Month: February 2022

A Prayer of David

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Power of Prayer, Praise, Prayer, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Saturday, 2022-02-12
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 25:4-8
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: 4 Show me your paths and teach me to follow;
5     guide me by your truth and instruct me.
You keep me safe, and I always trust you.
6 Please, Lord, remember, you have always been patient and kind.
7 Forget each wrong I did when I was young.
Show how truly kind you are and remember me.
8 You are honest and merciful, and you teach sinners how to follow your path.

APPLICATION: So often we find ourselves in places where we question ‘how on earth did I ever get to this point?’ There are times that we long to get closer to a situation so that we might share God’s love with the person, but it just seems like we are destined to stay at a distance. So I could see why David would ask God to direct His paths, and most of all, teach him to follow the path of Christ, no matter where it leads. David knew that God’s instruction will come from His Word, so he was reminded of the importance of meditating on the Word of God. Does this seem strange or impossible to you? Perhaps you are not a daily reader of God’s Word? Can’t find an extra 15 minutes in your already busy day to check in on what God has in store for you each day? An old Brother in Christ told me that I just wasn’t making it a priority! Try telling God at the end of your day that you didn’t have time for Him, no, instead say that He was not a priority to you! Do you still feel like He should make it a priority to guide you in the right path that day? As we continue with David’s prayer, notice that he probably didn’t talk too much about having the best luck, because he was saved from danger in his day. He thanked God for keeping Him safe. Recent news reports tell of innocent drivers being killed because of the carelessness of other drivers. We NEED God’s guidance and protection each and every day. Ask Him for it, and depend on Him to guide you aright in order to keep you safe. Further, it seems like when we stand before God in prayer, Satan does his best to keep our memories fresh, on the evil things we did in our youth. After asking God to forgive you of your sin, He separates that sin from you as far as the east is from the west. Why shouldn’t you do the same. Rebuke Satan and tell him his place in your life. Friends, I was reminded that when we bow before the God of this universe, it’s not a fixed or permanent fixture in a building, but I am chatting with my Creator. He knows all things, sees all things, and loves me more than I could ever imagine. He wants His very best for my life, and He wants the world to know that I belong to Him. If they want to know what He’s like, just look at me in true perfection. It’s a personal relationship! David taught us to commune with God as our very best friend and One who loves us beyond description. Listen to His instruction and follow in obedience so that we might be led along the path of righteousness for His name’s sake.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Created by God to live in the image of God so that the world will see God in and through us. God blessed David for placing his faith and trust in Him, and God will do the same for us when our priorities are in order.

PRAYER: Precious Lord, thank You for the reminder of how You respond to Your children when they honestly and reverently seek Your face and desire to live in the light of Your goodness and grace. We need You each and every day oh Lord, please patiently work with us to get our priorities straight and to seek You each day for Your direction. Thank You for loving even us! As David said, our past is most undesirable, but with You leading the way, our future could be filled with lessons for others on how to connect with our Father – the King of all kings; the Creator and Master of this universe! 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!

God Cares For You

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, God Cares For Us, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Friday, 2022-02-11
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Matthew 10:28-31
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: “Don’t be in fear of those who can kill only the body but not your soul. Fear only God, who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. You can buy two sparrows for only a copper coin, yet not even one sparrow falls from its nest without the knowledge of your Father. Aren’t you worth much more to God than many sparrows? So don’t worry. For your Father cares deeply about even the smallest detail of your life.”

APPLICATION: Over recent days my wife and I received the shocking news that a good friend of ours left his dear wife behind to finish life on her own. Of course our first reflection is to wonder why God would subject this wonderful man, who blessed so many, to the pain and agony of Covid, and why would God take him away from his faithful service to his church, and from his loving family. We may even tend to wonder if this one slid by God and went unnoticed, but we honestly know differently. Just as God brought His Son into the world for a specific purpose, He also has a specific purpose in mind when He created us. And our Scripture, quoting the words of Jesus Himself, reminds us that nothing escapes the attention of the Great I Am, not even a sparrow that falls from the sky to its death. How much more does He care about the special ones like you and I , who He created in His own image and directs our earthly path until the day He calls us home. No doubt along the way we had many bumps and bruises, but He was there all the time. No doubt there were times that we encountered diseases that brought us to the point of death, but our God still had people for us to meet and witness to, and there were relatives and friends in our circle of influence that still needed a Savior, so He brought us back to good health for His ongoing mission. But one might quickly respond negatively: ‘but what about that wonderful spouse they left, or what will that invalid who depended so heavily on them now do after their passing?’ I believe that God would remind us that He cares for us individually, and not just because of who our spouse is, or which church we attend, or how many relationships were held together because of our loved one. God loves and cares for us with that person in the picture or whether they are now in the arms of Jesus. Let me encourage you dear friend who might be feeling all alone, or might wonder why you are left alone here on this earth: you have a God who loved you so much that He would have sent His precious Son to Calvary if only for you. For He cares for you! He knows the plans that He has for you! He wants to see you go on to bless others because of Him, and He wants them to see Jesus every time they come into contact with you. Your love and your memories of the loved one who left you behind will last a lifetime, but know that the arms of Jesus are all enveloping and totally complete as He seeks to bless others through you! There is purpose in your life and for your future. Rest your hands in the BIG hands of Jesus as He guides you along and makes the road straight for you to maneuver. For those who have not lost a loved one, and you are wandering why God would say all this today – hang tight for no one knows what tomorrow holds for any of us, except the One Mighty God that we know and hold tight to.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: God knows what happens to each little sparrow, no matter how insignificant they seem to us. All the more, God also cares for each of us and watches our every move, because we are significant to Him. Because He created us in His own image, I believe that He has a lot of pride, love and built in care for each of us! Oh how He cares for us!

PRAYER: So often we tend to question why. Way too often we tend to feel like life is spinning out of control. But only a God like You will care for those whom You love, in spite of our stubbornness, lack of obedience and judgmental attitudes. We tend to look way too hard for the ‘perfect’ life, without acknowledging how much we have messed up. Yet You care for us! Thank You for Your love – even for us! So undeserving, yet You love us anyway, and You have prepared an eternal home for us to join You one day soon. Please continue to bless us as we try to represent You in every walk of life. People still need the Lord. May they see You today, and may they experience You in every aspect of my life today because of the total work that You will perform to solicit the love and aspirations of every unbeliever who really needs a 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!

Help On What To Say

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

DATE POSTED Thursday, 2022-02-10
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Matthew 10:17-20
TRANSLATION: The Message (MSG)

BIBLE TEXT: 17-20 “Don’t be naive. Some people will question your motives, others will smear your reputation—just because you believe in me. Don’t be upset when they haul you before the civil authorities. Without knowing it, they’ve done you—and me—a favor, given you a platform for preaching the kingdom news! And don’t worry about what you’ll say or how you’ll say it. The right words will be there; the Spirit of your Father will supply the words.

APPLICATION: Interesting to consider that a man who once lived and ministered among His people and showed immense compassion for the people, yet He became the object of criticism, and even the plot of the religious leaders of that day, because of their jealousy over all the good works He accomplished that attracted people from all walks of life. It became so intense that this man had to often disappear from large crowds so that He would not be found by those who hated Him. This intensified to the extent that these hatful people had this man arrested and eventually crucified along with criminals who were awaiting their fate. This man was such a wonder, that He opted to be obedient to His Father’s will, rather than save Himself from such a cruel death. His reason: Because His Father arranged for such a sacrifice to result in the one and only means of all mankind to see the face of God, and to have access to the portals of heaven one day, where they would actually be present with the Lord on His throne forever and forever. Of course this ‘man’ that I referred to is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Many of you meditating with me today, have followed the same path as I have, and you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, because we have all found hopelessness everywhere we have turned here on earth. We have found no one other than our parents who loves us enough to sacrifice anything for our good, yet God brought His very own Son into the world to show us nothing but love, and to provide every good thing to us. Friends, as we study the Word of God, and in particular our Scripture reading today, we must stop and consider how challenged we are in being grateful for all that God did for us. Why, we will respond in words, or actions, that we don’t know the man – like His very own disciple did after His arrest. We will attribute our achievements to our own merits, and we will uplift the selfishness of mankind. We will quickly respond to questions about our identity with God as one where we know of Him, but not intimately and personally. We will avoid the name of Jesus so that fingers will never be pointed at us for being religious fanatics. But precious friends, look what Jesus said would happen: we would be honored that our family and friends have recognized Jesus in and through us, because our witness was real to them. Jesus said that we may even be persecuted for claiming relationship with Him. Great news, Jesus said, for we are then given a platform on which to share the love and sacrifice of Jesus. Preach the Word on those platforms! I’m sure your heart just skipped a beat, because you love your pastor/preacher/minister, who does an awesome job at preaching, but it’s not for you. Preaching is sharing the Good News of the One who blessed you and is there for you through all of life’s circumstance, and He has prepared a home for you in heaven. Tell your audience about the Gospel that touched your life. In fact, don’t give this responsibility a second look, for the Holy Spirit will feed you the words you need to share! Isn’t that awesome news? Just be willing to accept your position in life and allow the Holy Spirit to use your vocal chords to express His message through you! Talking about ‘tele-prompting’!!! Wow!!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Be willing to host the Holy Spirit so that He may speak through you the truth and full impact of the Gospel. We could be His mouthpiece, if we accept the role!

PRAYER: In reading today’s Scripture, it seems like You are well aware of our challenges today, Lord. So many hold to their rights, and it becomes challenging to share news about our Savior in their presence. We therefore tend to clam-up and remain close-mouthed about the best possible news we could share with anyone. Please forgive us Lord, for You have reminded us to take advantage of these type scenarios and share the Good News of Jesus Christ, for they are mere sinners in need of a Savior. You have placed us in positions where we need to be and where Your name could make such a difference to the people in our circles. Please be a constant reminder to us to let the awesome news of the living Christ be revealed through us. Sinners need Jesus, but how will they know if we choose to keep our mouths shut, or find every excuse possible not to share. Fill us Lord, and use us for Your Gospel, so that Your kingdom might come, here 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!

Because Of Your Faith

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Faith, Faith in Action, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Worship1 Comment

DATE POSTED Wednesday, 2022-02-09
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Matthew 9:2; 22; 29;
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 2 Some people brought to him a paralyzed man on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Be encouraged, my child! Your sins are forgiven.”
22 Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed at that moment.
29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith, it will happen.”

APPLICATION: One might ask ‘but what is faith?’ There was a tight-rope acrobat who chose to show his skill by walking a tight-rope across the Niagara Falls. He did so well in his first trip across, that he asked how many in the audience felt like he could make the trip back across with a wheelbarrow. Many had seen the skills of this acrobat before, so they were convinced that he could succeed in making the return walk across with the wheelbarrow. But when asked by the acrobat which of his fans would volunteer to ride in the wheelbarrow, he could find no volunteers. Their faith in the acrobat was limited to his stunts that did not involve them personally in the stunt!! Is that how you tend to be with the abilities of Almighty God? You are faithful in reading His Word, and you are good at selling His abilities to others, but you just can’t strum up the faith to present yourself before Him for healing, power or renewed strength. After reading for the third time in our chapter today the words of Jesus ‘because of your faith’, I felt compelled to share with you that perhaps one of the greatest needs you and I might have, is to grow our faith in the Creator of this Universe; The Savior of the World; The King of all kings; The Lord of all lords; Our Master and our Lord. For it is through faith that we can look forward to all eternity in glory with the Father and the Son! But while here on earth, we must also have the boldness and faith to approach the throne of God for all things. In fact, let’s stop and consider what ‘F A I T H’ is, and how we might increase our faith. I believe that a simple, non-theological, explanation of faith might be: When you are confident deep inside that God has the power and ability to do something, even though you are powerless to do it yourself, and you know of no one else here on earth who could do it. Then it becomes incumbent upon us to trust that faith and believe in the One in whom we have faith in. Now, here’s how I might suggest that you increase that faith. I had a dear friend who shared with me that he chose to use his faith on what we might consider ‘the little things’ of life. In other words, when we come across things that we have no ability to remember, or to do, then ask the God who can do ALL things, for His help. In this way, you will gain confidence/faith to approach the throne when the ‘BIG’ things come your way, for you have a personal reference point to fall back on. God, I saw how you handled the little things, now I need you for this huge challenge that seems totally impossible to me. Remember, nothing is too BIG for our God. He created this beautiful world we live in from the void of nothing-ness. He created man from dust. Won’t He most certainly be able to heal our brokenness from disease and injury? In our story today Jesus said it for our assurance – ‘because of your faith….’ Show Him your faith, and I believe He will show you His power!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Our God not only knows our very thoughts, but He knows our needs. He is the one true God who created us, so let our faith in Him remain strong, so that His miracles may impact our lives. Let’s ask in faith, believing and knowing that He can do ALL things.

PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for Your willingness to meet the needs of those in our Scripture today and giving us extra assurance that we serve such a mighty God. Please help us to get over self and all that we think we could do. Teach us to deepen our faith and our relationship with You, so that You may show us Your power that is available to us. In our day there seems to be complexities that arise that stump world medical teams. We serve the awesome Creator of this universe and all mankind, so of course You know how to repair these bodies that You have created. Teach us Lord to turn to Jesus for our every need, having faith to believe that He could make all the difference in the world. What an awesome God we serve! Thank You Jesus! 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!

Feeling Forsaken Yet Reassured Of God’s Goodness

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

DATE POSTED Tuesday, 2022-02-08
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 22:1-5
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
    Why are you so far away when I groan for help?
2 Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer.
    Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief.
3 Yet you are holy,
    enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4 Our ancestors trusted in you,
    and you rescued them.
5 They cried out to you and were saved.
    They trusted in you and were never disgraced.

APPLICATION: Don’t we sometimes feel deserted and defeated when things are not going the way we expect, or want? But isn’t it satisfying to note that other great saints had similar feelings at various times in their lives, and we have the advantage of reading how things turned out for them? David was a great man of God, yet in today’s Psalm he shares how he felt abandoned by God, in spite of his cries and groans for help. You may have noticed from the words of this Psalm that it is almost identical to the words of Jesus’ cry on the cross, for He also felt forsaken by God, when He saw that God was allowing His crucifixion to proceed. So we are in good company when we start feeling like our prayers are hitting a brick wall. David knew that God was very capable of rescuing him and saving him from his times of tumult. No doubt David also had it all calculated how God would handle his situation, and very often this is what makes us so frustrated, for we know what we want to see happen, yet God in His infinite wisdom, has different plans in mind. But let’s take in the added methods used by David. He basically reminded himself of how powerful God is, and how He had seen God help in times past, so he knew the ability was there, and that God would respond if He knew that David’s request was in his best interest. But regardless of all this, David saw where God had other plans in his case, for He was not giving him immediate release from his problems. Does this sound familiar dear friends? We have seen committed Christians pray earnestly for their Christian spouse stricken with Covid, yet they have succumbed to that dreaded decease, even though we have read in the Bible and seen in current history where God healed the sick and restored them back to good health. We have seen faithful Christian people die of their injuries sustained in automobile accidents, even though they prayed for safe traveling mercies each morning, and had huge plans for continued ministry in the coming days. Is it not clear why David became engrossed in his apparent abandonment, and felt like God no longer cared for him? But, faithful believers and friends, let us never forget a few things that we know from the Bible: His ways are not our ways – We know what we selfishly want, but God knows what it will take to reach that lost son, daughter, or coworker. He knows the lives that would be touched by your testimony. His ways are perfect – in spite of our assurance that we know what He should, or should not do, let us always remember when we say that God is in control of everything – that includes the good results that we like, and the results that we just don’t understand or would personally subscribe to. Friends, I believe that David would remind us, and ensure that we never forget, that our God’s not dead, nor is He blind or deaf to our worse-case scenarios. His love for us extends to the ends of the earth, through good and bad, through happy and sad times. He knows what our future holds, and He has already planned for how we will spend that. We may be happy if He allows us to remain on earth, but if He is ready for us in heaven, then our future is filled with overwhelming joy and happiness as we meet around the throne and worship He and the Father endlessly! So there is no need to question God over our frustrations, let’s just prepare ourselves for the ecstasy of that day when pain and heartache will no longer exist, but replaced with joy and happiness in His presence.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: There is no greater joy than knowing that God has everything under His total control. Frustration may come when things don’t go like we expect, but joy comes in the morning, when we arise in His eternal, heavenly presence!

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for saving my soul, thank You Lord for making me whole, thank You Lord for giving to me – Thy great salvation so rich and full! Please forgive us when we moan and complain because You didn’t heal as quickly as we expected, or in a manner that we told You to. You are definitely in control and we can gladly shout from the rooftops how Your answer to our dilemmas far exceed anything we could ever dream of on our own. You alone are God, and we are mere man. Please help us to bring our burdens to You and leave them there, for You know the plans You have for us, and You will clear mountains so that Your plans might be fulfilled. Oh that You might be lifted up because of the awesome work of the One who lives in, controls, and constantly loves on us. May this be the envy of the unsaved and may they be drawn to You as they see You at work in Your people. 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 Holy Spirit Spoke in Response To Their Dedication

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Dedication, Fasting, Needs, Praise, Prayer, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Sunday, 2022-02-06
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Acts 13:1-3
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT:  1 Among the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch of Syria were Barnabas, Simeon (called “the black man”), Lucius (from Cyrene), Manaen (the childhood companion of King Herod Antipas), and Saul. 2 One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.” 3 So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way.

APPLICATION: Often, while at local restaurants or, perhaps at town parties, we will see Pastor’s and church leaders entertaining, what appears to be, the rich and important people of the town. At times we might also see local pastors enjoying a meal together, and it overjoys our heart to see stressed out pastors take time to enjoy fellowship with their peers. Church leaders are often asked to join in partnership with other church leaders to stand firm against local and national leaders on certain controversial matters, and we are so happy to see that our leaders could actually sit at the table with other church leaders and talk things over. So which of the aforementioned scenarios remind you of what was taking place in the meeting of the Antioch leadership? As I meditated on this scripture, I was overcome with thoughts as I recalled the number of times church leaders questioned their pastor about his minimal time in the office; or his lack of administrative time and qualities; or the large budget that he asks for each year; or demanded to know what was he doing to save their dying church. Friends, we demand so much from our pastors that has so very little to do with the quality, and quantity, of time they spend seeking God’s face for His church. What if our mission was to see them imitate the teachers and prophets mentioned in today’s Scripture? What might we aim to point our pastors and church leaders towards? How might we pray for them and encourage them? I have always said that the results of what we see in our pulpits, come from the extent of our prayers for our pastors. We might criticize them in the pulpit, but how well are they really doing in response to our prayers for Almighty God to fill them; bless them; and use them for His glory? To our pastors, teachers and church leaders: please don’t think for a moment that it’s all the fault of your congregation. If you were to break down your day into quadrants of time, which quadrant might receive the most time? Might it be prayer? Meditation on the Word of God? Ministering to a church member? Encouraging, praying for and blessing another worker of the Gospel? Don’t you know that Satan will send many distractions your way, especially when you don’t have a dedicated and committed schedule for your day? Are you really spending sufficient uninterrupted; quiet; prayerful time together with God that He might minister to, and through, you with a feeling like: He is interfering in your worldly schedule for the day? Let me assure pastors, teachers, church leaders and most of all, myself, that our God’s not dead; nor does He sleep; nor is He blind to the needs in our lives and the life of His bride (the church). He is still looking for workers, because the fields are still white, and the harvest is still great, if only He could find the dedicated leaders and followers who want more of Him and all that He has to offer through us. For every friend that you might speak with today, know that there are hundreds of other lost and uncommitted friends who are looking for answers to this world’s dilemmas and overwhelming challenges in their life. God, working through His powerful Holy Spirit in you, can have such an awesome impact on these individuals for the Kingdom of God, if only we will submit, and commit to His cause. Will you let go, and let God have His way in you today dear pastor, teacher, church leader, and/or child of God? Are you truly ready, and willing, to accept the next BIG project that He has planned for you? Most leaders in our society not only work hard each day, but they are responsible for extracurricular things like: attending conferences; networking with peers who handle very similar issues that they are faced with daily. these things keep their minds fresh, active and reaching for new and/or innovative ways that might add to the success of their job. They don’t just sit and wait for gold to drop into their laps. So it is with Christian ministry. We must be willing to reach out to others so that together we might not only seek God and His righteousness, but also be encouraged to continue pressing for the mark with full faith and trust in the God who can do all things through His servants that are willing to let Him.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: The results of Paul and Barnabas being chosen, became extraordinary as God completed His work through His servants. He is still God, and can do the same for us today!

PRAYER: Dearest Lord Jesus, we can all see the need for Jesus in our world today, as everything seems totally out of man’s control. Please humble our hearts to standby and be willing to accept Your blessing and Your challenge, knowing that nothing is too difficult for You. Please keep us humble and always praying for our church leaders, knowing that You will complete a good work in them, and also in us as we commit to Your service. Thank You Father for Your Word. May we always choose to live according to Your plan, so that Your Kingdom might increase, and friends will no longer avoid Your call on their life. 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!

Panic-Stricken That Jesus May Be Asleep

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

DATE POSTED Thursday, 2022-02-03
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Matthew 8:23-27
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 23 …. Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. 24 Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
26 Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.
27 The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!”

APPLICATION: I‘m not sure that there is anyway to prepare our emotions and our minds in advance of a disaster, because no matter what type of recovery plan we may prepare for ourselves for, our plan will become very fluid when disaster actually hits. Hopefully by now you may have thought about a scenario that occurred in your life when you felt alone, and hopeless about how to best handle life after that scenario. I remember receiving a phone call from a very calm and confident person on the other end of the line, but the news was anything but calming. My wife and daughter had been involved in a car accident and were on their way to the hospital. I excused myself from a meeting and arrived at the hospital about 19 miles away, before my wife and daughter could arrive from the scene of the accident approximately 2 miles away. Not sure that my presence made any difference to the promptness of care received, but in my mind, and in the mind of my family, we were all reassured in having the whole family together during this time of crisis. Lots of prayers for the wellbeing of my family, but it was challenging to not see God act as fast as I wished for. In our Scripture, the disciples were most afraid that their boat would sink, and many of them would drown. But they became very frustrated that Jesus remained asleep while all of this was going on. Now, look at the response from Jesus: He accused them of having too little faith. In other words, the disciples had just seen Him restore health to Peter’s mother, and He healed a leper. So why would they even think that the waves were out of His control? In fact, as His disciples, why were they not following Jesus’ example and calling on the power of God to calm the waters that threatened their existence? Friends, way too often we are just like the disciples. We need the pastor to pray over our situation. Good idea, but haven’t we already personally prayed for our situation? We want our family and friends to visit church, and what a wonderful place to have them join you. But have you personally witnessed to your family members and told them about Jesus? What if storms arise and that family member never makes it to your church service to hear the Gospel. How would you explain to God why they died without hearing about Jesus? Let’s be quick to remember that we don’t control God. He is not a puppet waiting for our next command. Be in close communion with Him on a daily basis, and through calling on Him for little, and big things. No doubt He wants to grow your faith and your assurance in all that He is capable of, including responding to our prayers when we are calm and when we are in panic-mode. Isaiah 24:6 says that we are to trust the Lord our God, for He is a mighty Rock. Know what He is capable of, then trust Him to perform His mighty works in all things, even if the answer looks a little different to what we would prefer to see. He’s not asleep my friends!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: We serve a God who not only brings new life into a very sick woman; restoration of a person’s skin that has been destroyed by leprosy; but He is also King over the waters He created and will calm the storms of our life, no matter what they are. That’s our God!

PRAYER: Thank You Lord that we serve such an awesome, all-powerful God! So many days we feel overwhelmed by the storms of life that seem to bombard us, and we are helpless to overcome them, but praise God we serve a God who can do exceedingly more than we could imagine! You simply spoke the word and the winds subsided, resulting in the tumultuous waves being calmed. Oh that we would learn to bring those things before You that seem so huge to us, in fact appears like they are much bigger than anything we could handle. Thank You Lord for being such a powerful influence in our lives, yet One who is able to handle every problem that comes our way. Teach us Lord to always place our faith and trust in You through every storm, each and 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!

About Following Jesus

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Follow Christ, Follow Jesus, Missions, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Submission, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Wednesday, 2022-02-02
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Matthew 8:18-22
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: 18 At the sight of large crowds gathering around him, Jesus gave orders to his disciples to get ready to sail back over to the other side of the lake. 19 Just then, a religious scholar approached him and said, “Teacher, I’ll follow you wherever you go!”
20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens, birds have nests, but the Son of Man[n] has no true home in this world.”
21 Then another man spoke up and said, “Lord, I’ll follow you, but first I must take care of my aged father and bury him when he dies.”
22 But Jesus said to him, “Now is the time to follow me, and let those who are dead bury their own dead.”

APPLICATION: We once had a friend who would agree to go with us anywhere we invited them to go. However, when it was time to go, we found that something more attractive came up and that friend backed out on their commitment to us! In essence, that individual was saying yes to us, provided that nothing better comes up in the meantime! Perhaps you are also guilty of this, but today I want us to assume that we are a disciple of Jesus Christ, and I hope that many of you are exactly that. Let’s continue to assume that Jesus is about to leave our town and make His way to a nearby town. Initially I believe that many of us would agree to the initial invitation from Jesus to come along with Him. But supposing that you hear about the long walk to get there? Suppose you hear of the daily visiting with the town’s officials as you seek to challenge them on their pagan beliefs? Suppose you hear the whispers from group members about the sleeping conditions once you leave home? Suppose you hear that there are no organized meal times nor food items being taken along with you? Are you starting to look for excuses yet that might help you get out of the commitment you made at first? In our Scripture, the religious leader liked what he saw, and he was convinced that he wanted to go along, so he immediately agreed to go along/follow the Great Healer/Master/Deliverer. But Jesus warned that it won’t be pretty. You see, Jesus didn’t want this leader to assume that there would be lavish hotels along the way with scrumptious meals. It wasn’t like that at all. One who called themselves a disciple of Jesus, suddenly remembered that his ailing dad would have no one left to take care of him and bury him. But Jesus said to this disciple what I believe He says to each of us today: Enough with the excuses, these things will take care of themselves. My work is most urgent, because it involves saving souls. Nothing is more important. No excuse in delaying response to my calling. Perhaps to some of you reading this devotional, Jesus may be saying to you: today is the day of salvation, tomorrow will be too late; My work revolves around saving souls from the pit of Hell and from the evil one. Imagine looking into the eyes of one that you ‘didn’t have time’ to minister to, and see them fade away into eternity with Satan? Are you sure you have something more important to do right now than to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ? Perhaps your church is calling you to join them in ministry. Perhaps the Missions committee wants you to join them on a trip to share Jesus with a group living way out in the country. Will you go, or are you still searching for excuses?

BLESSING(S) NOTED: The rewards for following Jesus are ‘out of this world’! Praise God, Jesus loved us enough to forgive us of our sin and reveal Himself in all of His righteousness to us, so that we may desire to know Him personally and eternally! Oh what joy to trust in Jesus!

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for supplying every need to those of us that are in need. Thank You for considering to use us in Your service/ministry here on earth. We are no different to the Religious Scholar in today’s Scripture, nor the disciple who felt it more important to stay and take care of his dad, for we all search for excuses to avoid doing things we may presume will be uncomfortable for us. Please Lord, embed into our minds the importance of seeing a lost soul come to know the Lord Jesus. In agreeing to follow Jesus, we will be led to times that we may have to challenge someone about their lack of faith in Jesus. We will probably end up in very uncomfortable living conditions as we travel to, or stay over in their town. Please remind us as You did in today’s Word – TODAY is the day to follow Jesus – whether it’s across the waters to a new mission field, or whether it’s in the darkest neighborhood of unfriendly nations. We ALL need Jesus and to know Him personally, if we ever hope to join Him and the Father in heaven when we die to this world. Use us Lord in Your challenging service, so that others might see proof of one who knows You personally. 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!

Because Of Your Faith

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Faith, Healing, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Tuesday, 2022-02-01
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Matthew 8:2-3; 10; 13;
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: 2 Suddenly, a leper walked up to Jesus and threw himself down before him in worship and said, “Lord, you have the power to heal me . . . if you really want to.”. 3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the leper and said, “Of course I want to heal you—be healed!”…
10 Jesus was astonished when he heard this and said to those who were following him, “He has greater faith than anyone I’ve encountered in Israel!
13 Then Jesus turned to the Roman officer and said, “Go home. All that you have believed for will be done for you!” And his son was healed at that very moment.

APPLICATION: Here are key points about each individual in the two stories related in today’s Scripture:
—> In the first story, a Leper found his way from isolation (for his disease) into the presence of Jesus. Unheard of for a Leper. Jesus showed no signs of being afraid of having the Leper standing in front of Him, but instead Jesus was impressed at the faith of this man to battle all odds to make his way straight to the Savior of the world. I thought his statement by the Leper was rather peculiar – ‘You have the power to, and can heal me, if you want to’. Looking at the response from Jesus was also very interesting, especially in light of what we see in our hospitals today as nurses and doctors try to protect themselves from Covid infections. For Jesus actually ‘touched’ the man as He pronounced healing. It’s like the Leper knew that the dreaded disease was of no consequence to the Maker of all mankind; and as if Jesus felt no fear in dealing with the Leper, no matter what was wrong with him. I believe that Jesus is always more interested in our soul than he is about any earthly or body sickness.
—> In the second instance, Jesus was amazed by the faith of the Roman Officer, for he came before Jesus asking for healing of his son who did not accompany him on his journey. Based on his experience with his workers, he was confident that Jesus could speak healing to his son remotely and it would be done. Just say the word! Jesus was amazed by the faith of this official and granted him his request. The story confirms that the son was healed at that instant.
Hopefully you may have considered whether these two examples sounded like something you would do when you present yourself before Jesus. If you have reason to question your degree of faith compared to these gentlemen, then I would encourage you to draw closer to God in your prayer life, in your devotional time, in reading and understanding the Word of God. Friends, as your relationship with God deepens, I believe your faith will follow the same pattern. A child develops enough faith in their dad to actually jump from a high wall, knowing that they would be caught and cuddled by their dad, instead of the severe consequences if they fell to the ground. It’s that kind of faith that will help you to trust God with your life, or that of a relative you may approach God about. It may be because of your faith that God responds in awesome power to your request!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: There are many examples of the power of God to heal, or work miraculously through your circumstances. We know that God is still all-powerful and can do all things. Show Him your faith and see His almighty hand work miracles in your life!

PRAYER: Lord, I pray that no reader crawled into a corner and heard you say ’Oh ye of little faith’. Please help us to develop such an intimate relationship with You that Your power will be very evident and our asking very much in order. It seems like daily we are hearing about friends and loved one who need a healing touch from You. Many are afflicted, and many are dying much younger than anyone might expect. I have no doubt that You are still very much in control of my life, the lives of my family and friends, and that Your healing power is still available to us today. May our faith be so strong that we will boldly come before Your throne and ask for Your miraculous touch on those around us, just like you did with the Leper and the Roman Officer’s son. Time is running out for many. May they see Jesus today as they enjoy encounters with Your servants here on earth. May Jesus become alive to all my readers/listeners today, please Lord! 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!