May We Do It For YOUR Glory, God

On 2022-05-122022-05-14 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, For His Glory, gifts, Glory of God, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE POSTED Thursday, 2022-05-12
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 79:19
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁹Help us, O God of our salvation!
Help us for the glory of your name.
Save us and forgive our sins
for the honor of your name.

APPLICATION: I believe that as I read this solitary verse, God spoke to me and asked what might it take for me to offer such a prayer. I know of a pastor who bargained with God for His protection in war, and he promised God that in return he would serve Him faithfully when he returned home, for the rest of his life. Praise God, that young man who prayed, returned home safely and became a pastor. He was able to retire fairly recently after many years of doing exactly what he promised God there in that bunker. For those who know the Lord, I believe we tend to follow in the footsteps of that pastor more times than not. But if we truly love the Lord and want to give Him the glory that He deserves, wouldn’t we seek to do everything with God in mind? In other words, wouldn’t we recognize and promote praise to God, rather than to ourselves? For loving us enough to provide for our every need each and every day? For blessing us for the people He has placed in our life? Wouldn’t we awake each day with a goal in mind to make someone’s life special without looking for any recognition or thanks for ourselves, but to make it known that God alone deserves the praise? I believe that anytime we could strive to see the name of Jesus lifted up by others, without looking for what’s in it for us, then we may come closer to aligning with the prayer of Asaph. Perhaps our prayer should always be: Lord, ease our pain, so that others will see our freedom, know that our release could only have come for You, so that they would raise a sweet hallelujah for the blessing of seeing You miraculously at work. Dear friends, look around you, mankind has become excessively greedy and self centered. This has caused us to almost lose hope in humanity. May we consciously stop to think of all that God unselfishly provides for us every day – especially those things that are beyond man’s ability to help us with – sunshine that provides much needed vitamins for our bodies; fish that has been proven to be one of the best meats for the body; rain that does more for our plant-life than any amount of running water we could pour on to them; good health that allows us to hold a job, earn money, and provide for our families; etc. As we count our blessings for all that God does for us voluntarily out of love, may we boldly bless others with much of what we have, so that they may also lift up holy hands and voices as they express praise and adoration to the Father for all that He provides for them!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: As we give to others from unselfish hearts filled with the love of God, may recipients always look up with thanksgiving and praise to the Almighty God, not to the one physically filling the hand that is reaching out to us.

PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, You gave to us from a heart just like God. For those who have invited You into their hearts, may they realize today that they are but a channel for those blessings. That means, that they will realize that they are but a conduit that is filled with blessings by You, en route to others in need that they come into contact with each day! Teach us to never take on the attributes of the Dead Sea where everything remains locked up inside, and never passed along. May we freely give of everything we have, so that others may see the origin of those gifts being from Jesus alone. May they then glorify You, oh Lord for all that You are 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 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!

The Prescription for Success

On 2022-03-142022-03-14 By Ed AlgreenIn Devotion, For His Glory, Glory of God, God's Glory, LoyaltyLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Monday, 2020-03-14
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

Bible Reference: 2 Chronic les 31:20–21
Translation: Good News Translation (GNT)

Bible Text: ²⁰Throughout all Judah, King Hezekiah did what was right and what was pleasing to the Lord his God. ²¹He was successful, because everything he did for the Temple or in observance of the Law, he did in a spirit of complete loyalty and devotion to his God.

APPLICATION: I can hardly imagine what our families, our churches, our cities and our nation would be like if we had men following the example of King Hezekiah today! We are told in verse 21 that this king was extremely successful because….. everything he did was in a spirit of complete loyalty and devotion to God! Wow! In Bible Studies we are often reminded about the importance of loving our spouse in complete loyalty and obedience to God, and we might hear testimonies about the difference these characteristics make in the life and marriage of couples who remain in love with each other through good, and yes, even through challenging times. I could only imagine how much better our workplaces would be if we (Christians) went to work with a spirit of complete loyalty and devotion to God. Friends, I know that many employers will not allow Christianity to be promoted within the confounds of the workplace, but what is inside of us cannot be taken away! We take Christ into our jobs through our lives – our actions, our stands on certain things, through our sincere dedication to our work and our bosses. Christians should be the best employees for any employer, if we do our jobs in complete loyalty and dedication to God. He will stop us from cheating, stealing, lying, gossiping, and any other ungodly actions. God will drive us towards being the best in everything expected of us by our employer. In addition to committing yourself to loyalty and devotion to God, please remember to daily pray God’s blessings on your supervisor and on your employer. Yes, even the boss that may seem hard and uncaring towards you. Just as Jesus made a difference in your life, He will also impact the life of your boss, or that difficult supervisor! As you meditate on this devotional and consider following this commitment, please notice that Hezekiah had no conditions to his commitment, and I believe we could deduce that his commitment was evident in every aspect of his life. I’m sure I don’t need to remind you, but our churches, our families, our workplaces, our schools and our social clubs are all suffering from the lack of commitment by those who tell the world that they belong to God. The Word says that as a result of Hezekiah’s commitment, many conditions changed for the good, and he was successful in everything he did. So will you join me in committing to be completely loyal and devoted to God in every aspect of your life? The world so badly needs Jesus, perhaps one dedicated child of God making a difference in their workplace, their homes, etc. will bring hope to those who need the Lord. Do your part dear friend, and pray for the same success that Hezekiah had!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus I’m sure that You never intended for us to be an image of You for others to look on, but rather that we might imitate You in everything You have taught us though Your Word and Your actions, so that they may be convinced of their need for Jesus. Thank You for the life of Hezekiah and the commitment displayed by this servant in loyalty and devotion to You. This impacted his world! But still today, our world is in trouble and many need to see a few good men and women who are dedicated to the One they say they belong to. Lord, may they see from our commitment, loyalty and devotion to You, that Jesus is alive and well, because of the evidence they see each day in us. Please forgive us Lord for the times we have acted just like the world, and not been a pure replica of You. Please help us to never be a stumbling block that prevents Your impact on the lost. Oh that You may be glorified and recognized in us, and may You be glorified on earth, as You are in Heaven! 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!

Do Everything For The Glorify God

On 2021-08-092021-08-09 By Ed AlgreenIn Glorify, Glory of God, God Cares For Us, God's GloryLeave a comment

Monday, 2021-08-09

Bible Reference: 1 Corinthians 10:29-33
Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

Bible Text: ²⁹ ….you may ask, must I be guided and limited by what someone else thinks? ³⁰ If I can thank God for the food and enjoy it, why let someone spoil everything just because he thinks I am wrong? ³¹ Well, I’ll tell you why. It is because you must do everything for the glory of God, even your eating and drinking. ³² So don’t be a stumbling block to anyone, whether they are Jews or Gentiles or Christians. ³³ That is the plan I follow, too. I try to please everyone in everything I do, not doing what I like or what is best for me but what is best for them, so that they may be saved.

APPLICATION: To a very large extent, we tend to build our lives around people who please us; who does life ‘our way’; and who has everything that makes us happy. Paul had to address this in the Corinthian church, and I believe that his teaching is included in the Word of God, because we need to be reminded of this today also. We still live in an imperfect world, and we still have a need to get over our selfishness. In this particular chapter Paul was addressing the subject of some being convinced that they could not eat certain foods, while others were quite OK with that and saw nothing wrong with it, nor how it might affect their relationship with God. Paul’s conviction was that we should be careful to do what pleases God in these circumstances, not just ourselves. In fact Paul directed us to do only those things that will glorify God, and that should challenge us the ultimate degree on why and how we should do things. This is supported by the wide variety of principles and characteristics that Jesus taught and modeled throughout His earthly ministry, for He ate with sinners, boldly taught opposing Pharisees and loved all with whom He came into contact with. But let’s take the example of food that Paul taught about in this chapter. This still exists today, because there are some who feel like there are certain foods that would defile their bodies, and some even feel that this is based on Biblical references – and therefore may displease God. I believe that we are being taught to make every effort to please God in our lives, which may mean that our own convictions may need adjusting at times. We should never create animosity with a Brother or Sister who is trying to please God through what they eat. Unfortunately, we sometimes become so wrapped up in the unimportant aspects of a Christian’s personal beliefs and practices, that we lose sight of glorifying God in the moment in which we find ourselves. Friends, rather than trying to force others to eat what we eat or not, we’ve totally missed the point if we haven’t challenged them, or helped them grow in their personal relationship with God. The time we spend with individuals, should help them in their relationship with God, or at least challenge them to consider their own lives in the light of eternity. We must be careful to help someone draw close to God, rather than becoming a stumbling block to the very people we feel led to help. As a child of God, our aim should always be to please Him through the way that we live, not by trying to be ‘God’. Our path to living like a child of the King is very clear in His Word, let’s learn to live like that and rub off on as many as we can. Maybe at that point we might have more impact on the unbeliever also, for we will truly imitate our loving Lord, and act more like He intended. It’s all about God friend, not our personal ideals.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for loving us in spite of our silly personal ideals. Thank You for speaking through Paul to redirect our attention towards You instead of trying to impose our imperfections onto others. May our daily goal always be to please You in all that we do and say; to be more like You; and to draw closer to You in every way. You have taught us to love everyone and to encourage them instead of tearing down and destroying. Lord, may it be evident to all that we come into contact with, that Jesus lives and reigns inside of us. I ask for myself and each reader/listener, and I ask this in the loving and awesome name of Jesus, AMEN!

Use Your Body To Bring Glory To God

On 2020-05-06 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, For His Glory, Glorify, Glory of God, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Tuesday, 2020-05-05
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

BIBLE REFERENCE: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
TRANSLATION: The Passion Translation (TPT)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁹Have you forgotten that your body is now the sacred temple of the Spirit of Holiness, who lives in you? You don’t belong to yourself any longer, for the gift of God, the Holy Spirit, lives inside your sanctuary.^[l] ²⁰You were God’s expensive purchase, paid for with tears of blood,^[m] so by all means, then, use your body^[n] to bring glory to God!

OBSERVATION: Paul was presented with a problem that most of my friends, and possibly most of my readers, would ever be faced with – prostitution. In trying to understand how Paul may have felt, I consider how I felt the first time I understood the impact of human smuggling and slavery. Imagine hearing that a human sex slave is way more profitable because of the ability to reuse the product owned by a pimp. For those who know God, and value the gift that He gave on Calvary for His beloved children, I believe that we will appreciate where Paul was coming from on his message here.

APPLICATION: The big deal here is that Paul was preaching to the church, not those who never visit the church or accepted Jesus as Lord. So this made me think about what must really be going on among our church people today, or among ‘Christians’ as a whole. I believe that what often causes grief among ‘Christians’, is that some may follow the plea of a parent, or a best friend to give their heart to the Lord, and an individual follows through in trying to satisfy the constant bombardment. This becomes a very temporary thing in the mind of that person, as they quickly return to their normal lifestyle without a true relationship with their Maker. Friends, if one of your men decided to marry a woman, and after the marriage ceremony he went his way and she went hers, would they truly live like husband and wife? Would they respect their individual bodies knowing that their spouse reserved full and dedicated rights to their body (1 Corinthians 7:4)? I don’t think so. Similarly, unless a Christian develops a personal relationship with the King of kings, then no real honor and respect is developed for the One who gave His life for our sin. When we show friends that we gave our life to the Lord, they try to take us at our word, until they could truly see if any spiritual fruit develops. However, we can’t fool God, for He knows us individually. He not only knows about every word we speak, but He also knows our thoughts and our very hearts. So when we stray and perform certain acts that surprises the church, don’t think for a moment that God is surprised, for He knows all about us. Now for those who honestly and sincerely surrenders their life to the Lord and truly trusts in His Word, Paul is reminding us that the Holy Spirit resides inside of us, to guide us along the right path and to live honest and noble lives for the Lord. Forbid it that this would ever occur still today, but Paul is teaching us that we are to respect our bodies, the sanctuary in which the Holy Spirit resides. Just like I believe Paul was addressing this subject that started with prostitution, but also generalizing because of the other ways that children of God were abusing their bodies, I believe the same occurs today. Many of the same sins that we look down on society for today, are almost equally as bad among God’s holy children. Like Paul, I would respectfully and lovingly warn all of my readers, that precious is the one who is a child of the Most High King, for God has placed His Holy Spirit inside of us at the time of our salvation decision. Let’s be respectful of that, and not only live according to what we believe the Bible teaches, but always be conscious of fact that we are not just disrespecting ourselves when we sin, but we are also subjecting the holiest – the Holy Spirit – a party of the Trinity, to our filth. Oh that we might be constantly reminded of this when we are tempted to indulge in things, especially those that we tend to think no one else is seeing or witnessing. Oh that we may always strive to be holy, just as He is holy.

PRAYER: Lord, You know are goings and our comings. You have blessed us with Your holy presence on an ongoing basis, because You know that we struggle to do this life on our own, in a way that is pleasing to You. Oh God, we really need You every minute of every day. Please always guide, protect and show us the way to help others be drawn to You. Please forgive us when we are weak and when we falter. Please sharpen our minds so that we will always call upon You in these moments, so that others will see more of Christ and less of ourselves. It’s all about You dear Lord. Please have Your will and way in our lives, our thoughts, our goings and our comings. May others know You and desire Your presence in their lives today. AMEN!

Successful Men Look Like This

On 2020-03-14 By Ed AlgreenIn Devotion, For His Glory, Glory of God, God's Glory, LoyaltyLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Saturday, 2020-03-14
WRITTEN AT: Paul B Johnson State Park, Hattiesburg, MS

Bible Reference: 2 Chronic les 31:20–21
Translation: Good News Translation (GNT)

OBSERVATION: I don’t know that you will learn anything new from this devotional today, but I believe that you will be reminded of why you might have an employee who is very successful and doing well for your company, or you might be challenged with something that is lacking in your life that prevents you from succeeding in your job. The formula is spelled right out in our Scripture, but fearing that you might gloss right over it, I want us to meditate on the necessary qualities, and how these were evident in king Hezekiah.

APPLICATION: I can hardly imagine what our families, our churches, our cities and our nation would be like if we had men following the example of King Hezekiah today! We are told in verse 21 that this king was extremely successful because….. everything he did was in a spirit of complete loyalty and devotion to God! Wow! In Bible Studies we are often reminded about the importance of loving our spouse in complete loyalty and obedience to God, and we might hear testimonies about the difference these characteristics make in the life and marriage of couples who remain in love with each other through good, and yes, even through challenging times. I could only imagine how much better our workplaces would be if we (Christians) went to work with a spirit of complete loyalty and devotion to God. Friends, I know that many employers will not allow Christianity to be promoted within its confounds, but what is inside of us cannot be taken away! We take Christ into our jobs through our lives – our actions, our stands on certain things, through our sincere dedication to our work and our bosses. Christians should be the best employees for any employer, if we do our jobs in complete loyalty and dedication to God. He will stop us from cheating, stealing, lying, gossiping, and any other ungodly actions. God will drive us towards being the best in everything expected of us by our employer. In addition to committing yourself to loyalty and devotion to God, please remember to daily pray God’s blessings on your supervisor and on your employer every day. Yes, even the boss that may seem hard and uncaring towards you. Just as Jesus made a difference in your life, He will also impact the life of your boss! As you meditate on this devotional and consider following this commitment, please notice that Hezekiah had no conditions to his commitment, and I believe we could deduce that his commitment was evident in every aspect of his life. I’m sure I don’t need to remind you, but our churches, our families, our workplaces, our schools and our social clubs are all suffering from the lack of commitment by those who tell the world that they are involved with one or more of these groups. The Word says that as a result of Hezekiah’s commitment, many conditions changed for the good, and he was successful in everything he did. So will you join me in committing to be completely loyal and devoted to God? And that we will ask Him to prompt us into a strong commitment in everything that we do, so that there would be an impact on those around us for the glory of Christ!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus I’m sure that You never intended for us to be an image of You for others to look on, but rather that we might imitate You in everything You have taught us though Your Word and Your actions. Thank You for the life of Hezekiah and the commitment displayed by this servant in loyalty and devotion to You. This impacted his world! Yet today, our world is in trouble because of our lack of commitment, loyalty and devotion to You. Please forgive us Lord, and as we seek Your face, please be faithful to show us the way. We desire nothing personal in any of these things, but that You might be glorified and recognized by those impacted by our actions. Your is the glory, and all for Your kingdom’s sake, oh Lord. AMEN!

An Imitation of the One You Adore

On 2019-11-19 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Glorify, Glory of God, Imitate Jesus, Imitating Christ, Imitator of Christ, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

Tuesday, 2019-11-19

Bible Reference: John 13:34-35
Translation: The Passion Translation (TPT)

Bible Text: ³⁴“So I give you now a new commandment: Love each other just as much as I have loved you. ³⁵For when you demonstrate the same love I have for you by loving one another, everyone will know that you’re my true followers.”

OBSERVATION: Jesus was about to end His earthly ministry, and I believe He was admonishing His disciples to carry on by demonstrating all that they saw in Him while working together, ministering together, and seeking after the heart of loved ones who had gone astray. Because I believe that Jesus still desires for His children to be imitators of their Master, I want us to contemplate what that might look like today.

APPLICATION: Ever notice the difference between a military enlistee and a regular civilian? One is determined to follow the orders of their commanding officer and defend their country, in spite of all the evil going on inside their homeland, while the other tries to follow the general idea of the local laws, but will not think twice about questioning those laws and or commands of those in charge of their safety and welfare. Similarly, you will often identify God’s children by their demeanor, their lifestyle, their honesty, their commitment and their love for one another. I believe that Jesus is teaching us in the Scripture today, just as He taught the disciples: ‘Let the world see so much of Jesus in you, that they will be convinced that He exists, and that they could easily follow you, as you follow Christ. I believe that Jesus wants us to not only desire to know Him in order to have our ticket punched for heaven, but especially so that the non-believer would turn their heads to this cruel, heart-breaking, mean and treacherous world, and be encouraged to see the character of Jesus in every fiber of our being. And that it would be inviting enough to convince them that there is a better way! Friends, I believe that many of you may have traveled down some of the same roads that I have. For we have seen the impact of this world on folk at our job site, in our neighborhoods, in our government, and even in our churches. I am so encouraged, and touched by the living Word of God, for Jesus knew that we would face these challenges and discouragements and we may sometimes want to just throw our hands up in disappointment and wonderment of whether it is worth the effort to try and be kind and loving every day. Often, when we ‘try’ to be good, loving and kind, we are polluting ourselves with so much self-effort, and self-taught principles, and selfish desires, that we sometimes make things worse. I believe that Jesus is teaching us, as He did His disciples, to just apply all that we have learned from Him to our lives, and look to His Book of Instruction (the Bible) when searching for answers, instead of the TV Talk Shows, or the internet sites of Palm Readers, and the like. Jesus has placed the Holy Spirit inside of us, believers in Christ, so that we might be led in the right direction; understand His precious Word, and love like He first loved us. Let’s learn to love like Jesus did – for He gave up His own life for us, even while we were still sinners. He loved Lazarus and his sisters enough that He cried in empathy for Mary and Martha who thought they would never see Lazarus alive again. Let’s learn to care for others like He did – for He stopped a whole parade so that He could chat with, and seek the desire of two cripples who could not fend for themselves. Instead of racing the children away, like His disciples, He called them to Himself, taught them and loved on them as a father would. To all my readers, I would plead with you today to seek God, read His Word, pray to Him, and be bold enough to love, talk and act like Him, even in a world that tends to be in total opposition to that. Don’t force these things upon your neighbor, but allow God to embed them into your hearts and upon your life. He wants to shine brightly through you, so that your neighbor will be convinced about the One who loves him/her in spite of their circumstances and their rotten attitudes. Be willing to let go, and let God have His way in you, my friend!

PRAYER: Precious Lord, You are more wonderful than all of creation! You loved me when I was totally unlovable by anyone. Why you even stood still under the barrage of whips, and You endured the cross, so that the world might know that we are loved more than life itself. Father, it seems like we are facing a world that is so evil and filled with hatred. I’m sure that this is no worse than what You faced, but Lord we need You. Every hour of every day we need You. Please fill us with Your power, so that we may not only overcome the temptations and trials of this world, but that we might shine with the glory of the Son, so that our dark world might be illuminated and convinced of Your love. While deserving nothing in return from this world, I pray that You may be glorified through us today in many wonderful ways. AMEN!

Actions and Words That Glorify God

On 2019-08-21 By Ed AlgreenIn Glorify, Glory of God, God Cares For Us, God's Glory1 Comment

Wednesday, 2019-08-21

Bible Reference: 1 Corinthians 10:29-33
Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

OBSERVATION: So often we tend to get caught up in our own stand on something, that we fight for, act up, and run over people in order to achieve what we believe to be the ‘perfect way’ or even at times, the ‘only way’! God is teaching us, through His servant Paul, that in all things we are to aim for others to glorify Christ because of our impact on their lives. I believe that our mean, selfish attitudes will disappear when we interact with others using this principal! Meditate with me as we consider the impact this could have on our lives, and in our life.

APPLICATION: To a very large extent we tend to build our lives around people who please us; who does life ‘our way’; and who has everything that makes us happy. Paul had to address this in the Corinthian church, and I believe that his teaching is included in the Word of God, because we need to be reminded of this today also. We still live in an imperfect world, and we still have a need to get over our selfishness. In this particular chapter Paul was addressing the subject of some being convinced that they could not eat certain foods, while others were quite OK with that and saw nothing wrong with it, nor how it might affect their relationship with God. Paul’s conviction was that we should be careful to do what pleases God, not just ourselves. In fact Paul directed us to do only those things that will glorify God, and that opens a much wider spectrum of principles that we should follow, including why and how should do things. This is supported by the wide variety of principles and characteristics that Jesus taught and modeled throughout His earthly ministry, for He ate with sinners, boldly taught opposing Pharisees and loved those whom He came into contact with. But let’s take the example of food that Paul taught about in this chapter. This still exists today, because there are some who feel like there are certain foods that would defile their bodies, and some even feel that this is based on Biblical references – and therefore may displease God. I believe that we are being taught to make every effort to please God in our lives, which may mean that our own convictions may need adjusting at times. We should never create animosity with a Brother or Sister who is trying to please God through what they eat. Unfortunately, we sometimes become so wrapped up in the unimportant aspects of a Christian’s personal beliefs and practices, that we lose sight of glorifying God in the moment in which we find ourselves. Friends, rather than trying to force others to eat what we eat or not, we’ve totally missed the point if we haven’t challenged them, or helped them grow in their personal relationship with God. The time we spend with individuals, should help them in their relationship with God, or at least challenge them to consider their own lives in the light of eternity. We must be careful to help someone draw close to God, rather than becoming a stumbling block to the very people we feel led to help. As a child of God, our aim should always be to please Him through the way that we live, not by trying to be ‘God’. Our path to living like a child of the King is very clear in His Word, let’s learn to live like that and rub off on as many as we can. Maybe at that point we might have more impact on the unbeliever also, for we will truly imitate our loving Lord, and act more like He intended. It’s all about God friend, not our personal ideals.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for loving us in spite of our silly personal ideals. Thank You for speaking through Paul to redirect our attention towards You instead of trying to impose our imperfections onto others. May our daily goal always be to please You in all that we do and say. To be more like You and to draw closer to You in every way. You have taught us to love everyone and to encourage them instead of tearing down and destroying. May we be more like You every day, and may it be evident to all that we come into contact with, is my humble plea that I ask for myself and as I encourage my readers to do the same also. For I ask this in the loving and awesome name of Jesus, AMEN!

Let The Glory of God Be Displayed Through You

On 2019-03-09 By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, Glory of God, Proof-positive, Relationship, Rewards, Sincerity, TrustLeave a comment

Saturday, 2019-03-09

Bible Reference: Psalm 19:1-4
Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

Bible Text:
¹The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
    The skies display his craftsmanship.
²Day after day they continue to speak;
    night after night they make him known.
³They speak without a sound or word;
    their voice is never heard.^]
⁴Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
    and their words to all the world.

OBSERVATION: Isn’t it really calming to look into the skies and marvel over the deep blue colors, or the night sky filled with twinkling stars, or even the deep dark clouds as they barrel in before a heavy rain? Isn’t it cool to look at the white passing clouds and the various shapes that they create? What do you suppose God is saying to His children through each of these scenarios? What do others think of us as they examine our lives and our words? Remember, if you’re a child of the King, you should resemble Him in all your ways!

APPLICATION: I find it disturbing that we fill our minds with so much ‘junk’ fed to us by television, movies, clubs, etc, instead of using the creativity that God blessed us with that would draw us to Himself and His creation. I believe that in the life of most of us reading this devotional, our typical evening might consist of arriving home from work, watching the evening news while we eat supper, then perhaps a movie or a gameshow, then off to bed for rest, in preparation for repeating another day of much the same. Where do we find time for creativity, or for reflecting on the goodness of God in all of that, dear friends? Some might convince themselves that because they went to a church meeting/event, that they saturated themselves with God. Did you, my friend? Or did you go through the motions of tradition in being present, and doing everything requested by the leader? I am a leader in my church, so I am definitely not discouraging you from attending church meetings and opportunities to learn about God’s Word, but what I am saying is that there must be time for us to develop, and enhance a personal, one-on-one relationship with our Maker. I often compare the relationship with my wife, to the relationship with my Savior. What if, each afternoon I went to the gym that she attends so I could learn about how she did that day, then go out with the guys and, at some point decide whether I will go home that night, or not? That would do absolutely nothing for the relationship between she and I. But isn’t that what happens all too often in the relationship we have with God? We listen to a devotional where someone shares about their relationship with God, instead of faithfully reading God’s Word and allowing Him to speak to us personally. We might watch a church worship service on television in order to check off the box that we worshipped God this week. Friends, if others are to see God all over us and through our very lives, it will be because He is oozing out of every fiber of our being. Our Scripture today points us to the purity of the heavens, where they are untouched by mankind or the world’s leader, Satan. We look at the sky, the sun, the moon, the stars, the clouds in all of their glory and we see God. I believe it is that kind of purity that we should strive for in our lives, if we want others to see Christ. Remember, it’s all about Him my friend. They don’t need to see your nice haircut, grooming, or anything else. They need to see what flows out of you? Let it be Christ, my friend!

PRAYER: May the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable to You oh Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. May my life be a true reflection of You in every way, so that others will be drawn to You, and so that You may be glorified in every way. Please ignite a desire within each reader to strive for a similar goal, as this is my deepest, and sincere plea today oh Lord. AMEN!

Share God’s Glory

On 2018-09-212018-09-21 By Ed AlgreenIn Evangelism, Evangelize, For His Glory, Glory of God, God's Glory, Share, Share God’s WordLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE FROM: Hebrews 2:9-10 (ERV)

TEXT: ⁹….. Because of God’s grace, Jesus died for everyone. ¹⁰God—the one who made all things and for whose glory all things exist—wanted many people to be his children and share his glory. So he did what he needed to do. He made perfect the one who leads those people to salvation. He made Jesus a perfect Savior through his suffering.

OBSERVATION: An awesome verse that portrays the great love that God has for us. He wasn’t satisfied just leaving us as we were, sinners in a world controlled by the evil one. So He sent His Son, made Jesus a perfect Savior, so that those who want a better life, those who want to go to Heaven, those who want to accept Him, would become God’s children and share in His glory! This is miraculous news that should encourage the hearts of anyone capable of grasping this truth! Oh what a Savior! Oh what awesome love our Father has for us! Wow!

APPLICATION: I wonder how many of us come across someone in our daily walk, that feels unloved, unappreciated, despondent, without hope and living in a world where all they feel is frustration, hatred, revenge and just totally alone? Could the only thing that’s missing be, that they need to be encouraged and told about a Father who loves them, a Savior who cares for them, and a place called heaven that awaits those who accept Jesus as their Savior? Do they know that you care about them? Friends, please don’t automatically assume that because you’ve known this all of your life, that those you come into contact with will know this also. A friend was telling me just last Sunday that he had ministered in an Asian country, and it always blew him away when he would speak to someone about our Lord Jesus, and all he got was blank stares, for they had no idea what he was talking about. Do you sometimes wonder why God places you in the presence of some of the folk that you meet? Could it possibly be because you have the answers to ‘life eternal’ and to the many questions that your new acquaintance may have in their everyday life? I believe that our Scripture today serves two primary purposes: 1). It contains a reminder for you and I, that God, who created us to worship and serve Him, has done everything necessary to have us return to Him in glory to celebrate eternally with He and His Father; and 2). God will place people in our path, not by accident, but divinely, because He wants us to show His love to them, or share His Word with them, or tell them about Jesus who loved them enough that He died for them. Now, if only we can stay on task and welcome the work of Jesus in and through us so that He may be glorified!

PRAYER: Thank You dear Lord for Your Word, Your love, and Your concern for even me. Lord I believe! I believe that You can and will use Your children, like my readers and I, to also be Your witness to the lost world in which we live. As we approach family and friends today Lord, may they see You and know You personally. Most will probably protest that they need no-one, but use us Lord to show them that there is only one way to heaven, and that’s through the Savior that they truly need. Please use us as Your instruments today. 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!

Always Praising God

On 2016-02-032016-02-03 By Ed AlgreenIn Glory of God, Praise, WorthyLeave a comment

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

Today’s Bible Reference: Psalm 75:9-10
Today’s Bible Text: But as for me, I will always proclaim what God has done; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob. For God says, “I will break the strength of the wicked, but I will increase the power of the godly.”
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: I wish that one day people will be able to look around and observe from the positive attitudes and the praising mindset, that certain folk are true children of God. Most folk are so accustomed to people whining and complaining that they almost expect it. In fact, we have to be extra careful that we don’t encourage it! I believe that we often need to take a closer look at those saints who preceded us. Take, for example Paul, who declared the glory of God even while in chains, inside of a cold, damp prison, and he won prison guards to the Lord! In our scripture today, David shares that he would always brag about what God had done, and sing His praises. Friends, David had some pretty trying times, but yet he vowed to honor God and praise Him. I believe that when we learn to praise God in ALL circumstances of life, we acknowledge that He is in charge, even when things don’t go our way. It also shows that we have confidence that our God will be with us through every phase of life here on this earth, until He calls us home to be with Him. Sinners will notice when we praise God even in our storms of life, for they are so used to the cursing, whining and complaining from folk all around them, when times are tough. They will instantly recognize the power of God in us. Let me be quick to follow this by saying that we don’t just praise for the purpose of showing others, for it’s through our sincere praise, and our worship to God that others will recognize whose we are. We should never have to tell anyone that we are a Christian, for it should be evident in our lifestyle, our priorities, our words and our actions. If Christ abides within, His joy, His peace, His love and His glory will exude from us in all aspects of our life. I trust that your praises, will be a meter to indicate how blessed you are by the King of all kings, our Lord and our Redeemer!

Prayer: Jesus, You are more than amazing, more than wonderful, more than worthy to me. I am blessed beyond measure and so amazed by Your love for me. Please touch the hearts of Your children today so that they may acknowledge Your presence in their lives, and then allow the overflow of blessings to pour forth from them, so that others may be drawn to You. Lord, You are worthy of our lifelong praise! May we be found faithful in lifting holy hands to praise You in love and sincerity of heart, because of who You are and for all that You do for us every day. May Your name be glorified today oh Lord, for this is my humble plea on behalf of myself and all of my readers, in the precious name of Jesus, AMEN!

Footnote: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

2016

Nuggets From God's Word

Category: Glory of God