Month: March 2022

Godly Answers For Our Earthly Questions

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

DATE POSTED Thursday, 2022-03-10
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Matthew 19:3; 7; 10;
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: 3 Some Pharisees wanted to test Jesus. They came up to him and asked, “Is it right for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?”
7 The Pharisees asked Jesus, “Why did Moses say a man could write out divorce papers and send his wife away?”
10 The disciples said, “If that’s how it is between a man and a woman, it’s better not to get married.”

APPLICATION: In their attempt to test Jesus, the one in whom they had very little respect or confidence, the Pharisees thought to ask Him controversial questions – probably on subjects that they struggled with themselves. This story made me think of a personal example – I remember my wife questioning an elderly relative about why she was asking questions for which she already knew the answers. Her response was enlightening – ‘I am pretending to be ignorant, in order to gain wisdom’!! I wonder if this is what the Pharisees were trying to do? Surely they had an answer to these questions, but perhaps they wanted to see if Jesus’ line of thinking was any different to theirs! However, putting all of the above aside, I believe that today we may look at this story and wish that we had such wisdom available to us today. And friends, this is what I feel like God wants to address through this Scripture today. You see, in all His wisdom, God knew that we would be no different to the Pharisees or anyone else that sought Him out while His Son, Jesus, walked this earth. So God left two important helps for us:

  1. His Holy Spirit: Jesus referred to this important part of the trinity as ‘The Comforter’, but I believe we can easily see throughout the Word of God that He is also our Director; our Guide; our Wisdom and our closest Friend. He lives inside of us, so of course we could call on Him with any puzzling question we may have, no matter where we are at. Will He know the answer to all of life’s challenging questions? Why of course, for He is also God. For the unbeliever who may read this and wonder how you could tap into this miraculous wonder: God sent us His very precious Son so that anyone who believes in Him might be saved. With this salvation, comes the awesome gift from God the Father – His divine Holy Spirit. Being ‘plugged in’ to this Triune Godhead is something that every Christian can claim! Accept Jesus as Your savior today and receive your heavenly Helper today, my unbelieving friends!
  2. His Holy Word: Perhaps you were surprised to read today’s Scripture and see that ‘divorce’ was covered in the Bible. I am convinced that everything else is also covered in this invaluable resource given to us by our Father in Heaven. A Google search is very powerful, but it’s nothing compared to the official Word of God that He left for us. Yes, your pastor, elder, deacon or friend could do your homework for you and give you the answers to your many questions, but why not look for yourself? There is something uniquely rewarding to meeting with God each day as you open His Word! There is so much that we could learn, and so much value in building an intimate relationship with our Creator!

But to top this whole message off, Jesus gave His disciples a few conditions that would generate supreme trust in the Almighty God. I went with a group of missionaries from my church to Mexico for a week. Other than finances, the next greatest challenge was in packing minimally as space would be limited on flights and in the vans used for ground transportation. So can you imagine trying to ‘GO’ under the restrictions ordered by Jesus in (1) noted above in our Scripture? Homes were opened to accommodate the missionaries, as there were no provisions for commercial accommodations, if any existed. This has become a huge problem today, as most church members will refuse to have a missionary or visiting preacher in for a meal, much less opening their home to one. I trust that you can appreciate the difference. Most of us will do everything possible to be accepted by the townspeople in which we minister. But what do you do if you are not accepted? Jesus knew this would happen and probably disappoint His disciples, just as it would impact us, so He prepared us in advance in (3) above for such an unfortunate event. Bible scholars will tell you that Jesus didn’t just tell His disciples to go some foreign place and, when you get – tell and heal. But instead, He told them in their language that as they GO, tell and heal. It is so important that we represent God and tell the Good News everywhere we find ourselves, not just at one specific building, street corner, country or city. As you go each day, brothers and sisters, in every way possible, tell the story of Jesus and His love for everyone you meet, God being your helper and guide.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Jesus has the answers to all of life’s questions, and He holds the key to Eternal Life.

PRAYER: Blessed be the name of the Lord! For Jesus is faithful and true and will forgive us of our sin, while also answering all of our questions each and every day. Without Jesus, we are merely wandering around this earth without an eternal plan, and without a proper Guide, Protector and Trusted Friend. Lord, teach us to use the brains that You have blessed us with, and to accept the gift offered to us by our amazing God. For those of us who have already bent the knee in humility and surrendered our lives to You, please teach us every day, for we have so many questions. Also help us to be a giving and sharing people, willing to share You – our source of help, with all those we come into contact with. You are Lord, and besides You, there is no other. You created us, and You have answers to all of our questions. Please teach us to surrender our will to Your almighty hand and guidance. 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!

Just as You Abandoned God, He will Abandon You

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

DATE WRITTEN: Wednesday, 2022-03-09
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: 2 Chronicles 24:18-20
TRANSLATION: Good News Translation (GNT)

BIBLE TEXT: 18 …. the people stopped worshiping in the Temple of the LORD, the God of their ancestors, and began to worship idols and the images of the goddess Asherah. Their guilt for these sins brought the LORD’s anger on Judah and Jerusalem. 19 The LORD sent prophets to warn them to return to him, but the people refused to listen. 20 Then the spirit of God took control of Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood where the people could see him and called out, “The LORD God asks why you have disobeyed his commands and are bringing disaster on yourselves! You abandoned him, so he has abandoned you!”

APPLICATION: Let’s think about critical times that we look forward to God being by our side, and how He intervenes on our behalf; then let us consider what we would do if He was not available to us:
a) When we are sick or injured and doctors don’t seem to know where to turn for answers – Christians turn to God in prayer, knowing that the same power He used to heal the blind man and to cleanse the leper, He could also make that healing available to us. But if God was not available to us we might become disheartened and disillusioned as the pain or discomfort from our illness worsens;
b) When we lose our job and the bills keep mounting up – Christians look to God for His invincible hand and ask Him to open doors to help us meet our financial responsibilities, just like He provided for the widow with just a morsel of food left in her jar. But if He is no longer available, we may be forced into begging on the street, or perhaps selling what little we might own in material possessions in order to buy food;
c) When our kids are in trouble – either financially, with health issues or perhaps losing a child – Christians turn to God in prayers of desperation, for if we were able, we would give up our last penny or our best shirt, if we thought it would provide their need, or answer their dilemma. But we pray because we know that ALL things are possible to the God that we love, know and adore. What if God was not available to the cry of His children, I can’t imagine what we would do.
Lest we take for granted the power of our God, and the presence of our God, and the love of our God for His precious children, we might struggle to identify with the people that Zechariah was tasked to deliver this horrifying message. However, in spite of their persistent disobedience, even after being forewarned by God, they continued along the evil path they were traveling. Friends, our pastors stand in our church pulpits each and every week, and they warn us of what lies ahead for those who reject Jesus, and for those who have hardened their hearts to His instructions. Are you paying attention? Are you following through in obedience to the invitation of your pastor and the commands of God? I trust that you will connect with God and begin by readying your heart for a holy God; then I pray that you will join me as we seek His guidance, wisdom and power to overcome the temptations of this world and to be obedient children of the King. Believe me, the last thing we need in this world is to ever search for God, and find that He has abandoned us because of our unfaithfulness. We absolutely don’t want to go there.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, I am thankful for You providing a way for us, even when we were traveling down a dark world of sin and disobedience. While still here in this world we struggle to separate ourselves and live according to Your Word. Please give us determined minds, and strengthen us to follow Your commands that You have put in place to help us live according to Your will and example. Thank You Jesus for accepting us as we are, and presenting us to the Father cleansed by Your precious blood. We need You every hour of every day, Lord. May Your will be done as we await Your kingdom some day soon! Please continue to bless us with Your Your presence, power, and Your precious love. 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!

Then and Now

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

DATE POSTED Tuesday, 2022-03-08
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Leviticus 8:4-5
TRANSLATION: Good News Translation (GNT)

BIBLE TEXT:  4 Moses did as the LORD had commanded, and when the community had assembled, 5 he said to them, “What I am now about to do is what the LORD has commanded.”

APPLICATION: I remember at one stage in my life as a church leader, I chose to challenge someone complaining about the differences in today’s worship music selections compared to the ‘old days’. But in reading today’s Scripture, I was forced to reflect on the differences in today’s acts of obedience to that which God has demanded, especially when compared to the Biblical account of Moses. Having been blessed to serve in leadership positions in the local church, I can tell you first hand that if our story is ever relayed to future generations, it will look quite different to that of Moses. Having said that, I can assure you that I have no doubt that the God we serve today is no different than the God Moses feared and served. However, it seems like today we have so many influences that tend to distract our thought process and our communion with God, that I’m not so sure that our decisions are as pure as that of Moses. For example, distractions might include prominent church members who stop their giving when the leaders don’t lead the church in the direction they dictate. I’ve participated in church study groups where the leaders seem to try diligently to find a different meaning from what it appears like God intended for us in the Bible. It seems like current-day church leaders decide that it’s time for larger and more updated (fancy) facilities, so they start their search and then beg for God’s buy-in. But Moses showed us that God said it, and he immediately found a way to implement what God demanded, no questions asked. I believe that our first excuse today might be that we don’t hear God speak verbally to us, as it appears like He spoke to Moses. Dear friends, we are children of the Almighty God and we heard Him loud and clear when He called us to His saving grace. We heard Him and we obeyed His call. Many of us have found companions that we are convinced that God directed us to. Do you for a moment believe that His communication to us is limited to just those things? Do you suppose that He is dead and therefore never communicates with us anymore? I am convinced that my God will direct my paths for as long as He leaves me here on earth. I am His child, and He actually died voluntarily on the cross of Calvary so that I might find new life in Him, which will lead me to life eternally in heaven one day. If you have connected with God, then you have that same assurance. If so, then you are fully aware that He still talks to us today and guides us through every decision of life, especially the work of His bride – the church. I believe that where the difference comes, is the many distractions we allow to interfere and draw our attention from the purity of God’s voice. I believe that, we try so hard to be politically correct in what we say, and in every effort to please everyone, until we tend to hear only those things that we know will please those on our favorites’ list. Can we honestly be like Moses in our witness, our decisions, our preaching and our teaching and still have the same friends that we bend over backwards to please? I believe there will be many conflicts in our spirit to do that. It is evident that Moses obeyed God wholeheartedly, and ‘the chips fell where they may’ for everyone else that witnessed Moses in action. I pray that we might become more like Moses today. Tell it like God intended, not how we might ensure that our popularity continues among our people. God being our Helper and our Guide!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Moses didn’t ask God for His buy-in on something he felt necessary, instead He listened to God’s instructions and followed them!

PRAYER: Lord, please teach us to not run ahead of You. We want to be obedient servants, not ones who ask you to bless what we decide is best for us. You hold the key for our life today, and for whatever time You will allow us to remain here on earth. You created us in Your image, and You promised never to leave us alone, so I am convinced that You have a perfect plan for us while we’re here. Please teach us to wait on the Lord, and to be willing and ready to obey Your every command, without allowing any distractions that may cause us to soften Your message or obey Your every command. May we clearly hear the commands of our Father, and may our churches hear and act on the same. 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!

Don’t Be Paralyzed by Fear, Let Go and Let God Have His Way

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

DATE WRITTEN: Monday, 2022-03-07
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

Bible Reference: 2 Chronicles 20:15
Translation: Living Bible (TLB)

Bible Text: 15 “Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem, and you, O king Jehoshaphat!” he exclaimed. “The Lord says, ‘Don’t be afraid! Don’t be paralyzed by this mighty army! For the battle is not yours, but God’s!

OBSERVATION: Jehoshaphat feared the large, complex army that was facing he and his nation for which he had responsibility. Today we may be facing similar battles. Perhaps a debilitating decease; perhaps losing a loved one; or perhaps facing the battle of divorce or separation. National leaders may still be facing the challenges of Covid, while also keeping a close eye on the war and intention of Russia. If we’re not careful, we might throw our hands up as we ponder ‘What shall we do?’ Hopefully we could be reminded from our Scripture today that our peace, our hope and our rescue from all of life’s challenges lies in the powerful hands of our King, the King of all kings!

APPLICATION: Several lessons are in store for us today as we meditate on this story of king Jehoshaphat. We have more than enough challenges for each day that we open our eyes. What if we could learn to release the battles that our not ours to worry about? I believe that you, my readers, are no different to me, so I encourage you to read the whole chapter of 2 Chronicles 20 by clicking on the Bible reference link above. Here are some things that God drew to my attention:
~ The king acknowledged that he had a problem that was way over his head and beyond his capability;
~ The king was not ashamed of his inabilities. He not only went before God personally, but he called his people together and ordered a fast, so that together they might seek God’s face over this problem. The problem was bigger than the king, and he was prepared to seek someone greater who could help;
~ The king’s meeting with his people was not a time to plan their attack, but to humble themselves before Almighty God, seek His face, and ask for His direction and His powerful hand of protection;
~ In spite of the king being the main character in this story, God chose to respond through ‘just a man standing in the crowd’ as described by some commentaries. The king didn’t just pick up his toys and run on home with a disgruntled attitude about God not reporting back to him for his guided fast and his desperate prayer. A good reminder that we don’t control God, and that He uses the simple to confound the proud and the intelligent. It is always obvious that a response came from God, and not from the knowledge, abilities or self-worth of the king and/or his people;
~ There was no response back to the orders from God, other than full obedience! There was no need for the king to feel like he needed to have the last word. This was a ‘God’ thing, and nothing at all for which the king needed recognition from his people.
King Jehoshaphat was faced with a battle of proportions greater than anything he could handle. What kind of battles are you facing in your life dear friend? Do you know the God of king Jehoshaphat intimately? Are you at a place in your life where you could simply bow at His feet and lay your battles, or burdens there, being confident that He is still Lord of all and Master over all things that might impact us? Are you strong enough to ask of God, knowing that His response may not be your first choice? By asking, we know that there could be positive answers in store for us, or perhaps challenging answers that we were not expecting. Be willing to add to your prayer requests today: ‘Not my will, but Yours oh Lord – so long as You are glorified in everything today’.

PRAYER: Oh Lord, You are well aware of the battles we take on, especially those that we should totally surrender to You. We make ourselves sick mentally, and otherwise, because we assume lordship over these type issues. Please forgive us Lord, and strengthen us daily so that we may surrender our all to You and allow You to continue as God – the One in charge of all creation and the events surrounding every aspect of Your creation. Thank You for creating us to care about those that we connect with, but we need daily power to place them at Your feet and allow You to be God – in them, through them and over them. I praise You God for who You are, I surrender my all to You, knowing that Your love will sustain me as You work out every material indifference I may see all around me. Have Your will oh Lord, my King, my Redeemer and my Savior. Humble the hearts of all my readers and listeners. Draw them to the foot of the cross where they may look up – into Your wonderful face, and acknowledge Your awesome power. 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!

Waiting For Jesus

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Wait on the Lord, Wait Patiently, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Sunday, 2022-03-06
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Matthew 17:14-16
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 14 At the foot of the mountain, a large crowd was waiting for them. A man came and knelt before Jesus and said, 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son. He has seizures and suffers terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 16 So I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn’t heal him.”

APPLICATION: I believe that if we surveyed the Sunday morning congregation of worshipers why they are present in God’s house that day, the answers will be as varied as the people who are gathered. For the crowd in our Bible story, notice that Jesus didn’t even have to ask why they were there, they automatically approached Him with their needs. But let’s remind ourselves that there is much more to seeking an audience with the God of this universe, so the million dollar question for us today is: where do we go in order to meet with Jesus? Let’s give this some thought:
-o- WORSHIP – There comes a time when most individuals will look into the heavens and acknowledge that ‘THERE IS A GOD’, for we see Him: in the beautiful sunrise; the exquisite oceans where fishermen locate our delicious seafood and laypersons enjoy the art of fishing and water-sports; we witnessed the birth of a baby, where one of the parents were told repeatedly by doctors that they could never have kids; we saw personally how a relative was healed from a disease that doctors threw in the towel on. In fact, much like the wisemen said when they saw the star, they felt compelled to go and find the infant so they could worship Him, and perhaps we may come to the same conclusion – He is worthy of our praise, and we must find that perfect place where we might worship Him!
-o- HEALING – Some of us have heard one too many times that the doctors could do nothing else for our relatives. But the evidence is clear from the Bible, that God provided healing to the blind, the lame, the mute and He even brought the dead back to life again. Surely the ailments of our loved one is nothing when compared to the impossible situations just mentioned. We must find where God is so that we might petition Him with our desperate physical needs.
-o- COMPANIONSHIP – After years of perfect companionship, some of you may have experienced the loss of your companion. Now what? Where can you find God so that you might draw close to Him as you seek His guidance and comfort while trying to finish up life here on earth all by yourself?
Friends, I’m sure that each of you have unique reasons for seeking the presence of Jesus. In fact, you are extremely challenged to see outside of your challenges to recognize God, to listen to His tender voice of compassion, to actually worship Him in spite of your loss, or to follow His guidance as He directs your path. I’m sure you are desperately searching for God’s whereabouts, so you could share your heartfelt joys and concerns with Him. Please allow me to suggest that you try to worship God, even when your enemies are showing you all the roadblocks. Call on Him wherever you’re at, and know that He is always near. Remind yourself of the incredible love shown at the cross of Calvary, and know that God loves you and considers you more precious than any bright, shining metals that we spend thousands of dollars for. Remember, He created you in His own image, so there is nothing that He won’t identify with or help you overcome. Just wait, I say, on the Lord!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Seek the Lord while He may be found. Exalt Him and worship Him for who He is. He has not lost His awesome power to heal, forgive, and love. He is anxiously waiting for you to find Him right where you’re at.

PRAYER: Lord, we are reminded that when we reach the totality of our abilities and our efforts, You are still there with opened arms ready and willing to accept us – Your creation and Your child. Please teach us and remind us each day that as we place our faith and trust in You each and every day, we will also learn to reach out to You through our good times, our bad times and especially through our challenging times. Just as the crowd determined where You were at, and they waited for You with many items beyond their control and abilities, we too have access to the same wonderful Savior still today. We need You Lord. Please help us to seek You in every phase of life, no matter where we find ourselves geographically. Please teach us to depend on the one constant each day – our Almighty God. Healer, Protector, Guide, Deliverer, Savior and Friend! 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!

Delays Are Costly

On By Ed AlgreenIn Know Jesus, Knowing Christ, SalvationLeave a comment

Monday, 2022-03-04
Written at: Okeechobee, FL

Bible Reference: Acts 24:24-25
Translation: Good News Translation (GNT)

Bible Text: 24 After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he talked about faith in Christ Jesus. 25 But as Paul went on discussing about goodness, self-control, and the coming Day of Judgment, Felix was afraid and said, “You may leave now. I will call you again when I get the chance.”

APPLICATION: When travelling to another state or country by plane or train, there is often the chance of delays, for one reason or another. If the fault is attributed to the airline, then they will often provide vouchers to the stranded passengers for food, and sometimes even for hotel, if the delay will prevent travelling the same day. Can you begin to imagine the costs paid by carriers for these delays? Last weekend the message of the Gospel was presented, and thousands of attendees at thousands of churches were given the opportunity to surrender their lives to Jesus as their Lord and Savior. No doubt your church, like mine, saw folk leave without accepting the invitation of the pastor, and the Holy Spirit that tugged on their hearts. I’m sure that there were many excuses for the decisions to delay following Christ. Why some left during the singing of the last hymn, because it was more important to be the first out of the busy church parking lot, or to be the first at the popular restaurants for lunch. Priorities of the individuals! But we are reminded through God’s Word, that He is in full control of our time here on earth. Will we have another opportunity quite like the opportunity given at last week’s services? Thankfully, I made it all the way home safely yesterday. Did everyone else from your church services have that same good fortune? Perhaps they did, or perhaps they didn’t. God’s Word has very clear advice for us when it tells us that “now is the accepted time”, the only moment promised to us. Think about this friends: at our borders all those arriving with proper documentation (passports and appropriate visas) are allowed in, while others are rejected and expatriated back to their home country. This will be no different at the entrance to Heaven’s portals, because the rules are similar to those followed by our immigration officers. For entrance into heaven, only those who have personally accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior (that’s their passport and visa) will be accepted into God’s eternal home, others will be returned to their home of choice – with Satan and his band of demons. Friends, please don’t delay, it could cost you eternal life with the God of this universe and His awesome Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus, the One who loved you enough to die on a cruel cross, so that you might receive forgiveness of your sin. But you must invite Him into your heart. Your delay could cost you big time. Please let me encourage you to not even wait for the next service time, contact a pastor or Christian leader of a local church, or contact me so that I may help you, but PLEASE, don’t delay, make a decision today, for Jesus might return today to take His bride (the church) home to glory!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, many of us just attended church over recent days, and you petitioned us to accept You as Lord of our life. Today, through this illustration with Felix delaying his decision to hear more from Paul, you are again getting our attention about the cost of delaying our decision to accept Your free gift of salvation. The delays brought on by Felix cost him. I pray that my readers, listeners, and all those that we love and pray for, will accept You at Your Word, while there is time to do so. Thank You for loving us enough to have given us multiple opportunities to do this. And while we have no control over whether there will be another opportunity, I pray that many will STOP and cry out to You as they finish meditating on this devotional – even now. I praise You for not giving up on me. Today I humbly plead with You to melt the hearts of those that meditated on this devotional with me today, as they were given another opportunity to call on You for salvation. Please bring them to their senses and embolden them to make this vital decision. Please create a sense of urgency in their hearts to accept You oh Lord. For this is my humble and earnest prayer, in the name of Jesus alone, and for His glory alone. 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!

Who Am I?

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

DATE POSTED Friday, 2022-03-04
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Matthew 16:13-17
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: 13 When Jesus came to Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who are the people saying I am?”
14 “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist; some, Elijah; some, Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”
15 Then he asked them, “Who do you think I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “The Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 “God has blessed you, Simon, son of Jonah,” Jesus said, “for my Father in heaven has personally revealed this to you—this is not from any human source. 

APPLICATION: A good exercise before you read my comments on today’s Scripture, might be to stop – no music, no electronic devices near you, and away from all company, as you respond to the question by Jesus ‘Who do you say I am?’ An awesome follow-up to that exercise, might be to stop and ask yourself what others might say in response to that question, basing their response on what they see in you each day through your words and actions. I’m afraid that this is where many of us might be challenged, for I believe that our actions might reveal a Lord that might look much like the image of Santa Claus, for we constantly brag about all that He have given to us in response to our constant begging or even our charitable actions. I believe the whole idea behind these exercises is to help us determine the difference between our ‘head’ knowledge and our ‘heart-felt’ relational feelings about who God is. As I meditated on this, my mind went on preparations that church leaders make when preparing for revival services. What if church leaders took a poll of it’s members with this question by Jesus? Don’t you know that the revival evangelist would have no problem in finding sermon topics for the period of his visit? What if we did a time of inflection at the end of each day as we reflected on our words and actions, and evaluated the answers we gave to this question that day to those around us? How much time will we mark off for our time with Jesus each evening as we sobbed our way through the failures and/or regrets? Friends, who do you say Jesus is? How do you live out Jesus’ character and teachings in your life? Considering the fact that Jesus knows every word, action and thought, how might we respond to Him directly right now about who we think He is? For the world to see who Jesus is through the way we live, what might we have to change?

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Jesus said that His Father gave Peter personal insight into who Jesus is. I believe He can do the same for us if we seek Him and want to know Him intimately!

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, through Your invitation I accepted You as Lord and Savior of my life. I am convinced from Your Word that You would have me know You more intimately, but I need Your grace and I acknowledge that I will need to look beyond what I might expect You to do for me in return. My readers and listeners must look inwardly and answer Your question personally and with an unselfish heart. Please speak boldly to all those who might be reminded of You today. Challenge them with the question You personally asked those closest to You – Your disciples. May each of us not only answer because of our head-knowledge of who You are, but may we also dig deep inside and share our deepest thoughts with You – the One who sacrificed Your very own life for us, so that we might one day bow before You and the Father in heaven. Thank You for Your love and for Your sacrifice. Please help us to share that with everyone we encounter here on earth. 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!

Take Delight In The Lord

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

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

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 37:4-7
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.
5 Commit everything you do to the Lord.Trust him, and he will help you.
6 He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.
7 Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.

APPLICATION: I recently visited a larger city in Florida, and I was amazed by the number of homeless individuals who stood on street corners; slept next to their bicycles with a blanket sheltered over them; took refuge in a dark alley just to get some peace and quiet. It bothered me, for I kept remembering the Scripture where Jesus taught us to look at these individuals as we would our Savior. For as much as we gave to one of those, we gave to Him. I have been so saddened over the loss of friends and family since this Covid pandemic started. Loved ones are left behind and they are lonely as all out. I am reminded that God promised us only the present, so let’s try to live it fully until Jesus returns, and not be saddened by current events, or in all that seem to be headed our way. But how do we live this life out in happiness and success? Our Scripture says that we are to commit everything to the Lord, and trust Him fully. This is often easier said than done, for we are a people used to instant cooking, instant communications, fast cars, and even faster airplanes. Let’s learn to place our concerns at the feet of Jesus and surrender them fully into His care. We know from God’s Word that He is faithful and just to fulfill His promises and meet the needs of His precious children. Learn to trust Him in all things – even the little things that you may feel like you are wasting God’s time on. As you gain faith in God handling things for you in His time and in His infinite wisdom, you gain peace about leaving the BIG issues of life with Him also. Many of us tend to look at the success of crooks and of those who have rejected Christ, and we may wonder why? Our Scripture today assures us that God is in control, and our part for true success lies with us being still before God and waiting for His lead. It’s not our problem to control who is blessed by God, for He is more than capable of blessing only those who trust in Him and depend on Him. Friends, David met many challenges in life, and God directed his path. He can do the same for you, if you trust in Him and surrender your will into His capable hands.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Our future generations can look back and reflect on God’s success through us, just as we can rejoice over the success God made in David’s life, God being our Helper and Deliverer!

PRAYER: Thank You Father for giving us references that we can gain confidence from in our dealings with You! Faith should be enough, so I pray that You will help us develop the awesome faith in us, just like You did in David’s life. Please help us to keep still before You and allow You to work miraculously through the many things that hurt us and/or bother us. We need You more today than ever before in our lives. Please teach us to pray, teach us to be still before You, and teach us to just be still and wait before You – because You are very capable of bringing this together for us, just as You designed our future to be. Ours is not to question why, but to celebrate and thank You for the well orchestrated and planned future that awaits us – culminating with us kneeling at Your feet 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!

The Radiance of Being With Jesus

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

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

SCRIPTURE FROM: Exodus 34:29-35
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: 29 Moses came down from Mount Sinai, carrying the Ten Commandments. His face was shining brightly because the Lord had been speaking to him. But Moses did not know at first that his face was shining. 30 When Aaron and the others looked at Moses, they saw that his face was shining, and they were afraid to go near him. 31 Moses called out for Aaron and the leaders to come to him, and he spoke with them. 32 Then the rest of the people of Israel gathered around Moses, and he gave them the laws that the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai.
33 The face of Moses kept shining, and after he had spoken with the people, he covered his face with a veil. 34 Moses would always remove the veil when he went into the sacred tent to speak with the Lord. And when he came out, he would tell the people everything the Lord had told him to say. 35 They could see that his face was still shining…..

APPLICATION: Pastors live in glass houses! For their every move and every word is examined closely by their parishioners. Unfortunately we hear more about the unmet expectations of church members, but occasionally we may hear about the pastor’s fiery sermons aimed at everyone else in the church! But how often do we hear about the true man of God and what is evident in their character and seen by their community? I wonder what characteristics we may look at, if we were asked to choose the most godly person that we encounter each day? I feel doubtful that we could say like the Israelites that we look for ‘the glow, or radiance, on their face’, but I believe if we concentrated on their God-like qualities, instead of constantly criticizing their every word and/or action, perhaps we might start appreciating and praising God for His awesome presence in their lives. I remember serving on a few Pastor Search Committees, and as I reflect back on some of the questions we asked of prospects, in an effort to determine if the man’s heart was right with God, I can only say that I’m glad the tables weren’t reversed and I had to answer some of those questions! Friends, too often we judge the spiritual condition of a person based on the legalistic questions about the practices they follow. Notice that in the case of Moses, there was nothing that he did other than to present himself humbly and respectfully before the God that he worshipped, and whose commandments he followed innocently. Moses expected his ‘real’ God to have a ‘real’ impact on his life and even more importantly Moses seemed more concerned about God’s hand being upon the people he was appointed to lead. We may quickly retort that we might be the same way if we saw God in operation like Moses did. Do you suppose we would really like for that to happen in our lives? Do you suppose our relationship with God is such that we could have a truly unadulterated, honest and humble one-on-one experience with Almighty God? Can we truly handle ‘Your will be done, oh Lord. Not mine’? Or are we way too busy telling God how everything should go? We ask God for things, then we complain when His answer is not what we expect. Are we truly elevating Him to the position of God over everything? Oh that God might be so evident in our lives, that others will be afraid to come near, just from the fear of God’s holy presence, and who He is. May that ‘glow’ be evident on our faces, and in our lives, showing that we’ve been with God!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Moses had to provide a veil over his face because of the radiance that showed after his real-life experiences with God! Wow! It would be awesome to still see that ‘glow’ today when we encounter Christians who have been with God!

PRAYER: Precious Lord, please help us to examine our lives, and may we allow You to declare the changes needed in our lives to truly experience Your presence. Please Lord, help us to remove the things that keep us from experiencing intimacy with you. With a holy heart may we approach Your throne often for a fresh anointing by You. The world needs Jesus, not a pretender or a want-to-be Christian. For You are still capable of leading us through every obstacle in life, even those things that might be comparable to the things the Israelites faced in the Wilderness. May the ‘glow’ of Your presence be evident to those who need the God we serve, adore and worship. 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!

Distinguished By God’s Presence

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

DATE POSTED Tuesday, 2022-03-01
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Exodus 33:13-18
TRANSLATION: New International Version (NIV)

BIBLE TEXT: 13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”
14 The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”
17 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”

APPLICATION: Moses had just gone through a very embarrassing moment where he came down from a serious meeting with God, only to find the Israelites in the middle of a huge party before the golden images they had created. Moses lost his temper, but he got rid of the idols and many of the people who were instrumental in leading the worship to these false gods. I believe that Moses felt a grave responsibility for the godliness of these people, so I’m sure that he must have felt very guilty in wondering how God must be taking this action by His people, so in order for him to continue the work, he needed to make sure that God would continue to lead them. Perhaps something like we call ‘a guilty conscience’ today, even though we see no indication that God was angry at Moses. But I love the words that Moses used as he pled with God. He wasn’t satisfied that he had a large following as they made their way through the wilderness, but he wanted it to be obvious that God was with them. In fact, Moses wanted the rest of the world to distinguish he and his group as the ones that had God as their protector, director and guide. Wouldn’t it be awesome for our community to refer to our church as the one down the street that is ‘led by God’? Wouldn’t our boss be impressed if he/she could look on us as the employee that showed obvious signs of having God lead us in every decision? Friends, instead of being afraid of preaching on our jobs, let’s be faithful in letting the world know what distinguishes us from the rest of the world. For I believe that as the world sees Jesus in and through us, they will be convinced to re-evaluate their need for such an awesome God.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Just as Moses wanted he and his people to be distinguished by the leadership of God, we too should make that our aim in life, if indeed we have given Him full reign to lead us.

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for being our Savior, our Director, our Protector and our Guide. You successfully led the Israelites through many, many, obstacles – in fact, too many for our simple human eyes to see, or minds to understand. So Lord, I believe that You can definitely handle the obstacles, needs, frustrations, questions and impossibilities that my readers and I face today, for nothing is impossible with You. Oh Lord, may it be obvious to the world that You rule and reign your people, so that others may hear of You, and see You in action through our everyday successes and decisions. May they be convinced that they need You in their life also. 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!