My Prayer For You

On 2022-11-152022-11-15 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Prayer, Recognize God, Unselfish, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Tuesday, 2022-11-15
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Philippians 1:9-11
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁹My prayer for you is that you will overflow more and more with love for others, and at the same time keep on growing in spiritual knowledge and insight, ¹⁰for I want you always to see clearly the difference between right and wrong, and to be inwardly clean, no one being able to criticize you from now until our Lord returns. ¹¹May you always be doing those good, kind things that show you are a child of God, for this will bring much praise and glory to the Lord.

APPLICATION: This gives a good opportunity for us to not only renew our faith in our Creator, but also to renew a right relationship with Him, so that we can talk to Him about our reasons to celebrate His goodness; our desire for our children; our concern for the needs of our neighbors; and our heart-cry for the lost in our circle of friends who badly need the blood of Jesus washed over them. My friends, let me ask you to try one thing at this time: Stop and share your feelings with Jesus about each of the people that I mentioned. Tell Him what you are concerned about. Humbly pray for a right spirit within them so that they may be drawn closer to the Lord. Enough with the backbiting and the faultfinding, love those very special people enough to pray regularly for them. I’m afraid that we have such a long laundry list for ourselves, that we may not always make it before the throne of God on behalf of our family and friends. Paul was instrumental in starting the church at Philippi, so to leave them was probably like leaving a part of his heart there. Of course he missed them, of course he wanted to see God’s very best for them. It makes me question how vested I am in the folk around me. I’m still on the prayer list from two previous churches, so I am reminded of the needs that exist there, and I pray for the needs as they show up in my inbox. Are you still praying for the church families that you left behind when you moved residences, or when you moved to a different church? Hopefully these people have become a part of your heart and you might even remember the many times that they blessed you. Think on them during your times of fellowship with your Master and Lord. The enemy is out to get the church dear friends, so let us commit to such a good relationship with our Lord, that we will also lift up a name from our past before Him. God knows them, and He knows the very struggles they are facing right now. Let Him know that you care about Him blessing them right now. let’s learn to take our eyes off self and concentrate on the needs of those that are close to us now, or with whom we may have crossed paths in the past. Paul exampled this before us, now let us follow in his example and obey the Word of God in praying one for another. Remember, we are the church, so let the church be the church – especially here on earth where Satan is rampant and trying to distract the lost of any good thing in Jesus, our Lord, and His chosen children.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Oh, to imagine what our world, our churches and our families would look like if we did as Paul instructed – that we would overflow with love for each other and in our spiritual growth and knowledge. Perhaps then the unchurched will believe that God really does exist.

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for blessing Paul to encourage his followers to overflow in love and in the knowledge of You. Satan seems to be doing exactly the opposite, and we truly can’t handle any more of his wickedness. You showed us loved in its most extreme way – You were willing to lay down Your life for us – even while we were yet sinners. Please Lord, teach us to follow in Your footsteps, and to be obedient to Your commands. Please strengthen us to make every effort to follow the instructions You gave to Paul for us. Let the world see what true Christian love is, when they hang around us. Help us Lord to understand Your Word sufficiently and be willing to share that knowledge with others who are searching for the real love of Jesus Christ. 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!

Say Only What The Lord Tells You

On 2022-11-142022-11-14 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, True to the Word, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Monday, 2022-11-14
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Kings 22:7-8; 13-14;
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁷But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not also a prophet of the Lord here? We should ask him the same question.” ⁸The king of Israel replied to Jehoshaphat, “There is one more man who could consult the Lord for us, but I hate him. He never prophesies anything but trouble for me! His name is Micaiah son of Imlah.” Jehoshaphat replied, “That’s not the way a king should talk! Let’s hear what he has to say.”
¹³Meanwhile, the messenger who went to get Micaiah said to him, “Look, all the prophets are promising victory for the king. Be sure that you agree with them and promise success.”
¹⁴But Micaiah replied, “As surely as the Lord lives, I will say only what the Lord tells me to say.”

APPLICATION: We often criticize politicians, because they try to please all their constituents all the time. On the other hand, pastors are often accused of forming cliques when they spend more time with one group of church members than the others. Friends, I believe it is a fact that we can’t please all of the people all of the time, especially if we are listening to the voice of God and desiring of being obedient to His will for our lives. Micaiah was much like the latter, for he was determined to be obedient to the voice of God, no matter whose presence he was in, and what the outcome of his frankness might be. King Jehoshaphat quickly sensed that his ally, king Ahab had a group of ‘yes men’ that he called prophets, for they aimed to please their king, even if it involved telling untruths. A lot can be attributed to the request by king Jehoshaphat to bring a prophet of the Lord into the mix of advice the two kings would receive for their final decision. I believe that even today, true men of God are considered trustworthy, and as a representative of the one true God, their word can be trusted. If you consider yourself a man of God and yet cave in to agree with popular belief vs the voice of God, then I would encourage you to repent, and as God for strength to consistently consult with Him on your decisions and be faithful to carry out the decision you feel God has given to you. Micaiah shows us that he was not after a popularity contest with the other prophets of the king’s court. Based on what the king said to Jehoshaphat and Macaiah’s initial response to the king, it is obvious that Micaiah was more set on being a sold-out agent of the King of all kings, and in no way to reflect one who would appease king Ahab, with hopes of becoming his best prophet. In fact, Micaiah was more determined to be God’s best prophet than anything else, even if it meant imprisonment, or possibly, severe beatings from Ahab. Being the odd man out, often results in having to explain your reasoning for your decision, and it may lead to demotions or discipline. But who is it that wins in your earthly battles? The earthly man in charge, or the Heavenly Master who created you and provided a sacrifice for your redemption and heavenly future? What must you surrender today, so that you may freely say what God tells you to say? You must decide, dear friend! You will be counted by God as ‘for Him’ or ‘against Him’.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: It’s better to say what God tells you to, than look for man’s applause in appeasing him. Better is one day in the courts of our Master, than a lifetime of regret and disobedience for our earthly masters.

PRAYER: Lord, please speak to Your children today. In line with our Scripture, I pray that You will cause us to reflect on who our true Master is? Please help us to always honor and please You, even if it is bad news for our earthly masters and bosses. We may be unpopular here, and never receive the renumeration or promotions that we deserve, because of our stance as a believer in Jesus Christ. But because heaven is our eternal goal, we need Your encouragement and guidance, Lord, to live like we are Yours even while here on earth. Thank You Lord Jesus for Your sacrifice and for not giving in to the wishes of your accusers. They saw something different about You, and I pray that they will also see something different about us – children of the Great I Am. AMEN!

Benefits of God’s Word

On 2022-11-132022-11-13 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, God's Will, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Sunday, 2022-11-13
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 119:97-100; 104
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁹⁷Oh, how I love your instructions! I think about them all day long. ⁹⁸Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are my constant guide. ⁹⁹Yes, I have more insight than my teachers, for I am always thinking of your laws. ¹⁰⁰I am even wiser than my elders, for I have kept your commandments.
¹⁰⁴Your commandments give me understanding; no wonder I hate every false way of life.

APPLICATION: David was known as a very wise man, and one who was wholeheartedly dedicated to God. Some may read these verses and settle for the fact that David just had a way with words, for we don’t tend see the kind of wisdom he spoke of in our world of believers today. Based on a story, that my favorite commentator reminded me of as I studied these verses today, I believe that you will see where God gave us much wisdom in His Word, and it’s still available and applicable to us today. Here’s the reminder Jon Courson gave to me: Continually studying the Word made the Psalmist wiser than his enemies. An example of this was seen during our day and time when a policeman in Haifa, a port city in Israel, was chasing smugglers who were using a cart pulled by a couple of donkeys. When they saw the policeman in pursuit, they realized they didn’t have a chance, so they jumped off the cart and escaped. Very devout in his study of Scripture, the policeman devised a plan. He didn’t feed the donkeys for three days, then let them go because, from Isaiah 1:3, which says the ass knows his master’s crib, he knew that the donkeys would lead him to the home of their master—which they did. Sounds humorous, but I am convinced that if God can speak to us about our sin; about our missed opportunities; about our hope for a future with Him in glory; then it should be reasonable to believe that He could direct our path each day and fill us with wisdom to deal with every scenario in life. Furthermore, the Good Book tells us about our Savior who paid the penalty for the sin of all who have accepted Him as Lord and Savior, and it goes on to teach us all about His commands, teachings, and truths. Here’s where we learn about His words and actions while He was with us. This serves as an example of how we should live, if we truly want to walk in His footsteps. In verse 104, we are reminded of how we gain the ‘6th sense’ – a nudge from God about what is being said to us falsely, or when fakes are attempting to mislead us. Some will approach us with a story that sounds like ‘religion’, but not like ‘thus says the Mighty God’. As we read God’s Word, He instills in us a sense of knowing His still small voice, and to detect right from wrong in what is being taught to us. Allow the Word of God to wash over you, my friend, so that God may have His way in You for His eternal benefit. Others may be looking up to you to know the difference between right and wrong, and false teachings vs legitimate encouragement from the Word. Don’t let God down, and always be a shining light for those following in your footsteps!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: We may not always have the answers to all of life’s questions and dilemmas, but for the child of God, we know the One who does! Trust in God with all your heart, soul and mind, and all these things will become clear to you.

PRAYER: Lord, we ask You to help us, direct us, show us Your ways, and even more. But since all of this is already provided for us in Your Word, please give us a mind for You and a desire to know Your will for us. We know where to find these things, but we allow everything else in the world to occupy our minds. Oh, for the diligence and commitment of David. May we find ourselves in Your Word so faithfully Lord, that we will be able to say like David: Your Word has brightened our day and our future; Your Word has encouraged us and reminded us of Your love for us; and Your Word tells us so much about the One who gave up His own life, so that we may have life eternally with He and the Father. We say we need You more than anything else, yet we hold on to Your very truth, and Your eternal promises, without committing to read your Word regularly. Forgive us Lord for wanting You to pour Your blessings on us while we sit idly by without even reading what You have already blessed us with. Thank You Father, Son and Holy Spirit. AMEN!

Pray ‘In The Spirit’

On 2022-11-122022-11-12 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Leadership of the Holy Spirit, Needs, Power of Prayer, Praise, Prayer, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Saturday, 2022-11-12
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Ephesians 6:18
TRANSLATION: New Century Version (NCV)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁸Pray in the Spirit at all times with all kinds of prayers, asking for everything you need. To do this you must always be ready and never give up. Always pray for all God’s people.

APPLICATION: It seems pretty obvious that most of us tend to think, love, speak, and pray from a very selfish perspective. I attended a party one time, where the icebreaker was a challenge to avoid the first-person pronoun in your conversation for the first 15 minutes. Suddenly, the normal challenges of remembering names of people you meet; introducing yourself to strangers; and avoiding cliques of people you know; all became very easy compared to this new challenge! If presented with this challenge, be prepared to quickly acknowledge how dependent you are in sharing ‘all about you’ to others. Try it, write out a small paragraph about your last party, without using the first-person pronouns! I believe this alone will help us to quickly understand the importance of making every effort to ‘Pray in the Spirit’, because instead of the usual ‘gimme, gimme’ prayers, we will suddenly find ourselves praying about things that the Spirit provokes. We all know that no one else in the room of people you are with have greater pain and misery than you have! No one else hurts from disappointments and unfulfilled dreams like you do. But when we seek to ‘pray in the Spirit’, He will direct our minds to the person who has only one leg, so that we don’t whine and complain all evening about the knee-ache we’ve had since we woke up that morning. Friends, I am convinced that when we pray for others more than ourselves, God in His infinite mercy, causes us to lose sight of our minor aches and problems. When Paul demands that we ‘stay alert’, I believe he is suggesting that we ask God for eyes to really see the needs of others. Isn’t it amazing how we enter a room where many needs are represented, but we quickly bring our own needs to the forefront, even though they are insignificant, compared to others? While theologians have a lot to say about their knowledge on this topic, I believe that God is merely saying ‘follow in my ways and in what I found to be important. Enough about self’. Churches often hurt from their members who attend looking for a word of encouragement and strength for the week ahead, yet they leave without ever being talked to, loved on, or shown appreciation for. Perhaps ‘praying in the Spirit’, is just the beginning of a Spirit-filled believer who should also ‘live in the Spirit’, ‘encourage in the Spirit’ and ‘bless as the Spirit would’. Be reminded that at church, it’s not all up to the pastor to meet every need. God placed each of us among fellow believers so that we might imitate ‘iron sharpens iron’. We need each other, especially those who are living, acting and portraying one who ‘lives in the Spirit’. Try being the hands and feet of Jesus to someone else today, dear friends.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Just as we ‘pray in the Spirit’ and ‘live in the Spirit’ and allow the Spirit to live out His blessings through us, we too can expect to be blessed as other believers do the same!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, it just seems natural for us to act out our selfish desires, wants, like and dislikes. But as Your faithful servants seeking to follow in Your footsteps, please help us to persistently seek to ‘pray in the Spirit’ and live out all the ways of our Master. Others may not read their Bible, but may they see Your children as thorough images of our Master and Lord, and may this cause an ongoing desire to seek the Lord while You may be found. thanks for drawing us to the cross of Calvary and showing us the road to eternal life. As we live in the Spirit, may others also see that wonderful image portrayed in and causing them to have a growing desire to know You as their personal Savior. AMEN!

Oh, Poor Me….

On 2022-11-112022-11-11 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Discouraged, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Friday, 2022-11-11
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Kings 19:13-14
TRANSLATION: The Message (MSG)

BIBLE TEXT: ^13-14When Elijah heard the quiet voice, he muffled his face with his great cloak, went to the mouth of the cave, and stood there. A quiet voice asked, “So Elijah, now tell me, what are you doing here?” Elijah said it again, “I’ve been working my heart out for God, the God-of-the-Angel-Armies, because the people of Israel have abandoned your covenant, destroyed your places of worship, and murdered your prophets. I’m the only one left, and now they’re trying to kill me.”

APPLICATION: Despite the awesome work by this prophet of God, yet Elijah was threatened by Jezebel, and in spite of the miracles performed through Elijah by the God of this universe, yet Elijah ran for his life and had himself a good old pity party. It seems like he may have felt that although God blessed others through him, he would really need to get in God’s face to receive personal encouragement from Him. In the Wilderness, an angel helped strengthen Elijah for his journey to Mount Sinai – the same place where God spoke to Moses. He found no ‘fireworks’ there when told by God to appear before Him. Instead, there came a very strong windstorm that seemed to have moved everything else except Elijah’s heart. Then an earthquake, followed by intense fire. For each of these things happening on their own, we might expect a miraculous touch from God, but in God’s very special plan He wanted to carefully get the attention of this saint while giving him his next assignment. We can identify, can’t we? Just go to that city-wide revival in that large city and know that the very popular evangelists there will be sure to invoke God’s presence and take you to the foot of the cross. Follow the path of other great evangelists and you will be blessed just like them. Friends, notice that God didn’t move in the ways that seemed miraculous to Elijah, but instead in a still, small voice. Are you getting into the Word of God each day and listening intently for the ‘still, small voice of God’? Perhaps it’s time that we stop chasing the ways of popularity that attract the crowd, and instead seek more one-on-one time with our Creator. God had specific instructions for Elijah that I don’t feel like He would have given to an evangelist for a huge crowd. God has our assignment also, dear friend. Seek Him while He may be found. Listen intently for what He tells you through His Word, through prayer, through other believers who have a close relationship with Him. and through the circumstances He brings into your life. Listen, and be willing to respond and obey – without fanfare, for His glory!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: In verses 15-18 God gave His orders to Elijah to go and anoint 3 different men. Oh, that we will not keep others waiting because of our laxity in searching out God’s will for us and following through on His commands.

PRAYER: It’s been said that what You have for us, God, no one can take it away from us. But Lord, I was reminded in this story of Elijah that we must seek the Lord while He is near, listen closely to Your still small voice, and follow in obedience as You command us to. There really is no time for retreating under a tree in the Wilderness having a pity party like Elijah. We serve the King of all kings, and Lord of all lords, there is no greater privilege available to mankind. You told us to ‘Be still and know that I am God’. Please help us to pin that on our foreheads for a constant reminder and to help us keep our chin up, even when it seems like the world is against us. Let the people see Jesus, and not our weak and sorry efforts to survive. AMEN!

Obedience, As Unto The Lord

On 2022-11-102022-11-10 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Obedience, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Thursday, 2022-11-10
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Ephesians 6:5-8
TRANSLATION: New International Version (NIV)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁵Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. ⁶Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. ⁷Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, ⁸because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.

APPLICATION: To understand the full potential of this Scripture, we must look at the time in which it was written and the primary crowd for who it was originally intended. Paul wrote this at a time when there were over six million slaves in the Roman Empire, and at a time when slaves were considered less than ordinary people. This helps us to see these words in their original perspective. However, we know from other Scriptures that God not only prompted Paul in ways that might help slaves and their masters, but He also prompted David to be true and trustworthy to his master, king Saul, in spite of the king making endless efforts to pin him to the wall with his spear. In our Scripture today, Paul wanted to remind the Ephesian church that because of their main Master, they were to be humble slaves so that they might touch the heart of their earthly masters. I don’t believe that it was happen-chance that this teaching made it into the Bible, for I believe that God still has a message for His children – His slaves, to stand firm on their principles and the teachings of their heavenly Master, so that their earthly masters might better understand the truths and ways of our Lord. Friends, our earthly masters/bosses and our earthly slaves/employees always need to see whether we are sincere in our beliefs or our boasting about our Savior. Do we talk the talk and walk the walk? Under pressure and in full obedience, can we still praise the Lord? I believe that when we do as Paul instructed – “do as unto the Lord”, then we will remember that it was God who strengthens us each day for the job, He who gives us wisdom to understand the job, and He who blesses us with income so that we could bless others. When we keep that first and foremost in our minds, I believe we will work without grumbling, smile without the worry of the boss taking advantage of us, and feel appreciated without complaining of our pay. You know, it wasn’t until I retired and didn’t depend so heavily on my income, that I became very relaxed and enjoyed my temporary job to the fullest. It helped to open my eyes of the needs around me and helped me concentrate more on the concern for others. As workers in the Kingdom, imagine how much more effective we would be, if we served as unto the Lord, and not because we are tired of doing more than our share while others just sit around and complain. As a child of God, we owe it all to our Father!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: May God be the Master of our whole being, and not just our Spiritual Father.

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for all that You bless us with. Please teach us to stop whining about our jobs and our bosses when we have a job. Also Lord, please help us to live confident in the God that we serve, especially when we don’t have a job. Please teach us to stay strong in our faith and in the Master of it all, in every aspect of our lives. Teach us to also strive to please You as our Designer, Creator, Way-Maker, Savior and Eternal Master, whether we have an earthly boss or not. For Lord, I firmly believe that when we please You, others will recognize whose we are, and will want to know our Savior as well. AMEN!

Your Customary Place

On 2022-11-092022-11-09 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Example, Example of Christ, Godly example, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Wednesday, 2022-11-09
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 4:14-16
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁴Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Holy Spirit, and soon people across the region had heard news of Him. ¹⁵He would regularly go into their synagogues and teach. His teaching earned Him the respect and admiration of everyone who heard Him.
¹⁶He eventually came to His hometown, Nazareth, and did there what He had done elsewhere in Galilee—entered the synagogue and stood up to read from the Hebrew Scriptures.

APPLICATION: I once heard a sermon entitled ‘Saints on vacation’. The pastor brought to light that although we may be in a different town, or even on vacation, there’s no excuse to not go to your customary place on the Lord’s Day. My wife and I went on a long, 3-month trip last year. We planned to stop for 2 nights before resuming our travel on the 3rd day, so that we would be well rested. However, each week we always stretched that 2-night stayover to include a Sunday so we could attend a local church service. We could have watched on television the service from our home church, but there is nothing like meeting in person with God’s people! Friends, this is in no way bragging, for we are nothing without Christ. However, those Sundays were some very special times as we joined hearts and hands with some fellow Brothers and Sisters that we expect to see around God’s throne someday soon. It actually feels weird when we are not in our ‘customary place’ on Sunday mornings. But I especially want to challenge Christians in this devotional. Some of you have become very comfortable staying at home during your ‘customary time’ of worship, since that is what you did for almost 3 years during the height of covid. Furthermore, you are still hearing others use the excuse that they don’t want to catch whatever other church members have, and that seems to work for them. Dear friends, my mom always asked if I would follow my friends if they wound up standing before Satan. In other words, I make decisions for myself based on what I know is right, and is Christlike. I make decisions based on the teachings and will of the God in whom I have found salvation. In our Scripture, you might recall that Jesus had just returned from the wilderness where he was tempted by the devil. He didn’t need time to recover from the disturbing temptations he experienced with Satan, nor did He look for pity from the church leaders who may have learned He was in town. I bet He couldn’t wait for the doors to open and the people to gather, so that He could join in with them and actually open the Word of God for their benefit. As Christians, we are called to be an example of our Lord. How careful are we to follow His example in being present when others are worshipping and learning from the Word? Let me encourage you to daily examine your words and your actions and place yourself before the Master for His evaluation on what He thinks. I believe we know where our ‘customary place’ should be. May God be our encouragement and provoker to help us be the follower of Christ He is looking for here on earth.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Jesus set the example for us to be in our ‘customary place’ when the time and opportunity presents itself! Oh, that Christ-followers would be faithful in following in Jesus’ example of church attendance!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank You for reminding me that I have no excuse about doing what You exampled before us. You had every reason to seclude Yourself and try to recover from the serious time you spent in the Wilderness, but You stayed on track in following the Father’s will. Please Lord, teach us to follow in Your footsteps and not let anything distract us from being Your follower in all walks of life. Although we would not expect an incentive, I pray that You will quietly use our example to help others be more closely aligned to You and Your perfect will for their life. Be glorified in us oh Lord. AMEN!

Reveal Yourself Oh God

On 2022-11-082022-11-08 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Tuesday, 2022-11-08
WRITTEN AT: Ormond Beach, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Kings 18:36-37
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: Elijah (praying): Eternal One—God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel—reveal Yourself on this day as Israel’s God. Make it known that I serve You and have done all this because You commanded it of me. ³⁷Answer me, Eternal One. Reveal Yourself so that everyone here will know that You, Eternal One, are the True God—the only God. Do it so that everyone knows You are turning the gaze of their hearts back to You again.

APPLICATION: Your pastor may be a deeply committed man of God, but one who easily draw the congregation to himself by the mighty works that may occur while occupying your pulpit. It may not be the intent of that good pastor, but we become attached to those that we admire, and those who may have been preaching when God touched our heart. I believe that many pastors try to make it clear that it’s God who moves inside of you and that they are just your pastor through whom God may be accomplishing His good work. Many miracles had come to pass through Elijah. God used him in a very powerful way. Through the Scripture, it seems apparent to me that Elijah tried very hard to escape popularity. And in his prayer mentioned in today’s Scripture he found himself asking God to please convince the people that the power and the miraculous things that occurred, all came from the powerful hand of the God in whom Elijah trusted. I believe the reason that God drew my attention in this story today about Elijah is that, in our current day churches, we find it easy and necessary to pray about finances, about new facilities, about an exciting music ministry, and any number of other things that will help us look legitimate in ministry to our community. But do we pray often enough like Elijah: Please Lord, draw the people of this community to this place of worship today so that they will be encouraged by our congregation, touched by Your Word, and their hearts melted by You in hopes that they will be drawn from their hardened hearts of sin, to a new life fully trusting in the wonderful name of Jesus. As they look on the workers, may they see mere messengers of God, but may they prefer seeking the wonderful face of Jesus, the only One who could save them from their sin and ready them for the Kingdom of God. Having retired from a secular job, I found that customers might appreciate my efforts to help them accomplish their needs, but they always lifted up and praised the owner of the business who did everything possible to offer his business to a community who needed it. And so it is with the church, pastors, elders, deacons, Sunday School teachers, youth and worship ministers as they all strive for the same thing – to promote the creator and owner of all life present, and yet to come. To make it into heaven, we must know Jesus and have a relationship with him. No matter how good our relationship is with the pastor or any of the above mentioned leaders, that does nothing for our salvation. However, it is very important for the lost to see Jesus in each of their lives. I had a pastor who pasted a note on his pulpit that would remind him every time that he spoke from that sacred desk. The note read: ‘Oh that they might see Jesus’. Please remember to join me in praying that the lost will have a growing desire to meet Jesus, and that when they arrive to worship with us, they will not be disappointed. I believe that in them feeling like they are around people of God, they will sooner meet the One whom we worship, and come to believe in Him for all eternity.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: On the next Lord’s Day, please reveal Yourself so that everyone will know that You, Eternal One, are the True God—the only God. Do it so that everyone knows You are turning the gaze of their hearts back to You again.

PRAYER: Lord, we are here to grow Your Kingdom, not our own. Please help us to stay humble and never forget who deserves the praise for all that has been done, and continues to be done, for us. People still need the Lord. Please help us Lord to not get in the way of that. May Your church be a place where the lost will come to find You, not more of the same self-promoting ideas that they see in the world. May our physical beings disappear, so the lost will only see the hands, feet and actions of the Savior of this world. AMEN!

Here’s What Makes Marriages Work

On 2022-11-072022-11-07 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Husbands, Marriage, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Wives, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Monday, 2022-11-07
WRITTEN AT: Ormond Beach, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Ephesians 5:21-27
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: ²¹…. submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
²²For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. ²³For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. ²⁴As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.
²⁵For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her ²⁶to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. ²⁷He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.

APPLICATION: Isn’t it interesting how people hang on to certain pieces of Scripture, and often use it out of context for their own good? For example, men will often threaten their counterparts with the phrase that wive’s are to submit to their husbands unconditionally. And while that is true, there are other parts of this Scripture that makes this all come alive and applicable. Yes, wives are to submit themselves to their husband, just as they do to the Lord. But let us examine the scriptures to determine how many times we see the Lord being referred to as ‘abusive’, ‘a drunk’, ‘high on substance abuse’, ‘a cheater’, or ‘excessive time with his guy friends’. I have no doubt that you will not find where God is referred to by any of those worldly attributes. Instead, today’s Scripture goes on to explain the role of the husband that Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, referred to in this Scripture. Notice the following: 1). The husband is the head of the wife – God did the decision making for us to help avoid arguments by husband and wife. We don’t argue that the captain is in charge of his boat, or the CEO in charge of his business, so hopefully we have no qualms with God’s decision in marriages. When God created man, He designed him in His own image. Throughout the Bible we could see that God worked with men to fight military battles, as His disciples, as ministers of the Gospel, and in various leadership roles of countries, churches and missions. Yes, God could have chosen the wife, but He didn’t. 2). God examples before mankind by demonstrating His love, sacrifice, leadership, and through His very own precious Son, that His children – the church, was most important to Him. He wants men to follow suit with His example, in being the leader of his wife and family through the good, bad and challenging times of life. Perhaps when there seems to be a strain on our marital relationship, we should step aside with God and ask for wisdom to see where we have departed from His example and His guidance as good godly leaders in our homes. 3). Be willing to sacrifice in order to see our wives be blessed and enjoy the benefits of God’s chosen child. And 4). Be willing, and plan to shower our wives with the Word of God, for this is the Truth of all God intended for us. God did this to purify His church, and so should we as we endeavor to redeem our wives. Friends, when husbands endeavor to be all that God intended for them to be, then we could expect wives to take note, respect, love and obediently follow the leadership of their godly husbands. Unfortunately, many are choosing to cohabitate and not follow the plan ordained by the God who created them. God has a plan for you my friend, please listen to His voice and be obedient to His commands. He has your very best interest at heart. In whatever role you assume today – husband or wife, I pray that God will open your eyes to all that He intended for you to do in obedience to His Word and in following His example. Show the world that God’s not dead, He’s very much alive – even in our marriages, so that He might be glorified.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: God designed us, and He has a plan in mind for how we might enjoy life together in the form that He created – husband and wife. He also placed an order to how our marriages should work. Thank God when we allow Him to make such decisions and not depend on the mess we would make of things when done in our own selfishness and pride.

PRAYER: I am so thankful for the lady You placed in my life to be my forever wife, Lord. Thank You for blessing us with 47 years of happiness, ministry and a living testimony to all who may wonder if marriage still works. Lord, I have so many friends who wish they could experience such happiness as You have blessed my wife and I with. Please Lord, touch Your people once again today. Show them that in the same way You designed and created each one, You have also designed a plan for our happiness, and a guide for our decisions so that we could portray Your goodness in every part of our lives. The unsaved need to see Jesus in our marriages also, and I’m sure they are watching for how well we, individually do in following Your commands. Please reignite a fire inside of Your children today, that Your way is always best, and that we should be obedient to the One who created us for His good purpose. Please bless marriages again today, Lord. For our future generation will carry on the work that they discover in us today. Be lifted up Lord, for You are the King of glory. AMEN!

Led By The Spirit

On 2022-11-062022-11-06 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Filled With The Spirit, Jesus led decisions, Leadership of the Holy Spirit, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Sunday, 2022-11-06
WRITTEN AT: Ormond Beach, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 4:1-2
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹When Jesus returned from the Jordan River, He was full of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit led Him away from the cities and townsand out into the desert. ²For 40 days, the Spirit led Him from place to place in the desert, and while there, the devil tempted Jesus. Jesus was fasting, eating nothing during this time, and at the end, He was terribly hungry.

APPLICATION: Surely you’ve heard about the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness, or the desert. And that God’s perfect Son was tempted – verbally, though abstinence from food, through power struggles backed by Scripture, and yes through temptations by Satan himself. We were taught about how Jesus countered Satan’s use of Scripture , with His own quotes of Scripture given to Him by the Holy Spirit, and we heard about how Jesus stood firm to His Father’s will for His life. But why did the Holy Spirit lead Jesus into such tough times? Shouldn’t the Spirit have instead placed Jesus into a temple where sinners needed the Lord, or among the sick where people needed healing, or in the midst of the discouraged and depressed where He could have shown His love, compassion and hope for them? Oh dear friends, those are the types of things we may have been tempted to do, but God’s ways are much greater than our ways; His thoughts much deeper than our thoughts; and His knowledge of what is, and what’s to come, is off the chart compared to our knowledge. It seems evident that God wanted to show Satan once again who is in charge, and that His Son had equal authority and power to Himself – both to enact what God commands, and to submit even under extreme pressure, for the will and benefit of the Father. It’s like God wanted to show off His precious Son that He sent to earth to save the world from sin. Satan is known for messing with anyone who promotes his enemy – God. So God was sure that Satan would have a field day if he ever had the opportunity to work on Jesus. So God seemed to have deliberately set this up for Satan so that He could show off the power, the dignity, and the overwhelming will of Jesus to honor His Father even under extreme circumstances. Satan needed to know that Jesus was off limits to him because He was much more powerful, and closely in tuned with the Creator. This, my friends, presents a challenge for us to think about. What do we do when hard times come; when temptations seem to hit us on every side; when it seems like God has separated Himself from us? Are we strong enough and committed enough to show Satan who our Father is? Will the world know for sure that greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world? While the world may not go to battle with us to watch us fall or fail, they are looking for children of the most high God, who will stand firm in their faith like they would expect. You see, I believe that many will remain on Satan’s side, until they can see proof of those who are truly led by the Spirit like Jesus was. It may behoove us to thank God for our circumstances, and ask Him for strength to endure until He sees us safely through them, after His work is complete. Instead of questioning God, let’s learn to stay closely connected to Him so that He may use even us in His mission to reach the lost, encourage the disheartened and lead the wicked to His righteousness.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Jesus was successful in overcoming the temptations of the evil one. He was led into the circumstance that Satan used to tempt Him. Oh that we would draw close enough to God to accept His leading, even if it seems overwhelming to us at the time. May God always work out His will in our lives everyday – for His glory!

PRAYER: ‘…. And lead us not into temptation….’ These are very familiar words from what many call ‘The Lord’s Prayer’. But Lord, if You led Your very own Son right into ultimate temptations by Satan, how can we possibly feel like we would be exempt from temptation. Perhaps we should be consistent in asking You to lead us into circumstances where we can show off Your power, Your love and Your forgiveness. Teach us Lord to wait on You, to listen and obey Your every command, so that Your perfect will might be accomplished for Your good and Your Kingdom’s sake. Please help us to think of opportunities that You send our way, instead of whining about our setbacks and worries about what it all looks like in our sight. Please excuse our pride and humble us into Your service. AMEN!

Nuggets From God's Word

Category: Appreciation