Month: August 2021

Share What Jesus Has Done For You

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Healing, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Share, Share God’s Word, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Wednesday, 2021-08-11
WRITTEN AT: Hattiesburg, MS

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 8:38-39
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: 38 But the man who had been set free begged Jesus over and over not to leave, saying, “Let me be with you!”
Jesus sent him away with these instructions: 39 “Return to your home and your family, and tell them all the wonderful things God has done for you.” 
So the man went back and preached to everyone who would listen about the amazing miracle Jesus had worked in his life.

APPLICATION: This is a very similar lesson to the one we encountered in yesterday’s devotional, so perhaps God is really working at our hesitancy to share about His goodness. Unfortunately, we each know of friends, and perhaps family as well, that did not make it through the challenges of COVID. But we all know of folk that did well, and survived this dreaded disease. We are thankful for the latter, and I’m sure those who overcame are also very thankful and probably share the highlights of their healing with family and friends. Now imagine for a moment that you were in the shoes of the demon possessed man. He was fortunate enough, and blessed to have met Jesus and enjoy His comfort and His healing. In fact, there was such a turn around for this man that he asked to remain in the presence of Jesus. No doubt he felt like there were enough other maladies in his life that hanging with Jesus for a longer period might restore perfection in his life once again. But notice that true to a previous statement by Jesus, where He said that He didn’t come to hang with those who are well, but instead with the sick and oppressed, so Jesus told the man that he must instead go and tell his family what Jesus had done for him. So think with me about the life of this man before he was touched by Jesus. He had no control over his life and his movements because of the demons that controlled him, so no one wanted to come anywhere close to him. Then this man found Jesus and received a healing touch from Him. Can you imagine the difference that must have occurred in this man? I’m sure that people must have looked at him and, seeing such a turnaround in his body and the control he now had over his movements, they must have immediately determined that he must have been in the presence of Jesus, the Healer and all-powerful Son of God. Friends, we are embarrassed to tell others of our many aches and pains because we don’t want them to feel sorry for us, but aren’t we ready to shout it from the mountain tops when our bodies are healed and our minds are at peace in knowing that we’ve been in the presence of Jesus? The demonic man expanded his outreach and wound up telling the whole town, not just his family, about all that Jesus had done for him. While this sounds very logical, isn’t it interesting the word used by the Passion Translation – he ‘PREACHED’ to everyone? You know, we all hide from this term because we don’t feel like we are well versed in the Bible, but we all can share about our experience with Jesus. Let me encourage you dear reader or listener, just tell them what Jesus has done for you – ‘preach’ this good news to them. Jesus will do the rest in drawing them to the foot of the cross to meet this Jesus who healed us, touched us, saved us, cared for us and returned us to society in best form.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Just share what Jesus has done for you! Share the good news with all you come into contact with. ‘Preach’ to them!

PRAYER: Precious Lord, what have we done to deserve God’s own Son? Who are we that He should live and die for us? Just as You healed the demonic man, You have also healed many of us reading Your Word today, and we are most appreciative for You loving us so much. Lord, we just can’t keep this inside, we must share the mercies of the Lord with others or we will burst. Please give us boldness to share the joy that fills us, and brag on Your goodness with all those we come into contact with. Just as You commanded the healed demonic to go and share what You did for him, I believe You are saying the same to Your children again today, so that the unsaved world will hear about Jesus and know Him personally. May Your kingdom come, even through our personal encounters with You. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog 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 this devotional, please click on 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. Words underlined in my blog might 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 Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. 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!

Evangelism Under Pressure

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Witness, Worship1 Comment

DATE POSTED: Tuesday, 2021-08-10
WRITTEN AT: Hattiesburg, MS

SCRIPTURE FROM: MARK 13:9-11
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: 9 “Be on your guard! For they will hand you over to the ruling councils, and you will be beaten in public gatherings. And you will stand trial before kings and high-ranking governmental leaders as an opportunity to testify to them on my behalf. 10 But prior to the end of the age, the hope of the gospel must first be preached to all nations.
11 “So when they put you under arrest and hand you over for trial, don’t even give one thought about what you will say. Simply speak what the Holy Spirit gives you at that very moment. And realize that it won’t be you speaking but the Holy Spirit speaking through you.

APPLICATION: I believe there are real fears, even in the hearts of Christians to share their faith. Perhaps fear of rejection; perhaps afraid that you won’t be able to answer all the questions asked of you in response to your attempt to evangelize; Or perhaps afraid that your target audience will poke fun of your beliefs? There are many reasons why Christians just don’t talk about their Savior. Jesus invited some men to join Him in ministry. They received on-the-job training, as they followed Jesus through the many walks of life where He traveled and with whom He ministered to while here on earth. Jesus knew what His destiny would be, and He knew how He would suffer before leaving this earth, so He wanted to prepare those who would continue His ministry. Please don’t quit reading or listening, because you might assume that this devotional just jumped tracks and is now targeting pastors, missionaries and Christian workers. Let me encourage you to remember that Jesus instructed His children to go into all the world and share His gospel truth, so that could include you dear one. You see, Jesus knew that just as He was arrested, beaten, mocked and crucified, His look-a’likes will also be picked on by those who want to go on living in sin without hearing about the One who spoke boldly about sin, and who died to provide forgiveness of sin/redemption as they finish up life here on earth. I love the way that Jesus encouraged us to not fear or worry of being arrested for our faith, for we will be given a new audience to share our faith with. And oh, don’t worry about what you would say under these extenuating circumstances, for the Holy Spirit who has taken up residence inside of you, will speak freely through you with just the right words for your courtroom audience. Remember I said earlier that many Christians fear having the right words to share? Isn’t that interesting how Jesus thought to calm our fears in that area? Praise the Lord! So friends, I wish that you will join me in being reassured of the One who sacrificed everything for us, the One who encouraged confidence in promoting confidence to share His name in any circumstance of life? He deserves our praise, and our willingness to tell the world who our great God is. Let’s go for it with all that we have in us!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: No worries, use any arrests or courtroom appearances as opportunities to evangelize – promote the gospel of Jesus Christ!

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for directing me to Your Word at just the right time and place to be encouraged and confident in sharing my faith with all that I come into contact with today. Hopefully this will not include a courtroom setting, but this has given me confidence to share Christ with any and all audiences, for the Holy Spirit who lives inside of me will speak through me, to promote my Savior! My readers/listeners and I stand in awe, and we thank You Lord Jesus for seeing our weakest points and encouraging us to overcome, through Your power and Your strength. Oh that others will see, hear, and witness the love and truth of Jesus today through each of His disciples (each Christian)! AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog 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 this devotional, please click on 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. Words underlined in my blog might 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 Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. 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!

Do Everything For The Glorify God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Glorify, Glory of God, God Cares For Us, God's GloryLeave a comment

Monday, 2021-08-09

Bible Reference: 1 Corinthians 10:29-33
Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

Bible Text:  29 ….you may ask, must I be guided and limited by what someone else thinks? 30 If I can thank God for the food and enjoy it, why let someone spoil everything just because he thinks I am wrong? 31 Well, I’ll tell you why. It is because you must do everything for the glory of God, even your eating and drinking. 32 So don’t be a stumbling block to anyone, whether they are Jews or Gentiles or Christians. 33 That is the plan I follow, too. I try to please everyone in everything I do, not doing what I like or what is best for me but what is best for them, so that they may be saved.

APPLICATION:  To a very large extent, we tend to build our lives around people who please us; who does life ‘our way’; and who has everything that makes us happy. Paul had to address this in the Corinthian church, and I believe that his teaching is included in the Word of God, because we need to be reminded of this today also. We still live in an imperfect world, and we still have a need to get over our selfishness. In this particular chapter Paul was addressing the subject of some being convinced that they could not eat certain foods, while others were quite OK with that and saw nothing wrong with it, nor how it might affect their relationship with God. Paul’s conviction was that we should be careful to do what pleases God in these circumstances, not just ourselves. In fact Paul directed us to do only those things that will glorify God, and that should challenge us the ultimate degree on why and how we should do things. This is supported by the wide variety of principles and characteristics that Jesus taught and modeled throughout His earthly ministry, for He ate with sinners, boldly taught opposing Pharisees and loved all with whom He came into contact with. But let’s take the example of food that Paul taught about in this chapter. This still exists today, because there are some who feel like there are certain foods that would defile their bodies, and some even feel that this is based on Biblical references – and therefore may displease God. I believe that we are being taught to make every effort to please God in our lives, which may mean that our own convictions may need adjusting at times. We should never create animosity with a Brother or Sister who is trying to please God through what they eat. Unfortunately, we sometimes become so wrapped up in the unimportant aspects of a Christian’s personal beliefs and practices, that we lose sight of glorifying God in the moment in which we find ourselves. Friends, rather than trying to force others to eat what we eat or not, we’ve totally missed the point if we haven’t challenged them, or helped them grow in their personal relationship with God. The time we spend with individuals, should help them in their relationship with God, or at least challenge them to consider their own lives in the light of eternity. We must be careful to help someone draw close to God, rather than becoming a stumbling block to the very people we feel led to help. As a child of God, our aim should always be to please Him through the way that we live, not by trying to be ‘God’. Our path to living like a child of the King is very clear in His Word, let’s learn to live like that and rub off on as many as we can. Maybe at that point we might have more impact on the unbeliever also, for we will truly imitate our loving Lord, and act more like He intended. It’s all about God friend, not our personal ideals.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for loving us in spite of our silly personal ideals. Thank You for speaking through Paul to redirect our attention towards You instead of trying to impose our imperfections onto others. May our daily goal always be to please You in all that we do and say; to be more like You; and to draw closer to You in every way. You have taught us to love everyone and to encourage them instead of tearing down and destroying. Lord, may it be evident to all that we come into contact with, that Jesus lives and reigns inside of us. I ask for myself and each reader/listener, and I ask this in the loving and awesome name of Jesus, 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!

Guidance on Giving

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Giving, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Tithe, Tithing, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Sunday, 2021-08-08
WRITTEN AT: Hattiesburg, MS

SCRIPTURE FROM: Deuteronomy 26:10-12
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: 10 And now I’ve brought the very first produce from the ground that You, the Eternal, have given to me.” Then present the basket to the Eternal your God, and bow down before Him, 11 and celebrate all the good things He has given to you and your household. Be sure to invite the Levites and the foreigners who live in your town to the feast.
12 When you’ve gathered a tenth of your produce at the end of the third year, the year for local tithing, give it to the Levites, the foreigners, the orphans, and the widows who live in your town. Let them come and take as much as they want to eat for as long as these supplies last. 

APPLICATION: I have read many Scriptures in my day, but this particular chapter had a deep impression on my mind. Moses shared God’s commands with the Israelites as they were about to set out on living in freedom. In the first part of the chapter, the farmers are told to give their first fruits to God. They are to gather them in a basket then take them to the temple. Moses gave them guidance on a prayer they are to say before God; followed by a meal with their family and temple leaders while at the temple; culminating with a time of praise and thanksgiving before the Master. Perhaps farmers do this today and I am just unaware of their private actions, but I believe this would be a far reaching testimony to the church leadership, to farm laborers, and to the family members who join in. In fact, I believe that when God sees that He comes before the bank loan, before the utility companies and before equipment leasing companies, then He will know without a doubt where our heart is. I believe that each of us are well aware of the increasing number of widows, orphans, and church workers who receive little or no income who live in our communities, and we wish we could help them all. But notice in verse 12 that every 3rd year, the first fruits are to be made available to these individuals. Today churches are hesitant to help those in need because they have been ‘burned’ so often through abuse, but wouldn’t it be awesome if others were doing their part, like our local farmers? Now imagine for a moment how a widow would be blessed to hear about a farmer who has fruit that he’s giving away. They arrive at his place of business and just stammer in awe as they try to determine why he is GIVING freely to them. Imagine how they will tell the world how awesome that man of God is! Imagine how his business will flourish because of his obedience to God! Friends, I believe that Satan places so many excuses in our minds that we tend to assume we know better than to follow God at His word. Notice that there were no conditions for the farmer to use in who benefits on that third year, other than their class. We tend to place conditions on who we will tithe to, when our income has reach a level to which we could start tithing, when we will stop tithing, etc, etc. Friends, if not for the grace of God, would we even have an income? Since He blessed us first, shouldn’t we go on blessing Him? God said that we are to give of our first fruits, may I suggest that in obedience to God, that we give freely from our income before doing anything with the remaining 90%. Remember, you can’t out-give God!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Give, and it shall be given to you!

PRAYER: Lord, I’m sure the excuses that we give, must make You sick. To hear a child say ‘Not my hard-earned money’, must really confirm that your blessings have been unappreciated and received vainly. Lord, please remind us each day how You’ve blessed us so that that our hearts may always be filled with praise to our Maker. It’s You oh Lord who have blessed, and who has given everything for our benefit. May we give freely as You have given to us, and may our hearts be filled with praise continually. May our giving be so representative of You that others will see the heart of God as we give, and may they be drawn to You. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog 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 this devotional, please click on 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. Words underlined in my blog might 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 Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. 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!

The Makeup of Our Churches

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Commitment, Needs, Obedience, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Saturday, 2021-08-07
WRITTEN AT: Hattiesburg, MS

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 8:5-8
TRANSLATION: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

BIBLE TEXT: 5 “A farmer went out to sow seed. While he was scattering the seed, some of it fell beside the road. People walked on the seed, and the birds ate it all. 6 Other seed fell on rock. It began to grow but then died because it had no water. 7 Some other seed fell among thorny weeds. This seed grew, but later the weeds stopped the plants from growing. 8 The rest of the seed fell on good ground. This seed grew and made 100 times more grain.”….

APPLICATION: Ever notice how much easier you remember the pastor’s illustrations than you do with the simple reading of God’s Word? I remember a pastor who once started up a gas chain saw on the stage at our church and proceeded to cut a perfectly good chair in half. On another occasion the same pastor came through the back door with bags of garbage, and he dropped a bag sporadically along his path to the pulpit. On yet another occasion he hit an anvil that he had placed on the stage, and the sound echoed in my wife’s ear so badly that it made a lasting impression on her, and each of us, to this present day! These examples came to mind as I meditated on the reason Jesus gave for preaching in parables. He knew that His hearers would very easily understand His analogy and could apply the examples to their own lives. On occasion, the disciples would ask Jesus to clarify – to make sure they knew where He was coming from and the point He was trying to make sure that they understood and applied to their lives. I was intrigued by this particular parable, because Jesus explained Himself in good detail further down in the chapter, beginning in verse 14. To apply this to today’s church, I believe we should examine our hearts, and determine what it is that we look to in deciding which church to attend. We place a lot of emphasis on the music, and on the charisma of the pastor, but Jesus is teaching us today that these things matter very little when our own heart are not where it should be, or if we are ready to hear from the Lord. I have experienced repeatedly where someone may share how boring the service was and how little they received from the service that day. Then, in listening to a time of Christian testimonies, I hear how blessed people were in that same service and how tenderly God spoke to their heart from His Word. Jesus said that His Word will not return void. Think about this, pastors and teachers labor over God’s Word every week and they seek His face for what He would have them share with us. Yet many of us leave home without our tools (our Bible), and we head out to church, as if going to a concert, (no prayer in seeking out God’s answers to your life’s dilemmas, or praying for the wisdom for the messenger). So with that in mind, how do you suppose the Word will be received by you that day, perhaps like a seed that fell on rocky ground? Furthermore, some will head out to church with the weight of the world on their shoulders, and their minds will be so distracted with their worries, that their presence at church will in no way reflect how much they will receive from the Word of God. Much like seed falling among thorns, where the Word is simply overshadowed by everything else that is going on. Friends, let’s be reminded that the charisma of a pastor will show us how good they are at getting our attention. The spoken Word of God will show us how good God is, and how well He has taken on the weight of this world so that we might know how much He loves us, cares for us, and provides for us here on earth and in the heights of heaven when we leave this world. Let me suggest that when we check to see if we have everything when we head out the door for church, let’s make sure that we carefully check our heart and see that we are ready to receive instruction and blessing from our Master, God Almighty!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: With our minds fixed on Jesus, we are usually ready to hear from Him. Let us therefore set aside all stresses, doubt and fear and just listen to the Word with minds and hearts that are ready to obey!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, please forgive us for the times that we come to Your house and our minds are anywhere but there in Your presence. I believe that when we do that, we reject the very presence of the One who: loves us unconditionally; and is out to provide the very best for us, Your children. Our hearts need refreshment from You and our minds need refocusing on You, instead instead of our situations and problems. But Lord, we need Your strength to overcome. Please give us Your power and Your wisdom to see Your perfect will for us. Lord this old world is filled with evil and needs You more today than ever before. Please help us to be Your light on a hill for the world to see hope, love and refreshment. Let them see Jesus in us, so that they may be drawn to You. Lord, may Your kingdom come on earth, as it is in heaven. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog 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 this devotional, please click on 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. Words underlined in my blog might 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 Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. 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!

An Attitude of Appreciation

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Attitude, Love, Love God, Love your Neighbor, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Unconditional love, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Friday, 2021-08-06
WRITTEN AT: Hattiesburg, MS

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 7:44-47
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 44 Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair.45 You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume.
47 “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love….

APPLICATION: Although our Scripture seems longer than normal, it is packed with a challenge from our Savior about what He sees as appreciation from His children. I believe that each week when we meet in church services, we always make sure that we’re dressed properly, we have our Bible with us, and that our favorite preacher will be in the pulpit that day at church. We arrive at church and we carefully examine all the new fashions on display by attendees, and we pay close attention to who will come over and greet us. Most of the time we will participate in the worship songs, if they are appealing to our ears, and we anxiously wait for the preacher’s ‘entertainment’. We are the first out, so we could avoid the traffic in exiting the property, and it also allows us first dibs at the local restaurant. If the pastor requests a visit to our home, it must be cleared in advance to allow us time to make our home presentable. Sounds pretty typical, right? But how well will you handle variances? What if the local drunk barges in while the pastor is visiting? What if a known prostitute walks right up to a front row seat in your sanctuary? Will you need help staying composed? How do you suppose Jesus would handle either of the aforementioned examples? Friends, these are scenarios that we could possibly face any, or every day. Our response will be based on what’s in our heart. If Simon’s heart was overflowing with the love of God, I believe He would have welcomed anyone who came to worship his Lord, or wash His feet, instead of being critical of who the person is, or from what background they may have come from. She’s a sinner, but so was Simon before He found Jesus. Well guess what? That’s exactly the same case with you and I. God sacrificed His only Son for us – even while we were still sinners, so what are we willing to endure? How appreciative should we be to a generous and sacrificial God? My friend, we don’t have time to look around and judge others, we have a full time job getting ourselves ready for the Kingdom and staying in a shape of readiness each and every day. When we call ourselves ‘Christian’ or a ‘follower of Christ’, it means that we vow to live here on earth just like He did. We will obey His commands and follow His example, so that we may look just like Him. Jesus accepted the prostitute just as she was, doesn’t that mean that we should do the same? In other Scriptures, Jesus said that He came to minister to, and save, the broken and the vilest sinner. If we are truly determined to follow His example, then we too must be willing to accept the vilest sinner. When our hearts are humbled to this degree, I believe that we will then live in appreciation of all that our Lord has become to us, and we will then look forward to personal worship to our King, and for His love and appreciation for us as a church. Search deep inside my friend, and reexamine the reasons for seeking God out each day. Recognize His goodness, then you will praise Him in all honesty for His goodness. Allow me to encourage you to especially love those who seek after our Lord, for they are our Brothers and our Sisters!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Jesus lovingly welcomed the prostitute and accepted her gifts of worship. We must be willing to do the same to sinners of all professions. All are equal in the eyes of the One who created them!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, I’m ashamed to say today, but as I look over the roster of my church, I would place certain members at the top, some at the middle and others at the very bottom of my list of ‘great’ members. But I believe that You showed us in our Scripture today that You created all of us, and You love each of us equally. Please help us to be as neutral as You are in loving all Your children, and please help us to welcome sinners into our midst with open arms as we sing praises to the One who created them. Help us to look at our times of worship with one purpose in mind – to glorify our King! I believe that when we concentrate on You, our eyes are distracted from others around us that we tend to criticize and pull down. Please help us to love others like You did, and to be more like You in every way, every day! AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog 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 this devotional, please click on 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. Words underlined in my blog might 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 Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. 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!

Concessions

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Discern Truth, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Truth, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2021-08-05
WRITTEN AT: Hattiesburg, MS

SCRIPTURE FROM: Mark 10:2-6
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: 2 Some Pharisees came and asked him, “Do you permit divorce?” Of course they were trying to trap him.
3 “What did Moses say about divorce?” Jesus asked them.
4 “He said it was all right,” they replied. “He said that all a man has to do is write his wife a letter of dismissal.”
5 “And why did he say that?” Jesus asked. “I’ll tell you why—it was a concession to your hardhearted wickedness. 6 But it certainly isn’t God’s way… 

APPLICATION: Having been involved in church leadership at several churches, this story from Jesus about a concession that Moses made, caused me to stop and meditate on any concessions that I may have agreed to while in leadership. No, I will not discuss any concessions we may have made, but I want us to be reminded that we must carefully look to God’s Word when we are faced with decisions that put into question what Jesus may have written in His Word. This might be in our personal lives, as well as groups in which we participate or have responsibility for. We must remember that Satan is still very much at work in our midst, and he will try every trick in the book to distract us from the Word of God. These attacks will come in various forms and will sometimes look very legitimate. There are many differences today, compared to the rules and practices I grew up with. Some of these rules were drenched in tradition of older denominations. But as changes are made in the life of a follower of Christ, we must be careful to review, agree to, and approve of those changes – IF they conform with the Word of God. In the earlier part of my career, I was an auditor for a short while. If I found discrepancy in a practice being performed, and I wrote the individual up for not completing their job in conformance with operational rules and regulation, then I had to support that write-up with the exact reference in the company rules or the government regulation. This is exactly what we should do if we are asked to personally change, or agree for our church to change a formal practice.- Does the Scripture support that change? Divorce is a hot topic for most churches, and Jesus tells us in today’s Scripture what God intended. Whether you are a divorcee or a church member deciding how to handle divorce overall, we must refer to God’s Word and see what He says. As His follower, we must be obedient to what He tells us to do. But unless we become distracted with just this topic, let’s not forget that there are many other similar items that will test us in our commitment to follow God’s commands and do His perfect will. I pray that each reader and listener will seek God’s face and ask for His direction as they strive to be His example here on earth.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: We will be challenged with worldly practices that may not align with the Word of God. As a follower of Christ, it behooves us to always search the Word of God for direction and be obedient to God’s commands.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You have gone to great length to provide leadership for all decisions we will make here on this earth. As we commit to be Your follower and make every effort to be obedient to Your teachings, please give us strength, wisdom and a boldness to stand firm on the Word of God. You have established us as a light on a hill, please help us to shine brightly so that the world may see Jesus in the flesh through Your servants. May they have a greater desire to know You and then follow in accepting You as their Savior. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog 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 this devotional, please click on 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. Words underlined in my blog might 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 Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. 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!

Do You Still Not See or Understand?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Miracles, Miraculous, Needs, Praise, Prayer, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Wednesday, 2021-08-04
WRITTEN AT: Hattiesburg, MS

SCRIPTURE FROM: Mark 8:17-19
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: 17 Knowing what they were thinking, Jesus said to them, “Why all this fussing over forgetting to bring bread? Do you still not see or understand what I say to you? Are your hearts still hard? 18 You have good eyes, yet you still don’t see, and you have good ears, yet you still don’t hear, neither do you remember. 19 When I multiplied the bread to feed more than five thousand people, how many baskets full of leftovers did you gather afterward?”…

APPLICATION: The disciples had heard about the various miracles of God from their forefathers, and they themselves had witnessed miracle after miracle by Jesus since they started following Him. Yet in their time of need they totally overlooked being in the presence of this same Jesus as they pondered where they would get provisions (food) from as they travelled back over the lake. How does this compare to you? I tried to evaluate my life and my belief system as I meditated on this Scripture. I have read about the miracles God performed in the Old Testament, especially the miracles performed for Moses and the Israelites. I have read, and heard in Sunday School many times about the miracles of Jesus in the New Testament. In my lifetime: I have heard how Jesus healed a young girl’s ear because of the sincere prayers of her pastor and her prevailing faith. She found the proof on her pillow the very next morning where the poisons and abscess had oozed from her ear; I have heard of how Jesus healed a dedicated Christian lady who, in faith, pleaded with Him for healing after suffering a stroke, and how her body regained strength in record time. Her healing was expedited by the Master!; I heard how, in faith, a couple prayed during a hurricane for their safety, and how they were prompted to move out of their home, only to turn around and watch it be demolished from strong winds and water; I have personally experienced God at work miraculously as my wife and I petitioned Him for a major direction in moving from the Bahamas to the United States of America. When we told my dad of our decision, he was in shock that we would do such a thing, seeing that he and my mom were getting much older. Within a year of our move, my dad sat next to me while he was recovering from doctors help here in the US with his heart and said ‘Now I could see what God was doing in getting you over here’! Praise the Lord! But friends, I’m no different to you, nor the disciples, for despite all of the above reinforcement of my faith, I still tend to try everything in my power, before running to God. I still tend to think that miracles may be possible for the other person, but I’m on my own when needing one of my own. No doubt you have overcome this weakness my friend, so let me encourage you to share your faith in Christ with everyone you come into contact with. Celebrate your victories with everyone that you know, so that they might be encouraged to approach the throne for themselves, and their faith may be strengthened because of your witness. I am hoping that today Jesus might look at you and I and say like He did to the woman with the issue of blood: ‘Because of your faith, you are healed’. Oh that our faith will be increased every day so that Jesus will not question why we have followed in the steps of the disciples in feeling like His miraculous touch is for everyone else, except us. May it become very clear to us that because of our faith, OUR GOD CAN DO ALL THINGS!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: God stands ready to hear the prayers of His faithful servants, and to respond with immediate action. Praise the Lord!

PRAYER: ‘It’s not my brother or my sister, but it’s me oh Lord, standing in the need of prayer’. For I approach the throne way too often with the same mindset as the disciples. I know You did it for others, but will You even consider also listening to my prayer concerns? Oh dear Lord, please refresh my soul with power from on high, and help me to come boldly before the throne knowing that as Your precious child, there is nothing You wouldn’t do in response to my heart’s cry. Perhaps many of my readers and listeners are also burdened with this issue. Please also touch their hearts and boost their faith levels to peak performance today. Based on all that we know You have done, may we always approach Your throne knowing that You could do it again – for us! Praise to the Lord our God! AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog 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 this devotional, please click on 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. Words underlined in my blog might 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 Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. 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!

The Path To God’s Response Is Clear

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Honest, Honest Relationship, Needs, Obedience, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Tuesday, 2021-08-03
WRITTEN AT: Hattiesburg, MS

SCRIPTURE FROM: Deuteronomy 19:8-9
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: 8-9 … the Lord your God has promised that if you obey his laws and teachings I’m giving you, and if you always love him, then he will give you the land he promised your ancestors….. 

APPLICATION: So let us address the end result that the Israelites wanted, and that we often cry out for. Our ancestors had tarried in the wilderness for over 40 years, and they were repeatedly told that they were headed towards a wonderful land that was promised to their ancestors. However, the criteria upon which they could wind up with the promised land, is that they would have to be obedient to God and His laws, and they would be required to love the Lord their God. You know, I believe that God still expects these same demands of us today. Think about it, why would a God like our God seek to provide anything for a people who wants nothing to do with His commands, and there is no love in their hearts for Him. Why that’s a clear indication that they have life all figured out, and their path established in just the way they feel is perfect. They see no reason to honor God’s commands, nor to love and respect Him. Friends, although our God is known for His love and for His provisions, I believe that I can tell you with very good assurance, that He will not impose His goodness on you. In fact, God even gave us the liberty to make our own choice about our eternity. A very interesting thing about ‘if.. then..’ evaluation statements, is that there is always a result for those who do not fit in the ‘if’ statement. In other words, I believe that in the statement shared by Moses, we can conclude that if the Israelites did not obey God’s commands or if they did not love Him, then God will not honor His commitment to their ancestors for those particular rebels. How then might this apply to you and I today? Over and repeatedly in His Word, God said that He will love us and that He is preparing a place for us to spend eternity. I believe we all love that promise, and we often are encouraged by that statement, especially when we apply it at the funeral of a loved one. However, based on other things that God repeats throughout His word, I believe that we could build our ‘if.. then..’ statement as follows: If my people who are called by my name will obey my commands and love me unconditionally, then I will receive them gladly on the day that they cease to exist on earth’. I would suggest that you look at the following words as active verbs: ‘obey’ – keep on obeying; ‘love me’ – keep on loving me until we meet in glory. I believe that God might surprise ‘Christians’: who are called by His name (because they accepted Jesus as their Savior), but go on living as they always did before Christ. When one accepts Jesus, they vow to turn from their evil, or worldly, ways and follow Jesus (obey His commands and love Him unconditionally). It is impossible to honestly do the latter and still act like the former ‘you’. You can fool your friends by using ‘churchy’ words, and you may even fool them into thinking that you are right with God, but God not only knows your heart, He also knows your very thoughts. Friends, the prize belongs to those who honestly obey God (whether in the light of God’s presence, or in the darkest place), and who love God unconditionally. God deliberately made the criteria simple and the end result amazing, so that we could achieve and look forward to His awesome presence and the place He has prepared for us.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: A grand prize awaits those who obey God’s commands and love Him unconditionally! Are you ready?

PRAYER: What a shocking revelation for the Israelites to know that all of them may not enter the Promised Land. But Lord, You set the criteria in lots of time so that they could change their evil ways and finally recognize You for Your love and goodness towards them. You have also established criteria for us, and Your Word is clear on what will result if we obey Your commands and love You with all our heart, soul and mind, and what will result if we don’t. Lord, I pray that You will speak intently to every reader and/or listener and that You will convince them of their sinful state, and remind them of the result of disobedience. I pray not only for my family and friends, but also for every one who has ever read one of these devotionals where the love of Jesus was made very clear. Thank You Lord for loving us and for preparing a home in glory for us. ‘Oh I want to see Him, look upon His face, there to sing for ever of His saving grace…’ AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog 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 this devotional, please click on 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. Words underlined in my blog might 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 Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. 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!

How Will They Know?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Evangelize, Love others, Love your Neighbor, Share God’s Word, The Father's LoveLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Monday, 2021-08-02
WRITTEN AT: Hattiesburg, MS

SCRIPTURE FROM: Mark 6:14-15
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 14 Herod Antipas, the king, soon heard about Jesus, because everyone was talking about him. Some were saying, “This must be John the Baptist raised from the dead. That is why he can do such miracles.” 15 Others said, “He’s the prophet Elijah.” Still others said, “He’s a prophet like the other great prophets of the past.”

APPLICATION: If we were living in Herod’s day, do you suppose he would have heard from us about Jesus? Before you answer that, don’t forget that Herod would have immediately assumed that you had been hanging out with Jesus, if you had a lot to say about Him! But before you jump to the conclusion that I must be nuts to write about such assumptions, let me ask you to honestly answer a very really important question. Does anyone at work know about the teenager that was baptized in your church yesterday? Did your neighbor have to calm you down when you excitedly told him about the child that surrendered their life to Jesus last weekend? Bottom line is: are you sharing the awesome work of the Savior in your life, or in the life of your church? Yes, I know they all know about the associate pastor who was questioned by the authorities about misconduct last week, but are you sharing the good news of all that Jesus does each and every week? Isn’t it amazing how easy it is for us to tell about the bad things that happen to God’s people, but how hesitant we are about sharing the good news of Jesus Christ? I once used as a witnessing tool, a small red dot on my eyeglasses. The idea was that if someone asked about the dot, I would tell them that it represents the blood Jesus shed on Calvary for my sin and theirs. You guessed it, Satan saw to it that no one questioned me about that red dot. Friends, there is no law prohibiting us from sharing Christ with those that we care about, no matter where they are. It is no sin to show the love of Jesus in every phase of your life, and to be ready to share the joy and excitement of who is making the difference, and fueling that love you feel for one another. If a storm was approaching, you might be the first to knock on your neighbor’s door and help them to a safe place. Yet you have no idea about their relationship with Jesus and whether they would escape the fury of hell and join with the angels in heaven when the storms come that will end this life as we know it today. What’s with that? Surely you don’t care more about the awful news of all the work of Satan in this world today, than you do about the awesome news of knowing Jesus personally and the joy that comes in the morning when we rise to meet Him in the sky? Herod had all the bad news on Jesus – bad enough to have Him killed. What Herod was missing was the good news of the Savior of the world, the One who healed the sick, made the blind to see again and caused the lame to walk once again. Jesus wasn’t out to get Herod on all the bad he ever did, but because Jesus was King of all kings (including King Herod), He desperately wanted to touch his heart and convict him of his sin. For all must confess their sin and seek Jesus as their Savior, from the poorest person, to the richest King. So dear friends, let me encourage you to tell the world about Jesus, especially the Good News of the Gospel. You will have friends for life – life eternal with Jesus Christ.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: If Herod had heard the Good News of Jesus Christ, instead of all the bad news of jealousy and deceit, he may have made much different decisions about the life of Jesus. We still have the opportunity to share the Good News with those we come into contact with.

PRAYER: Precious Lord, please provoke us, Your loved children, to be diligent in sharing the Good News of all that You did for us, so that others may believe and have life eternally in Heaven. You placed us here to be a light on a hill, that shines forth Your love, Your forgiveness, and Your desire to see Your children forgiven of their sin. We often fail in this responsibility, often for selfish reasons. Please forgive us, and give us a renewed boldness to share the Good News with all that we come into contact with. The world needs Jesus – the same Jesus that lives inside of us. Oh that we might share willingly with others. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog 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 this devotional, please click on 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. Words underlined in my blog might 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 Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. 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!