Category: Example

Your Customary Place

On 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: 14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Holy Spirit, and soon people across the region had heard news of Him. 15 He would regularly go into their synagogues and teach. His teaching earned Him the respect and admiration of everyone who heard Him.
16 He 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!

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!

Test Your Christianity

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Christian, Christianity, Example, Example of Christ, Genuine example of Jesus, Godly example, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Worship1 Comment

DATE POSTED Saturday, 2022-08-20
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 2 Corinthians 13:5
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: 5 Check up on yourselves. Are you really Christians? Do you pass the test? Do you feel Christ’s presence and power more and more within you? Or are you just pretending to be Christians when actually you aren’t at all?

APPLICATION: Paul had a purpose in asking this question of the Corinthian church. Some evangelists might ask this to invoke a spirit of personal examination into our spiritual condition, to see if there is a need for revival of a life dulled by the things of this world. But Paul was actually being accused of not doing the work the people felt like God sent him there to do. This still goes on in churches today, for church leaders are quick to blame the pastor when things are less than booming in church growth, in financial giving, and in satisfying to desires of the congregation. Wouldn’t it be interesting for our Father to sharpen the minds of the people to first examine themselves? Wouldn’t it be challenging for the church leaders to first examine themselves and their lack of sharing the love of Christ with everyone they meet? We should realize that Paul wanted the people to examine themselves and prove that they were worthy of the Kingdom of God. If they were, then credit should be given to the one(s) that shared Christ with them (Paul)! And not to tear him down for not doing everything they expected of him. Friends, I hope that Paul’s congregation accepted his challenge as an opportunity for self-examination before a holy and righteous God. But seeing that God included this in His Book of Instruction (the Bible), then we must assume that He wanted us to also perform a self-examination before God, and here lies the challenge. Why, we’ve been getting away with pulling the wool over the eyes of our Pastor, our Sunday School Teacher and church leaders for years. For we attend church regularly and we have the lingo down pat. But should we be forced to reconcile any difference in opinion with God, that might really present a problem. Here are some things that might help us self-examine our own Christianity: a). Are we truly in the faith or are we simply attending church with hopes that everyone will assume we are? b). Do we honestly have an intimate, daily and active relationship with Jesus? c). Do we have a love for holiness, or does it tend to interfere with our social life? d). Do we abhor, or hate, sin, or does that seem too hypocritical to us? e). Do we practice righteousness by loving the brethren, or does it still depend on who they are? f). Can a new Christian follow in our example – our righteousness? g). Have we truly separated ourselves from the world and the things of this world? h). Do we look and sound so much like Jesus, that the world often mistakes us for the Master? I believe that through His servant Paul, God is teaching us to evaluate ourselves on a regular basis, especially before we attempt to point fingers at another beggar who is also looking for the Bread of Heaven. Our Christian walk is not meant to impress others, it is intended to help others who are seeking Christ to find Him at work in us. Oh that we would never be a stumbling blook to some poor sinner looking for the Master. ‘May they see Jesus’, should be our persistent prayer!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: One beggar helping another beggar find bread! That should be the aim of every believer through their actions and their speech. If Christ resides inside of us, He will shine through in everything we do or say!

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You that You lived and died for our sakes. You created us to live as an example of all that You taught through Your wonderful Word. Others expect that and look for that when they want to know who You are. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable to You Oh Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Please Lord, draw us close to You, and encourage us to be Your church, Your followers and Your light in this dark world of sin. Let others see and experience You today as they encounter us in our normal walk of life. 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!

Follow My Example

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Evangelism, Example, Example of Christ, Genuine example of Jesus, Godly example, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Salvation, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Wednesday, 2022-06-01
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Corinthians 10:31-32; 11:1
TRANSLATION: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

BIBLE TEXT: 31 So if you eat, or if you drink, or if you do anything, do it for the glory of God. 32 Never do anything that might make other people do wrong…..
11 1 Follow my example, just as I follow the example of Christ.

APPLICATION: The more prevalent phrases we hear today is ‘Don’t follow me, for I’m also lost’ or ‘Follow Christ, for He is the only perfect One’ or ‘I’m a sinner saved by grace, just like you. So don’t follow me, but God’ But what if we brought up our kids like that? Wouldn’t they soon learn that they could do whatever they want, as long as they say the right thing? This would also be the case with pastors and church leaders, if they stood in our pulpits each weekend and told us what the Word of God says, but include the disclosure that we obey the sermon, not follow after what they do when not occupying the pulpit. Friends, Jesus said that He would only say what His Father told Him to say, and He would only do what God told Him to do. In becoming a ‘Christian’, believers are expected to follow Jesus’ example and look to God for all things, including what we say and do. But how do we do that, shall we stop and ask before we speak or before every action? That would be a great idea, but God has also made a few provisions for us, in order to help us follow in His example: For the child of God, we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us as our Guide, our Wisdom, our Protector and as a constant reminder that the Love is our God; through prayer – where God hears the cries of our heart, if only we will stop and talk to Him about our challenges and our need for help; and God inspired writers to pen His words so that we might know His will for our lives, and He gave us the invitation to read His Word so that the Holy Spirit might point us to all truth, wisdom and direction for our existence and for every thing that we do or say. If we are unfaithful in these things, I can assure you that the world is seeing more itself acted out through us. For this to be a better world, and to enable others to see Christ here on earth, it is incumbent upon us to be the hands a feet of Jesus. I feel strongly that before we hold up our Christian flag to tell others to whom we belong, then we need to insure that we hold no other hold on this world. We must be sold out to Jesus in order to show the world who He is and what He is capable of achieving through His earthly servants. This may be a work in progress until Jesus returns, but please be careful to not let Jesus down by showing the world only a partial and incomplete picture of who He truly is and what He stands for. Perhaps we should consider telling our unsaved friends, come follow me as I endeavor to follow Jesus every day, God being my helper. I encourage you to look closely at the proof of whose I am, and in seeing the evidence, trust in Him, just as I have done. Ask God to help you never mislead anyone, but that you are depending heavily on Him to show the world Jesus.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: I believe that if we stake our hope in Jesus Christ as Lord of our lives, and we depend on Him to guide us in the path that points to Him, through obedience we will be instrumental in pointing others towards the cross, and we could therefore comfortably invite others to follow us, as we follow Christ!

PRAYER: I wonder what our purpose on earth is, dear Lord, unless we are firm in our faith and can comfortably show others the way to eternal life. Please keep us focused on the cross, and on all that You have done for us so that our sins would be forgiven and our destination secured. Please teach us to share our faith, and may our actions and words speak so strongly that our words will be few. It is only what done for Jesus that will last and will matter. May our lives be worth the living because others saw the light of Jesus in us. 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!

Others Will See, Will They Believe?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Example, Genuine example of Jesus, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Worship1 Comment

DATE WRITTEN: Saturday, 2021-07-17
WRITTEN AT: Deming, NM

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 40:1-3
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: 1 I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. 3 He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.

APPLICATION: Life can sometimes be compared to the television show ‘Truth or Consequences’. You want others to believe you, but they could tell from a mile away that you are either pretending, or lying! In the Bible, we see many times where others tried to tempt and test Jesus, because they couldn’t believe He was who He said He was. There are times that I will deal with a store clerk, and I will walk away commenting to my wife: ‘did you gather that they were probably a child of the King?’ In those circumstances, I believe that David’s words come through as reality. In other shopping experiences one might encounter a very rude or obnoxious clerk, and guess what, you and I will evaluate them also. Generally we will probably comment that we wish they knew our Lord. But, what if they are a Christian and they are just having a bad day, or perhaps their relationship with the Lord is not where it should be? We might say ‘shame on them’, but what happens to us when we’re down and out; having a bad day; in a lot of pain; been hit with very disappointing news; etc. Are we still able to reflect Jesus? Friends, from one imperfect person to another, let me suggest that we take a hint from David: stay in communion with God; accept His refreshment each morning as you open His Word and take a mental and spiritual note of the new song He wants to place in your heart. Lay your burdens at His feet and ask for His guidance that day. Ask Him to work in you so that He will always be reflected in your attitude; your wisdom; your smile; your dealings with challenging customers; your sadness; your joy; and with those who are out to persecute you. A previous pastor had a note pasted on his pulpit at our church ‘Oh that they will see Jesus’. He tried to preach with that in mind. What if we tried to live with that in mind? It might make a difference in the life of an unbeliever! Always remember dear friends, others will see us, and they will draw their conclusions about us. Let’s be persistent in keeping Jesus at the forefront so that they will meet our Savior!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Many will see what God has done in our lives, and some may put their trust in the God we serve! Be persistent in your relationship with God. Let Him shine through everything that you do.

PRAYER:Lord Jesus, let me acknowledge that when others have a relationship with me, they see just another human being just like them. When they see the difference that You have made in my life, and how You impart Your truth through me every day life, they begin to see the effects of knowing Jesus as Lord and Savior. May others always see You Lord, even if they’re looking at plain old me. For knowing You personally will refresh their spirit and give them a new song to sing each day. It’s all about You Lord. If others see anything else than You, we are wasting our time and space here on earth. Only You can save a soul and lead them into the Kingdom of Heaven for all eternity. Please don’t ever let me mess that up for anyone. 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!

Live Daily Declaring ‘To Whom You Belong’

On By Ed AlgreenIn Evidence of Faith, Example, Example of Christ, Holy, Surrender2 Comments

Wednesday, 2019-10-09

Bible Reference: Ephesians 4:22-24
Translation: The Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Bible Text:  22 You were told that your foolish desires will destroy you and that you must give up your old way of life with all its bad habits. 23 Let the Spirit change your way of thinking 24 and make you into a new person. You were created to be like God, and so you must please him and be truly holy.

OBSERVATION: We are known to others by our actions, our character, our level of commitment and our love. Think about it, these are many of the same characteristics that they remember Jesus by! Unfortunately, these are also some of the same characteristics that others will identify us as being no different to anyone else, and therefore children of the world, and led by Satan. Jesus is righteous and holy, so if we are to be identified with Him, we must live in that manner. Meditate with me as we consider how all this is possible.

APPLICATION:  Evil people think evil, wicked things, so they live like evil, wicked people. Does your life show enough evidence of whose you are, that others will be convinced? When we surrender ourselves to someone, we generally release ourselves from the one to whom we were committed before. We become very miserable and confused when we detect any bleeding over of one allegiance into another. Think about it – when you marry someone and commit your life to that person, you are generally happy and living a blissful life together, until one of you start to reflect on an old flame, or perhaps another prospect that Satan has placed in your path. It just doesn’t work friend. The marriage is doomed to fail when this happens. Don’t you know then that the same thing happens in our walk with the Lord? Paul calls our mental escape from reality ‘foolish’, for we know that the minute we entertain a bad habit, it will pull us back into bad habits. The very moment that we give in to sin, we have taken our eyes off God, and it becomes easy for Satan to pull us back into his world. This is not abnormal for humans, that’s just the way we are designed. However, just as Paul teaches us in this scripture, we have an Advocate who is standing ready to help us overcome this weakness. It is the Spirit of the Living God that enters the believer, who helps us overcome our weaknesses and makes us into a new person. However, the Spirit does not take control of our will. We must willingly surrender ourselves to the Almighty God, and this is not just a one-time thing where you may have done so in a church service at a much earlier stage in your life. This is a daily surrender of your will to His will and His control. This is the only way that we can possibly expect to be like our creator. What a reminder in verse 24 – we were created to be like God – WOW! However the ending of that verse is also important, as it is the only way that we stand a chance of getting close to achieving this – we must strive to please God and to be truly holy, even as He is holy. When we live under the power and authority of the Holy Spirit, it will be evident to others when they come into contact with us.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for Your faithfulness to us, in spite of our weaknesses. Thank You for Your Word that teaches us the importance of living our lives to reflect our Master and our Lord, and for teaching us and warning us of the pitfalls that will distract us in our walk for You. Please continue to open our eyes and encourage our spirits so that we might be more determined than ever to live Godly lives, so that the lost might know that our Savior lives, and that Your love for them is unconditional, unlimited and available to them. I ask all this in the precious and all powerful name of Jesus, my Lord, AMEN!

What The Prophets Foretold

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

Saturday, 2019-09-21

Bible Reference: Luke 24:25-27
Translation: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

Bible Text: 25 Then Jesus said to the two men, “You are foolish and slow to realize what is true. You should believe everything the prophets said. 26 The prophets said the Messiah must suffer these things before he begins his time of glory.” 27 Then he began to explain everything that had been written about himself in the Scriptures. He started with the books of Moses and then he talked about what the prophets had said about him.

OBSERVATION: As I read these verses this morning, I believe that the Holy Spirit prompted me to prepare a response to Jesus, should He question why I am so downhearted over the destruction in Florida a year ago, and the more recent disaster in the Bahamas, because of hurricanes. I believe the natural response would be to question ‘Why, Lord?’. But I believe God is teaching us here that we should run to the Word of God and see what else is on the way for us. Meditate with me as we contemplate what the Word of God teaches us about everyday occurrences.

APPLICATION: As hurricane Dorian plundered around out in the Caribbean, I believe that most of us thought of it as having a motor and/or steering mechanism that would move it in a certain direction, and at chosen speeds. But I believe that God opened the eyes of this 65 year old, and finally showed me that this ‘bundle of wind’ is something moved around by the steering wind currents at the time. For just a quick moment, my mind wondered to question: then who controls the wind currents? Silly me, of course it is God who controls our wind currents, therefore God who steers the hurricanes. So the question remains: then why would God choose to steer the disastrous winds of a hurricane into the path of His people? Friends, the mystery of God is unknown to mankind, otherwise we might consider ourselves ‘God’. Think about this: In spite of what you may feel about why on earth was your challenging neighbor ever created, yet God, in His wisdom, not only created him/her, but also arranged that you two would wind up as neighbors! In spite of me being born in Long Island, Bahamas, brought up on the island of Eleuthera, and worked across several islands in the Bahamas, yet in 1987 God opened the doors for my wife and I to move to the United States of America. This, opened the doors to: 1) The adoption of our prized daughter; 2) My dad and sister-in-law being given another chance at life because of the medical professionals here; 3) My awesome job, that I am about to retire from, after 32 years; 4) Three wonderful churches that loved on us and allowed us to serve our Lord with them over our 32 years here; etc, etc. So would you remind me again why we should ever question God? Although my dad dreaded the idea of his oldest son leaving him in his old age, and move across the waters to another country, yet within 6 months of being in the US, and after he had received a stint in one of the vessels to his heart, he said to me ‘Now I can see what God was doing’. My dear friends, we need not question God, for He alone is God and His ways are far greater than our ways and above anything we could ever comprehend or imagine. Let me encourage you to saturate yourself with the Word of God. Meditate on it and allow it to fill your mind with the mind of Christ. Let it steer your thoughts, your decisions and your path, so that you will wind up in a place where God wants you, and not where you’ve always want to go. Depend on God to lead you and help you to understand His ways enough to be a blessing to someone else. People need the Lord, and it’s only when they look at you and see ‘Jesus’, that they might truly believe that He lives, because they could see Him living in you. It’s not about us friends, or about our material belongings. It’s about God, His Kingdom, and us being used by God to help win the lost from eternal death. Oh that we may praise God each and every day as we draw closer and closer to seeing Him face to face!

PRAYER: Lord, I feel like I may have gone off track from the referenced Scripture, but I pray that I could one day say like my dad did: ‘Now I could see what God was up to’! Lord, these devotionals are a testimony of Your wonderful grace and how You express Your unconditional love towards me in so many awesome ways. May others experience Jesus as they read these, and may they make decisions to draw close to You in their temporary walk here on earth, so that You may be glorified in all aspects of their life. AMEN!

God Provides

On By Ed AlgreenIn Example, Example of Christ, Exemplary LivingLeave a comment

Wednesday, 2019-01-02

Bible Reference: Genesis 1:29; Genesis 2:23-24
Translation: The Voice (VOICE)

Bible Text: Genesis 1:29 Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant that grows on the earth and every fruit-bearing tree. They will be your food and nourishment.
Genesis 2:23 Adam: At last, a suitable companion, a perfect partner. Bone from my bones. Flesh from my flesh. I will call this one “woman” as an eternal reminder that she was taken out of man. 24 Now this is the reason a man leaves his father and his mother, and is united with his wife; and the two become one flesh.

OBSERVATION: Being only day two into my read through the Bible again, there are two things that have already caught my attention. Not only are we reminded that God really did know what He was doing, but we could also regain faith in our doctors, because we could hear their words echoed, especially as we read the focal verses today. Having studied the Bible some already, I believe that these two things are just the beginning of many things to come where it is reinforced for us that God is the designer and maker of life and all that we need to live this life to its fullest!

APPLICATION: How many times have we been told by doctors that it’s the ‘junk’ that we are adding into our bodies that hurt us, and kill us prematurely. Yet we could see right from the beginning of God’s Word, that He provided the means for us to use in feeding these bodies He blessed us with. However, we have chosen to use our own intellect and feed ourselves anything but what God designed for us. Over and over I hear my doctor’s recommend that I put more fruit and vegetables into my diet. My sinful self considers that to be more steak; more ribs; more chocolate; more ice cream; etc, etc. So as I reflect on our first focal verse, I must ask myself what might I say to God at times like I’m facing right now with high cholesterol; heart disease; liver issues and other challenges that we know are impacted by our choice of foods not on God’s list. Should I ask for His healing of the body impacted by my deliberate variation from His design taught in Scripture? Or shall I ask for strength and wisdom to live as He designed? The other thing covered in our second set of focal verses, is the beautiful story of God’s creation of woman. He saw that Adam needed something to make his life complete, so He made the perfect mate for him. And since that time, oh the mess we have made of this. God also told us in verse 24 of Genesis 2, that He designed this union of man and woman to be apart from mom and dad. In other words, a totally separate family. Friends, our marriages are in in mess. Those with ties to the church, are as bad as those with no church affiliation at all. Do all of the issues originate because of a flaw in this one principle? I will leave that up to you to meditate on with God, because the issue is way bigger than I or any other ‘man’ could dare answer. However, I believe that God is reminding us from the very beginning of His Book of Instruction, that He created woman from man, so that he may have a helpmate, have a loving partner, and that together they could populate the earth like He intended. Can we do any, or all, of these things from the messes we have made of marriage or the family? I have shared two very ‘hot’ topics today. May I suggest that instead of trying to get me straight on any ways that you feel I may have misrepresented the truth of God’s Word on these topics, that you actually begin a study of your own on these topics. God may have some reasons for you reading this devotional today, as He may want to get your attention about these matters that may need attention in your own life, or He may want to use you to help others who are struggling in these areas of life. Try your best to avoid the distraction of my words, and seek after what God might have to say to you through these verses. I believe that you could agree with me that we have a serious problem in each of the two areas I believe God challenged us with today. Seek God for what He might have you do today in these areas of your life.

PRAYER: Lord God, thank You for so carefully thinking of everything that we need here on earth. Thank You for directing me to these two very important issues that You covered so well, right from the very beginning of time. Please help us to return to the basics of life, as You intended, so that we might more diligently serve You and represent You in a community void of Your teachings and Your example. We need You Lord. AMEN!

How To Build Up Your Lives

On By Ed AlgreenIn Acknowledge God, Attitude, Awesome God, Determined, ExampleLeave a comment

Thursday, November 22, 2918

Bible Reference: Jude 20-23
Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

Bible Text: 20 But you, dear friends, must build up your lives ever more strongly upon the foundation of our holy faith, learning to pray in the power and strength of the Holy Spirit. 21 Stay always within the boundaries where God’s love can reach and bless you. Wait patiently for the eternal life that our Lord Jesus Christ in his mercy is going to give you. 22 Try to help those who argue against you. Be merciful to those who doubt. 23 Save some by snatching them as from the very flames of hell itself. And as for others, help them to find the Lord by being kind to them, but be careful that you yourselves aren’t pulled along into their sins. Hate every trace of their sin while being merciful to them as sinners.

OBSERVATION: I can’t imagine any of us not wanting to build ourselves up! In this small, one chapter, book of Jude, he tells us that we should lean on our faith to build ourselves up. Sounds simple, but Jude goes on to share what the results might be if we truly tap into our faith in Christ. Well worth our time to meditate on this friends.

APPLICATION: God is speaking to us through His servant Jude, as we meditate on this brief, one chapter book. I believe it is very apparent that Jude is the brother of James, because just as we heard from James about how faith will lead to action, we also see that Jude is sharing that we can be encouraged and edified through our faith. However, as this occurs, we will see some changes starting to occur in our lives, such as: (1) We will make a concerted effort to stay right with God, so that we might soak in His goodness. The Scripture says that we will not want to find ourselves out of the reach of God’s love and goodness; (2) Stand in readiness of what’s in store for us. Imagine someone standing on a corner waiting for a bus. You can look at them and know that they are not just hanging around watching the cars pass by. We also should be a prepared people waiting in anticipation of our new home prepared just for us, with our Master – our Lord and Savior, as the loving host! (3) Our demeanor should be such that, armed with the power of the Holy Spirit, we will be able to help those poised to argue. Imagine the change in attitude from our ‘old’ selves when we had to counter their arguments! (4) We will be more merciful to those who doubt. Remember, before Christ, how obnoxious we got with those same individuals? We can thank God every day for softening hardened hearts with rotten attitudes. (5) With God’s grace, we will see the urgency to save the lost. I love this translation that tells us to get serious about snatching some from the very flames of hell. And then (6) We will see such value in loving the sinner, but hating the sin. This is especially hard for humans, who generally feel like they have everything in life together. But let’s also remember that we are now a new people in Christ – The only One that truly has all things perfectly put together!      Friends, I believe that we could easily see from this Scripture today that all things are possible – through Christ. I believe that our hearts should also be challenged into realizing that if we are still trying to do life like we have always done, then perhaps we need to truly ask Jesus into our heart, for these changes will only occur by His grace and through His power alone. Let me encourage you today to know Christ, and know the peace, love and understanding that Jude shared with us today.

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for saving my soul, thank You Lord for making me whole, thank You Lord for giving to me, Thy great salvation so rich, so blessed, so full and free. I need thee every hour, blessed Lord. Hear my cry and change my heart, my attitude and my will. For those who will read this devotional today and can’t imagine the joy that fills my soul, please help them to see You precious Lord, and have a desire to know You personally, so that You may work miraculously in their lives also. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog 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 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!

The Tongue, Capable of Praises and Curses.

On By Ed AlgreenIn Control your tongue, Curses, Example, Example of Christ, Genuine example of Jesus, Godly example, Praise, Praise-worthy, TongueLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   James 3:7-10 (TPT)

TEXT:  7 For every wild animal on earth including birds, creeping reptiles, and creatures of the sea and land have all been overpowered and tamed by humans, 8 but the tongue is not able to be tamed. It’s a fickle, unrestrained evil that spews out words full of toxic poison! 9 We use our tongue to praise God our Father and then turn around and curse a person who was made in his very image! 10 Out of the same mouth we pour out words of praise one minute and curses the next. My brothers and sister, this should never be!

OBSERVATION:   Isn’t it amazing when you visit a zoo, or a marine park, to see how man has been successful in taming and training almost any animal? From the smallest to the largest, they aim to please man, and do what he has trained them to do! However, as our Scripture reminds us today, let’s direct our attention to mankind and find someone who could train one of the smallest parts of the human body, the tongue. It is impossible to find that trainer who could accomplish such a feat. Let’s have a closer look at this today and try to understand why God found it so important to include this teaching in His Word for us!

APPLICATION:   There was once a trial where the defendant was found guilty of multiple murders. When asked why he did these atrocious crimes, the defendant told the judge that it was because ‘the devil made me do it’. Why then do we say some of the hateful, or hurtful, or dishonoring things that we do? Then with the same tongue, sing such beautiful, awesome praises to our King with such meaningful intent, melodious tones and harmonious sounds? The innocent, and those void of Scriptural understanding, may question: how could this possibly be? Matthew 12:34 and Luke 6:45 tells us that the mouth will speak what the heart is full of. So instead of examining the value, or the threat/danger of the tongue, it seems to me that we should concentrate on, and examine the heart of a person. An example of this was portrayed in a real-life scenario from my past. A new pastor came to our church, and to everyone’s shock, he wound up getting along best with an individual who often ran people off because of his words that were often blurted out before he took time to think about it. When asked for the secret to his success in this situation, the new pastor responded that he simply looked at the heart of the person. For in spite of the words that spewed from the mouth of the individual, they had a heart of gold for God and His church. Wow! Wouldn’t that practice help us solve a lot of issues around our churches, and even our lives in general, if we practiced that philosophy? Friends, I would dare say that many of the issues that cause church division, family divisions and falsely judging another person, comes from the crazy things that are uttered from the mouths of ‘saints’ at times. Please allow me to suggest that we look inwardly and correct the inner man first. In other words, allow God’s Word to invade us, and attack our judgmental attitudes, and fill our hearts with a desire to read His Word often, and very carefully compare our personal thoughts and actions with those expected of us by our King. If we work on ‘self’, and encourage others to do the same, it is easy to see that there won’t be a need for us to interfere and try to correct someone else! As we allow God sincere control of our lives, He will do the correcting of bad habits and a gossiping tongue!

PRAYER:   Precious Lord, I believe that Your Word hit on the most challenging thing that impacts the witness of Your church, and that causes the unbeliever to block us out when we try to share Your love with them. Please Lord, again today, reach into our hearts and make us concentrate on what is worthy, loving, true, pure and filled with Your grace. You loved us enough to actually die for our sin. We have a full time responsibility to praise You, thank You, and love You, so much that our lives would exemplify You in everything we do or say. Please let us concentrate on building You up, and not tearing others down. 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!

A Prayer for Each Other

On By Ed AlgreenIn Encourage, encouragement, Encourager, Example, Example of Christ, Genuine example of Jesus, Godly example, True witnessesLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   Hebrews 13:20-21 (ERV)

TEXT:  20-21 I pray that the God of peace will give you every good thing you need so that you can do what he wants. God is the one who raised from death our Lord Jesus, the Great Shepherd of his sheep. He raised him because Jesus sacrificed his blood to begin the new agreement that never ends. I pray that God will work through Jesus Christ to do the things in us that please him. To him be glory forever. Amen.

OBSERVATION:   The Bible teaches us everything we need for right living, and in line with God’s commands for us. In this last chapter of Hebrews, we are taught what’s really important in the life of the believer in Jesus Christ, and we are therefore given great direction on how best to pray for our Brother and/or our Sister. Let’s examine this guidance so that we might pray scripturally for others.

APPLICATION:   What I found extremely interesting in these verses is that we are taught to really pray great blessings on each other, but as we look closely at the ‘so that’ we will see that these prayers are not just to make us look righteous to the church, or in our community, but rather to glorify Christ. I had a pastor who wore a handsome looking suit for the first time, on a Sunday morning. After his sermon, he received so many compliments on his new suit that he promised never to do that again, because it was obvious that his congregants paid more attention to his new suit than they did to the message God gave him to deliver! Sounds funny, but anytime we do, or say, something that glorifies or promotes our own self worth, we have totally missed the point of promoting Christ. I love the beginning of these verses, for it demands that we pray that our Brother or Sister would have every good thing they need. Isn’t that about the best thing you could pray for someone? But notice that there is not a period after that phrase, but instead goes on to give the ‘so that’, and that the purpose of such a prayer is not for the benefit of making your object of prayer the best person in the congregation, community or workplace, but rather for the benefit of doing what God wants. So an example of this might be that you may very well pray that someone be enriched with wisdom, or perfect discernment, but for the one who loves God and seeks to please Him in everything, that may not be for the sake of choosing the right numbers and winning the lotto, but rather, it may bless them with the aptitude to serve on an important team at church in which God is looking to draw people unto Himself in an unusual and miraculous way. You have no idea how God will use that person for His glory, but as you pray in accordance with what God has laid on your heart, be content in knowing that God will bless so that His perfect will might be achieved. The other part of that wonderful prayer is that you will find reason to glorify your heavenly Father for listening to the prayer of His humble servant to achieve His greatness! The last part of verse 21 is also achieved in my example, for God used His blessing to you, to accomplish His work, for His glory. I believe that the awe in these verses for us, is that when we pray for the benefit of God’s glory, we will see our prayers answered, but we will also see gratified hearts through the blessings of God on us and those we pray for. So pray to the Father, through His Son, for His ultimate glory, and for the uplifting and blessings of the one we are praying for.

PRAYER:   Dear God, thank You for the many friends You have blessed me with, and for those You have placed in a position to guide me, manage me, and encourage me. Please bless each of these richly today, so that Your glory might shine through them and bring even more praise to You by multiple others. Please help us to live holy and upright lives, so that Your presence in our lives will shine through every word and every action. People need the Lord more today than ever before. Use us Lord to be You light and Your encouragement to them. 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!