Month: May 2022

Things That Make One Unacceptable To God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Accept Jesus NOW, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Worship2 Comments

DATE POSTED Tuesday, 2022-05-03
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Mark 7:20-23 
TRANSLATION: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

BIBLE TEXT: 20 And Jesus said, “The things that make people wrong are the things that come from the inside. 21 All these bad things begin inside a person, in the mind: bad thoughts, sexual sins, stealing, murder, 22 adultery, greed, doing bad things to people, lying, doing things that are morally wrong, jealousy, insulting people, proud talking, and foolish living.23 These evil things come from inside a person. And these are the things that make people unacceptable to God.”

APPLICATION: Going to the gym has become a high priority for many. Going to weight management classes reaches high on the priority list for many. Attending inspirational conferences and spending time with positive people is a must. Yes, we have become a people who have really dedicated ourselves to make a good impression on the rest of the world, and that’s a very positive thing for our image in the face of our boss, and those who tend to look at our stance in community. BUT, we should all be interested in what makes a difference in the eyes of God, as He determines our eternal destiny. I believe that every day, there are words, thoughts and deeds by us that determines who we truly are. It is important to remember that unlike our ability to hide certain aspects of our life from family and/or friends, our lives are an open book to our Maker. Let us never forget that there are two options for where one might spend eternity, and those options are evaluated based on our decisions in life, and our obedience to God’s commands. If you are intentional about making heaven your eternal home, then you will intentionally seek after Christ, and therefore closely desire to obey His Word. If you do nothing, or couldn’t care less, then obviously you have decided that you are content with Hell and the damnation that comes from its leader – Satan. So having laid the groundwork, I would like for us to think about the focal verses today. Jesus outlined some things that emanate from us that are detriment to the cause of Christ. These are attitudes and actions that result from what has been fed into our lives – by television; movies; the friends we hang out with; the absence of the teachings of Jesus Christ; etc. It is obvious that no matter how good the things are that make us healthy and put our bodies in shape, the really important things in life – the things that please God, truly comes from the inner man – from the things that touched our heart, soul and mind. Friends, let me be the first to tell you that the source of the things that please God, actually come from Him and His teachings in the first place. Verses 21 and 22 in our focal passage lists the things that negatively impact us, and on a close examination of these things, you will clearly see that these attributes are promoted by Satan himself, for the Bible has repeatedly taught against these things. So my challenge for you and I today is that we carefully go to the Source of life, and the Source of eternal life, for inspiration and spiritual growth in ways that please our Master. That’s what really counts in this life! Remember, only what’s done for Jesus will last, and as we learned from these verses today, only lives that are impacted by Jesus will go on to eternity with Him in glory. Where are you headed dear friend? Where will you spend eternity? Have you surrendered your life to Jesus, and find yourself learning from Him daily, so that you may reflect Him in every aspect of your life? That’s my desire, and I pray that each reader will do likewise. For the Christian reading, or listening to this devotional, let me suggest that you make a list of the things mentioned in Vs 21-22 and keep that list in a prominent place in your home. Review that list anytime the Holy Spirit convicts you of separation from God, so that you might determine if any habit are infiltrating your life, that are unacceptable to God. If ‘yes’, then determine in your heart to seek God’s help to get yourself back on track and fully acceptable to Him.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: For the child of God who lives according to His plan and His commands, we are reminded that Jesus died and was crucified so that we might have peace and acceptance with God the Father. The Holy Spirit is our helper to especially be on guard against the things mentioned in our focal verses.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You have made it clear in Your Word what You demand of each of Your children. You’ve shown us how our lives will reflect the One to whom we are running to. Please touch each one that will read, or listen to, this devotional today. May we all know without a doubt where we are headed and where we will spend eternity. May our lives reflect that in everything we do and say, through Your strength and by Your power oh 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!

You Will See The Lord Give You Victory!

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

DATE POSTED Monday, 2022-05-02
WRITTEN AT: Citra, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 2 Chronicles 20:15–17
TRANSLATION: Good News Translation (GNT)

BIBLE TEXT: Jahaziel said, “Your Majesty and all you people of Judah and Jerusalem, the LORD says that you must not be discouraged or be afraid to face this large army. The battle depends on God, not on you. Attack them tomorrow as they come up the pass at Ziz. You will meet them at the end of the valley that leads to the wild country near Jeruel. You will not have to fight this battle. Just take up your positions and wait; you will see the LORD give you victory. People of Judah and Jerusalem, do not hesitate or be afraid. Go out to battle, and the LORD will be with you!”

APPLICATION: King Jehoshaphat faced the reality of an approaching army that was superior to his and overwhelmingly outnumbered his army. He was accustomed to prayer, leadership by God, and the awesome power of God. And, true to form, the king took full advantage of petitioning the help of the God who promised to be with His children in their time of need! Jehoshaphat gathered his people in the temple courtyard and he personally led the prayer to God on behalf of his people. After bragging on the known accomplishments of God, in vs 7 and again in vs 12 the king acknowledged that “You are our God”, meaning that You are the proven One that we depend on; You are the One that is powerful enough to bring us victory! In response to this intense, yet humble time of prayer, God spoke through an unknown prophet in their midst, Jahaziel. The prophet shared with the king and his people that they are not to be afraid or discouraged, the battle depends on God, not on them! Wow, we serve the same great God that gave this promise to Jahaziel! What an awesome and reassuring reality when we face our battles today. When we have placed the battle in God’s hands, we can rest peacefully knowing that the battle is not ours, but His! What an all-powerful, protective and awesome God we serve, fellow Christian! Take time to give Him praise, adoration and glory today! If you are facing a battle, no matter how huge, please consider reading the full chapter 20 of 2 Chronicles (30 verses), and be encourage to surrender that battle over to God. Imagine the peace of knowing that the God who created this vast universe, now has the issue that has been troubling you, under His control. The battle is no longer yours, my friend, but His! He will be glorified for the way that He handles this! Just surrender it to God, my friend! For He alone is our God!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Surrendered hearts of believing Christians will seek God and surrender their battles to the Master of the sea; the healer of the blind, deaf and mute; the Victor of battles brought on against Jehoshaphat, and the One who loves, cares and waits for us in Glory. Our battles belong to Him!

PRAYER: Lord God, You know the mountains that we need to cross, and I believe that You know the challenges that seem overwhelming to us. Please comfort the hearts of Your children tuned in to this devotional today, and give us the reassurance that we need to help us face today, and tomorrow, knowing that You are still God and that our ‘mountains’ are very crossable with You as our Guide and our Deliverer. Praise be to God for the assurance of knowing teh God on the mountain is also God of our deepest valley. May we place our faith and trust in You at all times, for all things. 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!

Remove The Evil One

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Church Leaders, Discipline, Forgiveness, Leadership, Leadership of the Holy Spirit, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Sunday, 2022-05-01
WRITTEN AT: Citra, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Corinthians 5:9-13
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 9 When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. 10 But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that.11 I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people.
12 It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning.13 God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.”

APPLICATION: I was in conversation yesterday with a few apartment tenants in a large city, and I overheard them talking about the warnings of eviction that were threatened by their landlord, and I believe it seems like an appropriate illustration, just as in the case of our upbringing, as they both open the door to discuss how God’s holy people are set apart unto Him. It is evident that in the case of our parents, they wanted no bad thing to distract from what they were teaching us at home, for parents try to help their children learn to always aim for what is best in life for their own good. It also goes to say that parents want to teach us that if we see behavior that is opposite to what we aim to live, then we should force ourselves away from that person or persons who lead that lifestyle. Similarly, landlords aim at finding the best tenants who will pay their rent on time and treat their building and fellow tenants with due respect. When either of these things become questionable, the landlord seeks to evict that questionable tenant, with hopes of finding one that better suites the desires of the landlord. Now, when Jesus gets a hold of our heart and invites us to let Him in, He teaches us in His Word how it is that He wants us to live so that He might be best represented, so that other non-repentant sinners may be wooed into the Kingdom. So we start to spend a lot of time around church, and with fellow believers, so that we may grow from each other’s strength and encouragement. But what happens when a ‘bad apple’ finds their way into our fellowship? I believe that our Scripture perfectly supports the very old proverb that says ‘one bad apple spoils the whole bunch’! You see, Christians have become so accustomed to ‘loving like Jesus’, that we tend to forget that an important part of loving is to also discipline those who are about to ‘spoil the whole bunch’. In our parents home, if they don’t discipline bad behavior or otherwise breaking their rules, then our siblings quickly catch on to the fact that the rules set by our parents are not really intended to be followed seriously. All of a sudden we see children grow into maturity and expect to view the rules established by police and community leaders in much the same, lax way. Dear friends, I am convinced that there is nothing more serious than us trying to please our Heavenly Father. In Deuteronomy 17:7, the Israelites were told by God that when they discover ‘one bad apple’, they are to rid themselves of that evil. Paul quoted that Scripture to the church in Corinth as he taught them how to rid themselves of the evil that may come in their midst. I believe that for those who have been around for a while, we can look around and see where many standards have been lowered compared to what our ancestors understood from the Scriptures and tolerated in the church. I can only wonder what God might have to say to us on Judgment Day. Is He pleased with the way that we are interpreting His commands, and the little twists we are making to them in the name of politically correctness, or in the name of ‘love’? I believe that if we find reason to question our decision on some of these ‘evil’, controversial, or otherwise borderline things, then perhaps we need more time with God – on our knees and in His Word, until we are convinced that we are obedient to His will. When we question evil in someone else, the whole church may look back at us as also being imperfect. So let’s begin with getting ourselves better aligned with God’s perfect law, design, and will. If we are pleasing in God’s sight, then the same should carry over as we assume leadership in our churches and strive to rid them of evil.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: In obedience to God, we are often called to love one another. But at times, it also means disciplining, as needed. I believe that God will bless us when we do both of these things for His glory, and for no gain of our own.

PRAYER: Precious Lord, thank You for the love that You extend to all your children – even during the times that You love us enough to discipline us. Please teach us daily to: love like You first loved us; judge honestly and fairly like we expect from You; always seek out the best in everyone; and to always present ourselves and Your church as holy in Your eyes, just as You are holy. Lord, You know how badly we fail in life, but thanks for Your forgiveness and strength to go on. May the people see Jesus evident in every fiber of our being, and therefore no condemnation for our failures already covered by Your precious blood. 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!