Category: Actions

Who Do They Say You Are?

On By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Actions, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, Needs, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Thursday, 2023-03-02
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 2 Chronicles 9:5-8
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: 5 She said: Solomon, in my own country I had heard about your wisdom and all you’ve done. 6 But I didn’t believe it until I saw it with my own eyes! And there’s so much I didn’t hear about. You are greater than I was told. 7 Your people and officials are lucky to be here where they can listen to the wise things you say.
8 I praise the Lord your God. He is pleased with you and has made you king of Israel. God loves the people of this country and will never desert them, so he has given them a king who will rule fairly and honestly.

OBSERVATION: When a head of state visits with another head of state, they probably watch everything happening, and listen closely to everything they hear in and around the palace. Some may be critical, and some may see values that they want to adopt. Not sure how many will be as bold as the Queen of Sheba to tell their visiting dignitary what they thought and/or felt while visiting, but the queen was very open with king Solomon. Those of us that are leaders in God’s work here on earth are also scrutinized very closely by those we serve. As we meditate on this Scripture, I would like for us to reflect on what might be said of us.

APPLICATION: For those who are called into ministry, like pastors, they have a mission to fulfill, so to criticize them is like criticizing the One who called them into ministry and sent them to serve in ministry at our church. However, there are many others who help pastors achieve the work for which God has called them, and who also serve in support functions to maintain the various ministries of the church. The Queen wanted to visit with Solomon because of all the good things she had heard about him. Because of what she said to Solomon, I believe that the Queen had heard very admirable things about the king and the way that he ran his kingdom. The Holy Spirit caused me to ponder what my pastor, church leaders, congregation, and my community has determined in their hearts about me in being head of my family; a good neighbor; upstanding in my community; persistent in my church attendance; involved and committed in the ministries of my church. For you see, I believe each of these things are inter-related. For example, if I struggle in my interpersonal relationships in my family, at work, and in volunteer work in my social clubs, don’t you think that the same will be expected of me at church? In the case of Solomon, the Queen was pleasantly surprised to find that she had heard nowhere near the full story on the king. Everything she had heard was confirmed, plus she witnessed many additional qualities about this awesome king. I was blessed in reading verse 8, for there we see that the Queen acknowledged where Solomon’s qualities came from! She thanked God – the God of Solomon, for blessing Solomon with such wonderful qualities, and also for God blessing His people, the Israelites, with such an awesome leader and king. No matter how hard we work, we can rest assured that others are looking on and drawing their own conclusions about whether we are sincere in our work, or just pretending. If we say that we believe in Jesus Christ and that we will always honor Him in every aspect of our life, then it should be evident to others. They should want to honor our God, because of how well we are doing.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Just as the Queen of Sheba praised God for what she saw in His servant, Solomon, I pray that we may bless others in similar ways, to the glory of God!

PRAYER: Lord, I praise You for who You are! I pray that You might always be such a vital part of our lives that others might lift up holy hands in praise to the Almighty for what they see in us. As You bless us, oh Lord, may we also be a blessing to others. Yes, we may not be rich like Solomon, but just as the Queen of Sheba saw his character shining through and knew it was Your hand working in his life, may those we come into contact with be enriched and blessed by the qualities You bestow on us every day. May they always see You at work in us, Lord, and may they have a deep desire to know You in a personal and intimate way. 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!

Your Actions Reflect Your Master

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

DATE POSTED Thursday, 2022-03-31
WRITTEN AT: Astatula, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Romans 6:11-14
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: 11 So look upon your old sin nature as dead and unresponsive to sin, and instead be alive to God, alert to him, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 12 Do not let sin control your puny body any longer; do not give in to its sinful desires. 13 Do not let any part of your bodies become tools of wickedness, to be used for sinning; but give yourselves completely to God—every part of you—for you are back from death and you want to be tools in the hands of God, to be used for his good purposes. 14 Sin need never again be your master…

APPLICATION: From a very young age I was taught that salvation is likened to what we think about with a 180 degree turn. In other words, prior to receiving Christ, we lived our life in submission to our sin nature. We were sinners destined for eternity in Hell, so we spoke like the world, and we acted much like everything we understand about Satan. Upon receiving Jesus as our Savior, we committed to making a u-turn and no longer live like Satan, but instead imitate Jesus – our new Master, until He returns to take us home to glory. Paul saw the need for today’s lesson, because he could see that many believers continued to allow their previous master access to their lives. In other words, they ‘sat on the fence of indecision’. Claiming Jesus as Savior, but acting and speaking like they always did – imitating Satan. To understand the mystery of this strange behavior, let’s look in on how a well educated man acts. They don’t go around pretending to be unlearned, because of the new knowledge they gained. Think about the rich man. Seldom do we see such a man sitting on the corner begging for food or any other handout from a passerby. Why then would believers in Jesus Christ allow themselves to continue serving their old master, when they have access to the King of all kings? Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul gives us an awesome tip today – Satan no longer has a grip on us! Because of Jesus, sin no longer has power over us! The Bible goes on to also remind us that ‘Greater is He that is in us (the Holy Spirit), than he that is in the world (Satan)’. So if I might add an additional tip, I would suggest that you, the believer in Jesus Christ, print out the following verses: Galatians 5:19-26 and any time you see any of the actions mentioned in vs 19-21 sneaking into your mind or your actions, drop to the knee before our Holy and Righteous God and seek His help to get you back on track serving Him, honoring Him, living like He did and like He commanded. Let’s learn to live like our Master – THE Master of heaven and all eternity. Let’s stop confusing those we want to witness to by sitting on the fence and also letting Satan have his way. As indicated in vs 14: ‘Sin need never be our master again!’

BLESSING(S) NOTED: For the Child of Christ, we have a new Master, and there is no need for sin to ever have power over us again! Praise to our wonderful and merciful Savior!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You have provided everything that we need to live a holy and righteous life. You have power over the evil one, so as long as we make it our goal and desire to serve only You, I believe You will honor our desire to rid ourselves of everything that might appear unholy or unrighteous. Please take the reins of our life dear Lord and give us strength and boldness to step forth as Your representative so that the world might see and believe. Please impress upon us the need to never look back, but to always praise You as we look full into Your wonderful face each and every day. Touch the hardened heart of the unbeliever today, especially those who may read this devotional. 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!

Our Responsibility

On By Ed AlgreenIn Actions, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Honest, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Reflect Jesus, Reflecting Christ, WorshipLeave a comment

Tuesday, 2019-06-11

Bible Reference: Psalm 37:30-31
Translation: GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Bible Text: 30 The mouth of the righteous person reflects on wisdom. His tongue speaks what is fair.
31 The teachings of his God are in his heart. His feet do not slip.

OBSERVATION: I believe that very often we go on the premise that because of whose we are, we will automatically do the right thing. However, I feel like the Psalmist is also reminding us that when we claim the name of Christ, we need to be committed to living like Jesus and submissive to His will in our lives. Not sure how you might be doing with that, but I need some time with the Lord to meditate on this. Join me, won’t you?

APPLICATION: I wonder if, in the eyes of a stranger, they would know who our Master is? Who or what drives us and influences our decisions. Under stress, if they met us for the first time, would they recognize who is influencing our defiance, or our calm spirit, even in the midst of the storm? The Psalmist reminds us that our mouth will reflect the wisdom of the One we claim as our Master; our tongue will speak out of fairness if we claim the only true and fair God as our Lord and Savior. He goes on to give us the reason why these good things mysteriously occur in our lives – because of the teachings of our God that we have allowed to indwell our hearts and control our very lives. He declared that when we allow such an influence in our lives, we stand on a solid footing and our lives will reflect the God in whom we place our faith and our trust. Friends, our lives will reflect the One in whom we place our faith and our trust. The decisions that we make and the words that we speak will be a reflection of the teachings that we have permitted to dwell deep within our hearts and souls. If we fill ourselves with evil and the things of this world, then we will make decisions based on those ideas and principles. If, however, we have filled our lives with the things of Christ, His words, His example and His character will influence the decisions we make and the words we speak. Please allow me to be the first to tell you today that the world is carefully watching you, and they are ready to jump on you with great judgment when they see you acting contrary to what they expect from a Christian. So I believe our challenge is, that we react in such a way that the unsaved will want to know the Source of our wisdom, our good judgment, our love for others, and our careful use of words that are representative of our Master. That’s the only way that we will fulfill His purpose and help the unsaved to know Jesus. Preaching to them, or at them, will have minimal impact on them, compared to what they experience from our words and through our actions.

PRAYER: Dearest Lord Jesus, please help us to be more like You in every phase of our life. We know that Your ways are perfect, and that we will only reflect the attitude and character of the One that we love, adore and serve. Please inspire the lives of my readers and myself, so that others will see Jesus in everything we do or say. It’s all about You dear Lord, Oh that we may be a living example of You in every way. AMEN!

Acting on the Word of God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Acknowledge God, Actions, Faith, Obedience, Obedient, Rewards, TrustLeave a comment

Thursday, 2019-03-07

Bible Reference: Exodus 9:20-21
Translation: The Message (MSG)

Bible Text: 20-21 All of Pharaoh’s servants who had respect for God’s word got their workers and animals under cover as fast as they could, but those who didn’t take God’s word seriously left their workers and animals out in the field.

OBSERVATION: Through Moses, God told Pharaoh what would occur next in His ongoing testing, to gain the attention of Pharaoh and his people. Just like in the decisions we make each day, we commit to being a faithful, obedient servant of the King of kings, or not. The servants of Pharaoh had a similar choice. In each case we, and they, know in advance what the outcome of our choice will be. Are you satisfied with the choices you make, and your allegiance to God, dear one?

APPLICATION: Let me encourage you to click on the above Scripture reference, and at the very least, read from verse 13 through the end of the chapter, to get the backdrop of what we are looking at today. God got my attention in a very real way, because I could see a very vivid comparison to what is going on today. You see, God sent many plagues on Pharaoh and the Egyptians under his charge, yet we could see in our focal verses that some chose to pay no attention to the warning that God gave through Moses about the impending plague. Please stop to realize that God’s Word is filled with similar warnings to us today, yet it seems like increasing numbers of our population have decided to ignore the warnings and accept the Word of God about His love and awesome sacrifice that He made for the redemption of our sin. Notice that the servants of Pharaoh had two choices: (1) Do nothing and leave their cattle and slaves out to weather the storm, should one actually occur like God said; or (2) Listen to and respect God’s word, because of His previous warnings and actions already taken by Him to prove His power and His word. I believe that a vast majority of our world today have read the warnings from the Bible, or have witnessed current-day warnings to individuals, churches and countries and we also have made choices. Do we believe in this God who said in His Word that He sacrificed His Son, so that we might have the means of forgiveness for our disobedience to His commands and ordinances (sin)? It is clear in God’s Word that, in similar comparison to Pharaoh’s servants, we know that a choice to accept the word of God, believe in His one and only Son, confess that we are a sinner in need of a Savior, will lead to the eternal safety of the believer with the God of this universe! A different choice would result in eternal damnation with the evil one in the pit of Hell. My sincere prayer for every reader of this devotional is that we would imitate the servants who brought their cattle and slaves in – under cover, and secure our position with our Master by accepting the gracious gift of His Son. Notice that the choice made by the servants affected those under their care and control. We also have tremendous impact on those under our care and who look up to us. Are you helping them see God in all His glory, so that they may desire to know Him personally, or are you more of a stumbling block to them achieving this goal? Oh that Christ may be glorified in us today!

PRAYER: Oh that You may be glorified in all Your saints today, dear Lord. May You begin a new work in myself and each one that will stop by to read this blog. Some of Pharaoh’s servants listened, obeyed, and showed their slaves the power of God. Oh that others may see that same power in and through us in every word and action today, is my sincere prayer for each one who believes on the name of the Lord, AMEN!

Your Actions – More Important Than Your Words

On By Ed AlgreenIn Actions, WitnessLeave a comment

Bible Reference: Titus 2:7–8
Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

Bible Text:  And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching. Teach the truth so that your teaching can’t be criticized. Then those who oppose us will be ashamed and have nothing bad to say about us.

APPLICATION:  Paul had just spent the greater portion of a chapter telling Titus how important it was to teach the older men, the older women and the younger men the importance of their lives reflecting the love and truths of God. However, to tie this all together Titus was warned that the sticking point in all this would come when he personally lived the life that he was teaching the people to live. In fact, even those who opposed their ministry would be ashamed as they would find nothing hypercritical to say about them. Friends, it is easy to teach someone what the Good Book says, but it is way more effective when you live the life that you are teaching about. I love that saying that is sometimes used: “your actions are speaking so loudly that I can barely hear what is coming from your lips!” I truly believe that the success of effective ministry by teachers, preachers and fellow Christians are borne from their actions many more times than through the words they speak. Based on this, are you challenged today to seek God’s help in redirecting your actions to be more effective in your ministry and/or witnessing? Let’s seek God’s face, allow Him to impact our lives, and extend Himself out through us in everything we do or say, all for His ultimate glory!

PRAYER: Lord God, You are faithful to us in every way, and I am so appreciative of that! But I thank You today for reminding us that perhaps more impactful than the words we speak, are the actions we take towards our fellow mankind. Lord, may our actions today be way more reflective of Your teachings than anything we could possible say. Please minister to the unsaved, the discouraged and the despondent today through our actions, and if necessary, also through our words that would reflect Your teachings and Your will for them. We need You precious Lord, please direct our path today, all for Your glory and honor, AMEN!

God’s Discipline

On By Ed AlgreenIn Accountability, Actions, Believers, Born Again, Church attendance, Clean Heart, Cleanse me Oh God, Discipline, RighteousnessLeave a comment

Thursday, 2018-11-29

Bible Reference: Revelation 3:19
Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

Bible Text: 19 I continually discipline and punish everyone I love; so I must punish you unless you turn from your indifference and become enthusiastic about the things of God.

OBSERVATION: I am reminded that discipline comes in many forms, and from almost every person in authority over us. Jesus (the Amen, as referenced in several translations) saw the need to say this to the church at Ladocia because they ‘sat on the fence’ – they were not hot, or cold. For they said they were servants of God, but they didn’t allow Him to be God in their own lives. Could God be bringing this to our attention today so that we may closely examine our own lives, and that of our own churches? 

APPLICATION: From a very early age, good parents will discipline their children, as a way of stopping wrong doing, and guiding children towards the right way to act and do things. As children mature, they go to school and teachers are forced to instill discipline in their lives also. As young adults, they then find the need to test the systems outside of the home and school systems. So law enforcement and the courts come into play. Then they enter the work environment, where supervisors or managers take responsibility for guiding them as adults, and holding them accountable for their actions. Imagine what a parent will do if the young man who just landed a job, went home one evening and ignored everything his parents asked him to do around the home? In fact, all that he learned in growing up seemed to have drained out of the young man, for he is also ignoring his manners, respect and chores that were assigned to him. So the parents are looking at their son from birth, yet his attitude has changed into something they just can’t identify with. They want to love him, because of his ‘sonship’, yet they don’t want to reward unappreciated, rotten  behavior with their precious love. In our Scripture, Jesus is looking at a church that He gave up His very life for, yet He is disappointed at their disregard for His teachings; their refusal to participate in a number of church meetings that were designed to grow Christians; their withdrawing from certain activities that particular families are a part of, because they just don’t like them. Imagine the lack of appreciation Jesus must feel, knowing that He loved the church so much that He freely gave up His life for their good, and for their victory in overcoming the world’s weaknesses, and living with the promise of eternal life in heaven with Jesus and His Father? Do you suppose that He would be tempted to spew them out of His mouth, and possibly start over with a new group that may show signs of hope? What kind of discipline do you feel might be most appropriate for a church such as I described? Do you feel that you would be one who is caught up in the worldly actions described, or one of the few that may be praying for God to help them clean up their mess and live righteously before a holy God? Friends, I would encourage you to look inward before criticizing the church at Laodicea, or trying to pin the actions I raised on certain individuals. Does Jesus see an individual with a clean and contrite heart, filled with His righteousness, and appreciative for all that Jesus did for the church, when He looks intently into your heart? Precious Lord, may it be so for myself, and for many who will read this devotional. Please teach us to alway seek the truths of Your Word, and to humbly obey Your teachings.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank You for giving wholeheartedly of Yourself so that we might be saved from the attractions of this world. Thank You for helping us to look with joy at the realization of heaven and the wonder of the King of all kings and Lord of all lords, welcoming us home as a ‘son’ or a ‘daughter’! Our hearts are overwhelmed with joy over the promise and expectation of this, as we patiently await Your return to take us home with You precious Lord. Please ‘jerk our chain’ as we lose sight of whose we are, so that we would never be tempted to stray away from the commands of our General – our Lord and Savior. Thank You Lord for loving us enough to bring us through this challenging world with our eyes fixed on You. Please help us to maintain ‘tunnel vision’, so that the things of this world will grow strangely dim, in the light of Your glory and grace! AMEN!

Faith-Like Actions

On By Ed AlgreenIn Actions, Faith, Faith in Action, Genuine Faith, Godly actionsLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   Hebrews 11:27-29 (VOICE)

TEXT:  27 By faith Moses left Egypt, unafraid of Pharaoh’s wrath and moving forward as though he could see the invisible God. 28 Through faith, he instituted the Passover and the sprinkling of blood on the doorposts among the Hebrews so that the destroyer of the firstborn would pass over their homes without harming them. 29 By faith the people crossed through the Red Sea as if they were walking on dry land, although the pursuing Egyptian soldiers were drowned when they tried to follow.

OBSERVATION:   Our Scripture today comes from a chapter often referred to as the ‘Faith’ chapter, or about our ancestors from the ‘Faith Hall of Fame’. You and I tell our story every day, and those close to us probably have a lot to say about our qualities, our beliefs, our stubbornness, our points of persistence, and hopefully they could tell the world about our ‘faith’. This will be evident to them through our words, our actions, our strong beliefs and our persistence about things that may make no sense to anyone else at the time, other than God and us. I wonder what would be said about us? Is there evidence of faith, or not?

APPLICATION:   At a very early age we are taught about faith. Remember the time when dad stood you on a wall and then held his arms out for you to jump into? You showed faith in his ability to catch you, and his strength to not let you fall. Some of you attended church and was taught about Jesus. You believed at a very early age that Jesus loved you and considered you as His very own son or daughter. Your mother was seriously ill at one time, and you remember seeing the church leaders praying over her for healing, and you remember seeing those prayers answered. Never having seen Jesus in person, you exercised your faith to believe that He responded in the above scenarios. So in reading this Scripture today, you could share with others that although this Scripture tells about the faith of our ancestors, you also have personal experiences where you saw God at work! Friends, please notice how Moses showed his faith to hundreds of thousands as he obeyed God and led the Israelites out of Egypt, knowing full well how strong and mean the king was, and how he could have easily caught and destroyed many of the Israelites. Notice how the Israelites had a choice to make when they approached the Red Sea crossing and saw it flooded with water at one moment, then dried up the next. My wish for believers is that you and I will not only exercise our faith in God, but that our actions will encourage others to know what our God truly is capable of. Something that would cause the heads of unbelievers to turn from disbelief, to a heart of acceptance and appreciation for their Maker, Designer, Savior and Everlasting King of Glory. 

PRAYER:   Lord God, thank You for showing Your power to even us. Thank You for forgiveness of sin, and for accepting us as Your children. Thank You for the faith You have embedded into us, and the desire to please You in every way. Please continue to encourage us to surrender to self every day and to look constantly for ways to become closer aligned with You and Your perfect will for our lives. I believe this especially includes exercising our faith in You, so make us strong in this respect oh God, I pray. 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 could 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 to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Sebring, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Godly Results from Obedience

On By Ed AlgreenIn Actions, Obedience, RewardsLeave a comment

Monday, August 27, 2017

Scripture

Bible Reference: Proverbs 3:1–4

Bible Text: 1 My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart. 2 If you do this, you will live many years, and your life will be satisfying. 3 Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. 4 Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation.

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

In our scripture today we are given some pointers on how we might be blessed by God. Let me share these things in a very simple format so that we might easily get the point and begin to align our lives for blessings from our awesome God:

  • ACTION: Never forget the things taught to you by your parents; your Bible School teachers; your Pastors; the Bible. In fact, store those things deep in your heart so that your words, and your actions will reflect what you have stored, and not what the world teaches or expects from you.
    • REWARD: You will live many years, and your life will be satisfying. So many people live in misery, because they have no hope, or because they have caved in to every whim of this world. Let me encourage you to be obedient to the above ‘Action’, and live in expectation of your rewards from God. 
  • ACTION: Be loyal and kind. Some translations also use the characteristic ‘love’. These are so important, that God instructed us through the writer to tie these around our neck and write them deep into our heart. I find that the easiest way for me to do this with a Bible verse, is to type it out and place it on my computer screen, the refrigerator door, or somewhere that will catch my attention throughout my day. To embed these things into our heart is best done through memorization or reading the words repeatedly throughout your day. 
    • REWARD: You will find favor with God and those that you hang around. Your character will then earn you a good reputation by those who know you. I don’t believe there is anything that a Christian would desire more, than to know that our lives are pleasing to God. Re-read the above ‘Action’ and practice it every day friends!

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us Your Word so that we might catch a glimpse of Your heart for us. It is evident that you want so bad for us to succeed in our Christian walk that You have given us everything we need to know about what pleases You. Lord, we long to live in total obedience to You. Please touch our hearts and help us to be strong and determined to shun Satan and to live our lives in total obedience to You. May these commands today impact us so that we might willingly live totally obedient lives to Your will and way. Forgive us Lord for our inadequacies and unwillingness of the past. AMEN!

Footnote

If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. 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 could 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 www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Satisfying Results from Obedience

On By Ed AlgreenIn Actions, Obedience, RewardsLeave a comment

Saturday, 2016-08-27

Scripture

Bible Reference: Proverbs 3:1–4

Bible Text: 1 My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart. 2 If you do this, you will live many years, and your life will be satisfying. 3 Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. 4 Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation.

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

In our scripture today we are given some pointers on how we might be blessed by God. Let me share these things in a very simple format so that we might easily get the point and begin to align our lives for blessings from our awesome God:

  • ACTION: Never forget the things taught to you by your parents; your Bible School teachers; your Pastors; the Bible. In fact, store those things deep in your heart so that your words, and your actions will reflect what you have stored, and not what the world teaches or expects from you.
    • REWARD: You will live many years, and your life will be satisfying. So many people live in misery, because they have no hope, or because they have caved in to every whim of this world. Let me encourage you to be obedient to the above ‘Action’, and live in expectation of your rewards from God. 
  • ACTION: Be loyal and kind. Some translations also use the characteristic ‘love’. These are so important, that God instructed us through the writer to tie these around our neck and write them deep into our heart. I find that the easiest way for me to do this with a Bible verse, is to type it out and place it on my computer screen, the refrigerator door, or somewhere that will catch my attention throughout my day. To embed these things into our heart is best done through memorization or reading the words repeatedly throughout your day. 
    • REWARD: You will find favor with God and those that you hang around. Your character will then earn you a good reputation by those who know you. I don’t believe there is anything that a Christian would desire more, than to know that our lives are pleasing to God. Re-read the above ‘Action’ and practice it every day friends!

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us Your Word so that we might catch a glimpse of Your heart for us. It is evident that you want so bad for us to succeed in our Christian walk that You have given us everything we need to know about what pleases You. Lord, we long to live in total obedience to You. Please touch our hearts and help us to be strong and determined to shun Satan and to live our lives in total obedience to You. May these commands today impact us so that we might willingly live totally obedient lives to Your will and way. Forgive us Lord for our inadequacies and unwillingness of the past. AMEN!

Footnote

If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. 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 could 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 www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

On By Ed AlgreenIn Actions, Witness2 Comments

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider feeding even us with His Word! May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………

Today’s Bible Reference: Titus 2:7–8
Today’s Bible Text: And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching. Teach the truth so that your teaching can’t be criticized. Then those who oppose us will be ashamed and have nothing bad to say about us.
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: Paul had just spent the greater portion of a chapter telling Titus how important it was to teach the older men, the older women and the younger men the importance of their lives reflecting the love and truths of God. However, to tie this all together Titus was warned that the sticking point in all this would come when he personally lived the life that he was teaching the people to live. In fact, even those who opposed their ministry would be ashamed as they would find nothing hypercritical to say about them. Friends, it is easy to teach someone what the Good Book says, but it is way more effective when you live the life that you are teaching about. I love that saying that is sometimes used: “your actions are speaking so loudly that I can barely hear what is coming from your lips!” I truly believe that the success of effective ministry by teachers, preachers and fellow Christians are borne from their actions many more times than through the words they speak. Based on this, are you challenged today to seek God’s help in redirecting your actions to be more effective in your ministry and/or witnessing? Let’s seek God’s face, allow Him to impact our lives, and extend Himself out through us in everything we do or say, all for His ultimate glory!

Prayer: Lord God, You are faithful to us in every way, and I am so appreciative of that! But I thank You today for reminding us that perhaps more impactful than the words we speak, are the actions we take towards our fellow mankind. Lord, may our actions today be way more reflective of Your teachings than anything we could possible say. Please minister to the unsaved, the discouraged and the despondent today through our actions, and if necessary, also through our words that would reflect Your teachings and Your will for them. We need You precious Lord, please direct our path today, all for Your glory and honor, AMEN!

Footnote: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. 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 could 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 www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

2016