Category: Christian

Reasons To Praise God!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, God Cares For Us, Our Help comes from God, Praise, WorshipLeave a comment

God’s Word Says….

Psalm 30:11-12 (NCV)

11 You changed my sorrow into dancing. You took away my clothes of sadness, and clothed me in happiness. 12 I will sing to you and not be silent. Lord, my God, I will praise you forever.

My Thoughts…..

I find it amazing how easy it is to pray in times of need or difficulty, for we can quickly drop to our knees pleading our case. However, I have to frequently remind myself to return to my prayer and say thank You, as I receive answers to my prayers. I am also amazed by the beauty of God’s creation, yet we gloat over it like it was something we had anything to do with, or that God had to provide it for us. Friends, I’m sure that you are like me in that we feel good inside when we hear our children say how thankful they are for something we may have done for them, or provided for them. Well, David has shown us in the Psalms that there are so many things that we can be thankful for, and that we should praise God for. Imagine for a moment being in a hospital bed in lots of pain, with a badly broken leg. What then can you praise God for, especially when you see everyone around you walking around on two healthy legs? Perhaps seeing a man pass by without any legs might open your eyes to some praise opportunities? I believe when we truly say like David that God has clothed us in happiness, and that we WILL praise Him forever – without any restrictions, then friend, I believe we will look for ways to praise God and worship Him!

 

Challenge……

Instead of being a needy people, let’s aim to be a praising people. Yes, we will always be a needy people, because we know that God can and will provide our needs, but please join me in always making ‘praise’ our priority. To take this one step further, let’s be a people of ‘praise’ even when our world around us seem to be collapsing upon us. Let’s commit ourselves to always praise God for the things that we know exists only because of His love and His power, and never feel forced into giving credit to ‘mother nature’ or the ‘man upstairs’. Remember, these are terms used by folk not wanting to ruffle the feathers of those that don’t believe in God. We believe in God, so let’s give credit where it belongs and let the chips fall where they may. God designed and made us; He controls the weather; He blesses us with jobs; He’s the One who blessed us with knowledge, so learn to praise Him, praise Him, and praise Him even more!

Prayer……

Lord Jesus, I’m sorry if I appear ungrateful at times, because I may not have found reason enough to praise You. I am so aware that it is You who made me and You who provide the ability for me to arise and enjoy each beautiful day. When You find reason to give us rain, who am I question or complain? When things seem so out of hand here on this earth, please help me to always look to You as the creator and designer of it all, therefore very capable of handling all that mere man may attempt to interfere in, or try to destroy. Lord, I praise You for just being my divine Savior and Lord, for being my God, my resurrected King and my Deliverer. I pray like David, that I will always find reasons to praise You forever! Please remind folk that may meditate on this devotional today the importance of praising You, even in their storms of life! I praise You and yet ask all this in Your most praise-worthy name, Jesus, my Lord, AMEN!

Action…..

In response to God leading You through this devotional today, please get with a Bible teaching Pastor you may know and allow him to guide you. Otherwise feel free to reply to my post online, or you may email me directly at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. I will gladly add you to my prayer list, and/or respond to your request(s) ASAP

Peace With God!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, Fruit of the Spirit, God Cares For Us, Holy Spirit, Love, Peace, Pleasing to GodLeave a comment

God’s Word Says….

Romans 5:1-5 (GNT)

Now that we have been put right with God through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2He has brought us by faith into this experience of God’s grace, in which we now live. And so we boast of the hope we have of sharing God’s glory! 3We also boast of our troubles, because we know that trouble produces endurance, 4endurance brings God’s approval, and his approval creates hope. 5This hope does not disappoint us, for God has poured out his love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit, who is God’s gift to us.

My Thoughts…..

These verses are so packed with good stuff, that it would take a long discourse to celebrate it all. For just a short devotional, I wanted to share a few words with you that I highlighted: a). “Put Right” – please notice that it didn’t say earned, or resulted from any good deed we did. We are put right because of our faith in God. I would highly recommend that we each examine ourselves and recall the day and place that we surrendered our heart to Jesus and placed our faith in Him alone. This is the ONLY WAY friend to be put right with God. b). “Peace” – when we have been ‘put right’ with God there will be an unexplained peace in our lives – peace in, and with God! c). “God’s grace” – can you even imagine that a sinner, filled with enmity towards God, could ever be allowed into His Grace. Friend, this is through ultimate, unselfish, immeasurable love of the Father for His children. I pray that you are experiencing that ‘Grace’ today! d). “The Hope” – as children of God we can boast of that ‘Hope’ that is ours to one day be with Jesus in glory at the right hand of the Father! Praise the name of Jesus! e). “Endurance” – it is so easy to praise the Lord when everything is going good for us, but often we struggle with this characteristic, especially when it seems like the world is against us. I was excited to note that this type of ‘endurance’ or ‘patience’ actually brings “God’s Approval” and this alone is worth the struggles and challenges we endure here on this earth. f). “His love” and “His Gift” – Think about this real good friend: because of our sin God had to send His Son to redeem us. Yet, when we accept Him as Lord, He pours out His love through the precious gift of His Holy Spirit. Wow, who has ever known such a love as that?

Challenge……

Don’t know about you friend, but there is much to celebrate in these verses today! My greatest caution to you is that you not fall into the temptation of wanting to do good, thinking that because you are not an evil person, then you must be a Christian. Friend, to enjoy the peace of God, you must be one of His children. To become a child of His involves a deliberate step by you. For you must humble yourself before Jesus and ask His forgiveness of your sin, and to accept you as His dearly beloved son/daughter. The life that follows is one of peace with God – everlasting peace! Jesus loves you a lot friend! Won’t you consider accepting Him as your Lord and Savior today? Please feel free to drop me a note by email if there is anything I can pray with you about. Jesus loves you, and so do I, friend!

Prayer……

Lord Jesus, thank You for providing the ultimate for us – the ways and means for us to know You as our Lord and Savior, and the promise of eternal life with You in heaven! You are awesome dear God! As I celebrate this today, I am concerned for several of my family members who do not reflect evidence of having accepted You as Lord. Father, I pray that Your Holy Spirit will convict them today, and that they would make a decision for You. I pray asking all this in Your wonderful and majestic name, Jesus my Lord, AMEN!

Action…..

In response to God leading You through this devotional today, please get with a Bible teaching Pastor you may know and allow him to guide you. Otherwise feel free to reply to my post online, or you may email me directly at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. I will gladly add you to my prayer list, and/or respond to your request(s) ASAP.

Confidence in Our Faith

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Encourage, Evangelism, FaithLeave a comment

God’s Word Says….

Romans 4:22-25 (NCV)

22 So, “God accepted Abraham’s faith, and that faith made him right with God.” 23 Those words (“God accepted Abraham’s faith”) were written not only for Abraham 24 but also for us. God will accept us also because we believe in the One who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 Jesus was given to die for our sins, and he was raised from the dead to make us right with God.

My Thoughts…..

I believe that there must be folk who are struggling with confidence in their faith, because God got my attention when I read through this scripture, and even after evaluation and talking to God over the whole text written for me today, I was still directed back to these verses. Friends, I believe it is evident that verse 24 simply states that faith like Abraham had is simply us believing in God – the One who raised Jesus from the dead. Now, I also believe that if you ask most sensible folk on the street if they believe in God, they will say, but of course – that’s the only explanation for all that we see around us. So what is the difference between that kind of faith, and the kind referred to by Paul? This might explain – there was a gentleman who had confidence that he could easily walk a tight rope across the Niagara Falls, but one day he said that he would push a wheelbarrow across on the tight rope – with a person inside of it. There were a lot more people than normal who showed up to watch this new feat. A reporter walked around asking folk, who had seen him do similar feats in the past, if they believed the man was capable of this particular feat. Most of them reply positively, but when asked if they would volunteer to ride in the wheelbarrow, there were a lot fewer who would agree! So did they really have faith that the man could successfully accomplish his challenge? To a degree perhaps, but they weren’t willing to put their life on the line for it! We have so much in our favor to support our faith in God, for there are so many examples in the Bible on the evidence of faith and all that it produced. Read the story of Abraham and how as a childless father, yet he became the father of many nations because of his ‘faith’. Moses stood at the edge of the Red Sea with thousands of followers behind him and when, through faith, he followed God’s instructions, he and his people saw a way paved for them where there was no other way. There are many more examples of faith in action friends. There is no need to doubt, just listen to God and ‘BELIEVE’!

Challenge……

Friends, I believe that you are living an unfulfilled life without faith. Let me explain – if you are doubting in your faith in God, how could you possibly show others the true wisdom, love and faith of the God that you serve? You must be firm in your faith in order to convince others that your faith, or your God, is real. Having this kind of faith is not just happen-chance. You must draw close to God and allow Him to draw close to you, friend. Meditate on His Word, and speak with Him regularly. Build and maintain a relationship with God so that you may know Him and trust Him in a personal way. When witnessing to a friend, your testimony is more valuable than gold. They may doubt what you share with them from the Old Testament, but when you tell them about what God has done in your life, how could they possibly question or doubt? So let me encourage you to meditate on those times where you have seen God at work in your life, then use them as memorials that you can reflect back on any time Satan comes knocking with his evil and deceptive ways. Also use these memorials when you speak with a friend about accepting the Lord, for these are personal, and although as real as the results we see in the Bible, they are spoken from a personal experience. This will strengthen your faith friend, and it will serve to strengthen the faith of your friends as you witness to them. As always, please ask God to miraculously work in and through you as you go out to be His witness.

Prayer……

Lord Jesus, there is so much evidence of Your existence, and Your handiwork, and Your mighty power, yet we doubt. Please forgive us for our lack of faith. I believe that it is impossible to win others to the kingdom, if we have trouble believing, or having little faith, in the One whom we are promoting. So Father, I come before You not telling You anything that is new to You, but simply asking that You might fill me with the confidence of Your mighty hand, Your powerful love and Your miraculous works. I pray that You may work on my most inner being to help me gain the faith that I need to be a better witness for You, especially to those in my circles who are dying and going to Hell because they may not have seen real evidence of a ‘real Christian’. Please help me to turn this around in my life, and as my friends meditate on this devotional today, I pray that You may invoke Your Holy Spirit to be very active in their minds so that they too may speak to You about the needs in their lives. Please bear with, and help, us to overcome the weaknesses in our lives, is my humble and heartfelt prayer that I ask in Your precious name, Lord Jesus, AMEN!

Action……

In response to God leading You through this devotional today, please get with a Bible teaching Pastor you may know and allow him to guide you. Otherwise feel free to reply to my post online, or you may email me directly at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. I will gladly add you to my prayer list, and/or respond to your request(s) ASAP.

Ready Your Heart for Worship!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Allegiance to the Lamb, Bible Believing, Born Again, Celebrate God, Christian, Follow Jesus, Imitator of Christ, Listen to the Word of God, Love God, WorshipLeave a comment

God’s Word Says….

Psalm 24:3-6 (NCV)

3 Who may go up on the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy Temple? 4 Only those with clean hands and pure hearts, who have not worshiped idols, who have not made promises in the name of a false god. 5 They will receive a blessing from the Lord; the God who saves them will declare them right. 6 They try to follow God; they look to the God of Jacob for help.

My Thoughts…..

Praise God, His Word is filled with little ‘Nuggets’ that will bless our souls each time that we meditate on it. It is our source document for everything in this life. As we read it, there are certain things that God allows to just stand off the pages and ‘light us up’! Here’s what I got from this ‘Nugget’ referenced above: The question is being asked about who may approach God in His holy place – in His temple. The answer to this is no mystery. Our God is holy, long-suffering, loving and merciful. So who are we to approach Him in any other manner? Think about our worship services. The idea is that God’s people gather to praise Him for all that He has done for us during the past week; petition Him for needs that exist in our lives that, we feel, needs His powerful touch; and to learn from His Word in order that we may portray Him better and to gain strength and direction for the week ahead of us. The verses highlighted today explains how some people walk away from a church service just as empty as they walked in, and yet why some leave overwhelmed with God’s blessing in and through that service. Friends, it’s a matter of where our hearts are. In verse 6, we are told that the blessings were received because they ‘tried to follow God’!

Challenge……

Friends, in our marriages, in our homes, in our work and in our friendships, what we get back is often impacted by what we put into these things. The Psalmist helped me to see that I will be blessed when I ‘Try to follow God’. A doctor or an attorney who wants to be the best at their jobs will find themselves constantly in their books trying to keep up with latest laws or the latest developments in medical science. If we are truly trying to follow God, would it not appear that we should be students of THE Book in order to discern the heart and will of God? Would it not appear that we need to do more than just show up for a worship service, if we truly want to follow God and His teachings? I would dare say friend that we should be doing more than just showing up waiting for a bucket of blessings to be poured on us. I believe God would easily discern those of us that show up with: the Spirit of God very fresh in our spiritual lives; with thankful hearts ready to explode in worship and thanksgiving to God; and like a baby bird waiting for the return of the mother bird with food, God would also discern those of us that show up with a deep hunger to learn more of, and get a better understanding of, His precious Word. Perhaps then, we might approach His holy throne somewhat worthily and ready to worship Him and receive His blessing. Where’s your heart friend? Do you have a heart yearning for more of Jesus, so that you may become more like Him? Do you put effort into following God?

Prayer……

Heavenly Father, You made us to worship You and to be little ‘Christ’s’ so that we may win the world through our love and expression of faith in, and forgiveness by, Your Son Jesus. Lord, we take so much for granted and, many times many of us will just flippantly show up for a worship service assuming that the worship band might stir up a feeling in us, or the preacher might say something magnificent that might stir up something in us. Please forgive me for the times that I have been guilty of this. Unfortunately I received everything from that service that I put into it – nothing. Please give me an urgency and a desire to follow You, and to worship You, and to want to be in Your presence. To portray You in my life, I must be filled with Your Holy Spirit, please guide me in the way of Truth and give me a deeper desire to follow You in every walk of my life. I strongly feel like my friends will need something similar to this today also, please tender their hearts to Your Word so that It may do a powerful work in their lives and better prepare them for Your work. For I ask all this in the name of, and in respect and admiration of You, Oh Lord, my Rock and my redeemer, AMEN!

Action…..

In response to God leading You through this devotional today, please get with a Bible teaching Pastor you may know and allow him to guide you. Otherwise feel free to reply to my post online, or you may email me directly at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. I will gladly add you to my prayer list, and/or respond to your request(s) ASAP.

How To Deal With Your Enemies!

On By Ed AlgreenIn Ask and Receive, Bible Believing, Christian, Defense against the enemy, Faith, God Cares For Us, God our Helper, God our Provider, God’s Word, Helper, Our Help comes from God, Power, Power of Prayer, Protector, The enemy4 Comments

God’s Word Says….

Nehemiah 4:13–14 (The Message)

So I stationed armed guards at the most vulnerable places of the wall and assigned people by families with their swords, lances, and bows. After looking things over I stood up and spoke to the nobles, officials, and everyone else: “Don’t be afraid of them. Put your minds on the Master, great and awesome, and then fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”

My Thoughts…

From the subject, I know that you probably thought that I was referring to that person that really dislikes you, or the person you can’t stand to be around because you just know that they are like a ‘snake in the grass’, looking for ways to harm you! Well, you are right to a certain extent, the examples that I gave might be classified as enemies. But how about a different type of enemy, what about the enemy of cancer, or heart disease, or aids? My take on these verses that God got my attention on, is that this can apply to anything or anyone in our lives that may serve to harm us or oppose us, or give the appearance of hating us. In these verses Nehemiah prayed that he might find ways to stabilize situations over which he was leading, and the first thing he found to help was to tell his people/army to think on the power of God – remember, remember, remember what He has done, and what He is capable of doing.

Challenge…

What if we took this advice when told about cancer in our bodies, or when we know that we are about to battle with someone who really hates us? Friends, we know that we will have enemies because any attempt to fulfill God’s desires will almost certainly draw opposition from the world. But here is a word of advice for us from a noted scholar ‘Breneman’: “God’s people should always regard prayer not as a last resort but as our primary weapon against opposition”. So friends, here is the word from God today: a). Always remember the power of the God that we serve. Deliberately reflect on the times that His power has helped us through situations, and of times that He has helped our forefathers in the Word through miraculous times. He is still the same God that we serve today, so let’s depend on Him! b). Let us be quick to pray and slow to react in anger and thoughtlessness when faced with opposition, or by those who may naturally offend us because of their lack of faith, The Bible tells us to fervently pray for those that despitefully use us. Let’s obey the Word friend!

Prayer….

Lord Jesus, You showed the example in that You went aside and prayed when burdened with everything that was about to happen in Your life or to Your followers. Please help us to also do this, instead of hitting back, instead of getting angry and saying things that we might later regret. Lord, we want to be more like You, so strengthen us to do Your will, and to follow Your example to always bathe our battles in prayer. Please also encourage us to always remember the many miracles of our powerful Lord, and remind us of Your ongoing power to do the same for us. We are so weak Lord, and it is only with Your power and Your strength, that we can look at heaven’s glory when old Satan is hitting at us from every side. Thank You for loving us anyway and being there for us through every circumstance! For I thank You, and I ask these favors, in the precious and all powerful name of Jesus, my Lord and soon coming King!

Things That Prevent Total Dedication to God

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Faith, RighteousnessLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE: Jeremiah 3

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

“If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him and marries another man,
should her first husband come back to her again? If he went back to her, wouldn’t the land become completely unclean?
But you have acted like a prostitute with many lovers, and now you want to come back to me?” says the Lord.
“Look up to the bare hilltops, Judah. Is there any place where you have not been a prostitute?
You have sat by the road waiting for lovers, like an Arab in the desert.
You made the land unclean, because you did evil and were like a prostitute.
So the rain has not come, and there have not been any spring rains.
But your face still looks like the face of a prostitute. You refuse even to be ashamed of what you did.
Now you are calling to me, ‘My father, you have been my friend since I was young.
Will you always be angry at me? Will your anger last forever?’
Judah, you said this, but you did as much evil as you could!” (Jeremiah 3:1-5 NCV)

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

I wonder how close we are is what goes on in our country today, compared to what was happening in Judah during the day of Jeremiah? Sometimes I wonder if it is possible that a nation could have been any worse, especially when I turn on the evening news and hear story after story about the various crimes that have taken place in some of our cities. I become even more disturbed when I hear about the discord among people in churches, in families and in work places, and when I see people so dedicated to everything that may incidentally come up instead of to God and His ideals for their lives. After reading this passage I can only ask if God is not calling us a lot worse than what He called Judah. We find so many other Gods beside Him. We dedicate ourselves to so much else except the only One that could truly shower His blessings on us. Oh how we need to reassess our purpose and the things that truly receive our attention.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Lord God, I am a part of this earthly people who respond to earthly things that distract me away from Your ideals and from following Your ways and Your teachings. I call myself a child of Yours, yet I am so easily distracted by things that really shouldn’t matter in the long scheme of things. Please redirect my thoughts, my desires, my weakened commitment to stay on course for You through thick and thin. You allowed Your Son to die on Calvary just so that I may enjoy life eternally with You. There is no greater sacrifice than that. No greater way of showing Your love for me. Oh that I may now dedicate myself to that kind of devotion to You. Please be my ongoing Guide and Strength to achieve the goal of total dedication to You.

*Words underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com

Ready To Help, But….

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Christian, Faith, Righteousness1 Comment

Scripture: Isaiah 65.

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Isaiah 65:1-2 (NLT)
1 The LORD says, “I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’ to a nation that did not call on my name.
2 All day long I opened my arms to a rebellious people. But they follow their own evil paths and their own crooked schemes.

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

I believe that if I had not quoted the book and verses for the scripture, you may have thought that God was speaking to our nation today. The sad thing is friend that I believe God is speaking to our nation in very similar words today. Think about it, our churches are empty, with some having closed their doors due to lack of attendance. Mind you, attendance sharply increases when there is a disaster and fellow humans realize that they have no control over the situation. Far too often we place our relationship with God secondary to anything else that may come up and possibly give us earthly pleasure or financial gain. When I think of a nation who refuses to call on the Lord’s name, unfortunately I think of a people who expect all the gifts from God that He could possibly send their way, if He would be willing to send the gifts without too much commitment from them. I am so concerned about a people who looks to my God as a spiritual Santa Claus, not as a loving Father with whom we can have a real, meaningful, loving, caring, two-way relationship with. Following our own evil paths and schemes without allowing God to intervene and direct us is very dangerous and often leads to self-destruction. God loves us so much that He stands ready and poised to accept our hand and our plea for help. He will not force His way into our midst unwelcomed, we must invite Him and commit to follow His ways. Please reconsider your relationship with God today, won’t you?

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Lord Jesus, I am very much in need of Your leadership and direction today. Thank You for standing ready to help me as I seek Your face, for there are so many circumstances that I feel helpless in and so many decisions that I feel so unqualified to make. However, I know that just how You loved me enough to die on the cross for my sins, I believe that You will lovingly accept my hand outstretched to You today. Please lead me, guide me, direct my paths, teach me Your ways, lead me not into temptation, help me to put away childish and earthly thoughts and instead allow You to lead my every step. Please forgive me where I have been too selfish and proud to look to You first in everything. Please touch the lives of those that may read this devotional and feel equally as challenged by it as I was. Draw us close to You dear Lord.

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com
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Leadership Succession Tips

On By Ed AlgreenIn Christian, Listen to the Word of GodLeave a comment

Scripture: 1 Samuel 11-12.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

1 Samuel 12:23-25 (NLT)

23 “As for me, I will certainly not sin against the Lord by ending my prayers for you. And I will continue to teach you what is good and right. 24 But be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you. 25 But if you continue to sin, you and your king will be swept away.”

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

I feel like too often we tend to write people off our books, personally, if they chose someone else over us for a position, or if they chose someone else’s idea over ours. Examples I can think of: a). When a pastor leaves a church under pressure from the congregation; b). When the church decides to try another leader in a position that we have held for a while, or c). When we see a new leader doing well in a position that we previously struggled in. I believe that we can see that each of these scenarios point to the thought that ‘it’s all about me/us’, when we act in this fashion. In this passage of scripture Samuel explains to the people that they have gone about getting a new leader in a very selfish way, instead of praying to God and totally depending on Him to give them the right leader at the right time. What is commendable here, and what taught me a lesson here, is the way in with Samuel handled his exit. Although he proved to the people that God was displeased with the way they handled getting a new king, yet because of his total commitment to God, he knew that he couldn’t just slip totally out of the lives of the people. He promised that he would continue to pray for them, and that he would continue to teach them what is right and wrong. Another admiral thing that he reminded them was that as they become excited about their future with their new king, never to forget their past blessings. He also took one last opportunity to warn them that their continued sin will lead to their destruction and that of their new king. My church is planning our annual homecoming celebration, never forget our past! We are also praying towards God’s leadership in finding a new pastor to lead us, and if we find the best that God could offer us at this time, we must never forget our past blessings and lessons learned. Samuel showed us how to exit gracefully from leadership in a particular role and allow our successor to lead as God directs, because it is HIS work that must continue, not a particular outgoing leader, after all it’s not about me or you, it is all about God and our future destination with Him.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father, I pray for the boldness of Samuel, and the sincerity he had in his work for you and for seeing Your work continue unhindered, even under a new leader. He reminded me that it’s not all about me. It’s not all about a certain leader, but it’s all about You and Your kingdom. Please help me to never place myself in a position where I might tend to feel like Your work might fall apart if I leave a certain position, or if You show us that another brother is better equipped to serve in a position that I may hold, for all of this is unimportant in the final analysis. What is important is that I stay so closely in tuned with You and Your will for my life and the life of the church in which I serve, that You will have the freedom to work, whether through me or any other leader You may choose to bless us with in any manmade positions of the church today. The end result is that You be lifted up in all that we do, that Your presence and power never be hindered by anyone, and that we, Your people, clean up our act, stop sinning, and serve You faithfully in whatever we do as we proclaim Your Word.

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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How’s Your Reputation?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bold Confidence, Christian, Honesty, ObedienceLeave a comment

Scripture: 1 Samuel 8-9.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

1 Samuel 9:6 (NLT)

6 But the servant said, “I’ve just thought of something! There is a man of God who lives here in this town. He is held in high honor by all the people because everything he says comes true. Let’s go find him. Perhaps he can tell us which way to go.”

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

I know that we are not on this earth to make a name for ourselves, but at the same time I believe that we are known or remembered by our actions and our everyday lives. For some, this may mean that you will be known for the foolish decisions you made, for others it may mean that you always sought God’s face before making decisions so that you might follow His will for your life through the decisions you made. For some, this may mean that you will be known for the way that you put your mouth in gear without giving much thought to what you are saying, who you may hurt, or whether you would consider if this is something God would say, however others may be so prayed up that the Holy Spirit would work so diligently through them in everything they say and everything they do. For some, everyone might take what you have to say with ‘a grain of salt’ because you are so known for your lying and imaginative stories, while others may be known for being so honest in what they say that their friends will take what they say at face value, know that it is the truth and can be depended on. Friends, have you found yourself yet in the examples I have given? I believe that, with God’s help, most of us would endeavor to reach for the first option in each of the examples given. However, I also believe that old Satan is quick to pull at our strings and encourage us to be the conniving, lying, cheating individual he is. So it is imperative that we daily ask God to help us to stay true to Him in everything that we do and everything that we say. Let us ask for His guidance to respond appropriately when backed into a corner with decisions and or responses that may be unpopular. Remember that if we stand for anything that comes, or the expected answer just so that we may please the boss or be the popular one, we are really nothing at all. Samuel was known throughout the region for the stance that he took in everything, and he was held in high honor. How are you known in your family, in your church, or in your community? A man/woman of God, or anything but that? God is holy, and if we are to be like Him then we too must be holy, honest and true. I know nothing unholy, or untruthful or dishonest about my God. I pray that I will be known similarly, God being my helper.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

My prayer is that I will be known as one that consistently follows God and His commands. Trustworthy, dependable and filled with the Holy Spirit, seeking to live like Christ every day and in everything that I do or say. I acknowledge that this will require an intimate relationship with my Savior, as it is only through His strength that I can do these things, so father I am leaning on You for strength and guidance today and everyday so that You may shine and reign through me.

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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Do You Truly Believe?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Bible Believing, Listen to the Word of GodLeave a comment

Scripture: Luke 24.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

Luke 24:25-26 (NLT)

25 Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. 26 Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?”

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

We read God’s Word, we attend church and hear God’s Word taught and preached, yet when things around us happen as foretold in the Bible, we look to everyone and analyze everything, trying to understand how or why the things are happening. Too often I believe we do things like attending church or Bible study out of tradition or because of parent or peer pressure, not because we are truly practicing the teachings of the Word, or truly studying to be approved or knowledgeable in the Word. The difference is that unless we truly place our heart into the Word and seek to understand what the Word, or God, is saying to us then we honor the Word and honor God by truly following what is understood, then are merely going through the motions. I am reminded of a child who will say “yes mom, or yes dad, I understand” but as soon as mom or dad leaves the room the child returns to the same disobedient act that they were doing before they were corrected. Their heart was not changed by what they heard and learned, so they will continue to do it their way. When we listen to God through reading His Word, through the preaching of His Word, through the teaching in Bible Study, and we take that to heart, believe and follow what we have been reminded of or taught, then we will become the children of God that He is pleased with. Jesus told us in another place in Scripture that we must be as open to Him and teachable and obedient as little children. Kids take us at our word knowing that we are doing everything for their good. We too must realize and believe that God wants the very best for His children.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father I must pray yet another Scripture, “I believe, but please help my unbelief!” I am filled with Your Word through study, teaching and preaching. Please help me to truly apply it to my walk and therefore obey Your perfect will for my life. When I am convinced that You have answered my prayer and pointing me in the right direction, please help me to never seek to find other reasons or explanations for things, but to attribute and accept the things that You lead me into as Your divine and perfect will. I know that You are still God, I know that You love me as my very Father and that You will direct me through times that may seem questionable to me, but that will ultimately bring praise to You and that will be in my best interest. I have committed my faith and trust in You, now please help me to practice that each and every day. Lead me Lord!

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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