Our Faithful God

On 2023-03-152023-03-15 By Ed AlgreenIn A Lamp unto My Path, Adoration, Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Awesome God, Beyond Description, Blessing, Celebrate God, Faithful, Needs, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED: Wednesday, 2023-03-15
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 145:14-16; 20
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁴The Eternal sustains all who stumble on their way. For those who are broken down, God is near. He raises them up in hope. ¹⁵All eyes have turned toward You, waiting in expectation; when they are hungry, You feed them right on time. ¹⁶The desires of every living thing are met by Your open hand.
²⁰All of you who love God – He will watch out for you, but total destruction is around the corner for all the wicked.

OBSERVATION: I often wonder how my family and friends without Christ must get along in life without the peace of God and the reassuring power of the One who created and operates this whole universe. For I am so content in knowing that my God reigns, and He is able to do more than we could every see or imagine. What a comfort to know Jesus as my Savior and to know that I could turn off the ‘worry’ button and just let Him have His way in our lives. What a faithful God we serve!

APPLICATION: Just in case we might be wavering on who our God is, or whether He is able to do all that He says in His Word, I find it comforting that the Psalmist penned the words in Psalm 145! For I believe that he was able to speak from personal experience and personal encounters with our awesome God! Be reminded of some key elements that the Holy Spirit promoted David to share about the faithfulness of his/our God:

He sustains us when we stumble. This is especially interesting as I sit with older relatives who suffer from stumbling. Imagine still being able to continue on, knowing that our strength comes from the Lord! He sustains us even when, humanly, we tend to stumble. That’s our awesome God!
When we fall and feel unable to get back up, God is near, and He shows His presence by giving us strength to rise with the hope of moving forward knowing that God is by our side.
He feeds us, right on time. No worries about where the money will come from for groceries, or whether the store/restaurant is open, God will provide right on time. And God takes responsibility for mankind, and His precious animals as well. Imagine the thought of God opening His hand and allowing His creation to simply meet their needs! Wow!

But, less we become complacent and begin thinking that this awesome God will just care for everyone and show complete mercy on everyone – regardless of their decisions, actions, mindset, etc. We must also see in verse 20 that David reminds us that total destruction will come to the wicked. Friends, please be reminded that unless you accept the Lord Jesus as your Lord and Savior, your final destination will be eternal destruction in Hell with Satan. This is so opposite to what the believer in Jesus Christ can expect, but we serve a very just God. He will do what He promised, no matter the ties that bind the unbeliever with the believer.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: The desires of every living thing are met by the open hand of God! Oh what a Savior!

PRAYER: Lord You are God, and beside You there is no other. In our world today we find so many different religions and often their teaching will be so different that we might wonder how many gods there are. However, David reminds us of the One True God who will respond in one of two ways, depending on our decision regarding His Son. We enjoy heaven on earth, if we have accepted Jesus as Lord. However, for those who chose to ignore Jesus, they will not only experience Hell here on earth, but they will encounter more of the same, and even worse after death. The response for mankind appears obvious, but it seems almost impossible for some to believe, trust and accept. Open our eyes Lord, that we may see, glimpses of You like that explained by David. Please teach us to follow Your will so that we may enjoy Your promises of life eternally around the feet of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for all eternity. 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 Out Your Faith Through Love

On 2022-09-052022-09-05 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Evidence of Faith, Faith, Faithful, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Monday, 2022-09-05
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Galatians 5:1-2; 5-6;
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹ At last we have freedom, for Christ has set us free! We must always cherish this truth and firmly refuse to go back into the bondage of our past. ² I, Paul, tell you: If you think there is benefit in circumcision and Jewish regulations, then you’re acting as though Christ is not enough.
⁵ But we have the true hope that comes from being made right with God, and by the Spirit we wait eagerly for this hope. ⁶ When you’re joined to the Anointed One, circumcision and religious obligations can benefit you nothing. All that matters now is living in the faith that works and expresses itself through love.

APPLICATION: I believe that many Christians who, when they find Jesus and accept Him as Lord, are guided into the path of righteousness by church members to help them live according to the teachings and practice of Jesus. Hopefully these new Christians receive Biblical instruction on why these things are recommended and why the church adopted these practices as part of their teachings. Otherwise, new believers could wind up telling their friends that these additional practices are required in order to secure their position with Christ. One of the things in particular that Paul found in his church was that, through tradition, Jews still insisted on the need for circumcision. While that particular medical procedure is still practiced today, it is performed for medical, or hygiene purposes, but in most Christian churches it is not mentioned in their by-laws or beliefs as a requirement by the church. Paul warns us that we must be careful not to attach any church or theological practices that are man-made or man-designed, as something additional that is required for one to believe on the Lord Jesus. The grace of Jesus is enough – all-sufficient for saving mankind from sin. Please always remember that Jesus came, died, and rose again, so that in our believing on Him, we might demonstrate His death on the cross – by us dying to our sin. And rise again in newness of life in Jesus, just as He did in His resurrection! We could never do enough good or be good enough of on our own accord to enter the gates of heaven – it is through the grace (undeserved favor) of God that we simply call on Jesus and tell Him how we believe He is the Son of God who died for our sin. He is enough dear friends! He has done the work already! He said He would accept us and forgive us of our sin, and we could go to the bank with that. So, I believe that it behooves Christians to really be careful in what we tell others about their obtaining eternal life. Just as we could never be good enough, let’s be careful to not burden those that need Jesus with a list of prerequisites. They can’t clean up their lives first, because they don’t have a Savior who will help them clean up the mess. Your church may require baptism for membership, but it is not a prerequisite for salvation. There is nothing, or no one else in whom we can be saved – only through accepting the gift or eternal life from Jesus alone and all that He did at Calvary for the forgiveness of our sin. I love the way that Paul described life after accepting Jesus – it will be evident through our love for others that Jesus is Lord of our life, and that the Holy Spirit who lives within the believer, is promoting love at every opportunity! I wonder – does the world see a child of God when they look at us? May our output be obvious proof of the love we received when we invited Jesus into our life!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Our input – the genuine acceptance of the love of Jesus as our Savior, will produce the output that God is looking for in His children- love for one another!

PRAYER: Thank You Lord Jesus for this reminder today! I pray that each reader and listener will join me, as together we look into the eyes of Jesus and thank Him for the opportunities given to us every day where we have the choice to love one another. It is so easy to complain about the sin of others and their failures in life, but it’s only through the grace of God that we overcome that weakness each day. God’s grace is greater than all our sin, our actions and even our bad language. But Lord, as a child of the King, we have every confidence that You will be our shield and protector against the evil of this world, as You work through Your holy Spirit in guiding us to all truth, happiness and joy in the Lord. You are our Lord and we adore You, faithful Lord. May that be obvious to the world as we strive to imitate You each and every day. AMEN!

God’s Faithfulness is Irrevocable

On 2022-04-102022-04-10 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Faithful, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Sunday, 2022-04-10
WRITTEN AT: Astatula, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Romans 11:29; 2 Timothy 2:13
TRANSLATION: Amplified Bible (AMP)

BIBLE TEXT: ²⁹For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable [for He does not withdraw what He has given, nor does He change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call].
¹³If we are faithless, He remains faithful [true to His word and His righteous character], for He cannot deny Himself.

APPLICATION: I’ve heard people say it before, and perhaps you may have thought this also: ‘She’s just like her mother’, or ‘He’s just like his father’! In other words, often people will predict what we will say, or what we will do, based on their knowledge of our parents! Could you possibly use that theory with God? Consider what He did for the Israelites, and just imagine what He still does for His children today! Think about the disappointment God must feel when His minister of the Gospel allows sin to enter his life and causes many to stop attending church altogether, and possibly even wander away from the Lord. Think about any of us who claim to know Jesus Christ as Savior, yet we attend places; uses words; or acts in ways; that are no different to those who never met Jesus Christ. As God’s representative, Moses was dealing with a crowd who were blessed beyond words or imagination, but yet they often returned to their old way of life in worshipping idols and complaining about the goodness of God. But here they were, about to occupy a land, that we would critically say, they didn’t deserve. However God promised the land of milk and honey, and He promised that He would clear the way for them to occupy the land already prepared by citizens who were much bigger than them and had more means to whip them in battle. Sounds like more than they deserved, right? Well, try to remember that God had promised all this to their oldest ancestors, and as our Scripture reminds us today, God would never retract on His promise. He would never change His mind. Dear friends, if you are reading this devotional today and have drifted away from a relationship you once committed to Jesus Christ, please use this as a reminder that He is a God of love, and One that would never change His mind about you, even if you let Satan distract you from the presence of Jesus Christ. So please don’t allow Satan to give you an excuse to wonder; a reason to reject God’s plan for you; a distraction from entering into the presence, and wonderful grace of our awesome Savior, who will never turn His back on you. Let’s try to always remember God’s faithfulness, and therefore aim, with His help, to always be faithful to Him.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: God remains faithful! Oh that we would learn to do teh same!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You have been faithful through every generation and through every circumstance of life, even when things don’t seem to go our way. Thank You for showing us the right way, and thank You for always being faithful, even if we are faithless. Please encourage the Christian who feels like they are ashamed to return to You, because of their straying away from You. May they be reminded that nothing has changed with You, for You will always remain faithful to Your own. Unbelievers will be encouraged by this today, so I plead with You to melt their hearts of stone and draw them to Yourself. AMEN!

Trusting our Faithful God

On 2021-10-152021-10-14 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Faithful, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Trust, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Friday, 2021-10-15
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Samuel 9:17-20
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁷Samuel looked at Saul, and the Lord told Samuel, “This is the man I told you about. He’s the one who will rule Israel.”
¹⁸Saul went over to Samuel in the gateway and said, “A man who can see visions lives here in town. Could you tell me the way to his house?”
¹⁹“I am the one who sees visions!” Samuel answered. “Go on up to the place of worship. You will eat with me today, and in the morning I’ll answer your questions. ²⁰Don’t worry about your donkeys that ran off three days ago. They’ve already been found…..

APPLICATION: This is an intriguing story of the power of our God, and His wisdom through mankind. So I encourage you to read the whole chapter as you look for the ways God spoke to, and used Samuel, and how He directed Saul in the path he should go so that God’s plan might materialize. I was totally blown away as I watched both sides of the plan unfold! I’m sure that reading this chapter while I am right in the middle of some very shocking news that could only unfold by the powerful touch of our miracle-working God, made a huge impact on me. But in sharing this, I believe that many of my readers may identify with, and be encouraged by, this story, knowing that they are heavily dependent on God at this time for a deep concern that only a miracle from God can resolve. Friends, anything that is bigger than us, or our abilities to resolve, is huge in our eyes, and seem impossible to us. However, for those who believe in God – the One who created the world and everything that’s alive in it. The One who parted the waters to form dry land for His people to escape an oncoming army. The One who made the blind man see again, the dead man to rise from the dead again and the crippled to walk again. That God! He is our Almighty God and He sent His very own Son, Jesus, to be our eternal Savior! Just as this God showed Samuel who would be the king of Israel, and just as He directed Saul into the presence of Samuel, He also gave our forefathers confidence to trust in His timeless and endless truth, and He has promised to be our God for all eternity! Knowing all this dear friends, can you think of any good reason why you shouldn’t place your full faith and trust in Him? Why worry when You can trust God in everything? Why the concern, when God knows what tomorrow will bring or if that son or daughter will survive the cruelty of all this world bombards them with? Won’t you join me in trusting God for ALL things today? He promised that He would never leave us alone, and I believe that with all my heart, soul and mind. But perhaps today a Brother or Sister might be seeing impossible roadblocks that makes them doubt that promise. We need strength and encouragement from each other when we are feeling weak. Let’s look for the opportunities that God is sending our way, and be bold in our faith. Let’s learn to trust in God and depend on His unending grace.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: All things work together for goo, to those who place their faith and trust in the God of this universe! He did it for Samuel and the Israelites, and He will do it for us. Nothing is impossible with God!

PRAYER: Those things that seem impossible in our eyes, can be changed by just a word from the Master of this universe. Thank You precious Lord for accepting me as a son of the Most Hight God! Praise God for all that you did for Samuel, and for guiding Saul so that he could fulfill his purpose. Many things in this old life here on earth seem impossible to us, but praise be to God, we are children of the God who specializes in the impossible! Lord, please renew our confidence in You each day, so that we might learn to trust You fully in all the things of earth. Please use us for Your great purpose oh Lord so that those we come into contact with might be drawn to You. AMEN!

Made Right With God Through Faith

On 2021-08-292021-08-29 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Faith, Faithful, Faithfulness, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Trust, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Sunday, 2021-08-29
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Hebrews 11:6-7
TRANSLATION: Easy-To-Read Version (ERV)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁶Without faith no one can please God. Whoever comes to God must believe that he is real and that he rewards those who sincerely try to find him.
⁷Noah was warned by God about things that he could not yet see. But he had faith and respect for God, so he built a large boat to save his family. With his faith, Noah showed that the world was wrong. And he became one of those who are made right with God through faith.

OBSERVATION: Can you imagine the mockery that Noah experienced during construction of the ark? Even more so when he boarded animals of all sorts, and his family, on the ark while it was high and dry in the middle of the land? Yet his faith remained strong! God still directs His people today, and we must have faith to trust Him as He sets our agenda, taking into consideration all that’s ahead for us. How’s your faith? Will you trust Him today, even if you’re mocked by others?

APPLICATION: In this chapter of Hebrews we see where faith in God brought new life, new concepts and new miracles to all who believed in Him. In the example shown in verse 7, Noah had faith to believe God that He would send something to the earth for the very first time – ‘rain’. In fact he went further by believing that God would send so much rain that the whole earth would be flooded, so he set out to build a boat that would protect the lives of he, his family, and all types of animals. There are many that God has sent us to minister to, but they be challenge us by saying that we must be nuts to believe that Jesus died, and actually arose from the dead. While others may actually want us to pray when their loved one is sick or possibly dying. The faith expressed in each case may vary widely, yet you are expected to stand firm in your faith, while God works on those you meet. Faith – what is it to some folk? They will say they have no faith in God, because they can’t see Him. Yet they fill their gas tanks in their cars, and although they never see the gas or the tank, some gauge inside tells them how much is in their tank, and they have faith to believe that! Friends, God proves Himself to us in many ways, and for those who will trust Him, because they have faith in His existence; His promises; and His all powerful hand; we all can look forward to all that He has in store each and every day. Faith means that we are to believe in the God who has everything planned out for us, and although we cannot see these things, we are to believe that God is working all things out for our good. As we place our faith and trust in the One who loved us enough to sacrifice His life for us, and as we place our faith in the One who promised to never leave us alone, and faith in the One who promised that He has prepared a place for us, so that we may rule and reign with Him while worshiping our blessed Lord, then we will know that each day will be filled with anticipation of all that God has in store for us, to bless us, to love on us, and to provide encouragement for us to continue living for Him until He returns to take us home! God has so much in store for His precious children! Through faith we can rest assured in knowing that we are in good and faithful hands! Praise the wonderful name of Jesus!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Although limited by natural sight, we must rest confidently in our faith, knowing that God has everything under His perfect control!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, we have no reason to doubt Your love for, and Your almighty power towards, Your children. Knowing that You can do ALL things, just as you have already proven to us, gives us faith to place our full trust in You. Please strengthen is when there is unbelief and doubt. Please touch the lives of those that have chosen to ignore the mighty works of our King. Lord, I’m sure that each day will bring its challenges and that we will need you more each and every day Please help us to stay strong in our faith, and to always stay connected to You in everything. You are our awesome God – One that we can place full faith, trust and deliverance in. AMEN!

The Faithful Love of God – Name The Ways

On 2021-06-212021-06-21 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Faithful, Faithfulness, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Monday, 2021-06-21
WRITTEN AT: Villa Ridge, MO

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 36:5-7
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁵Your love, O Eternal One, towers high into the heavens. Even the skies are lower than Your faithfulness. ⁶Your justice is like the majestic mountains. Your judgments are as deep as the oceans, and yet in Your greatness, You, O Eternal, offer life for every person and animal. ⁷Your strong love, O True God, is precious. All people run for shelter under the shadow of Your wings.

APPLICATION: David had such a way in describing his love for God, and in the case of today’s Scripture, describing God’s faithfulness. I believe when folk say today that they love someone to the moon and back, they are actually trying to mimic David in his descriptions. He told God that his faithfulness were higher than the skies! Wow, it just doesn’t get any higher than that! But David went on to try and improve on that by telling his awesome God that His justice, or His fairness, is majestic as the mountains. When you look at a land mass, nothing is greater to look at than a majestic mountain climbing thousands of feet into the sky. We sometimes see the clouds floating below the mountain peak, so it is very high in the sky, and David considered God’s justice that awesome! God’s judgments are well thought out and serves the purpose of calming, or taming even our deepest fears. I love, love, love the last idea – that in spite of God’s judgments, yet He offers love and protection to animals and to each of us. His protection is something that we run to in times of storms and when trouble is brewing. Our God’s protection is such that we feel we It’s something we feel like we could hide under, like under the protection of His wings, and know that in spite of our past, in spite of our ugly thoughts and actions, yet He will always be our comfort, our protection and our Savior from all that the world burdens us with. Safe in the arms of Jesus is where I want to be! I hope that each reader may have a similar desire, for it is only there that we are completely safe and secure, plus we are loved unconditionally by Him! So taking us back to my introduction, how would you answer the question about how has God been faithful to you? Can you convince a friend that His faithfulness is from everlasting to everlasting, and worth it all?

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Your strong love, O Lord, is precious, and it is something that we are all assured of when we know that we have surrendered lordship of our lives to Him.

PRAYER: Our ancestor, and Your ancestor shared the value he saw in Your faithfulness, and how awesome that gift was to him. Praise God, You have not changed, oh Lord, for Your faithfulness is still beyond our comprehension but appreciated more than life itself. Thank You Father for Your unfailing love. Your faithfulness endures forever, and is beyond measure. Thank You for the gift of eternal life! Please continue to speak humbly to those who have yet to accept that gift. May we all be ready when the Father decides on the moment of Your return to take Your church home. AMEN!

Knowing When God’s Commands Overrule

On 2021-03-09 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Faithful, Needs, Obedient, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Sunday, 2021-03-07
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Exodus 1:15-17
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁵Pharaoh, Egypt’s king, called for some of the Hebrew midwives. Their names were Shiphrah and Puah.
Pharaoh: ¹⁶Listen closely. Whenever you are looking after a Hebrew woman who is in labor and ready to deliver, if she gives birth to a son, then kill the baby. If it is a daughter, then allow her to live.
¹⁷But the midwives respected God more than they feared Pharaoh, so they did not carry out the Egyptian king’s command. Instead, they let all the boys live.

OBSERVATION: My first subject for today read ‘First Abortions Ordered By The King’. I found it satisfying that God ordained it in the minds of Shiphrah and Puah that it is wrong to kill another human whom He created. I could only pray that as we study the Word today, we will gain even more incentive to pray for more people like these two women who chose to obey God, in spite of the commands from the highest authority on earth. Today we know this as abortion and it is exactly that same type of murder. May God grip the hearts of today’s midwives and doctors.

APPLICATION: I know that this is a very controversial issue in today’s society, but one challenge of reading through God’s Word is that you will find a variety of subjects. It is up to us if we choose to skip some and apply the rest, but personally I believe that the Book was provided for our guidance in life to ultimately lead us to the cross of Calvary. As a reminder, sin is not allowed in Heaven, and if we disobey God, it is sin. Praise God, I am looking forward to kneeling at His feet in heaven one day soon, and I pray that each reader of this devotional will be challenged to that same truth each and every day that you are alive. While blessed with life here on earth, we each have a daily challenge to either believe in and obey God’s Word, or follow the crowd in doing what they do, even if it is sin. It is very challenging to obey God, for it often causes one to stand out, for His Word often contradicts what the world feels is OK. I could go on to give loads of examples, but for the child of God, we have access to the playbook. In God’s Word you will find direction, and answers to, every walk of life. Furthermore, God sent a part of Himself, the Holy Spirit, to live inside of the Christian to Help us in determining right from wrong, and also direct us towards the risen Christ – daily. So we would be hard pressed to give the excuse of ‘oops, I didn’t know that’s against God’s will’. There are some funny expressions that arise from movies, but one of them applies here: ‘I knew it was wrong, but I doed it anyway’. This might be because we want to remain ‘cool’ with our peers, or we don’t want to stand out like a sore thumb, etc. Jesus lived a very challenging life while here on earth, and we can’t expect our time here to be much better than His. So yes, living the Christian life comes with its challenges. However, for the person who wants to remain true to the God who sacrificed His only Son for our salvation, then we will seek His help to keep us strong in difficult times; to heal us when hard-pressed with challenging health issues; with giving us the power to say ‘no’ to sin; and the power to overcome evil, even if it appears like ‘fun’ in our worldly eyes. In the verses following our quoted Scripture, we are told that these midwives were blessed richly because of their stance in doing the godly thing, even after being ordered by the king to do otherwise. I can only imagine that there are probably great books written with loads of rich blessings by doctors of today who have stood their Biblical grounds for not doing an abortion, or moms who chose to raise a child under very difficult circumstances, but lived to see that child become a very prominent citizen who she was very proud of. Friends, it’s still wrong to kill an unborn or newly born child, and I believe that there are still multitudes of blessings awaiting for those who overcome the temptation and instead trust in God to help them through the battles of life while obeying His commands.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You sacrificed Your life for our salvation. Thank You! Please give us strength to overcome the feeling that we need everything done our way, even when, at times, we know that may involve actions that do not align with Your Word. You went to the extreme to show Your love for us, please help us to always do our best in living our utmost for Your highest honor. Oh that we may always stay strong like the midwives mentioned in our Scripture today. For there is no greater peace than to be obedient to to You, Faithful God, even when the pressure is terribly on us by the world around us. You blessed the midwives, and I sincerely believe that You will bless us in our faithfulness. Thank You Lord Jesus. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog at https://NuggetsFromGodsWord.org 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 or listening to this devotional, please go to 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. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and see all of my posts, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. 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!

Faith Is….

On 2020-10-092020-10-08 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Faith, Faithful, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2020-10-08
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: Hebrews 11:1-3
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead. ²Men of God in days of old were famous for their faith. ³By faith—by believing God—we know that the world and the stars—in fact, all things—were made at God’s command; and that they were all made from things that can’t be seen.^[a]

OBSERVATION: Too often I believe we use the word ‘Faith’ without giving it a lot of thought. We might say to someone struggling financially: ‘just have faith my friend’. Do You know, or does your friend really know, what you meant by that? In our Scripture today we are not only reminded of what Faith is, but we are also given some awesome examples. Meditate with me!

APPLICATION: Although I love the example in verse 3 that you may have already read, further in chapter 11, we are reminded of the faith of Noah. He was blessed with a meeting with God and he was told that there would be a flood coming that will wipe out life on earth as it was known at that time. To help cement the idea, Noah was told the exact material he should use to build a huge boat – an ark. He was given the measurements and all of the finer detail. But here is where ‘faith’ came into the picture:
1. Rain was a brand new item for Noah and other inhabitants – So imagine Noah trying to wrap his mind around the idea of a flood! Imagine building a huge boat on dry land, and being confident that it would one day float out of that valley!
2. The jeering by the townspeople – Day after day Noah would work on the ark. Week after week, month after month and year after year Noah labored over building this huge boat, while sharing with his neighbors about this word given to him by God. Over a period of 120 years, some were born and actually died, while all the while hearing Noah talk about this flood that would hit them one day. My friends, Noah had a lot of faith to battle with the locals, while working endlessly to complete a very big boat, and keeping his mind focused on the idea of a strange phenomenon, ‘rain’ actually coming down in torrents one day;
3. His family, and a couple of every animal type would be saved – Can you imagine the questions you would have for God? Food; Water; Disposing of waste; Exercise for humans and animals; Will this boat even float? However, Noah’s faith never wavered!
Friends, God has given you and I unique information that requires our faith in action. I had a relative say to me: ‘As smart as you are, how could you possibly think that Jesus arose from the dead? That’s unheard of. For you to stay dedicated to the church, while expecting Jesus to return one day – are you for real?’ Now let’s go back to verse 1 in our Scripture for the meaning of faith: ‘It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead.’ Additionally, let’s consider why we believe that God exists, and if we can trust what He said in His Word. I believe with very high assurance, we can know without a doubt that God exists, and that He has already proven His Word to us, so there is no reason to start doubting it now. Do you have faith – just faith in general? Before you sit in a chair, do you try resting a heavy weight in the chair as a test first to make sure that it might hold your weight? I believe you have faith in many things, just like my simple example. I happen to believe that the Bible is true, and that God is faithful to His Word. He said that He will return again to take His bride (the church – those individuals who have accepted His Son Jesus) home. I have followed through in faith and accepted Jesus as my Savior so that one day I will be with Him in eternity. What has your faith done for you? It is clear that those who have not accepted Jesus, are destined for eternity in Hell. I hope that your faith is leading you to trust in Jesus, for my greatest desire is to worship at Jesus’ feet in Heaven with all those I have ministered to through ‘Nuggets’ surrounding me. Please don’t let me down.

PRAYER: Precious Lord, I am so thankful for who You are, and for all You have done to prepare me for that great day when I shall see You and the Father face to face! There is no greater joy in living each day than to keep my eyes fixed on You! Please humble the hearts of all those who will read this devotional today, and please encourage them to know You personally. Noah showed us faith in action. May our faith never waiver as we wait for the day that You will call us home to glory! What a glorious day that will be! Thank You Jesus! AMEN!

Always Faithful

On 2020-09-082020-09-07 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Faithful, Needs, Obedience, Praise, Recognize God, Surrender, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Tuesday, 2020-09-07
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: 2 Timothy 2:13
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹³Even when we are too weak to have any faith left, he remains faithful to us and will help us, for he cannot disown us who are part of himself, and he will always carry out his promises to us.

OBSERVATION: I believe that one of the greatest reasons for divorces, might be because of an unfaithful spouse. When we hear of our spouse being unfaithful, unfortunately the worse comes out in us and regardless of what we promised in our wedding vows, we cannot find it within ourselves to forgive, and move on with our marriage. Perhaps you have heard of Christians feeling this way about God also, just as our Scripture alludes to. So let us prepare our hearts for this in light of what the Word of God says.

APPLICATION: We talked about marriages that fail because of unfaithfulness, but there are numerous other scenarios where we also choose to refuse forgiving others. Think about an employer who hired you into a vigorous training program for the eventual position of president. You worked hard, and for many long hours, at the sacrifice of your family, only to one day arrive at work and find a new person sitting in the president’s office. You are later informed that they came in very unexpectedly and applied for the position, and given their impeccable record and achievements, they are well qualified and deserving to lead the company on into the future. Ouch! What’s the first thing you will do? You got it, you will quickly write up your resignation letter and make your exit ASAP. The company was not faithful to you, so why should you remain faithful to them. Another analogy is that you were deeply involved in church work, and you had an excellent team working with you to develop the best ministry for your town that had a huge number of unsaved folk. It seemed to be working well, and you constantly led your team into awesome times of praise and thanksgiving for the work that God’s was doing. So you purchased land to build a bigger, better and more modern facility in which to teach and train the hundreds of people coming your way because of your ministry. Suddenly, your financial secretary came to your office one day to announce that the church was running out of money to meet its payroll and budget. In an emergency meeting with your leadership team, you discover that your church is in trouble financially. What happened to God, did He walk out on you? After weeks of wrestling with this, you are challenged by one of your leaders who warned that they felt you had walked out on God almost a year ago when you allowed the increasing number of attendees to assure you that you must be on the right track. Friends, pastors have committed suicide or left the church over things like this. God’s church must be run by God, and not man. No matter how good you may feel your man (pastor) is. But Paul tells us in this Scripture today that although you may have become unfaithful to God, He will never, ever, become unfaithful to you. Like the story of this pastor, there comes a time when you know that you have stepped out of God’s presence and decided to do life on your own, or as in the case of this pastor, you decided you had everything going your way and therefore did not need to bother God any further about your growth program. Stop – whose church did you say? Praise God that He allows the ignorance of mankind, and the silliness of preaching, to be used to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to all mankind. However, we must always remember the position that we fill in the church is that of servant-hood, for God alone saves mankind; He alone grows the church; He alone touches hearts and heals the sick. As His servants, we simply stand back and follow His commands. Let’s never lose sight of our true position in the church. God’s in charge, and we are the pions who simply ask for His guidance so that we may obediently follow His will for His church. And remember, God’s faithfulness is not only in the church, but in everything where He has promised to be our Lord. I sincerely believe that if we remain faithful to God, and if we will do what He commands, then He will direct us in all aspects of our lives and relationships.

PRAYER: Dearest Lord Jesus, we are thankful that You are faithful in everything that You have promised. Please direct Your children so that we never step out of line, or try to assume Your role in our lives. Let us be content in following exactly whatever You command and go wherever You lead. Please be with our church leaders and prompt them to follow You in every aspect of Your church, so that our communities will see Christ in the church and they will therefore develop a desire to know You. May they never be blocked from seeing You because of us standing in the way. AMEN!

Show Me Your Way Oh Lord

On 2020-02-01 By Ed AlgreenIn Faithful, Humbleness, Obedience2 Comments

Saturday, 2020-02-01

Bible Reference: Psalm 119:33-34
Translation: The Voice Translation (VOICE)

Bible Text: ³³ Eternal One, show me how to live according to Your statutes,
and I will keep them always.
³⁴ Grant me understanding so that I can keep Your law
and keep it wholeheartedly.

OBSERVATION: We know from the life of David that there were many ups and downs, or highs and lows in his life, and perhaps that’s why many of us can identify with David so much. However, David became pretty special to God though, and we can see from our verses today that David’s heart was one of humbleness before God. He had a desire to learn more of God’s Word, and His perfect will for his life, feeling like if he could only understand it, he would put his whole heart into being obedient to it.

APPLICATION: Ever had a time in your life where you were about to get upset with a child because they were about to do something that you had corrected them on many times before? Then you realized that they were doing their very best to do what they probably understood from you, but just not as perfectly as you were hoping for? Isn’t that the way it is with God’s Word sometimes? You want to do things according to your understanding of God’s teachings, yet you become confused by all that is being taught from various pulpits, classrooms or media platforms. Friends, I believe that we need to pay close attention to the method used by David. Notice how he went to the Source to ask for wisdom and understanding? Notice how he had determined in his own mind that with this understanding and additional wisdom, came a determined heart to be obedient to whatever God revealed to him? I believe that often we become so hung up on wanting to hear an explanation of the Bible that fits our own personal desires and wishes that we tune out the teachings and explanations that are contrary to predetermined ideas. I believe that when we seek God’s face, like David did, we will often be led in opposite directions to what was determined in our minds, because God’s ways are so different to our ways. The bottom line for us though, is that only what’s done for Jesus will last. Only when we do what’s pleasing to Him and in full obedience to Him, will we truly align our lives with His will for us. So shall we seek to follow David’s example and seek God’s face, asking for Him to clarify exactly what it is that we need to do, so that we may be a pleasing fragrance in His nostrils? It’s not about what self wants or desires. It’s all about pleasing God in all that we do, friends, so that His perfect will might be accomplished through even us – His humble servants.

PRAYER: Father in heaven, You have demonstrated Your love for us by sending Your only Son as a sacrifice for our sin. Yet we love grudgingly and with many strings attached. You gave us Your Word – Your book of instructions for life, so that we might know the way to eternal life, and that we might know what pleases the Father. Yet we often choose to do our own thing, in hopes of selfish returns and personal achievements. Your servant David demonstrated through this Psalm today, that it’s not until we stop and surrender wholeheartedly to You, and Your perfect will for our lives, that we truly become a pleasing aroma to You and usable instruments by You to reach unsaved loved ones. Lord, may this be a day that You will be busy at work in our understanding of Your statutes and commands, whether we are sitting to ‘soak in’ the words from Your Holy Bible, or whether driving along being blessed by all that You have made, or whether through the spoken word of another believer. Lord, may Your will become perfectly clear to us today, is my honest plea and heart’s desire, with total thanksgiving for all that You will do today, AMEN!

Nuggets From God's Word

Category: Faithful