works in our lives, but it is the same God who does the work in and through all of us who are his. ⁷The Holy Spirit displays God’s power through each of us as a means of helping the entire church.

OBSERVATION: I believe in these verses Paul intended to help the church to know the importance of drawing close to God so that He could draw close to them and use them for the enrichment of each other. This speaks volumes to the church today, because when we go off doing our own thing it might only benefit our small circle of friends, however when we allow the Holy Spirit to direct us into action and showing love one to another, we will see the church (God’s body of believers) enriched, blessed and uplifted. How do you feel like you’re doing in this, friends?

APPLICATION: If we were to sit down and evaluate how we are doing individually, I believe that Satan will automatically drive our thoughts possibly towards the pastor and what he could be doing differently, or more of the ministry he is being paid to do. Satan might also drive us towards all that we’ve heard about other leaders in the church, or even members that we’ve always looked up to. You know what I mean, it’s everyone else’s fault – except yours. Really, friends? Do we really believe that there are any here on earth that are perfect, like Jesus Christ was? Paul took a moment to express to the church that it is only because of the grace of God, and the power of God, working in and through us (the church) that anything could be accomplished for our God. Oh that we would never be so bold and/or stupid enough to study God’s Word, or teach His Word to others or preach His Word, without the full cooperation and help of the Holy Spirit. We are His instruments, and therefore He uses us to speak to His children, so that their hearts may be drawn to Jesus. That whole encounter is a ‘Jesus thing’ that we never want to mess up. Please join me as we read or study the Word, that we may carefully apply it to our lives. Sure, we may teach what we learn to others, but oh precious Savior, may You be faithful in helping us apply every word from God to our own lives first. My prayer for each reader today is that we all be found faithful and true, so that we may be used of God to spread the gospel in all walks of life, so that Jesus might tug on the hearts of all who hear, or are touched by us, and are touched by Him.

PRAYER: Thank You Lord Jesus for touching my heart, thank You for making me whole. Please give my believing readers and I, the boldness and determination to reach out to all those that we will come into contact with today, and as we merely brush up alongside these individuals, I pray that You will penetrate their hearts and draw them to Yourself. Oh that they will see Jesus today, and come to know Him personally and intimately as their Savior and Lord. Today may be the day that many will come to know You as Lord, but I also realize that today may be the day that You call many home to Yourself. May Your perfect will be done in each of our lives dear Lord, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog at https://NuggetsFromGodsWord.org that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and see all of my posts, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

What Have You Traded For The ‘Glory of God’?

On 2020-05-29 By Ed AlgreenIn Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Friday, 2020-05-29
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Psalm 106:19-22
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁹The people made a golden calf in Horeb
    and bowed to worship an image they had made.
²⁰They traded the glory of God
    for the likeness of an ox that eats grass.
²¹They forgot about God, their True Savior,
    who had done great things for them in Egypt—
²²Miracles in the land of Ham
    and amazing deeds at the Red Sea

OBSERVATION: There are certain Scriptures that will convict and challenge us like we would think is not even possible, and this is one of those. I believe that God placed this in His Word strategically to draw our attention to the fact that yes, His children of old traded other material items in place of all that He had done for them, but yes, He also knew that we would not learn from their wrongs and that we would also do the same. I pray that as we study this today we will be challenged to do something about those things that we have allowed to take God’s place in our lives.

APPLICATION: I believe that each of us could analyze our lives and identify several things that we have allowed into our lives that tend to divide, or hinder our attention to God. Let me suggest that you think back to the day that you, Christian brother or sister, surrendered your heart to the lordship of Jesus Christ. I believe that like me, you will find that there was nothing that could get between you and your Savior. For you were consistent in fellowshipping with God each day as you sought to know more about Him, and as you shared your struggles with Him. You wanted to attend every church service and teaching, as you were hungry for the Word of God. We all remember answers to our prayers, and we could clearly recall the miracles of God in response to our prayers and concerns. BUT, something happened that caused a divide in our allegiance. What was that? What is it today that has caused you to wander from God and has hindered your close relationship with Him? For those who have recently reminded themselves of the Israelite’s journey from slavery to the ultimate ‘Promised Land’, you will recall that: there were many miracles performed by God to convince Pharaoh to release the Israelites from slavery; God led Moses and the Israelites by day and by night; God provided food and water for His people; God held the waters of the Red Sea back so that His people could travel across safely by dry land. Yet, as you can read in verse 20 above, they counted all the goodness of God as nothing, and from metal they created their own god to worship. Do we really do this today? Think long and hard about this friends, because I believe that we trade God off for many things in our life. What do we trade God off for when it’s time to assemble ourselves together with other believers (church)? Perhaps sports; the beach; mechanical work on our car; visiting friends; television shows; etc, etc. Why do we not tell the truth about our income, our tithe, or our offerings? Would God approve of the numbers we include on our taxes or our financial statements? What if He truly gave us income based on the amount that we currently tithe, will anything change? Why are we doing things like this? Are we trading worldly values for the gracious and awesome gifts of God to His children? Oh that we may be children of the Word, and may we be faithful to our heavenly God who went all the way to the cross to show His love for us. There is nothing God wouldn’t do for us, except sin. What are you prepared to do for Him?

PRAYER: Precious Lord, You are so good to us! You have demonstrated real love to us, and provided Your Word so that we might be reminded of what You expect from us. Please strengthen us to be strong and powerful as You are. We know that there is no one with greater power than Yourself, yet we settle for the weakness of mankind and everything that this world throws at us. Please forgive us for our littleness of mind, and help us to keep our eyes fixed on the King of glory, the King of all kings. We need You every hour of every day, please teach us to fix our eyes on You and walk full in Your wonderful grace and power, so that You may be glorified through us. AMEN!

A Humble Plea To All My Readers: On June 9th I am scheduled for cervical surgery and I suppose that I will be handicapped for a few months And unable to release a new blog each day. Please pray for my surgeon, all support medical professionals and myself as we go through this surgery, and also pray for a quick recovery so that I could continue the Lord’s work through this blog. I would greatly appreciate the prayers from all who are able, remember and/or concerned for my welfare. Thank you in advance, and may God richly bless you each and every day.

Describe How BIG Or Awesome Your God Is

On 2020-05-272020-05-27 By Ed AlgreenIn All-powerful, Almighty, Bold Confidence, Confidence, Faith, Faith, Our Great BIG God, SalvationLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Wednesday, 2020-05-27
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

Bible Reference: Isaiah 40:12–14
Translation: Easy-To-Read Version (ERV)

Bible Text: ¹²Who measured the oceans in the palm of his hand? Who used his hand to measure the sky? Who used a bowl to measure all the dust of the earth? Who used scales to measure the mountains and hills? ¹³Who could know the Lord’s mind? Who could be his teacher or give him advice? ¹⁴Did the Lord ask for anyone’s help? Did anyone teach him to be fair? Did anyone teach him knowledge? Did anyone teach him to be wise?

OBSERVATION: If you were preparing your heart to meet with someone, to encourage them, and to really share the power and the width and the breadth of your God, where would you begin? When you prepare yourself to kneel at the feet of Jesus and place your petitions before Him, how convinced are you that He could handle your needs? In verse 31 of this same chapter, Isaiah shares the following: But those who trust in the Lord will become strong again. They will be like eagles that grow new feathers. They will run and not get weak. They will walk and not get tired.

APPLICATION: Friends, this scripture today is intended to remind us that no matter how burdened we are about circumstances, or about our needs, or about our finances, or how needy we or our family members really are, we have a great BIG awesome God who has successfully managed to handle a whole lot more than any ‘mountain’ we may be facing today! There are over 100,000 deaths in the USA from Covid, many are worried as to who will be next. Many of us have relatives in the hospital and we are beside ourselves worrying about how remaining families might survive if that hospitalized individual is never discharged alive. But let me encourage you to stop for a moment, dear friend, and look at the examples given by Isaiah in verses 12-14 above. Let it really sink in, and convince yourself once again of the supernatural God who loves you, who cares for you, who ‘goes to bat’ every day for you, and be reminded that there is nothing too big for Him. Furthermore, I pray that each of you will ask God to illumine your heart and your mind, so that you may be reminded of all that He has done for you already in life; that He loves you individually; and that more than anything God is so looking forward to having you join Him in glory someday soon. Friend of God, I believe that when you are able to look beyond your current problems and challenges, and see the outstretched, loving hands of Jesus ready to welcome you home for all eternity, then you will be able to trust Him in full confidence with everything that is currently before you! You see, no matter what Satan may try to tell us, or frighten us with today, we KNOW in whom we have believed, and we KNOW whose we are, and we KNOW who hold every tomorrow in place for us! We are children of the King and regardless of our current situation, our long range plan outweighs everything we might experience here on earth, because nothing is greater than the love of our Savior for His dear children. So don’t hold back friend, take your needs before God and be ready to praise Him as you evidence His hand at work in miraculous ways. Share that confidence with those who have no hope! Be ready to give good examples of how awesome Your God has been to you, and all that you have to look forward to! He’s just t h a t BIG, dear friend!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, we bow before You in adoration of who You are, and for all You have done for us. Though so unworthy, still I’m a child of the King! Praise be to my almighty, all-powerful, ever-loving, incredibly great BIG God! Please continue to bless Your kids again today, especially since we have been reminded of your outstanding power and the magnitude of Your awesome love. Oh that we may see Your power at work in the lives of those that we touch today! We will be eternally grateful dear God, for we ask these things in faith, and through the powerful name of our almighty Savior, AMEN!

Recognizing God’s Awesome Power!

On 2020-05-25 By Ed AlgreenIn All-powerful, Love, Love of God, Power of God, PowerfulLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Monday, 2020-06-25
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

Bible Reference: Job 38:4-9
Translation: The Message (MSG)

Bible Text: Where were you when I created the earth? Tell me, since you know so much! Who decided on its size? Certainly you’ll know that! Who came up with the blueprints and measurements? How was its foundation poured, and who set the cornerstone, While the morning stars sang in chorus and all the angels shouted praise? And who took charge of the ocean when it gushed forth like a baby from the womb? That was me! I wrapped it in soft clouds, and tucked it in safely at night.

OBSERVATION: Anytime we feel like God has abandoned us, the book of Job would be a good book to reflect on. Further, if there was ever a time when you may have felt like you really had this ‘life’ thing figured out, I believe that this particular chapter, and conversation God had with Job, would be a great reminder of how you need to get a grip on yourself, open your heart and mind to what God has to say and make every effort to surrender control of your life back to God.

APPLICATION: I believe that Job felt like God and everyone around him had withdrawn their love and relationship from him, so for several chapters Job had really been criticizing God and blaming Him for wrongful punishment. His friends had made attempts to love on, and correct Job, but it seems like he was really having a hard time snapping out of it. God finally had enough and decided to give Job some perspective on who He really is. Friends, I believe that We have excellent reminders here of how God carefully, intricately and powerfully put this planet together, then He created us to enjoy its many blessings. If He loves us that much, won’t He all the more take care of our problems, concerns and difficulties while we live here, if we would only humble ourselves and ask Him to? Friends, I was reminded in a recent sermon from Isaiah 40:7-12 that although this earth is made up of two thirds water, yet God said that the oceans and its water is held in the cup of His hand. The earth’s dimensions are measured across the span of His fingertips! Whom, or what then shall we fear? When old Satan tries to distract us with untruths we need to remind ourselves and Satan that our God is so much bigger than our largest problem or concern. I believe also that His love is greater than anything we could ever imagine. So with all this in mind, why would we ever follow in Job’s footsteps and worry about our problems, or blame God for our circumstances. It is so important that we learn to worship God before we ever start to ask Him for anything or complain about anything. When we praise Him, we remind ourselves of His awesome love and power. Don’t you suppose that our problems become less of an issue or worry to us when we remind ourselves of the awesomeness of our beautiful, wonderful, matchless, all-powerful God? I certainly believe so!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, please forgive me for often trying to take the reins of life from You. It is very obvious that You created me and all that is around me, so please forgive me when I whine and complain. I am but Your humble servant, You are the Potter, and I am but the clay that is moldable and usable by You. As I recognize You and allow you control of my life, I can actually be at peace, and my problems then would seem to disappear. Lord, I believe this is vital to our witness, for if the unsaved world see us worrying as much about the concerns of this life as they do, we are showing them that we are as lost and uncared for as they are. This is very wrong, so I ask forgiveness, and I ask for added strength every day to stay focused on You and Your wondrous love for me. For my friends that might meditate on this devotional today, please fill their hearts with Your peace, and the determination to overcome evil, and worldly problems with the love and dedication that only You can provide. Thank You Jesus for loving us this much! All this I therefore ask, in the matchless name of Jesus, my Lord, AMEN!

Love Never Gives Up On People

On 2020-05-232020-05-23 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Faith, Faith, Love, Love God, Love of God, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Saturday, 2020-05-23
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: 1 Corinthians 13:7-8
TRANSLATION: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁷Love never gives up on people. It never stops trusting, never loses hope, and never quits. ⁸Love will never end. But all those gifts will come to an end—even the gift of prophecy, the gift of speaking in different kinds of languages, and the gift of knowledge.

OBSERVATION: In one of my Bible translations, the word ‘Love’ in verse 5 of this chapter, was closer defined as the ‘love of God within us’. That helped me look at this chapter in a whole new light, because too often we use the word ‘love’ as it pertains to our spouse, verses the way that we like everyone else. I believe that this opening sentence gives us a bright new way to look at the way that we ‘love’ others, for it tells us that the love of God should shine through us without fail, regardless of how miserable or unloving the other person is. Join me as we think about this today.

APPLICATION: In these verses Paul is reminding the Corinthian church, and believers today, that we are to always believe in the good things of another person that we are challenged to deal with. It’s sad, but way too often we tend to ‘write another person off’ when they don’t act like we do, or talk like we do, or even at times look like we do. And this is especially true if that person crossed the line of trying to correct us or offer advice to us, or disagree with us! Solomon went as far as saying in Proverbs 10:12 that love covers a multitude of sins. Surely as children of God, we are always endeavoring to love our fellow man, so would it not be natural for us to try and work through our differences, because of that love? Perhaps we are guilty of what the Corinthians were doing – they tried to sidetrack the issue by concentrating on some of the other gifts of the Spirit. However, Paul corrected them and helped them understand that the other gifts were given to help us survive the current time, but the one they should be concentrating on, is the one that will last for all times – love. With that in mind, my heart was challenged to think how different our world would be if we dealt with every situation through the lens of ’love’ for one another. So let’s look at a few examples of how this might impact our world: (1) Let’s suppose that our spouse made us very upset, and their action made us so mad that we wanted to walk out on them. But we were quickly reminded by God of His love that lives inside of us, and that we should respond in a way that Jesus, who loves all people, would respond. Do you foresee us calming down and trying to respond in godly love, in spite of our human anger? Don’t you see how that would get is through that rough time? (2) Let’s suppose that our child was expelled from school because of cursing and disrespect for their teacher and most students. We convinced ourselves that our neighbor was right in saying that we raised our child in love and to always give respect for the authorities, so of course we need to impress that neighbor by following through with a large discussion with the teacher and principal of that school and give them a piece of our mind! However, during your devotional time that morning you were reminded of what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13 about the love of God that resides in you and how you, in return should always demonstrate that love for others. But the question remains, how do you settle this issue and come out on top at your child’s school? Friends, through this period of Covid 19 lockdown, I have been amazed by all the many ways that folk have learned to adjust in their daily lives. Churches have continued to serve their parishioners, banks have continued to serve their customers, children have continued their schooling, etc, etc. I have every reason to believe that if we love, like Jesus first loved us, then we will seek ways to show love in every circumstance of life, even those that seem impossible to us and have raised our blood pressure because of how upset we may have gotten. Folks, all things are possible with the God we love, but we need to get away from our selfish and sinful vendettas and seek the face of God to help us resolve matters in love for each other, and in a way that will be pleasing to God. This is only possible with the child of God, because of His grace, His power and His help. If you have not invited Him to be Lord of your life, then I would encourage you to read through my Footnote and especially drill down on the link ‘To Know Jesus’. Seek Him today while He may be found, dear friends. You can receive the same help offered to believers who obediently seek God in every circumstance of life.

PRAYER: Lord, it is evident that when we take the reins from You and try to do life alone – in our own way, we will follow the example of the world and respond to life’s challenges in ways that pleases the enemy, instead of You. Please be patient with us as You constantly remind us of whose we are. May we take our stance in full obedience to Your leading and in a way that You will be please with and honored. We need You involved in every aspect of our lives, especially the decisions we make and the actions that we take when posed with one more temptation set up by Satan. I am a child of God, and I want to please You in every way and in all things. My readers and I would be eternally thankful for Your guidance, especially when we are tempted to lose it with other humans. Oh that we may be good representatives in every walk of life, with Your help, strength and guidance. AMEN!

The Definition of ‘Love’

On 2020-05-22 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Faith, Love, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Friday, 2020-05-22
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: 1 Corinthians 13:4
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁴Love is large and incredibly patient.^[f] Love is gentle and consistently kind to all. It refuses to be jealous^[g] when blessing comes to someone else. Love does not brag about one’s achievements nor inflate its own importance.

OBSERVATION: It would seem appropriate that Webster and other dictionary writers would have simply put as their definition for ‘Love’: See 1 Corinthians 13 in the written Word of God. Let’s take time today to really allow the beginning verses of this chapter to soak in and clarify, or remind us, of the meaning of a word we use and abuse a lot.

APPLICATION: Notice that at weddings where the focus of the whole ceremony, and the whole idea of what brought a couple together, is the subject of ‘Love’. Of particular interest is the ‘go-to’ place for pastors when trying to reiterate the key word that will hold marriages together. I have not been to a ceremony where the best dictionary is taken out to help define ‘love’, but instead the Bible is always used, as the pastor aims to find the most authoritative description of this important word. Because we have so many ways that we use the word ‘love’, it becomes a challenge to really share with a couple what we are actually feel about the subject. You see, in the Bible, there are 5 different words to better define what we are saying in reference to ‘love’, but they can’t be used in a marriage ceremony, because we don’t use these words in our current vocabulary: Ahab; Agapao; Agape; Phileo; and Philadelphia. However, we know from experience that we assume several things when we think of love and we have to be very careful with that. Think about the following: a). If someone gives us an unexpected gift, whether monetary or something else of value – we may tend to think that they really love us; b). If someone really looks out for us and tries to protect us from harm, we may tend to think they love us; c). If someone is always saying nice things to us or about us, we may tend to think that they really love us; etc, etc. However, let me encourage you to read the entire chapter of 1 Corinthians 13 and be reminded of what God has to say about the subject of ‘love’. He used Paul to teach this lesson to the church in Corinth, and He had it included in the Bible so that all those that followed – you and I, could understand what true love is. In just the first 4 verses, Paul shared that he could talk all day long and even in many languages, but if he did it without love in his heart, he would merely be speaking empty words. Paul probably saw where many of his parishioners were good talkers, and they may have even done like we tend to do today, where we may say to a Brother or Sister that we love them, so he wanted them to know that they needed to speak from a heart of love. I would carefully challenge us with the same thought, and I particularly ask God to give me that kind of love and grace to speak from an honest and contrite heart. Paul also wanted to make it plain that even if he may have been gifted with great knowledge and of prophecy, but was void of love for his brethren, he gained nothing at all. God knew that we would get caught up on monetary gifts, so He had Paul address this also. Paul even took it as far as giving sacrificially, even of himself, but he clarified that if he went even that far, and did not do it in love, then he would gain nothing. Friends, I pray that as we meditate on this thought today, that our lives would be impacted by what Paul had to say in the Scripture, and in what God taught us throughout His Word. God showed us what love is, when He permitted His only Son to be sacrificed on a criminal’s cross for our good. I pray that we would learn to love with that kind of passion. Then perhaps, we might understand the true meaning of Love and be able to practice it without a sense of selfish gain.

PRAYER: Oh that we would be able to love folk that may have said something to us or about us that we didn’t appreciate. Oh that we might truly learn the type love that God showed at Calvary – unselfish and sacrificial. Lord, You have shown in Your Word that unless we love with all our heart, our efforts are useless. What the world needs now, is love. May the greatest love ever shown, be portrayed through us as we deal with others today. This is my humble plea for self and for all my readers today, oh Lord. AMEN!

He’s Watching You

On 2020-05-21 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Jesus Loves you, Love of God, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2020-05-21
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Job 34:21-22
TRANSLATION: The Message (MSG)

BIBLE TEXT: “He has his eyes on every man and woman.
He doesn’t miss a trick.
There is no night dark enough, no shadow deep enough,
to hide those who do evil.

OBSERVATION: Job had been placed through a lot, lost a lot and felt forgotten after going through one test after another by Satan. Although his friends tried to help him snap out of his depressed state, one friend, Elihu, took issue with the way that Job spoke to God about this tough time he was going through. These verses were part of the correction given to Job by Elihu. However, in our time together today, I want us to be reminded of how our loving Father watches out for us, and therefore how applicable these words are to us today.

APPLICATION: In a recent blog I mentioned how differently we may act when we are out of town, on vacation, or otherwise, because we feel freedom in knowing that no one is watching and judging us for what we do, where we go, what we drink, or who we hang out with. I remember as a child I had an accident while doing something, that my mom told me not to do during my early return to school after lunch. I avoided going home to be treated for the large cut on my arm, but instead went to a nearby aunt. That afternoon I went home after school with my arm behind my back, hoping to hide the injury from mom! Don’t we also try to do similar acts with God when we sin? We are tricked by Satan into believing that we could do whatever we please, and that we would never have to tell God about our sin. Notice that Elihu did not tell Job that God is reviewing the acts that he (Job) told Him about, or that he gave God permission to evaluate. I believe that way too often we get caught up in thinking that what we do with our friends, is our own personal business, so outsiders should just bug off and leave us alone. Can you imagine saying that to your mom or dad and expect them to accept that, and even more so, turn their heads from what you are doing that is sure to get you in trouble? But you believe that you could get away with saying something like that to God? I don’t think so! Friends, please allow me to remind you that God created you in His own image, because He wanted you to look and act like Him. He allowed His one and only Son to die a cruel death on a criminal’s cross, so that through His shed blood you might be redeemed and live eternally with the Father in heaven. With that type of love and admiration, do you think for a moment that God is content to see you abuse the wonderful life He gave to you and ignore the opportunity to one day join Him in glory? Absolutely not. God is very much like Elihu shared with Job. He loves you unconditionally, and He is so concerned about your eternal destiny, that He watches your every move. Further, please know that God does not need your permission to watch out for you, and also know that He is aware of your every move – whether you are running around in the brightest sunlight with friends you love and adore, or whether you are surrounded by the darkest night hoping that no one sees what you’re up to. Please know that our Heavenly Father takes His job of loving and caring for us and watching our every move – with or without our permission. After all, how else will He justly judge us on that day when life ceases here on earth? Please know that as long as you have breath in your body, there is still time to accept this precious love of our Savior. Most of you purchase insurance in the event of an accident or disaster. I pray that all of you will seek that assurance for your ultimate destination even today – while there is time to do so. Please also know that there is so much joy in this, because God knows and cares about your condition every moment of every day! There is nothing like the love of Jesus for you and I! I know Him personally, and I pray that you will also commit your life to His keeping – today!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, we are reminded that You are looking out for us, even though many of us never doubted that. Please humble the hearts of my friends and readers today, so that they may be awaken in the middle of their personal agendas and know that Your love is unconditional and without borders. That nothing could stop You from loving them! Please also awaken us to the fact that although we might tell mom, dad, sister, brother or friend that we will do our ‘own thing’ regardless of what they think, Your love will not permit You to accept such commands from Your own creation. Although it makes me sick to hear friends talk about how they will do what they please, without permission from anyone, I know that You will always care and always love, for You cannot hate that which You have made. For every time that we selfishly feel like we could handle life alone, please remind us of how much You love and care for us, and of Your power to do ALL things for our good. We know that obedience is important and expected, please grant us Your grace and power to be humble and obedient children. AMEN!

Accept and Use Your Gift

On 2020-05-19 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Gift, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Spiritual Gifts, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Tuesday, 2020-05-19
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: 1 Corinthians 12:7-11
TRANSLATION: The Message (MSG)

BIBLE TEXT: Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! The variety is wonderful:

wise counsel
clear understanding
simple trust
healing the sick
miraculous acts
proclamation
distinguishing between spirits
tongues
interpretation of tongues.

All these gifts have a common origin, but are handed out one by one by the one Spirit of God. He decides who gets what, and when.

OBSERVATION: In Sunday School and in sermons we hear a lot about the Spiritual Gifts Spoken of by Paul in our Scripture today. However, be reminded from this Scripture that a gift is given to each believer by the Holy Spirit. So what does It mean when one says that they are just an attendee at church, or they are really unimportant, or they don’t run the show? Are they saying that the gift given to them is really unimportant in the whole scope of ministry? Think on these things as we study this Scripture today!

APPLICATION: How many times have you said it, that you are just a pion, or a nobody, that sneaks in the back door, listens to the sermon and quietly leaves to be about your own business. Now, in light of the above Scripture, I believe that it is evident that God saw fit to bless His children with a special gift, for very specific reasons. So when we choose to ignore the gift given to us, and in disobedience try to do something assigned to someone else, or hide our gift because it emanates from simple old me, can you imagine what a disaster that could be for the ongoing work of the Lord? When we ignore our God-given gift, we leave the church body in want. We leave an important part of the ministry undone, because we chose to ignore what God gave to us, to bless the church (others). Don’t you see that we are preventing the church from given praise to their almighty King? Nowhere in the Scripture does God say that He would withhold a gift from someone because they just can’t do anything to help others. In fact, the Word says just the opposite: when we are weak, or when we are incapable God shines through all the more. When we accept Jesus as Lord, we are not only asking Him to forgive us of our sin, but we want Him to give us power and strength and wisdom, so that He could use us for His glory. His Word says that He separates our sin from us as far as the east is from the west, so we can’t use it as a crutch to say that God won’t speak through a liar, or a drunk, or a criminal, or any other worldly sin that we may have been guilty of. He truly cleanses us so that His Father sees a bright and shiny star even in the lowliest of men, for the Father sees the blood of Jesus that was shed for us. So child of God, I pray that you would receive a similar message from this Scripture today as I did. When the church (others) needs a pianist to help keep the congregation in tune during our worship time, may that person be at the piano. When the pastor is ready to preach, may he do so boldly knowing that the prayer warriors that God placed in his congregation is on their job and has been praying for hours before that pastor stands to preach. When the janitor comes to clean the church, may he bless each and every pew as he walks through picking up litter and preparing the books for others to sing from during the next service. When a fellow believer reports the loss of a loved one, may they be overwhelmed with love, as their fellow worshippers obediently accepts the call of the Master to take care of the widows and widowers. Friends, it is evident that the list of gifts mention in the Word is not one that you may choose from, but rather a sample list of gifts that God uses to bless us with, so that we might shine as His children. For those without Christ, may I suggest that you urgently seek His face while you still have time. We know from the Word that Jesus will return at a moment that we least expect, and that it could be today – even before you read all of this devotional. Don’t delay any longer, seek Him now and accept His offer of salvation NOW. Jesus wants to use you for His glory also, and welcome you home to heaven when the Master says ‘it’s time’!

PRAYER: Lord we often say to others that God will take away their gift if they don’t use it, but how often do we sit back when volunteers are needed to complete a task, teach a class or visit a shut-in. Based on Your Word, I believe that You set us aside as warriors in our field, and that You gave us extra power to do Your work in such a way that others would be blessed and that they would sing sweet praises to You. This means that when we allow Satan to sway us towards disobedience and from using our gifts as You intended, that others hurt, or perish, or go without and often have no will to sing Your praises. Precious Lord, what we have is Yours alone, please touch Your children once again and remind us from whence we came. Remind us of Your awesome power, especially when we feel inadequate and unfulfilled. Please have Your will and way in our lives and bless all those that we come into contact with today, so that You may be glorified in all things. AMEN!

Your Identification With Christ

On 2020-05-18 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Faith, Faith, Needs, Praise, Prayer, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Monday, 2020-05-18
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: 1 Corinthians 11:17-19
TRANSLATION: English Standard Version (ESV)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁷But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. ¹⁸For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part,^[e] ¹⁹for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized

OBSERVATION: It is reported from various survey experts that there is little difference in the number of divorces, and abortions among God’s church, as in the world. WHAT??? Could this record possibly be right? Why? How could this be? Paul found that his church members argued and had cliques among themselves, just like the world itself has. But as we meditate on these verses today, let’s concentrate on the reason Paul found for this.

APPLICATION: Paul said that if it was not that factions arose in the church, how else might we know that sincere children of God exists. Wow! What a thought! But as I meditated on this, unfortunately I came across other actions that tend to flush out the real vs the pretend Christians. Ever notice how things like gossip, favoritism, prejudices and a strong desire for leadership, is just as prevalent in the church today as we might find at our workplaces, social clubs or elsewhere in the world? So even though we see Paul’s explanation for this, I wonder what you, my readers and my friends might think of the problem? Having been actively involved in church work for many years, I know first hand that there are so many things that affect the progress of God’s church, but I never looked at it quite like Paul described. Let’s look at a few challenges that seem to hinder the work of the Lord in His ministry, and see what would happen if God’s children would truly be loyal to their King and be His warriors in prayer and in growth as a Christian. Paul mentioned cliques, and unfortunately these are just as prevalent today. But what if a child of God stood up to the group and refused to continue in the group unless he was able to include whoever he wanted to, or what if that Christian felt open to correction by a member of the clique for what was said, or inferred about another church member? What about gossip? Wouldn’t it be awesome if someone told you news about someone else and you asked them to join you as you met with that person to discuss the matter? Another popular challenge of Christians is to place their pastors and church leaders under a microscope instead of acknowledging them as a fellow human being and praying diligently for them and the role they are called to fulfill for the Master. The results of our prayers are always evident. When someone complains about the job done by a pastor or teacher, I believe you will find it interesting if you ask them how did they pray for the pastor before he taught or preached. I have found that most times people will neglect praying for the glory of God to shine through their pastor as he brings the Word at church that day, yet they complain when they get nothing from the sermon. Is that not what they prayed for – nothing? Friends, I realize that none of us are perfect, nor can we expect perfection here on earth, but I wonder how often God looks on us and stands proud of His child who stood firm in their faith and trusted God for the challenges at hand instead of complaining or whining about it. I had a situation once in life where someone stopped me in my tracks from talking about a team of employees, and told me that these employees were saying the same things about me. That had a lasting impression on me, and has helped me many times when tempted to go along with slander, or whining or complaining or spreading lies. I believe that it is time for God’s children to stand firm for the One in whom they believe. Let Jesus be Lord of all – every situation, or not Lord at all. We represent an awesome God. Let’s not misrepresent Him, or what He stands for.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I pray that we might stop long enough today to think through our relationship with You. I’m sure that we will quickly humble ourselves before You as we recognize our downfalls and our shortcomings. Lord, it seems like we are weak in so many areas of our lives, and we realize that we could only gain the needed strength from You. In much †he same way as we tend to judge others, they are also watching us under a microscope. Lord, I truly want them to see You in me – in every action and every word that I speak. I pray that You will see Your children who are serious about their relationship with You shine through in every aspect of life. Please help us not to be a stumbling block to anyone looking for Jesus. We need You precious Lord, please be our guide and our deliverer in every aspect of life today. AMEN!

Tell Them Everything God Has Done For You

On 2020-05-16 By Ed AlgreenIn Our story, Unashamed, WitnessingLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Saturday, 2020-05-16
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

Bible Reference: Luke 8:38–39
Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

Bible Text: ³⁸ The man who had been freed from the demons begged to go with him. But Jesus sent him home, saying, ³⁹ “No, go back to your family, and tell them everything God has done for you.” So he went all through the town proclaiming the great things Jesus had done for him.

OBSERVATION: Perhaps a more appropriate title for this devotional today may have been ‘What’s your excuse?’. So many Christians today seek God, and they receive a touch from Him, or a bold miracle is performed, but their household family or next door neighbors are unaware that anything happened to them. However, in today’s Scripture we read about a man filled with demons, and those demons were miraculously eradicated. Will neighbors notice? Most definitely! Will they know what potion or spell actually worked to remove the demons? Perhaps not. As we meditate on this today, I want us to think of the times that God brought healing to our bodies, and why didn’t we tell the world about it?

APPLICATION: I wonder how many friends will be told that you went to church this weekend? How about the message that you garnered from the Word of God during your daily devotions? What about the touch of your Master during the Praise and Worship time? Are you feeling healed today of something you and your church members prayed about? Will you be brave enough to share that with critics at work today? In our scripture story today we read where Jesus healed a man of demon possession, and we see where he was excited and ready to board a boat and travel with Jesus to continue spreading the story of his salvation. Instead Jesus asked the man to go and share his story with his family. The man was way too excited to just tell his own family, so he went all throughout the town telling his story. Let’s put this into perspective. I challenged you at the beginning to share your worship experience with your coworkers today, and especially any extraordinary interactions with Jesus from your weekend. I believe I saw some dirty looks from some of you, but I still want to take that a step further and ask you to share your experience with a store clerk, or a waitress! Isn’t it interesting how we find it easier to share information about a movie we saw or an event in our child’s life, but not about the miracle, a miraculous event, that occurred when the Savior of the world reached down in love and touched a sinner such as we are? A total transformation, yet we don’t want to offend our friends by sharing our good news with them? Friends, I am convinced that if it’s in us, it will come out of us! Our genuine experiences with God will impact our lives and everyone will notice! Perhaps if we are ashamed to share the blessings God has showered on us, He should withdraw those blessings and give them to someone who will openly share the Good News with others! What is our hang up? Why would we be embarrassed? It happened to us! Why would we fear having the right words for message we have to share? It was a personal experience! If we are intimidated by our friends and afraid to share our story, did we forget that this is a personal experience and not one that we may have mistakenly overheard from a friend? Jesus is alive my friend, and He wants us to be open in sharing our experiences with our Father! This is first-hand experience, so definitely nothing that could be manufactured. Unless you tell your story, a friend may never know about your Lord, and may wind up in Hell for having never accepted the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior.

PRAYER: The privilege of being touched by the God of this universe is much more news-worthy than anything else that could possibly hit the front page of the paper today! Please forgive us Lord for placing you in a ‘forbidden box’ when it comes to sharing our experiences with others. I believe that others will be convinced of Your power and Your love, when they see us excited about it and they hear us bubbling over with the glory of having been in Your presence. Please embolden us with great power so that we will not be ashamed of the gospel, but will gladly share how it has impacted our lives. May others see Jesus, because of their encounter with us today. I ask these things in the wonderful and miraculous name of the One who saved me from my sin, Jesus my Lord, AMEN!

Nuggets From God's Word

Month: May 2020